by Lowe, Anna
“Get in there. Help him,” David ordered McGraw.
The burly man had his arms crossed firmly over his chest, but eventually, he relented. “I will — but just to get things moving. Don’t lose sight of what we’re really here for.”
“What you’re really here for,” David muttered under his breath.
But McGraw didn’t seem to hear. He removed his jacket and tie and laid them methodically aside in unrushed movements, totally unlike the wolf fight raging beside him.
Darcy aimed his barks at McGraw. Sophie watched with sick fascination as McGraw shifted into bear form without so much as a grunt. Fur sprouted uniformly, and he remained balanced easily on two feet.
Shifting doesn’t have to be gruesome, David had said, and maybe he was right. McGraw’s transition was totally fluid, almost graceful. The kind of process Sophie had envisioned when she had naïvely imagined becoming a shifter as a child.
But she had imagined furry creatures frolicking in the woods, not raging beasts with claws and inch-long fangs. The bear stood for one moment, letting the wind ruffle his fur. Then he lumbered toward the sparring wolves and—
“Last chance,” Dell muttered, blocking his way.
Sophie wanted to scream. Was Dell insane?
Then her eyes bulged, because Dell started shifting too. She stared as tawny features emerged from the blend of human and animal shapes.
“What?” she gasped.
She’d always thought of Dell as a Viking, what with his long, golden hair and thick beard. But never, ever as a lion.
“Dell?” she whispered in shock.
The lion shook out his mane and roared, making Coco and Boris cower. McGraw growled back, but the grizzly didn’t advance. He just stood there, hemmed in by Dell, watching the fight unfold.
Which still left Chase facing a wolf and a bear on his own, not to mention David, who unslung his shoulder bag and took out a rifle. He screwed the stock and barrel together, muttering all the time.
“You want something done, you have to do it yourself.”
Sophie’s heart clenched. God, no.
She checked the road, hoping to see Chase’s friends springing out of a car, all armed to the teeth. But there was no one there. The thought did make another piece of the puzzle click into place in her mind, though. Dell was a shifter, and so was Chase. Did that mean his brothers were as well? And what about Anjali, Hailey, and the others?
For a moment, she felt cheated, even lied to. But that all faded away when she pictured each of them. Connor was friendly and polite, and Tim was always kind. Dell was funny and upbeat. All of them doted on their girlfriends with a kind of adoring devotion few men showed, and they had all jumped to help her after the explosion at the smoothie truck.
Her heart swelled. All those strangers had been so kind to her. It was David, the boy she’d grown up with, she couldn’t trust.
The locket warmed on her chest, and a voice drifted through her mind.
You can trust them. You can trust love.
Sophie looked at Chase. It was easy to love the man. But to love a wolf?
Something jerked her hand, and she yanked her attention back to her feet. Darcy had just broken out of her grasp.
“Darcy, wait!” she cried, but it was too late. Darcy splashed through a puddle, headed directly for the bear advancing on Chase.
Coco and Boris filled the air with frantic barks that said, You’re just a little guy. That bear is huge, but Darcy didn’t seem to care.
The bear — Vucovich — changed direction, coming directly for Darcy. Sophie lunged for a rock then threw it with all her might. She expected the rock to bounce harmlessly off the bear’s shoulder, but it landed with a thump, and the beast stumbled back. Then it glared at her with its lips peeled back as if to say, You’re next, sweetheart.
Her pulse raced. What she nuts to provoke a bear like that?
Then again, that was Darcy out there, not to mention Chase and Dell. All of them were risking their lives for her.
Darcy jumped into position beside Chase, having made up his mind about which side to support. It was almost laughable, seeing the little terrier face off with a wolf and a bear, but Sophie’s heart warmed. That little dog had all the courage in the world, and he was the most loyal soul she knew.
Just like Chase, that little voice said.
Heat radiated through her chest as she stared at Chase’s dun-colored pelt. He had done so much and asked for so little. Finally, she understood what he’d been meaning to say but couldn’t quite get out.
But, holy cow. The man she loved was a wolf?
Vucovich rumbled and stepped forward, setting off the next onslaught. Lamont jumped ahead of him, and Chase braced himself for the onslaught. When the two wolves crashed together, the bear followed. Darcy did too, yapping and nipping to distract the bear. The grizzly swiped at Darcy, who barely jumped clear in time.
Sophie hurled another rock at the bear. That one bashed into the bear’s brow, producing another furious roar. Then she reached down for another and—
“Would you quit that?” David snapped, grabbing her arm.
She twisted, trying to break free, but her feet slipped out from under her.
David cursed, kicking Coco and Boris away. They weren’t the warriors that Darcy was, but they did snap at David’s ankles, protecting her as best they could.
Sophie found herself engulfed in chaos. Dogs barking, beasts growling, water splashing. The blowhole erupted with a thunderous blast, soaking them all. Sophie blinked, trying to clear the jumble in her mind.
Keep your head clear. Her stepfather’s drill sergeant voice sounded in her mind, loud and clear. He’d always said that during the exercises he’d put everyone through like involuntary recruits in his private army. Panic is the enemy.
Never in her wildest dreams had Sophie imagined she’d find those lessons useful, and certainly not in a situation like this. But there she was, lying at the feet of a madman while wild animals tore at each other only a few feet away. She took a deep breath and dug a little deeper through those unwanted memories. David was bigger and stronger. Worse, he had a weapon. But she had been trained for that, right? She pushed one foot forward and the other back, bracing herself. With a quick twist and a dip of one shoulder, she yanked David’s arm down and—
“Hey!” he blurted as she judo-rolled him over her shoulder and let him crash to the ground.
Sophie stared, amazed it had actually worked.
The rifle had clattered to one side, and she leaped forward to kick it out of David’s reach. When David rushed after it, a shadowy memory rushed through Sophie’s mind. She’d slipped, but before she knew it, she was rolling into a scissor kick that knocked David right off his feet. Then she raced toward the road with Coco and Boris at her heels. She wasn’t sure whether to feel proud or sick that all the paramilitary training she’d been forced to undertake was still mired in her soul, even after all that time.
“You bitch!” David yelled, lunging for her.
The dogs tripped him up, allowing Sophie to get a step ahead. If she could somehow get there and jump into her car—
With a gasp, she pulled up short. Vucovich had cut away from the wolf fight and planted himself firmly in her path, daring her to come closer.
“Leave her to me,” David ordered, hurrying up behind her.
A howl sounded from the left, and Sophie looked around. One of the wolves stood over the other, sinking its teeth into the other’s neck. They were both matted with blood, and her heart leaped. Which was Chase?
It took ten agonizing seconds to figure out which wolf was which. The beast struggling on the ground was Lamont, and the victor was Chase.
Lamont ceased struggling and went still. Chase held on for another few seconds before releasing his hold on the enemy. Lamont dropped like a stone, unmoving. Dead?
Dead, Darcy’s haughty sniff seemed to say.
Sophie felt sick.
Chase swung his head toward h
er with an expression so full of regret, it broke her heart.
Forgive me, his eyes begged. Don’t hate me for who I am. For what I must do to save you.
Sophie stared. For the briefest of moments, her focus sharpened like never before.
“Chase,” she whispered.
Fear and surprise swirled around the edges of her heart, but love filled most of that space.
Love is the most powerful force on earth, her aunt had once said. And when you know, you really know.
Sophie sucked in a deep breath, reasoning it out. She loved Chase. Did it really matter if he was man or wolf?
Up to that point, McGraw had hung back from the fight, hemmed in by Dell, the lion. Then the bear rumbled and attacked Dell. Meanwhile, the second bear reared to his hind feet, looming over Chase.
“That will be me someday,” David growled as he caught up to Sophie and grabbed her from behind. “Only better.”
The bear claw necklace dug into her back, and he held her wrists tightly with one hand. The other slapped over her chest, covering her locket.
“Oh yes. I’ll be needing this too,” David muttered.
Sophie stiffened. Why would he be interested in her locket? Then her mind went into hyperdrive. There was no way she would let David have the locket. It seemed imperative somehow.
On instinct, Sophie stamped on his foot and lurched away.
“Damn it,” David cursed, coming after her.
With a wolf and a bear blocking one way out and a lion/bear fight cutting off the other, Sophie had no choice but to rush to the edge of the cliff. The blowhole erupted, drenching her. Water plastered her hair to her face, and she stumbled to her knees an inch from the rock’s edge. She peered over the sheer drop. No way could she jump to escape.
“Where you going to go now?” David sneered, smacking her head from behind.
The blow sent her reeling to one side. Her shoulder smashed into rock, and she cried out. A wolf howled, and she knew it was Chase. But when she looked up, all she could see was the hulking form of the grizzly, looming before him.
“No,” she mumbled, scrambling to her feet.
But she’d hit her head in the fall, and everything unfolded in a slow blur. Coco and Boris whimpered and barked, forming a cloud of brown and white near her feet. David was there too, reaching for the rifle with what looked like two right hands.
Hurry, a voice whispered as the locket flared with heat. Knock it away.
She focused just in time to see Vucovich slash at Chase’s shoulder with huge, raking claws. The bear moved in for the kill as Chase rolled to the ground. But Darcy — brave, indomitable Darcy — rushed in, sinking his teeth into the grizzly’s rear leg. The bear roared and twisted, swatting Darcy away.
“Darcy!” Sophie screamed as the dog flew across the rocks and landed with a crash. He landed in a heap, unmoving.
“Fucking dog,” David muttered as he closed in on the rifle.
Coco and Boris rushed over to Darcy. Anger welled up in Sophie — or was that hate? Emotions she’d banished for so long, pushing aside all the love she’d painstakingly gathered over the past months.
Without thinking, she kicked the rifle out of David’s hands. It clattered over the rocks then went flying over the cliff.
“You bitch!” David screamed, too late.
Sophie jumped to her feet and held up her fists. For the first time in her life, she understood why hate was so powerful, and why men like David got such a high from tapping in to it. But something warmed on her chest. The moment she touched the locket, love rushed back into her heart, extinguishing the hate. The locket was so hot, she nearly jerked her hand away, but that heat didn’t burn. It just flowed into her, filling her with a different source of power.
Love. The most powerful thing there is, her aunt had once said.
And, wow. Sophie believed it. She clasped the locket tightly.
“How dare you?” David yelled.
“How dare you?” she screamed back, trying to assess the situation. Chase and Vucovich battled on in a tight knot. Dell and McGraw covered huge swaths of territory, leaping at each other, then retreating. They were a good twenty yards away, with the distance increasing steadily. That left David, who—
Sophie gasped as he wrenched her hand to her side. “Now I’ve had it. Choose. Life or death, Sophie. Which will it be?”
“Chase,” she declared, still struggling. “I choose Chase.”
David snorted. “That ain’t an option, honey. It’s me or nothing.”
Heat radiated through her chest, and a gurgling sound came from behind David, signaling that the blowhole was about to interrupt. Sophie’s gaze fell to the gaping hole only a few feet away.
David laughed. “I guess you choose death. Too bad.”
He leaned in, focusing on her neck. His eyes brightened as if already relishing how good it would feel to squeeze the life out of her. To ignore her choked pleas and watch her slowly die. He would give her a little shake and — ugh — kiss her cheek as the life seeped out of her body. Then, with one cold gesture, he would shove her body off the cliff.
All that played out in David’s eyes. But at the same time, another vision unfolded in Sophie’s mind. A vision of Chase, looking down at her as they lay together in bed. His soft kiss, his gentle caress. All that love and all that yearning aimed at her.
She gritted her teeth. David was right. It was life or death, and she had to choose.
Her eyes slid from David to the gurgling blowhole.
Warning. Stay clear of blowhole. You can be sucked in and killed.
David leaned in to choke her, and Sophie rocked back, using the slippery surface to catch him off-balance. Then, summoning all the energy she had, she shoved the other way. Really shoved, with more force than she had ever summoned in her life.
David sprawled backward, grunting in surprise. He teetered at the edge of the blowhole for a moment, and Sophie held her breath as he glanced down. When his eyes slid back to Sophie, there was murder written in them.
“That’s it,” David grunted. “You’re going to wish—”
His words were drowned out by the slosh of water, and Coco — little, helpless Coco — jumped at his shins, pushing him back. It wasn’t much, and David easily stuck out his right foot to catch himself on the other side of the hole. But the gurgle became a roar, and David’s look turned from one of annoyance to panic.
Whoosh, the blowhole went.
David flailed, surrounded by water that shot up with the force of a firehose. Then the water dropped, and David dropped too. One minute, he was there, and the next, the water had dragged him out of sight.
“David,” Sophie half whispered, half yelped.
Coco had been thrown aside by the eruption, but when it ceased, she shook her fur and peered down into the hole.
“Coco!” Sophie gestured wildly, and the mutt scampered back to her side.
Sophie stared at the blowhole then scanned the sea. Would David be dragged out there? Could he possibly survive?
Then a roar sounded behind her, and she whirled to face the shifter fight.
Chapter Sixteen
Sophie turned just in time to see Chase being thrown against the rocks. His wolf body was battered, and Vucovich bled from several deep wounds too. But the grizzly had the upper hand, and it was closing in for the kill.
“No!”
She grabbed a rock and rushed forward, hurling it at the bear. The mighty beast turned and growled at her, ignoring Chase. So she threw another rock and another. Each successive blow drew a greater reaction from the grizzly, who winced, ducked, and roared.
One little part of her mind registered that she shouldn’t be able to make such an impact. That something other than pure panic might be fueling her. But then the grizzly came straight for her, and she froze, staring death in the face.
Then Darcy — dear little Darcy, limping up like a canine Napoleon who didn’t know when to quit — sank his teeth into the bear’s back leg
. The beast twisted around to chase him away, leaving its neck unguarded. Chase struggled to his feet and lunged in with his jaws wide open.
The grizzly’s ruff had to be incredibly thick, but once the wolf sank his teeth in, he refused to let go. Neither did Darcy, who hung on as the bear flailed around. At first, the beast seemed merely annoyed. But the wolf’s fangs must have sunk deeper, because the bear’s movements became more desperate. With a mighty shake, it launched Darcy into the air. The Jack Russell crashed against a rock and fell, limp.
“Darcy!” Sophie screamed.
She nearly rushed over to him, but there was no time. Without Darcy’s distraction, the grizzly could concentrate on mauling Chase with its claws.
So, move. Help Chase, she ordered herself.
She screamed and waved, ignoring the instinct to flee. If Darcy could face a beast that big, she could bring herself to do the same.
The bear whirled and swiped at her, making the air whoosh in front of her face. Chase still hung on to its neck, and blood matted both their chests. Sophie nearly fled, but she found the strength to rush forward again, screaming at the beast. The more the bear focused on her, the more time Chase had to drain the life out of it.
“Over here,” she shouted, grabbing another rock.
The bear glanced up as she launched the rock with power and accuracy that shocked her. When it struck the bear’s muzzle, the beast howled and arched back.
Coco barked, as if cheering Chase on. Now! Get him!
The wolf clamped its jaws even harder, and the bear released a final, fading roar. Then it dropped to its side in a strange, slow-motion way, kicked a few times, and finally went limp. For a while, the only sound was that of waves crashing into rocks. Then the wolf released the bear and lurched away. After three shaky steps, it collapsed.
Sophie stumbled backward, landed on her rear, and sat there, staring. Her heart pounded all the louder for the surrounding silence. But when she reached for her locket, she found herself back on her feet, rushing toward Chase. She kneeled over him and—
She froze, and her hands shook an inch away from touching him. That wasn’t just a wild beast. It was a werewolf — the kind of beast that had horrified her for so long.
