Chapter Fifteen

Laia

 

Memories stabbed through my mind, the brittle sound of bones breaking. Lines of pain rupturing across my back. The pitiful moan that escaped me as I shifted back for the last time.

A taste of iron on my tongue and the red haze of blood.

Followed by desperate words tumbling from my mouth.

The monstrous betrayal that broke my heart.

There was no going back from that.

I wanted to hate Rett like I hated him. Jasper. I wanted Rett to act superior, to be another man I couldn’t trust. That way, I could rail against him for being just another smug, bossy Alpha.

But I couldn’t.

I did want to get the hell away from him, though.

I mean, hadn’t Rett realized yet it wasn’t easy for me to trust people? I’d thought at least that had made it through his thick head. But no, he’d been holding all these secrets over me, waiting for the wrong moment to drop them.

Deep in my gut, though, I knew Rett was different from Jasper in every way. He was cautious with his power, wielding it with a certain unease. He was aware of its cumbersome weight and its reach. More than once, I’d seen how he’d rather be without it. However, his choice was sidelined.

I could understand that if I wanted to.

Instead, I ran.

 

Compared to the Bloodfang base in the Rust Mountains, it was laughably easy to escape Rett’s house and put Cobalt behind me.

All I’d left was a note stressing the importance of destroying the crian shard. That was it.

Nothing more, even though I was still agonizing over that note hours later. It haunted me as I made my way northeast, skirting the border of Winfyre as I made my way for Tiselk. I’d heard it was a bit of a wild and rowdy area, with no pack delineating the territory.

Beyond that, I had no plans, no idea where I’d go or what I’d do.

I’ll figure it out when I get there.

Even hours later, I was more concerned with what I’d left behind than where I was going. I kept wondering if I should’ve said more in the note, something to deter any pursuers. I almost wished I’d extended an apology to Tristan and my family. Ambiguous was better, though. I didn’t want to give them any false hope about my coming back.

It was kind of nice to be out in the woods again. Living moment to moment instead of getting caught up in the future. Although escaping Winfyre brought up more memories than I cared to remember. Damn, I missed being a shifter.

I stopped on a small outcropping, peering back south at the miles of wilderness. It was almost sunset, a murky and rainy sunset that made the western sky glow with opalescent hues of silver and lavender. Rett was probably walking into my—his—room and finding the note.

My stomach dropped. I should’ve said thank you to Rett, at least.

Blowing out a breath, I turned and fiddled with the raincoat I was wearing. It was durable and heavy, keeping out the water, but not the cold. Underneath, I was wearing one of Rett's thick flannels. I'd hoped wearing his clothes would throw him off my scent if the rain didn't.

If he even comes after me.

An Alpha, even one like Rett, wouldn’t have time for an annoying runaway. He’d send coyotes or wolves, some quick-footed squadron who would be child’s play for me to outsmart.

I mean, I’d stolen one of his packs and a tent, and snuck around Cobalt gathering food and putting it on his tab. Then I’d let several people see me head south, before I hit a lonely spot of road, plunged into the woods, and backtracked north.

A smile touched my lips as I hiked up another hill. I’d have to be prudent about taking care of myself, maybe write some kind of message for if I had an amnesia episode…

Worry about that later. Need to find shelter for the night.

I found a steep rockfall that offered protection and a dry spot to get out of the rain. It wasn’t exactly ideal, an open cluster of boulders that anyone could sneak up on, but it was dry. After burrowing down, I had some dinner and then sat there. Trying not to think of how warm a fire would be. Or those blankets on the bed miles behind me. Or Rett’s skin.

A shiver went over me, and I huddled deeper, too cold to doze. I must have climbed even higher than I’d thought if it was this cold. Or maybe another bad storm was rolling in.

My fingers were getting stiff, and I slid my arms out of the raincoat, tucking them against me. As I nestled my chin down on my chest, the shirt tickled my nose, and I caught a whiff of Rett’s scent. A deep ache went through me and stayed there, lodged in my bones.

I miss him.

Gritting my teeth, I closed my eyes and pushed more deeply against my pack, the only softness in these boulders. The rain pattered overhead, sounding like footsteps, and the wind’s wail was lonely. I began to shiver even harder, and I sighed, getting up. I had to make a fire to survive this night.

God, I’d gotten soft in Winfyre.

Leaving my pack where it was, I pulled out my knife and began to make my way through the rocks, looking for any branches that might be somewhat dry. Not finding anything, I skirted a large boulder and swept my gaze around. There, at the base, was a pile of bracken.

Hurrying over, noting that the wind and rain were picking up, I squatted down and began to sort through it. Then I stopped and lifted my head, listening.

I’d thought I’d heard footsteps.

A crinkle ran over my skin, and I straightened, straining my ears.

Nothing but rain, wind, and the rub of branches.

I went to bend back over when I heard a distinct rustle and stopped. Sliding around to the edge of the boulder, I peered out, eyes flashing around the shadowy forest. There was almost no light left in the sky, and my night vision had never been very good. I could only just make out the trees. I listened again, watching the empty forest, and shook my head. It was probably nothing.

Then, a dark shadow moved in the distance, and I froze.

It was huge, a hulking mass moving through the trees, and I heard another noise.

Hard, heavy breathing.

Heart pounding, pulling back, I was unsure if it was an Excris or animal. Either way, I wasn't gonna stick around to find out. Hurrying back to my boulder, I gathered up my pack and then went still as I heard a rumble. It was close.

Pressing a hand to my mouth, I heard a scrape of claw on rock and realized it was climbing the boulder I was hiding under. Then it went silent again, and I heard sniffing.

Crouching down, I found a rock and weighed it in my hand. I breathed in, out, and then hurled it as far as I could to the left. There was a distant and hollow thwonk. A growl tore the air above me. I heard as whatever it was scrambled back down and ran in that direction.

Meanwhile, I crept the other way and then began to run, darting through the forest. I had to find either a tree or a more defensible shelter.

Another growl came, one that shook the forest, and I began to run faster. My breath was hard and painful in my chest. I was pushing my body too hard after all the miles I’d hiked today. Ankles turning, knees buckling, I had to slow down and catch my breath.

Suddenly, there was a noise nearby, and I scrambled back, looking for shelter. But there was nothing but slim, young trees around, and suddenly a creature reared up between them.

I saw a flash of eyes and sharp teeth.

Pure instinct kicked in, and I ran even faster, slipping and sliding on the leaves. Again, though, the creature came out of nowhere and reared up. This time, I got a good look at it, and I scrambled backward, falling hard on the leaves.

It was a bear.

“Rett?”

No, no way…

Panting, my shallow breaths barely forming in the air, I wondered if the bear was following me because I had food. I couldn’t even entertain the other idea. There was no way.

For one thing, he couldn’t have caught up with me. And for another, he wouldn’t have come.

A growl tore from the bear’s throat, and it landed heavily on all four paws. I went to get up and tripped, sprawling on my back. My eyes squeezed shut as the bear lumbered over, and I felt warm breath hit my face, then a whuffing noise as it sniffed me.

There was another growl, but this one sounded far more frustrated, almost amused.

My eyes popped open, and I stared up at the bear. This close, I could see the black fur.

“Rett?” I asked again. “No, you can’t be…”

When the bear didn’t shift into a glowering man who’d be all too happy to chew my head off, I wondered if maybe he was a friend of Rett’s. I’d heard rumors about the odd behavior of animals in the Farthing Mountains. Wolves guiding people to fresh water, birds alerting them to danger…

Never bears staring you down, though.

“Are you going to eat me?” I asked. An enormous huff met these words, and I nodded, scooting back and sitting up. The bear did the same. “Are you a friend of Rett’s?”

There was a low noise in his throat, and its head bobbed. I took that as a yes.

“Don’t suppose you could maybe pretend you didn’t see me…?”

The bear showed its teeth, then stood up, shook itself, and walked around me. Suddenly, it was nudging my backside. “Whoa, hey now,” I said. “Don’t get fresh.”

It growled in response, and I almost laughed.

“Bear, I’m not going back,” I said. “I can’t.”

But when I went to head north, it blocked me and showed its teeth. I backed up, holding out my hands, knowing better than to take on a prehistoric-sized black bear. Again, I tried to recall Rett’s form that first night or from the other day, but I couldn’t be sure. It was hard to tell in the dark.

Why would Rett stay a bear?

“If you are Rett, you better shift back,” I said, and my fingers tingled as I reached for the knife. Big guy or not, in human form—one sharp blow, and he’d be out for the night.

The bear ignored that and began to walk northwest, then glanced back at me.

With a sigh, I followed, knowing I’d have to wait for an opportunity to give this bear the slip. If Rett had sent it after me, then this could work to my advantage—I could lay another false trail. My thoughts were sluggish as I followed the bear, teeth chattering, and finally, we came upon a steep shelf of rock with a slender fissure in its side.

I ran my fingers along the edges as we slid between it. This looked manmade. Pulling out a small lantern from my pack, I held it up and looked around. I’d been partly right.

The opening had been indeed hewn open, but the deep cave had not. A pile of firewood lay alongside one wall, and there was a fire pit already set up. The bear grumbled and arranged himself against the other wall. It had to be just a bear, right?

“Are you a shifter?” I asked as I set down the lantern and went towards the wood. I was cold and dirty, grateful for this shelter and strange company. It didn’t respond. “Just a weird bear?” Now it grumbled under its breath, and I laughed. “No offense meant.”

After I got the fire going, I could see the bear more clearly. It was a deep black, eyes closed and softly snoring. But when I even so much as took a step towards the entrance, it growled.

So, instead, I huddled in front of the fire and shivered, holding myself in a tight ball. The whole scene was starting to become dreamlike. I didn’t even care if the bear ate me, at this point.

I must have dozed off, because the next thing I knew, I was warm and comfortable. The bear had gotten up and moved behind me, my body nestled into its side.

Somewhere, some instinct was trying to yammer something at me, but I fell back asleep.

 

A sunbeam filtering through a crack of stone woke me up. For a good minute, I stared at it, not comprehending. There was a brief flash of panic as I wondered if I was having another episode.

I tried to sit up, but my body was heavy with exhaustion, and every muscle protested. The ground under my ass and legs was miserably cold and hard. But underneath my upper body was soft, endless warmth.

My hands found black fur, and I sat up, remembering everything that had happened.

Oh, I might not have had an episode last night, but I’d been out of it.

Since when do I trust strange bears?

Eyeing the slumbering mass of giant bones, sinew and fur, I found my pack and carried it outside. There was a stream burbling nearby. Hurrying over, I splashed my face and tried to wake up. It didn’t work, just made me feel woozier.

But I was so, so tired.

The weather had cleared up, birds were jabbering loudly in the trees, and the air was warmer. I shucked the rain jacket and rolled it up, noting that my hands were shaking. I needed to eat.

Gauging by the sun’s position, it was almost eleven. Dammit, I hadn’t meant to sleep that late or long. No wonder I was so hungry.

There was a noise from the cave, and my exhausted brain clicked two and two into place.

That cave was a Northbane shelter.

The bear emerged, and blue, piercing eyes zoomed in on me. My pack and jacket both slid out of my hands, hitting the wet earth. I stumbled back and shook my head.

No, I wouldn’t be that stupid.

Unless I was seriously out of it. Or, if somewhere, deep down, I’d known exactly what I was doing. If I’d wanted my first guess to be right.

He wouldn’t have come here, I told myself as the bear came closer, and I put a hand to my spinning head. My knees were threatening to give out. Alphas don’t chase after wayward strangers.

“Laia.”

I looked back up, and Rett was standing there, wincing and stretching his neck. “Dammit, that hasn’t happened in a while. Look, I didn’t mean to deceive you—”

A hand went to my mouth. “No,” I breathed. “No, you wouldn’t come…”

I couldn’t bring myself to pinch my cheek, but I did back up.

“Of course I would,” Rett snapped and took a step forward. “Don’t take off. I don’t care if heavy shifting threw me out of whack—I’ll catch your ass again, Llary.”

I nodded, averted my eyes, and casually stretched. Then I booked it out of there.

I made it all of two steps before I was caught against a hard chest, my feet lifted from the air, and my arms pinned to my sides. I squirmed and tried to bite him, but Rett simply stood there and held me until I stopped.

“What the hell did I just say?” he demanded in my ear. “And where were you going to go?”

“I’d figure it out,” I panted.

Rett snorted. “Looks to me like you’re losing your touch, firecracker.”