Wanted By The Soldier Bear (Heroes of Shifter Creek 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

didn’t answer. She knew he wouldn’t. He had done this to protect her, leaving to face the Bear Hunters alone.
     
    ***
    Chapter Six
                  Marcus
                  The old man had been telling the truth after all. Marcus had suspected it was all lies to trap them in, but the Bear Hunters were as Henry told – three wolves and a cougar. They circled him in his bear form, leering at him as they guarded the cave that held the Johannsson family. The wolves had transformed, it would take wolves to fight a bear, but the cougar remained in his human form, holding a spear high, waiting for a chance to strike.
                  He didn’t regret tying Cecelia to the bed. It was something he’d very much like to do again, if he survived. It had to be done. She wouldn’t have let him leave without her, but he refused to allow her to risk herself, even for the lives of the family that slumbered in the cave.
                  A wolf attacked, snapping its jaws against his neck. His fur was thick, shielding him from the bite, but the weight of the creature dragged him down, allowing the other wolves to pounce. Growling loudly, he shook one of them off, but it came back, more vicious than before.
                  Cecelia , he thought, ignoring the pain as one of the wolves finally penetrated his fur with its teeth. I have to protect her. If I die, she becomes their captive. I can’t let that happen. I love her.
                  It was one thing to recognize a mate. It was another to fully accept her into his heart, removing the barbwire he had put up after the war. His strength renewed, he fought back against the wolves. He fought for her.
                  It wasn’t enough.
                  His will held strong, but his momentum faded, and he began to black out. He stayed conscious long enough to see Cecelia stand in the sunlight, his last vision of her before he lost to the wolves.
    ***
    Cecelia
     
                  “Marcus!” Cecelia shouted as he fell to the ground.
                  She wanted to run to him, but she couldn’t. The wolves blocked her, turning their attention to her. She could almost see the humor in their eyes. To them, she was only a human, nothing special. Confronting them was a joke.
                  I’ll show you who the joke is , she thought, full of rage.
                  Henry had set her free, leaving her with strange words before she left. You are more than what you seem. Where there is power to heal, there is power to destroy. Help him. Help them all.
                  A wolf sprang towards her. While it was midair, she flung her hand towards it, imagining its leg breaking in half. The wolf yelped and missed her, landing on its side. When it rose, it stood on only three legs.
                  The other wolves froze, uncertain. Now they knew what she was. And so did she.
                  Where the wolves faltered, the cougar took their place. He dropped his spear and charged at her, changing as he did into an enormous cat. She willed the air to be knocked out of his lungs, and he collapsed to the ground, panting.
                  It wasn’t a fight. It was a massacre, and they knew it. The wolves darted away, the injured one limping behind. As soon as the cougar regained his breath, he did the same, sneering at her briefly before running into the woods. She would have chased them, made sure they never hurt another family again, but she had to see to Marcus. He was badly injured.
    She made a transition of her own. The peace and light she needed to heal overcame her rage, calming her blood, and she set her hands on Marcus. It didn’t take long before he was sitting up in his human form. Without hesitation, he wrapped her tightly in his arms.
                  “What were you thinking?” he asked solemnly.