Raphael led the way, followed by Uriel, with Gabriel watching their rear. They descended without issue, and Gabriel strode to the front when Raphael announced contact over their radio.
He almost didn't see it in time. The shifter came lunging out of the shadows to his right, swinging his pickaxe for Gabriel's head. The sharp metal edge glinted in the dim light seconds before it impacted with his head. Gabriel wasn't a Stone Bear in name only, however, and his head was already moving with the direction of the weapon, blunting the attack. As his weight took him off balance, Gabriel launched himself forward into a roll and came up running, ignoring the searing pain that erupted in his head as the weapon's tip gouged a huge furrow in his forehead. Hot sticky liquid erupted across his face, and Gabriel could taste the metallic tang of his blood as his wound wept furiously.
The angry roar of a bear sounded behind him, paws crunching as it came closer. The shifter must have abandoned his initial idea and shifted as he came after Gabriel. He turned, and through his working eye he could see his team shifting to come to his aid.
"No!" he yelled at them, a snarl appearing on his face as he stared down the rushing bear. The speed of Gabriel's movement must have stunned the attacker, because there was still fifteen feet between the two of them.
Plenty of time.
Gabriel flexed his legs and launched himself at the animal. He changed on the move, his bear ripping from his skin while he was still mid-air. The massive beasts collided together with bone-snapping force. Gabriel felt something give in his chest, but he simply grunted and brushed aside the new source of pain, focusing on the loud snap he had heard from one of his opponent's front legs.
The crazed bear didn't even make a noise. It simply continued its wild, frenzied attack. Great tears opened in Gabriel's skin as the massive paws continued to move underneath him. Rolling off his opponent, Gabriel waited for him to try and stand. As the other shifter rolled toward him, he swung a huge paw straight at the oncoming head of his attacker. Bone crunched. His claws dug into the side of its head and crushed its eye, blinding it from one side. Warmth flowed down Gabriel's paw as he was coated in blood from the horrific wound he had just inflicted.
It was a cheap shot that he wouldn't have taken in a normal brawl, but this was different, and he had no compunctions about doing what it took to win. A sliver of his brain spoke to him, saying something about taking him alive, but it was too late by then. Gabriel was in full battle-rage, his bear roaring its anger at being blindsided as his paws descended on the hapless shifter's head again and again, until it finally let out a squeal and shivered before lying still.
Gabriel hauled back on his bear, pulling it back from the edge and containing its rage using his sheer mental strength to overwhelm it. Then he put it away, shifting back into his human form, his lungs heaving for breath as he grabbed the dead or unconscious shifter by the neck and hauled it after him, using his free hand to wipe away the blood running into his eye. Head wounds were the worst, and it would be another quarter hour or so before the blood fully stopped flowing, though it had already slowed substantially.
"What the fuck is this?" he yelled, throwing the sack of bones and skin ten feet in front of him to land in front of Michael, who was standing with the rest of his crew. "Since when do you greet us with a pickaxe to the fucking head?" he roared, his long legs carrying him right up to the Alpha.
He noticed one or two of the other shifters tremble as he yelled at their leader, and he picked out the most rambunctious looking one and pointed a finger at him. "Don't make the same mistake as your friend here," he said, his voice promising the same treatment.
"Now, explain," he spat at Michael, uncaring that some of his blood flecked off and landed on the other shifter's clothing. He had been attacked, dammit. There was going to be hell to pay for this!
The truth was, he was just glad that Caia wasn't there. The attack had reminded him of how truly dangerous life could be in Genesis Valley. Part of his anger was encased in the fear of what might happen to her, and knowing that he could do nothing about it. She was a grown woman, and any attempt by him to shelter her from the realities of the world she had just stepped into would result in her becoming angry at him, at a minimum. He had to allow her to do what she wanted to do, no matter how much he hated it.
So he took his anger out on those assembled in front of him.
"Is this one of yours?" he asked Michael, watching him very carefully.
The Alpha didn't flinch. "Yes. Or rather should I say, he was one of ours. If he's still alive," Michael looked down skeptically, "he won't be for long."
Gabriel noted one of the other assembled shifters from the Whitepines looking on. His face gave away nothing, but through his peripheral vision, Gabriel could see his hands slowly closing into a fist.
Interesting. Let's see what happens if I push just a little further.
"He had better not. This is a disgrace," he said venomously.
The other shifter had been standing behind and to the left of Michael. He had a clear line of attack at Gabriel, and he took it.
This time, however, it wasn't Gabriel who stopped it. Michael must have sensed it was coming, because he spun on the spot, and a massive fist connected solidly just as the attacker began to shift. The force of the blow drove its head into the wall two feet away, where it snapped back suddenly, the noise echoing down the corridor. The body slid to the floor lifelessly.
Michael grabbed his hand and set two of the knuckles back in place, his eyes returning and meeting Gabriel's evenly while he did so. There was no challenge in his stare, just a simple acceptance of what had happened, and his vow that he was Alpha of the Whitepines and wasn't afraid to dispense justice if necessary.
"Explain," he snapped. Although he and Michael got along well normally, Gabriel had also never been attacked while doing his job before either. This was business, and Michael was smart enough to realize the way he was being treated wasn't personal.
"This one," Michael said, gesturing at the first heap, "is new. Been here less than three weeks. I haven't been overly impressed with him and he had been causing trouble. I made two mentions of him in my reports, which will corroborate my story that I had a feeling he would be trouble. He wanted money, and nothing but money. I suspect that was his motivator. He thought to take you out and keep the stone for himself." Michael turned and gestured at the large, slightly egg-shaped object guarded by two other shifters.
Gabriel turned and motioned for his team to collect the stone. They set about opening the carrying container and placing it inside, and inflating the insulation to ensure it stayed protected on the return trip. He didn't have to watch them; he trusted them fully.
"And this one?" Gabriel asked, pointing at the shifter Michael had ended.
"That was Jerrod. He's just an idiot, and I think he was convinced by the idea of money and not having to work the mines anymore. Solid worker, but extremely dim-witted."
Gabriel stared at the Alpha for another moment, then nodded unhappily.
"Package secure sir," Uriel reported as he and Raphael walked back over to him, the box between them.
"I hate the mines," Gabriel said by way of dismissal as he and his team left the others standing there with two bodies to dispose of.
Such was life in Genesis Valley.
Chapter Six
Caia
The mirror screamed at her, but she ignored its voiceless cry. It tried again and again to get through to her, but Caia tuned it out. She shouldn't have, because it was speaking smartly when it told her that this was a bad idea.
Every time she looked at herself it told her that. When she had gotten out of the shower, freshly clean and fixed up in all the right places, it had told her she was making a mistake. When she had put on the slightly flimsy, but completely empowering lace underwear instead of her normal cottons, it had told that this was a terrible idea. And when she had draped the plunging blue dress over her head, it had hollered with all its might that she was being stupid.
But damn am I looking good while doing so!
She couldn't wait to see Gabriel's eyes when he first looked at her. The dress wasn't form-fitting, but it wasn't loose either. It hung perfectly from all the right places, showing off what she wanted to, and hiding a few things that were better saved for later. Except when it came to the neckline. That, she thought with an evil grin, showed off a little bit more than was necessary. But it looked oh so good when it did.
Gabriel wasn't going to know what hit him, she thought with a smirk.
Now she just had to get herself to the restaurant itself. Which meant getting up, getting in her SUV, and actually sitting down to have dinner with the dreamiest coworker there would ever be. One who, in her fantasies the night before, had done more than just eat his steak when they got together. She shivered once more at the memories of her late night exploration. Part of her definitely hoped that reality might mimic fantasy, at least for one night.