Chapter Thirty Five
Mary couldn't return to Chicago in case there were more Bears waiting for her, so Andre decided to take her west again, far away from her family. The more distance between them, the less likely it would be for more Bears to find her.
He discussed location with Mary, but all she said was she wanted to live in a town or small city. There needed to be enough of a population so she would blend in, however, so Missoula was chosen.
Somewhere on the highway in Illinois and Montana in the new truck–rented this time, albeit with a stolen credit card–Andre had decided his own course of action. The business card Easton had given him with Peter Locke's location was tucked away in his wallet.
Mary didn't want anything to do with him anymore. And he could understand that. After all the trauma she had been through, it was natural that she would find the whole thing terrifying.
As much as he wanted to stay by her side and protect her, the fact was that the best way to keep her safe was to keep his distance. Without her Wolf, other Bears would not recognize her. But they would recognize him.
And that left him with two choices. One was to go back to the Locke family, kill Philip. Then go to the location Peter was being held and kill him, as well, thus ending forever his need for revenge. After that, there would be nothing left for him to live for, so he could join Isadore and Eve in death.
The second choice was to find Peter and help him escape from the Bears. He would then restore Peter Locke to his family, and stand guard and protector over them while they built their new community. The community Peter dreamed about, one that would coexist in peace with other Shifters. Andre would find out how all their children were born with Wolves, and share that knowledge with whatever other Shifter communities he found, so that their species did not die off.
I don't have to do anything with the Lockes, he tried to tell himself. I could just leave them all behind.
Mary shifted in the passenger seat, her green eyes blinking open. She sat a little straighter and rubbed her neck, turning out the window. "Where are we?"
"We're almost in Montana. See the mountains?" He pointed out the window ahead of them.
"I love mountains," Mary sighed.
Andre smiled. "They are great."
Before all this happened, Mary had been determined that one day she would return to her community. Not to stay, but to get her sisters away from the way they were treated there, undereducated and married off at sixteen. At twenty-four, Mary had been considered a spinster when she ran from them. Andre knew that these teenage brides were forced through pregnancies right after another. Mary's own family, with thirteen children despite her mother's frail health, was proof of that.
Even if the Lockes wanted to change the way things were done, even if they broke away from their community to start their own, they had too many internalized principles to really bring about any real change in their lives and the lives of their children. He had to stay, protect Mary's siblings and try to help them build a truly new society.
Mentoring a bunch of Werewolves. You've changed.
But Peter was the one they would actually look up to. They might be grateful for Andre's help in escaping the attacking Bears, but it was only through figures they already respected and followed that change could actually happen. Peter had to come back to lead them to this new life.
"We're coming to a town here soon," he said aloud. "Do you need to stop for anything?"
She shook her head.
Andre tapped his fingers against his thigh. Before they headed out, Mary had given him some of her extra clothes. The skirt felt a little strange to wear, although he had to admit there was a feeling of freedom that came with it that he enjoyed. The shirt was a little snug about the shoulders. His odd outfit had caused a lot of stares when they stopped for gas, but his size and muscle stopped people from commenting.
"Mary, I just want to say… your brothers and sisters will be looked after."
"I asked you before, why should I care about them if they treated me so poorly that I already thought running away was the only escape?"
"It's not quite that simple, Mary. It was more your father and the community, I think." Andre sighed. "In any case, you did care about them. It just got to the point where you had so many responsibilities that you couldn't take care of yourself. The way your father ran things, anything inside was the domain of women. Most of your siblings old enough to help with anything are boys. They weren't expected to do anything around the house. It was all on you."
Mary shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it anymore."
They needed to gas up the car in the city, but soon they were on the road again. Soon they were among familiar pines and spruces, dotted occasionally with firs. The roads became curvier and Andre felt himself relaxing.
"Stop the car."
He turned to see Mary's hands clenched over her stomach. Her eyes were wide and she stared at him with such fright in her gaze that Andre's heart immediately began pounding in his ears. He pulled the car to the side of the road. She fought with her seatbelt a moment. He reached for her instinctively, and to his surprise, she leaned into his embrace. Her arms wrapped around his head and her mouth sought his desperately. Her tongue ran over his lips and he opened them obediently.
His Bear called for her, but as soon as it did, she pulled away.
Andre panted with desire, forcing himself to remain still.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
"It's fine. It's… fine." Andre leaned back, tugging his hair out of his bun and combing his fingers through it before he put it back up. "Are you okay?"
"No. I'm not. I'm very far from okay. I don't know why, but I have to stay with you. Thinking about being parted from you breaks my heart. It must be this soulmate thing, but it scares me. My need for you is terrifying and I don't know what to do."
Andre gripped the steering wheel tightly to avoid showing how much his hands were trembling. "I can be patient, Mary."
"That's not what I'm worried about. I don't know if I can." Mary laughed and ran her hand through her hair, mussing it up. Andre thought he might like it better short like this. "I keep wanting you. Then I get scared and have to stop."
"I understand."
She shook her head. "No, you don't. But I can't leave, Andre. I just can't."
He reached out slowly, cupping her face in his hand. Love burned in his heart, lifting his spirit as he leaned forward, pressing a kiss to her open mouth.
***
Two days ago I was a woman without a clue about her life, and now I'm going back to the family I don't remember.
Mary felt dazed as she considered it. Andre was going to go after Peter, wherever the Bears had him. He would bring him back so he could take care of his family. In the meantime, she was going to go stay with the siblings she didn't remember, in a hope that it would help bring her memories back.
If they think I'm going to pick up after them, they have another thing coming.
Her hand was in Andre's as he drove, beaming. He glanced down at their entwined fingers every couple of seconds. His happiness was infectious, even if she wasn't sure exactly why this was the right thing to do, she couldn't help but beam back.
"After Peter's back," she said, "we'll find our own place, right? Someplace that's close but not too close."
Andre nodded. "Whatever you want."
"I want a little plot of land somewhere," she decided. "Someplace where we're not too far from town, but with room to breathe. We'll have to find a place close to a good school, though."
"A good school?"
Shock rippled through Mary as she realized she hadn't told him yet. A nervous laugh bubbled up her throat. "For the baby."
There was a beat when nothing changed, but then Andre pulled the car to the side of the road. His black eyes were literally glowing with happiness as he turned to her. "Baby?"
She nodded, and the grin that broke over Andre's face had to be echoed. For the first time since she learned she was pregnant, the baby wasn't something that she half-dreaded. She knew that she could be a mother and she actually wanted to be one if Andre was with her. She grasped his hand and brought it to her lips.
"We're going to have a baby."
Andre laughed. Tears rolled down his cheeks and he put a hand on her stomach.
"You're crying," Mary said, tears filling her own eyes. Her heart felt so full it could burst.
"I never thought I would be this happy again. A baby. Our baby."
She hooked her arm behind his head and brought his mouth to hers again. Her body moved towards his, and blood surged between them.
"Find a way to get into the woods," she whispered huskily. "I don't want anybody to spy on us as I take off your clothes."