Mark of the Bear (Hades' Carnival)

by N. J. Walters

  He politely inclined his head. “I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but facts are facts. I am free because of what the Lady did, not because you were able to free me. What can you offer me?”

  “Life beyond the next two minutes,” Hades growled. His eyes were glowing red now, flames jumping behind the black pupils.

  “That has value, but there should be more. I don’t want to sell my services too cheap.”

  Beside him, Kellsie gasped and he felt her take another step away from him. He wanted to grab her arm to keep her close. Hades was quickly running out of patience, and Marko knew he was going to have to make his move soon. He willed her to understand what he was trying to do. He realized he wanted her to have faith in him, to believe in his honor.

  It didn’t matter. Ultimately, all that mattered was getting them both out of here alive and in one piece.

  The flames in Hades’ eyes were banked and he grew more thoughtful. “More. Hmm…you negotiate more than your brother did.” He flicked his gaze to Mordecai, who frowned. “Maybe you would make a more fitting general for my demon hordes.”

  “Maybe.”

  Hades tapped his chin with his forefinger. “Let me think. How about I make you the supreme leader of my troops? You’ll have untold wealth and power. I might even be persuaded to release the Lady from Hell. After you’ve defeated my brothers’ armies, of course.”

  “Naturally,” Marko agreed. “What about Kellsie?”

  “What about her?”

  “I want her to go free, unharmed, now and forever.” Marko took note that Mordecai was watching Hades and not him. It would soon be time to make his move.

  “I’m not so sure that would work. You would need to show your alliance to me.” Hades flicked his hand out and pointed at Kellsie. “Some small token of your esteem.”

  Marko’s blood ran cold. Hades wanted him to kill Kellsie. That would taint Marko’s soul and the blood offering would bind him to the god forever. Keeping every emotion locked down, he reached behind him, grabbed Kellsie by the arm and dragged her close to him.

  Hades smiled and crossed his arms over his chest. Marko could read the certainty in the god’s eyes. He thought he’d won.

  Kellsie sucked in a breath but didn’t fight him. He peered down at her. She had one hand wrapped around the bear claw at her throat. The other rested against his chest. He expected to see anger, fear, betrayal and accusation in her eyes. But he saw none of those emotions. What he did see almost killed him—trust. In spite of all evidence to the contrary, Kellsie trusted him not to hurt her, not to use her as a pawn in this war. He’d told her he’d protect her and she believed him.

  Energy surged into him, strengthening his powers and doubling his resolve. In the distance, he could hear voices chanting. Their message was lost to the vast distance, but he could feel their intent. He didn’t know who the voices belonged to, but they were fueling him with their offering, giving him great strength. With some luck, he just might get them out of here.

  “I’m waiting.” One corner of Hades mouth turned up in a grin. Mordecai’s hand went to the hilt of a dagger that sat on his right hip.

  Marko leaned down and inhaled Kellsie’s unique scent. He’d be able to find her no matter where she went in the world. He’d know her by smell alone, even if they were lost in the darkest reaches of Hell. Fresh and clean, like a field of lavender.

  He couldn’t even warn her of his intent. Hades would hear him if he spoke at all, even in a whisper. He raised his head and allowed the change to partially take him. His jaw snapped and elongated, displaying two impressive rows of teeth. The arm he wasn’t using to hold her morphed into a bear foreleg, complete with gigantic paw tipped with lethal claws, while the other one remained human.

  He pulled Kellsie closer and she shivered in his grasp. He could hear her teeth chattering and smell her growing fear. How he wanted to reassure her. He tilted back his head and roared out his pain. He’d failed to release Leander and Arand. He’d put Kellsie in danger and the Lady was still trapped. He’d failed most of his mission, but he would not fail in this. He would keep Kellsie safe if it meant he had to take on Hades and all his demons.

  His only hope was that Hades would not want to expend the energy to fight him. A surge of that magnitude would certainly attract the attention of Zeus and Poseidon, exactly what Hades didn’t want to do until he was ready to start this war of his. As it was, the other gods knew he was in this realm. Hades wouldn’t want them to suspect it was for more than just a passing visit.

  Mordecai took a step toward them and he knew his time had run out. He snatched Kellsie off her feet, tucked her under his still human arm and raced toward the side of the tent, claws extended. He was plowing through the canvas even before he’d finished ripping it open.

  “Hold on!” he yelled and felt Kellsie clutch at his neck and shoulders.

  He barreled through the side of the tent with Hades’ roar of anger following them. The wind began to whip around them, making it difficult to run, but he didn’t stop. Kellsie’s tote bag beat against his side as he raced toward the woods.

  “Let me down. I can run.” Her voice reached him over the din of the rising wind. “You need to be able to fight.”

  Cries and screams echoed from the carnival. He glanced over his shoulder and swore. Demons were pouring out from every trailer and they were all headed toward them. He released Kellsie but grabbed her arm and dragged her behind him. “Run!”

  If they could make it to the forest they’d have a fighting chance.

  An eight-foot demon stepped out from behind a concession stand and roared, displaying three rows of sharp, dagger-like teeth. Marko allowed the bear its full freedom. The change was instantaneous. On his hind legs he stood almost twelve feet tall. Claws extended, he swiped at the demon and sliced its throat wide open. Blood sprayed everywhere, covering the ground and splattering his fur.

  Marko roared and turned toward Kellsie. She was frozen in place, her face speckled with blood, her skin as pale as snow.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Kellsie had seen many blood-soaked movie scenes in her time, but this was beyond anything she’d ever experienced. For one thing, it was real. The blood that sprinkled her face wasn’t the synthetic stuff created by the guys in special effects. It was warm and sticky and—shit, it was burning her skin. She yanked off her jacket and swiped at the blood with the sleeve. She finished cleaning her face and tossed the soiled garment aside.

  Every inch of her body was hyperaware. The fight-or-flight instinct was strongly in favor of running. And thankfully, Marko seemed to be on the same page.

  She’d had a few bad moments back in the tent where she’d truly thought he’d gone over to the dark side. But something inside her didn’t quite buy what he was selling. So far, he’d been nothing but honorable and determined. No way was he going to give up that easily.

  Still, when he’d grabbed her and partially morphed into a giant bear she’d had some doubts. Those teeth and claws were razor sharp. But she’d resigned herself to her fate, hoping, praying for the best. There was no way she could fight off Marko in his human form, let alone his bear form.

  For once in her life, her faith had been rewarded. She’d seen it in his eyes when he’d pulled her close and she’d known he was going to make a break for freedom. And when he’d moved, boy, had he moved. Her head was still spinning from how fast he’d hustled them both out of the carnival tent.

  “Kellsie.” He grabbed her shoulders and shook her slightly. He’d shifted back into his human form while she’d been staring at the dead demon. “We have to go. Can you run?”

  She nodded. “Yes.” Footsteps pounded behind them. No way did she want to even turn to see what was following them. The dead demon bleeding all over the ground was more than enough for her to deal with right now. He’d been a massive sonofabitch with leathery brown skin and protruding reddish eyes. Not to mention those teeth.

  They started running, dodging around trai
lers and rides, trying to put as much distance between the demons and them as possible. She knew they had to get into the woods. Marko was the king of the forest. That was his terrain.

  The wind tore at her hair and tugged at her clothing, trying to slow her down. Her lungs were already burning, but she knew there was no way she could stop. She’d run until she dropped. There was no other choice. She hoped all her cardio training at the gym was about to pay off.

  A whoosh of something above them made her look up. A huge demon with wings passed them, swooping down on them. It gave a bloodcurdling cry and attacked, claws extended.

  Marko’s huge sword suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He grasped it in his hand and slashed at the flying demon, cutting its two arms off in one powerful strike. Kellsie dodged most of the shower of blood that rained down to the ground and heard the loud crash as the demon fell from the sky. Its cry of pain raised all the short hairs on her body.

  “Do you have another one of those?” She motioned to the sword as she jumped over a power cable. They were only a few feet from the forest and she pushed harder, knowing the faster they got to the woods the better chance they had at survival. And then they were there. The trees rose up to surround them, almost protectively as they ran.

  Kellsie was breathing hard, her lungs working like a bellows to pump air in and out of her body. Her legs ached and her clothing was plastered to her skin with sweat. She could no longer hear anyone behind them, but that didn’t mean they’d shaken their attackers. It only meant her pulse was pounding so hard in her ears she couldn’t hear anything beyond the fast, heavy thudding sound.

  “Can you use one?”

  It took her a second to remember what she’d asked him. “Yeah,” she gasped as she ran. “Stunt training. Revenge of the Samurai Vampire.”

  Marko looked stunned by her admission. Then he laughed. It was such a joyous sound and so out of place it made her laugh too. She grinned at him, unable to help herself. His laughter was infectious. God, this was crazy. She was running for her life, fleeing demons and Hades himself and she’d never felt more alive.

  Marko’s sword disappeared and another one reappeared. This sword was shorter but no less deadly. They slowed slightly but kept moving steadily on an uphill grade. She dug the toes of her sneakers into the ground for purchase on the steep incline. He handed her the weapon. “Go for their neck and eyes. They’re most vulnerable there. And their heart.”

  “Got it.” She’d never killed a living thing in her life, not even a mouse. Could she do it? She tested the weight of the sword. Damn right she could. Those things chasing them weren’t living.

  They reached the top of the slope and Marko dragged her behind a huge boulder. She leaned against it for support and sucked in much needed air. Her thighs were quivering and her calves were burning. Her entire body was shaking, begging for respite. But there would be none, could be none. Stopping meant certain death.

  “Where are they?”

  “Behind us.”

  “Why doesn’t Hades attack us himself?” That bothered her. He was a god. He was certainly powerful enough.

  “His power carries a signature. If he uses too much in this realm the other gods would know. He doesn’t want to attract that kind of attention, not until he’s ready to launch his offensive.”

  Okay, that made a weird kind of sense. “What about Mordecai?”

  Kellsie sensed Marko’s pain. “I don’t know.” He turned to her. “You’re tired. You can’t go on much longer.”

  “I can keep up.” No way was she being left behind.

  Marko cupped her face in his hand, leaned down and kissed her. It was such a soft kiss, barely a touch of their lips. “Thank you for believing in me.”

  Kellsie squirmed beneath his praise. She’d had her doubts, but he didn’t have to know that. “Yeah, well, not like I had much choice.”

  He rubbed his nose against hers. “You had a choice.” He turned his head and listened. She could hear nothing, but she knew he could. “They’re getting closer and you’re too tired to go on for much longer.” Before she could protest, he continued. “You need to ride me.”

  “What?” He couldn’t be thinking about sex. Not at a time like this. Not that she wouldn’t love the opportunity to ride him, but still, this wasn’t the time or the place.

  Her core clenched at the mere thought and she knew it was official. She was crazy. This was so not the time to be thinking about sex. She opened her mouth to tell him so but he was already talking.

  “I can carry you in my bear form. I can move faster and all you have to do is hang on.”

  Boy, was she glad that shock had kept her from opening her mouth and inserting her foot. Talk about embarrassing. While she’d been thinking about sex, he’d been thinking about their escape. She nodded, ignoring the arousal still pulsing low in her body. “I can do that.”

  Marko didn’t wait, his big body beginning to shift. She’d seen him do it several times now, but it was still incredible to watch each and every time. His limbs reshaped and fur covered his body. His face morphed, his jaw extending and his forehead flattening. In the blink of an eye, the man was gone and the gigantic bear was there in his place.

  She swallowed hard. It was one thing to know Marko was really a massive bear. It was quite another thing to actually witness the change. He was larger than any known bear, more like a prehistoric one, if they’d even had bear-like creatures back then. She really didn’t know and it didn’t matter. She was stalling. He was really rather intimidating in his animal form.

  He huffed at her and she knew he was urging her to hurry. She went to his side and tried to figure out how she was going to get on his back. There was no bridle or stirrups to help.

  As if sensing her problem, Marko lay flat on the ground. She took a deep breath. She could do this. If she could face Hades and his demons, she could darn well ride the bear.

  She quickly scrambled up. The sword got in her way and she eased it through a leather loop on her tote bag. The blade sat flat against her side. She hoped it would hold. Last thing she wanted to do was lose it or stick herself with it. Wouldn’t that be embarrassing? She dug her fingers into Marko’s massive shoulders, clutching at the fur. With her legs wrapped tight around his flanks, she dug in her heels. “Giddy up.”

  Marko peered over his shoulder, seemingly not at all impressed as he climbed to his feet, or paws in this case. She shrugged. “Seemed fitting.”

  He huffed and took off running with a burst of speed. Kellsie slipped to one side, almost falling off before she managed to right herself. She clung to his neck and sides with all her might as he powered through the thick woods, moving closer to the base of the mountain and upward.

  Marko zigzagged between huge Douglas firs and around spruce and cedar trees, always seeming to know where the easiest route lay. She could hear the chatter of squirrels and the rustle of other small animals as they scurried out of the way. The wind made her eyes water and she blinked and looked to the side, trying to see more, but the world whipped by at a fast rate.

  Kellsie could hear the shouts of the demons behind them, but their yells got more distant the higher Marko climbed until she could no longer hear them at all.

  It seemed too easy.

  Hades commanded who knows how many demons. Granted, only about sixty or so were on the movie set, but they should have had more trouble escaping them. Was this all part of some nefarious plan? Kellsie didn’t know, but it was definitely something to think about. She’d have to ask Marko what he thought as soon as they got wherever it was they were going.

  The sun was high in the sky, but they were in such dense forest it only flickered between the thick branches from time to time. She got used to the play of heavy muscles beneath her as Marko moved steadily forward.

  The bear was untiring as he continued upward. The motion was almost like being in a rocking chair or a hammock. The heat from his large, furry body was better than any feather mattress. Combined with th
e warmth from the sun and the fact she’d gotten little sleep last night, it was no wonder her eyes were heavy. They closed several times and she forced them open.

  Her stomach growled, reminding her of how little she’d had to eat the past twelve to twenty-four hours. Marko must be starving, considering how much energy he had to expend carrying her. She was thirsty too.

  The muscles in her arms and legs were cramping from sitting in the unfamiliar position for so long and from how tightly she was clinging to him. But underneath the discomfort, unbelievable as it was, she was still horny as hell.

  With her legs splayed wide over Marko, her sex was pressed firmly against his broad back. Every rolling motion he made as he ran stimulated her clit. Her nipples rubbed against his muscular back through her shirt and the tight nubs ached for more. She wanted to feel his hands on her body, the light warmth of his breath on her skin before his mouth caressed her.

  And she was out of her ever-loving mind. They were running for their lives from demons and she wanted sex. It was nothing more than adrenaline coupled with the human need to feel alive. That was it. It had nothing to do with how she felt about Marko. She ignored the taunting little voice in the back of her head that was calling her a liar.

  And really, if there was a possibility she might die in the next twelve or so hours—and she truly believed that was a distinct possibility—she needed to get the most out of them.

  No, she had to stop thinking about sex and start worrying about survival. A vicious cramp caught her unawares and she gasped. She grabbed her thigh and felt herself sliding off Marko’s back.

  She yelped and grabbed at his fur. He halted immediately and went down on his stomach. She fell, but not far. Thankfully the ground was mossy and covered in dead pine needles and not rocky. She gave an oof sound as the air was knocked out of her lungs. Holding her spasming thigh, she rolled from side to side in acute pain.

  Marko was immediately by her side, a man once again. He quickly grabbed the sword that was lying dangerously beside her and made it disappear. She was grateful she hadn’t cut herself on the damn thing when she’d fallen.