Eighteen

“Noel!” she heard her mother cry out, but Noel couldn’t do anything about it, her body already shifting, bones popping and transforming. Pain rippled through her as her bear replaced her body, anger and fear fueling the shift. She heard their captors cry out, screaming obscenities and curses at her as they shoved themselves out of her way.

Once completely shifted, she reared up on her hind legs, roaring as she sought out the one who had stabbed her mate. The bear’s instincts were stronger than hers, overpowering her and setting her course of action.

“I thought you said she was human,” Noel heard one of the men ask, his voice trembling with his fear. She turned her head to face him, and locked eyes onto Jake, his hand over the blood that seeped from his side, his eyes strained with his pain. She wanted to run to him, to make sure he was all right, but her bear only wanted to kill the one who had stabbed him.

Noel jerked her head around until she spotted Isaac Prescott standing back against the wall, the knife still gripped tightly in his hand, blood dripping from the tip. She roared again and barreled toward him, knocking over lamps and tables in her path. The other men shouted. So did Jake and her mother, and then she heard another roar as the sound of wood splintering filled the air. She jerked her attention to the back of the house as she saw Wes’ bear rumble through the doorway, hellbent on destruction.

“Holy shit!” one of the other men screamed as a tawny panther and a dark gray wolf followed the bear into the living room, the panther hissing and the wolf growling as they took in the room. Marge screamed, and Jake, of all things, laughed.

Noel turned her attention back to Isaac, noticing that he had soaked the front of his pants. She would have laughed, but instead, her bear growled at him again as he tried to shove his body through the wall. She lumbered toward him, saliva dripping from her teeth as she continued to snarl. She heard Wes calling to her, asking her if she was all right, but she couldn’t take the time to respond. She wanted blood. Isaac’s blood.

“Just kill them!” Isaac screamed, never taking his eyes off Noel. “Shoot them, you idiots!”

Rustling could be heard behind her, but Noel kept her focus on Isaac. Where his friends were, she had no idea. Nor did she care. In the distance, sirens could be heard, but they wouldn’t arrive in time.

A gun shot blasted through the air and a howl went up, jerking Noel’s attention around just in time to see Wes’ bear topple over for a moment, blood soaking his fur on his right side. She roared again as she watched Dimitri’s panther leap into the air off the sofa and crash into the man with the gun, taking him to the ground, Dimitri’s claws gouging the man’s stomach, making him scream. Alanna’s wolf jumped up on the back of the man holding Marge, her jaws clamping down on his neck. Marge screamed as she jerked away from the man, turning and kicking him full force in the balls. He hit the floor, grabbing his nuts, and Alanna’s wolf twisted his neck, snapping it. The man went still.

Noel turned back to Isaac as the sound of wheels skidding on asphalt sounded outside the front of the house. She leaped toward him, paws extended as she wanted to claw his face off.

He screamed and dropped to the floor, his arms protecting his head. “Don’t kill me! Please, don’t kill me!”

Noel rumbled toward him and knocked him upside his head with her heavy paw, sending him rolling to the side. She turned to sit on him as she heard doors slamming and the sound of booted feet running away.

“Dimitri!” Lainie’s voice rang out, and then, the front door was shoved open and clanged on the opposite wall. “Dimitri!”

Now back on his feet—or rather, paws—Wes knocked the man who had dragged Noel from the car to the ground with his hefty bulk. The man turned, pulling a gun from his waist, but before he could take aim, Wes clamped down on the man’s arm with his jaws and twisted, snapping the arm and breaking it. The man wailed, but Wes refused to let go.

“In here,” Jake called out as he shifted to his knees, his hand still holding his wounded side. “We’re in here.”

Little elf, are you all right? Wes sent to Noel with the mindspeech of the animals. Tell me they didn’t hurt you or I may have to kill this man now.

Noel sat on top of Isaac, her tongue lolling to the side as she tried to catch her breath. I’m fine. How bad are you? They shot you and stabbed Jake. I say we just kill them now.

Jake chuckled. “I don’t think that’s the best answer right now, even though we already have one fatality.” He glanced over to where Alanna’s wolf sat next to the dead man. “And a few more that will need hospital attention. I do think we made our point here.”

Lainie entered the living room and came up short as she took in the chaos that filled the room. “Holy shit. What did I miss?”

Quite a bit. Alanna’s wolf sneezed, her head shaking afterward. I can’t say I’m sorry, though. No one touches my pack, she sent to everyone in the room.

Agreed, Dimitri sent. And you missed all the fun, Lainie. Slowpoke.

Marge left her spot by the wolf and eased over to stand in front of Noel, wringing her hands in front of her as she studied her daughter’s new form. “I see you’re still not telling me everything,” she said. “Any more surprises you’re hiding up your sleeve? I mean, first you’re in love with two men, then you tell me those men are bears, and now you’re a bear? How the hell did that happen?”

Jake walked over to Marge, his free arm going around her shoulders. “I’d be careful what you ask, Marge,” he told her. “Some answers may give you more information than you care to have. Let’s just say, Noel finally gave in and allowed me to mark her as my mate. She gave in to Wes as well.”

Marge turned and glared up at him. “What the hell does that even..?” Her eyes went wide as it dawned on her what Jake implied. “Never mind. I don’t want to know.” She turned back to Noel, shaking her head. “Greedier than I thought, aren’t you?”

“I am not a slowpoke,” Lainie said as she walked over to Isaac Prescott and flipped him over face down on the floor, jerking his arms behind his back so she could handcuff him. “If you’d let someone know what you’re planning once in a while, we can have people in place, but oh no, always keeping secrets.” She shook her head. “You just don’t want anyone else to have any fun.”

Marge turned to Lainie, staring at the woman as if she were crazy. “Who are you talking to?”

She’s talking to Dimitri, Noel sent to her mother, making Marge yelp with surprise, her eyes wide with shock. In our animal forms, we can communicate with our minds.

“I guess you do have more surprises,” Marge mumbled.

Jake leaned down and kissed the top of the woman’s head. “You’ll get used to it,” he assured her. “Now, so that you’re not surprised again, when they shift back, they’re all going to be naked. I’m not sure you want to see all of that, do you?”

Marge shook her head. “I’ll just go wait outside.” She turned to where Wes sat on Noel’s captor, walked over, and kicked the man on the ground in the stomach as hard as she could. “Don’t mess with us again, asshole,” she snarled, and then turned her gaze up at Wes, pointing a finger at him. “I expect the top-shelf whiskey after this.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s probably going to take a full bottle to calm me down after this madness.”

Wes’ bear gave what sounded like a laugh as Wes sent, You’ll have it. It sounded as if he laughed again. Should I get dressed first?

Marge blanched, her cheeks going red as she straightened her posture, turned, and walked out of the room. “Everyone gets dressed first,” she said over her shoulder.

Lainie pulled handcuffs off her belt and started to cuff the wrists of the others who failed to escape. Of course, Isaac’s friends had bailed on him as soon as the other animals appeared. That didn’t worry Noel, however. Lainie would find them, and soon, they’d be joining the youngest Prescott behind bars.

“What the hell is going on in here?” Jeremiah’s voice could be heard thundering through the front of the house. When he entered the living room, he stopped short, absorbing the scene before him—his grandson in cuffs after having wet himself, one of his men dead, another with a broken arm, and three others in handcuffs. Oh, and a house full of animals he detested. He glanced at Jake’s bleeding side and then at the gun wound in Wes’ fur. His eyes widened a moment as he sucked in a breath and spun on his grandson. “What the hell did you do? I did not order this!”

“And just what did you order?” Lainie asked as she turned to face the man.

Jeremiah just glared at her.

Jake, however, wasn’t happy remaining quiet, it seemed. “Your grandson stabbed me after having your men kidnap us. One of your men shot the bear while several others ran away like the chicken shits they are when Lainie arrived. Your grandson kept telling the other men to hold us until you got here, and you’re really expecting me to believe you didn’t have a hand in this?”

Lainie stood facing Jeremiah, her hands on her hips. “All roads lead back to you.”

Jeremiah stood straighter. “I had nothing to do with this. I wasn’t even here as this man just told you. Obviously, my grandson decided to take matters into his own hands.” He turned and glared at Isaac, almost as if he dared the younger man to contradict anything he said. “I will deal with him, I assure you.”

Lainie shook her head. “You’ll have to wait your turn,” she said. “He belongs to the sheriff’s department now.”

Jeremiah turned his attention to the deputy, his eyes narrow slits. “And just how do you plan to explain two bears, a wolf, and a panther in your report? I highly doubt that whatever passes for a sheriff’s department around here could explain the paranormal aspects of this case, and that would definitely have to come out if you take my grandson into custody.”

Jake shrugged. “You think anyone would believe you? By the time this hits, we’ll all be back to human form, and your punk-ass grandson will be seen as crazy. He might not go to jail, but a psych ward is just as bad if not worse.” He crossed the room to stand inches away from Jeremiah. “Your men attacked my mates,” he snarled. “Be happy your grandson is still alive. If you or any of your asinine Order of Wardens pulls anything else around here, I swear, there will be nothing left of your family to arrest.”

Jeremiah didn’t respond, but just glared back at Jake.

More sirens could be heard outside, and Lainie turned to Jake. “You better get the others out of here, and you and Wes to Doc Henderson. He knows how to take care of you. Noel can show you the way.”

“I don’t feel right leaving you here to deal with this alone,” Jake said as Marge stepped up beside him. When she had popped back into the room, Jake didn’t know. “He may have others around.”

“She won’t be alone,” Marge said. “I’ll stay with her.” She then turned to Jake. “You get yourself and Woolly over there taken care of and help my daughter out with,” she gestured to Noel’s bear, “her new situation. I’ll catch up to you soon.”

Jake knew better than to argue, so he just nodded as everyone else turned and walked back outside the way they had come in, one man and four animals. Noel knew they had to make quite a sight to the Prescotts as they sauntered out of the house. Before she passed through the doorway with the others, however, Noel pressed her thick head against her mother’s hand. I love you, she sent. Be careful. They’re tricky asses.

Marge just gave a harrumph. “I raised you. These men pale in comparison.” She reached out tentatively and stroked the top of Noel’s head. “I love you, too. Now get out of here.”

Noel turned and lumbered out of the living room after the others, happy that her mother was safe, that Wes and Jake were safe. Things could have gone a lot worse.

When she stepped out into the afternoon sun, she balked. Jake stood there, his shirt off and wadded up in his hand, pressed against his wound. However, even though he was shirtless, he was the one wearing the most clothes. Wes, Dimitri, and Alanna all stood there naked as the day they were born, waiting for her. Shit, I forgot about this part.