Fawks (Dragons of Kratak Book 4) by Ruth Anne Scott (28)

“Good,” my father said. “We can and will figure this out. Together.”

I was glad everyone was calming down, at least for the moment. Tensions were going to be running high for awhile, until we figured out what was happening and who was behind it all. It was on me to keep everyone from going to war, which wasn't going to be easy. Luke was my cousin, third in line for the throne. It was obvious someone was coming after the leaders of our clan, and that wasn't something we'd take lying down.

But we also had to make sure we went after the right people, or else, it could get very ugly for everyone involved. The N'gasso, us, and potentially the people of Black Salmon Falls.

Chapter Nine

Rose

I was doing the last-minute work and closing up the bookstore. Mary had already left for the day and I was just getting ready to flip the sign to closed, when Asher stopped by.

“Better hurry,” I said with a laugh. “We close in a few minutes.”

“I'm not here to shop,” he said and looked at me with an awkward expression on his face.

The way he stood there, sort of shuffling his feet, avoiding eye contact, and looking all kinds of awkward was adorable. It was also not what I'd expect from a man like Asher. He was large, imposing – the seemingly typical alpha male type. And yet, there he was looking like a shy teenage boy. But, one thing I'd come to learn about Asher, was that there was definitely far more to him than met the naked eye.

“No?” I asked. “Then, what can I do for you?”

“I was actually hoping we could grab some dinner after you get out of here?” he said, his voice surprisingly soft. “You know, just to talk.”

My heart flip-flopped and I froze in place for a long moment. I couldn't seem to do anything but stand there and stare at Asher for a long while before answering.

“It's okay if you have other plans –” he said, suddenly looking sheepish. “I was hungry, in the area, and thought maybe –”

Adrenaline was flowing through me and I thought I felt myself start to tremble. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. I imagined that with my mouth opening and closing like it was, I looked like a fish pulled out of the water and thrown up onto a dock, gasping for breath. I couldn't believe what was happening – Asher was asking me out. On a date.

There were ten thousand reasons I should have declined his invitation. Twenty thousand, maybe. And knowing that, I opened my mouth to give him a “thanks, but no thanks” answer, and yet, my brain apparently had something else entirely in mind because when I opened my mouth to speak again, the wrong words came tumbling out.

“Sure, that sounds great, actually.”

I felt my eyes grow wide and a shock like electricity shot through my body. I should have said no. There was no way in hell I should have agreed to dinner with Asher Blackwood. I wasn't ready to be dating anyone yet, and aside from that, my aunt had warned me about his family. I knew that I should probably stay far away from him. But something in me couldn't resist. So, to temper any expectations from him – or myself – I threw in a last second caveat.

“Just as friends though,” I said. “I'm really not ready to start dating again.”

“Just friends,” he said, “I promise I won't try anything with you. I just enjoy your company, that's all. You're just different from my usual circle of friends. And right now, I kind of need different.”

The fact that someone as gorgeous as Asher was even talking to me made my head spin. Never in a million years would I have ever expected a guy like him – somebody who could have stepped out of an underwear ad – to be interested in me.

Then again, maybe he wasn't. Maybe he really was just looking for a friend and I was reading way more into things than I should have been. When that thought hit me, I felt a slight twinge of disappointment. I knew it shouldn't disappoint me, but it did all the same.

The heart and brain just couldn't agree on how I should feel about him.

“Alright, let me finish getting cleaned and locked up here,” I said, reaching for the keys. “And then we can head out.”

Asher browsed the shelves, picking up a few books and leafing through the pages as I checked the back door. When I came back out, I found him reading from a book on the shelf, a rapturous look on his face. It was a book on ancient Roman history and he looked like he was in love.

“Maybe I should leave you two alone,” I joked.

“Nah, I think I'd rather be alone with you,” he said, laughing nervously as he put the book away.

Color rushed to my cheeks and my face felt like it was on fire, but thankfully, I'd turned out the light before he could see.

“Okay, well let's head out,” I said. “What did you have in mind?”

“There's an amazing BBQ place over on Second Street, it's within walking distance,” he said. “How do you feel about BBQ?”

“Sounds perfect,” I said, locking the door as we stepped out of the bookstore and onto the sidewalk outside. “I'm starving.”

I could tell something was on his mind, he seemed a little distracted and was being quieter than usual. He never came off as the quiet type – he was always cocky and talkative. And yet suddenly, he let me do most of the talking as we walked toward the restaurant.

“Finish the book yet?” I asked.

“No, sadly, I've had a lot going on,” he said, staring straight ahead as he spoke. “Family stuff.”

“Ahhh,” I said, hoping he'd elaborate, but he didn't. “Everything okay?”

He shrugged. “Not really, but we'll survive. We always do.”

His voice sounded distant and I found myself trying to draw him out. Get him to talk and open up. But the more I asked, the less he spoke, and I wasn't sure what else to say.

As we arrived at Big Al's BBQ, Asher pulled me to the side before entering. He looked into my eyes earnestly and there was a strange expression on his face. I could tell that he wanted to say something important – or at least, important in his mind – but I had no idea what it could be.

“Rose, I like you,” he said bluntly. “I like you a lot.”

My heart raced with his revelation and I realized that even though I'd been trying to keep my feelings in check, somehow, over the time we'd been talking and getting to know one another, some feeling for him had wormed its way into my heart. I couldn't deny it – the heart wants what the heart wants. But I could do my best to control it. I wasn't ready yet. Not ready for a relationship and all of the emotional baggage that I'd yet to deal with.

“I like you too,” I said. “But –”

“Just friends,” he said. “I know. I just want to make it clear from the beginning that I enjoy your company. I enjoy talking to you and just being around you. Probably more than I should let myself. I like you, Rose, and I just want you to know that, even if I'm unable to open up about my life or my family right now.”

“I'm confused?” I said, laughing. “But that's fine. I don't need to know everything about you and your life if we're just friends. I figure you can tell me more when you're comfortable doing so. But I enjoy your company as well, Asher. You've definitely made me see some things in different ways – especially you. But for now, I think it sounds like it's in both our best interests to keep things friendly.”

He smiled and gave me a small nod, something like sadness briefly flashing behind his eyes. “You're probably right, Rose.”

The hostess moved to sit us on the patio, but Asher insisted we sit inside instead. I didn't argue. He requested a booth in the back corner of the restaurant, well away from the door. And when we sat down, he took the seat facing the entry, as if he was watching for someone and wanted to keep an eye on the place.

“Let me guess, you don't want your wife walking in and find you having dinner with a friend?” I teased.

Yes, it was a joke, but also my way of finding out if he was married or not. After all, there was so much I didn't know about Asher. For all I knew, he could have a wife and ten kids. I'd never asked and he'd never volunteered that information. I figured, that was just one of those things that would come out over time. But given the fact that he was acting a little strangely, it had piqued my curiosity – and then, I just had to know.

In some ways, I thought that if he were married, it would make things easier. I could use that knowledge to build the partition between friend and lover in my mind. If he was married, he would be nothing more than a friend. And he'd stay on one side of the wall. If he wasn't, he'd perhaps, be on the other side of the wall. Maybe.

“No, no wife,” he said with a hearty laugh. “Just nosy locals. Always up in my business because of who I am.”

“I see,” I said with a coy smile.

Dinner was nice and casual, we laughed a lot. We talked about philosophy and the stars and our favorite books. We talked about everything that crossed our minds and the conversation was free-flowing and easy. Which made it incredibly easy to get lost in the conversation, almost as easy as it was to get lost in his eyes. I limited myself to one cocktail during dinner, and he had a beer. I wasn't going to make the mistake of having too much. I knew I had to be careful around him, since he was easy to fall for.

But when the check came, I wasn't ready to say goodbye yet. Neither was he apparently. We both looked at it for a long while, both of us reluctant to acknowledge it and call it a night. But then he looked up at me, a smile on his face.

“Come on,” he said. “I want to show you something.”

“Where are we going?” I asked, as he took my hand. I was startled by his large hand holding mine, but I couldn't bring myself to pull my hand away. After all, I had to admit – if only to myself – that it felt nice.

“Do you trust me, Rose?” he asked, his eyes twinkling and a smile on his face once more.

“Do I trust you?” I wasn't sure how to answer that. My gut said yes, but all the warnings from my aunt – and my past experience with men – told me that I'd be a fool to trust him. But I went with my gut. “Yes, of course.”

“Then come with me,” he said.

We walked back toward the bookstore, where he had a motorcycle parked out front. “Hop on,” he said.

“Wait, no, I'm not riding with you on that thing,” I said, shaking my head. “No way. I have a fear of things that can kill you if you happen to fall off of it. And in case you hadn't noticed, I'm not the most graceful person in the world.”

“It's a short ride,” he said. “Just out of town a bit. I'll be careful and won't drive too fast. I promise.”

He climbed on the bike and looked back at me, those big, brown eyes of his begging me to go with him. And he looked so damn sexy with the wind blowing through his shoulder-length hair and with the moonlight sparkling off his eyes – how in the hell was I supposed to say no to that?

Without a helmet, I hopped on the back of his bike. Wrapping my arms around his waist, I closed my eyes, gritted my teeth, and held on for dear life. I had to admit, being that close to him, breathing in his musky scent and touching that ripped body, was nice. Very nice.

As we rode on, I found myself growing embarrassed by the fact that the combination of all of that – plus the vibrations of the bike between my thighs – turned me on. Big time. There was a fire burning in the center of me – one that I hadn't felt in some time. It was both a welcome sensation and an unwanted one – unwanted mainly because I would not be able to do a damn thing about it. At least, not until I got home and had a little alone time for myself, anyway. Though, it obviously, was not the same thing. But, we did what we had to do.

We drove for a few miles on the main road before he turned down a private back road. There were signs galore warning trespassers to stay away, handmade ones that made crude threats, and other handmade ones mocking the first set of handmade signs with some colorful rebuttals. The road was curvy and long, but we went slow. It was strange, but I never once sensed my life was in danger with him. The thought that he'd hurt me never crossed my mind once – not even as he took me deep into the woods.

The road ended in a large circular driveway outside a cabin. Asher stopped the bike and we got off. The night air was cool and the moon high overhead cast the world around us in a silvery, monochromatic light. The smell of pine was heavy in the air and everything was peaceful. It was beautiful.

As I surveyed it, I didn't think that cabin was the right word for the place I was looking at. The structure was huge – almost like a mansion – but completely made of wood and logs. As the engine cooled down with a series of clicking and ticking noises, we were surrounded by the sounds of crickets and bullfrogs in the distance. Music to my ears. I loved falling asleep to those sounds – it did wonders for my soul.

“Wow,” I said. “Is this your house?”

He gave me a shrug and a half-smile. “Sort of. It's a family home,” he said. “Currently no one lives here, but we spend time up here when we're looking to get away and mellow out for a little while. Come on.”

He took my hand again – which set the flock of butterflies in my stomach swirling again – but instead of walking into the cabin, he took me around back. There was a patio overlooking a small lake. The moonlight shimmering off the water's surface made it look like a pool of liquid silver. It was absolutely stunning. But that's not what caught my attention.

“Oh my God, the stars! There are so many and they're so bright out here!” I said, staring up at the sky.

“That's why I brought you out here,” he said, watching me with a smile. “I knew you told me you were from the city. And as nice as it is, I don't think the stars look quite like this in Seattle.”

“No, not at all. Too many lights,” I said. “This is amazing.”

“I thought you'd appreciate it,” he said. “I come out here a lot just to look at the stars, but no one else seems to care. We all seem to take it for granted out here. Not me though. I can sit here for hours, just looking up at them.”

“What a shame,” I said. “I could probably soak in this view every single night and never get tired of it.

We stood there, hand-in-hand, just staring up at the sky. He pointed out a few constellations, none of which I'd seen before in the city. They were like chips of diamond set against a black velvet background. They twinkled and flashed. We even saw a few falling stars. It was absolutely magical.

We sat down in the grass, and before long, I found myself leaning into him. His hand was around my shoulder as we talked, and I found myself staring at his lips, trying to work up the courage to kiss him. Trying to drown out the voice in my head that was sounding the warning bells and screaming that it was a terrible, terrible idea.

“I'm so glad you're here with me, Rose,” he said, pushing a strand of my hair out of my face.

“Me too, Asher,” I said.

He leaned his face closer to me, and I had a split second to decide if I was going for it or not. My brain was desperately trying to throw the brakes on and stop us in our tracks. But my heart and my body were busy hitting the accelerator.

“Just friends,” I muttered as I closed the distance between our lips, pressing mine to his.

“Just friends,” he said with a laugh, but he kissed me back.

He took my face into his hands and kissed me in a way that wouldn't be acceptable between friends. I enjoyed every second of it though. I couldn't resist touching him, stroking his chiseled jaw and face, and then moving lower to his chest. His hands moved over my body gently, as if he was still waiting for permission to touch me. I was still too nervous to give myself over to him completely, but his lips and hands were driving me crazy.

The fire in the center of me was back, burning brighter than a bonfire. My body was responding to Asher's touch in a way it hadn't responded to anything in so long. I felt myself growing tense, growing wet, the feeling of absolute need in me burning as bright as the stars overhead.

Asher pushed me back gently on the grass, rolling over and bracing himself on his arms so he didn't put his full weight on top of me. I wrapped my legs around his waist and arched my body upward, our kissing growing more heated, more passionate. His erection was pressing against his deliciously tight jeans and he ground himself against that warm, wet center of me.

I moaned softly – I needed him inside of me. I reached down and removed his belt, which was all the permission he needed to strip me down naked. Removing my shirt, he kissed my breasts, his tongue flicking quickly over my nipples, drawing a gasp from me. He slid the tip of his tongue down my body, moving lower and lower until he was between my legs.

With a lascivious grin on his face, he held my gaze as he slid my jeans and panties down my legs, tossing them over his head and into the grass. I swear I saw the stars reflected in his eyes as he lowered his face to my most intimate parts, kissing and sucking me gently as he went down on me.

With my hands in his hair, I tugged and pulled, grinding myself against his mouth. He slid his tongue inside of me, licking and sucking on that warm center of me. Asher continued to work me over with his mouth as he slid two fingers inside of me, pumping them in and out, sending shockwaves of sensation throughout my body.

I didn't hold myself back – we were totally alone, so there didn't seem to be any need for discretion out there. I gave myself over to the pleasure of his mouth and fingers in me, calling his name at the top of my voice. He continued licking, sucking, and fingering me and I felt that low pressure building up inside of me. I knew my climax was rushing toward me like a freight train, but I wanted it to last, I wanted the pleasure he was giving me by going down on me to never stop.

“Asher, yes! Yes!” as he brought me to orgasm with his mouth in minutes.

No man had ever made me come just by giving me oral sex before – mainly because no one had ever tried. The men I'd been with in my life had expected me to get their rocks off for them, but when it came to giving me some pleasure, they couldn't be bothered. Asher, on the other hand, was a natural, and even with one orgasm down, he was already working toward giving me number two.

But I needed him inside of me. As amazing as his mouth felt on me, I wanted to feel his hard cock deep inside of me.

I pulled his hair so he was looking up at me, a grin plastered across his face, my juices on his mouth shimmering in the moonlight. I didn't even have to ask, it was like he knew exactly what I wanted. Still looking me in the eye, he slowly moved above me, placing the tip of his cock against my opening. Even that lightest of touches was enough to send a ripple of pleasure through me that made me gasp.

“I need you,” I said, my breath shallow and ragged. “I need you inside of me.”

Asher leaned down and kissed me and when he pulled back, the look of pure hunger in his eyes very nearly took my breath away. With my legs wrapped around his waist, I pulled myself up, and once again helped close the distance between our bodies. He entered me slowly, and I savored every inch of him as he slipped between my moist lips and then plunged himself deep into the center of me.

He stared down at me as he moved his hips, our gazes locked as our bodies became one. And gently, he started moving in and out of me, our bodies finding that perfect rhythm that sent waves of sensation through me, causing me to call out his name, over and over again.

“Asher, yes, Asher!”

I dug my nails into his back, drawing a hiss from him. He smiled and kept his rhythm going, even as he took off his t-shirt, letting me rake my nails across his skin. He dropped back down and increased his speed, increased his rhythm, and was driving me absolutely crazy. The fire inside of me was burning out of control and I thought my heart was going to burst through my chest. I held on for dear life as our bodies moved together, the sound of flesh meeting flesh echoing in the night air.

We kissed with a passion and intensity I'd never felt before. One that tore through my body and made me tremble as Asher's movements became more and more desperate. He moaned, said my name softly, and he buried himself deeper and deeper inside of me. I tightened myself around him, causing him to groan louder and louder with each thrust.

I knew he was close, and I so badly wanted to make him come for me. Wanted to make him feel as good as I did when he'd made me orgasm by going down on me. I stared into his eyes once more as I squeezed my muscles around him, tightening myself up just as he thrust himself deep into me.

Asher's eyes widened and a low growl escaped his throat. His body tensed and he squeezed his eyes shut, gritted his teeth, and then he couldn't stop himself from going over the brink. His body shuddered and he cried out, calling my name so loud, it echoed around the lake. I felt his hot seed spurting inside of me and that threw me over the edge. As he continued to unload inside of me, I trembled and cried out as I came hard along with him. Wave after wave of pleasure rippled through us and I felt like the sensations coursing through me would never end – hoping that they wouldn't.

But of course, they eventually did. He slipped out of me, leaving only the feel of warmth and wetness behind. Our breathing was ragged, but there were smiles on both of our faces.

“Rose, oh Rose,” he muttered after he was spent. “That was amazing.”

“Yes, yes it was,” I said, feeling breathless. “Incredible.”

A voice came from behind us, taking us both by surprise. A jolt of adrenaline shot through me and fear replaced that shimmering post-coital glow I'd been wrapped up in.

“Glad someone was having fun,” she said.

Asher quickly stood up and grabbed his pants off the ground and tried to pull them on quickly. “Mariana, what are –”

“I was looking for you,” the woman said, glaring at me with pure contempt and hatred in her eyes. “Thought you might be at the cabin. Didn't know you'd have company though.”

I turned and saw a stunningly beautiful woman standing only a few feet away from us. I grabbed my clothes and tried to cover up my nakedness, humiliation making my face burn bright. I wondered how long she'd been standing there watching us. Wondered how much she'd seen.

“Oh God,” I said, throwing my clothes back on as quickly as I could.

“Yeah, you better be freaking out, sweetie,” the woman said as she strode toward me.

Her high heels dug deeper into the grass with every step, but it didn't slow her down too much. Before she was able to reach me, Asher put himself between us. He was so large that I couldn't see the other woman at all. At least I had a little privacy to get my clothes back on.

“Leave her out of this,” he said. “This is between you and me, Mariana.”

“Is this why you don't want to screw me anymore, Asher?” she asked. “Found a new whore already? Before we're even married? Most guys usually wait until after they're married and life gets a little boring. But then, you've never done things the traditional way, have you?”

“What is she talking about, Asher?” I asked, standing up and tugging at the bottom of my shirt. “A - are you engaged? To her?”

“Yeah, sweetie, he's engaged. To me,” Mariana said. “I'm his fiancé. And who the hell are you?”

“It doesn't matter,” I said, I looked over at Asher, hoping he might say otherwise. But he just stared at the ground, a lost and forlorn look on his face.

Feeling utterly humiliated and angry, I took off toward the front of the cabin. Asher called to me, but I didn't break stride. I just kept running. I was an idiot for believing him. An idiot for trusting him. Once again, a man had abused my trust. Used me. Hurt me.

“Rose, wait, I can explain –”

There was nothing for him to explain. He was just another asshole in a long line of them throughout my life. He was exactly why I said I wouldn't date anyone again. He was exactly why I preferred to be alone.

Asher caught up to me, grabbing my arm, and spinning me so I was facing him. He looked at me with humiliation in his own eyes – but also regret. Regret for getting caught, more than likely.

“Let me go,” I said. “I'm calling a cab. I'm leaving. You need to fix things with your fiancé, or whoever the hell she is. I was an idiot for trusting you. Thank you for being such a prick, Asher.”

I yanked my arm free from his grasp and walked to the front of the cabin. Tears rolled down my face, but I wasn't going to give in to them. I'd screwed up. Made a bad decision. Again. I had allowed myself to open up to Asher and I'd gotten burned. Live and learn.

Though, you would have thought, given my track record, that I would have learned that lesson already. Clearly, I hadn't.

I could hear shouting out behind the cabin. Mariana was rightfully pissed and Asher was trying to defend himself. Truthfully, I couldn't bring myself to listen to any of it. I was too busy trying to keep from crying my eyes out and feeling sorry for myself.

Chapter Ten

John

“Asher, buddy, you sure spend a lot of time in that bookstore,” I muttered to myself as I watched him slip inside the store from my car.

The place was closing soon, and he was obviously not shopping. So, why was he there? What was he after? Asher stopped at the counter and talked to the woman inside – a cute, redheaded human – before the two of them left. Together.

My phone rang. It was Roan. I watched them walk down the street together as I picked up the call and pressed the phone to my ear.

“Looks like our friend Asher has a new plaything,” I said, by way of a greeting.

“Oh yeah? Mariana not good enough for the lad?” he laughed. “He's a fool. Mariana is beyond gorgeous.”

“I guess not,” I said. I watched them turn onto Second Street and then followed them until they stopped outside Big Al's BBQ.

“Who is it?”

“The curvy redhead that just started at the bookstore,” I said.

“But she's human?” Roan said.

“Yeah, well, she's his sidepiece,” I said, climbing out of my car. “No laws against taking a human as a mistress, just can't marry one.”

“Fair enough,” Roan said.

“Yeah, well, if we have our way, there won't be a wedding,” I muttered. “Listen, I have to go. I'm going to grab a bite to eat and keep an eye on things.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Roan said. “Hey, just a thought, but you think this sidepiece is maybe someone he cares about? If so, maybe we can use that to our advantage.”

“Maybe so,” I said. “Just have to wait and see.”

Already, a plan was percolating in my brain. I had an idea, something that could push things past the boiling point and over the edge for us. I said goodbye to Roan and went inside, not worried about anyone seeing me because Asher and I had never once met before. I was just a nobody in his mind, a male from a lesser clan. Less than a nobody, really.

But that's where his biggest mistake was. I may have come from a lesser clan, but I was a man with ambition. A lot of ambition. Before I was done, I had vowed that I would take my clan to greater heights. I would surpass the N'gasso and even the mighty Q'lapa in terms of relevance and dominance. My clan, though lesser at the moment, would be the greatest ever. I would make that happen or die trying.

I took a seat toward the back of the restaurant, sitting close to where they were at, and listened as they laughed and talked together. I could see the way he looked at her and knew that I had him. And when they left, he took her by the hand and they were both smiling as she climbed on the back of his bike, flirting and touching in a familiar way.

That was game, set, and match. Looked like he cared about her to me. Which meant that she was suddenly a very important piece on the board. They headed north, out of town. And I could think of only one place they might be headed.

I texted Roan, Send Mariana over to the Blackwood Cabin. She's going to be in for a surprise.

Roan would do it, because he had his own reasons for wanting to take Asher and the Q'lapa down a few pegs. He loved Mariana and hated he couldn't be with her himself – which meant that by extension, he hated Asher. Which made Roan useful to me. Also, being from a lesser clan meant no one really cared about him. And that he had no chance with somebody like Mariana. But if all went well, my buddy Roan might get his wish.

It was a win-win for all of us. Well, all of us except, of course, Asher Blackwood and the Q'lapa.

~ooo000ooo~

“It worked,” Roan said, grinning from ear-to-ear when we met up later. “Mariana went over there and caught Asher with the human woman. She's pissed. Beyond pissed.”

“Now it's your turn to move in, brother,” I said.

His face fell, though and he looked almost despondent. “I don't know if it's going to be that easy,” he said. “I mean, she's pissed, but it's her duty to marry him. She doesn't really have a choice in the matter. I don't know that me playing the white knight and being a shoulder to cry on is going to help my chances any.”

“She has a choice alright,” I said.

“But doing what we want her to do – that's going to start a war between the two largest clans in the country,” he said. “I don't think she's stupid enough to do that. Especially, because she knows that it's a war her clan is very likely to lose.”

“You don't know women, Roan,” I said, taking a long pull from my beer. “She's emotional, needy, she's not going to let this injustice stand. You know the old saying, Hell hath no fury...”

Deep down, I knew more than I let on. I stared over at Roan, the son of Austin Flint, the Chief of the O'roja clan. My clan. The often-forgotten clan that has been dwindling in numbers ever since the Q'lapa moved into the area fifty or sixty years back. We had been there first, and I would be damned if I allowed the Blackwoods to push us out of our town.

I couldn't let Roan know my other plans though, because they included implicating his precious Mariana in the murder of Asher's mistress. A little fact I had to leave out or else, risk Roan not working with me. And I needed all hands on deck for this. I needed flexibility and options. And he gave those to me.

As much as I hated to hurt and use my friend, I couldn't let this alliance between the Q'lapa and the N'gasso take place. I couldn't let either clan remain in power.

It was time for us, the smaller clans, marginalized and pushed to the side by those two, to be back in control once more.

Chapter Eleven

Rose

Paula had hardly moved all day. As soon as I got home, I made sure to feed her and do whatever I could to make her comfortable and take care of her. I felt guilty for not being there for her all night, for not making sure she'd eaten earlier. She was still in her pajamas, on the couch where I'd left her when I headed out to work that morning, and she hadn't moved an inch. Not even to use the bathroom.

“Here you go,” I said, putting a bowl of soup down in front of her.

My heart ached as she stared back at me with dead, vacant eyes. I hadn't been there with her but for a few weeks and already, I could see that she was taking a turn for the worse. I thought we had more time to spend together, but it was becoming obviously and painfully clear that we didn't. The doctors had ceased chemo, said it was no longer working. They'd encouraged us to let my aunt live out the rest of her life out in peace, however long that might be. And to spend whatever time with her that I could, enjoying her last days with her.

I lifted the spoon to her lips and fed her, trying not to cry.

“You don't have to do that, Nancy,” she said.

Nancy was my mother's name. Her sister.

“I'm not Nancy, I'm Rose.” I said, my voice soft and on the verge of breaking.

“Damn, where is my head at? Of course, you're Rose,” she said. “My lovely niece, Rose.”

“Yes, aunt Paula,” I said, feeding her another bite.

“I love you, Rose,” she said, taking my free hand in hers. “I'm so glad you came to stay with me.”

“Me too, Paula,” I said. “I'm very happy to be here. I love spending time with you. I always have.”

“Even when I don't have the strength to feed myself?”

“Especially then,” I said. “You took care of me for how long? Every time my father went on a bender, who was there for me? You were. And now it's my turn to repay the kindness you never failed to show me.”

She looked so grateful, yet sad at the same time. I couldn't imagine how it must feel to grow weaker by the day. To know that the end of your days was coming – sooner, rather than later. I finished feeding her, cleaned her up and helped her to bed. She gingerly climbed beneath the covers and then fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. Pain meds are a wonderful thing for those who need them. And Paula very clearly needed them.

I turned out the light and wiped the tears from my eyes as I went downstairs and cleaned up the dishes from her dinner. I reflected on everything that had happened that night and felt a surge of dark anger welling up within me. I couldn't believe that Asher had lied to me. Or at least, hadn't told me the truth. He was engaged. How could he do that to me? To his fiancé?

I tried to push it all out of my head. That was what I got for opening up and trusting somebody. I had nobody to blame but myself. Even knowing that though, didn't take the sting out of it. Nor did it do anything to quell the anger inside of me. Finished with the clean up, I turned out the lights and started for the stairs. It had been a long day and I was tired. I wanted nothing more than to go to sleep and wake up, the whole damn day having been nothing more than a bad dream.

Just as I was getting ready to head to bed though, there was a soft knock at the door.

Considering how late it was, I looked for the nearest weapon. Just in case. I grabbed a baseball bat from behind the coatrack and walked toward the door, glancing out the window before daring to open it up. And when I saw who it was, I felt my heart sink – while simultaneously feeling the rising tide of rage within me.

It was Asher.

I dropped the bat beside the door – but only because I didn't trust myself with it when I opened it to him.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, arms crossed in front of me defensively. “Don't you have a fiancé to apologize to?”

“Listen, Rose, I came to apologize,” he said. “And to tell you it's not what you think –”

“Isn't that what they all say?” I seethed. “I thought you were smarter than that, Asher. Or at least, more creative. You sure figured out how to weasel your way into my pants. I have to give you credit for that. But seriously, at least come up with an original excuse for cheating on your fiancé.”

I could feel my voice rising, so I stepped outside and closed the door behind us.

“No, I swear to you, it's not just an excuse. There's more going on than you understand. A lot more,” he said with a deep sigh. “Come with me, please? We need to talk.”

“Last time I did that, I was party to an affair,” I spat. “So, you'll understand when I say, no thanks.”

“Fine, I'll do it here then. It doesn't matter,” he said. “There's something you need to know about me. Then I can explain the rest. But until you know my secret, none of it's going to make any sense whatsoever.”

I rolled my eyes, not having any idea what he was talking about. It just sounded like another excuse from a man who'd gotten busted cheating. I was just about to tell him to beat it, that we were done, when Asher started removing his shirt. I stared at him with eyes that were wide with shock. The freaking gall of this man.

“What the hell, Asher?” I hissed. “You think stripping down is going to change my mind? You really are that into yourself, aren't you?”

“No, I just don't want my clothing to get torn, that's all,” he said.

“Oh, because of your big muscles?” I rolled my eyes again. “Seriously, showing up here and thinking you can charm your way back into my pants by showing off your body is really weak. And really presumptuous. I liked you for more than just your body – showing it off now isn't helping your case. Give me a little more credit than that.”

He said nothing, but dropped his pants before I could go on. He stood before me, completely naked and as much as it pained me to admit, looking sexy as hell. I might have drooled a little at his tan, toned, and firm body. We'd had sex with his shirt on, so I'd missed out on that glorious chest that was as chiseled as the rest of him and in black ink. Tattooed symbols of some sort.

It was a Herculean effort, but I tore my eyes away from his body and stared him in the eye. But before I could demand an explanation for him stripping down on my aunt's porch and demand to know what he wanted, Asher let out a low growl that grew louder by the second. His head lowered to his chest and his entire body began to shift before my eyes. The stubble on his face and chest grew longer and thicker, and with a sharp cry of pain, his bones literally shifted beneath his skin. He fell down onto all fours and was growing larger and hairier by the second.

I backed up against the door, my heart beating so hard, I was afraid Paula, in her narcotic-induced sleep, would hear it.

“Jesus Christ,” I muttered under my breath. “What the fu –”

He looked up at me, and those were his eyes alright. His beautiful, chocolate brown eyes. But they were staring back at me from the face a bear. A real live bear.

“When I was a kid and spent time here, I'd heard rumors, stories about men around these parts who could – but I never –” I stammered, my voice barely more than a whisper.

This is why my aunt told me to stay away from them. It made sense, or at least made a little more sense. But my eyes still couldn't believe what I was seeing before me. I'd always written those rumors and stories off as nothing more than small town legend. Every small town in the country had its share of ghost stories and legends of some paranormal creature running around. In that way, Black Salmon Falls had been no different.

Or at least, I assumed it was no different. Everything I knew, or thought I knew, had been turned on its head. I stared at the creature before me, terrified and yet – not. I didn't get the sense that I was in danger with Asher as a bear anymore than I had when he was – human. But still. It was a bear standing in front of me. I had no way of knowing if there was any of Asher's humanity even in it.

Asher the bear, walked up to me, and at first, I considered running. But I knew that I wouldn't get very far even if I had taken off at a sprint. But then Asher rubbed his face against my hand much like a dog would. Without even realizing what I was doing, I stroked his soft fur, letting my hands get tangled in it. He was so soft, so strong, so powerful.

And he wasn't human.

~ooo000ooo~

“Do you see now? Do you understand?” he said after shifting back into his human form and putting his clothes back on. “Why I couldn't tell you everything?”

I was still in shock, but managed to pull myself together well enough to respond – though, that wasn't saying much. There were still ten million thoughts and emotions swirling through my head and I wasn't having much luck putting any of them in any sort of order that made sense.

Asher told me a lot. Filled in a lot of the story that the rumors and legends never touched on. He told me all about the clans, touched on the behind the scenes politics – there was apparently, an entire bear culture that we were ignorant to. Listening to him speak, a lot of what happened, a lot of things about him, started to make sense. It was like a missing puzzle piece – one I wasn't even aware was missing – fell into place and helped make sense of the bigger picture.

“As impressive as all that is – the whole bear thing – it still doesn't explain Mariana,” I said. “You lied to me. You told me you were single.”

“No, I told you I wasn't married,” he countered. “And I'm not.”

“That's really splitting hairs, Asher. You're engaged to be married,” I said. “You cheated on her. With me. Do you know how dirty that makes me feel? You used me for sex –”

“No, I didn't use you –”

“Please. You're going to be married. It's not like anything between you and I can go anywhere,” I said. “And here I thought you were different.”

“I didn't use you, Rose,” he said, and the look on his face was one of sincerity. “Yes, I'm technically engaged to Mariana, but it's not like I love her. This is a – business arrangement. Clan business. I'm betrothed to her, so we are getting married. But it's most definitely not by choice. I agreed to marry Mariana for the good of my clan. But everything's changed and –”

“Let me guess, you're going to leave her for me?” I said, my laughter bitter. “Yeah, haven't heard that one before.”

“No, I've changed my mind entirely,” he said. “I'm not going to marry her. Screw clan politics. Screw it all. I'm tired of all the games and crap. I want nothing to do with any of it anymore.”

“Can you do that?” I asked. “Can you just up and leave? Is that even allowed?”

“Not really,” he said with a smirk. “But they can't stop me if they don't know I'm leaving, can they?”

I knew nothing about the clans, nothing about this whole bear world. I didn't believe that they actually existed anywhere but in people's fevered imaginations until moments ago.

“Rose, if I leave, I want you to come with me,” he said, licking his lips.

I was taken by surprise, but as I stared into his eyes, something inside of me whispered that I wanted it too. It surprised me simply because I wasn't the type who threw themselves into things like that without thinking and considering everything first. I was careful. Methodical. I didn't just plunge headlong into something without giving it careful consideration first.

I liked Asher. I liked him a lot. More than I would have ever thought possible. I'd so carefully packed up my heart after everything with Jason went sideways and stored it away, I didn't think anybody would ever be able to reach it. I honestly didn't know if I wanted anybody to. But Asher did. Somehow, he got in and found that box. Not only found it, but had somehow managed to unpack my heart. As much as I tried to deny it, tried to fight the feelings he inspired in me, I just couldn't.

But as I thought about it, entertained the notion of running away with Asher, reality set back in and threw water all over those fires. There was no way I could run off with him.

“Asher, I can't,” I said. “My aunt –”

“She can come too,” he said.

“She's not healthy enough for that, Asher. She's dying,” I said, my voice low. “And I can't leave her. She needs me.”

He nodded, sadness etched upon his features. “I understand.”

“If it wasn't for that –”

I couldn't believe I was temped to do it – but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't. The idea of running away with Asher, leaving everything behind and starting over again, was tempting. We had a connection. A real connection that felt deep and abiding. And even though he didn't tell me about Mariana or his betrothal, I could see where there were some blurred lines there. Being forced to marry someone you're not in love with was sad. It was no way to live your life.

“What if I said I could help with that?” he asked.

“Help me with that?” I asked, confused. “What do you mean?”

“Don't freak out on me, listen, okay?” he said, and when I nodded, he continued. “Being what I am comes with certain advantages. Certain abilities. For instance, we tend to heal very quickly. We have a longer life span than most and are close to being immortal. Not completely, but it takes a lot to kill us. And we live for an unnaturally long time.”

“I have no idea what any of that has to do with my aunt,” I said. “Or helping me with her situation.”

“What I'm saying is – I can heal your aunt, Rose,” he said. “If you let me. My blood can heal her.”

I took a step back, feeling repulsed by the suggestion. “You want her to drink your blood?” I asked. “Eww.”

He shrugged. “Better than dying, right?”

“Maybe, but I need to think about this first –” I said. “I have to talk to Paula. Make sure this is what she wants. I can't do anything without her consent. I won't.”

“Fair enough,” he said. “But if she does agree to it, you'll come with me, Rose? We can run away together?”

My heart thundered within my chest. I was excited by the idea of running away with Asher. Of starting a life with him. I could see the long-term potential with Asher. He got me in ways nobody else ever had and I wanted to run away with him. Be with him. I found myself wanting to take a chance on him. And on us – something that was shocking to me, because only a few weeks back, I would have shot down any idea of trusting somebody like that again.

“Yes,” I said quietly. “Yes, I will. I want to be with you, Asher. And if this lets us be together –”

Before I could say another word, he pulled me to him and kissed me. He literally took my breath away with his kiss, pressing me against the front door with his body. I held his face in my hands and I kissed him back. It was a kiss unlike any other I'd had in my life. It was one filled with fire and passion – but also one filled with promise and hope.

“Let's go inside,” I said, reaching behind me for the door knob.

I didn't want to risk anyone walking up on us again – not like last time. There weren't many people out at that time of night, but I still wasn't willing to take the chance. We entered the cabin and quietly made our way up to my room. We stepped quietly and did our best to be silent even though the painkillers my aunt had taken – along with her own physical exhaustion – had probably knocked out for the night. Even still, I wasn't going to take any chances. The last thing I wanted was for her to walk in on us in the middle of things.

As soon as I opened my bedroom door, however, I cringed. I'd forgotten to buy a larger bed and the unicorn bedspread was still on my small, twin sized bed. Not only did it look like a kid's room, there was absolutely not enough room for the two of us in that bed. We'd obviously have to improvise.

He laughed, then tried to cover it up.

“Sorry, haven't had a chance to redecorate since I moved in,” I said sheepishly.

“No, I like it,” he said, picking up a teddy bear I had sitting on the book shelf. He stared at it for a moment with a smile.

“Cute,” I said, coming up beside him. “But not as cute as the real thing.”

Asher turned to me and kissed me again, this time pushing me toward the bed – which was going to be way too small for the both of us. It would be too small for him on his own. He was just way too tall and too big for a twin-sized bed.

But Asher knew exactly how to make it work. He sat down on the bed and pulled me into his lap so I was straddling him. I stared into his brown eyes as I felt him growing hard against me. I felt the fire inside of me burning again and even though we'd been together just a little while before, my body was already aching for him again.

“Never, in all the years I stayed here, did I think I'd be having sex in this room,” I said with a laugh.

Kissing my neck, he slipped my shirt over my head, tossing it to the floor. This time, I wasn't about to let him remain clothed, so I worked the buttons of his shirt and let it fall to the bed. His chest bare, I ran my hands over the tattoos, curious as to what the black symbols meant. But I didn't have time to ask. That could always come later.

We quickly lost our pants and I straddled him once more, lowering my body down and taking him inside of me again. I was still a little sore from earlier, but as soon as he slid himself inside of me, the rush of pleasure quickly overwhelmed the soreness. And as he filled me up, I stared into his beautiful brown eyes, luxuriating in the sensation of us being together once more.

I rocked back and forth on top of him, riding him and kissing him and savoring everything about this man. And I could tell that he was savoring me every bit as much. He moved slowly, took his time to kiss me, to tease me, in a way no man has ever done before. He drove me crazy, the fire inside of me burning hot and bright. I was so wet for Asher and the feeling of him filling me up was driving me to the brink of orgasm.

As we made love and I stared into his eyes, I realized, I was falling for this man. I was falling hard and fast. And while it scared me – terrified me, actually – I knew that I wanted to take a chance with him.

I wrapped my legs around his body and kissed him again -- mainly to silence the moans escaping my throat. I was close, so very close, and while my aunt was likely out for the night and wouldn't hear us even if we were screaming at the top of our lungs, I didn't want to make too much noise. Just in case.

But God, it was hard.

“Asher,” I muttered against his lips as I lost all control. “Oh God... Yes... Yes.”

I shuddered as I ground down onto him at the same time he thrust upward, driving himself so deep inside of me. My entire body convulsed with a powerful, intense orgasm, and I dug my nails into the flesh of his shoulders. Asher held me tight to him, and kept me moving to the rhythm that brought me the most pleasure.

He moaned softly, murmuring my name as he kissed me. I kept riding him, quickening my pace as I felt his body tensing beneath me. I knew he was close. I tightened myself as much as I could and he gasped. A moment later, I felt him pulsate inside of me, and then he groaned, mumbling my name as he buried himself deep inside me one last time. He burst inside of me, his warm, wet seed filling me up. And as he came, he held me still and close, the expression on his face one of pure and utter bliss and contentment.

He fell backward on the bed, his feet still on the floor, and I fell with him. My head was resting on his chest and I heard his heartbeat. We were both breathing heavy and drenched in sweat, but God, that was amazing.

For the first time in my life, I was truly happy and excited about the possibilities that lay in front of me.

Chapter Twelve

Asher

I left Rose early the next morning to run home. She was going to speak with her aunt, try to persuade her to let me heal her, and I'd be back later in the day. Hopefully, we'd be able to heal Paula and run away together after that. I truly was tired of the clan politics and the idea of starting a new life with Rose somewhere else, free from all of that was more appealing than anything I could imagine.

As I stepped inside my father's house, though, I could see he wasn't happy.

“Where were you?” he asked me.

I shot him an odd look. “Why does it matter?” I ask. “You've never questioned me before.”

“Listen,” he said, rubbing his temples as he spoke, “I talked to Mariana. I know everything. I know about the human.”

I leaned against his kitchen counter and shrugged. “So? We aren't prohibited from being involved with humans. As I seem to recall, you've had more than a few human girlfriends in your time.”

My father slammed his fists against the table. “You're less than six months out from your wedding, Asher,” he said, his voice low and menacing. “You're marrying the future queen of the N'gasso and you can't keep your dick in your pants a little bit longer?”

For my father to talk to me that way – after everything I'd done for the clan, everything I'd sacrificed – made the rage inside of me start to boil. Before I could stop myself, I yelled back at him with absolute fury.

“I've given my entire life to this clan, dad,” I shouted. “Everything I have. I'm even willing to marry a woman I can't stand, for the sake of this clan. But I'm done, dad. I'm just – done. I've got nothing more I can give.”

I turned away from him, trying to calm down and keep myself together.

“I guess you don't have to worry about marrying Mariana anymore,” my father said. “The agreement? Everything we fought so hard for? It's over. Mariana called off the wedding today -- which if you hadn't been so busy screwing your human whore, you might already know.”

“She's not a whore,” I said through clenched teeth. “Don't you dare speak of her that way.”

“Do you love her?” he asked.

I shrugged. “I don't know. I might,” I said.

“You're not allowed to love, son,” he said. “You're next in line to the throne. You need to marry yourself a queen. And since Mariana is apparently now off the table, you're going to marry someone in our clan –”

“No, I'm not,” I countered. “I told you. I'm done.”

“Like hell you are,” he yelled. “You've brought a war to our clan, you're going to fix it. Clean up your mess, Asher. I raised you better than this.”

“The war was started before I ever got involved with Rose,” I shouted. “I know your memory is going, but I think the murders of our people – and theirs – started the ball rolling on this war.”

“Perhaps,” he said. “But you offending Mariana and the N'gasso the way you have, by carrying on with this human – you certainly didn't help matters any. You humiliated Mariana. You exacerbated the tension that already existed. This is now your mess, Asher. I expect you to clean it up.”

He was right. I hadn't started it, but I hadn't helped, either. This was now my mess. But I couldn't deny my feelings for Rose. And I deserved to be happy. I turned and glared at my father, who was staring daggers straight back at me. He was so firm and clear in that moment, it was hard to believe that five minutes from now, he might not even recall having this conversation.

But I would. I'd remember it all. And I'd resent him for it forever.

“The relationship with the human is over,” he said. “From this moment forward, you are not allowed to go anywhere near her. Are we clear?”

He stormed out of the house and went out back to the meeting area. I could hear bears roaring in the distance. My clan was there, and by the sounds of it, they were there in force. My father was whipping them into a frenzy because according to him, we were at war.

And I had no idea what I was going to do about any of it.

~ooo000ooo~

“I need to speak to Cameron,” I said. “It's vitally important, Sheriff.”

“I'm sorry, what did I say the last time?” he said, giving me a condescending smirk. “Oh, that's right. Unless you have information about the crime or are Cameron's attorney, there's no reason for you to be here.”

“Do you want a war in the streets out there, Dean?” I almost shouted. “Because unless you let me talk to him, that's very well what you may have on your hands. I'm trying to head this off, but I need some help.”

Yes, I used his first name, reminded him that I knew him before he was the Sheriff. Before he had a tin badge and a power trip to go along with that chip on his shoulder. He snarled at me when I called him by his first name, blatantly disrespecting him. But I needed to shake him up and get through to him.

“If you don't let me talk to him,” I said, doing my best to regain my composure, “you're going to get a war out there. Right now, there are others out there preparing to fight, and if I can prove that Cameron didn't shoot Clay, I think we can stop this. I think we can settle it all and let the cooler heads prevail here, man. The last thing I want to see is a war in this town. But I need your help.”

“You need my help?” he spat at me. “Do you think I care if a bunch of monsters get themselves killed in some stupid war? Hardly. In fact, I think the town might finally be taking out its own trash. And that ain't a bad thing.”

I sighed and then took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. I was trying to be calm and logical about everything, but this asshole was really testing my patience.

“We run the industries around here,” I reminded him. “Most of the jobs in town, come from us. Do you really want all of that to fail just because you're on a power trip? Just because you don't like my kind very much? Are a few child molesters and rapists worth that much to you?”

He didn't answer me. He just smirked at me. The cocky son of a bitch.

“What about the innocent lives that'll be lost out there? Innocents that manage to get caught in the crossfire?” I asked. “Do you really think only the monsters are going to wind up dead in the end?”

The Sheriff nodded. “I do, actually,” he said. “In fact, let me show you something, Asher.”

He reached into a drawer and pulled out a gun. I watched as he unloaded it, sliding the bullets out of the wheel and placing them on the table in front of me.

“Do you know what you're looking at?” he asked.

“Bullets?” I said.

I was confused and didn't know what he was getting at since regular bullets didn't work on us – something he knew quite well already.

“Pick one up – but do it carefully. I'd hate for you to accidentally hurt yourself,” he said.

I reached for the bullet and as soon as my fingers touched it, a searing pain shot through me. I dropped it on the table, cursing under my breath.

“Silver bullets, Asher,” he said. “We are outfitting all of our weapons with silver bullets. So, when this little war of yours breaks out, you monsters will no longer have the upper hand. We'll be coming for you. All of you. And this time, we're not going to stop until every last one of you has been wiped off the face of this planet.”

“You've been preparing for this,” I said. “You've been planning for it.”

“Yep. For some time now, actually,” he said. “I finally found a bullet maker who'd work with us and produce our little bear killers in the volumes I needed, so we're finally good to go. If a war breaks out, we step in and shut that shit down.”

He knew about the conflict that was coming all along. Somehow, he knew this war was brewing long before we did. But how? I stared at him, long and hard, and then it hit me. He hadn't put this all together by himself. Somebody was feeding him.

“You have inside information,” I said. “Maybe, you even someone whose job is to incite conflict between us. Don't you? That's it – you wanted a war between the Q'lapa and N'gasso, and so you went out and started one.”

He shrugged, staring down at his fingernails as if he was bored with this conversation. But I noticed that he had a smug smirk on his face – and that he didn't answer my questions.

My anger bubbled up within me and it was all I could do to keep myself from throttling that prick. I should have seen this coming. I should have seen it coming and done something to stop it.

But, it was my responsibility to put a stop to it now. To put everything back together again. To save all of us, both clans, and anyone else who might get caught in the middle of it all.

So much for running away from my problems, I thought. If I ran away with Rose, I'd be leaving everyone to die. Everyone of my kind – my family, my friends and yes, even my enemies. No one deserved what the Sheriff had in store for them. No one.

Not even the N'gasso.

My dad was right. I had to fix this.

Chapter Thirteen

As soon as I pulled up into the driveway of Paula's cabin, I sensed something wasn't right. I rushed to the front door and found that it had been bashed in. The frame looked like it had been hit by explosives, and the door was relegated to splinters on the foyer floor. And the moment I stepped inside, I was met with the sight of blood. Too much blood.

“Rose!” I called out, running from room to room.

I found Paula's body near her bed. She was lifeless and her lifeless eyes stared up at the ceiling. It looked as if she'd been trying to make a run for it, but her poor, cancer-ridden body hadn't been able to get very far. Her body was riddled with bullets and she lay in a pool of her own blood. If there was one bright spot, it's that her suffering was finally at an end – not that it was a particularly bright, bright spot.

But my heart hammered my chest from the inside and I was on the verge of panic – there was no sign of Rose.

I left Paula's room, checked in Rose's room. No sign of her.

I called her name again. No answer.

I started to panic, fearing the worst. As I ran down the hallway and stepped into the kitchen, I saw Rose's lifeless body laying on the floor at the head of a long-smeared trail of blood. It looked as if she'd been crawling toward the back door, trying to escape. But she was lying face down in a pool of her blood.

With tears welling in my eyes, I knelt beside her, rolling her over to look into her eyes, hoping against all hope that she was somehow still alive. The amount of blood on the ground though, told me that it wasn't very likely.

“Rose, no,” I said, feeling her neck for a pulse.

But then I felt a spark of hope. There was a pulse. It was faint, but it was still a pulse. She was still with us, but if I didn't do something, she wouldn't be with us for much longer.

“Asher?” she managed to choke out, her voice little more than a wet gurgle as blood dripped from her mouth when she spoke.

She probably only had minutes to live, at most. And she stared up at me with glassy eyes. I could see that she was afraid, but there was also an acceptance of her impending death in her eyes. I shook my head to deny it. Death was not an option. I was not going to just sit back and let her die.

“Don't speak, baby,” I said. “I'll take care of you. I got you. I'm not going to let you give up.”

“Too late,” she choked out, the ghost of a smile touching her lips.

She had a big, gaping gunshot wound in her chest. It hadn't hit the heart – she would have for sure, been dead if it had – but I feared that it was close. And she was bleeding out fast. The shooters probably thought she was dead, or was likely too far gone to be saved, so they'd left her.

For that, at least, I was thankful. They'd left her for dead, but I could do something to save her. I didn't stop to argue with her, instead, I pulled a knife from my pocket and sliced my wrist, squeezing out some of my blood.

“Drink, Rose,” I said. “I know it's gross, but it can save you. Trust me.”

I dripped the blood into her mouth as her eyes fluttered closed. It only takes a little bit for the magic of my people to work. It was hard to tell if she could swallow it though, so I just kept dripping my blood into her mouth and prayed that some of it made it into her body.

She coughed, her body spasming as blood spewed from her mouth and covered me. But I didn't care. All I cared about in that moment was saving her. Slowly, Rose's breathing was becoming a little more regular. I checked her pulse again. It was a little less faint. A little bit stronger.

“Atta girl, Rose,” I said, confident that some of my blood had made it into her body and was working its magic.

She was already improving and my heart did a little flip-flop of joy. Rose looked up at me, her eyes becoming a little clearer, a little more focused. She looked at me and I could tell by the expression on her face that she was remembering everything that had happened. Was recalling the horror of it all.

“Paula?” she asked, still in pain and grimacing as she spoke.

I shook my head and couldn't meet her eyes. “I'm sorry, baby –” I said, gently kissing her hand. “I didn't get to her in time. She was already gone.”

Rose nodded, and I could see she was heartbroken, but was still not completely healed herself. It would take a little time since she was human, but eventually, she would be healed up completely. The bullets in her body would be pushed out as her tissue regenerated and the wounds would heal. It would be as if nothing had ever happened to her in the first place. I'd made it to her in time, and for that, I was thankful.

I pulled her head into my lap and stroked her hair, as I watched her heal before my eyes.

“Had I lost you –” I thought, tears filling my eyes.

“You didn't though,” she said, finally feeling better enough to speak. She reached up and wiped the tears away from my eyes. “I'm here. Because of you, I'm alive.”

“And because of me, you were nearly killed.”

The guilt was overwhelming. I'd screwed up majorly, and I knew it. Too many people were at risk because of me. I needed to clean up this mess, yes, but my first priority was making sure Rose was safe.

Everything else could wait. Everything else would wait.

~ooo000ooo~

“How are you feeling?” I asked, staring down at her as she lay on the couch.

I'd moved her into the living room to let her rest and get comfortable. And I was glad to see that she was healing incredibly fast. It was almost like nothing had even happened.

“It's a miracle,” she said. “I'm still a little sore in spots, but overall, I feel fine. I can't believe it.”

“Good,” I said, kissing her forehead. “I'm just glad I found you in time. You're a strong woman, Rose.”

“I'm glad you found me in time too. I just wish Paula has been able to hang on a little longer,” she said, taking my hand in hers, grief etched upon her delicate features.

“I do too,” I said softly. “I'm so sorry, Rose. So, so sorry.”

“It's not your fault,” she said softly. “You couldn't have known.”

“I feel like I should have.”

She gave my hand a gentle squeeze and offered me a small smile. Logically, I knew it wasn't my fault. I couldn't have known that they'd hit Rose and her aunt. But it still didn't take away the guilt I felt. I felt like yeah, the ball toward everything that was happening had already been rolling, but my actions had made it roll even faster.

“Do you know who was behind this?” she asked.

I flinched at her question.

“Not really,” I said. “But I think I might have an idea now. I think I'm finally starting to put all the pieces together and I'm pretty sure someone came after you because of your connection with me. Somebody knew about us.”

She nodded. “The same thought crossed my mind, but I've never seen these guys in my life.”

“Did you get a look at them? Can you remember what they looked like?”

She stared at me, a scared look on her face. “They looked a lot like you,” she said. “Tall with dark hair and eyes. Big men. Very big men.”

“Do you think they were bears like me?” I asked. “Or were they human?”

“I don't know,” I said. “They didn't turn into bears or give any indication they could shift. And they used guns to attack us, so maybe they were human?”

I needed to figure out who the Sheriff was working with. Who'd been feeding him all of the information he had. If I could figure that out, I might be able to shut all of this down. I also needed to speak to Mariana and the others in her clan to let them know what was happening and to hopefully keep the peace between the two clans. But I couldn't bear the thought of leaving Rose's side. Not while she was still healing.

My phone rang. I grabbed it and looked at the display. It was Mariana.

Speak of the devil, I thought. I didn't want to talk to her at that moment, but I also knew I couldn't avoid her if I wanted to make things right and avoid a completely unnecessary war between our clans.

As soon as I picked up, I heard genuine fear in her voice. “Asher, why are you doing this?” she cried out. “Why? Do you hate us that much?”

I heard gunshots in the background and the sound of somebody screaming. Adrenaline poured through my body as I listened to the commotion behind her. She was truly scared. And almost instantly, I made the connection in my mind. Whoever had attacked Rose, was now attacking the N'gasso compound. The pattern was the same – they attacked one of ours and then attacked one of theirs to make it look like possible retribution.

Whoever was behind all of this was moving quick and was doing a great job of inflaming the tensions between our clans, not giving us a chance to stop, take a breath, and collect our thoughts.

“Make them stop!” Mariana screamed. “They're killing everyone.”

She was out of breath and I could tell by the way she was speaking that she was running.

“Who's killing everybody, Mariana?” I asked. “Where are you?”

“Your people,” she said. “They came in with guns, Asher. You sent them in with guns and silver bullets. Asher, my entire family is dead. You had my entire family killed.”

Rose could see the look on my face and wincing just a bit, she sat up. “What is it?” she asked.

“Where are you, Mariana?”

I knew it wasn't my people attacking her. My father was going to hold off on anything, allowing me a little time to see if I could fix this mess. I knew that there was no way in hell he'd sent our own people in to attack the N'gasso. Especially not with silver bullets.

When we went to war, we went in as bears. Our honor – the code of my people – demanded that we fight a fair fight. Bringing silver ammo was not a fair fight.

“I'm at my family's cabin,” she said. “In the woods now. I ran from the house and managed to escape for now. But I don't know how long it will be before they find me, Asher. We were in the middle of a meeting when your guys burst in –”

“They're not my guys, Mariana,” I said.

“Don't lie to me, Asher. They look like your guys,” she hissed. “They have the markings.”

“Did you recognize any of them?”

“Well, no –”

“Exactly,” I said. “It's a setup. Someone really wants us to go to war with each other, to wipe each other out. It's not the Q'lapa. Believe me, it's not us. Stay put, I'm on my way.”

I hung up the phone and hurried toward the door.

“I'm going with you,” Rose said.

“It's not safe,” I said. “And you're not fully healed yet.”

“It's no safer here either. Who knows if those men will come back,” she said. “And I want to help. You saved me, let me help you in return.”

“No –” I started and then stopped.

But she was right. Leaving her there was just as dangerous as taking her with me. They almost killed her once. If they came back, I wasn't sure they'd mess it up again. And besides, if she was with me, at least I could keep an eye on her. Keep her safe.

“Fine. But you're going to stay in the car and hide,” I said. “You got it? When everything starts going down, I can't afford to be worried about you. Whoever this is, they're using bear killing ammo, Rose. If I'm distracted, I could wind up dead. And that's the last thing I want right now.”

“Got it,” she said. “Stay in the car.”

Chapter Fourteen

Rose

When we pulled onto the private road, I could feel the tension in the car rising. Growing thicker and more expectant. There was a feeling like thunderheads rolling in off the ocean hanging in the air over our heads – it was a tension filled with the promise of violence.

Asher was mostly silent as he drove down the driveway to what appeared to be a large private estate. From what he'd told me, this was land owned by their rival clan. Mariana's clan. It was much like the land we were on when we'd made love the first time. He'd told me that just like the land we were on had been sacred to his clan, this was the sacred family land for the N'gasso.

Technically, we weren't supposed to be there – rival clans were not supposed to set foot on another clan's sacred land without permission, but the situation was extenuating and there was no one stopping us. We drove straight up to the house and climbed out of the car. Even I noticed that it was silent. Way too silent. My own level of tension ratcheted up and was probably about as high as Asher's at that point.

He'd parked the car a little away from the house so we were still mostly hidden by the trees.

“Wait here,” Asher said.

He handed me a gun and instructed me to hide in the backseat of the car and wait for him. If he didn't come back in half an hour, I was supposed to drive out of there as fast as I could and get far, far away from Black Salmon Falls. He told me that if he didn't come back, there was going to be an all-out war – one that could consume the streets of the town. He didn't want me anywhere near it, hence the instruction to get out of Dodge if things went sideways.

I nodded, but the reality of the situation hit me hard. We were in danger. Very serious danger. The men attacking the N'gasso were very likely the same people who'd tried to kill me and who had killed my aunt. And Asher was walking right into the middle of all it, putting his life on the line for Mariana – and to prove that it wasn't his clan who was behind the attacks.

If he was scared, it didn't show. He seemed calm, collected, and put together as he started to walk away from the car. But, then he stopped and looked at me one last time and gave me a warm and genuine smile. It melted my heart and I wanted to tell him to get into the car, to get us out of there. I wanted him to take me away from all of the bad stuff happening so we could get on with building a new life. Together.

“I love you, Rose,” he said. “I just want you to know that.”

It almost felt like he was saying goodbye. And he seemed to speak with a finality that threatened to break my heart. My voice caught in my throat, but before he turned and walked away, I called out to him.

“I love you too, Asher,” I said. “And I will see you soon. Very soon.”

He looked happy as a clam, even knowing he was going into a battle and the possibility of his death was high. He walked back to me and pulled me close, kissing me again.

“Leave if I don't come back in thirty minutes,” he said. “You get behind the wheel and you drive out of here. Don't look back and just get the hell out of Black Salmon Falls. You hear me?”

“I'm not going to leave you, Asher,” I said, my tone firm.

“You might not have a choice, Rose,” he replied. “I have no idea what we're up against here. It could get really bad. And I don't want you caught in the crossfire. Promise me that you'll leave in thirty minutes.”

I hesitated and looked away, doing my best to fight back the tears that threatened to fall.

“Rose, promise me.”

“Fine,” I said quietly. “Thirty minutes and then I'm out of here.”

He gave me a soft kiss on the forehead and turned away without another word. I watched as he walked away, melted into the shadows and eventually, disappeared from my sight. My heart ached with the fear that I might not ever see him again. When he was gone, completely lost to my sight, the tears came and wouldn't stop falling.

“I can't do this,” I muttered to myself. “I can't sit here and let him die alone. If he dies, I die with him.”

I climbed out of the car and walked as quietly as I could toward the house. I took the most circuitous route I could, sticking to the treeline and the shadows, trying my best to avoid being seen. But before I got to the house itself, someone reached out of a dark pool of shadow and grabbed my leg. I nearly screamed, but managed to pull myself together in time and looked down at the tiny hand wrapped around my ankle.

“Help me,” the woman begged, her voice hoarse and riddled with pain. “Please, help me.”

My eyes widened when I saw that it was Mariana. She was on the ground, her leg caught in an animal trap. There was blood everywhere. She grimaced and was in obvious agony.

I knelt down next to the woman and looked at the leg, grimacing at what I saw. The trap had done a real number on her and her leg was in bad shape. It was definitely broken – I saw the bone protruding from the skin and knew she was in trouble.

Even if I were to spring her from the trap though, I had no idea how she was going to get out of there – it wasn't like she could just walk out. The skepticism and worry must have showed on my face because she spoke to me earnestly.

“If you can get me out of this, I'll heal,” she said. “I'll be able to heal quickly. But the silver on this damn trap is keeping me from doing anything.”

I wasn't sure if she recognized me, but I sure as hell knew who she was. But I wasn't the type of woman who could just leave somebody to die. Not even after everything that happened. After everything she'd said to me.

“Please, Rose,” she mumbled. “I'm sorry for what I said to you. I was just hurt seeing you and Asher –”

“Shhh,” I said, looking around to make sure we were alone – though, I was a little rattled knowing that she did in fact, recognize me. “Don't talk. I'll get you out of here.”

I grunted as I pried open the trap. Even though it took all my strength to do so, I somehow managed to get it open. But Mariana's leg was freed and as soon as she was free, it started to heal. A look of relief swept over her face and she leaned back, moaning low with the pain that must have been shooting through her.

Sitting next to her, I was afraid for my life. I feared that as soon as she healed, she was going to shift into her bear form and tear my throat out. Mariana was obviously, not the kind of woman you screwed with. She was fierce and wasn't somebody whose bad list I wanted to be on.

“Silver,” she said. “Those bastards made silver traps just for us – for anybody who managed to escape the slaughter in the house. They scattered them around the yard, hoping to snag anybody who was getting away.”

“You're sensitive to silver,” I said.

“Yes, it would have killed me eventually, but you saved me.” She looked up at me and although there was still a blend of hurt and anger in her eyes, I could tell she was grateful. “I don't know if I would have done the same thing in your situation. Thank you.”

“That's alright,” I said, helping her to stand. “Thankfully, our situation wasn't reversed so we'll never have to find out the answer to that.”

I helped her walk back toward the car. She was limping and was still in pain, but before we even made it there, her leg was healing. Some of the pain that had marked her face was easing.

“Where's Asher?” she asked.

“He's already in the house.”

“Damn,” she said. “He can't fight them alone. There's too many and they're too well armed. I have backup coming, but I'm not sure they're here yet. I was out of it for awhile there.”

She started walking toward the house. “Where are you going?”

“To continue this fight. I can't leave Asher alone in there,” she said. “I was on my way back when the damn trap caught me, but I'm not finished yet.”

I hesitated, but eventually, I fell into step beside her. She turned to me and looked surprised.

“Asher know you're not staying behind?” she asked. “I just have a feeling he told you to wait in the car.”

“Of course not,” I said. “And I've never been very good at waiting around and doing nothing.”

She laughed. “He's not going to be happy,” she said.

“Doesn't matter,” I said. “If he dies, we die together.”

Mariana looked over at me, and while she looked terribly sad, she also seemed thoughtful. “You really care for him, don't you?”

“I do,” I said softly.

“And he cares for you the same way?”

I hesitated briefly, but then nodded, feeling a knot in my throat. I was worried my answers though honest, might throw her in a jealous rage. That she might decide to kill me after all. But I was surprised that what I said didn't seem to upset her too much. At least, not enough to warrant tearing my throat out. Instead, she just looked straight ahead, deep in thought.

We walked to the house in silence, taking care to avoid being seen as best as we could. But as soon as we got inside, it took everything in me to not fall to the floor in shock, fear, and sobs.

Bullet holes pocked the walls. The ceiling. Everything in the room we were in was trashed. Tables had been turned over, shattered glass littered the floor – there was very little left in the room that hadn’t' been shot or broken.

And of course, there were bodies, scattered everywhere. Bear and human alike. So many bodies, so many bears. So much blood. And no sign of Asher. Terrified for his safety, I opened my mouth to call out to him, but Mariana grabbed my hand and turned to me, putting a finger to her lips. She'd silenced me just in time, preventing me from calling out and giving our location away to the mysterious attackers.

“It's okay. He's not there,” she said. “Which means he's not one of the dead. He's still out there somewhere. We just need to find him.”

Gunshots and raised voices rang out, seeming to come from around the back of the house. I heard the roar of a bear blended with screams of agonized pain. My survival instinct told me to run far away, to get away from the battle that was raging and keep myself safe. But doing that would mean leaving Asher behind. And I couldn't do that.

Mariana had the exact opposite instinct. She took off running in the direction of the screams.

And I hesitated for a moment, but then quickly followed behind.

Chapter Fifteen

When we got around to the back of the house, I saw Asher, in human form, engaged in hand-to-hand combat with another man. I wanted to run to him, to protect him, but Mariana stopped me. Fifteen other men formed a half circle behind them, cheering their friend on loudly and raucously.

“Don't,” she said. “You'll distract him. That man has a silver blade. He could kill Asher with it.”

“What am I –”

But I never got to finish posing my question to her. Mariana transformed into bear form and lunged toward Asher's attacker. She roared in rage and launched herself at the man Asher was fighting with. And then the cavalry seemed to arrive. Other bears came running from the surrounding woods, the sound of their combined roaring reverberating through the air. I watched, in awe as at least twenty other bears joined Asher in battle.

Asher managed to somehow steal the silver blade from his attacker and used it against him. In one swift, graceful movement, Asher spun and sliced the man's throat. Blood sprayed high into the air and the man fell to the ground clutching his wounded throat in vain as blood poured out from between his fingers. Asher quickly transformed into bear form as well, and charged into the crowd of men and bears engaged in a melee on the back lawn of the N'gasso house.

I stood there, amongst the chaos, unable to move and unable to breathe. I was terrified watching the battle raging around me. As gunshots rang out again, I ducked behind a large tree, only peeking around to catch a glimpse as Asher and the bears attacked the men with brute force.

I watched as Asher lunged toward the man with the gun, ripping his throat out with a triumphant roar. Another man took aim and shot at him – but missed. Thankfully. Another bear – one I believed was Mariana – took out the shooter quickly and brutally. In the blink of an eye, the man was laying in a pool of his own blood on grass out back.

My heart was racing and I couldn't believe any of this was real. Couldn't believe this was all happening. But it was real. And it was really happening. I was off to the side, hiding behind a tree, and focusing on the battle at hand when I heard footsteps in the undergrowth nearby.

My heart racing, I turned and looked, catching sight of a man – the man who'd shot me earlier. The man who'd killed my aunt. When he saw me, he reached for his gun. I reached for mine.

“You killed my aunt,” I said, holding the gun in my hand.

I shook as I aimed at the man's chest, just like Asher had taught me to. I had no real experience with guns, but he did. And he'd done his best to teach me well. To prepare me. I hoped that all of that teaching and training was about to pay off.

“It's nothing personal,” he said with a sneer. “I was hired to take you out. Not sure how you survived, but you won't be alive long. You'll get to see your aunt real soon, sweetheart.”

“Yeah, well, this is personal for me, you son of a bitch.”

I backed up, past the tree and out into the open. I felt vulnerable and exposed. But I really had no choice. I raised the gun and aimed it at the man's chest. I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. I was just preparing to pull the trigger, all the while, expecting to get shot myself any moment. Maybe Asher could save me again, maybe he couldn't. But I knew what I had to do.

“Pull that trigger, darling and you're dead too,” he said. “Because, trust me on this, I won't miss a second time. I'll be aiming for that pretty little head of yours.”

I'd never killed someone before. Never in my life. But then, I'd also never died before, and wasn't sure I was ready to come that close again. But I was stuck. The man was going to shoot me if I didn't shoot him first.

My stomach was roiling, when a loud sound came from behind me, shaking the ground beneath my feet. A bear pushed past me, lunging at the man and taking the man down to the ground. The man's gun went off, and its sharp report echoed through the night as he fell, the bullet fired aimlessly into the nighttime sky.

I ran over to the bear, afraid they'd been hit, but they transformed back into a human – a very naked human.

Mariana smiled up at me from the ground. “Now we're even,” she said before getting to her feet, taking off and transforming back into a bear once more as she joined the fray.

When I finally calmed down, I looked out at the carnage around us – and was dismayed to see that Asher was nowhere to be found again. Eventually, the sounds of battle died down as it drew to a close. Bears and human laid dead at my feet. No more gunshots, no more screams. No more anything. Mariana came walking out of the woods, naked and in human form. And beside her was Asher. My heart sank as I watched the two beautiful people walking together, smiles upon both of their faces after winning the battle together.

And I realized, I really had no place in his world. I couldn't fight with them. Couldn't help protect them. I couldn't do anything for the bears.

“Rose! What are you –” a worried look crossed his face as he took off running toward me.

Mariana stayed behind, her face covered in blood. But she gave me a nod and a small smile as if to signal that everything was okay between us. I returned her nod to acknowledge her – and felt a wave of relief pass through me. I realized that I would never have to fear Mariana again. We might never be best friends, but I wasn't going to have to worry about her sticking a knife in my back anytime soon.

“Is it all over?” I asked, feeling the tears building in my eyes.

I didn't know why I was crying – my dear Asher was safe. I was safe. But seeing him walking with Mariana reminded me of my own weaknesses and limitations as a human. And it killed me to know I could never be a fighter like the two of them. That I could never truly be a part of their world. I would forever be that outsider looking in.

“It is,” he said, kissing me and holding me close. “It is, baby. None of them are left, which is also bad because we have no answers. No idea who they are.”

“Which means they might come back?”

“Probably so,” he said.

At that point, Mariana joined us. She gave me an awkward smile as she passed by and took up a spot in our impromptu little circle.

“Thank you,” I said to her.

“No, thank you,” she said.

“What does she mean?” Asher asked.

“I'll tell you later.”

I felt exhausted and defeated. In that moment, I wanted to go home and cry. I'd lost my aunt, and I'd realized that even though Asher and I loved each other, we probably weren't as good a couple as he and Mariana would be. Their union made sense. It benefitted each clan. Him being with me offered him no perks and no benefits. It was over. Truly over. And I had to learn to accept it.

“What's wrong, Rose?” Asher asked, staring deep into my eyes.

“Nothing. I just want to go home, that's all,” I said. “Not that I really have a home anymore, that is.”

“Come with me,” he said, taking my hand in his.

We walked back toward the car in silence. As we walked past Mariana, I saw that she was busy taking care of one of her wounded. She looked up at me and smiled – a truly warm and genuine smile.

Be good to her,” she told Asher. “You have yourself a good one.”

“I know,” he said, raising my hand to his lips and giving it a gentle kiss. “Trust me, I know.”

Chapter Sixteen

Asher

I was still troubled by the attempt to ignite a war between the clans. I still didn't know who was behind it or what their goal was. The only thing I knew for certain was that the Sheriff was somehow involved, but until I had some concrete evidence of what was going on behind the scenes – and with whom – I knew I couldn't move on him. His time was going to come, but I needed some solid intel first. The war had been averted, but just barely. Somebody had to pay for that. And they would.

I could tell something was wrong with Rose, but considering all that she'd been through, I couldn't really blame her. As soon as we got to the car and climbed inside though, she burst into tears.

“Shhh, it's going to be okay,” I said, pulling her close to me.

“No, Asher, it's not,” she said. “How can it ever be okay? Look at me. I'm weak. I couldn't even defend myself earlier. And I had the advantage. If it hadn't been for Mariana, I'd be –”

“Stop it,” I said. “You're not like us, Rose. That much is true. But I love you because you're different. Because you're nothing like them.”

“But we can't be together,” she said, wiping her nose on her sleeve. “Because we're different. Let's face it, your clan needs someone strong. Someone like Mariana. Not a pathetic human who can't do anything when the chips are down.”

“You're anything but weak, Rose,” I said. “You're the strongest woman I know.”

“I'm nothing compared to Mariana,” I said.

I lifted her chin so I was now looking into her eyes. I held her gaze for a long moment so she knew to listen to what I was saying. So she knew I was serious.

“I don't want Mariana. I want you,” I said. “And strength is more than just being able to battle. We're not mortal like you are, Rose. It's not weak to be mortal. It's not weak to be human. You have an inner strength that rivals anyone I've met – including Mariana.”

“Really?” she asked, as if she didn't believe me.

“Really. You heard her back there,” I said. “Even Mariana agrees that you and I are better together than she and I would have been. And for her to admit that? You impressed her. I don't know what you did, but you impressed the hell out of her. Mariana is not the type who hands out compliments. Like ever.”

That made her smile a little bit. “I was just in the right place at the right time,” she said.

“Nah, it was more than that,” I said. “And I want to hear all about it. But for now, we need to get you somewhere safe and comfortable. You need to rest.”

I drove out to our cabin, where my father was waiting. He'd heard about what happened, and was prepared to defend our property if needed. He was standing on the front porch, but had many of our guys stationed outside as we pulled up. The tension in the air was thicker than the smoke from a forest fire. Everybody was amped up, ready for a fight. But there was no fight to be had. At least, not at the moment. It was over and we were all safe.

The minute he saw Rose getting out of the car though, he tried to pick a fight with me about it.

“No, we're not having this argument right now,” I said, ushering her inside.

We pushed past the wall of bears and into the cabin. Once inside, I took her to my room and we settled into my bed. She curled up next to me, and I comforted her the best I could. We just laid together, her head resting on my chest as I stroked her hair gently. She seemed content enough, but I could hear her wheels spinning. I knew she was still consumed with her thoughts. And knowing her like I did, I just knew she was listing off reasons she wasn't worthy of me. When in truth, it should have been the other way around.

“I just hate that I'm so weak,” she said.

Deep down, I knew there was something I could do. Something that might help her. If she really wanted to, she could become one of us. It was often frowned upon to turn humans, but mainly because we wanted to keep the bloodlines pure. It was stupid, outdated bullshit if you asked me. But the means were there for her to shed her human skin and become what she wanted to be – strong. All she had to do was take it.

“What if I said you could be like me?” I asked, giving her a serious look.

“Could I?” Her eyes lit up as she stared back at me. I saw something in those eyes – a sense of hope I hadn't seen from her in some time. “I mean, would you?”

I nodded. “I'll have some work to do behind the scenes, but if you want to--”

“I do, Asher,” she said.

“Okay, let me see what I can do then.”

~ooo000ooo~

The attack on our cabin never came. I credited it with taking too many of their side out over at the N'gasso cabin. The attackers, whoever they were, would need to regroup before they came after us again. And now, they didn't even have the element of surprise.

With Rose still upstairs in my room, sleeping off the day, I approached my father. I knew I wasn't going to be able to avoid him forever and that eventually, I'd have to face his wrath. It was what it was. But I wasn't going to let him bully me or push me around. Especially when it came to Rose. If he wanted me to take his place on the throne, he was going to agree to some accommodations.

“We need to talk,” I said.

“I heard about you helping the N'gasso today, son,” my dad said, scratching his beard. “That's not something they'll likely forget. You did a lot of good out there today.”

“No, it's not something they'll forget,” I said. “And I believe we might actually be able to work with them again – without me having to marry Mariana. She's eternally grateful for my help. And she's smart enough to realize we're never going to get anywhere against our enemies unless we work together.”

“There's not much of the N'gasso left, I'm afraid,” he said. “Last I heard, her entire family line was wiped out and they're no longer as strong as they once were. The attack on their sacred lands did a number on them.”

I nodded. “Which might mean we should consider working with them,” I said.

My father looked shocked, almost offended that I would dare suggest such a thing. He opened his mouth to speak, but I raised my hand to cut him off. I wanted him to listen to me for a change.

“Hear me out,” I said. “We need some new bloodlines in our clan. If we don't, eventually, we are going start to inbreed if we're not careful with our matching. We need new blood, and we could combine assets. Mariana was the only one of her family left alive. The only one not to be killed in the attack. Which means she will need help with the family businesses if she wants to survive.”

“I'm just not sure she'd go for that. Not without a marriage.”

“I think so now,” I said. “But I'd have to talk to her, obviously. We haven't discussed the details yet, but it's worth bringing up. We're on friendly terms once more.”

“Great. Sounds like you've taken care of everything,” he said, leaning back in his chair. “Which brings me to my next topic – if this attack and all the drama surrounding it has showed me anything, it's that I'm ready to Walk, son. This is a young man's game and I'm obviously no young man. You were born for this. You have a head for the political games and a sense of peace and calm that allows you to think clearly when needed. I no longer have those things. Though, truth be told, I never had much of a head or the patience for the political games.”

My heart dropped into my stomach as he spoke. “No, you're not ready for that yet –”

“Yes, yes I am,” he said, a gentle smile touching his lips. “But most importantly, you're ready to take over now. I trust you to lead the clan in the right direction. To lead us to better days. To help the Q'lapa flourish. And I know that my time has come to an end. The ceremony will be this evening. And afterward, you will become Chief of the Q'lapa. It is your time to rule, son. And I know that you will rule well.”

The moment was bittersweet. I'd always wanted to ascend to the throne. To become a Chief. But the idea of having to lose my father in order to make that happen tore me apart. At the end of the day though, it was his choice. I couldn't stop him. Taking the Walk was a personal decision and not one anybody could object to. No one could stop a bear once they were ready to Walk.

Chapter Seventeen

The Walking Ceremony was fairly simple. Always had been. It's a time to celebrate the life of a clan-mate and to say our goodbyes. In my case, it was all of that, but also the passing of the throne from my father to me. As hard as it was to even contemplate, let alone see playing out in front of me, I knew my father would find happiness in the next part of his life. That is the only slice of comfort I could find in all of it. Every bear looked forward to retirement one day, when we'd be free from our human bodies and be allowed to live completely in nature, until the day we died.

It was a fitting end for most of us – the desired conclusion to our lives – and for my father, it was no different. The Walking Ceremony was a celebration. A celebration of their life and everything they did for the clan. But for me, it was acutely bittersweet. It was, after all, my father making the Walk.

He placed the wooden crown upon my head, officially naming me Chief of the clan. And as he did so, my clan shifted into bear form and roared their welcomes to me, accepting me as their Chief.

I hugged my father, tears fresh in my eyes, as we whispered our goodbyes. He joined the others in bear form, but in his case, it was now his permanent form. There'd be no more shifting back. His human form was dead and gone. And now, there was only the bear.

The others said their goodbyes, nuzzling against him as he walked into the forests. I stood there, on the dais, and watched my father disappear into the woods. Forever.

I was the Chief of the Q'lapa. And as the Chief, I already had some changes that I wanted to make. When the clan turned back to me, I called for them to shift back into their human forms. When everybody was settled and all eyes were focused on me, I began to speak.

“From this day forward,” I announced, “we no longer prohibit any bear from taking a human bride. With one caveat, however – if a bear decides to take a human as their spouse, the spouse must become a bear as well. This is for all of our benefits – for one thing, it allows our numbers to grow – which after the massacre of the N'gasso, highlights the necessity of replenishing our clan. Truth be told, our numbers have never been lower. It'll also keep us from inbreeding, which would become a problem before long if we remained pure.”

There was some noise amongst my people, but for the most part, what I said would become law of the land. They trusted me and were willing to follow where I led. Nothing I said to them was a lie, either. These were legitimate problems we were facing. We truly were dwindling in numbers. If we didn't make changes and find ways to replenish our community, there would come a day when we'd all go extinct. The approach I was ordering would make sure we kept our clan around for many, many years to come, to keep protecting Black Salmon Falls.

“And as Chief, I would like to introduce you all to Rose, who will become one of us in a ceremony this evening,” I said. “And from there, she is to be my betrothed.”

There was more buzzing and chattering amongst the crowd, as people talked to one another, absorbing everything I'd said. It was a lot to take in, there was no question. Five minutes on the throne and I was already making substantive changes to our traditions and culture. But I believed in my heart that they were changes for the better. Changes that would make us better.

“What about Mariana?” Shane asked me – always the one to argue.

“The N'gasso are not a threat to us at this time,” I said. “Mariana and I have agreed to part ways relationship-wise on friendly terms, and we will remain close with her clan, helping them through this hard time in their lives, and perhaps sharing resources in the process.”

This seemed to calm everyone down, as I thought it would.

Rose came forward after exiting the cabin and heading toward the dais I was on. She was wearing a fur made from bear skin – the skin was of one of our elders who'd passed away naturally many years ago. Covered in the fur, she walked amongst my people and joined me at the front. She looked nervous and I could see fear in her eyes – not that I really blamed her for it. But she stood strong, in front of my clan. She lifted her chin high, as if daring anybody to question her worthiness to be my bride. To be their queen. Once she took my essence into her – my clan's essence – she'd no longer have as much to be afraid of.

“Ready?” I asked, reaching for her hand.

She nodded. “Ready as I ever will be,” I said.

The public part of the ceremony involved her being welcomed into the clan by two witnesses. Three others would have to step forward and offer her their blood. I was one of them, so I just needed two others to volunteer. And I just hoped that I would have them. I didn't think everybody would be on board with the changes I was making. I just hoped enough of them were that it would be okay.

“We need two more members for the bloodletting ceremony,” I asked. “Do I have any volunteers?”

“I volunteer,” called a young woman near the front of the group.

“I'd be honored,” a voice called out from the back of the crowd.

A familiar face appeared as my best friend, Cameron, came forward. Cocky and arrogant, as always, he smirked at me as he walked to the front. The young woman fell into place near me. But my eyes were focused on my best friend – a best friend who was supposed to be sitting in jail because he'd tried to commit a murder. Allegedly. How had he gotten out?

“Cameron, how did you –”

“It's a long story, but for now, let's get your girlfriend initiated,” he said with a wink.

I handed him the dagger and he cut into his wrist with nary a flinch. The girl followed suit, and then she handed the dagger back to me, and I did the same. I held a cup under our bleeding wrists and glanced at the moon, which happened to be full. Not that it needed to be, that was merely a myth. But I felt it was symbolic and special. The three of us held our wrists over the chalice, letting our blood mingle together.

Poor Rose looked like she might be sick as I held the chalice to her lips. “You only need a sip,” I said calmly.

She nodded her head and drank from the chalice, taking the blood down into her. That alone wouldn't be enough to make her a bear, it just made her strong enough to heal from what was about to happen next – the good part of the ceremony.

“Have fun, you two,” Cameron said as he stepped off the dais.

I picked her up and carried her inside the cabin, which was to be our home now. I could hear the raised voices and shouts of joy begin outside as the party got started. The Ceremony was meant to be a celebration – and if there was one thing to know about bear culture, it was that we loved our celebrations.

I carried Rose up the stairs and into the master bedroom. Our new room. Kicking the door shut behind us, I laid her down on the massive bed gently. She stared up at me, looking slightly afraid of what was going to happen next.

“This might hurt,” I said. “But I promise you, I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure it doesn't and that you're comfortable.”

She nodded. “I trust you.”

I stripped her bare of the furs, laying her against them before I removed my clothing as well. Climbing on top of her body, I kissed her mouth, her neck, running my fingertips up and down her body, relishing in the feel of her soft skin.

Sex wasn't necessary, but it helped the pain a lot. It was a terrific distraction. And when you were going through the change, you wanted as much distraction from the pain that you could get. Which was why sex had evolved to become part of the Ceremony. If you could overwhelm somebody with a pleasure intense enough, it could make things better on them. It was why I chose that method when somebody was going through the change. And I never wanted to hurt Rose again, not for as long as I lived.

She moaned, pulling me toward her and I so badly wanted to be inside of her. But I wanted her to be ready – truly ready – for what was about to come. With the tip of me barely inside of, she thrust herself upward and forced me to penetrate her. Lowering my head, I bit her neck, causing her to cry out. I couldn't tell if it was from the pleasure of me being inside of her or the pain from the bite. I figured it was probably a mixture of both.

I sank my teeth into her skin hard and kept going until I tasted blood. The only way to truly turn a human into a bear was through biting and scratching. And because not all bites and scratches would be deep enough or get the job done, more than one was usually required.

As I moved my hips, sliding myself in and out of her body, I continued biting down on her neck. I'd know when she changed, I would be able to feel her change beneath me. Until then, I kept up my rhythm, kept driving myself into the warm, wet center of her.

Rose's body would heal from the wounds I was inflicting, and I knew she'd grow stronger. And yet, despite half a dozen scratches and bites, no sign of either occurred. But that was okay because I was enjoying being inside of her – as I always did.

She gasped as I dug my nails into her hips and I plunged myself deep inside of her. As I pushed deep at the same time she thrust her hips upward, I almost lost control of myself. She caught me off guard and I almost let loose, filling her with my seed before the deed was truly done. I needed to keep going. I needed to make her feel good, to mask the pain of what else I was doing to her body.

Rose was writhing beneath me, crying out. “Asher, Asher, yes... yes...”

I rolled over so she was now laying on top of me. Grabbing her, I pulled her firmly down, forcing her to slide down harder and harder onto my cock. She rode me, grinding her hips wildly, as she called out my name. She planted her hands on my chest and thrust her hips up and down with a ferocity that turned me on like nothing else. I moaned loudly as I buried my nails into her back. She screamed out again as my nails opened small wounds on her back, the blood rolling down in rivulets.

Just as I was afraid I wouldn't be able to bring about the change, I saw something in her eyes.

A glow within them. Her eyes changed color, briefly, as she stared down at me. A slow smile curled her lips as her body moved against mine with a new force, a new strength, driving me even closer to the edge. She rode me hard now. Rode me with a newfound confidence I'd never seen in her before. I watched and smiled as the wounds on her neck healed.

It was done.

The muscles in her hot, wet opening twitched around my shaft, pulsing from her impending orgasm, and that was all I needed. I felt my body stiffen and my shaft begin to pulse as I shot my seed deep within her. Together, we came, our bodies writhing in ecstasy as we rode out the waves of pleasure together, staring into each other's eyes.

Rose was stronger, more confident and less afraid. I could see the change in her face as she fell against my body, dripping with both sweat and blood.

“That was amazing,” she said. “You never told me that sex as a bear felt better than sex as a human.”

I laughed. “I don't think that makes a difference,” I said. “I think it all depends on who you're with and how comfortable that person is.”

She stared me deep in the eyes, and I could tell she was happy. Truly happy.

So was I.

“So, tell me,” I asked. “How does it feel to be Queen?”

Epilogue

Rose

Being married to the Chief sure came with a lot of perks. As I sat on the throne, the afternoon breeze cooling my skin, I couldn't help but feel content. For the first time in my life, I was in control. Over everything. My life, my career, anything I wanted in life. And to think, not all that long ago, Asher and I had talked about running away together. Starting a new life somewhere else.

I was beyond glad that our plans had been thwarted.

Speaking of my career, several months after I'd become the bear Queen, Mary retired. She'd asked me to take over the bookstore, opting to sell it to me, rather than a stranger off the street. Asher agreed that it was good for me to have outside interests, something other than the cannery which brought in our fortune.

I loved working at the bookstore – the same bookstore that brought he and I together in the first place. For that reason alone, One More Chapter would always hold a special place in my heart.

I looked over at my Chief, handsome as always, loving the way he smiled back at me. Shortly after I became a bear, we officially tied the knot. In a small, natural ceremony in the woods behind the cabin, of course. Underneath the stars.

And the wedding couldn't have come at a better time either.

Resting my hand on my belly, I felt the life growing inside of me. With me being a bear now, it meant our child would be as well. And today was the naming ceremony for our child – the future prince of Q'lapa.

“Welcome everyone,” Asher said, beaming like the proud father-to-be that he was. “Thank you for joining us for our child's naming ceremony. As many of you know, we are having a boy –”

Shouts of, “Congratulations!” filled the air.

“Thank you, everyone,” Asher said, taking my hand in his. “Today, we are announcing our son's name. As the future prince of Q'lapa, he needs a name that's both strong, but also traditional. A name with natural roots. Which is why Rose and I have decided that his name will be Cade Asher Blackwood.”

“Beautiful name,” someone shouted from the crowd.

Cade meant small battle or spirit of the battle, which was perfect considering everything we'd been through. And Asher, well, that was in honor of his dear old dad, of course.

“Thank you,” I said, feeling like I was on cloud nine.

Had you asked me a year ago if I'd be happily married with a baby on the way, I'd have said no way. I would have said you were crazy to even suggest it. But there I was. And I couldn't be happier.

Life has a funny, yet strange way of working out sometimes. But, I wasn't one to argue. I was simply enjoying the ride for a change.

THE END

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