by Kimber White
I raised a brow. “It’s never my plan to die.”
“You know what I mean,” she said. “If I hadn’t found you…”
And there it was. She had found me.
My skin throbbed where the wounds were still deep. In a day those would heal over too. The worst was a deep trench at the center of my back.
I could still smell the biggest bear’s fetid breath as he hovered over me while his companions pinned me to the ground.
When I came to, I was face to face with Dan lying on the ground beside me. He stared sightlessly; the light went out of his eyes. His blood still flowed from an ugly gash through his neck. They’d almost torn his head clean off.
“You didn’t have to kill him,” I sputtered.
“He turned on you too quick,” the biggest bear shifter had said. He’d shifted into his human form. He had dingy red hair and deep-set eyes. His crooked teeth were yellow, and the front incisor was chipped.
“Can’t trust a man like that,” the bear said. “Badgers are the worst scum.”
They hauled me to my feet. I bit the inside of my mouth to keep from crying out as the wounds on my back split. It took four of them to hold me against the wall.
“What is she?” the head bear asked. Yellow-Teeth. He held my torn shirt in his fist and shook it.
I let out a primal growl as he brought my shirt to his nose and sniffed it. Even I could smell Cassia’s scent from here. He tossed the shirt to his companions. In turn, they each got a whiff of Cassia. They meant to track her.
“Not a witch,” the bear said. He opened his palm. In it, he held the Dragonstone ring. I’d kept it in my shirt pocket.
I sucked air through my nostrils and gritted my teeth. My wolf fought to get out, and it took every ounce of strength I had to keep him in check. If I shifted now, with the wounds they’d already inflicted, I’d die.
And then they’d be free to track Cassia.
I felt my mind drift. Blackness threatened to come again. It would be so much easier, so much better to just give in to it.
“This is an impressive piece,” the bear said, shoving the ring into my face. “There more where this came from?”
“Shove it up your ass,” I managed.
He just smiled and let out a chuckle. “Fine. You’ll be dead in a few hours anyway if I let my boys keep at it.”
Another of the bears had shifted human. He stepped out of the shadows.
“I told you to be careful not to work him over too hard,” he said. He came closer, grabbing my jaw with his greasy hand. I jerked away and let my fangs drop.
There were six of them. If I could break free, I could outrun them. But, even at full strength, I couldn’t take on six full-blooded bear shifters alone.
“If he dies,” the other bear with the black eyes said.
Yellow-Teeth snarled at him. “He’s not gonna die. Yet. He’ll just be a lot slower. So you’re welcome.”
“Sorry to disappoint you,” I said, spitting blood. I felt my legs give out.
“You need to listen,” Yellow-Teeth said. “‘Cause I’m only gonna say this once and it’s got an expiration date, anyway. Just like you.”
It was then I noticed the tattoo on his neck. He turned his head, letting his hair fall a little to the side. A crescent moon with the north star above it. I knew one other bear who had one like that.
Hurley.
Son of a bitch. This thing had been rigged from the get-go. Whoever he reported to had known what Cassia wanted already.
“So, what’s the offer?” I said, my stomach churning.
Yellow-Teeth smiled. “There’s the Colm everyone’s told me about. I knew you had just enough fight left in you.”
“You’ve got some powerful friends,” Black-Eyes said. “But ours are even more powerful. They knew just how to smoke you out.”
A growl ripped from me. His meaning was clear. Whoever was backing these assholes had been the ones to firebomb my damn house. They’d been watching every move I made.
“Take the damn stone,” I said. At that moment, I no longer cared. Cassia wasn’t safe. If Dan had sold me out, they probably knew about Stella too. She had no protection. I closed my eyes and listened for Cassia. I cursed myself for not taking her up on her offer to let me mark her.
No sooner had I thought it before my eyes snapped open. If I’d claimed her, she’d be in even more danger now.
“Our friends want to talk to the girl,” Yellow-Teeth said. “You bring her in quietly, there’s something in it for you. If you live long enough, that is.”
I growled by way of an answer.
Yellow-Teeth slapped my face. “I don’t know why they give a shit about what happened to you. But here’s the message. You bring her in, you get your ticket out.”
I bared my teeth. Something wasn’t right.
“Bring her in to who?” I asked. There was no point playing dumb about traveling with Cassia. Hurley had sold the intel, so they already knew I was with her. I felt like a fool for not seeing it. Hurley was desperate. Terminal. The Ring had probably made him a similar offer as these bears were about to make me. If he gave up what he knew about Cassia, maybe they’d promised to get him out to the Yukon and set him free. Or… a cold chill went through me. Maybe they’d offered to give him the only thing that could cure him and force some poor woman to mate with him. If Hurley was too far gone, he might have done it.
“If you haven’t noticed,” I said. “I came here alone. The girl’s not with me anymore. I dumped her. I figured she was too much trouble. I got my payment. You’re holding it in your hand.”
Yellow-Teeth’s face fell as he considered my statement. It had to make a certain amount of sense to him.
Black-Eyes slapped his companion on the back. “Make him the offer then let’s get the hell out of here. This whole place stinks of dead badger now.”
Yellow-Teeth closed his fist around the Dragonstone ring.
“Forty-eight hours,” he said. “The rendezvous point is ten miles south of Hart Lake. There’s an old farmhouse off Old Twelve. It’s got a tin roof and a red barn. You’ll know it when you see it. You bring the girl there. You walk away.”
I went rigid as stone. Black spots wavered in front of my eyes. Yellow-Teeth shook me, bringing me back around.
“You do that,” he said, “You’re clear. You get what I’m telling you? The Ring’s willing to look the other way. You can go north, go to the Yukon. Any Oasis you want. They don’t care. Free and clear. You understand what I’m saying? I have no idea why they think either one of you is worth it, but that’s the deal.”
The four bears holding me up let me go. I sank to the ground. I felt a little of my strength returning and gauged my odds. They were terrible.
“Don’t be an idiot, Colm,” Yellow-Teeth said. “Today’s your lucky day. You just won the friggin’ lottery, man.”
He produced a shiny gold coin from his pocket, flatter and rounder than anything we used for currency. I nearly salivated at it. A token. Safe passage, like Charon’s obol that would save me from burning in hell. Some would say it was already far too late for that.
Yellow-Teeth spun the coin. “This will be waiting for you when you deliver the girl.” He slipped it back in his pocket.
“Hart Lake,” I sputtered. “Old farmhouse. Red barn.”
“Right,” Yellow-Teeth said.
Why hadn’t they gone after her themselves? I bit my lip past the urge to ask him. Someone powerful was afraid of Cassia. Enough that they cooked up this plan to get her without a fight. What in the actual hell was she?
I slowly struggled to get myself to my feet. “Don’t be late,” Yellow-Teeth said. As a parting gift, he reared back and slashed me across the chest.
Then he shifted and joined the rest of his companions. All six bears tore off and disappeared into the darkness.
I don’t remember leaving Dan’s garage. I don’t remember crawling to the docks. I only remember trying to put as much distance betwe
en myself and Stella’s house as possible.
Now, I stood almost fully healed as Cassia met my gaze. She had fire in her eyes. She’d been careful with me up until now. Guarded. With each strengthening breath I took, I felt her magic echoing through me. It was in my veins.
What was she?
“What’s the plan?” she asked.
We weren’t far from the next town over. Hart Lake was only ninety miles away. I scanned the horizon. The morning sun blazed in my eyes.
“Come on,” I said. “We’ll find a place to hide out.”
“Why aren’t they coming?” she asked. “Colm. Those bears. I smelled them on you. I heard them. Something made them switch direction. They’re gone. I can tell.”
“Don’t know,” I lied. “Don’t care. But I’m hungry. I need a shower and a change of clothes.”
She reached for me. Before I could stop her, she slid her hand around to the back pocket of my jeans. With one swift motion she pulled the Dragonstone ring out and held it up to the light.
“Why didn’t they take this?” she asked.
“Don’t know,” I repeated. That was the truth. I couldn’t even remember Yellow-Teeth putting it back in my pocket. “Don’t care.”
I moved past her. I held my breath as I walked through the clearing and found the road again. Less than a mile to the east of us, I saw a tiny little gas station.
My heart eased as Cassia grumbled a protest but jogged down the hill to follow me.
“There,” I said. There were three cars parked at the gas station and a young kid filling up his Harley.
Perfect.
His eyes widened as I approached. God knew what he thought when he saw me. The claw marks weren’t angry anymore, but I knew they looked fierce. I let just enough of my wolf out to scare the crap out of the poor kid.
“Key?” I barked. He took a staggering step back. Face white, he handed them to me. I took the helmet off the seat and handed it to Cassia.
She stood behind me slack jawed as she saw what I was about. But she put the helmet on and climbed on behind me.
The poor kid swore after me as I let out the throttle and left him in the dust.
Chapter 12
Colm
About ten miles from Hart Lake, I found a little motel off of Old Twelve. It had a greasy spoon attached to it and I ordered burgers to go for Cassia and me. The waitress said she’d have them delivered to my room if we were planning on checking in.
“Thanks,” I said. Cassia leaned against the bike. Her eyes flashed with anger as I walked back out of the diner toward her.
“Come on,” I said. “They’ll bring dinner over in a few minutes. I can rent us separate rooms if it makes you feel better.”
She shook her head. “No way. I want you where I can see you,” she said. Funny, I’d had the exact same thought.
I walked into the lobby and squared up with the hotel manager. For once, I was glad Cassia carried cash. She handed me a fifty, and we got the key to room seven. I dangled the thing in my hands. These things were a relic that had become necessary again after the shifter attacks fifteen years ago. Establishments like this didn’t trust key cards and computers anymore.
We made our way down the sidewalk to room seven. It was at the end of the row. I opened the door and checked it out. It was clean with two double beds and a large bathroom. No television. Not that I planned on using one.
Cassia sat on the bed closest to the bathroom. Her eyes were puffy and dark. She was exhausted. Whatever she’d done to me had taken something out of her.
“Where are we going, Colm?” she asked.
I wanted to tell her the truth. Though my wounds had mostly healed, the muscles still ached where they had torn and re-knit. I caught a glimpse of myself in the bathroom mirror. I looked like hell. My beard had nearly grown in. My eyes had turned mostly gold with my wolf hovering so close to the surface for so long.
“I just need some time to recharge,” I said. It was true. So did she.
“Are you going to tell me what really happened at that old casino? Did you find your friend?”
I sat down on the opposite bed. “Dan’s dead,” I said. I couldn’t yet tell her everything, but what I did say would be the truth.
“Because of me?” she asked.
“He just trusted the wrong people is all. He was on borrowed time. Just like the rest of us.” I muttered the last part.
“Are you giving up on me?” she asked. The hitch in her voice tore at my heart.
“I’m just trying to figure out our next move.” Also the truth. Yellow-Teeth’s words echoed in my throbbing brain. The Ring was willing to let me out. Settle all my debts. Give me safe transport out of the Neutral Zone. No more running. No more fighting. No more living hand to mouth and trying to stay one step ahead of them. Lord, I didn’t even know what that would look like anymore.
Dammit. The easiest thing to do would be to just take her to that farmhouse and walk away. It would hurt. I’d hate myself. But I could be free of it all. Wasn’t it what I’d been working for all these years?
“Do you think Stella will be all right?” she asked. Cassia’s voice grew quiet.
I let out a breath. “She’s a survivor,” I said and prayed like hell it was true. It had been up until now. The truth was Stella might already be another casualty in Cassia’s wake. How much more was I willing to give up for her? A month ago, this would have been an easy decision.
“She cares an awful lot about you,” she said. “I think…she told me about your family. She said your mother asked her to keep an eye on you. Did you know that?”
My back stiffened. I felt old armor slowly melting back into place.
“When did she talk to my mother?” I wasn’t sure I wanted the answer.
“She didn’t say. She told me you had a falling out with your father before the attacks.”
“My father wasn’t an easy man,” I said.
“Wasn’t? Is he not alive?”
I closed my eyes. It was hard to think of him. He’d never seen me as the grown man I was now. I’d just been a stupid, stubborn kid. Everything he’d accused me of and more. So many years had passed, I could barely conjure what he looked like in my mind. I opened my eyes and turned my head toward the mirror. A bitter laugh escaped me. I didn’t have to remember. I ran a hand over the scruff of my beard. I looked just like the bastard now. I even had a few strands of silver right around my ear. My mother had told me I was the one who gave them to my father. I was glad she wasn’t around to know how I’d earned mine.
“I don’t know,” I said. “It’s been a long time.”
“Have you ever tried to go back? Get out of the Neutral Zone, I mean?”
“No,” I said with finality.
There was a soft knock on the door. I went to it. My stomach growled as I smelled the freshly grilled burger already. I tipped the waitress and handed one Styrofoam container to Cassia. She tore into it with gusto.
We sat in silence, scarfing down our burger and fries. She picked the can of orange soda, leaving me the grape.
Once we finished, I could sense her mood shift. She was exhausted. So was I. Only I knew sleep, at least for me, would have to wait.
“Cassia,” I said. “I have to go out.”
Her eyes widened. “Where?”
“Not far. It’s just not a good idea to leave that bike parked out there. I’ll take care of it. Then I’ll be back.”
She wiped her hands on a napkin and set her empty box on the floor. “Colm, the last time you left me, I found you half-dead and torn almost in two. You can’t be serious with me right now.”
“The bears are gone,” I said. “They got what they came for already. They did their damage.”
“Which was what?” she said, her voice rising.
“Just… I need you to trust me. Just for a little while longer. And I need you to stay put. Get some sleep. I won’t be gone long, and I won’t be far.”
I wished I had something to
bind her with. I wasn’t beyond tying her ass to that bed to keep her in one spot. A rumble of desire went through me at the thought of it. Oh, yeah, I’d like to see her like that.
Cassia’s eyes flashed. I wondered if she could almost read my mind.
“I’ll be back in an hour. Two at the most,” I said.
“Colm,” she said. “If I hadn’t found you when I did…”
“I would have healed,” I said. “Yeah, it would have taken a day. But you did something to me. So, unless you’re prepared to answer my questions about what that was, I’m going to need you to stop asking me your questions.”
She clamped her mouth shut. After a pause, she said. “Fine. Two hours.”
“Get some sleep if you can,” I said. “I told you, I need to get rid of the bike. I’ll find other wheels. Then tomorrow we’ll head across the state. Lake Erie. If there’s anything to find out about your parents, it’ll be there.”
She pursed her lips together and nodded. “Okay.”
For once, she seemed satisfied with my answer. I almost didn’t know how to react. I gathered our trash from the floor and took it out with me. After depositing it in the dumpster, I mounted the bike and rode out of the parking lot. I waited, left the bike in a ditch on the side of the road and circled back to the motel on foot.
I waited for half an hour. Room seven stayed dark. I could see Cassia from the window. When I was certain she’d fallen asleep, I went back to the road.
This was all farm country. I found a good, deep ditch and peeled off my clothes, leaving them where I could quickly find them again. I veered off for the first open field, took to the shadows and let my wolf out. I raced at top speed toward Hart Lake to find the old farmhouse with the red barn.
It took me fifteen minutes to find it. I would only stay long enough to do a little recon. The house itself sat on top of a hill, the dilapidated barn behind it. It looked as though the house hadn’t been lived in for years. Acres of plowed cornfields stretched far behind it. So, there was a tenant still farming the land.
Except for the property the house sat on, the rest of the land was flat. The woods came in about three hundred yards to the east.
