by Clara Cody
I met his eyes, my hands clenching into fists.
“Does she know Ryan?”
I clenched my jaw. “I don’t know. But we’d better find out.” I dug my cell phone out as we ran back to the truck. I had two missed calls. I dialed it, praying it was who I hoped.
“Hello?”
“Emma?”
“Yes. Sean?”
“It’s me. Is Lacey there?”
“I was just about to ask you that! She’s not answering the phone at home or her cell. Did she at least pick up her car from your place?”
I beat my fist into the hood of the truck. “Shit! Does she know Ryan? Have they met?”
“Yeah, last week. When he was working the bar.”
This was just getting worse and worse. “Okay. I’ll call you when I find her.” I hung up before she could answer. “He has her. I know it.”
“Okay, just calm down. We have to think. Where would he go?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. I don’t know! Just shut up, let me think!” Where would he go? His mom said that he’d gone out to think things over. Where would he go to do that? Then it hit me. “The cliff! He was always going on about it. He had to go there.”
“Okay, then. Cliff it is. Let’s go.”
We jumped back in the truck, and I pulled a u-turn. “I just have to stop at home. There’s something I need to get.” I just hoped that it wasn’t too late. That Ryan hadn’t taken my fuck-up out on anyone else.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
I sat with my back to a massive pine tree that overlooked the cliff. Kodiak Cliff, which the town was named after. I hugged my knees to my chest, watching Ryan carefully. I had no idea how high up it was, and I didn’t care to find out. It was high enough that I saw only blue sky. I’d never been afraid of heights or anything, but the cliff’s edge seemed to loom before me. Waiting. A shiver traveled up my spine.
I couldn’t bring myself to speak. I already knew that he was much stronger than me, stronger than any man should be. He proved that when he dragged me from the truck. Speaking would draw his attention to me again, remind him that I was there, and I didn’t want that. For the time being, he seemed to be in his own little world. He sat on a fallen log half turned away from me. His lips moved slightly as he mumbled, looking out into the vast sky beyond the edge of the cliff.
It might be a chance to run. It might be my only chance to run. I still had no idea why he’d brought me here. But I did know one thing: if he didn’t plan on hurting me, trying to flee wouldn’t change that. On the other hand, if he was intent on hurting me, or worse, then running might be my only option. God knows I can’t fight him.
There was a path behind me. I didn’t know where it led, but at least he couldn’t follow in the truck. I shifted to the side as a test. He didn’t seem to notice. If I could work myself to the other side of the tree before taking off, it might win me a few extra seconds. I tried again, this time moving my butt over a thick root sticking out of the ground. My stomach twisted inside my gut. I fought to control my breathing, so he wouldn’t hear. Again, he didn’t move or acknowledge my existence in any way. A few more attempts and I was halfway around the tree. My heartbeat thundered in my ears. Just a little bit more, I told myself. Lift and shift. Lift and shift. When I got to the other side of the tree successfully, I paused, listening. He was mumbling, still off in space.
Before I could think it through anymore, question what I was going to do, I leapt from the ground using the tree to launch me towards the path. I was halfway there, five feet away, when I heard him shout. I kept running, praying I wouldn’t trip over a root or something else. Quick, heavy footsteps fell behind, gaining on me. I couldn’t look back.
I made it to the forest path, branches whipping me in the face. The uneven ground made running difficult, but I couldn’t slow down.
“Get back here!” he roared, sounding too close.
I pumped my arms, trying to run faster until something crashed into me from behind. Impossibly strong arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me to the ground. I cried out as we landed. A quick glance around, and I saw a stick. Not big enough to beat him over the head with, but maybe thick and pointy enough to do some damage. I lurched forward with my arms, dragging my body from underneath him and snatched the stick. It was strong and heavy in my palm.
His hands clamped into my waist, pulling me back. “That’s enough!” He grabbed me by the ankles and lifted. I screamed as he dragged me back, my body scraping against the hard ground. Over roots and sharp rocks and rough dirt. I screamed again, loud enough that it hurt my throat. “Shut up!” he yelled, turning on me. His eyes shone brightly. Where normal hands had gripped my ankles before, now long, sharp nails dug painfully into my flesh. “Just shut up!”
I cowered and nodded.
“Good,” he growled before dragging me back.
I was right back where I started, only now I had a stick hidden behind my back. I didn’t know how much it would help me, but I was thankful for it, nonetheless. How he hadn’t noticed, I had no idea. He left me there against the tree as he paced the ground.
It was time to try a new tactic. Running had failed miserably. He was far too fast. He was mumbling again, scratching at his neck and scalp. He was anxious for some reason but not distracted like before. He was almost hyperaware, eyes darting around every time a bird chirped or squirrel scurried up a tree.
“It’s nice here,” I said, quietly.
He glanced over at me but didn’t respond.
“Do you come here a lot?”
He stopped pacing and met my eyes. “Sometimes.”
“It’s quiet.”
He nodded, taking a seat on the log. “Sometimes I just come out here and think.”
“Must be nice to have a place like this.”
“It was.” He chewed his lip. “Now, no place seems quiet anymore.” His eyes roamed the trees and the ground. “I hear everything now…it’s all so loud.”
“Maybe you just need a little help, Ryan.”
“You think I don’t know that?” He rose to his feet. “You think I wasn’t trying exactly that? But your boyfriend doesn’t care. He doesn’t care about anyone but himself. Nobody cares about me. But he’ll care about you.”
“Is that why you brought me here?”
“How else can I get his attention?” Suddenly, his body went tense. His eyes darted back towards the path I had tried to flee down.
I turned but didn’t see anything. He had heard something, though. I was certain of that.
“Get over here,” he whispered, his voice low and rough again.
I clutched the stick behind my back, shaking my head.
“I said come here!” He came towards me and took me by the arm.
“Don’t touch me!”
He was dragging me towards the edge. My breath caught in my throat. I pulled back, but he was too strong. With a tug, he pulled me closer to the edge, his eyes furious.
Do it, I ordered myself, tightening my grip on the stick at my side. I lifted it and brought it down with all my strength. The tip stayed strong and punctured his skin, disappearing into his flesh. He screamed, releasing his grip on me.
“Lacey!”
I spun towards the sound. Sean stood by the trees, Jason coming up behind him. My heart lifted to see him.
Then, I felt a hand wrap around my neck, squeezing tight.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Ryan held Lacey in front of him, his hand around her throat. They were close to the edge. Too close.
His eyes were wild, crazy. Hardly surprising for someone going through a change on his own. It was impossible to know what he was capable of. And I couldn’t risk it. I reached into my pocket, feeling the heavy, round object in my pocket.
“What is that?” Jason asked as I pulled out the amulet.
My heartbeat thundered in my ears. I felt its pull as I stared down at the wrapped, red fabric in my hand. “You know exactly what it is.” I held it tight in my f
ist. “I can’t let him hurt her.”
“You don’t need it, Sean.” I felt his hand on my shoulder. I met his gaze. “It’s not going to help here. It’ll only do harm. That’s all it ever does.”
Somehow, it had become uncovered. It sat in a pool of red in my hand, brass shimmering around a black stone. I shook my head. “I can’t do it alone.”
“You don’t have to.” He squeezed my shoulder. “I’m here too. We’ll do it together,” he whispered, tossing the fabric back over the amulet. “But not with this.”
I nodded and eased my grip on the amulet. He took it, wrapping it tight again. My hand felt almost cold without it. Cold and hollow. He stuffed it into his pocket. “What are we going to do?” he asked me.
“You go around. I’ll distract him.”
“Took you long enough, Thorne!” Ryan yelled. I heard Lacey give a strangled cry. “I was worried maybe you didn’t care about anyone but yourself.”
“Don’t!” I held my hands up, praying he didn’t do anything stupid. “Ryan, you don’t want to do this. I know you!”
“You don’t know shit!” His hand was tight around Lacey’s neck, but I could tell she was breathing. Blood bubbled up from the wound she’d given him on his other shoulder.
“I do,” I said, taking a step towards them. “I know you. You’re a good person, a good man. You don’t want to hurt anyone. You’re just confused. You need help.”
“Oh yeah? You gonna help me now?”
“Yes, I’ll help you.” Another step. “I can help you.”
His face twisted into a sneer. “Why? ‘Cause you’re my friend now?” His eyes were red and watery. “You’re not my friend!”
I nodded, taking another step. “I know. I wasn’t there. I was wrong, and I’m sorry. But I can help you. I know what you’re going through. The change is hard. It’s hard on everyone, but it’s worse because you were alone.”
His lip trembled. “I couldn’t stop it.”
“I know,” I said softly, moving closer. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jason approaching them from the side. “It wasn’t your fault. But you can learn to control it, I promise. You can learn to control all of it. Like I do.”
His eyes softened. “Really?” His fingers loosened from Lacey’s neck and fell away, just as Jason came flying towards them from the side. With a thump, they collided, all three falling to the ground, grunting.
I raced forward as Jason and Sean wrestled on the ground, Lacey tangled between them. I grabbed on to her waist as they rolled to the side pulling her free. “Sean!” she cried, wrapping her arms around my neck.
“Go get inside the truck,” I said, pushing her away. “Hurry!”
She nodded and ran.
Ryan and Jason were still rolling on the ground, fighting for the upper hand. I dove in, trying to wrestle Ryan’s arms back. His arm wrenched free, and I caught his elbow on the bridge of my nose. Blinding pain shot through my head. Blood gushed down my face.
“Stop it!” Lacey shouted from behind me.
“Get out of here, Lacey!”
“No. Stop or I’ll shoot!”
What? I looked up just in time to see Lacey pointing a red nozzle straight at us. What the hell?
Then she sprayed.
####
Luckily, Sean hadn’t gotten nearly as much of the bear spray as the other two. After finding a couple of bungee cords in the back of Ryan’s truck, we got him tied and secure. Even with everything that happened, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the guy. Especially once he was hog-tied and lying in the back of his truck, eyes and nose red and swollen.
“I’m really sorry,” I said, turning to Jason and Sean, who passed a water bottle back and forth splashing water over their eyes. “But it was all I had.”
“It’s okay,” Sean said. “It was good thinking.”
“At least, no one got hurt.”
Sean and Jason cocked their eyebrows, with the same expression of disbelief written on their faces. They were definitely brothers.
“Not seriously, at least,” I corrected. “No permanent damage.”
“Yeah, right,” Jason scoffed. “I don’t think I’ll ever eat anything even remotely spicy again, though.” He jumped up onto the back of the truck, which shuddered under his weight. Water bottle in hand, he knelt down next to Ryan, pouring the last bit of water over his eyes.
“What’s going to happen with him?” I asked.
“He’ll be fine. Once he learns to control his bear, he’ll be back to his old self.”
“How long does that take?”
Sean shrugged. “As long as he needs. He’s one of us now.”
The water seemed to ease Ryan a bit, and his body relaxed.
“Can you take my truck?” Sean asked, holding out his keys. I snatched them with a nod. We walked in silence down the path to where his truck was parked. I was about to get in when he took me by the wrist. His arms went around me and pulled me close. I smiled, slipping my arms around him too. “I was so scared,” he whispered. “If anything ever happened to you—”
“I know.” I looked up at him. “Me too.”
“You should have just gone in the truck, though. You would have been safer.”
I laughed. “What? You can protect me, but I can’t protect you?”
“It’s different. You’re my mate, remember?”
“And you’re not mine?”
He smiled, looking down at me. “Do you want me to be?”
“I think you already are, whether I want it or not.”
His hands cupped my face. He bent down his lips brushing mine. My lips tingled, singed at the contact, but I didn’t pull away. When his lips finally released mine, I smiled, despite the pain. “That stuff really does burn.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
I slipped into the bar, knocking on the frame of the door to announce my arrival. Sean poked his head out from the kitchen. “Hey, baby. How was work?”
I shrugged. “You know a Gertrude Kinsey?”
“No.”
“Well, she’s dead. Oh, but Jack said I could do a write up about the Bean Festival next week. I think he felt bad about not printing my Missing Campers piece.”
“Well, it wasn’t much of a story once Todd found them.”
The missing couple turned up the next day, huddled under some fallen branches, dehydrated and starving, but unharmed. Todd turned into a local hero of sorts. As it turned out, the couple had gotten lost after going off the trail for a hike. They were lucky they didn’t die out there on their own. Ryan only got to their site after they’d left. If he’d never trashed it, there never would’ve been a search party, and they probably would have died. Ryan kind of saved their lives. Not that he saw it that way. Although his head was clearer now, he still wasn’t himself. I rarely saw him nowadays even though he was staying with Sean.
He leaned over the counter, slipping his hand behind my head and pulling me close. His lips touched mine as his tongue slipped into my mouth.
“Mmmm…what’s that for?”
“For looking so damn fine that I don’t even care that it’s a Monday. You staying over tonight?”
“Of course,” I answered with a promising wink.
“Oh, give this to Ryan,” he said, grabbing a tupperware from underneath the bar.
I popped it open and looked inside. About two servings of chicken wings, fries, and jalapeño poppers sat inside. “That’s a lot of food.” I stole a jalepeño popper, sinking my teeth into it.
“He’s changed back and forth like five times today. He’s getting better, but he’s going to be starving.”
“So, I should use a stick to push it into his bedroom?”
He chuckled. “He just feels guilty. That’s why he doesn’t come out when you’re there. Just give him time.”
“Okay, okay.” I gave him another kiss before slipping off the stool. “See you at home?”
“See ya there. Love you.”
“I love you, too.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
A Note from the Author:
I would like to thank my readers who continue to enjoy my work and support what I do. Without you, I couldn’t write the stories that I love so much. If you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it, I have done my job.
The best way for a reader to support a writer that they love is to leave a review. If you have a few moments, please feel free to review Her Rogue Bear on whichever site you use.
Thank you so much,
Clara Cody
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