Ezra roared through his gritted teeth. “Get out of my way before I blow your brains out!”
Ash swept his arm over the scene. “These men are unarmed. You can’t shoot them in cold blood.”
Ezra moved his rifle to one hand and shoved Ash out of the way with the other. He dashed after his friends in hot pursuit of the Midnight. They tore down the hill faster than Ash ever saw a bear shifter run. How did they get so fast?
Halfway down the hill, Ezra stopped again. He didn’t check to see where Ash was before he swept his gun to his shoulder. He took aim one more time. Ash was nowhere close enough to stop him now. One shot, and all Ash’s hopes for peace would go up in a cloud of gun-smoke.
At that moment, the two Midnight caught sight of the NightShade surrounding them. Their eyes widened, but they didn’t stand around waiting for the NightShade to close their ring. In the blink of an eye, both men jumped down on their hands and knees. Before they hit the ground, the men disappeared and two jet black panthers shimmered over the ground.
The Midnight launched themselves off the ground. The first one pounced onto a tree trunk. With no effort at all, he bounded straight up the trunk into the branches. The other panther coiled his liquid body under him and sailed into the air. He defied gravity for one pendulous moment. His soft paws hit a low branch, and he skipped upward into the high canopy. In half a second, both panthers vanished into the forest.
The NightShade gathered around the trees where the panthers escaped, but they could find no trace of the Midnight. The men fired their guns into the air, but hit nothing. The panthers were long gone, on their way back to Midnight Moraine.
Ash caught up with them, but he kept back out of the way. He’d seen this more than once hunting Riley. He didn’t have to get involved now.
Ezra rounded on Ash. “This is all your fault. If you had let me shoot him when I had the chance, they wouldn’t be running free right now.”
Ash stood his ground. “I won’t stand by and let you shoot him or anybody else. You have no reason to think they were coming to capture one of your people.”
“What else could they possibly want?” Ezra thundered. “What other reason could they have to come into our territory? That’s all they ever want.”
“What if they want peace, too?” Ash asked. “What if they came to talk to you? Do you want to start a war with these panthers?”
“Yes!” Ezra bellowed. “That’s exactly what I want to do. Maybe then we’ll be able to pay them back for everything they’ve done to us.”
“I can’t let you do that.”
Ezra bent close to his face. He lowered his voice to a growl. “You don’t have a clue what these things are capable of. You want to stand around and jabber, just like everyone else. Don’t you ever get in the way of my gun again, not unless you want a mouthful of lead.”
He stormed off into the trees, and the other NightShade followed. None of them would speak to Ash or even look at him. Ash trailed behind heading back up the Ridge. He wouldn’t regret what he’d done, even if it meant alienating these people. He came here for peace. He had to defend his position to the NightShade the same way he defended it to Foicks.
He followed them back up the hill to Ezra’s cabin. June stood in the door. She smiled at everyone, but when her father and brother barged past her without speaking, the smile evaporated off her face.
She cast a questioning look at Ash, but he couldn’t help her out. She couldn’t help him, either. She was a thorn on the rosebush along with a bunch of other thorns. He didn’t want to get pricked.
June ducked in behind the men and left Ash alone outside. He cast a wistful gaze around the mountains. The setting sun touched a golden lining around Renegade Ridge. The forest fell into shadow. He understood those woods. How easy it would be to run off into the trees and hide his worries in the bear.
He didn’t want to face Ezra and Arryn over another meal. He didn’t want to like June when he couldn’t get along with her family. He didn’t want to like June at all, for any reason—but he did. He couldn’t stop himself. He would gladly run away. He might even run all the way home, but he wouldn’t do that. He wanted to go inside so he could see her again.
The sky turned colors and faded. The cold, comforting stars came out. How did he get into this situation? Life seemed so simple when he used to roam the woods with his brothers in their younger days. Now, Foicks was married and Ash was here.
His heart ached for Bruins’ Peak, his faraway home. He would give anything to be back there now, to taste his mother’s cooking and sleep in his own bed. If these NightShade had to wait around for their Elders’ decision, or if they broke free and provoked a war, he had no reason to stick around.
June came out. “Are you coming in for supper?”
Ash sighed. He didn’t want to turn around. He couldn’t bear to look at her with those thoughts running through his head.
She came up behind him. “Ash?”
Out of nowhere, her hand appeared on his shoulder. It shot a lightning bolt of tension through his body. He jerked sideways so fast he almost put his neck out of joint. “I’m coming.”
He burst into the house. Ezra and Arryn already sat at the table. The fire’s heat warmed the room, and three oil lamps lighted the windowless shack. Ash took a deep breath and sat down. Neither of the men looked sideways at him. They glared in different directions so they wouldn’t see him sitting right in front of them.
June moved around the room, but no one took any notice of her. Ash could stare at her all he liked without worrying about her father and brother seeing him. She lifted the same Dutch oven out of the coals and set it on the table. She raised the lid, and delicious steam billowed out.
June grinned at Ash. “Sorry, no cornbread tonight.”
He couldn’t help but smile back. “Oh. Too bad. I was looking forward to it.”
“You’ll have to come back for breakfast in the morning,” she replied.
He tucked his napkin into his lap. “So what is it tonight—fudge brownies?”
She laughed and grabbed a ladle. “Sorry. It’s just mutton stew with dumplings.”
He beamed. “My favorite.”
Arryn’s head whipped around. “Don’t you dare come into my father’s house and start hitting on my sister. Haven’t you done enough to ruin our lives for one day?”
Ash’s smile vanished. “I was just trying to be polite. You guys won’t talk to me, so I have no choice to talk to her.”
“Take it easy, Arryn,” June added. “He wasn’t hitting on me.”
Arryn fixed his eyes on her. “Do you think I’m stupid or something? Do you think I can’t see what’s right in front of my face?”
“Apparently not,” Ash replied, “because I’m sitting right in front of your face and you don’t see me.”
June laughed out loud. Ash smiled up at her until Arryn brought his fist down hard on the table. “I’ll tear your face off if you look sideways at her one more time.”
“What am I supposed to do?” Ash asked. “Am I supposed to sit here and stare at the wall while she serves my supper? Maybe that’s how you people do it on Renegade Ridge, but my mother raised me with some manners.”
Arryn’s lips quivered back from his teeth, but Ezra interrupted, “That’s enough out of both of you. We’re here to eat, not to bicker amongst ourselves. If you will please serve the food, darlin’, we’ll all feel better. We’re hungry and tired. We can discuss this further after a good night’s sleep.”
“Good idea,” Ash replied.
June smiled at him. Arryn opened his mouth to say something, but Ezra stopped him by laying a hand on his arm.
June ladled stew into each plate. Ash took a bite of his food. “This is superb.”
June’s eyes widened. “Superb? No one has ever called my food superb before.”
“Well, they should,” he replied. “This is even better than the cornbread.”
“You might be disappointed when breakfast
comes around again.”
Arryn shot Ash another withering glare, and Ash bent over his plate. He shouldn’t push this too far.
For a while, nothing but the sipping of soup disturbed the silence until Ezra put down his spoon. “Thank you, darlin’. Another excellent job, as usual.”
Ash looked up. “Aren’t you eating anything, June?”
“We only have three chairs,” she replied. “We weren’t expecting a guest. I’ll eat when you finish.”
Ash hopped up. “That’s not right. I can’t sit here while you stand. You sit down and eat. I’ll eat afterwards.”
She held out her hand. “That’s very kind of you, but please sit down and finish. I can eat anytime.”
He sat down in front of his plate to find Arryn glaring at him again. Instead of yelling, Arryn leaned close and snarled under his breath. “We have a tradition of hospitality to strangers, so we have to welcome you at our table. Don’t ruin it by crossing a line none of us wants you to cross.”
“What do you mean?” Ash asked.
Arryn kept his voice low. “You know what I mean. You’re deliberately provoking us by flirting with my sister. Don’t deny it.”
Ash leaned back in his chair and set down his spoon. “I have no intention of getting involved with your sister or anyone else on Renegade Ridge. You can take my word on that. I’m here to represent my people in the hopes of winning you as our allies, and then I’ll be on my way. I won’t do anything to jeopardize that. You don’t have anything to worry about from me.”
Arryn stared at him. “Do you mean that?”
“Of course,” Ash replied. “I’m not here to stay. I’ve said that from the beginning.”
Arryn glanced at his father. His shoulders relaxed. “All right. I appreciate you saying so.”
A deafening crash made all three men spin around to confront June. She flung her ladle across the room and smashed one of the lamp chimneys. The flame snuffed out. “How dare you stick your nose into my business? Is this how you welcome a guest at our table—with threats? I’m ashamed of you, Arryn, and you, Daddy. How could you do this?”
Ezra pushed his chair back. “Arryn is right. Whatever’s going on between you two has no future. Ash will leave.”
“He wasn’t doing anything,” June shrieked. “He was just talking to me. Isn’t it enough you keep me locked up in this hole day and night? Now you want to stop me talking to anybody, too. Where will it end?”
Ash rose from his seat. “I can see my presence here is causing more harm than good. I better go.”
June leapt forward. “No!”
Ash shook his head. “I’m finished eating, and I thank you for the meal. Even if I stay on this Ridge a little longer, I leave this house now.”
“I’ll show you where you’re staying.” June wiped her hands on a towel to follow him to the door.
Ash held up his hand. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Someone else can show me.”
“No.” June opened the door before he could stop her. She hurried out into the night.
He stole a glance at the men, but father and son sat unmoving at the table. They stared into their plates and said nothing. Ash would give anything for one of them to jump up and forbid him to go with June right now, but they didn’t. They left him to deal with this all on his own.
6. Chapter 5
Ash stepped out into the inky night. Stars scattered over the sky, and the Milky Way stretched all the way to the edge of the sky. He paused on the doorstep to sniff the air. The dank woods called to him one more time, but a stronger call drew him away.
June appeared at his side. Her dark skin blended into the night. The starlight glistened in her eyes and off her teeth. Only the ghostly outline of her dress showed him where she was.
The night weighed down his shoulders until he couldn’t breathe. No one protected him from her and her blinding influence on him. She filled his mind with a thousand ideas, all of them forbidden.
Air breezed through her nose. Her skin whispered to him. He couldn’t understand what it wanted to tell him—at least, he didn’t want to admit he understood it.
She whispered close to his ear, “Come on. I’ll show you where you’re staying.”
He fell behind her heading into the trees, but she marched ahead without looking back. She said nothing until she led him to an isolated cabin between some tall fir trees. She pushed the door open and stood back. “Here you go.”
The room—or whatever it was—loomed dark and forbidding beyond the door. He couldn’t see anything in there, though it smelled clean enough. “Thank you.”
She didn’t reply.
He peered at her in the dark. “I meant what I said before, June. I appreciate your hospitality, and I don’t like sitting at the table eating while you stand around and wait.”
Her voice bit. “That’s okay.”
He started at that sharp edge. “Is anything bothering you?”
“What could be bothering me? This is where you stay. I’m sure you’ll find it very comfortable and clean. Good night.”
She didn’t walk away, though. He heard something in her voice. It spoke to him the way her skin did. “What’s the matter? Why are you so distant and cold?”
She smacked her lips. “Just go inside, Ash. Don’t try to talk to me anymore.”
“I have to talk to you,” he replied. “I can’t exactly ignore you, can I?”
She didn’t laugh at his joke. “What you said before hurt. Okay? There. I said it. Now you know, so you don’t have to ask me anymore.”
He mind skipped over everything he said that evening. “What did I say? I was trying to be extra polite.”
“You said you weren’t sticking around here, and you had no intention of getting involved with me or anybody else on Renegade Ridge.”
“What’s wrong with that?” he asked. “I said the same thing to you before. I told you I planned to go home when this is over.”
June threw up her hands and started to turn away. “Aw, forget it. You just don’t understand.”
He lunged forward to grab her hand, but he stopped himself in time. He couldn’t touch her. He would be lost if he touched her. He change direction so he blocked her from walking away. “What’s going on, June? How could me saying I was leaving hurt you? I thought you understood I didn’t plan to stay on Renegade Ridge forever. How could I? I just came over here to…”
He stopped in mid-sentence. He stared at her outline in the starlight. What in the name of God just happened? How did he get into this situation with a woman so fast without even meaning to?
She waved her hand. “Yeah, I get all that, Ash. You came over here to do a job, to deliver a message. That’s all, and that’s all I expect you to do. Just go inside. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He couldn’t understand what she was talking about, but her tone told him she expected a lot more from him than that. Come to think of it, he did understand. He understood only too well. She wanted more. He wanted more, too, but he couldn’t follow through on it.
He didn’t come here to find a mate. Finding a mate here came about as close as he could imagine to his worst nightmare. What would he do with a mate from an alien people? At least June was a bear shifter, unlike Riley and Raven Faulkner. He wouldn’t be outcast for taking her as a mate.
Dear God, what was he thinking? He couldn’t take her as a mate. He wouldn’t. He had to get away from her as fast as he could before something terrible happened to him—and her.
He turned away and stepped into the pitch dark room. He had no idea where anything was. He couldn’t find a light in this darkness. He glanced back over his shoulder. A ghostly apparition hovered beyond the door. “June?”
She smacked her lips again. She stepped past him through the door and struck a match. She lit one of the oil lamps he saw in her father’s cabin, and glowing yellow light filled a single small room. A double bed, made up with clean quilts and blankets, occupied one side wall. A small side table
stood at its head.
Ash looked around and nodded. “Thank you. This is perfect.”
“I know it’s not what you’re used to, but it’s the best we can give you,” she replied. “You can come back to our place in the morning for breakfast.”
He peered at her in the lamplight. “Is it cornbread again?”
Her head shot up. When she met his gaze, she burst out laughing. “Yeah.”
He smiled back, and the spell broke. “Good. I like your cornbread.” She headed for the door, but his hand shot out and clasped hers. “June?”
She froze in mid-stride. Her large dark eyes reflected the golden light. Her lips parted to show her teeth, and she caught her breath without answering. The look on her face answered the only question he could ask.
Why did he stop her? Didn’t he just tell himself to get away from her? Didn’t he tell himself getting involved with her was his worst nightmare? Didn’t he tell himself he would be lost if he touched her?
Now, here he was holding her hand in a darkened room, and he felt himself falling, falling down a long dark tunnel. He didn’t know where he was going, but he was sure going there, and fast. “Listen, June, I…”
“Ash?”
He could only stare at her in wonder. “Yes?”
She lowered her eyes to his hand in hers. Those entwined hands said it all.
Ash shuddered all over, and his hand broke free. “I guess I better say good night.”
She nodded, and this time, he didn’t stop her walking to the door. She paused on the threshold to cast a brief glance back. “Good night. See you in the morning.”
She vanished into the night, and Ash shut the door. His wooden legs crossed the room, and he sank down on the bed. What just happened? What was he trying to tell her? That he felt the same way? That the thought of leaving her behind upset him as much as it upset her?
How could he say that? How could he even think it? He didn’t care for her. She was a stranger, and a hostile one at that. He didn’t want to stay with her. He didn’t want to care for her. He didn’t want any of this.
Bruins Peak Bears Box Set (Volume III) Page 3