Those were the exact words Connor wanted to hear.
Henry held his fingers between his lips, belting out a whistle that could be heard from space. The bikers in the camp hurriedly took up their rifles when they heard the strange sound. Some took cover in the burned out cabins while others ducked behind their motorcycles.
“Such a damn shame,” Henry said, “These morons have perfectly good teeth. They don’t even count as wolves anymore.”
“Preaching to the choir, Henry,” Connor replied. He was glad that he was the only one to come this time. Alex was still battered, recovering from his torture. Cynthia’s arm was damaged; it would take a few days to mend. Samantha stayed behind at the behest of her grandpa.
Bears began to flood in. Connor showed them the hidden path to help them sneak in behind the hunters to surprise them. The few of them that remained in the camp fired as fast as they could, but they weren’t trained marksmen. The ones that did find their mark struck at legs and ripped open flesh but nothing more.
Connor let himself give in to the wolf inside. It was begging to be let out to taste the flesh of any biker that might get in his way. He fell to all fours as he ran down the hill. His body grew to brutish height, showing his alpha heritage. His thick hide sprouted is usual mix of gray and silver fur and his nose smelled just one thing; fear.
Henry too joined in the fighting. He was easily twice Connor’s immense size. While he ran a bullet dug into his shoulder but because of his strength it would take much more than that to take him down.
Connor leapt on a pair of bikers hiding in one of the burnt out cabins. They were tossed like ragdolls into the wall. Their bodies fell limp and lifeless on the cabin floor. His beast was satisfied at the carnage and the chaos.
Still, something didn’t feel quite right. It felt like the fight in these guys was weak, and they barely smelled like shifters at all.
Wait a second.
Connor tore the jacket from one of the bodies on the ground and sniffed at it thoroughly. It was a human. This wasn’t right at all. Either Torque had fled and left a bunch of guys as a sacrifice or …
Shit. It’s a trap.
It seemed Henry got the same idea. He bellowed out a roar to the rest of his men. The humans were all too easily defeated. Their rifles, destroyed. But, the trap was no set and they were squarely in the middle of it.
A flare shot into the air from down by the lake. It lazily hung in the air while it burned bright. The light was blinding to look at. The shadows that came from the fires disappeared in to white light. The panicked bears searched around to understand what exactly was going on. Connor found the source, Torque.
From behind the surrounding trees they could hear guns being prepped for a fight, a lot of them. The biggest and strongest of the bears were right here in the middle of the clearing, square in their sights. There was no easy escape.
Why didn’t I smell them?
In his hurry to join the battle Connor dismissed the usual array of smells; the gun oil, the smell of sulfur in the rounds, the hint of gasoline from the bikes, and the pungent odor of lake salt. It surrounded him. The bikers must have bathed in it to hide themselves. He cursed himself for getting careless and only trusting his eyes.
Damn that bastard.
The bears stood as statues, afraid to move. There was a good chance that if they did, they wouldn’t be taking another step.
Torque’s shadow passed under some low lying branches as he grabbed his gun. He strutted upon the loose sand and patchy grass making his way to Henry and Connor. He knew he’d won, for now.
Connor saw Henry clenching his teeth, growling just a few feet away.
“I told myself I wouldn’t talk, but this is just too good. There are so many of you here tonight. I’m glad I get to entertain you this time, Henry.” Torque stepped in close. He stood within six inches of Henry’s grizzled face, stared with a cocksure smile then aimed his shotgun at Henry’s jaw. Despite his rage, he dared not make a move, or it would be over.
Connor knew it would have been damn near impossible for him to keep his composure if he were in the same circumstance.
“You made it so easy for me,” he said. “Tell me Henry, did you see this coming? I thought it was pretty clever.”
Henry shifted back. The once 9 foot tall bear shrunk down to the old man who stood defiant against Torque. His face was stern. The whole thing reminded Connor of his time he spent with Samantha and Tess inside the restaurant where Greta’s father was killed. The helplessness, the need to protect those that mattered; those things were spelled out on his face.
“You made a bunch of your own guys into live bait to catch us,” Henry said.
“They’re not my guys,” Torque laughed, “They’re just a bunch of dumb humans too stupid to leave. I was surprised I even gave them bullets to fight back. Mutt sure did know how to pick ‘em. Didn’t he?” Torque walked over to one of the dead biker’s bodies, gun still pointed at Henry. He cocked his leg back then released it into a powerful kick. The sound of rib bones breaking was like nails on a chalkboard. The body flew ten feet before skidding into a small tree. “Yep, useless.”
“Where’s Eli? Hiding in a tree again?” Henry mocked.
“Not here,” Torque laughed, “He has his own plans.”
“And they don’t involve you?” Henry scoffed.
Torque got defensive. He lifted his pistol, the one he’d taken from the now deceased Scab. He leveled it as Henry. “You know. I’m glad I was there when your wife died. She begged for me to help her. Begged. Some wife she was. Couldn’t even die with a little dignity.”
Henry boiled over. His rage overpowered his situation. His body began to change.
Torque’s lowered his gun and shot, leaving holes in the old man’s legs. Blood spurted from the wound as Henry grabbed at the pain and doubled over, ending his transformation.
“See? When you’re a king, everyone bows to you,” he said as he laughed, completely full of himself and mad with power.
Then Connor saw fire explode on the lake. Thick gouts of black smoke billowed into the air. The sound of motorcycle engines blared at full throttle. The look of concern on Torque’s face was all Connor needed to see. These were not his allies coming.
Another bottle shattered amidst the bears, filling the space with more black smoke. The thick smoke covered the light of the flare that still hung in the sky.
“What the hell?!” Torque shouted, “Shoot them!”
The confusion was enough. Gunshots rang out in the night hitting nothing but air. From down the road emerged someone that Connor was more than happy to see, Crunch. He was riding a beat up motorcycle that was less than half the size that he needed. The muffler was dragging on the ground, as was the suspension. It seemed like he was riding a mini-bike. In his hand was a Molotov cocktail. The saddle bags behind him were stuffed with more of the same. He lit the wick with the flame of a cigar that was hanging from the corner of his mouth. He threw the bottle into the forest, toward the shooters. It splashed on a tree, starting the forest ablaze once more.
Connor took a second to check in with Henry, still clutching at his leg. With a bloody hand he grabbed at Connor’s scruff.
“Finish this,” he said. Connor howled as the old man released him.
“Hey Torque, guess who’s home!” Crunch shouted as he skidded the bike to a halt only a few feet from Torque. When he saw Connor coming to join the fight he pulled the cigar from his mouth, “Hey kid, you miss me?”
If Connor had a mouth he would have kissed him. Even though all he would have kissed was stubble and day old bacon grease.
“Torque, you stupid, inbred, moron. I’m here to take back leadership of the gang. I’m even willing to give you a fighting chance. If you can beat me, then I’ll let you live,” Crunch shouted.
That wasn’t the deal.
Crunch waved a hand at Connor. This was his fight and nobody was going to take this from him. He circled around in front of Torque,
tearing off his leather vest. Firelight danced across his tattooed chest. The spreading flames were filling in the camp. The bear shifters had escaped to safety and the gun shots ceased. They were all alone, just the four of them.
A sense of Déjà vu came over Connor when he saw the burning buildings and chaos. Only a few days ago he strode through this camp bringing fire and confusion. Now Torque was doing the same.
“I guess I don’t have much choice,” Torque said, “I accept.”
Crunch cracked his knuckles, then his neck. With a broad smile of excitement he charged forward. Torque smiled back, he wasn’t here to play by the rules. He raised the pistol in his hand, shooting Crunch in the leg.
“You dirty piece of shit!” Crunch shouted.
“What was that?” Torque asked. He fired another round into Crunch’s other leg. Crunch fell to his knees as Torque came in closer to gloat about his win. “I’m stupid?” Torque asked, “You’re the one that ran at a man with a gun.”
Crunch leaned to his side, reaching as far as he could to grab any part of Torque he could reach. But, Torque was quick enough to get out of the way. He laughed at Crunch’s attempts to capture him. He aimed the pistol right at Crunch’s head.
“Looks like I get to live,” Torque said in jest, “I can’t wait to find that little bitch Cynthia again. I’m going to let he know what a real man feels like before I put a bullet in her little head.”
Crunch had his teeth clenched. He was not so easily beaten. His legs were destroyed but that didn’t stop Crunch, not at all. He elbowed up to his knees, with every ounce of strength he could muster he pressed up to stand.
“I’m not beaten yet you stupid sonovabitch,” Crunch growled. He took a step forward on his wobbly legs. Torque aimed the pistol again at Crunch’s head.
“You better not come any closer,” he said, “I swear to god I’ll shoot you.”
“You were always a little coward,” Crunch said, “If you threaten to do something then you better be damn sure you can follow through.” Crunch laughed. “If I could I would beat you until my knuckles were bloody and you wouldn’t have a face. But, since I can’t catch you that’s fine, I won’t,” Crunch said. “He will.” He gestured to Connor.
Torque’s eyes went wide as Connor pounced on the distracted man. His jaws came down hard; the only sound that followed was the dying screams of a desperate man.
CHAPTER 11
“Grandma!” Cynthia shouted. She sprinted down the road towards her grandmother who was sitting in the back of a truck full of rescued hostages. “I thought you were dead!”
“Oh posh,” the old woman replied, “Some ruffian just picked me up while I was out with the girls. Gave him a piece of my mind about it, too.” The pair embraced.
The bear den, which was already crowded to begin with, was positively bursting at the seams, now. Bears and wolves intermingled making it hard to tell one from the other.
Happy reunions led to tears, hugs, and liquor. Crunch was already well on his way with the liquor part. The remaining Molotov cocktails from the saddle bags on his motorcycle became a welcome friend to help dull his pain.
“I’ll get the doctor,” Connor said, stepping from the cab of the truck.
“I ain’t goin’ nowhere,” Crunch shouted with a slur.
“Is it over?” Alex asked. He was already waiting for Connor when he got out. “Did you get Eli? Torque?”
Connor didn’t know if he should tell him the good news or the bad news first.
“Torque is dead,” he said, “We won’t have to worry about him coming around anymore.”
“And, Eli?” he asked, “Did you get him?”
Connor shook his head which brought a look of consternation to Alex’s still heavily bruised face.
“We’ll get him. It’s just a matter of time,” he said, trying his best to reassure Connor.
“Where’s Tess?” Connor asked. Alex scratched at the back of his neck and rolled his eyes off to the side.
“She went for a walk, said you’d know where. I guess she couldn’t stay still knowing you were out there risking your life,” he said. “She’s pretty pissed off that you ran out again.”
“Alex!” Crunch shouted from inside the truck, his jovial exuberance made his spill half his bottle around in the truck as he sloshed it about. “I got my old gang back!”
“That’s great Crunch,” Alex said with a forced smile.
“Shit, I forgot. Can you get the doctor for him? He got shot in both legs. I’m going to go find Tess!” Connor was already walking away as he spoke. He started jogging through the den, past the rows of thick trees.
“Connor!” shouted Henry from the back of the truck. Connor turned to see him leaning one leg over the truck bed while holding the gunshot wound closed with the force of his hand. “We gotta talk.”
Connor’s feet were burning. He needed to find Tess to talk to her quick before she got more upset. Still, this was the bear alpha talking to him, the man who could officially end all the fighting once and for all with but a word. He moved closer to listen to what Henry had to say.
“I know we got off on the wrong foot,” he said, “what with me thinkin’ you killed my wife; may she rest in peace. After knowin’ you for a while, I’ve come to realize that you’re alright.” He patted Connor on the shoulder, leaving a bloody hand print on his shirt. “I’m goin’ to get my leg patched up today then tomorrow we’re goin’ out and finding that hunter. If he really is the one that killed my Annie then he’s the one I need to sink my teeth into.”
“We both do,” Connor said as he grasped his bloody hand.
Connor felt something from the old man, recognition. It felt like all his animosity towards wolves was starting to disappear. Or it could have just been the alcohol that Crunch shared with him the entire drive. Connor wasn’t quite sure.
“We’ve scrubbed all their dens,” Henry said, “Where do you think this bastard might be hiding?” He moved his leg slightly as the doctor came down with his bag. The physician went to work right away, cutting open the clothing that covered the wound.
“Alex once told me that he tracked this guy. Maybe he has a few ideas we can use.” Connor suggested.
“That kid?” Henry asked, “You really put that much faith in his tracking abilities?”
“When you see him in action, you’ll know what I mean,” Connor replied.
“Go,” Henry said while he patted Connor’s shoulder again, “I know you’re running off to your woman. Just make sure you keep that one close. Not all battles need to be fought; sometimes you have to lose to win. Don’t forget that.” The fire in his stare was haunting. It was the look of someone that knew loss. Connor could feel his pain.
Henry’s words continued to echo in Connor’s ears as he walked quickly out of the camp. Not all battles need to be fought? Was he talking about Tess? Was he telling him not to argue with her? You have to lose to win? That made absolutely no sense at all. No, it was something else. Connor could just barely grasp at the meaning.
There was only one place Tess would be, down by the fresh water stream that he’d taken her to picnic before. Looking over his shoulder, he was glad to see there were no more guards following his every move. He finally had a moment of freedom to meet with the girl he loved.
Then he was tackled to the ground.
“Man, for an alpha, you’re pretty weak,” Samantha said. She giggled as he struggled to get back to his feet on the slick mud.
“What the hell was that for?” Connor asked.
“You brought everyone back safe and sound,” she said, “I thought I’d thank you.”
“Maybe you can do me a favor,” Connor said as he wiped the slick mud from his face, “Give me and Tess a few hours of privacy?” He winked, and then patted her on the head. The mud on his hand rubbed into her already messy hair.
“You’re such a dick,” she replied, struggling with her hair. With a sigh she gave up. Only a shower would save it now. “Fine.
I’ll even keep the rest of the bears out of this neck of the woods. Have a nice time.” Samantha winked as she started making her way back to the house.
Finally.
He could see her hair bobbing up and down just over the next crest of the hill. A single candle was lit near Tess. The light spilled to the trees, casting shadows at odd angles. If he didn’t know any better he would have said it was haunted. He shook his head and with a smirk, stepped over the edge of the hill to meet his mate.
CHAPTER 12
“Took you long enough,” she said. She was lying on the checkered picnic blanket they had before. A single lit candle was placed carefully beside a basket of food. Steam poured from the top of the basket and the scent of her cooking was intoxicating. It was begging to be devoured.
The food wasn’t the only thing begging to be devoured. Seeing her man, illuminated by candlelight on this glorious evening was enough to make her drool.
“Fashionably late,” he said. He puffed up his chest as he made his way down the small hill to join her. Though he had dirt on his face he was unwounded, that was good. She’d spent so much time today worrying about him. When she worried too much, she liked distract herself by cooking.
“I thought you might be hungry,” she continued, “So I made your favorite.” She let one of the shoulders of her dress fall. She had to borrow the dress from Samantha, so it was just a little too tight in the chest for her, and slightly short for her taste. But, the excited face Connor put on allowed her to rest the thought.
He walked over to the water, cleaned off the mud from his face, pulled off his leather boots, and then sat next to her on the blanket. It was just like before. The nerves that had kept her so active before were finally starting to settle down. He had made it out okay. He was still there for her.
Before his feet hit the blanket, his mouth was locked with hers. She could feel the passion he’d been holding on to for just this moment. It screamed how glad he was to still be alive, how excited he was to finally be able to spend some time with her, and it warmed her to her core. When he pulled away, she sat in stunned silence.
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