Waking the Bear (Shifter Wars) (8 page)

“I’ll be there.”

He was smiling as she took off.

The town’s short buildings buzzed by like a line graph, and she was soon on the winding state highway toward the cabin. The mountains rose around her, greening up from their winter nap, with snowy patches on shadowy rock faces. An occasional bird flew from the underbrush and up into the clear sky where the air was pure and thin. Spring had most certainly come to Oakwood.

She was not seeing Griff till Friday. That gave her three full days to start painting or at least sketching some new projects. Already, over a week out of her two months in the mountains had flown by, and she wasn’t going to look back when the time was over and be upset that she wasted it on a man.

Not even a man like Griff Martin.

Especially a man like Griff.

Chapter Eight

Evers stared into the dark thicket of woods, with the winding trails and tree branches crisscrossing like a forbidden briar patch around a fairy-tale castle. Only there was no castle and the only fairy tale was a dark one about a knight losing his parents to a dragon who took bear form. He spit on the ground.

An evil bear who now patrolled the very same woods he now scanned.

A bear who was soon going to be slayed.

He could almost taste Griff’s blood on his tongue.

Was now the right time? Should he go against Max’s orders and hunt Griff down before the lions attacked the bears? He shook his head.
I’m not sure what to do.

Anger bubbled in his gut and he clenched his fists. Somewhere underneath the anger, grief ran deep. He’d buried it well and rarely did it creep through the mire of hatred and revenge to surface enough that he was upset. He missed his parents. They were the only people he’d ever loved. It was a rare day that he even allowed himself to think about them, much less miss them.

What was the point? They were gone.

Taken.

They’d been so happy. Evers remembered them talking about the future and about how he’d be the first in the family to go to college. The first to get away from the pride and have the chance to go further in life, even away from the pride and Deep Creek if he wanted. His father had been so proud. Evers grimaced. He’d not considered college since the day they died. Revenge had tainted his thoughts and those dreams had died.

If he could get Max’s approval to take out Griff now, the job would be so much easier. Deep down, he really didn’t want to disappoint the old lion. He’d been decent to Evers after the death of his parents.

Evers had disappointed him already. How many more times would Max tolerate or forgive before he exiled Evers? This could be his last chance.

Hands on hips, he paced, his boots clicking against the hard ground. Not a sound came from the trees or underbrush and the air was still and gloomy with the weight of anticipation. The humidity was high for spring, and Evers wiped sweat from his forehead.

Where are the twins?

Maybe everything and everyone was lying low and waiting on his next move. He was his pride’s Enforcer, after all. A powerful position, and one that he’d earned through hard work and deeds.

Maybe he should wait to see what the plan was to attack. Maybe he could stand a few more weeks before killing Griff, if that’s what Max thought was best.

No. The bear had lived long enough. Time to pay for his crimes.

What would come next? Evers scowled. The very grass waited to grow underneath his feet and at his command. He straightened and set his jaw tight.

Griff doesn’t stand a chance.

He wanted to go after the bear right then. Every shifter cell in his body, lion and man, wanted Griff dead before the summer sun rose over the mountains again.

There they are.
He heard their footsteps and turned to see the twins approaching. Dressed alike in black leather jackets and dark jeans, their black hair brushed their shoulders. Most people couldn’t tell them apart, but Evers could. Mason had fallen from a tree when they were kids, breaking his nose and leaving it at a slight perpetual slant to the left.

“Evers, you can’t go after Griff yet.” Marco walked along the edge of the trail, little puffs of dust billowing in his wake.

“Max will be furious.” Mason snapped a twig between his fingers. “You could ruin everything he’s planning.”

Evers scowled. The twins wouldn’t stop him, but they’d try to talk him out of going after Griff, that was for sure. They had his best interest in mind—second to what they thought was best for the pride, of course. That was okay.

They had their priorities, he had his.

“Don’t be stupid.” Marco stepped closer. “You can’t do this on your own.”

“Really?” Evers laughed. He took a step back from Marco. The lion’s presence took up a lot more space than his shadow.

“It’s dangerous.” Marco stuck his hands in his pockets.

“What are you going to do to stop me?” The lion twins hadn’t lost their family. They didn’t understand.

“You’ll probably die if you try to take the bear by yourself. Lions don’t hunt alone. Not with the number of bears out there. You know that.” Marco scowled. “Wait for us to help.”

Marco looked more regal every day. More powerful. He was a bigger lion than Evers, and super smart. Evers really didn’t want to go against him, but he’d have to take his chances since the twins weren’t going to budge from their position. “This has nothing to do with either of you. Or Max. This is my issue.”

Mason blew out a breath. “We’ve got more work to do before we’re ready to go after the bears. I attack to win.”

“We won’t lose.” Evers kicked the dirt. “We’re too strong and too smart. The bears, not so much.”

“Yet they control the Cave of Whispers,” Marco said. “You have no way of knowing for sure that we’ll win, and your plan feels like a suicide mission. We need a foolproof strategy, and that takes time. One that gives us the best chance and risks the fewest people.”

The twins were telling him the same thing. Big surprise. They were always in sync with what their father said. It made sense, he guessed. Marco was the more outspoken of the two. Probably the smartest, too. He’d be the likely successor to Max.

Evers knew what was best, and he couldn’t discount the gut feeling that said go after Griff now.

People didn’t always agree with him and he was used to being second-guessed, but it never stopped him. “I’m ready to attack. I think the pride is ready. We gathered a lot of information over the winter.”

“You’re ready to take out Griff. We all know that. We understand why.” Marco scratched his head. “You’ve waited this long. What’s it hurt to wait a little longer while we prepare the whole pride for an offensive attack?”

Evers snarled. “I’ve waited long enough.”

“I don’t think we’d be surprising them with an attack now.” Mason stared into the woods. “They’re ready for us.”

Evers watched the sun, its rays reaching out toward the lion compound as it set. In another hour, it’d be dark. Max would be at dinner, waiting for his two sons and his adopted son to join him.

Marco nodded. “A little patience, Evers. We’ll all have our revenge and will get the cave back, too.”

“I don’t really care about the cave. My father was murdered there.” Evers leaned against a pine tree, feeling its vibration through his back and smelling the sap running warm in its trunk. His lion panted.
Run.
Kill.
Escape the pride compound and go far, fast. Maybe he couldn’t take the entirety of Deep Creek by himself but he could take out Griff.

“The cave is an important part of our heritage,” Mason said. “My father cares about it, and he cares about Shoshannah, too.”

Marco nodded. “Once we regain control, we’ll be able to use the power of the ancients to help us keep the cave forever.”

“Like the bears do now?” Evers picked at a leaf. “I don’t see them using some mystical creature to control Deep Creek. If they were, wouldn’t they have used all that power to wipe us out by now?”

“They aren’t the rightful owners.” Mason rubbed his chin. “We are.”

“Says you.” Evers shook his head. The whole Cave of Whispers bullshit was a bunch of nonsense. “We don’t know what lives inside that cave, if anything.”

“The location is strategic,” Mason said. “That’s reason enough.”

“Regardless, you shouldn’t go against my father,” Marco said. “He’s been good to you. Treated you like another son. Yet you disrespect him for your own selfish desires. I’m disappointed in you.”

No, he shouldn’t go against Max. He knew that. Still, that lingering voice in his head kept repeating that Griff had killed his parents. That voice was going to win.

“I’m not trying to disrespect Max.” Evers pushed down the rage that boiled inside. His quarrel wasn’t with Marco or Mason or even Max, and he couldn’t let them get to him or drag him into another argument. His issue was one hundred percent with Griff. He was going to take care of that, even without the twins’ approval. “Some things, a lion has to do on his own.”

A loud clanging rang out from the center of the compound and they all turned in the direction of the noise.

“Time to eat.” Marco patted his stomach. “I think I smelled stew when I walked by the kitchen earlier. Are you coming, Evers? We can continue this conversation over food.”

Mason stuck his hands in his jeans pockets. “Let’s go. You’ll feel better after you eat. No more vigilante mission plans. We run together. Hunt together. Like always.”

The twins waited and Evers closed his eyes a moment. He remembered Max pushing him on the tire swing, encouraging him to go higher. Evers had been afraid and Marco and Mason had laughed—until Max had given them a look that shut them down. Evers really didn’t want to hurt the old lion.

He owed his own father’s memory. Max had to understand that.

“Go on without me.” Evers crossed his arms, aware his voice trembled as he spoke. “I’m not hungry. I’m going to stay out here and think. I need to be alone.”

“Promise us you won’t go after Griff.” Marco touched Evers’s shoulder. “I don’t want you getting into trouble, or worse.”

Evers looked into the forest. Somewhere out there, Griff patrolled. As a ranger for the area, he’d be out at least once a day now, driving the roads and checking the forest for any dangers. Alone.

A prime target.

“I can’t make that promise.” He didn’t look at the twins. “I’m sorry.” This job was going his, and his alone.

The sun glared red over the tops of the houses as it set, casting a warm glow over the roofs, and a lone bird called for its mate from somewhere nearby in the trees. Evers shivered in the cooling air as a breeze puffed by. His lion paced, pushing harder to be set free.

To find his prey.

The dinner bell clanged again, this time in longer bursts.

“I wish you’d wait, but I know you’ll do what you want. Be careful if you decide to go it alone. Holler if you need us.” Marco headed toward the rec center then stopped and turned. “Don’t forget that a lot of us have grudges with the bears. You aren’t the only one wanting revenge.”

“I know. Right now, I need some time to think.”

“Thinking is helpful.” Marco patted Evers on the back. “Whatever you decide, know that I’m with you in spirit. I know how much you’re hurting. I can’t go against my father and travel this path with you, brother.”

“I understand. This is my path alone.” He really didn’t want the twins upset with him. As annoying as they could be at times, they were the closest thing he had to family. “I’m going for a run to think.”

“Be careful,” Marco said.

“I will.” Evers took a cleansing breath. His lion paced faster.
Soon.

Marco turned to Mason. “Let’s give him his space.”

“Yeah. Let’s get dinner.” Mason jogged over to Marco. “See you soon, Evers.”

The twins headed toward the compound, power in their swagger.

Evers watched the two of them walk away.
I’m the one with the most to lose. I lost it already. They can’t understand.

Inside, his lion moaned in pain. Coming back to Deep Creek ripped away the bandages he’d applied to the wounds and exposed raw nerve endings. The deaths felt like yesterday, not years ago, and the only salve would be taking care of the bear who’d caused the pain.

A singular focus.

Now, to think.

Plan.

Attack.

His lion roared.

Evers’s eyes rolled back into his head as the skin pulled and stretched to impossible lengths to cover the new facial structure that was much larger than his human form. His skull expanded, fractured and lengthened as muscle spread over it and skin pulled taut. The crack of bones and deep ache of rapid growth made him dizzy, and he tried to breathe to calm himself as he transformed.

Nausea overtook him and he vomited, even as his body lengthened to accommodate his new shape.

He’d never get used to how shifting felt, yet he’d never give up the ability, either. The pain wasn’t unbearable, but it was such an odd sensation to feel everything but his very essence change form. His bones grew and new ones stacked to form a whip of a tail. Strong legs became even stronger crouching legs, and his arms shifted to thick front legs with padded paws and razor claws.

After vomiting again, he pawed at the ground to cover the mess. He ached. From his massive head to the tip of his tail, he ached.

He roared the pain away, then panted as the last of his body stretched and morphed to lion. He was twice his human size and three times his former muscle. Human emotions lessened when he was lion, so that meant he could think more clearly and objectively.

His parents?
Dead
.

Cause?
A bear
.

Recourse?
Death
.

Things were clear now.

The orange glow of the sun looked like it contained a thousand shades of fire and ash and the blue sky cracked and crystallized overhead. He stretched. He could spot an insect at fifty feet and identify it.

Being a lion was amazing.

He held out a tawny paw and listened before taking a step farther into the dark woods. A drop of water, somewhere, fell from perhaps a leaf, or branch, into a small puddle. The scent of wet mud and clayed soil filled his nostrils and he breathed them in. Squirrel excrement. Decaying leaves. Ruffled lichenous bark.

Nature awaited.

Run
.

A rabbit,
close
, the rapid beating of its tiny heart and the twitching of its nose hitting his ears. His whiskers shuddered. A flutter of feathers as a plump bird took flight in the distance.

Dinner
.

He ran into the stand of trees, the damp earth soft and cool under his paws. Skin slid over muscle as he moved, warmth seeping into every part of his body. He panted to cool himself.

He was lion.

Run.

He would go after Griff. Might not be today, but he wouldn’t stop till the bear had suffered.