by Meg Ripley
I turned to meet Alex’s gaze, and he looked just as worried as I felt. At the same time, we leapt up and shifted, our clothing falling to the ground in shreds as we took off running.
I pushed myself as hard as I could. I had to catch her and get her to stop before something terrible happened.
Finally, Hellcat came into view. I turned my head to make sure Alex was with me, but I didn’t see him; he must’ve gone the opposite way after the rest of the bikers. It probably made more sense to follow the majority of them, but I knew Hellcat was the one driving the whole thing.
I would just have to do it on my own, then. One on one with me in wolf form, I could take her. I felt confident in that, but I didn’t like being separated from Alex. What if I needed backup at some point? What if he did? He was going after five and was seriously outnumbered.
I cleared my mind and focused. Turning back now would mean Hellcat getting away, and I would be too far behind Alex and the others to ever catch them in time. The only thing that made sense was to keep going and stop Hellcat.
I closed the gap between us and ran right beside her, close enough to hear her say, “What the hell?”
It must’ve been strange to look over and see a wolf chasing her bike. She pulled sharply to try to lose me, but I kept light on my feet and turned right behind her.
Hellcat stuck out her foot to try to kick me, but I was more agile than that and easily dodged her. I jumped at the bike, trying to slam my shoulder into it hard enough to throw her balance off.
I slammed into her once, then again, but when I charged her for a third time, she turned abruptly. I hadn’t anticipated that move. Colliding hard with the side of the bike, I smacked my head against the metal as she rushed toward me.
My body felt weightless for a moment as it shot through the air, then it slammed into the ground. I tried to take a breath, but the pain ricocheted through me.
The sound of Hellcat’s bike grew fainter, and then the light around me faded into blackness.
18
Alex
My paws hit the ground hard as I ran after the bikes. One had gone the other way, but I would catch the majority of them, at least. I roared loudly and one of the ladies turned and screamed. But they only rode faster.
I looked over to Roxy, trying to think of some kind of plan. But she wasn’t where I expected her to be. Panic shot through me as I looked back further and noticed she wasn’t there.
Anyone seen Roxy? I asked my clan.
Isn’t she with you? Elijah asked.
Let me know if you see her.
Where could she have been? Had she gone in the other direction? My stomach tightened. I had to turn back to find her.
I looked ahead to where the bikes were and saw the outline of the cave in the distance. If I turned back, they would reach the cave long before I could stop them. I pressed onward after them, praying that she was okay.
I pushed into a sprint and caught up to the bikers quickly. They were no match for my animal speed, especially through such heavy vegetation. I had come up with only one idea to stop them, and without Roxy there to work with, it would have to be the plan I went with.
Instead of going after each bike, I ran past them, reaching the cave moments before they did. They’d rejoined the trail and were coming right for me.
I ran across the path and faced them head on, standing tall on my hind legs and roaring as they neared. They turned sharply to avoid hitting me and one of them wiped out. The others struggled to quickly regain their balance.
Another bike crashed into the first fallen one. I swiped my paw at one of the tires and caught it with my claw, tearing a hole in it and causing it to spin out of control.
The last two hadn’t gotten far. I bounded forward a few feet and clawed their back tires, hitting one and knocking it into the other so that both fell. As the women tried to recover, I used every ounce of my bear strength to destroy the bikes.
I tossed one into a nearby rock, denting its chrome trim, then stepped on another, hearing the crunch of metal under me. Yanking a purple bike over my head, I smashed it into a red one.
One of the women scrambled to her feet and took off running. I was pretty sure it was Velvet. Another half crawled away from me when I roared, and another dragged herself until she was out of sight behind a large rock formation. The last two found each other and stood up shakily, leaning against each other for support.
When I was sure they weren’t coming back and that the bikes were out of commission, I took off back toward the ATV to find Roxy.
I sniffed constantly as I ran, my head going dizzy with so much oxygen passing in and out of my lungs, but I kept on, becoming more fearful by the moment when I didn’t find her.
Once I reached the ATV, I was able to follow her scent easily. I saw the damage from where a motorcycle had ridden through, and when her scent grew stronger, I knew she was close.
I made a little grunting sound, hoping she’d respond and help me locate her faster, but heard no response, even as her scent grew stronger. When I finally saw her, she lay limp in the grass.
Roxy! I sent the mental image to my clan. It was all the explanation they needed. The leader is still out there!
Elijah responded first. We’re on our way.
We’ll get ‘er, Wyatt confirmed. Almost to the cave.
I rushed over to Roxy, my heart pounding loudly in my chest, and nudged her with my nose but she didn’t move.
19
Alex
I see the cave! Sawyer called out.
There she is! Wyatt said.
Elijah whistled. Hoo, boy! Mighty nice wreckage, Alex.
I barely heard what they were saying. I put my head to Roxy’s chest and the moment I heard her heart beating, the relief washed over me.
But I didn’t know how badly she was hurt. I nudged her again, trying to get her to wake up.
She’s turning back toward you, Alex!
My ears perked up, and I heard the sound of an engine in the distance. If she wouldn’t wake up, I’d have to carry her out of there.
I have to shift back, I told my clan.
I knelt to scoop her into my arms. She tried to pick her head up, but it fell back into my hands, her soft, silvery fur tickling my palm. She felt much lighter in wolf form than in human, and that bothered me. Maybe it was only because it made her seem weaker and therefore, more injured.
I stood up and saw Hellcat burst through a patch of sumacs. It was too late to hide, so I cradled Roxy’s lupine body, turning my back to the bike for protection.
But instead of coming right at us, she stopped with a screech of her brakes. “What the hell is going on here?”
It must have looked absolutely absurd to see a naked man clutching a limp wolf to his chest.
“Get off the bike,” I demanded. “You’re trespassing on federal property.”
Her chest rose faster with her breaths and she gripped the handlebars harder. “I know what this is. I know what you are. You’re a shifter! And that’s Roxy!”
Hellcat scrambled off her bike and pulled a gun from the back of her pants.
“There’s no reason to get yourself into more trouble,” I said calmly. Inside, I was shaking. If she did anything to hurt Roxy, I would tear that woman to pieces.
“No wonder she came after me.” Hellcat shook her head. “I hope I killed her.”
I growled with my human voice, but nothing sounded human about the sound.
“Stay back!” Hellcat pointed the gun at me and pulled the hammer back.
I put one hand up to her. “There’s no reason for anyone else to get hurt.”
“Freak! I’m going to tell everyone what you are! Velvet said something weird was up with you. That night at the bar. You—you turned into a bear! Someone said so and no one believed the guy because he was drunk. But it’s true. You’re a bear and Roxy turns into a wolf. You’re both absolute freaks!”
“Think about what you’re saying.” I remained as ca
lm as I could, but I was close to losing it. I had to get Roxy to help fast. And that woman thought she was going to shoot us or expose us. I had to go with the fear tactic. “If you tell people what we are, everyone will think you’re crazy. You’ll end up in an asylum.”
She shook her head frantically. “No. No! You wrecked our bikes. You hurt my friends. You have to pay for that.”
“I understand that you’re mad and upset. But I can tell you that multiple bears are on their way here right now.”
She spun around, then turned back to us. The thudding of loud paws reached my ears. I wondered if she could hear it yet with her human ears.
She jumped on her bike and sped off, away from us. Wyatt’s head emerged from the brush and Elijah and Sawyer were right beside him.
Hellcat stopped suddenly and her bike wobbled out of control before falling over. She managed to jump off before it crushed her, but she stumbled backward, pointing the gun at one of my clan mates and then another.
Carefully, I set Roxy on the ground and shifted. I had to be able to talk to my clan and help them.
Hellcat screamed and pulled the trigger. When the sound of the shot rang out, my heart stopped. But then I saw a hole in a tree near Elijah and smelled the freshly damaged pine.
They closed in on her. She spun around until she saw me, then she pointed the gun at Roxy, who now lay in human form just feet from me.
Roxy was trying to sit up. I growled at her to stay still, but she didn’t understand; she just blinked at me and didn’t seem to sense the danger at all.
Roxy pushed herself up and Hellcat adjusted her aim. I didn’t wait to see what would happen. I jumped in front of Roxy, leaping for Hellcat.
20
Roxy
When I opened my eyes, the only thing I could sense around me was pain. I wiggled my fingers and knew I was in human form. I’d heard Alex and could see him out of the corner of my eye but had no idea where I was or what was happening.
I pushed up shakily, trying to breathe around the pain. What had happened to me?
In my confusion, I didn’t understand what Alex was doing. He growled at me and then charged toward me. For a crazy moment, I thought he was going to pounce on me.
But then I heard the gun shot and my attention focused on Hellcat. How long had she been there? I saw Alex jump on her and noticed the other bears.
Blood was on the ground and I could smell it in the air. I looked down, but didn’t think it was my own. I was in a ton of pain, but it all felt internal.
Alex let out a mighty roar. I couldn’t see much of what was happening, but when he stood, blood dripped from his claws and mouth.
He backed away and I saw Hellcat’s ravaged body, lying still. Alex had killed her.
At first, I stared in horror. Was she really dead? Did he really have to kill her? But then I remembered the gun shot. Yes. He had to kill her. Alex wouldn’t have done it otherwise.
Regret twisted in my stomach and I felt the weight of guilt fall over me. If only I’d been able to convince her to stay away from the bats, none of this would have happened. And now she was dead. Her whole life, over. And for what?
My chest burned and the fear and anger shook me. If that was what biker life was all about, then I wanted absolutely nothing to do with it. I didn’t need to do stupid shit to have fun, and I didn’t need to hurt people, either. I thought back to all the things I’d done while hanging with the She Devils. Nothing had been too extreme, but I had certainly ruined many people’s days.
I felt awful for what I’d done, and in that moment, I knew I wasn’t the badass I thought I was. I cared about bats and following the rules. Well, most of them.
I jumped when the first wolf yipped at me. I hadn’t seen them coming, but now I realized that my clan stood around me. How had they even known to come? Toby nudged my foot with his nose and let out a soft whine.
“I’m okay,” I told him. “I think.”
They moved in close and sat around me in protection and concern.
“Don’t move.” I looked up to see Alex leaning over me.
And then I saw the blood running down his leg from the bandage wrapped around it.
“What happened?” I squeaked.
“It looks much worse than it is.” He bent down to scoop me into his arms.
“I can walk. Don’t hurt yourself.”
He stood up with a grunt and carried me back in the direction of the ATV.
My brain spun, partly from the dizzying pain and partly from the swaying motion that made everything seem to rise and fall. I closed my eyes and the feeling lessened.
“You got shot,” I whispered.
“It’s really just a graze.”
“You got shot. For me.” But there was so much more. “You killed for me. You put yourself in danger for me.” Tears pricked hot in my eyes and I looked up at him.
“Just rest now.”
I let my eyes close again and the waves of pain pulled me back under.
21
Alex
I laid Roxy on the couch and pulled a blanket over her, then scooted a chair over and waited as Eric assessed her. Two other EMTs stood by, helping take vital signs and check her over.
“It looks like she’s got some internal bleeding,” Eric said, pointing to a large bruise on her side. “Several broken bones and ribs, I reckon, but it’s hard to know for sure without x-rays.”
“Do we need to risk the hospital?” I asked.
“Nothing feels out of place with her bones. Everything should be pretty well set, especially if she was able to shift back to human form so soon after the injury. That’s a good sign that things are okay. I’d make her rest for a few days. If she’s still having pain by the end of the week, call me and we’ll get some x-rays.”
I hoped it wouldn’t come to that. “Thank you.” I stuck out my hand to shake his.
The EMTs left and I looked around at the houseful of people. Roxy was still out cold on the couch.
“I think the best thing now,” I said to all of them, “is for her to get some rest. I’ll keep everyone posted. Thank you all for your help today. We did a great thing in protecting those bats.”
“And protecting our secret,” Elijah added. “You did that for us.”
I hung my head slightly. I hadn’t really done it for the sake of shifters. I’d only been thinking of Roxy when I went after Hellcat.
My house cleared out as I was wished final goodbyes and offers for help. What I needed from them most was some quiet and to be alone with Roxy.
When Elijah left, I closed the door behind him and locked it, enjoying the silence for a moment before returning to the chair I’d pulled up to her side.
I watched her sleep for a long while, making sure water was waiting for her when she woke, along with the pain pills Eric had left for her. When her eyes fluttered open, my heart leapt with joy. I squeezed her hand and kissed her forehead.
“Hey,” she whispered.
“Hey,” I said back.
She didn’t move her head, but looked around. “Who’s here?”
“Just you and me.”
She sighed with relief. “Is Hellcat really dead?”
I nodded. “There was no other way.”
“Is anyone else dead?”
“Not that we know of. The other Devils took off. I saw Velvet get up and run off. I don’t think I hurt any of them too badly. Their bikes maybe, but not them.”
She chuckled and then winced. “They must be so pissed. Did we save the bats?”
“Yes.” I grinned. “And this latest event has pushed the funding forward to build a more permanent security fence around the cave. It’ll become a monitored attraction rather than a stop along the trail.”
“Make sure they charge to see those bats,” she muttered. “The park could use all the funding it can get.”
“Good idea.” I tucked a piece of hair back behind her ear. “Can I get you anything? Food, water, pain killers?”
S
he shook her head and her eyes closed again. “Just you. That’s all I need.”
My heart swelled and I was glad she hadn’t taken the pain pills yet. She must actually mean it.
“I have to warn you,” I said. “Because of the nature of your injuries, there is a chance that you might have to have bones reset if they heal badly.”
“What’s the probability?”
“Uh, I’m not sure.”
Her eyes flew open. “You didn’t collect data and figure out my chances?”
I laughed. “I was a little more worried about you than the numbers.”
“Slacker.” She gave me a half smile. “Tell me one thing. What’s the probability that you did all this because you love me?”
My heart jumped to my throat. The thought had occurred to me, of course. What I felt for her was so strong, it could only be considered love. But feeling love toward someone and telling them you loved them were very different things.
“I’d say something like 99 percent. There’s a small chance I only did it for recognition.”
She put her hand to her face. “Right.”
“Then tell me,” I said, my palms sweating. “What’s the probability that you love me back?”
“Well, if you include the fact that we’re apparently fated or something, factor in the timing, and our lack of readiness for a relationship… I guess you’d have to check it against variables like previous relationship length, the time it took to feel love, and then when you put all that together…”
I leaned forward, my heart pounding as I waited. “Well, what’s the answer?”
She raised her eyebrows at me. “I don’t know. That’s your part. If it were up to me, I’d just say 100 percent and be done with it. But that’s only based on the single variable of how my heart feels right this moment.”