Bear my Fate (Hero Mine Book 1)

by Harmony Raines

  Chapter Twelve – Jack

  “One Dragon’s Tear,” Lucas said, placing it in Jack’s hand. “I’m not sure if I want the Council to know I made it or not.”

  “Not,” Helena said. “Don’t get involved in this, Lucas.”

  “Aren’t I already?” he asked.

  “No. We will not tell. The Grimmwold will not tell. Which means if this goes badly, you can walk away clean.”

  “Helena is right,” Jack said. “Thank you for making this. But your part is over now.”

  “You don’t need to thank me. It was an honor working such a spell. The intricate words...” Lucas stopped. “You wouldn’t understand.” Lucas had been close to slipping into an ecstasy over the spell. Jack could never understand these men who thought more of language and the power it gave you, than people, than family. Most druids would sell their own mother if they were offered a rare spell or ingredient.

  “It shimmers,” Liam said, leaning over, staring at the small stone with fascination. “How did you get it to do that?”

  “Trade secrets,” Lucas said. “Now, I think I need to go home.”

  They were all starving; making the Dragon’s Tear had taken all morning and half the afternoon. No one had left the building while Lucas worked, even though he would not allow them into the laboratory where he was working. Trade secrets was Lucas’s favorite phrase.

  “Sounds good to me. I’ll cook something,” Liam said.

  “Why don’t you come over to my house?” Helena asked. “I have some leftovers I can warm up.”

  “Thanks, Helena,” Jack said. “My stomach loves you.”

  She grinned. “I like the company.”

  They left the Council Chambers behind and went out into the early afternoon sun. The breeze was cool, but the sun held warmth still. But autumn was near, and soon the forest would begin to go into hibernation as the leaves fell from the trees and winter approached.

  The drive back to Lucas’s house was made in silence. Jack sat next to Eva, with Liam opposite; they all stared, transfixed by the Dragon’s Tear as he turned it over and over between his fingers and thumb.

  “Does it look like the real thing?” Jack asked Eva.

  “It does.” She held her hand out for it, and he gave it to her, trusting her. “The only difference is temperature. The real Dragon’s Tear gave off warmth.”

  “The power of the stone gives off heat. Magic is like a living thing,” Helena explained. “This stone is dead, a fake, like a doll or a mannequin. The true Dragon’s Tear is alive.”

  Jack glanced at Eva, remembering the words the Grimmwold had said. If this was true, they had to give the true stone to the Council. He had hoped to hand over the fake one and then hide the real stone. Yet the old man’s words came back to him. The Dragon’s Tear belonged to no man, and Jack was a man. Would it corrupt him? Was this why the stone had been hidden so long, and Eva had been sent away by her mom so that she would have no idea of where it was?

  Kurt pulled up in front of Lucas’s house and he got out. “Thanks again, Lucas,” Kurt said. The others chorused their thanks, and then Kurt backed up the Land Rover and drove to Helena’s house.

  Helena lived in a small cottage in a clearing in the forest. It was a short walk from the enclave where the brothers lived, but by car, it was a ten-minute drive, down tracks and trails that were pitted with potholes. Jack and his brothers had offered to fill them several times, but Helena insisted it stayed as it was, because it deterred visitors. Anyone without a four-wheel-drive vehicle would have to really want to visit Helena to risk bashing in the bottom of their car.

  The cottage itself was quaint, built of logs, and blended into its surroundings perfectly. Helena kept a small kitchen garden well stacked with herbs and vegetables, and securely fenced to keep out the free-roaming ponies. Inside was warm and comfortable, with an open fire, over which sat a cauldron that always seemed to be bubbling with either a stew, or a spell.

  They got out of the vehicle, but Eva hung back. “Can I talk to you?”

  “Of course, is there something wrong?” Jack asked. Helena had gone inside the house, followed by Liam and Kurt.

  “I want you to give me the stone. The more I think about it, the more I believe I should do this alone.”

  “No.” He started to walk toward the house, the conversation over.

  “Hey,” Eva said, grabbing hold of his arm. “This is not your decision.”

  “Yes, it is,” he said. “We stick to the plan.”

  “A plan I had no say in,” she said, holding her hand out to him. “This is my problem. You live here, you belong here. I don’t want you to be on the wrong side of the Council.”

  “And we will be on the wrong side of the Council if Gareth doesn’t hand over the real Dragon’s Tear.”

  “No, that’s just it. I’ll swap it. Or you can say he never really swapped it. I don’t know, he messed up or something. Or I’ll make sure they know I took it from him. Then, when my mom is safe, I’ll get it back. I’ll sneak into the warehouse and steal it back.”

  “No,” he repeated. “End of discussion.”

  “Then I’ll fight you for it.”

  “You’ll what?” he asked.

  “Yes. Winner gets to do it their way.”

  “No.”

  She pushed him, but he barely moved, she was no match for him, and she knew it. So what was this all about?

  “Come on. Fight me.”

  “Eva, what is wrong with you?” He frowned, hands on hips.

  “What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with you?” she asked. “You are willing to let your friends, your brothers, go up against the people who have my mom, when it’s not their fight.”

  “Damn it, when will you get it into your head? It is their fight, because it’s your fight.”

  “I don’t want them to fight for me,” she said. “Not when I can do it on my own.”

  “You can’t do it on your own. You won’t get near enough to Gareth, for a start. You don’t think he’s expecting you? You don’t think he isn’t sat waiting for you to try to steal back the Dragon’s Tear?”

  She stepped back, as if he had struck her, and his heart ached for her. “I didn’t think.”

  “That’s because this isn’t your world.” He reached out for her and drew her into his arms, holding her tight, but she remained rigid. “I don’t mean that cruelly. But it’s true. You haven’t lived with magic; you haven’t lived as a Night Hunter. You will die. And if you die, I will die too.”

  “Dramatic much?” she mumbled.

  “No, that is the truth, Eva. This bond isn’t just about procreation. It’s deeper than that.” He sighed. “Do you know what the Dragon’s Tear is?”

  “No.” She pulled back. “Do you?”

  “I think so.” He took her hand and led her to a fallen log on the edge of the forest. All around them life carried on its everyday business. Birds sang to their mates, deer foraged for food, and squirrels leapt from branch to branch, collecting nuts and burying them, ready for winter. He sat down and Eva sat beside him, her hand in his. He wasn’t letting her go. Not now, not ever.

  “Will you tell me?”

  “I’ll try to remember it as best I can. My dad used to tell us stories, passed down from one generation to another. When my brothers and I were young, he used to take us deep into the forest on camping trips. We would roam as bears all day, and then sit around the campfire at night.”

  “It sounds wonderful.”

  “One day, we will do the same with our children.”

  “Tell me the story.” She brushed him off. He had to accept, Eva was not ready to accept their bond, and so he began the sad story his father had recounted to him.

  “The dragons were the most powerful creatures on Earth. They ruled the sky, and the land, breathing fire and bringing ruin. So the druids made a spell, and they cast it on the dragons, binding them to a human female. And so the dragons were tamed.”

  He paused,
trying to recollect how the story went. “One day, a dragon was out hunting with his mate. She rode upon his back, a fierce shieldmaiden clothed in leather. They landed, and the dragon set about killing his prey, a mountain lion. But the mountain lion wasn’t alone, and the mate of the lion, a fierce male, killed the dragon’s mate. The dragon was distraught, and he wept on his mate, a single tear which turned to stone. The stone landed on the breast of his mate, and it became one with her, and she was reborn.”

  “The Dragon’s Tear. That’s what it does, it raises the dead?”

  “I believe so. What if that is why they want the stone? To bring someone back from the dead?”

  “Do you think that was why my father hid it?” Eva asked.

  “I think he knew it was important to keep it safe. And that is why the Grimmwold said it should be returned to the dragon whom it belongs to.”

  Her face paled, and a shudder went through her. “The dragon could raise his mate from the dead.”

  Jack got up. “We need to get the Tear and give it to the Council. They’ll keep it safe until we decide what to do with it. Your father hid it. Maybe he doesn’t want the dragons brought back.”

  “I wish I could ask him, but I haven’t heard his voice for hours. Do you think the others could kill him?”

  “No. But they could keep him… I don’t know, hidden.”

  “Yes. That’s probably it.” He offered her his hand and pulled her to her feet. “Time to get on with phase two. But first we have to eat.”

  She nodded. “I agree. But I still think I should do it.”

  “I’m not arguing with you any more, Eva. My decision is made. Let’s go eat.”

  She didn’t answer, and Jack knew he was going to keep one eye on his woman at all times. She was brave, he could see that. But she had no idea what she was going up against.

  “Would you really die?” Eva asked on the threshold of Helena’s house.

  “I believe I would.”

  Chapter Thirteen – Evaine

  Helena warmed to Eva, or so she hoped. If it was an act, to lull Eva into a false sense of security, it worked.

  “Never had a home?” Helena asked Eva over a late lunch that turned into dinner, with wine, and beer. The room was looking fuzzy, and Eva’s tongue was loose.

  “Never. I was sent from one foster home to another all my life.” She took another sip of wine. “I began to realize there must be something wrong with me.”

  “Wrong with you? Like what?” Jack asked.

  He looked remarkably sober. “Aren’t you drinking?” Eva asked.

  “I have had one or two, but someone has to get us all home,” Jack said.

  “That’s our Jack, always the hero,” Helena said.

  “I think you should stop drinking too,” he warned the witch.

  “It’s called Dutch Courage,” she said, and raised her glass.

  “Courage for what?” Eva asked.

  “For going and fighting the demon.” Helena giggled. “I wonder if his demon is big or small.”

  “His demon is big,” Eva said, her eyes large. “Like, really big. The biggest I ever saw.”

  Helena burst out laughing, her lips making a raspberry sound. “Hey, Jack, it sounds as if your lady is impressed by Gareth’s demon.”

  “Enough, Helena.” Jack took her glass from her and set it down. “You need to take this seriously.”

  “I am taking it seriously. That is why I’m drinking.” Helena reached out for her cup, but Jack held it out of reach. “Hey, will one of you boys defend me?”

  Liam and Kurt looked up; they were sitting on the back porch drinking beer. “You don’t need us to defend you,” Liam said. “You’re the strongest of us all.”

  Helena’s face dropped, and she looked older than her years as she said, “You don’t know how much it means to me that you have my back.”

  “We have each other’s backs,” Kurt said. “You are family.”

  She smiled sadly. “I’ll hold you to that, no matter what.”

  Kurt came in and knelt before her, taking her hand in his. “Our hearts are yours, our hearth is yours,” he said, his voice slurred, but the meaning of the old oath was true.

  Helena stroked his cheek, with the back of her hand. “My heart is yours, my hearth is yours. From now and for all time.” She kissed his forehead, then she rose and said, “You are drunk.”

  “Maybe a little,” Kurt said. “But I mean it. We mean it. Knowing you have our backs, no matter what we face, it makes you family.”

  “Thank you.” Helena stood up, her head turned to the window, and she wiped away tears she didn’t want anyone to see. When she was fully composed she faced them again. “It’s time.”

  Jack stood up and dug into his pocket, giving her the fake Dragon’s Tear. “Remember, he might be expecting you to swap it.”

  “Don’t worry, by the time I’ve finished with him, he would give me the real thing anyway.” She winked at Eva, who blushed, which made Helena laugh, high and musical. A temptress, a siren, no man would stand a chance against such a woman. A sideways glance at Jack told her one man would. The mating bond was stronger than the siren’s song, and Jack only had eyes for Eva, which made her blush deepen. She hid it behind her wine glass, knowing she had drunk too much, but drinking more anyway. Helena wasn’t the only one who needed courage.

  “Swap it. Then get out. That is all you have to do,” Jack was reminding Helena.

  She swayed before him, leaning into Jack, and Eva experienced a stab of jealousy. Quickly dismissing it, she drank the rest of her wine and the got up, asking, “Do you want me to wash these glasses, Helena?”

  “No, leave them. I’ll do them in the morning.” She ushered everyone outside, and then locked the door, mumbling a few words as she did.

  “OK, Kurt, give me the keys, I’ll drive,” Jack said.

  Kurt fished them out of his pocket. “Thanks.”

  They all got in the vehicle, Kurt taking Jack’s place in the back, next to Eva. “No puking in the back,” Kurt told her with a grin. Then he put his arm around Eva and said, “We will get your mom back. You know that?”

  “Yes,” she lied. There was no certainty her mom was still OK. Crosshead had given her three days, but would he keep his word? Would he keep her unharmed?

  Jack backed the Land Rover up, and turned it around before driving slowly back along the pitted trail. Eva soon realized why Kurt had told her not to puke in the back of the Land Rover. It was like being at sea: the vehicle lurched from side to side, as though big waves were hitting it and making it roll. She closed her eyes, and tried to think of something else, anything else. That was when her sixth sense, or the voice of the Night Hunter, broke in.

  You should go and retrieve the Dragon’s Tear. It should not fall into the hands of a witch, or one of these shifters. The voice had returned; the alcohol must have torn down her mental defenses.

  I trust them, she answered.

  You are a fool, it replied hotly. To think you are the child of a Night Hunter! You are as much a traitor to your people as Henry Talbot.

  Thank you for my father’s name, Eva replied.

  You do not carry his name, you do not carry our courage. You are nothing, the voice spat viciously.

  And you are a miserable drunk, Eva replied. She opened her eyes, and mentally slammed the door shut on the voice. The Grimmwold had told her she could control it, and that was what she was going to do. She owed it nothing.

  “OK, Helena. You are sure about this?” Jack asked.

  “Perfectly. You need the Dragon’s Tear, and there is no way Gareth is going to let any of you guys get near it. So it’s down to me. If I have a little enjoyable pleasure along the way, then why not?” She shrugged, blew a kiss at no one in particular, and opened the door, getting out, her shoes crunching into the gravel.

  “Take care, Helena,” Liam called.

  “I will see you all in the morning. Nice and early. I don’t mind spending the night wi
th a druid, but I do not want to make small talk with him. I’ll need coffee, and some of that porridge.” She slammed the door shut, and her footsteps faded into the distance.

  Jack turned the vehicle around, and Eva ducked her head to look outside. The house was huge, a manor house, the kind lords and ladies lived in. That explained Gareth’s arrogance.

  “Will she be OK?” Eva asked.

  “Yes. She knows how to look after herself. As long as he doesn’t set that degetty on her.” Kurt looked perplexed. “If he does, then we will take him out, even if it means we all die.”

  “Not the time for talk like that,” Liam said, slapping Kurt on the shoulder.

  “Ouch.”

  “Wimp.”

  “Loser.”

  “Hey. Not in here,” Jack yelled from the front.

  “Stop and let us out,” Kurt called. “I think Liam and I need to run off some of this alcohol.”

  Jack pulled over, and Liam opened the door and got out. “Come on, Eva, you get to ride up front. Kurt and I are going to go bear.”

  Eva took Liam’s offered hand and got out of the Land Rover, her legs unsteady. She put her hand out, resting against the side of the vehicle. If she hadn’t seen Jack shift before, she would have thought she was imagining it, as the two men shifted into bears before her eyes. Then they were gone, blending into the forest, as if they were never there.

  Her hand rested on the side of the Land Rover, helping to keep her steady on her feet as she moved around to the passenger door and pulled it open. “They’ve gone.” She pulled herself inside and put her seatbelt on.

  “Yeah, they get like that when they’ve been drinking. Only time Kurt gets anywhere close to being wound up.” Jack pulled away. “He’s the easiest-going shifter I know.”

  “I like him,” she confessed. “I like all of you.” Her words caught in her throat. “I don’t want you to get hurt.” She’d turned into a melancholy drunk.

  “We won’t.” Jack indicated to turn down the trail that led to the small enclave. There were lights on in a couple of the other houses, as twilight gathered. Jack parked the vehicle outside his house and turned off the ignition. He turned to look at her. “Think you can walk, or do you want me to carry you?”