Nadia didn’t know from the dream that they were Russian spies, but she figured out they were as she grew older. She pieced the puzzle together when they taught her how to load a gun, throw knives, and sneak in and out of spaces undetected. Hell, she knew her way around a computer, some security cameras, and her favorite: how to tell if someone was lying. That was how she trusted me so much, not just the bond, but because I had also given no signs of lying to her.
Her adoptive parents, the Kirillovas, started working for the Cunninghams when they moved to New York for side money but found out incredibly early that they were running drugs and guns. Using their expertise, they launched their own investigation.
Unfortunately, they were eventually caught giving away pieces of information when Delilah discovered them. Nadia figured they must have found something extremely incriminating against Shane with the type of torturous death they were given.
After theiruntimely disappearance,my mate was given a letter telling her to flee the city and stay away from the Cunningham Estate. Of course, she did the opposite and settled with a job there to find their killer and get revenge.
I couldn’t imagine my mate trying to kill someone, but if there was enough rage, I was certain anyone could do it.
Anaki snorted, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafting up from his cup, and took another sip. “I didn’t listen to you guys doing any of your mating stuff. Just the pleasant conversation. It gets boring out here all alone.”
I frowned as I stuck another large piece of juicy meat into my mouth. I couldn’t fault him for that. He didn’t have a mate. Hell, he’d been alone more than I had. Each shifter went through their own length of time to how fast their animal would go rabid. I wished there was a damn timer over their heads that would let me know when their time would come, but we just didn’t have that.
Anaki had been a rogue longer than I had. He deserved a mate before me, and I couldn’t kick him out. I couldn’t be an ass to him. He helped me find the Iron Fang. Anaki found me in the woods outside my old cabin, writhing in pain. He waited until I was done wallowing in my misery until he picked me up and told me about a club that would help people like us.
Without him, I wouldn’t have Nadia. I wouldn’t have had the support system I had now. I owed Anaki my life.
When my sleuth found out what had happened to me, they wanted me to stay. They called my phone for days, telling me they would send food, even take turns having someone stay with me. Bears were loyal, even to the rogues, which was rare in the shifter world. Then again, earth bear shifters differed from those of the shifters from the Elysian realm, where most supernaturals came from. We were different breeds.
We have hearts.
But I didn’t want to be a burden. I followed Anaki, and he has been my brother ever since. I wouldn’t give up on him now, and I would take care of him until he found his mate. And give him hell when he found him or her.
“Just don’t listen to us when we are mating.” I stuck another large piece of meat into my mouth. “And stop feeding me like some mother hen. I can take care of my mate and myself just fine.”
Ankai shook his head. “I’ll do what I want, Teddy, and your ears are showing, and uh, your claws?” He gestured towards my trembling hand as a thick layer of fur slowly engulfed my arms and chest, the sensation sending a wave of heat over my body. The rapid growth of fur intensified, causing my heart to race, its beats echoing loudly in my ears.
Adrenaline surged through every fiber of my being, setting my heart racing and my breaths shallow. A wave of panic engulfed me, leaving me bewildered and unaware of its cause. My eyes darted frantically around the room, taking in the blurred images in a whirlwind. With an involuntary jolt, my body sprang up from the chair, toppling it over in the process. Amidst the chaos, Anaki’s concerned voice pierced through, but it reached my ears like a muffled echo from beneath the depths of water.
My back curled, and my bones cracked audibly as if a symphony of tension was being released. The sensation pulled at my muscles, elongating them like taffy. It was a rare occurrence, a transformation I hadn’t experienced in what felt like an eternity.
At this moment, I was acutely aware of my connection to the grizzly bear within me. Its panic reverberated through every fiber of my being as my body contorted, surrendering to its primal instincts. The usual exhilaration that accompanied our change was overshadowed by an unfamiliar sense of alarm.
It was not our own bodies causing this unease but that of our mate. We could feel the distress coming from her, radiating from our core, intertwining with our own turmoil. The air crackled with tension, charged with the scent of fear and urgency. The world around us faded into insignificance as we focused solely on what our mate was feeling.
Fear.
We leaned our head back, golden brown fur unfurled around our body. Our sweats ripped, our legs lengthened, and claws scraped into the rug on the floor. Anaki took steps back until he was curled onto the floor in the kitchen, making himself as small as he could. It was all he could do. When my grizzly was in charge, everyone was at his mercy.
We landed with an enormous thump. Our fur was thick and heavy as we landed. We huffed out a breath, our ears pricked up at the scream of our mate from the crack in the door, and we turned our large, six-hundred-pound body and barreled into our cave with heavy grunts and growls.
As we entered, we saw our mate, her back to the headboard, breathing heavily, sweat dripping down her face, and eyes wide with fear.
In front of her stood a sinister black shadow, its elongated tendrils extending on either side of its body like eerie fingers. Its head loomed large, revealing a gaping maw filled with razor-sharp teeth. No eyes or nose were visible, heightening the sense of dread. The figure’s slender body gave an impression of an otherworldly, demonic appearance.
The shadow-like creature never turned. Not seeing me as a threat. It kept its body in front of my mate.
I let out another thunderous roar, saliva spraying from my ferocious jaws. With a powerful leap, I soared through the air, swiftly reaching the bed. But just as I was about to sink my teeth into the shadow creature, it suddenly dissolved into a swirling void, vanishing into thin air. In a strange twist, it swiftly bolted straight into her forehead.
She blinked, slapping her forehead several times until she gazed up at me.
“Teddy?” her voice shook. “Y-your a big bear now?”
My grizzly hovered over her. I was only a bystander now. My animal had pushed me too deep into the recess of my mind. He was too far into his element to protect our mate, to destroy whatever had entered her mind.
“Mate… what was that?”he tried to link her.
I let out a breath of unease. Surely Nadia wouldn’t be able to have her mind open after such a damn traumatic event—her mind was just impaled by a damn demonic creature she…
