Chapter 16
Piper
Iwoke to shouting and the distant glow of fire. Bolting to the crib, I grabbed Alanna and clutched her to my chest. Startled awake, she immediately started crying.
I tried to soothe her as I stared in horror out the window.
It was a clear night, not a rain cloud in sight, which was unfortunate, because the woods were on fire again.
Some of the Clan houses in the distance were burning too.
I gasped as a telltale glow caught my eye.
Turning toward the source, my eyes went wide. The front of the Lodge was on fire.
Running for the closet, I snatched our go bag, kept packed and ready for any eventuality, and checked the door leading out to the Lodge. It was cool, so I bolted into the hallway.
I was angry with myself for being stubborn for so long and not completing the mate bond with Riggs.
If we’d done even the first half, I could be speaking to him through the mate link right now.
I had no way of communicating with him. Calling him on the phone would be ludicrous, and I couldn’t shout for him because I didn’t know if the Lodge had been breached, and I didn’t want to scare Alanna or draw attention to us.
I ducked into a bathroom long enough to grab a wet towel, then wrapped it loosely around Alanna’s nose and mouth, making sure she could still breathe. Even though there was only a hint of smoke, she was far more susceptible to it than I was as a shifter.
Shouting echoed through the Lodge. Bears growled just outside, and in the distance, other shifters howled. I could feel the clash of different magics, mostly water and ice, with more still that I couldn’t pin down.
When I reached the second-floor landing and looked down into the living area, a curse slipped out. They’d breached the front doors.
I wanted so badly to fight. Barrett was right there. I wanted to pay him back for all the terror he’d visited on Alanna and me, for trying to kill us, for trying to kill his own daughter, his flesh and blood.
But I couldn’t.
I had to rely on the Bear Clan.
On Riggs.
To protect us.
The smoke wasn’t as bad as I’d feared it would be and was nowhere near enough for me to risk leaving the safety of the Lodge. Here, we had protection. Out there, we’d be far more vulnerable.
Riggs and many others were fighting as humans, both in front of the Lodge and inside the living room.
The door was thrown wide open, and through it I could see shifters fighting in their bear forms or other shifted counterparts.
Through a side window, I saw the plant fae using underground roots to wrap around Barrett’s mercenaries and incapacitate them.
A siren in the distance was luring men with her singing, then directing someone working with her, clearly wearing earplugs, to take them out.
Roarke soared over the treetops, dumping water on the fires, then swooped down to grab their attackers and drop them into a clear, portable jail cell in the middle of the lawn someone had magicked up.
Finn was yelling up at him with a bullhorn, directing him from the ground.
Elven swords flashed, visible by the gleam of their pure, magically enhanced metal. Two elves fought nearly back to back. One of them was Rhys, but the other I didn’t recognize.
They were all fighting. And I knew, I knew, that their home had been invaded, that their town was under attack, and they were fighting for that reason. But I also knew they were fighting for us, for Alanna and me, because they’d taken us in.
We’d found a family here.
A home.
And there was no way I was letting Barrett take it from us.
The smoke had cleared enough for me to pull the towel away from Alanna’s face. She was quiet, but instead of watching the chaos around us like any other baby would have, her gaze was fixed intently on Riggs.
Matteo limped toward us and stood a bit back from the railing. We were close enough to see over, but far enough that we wouldn’t make an easy target.
“You guys okay?” he asked.
“Yes. You?”
He nodded.
With my heart in my throat, I watched the fight between Riggs, several of Barrett’s men, and Barrett himself spill out the front door and onto the lawn.
Matteo and I crept down the stairs and watched from a side window, again positioning ourselves so we wouldn’t offer an easy target for a sharpshooter. Alanna stayed focused on Riggs.
I wanted to hand Alanna to Matteo, but I couldn’t. He wasn’t well enough yet to protect her fully, and there might still be mercenaries in another part of the Lodge.
“I’m keeping an eye out,” he said, catching my cautious glances behind us. “It would be the perfect opportunity right now to kidnap you two.”
I nodded gratefully. I was glad he was here. Matteo had become a friend over these last months, and he was still in rough condition. I was afraid he wouldn’t make it if he had to join the fight.
I turned my attention back to the window and watched in horror as a massive man, at least ten feet tall, emerged from a dense copse of trees and stepped onto the lawn.
Even with all the bear shifters and other paranormals fighting Barrett and his soldiers, there were still too many pressing in around Riggs, Mathan, and Alistair.
They were being penned in, and the giant was heading straight for my mate.
Riggs looked up, sensing the danger bearing down on him and his men, and immediately shifted. Within seconds, a massive polar bear stood in his place.
The giant charged, and Riggs reared up on his hind legs. They collided in a brutal clash.
“Why is no one using a gun?” I growled to Matteo.
“The fighting is too close. They don’t want to hit one of our own.”
As soon as the last word left his mouth, a gunshot cracked across the lawn. My head jerked in that direction, and I saw Dice had joined the fight. She hovered about fifteen feet above the ground, picking people off from above.
“Except, of course, for Dice,” Matteo said dryly.
Even with everything happening, I laughed.
My attention turned back to my mate, and I held my breath as he and the giant grappled, neither able to gain the advantage.
“They’re fighting for me and Alanna. I should be out there.”
“If you want, I can protect Alanna for you so you can go help them.”
Hesitating, I bit my lip, then shook my head. “They’re doing all of this to keep us safe. I’d be playing into Barrett’s hands by going out there, and I’d be spitting on everyone else’s sacrifice. Thank you, though, Matteo.”
I still felt horrible. People were getting hurt. Some might not make it out of this fight alive. If we hadn’t come here to Moonhaven, to the Bear Clan, none of this would be happening.
But if we hadn’t come, Alanna and I would still be running… or worse.
And then Riggs went down.
My hand found Matteo’s arm, and I gripped it tightly, my eyes locked on my mate and the giant who was seconds away from killing him.
It felt like the whole world went silent.
Then sound came rushing back as I screamed his name and the giant’s hand came down like a club, aiming for my mate’s head.
Alanna cried out too. Magic exploded brightly across her right hand, and lightning bolt after lightning bolt tore from the clear blue sky, striking the giant, Barrett, and the rest of his soldiers. They seized, then dropped to the ground.
One of the enforcers checked on Barrett. I could hear him say he was still alive, just unconscious, through the open door.
“Did she just—”
“I… think so,” I said softly. “Her hand lit up. Did you see that?”
He nodded, eyes wide. “I thought she didn’t have magic.”
“It’s nearly impossible to detect elemental magic in babies. Elementals don’t usually come into their power until their teens. Until then, they can appear completely normal. Certain paranormals can tell, but there’s a safeguard in their DNA that keeps them hidden.”
We watched as Finn, Roarke, the two elves, Dice, and others rounded up Barrett and his soldiers, snapping power-canceling cuffs onto them. Within minutes, cop cars came screaming onto the lawn, and the mercenaries were loaded into the backs of the vehicles.
Riggs had shifted back and pulled on a pair of sweats. The moment he spotted me and Alanna, he ran to us and swept us into a tight hug.
“I was so worried. I hadn’t seen you. Matteo let me know you were okay, that he was with you, but I was still worried one of them had come around the back, or found another way in and attacked you and Alanna.”
Alanna babbled happily now, while I clutched my mate just as tightly as he held me.
“Don’t worry about me over here,” Matteo snarked. “I might need a hug too. Did anyone think of that?”
Riggs laughed and pulled him into our hug.
We were safe.
We were all safe.
Well… I hoped everyone was safe.
“Have you gotten a report through the Clan link yet? Is everyone okay?”
Riggs nodded, pulling back slightly, though he didn’t let go. I didn’t think either of us would for a while.
“Yeah. There were some injuries, but thankfully no fatalities.”
I sighed in relief, but my mate’s expression shifted.
“Where did those lightning strikes come from? That was strange, even for Moonhaven. I didn’t think we had any storm elementals helping us.”
I bit my lip. “We didn’t.”
“No?”
I discreetly pointed at Alanna, and his eyes went wide.
“But she’s only a few months old. Elementals don’t get their powers until much later.”
“She didn’t seem afraid while you were fighting. She fixated on you. And then she just… called lightning.” I shrugged, unable to explain it. “I think she loves you.”
“I’m happy she does, and I love her back, but that’s not the part that concerns me. It’s the fact that our months-old cub is gifted.”
He sounded weary, like he was already seeing the years ahead and knew he’d be one very tired bear trying to keep up with his Clan, Alanna, and me.
I grinned and kissed his chin. “Well, there’s that too.” I laughed softly. Of course my niece would be gifted. She was my niece. What else would she be?
I cuddled into Riggs’ embrace.
“I only had one true regret when I woke up and realized what was happening.”
“What?”
I rested my forehead against his chest, then tipped my head back to look up at him. “That you and I aren’t mated yet. I’m ready.”
He went still for a moment, stunned, then pure joy lit his eyes.
“Really?” he asked, his voice awed and so very gentle. “Are you sure?”
My nod was firm. “I’m sure. Tonight, if possible.”
I was really killing this romance thing. But I didn’t care. I wanted to be his. I wanted him to be mine. I wanted the closest connection I could possibly have with him.
My mate didn’t seem to mind my lack of finesse. He swept me off my feet and spun me around, then kissed every inch of my face and Alanna’s. She squirmed and protested, but I didn’t.
I was just happy to finally be home.