Gunner - Silverback Redemption 1 Read online

  Sadie fought to reassemble her memories. Which were like fragments of broken computer code.

  Blood. Not her blood. Then she was falling. Sadie winced and closed her eyes as the pain in the back of her head exploded into a million stars. As a wave of nausea hit her, she put her head down between her knees and fought to keep conscious. She needed to move, she had to force herself to open her eyes and get herself out of the mess she’d fallen into.

  “What the hell!” Sadie scooted backward as two amber eyes stared at her out of the darkness.

  Her heart raced, thumping so hard in her chest she thought it might burst out of her ribcage and land on the ground. Taking a calming breath, she tried to recall what she was supposed to do when confronted by a wild animal on the side of a mountain. Her brain sorted through all the knowledge stored in her head.

  She could use the stars to pinpoint where she was, she could work out the velocity of a falling object in an instant, she could even tell you the science between why bread often lands buttered side down. But she had nothing in her big brain that told her how to cope with finding yourself face to face with a large predator.

  Why would she? In all her forty-something years she’d never had the slightest interest in the wild outdoors.

  Nerdy geniuses—not her own description of herself but accurate nonetheless—did not belong in mountains. They belonged in clinical offices or sterile laboratories.

  “Sugar!” Sadie’s eyes widened, all thoughts of the predatory animal watching her gone as the reason why she was lying here on the side of the mountain smacked into her. Her hand flew to her head and the large lump radiated pain across the back of her head.

  “Crap!” She pushed herself to a standing position, but another wave of nausea brought her crashing to her knees. “No, no, no.”

  Movement ten feet away brought her back to her current predicament. Which, if she couldn’t get out of it, would nullify her previous predicament.

  “I’m just going to get up and walk away,” she told the creature. The creature stared back at her unblinking. “Okay, I’m going to take that as an agreement not to chase me and kill me.”

  Sadie placed her hands on the ground, ignoring the sharp stone that dug into her left palm. If she couldn’t find the strength to walk, she would crawl down from the mountain. But with each foot she gained, the pain in her head worsened.

  Gritting her teeth against the stabbing pain, she kept going. Until a sudden movement from behind stopped her in her tracks. The creature was moving.

  She swung her head around, the pain radiating from the lump on her head making the mountain peaks swim around, and around, like water going down a sinkhole. She staggered forward but something brushed against her, fur of some kind. She inhaled, a musky scent of pine and damp earth filled her senses and for a moment her head cleared.

  The creature grunted. Not the sound she expected from an animal who was about to eat her alive.

  A large snout pushed at her shoulder, pushing her around to face the opposite direction. “You want me to go that way?” Sadie asked. Talking to a bear was crazy, she knew that, but the last twenty-four hours of her life had been so much crazier, that following directions from a bear seemed like a rational thing to do.

  For his part, the bear looked back at her with soft brown eyes that seemed to pierce her soul. It was kind of surreal, but it was as if he was saying trust me, I won’t hurt you.

  Sadie put her hand to the lump on her head. In a topsy-turvy world, this bear, who should be eyeing her up as his next meal, might be the only one who hadn’t tried to hurt her today. A sob escaped her as her stomach lurched. What if she had a concussion?

  Was the bear even real? Sadie reached out a hand and touched his soft brown hair. He felt real. Not that she’d ever stroked a bear before. Sadie ran her fingers lightly over the surface of the bear’s silver-tipped pelt. “Are you really there? Or am I imagining you?” Her fingertips tingled as she plunged her hand deeper into his thick fur. “Or maybe this whole thing is a dream and I’m lying unconscious on the side of the mountain. If that’s true, I’m glad you are here with me. Although, why I chose to imagine a bear I have no idea. I’ve always liked the idea of a cat. One that would sit on my lap and purr.”

  The bear huffed and puffed and shook his head from side to side. Sadie took that as a sign the bear at least believed they were really here on the mountain in the dead of night. Although, she also got the feeling he didn’t like the comment about her preferring cats.

  “Then lead the way.” Sadie took a deep breath and tried to quell the rising fear inside her. Even if she did manage to get down off the mountain, what then?

  Someone had tried to kill her. Someone had killed Professor Augustine.

  She sat back on her haunches and clamped her hand over her mouth as a scream bubbled up inside her. Her life as she knew it was over. Unless she could get down off this mountain. Although, getting down off the mountain might not be the biggest hurdle when it came to staying alive. There was the small matter of the very dangerous people she’d pissed off in a very big way.

  “Okay, bear. If I can stop myself from puking my guts up, I need to get down off this mountain. Preferably in a way that doesn’t involve mountain rescue or the police.” She gave the bear a wry smile. “And I should warn you, there are some very nasty men looking for me right now. So I will not take offense if you decide to ditch me and run for your life.” Sadie pointed at the bear. “That is an amazing fur coat you are wearing, and I will not hold a grudge if you decide to save it.”

  The bear snarled and snapped at the air. Sadie swore the large predator could understand what she was saying and was promising to defend her until death. But that wasn’t the way of bears, which confirmed Sadie was one step away from crazy.

  “Well, if you insist on staying… Lead the way.” Sadie shuffled forward but her palm caught on a sharp rock and she winced. If she was going to get down off the mountain, she needed to walk on two feet, not crawl on four.

  Ignoring her roiling stomach that accompanied the thudding in her head, she pushed herself to a standing position.

  The mountain peaks circled around and around in her head like a kaleidoscope, their shadowy forms broken up into fragments as her vision cracked. Sadie leaned forward and closed her eyes, this was going to be harder than she thought. She could push through physical pain, but not the dizziness that might lead her to wander off the side of a cliff.

  Panic bubbled up inside of her. They would win. If she died on the mountain, the men who did this to her would win. She couldn’t let that happen. She’d made a promise to avenge her friend and mentor, Professor Augustine, and she would not stop until she’d fulfilled that promise.

  As if the bear understood, he came to her side and leaned against her thigh, offering her his strength and comfort.

  “Thanks.” Sadie placed her hand on the bear’s shoulder and took a deep, steadying breath. The contents of her stomach settled, and her head cleared a little. As she breathed in the scent of pine, her head stopped spinning. “I think I can walk a little now.”

  The bear took a step forward and Sadie did the same. Slowly, step by step, the nausea subsided a little more even if the banging in her head did not. Stride for stride, the bear led her down a rocky trail, as surefooted as a mountain goat. Sadie let go of the tension and fear in her body and mind and simply followed him, trusting that he wasn’t leading her back to his den where he would kill her and eat her. A giggle bubbled up inside her. “I hope this is not like some mountain home delivery take-out service where you make your dinner walk back to your den instead of killing me and carrying me there.”

  The bear swung his massive head around and looked at her with those soft, expressive eyes. No, was the answer she read there.

  “Good to know. My name is Sadie, by the way. I’m not sure if you have a name and if you do, you can’t tell me, so I’ll just call you bear if that’s okay.” The bear nodded and led her down the mountain
which even with the bear’s help was not easy.

  Sadie forced herself to keep going although she stumbled over unseen rocks. If the bear hadn’t remained faithfully by her side, she’d have bruised knees and shins to go with her bruised head. As they walked, she leaned on him more and more. He didn’t complain or waver in his support.

  But the bear couldn’t stop the thumping pain reverberating around her head or the brief moments when the world went dark. She had a concussion. She needed rest and water.

  Sadie’s teeth chattered as she walked down the steep mountain trail. She kept hoping that they would turn a bend in the trail and there would be a small cabin tucked away in the trees where she could lie down and rest her weary head.

  And wait for the big bad wolf to come and huff and puff and blow it all down. Wait. No, she wasn’t a little piggy. Nor was she wearing a red cloak. So she wasn’t Red Riding Hood. Bears. Goldilocks. No, her hair was brown, the color of ripe horse chestnuts.

  Sadie stumbled forward and reached out a hand to brace herself against a tree. The bear stopped and looked up at her in concern.

  “Sorry. I don’t think I can go on much longer, bear.” A tear trickled down her cheek as she curled her fingers around his thick pelt.

  The bear huffed in answer, as if to say he wasn’t prepared to leave her on the mountain. Sadie appreciated the sentiment, but there was no avoiding the truth. She was done in.

  “This is a stupid thing to ask since you are a bear…” Sadie flopped down on the stony ground and with more effort than she had to spare, slid the strap of her backpack off her shoulder. “But could you get this to the authorities?”

  The bear looked back at her unblinking, before he nudged her with his short snout, trying to get Sadie to move. She couldn’t take another step. She couldn’t crawl another step. Each breath she took depleted her energy, leaving her too exhausted to keep her eyes open, let alone move.

  “Thanks for trying, bear.” Sadie collapsed facedown onto the dirt trail.

  The bear did not take it well. Not well at all. Her eyes were clamped shut but she could hear him circling around and around while he prodded her with his nose. Sadie opened her mouth to tell him again to just take her backpack and go. The bear, however, was not leaving.

  Frustrated, he sat down beside her, his large bear body transferring his warmth and strength to her, but it wasn’t enough. Curling her body into the fetal position, Sadie pressed her body closer to the bear, her fingers curling into the thick pelt as she clung to him. If she let him go, she would let go of the life and the world she belonged to and float off into space, never to be seen again.

  As she clung to him, the air began to pop and fizzle. Was this death? Was this what it felt like to slip from one state of being to another? She faded away. At least the bear faded away and she was left cold and alone.

  “What?” Her eyes flew open briefly as strong arms wrapped around her and lifted her, so she nestled against his chest.

  Was this an angel? As exhaustion pulled her down into darkness, she wished she could see his face, and ask him where the hell he was taking her! She wasn’t ready to abandon life, she wanted to go back, she had too much to do.

  So much to avenge.

  Chapter Three – Gunner

  He should have shifted sooner, but he didn’t want to scare her when she was in such a fragile state.

  It’s my fault, his bear said miserably, I should have left her, I should have moved far enough away that she wouldn’t have been able to see us shift.

  It’s no one’s fault, Gunner soothed his agitated bear. We have to focus on getting her down off the mountain.

  Gunner looked down at the pale face of his mate as he cradled her against him. She was cold, the blood had drained from her face leaving her as white as a ghost. But he would save her. They would save her.

  The alternative was unthinkable.

  How did she get onto the mountain in the first place? his bear asked.

  I have no idea. Gunner had stayed until the end of his birthday party and then helped clean up The Happy Bear Club. After every single glass was washed and every tabled cleaned, he’d said thank you to his friends and left. He should have gone back to the shed and finished working on Jodie’s car, but that itch he’d told Jason about was driving him crazy. Maybe it was the thought of being another year older and still alone with no prospect of ever finding his mate. Or maybe it was the aftermath of being surrounded by too many people.

  Whatever the reason, the call of the mountain was too irresistible. Gunner had left the club and jogged across the parking lot, the night air cooling his warm skin. He’d shifted before he’d reached the edge of the parking lot and then disappeared into the undergrowth as a bear.

  He’d run as if the devil was on his back. He’d run until his heart was fit to burst and the air in his lungs burned like fire.

  He’d run because something called him on. The need to climb, and keep climbing, too intense to ignore, even when his body complained it had had enough. There was something there. His fate. His destiny.

  Then he’d seen her. His mate.

  Fear had crept into his heart. She wasn’t moving. But then she’d lifted her head and looked into his eyes. The relief was swift and strong, but that relief was soon replaced by the realization she was hurt.

  Gunner bent his head for a moment and looked down at the woman in his arms as his feet carried them both down the mountain. She was still breathing, although it was too shallow, and her face was deathly pale. So pale he was afraid she wasn’t real and that instead of carrying a living person in his arms he was carrying a ghostly apparition.

  But as he held her close to his chest, he could hear the beat of her heart and smell the scent of her skin. She was very much real. But very much in need of medical attention.

  Gunner rushed on down the trail, small stones spilling down the mountainside as his feet dislodged them. Another ten minutes and he’d get cell phone service. If he was lucky. The mountain and the weather that washed over it made cell phone service unpredictable. He lifted his head and checked the conditions, there was little breeze and the sky was clear. His phone should work. He should be able to call for help.

  Gunner ground his back molars together and forged on ahead. Each step took him closer to the help she needed. As he strode down the trail, her backpack swung on his left forearm, banging into his leg with a steady beat as he recalled her words.

  She’d asked him to make sure the authorities got whatever was inside her backpack. She was on the run, the lump he’d found on the back of her head when he’d examined her after she collapsed confirmed that. So who was after her, who had hurt her?

  All questions he needed answers to so he could protect her.

  Gunner stopped walking. He might be able to get a signal here.

  Looking around, he searched for a place he could set Sadie down on the soft, springy mountain grass. Taking a couple of steps off the trail, he found the ideal place and set her down with her head resting against a wide tree trunk.

  Then he fished his phone out of his pocket and tapped the screen. No signal.

  “Damn it.” Gunner left the shelter of the overhanging branches and took one last look at his mate before he scrambled over the rocks and boulders on the other side of the trail. Holding his phone in front of him, he moved around until, at last, he got one bar of service.

  One bar is all we need, his bear said with relief.

  Gunner tapped the screen and scrolled through until Jason’s face appeared by the side of his cell number. Gunner hit dial and waited.

  And waited.

  “Gunner,” Jason’s voice, croaky with sleep, reminded Gunner of the time.

  “Jason. I need your help.”

  “What’s wrong?” Instantly alert, as his training kicked in, Jason’s voice cleared.

  “I’m on the mountain. And I need you to come and get me.” Gunner didn’t want to mention his mate. But he needed to tell Jason something.


  “Are you hurt?” Jason asked.

  “Not me.” Gunner wasn’t good at lies and subterfuge. He never had been. He liked honesty.

  “Who?” Jason was moving around his bedroom opening drawers and closets. “Gunner. Who?”

  “I don’t want to say too much over the phone.” Gunner paused. “You trust me, Jason.”

  Jason didn’t hesitate. “Where are you, what do you need?”

  “I’ll text through my location. I need a stretcher or a ride down off the mountain. We need to get down off the mountain fast.” Panic edged into Gunner’s voice.

  “We… Leave it with me. Text those coordinates through and we’ll be there as fast as we can.” Jason hesitated. “This person, they are important to you?”

  “The most important person.” Gunner closed his eyes. “Hurry.”

  “Stay calm, we’ll be there as soon as we can.” Jason ended the call, leaving Gunner alone on the mountain with his mate. His injured mate.

  Turning around, Gunner stared into the darkness to the place where he’d left his mate lying on the ground. He couldn’t see her, but he could sense her presence and hear her shallow breathing. He needed to get the coordinates to Jason, then he could spend some time making sure his mate was comfortable. He also wanted to examine her for broken bones or bleeding, but when she was talking to his bear, she hadn’t mentioned any pain except her head and his bear hadn’t smelled any blood.

  Gunner was certain she only had a concussion, but he needed to be sure, he couldn’t risk losing her.

  Hurrying back over the trail, he jumped over a boulder and landed on the coarse mountain grass. There she was, the side of her face reflected in the moonlight. Gunner knelt by her side. He’d left her in the recovery position, and she hadn’t moved, although she kept mumbling something about a virus. Was that why she looked so pale?

  Gunner touched the back of his fingers to her cheek. She didn’t feel feverish. He slumped forward with relief, certain she just had a concussion, nothing more sinister. But something sinister had happened to her and he’d make someone pay once she’d been seen by a doctor and was ready to talk.