Chapter Fourteen
Lori didn’t last long into the night. Clifford lay awake next to her for some time, loving the way she fit into his arms. Worries about what Bauman was planning kept trying to invade his thoughts, but he refused to allow them to take root. The morning was for worries, not the night when he had his lover in his arms, her taste on his lips.
He didn’t remember falling asleep, but he was suddenly woken by angry voices outside of his room. He frowned as he pushed himself up. Lori stirred, but when he put a hand on her shoulder she stilled again. The voices got louder, so he quickly got out of bed, dressed, and went to investigate.
Tristen and Serena faced off with one another. Serena’s hands were clenched and she glared defiantly up at Tristen. Tristen, on the other hand, stared back down at her coldly. He had an expression on his face that forbade arguing. Knowing his niece, however, an intimidating expression wasn’t going to stop her. The pale light of dawn filtered in through the windows. Clifford yawned as he got closer.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
Two more doors opened and Hayley and Natasha came into the hallway.
“Whoever is fighting, stop.” Hayley brushed her grey-streaked hair back from her face. “It’s too early to deal with this shit.”
Natasha narrowed her eyes. “Mom.”
Clifford opened his mouth, but Serena raising her hands and glaring at them all stopped him.
“I’m sorry that we woke you up.” The anger in her voice was barely controlled. Clifford’s brows rose. Serena took a deep breath before she continued. It didn’t help her sound any calmer. “But this is a private discussion and I would greatly appreciate it if you would all just go away and mind your own business.”
“This is their business, too,” Tristen said. “I think we should get their opinions on it.”
Hayley groaned. “You two better not be sleeping together. I don’t have the strength in me to hide his body.”
Serena whirled on her. “Grandmother, I don’t appreciate that brand of humor right now! And it’s none of your business, so just—”
Tristen interrupted. “Serena wants to hold an open press conference. She wants to have people gathered around and be out in the open where any sniper can take her out. You are going to open yourself up to attack and then, where will the clan be? The best way to destabilize the clan is to kill you right now. Even if the matriarch pulls through, you know what will happen if you’re dead? Chaos!”
Clifford glanced over his shoulder. “Not so loud! If you wake up Lori, Mom won’t be the only one hiding a body.”
Serena sent him a furious glance before turning on Tristen again. “I am acting matriarch. And I am not going to just roll over and let someone like Bauman destroy my clan. People are afraid and panicking. The vultures are circling and I am not going to just hide away like a turtle in my shell. Because you know what happens to turtles that do that? They get chopped up and made into soup. I need to present a strong, capable image, Tristen. And it’s not like I’m just going to walk into Bauman’s lair, I have security.”
“So did the matriarch and she got blown up!” Tristen closed his eyes briefly and inhaled deeply. “I am trying to protect you. You can’t protect your clan if you’re dead, Serena.”
The emotion in his voice surprised Clifford. He narrowed his eyes at his old friend. He knew that Serena was infatuated with Tristen, but could it be that the feelings were mutual? That wasn’t something that he was going to approve of. On the other hand, if he was just trying to protect Serena because that was why he was here…
“I have made up my mind,” Serena started.
Natasha interrupted. “I smell smoke.”
They all froze. Clifford rose his face to the air and inhaled deeply. The scent of smoke grew heavier with every passing second. It had a dirty scent to it, not the clean smell of a regular fire. Nor did it have the plastic-like scent that came with electrical fires. This smelled of gasoline. A fire that was no accident. He tensed as Tristen wrapped an arm around Serena and lifted her towards the stairs.
“Get out,” Clifford told them as he raced back to the bedroom he and Lori shared.
A fire alarm started shrieking. When he got into the bedroom, Lori was just throwing off the blankets. Her naked body gleamed in the moonlight from outside. He grabbed a robe and wrapped it around her before picking her up.
“Boone, get down here,” he heard Marcus shout from the main floor.
Clifford’s bear snarled. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end and he acted on instinct, not even knowing what he was doing or why. Lori gasped, then screamed as Clifford threw himself at the window. The glass shattered. He twisted to catch the impact of the breaking glass. As he did so, a white light flashed. A shockwave hit him hard, sending him flying backward.
He landed hard in the yard, rolling over several times. He held Lori tight. One arm was around her neck and head, keeping it tucked in to avoid hurting her, while the other kept her stomach firmly against his. He could feel the babies moving through her belly. Smoke belched from the bedroom where they had been seconds before.
A bomb.
His bear roared and surged to the surface. Bright white fur sprouted over his body. The only thing that came to his mind was that one of Bauman’s men must have infiltrated Marcus’ group. They were in danger. Lori was in danger.
Lori coughed and he let go of her. His hands, ending in claws, trailed down her back, checking for damage. Her eyes were wide as she stared past him at the safehouse. Not so safe, was it?
“Are you hurt?” Even his voice held traces of the bear. Growls, low and deep.
She clutched at her arm. Blood welled between her fingers. She gasped as a roar broke through the air. Clifford’s head whipped around to see Marcus’ bears fighting with a dozen other bears. Flashes of white fur showed him Natasha and Hayley. Serena shouted. And three more bears, ones Clifford didn’t recognize, hurtled towards him and Lori.
“Run,” Clifford whispered.
“Clifford—”
He ignored Lori’s panicked tone and threw himself forward. His muscles rippled and his bear punched through the last of his defenses. It took over his body, and he was more than happy to let it. Snarls ripped up his throat as he took a stance to stand against the bears charging him down. Their leader threw back his head and let out a noise like a laugh.
Bauman.
Clifford waited until the last moment before flinging himself forward. He clawed one of them in the face and bit down hard on the other’s ear while using his body to block Bauman. Two more bears broke from the main fight and charged at them. Bauman ripped his claws into Clifford’s side. The pain was blinding. He was knocked off his feet. Bauman’s henchmen turned to face the newcomers. They met with a clash that shook the ground while Bauman drove in at Clifford’s throat. Clifford held him back and kicked his belly.
You die today, he thought, and then thought nothing at all. Pure rage and instinct took over as he pushed his attacker away and rolled back to his feet.
The rest of the fighting was too far away to worry about. Clifford and Bauman sized each other up, rumbling warnings to each other. Bauman’s small eyes were positively alight with glee. He feigned right, and Clifford followed him. When he feigned left, Clifford dodged in. His teeth clenched in Bauman’s flank. A crushing blow on his already injured side made him release his prey with a roar.
Bauman rose on his hind legs and made to jump over Clifford. Clifford, a smaller bear but more agile, rolled himself into Bauman. The other bear made a surprised noise as he crashed down onto his back. A gunshot ripped through the air. Clifford ignored it as he lunged, mouth open wide as he reached for Bauman’s throat.
A heavy paw crashed into the side of his face. It knocked him off balance and Bauman’s jaw clenched onto his shoulder. Pain flashed through his body, making him shout. His paws swung at Bauman, but Bauman was already gone. His claws tore great chunks of grass from the ground. He stumbled as he turned, trying to get his bearings again. Bauman allowed him no luxury. He rammed Clifford hard in the side, knocking him down again.
Bauman’s muzzle dripped with blood. Clifford swung his body around in a way that a bear’s spine was not meant to move. He felt the sharp pain run down his back but was able to kick hard into Bauman’s face. His claws sunk in close to the other bear’s eye and Bauman stumbled back. He shook his head, spreading great drops of blood every which way.
Clifford got to his feet again. It was painful to move. He glanced at where Lori had been as he planted his feet. There was no sign of her. That was good–right?
Bauman let out a roar–then turned his back and raced for the road. Clifford was so shocked that he didn’t move for several seconds. By the time he recovered and started after Bauman, another bear leaped in his way. He rammed Clifford hard in the chest, sending him backward again. Bauman’s bear retreated and the man jumped naked into a car. It tore away as Clifford fended off the bear attacking him.
Panic rose up his throat, releasing in a plaintive call, even though he was uncertain what was happening. The bear knocked him off his feet–and took off as well. A huge black bear suddenly appeared out of nowhere and leaped on the bear that had attacked Clifford. Huge claws and teeth soon had the other bear shifting and screaming that he surrendered.
Clifford stumbled to his feet. The wind brushed against his naked skin, making him shiver. He glanced down at himself in surprise. He hadn’t realized that he had shifted back to his human form. The pain was blinding, but he stumbled back toward the safehouse. Natasha and Hayley were both injured and Tristen lay on the ground with a medic over him, patching up a wound that gushed blood.
“Lori,” he called.
From the middle of the group, Serena burst out. She ran to him and threw her arms around his neck. She clung to him, sobbing, as his gaze searched the gathered people. But no, Lori wouldn’t be over here. She ran in the opposite direction.
Clifford turned and Serena held him tighter. “We’ll get her back. Uncle, we are going to get her back. I don’t care what it takes, we’re not going to lose her.”
There was no sign of Lori. Nowhere. His knees trembled and he collapsed. Serena held him up for a moment, but she wasn’t strong enough for his weight. He fell to the ground, his stomach churning as he clawed at the ground. So that was what it was about. Bauman hadn’t been trying to kill him with this attack. He had only wanted to distract him. To let his companions get Lori. And now that she was in his clutches…
“Clifford.” Natasha murmured, placing a hand on his shoulder.
“Don’t touch me.” Clifford flinched back from her as though her touch was a branding iron. “She’s gone. He’s going to kill her.”
He had failed. He promised Lori that he’d protect her and all it took was one attack… He should have been more careful. Should have taken her far away from here. Should have gone somewhere with only people he knew he could trust implicitly. If he had been smart, if he had acted with half a brain, then she’d still be in his arms. She wouldn’t be out there in the hands of his greatest enemy.
“If he was going to kill her, he would have already.” Marcus grabbed his shoulder and pulled him to his feet. Marcus’ expression was grim. “They weren’t trying to kill. This was an abduction. I’ve been involved in them before. Bauman is going to hold her for ransom. Otherwise, he would have set off that bomb while you were still in the room, not start a fire first. She’s not dead. Not yet. We still have a chance, here.”
Clifford straightened. A chance. Any chance was good enough. Determination flared through him and he nodded, gritting his teeth. Bauman would die for this. If this was the end–well, he was going to go out with a bang.