Kodiak Moment: An Alpha Werebear Paranormal Shifter Romance (The Arcadia Knights Book 2) (7 page)

“
Y
ou should call your brother
.”

Logan tore his eyes away from the door and stared at Warren.

“Not me. Aidan wants to hear from you.” The other man’s lips thinned. “Wants to know how you’re doing from the proverbial horse’s mouth. Here.” Warren reached into his pocket and pulled out a small rectangular object. “You can use my phone.”

It looked similar to what he’d seen Abby using back at the cabin. When the top lit up, Logan cocked his head to the side but stepped away. It looked too delicate to be a proper phone, and he had no idea what to do with the flat screen. Turning his gaze away, he shook his head, trying to remember what civilization was like.

Or rather,
had been
like.

“Pay phone?” Yeah, that was it.

Warren gave him a droll look. “You never were much one for technology.” He dug into his pockets and handed Logan some change. “I think they have one at the corner of the hotel.”

Without saying a word, Logan trudged off the way his brother pointed, not bothering to say goodbye. It wasn’t like Warren would leave him there anyway; his brother had always been a stickler for the rules, and his assignment had been to bring in Logan.

Didn’t mean he needed to make it easy on the other man.

Oddly enough, he still remembered the phone number for home, and dialed it quickly after depositing the change. The phone was answered on the first ring. “Took you long enough to call me back.”

Logan frowned. “How’d you know it was me?”

There was a pause on the other end of the phone. “I didn’t,” Aidan finally replied. “Thought Warren was calling to say he’d…” He trailed off, but Logan could fill in the blanks.

“I’m still alive. What’s the emergency?”

Aidan sighed. “Dad’s gone rogue. Or, rather, he found his mate and it made him crazy. I’m assuming Warren told you this?”

“Maybe.” Not enough, apparently.

“We need you home here, just in case. You’re…the only one who can get close to him if we need to take him out.”

Logan let out an amused grunt but said nothing. “Yes, I know,” Aidan continued, understanding what the sound meant, “we’re all doomed if he really goes on another rampage, blah blah. But I’d still like you home just in case something goes wrong.”

The silence stretched ever-longer as Logan weighed his options. He’d been content up here in the wilderness; nobody had bothered him, he’d had ample range to roam and just exist. Little about the wilderness riled him; it was a cruel mistress, but predictable in its justice — unless
humans
interfered, then everything went to hell. That was how it always happened, and Logan was sick of it.

But would Abby stay here with you?

He wanted to believe she would, but… She had a new-technology phone like Warren’s, spoke of modern amenities as if they were her norm. His mate wasn’t like Meredith, content to live away from society and find what she wanted from the land.

And Logan couldn’t stand to make her choose.

“Maybe.” He needed time to think. Hanging up the phone before his brother could say anything back, he turned back around and trudged back toward the hotel entrance.

“Hungry?”

Logan looked up to see Warren watching him carefully, as if watching a wild animal.
Maybe I am.
“Yeah.”

“Come on.” He inclined his head toward the restaurant across the street. “Let’s get some grub and talk,” he added, but Logan shook his head.

“I need one last hunt.” His eyes strayed toward the outskirts of the small town to the trees he saw a ways off.

“So you’ll be coming home with us?”

The question seemed pointless to Logan since he’d already indicated as much. His mate would be safe with Warren watching over her, at least for an hour.

“Fine, just don’t change shape where people can see you.”

Logan didn’t answer that question either. “Keep her safe,” he said, then left his brother there and went to find himself some dinner.

T
he doe
never knew what killed her. She was dead before she realized Logan was even there.

Logan had remembered to take off his clothing this time so they wouldn’t be bloody when he went back, but it had still taken him a while to find someplace to wash off after he shifted back into human form. When he got back into the town, the Arctic summer sun was just beginning to touch the horizon, but it would still be a long time before it fully set. Even then, the skies wouldn’t get dark, not truly.

His first thought was Abby, so he made a beeline for her room. It was at the back of the hotel, and Logan wasn’t in the mood to go through the front doors.

It was just as well, because what he found crouched outside her window brought out the beast in him.

This time he neither took the time to shed his clothes, nor did he cloak his presence. Between one moment and the next, he was clothed in fur, the scraps of cloth falling off him as he rushed the two people huddled there.

The first one didn’t even have time to cry out before Logan was on them, mouth going over the human’s shoulder and collarbone. The crunch of bone breaking was satisfying, as was the human’s muffled cry of pain. The companion stumbled back against the wall of the hotel, digging into his bag for something. Before Logan could take care of him, the human lifted his arm, bag and all, and pointed it at Logan.

There was a muffled pop, and something bit into Logan’s side. It stung like crazy the minute it connected, and he roared his annoyance and rage, dropping his first prey. He turned toward the smaller man, intent on breaking more than just a couple bones…but he only got a single step before a strange lethargy came over his body. Tranquilizers didn’t work on weres, Logan knew this, and yet to his horror he felt his teeth and fur recede almost immediately.

The other man reeked of triumph, and darted away as Logan stumbled to his knees — his
human
knees, what was going on? The thickness in his head receded a bit and he got to his feet, but everything about his body felt heavier. He wobbled as he took a step, then almost tripped over the body beneath him.

“Logan!”

The familiar woman’s voice was his only warning — why couldn’t he smell her? Everything was
wrong —
before Abby slammed into him, her arms going around his body. To his horror, her hug pushed him off his feet, and he hit the ground, rolling enough that he took the full impact.

A rock smashed into his ribs, knocking the wind out of him. He took the unfamiliar pain and weakness in stride as Abby looked down at him in confusion. “What happened, what’s wrong?”

Gravel crunched beneath boots, and Abby went from concerned mate to protective mama bear. Any other time, Logan would have been impressed with the growl she produced as she covered him, facing the newcomers, but his inexplicable weakness made it hard to focus.

“It’s just us.” Warren’s voice held a note of authority as he knelt down beside Logan. “I need to look at him, move.”

Abby’s growl only grew louder, and Warren looked at her in consternation. “Please, then?”

She looked down at her mate, then reluctantly receded as Warren took over. For the first time, Logan realized that he couldn’t smell him either, couldn’t smell
anything
. He had no idea what she was thinking or feeling, and panic raced through him.

“Whoa, calm down there, brother.”

“I can’t smell her.” It was important, deathly important. He was stronger than Warren, always had been, but nothing he did budged the other man. The panic only intensified. “Where is she,
I need her…”

A hand laid across his brow, and almost instantly Logan calmed. Abby looked down at him, tears pooling in her eyes. “You big lug,” she said softly, tracing his face with her fingertips, “what did you go and do this time?”

He grabbed her hand, bringing it to his lips even as he inhaled sharply through his nose. The panic had subsided, but not gone away. “I can’t smell her. I can’t smell anything.”

“What the hell is this?”

Warren pulled something out of Logan’s side, holding it up to the light. With its removal, Logan’s mind seemed to clear a bit, even if his body still wouldn’t work right. “There’s another one,” he gasped, gulping in deep breaths to keep from exploding.

“Another what?”

Logan looked at the body nearby, then at Warren, who got the message. “Amelia, find them. Alive, preferably.”

“Aww, you take out all the fun.”

The smaller woman took off in the direction the other had gone, and Logan tried not to worry how he hadn’t even known she was there.

“Okay, brother, tell me everything. What happened here, and why did you attack the human?”

“They were outside her window.” To him, that was reason enough, but his brother, the Enforcer, would need more. “Something smelled off about them, and the one had rope tied to his belt.”

“Oh my God.” This came from Abby, who was staring in shock at the body. “I know that woman.”

“Who is she?”

The question came simultaneously from Warren and Logan, but it was her mate she looked at. “Just after we left you, this reporter lady met up with us, wanted to tape a segment for the news about my disappearance.”

“She’s no reporter.” Now that Warren had removed that thing in his side, Logan could feel his mind clearing. He struggled to his feet, Abby right by his side. She was stronger than he was at that moment, and it was disconcerting. “What did you say in that interview?”

“Absolutely nothing about you, just that I found a cabin and stayed there for a while. Kept it super vague, which seemed to disappoint her. She said we’d talk more tomorrow.” She looked down at the woman’s body. “Is she alive?”

Warren stooped down and checked her wrist. “Still has a pulse, but she’s bleeding pretty good and that shoulder looks mangled.”

Amelia jogged up right then. “Whoever it was got away. A male, maybe six feet judging by the shoe size, smelled youngish.”

“I can describe him,” Abby said. She sounded pissed. “Wish now that I’d gotten some ID from them before I had even said anything.”

“Then this one’s coming with us.” Warren stooped down and, uncaring about the woman’s injuries, put her over his shoulder. “We need to leave tonight. The airplane is ready, we just—”

“Boss.”

Warren looked over at Amelia, who swiped at her nose with one finger. Warren copied the gesture, then stared at the blood there on his index finger. “Don’t worry, I can handle it.”

“What are you doing?”

The Enforcer looked at Abby. “The shouts and Logan’s animal alerted a number of people in the area. I’m making sure they’re all otherwise occupied for the moment, at least until we can get out of here.”

“Well, this explains why I really didn’t want to come back here.”

Warren turned to glare at the older woman. “I thought you couldn’t
hear
what I did.”

“Oh honey, I can hear you just fine, I just don’t feel like doing what you say.” She shrugged off his annoyance. “Don’t take it personally, why do you think I found myself all the way out here? Anyway,
something
told me not to come back here, so of course I had to see what was happening.”

Damon peeked out from behind Meredith. “Ooh,” he said, looking at the woman slung over Warren’s shoulder. “Lunch?”

Beside Logan, Abby chuckled under her breath as the grey haired woman smacked the werewolf upside the head. “Bad puppy,” she said, but her mouth twitched in a hidden grin.

“We should get out of here, “Amelia said. Warren and Logan just grunted their assent, and Abby helped her mate around the building. Amelia and Meredith stayed back, kicking dirt and stones over the blood and attack area to cover their tracks before following the group.

I
t was
obvious the minute Abby walked off the plane that she wasn't in her dusty little California hometown, nor was she in the Alaskan tundra.

She didn't even need her nose to tell her this. Trees surrounded the runway, and even now in the height of summer, the midday temperature couldn't have been higher than the mid-eighties.

Abby felt like she'd stepped out into heaven.

She stepped down the runway ladder, looking around and cataloging everything. This airport was small, no bigger than the one she'd left hours ago in Blackwolf. A metal domed hangar was off to the side of the runway, large letters across the side spelling out A-R-C-A-D-I-A. Beside that sat a large white helicopter as well as a smaller biplane that looked to be WWII era.

Even the jet plane she'd flown in on had been a welcome surprise. While it was dated, once upon a time it had likely been the luxury class of its day. Despite all her questions, Abby had fallen asleep against Logan's shoulder not long after take off, waking only minutes before they began their landing.

Nearby stood a man and woman in front of an older Dodge van. The woman was shorter, with blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Smile lines were etched deep around her eyes and mouth, although Abby couldn’t pin down her age.
Older than me
was about all she could come up with, but something about the other woman reminded Abby of Logan.

The man looked to be of Native American heritage, with his dark long hair pulled back in a braid. He looked younger than the woman beside him, but there was a possessive quality to the way his hand lingered on her shoulder. Where she seemed open, he was guarded, watching all the newcomers carefully.

"Well, I see now why you liked Alaska so much, Logan." Meredith peered around the airstrip, taking in the thick trees all but encircling the area. "Must have reminded you of home."

Logan just grunted a reply, putting his hand on Abby's lower back and escorting her toward the waiting car. Sometime during the flight, he’d regained the faculties the mysterious drug had stripped him of, for which Abby was glad.

The older woman stepped away from the other man and moved toward them, her gaze on Logan. Tears filled her eyes as she opened her arms. "Oh Logan, welcome home."

He didn't hesitate an instant, stepping forward and enveloping the smaller woman in a tight hug. They stayed like that for a long time, and Abby heard a quiet sob from the woman before they finally disengaged. He moved a step back and came around behind Abby, nudging her forward a step. “Abby, this is my mother.”

That put the other woman in a whole new light. It was going to take her a while to get used to the ageless quality of Shifters; Abby might have thought her an older sister. She felt herself flush as the other woman turned toward her, then lifted one hand in an awkward greeting. "Hi."

So she was a bit nonplussed when the older woman, instead of taking her hand, pulled Abby into a rough hug. Abby's family had never been very touchy-feely, but she got the impression that Logan's had no such limitations.

"Welcome to Arcadia, my dear. My name is Eleanor Landry, and that's my husband and mate, Derek. You have no idea how pleased I am to finally meet you."

"Ooh, more shifters!" Damon poked his head out of the plane, inhaling deeply. "And, whoa, this place smells
totally
different! Loads more people, for one."

Derek stepped forward, looking everyone over before extending his hand to Logan. "Good to see you again, it's been a while."

"Same to you, sir." Logan looked around the runway, frowning. "Where's my father?"

Eleanor's eyebrows rose. "I thought Aidan or Warren would have told you." She beckoned them all toward the van. "You're all welcome here to Arcadia. There's a lot to talk about and catch you up on, Logan. Come on, let's get you home."

M
any things had changed
since Logan disappeared, but it seemed Arcadia hadn't been one of them.

The houses and streets were all the same, albeit with different yards and newer model vehicles. The smell was the same however, as was the route through town. Something tight within Logan's chest he hadn't realized he held loosened with each passing mile.

He was
home
. Never had he thought it would feel this right.

"So, long story short, your brother Aidan's been put in charge of Arcadia indefinitely." Eleanor waved a hand around to indicate the town. "The Brahm is currently outside of Haven, protecting the residents there." Her lips tightened. "Or rather, one particular resident: his new mate. But that protection extends to the entire town by default. Which, of course, has left a sizable hole in our own defenses."

"Have we needed much defending?"

At Logan's question, his mother sighed. "How much can you tell us about your old partner, Hendrix?"

Immediately, that tension was back. "He's dead," Logan growled, even as his mate's fingers twined through his. "I killed him myself."

"Well, it looks like you screwed that one up."

"Warren," Eleanor snapped, "be quiet."

The dark haired shifter sighed. "Yes, mother."

The woman sighed. "Logan, he's back, and into something we don't understand. Anything you can give us - information, memories, whatever - would be greatly appreciated."

Logan said nothing, even though his mind was in turmoil. Abby squeezed his hand, tugging gently, and when he looked at her he read the concern in her eyes.

"Okay," Meredith piped in from the back, "for those of us new to this whole deal, who is Hendrix?"

Eleanor shared a glance with Logan, who nodded. "He was an Enforcer who had an exemplary record until he went rogue. Killed a number of both Shifters and humans until he was stopped by his partner."

Meredith looked at Logan. "You?"

Logan nodded as Warren snorted. "Okay, apparently I need to be the bad guy here: why are we telling a human about Shifter problems? Hell, why is she even here?"

"Warren..."

"I'm serious, mother. I held my tongue on the flight, but while I understand bringing the
mowgli
with us..."

Damon's head snapped up. "Hey!"

"...why is this human involved in any of this?"

"Excuse me." Meredith's chilly voice could have frozen fire. "The
human
can answer questions about herself, thank-you-fucking-much."

It rubbed Logan wrong to have his brother deliberately offending his friend, and he growled, anger rising like a tide. Then, as if someone had laid a blanket over his thoughts, calmness descended, smothering any negative emotion, or rather, emotion of any kind. Even his possessiveness over Abby at his side was dimmed, although he still kept a tight arm around her shoulders. Logan fought it briefly before giving in with a heavy sigh.

"Mom," Warren said, his voice curiously bland after the heated discussion of only seconds ago, "you know I hate it when you pull a power trip."

"I will not have my sons fighting," she said, her voice civil yet cool as the van settled into silence.

Abby leaned in close to Logan. "What exactly did she just do? I don't feel nervous at all anymore."

"My mother is a Brahma," Logan explained quietly. "She has some extra abilities unlike most shifters, such as the ability to change into any animal. She also has the added power of being able to calm anyone, even from a killing rage."

"Killing rage?"

"Shifters are in touch with their animal natures far more so than humans. Sometimes, this results in emotional outbursts that can be deadly if allowed to go unchecked. My mother is gifted with the ability to calm a violent person so they aren't able to harm themselves or others."

"Ah." Abby was silent for a moment. "I may freak out about this later when I'm not so weirdly calm," she murmured in an even, uninflected voice.

"Try not to be alarmed. That's the usual response the first time."

A
nother couple was waiting
for them outside a giant mansion that looked as though it had been designed by the Addams family. The two people looked very out of place in front of the dark building. The man was dressed in a Sheriff’s uniform and looked to be pleasant, while the woman - Abby hesitated in calling her
girl
even though they seemed the same age - wore a bright colored shirt and skirt with lime green cowboy boots.

"So, you're the newly shifted mate." She stepped forward as Abby climbed out of the vehicle. "My name is Ever, and this is my mate, Aidan."

The magical calm was starting to wear off; Abby could tell because she smiled. "I'm Abby, Logan’s..." She stumbled on the word for a brief second. "...mate."

To her surprise, Ever clapped her hands together happily. "Finally! Someone who understands how freaking
weird
it is to use that word!"

Abby blinked, momentarily nonplussed, but nodded her head vigorously. “Seriously, I keep wanting to call him my ‘boyfriend’ or ‘that dude I want to make sexitimes with even though we only met an hour ago.’”

"Ohmigod, can I hug you? Please say you're not leaving too soon because it would be
so
nice to have someone to talk to who freaking
gets
it!” She leaned in close to Abby and added in a low voice, “This place is
so
weird compared to the rest of the world!”

Aidan didn’t seem as easily convinced Abby was friendly, staring at her through narrowed eyes. Logan came and put his arm around Abby’s waist, glaring at his brother as if daring the blond man to say anything. Finally, the Sheriff sighed. “Welcome to Arcadia, Miss Stone. I’m sorry for the abrupt welcome but we’ve had…issues lately that occupied my mind.” His gaze travelled to Logan. “Never thought I’d see you mated, brother.”

Logan’s arm tightened around Abby but he said nothing. Aidan finally cracked a smile. “Stoic as ever, I see. Well, your house is still vacant, although in a bit of disrepair. You’re welcome to stay here at the mansion while we get it aired out.”

When Logan didn’t reply immediately, Abby looked up at him. The big man seemed tense, as if unable to relax even though he was in civilization now. “We’ll head over to his house,” she said after a moment’s thought.

After all, it couldn’t be any worse than Meredith’s cabin.

Aidan nodded, then turned to the older human woman and the wolf boy. “You two
will
be staying here, but as our guests, not prisoners.”

“Then why does it feel more like the latter,” Meredith asked in a droll tone, but followed Amelia inside the giant house, with Damon following cautiously at her heels.

“I’ll drive you to your house.” Eleanor gently cupped Logan’s elbow, staring up into his tense face, and Abby felt him relax again.

“Mother…”

“Hush now. I have every right to sooth my child when he’s scared.”

Logan looked down at her, face struggling as if trying to remember how to glare. “I’m not
scared
.”

“Of course not, dear.” She patted his arm in a way that, if she wasn’t his mother, might have looked condescending. “Now come on, let me take you home.”