“Can we speak to him? Make him see sense?” a woman asked. She was sitting two rings out with a man and two children. They reminded Jeanie of the bears she had met in the woods on her first day out in Sun Valley and she wondered if it was their family portrait she’d taken.
“No Elmarie, if this one has a heart, it’s made of cold stone,” Eugenie said sadly. “So I have to ask all able bodied young men, all clan warriors to step forward and place their names in the hat.”
She held up a floppy black felt hat.
It was a sad and solemn pageant watching the men scribble their names on strips of paper and place them into the hat. Jeanie felt fear rise in her throat as Ryan wrote his name and then placed it in the hat.
“I have to,” he said.
“Sure,” Jeanie answered, knowing she had no right to be sullen and moody with him but she felt it anyway. She stood on the outskirts of the circle with the other non-bears watching, Wyatt, Kyle, Tyler and Jesse all put their names in the hat too.
Eugenie waited for the last name and then shook the hat.
Marcus stuck his hand into it and drew out a piece of paper.
“Our warrior is…Ryan Hunt. And his second is…Wyatt Wade.”
A round of applause went up as Ryan and Wyatt stood and shook hands.
Jess burst into tears. “You should just let him have me!” she cried out. “I killed Conrad! I’m the one…” Jamie wrapped her arms around Jess and led her away.
Jeanie was amazed to see not one look of judgement on any of the bear clan’s faces. All she saw was compassion and kindness. No one there would ever think of sending Jess off to her death for this. They supported her, a human, wholeheartedly and it made Jeanie want to cry too.
When the meeting dispersed Ryan and Wyatt were led away.
Jeanie was left with nothing to do and nowhere to go. She tried to follow Ryan but Eugenie stopped her. “They have to prepare.” She said.
“So I can’t talk to him?” Jeanie asked.
Eugenie shook her head. “Look, this is a lot of traditional stuff and you and Ryan aren’t married so…” she left it hanging. Then she placed a consolatory hand on Jeanie’s arm. “He’s a good fighter. Don’t worry.”
“Right,” Jeanie said feeling morose.
With nothing to do and nowhere to go Jeanie sat in her car. She passed the time by seeing how many species’ full Latin names she could remember out of her head. It was just her luck to find a man she could love just before he fought a dual to save someone else’s fiancée. Typical!
Hours passed and Jeanie must have dozed off. Reciting Latin names always put her to sleep anyway, better than counting sheep. Her eyes popped open when she heard a crunching sound next to her car. A big black SUV had just pulled up next to hers.
The doors opened and Calvin, tall and dark stepped out. He was followed by Mr. Snow and then last Mr. Petersen. Two other men stepped out and they all made their way onto the field.
A crowd was gathering. Jeanie decided to sit on her SUV’s roof. If she dented it she was sure a big strong bear could knock it back out for her. It was the only way she was going to see anything. Valerie appeared in the crowd with Kyle and she waved to them. They joined her on her roof.
“So what happens now is basically a fight,” Kyle said. “They can fight as men or as animals. Up to them. If for some reason Ryan can’t fight, then Wyatt will step in.”
“Bet he wishes it was him fighting for Jess,” Valerie said.
“What happens if Ryan loses?” Jeanie asked feeling her fear building.
Kyle swallowed hard, “Well then Petersen can decide what happens to Jess. He’ll probably kill her. Then it’s all done. Wyatt loses the love of his life and there’s nothing he can do about it.”
“Your laws are strange and barbaric,” Jeanie said hotly.
Kyle shrugged. “I’m going to go help out in Ryan’s corner.” He jumped down off the roof leaving Valerie and Jeanie alone.
Valerie took her hand and patted it. “It will be fine, I’m sure.”
Jeanie wasn’t sure. He was going to fight and possibly die and she wasn’t even allowed to say goodbye. It just wasn’t fair.
Things were happening in the center of the crowd. There were a lot of bears milling around all broad shouldered and tall, but also a lot of wolves, lithe and quick. They must be from the local pack. Jeanie could feel the tension between both sides.
When the fight began she was surprised. There was no fanfare, no smack talk like in WWE. Ryan and Calvin entered the open space and simply went for each other. They were both dressed in loose fitting track pants, their chests bare. Of course Calvin was Petersen’s champion, he was big and muscled and violent.
Jeanie could barely think. The crowd were jeering, screaming and roaring for their champions. The sound seemed to bore into her and each time Calvin hit Ryan her heart thumped in fear. She gritted her teeth and began to chew the corners of her thumb nails. He was going to die.
There wasn’t going to be a happy ending for her. No falling in love and getting married. She was going to be the spinster scientist environmentalist forever. Valerie was talking to her but she couldn’t hear. All she could see was Calvin hurting the man she loved more than anything. Ryan was fighting well, but Calvin seemed to ooze a horrible evil power that seemed to be overshadowing Ryan’s light. They drew blood. Red flecks on black and white skin. And the fight carried on and on. Ryan’s left eye swelled up, his lips split and he was favoring his right leg. Calvin stood strong, but he was bleeding from a gash on his arm, and another by his right eye. They flew at each other again and this time Ryan threw Calvin to the ground, twisting his left arm at a horrible angle. Calvin twisted out of it and got Ryan in a head lock. Jeanie looked away, scrunching her eyes shut.
When she could bear to look again, Ryan and Calvin were circling each other. Round and round they went. They would jab each other in the face with their fists while trying to block the other’s blows. It was so stupid! Jeanie cursed testosterone and its idiocy. Fighting to prove a point was no way to go about it. There were better ways.
Ryan was down. Jeanie stood on the roof of the SUV her heart in her throat. Wyatt was on the ground yelling something to Ryan while Calvin pummeled him with his fists. Jeanie’s eyes filled with tears. She blinked them away as with a great push, Ryan threw Calvin off him, pounced on him and slammed his head into the dirt with such force that Jeanie was sure he should be dead. But he was a Werewolf. Could they die from that?
And then it was all over. Jeanie sagged to her knees on the car and stared. Ryan had won. It was all over and he was still breathing.
“Told you it would all be fine,” Valerie said. Smiling.
And then a cry went up and all hell broke loose.
Jeanie would never know how she and Valerie landed on the grass, but suddenly there they were. Feet ran passed them and not all of them were human. There were snarls and yelps, roars and screams from all sides. Jeanie tried to stand up but she was knocked over, pushed face first into the dirt. She heard Valerie calling over the din but by the time she looked around, Valerie was gone.
With numb legs and hands that tingled like she’d got pins and needles in them, Jeanie hauled herself up and looked around. People were fighting everywhere. Blood splattered and clumps of fur and flesh dotted the ground. She was petrified.
Running, ducking between the combatants, her only thought was to get to Ryan. She had to get to him. But where was he in this mess of bodies? Jeanie struck out and pushed her way through. Suddenly she felt pain down her back as something sharp dug into her flesh and dragged her to the ground. She turned and saw a wolf standing over her snarling and she realized it had clawed her back.
Jeanie kicked out and caught the wolf on the muzzle just as a bear swiped a huge paw at the beast and sent it flying. Crying from fear and panic, Jeanie crawled to her feet and stumbled through the battlefield. She stepped over bloody bodies; some whimpering and some horribly silent. Ryan, Ryan, Ryan.
She repeated his name in her head like a mantra, over and over and over.
And suddenly a white wolf appeared in front of her. It snarled, displaying sharp white teeth. “Mr. Snow,” Jeanie whispered.
The wolf inclined his head and then leapt for her.
Jeanie screamed and fell under the weight of the beast. She closed her eyes waiting for the teeth, but they never came. In a flash the weight lifted, was spun off her and a big black bear, its fur matted with blood charged after the wolf.
Jeanie scrambled to her feet. She turned and found herself now face to face with Calvin. He was awake. He had a gash across his chest and a murderous look on his face.
“Don’t hurt me!” Jeanie screamed at him panicking.
He laughed at her and hit her. The blow sent Jeanie onto the grass again, sprawling as a ringing sound filled her ears. “I’ve been dying to do that since I met you,” he snarled. “And now I’ll just kill you, so you cause no more trouble.”
He glared at her and grabbed her by the throat lifting her off the ground. Jeanie was choking. Her lungs were on fire and she could feel the world slipping away. As she dropped into darkness she thought of Ryan’s kiss.
Snow had settled on everything. It wasn’t deep, just a powdering that made the air taste of tin and everything look like a gingerbread Christmas scene.
Jeanie snuggled in Ryan’s arms, cozy in one of his pajama tops. They were in his cabin, lying in front of the fire, cozy and warm. She ran a finger over the scar on his chest where Calvin had sliced him with a claw.
“Are you still upset that Petersen and Snow survived?” Ryan asked his gaze still on the book he was reading.
Jeanie was amazed at how well he knew her. “A little. I mean they caused such a lot of trouble and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. Why does Clan law say it’s all over when it shouldn’t be?”
“Because if you keep hitting back, eventually everyone will die. Revenge is for the stupid. Now let it go. You don’t have to fight them now, Jess and Wyatt are safe and we have Sun Valley. And it’s all thanks to you.” He put the book down and kissed her hand. “Anyway, I’m way too relaxed to think about something that happened a month ago.”
“Fine. So what do you want to do?”
Ryan grinned at her. “Come give me a kiss little girl, or I’ll feed you to the big bad wolf.”
“You’d have to fly me to New York to get that right,” she said going along with the joke.
Ryan sighed and pulled her up. Then he flipped her on her back and kissed her. Jeanie wound her fingers in his messy black hair. The kiss was deep and unhurried. Neither one was going anywhere. With practiced fingers Ryan began to unbutton his pajama top exposing Jeanie’s naked flesh beneath. He cupped her right breast and licked the nipple until it stood hard as a rock then he moved to the left. Jeanie closed her eyes and lay back feeling little explosions of what she liked to call happy hormones, rush into her system each time he touched her in a new place.
As his tongue slid down her body, peeling her out of the pajama top, Ryan stopped suddenly. Jeanie looked up.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” he said. “Just nice to find no underwear in the way.”
His tongue continued moving down her, along her thighs and into her crotch. What had mornings been like before she’d met Ryan? Jeanie couldn’t remember. Not this good that was for certain. He busied himself in her, slipping his fingers in and out of her teasing her. Jeanie played it cool, letting him think he wasn’t driving her mad with desire. But eventually she couldn’t take it anymore and she pushed him onto his back.
“Your turn,” she said and began to kiss his stomach as she undid the ties on his pajama bottoms. They came loose and she pulled the fabric off him exposing him. He was hard and ready. But she also wanted to play so she took him in her mouth and sucked and massaged him until he groaned and pulled her off him
Jeanie straddled Ryan feeling him slip inside her as he had many times in the last month. They knew what they liked now, but each time was different, special. It was a dance where they made up the sequence of the steps each time and the rhythm changed as their moods fluctuated. It was heaven. Jeanie felt a wild abandon that she had never felt before. Ryan held her hips as she ground her pelvis against him making them both gasp with pleasure.
He flipped her onto her back and slid back inside. Now she wound her legs around him, holding him to her, feeling him go deeper and deeper. The moment rose and took them until neither could hold it back any longer and they melted into each other in bliss.
As Jeanie lay panting in Ryan’s arms, she looked up into his golden eyes and knew that she would never be lonely again. This was home, he was her Superman to her Lois Lane. Together they could take anything, after all they already had.
Jackson (BBW Secret Baby Bear Shifter Romance) (Secret Baby Bears Book 3) Page 146
