Chapter 7
CHAPTER 7
Z ane couldn’t shake thoughts of the captivating she-bear from his
mind as he went over the initial books for Misty Brews. But the numbers were all just running together.
Alena. She was all he could think of. The way she had felt in his arms. Her scent… He felt his sex stirring just at the thought of her.
This has to stop.
He went to the mirror to splash water on his face.
“Get a grip!”
But even as he lectured himself, Zane’s dragon rumbled within him, restless and yearning. It took all his self-control not to shift right then and there, to take to the skies and scour Misty Vale until he found her again.
Zane paced restlessly in his living room, his mind spinning and his dragon growling.
The sudden knock at the door jolted him out of his brooding. Zane opened it to find Striker and his mate Audrey on the other side. They both smiled at seeing him.
“Hey, little bro,” Striker greeted, clapping Zane on the shoulder as they stepped inside. “Thought we’d swing by and see how things are going with the Riders.”
Zane shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant, but his gut churned with unease. “It’s going all right, I guess. Dice, the guy they put in charge, seems competent enough. And he has shown respect, so there’s that. But look, I told you where I stand. I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but I just can’t get past the feeling that this is not a good idea.”
“Well, I don’t know what to tell you, brother. We’ve been over this, and honestly, I don’t want to hear about it every time we talk. You have to give it some time. And besides, a vague feeling is not facts. If you had something concrete to show us, that would be different. I have told you I don’t know how many times that we can do a lot of good with the extra earnings this will bring in,” Striker said, his frustration showing.
Zane hesitated, torn. He wanted to believe in Striker’s vision, but the uneasy feeling in his gut wouldn’t quit. “Well, I’m sorry, Striker, what do you want me to tell you? I think we’re risking things with the bikers, and I don’t think we are helping matters in town at all by needling the bears.”
“Jeez, there you go about the bears again! Since when have you given a rat’s ass about them?”
Suddenly, Audrey’s eyes lit up. “Boys! Look, no offense, but I’ve had enough of your constant bickering about this.”
“Bickering? What do you mean? We just—”
“Yes, bickering… so I have kind of had it just sitting back.”
“Honey, this is just some brotherly squabbling…”
“I am just tired of hearing you guys go around and around on this. Why don’t we go see Kiki? She’s come in pretty handy in the past, and you both know she has the gift of sight, or whatever you call it. Why don’t we see what she has to say. Maybe she will have some insight?”
Zane exchanged a look with his brother.
“If only for my sanity!” Audrey implored.
Striker still looked skeptical but shrugged. “Fine. ‘Happy wife, happy life,’ right?”
“There you go, honey,” Audrey said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.
“Can’t hurt to ask. But I’m telling you, this deal is happening, one way or another,” Striker quipped as they headed out the door.
The trio made their way down Main Street, the tinkling of the bell above Kiki’s door announcing their arrival. The shop was a riot of color and texture, with vibrant tapestries adorning the walls and shelves overflowing with crystals, herbs, and arcane trinkets. The air was heavy with the heady scent of incense, and soft, otherworldly music played from somewhere unseen.
Kiki emerged from behind a beaded curtain, her face splitting into a grin. “Well, well. To what do I owe the pleasure of a visit from Clan Livingstone?” she asked, gliding towards them with an ethereal grace. She wore a gauzy lavender dress, silver bracelets jingling at her wrists.
Audrey stepped forward, inclining her head respectfully. “We were hoping you might be able to shed some light on the current… situation in Misty Vale.”
Kiki’s gaze sharpened, her smile fading. “Ah. You speak of the Riders, yes?” She turned her eyes on Zane, seeming to search his face for something. He fought the urge to squirm under her scrutiny.
“The Forsaken Riders,” Kiki said at last, as if contemplating the topic. “Their type are known to bring chaos and darkness wherever they roam. Misty Vale would do well to steer clear of any further alliances with them.”
Striker scoffed, crossing his beefy arms over his chest. “With all due respect, Kiki, I think we can handle a few bikers. This deal is going to be good for the clan, bring in the money we need to expand. Build that community center Audrey’s been dreaming of.”
Kiki raised one delicate brow. “And what of the bears? Have you considered how this new alliance might impact your already strained relationship with Archer’s clan?”
Zane’s pulse quickened at the mere mention of the bears, thoughts of Alena once again flooding his mind. The way she had looked in the forest. Both so beautiful and so vulnerable at once. His hormones raged again.
Jesus. What is going on?
He had to protect her.
He cleared his throat, trying to focus. “This is what I have been trying to tell you!”
Striker rounded on him, his golden eyes flashing with irritation. “None of you seem to get it! In our business, in any business, you have to constantly gauge risk versus reward! I get it, of course I see there are dangers, but this is the call we are making. The bears will toe the line like they always do.”
Audrey laid a calming hand on her mate’s arm. “Babe, let’s just hear Kiki out, okay? It can’t hurt to get a different perspective.”
Striker grumbled but subsided, his jaw ticking with barely contained impatience. Kiki watched the exchange with an inscrutable expression, her dark gaze lingering on Zane for a long moment.
“You may not like what I say, but I must say the truth as I see it,” she told the small group. Then in a softer tone, almost to herself, she murmured, “I fear great darkness looms on the horizon. A storm is brewing, and the choices you make now will determine the fate of us all.”
“Brewing?” Striker laughed, perhaps a little nervously. “Seems to me we have at least a minor tempest already.”
“There is much yet to be revealed,” the fae added.
Zane felt a chill run down his spine at her ominous words. His dragon shifted uneasily beneath his skin, sensing the gravity of the moment. He looked down but was sure he could feel the fae’s eyes on him as she spoke.
Audrey leaned forward, her brow creased with worry. “What can we do, Kiki? How can we protect our clan, our town?”
Kiki smiled with that far off look she sometimes had, reaching out to pat Audrey’s hand. “The path forward is not always clear, my dear. But know this—the key to Misty Vale’s survival lies in the hands of the most unlikely allies. Only by setting aside pride and prejudice can we hope to weather the coming storm.”
Unlikely allies?
Having conveyed what she seemed to think was some deep wisdom, Kiki withdraw into herself, her eyes growing distant and unfocused. Zane exchanged an uneasy glance with Audrey, not exactly sure what to make of Kiki’s pronouncement.
Striker, however, merely snorted and turned on his heel. “Well, that was a waste of time. C’mon, let’s get out of here.”
“Striker!” Audrey declared at his rudeness.
“No offense, Kiki, but I have a business to run. Many, in fact.”
He strode out of the shop without a backward glance, the bell jangling harshly in his wake. Audrey shot Kiki an apologetic look. “He’s under a lot of pressure.”
Kiki just nodded, as if to say it was all understood and forgiven.
Audrey departed, hurrying after her mate, leaving Zane alone with the fae. For some reason, he felt temporarily glued to the spot as Kiki simply studied him, her dark eyes seeming to peer into the very depths of his soul. He shifted uncomfortably, feeling strangely exposed under her knowing gaze.
“You have a choice to make, Zane Livingstone,” Kiki said at last, her voice soft but laden with power. “A choice that will shape not only your own destiny, but the fate of all those you hold dear.”
Zane swallowed hard, his mouth suddenly dry. “I don’t understand. What choice?” Though of course he did have some idea of what she meant.
Kiki smiled, turning to drift back towards the beaded curtain. “Don’t you? Regardless, when the time comes, you will know for sure.” Then she stopped abruptly and cocked her head as if hearing something. “Oh, I see, yes. You will have a few choices to make, it seems. Trust your heart, dragon. It will never lead you astray.”
And with that, she disappeared into the depths of the shop, leaving Zane alone with his swirling thoughts and the unsettling certainty that nothing would ever be the same again. His mind drifted back to Alena, to the undeniable pull he felt towards her despite every logical reason to stay away.
What choice, though?
But as he stepped out of Kiki’s shop and into the bright sunlight, Zane couldn’t shake the feeling that his path was already set, that the choice Kiki spoke of had been made the moment he’d first laid eyes on Alena. For better or worse, their fates were intertwined now. Or was there somehow more to it?
All he could do was try to navigate the treacherous waters ahead and hope that somehow, against all odds, they’d find a way to bridge the gap between their two worlds.
But to make that happen, if that was going to at all possible, he also had to handle the job at hand. Doubt still swirled within him on that front.
With a sigh, he set off towards Misty Brews, steeling himself for another day of playing peacekeeper between the Riders and his own clan.
As he walked, he couldn’t help but cast a longing glance across the street towards Archer’s bar, his dragon straining against the confines of his human skin. Alena had mentioned she worked at a diner the other day. But which one?
He didn’t know, but she was close, he could feel it in his bones. Every fiber of his being ached to go to her, to pull her into his arms and never let go.
One thing at a time.
His feet carried him down Main Street, past the bustling storefronts and chattering pedestrians on his way to Misty Brews. Gazing across the street, he took in the sign of the new diner, The Honey Bun. Clever name for a bear diner, he mused. The scent of frying bacon and fresh coffee wafted even across the street.
Zane’s dragon suddenly surged to attention, every nerve ending alight with awareness. His nostrils flared, catching the barest hint of another scent. Her.
His eyes suddenly snapped up, alighting on her in a window as she appeared to be cleaning up a table. His she-bear.
Alena.
As if sensing his gaze, she looked up, their eyes locking. His pulse quickened, and a surge of excitement shot through his veins. He felt his sex swell just at the sight of her. And now that he had found her scent, it was all that filled his nose. For one suspended moment, the world fell away, and there was only her—this maddening, magnificent female who had turned his existence upside down. Her lips parted, and her eyes went wide in surprise.
Jesus, he just wanted to run to her now and pull her into his arms.
No. Not yet.
With a herculean effort, he managed to keep his expression neutral. They could not betray their feelings now. Instead, he turned on his heel and headed toward Misty Brews. This was proving to be far more difficult than he could have ever imagined. His heart practically ached as he turned his back.
I will have her. We will have each other.
There could be no other way.