The scents on the air and the sounds reaching her ears told the story. There were bear shifters in the area. Their aroma seemed vaguely familiar as their human voices drew closer. She scrambled back, staying low to the ground, hiding where she could keep an eye on Shaun.
“Yoo-hoo, sweet lady. Lovely to finally meet you in person. You’ve led us on quite the trip.” A voice rang out from the right as one of the shifters came into view. A Coleman lantern hung from his hand, brightening the twilight until he and his two companions were easily visible. “You may as well change, Gem. You’re going to be with us for a while, and you’ll be much more comfy in your human form.”
“Didn’t expect she’d travel in her wolf, Bruce. That’s not what the report suggested.”
“Where’s the guide?”
“The guide is right here, you asshats.” Shaun shifted, clutching the netting to pull himself to vertical in the wiggling trap. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? Let me down.”
“Shit, caught the wrong one.” The skinniest of the three bear shifters came over to stand beside the net, his head level with Shaun’s butt.
“Don’t worry about it, Vince, she wouldn’t go anywhere without him.” Bruce stared at the scrub, his gaze passing within a few feet of where Gem lay hidden. “And we’re not leaving without her.”
“So we’re at an impasse?” the third bear asked.
Bruce turned, his voice lowering. “You’re not going to start that business again, are you? I thought I told you two no more quoting from The Princess Bride or I’d rip your fucking ears off.”
“It’s not my fault this time,” Vince whined. “Norm started it.”
“Sorry, Bruce.” Norm crossed his hand over his heart then pressed a finger to his lips. “Not another word.”
Gem locked her jaw together to stop from whimpering in fear. Shaun spun in a slow circle, the net he was caught in suspended from a cross post that had been attached to the airstrip’s wind-kite tower. The bears had set a trap?
Bruce paced a step closer to Shaun. “Where’s the lady?”
“I killed her and left her body for the crows.” Shaun jerked the ropes harder.
What?
“Idiot! You know how the hell much she was worth?” Norm smacked a fist into Shaun’s back. A harsh grunt escaped Shaun as he attempted to twist away.
“Stop it, he’s bullshitting us.” Vince blocked another kidney punch from landing. “There’s no reason for him to kill her.”
“That’s what you think,” Shaun growled. “You didn’t have to deal with her highness in the backcountry. Now let me down.”
His insults slipped off like she was a duck who had fallen into the Takhini Hot Springs. He was trying to pull a fast one, and she needed to trust him. And help him.
And get them both out of this mess.
Bruce grabbed the net, stopping its steady swing. He twisted the trap until Shaun faced him.
“You’re lying through your teeth. I can smell her on you—hmm, you’re a little taken with the lady. Trying to move up in the world, wolf-boy?”
Shaun glared down at him. “What do you want with Gem?”
“Just doing a job. We caught wind of her arrival the minute she landed in Whitehorse. I hear her family is loaded. There are things we need to do in the next while that require cash. You do the math.”
Gem froze. They were using her to get money? This wasn’t happening. How had she gone from a simple-research-project/spread-her-wings outing to finding her mate and being used as a pawn?
She was not going to let this happen.
Shaun shrugged. “Good luck on that. The finding-her bit, I mean. She’s a wolf, she can shift and go a lot faster than you bears, especially since she knows the territory better than you now. It will be days before you even spot her.” He never glanced her way once, but she’d gotten the message. She could go back to the tent, she could hide and get away—it was true.
But like…hell…was she was going to leave him.
Her mate continued, total indifference in his voice as he baited the bears. “When I don’t call in for the final stages of our flight on time, there will be all kinds of people and pack searching for us. You really don’t want to be doing this.”
“No, I really do,” Bruce insisted. “We need the money, and see, your little scenario with us chasing her for days? Not going to happen. Because I bet she’s watching right now.”
Fudge.
Bruce examined the bush again, his lantern held high in the air. “You want to make this easy, Gem? Come on in, and we’ll go ahead with the next step of the game plan.”
“She’s not stupid. You confessed you planned to kidnap her. Why the fuck should she be willing to come out?” Shaun rearranged himself awkwardly.
“You’re right. Fine. Lower him, boys.”
Vince’s idea of letting him down consisted of whipping out a fixed blade knife and slashing the supporting rope in two. Shaun smacked the ground with a crash, a few choice swear words escaping.
Gem didn’t move. Not when they pulled the ropes from Shaun and yanked him to his feet. Not when Norm and Vince grabbed him by the arms, forcing him forward to stand naked and defenseless before their boss. Not when Bruce placed the lantern at his feet.
Bruce called out louder. “Right. Of course she’s not stupid. Gem, it’s you we want. If you come with us now, your lover doesn’t get the shit beat out of him. Simple.”
He spun and planted a right hook into Shaun’s belly. Fist meeting flesh was stomach-retching sickening. So was the expression on Shaun’s face. He’d turned cold, cruel. As if her Shaun wasn’t there anymore.
Bruce bashed him again, across the jaw. Shaun’s head snapped back with a crack, blood dripping from the side of his mouth. Another blow landed, and another. Shaun struggled against the bears restraining him. He lifted his legs and slammed them at Bruce. The bear shifter laughed as he ducked aside and struck repetitively.
He spoke between blows. “And, Shaun? If you decide…to change to your wolf in the hopes you can escape us that way? Just remember a human body is a lot harder to hide. I have no trouble killing a wolf in an instant.”
Gem hesitated. Maybe she wasn’t supposed to cave. Maybe Shaun had some master plan up his sleeve, but witnessing his torture? She couldn’t do it. There had to be a better solution.
She shifted back to human, crouched low. If they made a run for her, she would change again and escape. “Stop.”
Shaun spoke, the first sound from him other than grunts of pain since the beating began. “Insane.”
She wasn’t going to fall for it—he’d said that on purpose, just to piss her off. Bruce pivoted, the lamplight at his feet smearing the smile on his face into a hideous caricature. “There’s the lovely girl. Come on, dear. So nice of you to join us.”
“You have to promise not to hurt Shaun anymore. He’s my mate. He’s worth money as well.”
The sudden silence in the clearing was deafening.
“Your mate. Damn, that makes a huge difference.” Bruce slapped Shaun on the shoulder. “You hound dog. Well done. I was joking before about moving up in the world, but you really did it.”
“Shut your fucking face.” Shaun’s comment was greeted by a punch to the back of his head from Vince, and her mate fell to his knees as the goons on either side of him released his arms.
“Shaun.” Gem ran forward. The bad guys had all the reason they needed to not kill Shaun and leave his body behind. Either they took her word about the money or they would simply kill them both at some point. She figured she and Shaun had a better chance of surviving this adventure if they were together.