Chapter Ten
Mason surveyed the room. It was the same meeting space his father used, but somehow, it didn’t feel as prestigious with him gone. The lions, many broken and still recovering, had lost much of their fire to fight. Rallying them wasn’t easy, and Mason gripped the back of the chair he’d placed in the front of the room.
He could be as strong as his father. The lions needed to give him the chance to prove he could lead. It was his destiny and he didn’t intend to fuck it up.
He scanned the room. Why couldn’t the lions understand that the war wasn’t over? Losing one battle wasn’t reason to give up. One battle wasn’t the whole war.
Especially with the price the lions had paid. They had to continue.
He held back a growl, not sure if he was angrier with the lions or with himself. Maybe he wasn’t doing as good of a job as he should be. “We need to gather more intel. Find out where exactly the bears have Marco imprisoned.”
Mason paced in front of the large whiteboard where he’d sketched out a rough drawing of the woods around the main cave entrance. He had studied the drawings of the mountain, looking for another way in, but hadn’t found anything. Lara had gone over the maps too, pointing out a few places with promise, but they’d have to send scouts to check out the locations to see if there was an entrance to the cave system hidden in the depths of Deep Creek.
There had to be more than one way in.
“If he’s in the cave, as you suspect, we’ll never get to him,” Lorne said. The hefty lion had sustained a broken arm in the fight, but was healing more rapidly than the other shifters, already out of his cast and into a sling.
“He’s there. He’s my brother and I’m not leaving him behind. We’ll figure out a way.”
“We weren’t able to infiltrate the cave with our entire army. What makes you think we can go in now?” Lorne leaned back in his chair. “That cave is impenetrable.”
“I believe there’s another entrance, and if we find it, we’ll have the advantage.” Mason circled a couple of the spots Lara had pointed out as possible entrances.
“Don’t you think the bears would know if there was another entrance? They’d guard it same as the main entrance.”
“Maybe.” Mason set the marker down. “Maybe not.”
Even if they did get in the cave, finding his brother in the maze of caverns would be like looking for a cub hiding in acres of meadow grass. Nearly impossible. And the bears guarding him would be expecting some kind of rescue attempt.
“How do we even know he’s still alive?” Brandon, one of the sleek and muscled lions asked. “The bears haven’t asked for ransom or a trade. Why would they simply hold on to him?”
Mason scowled. “He’s alive. I’d sense it if something happened to him. He’s weak. Injured.” He stared out the window, scanning the bright blue sky. “They may be waiting till he’s well enough to share information. Or if the rumor we heard is true, only a few bears know he’s there. The witch and maybe some of her friends.”
“If that’s the case, we have a better shot.” Lorne leaned forward. “But we’ll still face bears on their own turf. It’s not going to be easy.”
“We’ll need to be prepared to carry him out, in case he’s unable to walk.” Brandon slouched in his chair. “Take in a stretcher or plan to fireman-carry him. We need enough manpower for this to be successful.”
“Yes.” Mason scratched his head. “Smart thinking.”
“If we could get the bears out of the cave for a while.” Brandon stood and paced.
Fire burned in Mason’s gut and traveled up to his head. “How would we do that? Some of them appear to live there.”
“Maybe we could smoke them out, like keepers do to a hive of bees.” Brandon looked to Mason.
“That’s a possibility.” Mason grinned. The lion might be onto something.
The door burst opened, and Lara dashed in, her hair pulled back into a ponytail and her T-shirt and jeans clinging to her in all the right places. Mason felt his eyes shift color at the sight. All the lions looked her way.
“We’re talking about the rescue.” Mason kept his voice steady, controlling the growl that formed in the back of his throat.
“I’m here to help.” Lara turned to sit on the sofa between two of the younger lions, and they scrambled to make room, blushing at her closeness. She crossed one leg underneath her then shot Mason a glare. “Got a problem with that?”
He needed her.
“No. Sit.” He turned to the whiteboard and the drawn map. “As I was saying, we need to collect more information. I’ve studied my father’s maps. I’d imagine Marco is being kept pretty far inside since we don’t think Elijah knows he’s there.”
“Should we send out our scouts?” One of the younger lions piped up. “Maybe they can find out where he is being kept and how to reach him.”
“We should send the wolves.” Lara leaned back on the couch and crossed her legs. All eyes turned to her. “They have a lot more access to the area around the cave than we do. If the bears scent a bunch of lions sniffing around, they’ll up their defenses and we won’t have a chance. If they scent the wolves, they won’t be as concerned.”
“Can we trust the wolves?” Brandon asked.
“We don’t have to trust them if one of us goes with them. They can be handled.” Lara tightened her ponytail. “If they think they will profit from helping us, they will help.”
“She’s right,” Mason said through gritted teeth. “Lara and a couple wolves went last time and gathered the information we have now. Let’s get the wolves to see what they can find out. I’ll have to figure out a payment to them.”
“Claude is on speed dial.” Lara waved her phone in the air.
“I’m sure he is,” Mason snarled. “I’ll take care of it. I don’t want the whole pack hanging out by the cave. I’ll get them to head out there tonight.”
“They’ll probably want me to go with them.” Lara smiled. “Or maybe you do.”
“I’ll let you know as I have more information. But know this. We will get my brother back. No matter what it takes.”
* * *
Alicia hurried to the alcove with a small stack of blankets. Her footsteps echoed in the empty cavern, the only other sound the screech of the swinging lantern she carried and an occasional drip of water from the cave ceiling onto the rocks below. She’d missed Marco, and that surprised her. Whether it was that she had a patient under her care or that she missed him specifically, she didn’t know, but she couldn’t wait to get back and make sure he was okay.
She padded along as quietly as she could, knowing she was making too much noise if any bears were around. Getting caught right now would be a very bad thing.
She thought about seeing Marco earlier. The kiss still puzzled her but she’d about convinced herself that he was confused by his pain level or maybe hallucinating. What else could explain a lion kissing her?
Still, it had been nice.
Who was she kidding? It had been wonderful and she’d repeat it in a heartbeat if she had the chance. Even though he was a lion. And she wasn’t hallucinating or on pain medicine.
Nearing the alcove, she slowed. The blankets, heavy in her arms, were bulky and the lantern added to the weight. Why hadn’t Derek shown up with the supplies like he’d said he would? She hadn’t seen him anywhere. After rounding the last bend in the tunnel, she stepped into the room, then stopped and dropped the blankets, her heart rising to her throat.
The pallet was empty.
Where was Marco? She held the lantern high to scan the room.
Gone.
She covered her mouth. “Oh my gods. Did he leave?” The lantern she’d left for him still burned, and her pack and medicine bag lay where she left them. He didn’t have the strength to leave on his own. Not without serious help. Not yet. He’d improved a lot but still, he couldn’t get out on his own, nor did he know the way.
She grabbed up her bag and pulled it over her shoulder. The pallet on the floor where he’d been resting was in disarray and his shirt and shoes were gone.
He’d run.
Anger flushed through her. She shouldn’t have left him alone. The possibility he would try to escape was high, yet she trusted him to stay until he was well.
What else could she have done? And how did he know how to get out of the cave, anyway? The last of the healing incense trailed across the room, and she batted the fingers of smoke away.
“Shit!” He likely hadn’t made it out of the cave. He might have headed toward the lake and... Elijah. That would be the worst-case scenario. If Elijah found him, there was no telling what would happen to him or her. Things would be a lot more complicated.
Running down the tunnel, lantern swinging, Alicia hurried to find him. A trace of Marco’s scent hung in the air. And his fear and pain. She scented bears too, but since she was in human form, the scents were faint. No time to shift, she headed toward the main cave, hoping to search the side rooms and find him there hiding before Elijah or the other bears caught him in the lake cavern.
If they didn’t already have him.
As she neared the lake, a cacophony of voices became clearer. The bears had gathered again. For what?
Lots of unhappy voices in one of the rooms near the lake. Angry voices. Some shouting and many upset bears. She paused to listen to the hullabaloo. Something about a lion in the cave.
An injured lion.
Oh gods. Marco.
She stopped to gather her thoughts. This was bad. Really bad. Exactly what Derek had warned her might happen. She had to continue—she couldn’t give up and let Elijah harm Marco after all she’d done to save him.
Elijah was going to be so mad at her.
She closed her eyes and used her visualization technique to calm down and re-center. Breathe. Calm. Peace. If only Grandmother Tawodi was here with her now, she’d feel so much better.
She let her mind drift to emptiness, counting backward from one hundred as she stilled all thoughts. Tiny sparks flitted up her legs and arms to her heart, lighting up her insides in warm blues and purples and the wings of crows fluttered all around her.
Warmth flowed through her veins, calming her anxiety. A thousand feathers floated down on her, stroking her face, her hands, her bare feet. She floated, dangling above the ground in bliss. Then Marco appeared beside her, smiling. He pulled her close and kissed her.
She reached to hug Marco but found only air. Eyes open, she sighed.
Sometimes meditation could be a real letdown. Marco wasn’t with her and he certainly wasn’t kissing her. Still, she had the strength now to face Elijah and the others.
With a last cleansing breath, she headed to the gathering, prepared to explain herself and convince them Marco was not a threat. He could be the answer to Deep Creek’s problems. She was fulfilling her obligation as a healer and thinking about the future of the bears at the same time.
She rounded the corner then stopped at the sight. The room was a good size but not as large as the lake room. Elijah stood toward the front, his face turned down and not lighting up when he saw Alicia. Bears filled the room, and none looked happy.
She scented the heat rolling off Marco, but she couldn’t see him with all the bears in the way. Damn it, he was getting an infection. Even with the antibiotics she had given him, he was burning up from the inside out and his scent had turned acidic, sickly.
“Alicia, you’ve got a lot of explaining to do.” Elijah grimaced. His towering frame, somewhat bent. Exhaustion filled the cave. “How could you?”
Derek and Griff were among the gathered bears. Disappointment and anger shone on Griff’s face. Derek looked defeated.
“I’m sorry!” She used to be one of Elijah’s favorites but now...he might never forgive her. “I can explain. I need you to listen. It’s not what it seems.”
Elijah crossed his arms. “You mean it’s not like you hid the enemy from us, using our supplies to heal him and giving him access to our most sacred space? It’s not like that? It sure seems like it.”
“It isn’t. Not exactly. I promise.” Alicia looked around the room and was met with scowls and judgment. She couldn’t expect much different. After all, the lions had attacked and killed a lot of bears. Many of her friends and peers now lay buried, their souls returned to the stars in Shoshannah’s arms. Grief fueled the anger billowing in the room. Where was Marco? She strained to see around the mass of bears. He was in the room, but where?
“What the hell were you thinking, Alicia?” Griff fisted his hands. “I couldn’t believe it when I saw your bag beside the enemy. I trusted you!”
She ducked her head, her face burning in shame. Letting Griff down was something she hadn’t ever wanted to do.
“Griff, you don’t know the whole story.” Derek’s voice was soft but firm. If Griff listened to any bear besides Elijah, it would be Derek.
Griff growled. “We were coming back from deep in the caves and took a shortcut and that’s when we smelled the incense. We knew it wasn’t normal so we followed the scent to its source. That’s when we found this lion. Marco. She couldn’t have gotten him into the cave alone. You helped her, Derek.” His voice was measured. He was trying not to yell, she could tell.
“I did.” Derek met Griff’s stare.
For a moment, Alicia worried that Griff and Derek would spar, but Griff turned away.
“He had a gunshot wound.” She pleaded, “Please, it’s not what it looks like. I wasn’t betraying the bears.”
Marco groaned and all the bears’ gazes went to him. As they parted, she saw Marco, lying on the ground on a blanket.
“He’s got an infection. He was burning up when we found him. Did you not treat him for that?” Griff growled. “Not that I care, but if you made the choice to save him, what the hell happened?”
Oh no!
She rushed to Marco and knelt beside him. She placed her palm against his head. Burning up wasn’t a strong enough description. He was roasting alive. What could be causing it? He didn’t watch her or show any signs of recognition. The infection smelled foreign, unusual.
He’d been doing so well! What had happened in such a short period of time?
“What got into you to treat this enemy of the bears?” Elijah leaned close. “I know your heart is soft, but this goes beyond reason. The lions killed our people, Alicia. You can’t have forgotten.”
She looked up at Elijah, tears in her eyes. “I couldn’t let him die. He’s a good man. My oath to heal doesn’t apply to only bears. You know that.”
“It should when lions are killing us.” Griff’s stern voice carried across the cavern.
Marco moaned as he drifted out of consciousness.
Alicia stood. “Grandmother and Shoshannah told me to help him, Elijah. Am I to disobey them?”
Elijah’s eyes widened. “Shoshannah spoke to you?”
“She brought my healer’s bag to me and told me to go to him. That it was my duty. I obeyed.”
The bears mumbled.
Elijah studied her then looked to Marco. He paced and no one dared interrupt his thoughts. Alicia waited, her heart in her throat.
Marco’s fate, and to a lesser extent, her own, hung in Elijah’s hands.
After a couple of minutes Elijah stopped and pivoted toward Alicia. A scowl still filled his face and the tension in his forehead could crack rocks open.
“There’s only one thing to do with this lion.” The scowl on his face deepened.
She swallowed hard. “What?”
“We need to take him into the lake.”