She gasped as she heard gunshots. But the bear and the lion kept charging. She’d never felt so helpless, but what could she do except watch?
The lion pounced on one of the men, knocking him down. The bear, meanwhile, was surrounded by three men on all sides, holding handguns out, seemingly bent on keeping it away from the SUV where she suspected Edward was holed up. Damon’s bear swiped at them, and one man shot him in the shoulder. The bear only recoiled back, but didn’t fall. Another shot went off, and the bear went wild.
“No!” she screamed and slammed her palms on the dash. “Damon!”
Suddenly, a large, dark figure barreled out of the trees. It was another bear, a huge one. The bear from the woods! She recognized it by its size. It charged forward, taking down two of the men surrounding Damon.
Despite the shots firing around it, Damon’s bear sprang into action, raking its claws down the man who had shot him and tossed him aside, then lumbered toward the SUV. Raising its arms, it brought down its giant paws on the roof and battered its own body against the side, making the vehicle rock back and forth.
I have to get to him! Swallowing every bit of fear she had, she pushed the door open and stepped out gingerly, then hobbled toward the rampaging bear.
She wasn’t quite sure what to do, but then she heard loud sirens in the distance. Looking behind her, blue and red lights flashed in the darkness like a beacon.
Blackstone P.D.! Relief overwhelmed her, and tears sprang to her eyes, and she found the strength to ignore the pain and keep walking now that help was here.
“Damon!” she screamed, trying to get the bear’s attention.
The side of the SUV had been ripped out, and the lower half of the bear’s body hung outside. Edward’s terrified screams mixed in with the rampaging bear’s growls made for a bone-chilling symphony.
“Don’t kill him! Please!” While she hated Jameson, she didn’t want Damon to have to stand trial for his death. Plus, with Jameson’s connections with those cartels, who knew what it would bring down on Damon and Blackstone? “Damon!”
The bear froze, then it pulled out of the SUV, his block head swinging around. Those familiar green eyes fixed on her. “P.D.’s here,” she said to him. “Let them take care of Jameson.”
The bear chuffed angrily, then shook its head. Slowly, it backed away.
Jameson’s head peeked out of the remains of the SUV. His cruel eyes zeroed in on her, and he opened his mouth to say something undoubtedly smug, but suddenly froze.
“Blackstone P.D.! Put your hands up!” Three officers charged forward, weapons in hand.
Jameson’s eyes popped out of his head. “Put my hands up?” he said incredulously. “These … animals were the ones attacking me! Arrest them!”
The officers didn’t seem to like what he said and closed around him. Anna Victoria couldn’t blame them; after all, most of Blackstone P.D.’s officers and employees were shifters.
As the officers secured Jameson, she ran past them, toward Damon. His bear staggered back, and fell over with a loud thump. Horror filled her and she sprinted toward the animal, not caring about her ankle as she collapsed beside it in a heap. “Damon!” She buried her face in its furry hide, tears flowing freely now.
The bear’s body began to shrink. Bones snapped, fur receded back into skin as she held him tight, inhaling the masculine scent of his skin. “Damon, don’t die. Please, I never got to tell you that I love you.”
“Y-you love me?”
She bolted straight up. “Damon?”
He struggled, but managed to push himself to sit up. “I—”
“You were shot,” she exclaimed. Her eyes focused on the two bullet holes in his body—one on the shoulder and the other on the arm. While they looked horrific, they didn’t seem to be bleeding out.
“Shifter healing,” he explained. “Hurts like fucking hell, but the bullets went through at least.”
“Oh!” Her arms wound around him and she hugged him tight. When he flinched, she let him go but didn’t move away. “Damon, I’m sorry about earlier. I was trying to get you away from Jameson. He threatened your life if I didn’t—”
“Shh,” he soothed. “It’s all right. I know.”
“You do?”
“I mean, I figured it out later, after Gabriel, J.D. and I realized you didn’t go with him willingly. We saw the money and had P.D. call up Albuquerque for info about Jameson. They told us everything.”
“You saw the money?” Blood drained from her face. “I can explain—”
“Later,” he said. “But … did you say you loved me?”
She took in a sharp breath and covered her mouth. “Is it too soon? You don’t have to—”
“No. Of course not.” Reaching out, he pulled her close. “I love you, too, Anna Victoria.” Then he leaned down to kiss her.
The moment their lips touched, a strange but pleasant sensation flooded her body, warming every inch of her. It was hard to describe—like slowly being submerged in water and cocooned in a soft blanket at the same time. All the hairs on the back of her neck stood up, and a tightness wrapped around her. As she embraced Damon, she felt like they were one, bonded by some unknown force. It felt strong. And permanent.
Damon froze. “Did you feel that?”
“You too?” she asked, confused. “What was it?”
“I think … I think it was the mating bond?”
“A bond? You never told me about a mating bond.” Funnily, though, she didn’t feel panicked. In fact, she’d never felt more calm or content in her life.
“It’s not something we shifters talk about openly,” he said. “And it’s not the same for everyone, apparently.”
“What does it mean?” she asked. “And why now?”
“I heard that it’s supposed to happen when mates open themselves up to each other, and there are no more barriers blocking them from accepting each other. And it means we’re
