“Yeah, you’re a beacon now,” Nash insisted.
“Good,” I said before I darted past Nash out the door. I made my way across the porch and then sprinted through the yard at the front of the house, rounding to the back. I heard Liam let out a loud growl from behind me, but I didn’t stop. I pumped my legs faster, harder, knowing he’d most likely be on me in seconds and hoping I made it to the backyard first. I needed to get Corbin close to the trailhead for the waterfall.
That was my goal—to get them all on that trail.
It was the only way to ensure they’d be hidden from human eyes while they went at it, because I knew that was what it would come to. There was no way Liam would let Corbin take me without a fight. Not just because I was the Mystic and his clan needed me to remain healthy, but because he’d made it clear to me before all this Mystic stuff. He’d said Corbin wouldn’t find me here if he knew what was good for him. It had been a threat. I’d known it then, same as I knew it now.
I couldn’t let him risk exposing himself for me. I refused to. I had to make it onto that trail, and they all needed to come with me.
As I rounded the cabin, heading into the backyard, Liam caught up to me like I knew he would. He wrapped his arms around my waist and forced me to a standstill. Then, positioned himself in front of me, his arm securing me behind him flush against his body. The sound of a motorcycle revving its engine nearby roared through the air and my heart thudded forcefully inside my chest.
“Stop. Don’t run from him. Never run from a shifter. They like the chase far too much.” His words were a low growl that seemed inhuman. His bear was close to the surface. “Nothing will happen to you. I won’t let it.”
“Neither will I,” Nash insisted as he stepped to his brother’s side, fists clenched and ready for a fight.
This situation was spiraling out of control fast. I needed to get them all on the trail. If not, two bears and a freaking coyote were going to be duking it out in Liam’s backyard while I stood there watching. That should really get everyone’s attention. Heck, I’d probably end up an internet sensation because of it.
I shivered at the thought, knowing I couldn’t let that happen.
I peeked around Liam, searching for Corbin. He was closer than I’d thought. His bike idled as he continued to rev the engine, his eyes fixed on me. A shiver slipped up my spin as my blood turned to ice in my veins at the sight of him illuminated by the nearby lamppost. His lips curved into a smirk as though he knew his effect on me, and then they moved as he said something. I didn’t have to hear him to know what he’d said; I was able to read his lips through the distance just fine—found you.
A new rush of fear pumped through me.
Corbin eased his bike into the grass, coming my way. Once he was close, he shut his motorcycle off, flipped the kickstand out, and slipped off. His eyes never left me the entire time.
“I think you’re touching something that belongs to me,” Corbin snarled. His eyes shifted to Liam.
Liam’s grip on me tightened, his fingers digging into my hip as he pressed me against his backside harder. Things were about to escalate, I could feel it. There was too much tension in the air.
This showdown needed to move. Now.
“Let me go,” I whispered to Liam, hoping everything I’d ever read about shifters was wrong and Corbin wouldn’t be able to hear me. “Let him follow me into the woods. I’ll meet you at the waterfall. No one needs to see you guys shift. I can’t let you risk it. Let me go.”
Nash nodded, and I knew he’d heard me and was giving me the go-ahead.
“Nothing here belongs to you, coyote,” Liam insisted. He released his grip on me and stepped forward, positioning himself closer to Corbin. If I hadn’t been listening for it, I would’ve missed it when he whispered, “Go.”
I bolted for the trail, causing a war to break out behind me. I didn’t glance back, not even when I sprinted into the woods. Instead, I trusted Liam and Nash wouldn’t let Corbin reach me. I trusted that they would all three follow after me too. My heart thundered as I pushed my legs faster. Tree branches scratched at my skin and snagged on my clothes. I could hear the guys enter the woods behind me. They sounded like giants destroying everything as they followed. And then, they sounded like wild beasts as each of them couldn’t resist their animals any longer and instead set them free.
Roars and howls rolled through the night air, causing my legs to pump faster.
I tried not to pay attention to what was happening behind me. If I did, my legs would probably root me in place while I freaked out. Instead, I kept my eyes straight ahead to the darkened woods and forced my legs to move along the dirt path. My breath became ragged as I made my way up a slight incline, and I nearly fell when the trail dipped for the first time. I couldn’t see for crap in the dark.
Something was behind me. It was gaining on me. I could hear its paws slapping at the dirt trail with force and determination.
I pushed myself harder as I passed the tree with the charred trunk and nearly sighed when the waterfall’s dampness first hit my skin. It wasn’t far now. Whatever was behind me crashed along, picking up speed.
What was I going to do once I reached the waterfall?
I hadn’t thought this through. All I’d thought about was getting them all into the woods so no one would see them shift. I hadn’t thought about what would come next. I tried to form a plan as I moved down the steepest dip of the trail, holding onto tree branches as I went to steady myself. My lungs burned, and my heart felt as though it was about to explode as I made my way down and over the rocks jutting from the ground. The sound of the waterfall floated to my ears. On instinct, I glanced behind me but didn’t see anything.
Was it Liam, Nash, or Corbin trying to catch up to me?
I hunched over once I hit the flat section above the waterfall. My eyes were glued to the trail in front of me. I tried to catch my breath while watching for whoever was about to burst into sight.
Think, Tris, think.
What should I do now that I was here? Probably not stand here like an idiot, waiting for someone to attack me. I needed a weapon and I needed to hide. Right? That sounded like a good plan to me.
I scanned my surroundings, searching for anything I could use as a weapon. A large tree branch to the left of the trail caught my eye. I picked it up and held it like a baseball bat. Another howl rolled through the night air followed by a low growl.
The guys were making their way to me.
Another roar rippled through the air, but this one sounded different from the ones before. It was filled with pain. My chest tightened as I listened to it fade.
No. No. No.
Either Liam or Nash were hurt. Bad. My gaze remained fixed on the trail, and my heart thundered as I waited for Corbin to appear.
When a coyote came into view, I knew it was him. He stopped a few feet away and lowered his head. If it was possible for a coyote to smirk, Corbin was. Blood dripped from the matted fur around his mouth. My stomach dipped to my toes.
Whose blood was that? Liam or Nash’s?
Corbin made his way down the rocky dip in the trail, heading straight for me. My grip tightened on the branch I held as my mind raced. What was my plan here? Whack him and pray the blow knocked him out? It could be done, right? I took a step back on instinct, trying to place as much distance between us as possible. That was when an idea came to me.
What if I whacked Corbin with the branch and then pushed him off the ledge?
There were so many rocks below, plus the rushing water of the creek, to injure him. Even if it didn’t kill him, it would still give me enough time to get away. I could find Liam and Nash and make sure they were okay before I hightailed it out of the campground. Corbin would follow me and all would be well.
Not really. I’d have to live life on the run, but at least it was better than dying.
My semblance of a plan shattered into a million pieces when Corbin reached the flat area of the trail where I sto
od and shifted from a coyote into a naked Corbin Davis.
Once upon a time, I’d have been excited by the sight—heck, I wasn’t even too prudish to admit I’d dreamed of it a time or two—but that desire had come and gone when he hit me and shoved me into Ezra’s trunk. Now there wasn’t a thing he could say or do that would make me want him again.
Ever.
Corbin took a step closer, and I lifted the branch I held higher. I knew what his hands could do, and how easy it would be for him to overpower me in this form like he had in the past. If I didn’t hit him hard enough, if I didn’t hit him in the right area, then I didn’t stand a chance. He’d take me down because he was strong.
I liked it better when all I had to worry about was his coyote’s teeth.
“You can try to fight me, Tris, but you know you won’t win. Just like you didn’t the last time,” Corbin insisted as that same predatory smile he’d tossed my way while in his coyote form graced his lips again. Ugh. Not only did they share the same eyes, but they shared the same smirk. How had I missed that before? “Why bother trying?”
I wanted to spout something smartass at him, something that would get under his skin, but words wouldn’t form because panic flooded my veins. All I could do was stare at him while gripping the branch so tight it hurt and wait. I tried to focus on where I should aim when I hit him, on where it would cause the most damage, but found it hard to think clearly. I was still dumbfounded that he’d tracked me to Gem Creek Campground. It seemed impossible, but then again, I was learning that nothing was impossible. After all, shifters and magic were real.
Corbin took another step forward and my thoughts scattered. My attention seemed to lock on how the distance between us continued to decrease as the seconds passed.
“You know, I’m not surprised it’s you,” he insisted. “I could tell there was something different about you right away. Not just that you were tough in that I-laugh-in-the-face-of-danger way, but something else. Something deeper. I just couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was. Now I know.”
I took a step back, knowing it was the last one I could take without falling off the ledge myself, and readied to swing the branch I held like a freaking baseball bat. I dug my feet into the ground. While I might not be able to take him, I’d damn sure try.
Corbin laughed, his head falling back. How had I ever thought he was attractive? There was such a slimy, sleazeball vibe coming from him that it disgusted me. He was pure evil, and I couldn’t believe I was only seeing it now.
I pulled in a deep breath and flexed my fingers against the rough bark of the branch as he continued to creep closer. Just a few more steps. That was all he needed to take. Then I’d swing, aiming directly for the side of his knee. In my mind, I saw him tumbling to the side from the blow and me shoving him over the ledge. Just one more step. That was all he needed to take.
That step never happened though because a loud and angry brown bear crashed down the trail behind him, jumping the rocky section and landing on the flat area a few feet behind Corbin. As Corbin spun to face him, the bear reared up on his hind legs and released another roar.
Liam. I knew it was him. I could sense it somehow.
Corbin shifted back into his coyote form in the blink of an eye and the two of them resumed their earlier battle. Relief trickled through me because fighting Corbin in this form seemed easier. One crack to the head, that was all it would take for this nightmare to be over.
I inched forward while Corbin was distracted by Liam’s presence, ready to whack the branch against the back of his head. As though Corbin had eyes in the back of his head, he swung around to face me, his teeth bared.
I froze.
When he lunged at me—his teeth gleaming—I swung, but too soon. I missed. He pounced on me, teeth snapping, and knocked me onto my butt. Liam’s bear bolted forward, and with one swift movement, he slammed his paw against the side of Corbin’s head. He went soaring through the air and then landed with a thud. It didn’t stop him; he was up and running again far too soon. Liam rushed toward him, and they met in the middle.
My eyes remained glued to the two beastly animals as they fought.
Liam swiped at Corbin again, his long claws grazing the side of his body, busting open his skin. Blood oozed from the deep gashes Liam left, and I scrambled to my feet and took a few steps back to give them more space. My movement caused Liam’s bear to glance my way for a split second, and that was all the time Corbin needed to sink his teeth into Liam’s neck.
A guttural growl ripped from Liam as he shook Corbin off. The coyote landed in front of him on his side, but he wasn’t beaten yet. Corbin was to his feet in seconds, lunging at Liam again. This time, his teeth made contact with Liam’s shoulder. Liam stood on his back legs, taking Corbin with him, and dug his claws into Corbin’s sides as though holding him in place. When he released him, Liam slung Corbin against a tree.
Corbin landed with a sickening thud, and this time he didn’t get up.
I stared, unblinking, at them both. Liam, still in bear form, walked to me. He sniffed me, as though making sure I was okay. I grazed his soft brown fur as I stared into his eyes. Satisfaction burned through them, and then the strange charge I recognized as shifter magic filled the air, pulsing between us.
Liam’s bear disappeared, and within seconds, I was looking into his human eyes.
“Are you okay?” he asked. Worry sharpened his features. “Did he hurt you? Did I?” His gaze roamed over me, inspecting every inch.
He was covered in blood. And from the wounds he’d encountered, I was willing to bet it was mostly his own and not Corbin’s. “I’m fine, but you’re not.”
The large wound on his throat gushed blood, and there was a gigantic bite of flesh taken out of his shoulder. Blood trickled down his chest, dripping onto the dirt at his feet. It grossed me out, making my legs feel weak.
Until my fingers tingled with an unfamiliar sensation.
What was that? I lifted my hand to stare at my fingertips, and spotted golden light pulsing from them in sync with my heartbeat.
“What the hell?” I breathed.
Liam stepped closer, a knowing look in his eyes, and barred his neck to me. His bear flashed to the surface for a moment, causing his eye color to brighten, and I wondered if it had something to do with his submissive gesture. “Please.”
I knew he was asking me to heal him; I just didn’t know how. I imagined it started with me hovering my fingers over his wound and allowing the light to do its thing.
So, that was what I did.
Liam grew still beneath my touch. Was I hurting him? I chewed my bottom lip as warmth radiated from my fingertips to his wound and the golden glow intensified. Liam’s wound started to stitch itself back together, and he chuckled.
“Does it tickle?” I asked, curious.
He locked eyes with me. “A little. It’s so amazing that you can do that. I mean, I would have healed on my own, but it would have taken me a few days. This is so instantaneous it’s amazing.”
I pulled my hand away when pink new skin had replaced the torn skin of his wound. The ground beneath me swayed for a second, but I attributed it to shock from what I’d just done. “Yeah, it is pretty cool.”
“Thank you,” Liam whispered, his face inches from mine. We were so close all it would take was for me to lift onto my toes a little higher or him to bend down, and then our lips would touch. “That was amazing.”
“It was,” I breathed. I’d never experienced anything like it. Liam took a step back, putting enough space between us to dull whatever fire had been burning, and silence bloomed. “Where’s Nash?” I asked to fill it.
Liam’s eyes dimmed as an expression of guilt twisted his features. “I had to leave him back on the trail. He’s hurt. Bad.”
Nausea rolled through my stomach as the first flickers of guilt stung me like angry bees. The ground swayed again as I wiped my clammy forehead with the back of my hand.
Nash was injured b
ecause of me.
“How bad?” I asked.
“The others will come for you,” Corbin hissed from behind us, surprising me. His tone was low and rough. Liam and I spun to face him. He was still lying beneath the tree where Liam had tossed him. He wheezed loudly as he tried to pull in another breath to speak again. “They’ll come looking for me too.” His gaze drifted lazily to Liam before falling back to me. “He knows how the shifter world works. You belong to my pack. I found you and my death doesn’t change that.” His words were barely a whisper as the life continued to fade from him.
“You hold no claim,” Liam growled.
“Finders keepers.” Corbin smirked. “They will come for her,” he said before taking his final breath. His body grew slack, and I swore I saw the life fade out of him.
Ice water crept through my veins. I should be happy Corbin was no longer a threat, that he couldn’t hurt me ever again, but relief wasn’t what I felt—worry was.
Liam placed a hand against my lower back. “You don’t belong to him or his pack. They hold no claim.”
“It doesn’t matter; they’ll still come for me.” I knew my words were true even if Liam wasn’t ready to admit it. “I’m like a beacon, remember? They’ll be able to feel me now. Also, Corbin was right when he said they’d come looking for him. They might have been freaking crazy, but they were a family.”
“Okay, so I guess the question isn’t if they’ll be coming, but when?” Liam asked.
I nodded, knowing that was the exact question we should ask ourselves.
* * *
If you enjoyed Chosen you might also enjoy the completed Mirror Lake Wolves series. Something sinister lurks in the Mirror Lake woods...
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Chosen: Gem Creek Bears, Book One Page 11