“Yeah, I understand,” she said. “It happens to me a lot too. Since I'm a woman, they assume I couldn't possibly want to read about science. Or even worse, understand science. Even though I was a science teacher –”
“You were a science teacher?” I asked. “Where at?”
She looked down at her hands on the table. “Uhh – in Seattle,” she said.
“Very cool,” he said. “Why did you leave?”
“I didn't really have a choice,” she said, a bitter, haunted look in her eyes. “But I really don't want to talk about it, if that's okay?”
She still didn't look me in the eye and I could hear the emotion choking her voice. Whatever happened to her had to have been bad.
“I'm sorry,” I said. “I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories. You're here now though. And you seem happy, so that's good. That's a step in the right direction.”
“Yeah,” she said, smiling a little for me as she glanced up and blushed. “I guess I am.”
My phone buzzed – Mariana's ring tone. I reached down and silenced it.
“I can let you go if you –”
“No, it's fine. Probably just a telemarketer.” I said, meeting her gaze and giving her a gentle smile.
Her eyes were so clear and blue, I couldn't help but stare into them. She was so sweet, gentle and modest. After months of being with Mariana, it was nice to be with someone who seemed down-to-earth and so – real.
“So, ask me anything,” I said. “I feel like I've pried into your life enough. At least for now. So, ask me something. I promise to answer.”
Her smile brightened a bit, and I could tell she had questions swimming in her brain. There were so many things she could ask that might get me in trouble if I were honest, so I knew that I had to tread a bit carefully.
I half expected her to ask about my family, our business or about what we were. Most people in town knew we weren't fully human, though they tended to look the other way. No one really talked about it, but it was the elephant in the room during most conversations.
The bottom line was that the clans had basically founded the town a long time ago. The clans were what kept the town prosperous. Kept the town safe. We wanted Black Salmon Falls to be an idyllic place to live and raise a family – for human and bear alike. And we bent over backwards – sometimes even did things I couldn't be proud of – to ensure that our town remained that way.
And because of that, the people of Black Salmon Falls didn't pry too deeply into our lives or our businesses. They accepted us as just another part of the town's charm and mystique. In other words, they didn't poke the bears with spoons. It was a beautifully symbiotic relationship.
But instead of asking me what I'd thought she was going to, she asked me something simple. “Why didn't you go into astrophysics if it interests you so much?”
Her question took me by surprise. Few women seemed to care about that. About what I was interested in or what I wanted out of life. Most of the women who put themselves in my path were pretty much focused on my money and family name. It was just another reason I liked Rose.
“To be honest? I had no choice in the matter. I was always slated to run the family business. I probably would have made the choice to do it anyway, it's a point of pride for my family,” I said. “But science is fascinating. I absolutely love it, but part of me thinks it would lose some of its magic if I studied it for a living, you know?”
“I know exactly what you mean,” she said.
My phone buzzed again, and instead of simply declining the call, I put it on silent. I knew Mariana would be pissed, but I didn't care. For the first time in a long time, I was having a conversation with someone who actually seemed to understand me. Someone who wanted to listen to my thoughts and opinions, who didn't automatically want something from me. Somebody who was interested in me as a person, rather than in what I could do for them.
I sat in the bookstore for several hours, talking to Rose on and off in between customers. I lost track of time, honestly, because for the first time in days, I felt happy again. We laughed, joked around and had some deep conversations about everything from astrophysics, to religion, to current events.
We moved so easily from topic to topic and the conversation never lagged. There was never one point where I found myself looking at my watch, wondering when I could check out. I found that the longer I sat there, the longer I wanted to sit there and talk to her. She was so smart, so witty – talking to her and bantering with her was something I genuinely enjoyed more than I'd enjoyed anything in what felt like forever.
In the back of my mind though, I reminded myself that we could only be friends. Not only was I to wed another, but even if Mariana and I weren't to be married, I could never be with Rose. Sure, maybe as a one-night stand or a fling – that was acceptable. We could have human lovers, but humans and my kind were not allowed to be together. Not officially, at least. We could never marry. We could never be a real couple. And she deserved more than what I could give her. She was not the kind of girl I wanted as my side piece – I already had way too much respect for her.
As I left the bookstore that day, I couldn't stop thinking about her and couldn't seem to get the smile off my face. I couldn't wait to come back in and talk with her some more. But at the same time, I knew I should stay away. Because she looked at me the way I looked at her – with a longing we were both doing our best to shut down within ourselves. And I couldn't hurt her. I couldn't let her down. Still, I was grinning like an idiot as I stepped out into the street, my head filled with thoughts of her eyes, her smile, the sound of her laughter. I was feeling great as I stepped back into the street.
That is, until I ran into Mariana.
Chapter Seven
She was pissed, I could see it on her face. Of course, to be fair, it didn't take much to piss Mariana off, but still. I would have almost thought she had tracking on my phone or was somehow stalking me, but Mariana was holding onto some bags – she'd obviously been in town shopping for the wedding.
“Did you lose your phone or something?” she asked me, arms crossed in front of her as she glared at me. “You better hope you lost your phone, because God knows, if you're ignoring my calls –”
She stopped and looked past me into the store. Her eyes widened, her face darkened with anger, and then she looked at me again.
“You just came out of there,” she said, pointing at the bookstore.
“Yeah, so?” I said. “I wanted to pick up a book. Didn't know reading was a crime. If we're going to get married, you're going to have to get used to seeing me reading.”
“Uh huh,” she said. “So, what book did you buy?”
Too late, I realized that I had nothing in my hands, and she could see that. “They didn't have what I was looking for,” I said with a shrug.
“So, you weren't actually in there talking to her all this time?” Mariana pointed at Rose through the windows.
“Sure, we talked, but –”
“Is that why you didn't answer my calls, Asher?” she huffed. She shook her head and held her hands up in the air. “You know what? We'll deal with that later. I was calling for a reason, Asher. It's really important and there is some bad stuff going down.”
“What's going on?” I asked.
“My father. He's been shot,” she said.
My heart dropped. “Is he okay?”
“He's fine, the shooter didn't actually kill him,” she said. “Missed his heart and got his shoulder instead. He's currently at the hospital, but they're going to release him here soon. The wound was pretty superficial and with his healing powers, he'll be fine in no time. They have the shooter in custody now.”
“So, they know who it was?” I asked.
“Yes, they do,” she said, glaring at me. “Asher, it's Cameron. Cameron tried to kill my father.”
“Wait, what?” I asked her, my heart dropping into my stomach. “No, you have something all wrong –”
“No, Asher, he'
s been arrested. It was him. It was your best friend,” she said. “And now my clan is demanding answers. Answers I don't have, which is why I've been trying to call you all morning, to try and head off a disaster between our clans. And instead, I find out that you're in there flirting with – with – her. That plain, ordinary – human. So glad to know I can count on you when clan business needs to be handled d –”
“Mariana, stop,” I said. “I'll handle this. It wasn't Cameron. There's no reason he'd do something like that. Something is going on here.”
“Oh yeah?” she shoved me hard in the chest. “Then handle it. Because right now, it looks like a war is brewing. And you're too busy cheating on me to care.”
“You're next in line, after your father,” I said, trying my best to remain calm. “Call a meeting. Tell them we are not responsible for this. If Cameron did shoot him, there must have been something going on and it was an isolated incident. I'll handle it.”
“You'll handle it? Meaning you'll punish one of your own for trying to kill one of us?” She seemed doubtful.
“Yes, if that's what needs to be done,” I replied. “But I'm also going to get the facts of the case before I do anything. I'm not going to go off half-cocked. That's not how I do things.”
“Well, don't be surprised if my people don't believe you, Asher,” she said. “I mean, Cameron is your best friend after all. Your right hand man.”
She turned and walked away, leaving me alone on the street with my thoughts. And my thoughts turned progressively darker.
First, Luke had been killed and made to look like it was N'gasso. Now Mariana's father was shot, and it appeared to come from us. Sure, it could be retaliation for what happened to Luke, but if so, it didn't come from the top of the chain. Cameron would have acted on his own, and I knew my best friend. I knew he wasn't the type to act without permission from either me or my father.
Things were not lining up.
I needed to speak to Cameron, get some answers from him. Maybe then I could get to the bottom of this.
Something was definitely going on. Something was brewing, she was right about that. But it wasn't a war that was brewing. From where I was standing, it almost looked like somebody was intentionally trying to put us at odds. But who? And why?
~ooo000ooo~
“Where's he at?” I asked the moment I stepped into the police station. “I need to speak to him.”
The officer at the desk just stared at me, eyes wide. She was new, and I felt bad for her. She looked at her computer and then back at me, her eyes wide and filled with terror.
“A - are you asking about Cameron Hudson?” she stammered, her voice wavering and reflecting the fear I saw in her eyes.
“Of course I am,” I said. “I need to speak to him. Now.”
Sheriff Richards stepped out of his office and waved the other officer away. “I'll handle this, Sheila,” he said, looking at me with pure disdain in his eyes. “We're in the middle of questioning Mr. Hudson right now. No one but his attorney is allowed to speak with him at this time.”
I slammed my fists down on the counter. “I need to talk to him. Something is going down, Sheriff. Maybe something big. A storm is brewing, and I'm afraid he's caught in the middle of it. If you don't let me get some answers – and believe me, I'm going to get answers you won't – there are going to be more dead bodies in this town, you hear me?”
“Are you threatening me, Mr. Blackwood?” he asked, smirking as he asked.
“No, I'm warning you. Someone is behind this, and it's not Cameron,” I said, my voice low and cold. “And I need to find out who it is.”
“Okay, so you're just trying to do my job. Gotcha,” he said, turning to walk away. “Thanks, but like I said, no one can speak to the suspect at this time. Unless you have information that would aid in our investigation, I'd appreciate it if you saw yourself out.”
“So, you're just going to walk away?” I asked. “Not listen to anything I have to say?”
“Do you have information on why Cameron Hudson would try to kill Mr. Rockford?”
“No, because he wouldn't –”
“Then we have no reason to talk, Asher,” he said, shutting his office door in my face.
With my hands clenched at my sides, I fought the urge to drive my fist straight through the glass on the door. I didn't want to end up arrested alongside Cameron, and I was smart and aware enough to know that the Sheriff was looking for any reason to put me behind bars. And I knew I couldn't give him one.
Sometimes, being level-headed sucked.
I left the police station and called my father, who answered on the first ring.
“I heard what happened,” I said.
“Which incident?” my dad responded.
“What do you mean –” I almost didn't want the answer to that. “You mean there's more than one?”
“Yep,” he said, his voice sounding defeated. “I think it might be best if you came home, son. We need to talk. It's serious.”
I hung up and rushed home, afraid of what else might have gone down while I was in the bookstore for the afternoon. As I drove past One More Chapter again and couldn't help but glance inside. I saw Rose talking to a customer, a little girl, and they both had smiles on their faces. Seeing her made me smile too. It almost made me forget about the faint drumbeats of war that were sounding all around me.
Almost.
Chapter Eight
My dad and other members of the clan were already at the cabin when I arrived. I could hear the distant roaring of the bears, they were riled up and ready to go to war already. I knew I was walking into an argument before I even stepped foot on the property. When the clan had their blood up, it was almost impossible to get them to throttle it back down.
But that was what I had to do to prevent an all-out war.
I didn't even bother going inside, the action was outside, in the woods behind the cabin. I walked down the trail leading to our meeting grounds and found my father perched high on the throne that had been carved from a fallen Redwood tree and had been a symbol of the Chief's power for only God knows how long. He had his hands raised and was trying to calm down the others, but was having no luck. The shouts of anger drowned out his voice.
Several of our men had already shifted into bear form, their roars echoing around the forest, ready to fight. I surveyed the scene and knew it was not good. Not good at all.
“Listen, we expected retaliation after what happened to Clay Rockford,” my father said.
“What about retaliation for what happened to Luke?” one of the men in the crowd growled. “What happened to an eye-for-an-eye? Are we really going to let this slide by?”
“We are still looking into Luke's murder,” I said, stepping up beside my father. I took my seat on the smaller throne that had been built for the Chief's heir. “We have reason to believe the N'gasso aren't actually behind what happened.”
“Of course, you'd say that. You're screwing Clay's daughter, you're whipped already and aren't seeing straight, boy,” the man called.
My fists were balled up at my side. “Are you questioning my loyalty, Shane?” I asked him, narrowing my gaze. “I'm marrying Mariana for this clan – not because I love her. Because it's the best thing for us. Let's not get this twisted. I'd never put my clan in danger for a woman. Never. So, if you are questioning my allegiance, we can get into the pit and settle this.”
Shane settled down, but only a bit. I knew he wasn't up for a challenge. I was stronger than him, I'd easily tear his throat out if it came to that. He knew that, I knew that – hell, everybody gathered there knew that. And unless he wanted to challenge me, he'd need to calm the hell down. I didn't want to fight Shane – had no desire to hurt anybody in my clan. But I was not going to sit there and have my loyalty questioned.
Shane's wife, Ramona, put a hand on his shoulder and whispered something in his ear – likely reminding him of their two children. Two children who would grow up without a father if he dar
ed challenge me to battle.
“I'm sorry, Asher,” Shane said, gritting his teeth. “I didn't mean to question your loyalty. I'm just not sure why you're giving the N'gasso the benefit of the doubt – a benefit they don't deserve.”
“Because they'd be stupid to murder one of our own – my very own cousin at that – and not even try to cover it up. To murder him on their land, when we have an active peace agreement in place, would be dumb. The N'gasso are many things, but their Chief is not a stupid man,” I replied. “And besides, I don't believe they'd sabotage our peace accord. Not like that. Nothing about this makes any sense.”
“You're right. None of it makes sense,” Shane growled. Others joined in with him, “Why are we uniting with them anyway? What do we have to gain from it.”
“We've been through this,” my father argued. “Because it makes us both stronger. The fighting amongst us will stop, fewer people will die, and it'll lead to more prosperity for all of us. We have a lot to gain from this agreement. Perhaps, more than the N'gasso.”
I nodded. “Exactly,” I said. “Believe me, I wouldn't be marrying into that family if I didn't think it wasn't going to benefit the Q'lapa.”
Slowly, the shouting stopped and I could feel the dark, angry energy that had infused the crowd begin to dissipate. I waited for a few long moments, looking at my father, who looked back at me with a grateful look in his eyes. He looked weak. Fragile. And it broke my heart. After the crowd calmed down, I decided to ask the question that had been racing around through the back of my mind.
“Had anyone talked to Cameron prior to the incident with Clay Rockford?” I asked them all. “If anybody knows anything, now is the time.”
A low buzzing mumble hovered over the crowd as they spoke to one another, some were shaking their heads and though there was a lot of conversation, I wasn't getting the feeling that anybody actually knew anything.
A woman – Annie, I thought her name was – shouted from near the back. “I spoke to him last night. He didn't mention anything, didn't seem upset,” she called. “We talked about Luke, but I didn't get the feeling that he was upset enough to go do something as crazy as that. He said that you and your father would handle it.”
Mated to a Bear (Legends of Black Salmon Falls Book 3) Page 103
