Authors: Olivia Arran
“Is everything okay?” The question sounded innocent, but from the growl he had guessed exactly where my mind had wandered.
My mouth dry, I tried to swallow. “I’m just going to check on Josh and make sure everything is all right.”
Giving myself a mental slap, I crept into the next room, squinting in the shadows to try and make out Josh in the bed.
“He’s not here.” Oliver’s statement confirmed what my eyes had been refusing to admit. He clicked on the light revealing an empty bed, covers thrown in disarray. “He can’t have gotten far,” he said, striding toward the other door and opening it.
Adrenaline spiked, my world crashing down around me. “I have to find him! Where could he have gone?”
Why had he run? What had I done?
Firm hands gripped my shoulders, forcing me to focus.
“We’ll find him, I promise.”
CHAPTER TEN
Oliver
Grabbing her hand I tugged her along the corridor, searching the darkened corners for any sight of Josh.
He wasn’t here. Taking a deep breath, I pulled the air into my lungs, tasting the layers of scent, searching for the right one. It was faint, a trace of his essence barely discernible.
“He came this way, but it was a little while ago.”
Ana whimpered, her face screwed up in distress, tears pooling in her eyes.
Leading the way, we clattered down the stairs to the main house, our noisy arrival causing everyone to stop and look.
“Have you seen Josh?” I growled, trying not to admit to myself that I was worried. Because that wouldn’t help anyone, least of all Ana. Or Josh.
Blank faces looked back at me, then everyone started firing questions.
“When did you last see him?”
“Where do you think he’s gone?”
“If I knew the answers to all that, then I wouldn’t be asking, would I?” I gritted out, grinding my teeth.
James silenced the crowd with a raised hand. “Have you checked the bond? The bears report that the mother-offspring bond evolves from the mating bond.”
Bond?
“Why would we have a bond?”
“Because you’re mates.”
If only it were that simple. “Bert has prior claim. Until he releases her—”
“But have you checked?”
I hadn’t, not because I was scared, but because I—
Well, fuck, I was scared. Everyone described the bond with a kind of awe, like it was the most beautiful thing in the world. And having witnessed at least four of the group find their mates, I knew that the bond formed at first touch, tentative and fragile, but definitely
there
.
But I also knew that Ana already had a bond with Bert, and even though it was only one-sided and she hadn’t accepted the mating and the Mother of All didn’t recognize it—
“What are they talking about, Oliver?” Ana’s quiet voice broke through my racing thoughts, dragging me back to the room.
“The mating bond. James is thinking we could maybe find Josh through it.”
Her lips parted to form a perfect “O” of surprise, her brow scrunched up in confusion. “But we’re not mated.”
“The bond forms when you find your mate,” I explained gently.
“So, look already.” She crossed her arms expectantly, her mouth set.
I ground my teeth, the weight of everyone’s gaze beating at me.
Stop being a wuss!
Closing my eyes, I focused inward, searching my soul for the link of light everyone spoke about.
I swallowed back a pathetic cry of relief as a thin line appeared in my mind’s eye, spindling off into the dark. Following it carefully, panic started to swell, as the thready line wavered, the life pulsing through it fading and trailing off, inches away from what I instantly recognized as Ana’s soul.
Forcing myself to take a closer look, I carefully widened my view, focusing on Ana. Her soul was beautiful, as gorgeous and pure as the woman herself, pulsing with love and kindness. About to open my eyes and deliver the bad news I froze, something niggling at me.
Craning my head to the side, I peered closer.
There!
A blackness, as small as a pin, digging in deep, a snaking cord of throbbing black oozing out and disappearing into the distance.
Bert.
I wanted to wrap my metaphorical fists around the cord and rip it out, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t do a damn thing, not while he still had his claws in her, blocking me.
How am I going to tell her?
Then a thought struck me. Josh was a shifter, which meant he bonded too, without another shifter stimulating the mother-offspring bond.
“Have you found him?” Ana’s voice pierced my thoughts, throwing me off for a second.
Grabbing her hands, I squeezed my eyes tight, blocking out everything but her. “Give me a second,” I urged, circling my thumbs over her wrists, feeling her life pulsing under the fragile skin.
He had to be here somewhere!
Straining, I searched, my eyes always returning to the bond with Bert. There was something about—
It finally clicked, what my mind had been trying to tell me but my eyes had been refusing to see. Bert’s bond covered Ana’s with Josh, coating it in the same blackness, disguising it. Now I could see it clearly, and my stomach nearly revolted in protest.
“I’ve got him.” That was all she needed to know, for now. My eyes snapped open and I pointed at the door.
“He went that way.”
***
Ana
Rage filled his eyes, the startling blue I had grown so fond of flashing to silver as his wolf rose to the surface. But worry for my son eclipsed any thoughts I had, or any reservations on following this man out into the night. He would find my son for me, I was sure of it.
Ripping the door open, I threw myself down the steps and into the meadow. “Which way?”
He closed his eyes briefly, turning on the spot. “This way,” he ordered, setting off at a jog.
I hurried to keep up, my heart pounding in my chest. Did this mean we had a bond? He hadn’t said so, but he knew where Josh was…
He slammed to a stop, closing his eyes again. Adjusting his course he stalked off, this time moving silently.
“Are we—”
He raised his hand, his back stiffening, and I immediately fell silent, instead concentrating on trying to move as silently as he was.
Preoccupied, I didn’t notice him stop again, and instead crashed into his back with a thump. It was like walking into a brick wall. Rubbing my nose, I scowled up at him. “A little warning next time?” I hissed, the steam taken out of my sails when he dropped a swift kiss on the end of my nose, wincing in sympathy.
“He didn’t go far. He’s around the corner. I’m pretty sure he knows we’re here, given that…you know…”
“What?”
He shrugged in a way that made me want to hit him square in the middle of his broad, yummy-looking chest, his eyebrows arching. “You move like a human.”
“I
am
a human, you lughead!” I muttered, giving my nose one last rub, the end still tingling from his kiss, then marched around the corner. There was only one way to deal with this.
“Joshua Kevin Arlington! What do you think you’re doing, scaring me half to death?”
Josh was crouched on the ground next to an old abandoned-looking building, his head hanging, and arms wrapped around his legs. His back stiffened at the sound of my voice.
“I had to find Dad.” It was a plaintive plea for understanding.
Immediately regretting my earlier outburst, I sprinted over to him, gathering him up in my arms. Rocking him back and forth, his small frame started to shake, sobs tearing their way out of his chest.
“Shhhh,” I murmured, helplessness overwhelming me.
What could I tell him? That his dad is a sociopath? A sick, twisted, bastard who preyed on vulnerable women?
A six-year-old shouldn’t have to face the cruel, hard facts of life, not when his mother could protect him.
“He’s here, Mom. I can feel him.” Josh snuffled against my chest, the shuddering subsiding.
My gut twisted at his words sunk in. Bert was Josh’s father, a bond that I could never end.
On silent feet Oliver strode over, crouching down to meet Josh’s eyes. “Your dad isn’t a very nice man,” he began, but Josh jumped to his feet, shoving Oliver square in the chest.
“Don’t you say that about my dad!” he screamed, his eyes wild with fury. “You just want him out of the way so you can be with my mom!”
“Josh!” I exclaimed, struggling to my feet, unable to believe what he had just said. It didn’t sound like him, more like something he had heard the men saying.
Oliver did nothing to defend himself, instead allowing Josh to shove at him, his little fists pounding in a futile effort to inflict pain, damage—anything. “You know that’s not true, kid.”
“Liar!” my son shrieked at the top of his voice, his whole body starting to shake again, this time with anger.
“Let me ask you something, and I want you to
really
think about it, and answer truthfully.
Was your mom happy?
”
Josh froze, his mouth twisting as indecision warred with fury.
Sensing a breakthrough, Oliver continued, “Were you
really
happy, not being able spend time with your mom?”
“You’re lying, making stuff up. You’re just trying to mess with—”
“Final question. Did your dad
really
care about whether you and your mom were happy?”
Josh’s arms dropped to his sides, his bottom lip trembling as he stared at the floor.
“A good man wouldn’t separate a child from his mother. A good man wouldn’t keep that mother captive, refusing to let her go. A
good
man wouldn’t be training you to become a killer.” Oliver had moved closer, until he stood toe-to-toe with Josh. Gripping my son’s shoulders, he crouched down again. “I know he’s your dad, but there are a lot of things you don’t know, things that are too grown-up for you to understand.” He took a deep breath, cursing under his breath, immediately wincing and flashing me an apologetic grimace. “You’re going to have to trust your mom, and one day, when you’re older, you’ll know all the facts and you’ll understand. Can you do that?”
I could see the struggle on Josh’s face, his heart warring with his head. He knew what Oliver was saying was true, but his heart didn’t want to admit it. If I hadn’t already hated Bert, I would have despised him for making my child go through this heartbreak.
“Mom?” His voice sounded lost.
Wrapping an arm around him, I hugged him tight. “It’s true, baby. I promise.”
“But, why?”
“Why?” I echoed, unsure of what he was asking.
“Why is he locked up in there?” He jerked his head at the building behind us.
The building that apparently wasn’t abandoned after all if Oliver’s grim expression was anything to go by.
What the hell do I say to that?
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Oliver
Sweet motherfucking bastard...fucking hell…
I ran through my list of favorite curses in a matter of seconds. The kid knew his dad was inside, something I had first suspected given that we had found him crouched by my workshop.
“Baby, your dad is going to stand trial before the Shifter Council. He’ll get a fair hearing—”
“How do you know that for sure?”
Ana frowned, and I could see indecision flicker in her eyes. She didn’t want to lie to her son, and given that she had never even heard of the Shifter Council before tonight, I didn’t blame her for not having immediate faith.
“Because I’ll make sure of it,” a deep voice called from behind us.
I had never been happier to see someone in my whole life. “Sean, meet Josh. Josh, this is Sean.” I’d let Sean explain everything else.
Sean strolled over, his measured gaze taking in the scene in a matter of moments. Behind him followed Lisa, something I wasn’t surprised to see. The couple had barely separated since mating.
“Who are you?”
Sean stopped a couple of feet away, giving Josh some room. “I’m your half-brother.”
Ana’s mouth fell open in shock, then she clamped it shut.
“No you’re not!”
“Bert is my dad too, though believe me, it pains me to admit it.”
“But...you’re so
old!
”
“Easy, kid! I’m your dad’s first-born, but from the looks of it, I wasn’t his last. How many brothers and sisters do you have?”
“A sister. I did have a baby brother,” Josh stared at the ground, his face screwing up, “but he died. Dad said he wasn’t strong enough. Not like me and Lizzie.”
Sean grimaced, a frown playing on his lips.
Lizzie?
And a baby brother?
Ana caught my eye.
Gina
, she mouthed silently, her eyes pooling with sadness.