I hurried over to help Gemma and Vera with the remaining enemy bears. “There have to be more.” I said out loud. I knew the bears couldn’t answer, but they could hear.
As if in answer, another group of black bears and witches emerged from the forest’s edge, but a small group of Norco grizzlies came in behind them, slashing and attacking them down to the ground. With the distraction, we focused on the warlocks and witches. My new strength made it easy to knock out each opponent with a single punch.
I was blinded by the fight, more in the mindset than ever. I couldn’t hear or see anything.
A touch on my shoulder made me spin around. I prepared to punch when reality hit me. It was Vera in front of me. Still in bear form. She pointed to the edge of the woods where a man stood. I looked closely. It was Gareth.
I ran over. “Thanks for the help.”
“Don’t waste your breath thanking me. You have to move now.”
“Then why did you shift back?” I glanced over my shoulder. The bears were watching me. “Why are you wasting your breath?”
“You need to be careful.”
“I’m always careful.”
“Be wary of who you trust. I’ve been betrayed by someone from within. You never know when someone will turn on you.” Gareth had a large gash over his temple with a slow stream of blood coming down his cheek.
“That’s why they knew about the crystals? It was an inside job?”
“It has to be. You’re the only outsider who knows.”
“Considering they want to kill me, you realize it wasn’t me.”
“You don’t work with witches. It’s one of the reasons I like you.” He looked deep into my eyes. “Take Vera and go.”
“Do we come back here?”
“Only when it’s safe.”
Another explosion went off in the distance.
Gareth shifted back, ending our conversation. I hurried back to the others. Gareth was right, we didn’t have a moment to lose.
My bear form had transformed into something unstoppable. I was larger and stronger. Nothing could slow me down as I easily took down three brown bears. Who did they think they were messing with Norco? Anger welled up, pushing me on through the waves of opponents. How many witches and double crossing bears were there?
We pushed on, ignoring pain as we continued forward. I was exhausted. Strong as I was now, there was only so much a bear could take.
I heard shouts and cries behind me, but I ignored them all. I had only one goal in mind, getting us off the island with the crystals. We had to get the knowledge so we could stop the witches from waging the war. There was too much at stake to waste a moment. I had to trust that Gareth and his army would protect Norco. I couldn’t stand the thought of my people being destroyed by the witches. My people. Despite my earlier hesitation, I was willing to accept it now. I was home, finally home, yet now I had to leave.
“Vera!” Jared called my name, and I snapped back to reality.
I’d slowed down and was several feet behind the others. It was then that I really looked at him. He wasn’t Jared. He was huge—enormous, bulging muscles that looked like they could crush you. His eyes were pitch black, distorting his face and making me doubt there was anything human inside him. Whatever the crystals did to us as bears, they did even more to him as a Pteron.
“Run!” he screamed, but his warning was too late. A burst of light hit me. I fell to the ground.
The sky lit up again, and I realized belatedly I was bleeding. Really bleeding.
“Vera?” Jared asked worriedly as he looked between me and where the others waited near the forest’s edge. “Can you make it over there?”
I nodded, wishing again I could communicate with him while in bear form.
I started running, and Jared stayed by my side. My pace slowed, and I felt my body weaken. My head got hazy, and I knew I couldn’t hold up much longer. We were so close to the tree line. So close.
I felt a searing pain in my back again, and my body started its change back into my human form before everything went black.
“What’s wrong with her?” I heard a voice yelling from nearby. It was Gemma, but I couldn’t open my eyes. “Vera, wake up!” Someone shook me.
“We have to go.” Jared spoke calmly. I struggled against my eyelids.
“We can’t swim that far. She is clearly injured.” Gemma’s hand rested on my arm. It had to be her. It was such a gentle touch.
“Slade can’t hold them off much longer. We’re going to have to go.”
“Jared!” Gemma cried, and I opened my eyes in time to see the vapor moving toward us again.
“Fuck this.” Jared grabbed me and Gemma, and sprinted to Slade. “I’m getting us out of here.” He scooped up Slade.
“You can’t hold us all!” Gemma yelled as Jared took to the sky.
I watched in panic as more bright orbs filled the sky. The witches weren’t going to give up easily.
Jared’s breathing became labored as he soared over the water deftly dodging the orbs until I felt his body go rigid. We weighed too much, and something had hit him. I was sure of it.
“We’re almost there,” Gemma said in a soothing voice, and for once I didn’t mind her optimism. Jared needed it if we were going to make it to the far shore.
“Drop me. I can swim the rest of the way.” Slade argued.
“We’re. Almost. There.” Jared barely got the words out as he struggled to continue.
A loud explosion made my ears ring as we neared the shore. The echoes of cries filled the air, and I was terrified to imagine what the witches were doing to Norco.
We reached the shore, but Jared didn’t stop.
“You can’t do this much longer,” I forced the words out of my mouth. Maybe he’d listen to me.
“Have. To.”
After several minutes he finally landed. He dropped us and stood there trying to regain his balance.
I watched the new diesel Jared as he slowly transformed back into human form. His wings had retracted, but he was still more muscular than he’d been, and his eyes were black. He nearly collapsed on the ground from exhaustion, but he appeared uninjured. We were all fine. But what about the island? I lay back in the dirt and closed my eyes.
I blinked a few times, waiting to feel normal again. My vision usually returned to normal instantly. It didn’t. I still had the enhanced vision I only had when I was transformed.
I ignored my problem and did a quick inventory of everyone else. The bears quickly dressed, and I was particularly glad that Slade now had pants on. I hoped no one ever found out I’d flown a naked guy for that long.
I stretched, glad that my body had at least gone back to normal. I blinked again, and finally the intense vision started to subside.
I turned to look at Vera. Her wound was healing fast, but I knew it was more than the physical hurting her. It had been an emotional night for her.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Slade kneeled down beside her in the dirt.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” She brushed him off exactly the way I expected her to. I’d have to get some time alone with her to see how she was really doing. “I’m not worse than anyone else.”
“Your parents might be fine. We really don’t know.” Gemma’s voice sounded as upbeat as ever, and in much the same way as I knew Vera had brushed off Slade, I also knew she was going to snap at Gemma.
“Might be fine? The island is overrun by crazy witches. How on earth are they going to be fine?”
“Your father is a fighter. A trained warrior.” Slade continued kneeling. I’d have thought he’d grow tired of that position.
“What if the witches kill them all? What if they destroy everything while we run?” She spoke without emotion, but I knew the truth. She was hurting.
“Trust me, I’m scared too.” Gemma looked down, and Slade patted her back gently. “I love Norco. It’s everything to me. It’s okay to feel this way, but it’s not going to help. What will help is finding t
he knowledge and fighting back. You think Norco is the only place the witches will attack? Not by a long shot. If we fail, we fail everyone.” Gemma’s face was red. For the first time I was getting a look at her angry side, and I knew I never wanted to be on that side of her.
“But those are all big ‘what ifs’. We don’t know where we’re going, or what we’re supposed to do. What the hell is the knowledge?” Vera ran her hands through her matted hair.
“We’ll figure it out.” As much as I knew she didn’t want an answer, I had to try.
“That’s helpful and very specific.”
I shrugged. “I’m not flying you all again. I can tell you that.” I’d never been so exhausted in my entire life.
“Why? Too tired?” Vera’s sudden return to teasing both relaxed and scared me. She was still in there, so was she having a manic response to everything?
Either way, I decided to run with it. “Believe it or not, flying nearly five hundred pounds over an extended distance can wear on a man.”
“Well, most men can’t fly.” Gemma grinned. Good. I’d broken the tension. I needed that if we were going to get anywhere.
“Let’s rephrase that. It can wear on a Pteron.”
“The question is whether we are being tracked. Will we get caught if we try to buy plane tickets?” Slade asked. “I don’t want witches waiting for us when we land. They can’t know what we’re up to. It will ruin everything.”
Plane tickets. What a thought. I’d been flying myself or using the Laurent’s private jet for my entire life. Flying commercial would be a whole new experience. “It’s not that far. Driving makes more sense.”
“We still have to rent a car.” Slade shrugged.
“Or buy one.” That was always an option.
“Nope. No wasting money like that.” Vera shook her head.
“Since when has my money been your business?”
“Since you petitioned me to be your mate. You’re supposed to keep me financially secure.” Her lips quirked into a smile. Yes, she was losing it. She was going to break down again any minute.
I played along. We all needed to relax and get far away from the island. Distraction would help both those issues. “Oh yeah? Worried I won’t have enough to support your lavish lifestyle?”
“Could you guys discuss this stuff later? We really don’t have much time.” Gemma sighed. “I haven’t been off Norco for… well—ever, so I can’t be much help.”
“Wait. What?” I turned to her. “You’ve never been off the island?”
“I haven’t taken my sabbatical yet, and really I had no plans to for a while. I had too much work to do.”
“They never let you leave?” Vera stared open mouthed “That’s insane.”
“It’s not insane.” Slade pushed around dirt with his shoe. “It’s different.”
“But why? Is Norco a cult or something?” Vera was evidently done being careful.
“Norco is no cult, and you know it.” Gemma’s face fell again. “At least you should. You weren’t raised with us, but it’s in your blood. You have to feel it.”
“Does it bother you to leave?” I asked the obvious question that had been floating on the tip of my tongue. “Is it hard?”
“It’s scary.” Gemma glanced back in the direction of Norco.
“I’ve left before a few times.” Slade stretched. I probably wasn’t the only one who was sore and tired.
“For more than one sabbatical?” Was he more important than I originally thought?
“I was in the military.”
“That entitled you to more time away?”
“No. I did it as part of my job. You aren’t the only one with a background in intelligence.”
I couldn’t get a read on Slade. Sometimes he seemed friendly, but other times he was hostile. He clearly wasn’t a fan of mine but I wasn’t sure if it all had to do with Vera or more what I was.
“How much further is that cabin we stayed at, Jared?” Vera asked.
“A few miles. Why?”
“That’s not too far, is it?” She asked.
“For us to walk right now?” I looked up at the still dark sky. “We could try.”
Vera ran a hand through her tangled hair. “There was a car there. I bet the keys are inside.”
“Good idea.” I held out a hand to her. “Ready?”
“See, I am useful for something.”
“You’re useful for a hell of a lot more than that.” I waggled an eyebrow.
“Please. That’s worse than the finance talk.” Gemma made hand earmuffs.
I laughed. “Sorry. Couldn’t help it.”
“There are a lot of things Jared can’t help.” Vera elbowed me in the side.
“Let’s just get to this cabin.” Slade tapped his foot impatiently.
“It’s southeast of here.” I headed in the right direction, assuming everyone else would follow.
“What’s our plan beyond finding the car? We have the crystals, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy to break into a witch stronghold.” Vera rolled back her shoulders.
“Jared will think of something.” Gemma smiled at me. “Won’t you?”
“I will?”
“You were Director of Security and Intelligence for The Society, which must mean you’re resourceful.” Gemma watched me expectedly.
“I’ll think of something.” She had a point. If it was Levi asking me to come up with a plan, I’d have promised it in a heartbeat. The problem was I was used to having endless resources.
“You can do this.” Vera bumped her shoulder into mine.
I bumped my shoulder right back into hers. “I know I can.”
“Do you?”
“Oh no. Not this stuff again. No existential crisis talk.”
“I’m looking for your usual confidence. Normally you’d have demanded that everyone listen to you. Instead you’re reluctantly agreeing like it’s a huge obligation to you.”
“It’s different doing this without The Society behind me.”
“Do you really think The Society had anything to do with your skill?” She patted my arm.
“Not all of it.”
“Ok, that’s a start. At least you’re admitting some of it is you.”
“I’m surprised you aren’t trying to piss me off right now. Trying to get me so angry I come up with a plan.”
“Anger helps release your strength, but it might do the opposite to your brain.”
Then like a lightbulb it came to me. “I am going to walk right in.”
“Uh, what?” Gemma asked.
“For all they know I left The Society for other reasons than the ones I had. Maybe Levi and I fought. Maybe I gave in to the natural instincts that clearly control the rest of the males in my family.”
“They’ll think you’re looking to help. That you changed your mind.”
“Exactly…”
“That’s actually a really good plan.” Slade sounded impressed.
“Actually?” I narrowed my eyes.
“I figured you’d be focusing on brute force, but that’s brilliant. It will help with the intel too. Wish I’d have thought of the idea myself.”
I grinned. “Well, you didn’t.”
Vera leaned up and brushed her lips against my ear. “And that’s the Jared I wanted.”
“Glad I can make you happy.”
“You can make me very happy.”
We continued walking, and the exhaustion started catching up with me. Usually I could recharge, but I’d pushed myself harder than normal. I needed a ten minute break, but I didn’t have ten minutes. As much as I hated letting someone else drive, I was going to have to. I needed to be on my A game when it came time to face the witches. I needed to convince them I’d switched sides, to keep my guard up, and to find any intel I could while getting my mom out. The key would be keeping everyone else away. My plan was a good one, but it was dangerous. I couldn’t risk getting anyone else hurt.
The cabin cam
e into view, and we all picked up the pace. Bears aren’t as fast as Pterons, but they are a whole lot faster than humans.
“Let’s split up. The faster we find the keys the better.” Maybe splitting up now would get everyone used to the idea of us working separately.
“Where’s the car?” Slade asked.
“Out under the carport.” Vera gestured to the right of the house.
“What kind is it?” Slade walked over toward where she’d gestured.
“Some sort of old truck. It’s a four door so we’ll all fit.”
“Great.” Slade nodded. “You guys look for the keys. I’ll be out here.”
“Real helpful,” I mumbled while I walked inside with the girls. If worse came to worse I’d figure out how to hotwire the thing, but I was hoping to avoid it.
The cabin appeared untouched since the last time Vera and I had been inside. I glanced at the bed—had I really laid beside her without touching her? So much had changed in a few days’ time.
“Day dreaming about me again?” Vera ran a hand down my back.
“You’re supposed to be looking for the keys.”
“So are you.” I opened the drawers to one of the night stands. We didn’t have time to waste. Despite my exhaustion, we had to get moving.
Vera moved over to the dresser. “I shouldn’t be as upset as I am. Gemma and Slade, it’s legit, but not me.”
“Why not?” I stopped my searching. “Just because you didn’t live there doesn’t mean you don’t care.”
“But it does matter. I was a bitch to Gemma, and she’s the one who needed me to be nice.”
“I don’t mind.” Gemma walked into the room. “I’m glad you care enough about Norco to be a bitch.”
“You’re strange, you know that?” Vera smiled.
Gemma laughed. “Coming from you that might be a compliment.”
A loud roar of an engine had us all frozen. “Was that an engine?” Gemma asked.
“Sounded like one.” I headed back outside, and the girls followed.
We walked over to the carport where Slade sat grinning in the driver’s seat. “Ready to go?”
“You know how to hot wire a car?” I asked.
“I know a few things.”
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