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“It’s okay,” Emma said. “Tell me. Come here. Come on out, Caden. No one will hurt you...”

  But Caden wasn’t looking at her. He paled and his eyes widened in sheer terror as he stared over her shoulder.

  “He...he killed them,” Caden whispered, raising a trembling finger.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Emma whirled round and saw a man walking silently towards them. She stood in front of Caden to block the child. She knew that the man she was facing was a shifter.

  The man had a heavyset, stocky body, but he moved with the stealth and silence of a predator. His eyes glowed feral in the dark and she glimpsed the tips of his fangs and claws.

  “Stand aside, human,” the man growled.

  “Who are you?” Emma demanded.

  The man glared at her. “I am the new Alpha of the Kingston Pride. My name is Hector Brun,” he finished with a mocking bow. “Now, get out of the way,” he snarled. “This is pride business. Move!”

  Emma gulped. She had never heard of the Kingston Pride, but then again, she hadn’t really bothered getting to know anybody in town. What went on among the shifters and the rest of the paranormal community was none of her business.

  “No. I’m not moving,” Emma surprised herself by saying.

  Her voice sounded unnaturally loud in the alley. “I found the kid. I will make sure that he’s safe,” she said firmly.

  “Caden belongs to the Kingston Pride. I’m his Alpha.” Hector bared his fangs in a cold smile. “And his uncle.”

  Emma frowned. “What?” She turned to glance over her shoulder at the little boy behind her. Did the kid run away from home? What was happening here?

  Caden shook his head rapidly. “Uncle Hector...killed them,” he panted. “He wants to kill me too.”

  Emma stepped closer to Caden to shield him from Hector. “Step away from us,” she told Hector. “Don’t come any closer.”

  “I am giving you a chance to move away, human,” Hector snarled, his fangs elongating. “I have taken over the Kingston Pride and I will get rid of anyone connected to the old Alpha. His whole bloodline must be wiped out.” Hector pointed at Caden. “That runt is the last one.”

  “You’re going to kill an innocent kid?” Emma snapped in disbelief and anger. “He’s your nephew! I thought shifters protected their own.”

  “We do. I will protect my own children.” Hector gave her a contemptuous smile. “But Caden is the son of my dead opponent. He cannot be allowed to live. The old Alpha’s bloodline must be wiped out completely.”

  “You’re a bad man, Uncle Hector!” Caden yelled, his face contorted in pain and rage. “You killed Daddy, Mommy and all my siblings! Why? Why did you have to hurt us? Daddy was nice to you!”

  Hector laughed. “That brother-in-law of mine was too soft and trusting. The pride needs a stronger Alpha. I will rid the pride of its weak links and the new Kingston Pride will be so much better and stronger.”

  Hector unsheathed his claws. “Now, Caden, wouldn’t you like to join your parents and siblings?”

  “Get away from him,” Emma snarled. “I won’t let you touch him!”

  “Leave now, or die,” Hector said, baring his deadly fangs.

  CHAPTER SIX

  “I’m not leaving, and I won’t let you hurt the kid,” Emma said, raising her fists.

  Fur raced up Hector’s muscular arms as he let out a dangerous growl. An answering growl sounded behind her.

  Startled, Emma spun round to see Caden shifting into a lion cub. Before she could stop him, the cub ran out from behind her to face Hector.

  “Caden!” she shouted. “Stay back...”

  But the cub stood boldly in front of Emma to protect her. Caden opened his mouth wide to display his little teeth and stood his ground.

  Hector smirked and shifted into a huge lion. The lion prowled towards them and took a swipe at Caden. The cub jumped away in time and crouched low, waiting for the chance to strike back.

  Emma looked around desperately, hoping to see something she could use as a weapon. She had to protect Caden. The little cub was so tiny compared to the full-grown lion. Caden was no match for his ruthless uncle.

  “Caden, move!” she hissed.

  But Caden refused to budge. He was prepared to fight his uncle to the death.

  Emma was about to lunge forward when two broomsticks suddenly dropped from the sky above them and clattered to the ground.

  Emma blinked hard.

  Broomsticks?

  From the sky?

  What in the world was happening? The night couldn’t get stranger.

  Shrieks were heard overhead and Emma saw two figures tumbling towards them from a great height.

  Emma cried out in shock and horror when she realized that the two figures were two little old ladies.

  They were plummeting towards the ground, free-falling to their deaths!

  One of the old ladies yelled a string of words which sounded like nonsense to Emma. Immediately, a huge bubble formed around the two old women.

  Emma saw the two old ladies giggling as the gigantic bubble floated harmlessly to the ground. They landed right in front of Emma and Caden.

  The bubble popped and the two little old ladies dusted themselves off and looked around.

  One of them pushed her glasses up her nose and peered at Emma. “Hello! You’re the new girl at the convenience store down the street. I’m Ne-ma.” She grinned and prattled on happily, “My name is Neveah and this is Glynda.” She nudged her friend beside her. “But everyone calls us Ne-ma and Gramma.”

  Gramma beamed at Emma and Caden. Her smile faded when she turned around and saw Hector.

  “Um...Neveah?” Gramma said out of the corner of her mouth. “I think we landed in a tight spot.”

  “Yeah,” Ne-ma sniffed, glaring at the broken broomsticks on the ground. “These broomsticks don’t give as much mileage as advertised. This is the last time I buy anything from that Magical Discount Store...”

  “Neveah!” Gramma hissed. “There’s a lion...”

  “I know,” Ne-ma answered, bending down to pat Caden’s head. “What an adorable lion cub!”

  Gramma yanked Ne-ma’s arm and spun her around. “Not that lion. This one!”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Ne-ma gasped when she came face to face with Hector. “Why didn’t you say anything earlier, Glynda?” Ne-ma sputtered.

  Hector shifted to human form and shoved Gramma and Ne-ma to the side. “Hey, that’s rude!” Gramma huffed. “You didn’t have to do that. What are you so angsty for? Have you got ants in your pants, or fleas in your briefs?”

  “I’m just here for the cub,” Hector growled. “Don’t interfere, and you won’t get hurt. Now get out of my way, witches.”

  Gramma and Ne-ma widened their eyes at Hector. “We’ve never seen you before,” Ne-ma said at last. “And we know almost everyone in Shadow Point. Who the hell are you?”

  “And who do you think you are?” Gramma scowled.

  Hector smirked. “I’m Hector Brun, the new Alpha of the Kingston Pride.”

  “The Kingston Pride is in Crimson Creek,” Ne-ma said, peering at Hector over her glasses. “Crimson Creek is two towns away from Shadow Point.”

  Emma had recovered from her shock at seeing Gramma and Ne-ma fall from the sky. Gramma and Ne-ma were the owners of Broomstick Inn. Their inn was located on the same street as the convenience store where Emma worked, so she passed Broomstick Inn almost every day.

  Emma had heard that Gramma and Ne-ma were witches, but she’d had no confirmation of that fact until now.

  As Hector prowled towards Caden, Emma cried out, “Don’t let him touch the kid! He’ll kill him!”

  Before Emma could move, Hector shifted into a roaring lion and flew towards Caden.

  Emma screamed and the two little old ladies exploded into action.

  With a war cry, Ne-ma launched herself at Hector. She landed on the lion’s back and grabbed a fistful of his mane, shouting, “Bad lion! Bad,
bad lion!”

  Gramma muttered some strange-sounding words and pointed at Hector. What sounded like gibberish to Emma was actually an incantation for a spell.

  There was a burst of sparks and Hector’s mane turned bright pink. “What are you trying to do, Glynda?” Ne-ma yelled, hanging on to the angry lion for dear life. “He sure looks pretty in pink, but a fat lot of good that does me!”

  “Oops, sorry! Wrong spell,” Gramma said sheepishly.

  Hector’s mane reverted back to its original color and with a furious roar, he shook Ne-ma off. Ne-ma landed beside the dumpster with a loud crash.

  “Neveah! Are you okay?” Gramma cried as she hurried to Ne-ma’s side.

  “I think I broke something...” Ne-ma groaned.

  Hector ignored the witches and locked his gaze on Emma and Caden. Caden bared his tiny fangs at his uncle and snarled. He was going to fight to protect Emma.

  Hector and Emma moved at the same instant.

  As Hector pounced, Emma leaped forward and snatched the brave little cub up in her arms. Cradling the cub to her chest, Emma rolled away swiftly.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Emma heard the rip of fabric as sharp claws shredded her hoodie.

  Biting down a cry, Emma scrambled away as fast as she could. She turned around and saw Hector charging towards her, his jaws yawning wide open.

  She screamed as she stared into the jaws of death. Squeezing her eyes shut, she braced for the pain but those terrifying teeth never closed around her neck.

  Unable to breathe or move, Emma forced her eyes open. She let out a whimper and blinked hard.

  Was she hallucinating?

  Was that...a bear?

  Was there really a bear in the alley?

  Where did the bear come from? She had been so focused on Caden that she hadn’t noticed anything else.

  But there it was. Larger than life and fiercer than fire.

  Indeed, the bear’s eyes burned like blue flames and its golden fur gleamed as it moved with deadly speed.

  The bear attacked the lion relentlessly and viciously. Hector fought back but it became clear that he was no match for the raging, maddened bear.

  Hector was cruel and brutal, but he wasn’t stupid. He quickly realized that this wasn’t a fight he could win.

  With a snarl at Emma and Caden, Hector turned and ran out of the alley.

  The bear didn’t give chase. The great beast watched the lion disappear before turning around.

  Emma scrabbled back with a terrified cry when the bear approached them slowly.

  Caden squirmed and leaped out of her arms. He ran forward and growled at the bear.

  “No, Caden,” Emma choked out.

  The bear stopped and stared at the lion cub. Emma rushed forward to protect the cub. “Don’t hurt him!” she screamed at the bear.

  She was pretty sure it was a bear shifter, but just in case it wasn’t, she yelled, “Shoo!”

  She had no idea how to scare wild bears away, if they could be scared away at all, but she knew that predators liked to go after easy prey. She had to make herself look and sound as big and scary as possible.

  She had to let the bear think that she was even harder to take down than that big, mean lion.

  Emma glanced around desperately. Gramma and Ne-ma were out of action. Ne-ma had landed badly when Hector flung her towards the wall. But Emma couldn’t tend to Ne-ma right now. She had to distract the bear and keep it away from everyone.

  “Rawr! Boo!” Emma bellowed, jumping up and down and shaking her fists threateningly. “Shoo! Go away! Shoo!”

  CHAPTER NINE

  Rocco Jones stared at the tiny lion cub in front of him. The cub was growling and baring his teeth at him, warning him not to come any closer.

  Or else.

  Behind the cub, the human woman came barreling forward, screaming at the top of her lungs, “Don’t hurt him!”

  Waving her arms and fists madly, she continued hollering as she jumped up and down on the spot, “Rawr! Boo! Shoo! Go away! Shoo!”

  She snatched the cub up in her arms just as Rocco shifted back to human form. The woman’s brown eyes widened in shock as she stared at Rocco. Just an instant earlier he had been in bear form, and now he was standing before her as a man.

  The woman backed away until she hit a wall. The lion cub was squirming in her arms, trying to free himself so he could protect her from that big, bad stranger in the alley.

  “I’m not going to hurt you. You and your cub are safe, M’am,” Rocco told the woman as he held up both hands.

  “He’s not my cub,” the woman stammered.

  Rocco raised a brow. She had protected the cub like a fearless Mama bear, so he had naturally assumed that she was his mother. “My name is Rocco Jones,” he went on after a pause. “I...”

  “He’s an artist,” Ne-ma spoke up from the corner.

  Rocco turned to the two witches standing in the shadows. He had noticed them when he first entered the alley but his attention had been solely focused on the human woman and the cub.

  That big, savage lion had been attacking these two vulnerable targets, and Rocco’s priority was to protect them.

  “Gramma, Ne-ma,” Rocco greeted them with a smile.

  Almost everyone in town knew Gramma and Ne-ma. The two vivacious grandmothers were very active in the community and they were always happy to volunteer for any charity or fund-raising events. They were helpful and welcoming to newcomers, and they were the first to knock on Rocco’s door with a freshly baked apple pie in their hands when he moved to Shadow Point a year ago.

  The human woman gaped at him. “An artist,” she repeated uncomprehendingly.

  “And a famous one to boot!” Gramma hooted. “Have you seen his paintings?”

  “Famous, handsome, gentlemanly...what a hero!” Ne-ma added with a cheeky grin.

  Rocco gave them a lopsided smile. The two impish grandmothers seemed eager to blow his trumpet for him.

  “I was just across the road when I heard you scream,” Rocco said, turning back to the human woman. “Are you hurt?”

  There were smudges and scratches on the woman’s face but her deep brown eyes shone with a fierce, determined light. Her ponytail had come undone and her wavy brown hair tumbled past her shoulders. Her full, plump lips were pursed and the color was high in her cheeks.

  Without doubt, she was the most beautiful female Rocco had ever seen in his life.

  Rocco noticed that she was trembling and he felt the strongest urge to pull her into his arms and hold her.

  The woman shook her head. “I’m okay. I...” She took a deep breath to compose herself. “Thanks for saving us. I’m Emma, and this is Caden.”

  “You were being attacked by that lion shifter. What happened exactly?” Rocco asked, looking from Emma to Gramma and Ne-ma.

  He frowned at the ragtag group in front of him. What in the world was going on in this alleyway?

  What were two elderly witches, a lion cub and a human woman doing in a dark alley at this time of night?

  CHAPTER TEN

  It was past midnight, and Rocco only wanted to get out of the house and take a quiet walk around the neighborhood to get some inspiration for his art. The last thing he expected was to stumble upon this unlikely group in a dark alley.

  Emma hesitated for a beat before she described how she had found Caden in the alley. When she described Gramma and Ne-ma falling out of the sky, the two witches pointed accusingly at the broken broomsticks on the ground and huffed, “Never buy broomsticks on the cheap!”

  Emma faithfully recounted what she had heard from Caden and Hector. The news of the bloody takeover of the Kingston Pride troubled Rocco greatly. He’d thought that the old practice of wiping out the previous Alpha’s bloodline by a new Alpha had been abolished a long time ago. But this savage practice was apparently still being carried out by a few shifter packs and prides.

  Rocco stared at the little boy beside Emma. Caden had shifted to human for
m and was gripping Emma’s hand tightly. His red-rimmed eyes shone with tears, but he refused to let his tears fall.

  The child had just witnessed the massacre of his entire family and was now running for his life. The Kingston Pride was based in Crimson Creek, which was two towns away. The boy had run for miles to reach Shadow Point.

  Caden was all alone, and he was tired, hungry and scared. But he was still holding himself together. Rocco had seen how the plucky lion cub had jumped in front of Emma to protect her.

  Rocco crouched down to speak to the youngster. “Caden,” he said gently. “I just want to tell you how brave you are. And I want you to know that I’m your friend. I will help you, Caden. Do you trust me?”

  Caden looked him straight in the eye and nodded firmly. “Yes,” he answered. “You saved me.”

  “Do you have any other relatives, Caden?” Rocco asked. “Do you know...”

  Caden shook his head. “No. Uncle Hector...” He swallowed hard. “He’s my relative, but he wants to kill me. I don’t want to go back to the pride. Please don’t make me!” he cried. “I have nowhere to go...”

  Rocco held out his hand. “You can stay with me, Caden.”

  The boy sniffed and blinked at Rocco. “Really?”

  “Yes.”

  Caden managed a small smile. After a moment’s hesitation, he stepped forward and took Rocco’s hand. His small hand gripped Rocco’s fingers tightly and Rocco heard his bear growl in his head when he inhaled the scent of the child’s tears.

  Protect our cub, his bear growled.

  Rocco wanted to tell his bear that Caden wasn’t their cub, but his bear wasn’t listening. His bear had decided that the kid was theirs to protect.

  We saved his life. He’s our cub, his stubborn bear growled.

  Rocco realized that his bear had bonded strongly with Caden. He felt a deep attachment to the child himself. He admired the youngster’s courage and fortitude, and he felt responsible for the child’s safety and well-being.