A collective sigh of relief went around the room. Walker turned away, and Austin clapped him on the shoulder. The boys formed a line behind the groom and got ready to leave the basement when Melody shot forward with her arm outstretched. “Look!”
Everyone turned around to stare at the stock crate. The panther still lay unconscious inside it, but a subtle change sparkled over its shiny fur. In front of their eyes, the fur changed from inky black to a softer grey and finally lightened. It sank out of sight under smooth olive skin, all but a patch of black on the animal's head.
Its face collapsed in on itself, and the fangs sticking through its black lips retreated to rounded teeth. The whole body turned and changed into a regular human shape. Instead of a panther, a young man lay inside the cage with his mouth sagging open. His cheek mashed against the floor, and his arms hung limp over his strapping body.
Scuffed blue jeans covered his legs, and he wore mud-crusted lace-up boots. A faded plaid flannel shirt hung open to reveal a muscular chest, but his shoulders didn't spread as wide as most Bruins. His muscles stretched over his bones in tight, wire whips. His whole frame exuded electric energy, ready to spring at anything.
Melody stared at him with her mouth open. She couldn't comprehend what just happened. The shock of the panther flying out of that trunk didn't match this helpless man lying on his face on the floor.
Someone murmured, “Holy crap.”
“Now what do we do?”
Melody looked around. Everyone in the basement exchanged terrified glances—everyone except Marla. She fixed her eyes on the fallen figure. She took one determined step forward and aimed an accusing finger at the stranger. “That's Riley Faulkner. That's the bear-baiter who kidnapped me.”
Chapter 4
“What are we gonna do with him?”
“What is he, anyway?”
“Don't you have eyes? He's a panther shifter. He's just like us, except he shifts into a panther instead of a bear.”
“We should take him back to where we found him.”
“Are you nuts?”
“We should tell the police.”
“What are we gonna tell them? That we kidnapped this guy and held him in our basement?”
Walker's low rumble interrupted everybody. “I'm gonna kill him.”
“You can't kill him,” Brody countered. “He's a person, just like us. That would make you a murderer.”
“He deserves to die after what he did to Marla,” Walker replied. “I would be protecting the rest of the Bruins from him and his kind.”
“We don't know his kind had anything to do with the bear-baiting,” Mattox pointed out. “He might be the only one.”
“Even if he is the only one,” Walker told him, “that's one too many. I'll kill him, and no one better try to stop me.”
He strode across the room and seized Austin's rifle from the corner. He levered the action to load a round into the chamber. He started back toward the cage when Brody threw himself into Walker's path. “I know you're angry about what he did to your mate, but I won't stand by while you shoot a defenseless man. Think, Walker! You're getting married in a few minutes. You don't want to go to the altar with an innocent man's blood on your hands. You're not the man I thought you were if you do.”
“Innocent!” Walker growled through gritted teeth. “He's far from innocent. Marla and I would have killed him ourselves if he hadn't gotten away. He made the mistake of coming back to Bruin country and these boys caught him. Now he's gonna pay the price.”
Brody wrestled the rifle out of his hands. “You can't do this. I won't let you. We'll turn him over to the Sheriff if we have to, but we can't kill him. We won't stoop to their level.”
Walker got into a tug-of-war with him over the rifle. “You better get out of my way. That man deserves to die, along with anyone else who tries to protect him. Get out of my way, or I'll shoot you, too.”
Mattox came forward and laid a hand on Walker's arm. “Take it easy, man. No one is arguing with your right to kill him, but at least wait until he wakes up. Go get married and leave this until later.”
Walker rounded on him with his hackles raised. “Are you just as stupid as your idiot brother? You heard these boys. They found him near that pit trap where he almost caught Marla. He's back here to catch more Bruins to take back to his ring. Don't you get it? Do you want some other woman tortured and killed before you wake up and smell the coffee? Maybe you want to send Star down to Burkes Road and see how lucky she gets.”
Brody narrowed his eyes. “Don't you dare talk about Star.”
Walker rounded on Aiken, and then Austin. “Or maybe you want to wait until Harmony gets caught, or Aurora. What is wrong with you people? Don't you understand these bastards won't quit until they catch some other poor Bruin to lock up in their basement?”
Austin kept his voice low. “This young man is locked up in our basement right now. You're doing the same thing to him that he did to Marla.”
Aiken stepped forward. “We ought to at least question this Riley Faulkner. He can tell us if the other bear-baiters plan to infiltrate Bruins' Peak, or if he's working alone.”
“He'll never talk to us,” Austin argued.
“We can make him talk,” Foicks put in.
Aiken snapped over his shoulder, “You kids stay out of this.”
Marla spoke up for the first time, “What if all the bear-baiters are panther shifters? Riley told me he has a big extended family in the mountains around Burkes Road. He said he was on his way home with important papers about their family business. What if they're all in on it with him?”
“If that's true,” Walker replied, “that's all the more reason we have to smash them now, once and for all. We should send his dead body back to Burkes Road in a box. We should send them a message loud and clear about what will happen to anyone who enters our territory.”
“We can't do that,” Brody argued. “We can't antagonize another group of shifters. That would lead to all-out war.”
“The war is already on,” Marla replied. “They already invaded our territory. We have to fight them off to defend ourselves from them.”
Brody shook his head, but didn't answer. Mattox squeezed Walker's arm. “Come on, man. Put the gun away. No one is killing anybody anytime soon.”
Walker jerked the rifle out of Brody's hands, but he didn't go near the cage again. “I'm going upstairs to get married now, and when I come back, I'm gonna blow that man's brains all over the south wall. If you guys don't back me, you'll be my enemies for life. You can kiss your peace negotiations between Farrell and Cunningham tribes good-bye.”
Brody held up both palms. “Come on, man. Don't throw away everything we've worked for over this.”
“You're throwing it away,” Walker thundered. “You back me, or I'll treat you as just as much my enemy as he is. You got that? When I get back from my wedding, I'll see who are my friends and who are my enemies, and the first man who tries to stand in my way will get what's coming to him.”
He threw the rifle flat on the floor with all his strength. He seized Marla by the hand and stormed out of the basement. Brody's shoulders sagged. “This is just great. This is the greatest Bruin wedding ever.”
“We can't kill him,” Mattox replied. “That's for certain.”
Lyric pointed to the cage. “Look. He's awake.”
Everyone turned around. Riley hadn't moved, but his eyes shone dark and alert under the light bulb. They started to advance when Mattox held out his arm. “You stay back. He could be dangerous.” He approached the cage alone and nodded down at the fallen man. “You're Riley, aren't you?”
Riley didn't move, but his eyes registered the slightest hint of recognition.
“Don't shift again, or I'll have to shock you,” Mattox told him. “Just lie quietly. We'll do everything we can, but you're in danger here. Don't make it worse for yourself by flying off the handle like you did before.”
Austin came to his brother's side. “
We should question him while we have the chance. We should find out what he knows.”
“You come from Burkes Road, don't you?” Mattox asked. “You run a bear-baiting ring there. Marla told us all about it.”
Riley lifted his head and rolled over on his back. He sucked in the trail of saliva off his lips. “If you know all about it, you don't need to ask me.”
“The more you tell us,” Mattox told him, “the better your chances of coming out of this. How many of you are there, and how advanced is your bear-catching operation? Tell us where you dug your pit traps.”
Riley cast a quick glance around the basement. The Dunlap boys, the three Farrell brothers, Aiken, Lyric and Melody all stood in a circle and stared down at him. “You're gonna kill me. I just heard you say so. If you find out where the traps are or who's involved, you have no reason to keep me alive.”
“Tell us what we want to know,” Mattox urged, “and we might find a way to get you out of here.”
Riley turned his head away. He wouldn't say anything more, no matter what they did.
Mattox shrugged. “Come on. Let's get out of here. We've got a wedding to attend.” He pointed at Riley. “Any trouble from you, and I won't be responsible for the consequences. You'll be lucky if we shock you into submission.”
He strode out of the basement with his brothers at his heels. The Dunlap boys hurried after them, and their excited voices bubbled into the distance.
Lyric touched Melody's arm. “Come on. This place gives me the creeps.”
Melody nodded, but when Lyric moved away, she hung back. Some unstoppable force kept her eyes glued to the young man in the cage. He didn't turn around, but kept his head turned away and stared at the wall. Melody's heart went out to him. Already black bruises showed up on his arms where he slammed into the bars. A burn slashed across his chest where Mattox shocked him.
A bloody wound gashed down one leg, and the blood dripped onto the floor. Something stuck in his chest when he breathed. He was hurt. Just then, Lyric came back down the stairs and grabbed her hand. “Come on, Melody. Everyone's getting ready for the ceremony.”
That snapped her out of her reverie. She followed Lyric up the stairs, but her mind still spun on the young man. What was he? She saw Bruins shifting all her life, but the startling reality of him changing from a panther into a man still confused and shocked her. How could that happen? How could a man be a panther?
She came to the top of the stairs. Sunshine streaming through the Dunlaps' living room windows blew the cobwebs from her brain. Lyric stuck her hand back through the basement door. “We better turn off the light.”
“But he'll be all alone in the dark down there,” Melody pointed out.
“That's the best place for him.” Lyric switched off the light and hauled Melody into the normal world of living rooms and sunshine. She shut the basement door and turned the key in the lock.
Chapter 5
The whole Dunlap family packed the living room. Melody could barely find room to wedge herself against the wall. Walker tugged his tux jacket down around his waist and muttered under his breath. “I'll kill him. I'll rip his eyes out with my bare hands if I have to.”
A bevy of bridesmaids fluttered around Marla. They brushed invisible specks of dust off her dress. “Now, you wait here with your dad until Walker gets into position.”
Marla looked around. She handed her bouquet to Lyric and rubbed her hands together. “I can't stop my shaking hands. I can't stop thinking about him downstairs right now.”
Lyric touched Marla's veil. “Don't think about him. Think about Walker. You're marrying the man of your dreams. Just think about that.”
“I'll kill him,” Walker growled. “I'll never rest until I see him dead. I'll kill anyone who tries to stop me.”
“He's in our basement,” Marla squeaked. “I never thought I'd see him again. I thought I was safe, and now he's here, in my own house. No Bruin is safe as long as he's alive.”
Jasper called out over the hubbub. “Are you ready? Where's my....oh, there it is. Is the music playing? Where's the flower girl? Everybody get into your places.”
The wedding party went into overdrive. Everyone shoved and talked at once. Lyric leaned close to Marla's ear. “Don't think about him. You're safe. All these people are here to protect you. He can't get out of that cage. In a few minutes, you'll be married, and then…” she trailed off.
Marla searched her face. “And then?”
Lyric waved her hand. “I don't know what happens then, but you don't have to worry about him anymore. If anyone is going to get hurt here, it's going to be him.”
“You're darn right about that,” Walker snarled. “He's gonna get hurt, all right. I'll rip his fingernails off. I'll crush his nuts with my vice-grips.”
Melody didn't mean to say anything, but she couldn't stop herself. Before she knew what she was doing, the words tumbled out of her mouth. “You can't kill Riley. You would be just as bad as the bear-baiters if you did.”
Marla spun around to confront her. “What are you sticking up for him for? He's a murderer and a kidnapper and a thief. Do you think he would hesitate to do the same thing to you that he did to me? Walker is right. I've seen firsthand what these people are capable of. They're enemies of all Bruin kind. We should kill them and show them no mercy.”
Lyric smacked her lips. “Come on, Melody. Can't you see she's already tense about this? Help me distract her. Help me get her thinking about the wedding and not that…that thing.”
“He's not a thing. He's a person, just like the rest of us. He might be a bear-baiter and a murderer and a kidnapper, but he's down there in that basement without food or water or any way to defend himself. No one would want to be in that situation.”
“I didn't want to be in that situation, either,” Marla replied, “and he did it to me. Blowing his brains out is the most merciful thing we can do for him. It's merciful compared to what the bear-baiters want to do to any Bruin they can catch.”
“I still think we should give him some food and water. It would only take a minute to take it down there before the ceremony.”
Lyric spun around with a gasp. “You stay away from that basement, Melody. Do you hear me? If the Alphas found out you went near Riley, you would be in hot water. Now, come on. We have to get in line with the flower girl. Jasper's going to escort Marla down the aisle.”
Lyric hurried her out of the house to take their places in the bridal procession. The other Alphas accompanied Walker to the other end of the marquee and formed a long line of black tuxedos. They squared their shoulders at the empty place where Marla would make her appearance.
The Farrell brothers and the Dunlap boys smiled, but Walker glowered at no one in particular. He clenched his fists and ground his teeth, and he kept looking around for something.
He didn't even relax when the flower girl made her way down the aisle. April Kerr sprinkled rose petals on the crimson carpet and took her place in the first seat. Melody came next, followed by Briar MacAllister and Lyric. Aiken escorted his mother to her seat in the front row, and his sister Clarissa and her husband Floyd followed.
At last, the longed-for moment arrived. The music changed into the bridal processional. Dulcet tones drifted over the crowd, and every eye turned back to gaze up the aisle.
A gasp went around the marquee when Marla and her father appeared. Her gauzy veil obscured Marla's face. No one who didn't know what was going on would be able to see her pinched, tense face. Her train flowed behind her and dragged rose petals along on her journey to the altar, but Melody couldn't appreciate it now.
Tension and worry hung over the ceremony. Marla's hands shook so bad, Walker dropped the ring when he tried to slip it on her finger. Foicks snorted with laughter, and Walker turned on him with a scowl that would shatter marble. Brody grabbed Foicks’s arm so hard he made Foicks wince in pain. He wiped the grin off his face in a flash.
No one in the wedding party smiled. Only a few oblivious
ladies wiped away tears. As soon as they clipped out their vows and exchanged rings, Walker snatched Marla's hand and hurried her out of the marquee.
The moment they left and the triumphal march changed to bouncy dance music again, the place erupted in conversation. Melody wandered through the crowd. The oblivious ladies talked about how beautiful Marla looked and how perfect her gown flowed, but when she came near Austin and Brody, Melody heard a different tone.
“This could blow up in our faces,” Brody murmured. “We have to support Walker. We can't let all these years of struggle and hardship go for nothing. We can't make enemies of the Cunninghams again.”
“If we make enemies of these panthers,” Austin replied, “we could be in a much worse situation. We could all be fighting for our lives.”
“They wouldn't dare fight us in an all-out war,” Brody countered. “Bears can beat panthers hands down.”
“Do you really want to find out? They could devastate us. They could ruin our whole economy. We have no proof this Faulkner character isn't a rogue. Maybe his Alphas want to stop him as much as we do. Maybe if we talk to them, we'd find out.”
Brody shook his head. “We only have an hour at the most before Walker throws down the gauntlet. We have to back him, even if it means killing the boy.”
Melody rushed away. She couldn't listen to this, but a few yards away, she overheard Foicks and Jana relating their exploits to a gang of other boys. “And I shouldered my rifle and took aim. The cat growled at me, and I thought he might pounce right on top of my head. I had to act fast, but I made myself take deep breaths so I wouldn't miss...”
Melody left them behind. Azer Mackenzie's voice followed her out of the marquee. “We'll set up more patrols of our boundary. If any of them come into our territory, we'll string 'em up along the fence as a warning to others.”
“Let's skin 'em!” Foicks exclaimed. “Let's make a mint selling their furs the way the hunters from town sell bear hides. We could get rich and kill the panthers at the same time.”
Bruins Peak Bears Box Set (Volume II) Page 3