Chapter Eleven
Alicia hugged Elijah. “I know you’ll understand when you can talk to Marco.”
Elijah returned her hug. He walked, motioning the bears to follow. “To the lake. Now. The lion may not have much time left.”
A few grumbles sounded but the bears picked up Marco and carried him. Marco cried out in pain and Alicia winced.
“Please be careful with him. He’s suffering.” She moved to be near Marco.
“He’s lucky we aren’t putting him out of his misery.” Stefan spat the words.
She’d never liked the preening bear but held her tongue. Elijah was helping Marco now, but the situation was volatile.
“That’s enough, Stefan.” Elijah’s voice echoed in the cavern.
Stefan grumbled but didn’t say anything else. The bear carrying Marco handed him off to Griff who carried the lion with ease.
“I promise, Shoshannah and Tawodi wanted me to heal him.” She walked quickly, trying to keep up with the procession to the lake. “I think they know he’s destined for something that will help us all.”
“Maybe.” Elijah huffed at the exertion. “Maybe not.”
She slipped her arm in Elijah’s and leaned her head on him as they walked. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet.”
“We did the right thing, Alicia.” Derek’s voice was soft and reassuring. Still, she smelled his worry. He’d put his trust in her and she couldn’t let him down.
Bears with lanterns marched along behind them. She could sense the tension in the cavern, as if a coiled metal was wound and ready to spring at the slightest hair trigger of dissent. Scents of pain, distrust, and even hatred mingled in the air. Her heart thundered, and she realized she didn’t want anything to happen to Marco.
She cared about the lion. Not as a patient, but as a person. Something about the lion drew her to him. Made her crave to be near him. As odd as it was, it was true.
Warmth spread through her, and she let go of Elijah and scurried to keep up with the bear carrying Marco. The lion, his green eyes a dull shade of brown when the lantern light hit them, looked at her intently then closed his eyes.
Oh gods, please don’t let him die.
“Alicia!” Elijah’s voice echoed in the cavern.
They neared the lake room and the ceiling grew taller and the cavern widened. She dropped back to talk to Elijah.
“Yes? What is it?” She tried to read his face, but he obscured his emotion with his infamous scowl and raised an eyebrow.
“I sense something, and I know you wouldn’t lie about Shoshannah. But I’m far from trusting a lion in our midst. Especially the one that is heir to the Sen Pal leadership.” He shot her a look.
“I’ll admit, there’s something about him that draws me to him. But Shoshannah and Tawodi made it possible to heal him. They must have a reason beyond what I know.”
Elijah paused to step over a crevice. “I’m going to try to help him, but I’m counting on Shoshannah to explain. All I know right now is that he’s close to death and it’s more than a simple infection from being shot.”
Alicia pulled back. “What do you mean, more than a simple infection?”
“Can’t you smell it?” Elijah lifted his nose and sniffed. “There’s something negative involved. Ancient. I don’t know what it is exactly, but it’s there with the illness. This is no simple wound infection. It smells almost...familiar. I’m trying to place it.”
“Why does it matter what’s wrong with the lion?” An older bear pushed to the front of the group. “We know who he is and what he means to the lions. We should hold him for ransom at least.”
“We should,” another bear responded from behind. “He’s our enemy. Maybe we can gain something from holding him.”
The group entered the lake room, and the voices carried over the water. Marco appeared to be unconscious but Alicia couldn’t be sure. She sniffed the air, trying to sense what Elijah was talking about. The acidic smell tinged through all the other odors.
“His father led the raid that killed my son. Killed so many of our family members and friends.” The bear pointed at Alicia. “You should be ashamed of yourself for even considering helping him. He’s evil, just like every other lion. Selfish and proud, they want to kill all of us.”
“Leave her alone,” Derek said, his voice stern and unwavering. “She did what she was called to do. Who are we to question that?”
Alicia’s lip trembled. The bears were angry. The last thing she’d ever wanted was to upset them. She’d lost friends in the battle too. “I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt anyone. I was doing what I’m trained to do.”
“No one trained you to heal lions.” The gruff bear scowled. “I can’t believe you’d help one after all the losses we suffered.”
Elijah interjected before the bear could reply. “Shoshannah wants us to help this lion, and that’s what we’ll do. We don’t question the ancestral spirit’s motives. As long as she supports us taking care of him, we will.”
“Shoshannah is wrong!” the bear shouted. “We should kill him now.”
The bears stopped and turned to Elijah. Alicia’s breath caught. Would he defend Marco or take the clan’s side now?
Elijah raised to his full height and stared the bear down. “Don’t ever blaspheme Shoshannah. Ever. As long as I’m leader, you’ll do as I say and you’ll do it without complaint. Is that clear?”
The bear mumbled and ducked his head in submission. The tension in the cavern burned Alicia’s nose. She sighed. Thank the gods Elijah was sensible.
“We’ll do what’s best for the bears, as we are led by Shoshannah. Right now, we need to keep this lion alive until we know what to do with him. Anyone with a problem with it is welcome to leave.” He scanned the gathered crowd and none made eye contact. “Let’s get him to the lake. Move. We don’t have much time.”
The lake lay quiet beside them like a dark glass, not a ripple on its surface. Dark, unlike the night when the spirit fires burned. Almost foreboding in its presence. What if Shoshannah wanted Marco in the lake to take his spirit? Alicia tamped down her anxiety. No, Shoshannah saw something good in Marco. Worth saving.
Alicia looked to Griff but he turned away. Even with Elijah’s support, she could tell that she had overstepped her bounds with the grumpy bear.
Alicia peered around the large cavern, looking for signs Shoshannah was near. There were no signs at all. No white bear, no white light. Water seemed to flow into the dark infinity on the horizon with no interruption.
The rocky room danced with the light and shadows of so many lanterns, but the light didn’t reach the corners where darkness took hold and grew to the full height of the cave. The calm lake flowed out in front of her and suddenly rippled under an unseen wind. Was it Shoshannah? No indication of what to do from the cave spirit, but Alicia was certain of her wishes.
The pall that had settled over the lake since the battle remained, lingering like a chill that seeped into every crevice and crack, and the bears lowered their voices to whispers, remembering the release of spirits and the somber mood of the fire ceremony, and forgetting the bickering and anger of the previous few minutes while they walked to the lake with Marco.
Alicia shivered and rubbed her arms. Whoever waited patiently day by day for Shoshannah’s message in the quiet chamber had stamina Alicia didn’t possess. The room loomed so deep and scary.
Elijah kicked at the silty dirt at the water’s edge. Alicia paused, as did the bears, to hear his command. He gazed out into the darkness as if waiting on someone or something. Shoshannah, maybe. Or maybe he was going over the situation in his mind again. Alicia clasped her hands together and fidgeted.
Would Elijah really allow Marco to go into the lake? Few lions went in that weren’t already dead.
Elijah turned to her. “Normally, I’d say you should take him in, Alicia.” He muttered something incomprehensible to himself. “Yet I don’t think you’re able to carry him. Also, if he does heal and start to fight, I don’t want you to catch the brunt of the attack. I’ll have the young bears take him out. They’ll be able to handle him if something goes wrong.”
“Yes, sir.” She nodded. If Marco thrashed in the water, he’d take her under, intentional or not. Yet she longed to be near him. If Shoshannah took his spirit, she wanted to be at his side.
Elijah continued. “You follow them out, but keep at a distance. If Shoshannah appears and heals the lion or gives any direction on what to do about him, you’ll be there to help.”
She moved forward. “Okay.” She slipped her medicine pouch off and handed it to Elijah. “Can you hold this for me?”
“Yes.” Elijah took the bag and slid it over his shoulder then motioned her toward the lake. “It’s time to find out what Shoshannah has in store for this lion.”
Alicia closed her eyes and focused on Tawodi’s words. Calm. Peace.
Derek took her by the arm and leaned close. “I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you in time. I didn’t know Griff would find Marco. Still, I think this scenario is the best for everyone. Everything is going to be okay.”
“Thank you.” She glanced around for any sign of Bria, but she wasn’t with the bears. “I hope you’re right.” She moved to the edge of the water, slipped off her shoes then got in line behind the young bears that held Marco.
Marco’s face was flushed red, and he jabbered words that made no sense. The bacteria had spread. Elijah was correct—there was something mysterious and dark about the infection. She sensed it now. Bad. Shoshannah had to help.
“Okay, you boys take him in. Alicia will be right behind you. Let her have him when you get him at about four feet deep, but stay close in case the lion attacks. The rest of you, stay onshore. We don’t know what’s going to happen, if anything.”
Everyone moved into position. The young bears with Marco walked out slowly, the water rising up their calves, then hips. Finally, they were deep enough to let Marco float. Alicia waded behind them in the cool water, her wet T-shirt and shorts sticking to her. She pulled Marco close as the cool water lapped against her. Limp in her arms, she watched him closely. He was breathing.
“Marco.” She whispered his name. Nothing.
His eyes remained closed but he wasn’t babbling anymore. At least the cool water would ease the fever that racked his body. She held his head out of the water and glanced back to Elijah. He motioned her to go deeper.
With the high fever, Marco would probably be delirious if he talked. Still, at least she would know he was alive. With no movement or cry of pain, she worried. She pushed him a little farther into the lake, letting the water rinse over him gently. So far, nothing from Shoshannah. She peered at the shoreline, friends and people who didn’t trust her alike, watching to see if Shoshannah would bless a healing.
They also wanted confirmation that Alicia was telling the truth. How would she convince them if Shoshannah didn’t show up at all?
With her wet hand, she brushed across his face, hoping her cool touch would wake him. He opened his eyes and looked at her, mouthing something.
“What is it?” she whispered, tilting her head toward him, nearly cheek to cheek. “I can’t hear you.”
He mouthed the words again then closed his eyes. For a moment, she thought he’d died, but he took a big breath of air.
Thank the gods.
The water around them wasn’t disturbed, it was still smooth and flat and the far reaches of the lake were concealed in shadow. Alicia sighed and felt Marco’s head.
Still super hot.
She pushed him a little farther out in the water, hoping Shoshannah would provide guidance. Praying she would. If the gods wanted Deep Creek to survive, Alicia knew that meant Marco had to live to fulfill his destiny. How she was so sure, she didn’t understand. But something deep inside her was adamant.
Marco must live.
A small white moth flitted across the surface of the water, growing larger as it approached. Alicia watched in wonder as the moth circled and danced on the line where water met air. The moth sparkled and glowed, like a white angel, and as it neared, a deep sense of peace washed over Alicia.
Shoshannah!
Alicia looked over her shoulder to the lake’s edge and saw that all the bears had shifted into their bear forms and now they paced, waiting. Even the young bears who’d helped her with Marco had retreated almost to the shoreline, giving her the distance she needed to do whatever needed to be done. Marco hadn’t turned into a ferocious lion when he went into the water, and she guessed they assumed she would be okay now.
She wanted to scream that Shoshannah was near, but she didn’t want to interrupt the moment.
The moth was about three feet across by the time it reached Alicia and Marco, and it lit up the whole area in a greenish-white glow. Alicia looked to the bears again, and saw a bear gasp on the lake shoreline and another on hind legs, pointing with its paw. Elijah let out a long growl of contentment.
Alicia smiled. She looked her clan-mates over, a whole army of bears from brown to black to all shades in between. They pawed at the ground or sat and watched, waiting to see if Shoshannah would heal Marco.
Magnificent. Her own bear called out to her to let it release but she hushed it. For now, she needed to be human.
Alicia held Marco close as she watched the moth. He groaned, still not opening his eyes. Though the water was lukewarm to her, it had to be a chill to him with his high fever, yet he wasn’t shivering. He didn’t move at all, but floated in the dark water.
The moth grew larger and began to flicker as it beat its wings to hover just above the surface of the lake. Shoshannah’s voice sounded in Alicia’s head like a million musical notes bouncing against each other. Melodic, yet clear and pure in tone. With nature’s rhythm sliding through the middle like the chord of life.
My child. Marco is very sick. A powerful sickness holds him and keeps your peoples apart. It will take great sacrifice to keep him in your heart.
“My heart?” Alicia whispered. She lifted Marco in the water, his eyes remained closed. “What do you mean? And what’s wrong with him? Why isn’t the lake healing him?”
Look inside yourself, Alicia. You’ll see Marco there. He’s part of you. I can’t heal this ancient and deadly bacteria that has cursed him—only you can. Go to Tawodi. She will guide you.
Confusion clung to Alicia like a wet cloth, draping her and confounding her thoughts. Why couldn’t Shoshannah heal Marco? Didn’t she handle the balance of life and death among the shifters? Questioning Shoshannah once she’d spoken wasn’t an option. The spirit knew what she meant.
“Yes, Shoshannah. I will go to Grandmother.”
Do it quickly, child, or Marco will join his father in the river of stars and that will put all of Deep Creek at risk. We need him for what’s coming. Go to Tawodi now.
“I will go immediately.”
One more thing, child. The choice you will be given will be difficult but it will be all yours. Think hard and long and let no one decide for you. You must make the decision.
“Thank you, Shoshannah.” Tears filled Alicia’s eyes and she tugged Marco to her. The urge to bend her head and kiss him almost overwhelmed her but she held back. Elijah would have a fit.
Even in the water, the heat from Marco’s body seared her. The moth flittered to the top of the cave and shrank in size then exploded in confetti of white light, like indoor fireworks or dandelion seeds spreading on the wind.
Shoshannah was gone.
Alicia waded toward shore with Marco, holding him tight. The bears would have to take care of him while she went to see Grandmother Tawodi. Maybe Derek could oversee everything and keep Marco safe.
Deep Creek depended on it.
And she didn’t have much time.
* * *
Marco opened his eyes then closed them again. He kicked at the coverings over his legs. His head pounded so much that nausea threatened, and his whole body ached like he’d gone through a pasta roller. Twice.
“Where am I?” He posed the question to anyone who might be nearby. No one was within his field of vision.
The last thing he remembered was kissing Alicia. Ahhh. No, he was swimming in a cool lake. Was that real? Maybe he was home with his brother and everything was a dream.
“Mason?” he called. “Are you there?”
“You’re with the bears. We’ve got you on a cot in one of the makeshift infirmaries in the cave.” Alicia appeared beside him, taking his hand in hers. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I’ve been run over by a truck.” His voice scratched out the words and he clung to her hand. So soft, so reassuring.
“Have some water.” She put a straw to his lips.
He drank, long and deep, the water cooling him. He pulled away.
“Thank you.” He stared up at her.
Alicia. His mate. Beautiful as always. Her red hair was braided and fell over her full breasts in a thick rope. Her large eyes held compassion for him; he could feel it throughout his body when she looked at him. No one had ever had the same effect on him.
It wasn’t his fever that made him attracted to her. His father was right—she was meant for him, and he needed to tell her before something bad happened and he wasn’t able to. A memory of trying to tell her flashed in his mind. He was in the lake, and he tried to speak but couldn’t get the words out.
“You’re welcome. To be honest, you aren’t doing very well. You have an infection.”
“Don’t you have medicine? Do I need something stronger?”
“You’ve been taking a strong antibiotic since I took the bullet out. Now there’s something else going on. I’ve got to go visit my grandmother to see about an alternative remedy.”
“For what? I’m not sure I like alternative answers to medical problems.” He could barely get the words out. So tired. Every muscle on fire, every bone aching. Even his brain felt like it was full of hot water or fluid. He struggled to stay awake to talk.
“You’re very sick, Marco. Shoshannah said I need to go to see my grandmother to find the cure. It’s some kind of invasive infection—she called it a curse. Apparently, an ancient one. I’m sure my grandmother will know more about it and how to get rid of it. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” She squeezed his hand.
“Don’t leave me. The bears will kill me.” He tried to rise up but couldn’t.
“I have to go now. This can’t wait.” She brushed his hair from his face and traced his cheek. “It’s the only way to save your life. You need the cure to this infection and you need it soon.”
He squeezed his eyes shut and shivered. He saw Alicia’s face in his mind. Her soft hair, long and deep red, and her brown eyes that held a depth he could lose himself in. It wasn’t fair that he’d found his mate yet couldn’t do anything to win her over. He longed for the strength he once had, if only to be able to please his mate and make her happy.
“I need to tell you something.” He grimaced as a shock of pain streaked up his spine. “It’s important. Before you go, please.”
She laid her head on his shoulder. The small cot creaked, and he reached to cup her cheek. What he wouldn’t give to pull her into an embrace and never let go. He had no doubt they’d fit together like two pieces of a puzzle. Even in his sickness, he felt the bond of fated mates and it grew stronger by the day. How he’d not recognized it before Max told him was a mystery. Now, it was as obvious as the fact he was a lion.
“What is it, Marco?” She wrapped her arm around him. “I have to go. Shoshannah said—”
“Look at me.” His voice cracked.
She sat up and met his gaze. “Sounds serious.”
“It is. It may be hard for you to believe. But it’s the truth and I feel it from my very soul.” Heat burned in every cell, and every part of him seemed to burn even hotter. “You are my mate, Alicia. I know it sounds crazy—”
“What?” Her eyes widened. “How’s that possible? A lion and a bear?”
He sensed her panic and wished he could hold her till it passed. “It is possible as all things are. I’ve had my own spiritual journey and this was revealed to me. Before, it was hidden by my pride and maybe my injury. We are meant to be together. Don’t you feel it? When you touch me, don’t you sense that we are bonded?” He held on to her arm.
“I... I don’t know. Tawodi told me of a time when lions and bears were mates. And I do feel something with you, like an attraction that is so strong and pure. If that’s fated mates, then yes. I never expected a mate. Usually a healer is dedicated to those she heals. No time for a mate.” Her voice shook as she spoke and she turned to check the room.
“No one can hear us.” He winced as another shot of pain hit him in the gut. “I had to tell you the truth. In case I don’t make it. We are meant to be as one.”
“Don’t talk like that. I’m going to find the cure, and Tawodi will explain this all to me. But I have to go.”
He nodded. Relief filled him. She hadn’t run when he told her. She hadn’t said he was crazy or that she hated him because he was a lion. For now, he would hang on to those things. “When will you be back?”
She kissed him on the lips. “I’ll hurry.”
He closed his eyes, savoring the touch of his mate on his lips. He’d hold on to that feeling until she either returned, or he joined his father in the starry river.