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
"I'm not a fan of them being where we can't get to them in case something goes wrong," Kacey Carmichael said, the growl of her wolf quite clear in her tone, as she sat around the giant conference table, her fourth cup of coffee in her hands. "Hoyt's been a slippery ass so far. What happens if he finds out where they are before we find the bastard?"Para-Force's main office resided in the middle of downtown Brighton Cove. Of course, the sign on the front door didn't announce that. Instead, it read Wincott Investigations, and the residents of Brighton Cove thought the business operated merely as a private investigations agency. While they took on more mundane investigative cases with a small team working them, and a receptionist to make things look normal, the main group remained hidden in the back for the more dangerous missions, the ones the rest of the world never knew about, the ones with a paranormal bent to them. For the past five years, Kacey had been a member of Para-Force, a mix
Ezra shoved his clothes into his duffel bag with enough force that he almost shoved them through the bottom. He thought living on the outskirts of a community that boasted its "live and let live" motto would be the perfect place to hide out away from the harshness of a world where the villains got away free and innocent people died. He had thought staying in the shadows, away from anything resembling human connection, would spare him the chore of dealing with people. However, even the fringes of Bull Creek hadn't been enough for him to avoid the past coming back to smack him around. First, it was that nosy ass panther, followed by the deputy almost getting herself killed by whoever was after her. Now, his old teammates from Para-Force knocked on his door, asking him for help they knew damn well he couldn't give. What the hell was Liam thinking? And, Ezra knew it was Liam's idea to bring the girl out here. Colton was smart enough to leave well enough alone, but not Liam. Oh, no. Liam ju
Dimitri entered the cabin, a bag of groceries in each arm, Lainie right behind him carrying more supplies, as Liam stood there holding the door open. "Thanks for this," he said as they slid past him. "I hate getting acquainted to a new area. I'm directionally challenged. I'll go for a gas station I saw on the way into a town and wind up making circles on the complete opposite end of town.""Hopefully, they don't let you do much of the driving," Lainie smirked over her shoulder as she moved to the kitchen island separating the kitchen and the living room. Setting the bags down on the island, she turned toward the living room, noticing Erin nestled on the couch playing with her doll's hair. "How are things here?" Lainie asked, indicating the little girl with an upward tilt of her chin."I can see you doing that," Erin said, never taking her eyes off her doll. "You can say my name if you want. I know everyone's talking about me."Lainie cocked her eyebrow as she glanced over at Dimitri, b
The gorilla yanked Ezra into the air as if he were a rag doll, flipping Ezra over his shoulder and tossing him to the ground. Ezra hit the ground with an audible thud, the wind whooshing out of his lungs as his head hit the ground under him. With a shake of his head, he shot back to his feet, shocked that Colton had attacked him, but pissed as hell as well. Colton spun, pounding his chest as he roared out his frustration. You're being an ass! Get over yourself. You're not the only one who's lost someone in their care.Ezra glared at the dark gorilla in front of him, his chest heaving with breaths as his muscles and joints screamed out at him. "Go to Hell," he snarled, just before his bear shoved his way through Ezra, bones popping as arms and legs shifted into the thick powerful limbs of his black bear, his head swelling into the animal's thick skull, his mouth stretching into a deafening roar with saliva dripping from his fangs as his clothes shredded from his body, black fur replaci
Ezra sat out on the front porch in an old rocker, staring out at the woods around the cabin. Ezra's decision to help them pleased Liam, so much so that he offered to make Ezra's favorite meal—lasagna. Of course, Liam said he'd make it as soon as he got the ingredients for it, so Ezra had to settle for hot dogs. At least, Liam remembered to bring the chili. A hot dog just wasn't a real hot dog without chili.Colton introduced Erin to Ezra, telling the little girl the big man was there to help keep her safe, and she could trust him. Erin just nodded as she continued to brush the doll's hair.Ezra then made a cup of coffee and moved to the front porch. He couldn't sit in there just yet, watching the small child. It wasn't her fault; she didn't mean to remind him of a horrific time in his life. He just needed to ease into it, and sitting outside, listening to the wind through the pines, helped him make the adjustment, getting his thoughts settled, thoughts that had shrieked at him as soon
"You realize it'll be hard to know if someone is in Bull Creek because of that little girl, don't you?" Josh asked Dimitri as he picked up a fry off his plate and shoved it into his mouth. "Since you've taken over for Neal as alpha, word seems to have gotten around that Bull Creek is a safe spot again. We have people coming to us all the time now."The four of them—Dimitri, Josh, Alanna, and Lainie—-stuffed themselves into a cheap-upholstered booth near the window of Gracie's Diner looking out at a weed-choked parking lot. Colton and his friend bringing the possibility of more trouble to Bull Creek didn't thrill Dimitri. Between Bane and his prejudice against humans and Miles Hemingway trying to force Lainie to marry him, they had enough trouble to last awhile. Dimitri was more than ready for a little quietness."Stop talking with food in your mouth," Alanna snapped at Josh, thumping him in the shoulder. "Gross."Dimitri and Lainie just laughed. "You kiss that mouth, too," Dimitri teas
Ezra slipped out of bed, leaving Liam sleeping away, his mouth open and one foot dangling off the edge of the mattress. The three men took shifts, each one guarding the cabin for three hours during the night while the other two slept in the back bedroom. Erin took the middle bedroom because it was easier to protect and harder to get to from outside. Colton had even nailed the window shut in case someone tried to enter through there to reach the little girl. They didn't plan on taking anything to chance.When he entered the small living room, Colton sat at the kitchen table, a cup of coffee in front of him as he sat there reading a book about as thick as Ezra's wrist. Ezra smiled as he made his way over to the coffeepot. Colton always was a heavy reader. "What is it this time? Life of George Washington? The history of automobiles? The philosophy of Bugs Bunny?" He reached up into a cabinet, pulling out the first mug he saw, and filled it with coffee.Colton finished the section he was r
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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?