by Hart, Alana
Aria rounded the corner of the alley. She strode, head down towards the lighted area above the front door. It almost seemed a shame to use such a pretty, raw stone to break into the shop but she didn't see any alternatives. A low rumble caught her attention. What the hell? She looked up, suppressed a gasp at the giant white grizzly standing in front of Del's shop. Was that Ben? Her Ben. Aria felt her eyes widen, and fear surged in her chest. But she tamped it down, as the bear continued to stand stock still. He watched every move she made, but the rumbly growl had stopped. Now he seemed almost curious to her. Screw it, back up would be a damn fine thing, even if that back up came in angry bear form. Hell, maybe especially if back up came in angry bear form.
"Ben? That you?" Aria whispered. She dared a glance around, but surprisingly enough the streets were still empty. Apparently the tiny town was used to all kinds of critters wandering through after dark. In Aurora the cops would have been surrounding the place shotguns at the ready in case tranqs didn't work. Aria was shocked when her eyes met the bear's-Ben's-brilliant blue ones, only to see him nod once, slow and sure. Damn, it was him! Hell yeah. Despite her misgivings, and their history, she was glad he was here.
"I found this," Aria held up the rock. "I'm going to go in, and I'm going to get answers one way or another. You're welcome to come with." She gestured toward the shop, then stood stock still and waited for an answer. It didn't take long. The bear growled low and deep, his eyes flashed silver-just like she'd seen Ben's do- and then light consumed him. Energy crackled and hummed through the air, and when the light faded, Ben sat curled up, stark naked and shivering, on the step where the bear had stood.
Aria gasped. Damn, he was more gorgeous than she remembered. She grinned at the flush that rose to his cheeks. Felt her grin go even wider when he spoke.
"I haven't got any clothes. Do you think you could-" He mimed turning around, flushed even redder when she winked at him before complying with his request. She heard feet shuffling on the concrete, and risked a peek over her shoulder. Hell, it wasn't like she'd never seen him before, considering Faith was his. She was too late to get the full view, but from the looks of his toned back side, he'd grown up in the past few years. Damn, down girl, she scolded herself. Ben's backward glance and heated gaze that met hers let her know he'd caught her peeking. But she guessed he didn't mind, based on the flare of desire she saw in those eyes. Double damn. He reached back with one hand, and she placed the rock softly in his upturned palm. She shivered when their fingers met momentarily. Shit, that desire was so far from one-sided it was crazy. He flashed a grin at her, then drew his arm back, winding up almost like a pitcher. When he let the stone fly it rocketed through the already damaged glass door like a hot knife through butter. Aria tensed, waiting for all hell to break loose, alarms to sound, something.
But once the glass stopped tinkling to the ground, silence echoed down the street once more. Huh. For a powerful witch, this place was poorly guarded, Aria thought. She couldn't help drooling as she followed Ben's naked behind through the door.
His steps were light and nimble, and somehow he avoided all the glass littering the doorway. She sighed in disappointment when he headed straight for the small clothing aisle. She'd definitely enjoyed the view. Still, it was a bit unfair to expect a man to confront the gods in nothing more than his birthday suit. Aria turned toward the counter, and studied the tapestry that concealed the door that had tried to hurt her babe. She ran a hand gently over its silken threads, braced for trouble. But nothing happened. So she shifted the cloth aside, to study the door in more detail. She ran her hands around the edges of the door, searching for a way in. If she hadn't seen the thing glow, didn't know it was there, she'd never have noticed the faint outline it made in the wall. She couldn't feel any catches or hidden switches. Damn, there had to be a way in. She turned to ask Ben if he had any ideas, only to yelp and find herself flattened against that damn door when she ran face first into his purple-velvet covered chest. His gentle chuckle didn't ease her panic.
Her heart fluttered furiously in her chest at his reaction. He leaned in so close she could feel the stubble of his beard. They were damn near cheek to cheek when he whispered in her ear.
"See something you like, love?" Ooh, shivers raced up her spine. Something she liked indeed. But Aria refused to be distracted from her goal, no matter how tempting the man was, even in his purple robes. Robes! Yet somehow, he made them look damn sexy. Aria tried to peek around him when it occurred to her that someone ought to be following them by now.
"Looking for back up, mate?" Wait, what did he just call me, she thought. Mate? Fuck, she hoped she'd heard wrong, because if she hadn't life was going to be even more difficult. She swallowed the lump of desire mixed with fear that had lodged in her throat and nodded once.
"Pretty sure we're on our own with this one. Victoria's not going to leave Faith alone or in the care of someone who's not a shifter. And Delilah's not about to challenge the gods that probably rule her life." Aria wasn't so certain about his last comment. She'd sensed annoyance and frustration from Del, but he did have a point. Aria wasn't even sure she would challenge the gods in Delilah's position.
"So, how do we get in?" Aria patted the door behind her gently. "I didn't find a door knob or a hidden clasp, soo..." Her chest heaved when Ben pressed himself even closer to her. Shit, he wasn't going to pursue this here and now was he? They had work to do, damn it.
"I know how I'd like to answer that question, but it'll have to wait." His words were just a breath across her ear. She shivered again when he planted an impossibly soft, gentle kiss on her temple. "We've got some gods to topple and a cub to save." He pushed himself back from her, giving her space. Aria took a couple shuddering breaths and struggled to compose herself. He was a thousand times sexier than he had been back when they were together. Hell, she missed this, missed him. But now wasn't the time for missing things. Aria steeled herself inside, determined to go through with her plan. The confusion and desire roiling in her stomach would simply have to wait until she could ensure Faith's safety. Then she'd deal with the delectable puzzle that was Benjamin Torben.
Aria took another shuddering breath, patted her hair back from her face, then slipped under Ben's arm. He'd backed up enough to give her space, but his hands still rested on the door. She turned to look at him, curious. He hadn't reacted to her slipping away from him. And his eyes were closed, his face contorted, almost as if he was in pain. What the hell was he doing? She looked at the door closer, searching for something, anything that suggested it was doing to him whatever it had done to Faith. But the door remained stubbornly dull and wall colored.
Mystified, Aria started searching the wall around the tapestry, feeling for a hidden catch. When she didn't find anything she turned and ran her hand beneath the checkout counter. Gotta be a trigger here somewhere. No luck. She glanced toward Ben, but he remained stone still, a living statue challenging a dead god's door. His arms vibrated from tension, and he growled softly. The hairs rose on the back of Aria's neck at the ferocity in that sound. Hell, if she hadn't known their history, she'd have believed that to be the growl of one pissed off daddy bear hell bent on avenging his girl. Maybe she'd held a grudge for too long as far as him leaving goes. She hadn't had the chance to ask him outright yet, but from what gran had said, he hadn't had much choice in the matter. And here he was, backing her up against the gods of all things. What more could a woman ask for? Besides time, and companionship, and love and marriage, her traitorous, spiteful half chimed in.
She shivered as his growl grew even deeper. The air shimmered around him. Was he calling on his bear for strength? She wasn't even sure such a thing was possible, but nothing else made sense. The door was still dark. She looked closer. Was the crack widening at the edge? She gasped, and the door flew open on hidden hinges. Damn. Ben's growl subsided. He must have been expecting that because he didn't even jerk forward when the door flew open. He opened his eyes, and glared into the darkness tha
t the door had hidden. Aria struggled for calm when she saw his eyes. Pure silver. No whites, no iris or pupil, just a wash of glowing, swirling silver. Fuck; that had to be a fight to stay on the edge of shifting for so long. Aria didn't dare move as she waited for something to happen. He couldn't ride that razor's edge forever. One way or the other he either had to shift, or set his bear free. The one time she'd seen Faith try this trick, the babe had ended up seizing for what felt like hours. She couldn't bear to see that happen to anyone again.
After a few moments the silver swirled furiously, then slowly drained away, like water draining out of a tub. Ben slumped, head down. His breathing grew heavy for a moment, and he shook furiously, like a hypothermic finally experiencing warmth. He composed himself with a couple long, deep breaths, then his gaze rose to meet hers. Brilliant blue eyes, twins to Faith’s, met her own.
"Let's do this." He held out his hand. She slipped her hand gently into his grasp and they stepped across the threshold into the dark unknown together.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Aria trailed behind Ben, struggling to see in the dark stairwell. She felt his hand tug her upward and figured the first stair had to be right in front of her. She found it the hard way, by slamming her soft soled toes into the faceplate. She cursed, and then gingerly lifted her aching foot, seeking the step blindly. Just as her foot made contact with the stair, a roar echoed through the store behind them. What the hell was that?
Ben's tightening grasp on her hand didn't ease her fears any. She felt him step back down the stair, felt his strong arm wrap around her shoulders in an easy hug. He pulled her close and whispered one word.
"Stay." Then he released her and stepped boldly back through the door they'd just entered. Stay my ass. Trembling, she trailed behind him. He hadn't let her come to face this trouble alone; she sure as shit wasn't abandoning him to face whatever was trying to stop them.
Aria felt her eyes widen and her pulse hammer when she saw what loomed in Delilah's shop. An enormous, silver grizzly with purple eyes stood stock still in the center of the floor. The beast stood nose to nose with Ben. He’s not going to fight that beast in human form? If she had to guess, the mystery bear was easily twice the size of Ben’s bear. Damn. She couldn't help but wonder just who this strange shifter was and what he wanted with them.
Witch light flared in the store, and Delilah appeared in a pillar of green smoke beside the silver grizzly. From the fierce look Delilah sent toward the open door behind Aria, she wasn't happy. And the hand she rested on the giant grizzly's shoulder suggested that at the very least the two were on speaking terms. But Gran said there weren’t any more bear shifters in town. So who’s that? Panic slammed into Aria's stomach, doubling her over as she wondered who was watching Faith. She scanned the small shop again, searching for answers.
Delilah, the mystery bear, Ben, and me. No gran. Should I be worried or relieved?
The subtle growl she'd barely noticed a moment ago slowly increased until the floor practically vibrated beneath her. Her bones and teeth rattled in time with that growl. But which shifter was growling and why? She looked at Ben, still in human form, although from the silver glow and coalescing light, that could change any second, then her gaze darted to the giant beast perched in the middle of Delilah's shop. Has to be him, doubt human lungs can sustain that sound.
His lips were pulled back, exposing canines easily half as long as her legs. Damn she'd hate to meet him on a dark night, but what had him all upset? Even Delilah was shifting with what appeared to be discomfort mixed with a healthy dose of fear. Aria struggled to keep her breathing calm and even, but gave up on exerting any control over the panicked racing of her pulse. At least the furious shifter was focused on the formerly hidden door instead of her or Ben. Despite the short term comfort her observation offered, she doubted the anger readily apparent in the strange bear’s posture boded well for any one standing in range of his teeth or claws.
Who the hell is that bear, anyways? Aria dared a glance toward Ben once more. Silver light flowed around him and his face twisted with pain. Is he fighting the change? Why? Finally, he sighed and accepted the change and the light consumed him. When it flared from existence, a brilliant white grizzly stood in his place. Ben's bear form was a fair bit smaller than the stranger in front of them. But something about the strange bear felt familiar. What could it be, though? Just then, Delilah met her eyes. Aria felt her jaw drop when she heard the single word the witch spoke.
"Arcos." Delilah tangled her hand in the fur on the beast’s shoulder.
Does she think that’ll keep him from attacking?
This beast was Ben's father! Hell, she’d never considered the possibility that a bear could be bigger than Ben. Aria’s heart swelled with pride when she realized Ben wasn't challenging his father. Instead, he stepped between her and the bigger beast and then turned to look at her. Ben snuffled her gently from head to toe. His breath was warm and tickled, but his attention reassured her. He butted his big head up against her chest, as if to let her know he was there, and he would protect her. She couldn't resist patting his head gently, and marveled at the solid strength hidden beneath the soft caress of fur against her palm. Her heart dropped through the floor when Ben’s eyes flared with anger and then narrowed before he turned to face his father. Damn they didn't need this fight right now. Seemed to her they had a common enemy to face, if they could just get past their testosterone fueled anger and realize that fact.
Aria started forward, intent on stepping between the two bears, only to stop when Delilah held up one hand in warning. Aria felt her head tilt, curious at the odd motions and strange language the witch was speaking. What are spells going to accomplish against a couple of pissed off bears anyways?
With a final exclamation and a sharp slicing motion of her hand Del's expectations became crystal clear. Orange smoke flooded the shop, emanating from the very walls. Aria thought she saw letters or maybe runes in the smoke, but those faded as they came in contact with anything that occupied physical space. Anything included bears. The smoke coalesced in their fur; became an orange ash that interrupted whatever power allowed them to shift in the first place. The beasts shimmered furiously when the ash stuck in their fur. Amber light flared a fine time and both bears reverted to their human forms. Their gloriously naked and entirely-too-human forms. Aria looked away, offering the men what little privacy she could. Her stomach twisted and tumbled in time with the fading magic. Damn that witch was more powerful than anybody had had suspected. From the shock on the shifters’ faces, they hadn't realized she had that much power either.
"What the fuck was that witch?" Arcos' voice was more growl than recognizable human speech.
Aria couldn’t resist peeking at the men. Oh, angry shifters are gorgeously scary. From the look on Ben's face, he agreed with Arcos' sentiment, despite himself.
Both men glared at Delilah like they truly believed looks could kill. Aria was just glad she wouldn’t have front row seats to a bear fight. She wouldn't have been able to let Ben face that monster alone, bear or not. And from the way Ben still shielded her from Arcos' gaze, interfering would have gone poorly for everyone.
Delilah's cold voice pulled them all up short. "My shop. My home. My rules, boys and girls. For all intents and purposes my magic rules here." Delilah's grand gesture indicated the entire shop and then she pointed up, and continued. "Up there, though. The rules change. The Fallen Gods rule there. And I have no say in their actions or their punishments." Delilah's gaze rested on Arcos. Aria sensed an intimate subtext in the byplay between witch and bear. "And since you two were brazen enough to breach my wards AND the door itself, we have no choice but to go up." Delilah's eyes were wide, and from the set of her shoulders, up was not going to be fun.
“Here, take these,” Delilah tossed a pair of jeans to each man. “They’re spelled, so you won’t lose them when you shift.”
Ben nodded solemnly and caught the pants single handedly. Aria took a moment to ad
mire his muscled body before turning her back. She could hear the rustle of rough cloth against skin, and desperately wanted to sneak another peek. But she controlled the impulse. Ben stepped back beside Aria, and wrapped her in a hug, before speaking one word. "Mine." He growled and his eyes swirled silver. Aria struggled to keep still under the curious gaze Arcos leveled her way.
Not going to let that bastard see me blush. Damn, she couldn’t resist Ben’s hug or the smooth feel of his chest beneath her hands. Arcos violet-swirled gaze hammering into hers and the low growl rumbling through the air sent fear slithering up her spine. What the hell’s he on about now? Delilah's sharp clap brought the grumpy bears back to the present. “Aria, you'll lead the way, then Ben, then me. Arcos, you can play rear guard, since you're no good at facing the truth.” From his reaction, Delilah's barbed comment struck home. Arcos stepped back from the witch and his shoulders slumped. Then he straightened with a visible effort and nodded once.
"As you command, for now witch." Aria sensed a threat hidden in his reply. But she was too busy worrying about the confrontation to come to be concerned about any bad blood the witch and the elder shifter might have between them. She turned on trembling legs, paused to reach up and plant a gentle kiss on Ben's cheek. "Thank you, Ben.” She whispered for his ears alone, before turning back to the staircase they'd sought so hard to find.
She was just glad her trembling legs didn't collapse as she started to climb the shadowed staircase. Despite Delilah chanting what she figured had to be a spell for light, everything was shades of gray.
Even if this was a mistake, Aria was determined to carry it through to the end. No way she dared reveal her babe to Arcos himself. She didn't trust that shifter any further than she could throw him, and from the way Del spoke to him, she wasn't the only one who felt that way. Aria was grateful for the solid presence Ben provided behind her. She was certain he would guard her from harm, even to the point of his own harm. Not that she wanted it to come to that, but at least she had one person she could count on to guard her back on this mad venture.
