Exposed Memories

by Sienna Aylen

  Emma leaned back into him and let out a soft groan. “Having you serve me chocolate mousse in bed does sound delicious. All right, Damien, you have yourself a bet.”

  Emma ran the tip of her finger over the faint white lines on Damien’s forearm. She’d debated asking him about them a few times but hadn’t wanted to pry. Now that she’d promised to stay, her curiosity was eating her alive. “Damien, how’d you get these?”

  He brought his arms higher around her stomach and nodded toward the scars. “I got those five years ago. It’s a tradition for the new Alpha to challenge the old Alpha to a duel to prove we have the strength and cunning to take over running the entire Clan. When I challenged my father, neither one of us held back. He left those on my arms and I left quite a few across his stomach and shoulder blades.”

  Tipping her head back, she looked up into his face. “So that’s why they’re spaced like nail marks. They were made with claws, weren’t they?”

  His voice was matter-of-fact but his eyes were gentle. “Battles for dominance are fought in our animal forms. His claws wrapped around my arms, leaving those marks. I won the battle but we both have scars from it. I’m not bitter over it. If I didn’t have those scars, I wouldn’t be Alpha.”

  She couldn’t help but ask, “Did you always want to be Alpha?”

  Damien nodded and brushed a kiss over her forehead. “I wouldn’t be able to help my people in the same way if I wasn’t Alpha. Eventually, when I retire, my replacement will challenge me and take over the title as well as the responsibility.”

  “Have you ever gone into the arena since then?”

  Damien shook his head. “No, once we take over as Alpha it’s a custom for us not to enter unless we’re challenged. I haven’t been challenged until today. You’re the first, baby. You sure you want to go up against me?”

  Emma scoffed. “You just don’t want to have the entire Clan see you lose. You could always forfeit now if you’d like.”

  Leaning down, Damien placed an open-mouthed kiss on the side of her neck before giving her a playful nip. “You’re on.”

  Emma snuggled deeper into his embrace and focused on the spectacle that was playing out in the arena.

  They both watched the mock battle with avid interest. Phil reached out to grab Gwen but she slipped underneath his arm and brought one sharp nail against the side of his torso, letting loose a stream of blood. She hooked her leg behind his and dropped him to the dirt. It was over before it had barely begun. She hadn’t even broken a sweat. Dusting the imaginary dirt off her hands, she looked down at her opponent with a grin.

  “I told you I’d wipe the floor with you.”

  Phil grunted and let out a small laugh. “I guess you did.”

  The crowd roared in laughter. Money exchanged hands and Emma watched as a young girl skipped off with a gigantic grin at the wad of cash in her hands.

  As Gwen and Phil exited the arena, Damien linked his fingers with her and urged her forward to the edge of the space. Stepping over the rock border, he pulled Emma into the circle behind him and turned to face the crowd.

  Once they were in place Emma noticed the crowd had increased in size. Everyone had stopped what they were doing to see what their Alpha was up to.

  Damien’s voice rose above the rest. “The Annual Bear Games are a celebration. Of family, friends, loved ones and of the Clan as a whole. This year’s celebration is special. This year I introduce to you my mate, Emma.” He raised their entwined hands into the air.

  After their cheers mellowed, Damien continued, “Emma has challenged me to a duel… May the best man win.” At her affronted slap on his chest, he added grudgingly, “Or woman.”

  Tessa and Gwen cheered from the sidelines. Tessa yelled out, “Go get him, Emma! Knock him on his ass!”

  Emma scanned the crowd. She knew a little less than half of the faces staring back at her. Clan members from around the world had flown in for the Games, she’d been informed. The arena was surrounded by a couple hundred bears both young and old. Tyler and Dimitri were whooping and chanting, “Damien, Damien.” Stella, Augustus, Lysa, Hunter and Bleu were all off to one side, smiles on all their faces. Even little Belle was watching and waving to her from a perch high up on her father’s shoulders.

  Showtime.

  Emma let go of Damien’s hand and peeled off her gloves one finger at a time. Tossing them to the side with a flourish, she removed her shoes as well. If she was going to duel with him, then she was going to be comfortable.

  After throwing her shoes in the direction of her sisters, Emma sashayed back to the middle of the circle and spread her arms out wide. She let the support of the crowd sweep over her as half of them cheered for Damien, and half for her. Cupping one hand over her ear, she turned her smirk on Damien. “What’s that I hear? They want me to knock you on your ass. Hmm, I think I’m going to make you wear a ridiculously large chef’s hat when you serve me dessert.”

  Stripping out of his shoes in turn, Damien replied, “We’ll see about that. I want roast beef and mashed potatoes for dinner. And for dessert, some vanilla whipped cream and double-fudge chocolate cake. Think you can handle all that?”

  Phil stepped forward into the circle, right between Damien and Emma. When he raised his voice, Emma almost winced—he was loud enough to be heard at least a few miles away.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the duel of the season. The match of a lifetime. In this corner, you know him, you love him. He’s your Alpha, Damien! And in this corner, his opponent…feared and awed around the world, Council member extraordinaire, Emma!”

  Emma couldn’t help but laugh at the drama. Phil was acting as if he was conducting a three-ring circus and they were the main attraction. When the applause died down, he continued.

  “The rules are as follows. No mortal wounds of any kind and nothing inappropriate since there are kiddos in the crowd. Other than that, you can fight any way you like. He can shift and you can use your mind voodoo or whatever strikes your fancy. First blood wins. Understood?” Phil waited for their nods of agreement. “Then let’s get this party started!”

  At Phil’s departure, Emma started to test Damien’s reflexes. When she took a step to the left, he matched her, never letting her get behind him. As they circled, Emma took stock of her man. He didn’t favor one side over the other and was sure-footed as though he’d done this many times before.

  Sending a smile her way, Damien ripped off his shirt and tossed it toward the crowd. Emma visibly sucked in a breath and mouthed, “Cheater.” Lunging, Damien made the first move forward and swiped at Emma with a clawed hand. Twisting at the last minute, Emma swatted him on the ass before dancing away with a twirl. The crowd laughed at her antics.

  For ten minutes, they went back and forth, charging and evading. Emma knew she would have to end this soon, no matter how much fun it was. She was starting to sweat. When she went on missions where she had to dispatch someone, she preferred to be quick and efficient by taking them out in the middle of the night with poison. Like a ghost. But this was different. She wasn’t trying to harm Damien, just scratch him.

  She hated to admit it but it was harder than she’d thought it would be. Her man had some skills on him.

  Perspiration dripped down her back in rivulets. Diving forward, she twisted at the last second underneath his outstretched arm, sending a spark of telekinesis to the backs of his knees…but he didn’t go down. Instead he swung his arm out, coming within an inch of knocking her on her ass. She ducked just in time and turned back around to face Damien.

  He’s your Fated, of course you can’t use your powers on him. Duh! Just because you can’t use them on him, though, doesn’t mean you can’t use them on the things around him.

  She should have thought of that sooner. With a flick of her hand, Emma sent up dirt in a storm right in front of Damien’s face, blinding him for a moment. Another toss of her finger and the dirt carried Emma up and over Damien’s head to the opposite side of the arena.
Turning gracefully as she landed, she was ready to scratch him when she came face-to-face with a very large snout.

  In human form, Damien was quite large, but in bear form, he was gigantic. A good twelve hundred pounds of bear flesh stood in front of her, golden eyes laughing at her. Emma was almost tempted to reach out and run her fingers through his fur like she had done a few nights ago by the fire. Focus, Emma.

  Letting out a growl, he charged her like a freight train. When he was six inches from her, Emma leaped and flipped onto his back, straddling him with her bare thighs. He bucked like a bronco, making Emma use telekinesis just to keep herself from falling off.

  All of a sudden, he reared up onto two feet. Emma scrambled for purchase, wrapping her arms around his beefy neck. Hands grabbed her ankles and her nails tightened against his skin. She could hear the chants and cheers of the crowd but they were far off. Tightening her grip even more, Emma let out a satisfied grunt when she felt four tiny beads of blood welling up from where her fingernails were buried deep in his fur.

  Damien shifted back to human form, keeping a grip on Emma so she wouldn’t fall on her ass. Releasing her feet, he let her slip to the ground.

  Turning to face Emma, he grabbed her chin and pulled her into a fierce kiss. She was out of breath and everyone was watching them but she didn’t care. She kissed Damien back with everything she had. It took a minute, but when they parted for breath she registered what the crowd was saying.

  “Damien! Damien!”

  Lifting one brow and one finger, Emma pointed to his shoulder. “But I scratched you.”

  Damien gestured to her ankle, where a single trail of blood was dripping down and wetting the dirt under her foot. “Yes, you did, but I got you first.”

  Mouth hanging wide open, Emma stared in astonishment. She couldn’t believe it. He’d won. The sneaky bear had bested her. He brought his lips level with her ear and whispered, “I’m looking forward to dessert.”

  * * * *

  As the afternoon progressed into the evening, a sense of peace settled over the Clan. Emma could feel it as surely as the rest of them. The music pumped out a steady beat, making her foot tap rhythmically against the leg of the wooden bench where she sat. Tessa and Gwen were sitting on either side of her, each with a drink in their hand. Gwen hopped up when a Latin song came on and pulled Emma to her feet. “Dance with me?”

  Dozens of lights twinkled overhead, making the dancers light up in whites, blues and greens. In the middle of the dance floor they found an empty spot and started to dance. Emma and Gwen moved to the steady beat of the drums, hips swaying back and forth while they performed twists and dips with each other, gigantic smiles lighting up their faces.

  Emma knew Damien was watching her. As the music swelled, she started to salsa with Gwen, moving her body sensuously to the sound. After her and Damien’s duel she had changed into a royal-blue shirt that dipped off her right shoulder and a clean pair of jean shorts. An outfit that showed just enough skin to tempt him but not enough to be vulgar. Right when she would’ve dipped Gwen again, Stella sashayed over to them.

  Stella beamed. “Where’d you learn to dance like that, Gwen?”

  “Years and years of observation and practice,” Gwen replied pragmatically.

  Stella hesitated for only a moment before asking, “Could you teach me to do that?”

  Gwen smiled and stepped off to the side with Stella, showing her how to move her feet and salsa.

  Emma danced by herself for only a few seconds before Dimitri pulled her into his arms and led her around the dance floor. She was surprised by his skill as he took the lead. He was a head taller than her but even at eighteen he still had an innate thinness to him that would fill out with time. Dimitri came closer as the music slowed to a soft ballad.

  “That was quite the show earlier. I only ask one thing of you. Don’t hurt him, Emma. If you aren’t serious about him, then don’t tease him with what could be.”

  Slowing to a halt, Emma looked Dimitri straight in the eyes. “What are you talking about? I have no intentions to hurt anyone, especially Damien.”

  “You’re a Council member. We all know your job takes you all over the world. Are you going to stay here, make this your home? Or are you going to disappear the second you get called in for another job?”

  His eyes were stoic, but it was obvious to Emma that he had given what he was saying some thought. “I…” Running a hand through her hair, Emma thought about what he’d asked. She had every intention of staying but would she have to leave for another job? She didn’t know the answer to that yet.

  His eyes softened. “I don’t want to wreck your night, Emma. I just want to make sure you know what you’re getting into. Being Alpha female of the Clan as well as a Council member, it’s a lot to take on.”

  As the song ended, Dimitri strolled away from her toward the bonfire where most of the Clan had joined together to rest and relax after the day’s activities.

  Emma and Damien’s relationship was new, yes, but she’d thought it was relatively solid. They each knew the other was meant for them and they were navigating their way. But just because fate had decreed they would be together didn’t automatically mean that everything would just click into place and be perfect. Certain details would have to be worked out, she knew that.

  As a Council member, she wasn’t used to having to explain herself to others and she hadn’t had much time to think about how being Alpha female would change that aspect of her life. The mental well-being of the Clan would be impacted by her relationship with Damien. They would be looking for stability and leadership. They’d want to know their Alpha couple was solid, dependable. Damien had already proved his commitment to them and she would have to prove hers. She couldn’t do that if she had to leave frequently for jobs. She was going to have to put in a call to Jade. Jade would know what to do.

  The world faded away as Damien stepped in front of her and pulled her into his arms for a dance. “Gwen is a great dancer. She’s teaching my mother how to salsa.”

  When Emma didn’t respond but stared past his shoulder with a frown, he leaned down until he captured her attention. “Emma, baby, what’s wrong? You look a million miles away right now.”

  Lifting her arms, Emma linked them behind his neck and stepped closer. “I was just thinking about my job…”

  Damien stopped dancing abruptly. “Don’t, Emma. Not tonight. You already promised you would stay. We’ll figure everything else out later.”

  “But…”

  “Not tonight, Em.” With one hand, he guided her toward the bonfire where the rest of the Clan had gathered to roast marshmallows and wait for the fireworks to start. The sun was already setting over the horizon, sinking with a glorious blaze over the hillside.

  As they made their way to the front of the fire, Emma looked around. Every male and female was rising to their feet and staring at her and Damien. Damien stopped on the opposite side of the fire and tugged her to his side, encasing her shoulders with his arm.

  “What’s going on, Damien?” she asked, perplexed.

  Damien brushed a kiss across her forehead and his husky voice floated down to her. “Just listen.”

  As the last rays of the sun sank over the horizon, the crowd threw their heads back and let out a guttural roar that was both musical and somewhat terrifying. The harmonized notes drifted and echoed through the clearing. Even the cubs let out their own small growls, chiming in with their parents. Their cries filled the clearing with stunning clarity. It was beautiful and melodic.

  “You’re ours, baby. They’re singing to you,” Damien whispered in her ear.

  Her Clan.

  Her family.

  Lifting his head to the sky, Damien added his own deep roar to the symphony with gusto. Emma couldn’t contain her smile and her eyes were damp with unshed tears. She was awed by their chorus. As their roars faded away, Damien swooped down and claimed her mouth in front of everyone.

  The shrill screech of
a frightened toddler was the first warning they had of impending danger. Emma and Damien broke their kiss, only to turn around and find themselves in the middle of a firestorm. Circles of glowing flames dotted the night sky like shooting stars.

  Emma froze as fireworks rained down from the mountain like bombs in a war zone. One hit the gazebo, spitting before it exploded, lighting the fabric up in a flurry of auburn flames and colorful sparks. The rest of the small rockets were targeting the crowd and anyone in sight.

  Everyone rushed into motion at once.

  Parents grabbed their cubs and fled to get them to the edge of the lake, where they could shift and jump into the water if everything went to hell. The older cubs watched over the younger ones as the parents came rushing back to help put out the small fires that dotted the landscape.

  Damien ran with the men to grab hoses and help put out the gazebo fire before it spread to the surrounding forest. The gazebo sat right next to a tall group of firs. If the fire spread to the trees, there would be no stopping it. The entire territory would go up in one giant blaze of destruction.

  Gwen and Tessa rushed forward and busied themselves using their telekinesis to force as many of the fireworks as they could away from the crowd and into the dark waters of the lake, where their flames sputtered out with a slow hiss.

  Emma studied the fireworks’ trajectories carefully. If she could get to where they were being set off, she could stop them…along with the person responsible. Her temper rose with every firework that Tessa and Gwen couldn’t stop, their telekinesis only working in concentrated bursts of intense focus.

  There were cubs down here. Innocent cubs that didn’t belong in the middle of this battle. If one of those fireworks started a forest fire or hurt a cub, she’d kill whoever was responsible. No one would complete an attack on her family. Her people.