“Damn, Lyla. You really must be upset to think I'd let him hurt me. The old bastard only has one eye and a lot of venom. I'll have him flattened in no time.”
I swallowed hard. Something about this didn't seem right. Then again, maybe Branson thought he had nothing else to lose. Maybe he'd chosen to kill himself while doing one last round of damage.
“I hope you're right,” I said, squeezing his big hand.
“Today, the Klamath Bear Clan is gathered to witness a historic event. This is destiny in the making, folks, a compromise we've cut to make sure our people aren't torn apart. This is the will of the Gods and –“
“Come on! Get on with it, dude!”
Up on the podium beneath the statue, tall Beamer wiped his brow. It was funny to see how public speaking put such a big, goofy guy through the wringer.
“Alright, for all you impatient folks out there, I've said my piece. Both you guys ready?” He looked to the two men in all their hateful, life-or-death splendor, separated only by several feet between them.
In the makeshift ring the bears had set up beneath the grizzly statue's watchful eyes, Branson and Nick glared at each other, stripped to the waist down. The Elder had his hands in his trunk pockets, twitching his fingers beneath the fabric every so often.
Both men nodded to the referee outside their circle of death.
This is insane. They'll probably shift and tear into each other before anyone even throws the first punch. How the hell are those little ropes supposed to hold back two grizzlies locked in battle?
I fought the urge to move backward in the crowd.
No, this was too important. I had to be close to Nick. Had to see him throw his teeth and claws into the demon bear before him. This was going to be the end.
“Alright, alright. Just remember, this doesn't have to end in anyone's death. If either of you throws up his paws and forfeits, the action stops. The loser can walk away with his life. He just won't have power in this village ever again.”
Beamer stopped, knowing both of them would rather die than surrender. He lifted the handgun at his side, pointed to the high noon sun peeking between the thick clouds, and fired.
The shot hadn't finished echoing when Nick fell to the ground, split his pants, and turned into a bear right before my eyes.
Cheers and shrieks ran through the crowd. Branson dropped to the ground and turned right before Nick was on top of him. The Elder's huge head snapped his eye patch clean off, leaving one empty socket to twitch with rage as he watched the hulking bear closing in on him.
Come on, I thought. Finish this asshole quick so we can celebrate and get on with our lives.
My stomach throbbed knowingly. It was a dull cramp, totally psychological.
I shook my head, hating myself for taking the pregnancy test that morning. I'd picked it up from the nearest drugstore before we left Idaho, as soon as I had my suspicions.
God! What if he doesn't make it? What if I never have a chance to tell him?
I hesitated before we left the cabin that morning for the big fight. Regret curled my blood, heavy and dark.
Telling him about the baby would've taken the fight out of him, I'd told myself. Just now, he needed every little bit of primal strength aimed at his foe.
The grizzly bears crashed together, two big boulders the size of cars colliding. I watched in horror as their jaws snapped, each bear trying to get a sharp hold on the other's face. Both sets of claws darted out, wrapped around their opponent's body in a hellish embrace.
The strangers around me were eating it up, especially the males. Scruffy guys growled their bearish approval, doubling in volume and pitch when Branson's claws sank deep into Nick's hide.
His head tipped back in a terrible screaming roar.
“No!” I cried, loud but silent beneath the crowd's tremendous noise.
Then I saw the metal ring around one of the Elder's paws. The cheating bastard, the monster, the devil had something strapped to his furry paws.
No, both sets of paws.
I wanted to run up to Beamer and let him know. Fear kept me frozen in place, glued to the solid ground.
Branson's teeth went for Nick's shoulder. More vicious, forest blasting screams. The Elder's enhanced claws raked his sides, tearing wounds in his fur. Hair and dark red blood flew to the ground.
My lips opened in one long scream like a shrieking steam engine snaking through a tunnel. Something snapped in my brain, the evil recognition I was watching the love of my life getting killed in front of me.
My eyes didn't want to work anymore, but I couldn't force them to close. I watched Nick's powerful neck bulge and twist as he gnawed Branson off his shoulder.
More snarls. Endless bloody gashes. More giant rows of teeth, snapping and tearing, emissaries of life and death from almighty Nature.
The faded murmur in the crowd swallowed up all the other sounds. Or maybe it was because they'd grown so muffled now, with Branson's muzzle locked between Nick's jaws.
Bears always went for the face, and so did skinwalkers, disabling another bear's fiercest weapon.
Two crazed grizzlies were joined at the face. There was a sound just past Nick's mouth like a tree splintering, and then a sickening gurgle.
Those massive claws stopped scraping his sides and went limp. Nick pushed with his whole body, sending the one eyed demon back.
Branson fell with his broken skull, stumbled, and then lay flat on the ground. The crowd erupted, jeering at the bleeding, twitching mess. Their excited roars became a complete deluge when Nick fell a second later, collapsing to the ground.
“Oh my God! No. No. This isn't really happening, isn't really in front of me, isn't real...” I sputtered like a baby.
Anybody who heard me just then should've forced me away from the ring and hauled me in to treat a bad case of shell shock. Instead, I stood unmoving, letting Klamath people wander past in the commotion.
Several men near the front grew so excited they shifted and tore out of their clothes. The lean grizzlies stood on their hind legs, straining to see, sniffing at the air and whining when they caught the scent of their Alphas' blood.
Gerald ran up, just in time to join Beamer, who'd already jumped in through the ring.
“Dead! He's gone.”
My heart pounded. There were too many people in front me now, I couldn't see what the hell was happening.
I exploded, screaming like a mad woman and pushing my way through the crowd, through the ropes forming the makeshift arena.
I ran past Branson's corpse and almost tripped. Beamer saw me as I approached, held his hand up, but I wasn't listening.
My knees landed in the mud. I was at his side, cradling Nick's huge, furry head, stroking him from his eyes to his ears.
“Wake up. It's over! You've won. You can't go now...you can't!”
Overhead, the high sun beamed bright through a break in the clouds. It looked like a nice sunny day, but the pale light couldn't bring its cool autumn breeze. The chill current swept around us, occasionally blowing at Nick's hair.
“You can't be out here, human. He needs some serious assistance. It isn't good to move him.” Beamer was getting more angry with every sentence. Still, he was too exhausted to do anything except plead with me to leave.
We both jumped when there was a large, guttural rumble shaking Nick's body. The head in my hand twisted, groaning as it smacked its lips.
He opened his eyes and saw me. Despite all the horror, I smiled, overwhelmed to see those bright eyes again, even in a bear.
There was a snap, and then about ten more in quick succession. I drew back, along with Beamer, and we watched the wounded bear beneath us quickly rearranging itself into an injured naked man.
Nick lay on the ground coughing. The wounds on both sides were deep, like he'd been mauled by a bear in human form.
“Valia! Valia! Get your ass over here! He needs help!” Beamer kept screaming the same thing over and over again.
I wat
ched a skinny, middle aged woman arrive with two teenage boys at her side.
“It's okay, Nick. They'll help you. I'll be right at your side. I'm not leaving you.”
The woman, who must've been the clan's doctor, gave me the evil eye. I glared back. I was in no mood to take more shit from anyone.
If Beamer, the doc, or anyone else wanted to tangle with this old girl, then I'd send my fists into their face – even their snouts if I had to. Big girls have a funny way of losing their fear when a loved one's life is on the line.
“Careful! Easy, boys. You need to move him very gently,” Valia said. “Let's go.”
The boys carefully propped him up on a stretcher and carried it through a gap they made in the arena's ropes. I followed.
“Gods! Fucking Branson...these things are like brass knuckles for grizzles. Cheater to the end, eh?”
I overheard Gerald as I followed the team with Nick. Then Beamer spoke up, the last voice I heard before passing out of range.
“Whatever. I'm just glad the right man won.”
So am I.
It was the morning after the fight, and Nick was up.
I'd been at his side the whole time, only turning my eyes away when the doctor dressed his wounds. She shot him up with some sedative that let him sleep through the night.
“Ugh. Gods. I feel like complete shit.” He rubbed his eyes.
For the life of me, I laughed, pushing my chair closer to his bed.
“Welcome back. I was scared you weren't going to make it through that fight.”
He looked at me, his eyes flashing with coherency for the first time. Joy quickly followed. Nick stretched out his arms to embrace me, but stopped in the middle of his bear hug, wincing with pain.
“Don't try to move too much. Here, my love, let me do the heavy lifting.” I leaned into him, squeezing his huge biceps softly.
Those harsh bear muscles never felt so good. His skin glowed beneath my palms, sweet and warm, a beautiful reminder the danger had really blown over – for now.
“When can I walk?” he asked.
“Valia said about a week.” He groaned, and I smiled softly. “Don't worry. I'll be right at your side. It's not like there's much to go back to.”
“Yeah. So much for sprucing up that cabin. Maybe somebody will help a King out.”
We locked eyes. He said it like a joke at first, but there was nothing funny about it.
Too much had happened the last twenty-four hours to think about what victory might mean. Nobody else seemed to know either. Or, rather, their heads were still spinning as much as ours.
“You did it,” I whispered softly, pushing my fingers through his and squeezing. “You overthrew him. You took back what's always been yours.”
“I'm gonna take a lot more than that as soon as I get out of here.” His hand clenched on mine harder, an unmistakable hunger in his veins.
“None of this would've happened without you. You, Lyla, and that damned rock.”
Heat pulsed through me. Nick had an amazing way with moving my heart. Whenever we were together like this, steeped in his love, he made me glow hot and bright and red.
No different than the destiny stone.
“I won't take any credit. I've fucked up too much. This was you, Nick. All you.”
My stomach growled. I'd been eating pretty poorly overnight. Nothing but a quick snack from the vending machine outside.
It was stocked with jerky, jerky, and more jerky. I shouldn't have expected anything else among carnivorous skinwalkers.
“There's something you need to know,” I said, twisting my hand deeper into his.
Nick stared, beaming his welcoming, masculine heat into my eyes. I couldn't wait to see how much brighter they glowed when he found out about his latest conquest.
No better way to say it. Out with it.
“Congratulations, King, on more than just the crown. We're going to have a baby together.”
His jaw dropped. He looked right through me, as if he couldn't fully comprehend what I said, his eyes vast and wild with mystery.
Nick dropped his arms. I stiffened in my chair as he leaned back, gripped the metal rungs on his bed, and screamed.
The sharp, happy, crazy sound echoed through the entire hospital's corridors. He threw himself at me, ignoring the wounds, nearly falling out of the bed in the mad rush to completely press me to his broad chest.
We were still laughing, two bawdy lovers going nuts, when the doctor ran in.
“Hey! Miss, I told you not to overtax him too much. He needs to rest and –“
“Back off, Valia!” Nick growled. “This is the happiest moment of my life. I can handle a little pain from these scratches up my back. Especially with the stuff you've doped me up with.”
The doctor shook her head, quietly fuming.
“Nobody listens to what's best for them around here,” she grumbled.
Seeing neither of us were going to let go anytime soon, she turned around sharply and walked away, stomping her heels on the tile.
I laughed. One more reminder that humans and shifters weren't so different after all.
“I love you, Lyla. You've given me more than I ever wanted. I'm going to give you the same, year after year, for the rest of my life.” He held out one hand, pressing it to my lower belly, my womb.
We hadn't talked about children much before.
“No, I don't think so. The more than you ever wanted part, I mean.”
He gave me a curious look.
“Before I came along, you had a man's appetite. Now, after all this, you've got a bear's strength, and a bear's hunger. I just hope I can keep up with you,” I said.
“You will, beautiful. Never, ever doubt that.”
VII: A Piece of Myself (Nick)
“Let's go. Help me out of here,” I growled. “I'm going to surprise my girl, Beamer. Doc says I'm free to go a day early.”
I punched an opening in the metal bars flanking my bed. I sat up, ignoring the burn on both sides of me. The deep stripes Branson left on my flesh were healing slowly, constant aching reminders of his last gasp before the grave.
They still didn't hurt as much as being confined to the bed for five days.
“Alright. Take it easy, Your Majesty. This clan's gonna fall apart if anything happens to you.”
I grabbed Beamer's arm and hauled myself to my feet. It didn't hurt as much to stand as I expected.
“Bullshit. Nothing else is falling apart from here on out. Soon as I can move without feeling a tiger hanging on my back, we'll do the coronation and the engagement. All in one stroke. My people will get a whole royal family, more than just a King.”
“Well, sir, they do like to gossip. More's merrier.”
I slowly let my arm leave Beamer's shoulder. There. I was standing upright, and then walking across the room. It hurt, but it also felt good to move.
Beamer matched my slow pace, following me to the door. On our way out, I looked at Hector, my new roommate for the last day.
The old man was in for some routine test or other. Fortunately, there had been three big beds between us, and not a lot of conversation.
“Keep well, Your Majesty,” he said, his voice as weak and raspy as ever. “One thing you ought to know.”
We stopped. I suppressed a growl, wondering what the hell he was getting at. Nobody understood the rush I was in.
“What? Spit it out.” I stepped to the side of his bed, right where he wanted me.
Hector smiled, the same nasty grin he always used on everybody.
Forget it. He's old and decrepit. Not that it makes me want to wipe that stupid grin off his face any less...
“I remember an old record stored away in our private archive. Blood laws. A King should only take a mate from an Alpha family in Klamath or another clan. No half-bloods allowed, or else he forfeits his line. Choose wisely, Your Majesty. The human female has brought you far, but she can't carry you any more.”
“Hey, come on,” Beam
er whispered lightly, setting his hand on my shoulder. “Ignore this old fart. You can't let yourself get all worked up again.”
I blew out of the chair. Nearly ripped my stitches.
Hector exploded into a fit of mixed coughing and laughter, echoing after us as we left the hospital.
“It's okay, King. We just gotta get you home.”
“Damn it, keep calling me Nick. I don't give a shit what a bunch of hundred year old scrolls say. Let's go.”
“Home?”
“No. The archive.” I powered on, flinging open the hospital's doors and almost flattening a short woman climbing the stairs.
Beamer ran after me. Probably surprised at how fast and nimble I was moving. I had fire pumping in my blood. My bear whined, eager to get me alone in that ratty little backroom and tear all those old papers apart.
“Hey! Okay, okay, we'll go there. Just what is it you think you're gonna do, Nick?”
I sneezed. So hard the stitches in my side throbbed painfully.
“Where the hell could it be? Hurry it up,” I growled. “I need to get back to my girl.”
Beamer wiped the dust off his face. He was just as irritated as I was. We'd been combing Branson's cramped archive for the past hour, kicking up a small sandstorm of dust up in a room that was way too small to fit all these boxes plus the two of us.
“Here! This one says...succubus laws?”
“Succession laws,” I corrected, snatching the lightweight box out of his hands. “Good work.”
Beamer stood next to me as I tore into it, rattling through old papers too long and worn to be modern. I thought Hector and the rest were kidding about scrolls.
Not by a long shot.
A couple tattered papers bounced across the room. I stretched out their reams, looking for the threat.
Digging deeper, I found it, studying the old crabbed writing. The ink was faded, but I could barely make it out.
Article One, Section Five: No King shall wed a lesser bear, skinwalker of another kind, or a human female. If he weakens his blood, then he ought to forfeit his crown for the good of his kind, and exile himself and his tarnished mate to a place where they can rut alone like the animals they are. Forever.
Fated Mates: The Alpha Shifter Boxed Set (12 Book Bundle) (Insatiable Reads) Page 57
