Page 11 of Guarded By the Bigfoot (Mystic Ridge Monster Mates #1)

PARKER

T he silence pressed down after he left. I stood there, trembling, my fists clenched at my sides.

Damn him. Damn his noble intentions and his protective instincts. Damn the way he made me feel, like I finally belonged somewhere, only to push me away.

I paced the room, my boots making soft thuds against the wooden floor.

The morning light streaming through the windows seemed too bright, too cheerful for the storm raging inside me.

Everything in the room reminded me of him—the carved furniture, the subtle humming in the walls, even the lingering scent of musk that seemed to follow him everywhere.

My training told me to leave, to follow orders, and retreat to safety. But something deeper, something that had nothing to do with ARC protocols and everything to do with the strange connection we shared, kept me rooted in place.

I’d spent my whole life building walls, protecting myself from this kind of attachment. My past taught me that connection meant pain, that love was temporary. ARC had given me purpose, structure, a way to channel my need to protect others without risking my heart.

Until Brock.

He’d crashed through my defenses, not with force, but with quiet strength and loyalty. Even now, pushing me away, he did it out of love. A realization that twisted inside me.

“This is ridiculous,” I muttered, running a hand through my hair. I couldn’t just stand here while he prepared to sacrifice himself. I had to try one more time to make him see reason.

I found him in the control room, hunched over a crystal array, his massive frame tense as he studied the swirling patterns of energy. The machines hummed with power, displaying readings I recognized from my ARC training, but these were far more advanced than anything we had.

“I told you to leave,” he said without turning around, his voice rough.

“I’m sorry.” I stepped closer, close enough to feel the heat radiating from his body. “Brock, please. Look at me.”

He turned slowly, his eyes revealing a pain I hadn’t expected. I felt his desperate need to protect me warring with an equally powerful desire to keep me close.

“I can’t leave you,” I said, my voice breaking. “Don’t ask me to walk away.”

“I don’t have a choice.” He reached out, his hand cupping my cheek. “Parker, you don’t understand what we’re facing. The amount of power it will take to seal that fracture...”

“Then let me help!” I grabbed his wrist, holding his hand against my face. “ARC has resources, technology specifically designed for Veil anomalies. The Elite Team?—”

“No.” His voice was firm. “Your team isn’t equipped for this level of threat. Their technology might work on minor breaches, but this? This is ancient, Parker. The Dreadnull is raw darkness incarnate, a being that existed before time itself. It would tear through your equipment like tissue paper.”

“I’ve seen what those shadow hounds can do,” I said, remembering their attack in the village. “But the Dreadnull itself...”

“Is far worse.” His jaw tightened. “It feeds on magic, on life itself. The last time it tried to break through was centuries ago. I barely pushed it back, and it cost me nearly everything.”

“So what?” I stepped closer, pressing my hands against his chest. “I’m supposed to just accept that you’re going to battle this thing alone and might not come back? That what we have means nothing?”

“It means everything!” His voice cracked, and suddenly he was pulling me against him, his arms wrapping around me with protective urgency.

“That’s why I have to do this. To protect you, to protect everyone.

There is no other Guardian, Parker. Just me.

I’m the last of my line, the only one who can maintain the Veil. ”

I buried my face in his chest, breathing in his scent, feeling his heart pound against my cheek. “You’re not alone anymore,” I whispered. “Let me be your partner, not just another person you have to protect.”

He was quiet for a long moment, one hand stroking my hair. I felt his conflict, his fear, his love.

“Parker,” he said finally, his voice gentle. “I have to go. The fracture is growing stronger by the minute. If I don’t stop it now...”

“Brock—”

“Leave the mountain, Parker.” He turned away, his shoulders set in a rigid line. “Please. Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”

The dismissal cut deep. I watched him walk away, feeling hollow yet strangely resolute.

The door clicked shut behind him, leaving me alone with the hum of the machines and the echo of his words.

Leave the mountain, Parker.

My hands trembled as I pulled my phone from my pocket. A blinking light on the screen told me I had more missed calls. Several of them. ARC protocols were clear: if I failed to respond during a potential threat, the Elite Team would be deployed automatically.

I unlocked the phone with a swipe, my chest tightening as I scanned the messages:

Director Nolan

Agent Woods, report immediately. The Elite Team is standing by for deployment.

Captain Garris

The breach is escalating. If you’re compromised, give the word. We’re coming in.

System Alert

Veil Breach Level 4 detected in your vicinity. Please confirm status and request backup if required.

I stared at the screen, the words blurring together. The logical part of me screamed to respond, to follow protocol, to call them in and let ARC handle this. But then I thought of Brock. The look in his eyes, his unwavering determination, his belief that this fight was his to face alone.

He didn’t trust ARC. Not with this. Not with me. He’d seen decades of their mistakes. Their arrogance. Always thinking they could control powers beyond their understanding.

The phone vibrated again, a fresh call flashing across the screen.

Director Nolan. My stomach clenched as I hit Ignore.

“Damn it,” I muttered, moving restlessly across the room.

The storm outside rumbled, a dull counterpoint to my thoughts.

Every instinct I had told me I was doing the wrong thing—that withholding information was reckless, dangerous.

But I couldn’t shake the feeling that calling them in now would only make things worse.

Brock was right. Their technology wasn’t enough. This breach wasn’t something you could contain with a drone or a stabilizer beam. The Dreadnull was ancient and raw. Whatever Brock was planning to do, I had to believe he could pull it off.

I glanced back at the door he’d disappeared through, my heart pounding.

Another message popped up.

Captain Garris

Woods, respond now, or we’re coming in hot.

My fingers hovered over the keyboard. I could buy time, delay them, tell them I was gathering intel or securing the area. It wasn’t a lie, not entirely. But it was dangerous. If Brock failed...

No. I couldn’t think like that.

Taking a steadying breath, I typed a response:

Situation under control. Do not deploy. Will report within the hour.

I hit send, then dropped the phone onto the counter. The monitoring crystal pulsed red, casting sharp shadows across the room.

Outside, the wind howled.

The Dreadnull was getting closer.