Page 21

Chapter Twenty-One

Welcome Back

Bellamy

Clover’s eyes blinked open cautiously, like she had no idea where she was. My plan after I’d put the ring on her finger was to kiss her, but she’d fallen unconscious, slumping against my chest.

“Hey,” I said, as calmly as I could. I was mostly sure she’d been under the influence of magic, but there was no way to tell what that magic was doing to her. “Welcome back.”

Her eyes were still blank, and I held her tighter, liking the little sigh that had come out of her too much for my comfort. I might be a protector, but I had a long way to go before I could claim I’d saved this woman.

My claiming skills needed a lot of work.

“I feel like I’m still dreaming.” She looked around, her body tensing in my arms. “When did we get to your truck?”

“I carried you here when you passed out.” We’d been on the sidewalk, and a bear shifter carrying the limp body of his mate didn’t go unnoticed on a busy downtown street. Their horrified expressions mirrored what I felt on the inside. “Wanted to get you someplace safe in case I needed to get you help.”

“I think I’m okay.” But her words were heavily laced with hesitation as she looked down on the ring on her finger. Her fingers spread out as she stared at it, like she was daring it to try her again.

“I tried to get it off, but your hands were locked into fists like you’d turned to stone.”

“It had a message for me.” She touched the moonstone and shuddered. “I don’t know how credible it is.”

“The magic is real.” I had no way to back up that claim, but it felt different from anything Shirley had ever offered. “You went from your lively, vibrant self to dead weight in my arms the minute you put on that ring. Did you feel anything from it before you put it on?”

“Yeah.” Clover narrowed her eyes at me. “You mean, you didn’t?”

I shook my head.

“When those bears captured me, they kept me in one of those tents. I think it might have been where Alba did her healing work, because it was full of crystals. I could feel them, so I remarked how powerful the stones were. And Alba said I couldn’t feel power that I didn’t have.”

Interesting. But why would Clover gain power, now?

She’s always had it , my bear said.

“What did you see when you passed out?” I asked, handing her a bottle of water.

She took a deep sip. “A baby. At first I thought it was our baby.”

My bear liked that idea a lot. I’d already beaten myself up thinking that putting the ring on her finger had been moving too fast, but Clover Crowley only moved at warp speed. All I could do was buckle up and enjoy the ride.

“But as the scene unfolded, I realized I was looking through that newborn’s eyes. It was me,” she continued. “The elders had gathered around me and my mom, trying to coax her to give me to them. She refused. Then the vision skipped forward a few years, and I swear I saw her take my magic from my body, like it was a physical thing.”

“Seems like maybe she didn’t do such a good job, since it’s come back in a big way.” But it made sense.

“She wanted me to keep it a secret. Like Nana wouldn’t notice it was gone. And everyone accepted that I’d been born as this magical creature and then boom, it was gone, but they made me feel like it was my fault for not having it.”

“None of this is your fault,” I growled. “You should never apologize for being a powerful woman. It was always inside you, waiting to come out.”

“You might be right. I’ve spent a lot of time wondering why I didn’t get magic, who I’d pissed off in some other realm.” She chuckled, but her expression quickly sobered. “It wasn’t just babies and magic. I don’t think I’m the target of this attack.”

“Then who was?” My bear was on point. “We need to alert them. I can put a team on it, if need be. My guys aren’t well-versed in magic, but we’ll get them there. They’re smart and they learn quick.”

This could be the perfect assignment for Beau. He’d be working closely with me but still have his own case. Barrett would be back soon, and I needed to show that I’d made some headway on something, instead of getting totally sidetracked by the woman who’d rejected me.

You found your mate, my bear argued. That’s something he can certainly understand.

“I’m not sure you’ll need a team.” Clover did one of my favorite things and bit her lip. “I think they were trying to sabotage you.”

“What?” She couldn’t have seen it right.

She shook her head. “I didn’t see the reasons as clearly as I saw Mom take my magic. As soon as I realized they didn’t want you to be alpha, that’s when I woke up.”

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I groaned, because this so wasn’t the time for an interruption, but I couldn’t ignore the business.

“Hey, it’s Major Lowe. Did I catch you at a bad time?”

“No, of course not.” It wasn’t exactly a lie. Major could make sense of some of the things that had happened since we’d gone ghost bear hunting. “What’s going on?”

“You’re never gonna believe this, but the bike is back.”

“Oh, that’s great news, Major.” I nodded at Clover as her face brightened. “Is there a lot of damage? Did the reward you posted help get it back?”

“No, it’s perfect, and to be honest, I’m not even sure how it got here. I went out front to help a customer. My brother X just came in with lunch. When we headed to the backroom to eat, it was just there, like it never had moved. It sounds crazy, I know, but it’s here.”

“Not the craziest thing I’ve heard today.” Having the bike back was a relief, but now we had even more questions. “Have the police come by and see if there are any prints on it. Let me know what they say, and if you find anything else interesting. But I’m glad to hear it’s back,” I said. “Did you ever get in touch with Anders Lynwood?”

I hadn’t told Major we were headed to Coeur d’Alene.

“Not yet. I planned to do it tomorrow if we still had no leads, because the parts we would need to build again are hard to come by. Some of them might even be one of a kind. Glad I don’t have to deal with that.” He chuckled. “Let me know what I owe you.”

“A beer the next time I see you at the Stepchild will more than cover it. Talk to you soon.”

I ended the call and met Clover’s eager gaze. “The bike just magically appeared back at Choppers by Lowe.”

She shook her head. “It wasn’t a distraction after all. It did its job by bringing us to the ring, and now it’s back where it belongs.”

“You think the whole thing was magic?” I asked.

“I wish it had brought us to the locket, but something tells me we wouldn’t have found the locket if I didn’t find this.” She held up her hand. “Or we wouldn’t be ready for what the locket has to tell us.”

“You’re probably right, but it doesn’t give us any solid leads on the locket, or who would’ve placed an order as Anders Lynwood. If he isn’t a living person, then whoever placed the order has the locket.”

“You’re very good at your job.” Clover gave me a kiss and batted her lashes. “It’s not the only thing you’re good at.”

“I’d love to suggest another trip to the hot tub so I could show you what else I’m good at, but we should probably head back to Granger Falls.” I checked the time on my phone, hoping it was late enough in the day to justify another night here, alone with this woman, away from the responsibilities of the business.

Once Barrett got back, maybe I could take a few days off and we could get away.

On your mate moon, my bear said.

It was still early enough that we’d make checkout. Damn it.

“Your cabin needs a hot tub.” Clover waggled her brows as she rose. “I have a suggestion, and I’m not sure how you’ll feel about it.”

“I’m all ears.”

“We should visit the clan on the way back.”