Keeper of the Golden Dragon's Heart (The Cedar River Series) (3 page)

My fury was still high, but knowing there were poachers out there, I could understand everyone’s fear.

“Ana, even if you don’t care about us, think of Mama and Papa.”

At the mention of them, tears filled my eyes. “Alright, Colin. You play dirty, but alright.”

I could hear the relief in Colin’s voice when he said, “Thanks, Ana.”

“I do care about you guys, too, you know? I love you, Col.”

“Love you too, kitten.”

Viv was sitting crossed legged on her bed. “Can’t go tonight?”

“No and I’m sorry. We’ll go tomorrow though, I promise. All of it will be my treat. Bowie and Brady are on their way, we have some family stuff to settle.” I was still mad.

“It’s not a problem,” Viv promised. “I’ll go study tonight instead of tomorrow.”

She hugged me tight before grabbing her book bag and heading out the door. “Oh, hi,” she said as she opened the door.  Bowie was poised with his hand ready to knock on our door. Bowie flashed his “don’t you find me sexy” smile and Brady just nodded to her.

“Ana, they’re here,” she called out.

When Bowie came into the room, I threw my sneaker at him. “Hey, kitten,” he said with a grin that always aggravated me.

“Shut the fuck up, Bowie Golden,” I said before turning to Brady. “How the hell did he talk you into this, Brady?” Brady just smiled at me, ever the silent type. “Did you ever think that maybe, just maybe, I had plans tonight? No, Annie doesn’t get to date, does she? I have to be available for every whim Bowie has.”

Bowie’s eyes flashed and his grin became lethal. “What plans did you cancel for me, kitten? Something
really
special?”

I picked up a paperweight and threw it at him. The shit caught it one-handed and set it down.

Brady pushed Bowie out into the hall and closed the door. “Do you have to piss him off every time you see him?” Brady asked me.

“I’m tired of jumping through his hoops of flame, Brady. I left home to get away from the ever watchful eye of Sheriff Golden and his posse of idiots. I’m making friends here. I have a life. Hell, I’ve even gone on a few dates without the four of you puffing fire down my neck. And do you want to know something? I like it! When I’m here, I’m just plain, old Ana. I’m no one special. I don’t stand out in a crowd.”

Brady chuckled, “I doubt that, kitten, but I do understand what you’re saying. We love you and if we hadn’t come up tonight, Mama would have been up tomorrow. We figured it would be better if we came tonight to check on you and talk about what is happening.”

I got up to hug him tightly. “I’ve missed you, Brady. How have you been?”

After a few more moments, I walked to the door and opened it. Bowie was leaning against the wall, answering e-mails. “You can come inside, but only if you can behave yourself.”

Bowie’s gaze held a little more fire than usual. “Someone named Toby stopped by to “holla” at you. I told him you were busy with us tonight.”

“God, Bowie! Why did you do that? Now, Toby will think…oh what the hell does it matter? Thanks a lot,” I said, the sarcasm dripping from the words. I’d been hoping for Toby to ask me out since I’d moved into this dorm and in a matter of a few minutes, Bowie managed to screw that up too. Toby was in my Ancient Religions class. He had the most beautiful blue eyes. His brown hair was always messed up from him running his hands through it. He was sexy in a geeky way.

Bowie was pissed, I could tell, but that made me want to push his buttons even more. “You didn’t have anything better to do on a Friday night than come up to check on me? Make sure I’m being a “good” girl? Get a life, Bowie.” I grabbed my knapsack with my change of clothes and a towel before leaving my room. I was sitting in the truck, waiting for them when they came out. I did notice that Bowie had his shotgun in the gun rack along with Brady’s rifle. Chills ran over my skin. Maybe I should be a bit more concerned than I had been. Brady climbed in beside me.

“You need to change more often. You’re a little on the cranky side. No hunting though if you don’t want to. Bowie is promising a big juicy steak as rare as you want it for dinner,” he said as he closed the door.

Bowie got in the driver’s seat and slammed his door. He was furious and I was glad. I ignored Bowie on the drive to the woods. I asked Brady about his job and about the folks, anything to exclude Bowie from the conversation. We arrived and walked deep into the heart of the forest.

The warmth of the day hung in the denseness of the pine forest. There was an underlying scent, but I couldn’t make out what it was. Both of them had their guns loaded and slung over their shoulders. Brady carried my knapsack for me. I took a deep breath, inhaling the smell that was familiar to me. One I had missed while I was studying.

I stepped into the shadows to strip bare and shift. For the first time in my life, I was scared. I’d always been aware of hunters, but Brady rarely carried a gun if he wasn’t out with a group of hunters. Tonight, there was a change. If they were afraid, then I’d be smart to be more aware.

Bowie held out his hand to me. My cat loved him. I butted him with my head and rubbed against his leg. I purred as he scratched behind my ears.

Bowie chuckled, “I think I like you better this way. You are a little more agreeable.” I nipped his finger.

“Ouch!” he said, and laughed.

I tasted the air and took off at a run. They were right behind me the whole way. It felt good to be wild. I’d forgotten how good it was to be a puma. The forest smelled of pine and fresh lake water. There was also the smell of the soil still warm from the sunshine that permeated through the cover of the trees. My puma just wanted to roll in the smell. I loved being free. I might not want to stand out in a crowd, but I
was
different. It was time I realized nothing I could do would make me like Vivian, Toby or the other students on campus. Even in the puma world, I was different. I had another half to me. I was a witch. All I’d ever wanted was to be normal, but normal wasn’t in the cards for me. My thoughts were brought up short when I caught a scent that didn’t belong in the forest. It was sharp and metallic. There is the scent of decay in the forest, but this smell was of death. I stopped and lay down on the forest floor. I couldn’t force myself to go any further. I heard the guys running towards me. Bowie reached me first.

“What is it, kitten?” He obviously noticed my hair was standing on end. He held up a hand as Brady approached. “She’s caught the scent of something and she’s scared.”

Brady sniffed the air. “Smell it, Bo? There are humans here and death is hanging in the air.”

Bowie marked the area. “Let’s get out of here. Quietly,” he whispered.

This was one time when I was ready to follow Bowie wherever he said we needed to go. We walked out the same way we came in. As I shifted back to my human form and got dressed, Bowie was on his cell phone with the local DNR and his friend at the sheriff’s department. He told them he’d found some poachers while out walking in the woods. The various people were on their way to inspect the area.

“That steak dinner may have to wait for a while,” Bowie said.

I shrugged. “Those bastards need to be caught.”

Brady pulled a ham sandwich from the glove box. “My Boy Scout, always prepared.” I teased, though I was shaking inside. I was grateful that he was always one step ahead of things. Three DNR trucks pulled in beside Bowie’s truck. There were five sheriff’s department vehicles that pulled in next. The suburban held a K-9 unit, I could smell the dogs. My cat didn’t like that at all, but if I steered clear of it, I’d be alright.

The three of us have exceptional night vision, but the humans didn’t. There wasn’t much of a moon which helped keep us under cover, but that also meant no light to guide the humans through the woods. A couple of them had night vision goggles, so Bowie let them lead the way. When we got to the spot where I had scented trouble, Bowie made me hide in the shadows while they went in after whatever was there. I was wearing a black coat with a hood to keep me hidden. I heard Bowie’s friend shout first, “Police! Put down your weapons!” Bowie and the others followed him.

They arrested three men and a woman. There were carcasses all over the place. Bears that had been skinned and their paws cut off. Puma bodies stacked one on top of another. Deer with their heads removed. Fox bodies with no fur. It made me sick. I had to run into the woods to vomit. Bowie was in cop mode, but Brady followed me and held me afterward.

“You okay?” he asked, offering me a bottle of water. I nodded against his chest.

“Now, do you understand why we came for you, kitten? We would all be devastated if something happened to you. Bowie would probably die. He’s always felt it is his duty to keep you protected. He’s been busting his ass night and day trying to find any poachers. It isn’t just for you, but we know what happened to your dad. We love you and everything we do is to keep you safe. Stay here. I’ll be right back.”

Brady left me sitting on the fallen log. Bowie came out of the poachers’ camp and found me, shaking.

“Hey, kitten. How are you doing?”

I was so deeply saddened by what I’d seen, I didn’t think I’d ever snap out of it.

“You want to come in and say a special prayer for them? Not much else can be done, but it might help.”

I stood up on wobbly legs and took his hand. I stepped into the camp and cast a circle around it. I said a prayer over the bodies of my brothers and sisters. With a sigh of relief, I closed the circle. The sadness was still there, but it didn’t weigh as heavy on my heart. Bowie stepped into the camp.

“I’m gonna help them finish up here. Why don’t you let Brady take you into town for that dinner? I’ll meet you there as soon as we’re finished up,” he said as he pulled me against him.

I hugged him tight. He tilted my head up to look in his eyes, eyes the color of a fine whiskey. Whiskey with fire dancing in it that is. He kissed my forehead, then turned me over to Brady.

The walk out of the woods exhausted me. Brady put the truck in gear to pull onto the road and that is the last thing I remembered until Brady nudged me awake at the restaurant.

“Hungry, kitten?”

 I rubbed my eyes and nodded sleepily. He laughed and we went inside.

We were almost done with our dinner when Bowie arrived. He looked awful. He sat down next to me and put an arm around my chair, “I’d like you to come home with us until after Christmas break.”

I just looked at him. “I’ve got classes and a life here, Bowie. I can’t just go home.”

He scrubbed his hands over his face. Brady leaned back in his chair and pushed his plate away. I looked at him, in disbelief. “What you, too, Brady? C’mon, you two, you can’t tag team me like this!” 

Bowie leaned up and put his arms on the table. “Annie, you saw the trouble we found in the woods tonight. Those four aren’t the only poachers. They are targeting shifter villages for some reason and it’s getting bad. We don’t want anything to happen to you.”

I understood where he was coming from, but it didn’t mean I wanted to go back to Cedar River. That scene had scared the hell out of me. I put my hand over his. “Bowie, I know, okay? What if I promise to avoid the woods? Colin told me you will all be in Pine Bluff tomorrow. If you don’t catch the people who are doing this, I’ll go home with you. I will take the rest of my classes online.” I looked from one to the other. “Please, guys! This is important to me.”

Brady leaned up to the table. “
You
are what’s important to us, kitten.” In the hazel eyes of one of the strongest men I’ve ever known, tears shone. That did it for me. Tears started falling down my face. “Damnit, Brady!” I whispered. “I know that, but I’m not in danger if I stay out of the woods, right? Friday night, you can come pick me up. I’ll be done by noon. If you don’t feel the danger is gone, I’ll finish up school in Cedar River. Okay?”

I watched the two brothers exchange looks. Bowie sighed, “Alright, kitten. You win, but I want you to call the folks tonight. I’ve been spending most of my night combing the woods around Cedar River and I don’t always get to check in with Mama and Dad. They are worried about you.” I agreed.

“I came up tonight because you haven’t been calling and I promised Mama I’d drag your ass back home. Tonight.”

I looked into his eyes and saw something I’ve never seen before…fear. “I promise. I’ll call them as soon as we get back. That way I can tell Mama and Papa you’re okay. Kill two birds with one stone.”

Brady cringed at the cliché, “Did you really have to use that phrase?”

Chapter Six- Ana

Viv was waiting up for me when I got back.

“All of your family stuff dealt with?”

I kicked off my shoes and climbed up into my bunk. “For now.” I dug out my cell phone to call home.

“Can we skip the movie tomorrow night? I’ve got a date,” she asked.

I laughed. It never failed; I leave her alone to study and she has a date.

My dreams that night held nightmares like none I’d ever had before. The images in the forest became my family. My mom and dad, Mama and Papa, the boys, they all laid at the center of the woods. I woke up crying. It was four in the morning, but I was scared. There was only one person I knew who would be awake at this hour.

His sleepy voice answered, “What do you need, kitten?”

“Bowie? I’m scared.” His husky sigh came through the line.

“Finally? Tell me what’s on your mind.”

I climbed out of my bed and tiptoed into the bathroom. I curled up in the bathtub and spent the rest of the night talking to him. I told him about my nightmares and my fears. The sun was coming up when I finally hung up from him. His last words were, “I love you, Anastasia Plum.”

“I love you, too, Bowie.” I got back into bed and slept a very peaceful sleep.

Viv was gone when I got up so I went into the bathroom to shower. While I was under the running water, I wove a spell of protection around my family and myself. After getting dressed, I dug around in my jewelry box for the necklace my mother had given to me the night she died. I hadn’t worn it in years. It was a black onyx stone on a sterling silver chain. I charged it with my power to overlay whatever my mother had enchanted it with. Draping it over my head, I could feel the power of this talisman as it lay between my breasts. Feeling more reassured than I had in a long time, I curled up on my bed to study for my Monday class. I needed a good grade in order to get into the advanced class in the winter semester…if I ever returned. I pushed that thought from my mind and focused on the text in front of me.