Bearing Secrets
Authors: Marissa Dobson
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Sunshine Press
Martinsburg, West Virginia
Bearing Secrets
Copyright ©2014, Marissa Dobson
Edited by Rosa Sophia
Proofed by Brynna Curry
ISBN: 978-1-939978-47-9
This
is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of
the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously and are not to be
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Bearing
Secrets
Alaskan Tigers: Book
Eight
Marissa Dobson
To my readers who emailed me
after Tigress for Two was published asking that the Brown brothers received
their stories, and to see more of the twins Turi and Trey. Here they are.
Enjoy this newest adventure to
Alaska and the Brown’s Island.
Ivy Carter’s life changed in a
blink of an eye. An attack on the compound she considered her home destroyed those
she considered family and the life she thought she had. With her brother and
the Alpha of the clan missing, she’s left on her own until the Alaskan Tigers
come to her rescue and whisk her off to safety.
Twins Turi and Trey Brown have
had their differences, but they need to put them aside because if the pattern
follows they will be next to find their mate. If that isn’t bad enough, their
destiny is to share
one
mate. With tension and hard feelings forming a
thick barrier between them, they are going to have a challenging road ahead of
them.
With so much wrong between
them, how will they overcome their hardships and move on? Destiny moves in
mysterious ways to bring three people who need each other together, and to
bring their hearts’ desires to life.
Blood and guts caked Ivy
Carter’s arms and face as she huddled under the debris from a house that had
been blown to bits. Whatever had been ripped apart just a few feet above had
sent the gore tumbling down. Her body began to shake as terror of being
discovered knotted inside her, and fearful images of what was happening raced
through her mind. She didn’t want to die, not like this. Death was supposed to
happen when she was old and had lived a full life, not when she was still young
and at the hands of those who couldn’t see the bigger picture for the shifter
population. Their idea of a perfect shifter world was killing those who could
bring harmony to a shifter-human world; instead, they preferred to live in the
shadows.
She trembled as she heard the
sounds of her clan members being killed one by one. If they were mowed down so
easily, there was no way her human body stood a chance. To survive she’d have
to stay hidden and hope for the best. Through the crack in the debris above
her, she scanned the landscape, quickly searching each of the rubble piles for
any sign of life before moving on to the next. She examined the burning piles
and what was left of the houses that took the brunt of the explosion knowing
that even a shifter wouldn’t be able to survive fire for long. Occasionally she
caught a glimpse of someone fighting or alive, but none of them were the one
person she searched for—her brother.
Where are you, Chad?
As the Captain of the Guards
for the Alpha—Mason—he was out there somewhere, protecting him. Her stomach
churned with the very thought.
Please, let Chad be safe.
The
first target would have been the Elders and their guards. If they hadn’t found
safety, none of the Elders had any chance for survival.
A deafening
boom
to her
right shook the ground. The wreckage of what once was the Arizona Tigers’
compound landed all around, forcing her lower into the rubble. Looking in the
direction of the sound, all she could see was fire. People ran, trying to get
away, but it was no use. The enemies were on their tails, tackling them to the ground
and tearing out their throats before they had a chance to cry out. One by one,
her clan died at the mercy of the rogues, and she could do nothing but watch.
Adjusting to get a better view
of what was happening without revealing herself, she pressed her hand against
the dirt wall, and pain shot through her arm. She glanced down and for the
first time realized how badly she was injured. Blood poured from the jagged cut
across her forearm, and glass stuck out of her flesh as though it had grown
there. Pulling the shard from her skin, she watched the crimson well up in the
gash then spill over until it ran like a river down her arm. It could have been
much worse.
Only because she’d been in the
basement doing laundry had her life been saved when the rocket exploded into
the house she’d shared with her brother. Had the rogues known Chad lived here?
Could that have been why her home was one of the first to be targeted? A plan
to eliminate the Captain of the Guards first, then with no protection Mason
would be an easier kill.
Keep it together. This is no
time for me to lose it.
She ripped a piece of her shirt off to
make into a tourniquet and tied the fabric around her arm the best she could
with her left hand. Black spots filled her vision and the world began to swirl.
She wasn’t sure if it was from loss of blood, terror, or a combination, but the
timing couldn’t have been worse. If she let unconsciousness claim her she’d be
at the mercy of the rogues and she couldn’t let that happen if she wanted to
survive.
Footsteps crept closer,
crunching glass under their weight. Not wanting to be caught, she slipped down
onto the ledge. With her eyes closed, she held her breath to prevent herself
from crying out. A shifter’s sense of smell was greater than anything else; she
only hoped since they were there to destroy the clan they’d bypass her.
If
her fear didn’t give away her position before he could move past her little
hiding spot. Shifters loved to put terror in their victims, and that alone
could make her a whole new target.
“Randolph, the clan’s been
eliminated. The team will be heading back shortly.” There was a brief pause and
she realized the person walking past her hiding spot was on the phone. “We’ll
be ready to move on the next clan in a few days. Give the men a few days off,
and let the other clans think this was a fluke instead of an assassination of
Mason and his members for their agreement.”
Assassination.
Anger
poured through every cell of her body. This clan was her family. They had taken
her in when no one else would, and not one of them held her past against her.
Until
today.
Now that they had apparently all been killed, she cast a glance
about, seeking something she could use to kill. The only weapon she had was the
gun, and she’d emptied the last bullet into the man who blew up the house. Her
fury would have to wait unless she wanted to get herself killed.
She forced a series of shallow
breaths into her lungs, trying to calm herself as he continued past her. When
she could no longer hear him, she rested her head against something hard, but
she didn’t have the strength to move.
Just five minutes to make sure they’re
really gone, then I’ll move.
She had to find a way out and get help before
someone else suffered as her clan had.
Chad, where are you?
She
let her eyes drift shut, allowing the glorious darkness claim her.
* * *
A deep voice hollering from
above pulled her back from oblivion, sending her pulse racing until it was
thrashing in her ears. It took her a moment to realize where she was and the
memories of what had happened flooded back.
Chad?
Was
he okay? Had anyone else survived the attack?
Movement above brought her out
of her thoughts and back to what was happening. She had no idea how long she
had been unconscious, but it was still dark and the air had grown chilly. Were
the same people who attacked the compound still there? Was she hearing
surviving members of her clan returning to search for anyone else who might
have survived? She wanted to peek out, to find out who was moving about, but
her fear kept her pressed tight on the ledge.
“I need some help. There’s
someone under this rubble.” Along with the scrapes and thuds of boards being
shifted came a shower of dust.
“Don’t…it’s going to
collapse.” She coughed as the thick air got into her lungs.
“She’s alive.” A man knelt by
the opening above her head. “Miss, are you injured?”
“Nothing broken.” She glanced
up but couldn’t make out who was above her. “If you’re going to kill me, just
do it.”
“What’s your name?”
“I…” She stammered, unsure if
she wanted to answer him. “Ivy.”
“I’m Ty, the Alpha of the
Alaskan Tigers. We’re here to help. Give us a moment and we’ll have you out of
there.”
The Queen of the Tigers’ mate
was there for her. He’d come to save them, or at least find out if anyone
survived. Mason had been right. Committing to Tabitha in her new role as Queen
would save their people. What Ivy didn’t understand was why the rogues were so
against it. If the prophecy was right, and Tabitha was killed before she could
continue her family’s line, all of the tiger shifters would die with her. Why
would the rogues bring about their own death? She understood some were
certifiably insane, but from the research she had done on Randolph, she didn’t
believe he was. So what was his reason behind all of this? What was he getting
out of it?
A bit of falling debris made
her cough. The people above her seemed closer. While she’d been weighing what
was going through Randolph’s mind, Ty and the others had apparently been
working to clear a passage to her. Through their muffled voices she caught
enough to let her know they were discussing the best way to get her out without
the rest of the house collapsing on top of her.
“Ivy, would you be able to
stand?” Another deeper voice called to her; this time it wasn’t Ty.
“I think, but I couldn’t reach
enough to climb out. It’s too far.”
“If you can stand, I should be
able to grab you and pull you up.”
She tried to wiggle enough to
get her feet under her so she could stand, but instantly pain shot through her
hand. “I think my wrist is broken. I won’t be much help.”
“Just hang tight. We’ll put
plan B into operation.”
“Plan B?”
“I’m coming down to get you.”
“Oh no…I’m just balanced on a
piece of floor that didn’t go with the rest of the house. It’s not strong
enough for two. We’ll fall.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to
get on the ledge and we’re not going to let you fall. Just give me a few
minutes and I’ll have you out of there,” he called down, and then he mumbled
something she couldn’t make out to someone up top.
“Don’t risk yourself.”
“We’re not going to let you
stay down there,” Ty hollered. “Carran’s about to come down to you. Do exactly
what he tells you, and we’ll have you up here in just a moment.”
“Ty…are there any other
survivors?”
“We haven’t found any.” At his
words, a soft moan escaped her lips, and as if he heard it, he added, “But that
doesn’t mean they didn’t get away. Maybe some are in hiding, and we just haven’t
found them yet.”
“Do you think the rogues were
successful in their plan to eliminate Mason and his guards?” She tried to keep her
voice even, but it was impossible; she heaved, trembling as she bit her bottom
lip to keep from sobbing.
“I don’t know, but we’ve got
people looking.” Ty paused for a moment. “Your brother is the Captain of Guards
for Mason, isn’t he?”
“Yes.” She wanted to rant
about the position and the danger of it, but Ty wasn’t the person to bitch to.
Not when he routinely risked his own life to save others.
“We haven’t found any trace he
was one of the members killed tonight. It’s possible he escaped maybe even with
Mason. I know it’s not much, but it’s all I have at the moment. Keep faith and
if he’s out there my team will find him.”
“Thank you.” Her voice was
soft as she blinked away the tears.
Not being able to reach her
pocket, she slipped her cell phone into her bra and brought her legs up to her
chest. She wanted to be ready for whatever she had to do.
It
wouldn’t be safe to linger and risk the ledge breaking.
Minutes later,
a
man’s feet appeared, the scuffs and scars on his heavy boots visible in the dim
light that followed his progress. He drew near and a board fell from above,
barely missing her rescuer, then clattered to the rubble below.
“Cover your head the best you
can.”
She placed her good hand over
her head, leaving enough room that she could look up at him. Even through the
darkness she could make out his midnight black hair streaked with charcoal—not
the gray of age but more like highlights.
“Ivy, I’m Carran, I’m part of
the guard team for the Alaskan Tigers’ Elders.”
“Maybe you’d like to dispense
with the introductions until she’s on solid ground,” Ty hollered. “The guys up
here can’t hold this structure forever, so unless you want it to fall on your
heads, hurry up.”
“What I need you to do is just
stand up, nice and slow,” Carran directed. “I don’t want you to use your wrist
at all, just let me worry about holding on to you once I grab you.”
Carefully, she forced her legs
under her, the beam crumbling away as she did. The pain from her stomach forced
her to touch it, to see if she could feel any glass. She pulled her hand away
and from the light on Carran’s harness she could see blood coating her fingers
and covering the front of her shirt. Slowly she eased the material up, her
fingers shaking.
“Oh, shit…”
“You’re fine. Look at me.”
“Fine? I’ve been shot!” At the
sight of the hole in her stomach, she wanted to vomit.
“Ivy, look at me,” Carran
demanded.
She forced her attention away
from the wound. Weak, she leaned back against the wall and the ledge
disintegrated beneath her feet just as he swooped in and grabbed her. Clinging
to him she chanced a glance below, instantly regretting it. The jagged edges of
the rubble meant she would die if he lost his hold on her.
“I don’t want to die…not like
this.”
“You won’t, I’ve got you. Wrap
your legs around my waist and keep your head tucked against my body.” Echoing
bangs made her ears ring but she did as he asked. “Bring us up.”
Unable to believe she had
survived, she clung to him. She only hoped Chad had been just as lucky.
Chad, you’d better not have died on me…