“Had I lost you –” I thought, tears filling my eyes.
“You didn't though,” she said, finally feeling better enough to speak. She reached up and wiped the tears away from my eyes. “I'm here. Because of you, I'm alive.”
“And because of me, you were nearly killed.”
The guilt was overwhelming. I'd screwed up majorly, and I knew it. Too many people were at risk because of me. I needed to clean up this mess, yes, but my first priority was making sure Rose was safe.
Everything else could wait. Everything else would wait.
~ooo000ooo~
“How are you feeling?” I asked, staring down at her as she lay on the couch.
I'd moved her into the living room to let her rest and get comfortable. And I was glad to see that she was healing incredibly fast. It was almost like nothing had even happened.
“It's a miracle,” she said. “I'm still a little sore in spots, but overall, I feel fine. I can't believe it.”
“Good,” I said, kissing her forehead. “I'm just glad I found you in time. You're a strong woman, Rose.”
“I'm glad you found me in time too. I just wish Paula has been able to hang on a little longer,” she said, taking my hand in hers, grief etched upon her delicate features.
“I do too,” I said softly. “I'm so sorry, Rose. So, so sorry.”
“It's not your fault,” she said softly. “You couldn't have known.”
“I feel like I should have.”
She gave my hand a gentle squeeze and offered me a small smile. Logically, I knew it wasn't my fault. I couldn't have known that they'd hit Rose and her aunt. But it still didn't take away the guilt I felt. I felt like yeah, the ball toward everything that was happening had already been rolling, but my actions had made it roll even faster.
“Do you know who was behind this?” she asked.
I flinched at her question.
“Not really,” I said. “But I think I might have an idea now. I think I'm finally starting to put all the pieces together and I'm pretty sure someone came after you because of your connection with me. Somebody knew about us.”
She nodded. “The same thought crossed my mind, but I've never seen these guys in my life.”
“Did you get a look at them? Can you remember what they looked like?”
She stared at me, a scared look on her face. “They looked a lot like you,” she said. “Tall with dark hair and eyes. Big men. Very big men.”
“Do you think they were bears like me?” I asked. “Or were they human?”
“I don't know,” I said. “They didn't turn into bears or give any indication they could shift. And they used guns to attack us, so maybe they were human?”
I needed to figure out who the Sheriff was working with. Who'd been feeding him all of the information he had. If I could figure that out, I might be able to shut all of this down. I also needed to speak to Mariana and the others in her clan to let them know what was happening and to hopefully keep the peace between the two clans. But I couldn't bear the thought of leaving Rose's side. Not while she was still healing.
My phone rang. I grabbed it and looked at the display. It was Mariana.
Speak of the devil, I thought. I didn't want to talk to her at that moment, but I also knew I couldn't avoid her if I wanted to make things right and avoid a completely unnecessary war between our clans.
As soon as I picked up, I heard genuine fear in her voice. “Asher, why are you doing this?” she cried out. “Why? Do you hate us that much?”
I heard gunshots in the background and the sound of somebody screaming. Adrenaline poured through my body as I listened to the commotion behind her. She was truly scared. And almost instantly, I made the connection in my mind. Whoever had attacked Rose, was now attacking the N'gasso compound. The pattern was the same – they attacked one of ours and then attacked one of theirs to make it look like possible retribution.
Whoever was behind all of this was moving quick and was doing a great job of inflaming the tensions between our clans, not giving us a chance to stop, take a breath, and collect our thoughts.
“Make them stop!” Mariana screamed. “They're killing everyone.”
She was out of breath and I could tell by the way she was speaking that she was running.
“Who's killing everybody, Mariana?” I asked. “Where are you?”
“Your people,” she said. “They came in with guns, Asher. You sent them in with guns and silver bullets. Asher, my entire family is dead. You had my entire family killed.”
Rose could see the look on my face and wincing just a bit, she sat up. “What is it?” she asked.
“Where are you, Mariana?”
I knew it wasn't my people attacking her. My father was going to hold off on anything, allowing me a little time to see if I could fix this mess. I knew that there was no way in hell he'd sent our own people in to attack the N'gasso. Especially not with silver bullets.
When we went to war, we went in as bears. Our honor – the code of my people – demanded that we fight a fair fight. Bringing silver ammo was not a fair fight.
“I'm at my family's cabin,” she said. “In the woods now. I ran from the house and managed to escape for now. But I don't know how long it will be before they find me, Asher. We were in the middle of a meeting when your guys burst in –”
“They're not my guys, Mariana,” I said.
“Don't lie to me, Asher. They look like your guys,” she hissed. “They have the markings.”
“Did you recognize any of them?”
“Well, no –”
“Exactly,” I said. “It's a setup. Someone really wants us to go to war with each other, to wipe each other out. It's not the Q'lapa. Believe me, it's not us. Stay put, I'm on my way.”
I hung up the phone and hurried toward the door.
“I'm going with you,” Rose said.
“It's not safe,” I said. “And you're not fully healed yet.”
“It's no safer here either. Who knows if those men will come back,” she said. “And I want to help. You saved me, let me help you in return.”
“No –” I started and then stopped.
But she was right. Leaving her there was just as dangerous as taking her with me. They almost killed her once. If they came back, I wasn't sure they'd mess it up again. And besides, if she was with me, at least I could keep an eye on her. Keep her safe.
“Fine. But you're going to stay in the car and hide,” I said. “You got it? When everything starts going down, I can't afford to be worried about you. Whoever this is, they're using bear killing ammo, Rose. If I'm distracted, I could wind up dead. And that's the last thing I want right now.”
“Got it,” she said. “Stay in the car.”
Chapter Fourteen
Rose
When we pulled onto the private road, I could feel the tension in the car rising. Growing thicker and more expectant. There was a feeling like thunderheads rolling in off the ocean hanging in the air over our heads – it was a tension filled with the promise of violence.
Asher was mostly silent as he drove down the driveway to what appeared to be a large private estate. From what he'd told me, this was land owned by their rival clan. Mariana's clan. It was much like the land we were on when we'd made love the first time. He'd told me that just like the land we were on had been sacred to his clan, this was the sacred family land for the N'gasso.
Technically, we weren't supposed to be there – rival clans were not supposed to set foot on another clan's sacred land without permission, but the situation was extenuating and there was no one stopping us. We drove straight up to the house and climbed out of the car. Even I noticed that it was silent. Way too silent. My own level of tension ratcheted up and was probably about as high as Asher's at that point.
He'd parked the car a little away from the house so we were still mostly hidden by the trees.
“Wait here,” Asher said.
He handed me a gun and instructed me to hide
in the backseat of the car and wait for him. If he didn't come back in half an hour, I was supposed to drive out of there as fast as I could and get far, far away from Black Salmon Falls. He told me that if he didn't come back, there was going to be an all-out war – one that could consume the streets of the town. He didn't want me anywhere near it, hence the instruction to get out of Dodge if things went sideways.
I nodded, but the reality of the situation hit me hard. We were in danger. Very serious danger. The men attacking the N'gasso were very likely the same people who'd tried to kill me and who had killed my aunt. And Asher was walking right into the middle of all it, putting his life on the line for Mariana – and to prove that it wasn't his clan who was behind the attacks.
If he was scared, it didn't show. He seemed calm, collected, and put together as he started to walk away from the car. But, then he stopped and looked at me one last time and gave me a warm and genuine smile. It melted my heart and I wanted to tell him to get into the car, to get us out of there. I wanted him to take me away from all of the bad stuff happening so we could get on with building a new life. Together.
“I love you, Rose,” he said. “I just want you to know that.”
It almost felt like he was saying goodbye. And he seemed to speak with a finality that threatened to break my heart. My voice caught in my throat, but before he turned and walked away, I called out to him.
“I love you too, Asher,” I said. “And I will see you soon. Very soon.”
He looked happy as a clam, even knowing he was going into a battle and the possibility of his death was high. He walked back to me and pulled me close, kissing me again.
“Leave if I don't come back in thirty minutes,” he said. “You get behind the wheel and you drive out of here. Don't look back and just get the hell out of Black Salmon Falls. You hear me?”
“I'm not going to leave you, Asher,” I said, my tone firm.
“You might not have a choice, Rose,” he replied. “I have no idea what we're up against here. It could get really bad. And I don't want you caught in the crossfire. Promise me that you'll leave in thirty minutes.”
I hesitated and looked away, doing my best to fight back the tears that threatened to fall.
“Rose, promise me.”
“Fine,” I said quietly. “Thirty minutes and then I'm out of here.”
He gave me a soft kiss on the forehead and turned away without another word. I watched as he walked away, melted into the shadows and eventually, disappeared from my sight. My heart ached with the fear that I might not ever see him again. When he was gone, completely lost to my sight, the tears came and wouldn't stop falling.
“I can't do this,” I muttered to myself. “I can't sit here and let him die alone. If he dies, I die with him.”
I climbed out of the car and walked as quietly as I could toward the house. I took the most circuitous route I could, sticking to the treeline and the shadows, trying my best to avoid being seen. But before I got to the house itself, someone reached out of a dark pool of shadow and grabbed my leg. I nearly screamed, but managed to pull myself together in time and looked down at the tiny hand wrapped around my ankle.
“Help me,” the woman begged, her voice hoarse and riddled with pain. “Please, help me.”
My eyes widened when I saw that it was Mariana. She was on the ground, her leg caught in an animal trap. There was blood everywhere. She grimaced and was in obvious agony.
I knelt down next to the woman and looked at the leg, grimacing at what I saw. The trap had done a real number on her and her leg was in bad shape. It was definitely broken – I saw the bone protruding from the skin and knew she was in trouble.
Even if I were to spring her from the trap though, I had no idea how she was going to get out of there – it wasn't like she could just walk out. The skepticism and worry must have showed on my face because she spoke to me earnestly.
“If you can get me out of this, I'll heal,” she said. “I'll be able to heal quickly. But the silver on this damn trap is keeping me from doing anything.”
I wasn't sure if she recognized me, but I sure as hell knew who she was. But I wasn't the type of woman who could just leave somebody to die. Not even after everything that happened. After everything she'd said to me.
“Please, Rose,” she mumbled. “I'm sorry for what I said to you. I was just hurt seeing you and Asher –”
“Shhh,” I said, looking around to make sure we were alone – though, I was a little rattled knowing that she did in fact, recognize me. “Don't talk. I'll get you out of here.”
I grunted as I pried open the trap. Even though it took all my strength to do so, I somehow managed to get it open. But Mariana's leg was freed and as soon as she was free, it started to heal. A look of relief swept over her face and she leaned back, moaning low with the pain that must have been shooting through her.
Sitting next to her, I was afraid for my life. I feared that as soon as she healed, she was going to shift into her bear form and tear my throat out. Mariana was obviously, not the kind of woman you screwed with. She was fierce and wasn't somebody whose bad list I wanted to be on.
“Silver,” she said. “Those bastards made silver traps just for us – for anybody who managed to escape the slaughter in the house. They scattered them around the yard, hoping to snag anybody who was getting away.”
“You're sensitive to silver,” I said.
“Yes, it would have killed me eventually, but you saved me.” She looked up at me and although there was still a blend of hurt and anger in her eyes, I could tell she was grateful. “I don't know if I would have done the same thing in your situation. Thank you.”
“That's alright,” I said, helping her to stand. “Thankfully, our situation wasn't reversed so we'll never have to find out the answer to that.”
I helped her walk back toward the car. She was limping and was still in pain, but before we even made it there, her leg was healing. Some of the pain that had marked her face was easing.
“Where's Asher?” she asked.
“He's already in the house.”
“Damn,” she said. “He can't fight them alone. There's too many and they're too well armed. I have backup coming, but I'm not sure they're here yet. I was out of it for awhile there.”
She started walking toward the house. “Where are you going?”
“To continue this fight. I can't leave Asher alone in there,” she said. “I was on my way back when the damn trap caught me, but I'm not finished yet.”
I hesitated, but eventually, I fell into step beside her. She turned to me and looked surprised.
“Asher know you're not staying behind?” she asked. “I just have a feeling he told you to wait in the car.”
“Of course not,” I said. “And I've never been very good at waiting around and doing nothing.”
She laughed. “He's not going to be happy,” she said.
“Doesn't matter,” I said. “If he dies, we die together.”
Mariana looked over at me, and while she looked terribly sad, she also seemed thoughtful. “You really care for him, don't you?”
“I do,” I said softly.
“And he cares for you the same way?”
I hesitated briefly, but then nodded, feeling a knot in my throat. I was worried my answers though honest, might throw her in a jealous rage. That she might decide to kill me after all. But I was surprised that what I said didn't seem to upset her too much. At least, not enough to warrant tearing my throat out. Instead, she just looked straight ahead, deep in thought.
We walked to the house in silence, taking care to avoid being seen as best as we could. But as soon as we got inside, it took everything in me to not fall to the floor in shock, fear, and sobs.
Bullet holes pocked the walls. The ceiling. Everything in the room we were in was trashed. Tables had been turned over, shattered glass littered the floor – there was very little left in the room that hadn’t' been shot or broken.
And of course,
there were bodies, scattered everywhere. Bear and human alike. So many bodies, so many bears. So much blood. And no sign of Asher. Terrified for his safety, I opened my mouth to call out to him, but Mariana grabbed my hand and turned to me, putting a finger to her lips. She'd silenced me just in time, preventing me from calling out and giving our location away to the mysterious attackers.
“It's okay. He's not there,” she said. “Which means he's not one of the dead. He's still out there somewhere. We just need to find him.”
Gunshots and raised voices rang out, seeming to come from around the back of the house. I heard the roar of a bear blended with screams of agonized pain. My survival instinct told me to run far away, to get away from the battle that was raging and keep myself safe. But doing that would mean leaving Asher behind. And I couldn't do that.
Mariana had the exact opposite instinct. She took off running in the direction of the screams.
And I hesitated for a moment, but then quickly followed behind.
Chapter Fifteen
When we got around to the back of the house, I saw Asher, in human form, engaged in hand-to-hand combat with another man. I wanted to run to him, to protect him, but Mariana stopped me. Fifteen other men formed a half circle behind them, cheering their friend on loudly and raucously.
“Don't,” she said. “You'll distract him. That man has a silver blade. He could kill Asher with it.”
“What am I –”
But I never got to finish posing my question to her. Mariana transformed into bear form and lunged toward Asher's attacker. She roared in rage and launched herself at the man Asher was fighting with. And then the cavalry seemed to arrive. Other bears came running from the surrounding woods, the sound of their combined roaring reverberating through the air. I watched, in awe as at least twenty other bears joined Asher in battle.
Asher managed to somehow steal the silver blade from his attacker and used it against him. In one swift, graceful movement, Asher spun and sliced the man's throat. Blood sprayed high into the air and the man fell to the ground clutching his wounded throat in vain as blood poured out from between his fingers. Asher quickly transformed into bear form as well, and charged into the crowd of men and bears engaged in a melee on the back lawn of the N'gasso house.
Rocor (Dragons of Kratak Book 5) Page 106