The Bear King's Captive: Curvy Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance (9 page)

FOURTEEN

Leah swore Ivan had to be the slowest eater on the planet. He cut each piece of meat, knife in his right hand, and methodically took bites of the other items on the plate so the meal ended with one bite of each item left. All finished at the same time. Apparently, his mom had done a good job teaching him manners.

As soon as the last bite of mashed potatoes entered his mouth, she grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the mess hall. She had a plan to save them. Sort of. It started with the captain.

Halfway up the stairwell to the bridge, Leah slowed.

“Where are we going?” Ivan stopped behind her.

“Shh. We don’t want to draw attention to ourselves.” She glimpsed down the stairwell.

He whispered, “Why not?”

Leah climbed until the steps turned into a blue carpet wrapping around a corner and out of sight. Leah glanced back several times, but never saw anyone tailing them.

She followed the path around the corner to five-foot-tall windows displaying a thin, charcoal horizon where the sky touched its reflection. “Wow.”

Ivan pushed in behind her. “Why are you stopping? What do you see?”

The bridge wasn’t a room as much as an extra-wide stretched hallway. A long white countertop under the five-foot-high windows reached the full width of the deckhouse. Spread out along the counter, gauges, read-outs, radars, lights and switches flashed, beeped, and rolled.

Leah stepped closer to the windows. All the stacked containers and small bow area at the front of the ship came into view. When she leaned over the counter and looked down, she saw the deck where lounge chairs, cabana, and closed umbrellas lay unused. The ship really could be used for a cruise. She liked the idea of having fifteen fellow passengers instead of three thousand. Not that she’d ever been on a cruise.

Only a few crewmembers worked the console. The rest were probably eating. Behind her, Ivan rolled open a pocket door.

“What’s in here?” Ivan walked into the dimly lit room. Leah recognized the chart room right away.

“Ivan, don’t touch anything. I’m sure we’re not supposed to be here.”

He veered away from the large table and edged closer to the computer in the corner. His hand touched the mouse and the screen saver changed to a screen requiring a password. Leah clenched her teeth. “I said don’t touch anything.”

The boy huffed. “You said that for the table. Not the computer.”

Her hand wiped down her face. She was glad she didn’t have children. They would all be dead by his age. “Get out here.” She stepped back and closed the door after Ivan stepped into the aisle. “Stay right beside me.” On the counter closer to the crew, lay official looking papers. Maybe she could find the ship’s name or arrival time. She casually strolled closer.

One of the men glanced at her. “El capitán no está aquí. Vuelve más tarde.”

She smiled and nodded toward the guy, no clue what he said—something about the captain. Leah scooted forward a couple of steps, in view of a clipboard. From a side door, one of Otso’s men stepped onto the main floor. Leah snapped out her arm and pushed Ivan behind her. Someone was watching.

Otso’s man spoke to the crew and they all laughed. Probably a lewd joke aimed at her. He came toward her with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. Leah swallowed hard. This wasn’t a good idea. Leah whispered over her shoulder. “Ivan, let’s go.”

Suddenly the man stopped. Leah took the opportunity to move. She stepped back, spun around, and smacked her nose into the commander’s hard chest. A startled gasp escaped her. She bounced backward. He grabbed her arm above the elbow and pulled her to him. Breath caught in her throat from his electric touch. Her pulse raced.

His breath was rapid and shallow, continuously pressing his chest against hers. Heat from his body penetrated her thin dress. Her hand rested over his fast beating heart, able to slide up around his neck, or push away. Which did she want?

She looked up at him. This was the first time she had seen him close-up, in full light. His emerald eyes mesmerized her. Never had she seen such a deep, strong color. Lines across his forehead etched into the skin. Over his left eye, a long narrow scar ran vertically along his forehead. Probably from some asinine bar fight.

His weathered face told the lifestyle he lived. He was by no means pampered with exotic oils or lotions like the perfect men in her books. No. Otso was real. And now she found him even sexier than before, dammit. She’d never understand her hormones.

His drawn eyebrows released. Red flooded into his lips from a pressed, pale line. His embrace tingled her entire body, creating a need that demanded more. She wanted to touch his hot skin, to brush her lips along his scruffy jaw line, and feel the pressure of his body against hers.

In his eyes, she read the same hunger, the same need. The hand holding her arm slid behind her back, nudging her closer. He leaned forward, bringing his blushed face close. Leah shut her eyes, anticipating the rush when his lips covered hers. His breath on her neck weakened her knees.

“Do I have to keep you locked up to make sure you behave?”

What? He wasn’t going to-- Her cheeks flushed, burning hot. Desire fused into embarrassed anger. She jerked from his grasp.

Otso pushed her toward the entrance to the floor. He spoke from the side of his mouth. “If you make one sound, I will toss the boy overboard.”

She drew in a gasp. The bastard was going to use Ivan against her to get what he wanted. Standing against the cabinet, Ivan followed when they passed.

In front of the chart room, Leah jerked from his grasp. “How dare you threat—”

“I don’t ever want you up here again. Now, leave.” His jaw clenched and warm rose flushed his forehead. He was cute when mad. Ivan started to scamper around her, but Leah grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

She returned Otso’s leer. “Please.”

He drew his brows down, deepening the vertical lines between his eyes.

Leah put her hand on her hip. “Please. It’s a polite word commonly used so the requestor doesn’t sound like an ass.”

The boy’s mouth gaped. Otso and Leah scowled--eyes locked--neither giving in. The maritime clock mounted on the wall ticked louder and louder.

Otso slapped his hand over his eyes and slowly slid it down his face. He crossed his arms and leaned against the cabinet. He smirked. The smirk turned into a chuckle, the chuckle into a boisterous laugh.

Apprehension raced through Leah’s mind. This wasn’t the reaction she expected. She pushed Ivan forward. “Go!”

* * *

On the bridge, Hannes snickered from his exchange with an infuriating woman. Not only was she pretty, but she played him like a piano, knowing exactly which key to strike for the greatest effect.

But he realized her ploy: she was simply defying his authority to wear him down mentally. She knew he needed to be in control of everything around him. Control he almost lost minutes ago. Her body pressed against his chest, feeling her racing heart, the scent of a woman too intriguing to ignore. His body ached for the tender caress of her soft hands. When she looked up at him, her eyes…

The bear wanted her back by their side. He pushed the images from his mind. Only physical cravings, nothing more. Easily sated. They meant nothing. As long as he kept his beast and heart off limits, he’d survive. He was the bear king—bears had no mercy.

He looked out over the calming waters. Movement on the deck below attracted his attention. Leaning closer to the window, he watched the woman and boy walk onto the sunlit deck. The kid paced. Looked upset. Being around that woman, Hannes understood why.

She strolled to a lounge chair and reclined. The sun wrapped her. She tilted up her head, exposing the sinuous curve of her neck, the deep plunge in the dress. Her arms stretched over her head, sliding up the cotton hem to mid-thigh. An occasional breeze ruffled her hair.

His focus narrowed on the alluring siren. He envisioned himself straddling her hot body, gliding his hands over her luscious thighs, slowly sliding the dress up her silky body, divulging her--

“Quite a beautiful view, verdad?”

Hannes flinched at the gregarious captain’s voice. He turned to the captain. “Yes, beautiful day.” He needed to get away from her. Below, the woman rose from the chair and stood next to the boy, both staring into the distance. Hannes backed from the counter and glanced out the side window, the same direction as the two on deck. “Captain.” Hannes’ word rang with urgency.

The rotund man looked out the glass. “Dios mío.” His face paled.

FIFTEEN

After opening the door to the main deck, Leah drew in a breath of salty air and strolled across the warm wood. The cotton shift fluttered around her knees. She tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear.

Ivan stared at her. “What just happened?”

“He was pushy and rude. If I have to play nice, so can he.” She wasn’t going to mention Hannes’ ploy to use the boy against her.

Ivan freaked. “What?! Are you crazy?” He paced with shoestrings trailing behind. “I don’t know about you, but I’d like to continue breathing. That means keeping him happy!”

She side-stepped the round metal table with a closed umbrella and slid onto one of the lounge chairs. Leaning back, she tipped her chin up to appreciate the sun’s warmth and stretched her arms over her head. “Tie your shoes in double knots, now.”

“Geez.” He knelt and twice wrapped the bows. When finished, long loops drooped to the ground. “Hey, what’s that?”

She twisted around to follow Ivan’s sight line, staring out over the water. “What’s what?”

“That. Out there?”

Leah pushed from the lounger and stopped, rooted to the wood. This was the first time she had been on the top deck during the day. At night, only black existed beyond rail. Her pulse tripled, breaths became shallow and fast. Water.

She was supposed to die by drowning—according to her nightmares. The image felt more like a movie than a nocturnal fantasy. And she’d dreamed the same scene enough times to believe it.

She is underwater, standing on a riverbed. Behind her, a car sinks into the frame, front end bumping onto the ground, followed by the rear. Her dead eyes stare directly into the camera. Her hair hovers around her face, as if in outer space. Air bubbles seep from the corner of her mouth, a tiny train of dots defying gravity. What happens after the caboose floats out?

“Leah,” Ivan’s voice pulled her from the depths. He leaned against the railing. “It’s two little boats.” The brisk breeze cooled their backs from the intense sun while they stared at the horizon.

“Motorboats? In the middle of the Atlantic Ocean? That’s not possible.”

“Maybe they’re stranded on an island or got lost in a storm and have been floating for weeks. Maybe they had to take a string and put a pin on the end to catch fish and save rain water 'cause they can’t drink the sea water. Oh, I bet if they’ve been out long enough, they had to resort to eating--”

“Ivan, enough.” How could someone have such an imagination? “You watch too many movies.”

He raised his arms over his head. “Hey! Hey, over there!”

“Ivan, they can’t begin to hear you. Besides, they’re headed straight at us--fast.” Was this a rescue? She heard a faint pop.

“What was that?” Ivan bent over the solid railing. Leah sprang toward the boy, ready to grab him if he started to fall over.

Crewmembers along the aft yelled and ran down the aisle, shoving through doors. Another pop and a ting echoed off the steel, closer this time. The boats charged with no sign of slowing. Behind her more men shouted and scrambled toward the deck house.

A squalling alarm cut through the gentle breeze.

She grabbed Ivan’s waistband and pushed him to the deck floor. “Ivan, the boats are shooting at us!”

SIXTEEN

For late October, the weather sparkled: soft cool breeze, warm sun, soothing sounds of water as it lapped against the ship, and gunfire.

Leah and Ivan crouched behind the solid metal railing surrounding most of the ship. She could hardly breathe. “There’s a guy standing on the front of the speed boat with a gun! Get the commander, then go to your cabin and lock the door.” She pushed on his back. “Keep your head down!”

Ivan bent over and kept running.

This was no rescue--didn’t the good guys ask first then shoot? Leah peeked over the top of the white rail. The small boats bounced through the waves. The motors’ high-pitched hums wound down. Several darkly clothed figures stood in the slowing vessels.

Her heart pounded as her brain tried to think. The duel engine motorboats maneuvered in the ship’s wake at least twenty feet below the main deck. She ducked her head and sat against the hot metal. Unless they could fly, how would they climb the side? Maybe they were safe after all.

Directly overhead, a three-claw hook the size of a basketball sailed over the handrail and snapped back toward her face. Her body dove to the side--but not fast enough. The claw slid over her collarbone and sank into soft shoulder tissue. Searing pain encompassed her upper body. Leah screamed and pulled away, tearing her body from the sliding hook.

Her dress ripped at the shoulder and blood darkened the powder-puff material. She pulled down the fabric onto her arm. It wasn’t as bad as she imagined. It still needed stitches. Ugh, she hated needles and everything associated with them.

When the grappling locked onto the railing, Leah scrambled to her feet and peered over. A man in one of the visitors’ boats stepped onto the first rope-ladder rung attached to the hook. She had to do something. Adrenaline drowned any pain and fear. A few steps away, the chair that cradled her seconds ago sat in the sun. She picked up the lightweight lounger, stepped up to the railing, and flung it at the guy on the ladder. Strike! The chair smashed into the man’s head, knocking him off the rope. 

She ran for the other chair next to the umbrella table. She hurried back and tossed it over. The man climbing the rope extended his arm and knocked the projectile away. Several feet away, another grappling flew over the rail and hooked.

She spun around, desperate for a weapon. She ran to the table and yanked on the umbrella. It slid a few inches, but didn’t come out. Dammit, this wasn’t the time to play tug-of-war. Grabbing the bound yellow material and pole, Leah bolted with the table in tow. She slammed the aluminum stand against a rusty container box, jarring the umbrella free.

A man’s head popped over the rail. She swung. The umbrella’s hard plastic tip hit him squarely in the temple. The fragile skull bone caved in, and he fell backward.

The next man on the ladder dashed to the top. She jabbed at him, but he grabbed the umbrella’s tip and jerked her side to side. With tired arms, she tugged on the pole. On the other rope, men dressed in black flipped over the side and onto the deck. One pointed his assault rifle at her the same time the man on the ladder released the umbrella. She stumbled backward toward the container stacks. The umbrella jolted from her hands, and she felt her feet come out from under her. Fear clouded her mind. Who was going to save them? “Otso! Where are you?”

Across the deck, the door leading to the crew’s quarters flung open. Single shot and semi-automatic machine guns erupted. Leah plunged to the deck, smashing her bloodstained arm. Razors raced to her fingers. Fucking hell that hurt.

More men clambered over the ship’s side. Others fell onto the wood decking, dead. Leah covered her ears and scooted toward the side aisle.

Her mind flashed to a time twenty years ago. Explosions shook the bathroom doorknob she was turning. Her small hand snapped back as if touching a hot coal. One blue eye, one brown eye. Silver double barrels. Gun shots. Daddy lying at her feet, a bloody mass on the hall floor. He abandoned her, left her to face the anger and retaliation on her own. She hated him.

She screamed with the same panic, fear, and helplessness she had two decades ago.

One of the men looked at her and grinned. She launched to her feet, knocking the umbrella table into the aisle. She hurtled it, jarring her shoulder, and sprinted down the corridor. Dodging poles, ropes, and deck cleats, she ran toward an open door. If she could lock it behind her… A hand grabbed her right arm and yanked her off her feet.

Leah punched and kicked a tall, slender man. A few feet behind him, Ivan jumped off a low stack of containers. What was he doing? She told him to stay in his room. The dark-skinned invader pulled a gun from under his shirt. Leah kicked his crotch and slapped the weapon from his hand. Ivan watched it land next to a yellow cargo box then he kicked their attacker.

The invader dug his hand into Ivan’s hair and swung the boy toward the railing. “No!” She lunged, hoping to grab a hold of his leg, but was only able to swat the boy’s red sneaker. His foot snapped to the deck, and the double-knotted shoestrings hooked over a cleat. Ivan tore from the strong arms and crashed to the metal grating. The man roared like a beast denied its food.

Leah rushed up the aisle, snatched the aluminum umbrella table, and dashed back. The man had Ivan around the waistband and back of his T-shirt, tugging and yanking. The shoestrings held. 

Adrenaline pumping, Leah slammed the aluminum table over the man’s head. He stopped cold and collapsed on top of Ivan. The boy scurried from under the load. Leah tossed the table to the side and hooked onto to the vandal’s arm. “Pick him up!”

Ivan unwrapped his sneaker from the cleat and grabbed the other arm and they tossed the man overboard. “I told you to stay in the cabin.”

He cocked his head. “I’m saving your ass.”

“Watch your mouth. I can take care of myself.” At the end of the aisle, several other men dove into the water. Gunfire stopped. “Stay here.” Leah darted toward the battlefield. Seeing the carnage, she slapped her hand over her dangling mouth. Bodies lay scattered. Smoke floated like heavy fog settling on land before daybreak. Burnt gunpowder coated her tongue.

She scanned the area for Otso, but everyone looked the same through the hazy shadows. She looked back at Ivan untucking his T-shirt and wondered if he should see the massacre. Leah knew the nightmares one dead man left with her.

Deckhands ran to the railing and unloaded their guns on the fleeing speedboats. Leah grabbed Ivan’s hand and swept him through their surreal surroundings toward the deckhouse door. He would be safe, locked inside his room.

Otso and Axel stepped out from behind containers on the other side of the ship. Leah almost cried out with relief. They were safe; everything would be okay.

An explosion behind her jolted her body forward. She covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut. Moving blindly, her foot lodged under something squishy. Her eyes popped open and stared at a dead body at her feet.

“GET DOWN!” Otso’s voice pounded in her head. Not a problem getting down for her. Momentum carried her over the corpse and gravity slammed her onto the decking. A barrage of bullets flashed over her head. What was happening?

Two men dressed in black, carrying rifles, slipped through the deckhouse door.