Shifting Truths (Sanmere Shifters Book 4) Page 12

  Rachel pushed the images away, reminding herself that while this whole thing started out in a nightmare, it ended with her finding Bastian, having Stephanie, and then Bastian finding her again. Thinking of Bastian and Stephanie calmed her down a little bit and she decided to focus on the good rather than the bad.

  Rachel couldn’t work out why Lewis would be keeping Bastian in the hotel, but the second she had set her eyes on it, her bear had stirred, and although she didn’t let it come out, she knew what that meant. Bastian was indeed in there. Her bear sensed his bear was close. It didn’t matter why Lewis was keeping Bastian a prisoner. It only mattered that she found a way to set him free.

  She suspected he would be in the ballroom, in one of the cages like the one she had been kept in. She knew she only had to open the front door and walk down the short hallway to get to the room, but she hesitated. Lewis surely would have some sort of security system focused on the front door. He wasn’t going to just sit back and let anyone wander into the hotel and find his cages. She began to move again, staying in the trees, following the perimeter of the hotel grounds until she came to the back of the building. She peered out, squinting at the building. There was another door around here, and Rachel just had to hope this one wasn’t guarded in any way.

  Rachel darted out of the trees before she could talk herself out of it. She ran to the gate, opened it, and slipped into the hotel grounds. She ran toward the door and pulled it. It was locked. Of course it was. Why hadn’t she considered that? What now? Think, Rachel, think.

  She knew now she had two choices. She could break the window in this door and unlock it through the broken glass. Or she could take her chances with the front door. She decided breaking the window was safer. It would make a noise, but the Bellevue Hotel was huge and the chances of Lewis being somewhere he could hear the breaking glass had to be pretty slim. Rachel raised her elbow and smashed it into the glass pane. She winced at the sound of breaking glass and she ducked down and held her breath, listening for any running footsteps. None came and Rachel stood back up and put her hand through the broken glass, being careful not to cut herself on the wicked-looking shards that stood up from the edges of the window. She felt for the bolt and slid it back and when she pushed on the door again, it opened silently. Rachel cheered in her mind and then she stepped into the hotel.

  She thought the back door was pretty much opposite the front door and she made her way across what she realized was a huge kitchen and slipped out into a hallway. If she was right, then the door at the end of it would be the room with the cages. She had no other plan and so she crept forward, moving as fast as she could while not making any noise. She reached the door and hesitated for a moment. What if Lewis was in there?

  But what if he isn’t? she asked herself. This is your chance, Rachel. Don’t blow it.

  She reached out and pushed the door open. She had been right about the placement of the door. She was in the ballroom, entering by the door Lewis had used when she was a prisoner here. She looked around and instantly saw Bastian in one of the cages. Her heart leapt when she saw him. He turned as she moved closer, trying to keep her movements slow and quiet.

  “Rachel?” Bastian gasped. “What the hell…?”

  “No time,” Rachel interrupted him. “Where are the keys?”

  “I don’t know. In one of the desk drawers, I think, but it’s not safe for you to be here. The room is being watched on camera. Lewis will be here any second,” Bastian said. “You have to get out of here, Rachel.”

  Rachel ignored his pleas for her to leave as she moved across the room. She ran now. If the room was on camera, there was no point in trying to be quiet. She reached the desk and as she reached out for the drawer handle, she heard the ballroom door opening. She straightened up and spun around as Lewis came in. He smiled and shook his head.

  “Well, there’s a face I never expected to see again,” he said. “Let me guess. You’ve spent all of these years looking for the man who ordered you to be turned and then when you did, you convinced him to help you, and now he’s told you where I keep the gun? Am I right?”

  “Not even close,” Bastian laughed.

  Lewis looked in Bastian’s direction and Rachel realized that had been his intention. She wrenched the desk drawer open, going for the gun. The drawer was empty. She reached for the next one. Lewis laughed behind her.

  “Looking for this?” Lewis taunted her.

  She turned as Bastian yelled for her to hit the deck. She threw herself to the ground as the gun in Lewis’ hand went off. The bullet missed her, but she heard Lewis recocking the gun. He fired again, but this time, the sound was different. It was more of a clack than a bang.

  “Dammit,” Lewis cursed.

  Rachel pushed herself to her feet as Lewis started to reload his gun. She knew what she had to do. The thing she had been the most afraid of. She let her bear right in and she made no attempt to swallow it down.

  She screamed in pain as she felt her skin splitting and fur bursting through it. Her clothes ripped and fell away from her as she got bigger. Her arms and legs began to bend and snap and she felt her face elongating. She screamed again, sure this had been a mistake.

  “The pain will be over in a second, let it come!” Bastian screamed.

  Rachel did as he said, letting the pain overtake her senses. Bastian was right. The pain was gone in seconds. Rachel glanced down at her new body—the furry body of a bear. She saw her razor-sharp claws.

  She roared, a sound filled with power and fury, and she no longer let her human side hold her bear back at all. She sprang at Lewis. He dropped the gun and started to turn himself, but he was too late. Rachel slammed into him, knocking him to the ground. She swiped her claws across his face and chest, digging deep cuts into him. Lewis screamed and Rachel let herself hear it, let her human side take control again. She slammed a large paw down into Lewis’ face, knocking him unconscious, and then she backed away from him, turning back into a woman.

  She panted for breath and then she smiled. She had stayed in control. She hadn’t let herself kill Lewis, as much as she had wanted to. She turned to face Bastian and smiled at him.

  “I did it, Bastian. I turned into a bear and kept my humanity,” she said. “I wanted to kill him but I didn’t. And what I did do—well, he deserved that.”

  Bastian beamed back at her.

  “I’m so proud of you, Rachel,” he said. “Now, get the key and let me out of here before he heals and comes after you again.”

  Rachel sprang into action. She knew she had taken Lewis by surprise and been lucky. If he recovered and she had to face him again, she didn’t think she would be so lucky again. She ran to the desk and opened the second drawer. She found a bunch of keys and ran to Bastian’s cage. The third key she tried opened the cage. Bastian stepped out and pulled her into his arms. She was conscious of the fact that she was naked and he wasn’t, but more than anything, she just wanted to be held by him. He kissed the top of her head and then he released her. He pulled his t-shirt off and gave it to her.

  “Put that on,” he said. “Go and wait outside in the car while I deal with Lewis.”

  “What are you going to do to him?” she asked.

  “I’m going to throw him into this cage. And I’m tempted to leave him here to rot for all that he’s done. But I won’t. I’ll follow your example and be humane. I’ll have a couple of pack members come up here and run him out of my district. And I’ll have someone keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn’t go back to his old ways. Go on, now. Go and wait in the car.”

  Rachel turned and ran from the room. She glanced back at the door and saw Bastian dragging Lewis across the ground by his ankles. She made her way out of the hotel and got into the car parked out front, the one she assumed was Bastian’s rental car.

  She sat in the car and thought about how she had felt in her bear form. Strong. Powerful. More dangerous than she’d ever been. But through it all, she had still been in control of hers
elf. She finally saw for herself what Bastian had tried to explain to her. Her bear was a part of her, and that meant she could choose to use the power it gave her for good or for evil. As long as she chose to stay herself, she would do the right thing. She thought that maybe now, she was ready to embrace who she really was instead of running from it and keeping a part of herself hidden away.

  And she thought she knew the perfect place to do it. By Bastian’s side, as part of a family, and maybe even as part of a pack.

  16

  Bastian made fast work of locking Lewis in the cage. Once he was secure, Bastian moved to the desk and put the keys in the top drawer. Spotting his cell phone in the drawer, he pulled it out and switched it on. He waited for it to power up. He really wanted to kill Lewis for what he had done, but he had told Rachel he wouldn’t do that and he didn’t want to ever lie to her. Instead, he called Oscar and told him where to find Lewis and the keys to the cage. He instructed him to exile him from the state and have someone keep an eye on him.

  Oscar came up with an even better plan. He told Bastian of a witch he knew who owed him a favor. She could make a potion that would suppress Lewis’ bear side and make him human again. No human would dare to attempt to continue a career as a Matchmaker and Bastian agreed it was a fitting punishment. Lewis would live a miserable human life knowing what he had done, and then eventually, he would die of natural causes. It was perfect. Bastian authorized the move and then he left the Bellevue Hotel and went to his car.

  His heart skipped a beat when he saw Rachel sitting there in his t-shirt. She looked so fragile and yet he knew how powerful she was. He got into the car and pulled her to him, kissing her full on the mouth.

  “I really thought I was dead back there. How did you find me?” he said after the kiss.

  He started the engine and began to drive down the dirt road as Rachel replied.

  “At first, I thought you’d taken me up on my offer to walk away and never come back,” Rachel admitted.

  “Never,” Bastian winced.

  “When I really thought about it, though, I knew that didn’t feel right. I let my bear instincts come out and they told me you were in danger. I knew I had to act,” she said.

  “You could have been killed, Rachel. You should have gone to Brady,” Bastian said.

  “Okay, let’s get one thing straight,” Rachel said. She smiled but Bastian knew she was serious. “If there’s any chance of this thing between us working out, then you’re going to have to accept that I’m not a damsel in distress.”

  “I wouldn’t dare even suggest such a thing,” Bastian grinned. His smile faded. “Seriously, Rachel, you were magnificent in there. How did it feel to embrace your bear side?”

  “Stop!” Rachel shouted, startling Bastian.

  He hit the brakes and frowned at her.

  “It’s okay,” he said.

  She shook her head.

  “I know. But I can’t just leave my car here,” she said, nodding to her car.

  Bastian felt relief flood him when he realized she only wanted him to stop because her car was here.

  “We’ll take your car and I’ll have the rental company collect this one from here,” he said.

  They moved to Rachel’s car and got in. She started the engine, but she left the car idling and looked at Bastian.

  “It felt good,” she said. “Embracing my bear side. I think I might like to do it more often. So I was thinking… is there maybe space for two more in your pack?”

  Bastian didn’t reply with words. Instead, he pulled Rachel toward him and kissed her hard on the mouth. When they broke apart, they were both breathless. They looked at each other for a moment and then Rachel smiled.

  “I take it that’s a yes, then?” she said.

  “It’s a hell yes,” Bastian said. “You won’t regret this, Rachel.”

  She smiled and started to take the hand break off. Bastian put his hand over hers, stopping her for a moment. Rachel looked up at him questioningly.

  “Even if you say no to this, you’re welcome to join the pack,” he said. “But Rachel, I would love it if you joined the pack as my mate. I love you and I want us to spend eternity together.”

  “I love you too,” Rachel said, tears shining in her eyes. “And my answer is yes. I would love to be your mate for life. Forever.”

  They kissed again, a deep, loving kiss that made Bastian feel as though his heart was finally whole. They pulled apart and Rachel finally put the car in gear, starting the long drive home. After a few minutes, Bastian spoke up.

  “Rachel, what you said about embracing your bear, was that true or did you just say it so we could be together?” Bastian asked.

  “It’s true,” Rachel said. She gave him a flirty smile. “But I’ll admit, you’re a nice bonus.”

  Bastian laughed and shook his head.

  “I’m serious, Rachel. Because if you don’t want to join the pack, then you don’t have to. Ending Lewis was my last gift to my pack before I left them. For you.”

  “You were really willing to do that for me?” Rachel asked, sounding shocked.

  “I’d do anything for you,” Bastian smiled.

  “Then promise me that once we get settled in together, you’ll take me out into the middle of nowhere and turn with me and we’ll just run and run for hours,” Rachel said.

  “Done,” Bastian said with a smile.

  Epilogue

  Two Years Later

  Rachel knocked on the door of Bastian’s home office.

  “Come in,” he called.

  She opened the door and smiled at him.

  “Hey,” he said. “What are you doing home from work so early?”

  “I asked for a half-day so we could celebrate,” she said.

  “Celebrate what?” Bastian asked, confused about what he was missing.

  Had he forgotten their anniversary? Rachel’s birthday? He knew he hadn’t.

  “This,” Rachel smiled.

  She pulled her hand out from behind her back and showed Bastian a positive pregnancy test. He jumped up from his seat, laughing with joy. He pulled Rachel into his arms and kissed her full on the mouth.

  “This is the best news ever,” he said, when he pulled his mouth from hers.

  “I know,” she laughed. “Three is about to become four.”

  Bastian grinned and then he picked Rachel up and sat her on the edge of his desk. He kissed her again, his hands roaming over her body. Rachel felt desire and complete and utter joy fill her all at once, and she knew she had made the right choice embracing her bear, joining the pack, and mating with Bastian. She had no idea what the future might hold for them, but she was excited to find out with her soulmate by her side.

  * * *

  READ MORE ABOUT SANMERE SHIFTERS IN THIS NEW SERIES BY LOLA GABRIEL!

  Shifting Fates: Sanmere Shifters 1

  Fae Loyalty: Sanmere Shifters 2

  Dragon’s Clutch: Sanmere Shifters 3

  Shifting Truths: Sanmere Shifters 4

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  Thank You

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  About the Author

  Lola Gabriel loves reading and writing paranormal romances. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, she has fond memories of retreating to the woods for long hikes. The towering evergreens, natural waterfalls, and soothing rain often set the scenery for her characters’ romantic encounters.

  Find out more about Lola Gabriel at SecretWoodsBooks.com