Chapter 18

Ada’s knees were in the dirt as she picked weeds from her garden behind the main house. It’d been two weeks since the others had joined them and Robert O’Kelly had been killed for his crimes against his own kind. Drake and Rex had bought temporary mobile homes for the others from the O’Kelly clan to live in until their cottages were completed. Ransom and Luca decided to share a home until the time came when one of them found their mate.

The sound of hammers hitting nails echoed in the woods, voices of the panthers who were building the four homes reached her ears, but the sounds of happiness was what made her heart swell. She had a family again, and a mate who loved her dearly.

“Can I help you with that?” Anna Claire asked as she approached. The young female had shaken most of her trauma since hearing of her father’s death. Ada had spent many nights counseling the young female, but there was still a lot going on that Anna Claire needed to address on her own.

Gunnar had taken to coming home from the fields at lunch everyday just to sit and talk with Anna Claire while they both ate. He still hadn’t touched her, and Anna Claire hadn’t mentioned anything to her about her feelings toward the male.

“If you could pull the weeds over by the tomatoes, I’d really appreciate it,” Ada sighed, wiping the sweat off her brow with the back of her hand. It wasn’t overly hot outside, but her body was on fire. She didn’t know why, and it was starting to get quite annoying. “I’m exhausted.”

“You’re also pregnant,” Tessa complained as she exited the house. “If Rex comes home and sees you are out here on your knees in this heat, he’s going to have a stroke.”

“Bears don’t have strokes,” Ada retorted, rolling her eyes.

“It’s a figure of speech,” Tessa huffed. “I’m not going to fuss at you for doing the gardening, because I’ve been in your shoes. Drake wouldn’t let me lift a finger, and I was miserable. All he wanted me to do was rest, and you can only rest so much before you go insane.”

Anna Claire and Ada chuckled at Tessa’s example of her mate doting over her while she was with young. Tessa had been human and had lived differently than female bears. She didn’t understand the male’s need to care for their mates.

“I’ll be done and cleaned up before he arrives,” Ada promised, but her eyes widened when she heard the truck tires crunching on the gravel driveway.

“You were saying?” Anna Claire teased.

“Shit,” Ada cursed as she climbed to her feet.

“Don’t worry,” Anna Claire said. “It’s probably only Gunnar. It’s about time for him to show up so we can have lunch together. I doubt Rex left the field.”

Anna Claire was right. Rex didn’t usually come home for lunch, preferring to take something in a cooler so he could eat while he worked. With Rex out of the house, Ada had more time to tend to her garden without his worry for her being out in the heat.

The panther’s healer, Harold, had been by the day before to give her a checkup, and she was given a clean bill of health. The cub was perfect.

“Ada,” Rex said from the back door. His voice was as disapproving as usual when he caught her working on a project he thought was too taxing.

“Rex, I’m not going to address you when you use that tone with me,” she scolded, plucking another weed. “You can go right back in that house until I’m finished.”

“Ada,” he began, but a hard glare over her shoulder shut him up. With a curse, he left her to go inside.

Anna Claire chuckled under her breath. Tessa choked a little, and when Ada caught the female’s eyes, they all burst into obnoxious laughter. Tessa slapped her knee as she caught her breath. “You told him.”

“He’s going to be so angry,” Anna Claire chuckled.

“I better go inside,” she sighed and stood, brushing the dirt off her knees.

“Sucker,” Tessa teased under her breath.

Ada shook her head and walked past Tessa, knowing she couldn’t let Rex think she was mad at him. When she entered the kitchen, he was sitting at the table with his head over a plate of leftover chicken and vegetables from the night before.

“Don’t be mad at me,” she whispered as she wrapped her arms around the back of his neck. The fork clinked as he set it against his plate.

Warm hands enveloped her arms and he sighed, “I shouldn’t be so hard on you when you’re doing what you love.”

“I know you worry,” she offered, kissing the mating mark on the side of his neck. “Is there any way you can stay home after lunch.”

“For you, anything, sweetheart,” he promised.

“Really?” she asked, a little shocked he’d leave the males in the fields.

“With Luca and Ransom helping us, we’ve knocked out almost all of the planting. I never realized how much a set of extra hands would help us,” he admitted.

“I’m glad they’re here,” she sobered, remembering the uncertainty Rex had when they’d first met them. They’d definitely proved their worth when they helped kill Robert and the men from Montana.

Ada had caught a news report the day after. The home she’d lived in with Anna Claire and her father had made the nightly news. The home and three other buildings on the property had caught fire. The bodies inside were never named, but the government had been called in when firearms were found in one of the outbuildings.

The sheriff hadn’t come around since, and Rex assured her all was well. No one knew who Robert was selling the guns to, and they hoped the law would find them. If it was a shifter who’d been dealing with Robert, the Shaw pride would take over, but if it was a human, Ada was happier to let the law deal with the illegal guns. She wanted no part of Robert O’Kelly or his nefarious dealings ever again.

“Come,” Rex said as he interrupted her thoughts. “I want to spend the afternoon caring for my mate and our cub.”

“I think I would like that,” she replied.

Gaia sat on her living room floor, surrounded by candles, sending the healing powers of the earth to Gunnar’s destined mate, Anna Claire. The pain reflected back to her was enough to take her breath away.

There was no way she could do anything to help the young female, other than make her days full of sun and warmth. It would take the love of a worthy male to bring Anna Claire out of her depression.

Knock!

Gaia’s head jerked up as she faced the door. No one knew where she lived, and she liked to keep it that way. Visitors were not allowed. Whoever was at her door was there for a reason, and she stood, feeling the power of lightning electrify her hands. She didn’t need human weapons to defend herself.

“Who is it?” she called out.

“It’s Garrett,” the sheriff said from the other side of the door. “We need to talk.”

“What can I help you with today, Sheriff?” Although her voice was welcoming, she wasn’t too happy with the lawman finding out where she lived.

“I need to know why you are not protecting the bears,” he stated as she moved out of the way to welcome him into her home. She pulled back on the electricity in her palms enough to wave her hand toward the candles, using the air to blow them out.

The sheriff raised an eyebrow. “Nice.”

“Have a seat, and I’ll tell you only the things you need to know,” she offered. “Tea?”

“No,” he said, staying upright. He didn’t sit as she had requested, and Gaia knew the angel was there with questions for a reason. She didn’t know if she wanted to answer them, but she would give him the most basic answer possible. No one needed to know why she was there or what she was doing.

“Tell me what your business is with the Morgan clan,” he repeated.

“I am here to watch over them,” she hedged. The sheriff wasn’t buying it, but Gaia didn’t care. What she did was not regulated by heaven, hell, or the other gods.

“That’s it?” he scoffed. “If you were to watch over them, why didn’t you see what was happening to those females since they are destined to be the mates of those Morgan boys?”

“The extent of my job here is none of your business, Garrett,” she scolded.

“Why, out of all the places Mother Nature would take up residency as a human, did you pick this town?” he pressed. The dark-haired male was big and powerful, but he held no rights over her. They were different. He was made by the gods, and she was born of the earth.

“I have obligations,” she answered. “However, I am not to disturb the course of nature.”

“So, those tornados a few weeks ago were natural?”

“Ah, I may be able to do a few things to guide the ones I care for in the direction they need to follow for their future,” she shrugged.

Sheriff Lynch finally relaxed and sat on the couch when she didn’t answer. “Gaia, please, tell me what it is you’re doing here.”

“What’s it to you?” She returned his question with one of her own. “You are in charge of those panthers. Leave the Morgan clan alone.”

“They’re living in my town, Gaia,” he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. For an angel, he was rather good looking. She hadn’t noticed it before, but his features were as powerful as his aura. It wasn’t just his uniform that made him come across that way, either. The way he held himself proved he was something other than human.

“I assure you, my reason for being here is to keep the balance of nature,” she replied. “You don’t have to worry about any problems coming for your panthers. My bears are happy living in peace.”

“I don’t want any trouble coming for either of them,” he admitted, wringing his hands. “So, why here? Why Olive Branch?”

“I needed somewhere I felt needed,” she finally admitted, gritting her teeth when she realized she had said too much.

“You’re Mother Nature, Gaia,” he stated. The sheriff’s eyes heated as they roamed her face. The observation made her cheeks darken. “Everyone needs you.”

“The world is changing, Garrett. I’m not as needed as I was before. The humans are destroying what I gave them, and one day, I will have to maintain balance, taking back what belongs to me.”

“Will you let me know before you do?” he teased, a rare smile tilting just the corner of his lip. Gaia inhaled a breath. He really was quite handsome…for an angel. “I have some unfinished business I need to take care of.”

Rex stood on the porch as the sheriff’s car drove toward the house. He’d left their shotguns inside the front door, because there was no threat from the sheriff. There was a peaceful friendship between them, and although his brother wasn’t as trusting, Rex owed the male for the help in taking down Ada’s old clan.

“Sheriff.” Rex nodded to the lawman as he stepped out of his patrol car. “What can we do for you today?”

“I’d like to speak with your mate and the others from the O’Kelly clan,” Garrett announced. “I have something of importance to give them.” Rex narrowed his eyes when the male retrieved a black briefcase from his car. “Can we have a meeting?”

“Sure.” Rex entered the house, calling for Gunnar to gather up the elders and the two O’Kelly brothers. “Have a seat.”

It took less than five minutes to round everyone up. Rex stood behind his mate as she took a seat to the sheriff’s right. Anna Claire sat beside Ada, and the others took the remaining seats. Ransom and Luca stood at attention at the other end of the table.

“What’s going on?” Ada asked. Rex felt the tension in his mate’s body, and he lightly massaged the tops of her shoulders, relieved when she relaxed a little.

“I was able to acquire something I found at the O’Kelly clan’s property right before the ATF came in and confiscated the guns.”

“What did you find?” Ada pressed. Rex worried it was information that would upset his mate. If there was evidence in that case of Robert’s involvement in anyone else’s death, he wasn’t sure how the others would take it.

“I understand Barnett Haskell paid Robert half a million dollars to purchase Ada,” he began, but a loud snarl from Rex stopped him. “Let me finish.”

“This better not upset my mate,” he warned.

“I don’t think it will,” Garrett smirked. That smartass look on the lawman’s face was agitating Rex’s beast. It took all of his self-control not to take a swipe at him.

“Please, tell me,” Ada urged, her voice shaking.

“I don’t think there is anything in this world that could take the place of the things and people you’ve lost due to the monster who ran your old clan, but I hope this will ease things for you for some time.”

Garrett unlatched the case, lifting the lid as he spun it around. A round of gasps echoed through the house. The clan all stood, leaning over to stare inside.

“Is this the money Robert was given?” Ada asked under her breath.

“This isn’t the half a million, but it’s damn close,” Garrett announced. “Ada, this is, by all rights, your money.”

“No,” she gasped, shaking her head. “This belongs to all of us.”

“Ada,” Martha gasped. “Robert sold you! You deserve that money.”

“No,” Ada sobered, reaching one of her hands up to place over Rex’s fingertips. “We all suffered at his hands. It’s only right we split the money.”

“It’s your decision what to do with the money,” Garrett said as he stood from the head of the table. “I will see myself out.”

Once Garrett was gone, they sat there for the longest time just staring at the case. The elders looked like they’d found happiness again. Ransom and Luca stared at the money, much like Ada and Anna Claire were…with uncertainty.

“Is it wrong to take this?” Ada asked, glancing up at him.

“You are owed so much more for what you and the others endured, Ada,” Rex answered. “In the human world, there are lawsuits filed for large amounts of money when someone has been wronged. We can’t do that in our world. This money is the only penance you can get without us being exposed. If you’d like, I can count the money and divide it evenly for everyone if it would make things easier on you.”

“Please?” she replied with a nod toward the case.

Rex sat in the sheriff’s seat and turned the case in his direction. It took awhile to count all of the bills, and when he was done, he looked up at each and every one of the people who was now a part of his clan.

“There’s four hundred and fifty thousand dollars here,” he gulped. “Each of you will receive fifty-six thousand, two-hundred and fifty dollars.”

Martha began to laugh, the sound gaining strength as she ran a weathered hand over her face. Peggy chimed in, and before he knew it, all of them were celebrating the end of their ordeal.

No matter the money, Rex knew his mate was more relieved Robert O’Kelly wasn’t around to torment anyone else. She’d found peace with his death, and with his death, she had regained her family.

Rex and his brothers had welcomed in an entire clan, and with each passing day, they were getting closer to them, trusting in their newfound family. Drake had mentioned the other night how he enjoyed his long talks with the elder males. Rex had to agree. They were the same age his parents would’ve been if they were still around.

Maybe that was what the Morgan clan had needed all along…a family.

“Rex?” Ada called out. When he turned around, she’d stood from the table, her hand resting on her still-flat stomach. He smiled warmly at her, excited for the time when she would be round with his cub.

“Yes, sweetheart?” he replied, holding his hand out for her.

“Come to bed with me,” she suggested. He couldn’t say no to her, and when she looked at him with such trust and love in her heart, he knew he’d made the right decision of listening to his mating instinct that day in the woods behind his home.