Fifteen

Adira watched as Dimitri closed the door behind him. She felt terrible, blaming herself for the attack on Lainie. Dimitri’s sister must have been attacked because of the way Adira mouthed off to Augur at the bar. This was the coyotes’ way of retaliating. They couldn’t get to her, so they went after her friend. Adira came to Bull Creek to help, but so far, all she did was make things worse. Not such a big help, huh? She only hoped Lainie was all right. Adira wasn’t sure if Dimitri would forgive her if his sister was seriously hurt because of her. Hell, she wasn’t sure if she could forgive herself.

Turning to fix herself some tea, she placed her hand on Dimitri’s teeth marks, and almost yelped at the touch, the sharp, electric sensations sending tendrils of pain throughout her body. Even without looking, she could imagine the bruise that formed on her lower shoulder. With a deep breath, bracing for the tender stings of pain, she caressed the deep impressions left by Dimitri’s teeth, especially where his fangs sank into her. A smile broke across her face as she thought of what the mark meant and the bond that now connected the two of them. Mates. While she had heard stories, knew the premise behind the mate mark, now she truly understood it. It was more than just the sensations of the bite. It was the feeling of unity she now felt washing through her for Dimitri, a bond that could not be broken.

As she reached for a teacup, the wards around her cabin sent a tingling through her senses, warning her of someone crossing her property line. She turned to the front of her house, but then heard glass breaking in the back. She spun, her arms flying up to shoot whatever power she could muster at the intruder. She focused so much on the back of her cabin that she didn’t hear the front door open until it was too late. The board creaked behind her; she spun, lashing out her witch’s power only to have someone hit her arm and throw her shot wide, the power shattering a shelf and everything on it. As she turned to face her attacker, she felt the hard, sudden blow to the side of her head, and then nothing as her body slumped to the floor, darkness enveloping her.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Dimitri darted into the sheriff’s department, his pulse racing as his panther fought to get free. As protective as they were about their mates, shifters were equally protective of their family. Lainie moved here to help him keep others from being hurt, and instead, she was the one who wound up injured, attacked because of him. He wasn’t sure what he would do if anything happened to her because of his mission in life. Bull Creek was his purpose, given to him by the Paranormal Council back in Draven Falls, and Lainie only followed out of a sense of loyalty to him.

“Dimitri, over here,” Sheriff Chet Einstein waved to Dimitri from his office door.

Dimitri picked up his pace as he rushed to the sheriff’s office and his sister. When he entered, Lainie sat on a chair next to the sheriff’s desk, a cold compress pressed against the side of her head. Doc Henderson hovered over her, doing his best to clean up Lainie’s wounds. Her face was covered with bruises and small gashes, and a cut still oozed blood on her left cheek. Her clothes were ripped, the collar of her shirt dangling over her chest. Dimitri growled, his panther eager to lash out at whoever did this to her.

He knelt down beside her, his hands going to the arms of the chair. “Are you okay? When did this happen? Who did this?” He shot the questions at her rapid-fire, as he stared up into her face. He craved answers. He demanded retribution.

Lainie gave him a weak smile. “Cool it, oh brother of mine,” she said. “I’m fine. They just roughed me up, and then left before I could get in my own licks. They kept hitting me, keeping me from shifting.”

“So they knew you, knew you were a shifter,” he said. He glanced up at the sheriff. “Do we know who did this to her?”

The sheriff shook his head. “They got her from behind, just kept pummeling her, keeping her off balance.”

Dimitri turned back to his sister. “They could have killed you.”

Lainie nodded. “You’re right. They could have.” She narrowed her eyes, her mind chewing on something. “But they didn’t.” She turned to face him, her eyes still narrowed. “Why? Why didn’t they kill me?” She shoved Doc’s hand away from her as she sat straight in her chair, glancing back and forth between Dimitri and Chet. “What better message to send you that they meant business than to kill your sister? Yet, they didn’t. So what was the purpose other than to beat the hell out of me? What did it accomplish?”

Dimitri was confused. Why did there need to be a message? Bane and his pack were vicious brutes, bent on destruction, wanting to hurt the humans of Bull Creek and any shifters who sympathized with them. Wasn’t that reason enough? Wasn’t beating up Dimitri’s sister enough of a message as to how far they would go?

Chet scratched his head, pondering her question. “The only thing it accomplished that I can see so far is that it brought your brother here.” He shook his head. “Other than that, I can’t come up with anything else.”

Dimitri’s eyes went wide as Lainie slapped his shoulder, both shouting at the same time, “Adira!”

Dimitri shoved himself away from his sister, standing as he did. “They lured me away from Adira. I have to get back out there.” He could feel his panther shoving at him, wanting to break free and run. He could feel claws punch from his fingers, as fur oozed from his skin. He gritted his teeth, clamping down on the anger his panther felt, the urgency to get to his mate.

“Go. The doc has your sister,” the sheriff urged. “I’ll send Johnson out to Adira’s cabin to check on her.”

“Thanks,” Dimitri said, gripping Lainie’s shoulder and squeezing. “Take care of you. I’ll be back.”

She nodded. “Go protect our girl.”

Our girl. The words rang in Dimitri’s mind. Lainie accepted Adira as Dimitri’s mate. He squeezed Lainie’s shoulder one more time, then turned and bolted from the office, his only focus on getting to Adira before Bane and his goons did. He shoved his way through the sheriff’s department, out the door, and to his truck. He crammed the key in the ignition and turned it, shoving his truck into gear as soon as the engine revved. He floored it as he gripped the steering wheel with white-knuckled fingers. How could he be so stupid? He should have brought her with him. He was foolish for leaving her behind, knowing that the coyote pack was after her. He only hoped her wards would keep her safe until he got there. Then a panic seized him as he realized they never finished setting those last few stones. Bull Creek wasn’t entirely safe. Bane could still sneak into the community.

As he hit the accelerator again, turning onto the highway, he slipped his phone from his pocket and punched Josh’s name. A horn blared as Dimitri almost ran into another vehicle. He swerved, cussing at Josh for not answering the phone. While he appreciated Chet sending his deputy out to Bull Creek, Dimitri knew Johnson wouldn’t get there soon enough. Dimitri needed to get his own people out there, his own pack. This wasn’t something for regular law enforcement. This was beyond an ordinary court of law issue. This was something only shifters could handle. This demanded shifter justice.

“Dimitri?” Josh’s voice sounded in his ear. “What’s up? How’s Lainie?”

“Get everyone over to Adira’s cabin,” Dimitri snapped into the phone. “Bane’s men attacked Lainie as a distraction to lure me away from Bull Creek. We’re pretty sure they’re on their way over to Adira’s cabin now.”

“Damn. I should have stayed with her. On our way, man. We’ll be there.” Then the phone went dead.

Dimitri dropped the cell phone into the passenger seat, as he took the next turn. He needed to get to the cabin. He couldn’t allow anything to hurt Adira, not his mate, not after he just found her.

When he pulled up to Adira’s cabin, Deputy Johnson was already there, walking up to the front porch from his squad car. Josh, Ezra, and Eve stood on the porch, hands on his hips or over their chests. When Josh glanced at Dimitri, his expression held no good news. Dimitri’s panther hissed within him.

Dimitri shoved his way out of his truck and ran to where Josh and the others waited, almost beating the deputy there. “Adira?” he questioned as he hit the first step.

Josh shook his head. “She’s not here, and from the looks inside, she didn’t leave willingly.” He gestured inside the cabin with a tilt of his head. “Place looks to have been ransacked just for the fun of it.”

Dimitri felt the panther pushing out of his skin, and he clamped down tighter on his control. He had to wait just a little longer.

Ezra stood off to the side on the porch. “One plus is that we didn’t find blood,” he said in his deep voice. “I don’t think they hurt her. I think they just wanted her, so there’s still time to find her and get her back.”

Dimitri nodded. “And make whoever took her pay for their insolence.”

“That goes without saying,” Josh said.

“And without hearing,” Deputy Johnson said. “What I don’t know, I can’t prevent.” He glanced at Dimitri, who nodded his understanding. Chet told the deputy to give them plenty of leeway in this. “I’m going to search around the highway and leave the inner part of Bull Creek to you folks. I’m sure you know it better than I do.”

“Thanks,” Dimitri said. “For everything.”

Deputy Johnson nodded and then moved back toward his car. However, before he was able to get too far, a dark gray wolf darted out of the woods surrounding the cabin, tongue lolling in its haste. Dimitri recognized the shiny fur of Alanna’s wolf as she raced toward the porch. Stopping just shy of the others, she lifted her head and howled, prancing backward a couple of steps as she snarled. I have Adira’s scent, she sent to everyone with the power of the shifter mindspeech. It’s mixed with coyote, but I can follow it. She turned and made for the forest’s edge again.

“Let’s go,” Dimitri said, and everyone shifted. Animals moved a lot faster than humans. Two panthers and a bear raced after the wolf, leaving Eve and the deputy behind, watching, and hoping everything turned out all right.