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Several times he’d attempted to transmit messages to Carla, hoping and praying she could hear his thoughts. She’d been able to tap into a werebear’s thoughts. Surely she could focus on his.
Heck wanted her to know so much about him. He wanted to have the opportunity to sleep by her side and wake up to the morning sun and enjoy the start of a new day together. More than anything else, he wanted to talk about and plan a future, perhaps even discuss children.
He’d just rounded the natural bend near the Laramie River when a large shadow caught his attention. His first instinct was to pounce on the creature and fight to the death, but something stopped him—his love for Carla. As a bachelor, he’d lived a carefree and dangerous life. He’d never worried about tomorrow. He’d never wondered what the future held.
Now, he wanted to live until the next day and the day after. Heck had a reason to survive. Relying on his inner strength and intuition, he shifted and crawled along the grass, keeping his head low. Detecting a heavy breath between the whispering of trees and howling in the prairie, Heck called out, “We just want to talk!”
The reply came in the form of a thunderous sound. Immediately alarmed, Heck put his ear to the ground. The racket was similar to the pounding of hooves, only this noise wasn’t coming from horses. It was more like a stampede.
Awareness struck.
The bears weren’t there to negotiate. They’d come to Wolfden as bounty hunters. They were there to do a job and evidently prepared to do it well.
They were there to take in their marks. Jock and Frank were wanted dead or alive. By the noise resounding off the mountains and filling the valleys, they weren’t too interested in taking them alive.
They were there for a killing spree.
Chapter Thirteen
They battled until dawn. They’d fought the good fight, but they hadn’t won a fair war.
On the ridge, the shifters had fought as wolves. At the cabin, they’d protected their home with every last round of ammunition.
Unable to fathom what he would find outside, Frank turned to the kid and said, “You stay here with Carla. I won’t wander far. If you hear anything at all, you yelp for me.”
“Frank?” The boy cocked his head. “Do you hear that?”
“What?”
“I hear voices in my head again.”
Frank cocked his head and listened. Sure enough, the kid was right. The gibberish in his head had returned. He could hear the faint whimpers from the wounded, the bitching rage from those who were still standing, but as he rummaged through his head, he couldn’t find Jock’s or Heck’s thoughts or words.
Turning to Carla, he cupped her cheek. “They’re fine. You’d feel it if there was something wrong.”
“I hope you’re right.”
He left a gentle kiss on her lips. “I’m always right, hon.” He handed over his rifle. “If you have to use it, use the butt of a gun and strike with all your might. I’ll be back as soon as I check the ridge.”
“Be careful.”
“Always.” Frank yanked open the door and leapt backward. “What the hell!”
“Mr. Smith?” The burly fellow extended his arm and hand. “I’m Gage Reynolds.” He turned to the eight bears behind him. “These werebears are my brothers. We’re willing to call a truce. Are you?”
“Depends on the terms and conditions of the truce,” Frank said, focusing on his pack as they slowly crept up on the werebears. Before he shook the lead werebear’s hand, he held up his arm. “Stay where you are, pack.”
“If you’re serious about a truce, your brothers need to shift into their human forms.”
Gage waved his arm above his head and on by one, the men shifted from their grizzly forms to large men with long, unkempt hair and sturdy bodies. They were as ugly as a row of mud fences. “Stay inside, Carla.” He stepped out on the stoop and closed the door behind him.
Gage smirked. “We have women of our own, Frank. We ain’t here for yourn.”
“I’m not concerned with your want for my woman. She’s my mate. Her loyalty is mine to have.” At times like these, he realized why he and Jock made such a good team. Jock was a likeable sort of character. Frank, on the other hand, couldn’t help but look at these men and plot
his revenge. He needed Jock there with him so they could possibly reach an amicable close to this war the werebears had declared.
“So you’re the lone auger around here?”
