by Sammie Joyce
“Keep your phone on, Ad, and let me know—”
I slammed the door, not to be intentionally rude but because I’d already tuned her out. I was in a daze, like I was possessed, as I retreated into my house. In the foyer I stood, staring down the hall to the kitchen. The eerie feeling that had clung to me earlier had dissipated but now it was the deep silence that was unnerving me.
I shouldn’t have come home. I should have gone with Vanessa.
But even that realization didn’t make me turn around and flag her down. I remained in the entranceway, my heart and spirit broken.
My mother had died only hours before, there on my kitchen floor, and all I could think of was how much I wished Inigo was there to hold me and tell me that everything was going to be okay.
Even if it never would be again.
I needed to get out of the house.
Instantly, I spun around and wrenched the door open but Van had already left. I wasn’t sure if I was relieved or upset by that. I had no car to drive, not when I’d left mine at the coroner’s office. Still, I had legs and I could walk. The fresh air would do me good, even if it was the middle of the night. I thought about what had happened the last time I’d ventured out into the night, unable to relax; I’d met Inigo.
Was that why I was wandering away from the security of my home at one o’clock in the morning? Was I hoping to see Inigo again?
Whatever the reason, I felt no fear as I allowed the shadows to overtake me. I was still wearing my work clothes but somehow that didn’t matter as I kicked off my matte pumps and left them on my front lawn, relishing the feel of the pavement against my bare feet. I began to jog toward River Road, happy to see where the wind would take me that night.
16
Inigo
My eyes weren’t open but I smiled when I heard the phone ring at my bedside, mostly because I wasn’t awake yet.
I’d been dreaming about Addisyn and while I couldn’t remember the specifics when I was jarred from my slumber, I knew it had been a good dream.
It stood to reason, then, in my half-asleep mind, that it was Addisyn who was stirring me awake.
It wasn’t.
“What the hell?” I growled at Marcel. “It’s three o’clock in the morning and I have court in the a.m.”
“Cronin’s gone missing.”
The words alone were enough to get me to sit upright and look around the blackened room as if I expected Cronin to be there.
“What do you mean ‘missing’?” I growled. “He’s a fully grown bear. He doesn’t have to account for his whereabouts.”
Marcel snorted.
“He’s under surveillance,” he muttered and my mouth gaped open.
“HE’S WHAT?” I yelled. “What the hell is that?”
“The Council agreed that he needed to be watched. I don’t know, In. Don’t get mad at me. I’m just telling you what I know.”
“You knew that there was a team watching him?”
“Well… yeah… I guess,” Marcel conceded, sounding sheepish.
“And you didn’t think to tell me?”
“Inigo,” Marcel grunted in exasperation. “If you were meant to know, you’d know.”
My mind whirled with the implications of this. Not only had they violated Cronin’s trust, they had withheld the information from me. On purpose.
“How long has he been gone?” I demanded, jumping to my feet and scrounging the room for a pair of pants.
“He shook off our tail about an hour ago.”
“Our tail?” I echoed dubiously. “You were watching him?”
“Better me and Dalton than Tybalt or Anthony,” he insisted and I had to admit that he was right. At least the wolves would grant Cronin the respect he deserved. Not that being staked out like a criminal was very respectful.
“Where are you guys?” I growled.
“We’re everywhere,” Marcel said. “I had to call in reinforcements.”
I cringed, realizing what that meant.
“You called the Council?” I moaned.
“I like being a Protector!” Marcel shot back defensively. “I don’t want to risk my job because Cronin can’t keep his emotions in check.”
“It’s not his fault!” I retorted, feeling my face get hot, but I knew this was not the time or the place to have an argument with Marcel. After all, he was on our side… kind of.
“Where are you and Dalton?” I asked again. “I’ll come look with you guys. We know Cronin better than anyone.”
“Hendrick’s Park. He’s in Eugene somewhere so we thought this was the best place to start looking.”
I would have smiled if I wasn’t so tense. The boys did know Cronin well enough to know that he would seek the sanctuary of woods, even if he was in the city. The two century-old Douglas firs in the park would certainly grant him cover.
“I’ll find you,” I promised him before ending the call. Hastily, I dressed and in mere minutes, I was in my car, heading out of the underground toward Hendrick’s Park.
* * *
As always at that hour of the night, Eugene slept. If I hadn’t been on high alert for other shifters, I would have felt oddly at peace with the witching hour but there was a heaviness in the air, the weight of the incessant magic weighing me down.
Through my peripheral vision, I caught flashes of a black panther tail, a spotted leopard head weaving through the alleyways as I moved through town in my Jeep.
I had no idea how many of us were out looking for Cronin but I had a feeling that if they found him, the bear would be badly outnumbered.
If Marcel, Dalton, and I find him first, we might have a chance to bring him in unscathed.
And then what? What would happen to my friend? The fact that he had evaded his surveillance team told me that he had something to hide but he had looked me in the face and sworn he hadn’t done it. Had he been lying to me this entire time?
There was only enough room in my mind for one problem at a time. First, I had to find Cronin. The aftermath we’d deal with when we came to it.
I parked in the lot outside the eighty-acre park and instantly shifted into my wolf form, to slink into the darkness before I chanced upon some unsuspecting lovers.
If Cronin was out for a kill that night, he had sure picked a terrible night for hunting, however. Aside from the odd owl hoot and the fact that I was aware of the other shifters prowling about in search of him, there wasn’t a human to be seen. The Indian summer had again given way to a drop in temperature and it was the perfect night for hunkering in, particularly given the fact that it was a weeknight.
And you have court in the morning, I reminded myself again. I wondered how long I was going to be able to balance my human life with that of my shifter. I smiled to myself, realizing I would do it as long as I had breath.
A twinge of melancholy slipped through me as I followed my nose toward where the other two wolves were on the move. I had everything I needed but suddenly, I understood where Cronin’s loneliness stemmed from. If these past few days with Addisyn had taught me anything, it was that everyone needed someone.
You can’t think about Addy right now either. Tonight is about finding Cronin before someone else does and harm comes to him.
In minutes, I had regrouped with Dalton. In unison, we shifted so we could have a quick discussion.
“Where did you lose him exactly?” I asked without preamble.
“Downtown,” Dalton replied. “He was just out, walking around aimlessly, and then, poof! He was gone.”
I raised my eyebrows.
“Poof? As in claimed by magic, or poof, you guys were watching him?”
Dalton shook his head diffidently and shrugged.
“We didn’t think he’d try to lose us.”
My eyes narrowed.
“Did he know you guys were on his tail?”
Again, Dalton shrugged.
“I’m not sure,” he replied. “I mean, I don’t think anyone told him…”
&nbs
p; He gave me a suspicious look and I snorted.
“I didn’t even know he had surveillance until Marcel called me. Don’t give me that look. You guys have no one but yourselves to blame if you scared him off.”
Abashed, Dalton nodded.
“Well, there’s nothing we can do about that now,” he replied and I nodded in agreement.
“Nothing but find him,” I conceded, shifting again to bound forward, my snout to the fallen leaves on the ground. Almost instantly, the hairs on the back of my neck rose and I raised my head to meet Dalton’s eyes steadily. His ears went back and an almost inaudible growl fell from his parted jaws. He had sensed it too. Something else was amongst us in the park and its intentions were not good.
I began to run.
17
Addisyn
Like so many times before, I lost track of how far and how long I’d been jogging. My blouse clung to my sweaty body and my lower back ached from the impact of the concrete against my body but I didn’t care about the pain. Pain meant that I was still alive and I relished it, savoring the sensation as if it might be the last time I’d ever feel it.
My chignon had long since fallen out, the strands of hair clinging to my face, and as I looked around for somewhere to find a sip of water, I realized that I was at the mouth of Hendrick’s Park.
It should have been shocking that I’d jogged ten miles in bare feet and a suit, in the middle of an October night, but somehow, I wasn’t surprised at all. For some reason, I felt like this was exactly where I was supposed to be.
There were fountains in the park, I remembered, and regaining my breathing, I headed inside to find one, my toes curling around the mulchy path as I moved. There were cuts on the soles of my feet and my legs were scratched from God only knows what, but none of that mattered. Nothing mattered anymore.
I wondered if I was entering the acceptance part of my grief stage.
You’re going to be feeling all this tomorrow, I told myself ruefully, pausing by an outdoor drinking fountain to take a sip of water. The cool liquid woke me up and suddenly, I realized I was ready to drop with exhaustion.
At least I’d had the presence of mind to bring my purse, the strap draped across my chest like a seatbelt. After I rested, I’d call an Uber and go home to tend to my wounds—physical and emotional.
The beauty of the park trails at night captured me, however, and it dawned on me that I’d never been there at that time.
No one has, you fool. You’re asking for trouble, being out at this time of night.
Instantly, a shiver ran through me and a mental picture of the bear from the theater popped into her head.
Jesus, Addy. You need to get out of here.
I reached for my phone, gently reminding myself that the bear I’d seen a week earlier had been in Lebanon, over an hour away from where I stood. What were the chances that there were two rabid bears in the same place?
My fingers closed around my cell and as I drew it out of my purse to call for a rideshare, I heard a rustle behind me.
Spinning in alarm, my free hand fell into my purse for the can of mace I had inside but I froze, paralyzed by what was standing before me.
“Oh shit…” I whimpered, watching as the massive bear fell onto its hind legs and released a guttural noise. I tried to remember what to do in case of a bear attack. Was it run or play dead? Or climb a tree? Or look it in its eyes?
I didn’t have a chance to do any of those things because the beast lunged for me. My only option was to try and outrun it.
Choking on my fear, I sprinted forward, forgetting the fact that I’d just jogged ten miles without shoes. Instantly, my calves seized up on me, the cramping almost knocking me to my face.
I unleashed a loud, unnatural scream, hoping the noise would frighten him away, but if anything, the animal seemed more incensed by the sound. It was on me and I felt the slash of a claw rip through the silk of my blouse, the razor-sharp edges gashing at my skin. It had broken the surface but the nails hadn’t gone deep enough to do real harm.
Again, I unleashed a howl, forcing my legs forward, but I was painfully aware of how close the animal was to ending my life, the same way he had the people at the theater. How I knew he was the same bear, I couldn’t say, but inherently, I knew they were one and the same.
I whirled to face him but again, I was consumed with fear, his face blurring and melding, like I was staring at an optical illusion and not a real animal. Consternation overwhelmed me as I gaped at him and he, too, seemed perplexed as his snout extended and retracted. He almost seemed half-human as I gawked at him but I was sure that my fear and exhaustion were making me delirious.
He dropped his ebony frame onto all fours and once more, a human face appeared over his bloodthirsty snout.
“W-what are you?” I heard myself whisper. He roared furiously but the sound was suddenly overcome by several other growls. Uncomprehendingly, I looked around me as three pharaonic wolves inched forward, encircling me among them. But their faces were pointed outward, their animus directed at the bear, who was readying for attack again.
With the flick of a huge, dark brown tail, I was brushed back by the biggest wolf of the three as he lunged forward. My back landed against the heavy trunk of a Douglas fir and I winced in pain, my fresh cuts meeting the bark. The bear screamed as the three wolves attacked from all angles, his body twisting from side to side as he seemed to lose his mass against the battle.
The lupines held fast to their target, jaws becoming vices as they attached themselves to the bear until suddenly, the bear was not a bear anymore but a bloodied, screaming man, begging for mercy.
“Get off me, you beasts!” he screamed. Still, the wolves held fast until the man was no longer struggling at all.
I was dizzy with horror and I crept back, pulling my knees up to my chest as the dogs fell back. The man-bear unsteadily rose to his feet and I cowered, sure he was coming back to finish me off, but before he could move a step in any direction, the wolves became men too!
I’ve lost my mind. The grief. The breakup…
It was only then that I realized that one of the men was Inigo. He turned to look at me, the worry in his eyes palpable, but before he could speak, one of his companions did.
“Who the hell are you?” the former gray wolf exploded at the bear-man.
“He’s clearly not Cronin,” the other unidentified man chirped.
“Thank gods for that,” Inigo sighed. “Call for back-up. I need to take care of her.”
He nodded toward me and I whimpered, covering my face with my hands.
“I didn’t see anything!” I mewled. “You don’t have to kill me!”
I couldn’t look at Inigo but I felt him crouch at my side.
“Would you please look at me,” he sighed. I shook my head without moving my hands. I didn’t want to see it coming.
“Addy, I’m not going to hurt you,” he muttered, slowly removing my hands from my eyes. “Are you crazy?”
I blinked and looked at him dubiously.
“I don’t know! Am I?”
He sighed and rose to his feet, extending his hand.
“You need to come with me before the others get here,” he said and I could only gape at him.
“O-others?”
“I’ll explain everything to you but please come with me now. I’m not going to hurt you but it’s not safe for you to stay here.”
I could hear the urgency in his voice and I wanted to believe him. I reasoned that if he’d wanted to hurt me, he’d had ample opportunity before now.
And he just saved your life—again.
I rose unsteadily to my feet and reluctantly accepted his outstretched hand for support. He turned to the others before guiding me away.
“I was never here,” he told them.
“Mars, do you hear someone talking?” the gray wolf asked his friend innocently, deliberately ignoring Inigo.
“Hm? You mean the trees, Dalton?” Mars replied, taking
his cue. A slight smile formed on Inigo’s mouth and he led me further down the path and away from the gruesome scene.
“What the hell?” I finally managed to cry, wrenching my arm away to ogle him. “W-what was that?”
Inigo stopped walking and looked at me sympathetically.
“I know it’s a lot to process,” he said slowly. “But I’m a shifter and so are my friends.”
“Th-that bear was one of your friends?”
Inigo frowned.
“Gods no,” he growled. “I don’t even know who the hell that is. He’s definitely not from around here but he’s clearly a rogue, maybe banished from another community. We’ll have to investigate.”
My mind was racing so fast, I couldn’t keep up with my own thoughts.
“H-how is this possible? Werewolves? Werebears?”
Inigo grunted.
“We’re Lycans,” he replied quietly. “And we’ve been around for a long time.”
“B-but how? Why? How does it work?”
My voice was rising more with each question I asked but I couldn’t help myself.
“I know you have a lot of questions,” he said in a calm tone. “But I really can’t answer any of them for you right now. I need to get you home and away from the Council before they see you.”
“Th-the Council?”
“Again, a story for another time,” Inigo insisted. “Where is your—”
He stopped and took a look at my attire.
“Where are you shoes?” he demanded. Suddenly, the earlier weight of the evening came flooding over my shoulders and I shook my head, staring down at the ground.
“It’s a long story,” I muttered.
“Oh, Addy…” he murmured, taking me in fully, his face aghast. “You’re bleeding! You need a hospital!”
“No!” I said sharply. “No. I just…”
I just what? Wanted to go home? Wanted to run away screaming? Wanted what exactly?
“Addy…”
I saw that my purse had somehow managed to stay on my chest, my cell phone intact.
“I’m calling an Uber,” I mumbled. “I’m going.”
