Page 36 of Mitchell's Untamed Mate

“Let’s go,” he instructed.

Lucien nodded and took off on light feet through the woods.Hyder followed.Late afternoon sunlight filtered through the trees.He wasn’t sure how the Black-clothes had known to come to this specific area.It was bad luck that they had come along when they did.

Or maybe not.

Isabella said she wanted a human.A sudden thought occurred to him.Why tramp through the woods when he could pick up the male and female human the Bearclaws were so gracious to collect for him?There would be security, but he could deal with that.

A mosquito buzzed near his neck and he slapped it with a grimace of distaste.The more he thought about taking the humans that had already been found, the more he liked the idea.It would require calling in a few favors.

No sense in making life difficult if I don’t have to,he thought with growing satisfaction.

Bearclaw Estate

Tracy winced with pain when Mitchell squeezed her fingers.She should have thought about the fact that her aunt would be flying to the estate and that Mitchell obviously would never have been in a helicopter before.He had stopped dead in his tracks, almost pulling her off-balance when they started to approach the presidential aircraft.The Shifter One was a Nightsky VH-3D Talon Master.The sleek design had a luxurious interior.

After his initial balking at getting near the aircraft, his curiosity had overcome his fear.It helped that her aunt had kept walking as if she hadn’t noticed his hesitation.It was either that or the daring look Michaela had given him after she entered and turned.

He had kept a death grip on her hand, but continued forward.Peering out of the window, she knew they would be able to see her ancestral home in a matter of seconds.Pride rose within her when the helicopter cleared the lush forest of trees near the east side of the house and the first view of the estate came into view.Mitchell’s stunned hiss of air told her he saw it at the same time as she did.

“You live… there?”he asked in a hushed, hesitant voice.

“Yes.”

He didn’t say anything, but she sensed the reality troubled him.Looking down at her home, she tried to imagine it through his eyes.A knot formed in her stomach as she thought about how opulent it must seem in comparison to anything he had ever seen before.

The only thing she knew about how he and the other humans lived was from the few details Ty had shared when he had gone in search of Ella.Ella spoke very little about her people.Tracy wasn’t sure exactly what had transpired, only that Ella had been banned after saving Ty’s life.

The helicopter circled over the house, making a wide arc before landing on the helipad.Tracy almost groaned with relief when Mitchell released her hand.She covertly rubbed her aching fingers.A soft snort of laughter from Michaela pulled her attention away from Mitchell.She stuck her tongue out at her aunt’s amused expression.

An agent opened the door to the helicopter and the steps lowered.At the bottom, two attentive agents waited.She unfastened her own restraints and then Mitchell’s.Mitchell turned his head and watched as her aunt descended the steps.

“It will be alright,” she assured him in a quiet voice.

“Ella....She lives here?”he asked.

Tracy nodded, trying to ignore the tingle of jealousy tugging at her.Of course Ella would be his first thought.She cupped his hand and stood.

They descended the steps after her aunt.They had only walked a few feet when a low cry filled the air.Tracy watched as Ella pulled away from her brother and raced across the manicured lawn toward them.Mitchell released Tracy's hand and opened his arms.

The tingle of jealousy flew into a bonfire when Mitchell’s arms wrapped around Ella’s waist and he lifted her off the ground.Her bear was clawing with displeasure.Tracy started when she felt an arm slide around her waist.

“He probably loves her like a sister,” Michaela murmured.

“I know.It’s just… this is new to us,” she muttered, referring to herself and her bear.

“Thank goodness I’ve never had to deal with that,” Michaela chuckled before releasing her and stepping forward.“Art.Lena.How are my favorite brother and sister-in-law doing?”

Art lifted an eyebrow and snorted.“The same as we were doing the other night when you visited.I see you found my daughter… and another human.You must be Mitchell.Ella has told us surprisingly little about you.”

The tension in Tracy’s body lessened when her father stepped forward to greet Mitchell with a broad smile of welcome.Mitchell released Ella and reached for her father’s outstretched hand.They stood gripping each other’s hand for a fraction longer than normal as they assessed each other.It wasn’t until her mother chided her father and pushed him aside so she could hug Mitchell that they parted.

“Welcome to the Bearclaw Estate.Now, let’s go inside where it is more comfortable.Martha is preparing afternoon tea,” Lena said.

“Mitchell and I would like to get cleaned up first, if you don’t mind,” Tracy interjected.

Her mother’s gaze swept over her before she looked at Mitchell.Tracy’s lips twitched when her mother turned a disapproving glare on her aunt.Michaela lifted her hands in response.

“Don’t blame me, Lena.As soon as I knew where they were being held, I went there.Forgive me for not stopping at Shafts Department Store so they could pick up some decent clothing,” Michaela defended.

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