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Chapter 44: Panther Hunted
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Bull Creek Chronicles Chapter 45: Panther Hunted
Lainie sniffed around the ground, searching for any trace of Miles Hemingway, the stinging words of their fathers ringing in her mind, mocking her, thinking her weak. She was far from weak, and Miles would discover that as soon as she sunk her claws into him.The humid afternoon air caused her panther to pant as she searched the area. Dimitri stayed close for a while, but then moved off a bit to the south, still within shouting range, but pretending to give her some space. If she thought it was because he thought her as weak as their father did, she would have already chewed into him, but she knew Dimitri remained close more for himself than her. He needed to make sure she was all right. Besides, if they were going to catch Miles, they would need to span out more. Their animal's supernatural noses would pick out Miles' scent quicker than normal panthers, so they could cover more ground. Dimitri already sent Josh, Alanna, and Nathan Landry out searching the area and anyone else he could
Bull Creek Chronicles Chapter 46: Panther Hunted
Dimitri sped through the woods as soon as he heard Miles' voice calling out to Lainie, scolding himself for allowing the two of them to be separated as they searched for her stalker. Now, he only prayed he could arrive in time."Lainie, stop!" Miles screamed, and Dimitri could hear how out of control the man was by the fury in his tone. "Don't take another step. You need to shift back to your human form and join me. Keep coming toward me as your panther, and I'll assume you're still resisting. That would not be good on your part. Last warning."Don't do it, Lainie. Dimitri prayed. I'm almost there. Just stall him. At least, he hoped he was almost there. He wasn't even sure when Lainie and he became separated or for how long. Then, he finally heard his sister answer her stalker.I'm not shifting, Lainie sent, loud enough for anyone else nearby to hear her and get a read on her location. I'm not joining you. We're not going to be married. We're not going to be anything. Go home, Miles, b
Bull Creek Chronicles Chapter 47: Panther Hunted
Lainie walked into Everglades, relieved that her official first day of being a new deputy had ended. The boredom had almost killed her. Chet had offered for her to take the day off after everything that happened yesterday with Miles, but Lainie refused. She would not admit that the encounter in the woods shook her up, not in front of people who expected her to have their back in case of trouble. Luckily, her friends were there to protect her.She glanced around the inside of the bar and noticed Josh sitting alone at one of the high tops. Searching the rest of the bar, she noticed Alanna was nowhere in sight. Maybe at work? Then it dawned on Lainie, she had no idea what the other woman did for a job. She waved hello to Wes, asking for a beer as she did, and weaved her way through the tables toward Josh. He glanced up as she got closer, smiling at her. "Drinking alone?" she asked as she slid into one of the chairs. "Isn't that a sign of a drinking problem?" She giggled a little as she se
Bull Creek Chronicles Chapter 48: Bear Necessities
A leash ran from the collar around the capuchin monkey's neck to the music organ where the stocky dark-haired Colton Stokes ground out a shrill melody. Crowds gathered to watch as the small monkey floated around the people, hat held out, begging for tips from the onlookers. This is frickin' humiliating, Liam Lamont sent through the mindspeech of the shifters as he shook the hat in his hands at an elderly gentleman who couldn't stop talking baby talk to him. Why do people always talk to animals and babies like we're ignorant? "Oh, George, he's so cute," the elderly man's wife cooed as she leaned down and wiggled her fingers at Liam. "Aren't you cute, you little chimp? You are, aren't you? Such a cute little chimpanzee. Give the little monkey some quarters, Harold."The two of them set up at a fair celebrating carnivals, disguised as an organ grinder and his capuchin monkey. The fact that Liam actually was a capuchin monkey stuck him in the humiliating role of money collector. Everyone'
Bull Creek Chronicles Chapter 49: Bear Necessities
Ezra Havlin stood in the middle of the empty warehouse, searching frantically for Mary Johnson, Hoyt's most recent victim. He had already abducted seven girls and four boys, their families slaughtered as Hoyt sold the children off to eager buyers. Para-Force took the case because they discovered each of the kids possessed special powers of some kind. They spent months tracking the man and finally found him in Savannah. The plan was simple, set a trap, wait for Hoyt to hand the girl over to the buyer, then take them both down and save the girl.However, Ezra stood in an empty warehouse. He spun searching every direction as Hoyt's laughter taunted him. Ezra ran through the warehouse, frantically searching, the little girl begging for help. Lights flashed with a strobe light effect, blinding Ezra as he scrambled around, tracking the girl's voice. He didn't find Mary, but there was Hoyt right in front of him.Ezra lunged, wrapping his hands around the man's throat, twisting him to the floo
Bull Creek Chronicles Chapter 50: Bear Necessities
The name, Hoyt Cheffron, was one Ezra could have lived his entire life never hearing again. He took a deep breath and then pointed to Josh and Lainie. "They have a new alpha in their community," he said as he turned toward his tent. "I'm sure he'll be able to help you out. This one keeps saying they have empty cabins, so I'm sure you'll be able to find a safe house." He stopped before entering his tent, turned and looked over at Liam and Colton. "I'm sorry. I can't help you. You shouldn't have come." He glanced down at the girl, his expression solemn. "Good luck to you." And then, he dipped his head through the tent flap and disappeared inside, leaving the others to do whatever they decided to do."What the hell?" he heard Josh exclaim. "You suck at hospitality, do you know that?"Ezra plopped down on his sleeping bag, hands behind his head as he listened in on their conversation. If he knew Liam and Colton, they wouldn't just walk away. They'd try some of that psychology bullshit to g
Bull Creek Chronicles Chapter 51: Bear Necessities
Ezra sighed. "You're an irritating shit." He moved over to the trash bin, scraping the plates in his hands.Josh shrugged, not looking at all apologetic or offended. "I prefer to think of it as being tenacious. Now, why won't you help them? They're your friends, and they're in trouble. They came to you out of every other place in the world they could go. That means they trust you. So, why turn your back on them, not to mention that little girl?""I suppose you wouldn't leave me alone if I just told you it wasn't any of your damn business." Ezra dumped the dishes into a washtub to clean up later as he turned to face Josh, hands on his hips. "Why the hell do you even care? This doesn't concern you."Josh nodded. "You're right; it doesn't, but then again, I've never let that stop me before. These people need you. That little girl needs you. You can't just walk away from that.""I can bloody well do whatever I want," Ezra snapped, his bear roaring within him. Closing his eyes, he took a be
Bull Creek Chronicles Chapter 52: Bear Necessities
Lainie sat on the corner of Sheriff Einstein's desk, arms over her chest as she stared at the circle of men in the small office. Little Erin Fletcher sat outside the office, eating a bag of chips and sipping a soda, her little doll perched over her shoulder as if the thing stared into the sheriff's office. Johnson sat beside the girl looking very uncomfortable having been put on babysitting duty. It took all Lainie had not to giggle at the giant man."A cabin I can spare, no problem," Dimitri said as he leaned back against the wall, arms over his chest. Josh stood beside him almost in the exact same pose except his hands were in his pockets. Lainie tried not to smirk at the similarities, but Josh apparently caught her expression and gave her a puzzled look in return. She just shrugged and turned her gaze back to her brother."People tend to wander in and out of Bull Creek, some staying forever, others taking more of a transient interest in the community," Dimitri continued. "We also ha
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Bull Creek Chronicles Chapter 72: Bear Necessities
Ezra sat in one of the rockers on the front porch of the cabin, his arm in a sling and his shoulder bandaged. Doc Henderson arrived, bandaging Ezra's gunshot wound and Liam's broken arm while Lainie and Johnson took Hoyt and his men to the sheriff's department. Colton arrived just as everything ended, filling the other three Para-Force members in on Mason being the mole and the fight between them, which ended in Mason's death. Erin remained with Ash, Agatha Rochester on the phone helping the girl pull her magic back into herself and out of the dolls and stuffed animals. The little girl didn't need to see the mayhem up and down her street or the destruction inside the cabin. Dimitri and the others started cleaning up the cabin, making a pile of broken furniture to burn while the doctor worked on his patients.Liam sat in the rocker next to Ezra, holding a beer in his uninjured arm. The smaller man remained silent for most of the early evening, lost in whatever dark thoughts roamed his m
Bull Creek Chronicles Chapter 71: Bear Necessities
Milli walked into Julian's office, moving over to the empty chair in front of his desk, and helping herself to it. "They got the bastard," she said without preamble as Julian cocked an eyebrow at her. "Dent called. Our team arrived too late to help with Hoyt's arrest, but the people in Bull Creek took him and four of his goons down. Hoyt shot Ezra in the process, and Liam has a broken arm." She pressed her lips into a thin line as she took a deep breath. "Mason is dead. Colton and he got into a fight, and it didn't go well for Mason." She shook her head. "He got off easy as far as I'm concerned. He helped Hoyt kill families and sell children."Kacey appeared in the doorway, arms over her chest as she leaned on the doorframe as she listened in on the conversation. Benny stood behind her, hands shoved into his pockets as he stared into the office at Milli.Julian glanced at them briefly and then returned his attention to Milli. "Has Hoyt said where he sold the other children?" he asked.
Bull Creek Chronicles Chapter 70: Bear Necessities
The bullet barely missed Ezra as he dove to the side out of the way. As soon as he saw the monkey fling himself through the open door, Ezra knew that gun would be an issue. He sat up from the ground, his hand going to the gunshot wound he suffered a few days ago when he threw himself in front of Lainie Everest to protect her from a crazed suitor. As he gritted his teeth, he growled, his bear bursting at the seams of his restraint, wanting out to destroy Hoyt. Glancing around, he watched as Hoyt grabbed Liam's neck, tossing the tiny monkey across the room as Josh struck Hoyt in the gut with the fireplace poker, doubling the man over. Ezra growled as he launched himself from the floor, diving over Hoyt and grabbing the man by the waist as he turned in on himself, pulling Hoyt backward into a reverse somersault. Both hit the floor hard, Ezra smashing up against the wall next to the front door.Two more men stormed through the front door, and Ezra heard the back door bust open as more of H
Bull Creek Chronicles Chapter 69: Bear Necessities
Colton stared out the window as Ash sat on the couch, little Erin close to her side. He couldn't believe the little girl had enough magical power to enchant so many dolls and stuffed animals with a part of herself, hopefully enough to throw off whatever locator spell Hoyt's sister placed on Erin. He was still unsure how the possessive magic Dimitri talked about worked, but he hoped it worked the way the alpha of Bull Creek thought it would. He hoped the pile of stuffed animals led Hoyt straight to the other cabin and away from Erin. The little girl needed this nightmare to be over. They all did.He could hear the older woman talking to the little girl behind him, doing her best to keep Erin calm in the midst of the chaos that became her life. Ash did a better job of it than either him or Liam did. Colton grinned. Of course, Liam entertained Erin well as a monkey. Colton chuckled as he shook his head. God, what a crazy-ass unit Para-Force was.A knot formed in his gut, anger twisting in
Bull Creek Chronicles Chapter 68: Bear Necessities
Ezra sat in the cabin, staring at a battered teddy bear that was missing one eye and possessed a hole under its left arm. Josh had been right; Dimitri's idea was one of the wackiest he had seen. They spent the next thirty minutes with Erin putting her tiny hands on each doll and stuffed animal, asking each one of them to talk to her like her doll, Betsy, and then they took the toy into a back bedroom to see if Dimitri's idea would actually work.The biggest surprise was that the idea worked perfectly.Dimitri then sent each of the others off somewhere in Bull Creek with a couple of the dolls to hide them in various places, hopefully, weakening the locator spell, leaving the rest of the toys in a giant pile in the back bedroom, including the original doll, Betsy, which had the most of Erin's essence inside of it. He wanted them in the back bedroom, limiting Erin's reaction to whatever happened in the toys' presence. Colton then snuck Erin out of the cabin, taking her to Ash's home where
Bull Creek Chronicles Chapter 67: Bear Necessities
As they approached the cabin, Dimitri noticed Cody Wolfe, now in dry clothes, standing off to the side, arms over his chest as he leaned on a tall birch, talking into his cell phone. He glanced up at them, nodding at whatever he heard in the phone."Does anyone else think that man pops up a lot?" Nathan asked as they all came to a stop and stared at the shaggy-haired man. "He's like a bad coin that keeps surfacing when you're in front of a vending machine. Good for nothing.""Do you think him being at the lake and now outside the cabin means he's working for Hoyt?" Josh asked, his panther's hiss evident in his voice. "I'd be more than happy to go have a talk with him, if you know what I mean."Dimitri just shook his head. "No, I'll talk to him. See what he knows, if anything, or if he's just snooping for Bane. That man's been too quiet lately, and I don't like it." He turned to the others. "You guys go ahead and get inside, figure out what we need to do since it's obvious someone knows
Bull Creek Chronicles Chapter 66: Bear Necessities
Kacey knocked on Julian's door and then entered without waiting for permission. "We have Elizabeth cuffed in the conference room. Jess is watching her. She still isn't talking, though, outside of telling us it's too late."Julian glanced up from a report he was reading, staring at her with his dark eyes. "Unfortunate, but expected."Tyra poked her head through the open door. "Benny is back and says he needs to talk to you. He doesn't look pleased with whatever he discovered."Julian nodded once as he stood, shoving his desk chair back into the wall behind him with his sudden movement. "Let's go see what he discovered. Tell him to meet us in the conference room. Perhaps, his news will loosen Elizabeth's tongue. How much longer before the others make it to Bull Creek?" "They land in Orlando in about an hour, and then, it'll take another hour to reach Colton and Liam," Tyra replied.Julian nodded as he turned to Kacey. "Ask Milli to meet us in the conference room, please."Kacey felt ang
Bull Creek Chronicles Chapter 65: Bear Necessities
Ezra stared down at the freshly turned earth. He killed men before, but never like this, never so out of control that his rage spurred him into a frenzy. This wasn't him. He sighed as he shoved his dirty hands into his pockets. He never should have allowed them to drag him out of his campsite."You know, I don't blame you," Dimitri said as he stood beside Ezra, leaning on a shovel. "Who knows what that man would have done to that little girl? You reacted to a dangerous situation in the heat of the moment. You helped save that girl. That's all that really matters at this point.""I think I went a little overboard," Ezra said, his gaze still fixed on the grave.Josh stood on his other side, his hands also wrapped around a shovel. He had joined them as soon as Colton and Liam made it back to the cabin. Ash remained with the little girl, playing dolls with her, and Nathan followed Josh to the cemetery. Lainie had called. They shoved the second kidnapper—a Darren Frisk—into an interrogation
Bull Creek Chronicles Chapter 64: Bear Necessities
Kacey stared through the glass of the door as the tall dark-haired woman smiled and giggled at the students in front of her. Elizabeth Cheffron appeared like any other elementary school teacher, excited to be in front of her students, lost in the gift of teaching. Too bad she was a dark witch helping her brother kidnap innocent children as well. How had Para-Force never put this together?"We need to get her out of there," Jess Barrigan said as he leaned back on the wall beside Kacey. "She definitely doesn't belong around children.""I just can't believe Elizabeth would do anything to hurt her students," Principal Ivy said as she stood beside Kacey, staring at the teacher in the classroom. "She's always filled in with such enthusiasm. Never a complaint at last-minute changes or whining about some of the rougher students."Probably because she spelled them to silence while she was in charge of the classroom, Kacey thought. She then turned to the principal. "Can you get her out of there?
