by Amy Star
Vincent, and then Vincenzo, shook the man’s hand. “I’m glad you took the risk to tell us what you know. Without you, we wouldn’t have a chance to save Jane.”
“Speaking of saving,” Ronan said, moving toward the room’s door, “We need to head to a place called Fortune Falls. Sitting Bear operates out of an abandoned gold rush town - well washed up would be more apt. He has a healthy dose of paranoia and tries to stay as off the grid as possible, but he needs the modern conveniences of electricity and running water. I’ve got the GPS coordinates.”
“What’s the plan for the attack? If it’s off the grid and barely populated, it’s not as if we’re going to be able to surprise anyone.”
Ronan was patting himself down, searching for something and coming up empty. “Who took my phone?”
Xavier stepped forward and handed it over. “Oh, sorry man - here you go.”
“Thanks. The plan was to call the point person on my Board and have them begin the attack as we enter the town. There’s fifteen bears inside the building ready to go. But they’re going to be up against at least thirty. We need to invade the space and attack in our bear forms.”
Vincenzo directed the group toward a selection of armed cars. They were black Hummers outfitted as if the President was going to be traveling in them. “Alright men, this is going back to our roots. We’ll attack as bears - no holds barred. Jane is our target - get her out and get her out safe.”
The men nodded and filed into the vehicles. Most of the thirteen men were mates and/or fathers themselves and yet, Vincent noted, not a one hesitated from his duty. This had quickly grown beyond his own need to find his mate, Jane didn’t know it, but her life held the difference between two paths for the Werebear Clans and all hope lay in her surviving this day.
--- --- ---
As the vehicles approached the faded town, Vincent saw little sign of life in the buildings around him. No cars were parked on the street, and every storefront except for a small convenience store, seemed to be boarded up. How that one business stayed afloat threatened to boggle the mind.
When the convoy of armored vehicles had passed the town sign for Fortune Falls, Ronan sent the text out to the point person inside Sitting Bear’s stronghold. The assumption was that the werebears on the inside had shifted to their bear forms and had managed to surprise at least a few of the Longclaw Clansmen who were still in human form. It was far easier to kill a bear as a human - bear to bear, the fight was tougher.
In less than three minutes, they arrived at a nondescript office space. It’s only abnormality to the town surrounding it was the building’s height. At least ten stories tall, it towered above the three to four story structures that defined the architecture of the rest of the buildings. Exiting the vehicles, men were stripping themselves of belts, ties, and accessories, in general. The rest of their clothing would be shredded in the change from man to bear. As they approached, a door at the side of the building opened up and a real live, Native American warrior stuck his head around the doorway.
The Mezzanotte Clan froze, ready to attack if necessary, but Ronan ran toward the door and patted the man on the back. Shouting back to the Mezzanottes he explained, “Someone had to stay in human form to open the door. It’s a doorknob - impossible to open in bear form.”
“Good call,” Vincenzo called out as he and the rest of the Clan ran toward the door as well.
Entering the building, the group was assaulted with an unexpected mix of sensory data. There seemed to be a large amount of smoke - but no heat, there was the sound of fighting happening but it was silent except for the sounds of bodies hitting other bodies. Strange, because even in bear form, there should be roars and sounds of pain. Pausing in human form to try to make sense of it all, Ronan, seeming to read their minds, explained it.
“It’s all part of the ritual. There’s a bonfire happening on the bottom level of the building. The basement is carved out of dirt and stone and there are special vents that allow in oxygen and are also letting the smoke and scent drift up. And the silence is because all but Sitting Bear and his son will have taken a vow of silence. It’s not like how the monks do it either - it’s old magic and renders the vow-taker without a voice from sunrise to sunrise. Patrick here couldn’t talk if he wanted to - it’s why we texted.”
The warrior leading them down a set of metal stairs nodded his agreement. When they’d reached yet another set of doors, this time of solid wood and inlaid with carvings too intricate for Vincent to make out in the dim light, their presence sent a chill down his spine. Patrick pushed the doors open and simultaneously shifted into his bear form, the leather pants and chest piece he was wearing ripped off from his body during the process. Vincent watched as his mouth opened in a silent roar and he bounded into the room to help one of his brothers who was in trouble.
All around Vincent, the other Werebears shifted, the Mezzanotte Clan announcing their entrance to the fight with mighty roars from their very active vocal cords. Several of the Longclaw Werebears broke off their fights to attack the new participants. The large bear form of Xavier stepped in front of Vincent’s still very human form to protect his First Son, though the bear looked back and made the very human expression of a raised eyebrow which seemed to ask, “What the fuck?”
Vincent was thankful for the protection because he needed to find where Jane was in the melee. Scanning the room was difficult due to the fire, smoke, and large bodies of the Werebears. Both Clans shifted to larger breeds of bears standing at six to ten feet tall and at over 250 lbs it was not easy to see around them.
Finally, Vincent spotted Jane. She was strapped to a large wooden chair and she was struggling in vain to free herself from her bonds. In front of her, Sitting Bear remained in his human form and was chanting and dancing around her chair. The First Son of the Clan seemed to be guarding the ritual in bear form. Vincent briefly considered staying in human form as he rushed into the battle toward Jane. She’d never seen him in his bear form yet and Vincent didn’t want to scare her, but as he approached and the firelight glinted off the blade of a bone hunting knife, Vincent lost it.
He felt his bones give way to their bear form. The breaking and reforming of mass felt like coming home - its discomfort barely registering anymore. Vincent’s bear was dark as night, his fur devoid of any marking or patch of color variation. At almost ten feet tall, he was close to 400 lbs and was not an easy bear to mess with. Charging across the room, he threw other bears out of his way with a head butt or swipe of his giant paw.
Every part of him was more sensitive as a bear. His senses were piqued and his emotions fully took over his logic. Bounding toward his mate, rage took over his system to the point that he actually saw a red tinge cloud his vision. Eyes trained on Sitting Bear, he missed the First Son extending a paw.
The nails cut deep into Vincent’s fur and the fat layer beneath. The full body scratch wasn’t serious, but it diverted his attention to the threat of the large bear before him. Looking at the brown colored animal, Vincent had to admit he made for an equal foe. Standing slightly shorter than Vincent’s bear height, the bear ducked its head even further and charged Vincent like a linebacker.
Vincent felt himself lifted off the ground as the brown bear held sway above, trying to find purchase on Vincent’s neck. Vincent's head butted the bear and clawed at its underbelly with his hind legs. He must have made contact because the bear rolled off him with a silent howl. Snapping at the bear’s ribs and spine, Vincent made enough contact to free himself to charge once more at Sitting Bear.
Vincent made it close enough to throw Sitting Bear out of his ritual. The older man was sent flying through the air, to land on his back on the other side of the room. The man wasn’t harmed though, just pissed for having had his ritual interrupted. Before Vincent could advance on Sitting Bear, the First Son swiped at him from behind. Turning with a roar into the bear’s face, Vincent stood his ground protecting Jane from further attack.
To the side
, Vincent could see that Sitting Bear was also advancing on his defensive position and his animal instinct didn’t know who the bigger threat was. Should he attack the younger, stronger bear? Or the older Clan Leader? Either was more than capable of killing Vincent and with his death, Jane’s would come swiftly afterward.
Just as Vincent decided to engage the First Son, he saw Vincenzo ram into Sitting Bear from behind and the two bears fell to the hard-packed ground, scrambling for purchase and the upper hand. Relief flooded Vincent along with a boost of adrenaline as he focused solely on the First Son. With a battle cry, he lunged forward and brought the bear in close with a full body bear hug meant to break ribs and spines. The First Son shrugged out of the hold and threw a paw at Vincent’s head. Stumbling through the haze of the hit, he flung a claw of his own out in hopes of hitting something vital.
Landing a solid punch, Vincent retreated back to guard Jane - the fight having taken him farther away from his mate than the bear in him wanted to be.
Again and again, the two First Sons danced back and forth. Neither was able to land a killing blow, neither willing to move closer or farther away from Jane. Finally, the First Son made his move, throwing himself at Vincent. Bending down and to the right, Vincent took advantage of the bear’s momentum and redirected the attack to the fire. The First Son hit the pyre spreading the logs and flame across the space.
With the attack neutralized, Vincent leaned down and used one claw to break through the bonds that held Jane to the chair. She was freed but transfixed, by the large, black bear in front of her. Sucking in a deep breath as the bear knelt down in front of her, Jane stared into the caramel colored eyes she knew and loved so well. The bear was sitting preternaturally still in the midst of the chaos. The fighting was dying down around them, but the big black bear sat there as if it had all the time in the world.
Jane hesitantly lifted one hand to the bear’s face and when it nuzzled her fingertips, Jane knew that the bear in front of her wasn’t just Vincent. In theory, it was Vincent in mind and thought, too.
“Thank you,” she whispered as tears started rolling down her cheeks. The fight and the terror was over and Jane could feel her energy draining. The bear in front of her shifted faster than her human eyes could track into the naked but reassuring form of the Vincent she was used to. Leaning down, he scooped her up out of the chair and let out a low whistle that had another of the black bears trotting over and following them out of the room.
Jane’s eyes flashed with terror for a moment and Vincent leaned down to explain, “It’s Xavier. He’ll protect us while we’re in our human form until we get to the armored cars. Nothing, not even the bears can get us once we’re in them.”
When they were safely ensconced in the black leather interior, Vincent draped in a robe packed for the possibility of shifting, they were finally able to speak to one another.
“Vincent, I love you so much. You have to know that - this morning when I left in a rush, I was just frustrated. I didn’t understand what was going on...but now I think I have an inkling of why you wanted to mate me so fast.”
Vincent’s eyes drifted down to the raw skin on Jane’s wrists, one of the many outward signs of what she’d been through. “It was a mistake on so many levels.”
“What was?”
“The mating. It was why Sitting Bear moved the ritual up. You were right - usually there’s more time between finding a mate and mating them. The people of their Clan who wanted to warn us didn’t have time because I fast tracked the engagement. Not only did I almost lose you in our own relation...”
Vincent’s words seemed to want to alienate Jane, but he hadn’t noticed that he was still stroking her hand. Jane sighed. “You know, a lot of the stuff going on between us could have been avoided if you had just been honest with me,” she said looking into his eyes. “It probably would have helped if I’d stuck to my guns and been clearer about how I felt emotionally, too. We failed each other when we stopped communicating.”
Vincent nodded. “I’m not used to talking about this stuff outside the Board. To be honest, one of my failings is that I’m too emotional - too rash when it comes to my leadership. I was trying to keep it all contained, but that didn’t help either. It just cut me off from you.”
“Vincent, each Clan Leader is going to be a different type of ruler. You are emotional and it’s your emotion that serves you best. Yes, you need to control it - you need to listen to everyone to be fully informed. But you’ve made some of your best choices when you’ve used your emotions.”
Looking deep into Jane’s eyes, he realized she was right. “You were my best choice, Jane.”
Jane laughed. “As I understand it, I wasn’t much of a choice for you. Aren’t mates fated?”
“I chose to choose my fate then. I will always choose you, my love.”
Jane’s eyes filled with tears again. “And I choose you. I don’t have the same instinct and with my whole heart and all of the knowledge of what I’m getting into, I still choose you.”
Vincent embraced Jane and placed a slow lingering kiss on her lips. Sitting there, holding the woman he loved, naked, in an armored car, Vincent had never felt so complete and in control of his life. He had always simply needed to choose it. They both had.
Epilogue
Jane stood in front of the full-length mirror, tugging at a stray pin in her hair. It was grinding into her scalp and it was as if all the pressure of this moment was focused on the tiny end of that piece of metal. Carrie walked up behind her and removed Jane’s hand from her updo.
“Don’t worry I’ve got you. That’s what maids of honor are for,” she said with a wink.
“Ugh, thank you. Just watch the veil!”
Carrie rolled her eyes at Jane’s horrified expression when her hands had strayed too close to the tulle and lace. “I think you love this veil more than you love your dress.”
Jane’s eyes rolled over the strapless confection Carrie had laced her into earlier. It was a sweetheart neckline with pearls and crystals sewn across the bodice. There was a belt at her tiny waist that accented the curves of her breasts and the ample swell of her hips underneath the princess skirt. It was a thing of beauty, her dress was. She’d found it months ago at a bridal shop in Paris. Vincent had surprised her by flying the thing in first class. Rumor had it the dress had had its own seat on the plane.
Carrie waited patiently for Jane’s eyes to meet hers again in the mirror. When they finally did, Jane answered, “No, though I might just love this dress more than I love Vincent.”
At this, Carrie giggled and moved off to gather Jane’s bouquet. Today was a day for celebration and no expense had been spared, down to the white rose and orchid bouquets Carrie and Jane were carrying down the aisle.
Almost a year ago, Jane and Vincent had returned home after the harrowing experience of the kidnapping and overthrow of the Longclaw Board. Now Vincenzo was helping the remaining Clan members rebuild an infrastructure that allowed for a safe and secure government. One that was a healthy part of the Inter-Clan society. Vincenzo seemed reinvigorated by the task and it was a situation that allowed Vincent to be the standing Leader of the Mezzanotte Clan.
Together with Jane, he was still figuring out what his boundaries were - both with her and with the Board. But when he stayed true to himself, amazing things happened. Already it was clear that he was a natural at leadership and Vincenzo was making five-year plans to step out of both Clan’s ruling Boards.
The kidnapping, and everything that had led up to it, showed Vincent and Jane that they needed to take it a little slower. Jane didn’t hand the engagement ring back or anything. No, that beautiful rock stayed put where it belonged...on her finger. But they’d slowed the progress of the mating ceremony and wedding. They chose to go on a vacation together to France where Jane had stumbled across the dress. She had fond memories of a quickie in the bridal salon’s dressing room that colored her love for the piece of clothing.
Once they
were back at home, they’d planned a wedding like any other couple and tried to focus on getting to know one another better. They worked with a counselor in the Clan community, who facilitated better communication skills for the two and it had helped tremendously. By the time the combined wedding and mating ceremony was upon them, Jane and Vincent felt like they were already a happily married couple. They didn’t think anything else could change for them after all they’d been through.
Jane walked toward the entrance to the chapel and prepared herself to walk down the aisle to Vincent, to the place in front of her friends and family where she would not only promise to love him for better or for worse, but swear a blood oath, binding her spirit to his; Jane felt the magnitude of this moment.
She could see why this was such an important step. Throughout their relationship, they’d put it all on the line except for the declaration part. Already they’d taken steps to rectify that but this was the final one.