Francis, standing firmly between the two of them, looked at Remy. “Is this true?”
“He’s not going to admit it!” Charles shouted.
“Charles, please. Right now you’re in a lot of trouble. We will handle this. Remy?”
“I’m not a corporate spy. I have no influence over how Brock runs his company. In fact, Brock has very little influence in his own company right now because he’s the Mayor, but that’s besides the point. Yes, I work for Tandell Corporations, in the marketing department, as a graphic designer. The biggest decisions I get to make are whether we use the blonde model or the brunette for an ad campaign and whether we use Georgia or Garamond for the font. That is the limit of my corporate power.”
“And Tara Brown?”
“I didn’t know she was Tara Brown when I met her, or when I fell in love with her.”
“He’s lying. He’s using her.”
“And when I did find out I was afraid she’d think just like her father. But she didn’t. We’ve already been discussing what will happen to our relationship after the conference.”
“He’s seduced her, coerced her. It’s all lies.”
The crowd in the lobby continued to grow. Remy spotted Daniel and Marnie hovering nearby and shook his head slightly, warning them to stay back, to not get involved. He didn’t need Charles shouting about conspiracies or pointing the finger at either of his friends.
Francis was frowning. “Let’s move this to a conference room. And Andrew, please go up and fetch Miss Brown. I would like to hear her opinion in all this.”
Before anyone could take a step, Charles screamed, “I issue a formal challenge against Remy!”
Everyone and everything stopped. The men holding Charles and Remy back released their hold. There was no risk now. A challenge had been issued and all the rules that went along with it were now in play. Charles would not attack until the rules allowed it.
Remy eyed his opponent carefully.
Finally, Francis said, “Remy, the choice of form is yours.”
“I choose bear.”
“Acknowledged,” Francis said. “Andrew, fetch the remainder of the Council. The duel will begin as soon as all the witnesses are present.”
Daniel and Marnie rushed over to Remy as people began making their way outside, eager to find a good place to watch from. Everyone had expected a dull day after dull day filled with nothing but cool breezes and long-winded discussions. This was a welcome change, for most of them at least.
Marnie looked worried but it was Daniel who spoke. “You’re a fool. He’s old enough to be your father. Fighting him in human form you’re almost guaranteed a win. I’ve seen Charles in his bear form. He’s massive – large even for a full-grown grizzly. You’ll have your paws full with him.”
“Better that than the accusation that I took advantage of him, or the reputation of being the Chief who beat up an old man.”
“You should be more concerned with winning than with appearances,” Daniel muttered.
“What is he going to do? Forbid me from talking to Tara? And when she puts in a formal request to transfer, then what? She has a say in this too, and her word will carry as much weight as mine, or more.”
“And where is she?” Marnie pressed.
“I’m betting Charles caught her returning to her room this morning and locked her in somehow. Charles called for this duel so they wouldn’t talk to her. He’s afraid of the ACouncil hearing what she has to say. I can’t refuse this duel, all I can do is come out of it as best I can. And then hope they’ll talk to Tara.”
“Remy, we’re waiting on you.”
He nodded. “I’m coming.”
He unbuttoned his shirt as he walked and undid his belt, handing it, along with his wallet and the two phones to Daniel. The crowd had formed a large circle just beyond the garden and the entire Council was waiting there with Charles beside them.
Charles looked equal parts angry and smug. Remy ignored him and turned his attention to the Council. “What are the terms?”
“I accuse this man of coercing my daughter, or seducing her against her will, and of corporate espionage,” Charles said.
“I deny all charges and claim that Tara Brown could settle this without a fight. Just ask her opinion in the matter.”
“Miss Brown will be consulted later,” Francis said. “First this duel must be fought. Strength of arms does not necessarily prove innocence or guilt. This is a chance for Charles to claim reparation for the slights he claims, and for Remy to defend his honor, nothing more. Undress now, if you choose, and prepare to shift.”
Remy wasn’t used to this many eyes on him but shifting in clothes was painful and this duel was going to be difficult enough as it was. He stripped, handing his clothes to Marnie who politely looked him in the eye.
“This is not a duel to the death. I want no lives lost today,” Francis said. “Now settle this.”
Remy shifted and for a long, painful moment could pay attention to nothing else. When he stood up on all fours and looked around, he found one of the largest brown bears he’d ever seen standing across the circle from him. The people didn’t matter, he knew that, they were not his concern, not his target. This bear was all that mattered, this bear, and staying alive.
The Duel
After regaining her composure, Tara had called down to the front desk but there was no answer. She paced the small space, feeling every bit a bear in a zoo enclosure but without the faces staring in at her. “Think Tara,” she muttered. “Think. What can you do?”
“I grew up with a chief for a father. I learned to lie without lying at a young age. Didn’t you?”
“Yeah, I guess I did. I just got in a lot of trouble over the years and accepted it was inevitable.”
“So did I. But even when I lied without lying he always gave me this look, like he suspected something but couldn’t prove it. It got worse once I became a teen and had to take my oath to him as my chief.”
“But he didn’t give you the look at lunch?”
“No. Not at all. And I have no idea why.”
She blinked at the memory. It was a long shot, but it was worth a try. If she couldn’t open the door then she’d know she was still a member of her father’s clan. But if she could pull that door open and put even one foot in the hallway, then nothing he commanded could hold her.
She strode to the door and put her hand on the handle, fully intending to just yank it open but at the last second she hesitated. If it doesn’t work you’re stuck.
If it does work you’re free.
She pulled. The door opened. She’d opened the door, against her father’s wishes.
He didn’t say ‘don’t open the door,’ he said ‘don’t leave the room’.
She took a deep breath and stepped out of the room, her hand on the door so it wouldn’t close and lock her out, going slow, one deliberate foot after the other. There was no bolt of lightning and no magic compulsion to hide in her room.
Free.
She slipped back inside, her movements hurried now by purpose. She packed, making sure she took everything, everything she’d packed and every complimentary sample or gift she could find in the room: coffee, soap, anything.
She surveyed the room one final time, grabbed all her bags, and walked out the door, this time letting it close behind her. She marched through the silent resort, down a few floors then across the promenade. She knocked on Remy’s door but expected no answer. The morning session had to be well underway already. She let herself in and tucked her suitcase beside his.
Her gaze fell upon the messy bed. Why hadn’t she thought to at least toss the covers back before she left for Remy’s room?
Because I didn’t intend to get caught.
“Well,” she said to the empty room. “I guess the best thing to do is stay here. That way Dad won’t find out I’m missing until lunch.” She clapped her hands together and wandered across the room, already bored and not seeing any reason to unpack.
She could live out of her suitcase until morning.
Her pacing took her to the window and she looked out. The rooms on this side faced out over the garden but the room was high enough that should couldn’t see much of it, it was too close to the building. What she could see was a very large group of people. It seemed to be one side of a large circle.
“What are they doing out there? There’s no ceremony scheduled for today.”
And then she saw it, the great brown bear, rear up to its full height. Her father. In bear form. That could only mean one thing.
* * *
Daniel was right, Remy thought as he dodged another swipe of the larger bear’s paw. He’d been hit once already and knew how much power there was in one of those blows. Charles was a very large bear and his bear was evidently not feeling his years the way his human form was. He had an amazing reach and was surprisingly fast. And he was angry. All in all the deck was stacked against Remy.
But Remy had one advantage. He didn’t actually have to win. All he had to do was conduct himself with honor and put up a good fight. Once the obligation to the duel was complete, Remy could demand that Tara be questioned. Tara would back him up. Tara’s opinion would sway them all. All he had to do was survive.
* * *
Tara grabbed the bedside phone and called down to the front desk. This time someone answered.
“That group of people outside. Is that part of the conference?”
“I don’t think it was planned,” the lady said, “But yes, those are the people from the conference. There was a disturbance in the lobby a short time ago. Two men were shouting, it even came to blows. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be...”
“Thank you.” She slammed the phone down.
She bolted, not stopping to grab anything, not even stopping to make sure the door latched behind her. She ran past the startled housekeeping lady with her loaded cart. She skidded to a halt in front of the elevators and jabbed the button repeatedly until the elevator doors slid open. She hit the close door button and the main floor button and waited, willing the elevator to go faster.
When the doors slid open with the familiar ding, she bolted out of them like a race horse out of the gate. She pulled her shirt over her head as she crossed the lobby.
Behind her she heard someone whistle while the lady at the front desk shouted, “Miss, you can’t do that in here!”
She didn’t stop.
She stepped out of her shoes and dropped her bra just inside the door. The cool April air hit her bare skin as she burst out into the sunlight. Behind her people were still shouting but the door blocked the sound of their voices. She knew they’d follow and didn’t care. Pants and underwear came off together and she somehow got out of them without tripping and falling on her face. The socks, well, unless she stopped running the socks weren’t coming off.
The bear didn’t care about the socks. She called on her other self and felt the power of the change surge through her. One step she was a human, another two as she became something in between, and then her front paws hit the ground and she continued running, furry and on all fours.
* * *
Remy’s bright idea was not paying off like he’d hoped. Charles had a longer reach so he’d closed the distance between them, trying for a tackle. He’d ended up wrestling instead.
They danced about the cleared circle, snarling and clawing at each other. Charles threw Remy to the ground and the crowd danced back out of the way.
* * *
She was about to bellow but the people in front of her parted suddenly of their own choice. That’s when she saw them. Remy was sprawled on the ground where the edge of the crowd had been a moment earlier, and Charles was padding closer. Neither had noticed her yet.
She shifted from a fast lope to a full-out charge.
Charles stood, stretching to his full height, ready to bring his weight down on Remy in a crushing blow. Instead he landed on his backside with the full weight of a bear on his chest.
Charles was already in a fighting mindset. He didn’t stop to question who this new opponent was. All that mattered was that he couldn’t get to Remy to finish the job until this new foe was dealt with.
He pushed the smaller bear away with all four great paws and stood to find it was standing between him and Remy.
* * *
Remy lay panting on the cold, hard ground. He knew he had to get up but his shoulder hurt and it was hard to breathe. He just needed a minute. Just a minute.
He saw Charles stand, saw him prepare to strike. He wanted to close his eyes but forced himself not to. You have that much pride, at least. You are not a coward.
Something flashed over his head and knocked Charles aside.
What in the..? Get up. GET UP!
There was another bear standing between him and Charles.
The wind brought her scent to him as he struggled to his feet. Tara!
She wasn’t backing down. Charles was closing on her and she wasn’t backing down. Instead she bellowed at him.
Charles didn’t even stop.
* * *
She didn’t want to fight her father, not really. It was a fight she knew she couldn’t win. But she had to stop this, had to stop him from killing Remy. She took a deep breath and bellowed a second time. And this time her voice was joined by another, just behind her. Remy.
Now Charles faltered. Two bears, angry and ready to fight, stood facing him. There was shouting from nearby, voices the bear didn’t want to listen to.
He took another step towards the pair. Two against one was not ideal but he was larger than both of them and if he played this right he could take them both on.
* * *
All three bears felt the ancient words of power more than heard them. Remy willingly looked away from Charles for the first time in the fight, a move that could prove deadly if Charles didn’t stop. He spotted the men waving. His bear wanted to ignore them and he struggled for a moment to stay in control. The human part of his brain recognized the men as part of the Council but it took longer to register what they were saying.
“The duel is over.”
Over. If the Council was ending the duel then a winner had been chosen. Since he was the one who’d ended up struggling in the dirt, he was sure he hadn’t won. But he’d survived and hopefully presented himself well enough that his reputation would remain intact.
With a wary eye on Charles, he nudged Tara and then began shifting back.
Tara watched him a moment as understanding slowly dawned on her. Whatever was going on was over. It was safe to shift back. She took a deep breath and let go of the bear.
Nearby Charles was also shifting, his body shrinking rapidly. As his fur retreated, someone rushed over with a blanket and tossed it over his shoulders. Remy and Tara were offered the same kindness.
At least I don’t have to stand here naked in front of everyone, Tara thought.
“Get dressed,” Francis said.
Remy and Charles turned to where they’d left their piles of clothes but Tara hesitated. “Uh, my clothes ended up a little scattered. Could someone give me a hand?”
Someone near the back of the crowd pushed through with a bundle in their arms. “Here. I think that’s everything.”
“Thanks.”
She changed, balancing the blanket on her shoulders as best she could to cut down on the show she was giving everyone. They were all shifters, or shifter’s wives, and were used to the nudity that accompanied the change, but she didn’t know these people the way she knew the members of her clan back home so the idea of being out in the open like this left her feeling vulnerable.
When she was dressed, she joined Remy and Charles before the council, deliberately standing so Remy was between her and her father.
“You are Miss Tara Brown, I presume,” Francis said.
“Yes, sir.”
“Do you know the rules of our people?”
“I was raised by a Clan Chief, sir, I know the rules.”
“So you know that you violated the rules when you interfered with an official duel?”
“Sir, I couldn’t let my father kill him.”
There was a pause and then Remy took her hand and softly said, “It wasn’t a fight to the death.”
“Oh.” She started blushing. “Oh. I didn’t know. I’m sorry. I – I guess they need to duel again?”
“I don’t know that I can shift again so soon,” Remy said.
“No, the duel was quite decisive. Charles Brown, you aired grievances against Remy and you’ve had your chance to take them out on him. Now, we will go inside to a conference room, just the three of you and the Council, and we will settle this without further violence. We will reorganize the remaining sessions so that the conference can end on time.” With a sharp nod, he turned and walked back towards the resort.
The crowd began to disperse. Charles said, “Tara, come with me.”
“No, I’ll walk with Remy.”
“Tara. NOW.”
“No.”
He stared at her in disbelief.
“That won’t work anymore. I’m not yours to command. I haven’t been for a while, now. If you couldn’t make me stay in my room, what makes you think you can make me follow you now. I’ll walk with Remy and I’ll see you inside.”
Charles opened his mouth to argue but spotted the lingering remnants of the crowd. All of them were watching the exchange with interest. “Fine,” he said, biting off the word. “I will see you inside.”
Daniel joined them and held out the second cell phone. “I think this is yours.”
Tara smiled. “Thanks. I was looking for that earlier.”
“Tara, this is Daniel. His clan is in Florida. He looks after all the retirees that want to live somewhere warm. And this is Marnie, from Quebec.”
“Nice to officially meet you,” Marnie said. “Awful it had to come to this. Some of these older Chiefs are so touchy.”
Tara laughed. “That’s one way to put it. I’m glad Remy isn’t like that.”
Remy: Big Easy Bears IV Page 12
