Stone Bear: Sentinel (A BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance) (Stone Bears Book 1) (13 page)

“Hello Ajax,” he said, clasping forearms with the Silvertips’ Alpha.

“Why do I get the feeling I’m not going to like the reason for your visit,” he said dryly, showing them not to the chairs in front of his desk, but instead to the couch and coffee table set up on the other end of the fully open-concept building.

“Probably because you aren’t.”

“Well, I suppose you had better take a seat and explain. You wouldn’t have come to me if it wasn’t important.”

Gabriel nodded, waiting for Caia to be seated before he sank into the comfortable plushness of the couch. “Ahh,” he sighed, taking a deep breath and trying to relax before meeting the inquiring stare of the shifter seated across from them.

“Do you want to start?” he asked, looking over at Caia.

She shook her head.
Fair enough
, he thought.
She doesn’t know Ajax nearly as well as I do
.

“Something’s going on in the Valley,” he said bluntly.

To his surprise, Ajax didn’t even blink. “I’ve had the same feelings too.”

“You have?” he asked, caught off guard. This wasn’t how he had expected things to happen. Gabriel had planned out how he would explain everything to Ajax, and his arguments in favor of supporting them.

“Yes. I don’t know much, but ever since the implosion of the Onyx crew and its fight, things have been…weird.”

“Exactly,” Gabriel said, nodding along. “We’ve narrowed down a few things though.”

Ajax motioned for him to continue while he opened the mini-fridge that sat against the wall to his left and cracked a beer for the two males. Caia looked mildly hurt when he didn’t instinctively reach for a third, but instead waved his hand back and forth between that and a bottle of water. Noticing her reaction, however, he handed her the beer in his hand and grabbed another for himself.

“Thank you,” she said, then looked over at Gabriel, waiting for him to continue.

“Something has compromised both the Kedyns and Ferro.”

“I’m not surprised about Ferro, but the Kedyns? That is unnerving, to say the least.”

Gabriel frowned. “What clued you in to Ferro?”

“The brawl,” he said simply. “There was a dragon shifter with a bar being torn to pieces by a bunch of dicks. Why didn’t he fight? It would have been far more one-sided that way, with a fraction of the damage I’m sure. But the more I thought about it, it’s as if the Opal Crew
knew
that they didn’t have to worry about Ferro, that he wasn’t a threat to him. It was all in the way they treated him from the start, being disrespectful almost because they knew they could.”

“That makes a lot of sense,” Caia said, looking back and forth between the two of them. “When I was there tonight, he very subtly indicated that Luthor had something to do with it. Do you know much about him?” she asked.

Ajax shook his head. “Unfortunately, no. He acts like he’s a friend of Ferro’s, but there were a few things that didn’t add up for that to be the truth. I’m not surprised to hear that he’s not. I wonder, perhaps, if he’s the one controlling the leash on just Ferro.”

Gabriel looked at him sharply. “Do you think maybe he’s the one who’s found a way to threaten the Kedyns as well?”

Ajax shrugged. “I’m not sure.” Something in his expression changed.

“What is it?” Gabriel asked.

Ajax looked rather pointedly between the two of them, then glanced down.

Gabriel followed his gaze, and saw that his hand had inadvertently reached out to clasp Caia’s as they talked about the danger facing them.

“I hadn’t realized you had found a mate, Gabriel. I’m happy for both of you,” he said, a beaming smile blossoming on his face.

Caia

A mate?

Ajax thought that she was Gabriel’s mate. Yet they had only been together in his presence for a matter of minutes. How could he judge their relationship that quickly? She wondered if it was just a bear thing. The whole concept of a mate, that one person that a shifter identifies as their sole partner for life, was foreign to her. She understood it was tied to the idea of a soulmate and being married. Or rather, that the institution of marriage had risen because of shifters and mating, somewhere in the murky past, but that didn’t mean the concept had hit home for her until recently.

A quick glance over at Gabriel showed her that he was just as stunned by Ajax’s proclamation as she was.
He’s a bear shifter though! How could this not have occurred to him?
Unless, she thought, unless he’s more stunned that someone else saw it, and said it before he had a chance to. That would be much more like him, she thought, smiling internally.

“You can’t tell anyone,” she said sternly, fixing Ajax with her best stare, though she knew it would likely just wash over him.

“If that is your call,” he said, not putting up an argument.

“It’s not exactly what I want,” she said, looking down at Gabriel’s hand and giving it a tight squeeze. “But right now, I think it might be for the best. With our bosses somehow being forced into doing someone else’s bidding, we don’t want to give them any concern to split us apart.
Or
any leverage over one of us,” she finished harshly, acknowledging what the true reason for their caution was.

Ajax looked thoughtful. “So what do we do?”

Caia felt Gabriel squeeze her hand, giving her the lead. “We’ve also come to the conclusion that the Sapphires are somehow peddling a new drug.”

Ajax nodded. “Yes, Gabriel called me earlier about that. I think one of my former crew were either addicted, or part of the scheme.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, but he waved it away. “The problem is, we’ve searched their apartment complex thoroughly. Nothing was there. Besides, they have two liaisons with them at all times. Unless they’ve been bought, there’s no way the Sapphires could have gotten away with it. And, come to think of it, the liaisons have rotated since the first incident with the Onyx crew.”

Ajax nodded. “Perhaps the Sapphires aren’t the ones making it then?”

“But who?” she responded. “We’re sure Evan of the Ridgebacks is involved
somehow
, but we’ve been tracking him for a while now, and nothing out of the ordinary has come up besides him showing up at Ben’s place.”

All of a sudden, the light went on in Caia’s head.

How could we have been so blind?!

The Sapphires had been granted special dispensation to live in the city. They were the only crew with that allowance. But the apartments weren’t their only property. It was just the property that they happened to actually
use.
But the crew had a huge swath of land outside of the city, so that they could exercise their bears outside of the public eye. Which would conveniently allow them to hide a drug lab with relative ease. She wanted to smack herself for not considering the possibility earlier. It was just that everyone
knew
that the Sapphires lived in town. They caused such a nuisance that folks tended to forget they had other land.

She opened her mouth to interrupt Ajax and Gabriel, who were hashing out theories of their own, but then closed it abruptly. Ajax and Gabriel were bear shifters. She remembered what he had said about trespassing onto shifter territory when they had approached Ajax’s place. Neither of them would be willing to break the rule, not even when it came to the Sapphires. They would drive right up to the front door and politely ring the bell, though she knew they would be seething about it the entire time.

That meant if they had any hope of catching the Sapphires red-handed, that she would have to scout it out. If she could bring back concrete proof, then they could hopefully do something about it.

Her stomach tightened at the idea of sneaking into a bear shifter stronghold. She had few doubts on what the Sapphires might do to her if they caught her away from Gabriel. It wasn’t a pleasant thought either. But if she didn’t do it, the noose would continue to tighten around the entire Valley, and Caia had a disturbing feeling that unless she cut and run now, the overall ending wasn’t going to be any prettier. She couldn’t leave, either. Not without Gabriel, who she knew would never abandon the Valley while there was still a chance it could be saved.

“Whenever we act, we’re going to be need more muscle,” Ajax mused, interrupting her thoughts.

“Who can we trust?” she asked, rejoining the conversation.

“Raphael and Uriel will help if we need them, but I can’t distract them from their daily tasks to assist with the investigation.” Gabriel’s voice was filled with the fierce loyalty for his brothers that she had come to expect.

“Garrett.” There was no hesitation in Ajax’s voice, nor was there room for argument either, which was something she was prepared to do.

“He’s too close to everything,” she said firmly. “Evan is his second-in-command. Besides, Garrett can’t remember anything. Who knows, he could be working for them.”

“That’s not entirely true,” Ajax said quietly.

“What do you mean?” Gabriel was instantly focused.

“This does not leave this room, you understand?” Ajax fixed the two of them with a stare that promised trouble if they betrayed him.

She looked at Gabriel, then the two of them nodded. “Understood.”

“Russell, another bear in the Ridgebacks, revealed last week at their wedding that he is actually Garrett’s stepbrother. Garrett was on his way to visit Russell when whatever happened, happened.”

“We still don’t know what happened though,” she pointed out.

“My guess is that Garrett stumbled upon something he wasn’t supposed to. I’m not sure how he did that, but it would make the most sense.”

“Why not kill him then?” Caia didn’t like voicing that suggestion, but it would have been the logical action if Garrett had been somewhere he shouldn’t have.

“I don’t know, but perhaps someone intervened.” Ajax wasn’t backing down from his support of the Ridgeback Alpha.

“Okay, Garrett it is. Who else?”

“There are a few in my crew that are trustworthy enough for this, as there are a few in Garrett’s. I will speak to him, and ensure that they are ready to move at a moment’s notice if we call upon them.”

“Is that going to be enough to counter the Sapphires, and possibly the remnants of the Opal crew too? We can’t forget that they’re out there somewhere.”

“We need more.

Gabriel looked back and forth. “I think I know where to find a few more hands. Let me handle that, okay?”

She frowned at him, but he didn’t elaborate. “You’re sure?” she pressed.

“I’ll let you know well enough in advance if they aren’t available.”

They talked for a few more minutes before Ajax rose, signaling the end of their meeting. They said their goodbyes and the two of them headed out. She didn’t fight it as Gabriel’s hand sought hers as they walked to his truck. His constant warming presence felt far more reassuring than the thought of what they faced.

“My place,” she told him when he asked if she wanted to go back and get her vehicle from the bar. “And step on it, driver.”

To prove her point, she leaned over and caressed his jaw, her teeth nibbling at his earlobe. Caia needed one thing that night, and it wasn’t a lonely drive home in her vehicle, left alone to contemplate what they were walking into.

“Roger that,” he said, and he flew back down the road toward the town of Origin and her small little one-level ranch bungalow.

“Are we there yet?” she whispered in his ear several minutes later, one hand resting on his shoulder, the other dipping below his stomach and between his legs.

“Much to my dismay, it pains me to report that no, we haven’t arrived yet,” he said, trying to use formality to counteract the distraction of her hand and its motions.

“That
is
a shame,” she agreed flirtatiously. Sitting back into her seat, she savored the look of regret on his face as her hand retreated from where it had been gently playing with his cock through his jeans.

He brightened immediately, however, as she took his right hand off the wheel, and placed it between her own legs. She watched his left hand tighten instinctively, keeping the truck aligned with the road, while fingers from his right began to press at her through her pants.

She spread her legs wider for him, enjoying the look of fiendish delight on his face, illuminated as it was by the lights from the dash.

“I really want to get home,” she told him huskily, grabbing his hand and forcing him to press harder. A slight moan left her lips as he hooked his finger just right across her, catching all the sensitive spots.

“We’re almost there,” he said, turning the truck down one street and then another.

“Good,” she said, sitting up and placing his hand back on the wheel. “Because when we get there, you’re going to fuck me. I want you all the way inside of me,” she commanded, watching his body shudder in anticipation.

“We’re here,” he managed to get out, the truck coming to an abrupt halt in her driveway.

Gabriel all but flew out of the truck, coming around to her side and snatching her from the seat. He held her still, closing and locking the truck behind them, before he set her down. His hand never left hers, his massive paw engulfing her completely. She smiled. Despite the persona he displayed to the public, Gabriel was her big teddy bear, and he took every chance he could to act like it—as long as he was positive no one was watching.

Still, she didn’t want someone to cuddle at the moment. Caia needed more than that. She needed passion and fire. A display of his strength and sheer, raw desire. Thankfully, the moment the door closed and their eyes met, Gabriel seemed to pick up on that need.

“Come over here,” he commanded, stepping away from the door and off to the left, into the living room.

“Coming,” she replied meekly, obeying his crooked finger as she wondered what he had in store for her.

He didn’t speak. Instead, his eyes devoured her body before his fingers started removing her clothing. In seconds, he had her stripped down and naked in front of him while he was still clothed.

“Turn around,” he ordered, and she obeyed. “Close your eyes.”

She heard a rustling sound and seconds later Gabriel’s naked body pressed up against her from behind, the searing heat burning her skin as he held her tightly. Hands wrapped around her, dragging up her sides until they cupped her breasts, while his mouth carved a line of delicious pain-filled warmth from her skull down to her neck.

His hard cock was pressed firmly between her cheeks, and Caia took advantage of that, shifting her hips in different directions, teasing him as best she could. Her own hands slipped behind her, grabbing his thighs and pulling him tight against her. Warm honey pooled between her legs in anticipation of taking his cock deep within her, and she hoped he wouldn’t make her wait much longer.

They didn’t speak with words, instead allowing their bodies to do the talking for them. Eyes met eyes, fingers touched and danced across each other, and skin pressed against skin. Their desire and passion gave way to a raw, visceral yearning that both of them longed for. She cried out not in pain but in ecstasy when his hand connected with her ass as he bent her over, taking her from behind with long, smooth strokes that resulted in his hips crashing into hers. Caia fought to keep herself supported as she leaned over the couch, her hands grabbing fistfuls of leather as Gabriel’s hands squeezed tightly around her waist, sending shivers up her spine.

Her cries wove in and out amongst his groans, pushing the two of them to new heights as they relished the pleasure they took from each other. In the face of the unknown, the two of them reaffirmed the most basic instinct of life.

As she lay sprawled out on top of him on the floor some time later, Caia reflected that not only had it been a watershed moment in their relationship, but it had felt
damn
good too.

She smiled widely before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.