Echoes of Fire (The Mercury Pack #4)(38)

Stance protective, Bracken ate up her personal space. She sensed he was angry with her, but he kept the emotion contained. “These guys bothering you, baby?”

“They’re giving it their best shot, bless their hearts. I’ve heard that God does love a trier.”

The Alpha shifted position, drawing their attention. “Bracken Slater,” he said, clearly recognizing him. “I’m Archer, Alpha of the Maverick—”

“I don’t care,” said Bracken, fully facing him. “But you sending your sows after Madisyn? That I care about. And I have a real fucking problem with it, which means I now have a real fucking problem with you.” The bears flanking the Alpha visibly bristled at that, but Bracken paid them no attention.

“And I have a problem with them ramming a damn car into Bracken,” said Madisyn.

Archer stiffened in what appeared to be surprise, eyes sharpening on Bracken. “They didn’t know it was you. They thought you were just another lone shifter.”

“Doesn’t matter,” said Bracken. “They need to pay for what they did. You know that.”

“They did pay. I asked them merely to talk with Madisyn, not make an enemy of her—that’s counterproductive to getting what I want, and I certainly can’t have them running people over whenever they’re in a snit. All three were punished for both acts, so that’s been taken care of. None of us want trouble with Madisyn.”

Bracken wasn’t buying that the sows had been punished, but he had no way of proving it to be a lie. “And yet, here you are, breathing her air. I have to say, I really don’t like that.”

Archer put a hand to his chest. “I’d like to just walk away. I really would. But Madisyn has information I need. One of my clan members is out there alone. All I want is to find her and take her home.”

“I don’t know why you think I’d give two fucks what you do or don’t want,” said Bracken.

Archer’s eyes flared. “I can see that something’s going on between you two. So let me ask you, if someone was keeping Madisyn from you, what would you do?”

“I wouldn’t need to do anything. She’d gut them herself.”

Ooh, Madisyn liked that answer. Her cat was equally pleased with the wolf’s acknowledgment of her strength. It had certainly won him some points with the feline. “You don’t believe him? Just ask Charity.”

Sneering, Copper took a lurching step toward Madisyn.

With a guttural growl that vibrated with power, Bracken slid in front of her. He bared his teeth at the bear and bit out, “Try it.”

“Stand down, Copper,” Archer ordered. “Look, Slater, I don’t have a beef with you, and I don’t want it. I respect you for all you’ve done in hitting back at the extremists. The situation we have here—”

“Is simple,” Bracken finished. “You fucked with the wrong female. And if you or anyone else dares to harm Madisyn, they’ll pay for it in ways they don’t even want to imagine.”

Archer sighed, exasperated. “She’s just a lone shifter—”

“She’s someone to me. You’re not. You want to live, you stay away from her.” Again, the other bears bristled. Both moved a subtle step closer to their Alpha, and Madisyn sidled up to Bracken. He had to resist snarling at her in warning. He wanted her behind him, away from the danger.

“I don’t respond well to threats,” Archer ground out.

“And I don’t give a fuck. Maybe you’re a big deal wherever you came from. But here?” Bracken shook his head. “You’re just another bear clan.”

“Not just a clan. Our motorcycle club has twenty-two chapters across the United States. I have more allies than you can ever dream of. If I have to call on them, I will. I’ll do whatever it takes to get Daisy back. But it doesn’t need to come to that. All Madisyn has to do—”

“Oh, for the love of God, will you give it up already?” Madisyn burst out. “I ain’t telling you shit. The end. Your threats are nothing but boring at this point. As for your allies? Pfft. We all have connections. You might want to think about that before you start courting more trouble.” Seconds ticked by as Archer stared at her, his expression unreadable. She returned the stare, unwilling to back down.

“We’re done here,” stated Bracken. “You will leave. You will not linger. You will not come back. You will not bother Madisyn ever fucking again. We clear?”

Archer’s nostrils flared. “She has information I need.”

“We’re not clear.” Bracken took a threatening, predatory step toward the asshole. “You know my family was killed. You know what I did to avenge them. Now imagine what I’d do to someone who laid even the tip of their fucking finger on the one person in the world who means anything to me. Imagine what lengths I’d go to just to be sure that my mate was safe and protected and completely secure in that protection.”

Tension in every line of his body, Archer echoed, “Your mate?”

“My mate.”

Archer’s gaze danced from Madisyn to Bracken, studying them hard. He swore under his breath. “I’m not interested in harming her. I just need to find—”

“Still not giving a fuck what you need. That won’t change.”