Free Catamount Ridge by Aubree Lane

tranquilizing darts about a hundred times as Gracie drove her four-wheel-drive Durango up Catamount Ridge.
    Grace was the first to speak. “You shouldn’t be out here, Jessie. If you get near the cubs, I won’t be able to stop you from mothering them.”
    After an hour or so away from Derek, Jessie no longer believed the mere sound of their cries could bring out the surrogate in her. They were cute, but they weren’t that cute. She suspected the herbal concoction brought on both the overwhelming desire and the ability to lactate.
    Jessie smiled at Ms. Langston and questioned her with sweet sarcasm. “Has the Oracle spoken?”
    “This is not a game, Jessie. I remember Ice as a child. He was scary then, but if what you say is true, then he is extremely dangerous now.”
    Jessie looked at her former teacher and wondered for the thousandth time what her father saw in the woman. That all-knowing teacher glare and persistent frown, never left her face. Grace Langston was a monster in her own right, but since a monster was what they were about to fight, Jessie figured she couldn’t have anyone better by her side.
    “Are you sure any of this is real?” the teacher argued. “It could be a manifestation brought on because of my old story and that bump on your head.”
    Jessie left out a ton of details in the recruitment of her former teacher. She figured the only reason Ms. Langston was here at all was because, at one time, she had witnessed either Ice or Derek’s transformation and that somewhere in her subconscious, she knew it was possible. Jessie couldn’t begin to retell the yarn she rattled off to the woman, so she responded by lifting her shirt and flashing her.
    Ms. Langston grimaced at the sight of Jessie’s mangled breasts. “Sorry I asked.”
    “Me too.”
    For the millionth time that day, Ms. Grace Langston rolled her eyes and let out a frustrated sigh.
    The women shared a complicated relationship. Neither gave the other an inch, yet, there was respect. They would never refer to the other as a friend, but they could count on each other during difficult times. Grace was there to help take care of Cade after he suffered a mild heart infarction. She kept Jessie informed of his progress and let her know the moment he was up for a visit.
    Jessie was confident her father was in capable hands. She was also extremely grateful not to have to see the strong, constant force in her life, weak and suffering. Jessie saw him that way after the rattlesnake incident, and she never wanted to see her dad that way again.
    Gracie wasn’t the only one capable of handing out favors. Jessie couldn’t begin to count the number of papers she graded so her father and the teacher could spend time together. Only for her dad would she give up a Friday night out on the town with her wild high school buddies.
    In her heart of hearts, Jessie knew that Ms. Langston had been an on-again, off-again mother figure for most of her life, and that she was richer for it. Even now, despite the danger and the endless griping, Grace Langston was ready to go to battle, simply because Jessie had asked for her help.
    Their plan was straightforward. They would take out Ice and render the cubs safe for Grace to deal with. Upon entering the mine, Jessie would get close enough for the cubs to smell her and begin their baby-like cry. In case Derek was telling the truth, Jessie planned on staying far enough away to resist the need to feed them. The wailing cubs were bait, used to lure their father into their trap, but that was all. Jessie would never form a personal attachment with them. Come hell or high water, the cubs were going to stay mountain lions and never have the opportunity to explore the human side of their unique DNA.
    Ms. Langston four-wheeled it down the path Ice and Jessie traveled the previous night. It wasn’t wide enough for the Durango to pass through, and the sound of paint being scraped and metal being dented, added a layer of credibility