“I have recovered some deleted information,” Damien said. “From what I can tell, the man who captured Maria was involved in some pretty twisted stuff. There is reason to believe that the kidnapping ring involves a lot of ranking officials from Los Angeles to Alaska.”
“Could that be why the LAPD shut down Maria’s case so fast?” Rollo asked.
“It’s very likely,” Damien said. “This is bigger than all of us.”
“What exactly have you recovered?” Rollo asked.
“I have names and addresses of numerous men in law enforcement and government. I was able to recover this information from password protected files on his computer. The files link these men to the kidnapping ring. They buy these girls as sex slaves and torture them for pleasure.”
“That’s disgusting,” Heath asked. “We have to put an end to it now.”
“It won’t be that easy,” Damien said.
“If we’re talking about high ranking officials, it will be a challenge to get to the bottom of it,” Rollo said.
“I agree,” Damien said. “We have to play it cool or it could be disastrous for the Fate Mountain PD and our community.”
“I’m going to call my shifter contact at the FBI and start an investigation,” Rollo said. “Print me a list of names and bring it to my office, Damien. We will get to the bottom of this. I won’t let these perverts scare me away from protecting my people.”
“Copy that,” Damien said as Rollo left his office.
“Rollo is right,” Deputy Knox said. “We can’t allow sick people to scare us into non-action.”
“What else do the files say?” Detective Gauge said, stepping behind Damien to look over his shoulder at the computer screen.
“I’ll print out the information I have here for everyone to read,” Damien said.
Heath watched Damien send the files to his printer and then hand the information packets to all the Bears still in his office. The guys read through the list of names. Heath already knew that it was going to be a big bust that left entire communities reeling for years.
“All right gentlemen,” Rollo said coming back into Damien’s office. “I’ve contacted my shifter contact at the FBI. First, I want to say the most important thing is the safety and integrity of the people of Fate Mountain. We have the responsibility of protecting them, and I take that very seriously.
“We will continue doing our jobs. The FBI has taken over this investigation, headed by my shifter contact. They will take the men who kidnapped Maria into custody in a few hours. It is out of our hands now. But what will never be out of our hands is our continued commitment to the preservation of a peaceful way of life for our families and our community and our world.”
“We are all in complete agreement, sir,” Heath said.
“Thank you for that Cadet Bear,” Rollo said. “You are all dismissed. But keep your eyes out for any signs of what we have all just uncovered today.”
The Bear Patrol walked out of Damien’s office but Heath stayed behind, rereading the information on the papers Damien had provided for him.
“I wish I had better news to take home to the girls,” Heath said.
“This is high level stuff. We can’t bring down this ring on our own,” Damien said. “These officials are too powerful. Rosa experienced that herself.”
“I suppose you’re right. I need to get back to the girls and make sure they’re all right.”
All the way back home to his house, Heath’s mind ran a million miles a minute. He didn’t know what to tell Rosa and Maria about what he had just learned. As he parked in front of his house, he decided he was going to tell Rosa the truth.
Maria was still a minor and it was not his place to make those decisions for her. It would be up to Rosa to tell Maria what was really happening.
He walked through the front door of his house and found the girls on the couch watching TV. Maria looked like a sullen teenager and Rosa just looked tired. She jumped to her feet when she saw him walk through the door and she wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Were you able to find them?” Rosa asked.
“We found something,” he said. “I’ll tell you about it in private.”
“Maria was taken by these sickos. She has a right to know,” Rosa said.
“If that’s how you feel, I won’t question you,” Heath said with a sigh.
“Tell us then,” Maria demanded.
“The truth is worse than we imagined,” Heath started, looking from one girl to the other. “But it appears that a number of high ranking law enforcement and government officials were involved in the kidnapping ring. It may be why they closed Maria’s missing person’s case so quickly.”
“I knew something was fishy about that!” Rosa said.
“You were right all along,” Heath said.
“I had no idea those officers were in on it,” Rosa said, her tone dropping to a scared whisper.
“What are you going to do now?” Maria asked.
“Rollo has turned the investigation over to his shifter contact in the FBI. They will take it from here.”
“Do you trust the FBI?” Rosa asked. “Don’t you think this investigation could be compromised if high ranking officials are involved in the crime?”
“I am afraid of that,” Heath said. “But this is beyond the jurisdiction of the Fate Mountain police department. We have to hand it over to the FBI. What have you two been doing all evening?” Heath asked, trying to change the subject.
“We were just watching TV. Earlier we made enchiladas de pollo and had a big feast.”
“The kitchen is still a mess,” Maria said.
Heath raised an eyebrow at her and then looked at Rosa who had pursed lips and a crinkled brow. Clearly the girls were having some disagreements and difficulty coming together after the kidnapping.
“That’s okay,” Heath said. Not wanting to upset them. “I’ll clean it up myself.”
“I’ll help you,” Rosa said, rolling her eyes at her little sister.
Rosa let out a deep sigh and then looked up at Heath again with a pleading expression on her face. They walked into the kitchen and out of earshot from Maria who was in front of the loud television.
“What’s going on?” Heath asked as he began gathering dirty dishes and placing them in the sink.
“Maria is upset that I mated with you so quickly.”
Rosa dished the rest of the enchiladas into a plastic container and put it in the fridge.
“That’s perfectly understandable,” he said.
“She’s being kind of a brat about it.”
“I think we need to be gentle with your sister. She has been through a lot,” Heath reasoned.
“I agree with you, but I think she’s being unreasonable.”
“She may be. She is a teenager. I hear they can be like that.”
They both started to laugh and their laughter made each other laugh even more until they were both laughing so hard that Heath’s stomach started to hurt.
He grabbed his abdomen and leaned against the counter. Rosa gasped for air and finally gained control of her chuckling. She sighed and moved into Heath’s arms, wrapping her own arms around his waist and leaning her head against his chest. She felt so sensual and delicate in his arms. He kissed her temple and let out a long breath, feeling like he had all the love in the world right in his arms.
“Everything is going to be all right, babe,” he said. “I promise to do everything I can to keep you and your sister safe.”
“I know. I believe you.”
He cupped her cheek in his hand and tilted her face up to his, claiming her lips in a deep passionate kiss. Rosa groaned into his mouth, bringing his desire to new heights. He could not resist his need for her. His bear growled and moaned inside his mind. Heath picked Rosa up and cradled her in his arms, kissing her the whole time. They broke from each other’s lips for a split second and looked into each other’s eyes. They both wanted the same thing.
&nbs
p; “We can clean up in the morning,” Heath said.
“Umhm,” Rosa agreed lustily.
He carried her down the hall and into his bedroom, kicking the door closed behind them. Rosa giggled uncontrollably as he plopped her on the bed.
“What about Maria?” Rosa asked.
Heath locked the bedroom door and turned on the radio. He walked over to the bed with a smile and said, “She’ll have to find her own shifter when she grows up.”
Rosa burst out laughing again when he said that. Heath pulled his shirt off over his head and threw it on the floor. He growled down at Rosa and began tearing off her clothes much to her fascinated amusement.
She growled and mewled as she helped him take off her bra. He pulled her panties down over her feet. She unbuckled his belt and he slid out of his shoes. Finally, he pushed his pants and boxers down to the floor.
They were both naked and kissing in the heat of their amusement and desire. The radio played songs that made him feel alive and filled his heart with love and desire for his mate. She was so beautiful and perfect. Holding her was like a blessing from above. As his tongue slid over her breast and he felt himself grow hard with need, he knew that the connection between them was the most important thing that he would ever need to sustain in his life.
Chapter 14
Rosa arched her back and gasped as Heath’s tongue slid over her nipple. She ran her fingers through his cropped hair and groaned. His lips on her skin lit a trail of hot desire down her torso.
In that moment, Rosa was so grateful and so full of love for Heath she could barely contain her need for him. He kissed her stomach and slowly moved his tongue over her hip and onto her inner thigh. He lapped up her slit, pushing into her aching core.
“Heath,” she whimpered, feeling the power of his muscled body moving over her.
She was on the brink of utter surrender to his masculine force. It intoxicated her with its pure strength and she was overcome. The tip of his slick tongue flicked over her swollen clit, sending a shock of electric desire throughout her body.
He pressed against her clit, making her wetter with each pass of his tongue. Her body gushed for him, and he ate it up with the pleasure of the ultimate lover. He loved her. He loved her taste. The smell of her. He loved who she was inside, deep in her soul.
She could feel the connection between them, unbreakable in its fragile beauty. The currents of symbiotic attachment pulsed between their hearts. Together they were stronger as if they were two halves of the same coin.
Rosa was alive in her divine feminine space, her head a halo of brilliant light, pulsing rosy pink in all directions. He gripped her hip as he slid his soaked fingers into her core, gliding over the pleasure zones inside her. She groaned and grasped at his taut shoulders. The feel of his smooth skin and hard muscles sent her into ecstasy as she came.
The force of erupting desire, shook her to the core of her being and she was barely able to stay conscious. Heath kissed her cheek and her lips, bringing her back to reality. He reached for a condom in his dresser and ripped the package with his teeth.
“No,” Rosa whispered. “I want your seed inside me.”
“You do?” he asked.
“I want it all, Heath. I want it now.”
She looked into his eyes, and she could see and feel the depth of emotion radiating from those green pools. She knew he could make her like him, a bear. She felt his questioning plea. He needed to know.
“I want you to put your baby inside me,” she said. “And I want you to put a bear inside me too.”
Heath growled as he held himself above her. Leaning into her neck, he took a deep draw of her scent through his nose. He slid between her legs and licked along her jaw and up to her earlobe. Rosa shuddered, wanting to feel him inside her.
The tip of his cock pressed against her slick opening, sliding inside her effortlessly. Heath kissed her, slowly tilting forward as he sank deeper into his lover. Rosa ran her hands up and down his back, encouraging his movements. Their tongues danced and she groaned. His cock pressed deeper with each passing second, stretching her wider around his girth.
She groaned deeply into his mouth, feeling the whole of him inside her core. He buried himself in her and they became one. Radiant sensations pulsed through her from him and she was lost in the oneness of their bodies.
“I’ve waited my whole life for this,” Heath whispered into her ear as he pulled back.
He thrust again, gently but harder than before. It sparked a slew of sensations, making her nipples prick and her flesh pucker.
“Oh God, Heath,” she groaned, gripping his hips.
He licked her neck and nibbled her ear as he pulled back and thrust again, this time harder. Sharp pleasure pitched her need higher, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, holding on to her mate.
Heath growled into her neck, increasing the intensity of his love making. With each thrust, he drove her to a new level of pleasure. Her body exploded and didn’t come down. The sound of music playing overpowered the sound of her constant mewls and moans as pleasure soared between them.
Heath’s teeth poked against her neck, the very same spot where he’d bit her to claim her. This time he would change her forever. She would become like him, something she wanted more than anything.
His sharp teeth bit into her neck as his thrusts grew in strength. Her mind, body and soul reeled with pleasure and connection. She felt wrapped in a bubble of his love as his teeth clamped onto her neck.
Heath’s hot seed erupted deep inside her, making her come again as his teeth bit hard on her flesh. She felt the molecules of venom flowing into her blood from Heath’s bite. It only took seconds for the venom to pulse through her entire body.
Her eyes opened wide as her senses sharpened. Heath slowly pulled away from her neck, licking her wound until it was clean and healed. He removed himself from her body, holding himself over her as he tended the bite on her neck.
When he was done, he rolled onto his back, panting softly. He pulled her into an embrace and they held each other in his big bed. Rosa could barely believe the changes already taking place inside her. Her senses were going crazy with new awareness. She knew that his seed would find her egg and implant itself there.
“I can’t believe what’s happening,” she said, looking at her hand. The detail she saw in the dim light of the bedside lamp astonished her. “Am I supposed to be changing already?”
“It’s different for everyone in my understanding. But to shift for the first time. You just go somewhere that’s got plenty of room and then will the change to take place.”
“What will I feel when I change?”
“It might hurt a little the first time. But after that, it’s not painful. Once you shift, you’ll feel something most humans never get the chance to experience.”
“What’s that?” she asked.
“The best way to describe it is that you will feel your connection to nature much more deeply than ever before. It’s too hard to explain in words. You’ll just have to experience it for yourself,” he said, smiling before he kissed her forehead.
Rosa was filled with a new vigor and lust for life that she’d never felt before. It was already coursing through her veins. There was a knock at the door, and Maria’s voice came from the other side.
“Are you guys doing it in there? That’s so gross!”
Rosa and Heath started to giggle, and they laughed until both their bodies were shaking.
“It’s not funny,” Maria demanded from the other side of the door. Her groan grew fainter as she walked down the hall.
“We should probably make sure she’s okay,” Heath said.
They got up and dressed quickly before going out to meet Maria in the living room. Rosa felt guilty for leaving her sister alone to make love with her mate. But Maria was going to have to come to terms with the situation, no matter how traumatized she’d been. Rosa and Heath would do everything in their power to help Maria, but she had to
let them.
“I’ve got a spare bedroom,” Heath said. “It can be yours now.”
“So are we staying here?” Maria demanded. “Is that what’s happening?”
“Maria, you know Heath and I are mates.”
“That doesn’t mean I have to like it. No one asked me. I just got kidnapped. I could have died. And you guys are off doing it in the other room!”
Guilt rained down over Rosa in a torrent and she felt as if she’d been slapped in the face. Was she being selfish? Should she have been paying more attention. She’d been so swept up in her desire for her mate, she’d forgotten her sister.
Heath’s strong arm gripped Rosa’s shoulder as she was about to descend into a puddle of guilt on the floor.
“I will do whatever is best for this family,” Heath said. “I’m here for your sister and that means I’m here for you too, Maria. Neither of us are trying to alienate you or ruin your life. We only want to help you, but you have to tell us what you need.”
“I want to go home to LA,” Maria demanded.
“We can all come to an agreement,” Rosa interjected. “An agreement that will benefit all of us.”
“I just want things to go back to normal,” Maria said, suddenly erupting into tears.
Rosa felt her sister’s despair and ran to her as Maria collapsed on the floor. Rosa went down with her, holding her sister in her arms as they fell. Maria began to sob uncontrollably and Heath sat beside them, holding them both in his strong arms.
Rosa let Maria wail out all her tears, all her sorrow, all her fear and terror. Heath held them, lending the women his strength and support to help cleanse Maria’s tangled emotions.
After what seemed like forever, after they were all soaked in tears, Maria began to pant softly against her sister’s shoulder. Rosa held her, stroking her back.
“Can I go to that bed now?” Maria asked, looking into Rosa’s eyes.
“Of course,” Heath said, helping them both up.
Rosa and Heath helped Maria into bed, their love for her and for each other helping her finally rest. They turned off the light after she was tucked in and closed the door behind them.