Once Upon a Shifter (128 page)

Ellis glanced out the window of the plane at the cabin that Alexi stayed in.
How can I ever look at it again without my heart breaking?

The plane banked to the right as the pilot prepared it for landing. The fire was a rough one but they managed to put it out after about three hours of hard work. Ellis followed all orders, sticking to the perimeter in his human form and clearing out the trees, trapping the forest fire in place. It kept his mind busy and he was happy to have a distraction. But now that he was back in the plane all of his sadness came rushing back.

The plane bounced on the runway as the pilot, a teenage fox shifter, tried to land it in the heavy winds. It skidded to a stop.

“Sorry about that,” he said from the pilot’s seat.

“Hey Marcus,” Keene said back to him. “We didn’t survive a raging forest fire to be killed by a pimply teenager.”

“Why is Mom here?” Beckett said, leaning out the door.

Ellis unhooked his seatbelt and jumped out of the plane. His mother was staring at him with a worried look on her face. His stomach dropped.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, rushing over.

“The Flint Crew were in the diner. I overheard them talking…they have Alexi. The Sher-”

“Where?” he asked, grabbing her arms.

“At the mill. But Ellis don’t-”

He didn’t let her finish. He ran to the closest pickup truck, with his bear raging inside him and begging to be let loose. He jumped in the car and sped off down the driveway.

I’m going to kill him. I’m going to kill all of them.

He slammed on the breaks at the entrance to the road. He took a deep breath and turned around, speeding back up to the cabins. He steered to where his crew was standing around his mom, listening to what happened.

Ellis parked the car and approached Beckett. He was a team player now. No more running off on his own and messing everything up.

“Can you please help me get her back?”

Beckett placed his hand on Ellis’ shoulder and nodded. “She’s one of us and deserves our protection. Let’s go get her.”

ten

“So what? You’re going to make me marry you against my will?” Alexi asked. She was in a building of some sort that looked like a mill, with a sign that said McCoy Industries at the entrance. The Flint Crew greeted her at the door, laughing and calling Greg ‘boss.’

He sat at the desk in front of her, staring her down with hard, narrow eyes. She didn’t remember them being so black. He rolled up the sleeves to his shirt and loosened his tie.

“Do you have any idea the embarrassment that you caused me? Running out the day before our wedding. I had to explain to my work associates, my friends and my family why the wedding was suddenly canceled.” He crossed his arms over his giant chest.

“Well maybe if you didn’t slam my head into the closet door none of that would’ve happened,” she said gripping the handle of her chair. She was handcuffed to it.

His eyes narrowed down on her. “I would kill you for that but I can’t. There’s a part of me that needs you, that wants to keep you alive.”

“I’d rather die than be with you.”

He laughed. “Well that’s not exactly an option. You see this is what’s going to happen. Everybody will stay thinking that you ran away and you’ll come live with me. In the basement. In a cage. Forever.”

Alexi swallowed hard. She knew that he was serious.

“Doesn’t that sound lovely?” he asked.

She closed her eyes tight, imaging the horror of being trapped in the cold, damp basement all day, locked in a cage. She would live in constant fear of the door opening and Greg walking down the creaking steps to beat and torture her, or worse.

The room started spinning. “Just kill me,” she said.

“I would love to,” he said, pointing a pen at her. “But like I said, there’s this stubborn part of me that wants to keep you around.”

There was a crash and some yelling in the factory down below. Greg jumped up from his chair and raced out the door. “What the fuck?” he yelled as his footsteps raced away.

Alexi didn’t know what was happening but if she was going to escape it was going to be now. She pulled at the handcuffs until the metal dug into her wrists, drawing blood. She tried picking up the chair to bring it with her but the big wooden chair was too heavy. She wouldn’t get far. She needed to detach herself from it.

She glanced on the desk for anything sharp enough to cut the wood. There was nothing. She grabbed a paper clip, uncoiled it and shoved it into the keyhole. “Come on,” she muttered under her breath as she tried to unlock it.

There was a lot of commotion going on downstairs. She could hear yelling, crashes and snarling. The bears were loose.

Footsteps pounded down the hall towards her. She cringed and sank down to the floor.

“Alexi,” Ellis said in relief, as he ran into the office. He crouched down beside her and kissed her lips. “Please don’t ever leave me again. I’d rather die than live without you.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, tears streaming down her cheeks. She had never been so happy to see anybody before. “I love you.”

A loud, inhuman snarl ripped through the air from downstairs. “What is going on?” she asked. Her heart was racing.

His face went serious. “We have to get you out of here. Watch out.” He stood up and kicked the arm of the chair with his boot. It snapped off and Alexi slid the handcuffs down the splintered wood. She was free.

Ellis’ head whipped towards the door as Greg walked in. “Is this the new boyfriend?” Greg asked.

Alexi backed into the corner. There was nowhere to hide. She wasn’t afraid of Greg with Ellis there to protect her but she knew there would be an angry bear flying around the office any second.

“So you’re the one,” Ellis said, his voice getting deep and raspy, “that hurt my girl.”

“You smell like wet bear,” he said, sniffing the air. “And she’s not your girl Yogi. She’s my mate. I can do whatever I want to her.”

“Let’s settle this.” Ellis’ body swelled up like it did on the mountainside. His t-shirt ripped in shreds as his bear surged out of him. Alexi watched with pride as he burst into a grizzly bear.

“No,” she whispered to herself when she caught a glimpse of Greg. He was transforming too. A long blond mane of hair was growing around his head as his hands turned into paws and he fell onto four legs. Crunching and popping sounds gave her shivers as a long golden tail grew from his rear.

Greg shook his mutilated body and a huge, male lion burst out of him. His lips curled up in a snarl and he roared at the grizzly bear in front of him.

Alexi sank to the floor in the corner of the room. Greg’s fangs were so long and sharp. She had put Ellis in this situation, in front of this Apex predator. And it would be her fault if he got killed.

She covered her ears as the bear stood on two legs, his head bent down against the low ceiling and growled. The lion bounded forward and the angry bear slammed into him.

Stinging claws flew at each other as the two predators wrestled together on the floor in a blur of gold and brown.

Greg’s lion wailed as Ellis’ bear sunk his teeth into his hind leg. The lion swatted his heavy paw into the bear’s face, catching him with his claws. Blood spewed out of the bear’s eye but he held on with his strong jaws, crunching the lion’s leg bone.

Alexi gasped, wanting to run over to help her man and her bear but there was nothing she could do. He was hurt. Blood was pouring out of his closed eye.

The lion kicked free. He pounced on Ellis’ neck, trying to sink his jaws into the bear. Ellis smacked him away with his left paw but Greg sunk his teeth into his arm as he kicked his hind legs and slashed his claws into Ellis’ stomach.

Alexi turned away as blood flowed out of Ellis’ gashes.
He’ll be okay.
She remembered the cuts on his nose and chest after his last fight and how quickly they healed.

The bear toppled over with a grunt and the lion sprung on top of him. Ellis was in bad shape. Blood was pooling on the floor under him.

Alexi’s heart was thumping as adrenaline coursed through her veins. She picked up the heavy chair over her head and slammed it on the lion’s back. It shattered on his spine and he stumbled off her bear.

He turned around and snarled at her, showing his long, yellow fangs. She backed up, unable to breathe, as he stalked towards her, hissing.

Her bear stood up behind him and growled. He leapt onto the lion, stomping him with his massive paws. The lion went down with a yelp and Ellis rolled on top of him, sinking his teeth into his neck.

Greg’s black, lion eyes went wide and glazed over as Ellis took his life from him.

The lion went still and Ellis released his jaw. His eye was still closed, with blood trickling down from inside his lid.

Greg was dead in front of her. Her bear had saved her. Greg would never be able to torment her or hurt her again.

Ellis’ bear curled in on itself and Alexi watched in amazement as the bear transformed back into a man. He was full of nasty cuts and his eye was still shut.

“Are you okay?” she asked, rushing over and touching his warm skin. Blood flowed over her hand.

He was breathing heavy and winced when he moved. “We have to get you to the truck,” he said.

There was still fighting going on downstairs. The vicious sounds of bears roaring and snarling echoed in the large mill.

“We have to go down there?” she asked, horrified. She didn’t even want to imagine what was going on down there.

He limped over to the window and slid it open. “I know a shortcut.”

He picked her up as easily as if she was a child and leapt out the window. She held her breath as his feet slammed into the ground, absorbing the impact.

He ran over to the truck as the rest of his crew limped and walked out of the large doors of the mill in their human forms. The six men were bloodied, bruised and naked. She tried not to look. But wasn’t very successful.

“What happened?” Ellis called out.

“They submitted,” Beckett responded, wincing and holding his ribs as he spoke. He limped towards them.

“What does that mean?” Alexi asked.

“It’s over,” Ellis responded. “For now.”

eleven

Alexi reached the top of Bear Mountain and threw her hands in the air. She spun around and smiled at Ellis hiking up the path behind her. He smiled back, adjusting his black eye patch. His eye never healed after the fight with Greg’s lion three weeks ago. Keene was like a kid in a candy store with all of the pirate jokes flying out of his mouth. Alexi thought it looked sexy. It made him look like even more of a bad ass.

“It’s time,” she said, throwing her arms around him and kissing his lips.

He nudged her away, clearly nervous for what was to come. “I really think we should do this near a doctor.”

“A doctor?” she replied raising her eyebrow.

“There are shifter doctors,” he said. “They are trained in case of any…complications.”

“It’s going to be fine. I’m going to be fine.” She pulled his head back to her. She ran her tongue along his, tasting his sweetness, and then nipped his bottom lip. “I want to do it here. Just the two of us. It’s sexier this way.”

“It’s anything but sexy,” he said, pulling away from her. “It’s painful, violent and intense.”

“Exactly. Just like sex. Come,” she said pulling him to a patch of grass.

She took off her shoes and sat on the grass, admiring the view. The excited, snowcapped mountains in the distance, thrust into the blue sky. The exuberant river down below, snaked in and out through the vigorous trees. She dug her bare toes in the cool grass and looked up, letting the warm sun wash over her face.

Ellis crouched down beside her. “Look Alexi I…”

She kissed his lips, cutting him off. She was tired of arguing. She wanted this. She wanted him. Forever.

There was only one way that she could live in a clan of shifters. One dangerous way that could end in her death.

But she was willing to take that chance. For him. She’d rather die than be without him.

Her hand slid under his shirt, her fingertips tracing his hard abs. She kissed his neck and his bear purred. She smiled. She was beginning to love that sound.

She grasped the bottom of her tank top and pulled it over her head.

“That’s not fair…” he said as she unclasped her bra, releasing her breasts. His hands and mouth were on them instantly. She arched her back, pressing her chest towards him. Her nipples hardened between his fingers and lips, sending jolts of pleasure down to her clit and dampening pussy.

Her body tingled with the thought of having Ellis in her once more.

He leaned back and yanked his shirt off over his head and was quickly back on her breasts. She clenched her thighs together and ran her hand over his taut back muscles.

“Lie on the grass,” he said into her ear with a deep, raspy voice.

Alexi reclined onto the warm, soft grass. It tickled her back and neck. Ellis knelt over her and gazed down at her naked breasts. He bit his tongue and ran his hands up her stomach and over them. She glanced down at his erection bulging through his jeans as his fingers traveled down to the top button of her pants. He unbuttoned and unzipped her with swift fingers. She raised her hips off the ground as he slid her tight shorts down her legs and off her feet.

She could feel the wetness pooling in her panties as he took down his own jeans. She admired his flexed biceps and perfect pecs with just the right amount of chest hair trailing down teasingly to his tight, black underwear.
Fuck, he’s hot
.

He pulled his underwear down and his large erection sprang out, already rock hard. He hooked his fingers in the waistband of her panties and slid them off. He stepped towards her, in between her spread legs, while gripping his hard cock in his hands. Her pussy pulsed and tightened at the beautiful sight.

“I want to taste you,” he said with a raspy voice.