Waking the Bear (Shifter Wars) (10 page)

Someone was watching her.

Dangerous.

Who or what stared at her, she didn’t know, but she felt it. Her heart raced and her palms dampened. Griff shouldn’t have told her about the creatures in the forest so many times. Now, she had a complex.

She whipped her head around, trying to spot whatever it was that watched her. A low growl sounded nearby, almost lost in the trickling water.

Adrenaline shot through her like a streak of cold lightning, and her arms filled with goose bumps.

After closing the sketchbook and palming the pencil, she slid down the rock to the ground. Her hands shook and she leaned against the rock for cover. Dread coiled in her stomach, and she searched for the source of the sound.

She didn’t want to run toward whatever beast was making the noise, and she didn’t know which direction it came from. She wasn’t sure she could outrun anything.

Then she heard it. A huffing, semi-snarl.

She gasped and her heart rate blasted higher. It was all she could do to stifle a scream.

Across the stream, a mountain lion crouched and drank, its pink tongue lapping up the cold water.

She stopped.

Lean and graceful, the lion’s curves were beautiful and its golden fur glistened in the sunlight. Beautiful but dangerous. She’d never known a mountain lion could get to be so big. Large as the African lions she’d seen at the Atlanta zoo, only it didn’t have a mane. A mountain lion, for sure.

A deadly picture.

The lion raised its head from the water and faced her, and Amy swore she saw it smile, with glimpses of teeth. Its golden eyes, flecked with what looked like metallic glitter, seared into her, and she backed away, willing her feet to run, but instead, she stumbled backward. She dropped her sketchbooks and dashed to the fallen tree.

She fell, landing on her backside in the dirt and scratching her hands on the rocks. She brushed off her hands, never taking her sight off the lion. The big cat paced, huffing.

The lion likely could jump over the stream.
Probably...no, definitely
. She’d seen house cats leap nearly that far and this was one big cat. Paralyzed from a cocktail of fear and adrenaline, Amy stared, her mouth gone dry and her tongue sticking to the roof of her mouth. Her heart thudded and she tried again to move, but her legs wouldn’t obey.

The cat snarled and hissed, its whiskers twitching as it paced. When it crouched, Amy closed her eyes and covered her head. She should’ve listened to Griff and stayed close to the cabin.

I’m going to die and it’s going to be painful
.

She could’ve sworn she smelled the lion’s breath, hot on her neck, but that wasn’t possible from the distance. Her whole body shook, her legs ice and unable to move. If she looked at the lion again, it’d shred her face to ribbons.

Griff was right. She wasn’t even far from the cabin. No amount of yelling was going to get him—or anyone else—there in time to save her.

She peeked and saw that the lion was trying to cross the stream with one paw on a rock partly in the water. No way it’d make it across at that point. She saw a fallen tree branch with a broken limb she could wield if the creature succeeded.

The most deafening roar sounded, followed by a splash that sent a shower of water onto the boulder where she had sat. Splashes sounded and she looked.

Holy shit!

Wrestling with the mountain lion was a large brown bear. The bear was the largest bear she’d ever seen, in zoos or on TV. Like a grizzly or something. If it’d been white, it would’ve been a giant polar bear. It towered over the lion, lips raised in a deadly snarl.

There aren’t grizzlies in New York. Right?

What the hell was this creature?

Her heart worked overtime and she remained locked in place, unable to move. The bear stood on its hind legs and growled again as it pawed at a fresh gash on its face. The brown fur on its cheek was overrun with dark and wet red.

Blood
.

The lion crouched and hissed, its ears flattened against its head and its eyes drawn into angry slits. It had attacked the bear and now assumed a defensive posture. It tried to circle, but the bear wasn’t taking the bait. The bear growled and pawed at the air like it was trying to scare the lion away. She grabbed a large stick and held it like a club, then ran toward the path. If she had to fight her way out of this, she would.

Somehow.

The lion roared and the sound echoed through the forest like a call to arms.

The urge to throw up hit the back of her throat, but as quickly as it came, it was gone. Her legs shook and her heart hammered. Her breaths came short and shallow. Either animal could turn on her and kill her with little effort. She wouldn’t be able to outrun or fight either one of them.

Her only chance was to run while they occupied each other’s attention but her hands shook so hard she could barely hold the stick, much less move. Fear like she’d never felt froze her in place, and another wave of nausea rolled over her. She tried to take in a breath to help settle her fear, but her lungs strained with effort and her stomach clenched.

No way this was happening.

A bear and mountain lion fighting not ten feet away from her was not real.

Certainly not the relaxation she had come to the mountains for.

She regained control of her legs, and didn’t wait to see which animal made the next move. She ran toward the cabin, hoping neither animal cared enough to chase her.

Chapter Ten

Griff patted at his face with his paw, careful to avoid the tender parts with his claws. The wound stung as the air hit raw flesh. The lion had run off through the woods at top speed. It hadn’t stayed to fight to the death.

Dammit! Coward!

The lion had gotten in a quick swipe that hit its target and now Griff was injured. He moved so damned fast, like a martial artist or something. In a moment, the lion was gone, running off into the forest underbrush.

I must’ve surprised him.
It was the only explanation that made any sense.

The damned lion seemed so familiar. Griff had scented him before.

Oh my gods.

Evers.

Why didn’t I realize it immediately?
Griff sniffed the air but didn’t smell any more lions. That was odd, a lone lion this far into Deep Creek territory; even a rogue like Evers usually wouldn’t be allowed. Not if he were operating under Maximillian’s orders.

Usually where there was one lion, there were several, and yet nothing now. No lions nearby.

He traipsed through the stream, his claws clicking against the stones on the creek bed, the water cooling his foot pads.

So Elijah was right, as usual. He’d have to call him and tell him he’d run into Evers.

Evers had recognized Griff. He’d fought like someone bent on revenge, even though they hadn’t seen each other since they were teenagers. The scent was there.

Clearly the rage was still there, too.

They had a lot of unfinished business, Griff knew that. He was more than ready to finish it, but not in front of Amy. She’d run off, hopefully to the cabin. He climbed up the stream bank and shook the water out of his fur. He’d seen her leave so he knew she’d gotten away.

He sat for a moment. Evers blamed him for his parents’ death, and Griff would like nothing more than to be able to explain what happened that day.

He knew the awful pain of losing parents. Even though the lions were their sworn enemies, he wanted Evers to know his mother was dead when he got to the car and his dad had died shortly afterward. Elijah had tried to tell Evers but he wouldn’t listen.

Evers’s father had lost too much blood. He couldn’t be saved, even though he’d shifted. It had taken every ounce of strength Griff had to carry the lion to the cave Sentinels. They’d taken the body into the cave then, coming out later and saying it had been too late to save him.

Griff had nightmares for months after what he saw that day. The blood, the lion so limp in his arms. The hollow look in the Sentinels’ eyes as he brought Evers’s dead mother to the cave, too.

This movie had played a zillion times in Griff’s head.

He’d deal with Evers. One way or another, they’d have their showdown. For now, he needed to get to Amy and make sure she was okay.

But not in his bear suit.

He relaxed, letting his large bear body morph into man. The warm spring sun shone on him, drying him as he shifted. Claws, fur, ears—all dissolved and shrank and were replaced by his human form. His arms and legs grew shorter and muscles withered. Changing to human was never as painful as morphing to bear.

He grimaced at the harsh stinging on his cheek and he hoped it wasn’t bad enough to need stitches. Wounds sure hurt more in human form, and Evers had gotten in a swift swipe with his razor-sharp claws before retreating.

Thankfully shifters healed quickly.

He headed to the rock where he’d dropped his clothing, not far from where Amy had been sketching.

One thing Griff knew for sure: Evers would be back.

Another thing he was certain of: he needed to find Amy and make sure she was okay.

He’d been clear that she wasn’t safe wandering around the forest and yet there she was, trotting down the path like a lamb to slaughter.

Dammit!

Stubborn female—oblivious to the dangers outside and not listening to her mate.

He stomped over to his clothing. Not that he planned to mate her. That didn’t mean she should ignore his warnings and go out in the woods alone. He couldn’t tell her that these woods weren’t like normal woods. This forest held beasts that would rend a human to pieces and not think twice about it.

He pulled on his underwear and pants, then his T-shirt. Amy could’ve died. The thought sickened him. He yanked up his pants and zipped them.

Even if he wasn’t going to mate her, she was still his intended and he was also her landlord. If Evers ever found out their relationship, even though Amy didn’t know they were mates, she’d be
Lion Public Enemy Number One
.

Griff slipped his shoes on. He glanced around at the underbrush and into the forest and scented the air again. No sign of Evers.

Tracks into the woods where he ran away, and the slash on Griff’s cheek, were the only things that remained. The water splashed and gurgled in the creek like nothing had happened. Amy’s sketchbook lay on the ground, sprawled open on the dirt. He picked it up and dusted it off.

He pulled his phone from his jeans pocket.

Any service?

Wow, he must be close enough to the valley tower because he had four bars. He looked around again to make sure he was alone then he speed-dialed Elijah.

“Hello?” Elijah answered.

“I saw him.”

“Where?” Elijah’s voice grew strong. “Did he hurt you?”

“I’m okay.” Griff continued to scan the area. Nothing. “Down at the stream below my family cabin. He got in a swipe to my cheek then ran off. Just a scratch.”

Elijah grumbled on the other end of the line.

“I wanted to give you a quick update, but now I’ve got to go check on my mate. She was at the stream when I saw him.”

“What?” The line went quiet.

Shit.

“Mate? Who...?” Elijah now spoke fast and loud.

Great. He hadn’t meant to come out with that. Now Elijah had both Evers and Amy to worry about.

“Gotta run. Will talk to you soon. Bye.” Griff clicked off the phone then silenced the ringer.

He grinned. Elijah would be beside himself trying to figure out who his mate was. He’d fill him in later. Right now, he needed to find Amy.

He touched his cheek and winced.
This hurts like hell
.

Griff had to come up with a plan to keep Amy safe. One she would willingly participate in or not know about at all. Evers wouldn’t have followed her to the cabin this time, since Griff was nearby. He’d put things together. Evers would figure out she was at least someone Griff knew.

He wasn’t a stupid lion, just an irrational one.

Griff grimaced as the stinging pain in his face pulsed. Blood dribbled onto his shirt, a few drops at a time.

“Dammit!” He held his arm to the cut to stave the bleeding. He needed to clean and bandage the wound quickly. Amy might think he was a freak if he showed up on her doorstep bleeding, but then again, it was an excuse to go by the cabin to check on her. There was a first aid kit there.

Fuck it. I’m going
.

He steadied himself against a tree trunk, leaning back and waiting on things to settle. He hadn’t lost too much blood. This was purely an emotional rush, a crash from the adrenaline high. Too many conflicting emotions, and he was in turmoil.

Amy was fine and he’d fuss at her for being out in the woods all alone. He didn’t want to worry her
.
With her sketchbook under his arm, he climbed the hill toward the cabin. When he got to the yard, he saw her ratty car was still parked outside.

“Good,” he mumbled. He wiped at his cheek again. It throbbed even more after the exertion of climbing the hill to the cabin, but he took long breaths. His shifter magic was already beginning the healing process.

He stepped onto the porch and knocked, then wiped his feet on the doormat. A tiny strand of fear coiled in his stomach and then wrapped through his psyche like a wisp of smoke. She’d made it back okay.

Of course she had.

He’d protected her, as he should.

The door creaked open a sliver and a shadow passed behind it. “Who... Griff!” Amy opened it fully. “What happened to you? Oh my god, your face is bleeding. A lot.”

“I, uh, can I sit down?” Griff pressed his hand over the wound. He tried not to smile but his heart felt like it did a flip at seeing her. She was safe. His beautiful mate was okay. “Oh, and here’s your sketchbook. You must have forgotten it.” He pushed the book forward.

“Come on in.” Amy tugged him by the arm and took the sketchbook. “Thanks. Let me see that injury.”

“Thank you.” He stumbled inside, one eye covered with his hand over the cut on his cheek. Dizzy, and he was getting a headache.

“What on earth happened?” She pulled out a chair at the kitchen table. “Sit.” She tossed the sketchbook onto the living room couch.

He sat in the chair and leaned on the table. “I was, umm, gathering firewood. Closer to your place than mine. Tripped and fell. Must have landed on a stick. Easy to do.”

“That is a nasty cut. Almost like a long, deep scratch.” She moved his hand to examine the wound. Her hands shook as she touched his cheek. “Stay here and I’ll get something to clean you up with.” She headed for the bathroom.

“Thank you.” He shivered at her touch and the dregs of any anger he felt at her ignoring his warning faded. She was okay and that was all that mattered.

His bear would start healing the wound quickly, but for now, the cut hurt like crazy. The fight with the lion had tired him out, and now that the adrenaline had left his body, he was getting sleepy again. He needed to rest so he could heal.

He hoped she believed his story. No way he could explain what really happened. Not now.

Maybe not ever.

She was stressed from the encounter at the creek. He sensed her fear, though she hid it well. She was alive and okay and that was the most important thing.

Sure, there were humans who knew about the Deep Creek Bears. Quite a few humans in Oakwood knew. The bears were very careful with who they told, because if the news got out to the public that a band of shifters existed—much less lived in the area—the whole dynamic of Deep Creek would change.

Elijah said the government would probably swoop in and try to round everyone up for testing. Same with the lions. The shifters tried to keep their secrets, secret. If he and Amy ever mated things would be different, but that was a moot point. Right now he needed to keep her safe, and that was the extent of her need to know.

Amy reappeared from the bathroom with a wet rag. “Let me see it.”

He moved his arm away and squinted. How would she react?

“That’s a pretty big cut.” She frowned. “What did you land on, a machete?”

“Hardee-har. I’m not whining that much, am I?” He shook his head. “Just a stick.”

“It’s long, but I don’t think it’s deep enough to need stitches.” She pressed the warm rag against his cheek and rested her other hand on his shoulder. “It needs treatment.”

“Ouch.” He pulled back but she reached for him. Warm tingles spread through his body, even though his face stung. She was so close he could pull her to him with little effort, wrap his arms around her and tug her close. His bear growled, making it clear that it wasn’t going to wait for his human to decide that being with her was the right idea.

He closed his eyes and focused on pushing the bear back into its cage.

“Aww, I’m sorry you’re hurting.” She touched his chin and tipped his face up. “You’re lucky, you know. You could’ve poked out your eye.” She dabbed at the cut. “Then we’d be dealing with another problem. Still, this is a pretty horrible wound.”

He breathed her in.
God, she smells good. Mate.

Her leg brushed against his, sending jolts up his thigh, and his cock stirred.
Not now, dammit!

She nudged the wound with the edge of the cloth, oblivious to the effect she had on him.

So what? He could protect her. He was strong.

She touched the wound with the washcloth edge.

“Ouch!” Pain killed the sexy-times mood and he leaned away from her again.

“Hold still. There’s dirt in the cut and I need to clean it well or you’re going to get a nasty infection. It’ll feel better once I put some medicine on it.”

She peered closer at the wound, her hand on his shoulder, and he closed his eyes as her sweet breath warmed his face.

Mate
. His heart thundered. He needed her. Bone deep, soul deep, he
needed
her. He didn’t want to wait. He’d never felt a pull so fierce. Nothing like this. Something wrapped around his soul and squeezed as it bound him and Amy together.

Now he understood the way his friends changed when they found their mates. The way they acted like stupid cubs, all lovesick and dumbstruck.

Dammit. Why now?

He could imagine Elijah just grinning. Teasing him on the phone had not been very nice, but he owed Elijah some payback.

The lions would take her away from him if they got the chance.

The thought of loving Amy then losing her pretty much crushed any desire to pursue any kind of relationship. He’d put her in danger by being near her. Elijah would be sad to hear that. He opened his eyes and peered into hers.

As long as lions walked in Deep Creek, he couldn’t have Amy.

My beautiful, perfect Amy.

“What’s wrong?” Amy raised her eyebrows. “Sorry it hurts, but I need to make sure it’s clean before I put a bandage on it.” She smiled. “Suck it up, tough guy.”

“I’m okay.” He said it with his mouth but not his heart. He was most definitely not okay.
I won’t be okay till she’s mine
. And she couldn’t be his. Not really. Not unless a miracle happened and the lions left. A war would only cause heartache for both sides.

Couldn’t he have both?

Why not?

Maybe he could. His bear growled agreement.

She stopped and caught his gaze and for a moment, time stopped. He pulled her closer, his bear intent on feeling her lips on his.

Just a kiss.

He closed his eyes...

“Hold this on your cheek. I’ll be right back.” She tossed him a clean kitchen towel as she leapt out of the way. “I need to get the first aid kit out of the bathroom.”