Bruins Peak Bears- Complete Series, page 150
part #1 of Bruins Peak Bears Series
Good old Midnight Moraine. It offered the Midnight a safe haven for so many centuries. Now, outside forces threatened that. No Midnight ever had to leave—until now. Onyx was going where Raven went. Who knew how many other shifters had to leave their homes—and for what? Because they fell in love with the wrong person?
Why did it have to be like that? Why couldn’t everybody live together in peace? If shifters could put their differences aside for love’s sake to live in Hadison, why couldn’t they do it everywhere? Didn’t shifters have enough to worry about from humans without threatening and killing one another?
Ebony laid her hand on Onyx’s arm. “This is as far as I go. Give me a hug, sister.”
Onyx looked around. The woods stood nearby. Abel was waiting out there somewhere to take her away. Ebony hung back. Her and Jordan’s own little house peeked at them across the compound. Ebony belonged there. An insurmountable gulf separated the sisters from each other. They could never bridge that gap with all the love in the world.
Onyx put her arms around her sister. She never wanted to let go of this last precious remnant of her old life. Ebony pressed her head into her neck. She murmured under her breath. “You take care of yourself out there. Don’t let me find out anything happened to you.”
Onyx kissed Ebony’s cheek. “Nothing will happen to me. I’m going be happier than I’ve ever been.”
“I know you are.” Ebony stepped away. “You better go. You don’t want to keep him waiting.”
Onyx backed into the forest. She never wanted to lose sight of her sister’s face, but she couldn’t stop walking. Whatever she did, she had to move toward Abel—always toward Abel. He attracted her from across the world.
The trees swallowed up Ebony—or was it Onyx they swallowed up? Who disappeared, and who remained behind? Onyx couldn’t tell anymore. In the end, she couldn’t see one hint of Ebony. Onyx turned around to walk at Jordan’s side.
Jordan didn’t say anything until they caught sight of Ash and Abel waiting among the trees. Jordan held Onyx back and confronted her. “Listen, Onyx. I want to say I’m sorry.”
“You!” she exclaimed. “What do you have to be sorry for?”
He waved his hand. “For everything. I’m sorry for everything that happened between us when I married Ebony. I’m sorry for everything that happened after it. I’m sorry for all the bad blood between you and Hunter and me. I never should have let any of this come between us.”
Onyx grabbed his hand. “You don’t have anything to apologize for. I’m as much to blame for that as you are. As far as what happened between us, let’s forget it. Ever since I got with Abel, it’s like it never happened. Nothing we did together made any difference. I’m only sorry it took me so long to find my mate. I would have been so much happier if I had found him sooner.”
Jordan sighed. “I know what you mean, but we all had to learn. I wish I could have protected Abel from Hunter, but I guess that’s all water under the bridge now.”
Onyx turned around. Abel turned at the same moment, and their eyes met in the shadowy forest. “It’s all water under the bridge. All of it.”
Chapter 17
Abel and Onyx checked both ways before they emerged from the trees into the street in Burkes Road. Abel held her hand, and they moved down the street toward the bus station. People strolled around the town, but no one paid any attention to them.
“I guess it’s all right,” Abel murmured.
“No one will stop us,” Onyx replied.
Abel nodded. “I can’t get over the feeling we’re doing something wrong. I keep expecting someone or something to jump out and attack us.”
Onyx smiled, but she didn’t laugh. She felt the same way. Making their escape from this town couldn’t be this simple. They couldn’t get on the bus and ride off into the sunset, just like that. Leaving Burkes Road the first time couldn’t compare with this. She and Abel would never come back here. Of that, Onyx was certain.
She was getting away with something. She discovered the most priceless treasure, and there it was, right there at the end of her arm. She had to run away with it before someone tried to take it away from her.
The church clock tolled two o’clock. They had plenty of time to get their tickets and get on the bus, but Onyx wanted to hurry. She wouldn’t rest easy until she got to Hadison.
Abel pressed on down the street. They spotted the bus station around the corner when Abel stopped dead in his tracks. Onyx looked over to see what he was staring at. A chill ran down her spine when she saw Hunter coming out of the bear-baiting house across the street.
Abel and Onyx stood stock still. Maybe Hunter wouldn’t see them. Maybe they could get away without a big, ugly confrontation in the middle of town. No such luck. Hunter turned around and looked right at them. He froze, too.
A scream curled inside Onyx’s chest, but she jammed it down hard. She willed herself to stand still while Hunter sauntered down the path and came toward them. He looked Abel up and down. Then he glanced at Onyx. “You two going somewhere?”
Onyx’s fear turned to anger. “Yes, we are. We’re leaving town, and you can’t stop us, Hunter. Abel and I are mated, and we’re going somewhere we can live together without any interference from you and your sick friends. Jordan and Riley and Ash and all the others will stop you bear-baiting. You’ll never do to anybody else what you did to Abel. You can count on that.”
Hunter surveyed the couple one more time. “Since when do NightShade and Midnight mate with one another? We’re supposed to be enemies.”
“They mate with each other since right now,” Onyx shot back. “We’re not enemies. If Raven and Riley can mate with Bruins, what’s to stop me mating with a NightShade? We never were enemies. Our people would be peaceful if it wasn’t for guys like you. We might even be friends. If you try to stop me and Abel leaving, we’ll fight you. We’ll kill you right here and now. Don’t think we won’t do it. We don’t want to, but if we can fall in love with each other, it only proves peace is more important than ever. How many more couples have to leave town before you and your friends come to your senses?”
“I don’t want to fight you, Onyx. You know I care way too much about you to do that.”
Onyx stared at him. “You do?”
“Of course. I always cared about you. It was never just about the sex for me, although I guess I never really told you that, did I? I’ve been thinking about mating for life myself recently. I thought you might be the one, but I can see now that you aren’t.”
Onyx’s eyes popped out of her head. “Are you serious? You want to mate for life? I had no idea.”
He chuckled. “I never let on. I never told a living soul until right now. What would the rest of the Moraine say if they knew? The great Hunter Faulkner—mated for life? That’s a pretty good joke, don’t you think?”
Onyx couldn’t help but smile at him. “It’s not a joke, Hunter. You deserve a mate as much as anybody. You just have to find the right woman.”
“Yeah.” He sighed. “That’s the hard part.”
“Congratulations!” Onyx exclaimed. “This is wonderful.”
“Not really.” He cast his eyes across the street. “I’m more unhappy now than I’ve ever been in my life. I don’t have my mate with me.”
“She’s out there. You just have to keep looking.”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry to see you go. I only ever wanted what’s best for you and the rest of the Midnight. If being with him is right for you, then I can go along with it.”
“I won’t say I’m not surprised,” Onyx replied. “I thought you would try to stop us.”
“Yeah, well…” He turned to go.
Onyx started to say something more but stopped herself. Hunter drifted away. He didn’t continue whatever he was about to say, and he didn’t look back. He drifted across the street and vanished between two buildings.
Abel’s fingers tightened around her hand. “You okay?”
Onyx shook herself. “I never thought I’d see him like that. He’s so unhappy.”
Abel didn’t reply. Onyx peered at him. “I understand you’re still mad at Hunter, but I can’t stop caring about him. He’s still a person, even if he’s done some terrible things.”
“I’m not mad at him,” Abel replied. “I’m just not sorry to see the back of him. I’m glad we won’t be around to have anything more to do with him.”
Onyx nodded, but sadness still weighed her down. “I’m not sorry to see the back of him, either. He would make our lives difficult if we stayed, even if only because of the time I spent with him.”
“So…are you ready to go now?”
She put her arm around his waist. “Yeah. I’m ready.”
They crossed to the bus station and got their tickets. They boarded the bus, and Onyx took the window seat. She held Abel’s hand while the bus rolled down the highway.
“You’ll miss this place, won’t you?” he asked.
She turned around to smile at him. “I was just thinking about Hunter.”
He raised one eyebrow. “What were you thinking about him?”
“I was thinking maybe it’s a good thing he’s not so happy. If he wants to find a mate for life, maybe he’ll be too busy to bother the NightShade anymore.”
Abel laughed. “We can only hope.”
“If Hunter Faulkner can find a mate, there must be hope for peace after all.”
He drew her against his chest. “I’m glad to be getting out of here, especially now that I’ve got you. I don’t want to get mixed up in this business anymore. If the Midnight and the NightShade fight or make peace, they can do it far away from us.”
Chapter 18
Abel and Onyx stepped out of the Hadison bus station. The late afternoon summer sun shone into their eyes. Abel squinted and Onyx shaded her eyes with her hand. “So where are you supposed to meet Azer?”
Abel fished a map out of his pocket. “I’ve got directions to his place.”
“And where’s this apartment he says we can rent?”
“That I don’t know. I couldn’t tell him exactly when I would get here, so I’m just supposed to meet him at his house and take it from there.”
“All right. Let’s get going. Night’s coming on. If we don’t find his house, we’ll have to get a room somewhere.”
Abel grabbed her around the waist and pulled her against him. “Let’s do that. Let’s get a room for our first night. Azer doesn’t have to know we’re in town until tomorrow.”
Onyx laughed and swatted him away. “Cut it out. I don’t want to stay in some sleazy motel with you.”
Abel squared his shoulders. “You don’t have to say it like that. I was just making a suggestion.”
Onyx shot him a wicked grin. “’Suggestion’ is right.”
“Hey, you two,” someone called out.
Onyx turned around to see a big, shaggy guy crossing the street toward them. Abel stiffened, but Onyx stuck out her hand. “Cyrus! What are you doing stalking the streets?”
“I’m on the hunt for fresh meat, of course,” he replied. “I didn’t think I’d see you back here so soon. Who’s your friend?”
“This is my mate, Abel Black.” She touched Abel’s arm. “This is Cyrus Cochran, the guy I told you about.”
Abel dipped his chin once. “Good to meet you.”
Cyrus laughed in his face. “Don’t sound so pleased about it. Where are you guys staying tonight? I know a place you can stay, and it’s a lot nicer than that motel across the street.”
“Thanks, Cyrus,” Onyx replied, “but Azer Mackenzie invited us to stay with him. He says he knows an apartment for rent.”
A shadow crossed Cyrus’s face. “Azer Mackenzie, huh?”
“Do you know him?”
“Everybody knows Azer. Unless I miss my guess, the apartment he means is the same one I planned to show you. If he invited you to his place, you should definitely go there. He can take care of you a lot better than I can.”
“Why is that?”
“He’s something like a tycoon in this town. He’s got irons in every fire, and he banks huge profits every month. Don’t ask me how he does it. Him and that mate of his pretty much run this town.”
“That’s odd,” Abel remarked. “He didn’t seem like much of a tycoon when I met him.”
“Oh, you’d never know,” Cyrus replied. “He keeps a low profile, but he employs almost everybody in this town. He owns half a dozen businesses, and he’s always in the process of starting up a few more. He’s a mover and a shaker, that one.”
“I know his mate,” Onyx replied. “She’s Midnight, just like me. We used to be friends before she ran off with Azer.”
Cyrus turned away. “Then you’ll be all set with them. Look me up if you need anything at all.”
Abel frowned at Cyrus’s retreating back. “Something doesn’t make sense.”
“What?”
“I can’t believe Azer is any kind of business shark. You should have seen him in the bar. He looked like any normal guy.”
“Well, let’s get to his house. We can find out everything there.”
Abel studied the paper in his pocket and found his way to a big apartment complex down Fitzroy Street from the Pioneer Hall. Onyx stared longer than she should have at every man, woman, and child passing on the street. Could they all be shifters like her? She would have to learn Cyrus’s technique of identifying who was what and what was whom. She couldn’t tell anybody from anything now.
Abel rang the bell at the front entrance. An iron grate swung open, and a young girl opened it. “Can I help you?”
“We’re here to see Azer Mackenzie,” Abel replied.
The girl frowned. “Do you have an appointment?”
Abel fidgeted from one foot to the other. “Well, not exactly. He told us to come and see him here.”
“I’ll have to tell him who’s calling.”
“It’s Abel Black.”
The girl vanished. Onyx whispered to Abel. “Maybe Cyrus was right. I feel like we’re about to meet the Godfather or something.”
Just then footsteps rang down a concrete passage deep inside the building. The grate swung open again, and Azer stuck his head out. “Come in! Come in! Sorry about the misunderstanding. I had no idea you were coming.”
“Sorry we couldn’t give you any more advanced warning,” Abel replied. “We just got on the bus and came. We didn’t know we were coming ourselves until a few hours ago.”
“Forget it, man.” Azer held the door open for them. “Come inside. Don’t stand around on the doorstep. You won’t get a bed out there.”
The main entranced fed into the passage. Abel and Onyx followed Azer through a door nearby. Dozens of apartments opened into a central courtyard inside four block towers surrounding it. The door communicated to a large apartment with three bedrooms connected to the living room.
Azer waved his hand. “Take a seat. Raven’s not here at the moment, but you won’t stay here long. I just have to fill out some paperwork, and I’ll show you to your apartment.”
Abel stared at him. “So it’s all true, isn’t it? Cyrus told us you were some kind of leader around here. What are you—the mayor or something?”
Azer snorted. “I’m not a leader and I’m not the mayor. He teases me about running this town, or whatever it is he says. I don’t. I’m the apartment manager of this building—nothing more. That’s how I’m able to get you in so fast. We have an empty unit. You might as well take it until you get your lives ironed out. Just take my advice and be prepared for it to take a while. It always takes some adjustment when new people move here.”
Onyx muttered under her breath, “I can believe it.”
“It took me and Raven a long time. Most people give up everything to come here. They have to. They leave their families and friends behind. Sometimes they come from closed communities. They have to learn a whole new way of life.”
“That’s me,” Abel replied.
“It’s hard,” Azer told him. “People like Cyrus who were born here have it easy. Hadison is their world. It’s normal to them.”
Onyx came to Abel’s side. “We’ll be all right. We’ll learn, and we’ll make new friends.”
Azer finished writing something at his desk in the corner. “I’m sure Raven will want to see you when she finds out you’re here. She’ll be happy to have another Midnight around.”
“I don’t suppose you have any NightShade here,” Abel murmured. “I’m the first to leave our people in centuries.”
“You might be surprised,” Azer replied. “You might find some others have left, too. Maybe your people only told you that to stop people leaving.”
Abel stared at him. “You know, I never thought of that. Of course!”
“I’m not saying there are NightShade here, but you never know.” Azer threw the door open. “Come on. I’ll show you to your apartment.”
He climbed a long flight of concrete steps to the very top floor. People called through their windows to others in the courtyard. Women hung laundry on lines between the blocks. Children shouted and played on the walkways.
Azer stepped around them. He greeted everyone by name and even rumpled the children’s hair. Whatever he said about his role here, he was so much more than the apartment manager. He knew everyone in every apartment. Onyx could believe he really did control half the town.
Azer fished a wad of jangly keys out of his pocket and unlocked an apartment. He strode into it and swept his arm wide. “Well, this is it. It’s just the basics, but it will get you started. You’ll find all the pots and pans in the cupboards, but you’ll have to do your own grocery shopping. The supermarket is down the block and a righthand turn. You can’t miss it. I turned the power on yesterday, so the fridge and the hot water heater are working. The bedding is minimal, but it will keep you comfortable until you can work out your own thing.”
Onyx surveyed the apartment. Everywhere she looked, the place appeared clean and well-furnished, with everything maintained, all ready for a new couple to move in. “Thank you, Azer. This is great.”
