“Get yourself together!” Hank shouted. “It won’t take long for the bears to smell her.”
Mark staggered out from behind the tree, his face pale and his hands shaky. He wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve, then carefully made his way to the creek. Nina heard splashing and gargling. When he returned, his color looked better, but he appeared wary of Hank. He should be. If things went the direction she imagined, neither she nor Mark would be leaving these woods today.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Riot ran through the woods frantically, stopping every so often to sniff the air. Where was she? What had they done with her? He snarled and switched directions, nearly missing the sweet aroma wafting on the breeze. His ears perked as he jerked his head toward the scent. He inhaled again and froze as the coppery perfume registered with his beast. Blood. And lots of it. Riot filled his lungs, his head swimming as the delicate fragrance washed over him again.
Nina.
Fear enveloped him, locking every muscle, while causing his hearts to hammer in his chest. Never in his long life had he ever experienced this level of bone shattering fear. Not in the midst of battle. Not when he’d fallen under an enemy’s sword. Never. Nina had scrapped her hands the night they’d met, when she’d fallen into the shallow ravine. Riot had gotten a good whiff of her blood then. He’d recognize her scent anywhere. He was moving before the thought filtered through his mind. Nina was hurt—or worse.
She had to be alive.
He couldn’t think of any other possibility. Refused to. Riot barreled through the woods, shattering small trees into kindling and crushing the underbrush beneath his massive paws. His anger quickly morphed into despair, as the scent grew stronger. Riot was so focused on reaching her that he didn’t see the first trap. For once, his massive size worked in his favor. The trap bent under his considerable weight.
Riot bellowed in rage. He couldn’t see Nina yet, but the smell of her blood was so thick that it practically dripped from the sky. He caught movement out of the corner of his eye. The sun glimmered on something silver a second before there was a loud crack. Pain seared Riot’s side. A crimson blossom appeared along with a hole where his flesh used to be.
Riot roared again and changed directions mid-stride, bearing down on the man holding the pistol. He caught sight of Nina bound to a tree. Tears streamed down her cheeks and blood covered her shirt.
“Get out of here. It’s a trap!” she screamed.
Riot switched directions again and ran toward her.
“Watch out for the snares!” she shouted.
He stepped on one and it sprang up toward the treetops. It yanked Riot’s right foot out from under him and toppled him onto the ground.
“We got him Hank!” The man who’d shot him shouted. “We got the big one.”
“He’s not down yet. Finish him off.” Another man stepped out from behind a tree and raised the barrel of a longer weapon and pointed it at Riot’s head.
Nina jerked at the ropes binding her. “No! Don’t shoot him! He’s the Great Bear. You can’t kill him.”
The man snorted in disbelief and took careful aim. “He’s just a bear.”
Riot jumped to his feet. He raised his free paw, spreading his massive claws wide, then sliced through the metal holding his right leg like it was fine lace.
“What the hell?” the red-haired man said, as he took a step back. “How he do that Hank? He shouldn’t have been able to do that.”
“Damn it Mark! Shoot him! Shoot him now!”
Both men took aim. Riot’s image wavered and he disappeared.
***
Nina shook her head to clear it. Her brain refused to believe what her eyes were telling it. The bear had disappeared. One minute, he’d been in front of her. The next he was gone. But bears couldn’t just disappear, she reasoned. They could if they were the Great Bear, the little voice inside her head chided. She glanced around the clearing, but there was no sign of Riot.
“Where’d he go?” Mark scoured the clearing, and then looked down the slopped hill. “Hank?”
“Shut up!” Hank shouted. “I’m trying to think.” He walked over to where Nina was tied, to examine the ground.
Nina followed his gaze and noted the smeared bear tracks and fresh blood. Her heart slammed against her ribs painfully. The Great Bear was hurt.
“He couldn’t have gone far. You shot him.” Hank sounded far more reasonable than the situation called for.
“But he disappeared.” Mark’s brow furrowed, making it look like two red caterpillars were inching their way across his forehead. “Bears can’t disappear.”
Hank rounded on him. “Don’t you think I know that? Shut up and let me think.” After a few more minutes of silence, Hank approached her. “Why were you talking to it?”
“What?” Nina asked.
He backhanded her before she saw him raise his hand. “I’m going to ask you again. Why were you talking to that bear like it could understand you?”
Nina clenched her jaw, then turned her head to spit blood out. “I talk to all the animals. I’m a vet. It’s what I do.”
Hank smacked her again. “You were warning this one to stay away. Are you somehow controlling it? Is that why it disappeared?”
“Are you listening to yourself?” she asked.
He raised his hand.
Nina flinched.
“I’m going to give you one more chance to answer. If you don’t say the right thing, then I’ll start to think that you’ve outlived your usefulness.” He glared at her, but his gaze kept shifting to the woods around them.
“I didn’t make the bear disappear. I have no idea how he did that.”
Hank brought his face next to hers until Nina choked on his rancid breath. “But you do know more than you’re telling us.”
She started to shake her head no, but stopped short when she got a good look at his expression.
“Now here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to call out to the bear. Get it to come back from wherever it went. And when it does, I’m going to blow its head clean off its shoulders,” Hank said.
“And if I refuse?” Nina asked.
“Then you’ll be joining the bear in the afterlife,” he spat. “Now call him!”
***
Riot’s side burned, but the pain was nothing compared to the anger churning inside of him. How dare this puny male threaten Nina’s life! He moved around the perimeter of the clearing, examining each trap that they’d set for him. It was easy enough to disable them, but he did so with care to make sure the men wouldn’t immediately notice until it was too late. He watched them take their positions on opposite sides of the small clearing. This would give them a clear shot at anything unfortunate enough to wander in. With any luck, they’d end up killing each other. Riot glanced at Nina. Tears still shimmered in her eyes, but her fear had been replaced by rage. He needed to get her clear before the men started firing. It would be all too easy for her to be killed in the crossfire.
He finished with the last trap, then made his way to Nina’s tree. Riot needed to let her know that he was still there, but he didn’t want to startle her. The men would notice and want to know why. He moved as close as he dared, then leaned in next to her ear. “Nina, can you hear me?”
She jerked to attention and slowly looked around.
“You’re not hearing things,” Riot said.
“How?” she whispered.
“How isn’t important right now. What is important is that I get you out of here. Nod if you understand.”
Nina gave him a slight, almost imperceptible, nod.
“Good. Now I’m going to slice through the ropes holding you. I want you to keep your hands in place until I tell you to move,” Riot said.
Another slight head jerk.
“Call to him!” Hank shouted.
“Do as he says,” Riot said.
She inhaled deeply and said, “Bear. Here bear. Where are you?”
Hank scowled. “What in
the hell are you doing?”
“I’m calling to the bear like you asked me to,” Nina said.
“That’s not how you call a bear,” Hank said.
“Well then how do you call one?” she asked. “I’ve never done it before.”
Hank’s mouth opened and closed as he searched for the words to reply. In the end, he said, “Just call him again.”
Riot moved to the back of the tree and sliced through the ropes. He caught them before they could drop to the ground and gently laid them against the trunk. All he had to do now was get Nina out of the way and move her behind the tree. They’d fire the second they realized that she was loose. He’d have to put himself between her and the men, until she was clear of the gunfire. Riot’s head swam. He reached down and clutched his side. Despite his current invisible form, crimson covered his fingers. He needed to get himself and Nina out of here before he lost consciousness.
“When I say go, I want you to shrug off these ropes and run. Don’t stop. Don’t look back. Just get out of here,” he said.
“What about you?” she murmured.
“I’ll be fine.” And if he wasn’t, at least Riot would have died honorably.
She turned her head toward the sound of his voice. “I’m not going to leave you. These men may not be bright, but they do know how to hunt.”
“Who are you talking to?” Mark asked. “She’s talking to someone, Hank. I heard her.”
Hank stepped forward and looked around. “There ain’t no one here.”
“I’m telling you. I heard her,” Mark insisted. “She’s whispering to someone or something.”
“Who are you talking to?” Hank asked.
Nina shook her head. “No one.”
“Only crazy people talk to themselves,” Mark said.
“Call the bear again,” Hank ground out between clenched teeth.
“Go! Now!” Riot shouted and shoved Nina to the side.
***
The ropes dropped from her wrists a second before Riot pushed her. Nina stumbled out of her bindings, and scrambled on her hands and knees to get away. She still couldn’t see Riot, but she knew that he was there.
“Get her!” Hank shouted.
A roar shattered the silence. Something shimmered like sunlight on water and Riot appeared.
“Shoot him!”
Shots rang out. Bullets struck the trees around her. Nina ducked her head and kept moving. She stopped when she reached a dip in the woods and dropped to her belly, waiting.
Cries, grunts, and screams filled the air. She thought she recognized Mark’s voice at one point, but the warble was cut short. Fear gripped her as shot after shot punched the air, deafening her. Gunpowder clogged the small clearing until she could no longer see the truck. There was a loud crash, then Riot stumbled out of the putrid cloud, his fur covered in blood.
Nina screamed and jumped to her feet, racing toward him. She didn’t see the other men.
His eyes were glazed and it seemed to take him a moment to recognize her.
“I have to get you back to my office. I have…” Her vet go bag. They’d tossed her kit and her purse into the back of the truck, when they’d abducted her. Nina ran in the direction of the vehicle.
Fear slowed her limbs, when she finally spotted the beat up truck. What if Hank and Mark weren’t as hurt as they seemed? What if they caught her again? What if they shot her? She heard a loud animalistic moan. None of that mattered. Riot had saved her life. And right now, he needed her.
Nina quickly scanned the area, then rushed forward. She grabbed her bag and purse out of the back of the truck and raced to where she’d left Riot. He was sitting now, his head sagging toward the ground. She glanced in the direction of the tree she’d been tied to. The cloud of gunpowder was beginning to clear. “We have to go. It’s not safe. Can you move?”
Riot grunted and stumbled to his feet.
“Come on. This way.” Nina guided him back toward the private property signs. They had to get off this land. It would be safer once they reached the Qualla Boundary or the park.
“Get on my back,” Riot said. Each word took effort to speak.
Nina glanced at the blood dripping down him. “I can’t get on you. You’re bleeding too badly.”
He looked at her. “We don’t have time to argue. The gunshots will have drawn attention. There were too many not to go unnoticed. I don’t want us to be here when the bodies are found.”
Her eyes widened. “You killed them?”
Riot shook his massive head and swayed. Nina reached out a hand to steady him. “I only wounded them. They shot each other.”
She nodded in understanding. “I still need to get you back to the clinic. I have more medicine there and better equipment.”
“My health and safety isn’t important. Yours is.” He took a shuddering gasp.
Nina crossed her arms over her chest. “Says who?” She didn’t know a bear could look exasperated until that moment.
“Just get on,” he grit out. I won’t be able to stand for much longer.
Against her better judgment, Nina slung her purse over her shoulder and climbed onto his back. Riot staggered, then seemed to get his balance.
“Hang on,” he said.
His fur was wet with blood, making it slick to the touch, but Nina did her best to cling to him. She leaned over her bag and held on to his sides. Despite his many injuries, Riot took off, leaving the carnage behind.
CHAPTER NINE
Riot took her deep into the forest.
“The trees look different here. Familiar…yet, I’ve never been here before,” she said.
His big body staggered. Riot couldn’t seem to focus. The trees swam before his eyes. He could smell the lake up ahead. All he had to do was make it to the water. “Hang on.” He groaned.
Nina sat up. “How far have we traveled? I’ve lost track, but I know it’s been quite a distance.” She squeezed his fur. “I don’t see anyone following us and I can’t hear anyone. You need to stop. You are bleeding too much. I have to take a look at your wounds.”
“We’re almost there.” His garbled voice ended with a moan. He’d lost more blood than he realized. He needed to shift, but he couldn’t—wouldn’t do that, with Nina on his back.
The trees parted up ahead. A small lake lay beyond, mist rising from its placid surface. Nina slid off his back. Riot kept walking. If he stopped, he’d collapse.
“Where are you going?” she asked. “Wait! I have the medical kit right here.”
He didn’t answer. Couldn’t. Riot stepped to the edge of the lake, leaned forward, and let gravity take over. His big body fell into the water, disappearing below the surface. The splash sent ripples cascading outward.
Riot swam for the other side of the lake, switching forms multiple times as he did so. The cool water burned his skin as the bullets made their way out of his flesh, slowly sinking down to the murky bottom. He stroked harder. His wounds were already closing. He was no longer bleeding. In another day, his injuries would disappear, except for the scars.
He glanced down and saw his small shuttle resting beneath him on the lake floor. Riot debated whether to climb inside. Hiding in his craft would be taking the cowards’ way out. He knew that, but what if Nina wasn’t there when he surfaced? What if she was so frightened by everything that had happened that she’d abandoned him? Then another thought occurred to him, what if she was there? What if when she saw his human form she was frightened?
Sure they’d danced the previous night, but he hadn’t exactly been honest with her…about anything. Riot didn’t think he could handle seeing rejection on Nina’s face. Not after everything they’d been through. He hesitated underwater, knowing he’d have to surface soon.
***
Nina stood on the shoreline staring at the placid surface. She didn’t recognize this lake and she knew all of the lakes in the area. Where were they? Where was Riot? He should’ve surfaced by now. She scanned the lake looking for a hint
of bubbles. Was he drowning due to his injuries? Pain sliced her at the thought of losing him. Nina didn’t think, if she had, she would have realized how ridiculous her actions were. Instead, she stripped off her clothes and prepared to jump into the lake to save him.
The second her toes touched the frigid water there was another loud splash. This one on the other side of the lake. Nina looked up, expecting to see the Great Bear.
A dark head surfaced. Broad shoulders and a muscled back followed it. Water dripped down the man in rivulets. As he walked forward out of the lake, it became apparent that he was naked.
Nina’s mouth dropped open. “Riot?” She stepped back from the water and stared. She couldn’t help it. She’d never seen anyone quite so beautiful. So perfect. He walked onto the shore and turned toward her. If her jaw could’ve gone any lower, Nina was sure it would’ve been dragging on the ground.
She’d been wrong about his beauty, but not about the perfection. He was massive. Her gaze traveled from his feet to his head. She did a double-take, when she reached his waist. Who wouldn’t? It wasn’t everyday a woman encountered that kind of endowment. Their eyes met and in an instant, Nina knew who he was.
“It’s you.” The man from the wedding reception. The man she’d danced with. The man she’d dreamed about. The Great Bear. But how?
“It’s me.” He hesitated but a moment, then kept walking, closing the distance between them. His gaze took in her swollen face before moving on to the cuts on her arms and across her abdomen. “I am so sorry that I didn’t reach you in time,” he murmured. A distance of only three feet separated them. It might as well have been a continent.
“How?” she asked, even though her brain registered that it was a stupid question. He was the Great Bear. The Great Bear had powerful magic and he’d just proven it again.
Phantom Warriors: Riot Page 8
