Chapter Six – Stephen
Stephen had no idea where they were. Even though it had been the new moon, and far too dark to see a thing when was brought out to the Bear's emergency camp, he had still been blindfolded and a good amount of Vicks Vaporub was spread under his nose. He could still smell the stuff. He would never be able to smell his way back, even as a Wolf.
The Bears had put him in a tent, which was nice of them, although they rarely let him out of it. At least two guards were positioned outside at all times. And he hadn't seen Iduna for the two days since he had been brought here. It made his Wolf restless, growling and snapping. But he knew she was safe. That was enough, for now.
He sat in the tent, waiting for the normal interrogation team to show up. Thompson, that big, pale Bear that looked like he had a stick up his ass and Tyson.
Thompson was still convinced that he had something to do with the attacks on the Bear community. Tyson, thankfully, seemed to believe him, but it was clear that he didn't think the Wolf was a suitable mate for his little girl.
Not that Stephen could really blame him. After all, he was much older than her. But they were mates, as amazing and improbable as it was. Stephen had wanted to find his mate for so long. He wasn't going to give up when he finally found her.
"Time for your outhouse break," one of the guards said, unzipping the tent.
Stephen got up without a word. He walked towards the outhouse. His heart leaped when he saw Iduna coming towards them. The two Bears escorting him put themselves between her and Stephen, low growls in their throats.
"You are not permitted to speak with the prisoner," one of them said.
"I know." Iduna held out two small bottles. "But we have not had a proper balanced diet since we got here, and I'm concerned that we're all going to come down with scurvy or other nutrient-deprived diseases. So I've procured essential oils rich in vitamin-C for everybody to ingest so we all remain in optimal health. It's cedar oil. Very high in nutrients, although a bit pungent."
Stephen knew that Iduna liked to share her knowledge, but this was coming off a little too scripted. And her word choice sounded like she was deliberately trying to confuse them. If that was what she was trying to do, it worked. The guards looked exasperated, but they shrugged and took the bottles from her. Both downed the contents.
"There. Now no scur—"
The closest Bear's eyes bulged. He grasped his throat. And then both were down, vomiting. Stephen backed away as their huge bodies convulsed. Iduna, however, jumped over them and grabbed his hand, dragging him away from the camp.
"Hurry!" she urged.
Somehow Stephen made his feet move, following Iduna through the trees. At one point she stopped and told him to shift, which he did. She then climbed onto his back–she was heavier than she looked, but so heavily pregnant and with such a strong, muscular body that was only to be expected–and told him which way to go. By the time they heard the sounds of pursuit, Iduna had led him to a clearing where half a dozen vehicles were. She unlocked a truck, and they were off.
"I hope they'll be okay. They should be okay." Iduna clutched her seatbelt as Stephen drove over the logging road. "Cedar oil is not for internal use. It'll cause vomiting, thirst, and in some cases even extensive damage to the digestive tract. But their healing abilities should counteract any long-term damage. I hope they'll be okay."
Stephen reached over to her, catching her twisting hands in hers. "I'm sorry."
"No. I am." She stilled. "I acted impulsively. I shouldn't have poisoned them. But Thompson was talking about making you reveal your plans. I know what that means. I couldn't do nothing. You're my mate. And we have to end this. I'm tired of being shot at and our houses burned down. The government has to listen to us. We're citizens! It's the government's job to protect us. It's time to stop trying to deal with it ourselves. So we need to go to Victoria. Right to the legislature buildings and get noticed…"
Stephen couldn't help but notice the quiver in her voice. He squeezed her hand tighter, but he didn't know what to say. And so he remained silent, letting her tell him about when Victoria was founded and what original uses the city had.
***
They drove for several hours before they got out of the car to stretch. Stephen's eyes were getting heavy, and from Iduna's yawns, she was just as tired as he was. It was still at least five hours to Vancouver, though, and then it would take at least another three hours to get to Victoria. After that, they could only hope that the legislature buildings were open and that they would get the political help they needed.
"How are you doing?" he asked her, seeing that she was rubbing her back.
Iduna gave him a wan smile. "I'll be fine. Just a backache. It happens when I sit too long. The pressure on my lumbar—"
Stephen wrapped his arms around her as she cut herself off. "And emotionally?"
"I don't know what you mean." Her voice was stiff.
"I mean are you okay? I know you were acting for the best of your community, but they—"
"They'll understand once I get the premier involved. I just…" She looked up at him, her big eyes filling with tears. "I just don't know if my parents will ever accept you and me as mates. What if they never do?"
"They will. They love you. They'll understand." Stephen brushed a kiss on her lips. The contact had electricity zinging through his body. "I love you, Iduna. I want you to know that. We're mates, but I also love you. I had stopped believing in love at first meeting, but you are all I want. All I need."
"Except I talk too much."
"No. I love listening to you. You have such a passion for knowledge. I just wish I knew more, so we could have a dialogue and not just me listening."
Tears ran down Iduna's face. She threw her arms around him, kissing him hard. Her ferocity surprised him, but it wasn't unwelcome. He moaned into her mouth, pulling her body close to his. The effect was instant and he forgot about being on the run, both from those human hunters and her community. He forgot about everything except that his mate was in his arms, her beautiful body against his, her beautiful soul so close he could almost hear her Bear grunting in approval.
Stephen broke from her mouth, wanting to taste every inch of her. He trailed his mouth down her jaw and focused on the sensitive patch of skin under her ear. Iduna shivered and moaned, pressing herself tighter against him. He walked her back, leaning her against the car. His hands roamed her body, aware they were at a public rest stop, but equally aware that there was nobody around to steal this moment from them.
He had just slid a hand under her shirt, thrilled at the touch of her warm skin when a second vehicle pulled into the rest stop. Stephen pulled back, Iduna moaning in protest. A police car stopped right behind them.
"We'd better get going."
Iduna let out an annoyed huff. "Just when things were getting really exciting."
Stephen laughed and kissed her again. "That's just a taste of what's to come, my darling. I promise. We have the rest of our lives to continue."
"I never realized that sexual arousal could actually feel like that," she sighed. "At least, not with another person. I've never had a reaction to kissing like that before. Probably because I have never been kissed by my mate like that before."
"Probably," he agreed, helping her into truck. He went to his side and was just about to climb in when the police officer got out of his car.
"Hey there. Can I get you to wait for a moment?"
Stephen froze. The voice was familiar. Adrenaline flooded his system. He nodded, though, and tried to look unconcerned. As the police officer got closer, he smelled a familiar scent. And saw familiar blue-gray eyes.
It was one of the hunters. He had followed them all this way. No wonder the local police force didn't do anything about it! Stephen glanced into the truck, smiling at Iduna, trying to look like he didn't recognize the man. The cop had a hand on his gun as he approached.
"Can I see you license and registration?"
He was close now. Stephen didn't waste any time. He leaped forward, landing a solid punch to the cop's face. The man grunted, stumbling backward. The gun came out of the holster. Stephen lunged and knocked him down. He grabbed the gun from the cop's hand and pointed it at him.
"Get up."
Iduna leaned out her window, eyes wide. "Stephen!"
"Call your parents. He's one of the hunters. The local human police are in on it." Stephen snarled as the hunter slowly got to his feet. "Give me your handcuffs and keys and get into the outhouse."
"You dare pull a gun on me?"
"You tried to kill us yesterday. You're lucky I don’t blow your brains out."
The hunter's face twisted in fury. "You filthy animals will get what you deserve."
"And I will have no problem shooting you. Now do as I say." Stephen let his Wolf infuse his voice with a deadly growl.
Fear flickered over the hunter's face. He tossed Stephen his handcuffs and went into the outhouse. Stephen hurriedly cuffed the doors shut from the outside. After testing how sturdy it was, he went to the other half of the outhouse and dropped both keys and gun down the toilet. Finally, he returned to the truck.
"They're not answering," Iduna whispered, the cellphone pressed to her ear. "But the campsite is far away from any cell phone towers. They probably don't have a signal."
Stephen clutched her shaking hand in his own. "Yeah. That's probably it. They don't have a signal."
Or something worse might have happened. Stephen tried not to think about that. He needed to be strong and optimistic for Iduna. She was all that mattered right now.