Page 128 of Choose the Bears

“You don’t want to know, mate,” Rye replied.

“Yes, I do.” I rubbed at my forehead, trying to ease the pain there, but it didn’t stop throbbing. “What does she want?”

“Blood.” He let out a sigh. “The old witch, she knew this was coming somehow and told me if you ever asked, you’d pay in blood.”

I’d done so before and I would do so again, something I told the fox shifter, but he just snorted.

“Not all of it, dickhead, but a sample. You know she’s gonna use it for magic, right? Magic you’re not necessarily going to like.”

Ursula and Lucas drew closer, their wary looks making clear what they thought about this idea, but it wasn’t their blood that would be shed.

And I’d do anything to keep it that way.

“Tell her she’ll have it, but if one drop of blood from any of the women in this place is shed, just one…”

“Enough said,” Rye replied. “I need to get off the line and start making calls.”

“Initiate lockdown protocols,” I told Lucas and Ursula. “Let Mary know what’s going on, quietly though. Don’t let the kids find out what’s happening.”

“And the bears?” Lucas asked. “Are we going to contact the community?”

“My next call,” I said. “Go and I’ll activate the phone tree.”

It was only when the room was empty that I could bring up my foster mother’s number. With shaking hands, I scrolled through my contacts, finding her name.

“Asher?” she said. “What’s up, darling? I shouldn’t assume, but you never call?—”

“Gail.” No, that name didn’t feel right, not when this woman had spent so much time holding me close, stroking my hair when I had nightmares, listening to me even when I didn’t want to talk. “Mum…”

She sucked a breath in

“Oh god, what is it? Are you alright? Is it Imogen? She accepted the bond, didn’t she? Asher?”

“Imogen’s fine and she wears my mark, but…” I closed my eyes, pressing my forehead against the wall, feeling that customary wave of shame that always drove me to do better. “The shelter is facing a threat, I don’t know how big and?—”

“I’ll contact the council.” Her no-nonsense tone was exactly what I needed to hear right now. “You’ll have every able bodied bear shifter at headquarters within the hour if I’ve got something to say about it. Nothing will happen to my babies. Nothing, you hear me?”

The call went dead and so did I, because for just a second, all I could do was suck in one breath, then another, but the sound of the shutters rattling into place had the bear moving even if Ididn’t. All he ever wanted to do was protect what was his and now he’d have his chance.

Chapter 66

Jesse

“Well, well, if it isn’t sexy fingers.” Razor jumped out of the passenger side of my brother’s ride and walked towards me. “What the hell did you fuck up this time?”

Rough hands went to look at my wound, but I shoved him off. His muscles locked tight, ready to stop me with shifter strength. Not this time. His eyes widened as I knocked his arm away, forcing him back. His eyes shone, head cocking to one side, but before he could say much more, Bjorn rushed forward.

“What the fuck happened?”

“You want the short version or the long one?” I replied, crossing my arms.

“Short one now, long one on the drive back home,” my brother replied.

“I brought the prick down, arms and legs wrapped up with gaffa tape, as asked, but he got free.” Razor snorted at my answer. “I was already half-dead from sleep deprivation. I was on the road for eight hours after a long day at work.”

“You?” Crash looked me up and down. “Work?”

“Will you lot shut the fuck up?”

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