I Married a Bear (13 page)

“Well, that ability doesn't just disappear when there's major blood loss. The whole body shuts down.

Don't ask me how many bears I've seen fall into a coma and never come out of it when they're brought all torn up, too late to get new blood into them. For tigers, the very same is true.”

I let out a growl. “She'll die if she doesn't have tiger blood?”

“Yes, Alpha. And there's something else too...”

My head was spinning like a carousel. I wanted to roar at the moon, break things, tear flesh and blood apart.

My only hope was Shane and his crew showing up in time to do something. Without the tigers finding themselves on the receiving end of bear soldiers, of course.

There was way more at stake than clans butting heads in Laura. If they ended up dead, captured, or worse...

Fuck!
I kept forgetting we were fugitives ourselves. My girl was being kept in prison, the same place asshole Cuddy tried to take me.

“Sir, there's one more thing you should know about her condition...” Reed tugged on my sleeve like a little kid.

I whipped around, snarling. The wiry doctor in front of me wasn't completely innocent himself.

Was this his confession?

He hadn't told me why we'd found him passed out on the floor next to my mate. Worse, I had a feeling I might instantly kill the only man who could save my mate once he spilled the bitter truth.

“What?”

“It's not just the blood loss that's preventing her body from optimal healing.” He adjusted his glasses, taking his sweet time. I had a feeling whatever he was about to say was bound to piss me off.

“Spit it out!” I roared. “I don't have time for this shit.”

“Laura's pregnant.”

My vision tunneled. If I were a weaker man, I would've fainted on the spot, knocked out instantly by those insane words. They kicked up a storm in my brain so violent I saw stars.

“A hybrid pregnancy is very difficult in the best condition. In hers, it's a huge threat to the cubs and their mother. I barely know how to deal with this, to be quite honest. All I know is if we don't get some tiger blood into her – and soon – you're going to lose this tiger and your half-blood offspring.”

He couldn't do it. Stupid, smartass Reed just couldn't stop the righteous twitch in his lips, eyeing me with contempt.

My bear went mad. Thick fur bristled on my arms and legs. The tight camo cloak got even tighter, ready to bust at the seams.

With a bear's roar, I lifted him off the table, holding him high in the air until his face was next to mine.

“I should fucking kill you on the spot. Do you want to die here with her, Reed? Tell me!” In one push, we were across the room. He gurgled as I slammed his frail body into the wall.

Reed's eyes were bristling with bear heat too. His survival instinct kicked on to shift and defend himself, but I'd snap his neck before his grizzly teeth appeared.

“Don't...you want to save her...don't you?” he gasped. Only encouraged my fingers to press deeper in his throat.

“What the fuck were you doing in the cabin? Why did you help Hannah take my girl's blood?”

He coughed. It was hard as hell to loosen my grip and let him speak, but I did.

“I'm sorry, Alpha. I'm so sorry, James. She blackmailed me...something real bad. I wouldn't have let her do it if I knew she was going to hurt her. Please, sir, you have to believe me!”

Hot steam poured out my nostrils. Our faces were only inches apart. My fingers dug into his throat, one easy flick away from sending him into permanent darkness.

“Tried to stop her. Hannah took too much – too much blood! She was the one who hit me on the head and finished the procedure herself.” Tears ran down his red cheeks. “I get it. Kill me if you have to. I deserve as much. I'm supposed to be a healer. All I've done is bring pain to everyone...”

His words were so, so tempting. At the last second, I pulled my bear back, and spun away from him.

He hit the floor with a loud groan. “Sorry, sorry, sorry...”

Reed babbled like an idiot. I turned around and slapped him hard across the face, instantly cutting off his words.

“You'll live. You keep Laura safe and I'll get you the fucking blood. Jacob's gonna make sure you don't move a muscle away from this table. Won't let you make any more mistakes, Reed. If I can't help my girl, then I'll murder the ones who killed her. Hannah, Cuddy, Greg...
everyone.
”

“You mean...?”

He trailed off. I wasn't about to indulge his shit. He was under house arrest now.

Didn't matter we were almost prisoners ourselves, or even that I only had myself and one other guy to do it.

“Jacob! Make sure the good doctor here does his job.” I opened the door to the clinic's waiting room.

Where the hell was he? Jacob wasn't anywhere to be found.

I stepped toward the door, hair prickling on the back of my neck. My bear rumbled, all his senses on edge, and not just from the mind blowing chat with Reed.

A father...you're going to be a father...Gods almighty!

My head was still spinning when I pushed open the door and peered out. Jacob was at the bottom of the clinic's stairs, holding the rifle we'd captured from Cuddy.

At least half a dozen others surrounded him, guns drawn, all aimed at him. Three of those guns shifted, moving to me.

I recognized Greg's face through the camo hood wrapped around his head. Slowly, I stepped down the stairs, taking my place next to Jacob.

“Stand back! Lay down your weapons and throw your hands up!” Greg shouted.

I wasn't gonna be a prisoner again. My feet moved, my bear at the ready.

Forward, forward.
None of these insubordinate fucks are gonna push me around.

Didn't stop until the nose of his rifle was just an inch from my chest.

“I mean it, Alpha – give it up! Elder council's orders. Stand down or we will use lethal force.” His voice was shaking.

I wrapped one hand around the rifle's nose. His finger perched near the trigger, shaking just as bad as the rest of him. Greg had been a bastard I hadn't fully trusted, just like Cuddy, but he balked at shooting me, the man he'd taken orders from the last three years, straight through the heart.

“You stand down,” I said coldly. “All of you. The Elders are working with bad information. They've been tricked. I went to Tiger Bay and returned to bring peace. If you shoot me, you'll kill whole families. Don't go marching blindly into war, boys. Take me to meet with the council before this clan gets into a storm you can't imagine.”

Greg's cohorts slowly dropped their rifles. He froze, still shaking, without lowering the barrel.

“Can't let you do that. You're a criminal now, James. I
will
shoot you if you don't give up and let us take you into custody. I have my orders...” He looked desperately from side to side. “We all do!”

Snarling, I clutched the rifle's tip again, bringing it square to the middle of my chest.

“Do it then, big grizzly. Kill me so you can lead the suicide charge against the tigers.”

It seemed like an hour passed. Really, it was only a couple of seconds.

Greg flinched, jerked the gun away, and pointed it at a loud growl coming toward us. I followed everyone's gaze just in time to see the black SUVs rolling in with Shane and the tigers.

Great. Perfect fucking timing.

“Roark? What's the meaning of this?” Shane popped the door and drew his gun.

All the bears instantly trained their rifles on the invaders, just like they'd been taught. Suddenly, Jacob and I weren't so menacing up against these outsiders armed to the teeth.

Well trained tiger soldiers hopped out of their vehicles and took their positions. One of the SUV tops folded down at the click of a switch. A big cat stood up in the canopy clutching a machine gun.

“You promised there wouldn't be an armed presence here, bear.”

I stepped forward. “Funny. You promised me to bring no more than a couple men yourself. See you're packing a hell of a lot more heat than that.”

I pointed to the machine nest on wheels, and Shane smiled. Behind me, Greg cleared his throat.

“You tigers don't deal with him! Your business is with the Elder council. This man has forfeit his position here in Denali and–“

“Shut up!” I whipped my head around and snarled. “The rest of you, keep them in your sights, but nobody move a fucking finger unless I say to.”

The half-shifted rage on my face was enough to make him drop his gun. My other boys held firm, following my orders – as expected.

“You're dealing with me, Shane, just like I promised. We'll go to the Elders together and tell them what's up. They'll listen to me.”

The aristocrat sneered, raising one eyebrow. “You sure about that? You're making me regret this whole enterprise, Roark. Looks like liberating our land would've been a cakewalk with your clan in disarray.”

My fists tensed.
I'll give you a fucking cakewalk,
I thought.

“This building next to us is a clinic. Your daughter's in there. I need you to come and help her if she's going to live.”

Shane studied my face, asking himself if this was a trick, a trap, or something else. The cold light in my eyes told him everything he needed to know.

“Bastard bear! What's happened to my daughter?” He grabbed me by my cloak.

I growled, muscling my arms around him, mirroring my bear's desire to hold him like this, bite into his neck, and taste his blood.

Heavy weapons clicked behind him, loading and charging up. The tigers were definitely better armed than we were. If it weren't for my lock on their dear leader, they'd mow us to shreds.

“Are you mad? I'm not your blasted hostage. Get your hands off me this instant if you want to avoid a firefight! Last chance!” His words terminated in a tiger's raspy thunder.

“Don't be an idiot, Shane. Laura needs you. If I take you in there and anything happens, you won't even have a fight.” I turned around, spinning him with me. “Boys! Lay down your guns.”

Anger flashed across their faces, but they listened. Greg hesitated, looking through me at the dangerous tiger troops beyond, and then finally complied.

Orders from the council or no orders, they knew who was really in charge.

“There. Let's go, straight up the stairs, just you and I.” I kept my death grip around his neck and we walked like two old friends.

Make that two old friends whose idea of a good time is a fucking death match.

Jacob nodded as we passed, and then we were inside. Doctor Reed looked up from his seat next to Laura.

Shane broke my grip and ran to the table when he saw her. No sense in keeping him prisoner now that his own eyes told him the truth.

“Great Gods! So, it's true!” He clasped her hand, growling when he felt it. “She's ice cold. What the hell is this? What's happened to my daughter?”

Reed opened his mouth, but I held up a hand to stop him.

“She needs a blood transfusion. Much as I love her, bear blood's no good. Has to be a tiger's. That's why I was willing to risk war to haul your stubborn ass in here.”

Shane gave me a glare hot enough to start a forest fire. “I don't know what's happened here. But I'm sure it's your fault, bear. You did this...”

My bear didn't like what he was saying. Too bad I couldn't shift and rip him apart without any more bullshit. Too bad Laura seriously needed him.

“You're wrong! Don't be blinded by your own fool prejudice. You can think I'm the devil all you want, but I'd never hurt your daughter. Never, never, never!” An extra sharp tooth stabbed at my tongue, and I forced myself to settle down so I wouldn't shift all the way.

“Go ahead,” I said clearly. “Think of me as the monster you see. Doesn't change the fact your daughter needs your help, very fucking soon, or we won't have anyone to argue about.”

“All right!” He turned away from me, pushing up his sleeve and holding his arm to Reed. “Do what you need to do. Bear or not, I'll use your damned doctor to save my daughter.”

Reed swallowed and began to draw blood. “Should only be a quick test to confirm compatibility and then we can begin the transfusion.”

“Make it fast! My little girl isn't looking good. I swear, doctor, if she dies on your count, you'll be the first one in front of those guns outside.”

Reed looked at me, aghast at the threat. I nodded seriously.

For once, Shane Hisch and I actually agreed on something.

Reed ordered me out as soon as the test was done. My bear snorted, the urge to protect on full red alert. Had to make him understand the doctor needed all the space in his cramped room to start the procedure.

“This better work,” I gave him one last warning. “I'm gonna come back here pissed off either way after dealing with the Elders. But you haven't seen how mad I can get if she isn't looking a whole lot rosier when I see her again.”

Shane gave me another evil eye, laying on the table with a long needle up his arm.

I turned and got the hell out of there. The tigers instantly trained their guns on me, and then lowered them. Shane gave them the command over walkie-talkie to let me move freely as soon as he saw everything was cool.

“Jacob, Thomas, Cole. You're with me.” I pointed at the three men kneeling on the ground.

They stood, looked past me at the tigers uncertainly. I turned, and the tiger commander nodded, letting us pass without issue.

“Let's go. Town hall. Shouldn't need any weapons to knock some sense into those greedy old fucks.”

Several men laughed. The Elders weren't well liked. It was rare – hell, near unheard of – for an Alpha to openly show them disrespect.

But they'd lost what little I still had left after treating me like a thief and taking Hannah's toxic word.

Bastards had no good reason to put my girl in prison and leave her vulnerable, even if they thought she was a tiger spy. Laura couldn't have hurt them if she wanted to.

The first thing we heard after breaking in the back door was Baron's loud snores. Him and his junior councilman, Forest, had private rooms in the old building. The third Elder, Sherry, slept in a cabin just a short walk away.