The Guardian (15 page)

She heard a cry of pain and turned her ears. She ran
down towards the direction she heard the cries. The trees got thicker, and
there were a lot of thick patches of overgrowth. She came across a type of
shelter and saw Kathy holding her face. She was staring at another woman, who
was standing over her.

“Why have you not delivered the girl to me?”

“I can’t just walk in there and grab her for you. I
would have to talk her into coming with me. She is really jealous of me, so not
much chance of that.”

“If you can’t do the job, then I will find someone who
can, and be rid of you.” A wind gust blew the woman’s hood back. She had brown
hair and a round face, but instead of having the kind eyes of Marcy, her eyes
were hard and cruel.

Cassie stared in shock as she looked at the face of
the woman she had seen in the parking lot. She looked remarkably like Marcy,
but she knew there was no way it could be. Cassie took a closer look and saw
the differences in her features. She backed away slowly. She knew whatever was
going on here, she needed to tell Michael. Whatever they were up to wasn’t
good. A branch cracked under her paws, making her freeze. The woman and Kathy
both looked in her direction. “Someone is out there.”

“Well of course there is, Dani. They are training
today. I tried to tell you that,” Kathy snapped.

Kathy and Dani slowly walked towards where Cassie was
hiding. She crouched down hoping if they saw her, she would not be seen as a
shifter but a sick wolf hiding.
Are there
wolves in Colorado?
She hoped so, and if there weren’t, she hoped those two
didn’t know it.

The two of them wandered around the area, while Cassie
stayed crouched down in the overgrowth. They were going to find her, and there
was no way they would mistake her for any other wolf.

The roar of a bear split the air making both of them
look up. “We need to get out of here. I tried to tell you this was not a good
meeting spot,” Kathy said with a sneer.

“Kiss my ass,” Dani replied. “I want that girl. Get
her to me. I want to know what happened.”

Cassie waited until they were gone before she ran out
of her hiding place. She ran back to the area where they were to meet back. No
one was there when she returned, so she shifted and changed back into her jeans
and T-shirt. She paced a few times trying to figure out if she should just walk
back to town to talk to Michael.
 

She had just made up her mind to walk when Blair came
running at her. “Where have you been? I have been looking all over for you.”

“I was doing my part when I saw Kathy with some chick
that looks like Marcy.”

Blair didn’t wait for her to finish. “Come on, while
you were gone you got a phone call. I answered it before I realized it was your
phone. Your grandfather has had a massive stroke. I couldn’t find you, or get a
hold of Michael.”

“He is in meetings all day with the zoning committee
on that mini mall Caleb wants to build here.” Cassie was pulled to Blair’s car
despite her trying to stop.
 

“We need to get out of here before the city council is
done with him. I am so glad he is mayor right now.”

“Wait. Blair.” Cassie tried to pull her arm free. “I
need to at least tell Michael where I am going.”

“I will leave a message. As soon as he gets it, he
will be on his way,” Blair replied. “But we need to get out of here before he
reads it. They won’t let you go and see your grandfather. I think their rule is
bullshit. They have no right to keep you from your family, especially when one
of them is ill.”

Cassie wanted to talk to Michael, but his phone went
straight to voicemail. “Michael, I am with Blair. My grandpa had a stroke.
Please meet me at the hospital. I’ll text you when you can. Cassie wished
Michael was taking her, but there was no helping it. “Okay, let’s go.”

****

Michael listened patiently while Caleb West, Tom
Myers, and the developer argued over a piece of land. Caleb was not from
Pleasant Cove, but he knew that some of the locals would love to have a
shopping center that was much closer than going down the mountain to Colorado
Springs or Denver. It could work, as long as they kept the shops attended by
shifters, or humans that had proved themselves loyal to shifters. It could be
really good for the town, and Caleb had been very convincing in his proposal
for building here. Tom, being a bear and naturally suspicious, was against it,
as well as being against Caleb bringing any kind of business here. Of course
Tom’s five-and-dime might suffer if someone brought in one of the dollar chains
popping up all over the country.

Michael liked Caleb. He was easy to talk to, and he
found himself sharing a lot about his new mate, Cassie and what little family
she had. Caleb was also a high ranking wolf shifter in his own clan who shared
his own family struggles. It felt good to have a friend who understood
balancing the responsibility of leadership and having a life.

He turned to look out of the window and saw a fairy
dancing in the flowers outside. They were ingenious little creatures. They made
their clothing out of plants, using a special wax that kept them from turning
dry and brittle.
 
He watched the fairy
play when the pollen puffed up, coating her wings. She chittered happily and
waved. Another fairy joined her, and they played together in the pollen.

The sun was setting now, so the game Warren and Cole
had set up for training should be done by now. Cassie should be home, and he
could not wait to get there and have some fun. He imagined tying her up in the
sex swing. He had some toys to try out on her that would drive her wild with
need. His cock stirred as he thought about applying to her sensitive bits the
gel that would warm them just enough to enhance the feeling. He was thinking
this time he would put a vibrator in her pussy while he fucked her ass. She
would scream every time he thrust in and made that vibrator hit that magic spot
in her.

The door opened, and the council’s secretary, Madeline,
walked in. She walked towards him and handed him a note. “This was left on your
personal voicemail. I knew you would be a while so I wrote down the message for
you.”

Michael looked down at the note. The voice message had
been from Blair. “Michael, Cassie’s grandfather has had a stroke. I am taking
her to see him. I didn’t want you to worry when she didn’t turn up at home. She
will call you later.”

Michael crumpled the note and stood up. “I am sorry,
Tom, I have a family emergency I have to attend to. He didn't wait to hear
Tom’s reply. He was too busy thinking of the ways he was going to punish Blair.
No, wait.
He was going to hand her over
to Cole and let him deal with her. Cole still loved Blair, even if he refused
to admit it out loud. Blair was hurt and angry that Cole had decided to end
their relationship. She was going to hurt a lot more once Cole spanked her ass
red.

He picked up his cell phone out of his desk as he
headed out to his car. Once he sat in the driver’s seat he hit his contacts
list and scrolled. Hitting Cole’s name he hoped he was done with tracking the
youngster that volunteered to be their bait.

Fortunately, Cole answered on the second ring. “What’s
up, Michael?
That girl of yours get
lost?”

“No,” Michael ground out angrily. “Your girl thought
it would be a good idea to take her on a road trip to Denver.”

“Son of a fucking bitch.
She
didn’t?” Cole yelled.

Michael didn’t say anything for a moment. Cole knew he
did not joke about things like this. “She did. Cassie’s grandfather is ill.
Blair left a message with the secretary, and Cassie left one on my phone.”

“Shit.” Voices became muffled when Cole put his hand
over the phone and yelled at whoever was around him.

Michael started his car while Cole shouted orders to
whoever he had around him. For now he would head home. He would need to look up
her grandparents’ address to have a place to start. He was more scared for Cassie
than he was angry. She was a new shifter, and had little to no control yet.
Especially if she became afraid.
It took time for shifters to
gain control of their shifting ability while in distress. She was a new and
inexperienced shifter, and Blair was not a strong enough shifter to help her if
something caused her to lose control.

****

Lucas stood at the meeting site in the woods.
 
He watched a tree sprite gathering leaves for
a home in a tree across from him. She hummed as she wove the leaves together to
make her home weatherproof. Part of him had envied how simple their lives were.
They did not suffer betrayal from those that were supposed to have their back,
or punishments for defending themselves. They were left alone to live life as
they pleased.

I could leave.
Walk away, and never look back. I am sure the ache in my chest will ease after
a while.
He heard the fucker coming before he scented him.
Fucking arrogant
shifter,
thinks he is indestructible.
The tree sprite paused in its housebuilding to
throw sticks at Lucas. He sighed and moved away. The magic folk could sense his
banishment, and even they wanted nothing to do with him.

“Lucas,” the deep voice said once he approached.

Lucas could not see him, since he chose to hide behind
a fir tree, like a fucking child. His reasoning had always been that if Lucas
had been caught, then he couldn’t reveal his identity.

“I have information for you that can aid you in your
revenge.” His smooth voice carried over to Lucas easily in the still air of the
mountain forest.

Lucas was sure he was once again dangling something in
front of him that he couldn’t actually obtain. “What do you have this time?
You going
to send me into the woods to have another run in
with Michael?”

“No, his mate’s grandfather is unwell. She has left
for Denver with another female, and they are alone. If you hurry you can get
your paws on her.”

“How do you know this?” Lucas asked skeptically.

“I know, because I made him unwell. If he has good
doctors, he may survive. He is old though, and if his health is frail, then he
is already dead. I have left the address of the hospital and room number he is
in. If you hurry you can be an hour or so ahead of Michael. I have made sure he
is kept busy looking for that little thing he mated.”

“You made her grandfather ill for me?” Lucas could not
believe the fucker would do that for him.

He laughed a harsh, merciless laugh.
“Of course not.
If Michael is busy chasing his whore of a
mate across the state, then I am free to further my agenda.”

“Which is?” Lucas asked.

“None of your fucking business.
Go and get your revenge. Remember our deal. I help you get your revenge and you
help me with my plans.”

“You still have not told me your plans.” Lucas was
getting the twitch to kill the bastard. He had that feeling once again, that
the fucker meant far more harm than the bitch he killed ever did.

“And I won’t. If you are captured, I can’t have you
ruining everything when you squeal like a pig.”

Lucas jumped out from the tree with every intention of
attacking the fucker. He was not going to stand there and be called a pig, but
when he landed, the clearing was empty. There was barely a trace of his scent,
as if it was camouflaged with cologne.

“Interesting,” Lucas murmured. Most shifters hated
cologne. It burned their sense of smell due to the strong scent.

Whatever the fucker’s plans were, he would worry about
it later. He picked up the scrap of paper with all the information where
Michael’s mate’s grandfather was. For now he was heading to Denver.

Chapter
Fifteen

Blair dropped Cassie off at the front door of the
hospital. “I am going to park the car. I will meet you in a bit.”

“Okay,” Cassie said before slamming the door. She
jogged up the sidewalk to the automatic doors of the hospital. Her grandmother
met her in the hall. Immediately Cassie had regretted coming alone. Her
grandmother looked worse than she had ever seen her before.
“Grandma?”
 
she
asked in a
whisper.

She looked up and held her arms out for Cassie.
“Cassandra.”
She pulled her close to her and held on. Cassie
closed her eyes as she felt her shaking.
Michael,
I need Michael
, she thought as she held her crying grandmother
. I can’t face my grandpa’s death alone
.

Cassie turned, but kept her arm around her
grandmother, then walked to the ICU room her grandfather was in. She stared at
him for a while. He was so still and pale. She had never seen him so ill. He
had always been a strong man, the hero who would never fall.
The
knowledge that he could fall and not get up shook her.
She walked up to
his bed, took his hand, and noticed how cold it felt.

“Why is he still unconscious? I thought he had a
stroke?”
 
She thought that they broke up
the blood clot these days.

“It looked like a stroke at first, but testing showed
he was clear of any blood clots.” Her grandmother straightened his hair. “He is
going to wake up and come home soon.”

“Grandpa, it’s me, Cassie. I’m here,” she whispered to
him. “Please wake up. I can’t lose you, too.” The pain from losing Marcy hit
her again. “Marcy died last month. This guy killed her. I can’t lose you, too.
Please wake up.”

Cassie felt a hand settle on her shoulder, and she
looked over to see Blair had made it to the room. “Oh Cassie,” Blair said,
looking as heartbroken as Cassie felt.

“He didn’t have a stroke. They don’t know what
happened to him.” Cassie felt even more afraid for him now. They couldn’t treat
him until they knew what was wrong.

Blair looked confused, but then turned to Cassie’s grandmother.
“Was he sick or anything?”

Her grandmother looked up and raised her head. “No, he
was fine. He had just had a checkup, and got a clean bill of health.”

Blair leaned down and sniffed several times. She had a
look of concentration on her face, which turned to fear. “Look, I know we just
got here and all, but we have to leave, now.”

Cassie looked up at Blair. “Why?”

“I think your grandfather was poisoned with a drug
some shifters have used before. I think we have been lured here by someone.”
Blair was looking around worriedly.

“Do you really think so?” Cassie found that hard to
believe. Why would someone lure them away from Pleasant Cove?

Blair was urgently pulling on Cassie’s arm. She was
barely able to look over her shoulder at her grandmother. “Grandma, I have to
go. I will come back when I can.”

“Yes, dear,” she replied without looking up. “Please
hurry back. Your Grandpa would love to see you.”

Blair pulled Cassie out of the room and walked quickly
to the elevator. She looked around as if she expected an attack at any moment.

“Blair, what are you doing?” Cassie demanded in a harsh
whisper as she tried to pull her arm free.

Blair pulled her into an elevator and turned around. “I
smelled the drug in your grandfather. There is a shifter drug that is meant to
mimic a human stroke. Shifters use it to kill humans that betray us.”

“Shifters kill people?”
 
Cassie was shocked. She couldn’t imagine
Michael killing anyone, no one that did not deserve it anyway.

“Traitors.
If a human is
allowed to know about us, and exposes our secret, then yes. The drug is kinder
than being torn apart by
cholan
protectors.”

“So my grandpa is going to die?” Cassie could feel the
grief crashing in on her. She let out a heartbroken sob.

Blair shook her head. “It didn’t smell like a lethal
dose. Perhaps they were worried you wouldn’t come if your grandfather was dead,
or they wanted him to suffer. The drug is very harsh when given to make someone
ill.”

“You think he will be okay?
 
Really?”
Cassie knew
Blair was no doctor, but she would take any amount of hope she could get.

“Yes, I really think he will be okay,” Blair said
reassuringly.
 
The elevator dinged, and
Blair pulled her out. “Come on, we have to run for my car. Once we get on the
road I will call Michael. He will tell us what to do.”

“Yes, I want to talk to Michael.” Cassie wished more
than ever he was here with her.
Even if he could put his arms
around her.
She knew Michael would protect her. It wasn’t that she
didn’t trust Blair. She did. She just had a feeling whoever was coming for them
was much stronger than she and Blair together.

Cassie ran keeping up with Blair easily. They got into
the car and closed the doors. “Oh my God, that was scary,” Cassie said as she
looked over at Blair,
then
screamed. Next to the
window was Lucas.

Blair screamed and tried to hit her horn, but Lucas
smashed the driver’s side window. “Get out,” he commanded her in a deadly calm
voice.

“Lucas, please. Don’t hurt us,” Blair asked, holding
her hands up to show she was not going to fight him.

“Get out then,” he ordered in a calculating tone. He
had a hold of her hair with one hand, and with the other he opened her car
door. He pulled Blair out as the door opened.

"Okay, Lucas, I am getting out and not fighting
you. No one needs to get hurt tonight." Blair's tone was still placating,
but she sounded more frightened as he pulled her out of the car.

Cassie had a sickening sense of dread. She had lived
this before. She could not sit here and watch another friend torn apart like
that. She opened the door and jumped out of the car. She screamed as she ran,
hoping someone would help her. She heard heavy footsteps right behind her,
getting closer. Panic made her think of her wolf. She felt the hair growing in
her skin. She growled and thought how if she was a wolf she could run faster.

She was knocked to the ground, and Lucas’s heavy weight
landed on her. She let out a whine and felt the familiar sensations of
shifting.

“Oh no you don’t.
Look at me,”
Lucas ordered, and held her chin to stare into her eyes. “You are not to shift,
control yourself.”

Cassie wanted to shift more than anything. She ignored
Lucas and tried to shift, but now her body refused to obey her.

“I am a guardian, Cassie, remember? I can block you
from shifting, force you to shift, force you to obey me, and I can claim you
for my own.”

Cassie shook her head in horror. “No, Lucas
please
. Just let me go.”

“No, now do as I say and get up. We are going to walk
over to this black pickup truck.”

It was like someone else had taken over her body. She
got up and did everything he wanted her to do. Lucas opened the passenger side
door and put her in.
 
He leaned in and
pulled the seatbelt over her. He slammed the door and ran around to the
driver’s side. Cassie had just gotten the seatbelt off when he got in.

“You’re not going anywhere.” He grabbed her arm as he
started the truck,
then
backed out of his parking
space.

Cassie looked over to see Blair getting up off of the
pavement, and several security guards running out of the hospital. “Let me
out.” She screamed and reached for the handle.

“Don’t make me knock you out. I can without causing
permanent damage,” Lucas grabbed her neck and pressed down on her artery. “I
can press down right here and you would go out.”

Cassie stilled. She knew she would not be able to see
where he was taking her if she was not conscious. She looked out the window as
city lights sped by.
Michael, please help
me. I am so sorry for not coming to you first.
Tears fell down her face as
Lucas sped out of the city and towards the mountains.

****

Michael and Cole pulled into the hospital parking lot.
Several of the
cholan
warriors were not far behind
them. Michael saw the flashing lights and felt dread tightening in his gut. His
senses were telling him that whatever was going on involved Cassie and Blair.

“Fucking son of a bitch,” Cole yelled angrily.

Michael looked to where Cole was looking and saw Blair
sitting on the tailgate of an ambulance. “Fuck.” Michael angrily spat. Fear
made him slam on his brakes and jump out of the car without bothering to turn
it off. He scanned the area and did not see Cassie anywhere. Blair was crying
as she looked up at Michael. “I am so sorry,” she said between hiccupping sobs.
“We were tricked.”

Michael was so angry and frightened that all he could
do was
stare
down at Blair while his jaw tightened.

“Michael, he poisoned her grandfather. We thought he
had a stroke, but as soon I could scent him, I knew he had been poisoned with
Mercilin
.”

Michael could feel Cole behind him. “Where is she?” Michael
asked seething with anger.

Blair flinched at him with a fearful expression before
saying, “Lucas took her.”

Michael felt his body shaking and felt his wild cougar
struggling to get out. He was ready to hunt down Lucas and shred him to pieces
for daring to touch his mate. Cassie was his, and the only reason Lucas would
take her was for revenge.

Cole put his hands on Michael. “Come on, man. Calm
down, you do not want to shift in front of all these humans.”

Slowly Cole’s words penetrated the angry fog in
Michael’s brain. “Yeah,” he agreed. The worst thing to happen right now would
be to shift in front of all these cops and medics.

“Let me go and talk with a few of the officers. Once I
explain Cassie is family they will share what they know.” Cole looked over at
the SUV that pulled into the parking lot.

Michael felt a sense of relief that the other
protectors were here as they could help track Cassie. Michael nodded at Cole.
“Good, try to find out which way he went.” He hoped that would at least give
him a clue where he was taking her.

Every time he glanced at Blair his anger grew. She
should have known better than to take off. She had always had that fucking
rebellious streak that she thought was fun. He wanted to grab her and punish
her, but he also didn’t want to hurt her.

Cole came back with a grim look on his face. He looked
Michael in the eye as he came near. “It isn’t good.”

“How bad is it?”

“He made her get in the car and drove off with her. He
is on his way back to the mountains, I would bet.”

Michael stared down at Blair again. “Deal with her,
before I do.”

Cole gave him a look. “You are giving her to me?”

Blair gasped. “No, Michael. Don’t do that.”

Michael gave her a flat stare. “You broke shifter law.
You took a new shifter out of our territory and safety. You know the risks, and
chose to act foolishly.”

“I was helping her see her grandfather. She would
never forgive you if you didn’t let her see him.”

Michael cut her off with a slicing motion of his hand.
“Do you really think I would keep her away from her sick grandfather?”

Blair nodded.

“Take her, Cole. I am done.”

“Michael, this isn’t even our territory. How can you
do this to me?”

“Silence,” Cole commanded her in a firm tone. “You are
to go with Dave and Jeremy back to Pleasant Cove. I will deal with you when we
get back.”

“Michael, change your judgment. This isn’t fair. I
didn’t mean any harm,” Blair yelled. “David, get your damn hands off of me.”

Michael didn’t turn around to enjoy the scene. Right
now, he was only concerned with getting Cassie back safely. He stalked to his
car intent on going to the closest den Lucas usually hid in.

“Wait up,” Cole called while he jogged to catch up
with Michael. “You need my tracking skills to find her. Lucas could have taken
her on foot. This fancy car of yours is useless off road. He was always an
excellent compeller.”

“Yes, I know,” Michael said grimly. “He can get her to
do almost anything he wants.”

“We don’t know his motives yet though. Just because he
killed that girl—”

“You and I both know why he did that. He is angry with
me for not supporting him.”

“He was wrong, Michael. He should be thankful
Ilithyia
intervened. You had every right to kill him for
killing an innocent woman.”

Michael sighed as he stared out the windshield. “He
doesn’t know that she was innocent. At the time I thought it was more of insane
ranting. Now I know it was his tormentor’s twin he killed thinking she had
returned.”

“Shit.” Cole whistled. “You didn’t tell him.”

“No, I never expected shit to go down like this.”

“He hasn’t been right since his mate died.”

Michael shook his head. “It is far more than that.
Allie was pregnant.”

Cole stared at him. “That would explain why he went
homicidal on all the humans in the area.”

“Even then he was pretty targeted. I had to stop him,
but I didn’t want to kill him for striking out at those that had murdered his
mate and unborn child.”

“So you banished him.” Cole finished for him.

Michael nodded while staring straight ahead. “Shifters
and humans would stay away from him. He needed time to grieve, and he had
always been a bit of a loner. I expected him to get better, not worse.”

“We will stop him,” Cole assured him.
 
“He won’t hurt her.”

“He thinks she was best friends with the woman who
murdered his family. He thinks I was against him, and therefore on the side of
that freaky bitch. He wants to hurt me, like he is hurting. He will
fucking
hurt her.”