Rhys opened wide his jaws for the killing stroke. Riskin saw him coming, but there was nothing he could do with one hind leg and one foreleg disabled. Rhys reared back.
At that instant, Riskin bent his head low down to dive in against Rhys's chest. He planted his forehead against his brother's sternum, and Rhys's jaws closed around his head. One tooth pierced Riskin's ear and blood flowed.
Rhys gnawed Riskin's head in frustrated fury, but nothing he could do would dislodge Riskin from between his forelegs. He wrestled his brother back and forth. He couldn't decide what to do.
Just then, a flying ball of fur hurtled out of nowhere. It slammed into Rhys's shoulder hard enough to shake him loose. Rhys lifted his head with a roar. Briar hit the dirt on the other side of him and somersaulted onto her feet. In seconds, she flew at Rhys a second time.
This time, she bared her fangs. She landed on top of Rhys and sank her teeth into his neck from behind. He raged and squirmed, but he couldn't turn around to fight her without letting go of Riskin.
He craned his neck around, but he only succeeded in tearing her teeth against his skin. In the end, he pitched over on his side and even rolled onto his back to rid himself of her obnoxious presence.
His weight landed on top of her and knocked the wind out of her. She gasped for breath through her mouth, and her jaws dislodged from his neck. The moment he felt himself free, Rhys jumped clear. He paced away with a deep-throated growl.
Briar jumped to her feet and shifted. In the blink of an eye, the she-bear's furious temper faded away. She could face him with a clear head. A few paces away, the big bear shook himself, and his skin sloughed off to reveal the clean-cut man underneath.
Rhys didn't stop pacing, and his eyes blazed. He coughed and flexed his arms for a fight. He aimed an accusing finger at her. “Do you think you can protect him from me? You can't protect him all the time. I'll find him when you're not around. I'll never quit until I get rid of him. He'll never come back, and he'll never be Alpha of our tribe. You can take my word on that.”
He shrugged one more time and stormed off into the woods.
Briar let out a sigh of relief. That was a close call. She turned back to Riskin and came face to face with the scarred bear. He stood on all fours with his shaggy head hung low between his shoulders, but he didn't put any weight on his hind leg. His foreleg shivered in pain, and he only put it down for an instant before he picked it up and hugged it against his chest.
Briar put out a hand to him. “Come back, Riskin. Come back, and let me take a look at you.”
He growled when she stepped close to him. She stopped dead and stared at him. “It's only me, Riskin. It's gonna be okay. Let me see your wounds.”
She took another step, and he snapped his jaws at her outstretched hand. Briar started back with a gasp. “Riskin! What are you doing?”
He turned away with another growl and limped off into the woods without looking back.
Chapter 8
Briar lounged on her bed and gazed out the window, but the woods outside offered her no comfort. She couldn't even take refuge there anymore. She was better off locked in the house worrying about Melody Mackenzie and her fate worse than death. Briar wished she never met Riskin Dodd.
She rolled over and buried her face in the pillow. The third and final tempest when she came home after Riskin and Rhys's battle eventually blew over. Silas finished storming at her. Her father got through threatening her. Shaw got through suggesting keeping Briar starved and beaten in the basement to teach her a lesson. After four straight hours of yelling, they finally settled on sending her to her room to think about her wicked deeds.
She quit defending Riskin. What was the point? The more she tried to explain, the more Silas turned against her. He wouldn't stop repeating the same old tired nonsense about Riskin being dangerous.
Once she stopped sticking up for Riskin, she started to understand Silas's point of view. He had his own problems to deal with. He had to consolidate his position against Shaw, and that meant making Rhys his ally. Silas would side with Foicks and Azer against the panthers along with Rhys. That made sense, didn't it?
She couldn't really defend Riskin, anyway, could she? He wouldn't shift in front of her anymore. He wouldn't let her patch him up after his fight with Rhys. He snapped at her and walked away from her.
She didn't hear May come in, but May didn't sit down on the bed. She puttered around the room pretending to clean up. Briar kept her back turned. She didn't want to talk. Talking hurt too much.
May murmured to herself under her breath. “Dinner was pot roast and mashed turnips. There's a plate for you if you want to go down and get it. No one is around. It's just you and me in the house, so you won't get in trouble. You must be getting hungry up here.”
Briar didn't turn around. “Thanks. Maybe I'll get it later.”
“Silas is worried about you. He wants Pop to send you away to one of the other tribes to get Riskin off your mind.”
Briar wiped her eyes on her pillowcase. “I don't care if he does send me away. I'm finished with Riskin.”
May turned around with her eyebrows raised. “You are? Since when?”
“I mean Riskin's finished with me. He'll never forgive me for what I did.”
“What did you do that was so bad?”
“I interfered in a battle between him and Rhys. I stopped them fighting it out. I could have spoiled his one chance to kill Rhys and win back the Alpha position. It's all over between me and Riskin. He’ll never come back from the forest now.”
May sat down on the windowsill with a sigh. “It sounds like you two had a misunderstanding, but it can't be over. You wouldn't be pining up here in your room if it was. You two are stuck with each other.”
Briar flipped over fast. “What makes you say that? You've been discouraging me from getting mixed up with Riskin from the beginning. What makes you change your mind now?”
May shrugged. “I don't know. Maybe it's just seeing you so unhappy. Maybe I realized you wouldn't be so unhappy if Riskin wasn't really your mate after all.”
Briar lay back down. “Riskin is not my mate. He can't be. He's too far gone, and he'll never come back. I made a mistake trying to help him. I should have left him alone like Silas told me to.”
“You got him to shift once, didn't you? That's something.”
“More than once. When I saw him yesterday, he was already in his human form. He shifted before I came. Maybe he'd been like that for a while. I don't know.”
“There you go. He must like you an awful lot.”
“I might like him an awful lot, too. That doesn't make him my mate. I can't mess with him anymore. The price is too high. This stupid business of helping Riskin is stressing everybody out way too much, especially me. It's not worth it.”
“Well, you might decide you feel differently later on. Anyway, it's getting late. Do you want me to sleep in here with you tonight? You've been alone a long time with no company.”
“That's okay. I don't mind being alone. It means I can feel as sorry for myself as I want to.”
May laughed. “Well, if you change your mind, I'm right down the hall.”
Briar did her best to smile until May left the room. The window darkened. At least she didn't have to look at the woods anymore. She couldn't look at them without thinking about Riskin.
Was he out there right now? Where did he sleep at night? He must have a den somewhere. He would curl up in a furry brown ball and snuffle into a comfortable position.
The she-bear in her wanted to be there. She wanted to curl up with him in a warm furry nest and snooze until the sun woke them in the morning. They would enjoy another day under the trees, fishing, hunting, rambling, relaxing. What could be better than that?
That would never happen now. She could kiss those dreams good-bye. Riskin would never mate with anybody. What did she want to mate with him for, anyway? She should set her sights on someone competent, successful, savvy—an up-and-comer lik
e all these young cubs hanging around Silas.
She must have dozed off, though, she wasn't tired. She slept way too much since they sent her to her room. She needed exercise, not sleep. Maybe that's why she woke up wide awake in the middle of the night.
Everybody must be asleep in the house. Now, she could go get her dinner without bothering anyone. She sat up in bed when she heard a noise at her window. It must be a branch scratching the glass. She put out her hand to turn on the lamp when she heard it a second time.
She froze in place and stared into the darkness. The scratch changed to a thump. That was no branch. Every nerve tensed to spring when a shadow crossed the window. Starlight shining outside outlined the shade against the pane. A round head moved from one side to another and dropped below the windowsill.
Briar strained her ears for any sound. Someone or something was out there. Who would come sneaking around her window at this time of night? She grabbed the coverlet to throw it back when the window sash slid up on invisible fingers. The same black head appeared in the open window and slipped through into the room.
Briar stared at the shape in horror. What in blazes was going on? Was Silas playing a prank on her? Was some kid from over the Peak out for an evening of breaking and entering to test the boundaries? That happened sometimes, but it never happened to her before.
The figure moved into the room. It loomed large over her bed. Briar stared up at it in confused shock. She couldn't figure out what it was or what it was doing in her bedroom.
All of a sudden, a cloud passed away from in front of the moon. A shaft of silver streamed into the room. For a brief instant, she saw a gleam on an angular cheekbone and a square jawline. She sucked in her breath, but she couldn't speak above a whisper. “Rhys!”
Faster than thought, he was on her. He dove onto the bed just as she jumped out of it, but he moved faster. He tackled her down on the bed with his hand clamped over her mouth. She fought him off with all her strength, but he was much bigger and heavier. He grunted with the effort of holding her down.
He pinned her arms to her sides. She screamed, but his hand muffled the noise. She kicked and flailed, but she couldn't free herself. Panic set in. Before she knew what she was doing, the she-bear took over and Rhys found himself holding a thrashing bear in his arms.
Just once, she managed to wrestle her head out of his grasp. Her elongated snout didn't fit under his hand. She got her mouth clear and let out a powerful roar before his meaty fingers strapped around her muzzle and snapped it shut.
Briar tasted freedom in that flash of movement. She wouldn't give up now. She kicked out her back legs and scratched him down the calves with her claws. He let out a snarled curse, but she kept kicking and scratching with everything she had.
Her claws ripped through his pants and caught the skin. On instinct, Rhys shifted on top of her to fend off her attacks, but he couldn't hold her down like that. She snarled in his face and he snarled back. The two bears snapped and slashed in each other's faces.
Once he took his bear form, he knew much better how to fight. He crushed her into the bed with his massive body so she couldn't get her legs up to kick anymore. She batted her forepaws against his shoulders, but she couldn't do any damage. He knocked her head aside so nothing stopped him from seizing her by the throat.
His jaws clamped down, and the air stopped in her lungs. She went limp in submission when, out of the darkness, Silas's voice called from the hall outside. “Briar! What's going on?”
Briar's heart leapt. Silas! She couldn't speak to call for help, though. She couldn't breathe. Rhys tightened his grip to suffocate her. At that moment, the door swung open. The great weight holding Briar down vanished into the breeze.
Silas paused in the doorway and stared into the darkened room. He came just in time to see a big brown bear dive through the window and disappear into the night. “What the devil is going on?”
Briar rolled off the bed and choked for air. Her hair hung around her face, and blood stained her pajama pants. She could only croak out a reply, “It was Rhys. Rhys attacked me.”
“Rhys! It looked like Riskin to me.”
“It was Rhys. I know Riskin's smell, and that wasn't him.”
Silas smacked his lips. “What would Rhys want here? Riskin must have gotten mad when you didn't come back, and he decided to come and get you. I told you that guy is dangerous.”
Briar sank onto the bed. Her hands wouldn't stop shaking. “It was Rhys. I think I know the difference between them.”
“They're twins. You could have gotten confused in the dark.”
Briar glared at her brother. “First of all, Riskin would never attack me like that. Besides, I got a good look at him in the moonlight. That guy didn't have the scar next to his eye.”
Silas turned away with a shake of his head. “You'll say anything to protect Riskin, even if it means jeopardizing your own safety. What reason could Rhys have to come here and attack you? He's Alpha of his tribe. It makes no sense.”
“He's not Alpha—not yet. Don't you get it? I'm helping Riskin, and Rhys wants to stop me. He wants to stop me bringing Riskin back.”
“Well, you won't bring Riskin back now. As soon as it's light, I'm rounding up the boys. We'll go out hunting him and make sure he never bothers anyone again.”
Briar jumped to her feet. “You can't do that.”
“If he goes attacking young women in their beds at night, he deserves to be put down. We've all tolerated him way too long.”
Chapter 9
Briar sat up in bed. A cold grey dawn spread over the Homestead. Another day like any other, but Briar made up her mind this day would not set the same way all the others did. She couldn't let another day pass with her future uncertain.
Everybody thought Riskin was dangerous, that he would attack anyone or anything in his path. The plain fact remained Rhys was much more dangerous. With Riskin threatening his position, he would do anything to get rid of his brother.
Only one solution stuck out at her. She had to convince Riskin to take up the fight. He couldn't hide in the woods anymore.
She got dressed and brushed her hair. She expected a big confrontation when she went downstairs, but she met no one. Silas must be off somewhere with his buddies getting ready to hunt Riskin down. All the more reason she had to hurry.
She tiptoed through the deserted house. No one saw her leave, but she couldn't help breaking into a run for the woods. She didn't breathe until she made her way all the way back to the trees where she met him.
She didn't find him waiting there. Of course not. He would never wait for her again. She would have to track him down, and she would have to pull a rabbit out of her pants if she ever wanted to get him to shift again.
She got ready to shift to sniff him out when she heard a snort behind her. She turned around to see the bear regarding her with cool eyes. She braced herself to shift again. He wouldn't growl at the she-bear, but to her surprise, he shifted right in front of her. He shook his hair out of his face and smiled at her. He actually smiled at her! “Briar! You came!”
She rushed to him and grabbed his hands. “Of course, I came! Did you think I would leave you alone out here?”
He put his arms around her. “I'm so glad you're here. I thought you were never coming back.”
She held him close. Then she held him at a distance and inspected him all over. “I'm sorry I didn't come before. My family doesn't want me to see you.”
He frowned. “Maybe they're right. Maybe you shouldn't bother with me.”
She waved her hand. “Listen, Riskin. We don't have time for that anymore. This situation has gotten way out of hand. Rhys came into my room last night and attacked me. He would have done something drastic if Silas hadn't…”
“Rhys attacked you?”
Briar caught her breath. She never heard that sharp edge in his voice before. It set her blood on edge. “Yes. He opened my window and snuck into my room in the middle of the night. I don't kn
ow what he would have done if Silas hadn't come in.”
Riskin gritted his teeth, but said nothing. He glared into the trees.
Briar started talking faster. “Listen, Riskin. I've been thinking. You can't hide out here in the forest anymore. You've had a good year of peace and quiet to get over your hurt from the Mackenzies, but that's all over now. Rhys will never leave you alone until he kills you, and he'll never leave me alone, either.”
“Well, what am I supposed to do about it? He's got my whole family wrapped around his little finger. He'll have half the Alphas on the mountain gunning for him in no time.”
“Your only chance is to take the fight to his doorstep. You have to turn the tide and attack him.”
“Attack him? You saw him the other day. He had me down in nothing flat.”
Briar shook her head. “You're just out of practice. If you go on the offense, you'll have a better chance of beating him. Your only hope of survival is to beat him in an Alpha challenge.”
“I could never beat him in an Alpha challenge. Besides, even if I won, I couldn't become Alpha of my tribe.”
“Why not? If you beat him, everyone will have to acknowledge you.”
“Not necessarily. If the tribe and the other Alphas support him, not even beating him in an open challenge will put him down. The others would back him and drive me off. You know that.”
She shook those objections out of her head. “At least try it.”
He turned away. “I don't think so. I already failed one Alpha challenge. I'm not ready to risk my life in another one.”
She pressed his hands close to her heart. “You lost that challenge a long time before you got into a fight with Mattox. You lost that challenge when you lost Lyric. That won't happen this time.”
He looked up into her face. “No?”
“No. You won't lose me. I'll support you. I care about you. I....” She stopped without letting the words out.
He studied her face. He looked down at her mouth where the words hung unspoken. He inclined his head toward the woods. “Come out with me. Come for a walk with me.”
Bruins Peak Bears Box Set (Volume II) Page 18
