Chapter Fifteen
When we got around to the back of the house, I saw Asher, in human form, engaged in hand-to-hand combat with another man. I wanted to run to him, to protect him, but Mariana stopped me. Fifteen other men formed a half circle behind them, cheering their friend on loudly and raucously.
“Don't,” she said. “You'll distract him. That man has a silver blade. He could kill Asher with it.”
“What am I –”
But I never got to finish posing my question to her. Mariana transformed into bear form and lunged toward Asher's attacker. She roared in rage and launched herself at the man Asher was fighting with. And then the cavalry seemed to arrive. Other bears came running from the surrounding woods, the sound of their combined roaring reverberating through the air. I watched, in awe as at least twenty other bears joined Asher in battle.
Asher managed to somehow steal the silver blade from his attacker and used it against him. In one swift, graceful movement, Asher spun and sliced the man's throat. Blood sprayed high into the air and the man fell to the ground clutching his wounded throat in vain as blood poured out from between his fingers. Asher quickly transformed into bear form as well, and charged into the crowd of men and bears engaged in a melee on the back lawn of the N'gasso house.
I stood there, amongst the chaos, unable to move and unable to breathe. I was terrified watching the battle raging around me. As gunshots rang out again, I ducked behind a large tree, only peeking around to catch a glimpse as Asher and the bears attacked the men with brute force.
I watched as Asher lunged toward the man with the gun, ripping his throat out with a triumphant roar. Another man took aim and shot at him – but missed. Thankfully. Another bear – one I believed was Mariana – took out the shooter quickly and brutally. In the blink of an eye, the man was laying in a pool of his own blood on grass out back.
My heart was racing and I couldn't believe any of this was real. Couldn't believe this was all happening. But it was real. And it was really happening. I was off to the side, hiding behind a tree, and focusing on the battle at hand when I heard footsteps in the undergrowth nearby.
My heart racing, I turned and looked, catching sight of a man – the man who'd shot me earlier. The man who'd killed my aunt. When he saw me, he reached for his gun. I reached for mine.
“You killed my aunt,” I said, holding the gun in my hand.
I shook as I aimed at the man's chest, just like Asher had taught me to. I had no real experience with guns, but he did. And he'd done his best to teach me well. To prepare me. I hoped that all of that teaching and training was about to pay off.
“It's nothing personal,” he said with a sneer. “I was hired to take you out. Not sure how you survived, but you won't be alive long. You'll get to see your aunt real soon, sweetheart.”
“Yeah, well, this is personal for me, you son of a bitch.”
I backed up, past the tree and out into the open. I felt vulnerable and exposed. But I really had no choice. I raised the gun and aimed it at the man's chest. I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. I was just preparing to pull the trigger, all the while, expecting to get shot myself any moment. Maybe Asher could save me again, maybe he couldn't. But I knew what I had to do.
“Pull that trigger, darling and you're dead too,” he said. “Because, trust me on this, I won't miss a second time. I'll be aiming for that pretty little head of yours.”
I'd never killed someone before. Never in my life. But then, I'd also never died before, and wasn't sure I was ready to come that close again. But I was stuck. The man was going to shoot me if I didn't shoot him first.
My stomach was roiling, when a loud sound came from behind me, shaking the ground beneath my feet. A bear pushed past me, lunging at the man and taking the man down to the ground. The man's gun went off, and its sharp report echoed through the night as he fell, the bullet fired aimlessly into the nighttime sky.
I ran over to the bear, afraid they'd been hit, but they transformed back into a human – a very naked human.
Mariana smiled up at me from the ground. “Now we're even,” she said before getting to her feet, taking off and transforming back into a bear once more as she joined the fray.
When I finally calmed down, I looked out at the carnage around us – and was dismayed to see that Asher was nowhere to be found again. Eventually, the sounds of battle died down as it drew to a close. Bears and human laid dead at my feet. No more gunshots, no more screams. No more anything. Mariana came walking out of the woods, naked and in human form. And beside her was Asher. My heart sank as I watched the two beautiful people walking together, smiles upon both of their faces after winning the battle together.
And I realized, I really had no place in his world. I couldn't fight with them. Couldn't help protect them. I couldn't do anything for the bears.
“Rose! What are you –” a worried look crossed his face as he took off running toward me.
Mariana stayed behind, her face covered in blood. But she gave me a nod and a small smile as if to signal that everything was okay between us. I returned her nod to acknowledge her – and felt a wave of relief pass through me. I realized that I would never have to fear Mariana again. We might never be best friends, but I wasn't going to have to worry about her sticking a knife in my back anytime soon.
“Is it all over?” I asked, feeling the tears building in my eyes.
I didn't know why I was crying – my dear Asher was safe. I was safe. But seeing him walking with Mariana reminded me of my own weaknesses and limitations as a human. And it killed me to know I could never be a fighter like the two of them. That I could never truly be a part of their world. I would forever be that outsider looking in.
“It is,” he said, kissing me and holding me close. “It is, baby. None of them are left, which is also bad because we have no answers. No idea who they are.”
“Which means they might come back?”
“Probably so,” he said.
At that point, Mariana joined us. She gave me an awkward smile as she passed by and took up a spot in our impromptu little circle.
“Thank you,” I said to her.
“No, thank you,” she said.
“What does she mean?” Asher asked.
“I'll tell you later.”
I felt exhausted and defeated. In that moment, I wanted to go home and cry. I'd lost my aunt, and I'd realized that even though Asher and I loved each other, we probably weren't as good a couple as he and Mariana would be. Their union made sense. It benefitted each clan. Him being with me offered him no perks and no benefits. It was over. Truly over. And I had to learn to accept it.
“What's wrong, Rose?” Asher asked, staring deep into my eyes.
“Nothing. I just want to go home, that's all,” I said. “Not that I really have a home anymore, that is.”
“Come with me,” he said, taking my hand in his.
We walked back toward the car in silence. As we walked past Mariana, I saw that she was busy taking care of one of her wounded. She looked up at me and smiled – a truly warm and genuine smile.
Be good to her,” she told Asher. “You have yourself a good one.”
“I know,” he said, raising my hand to his lips and giving it a gentle kiss. “Trust me, I know.”