Raene and the Three Bears (The Alder Tales Book 2)

by RS McCoy

  “I would never. Raene—” He thrust his fingers into her hair, low on the back of her head as had become his habit, forcing her to look at him. “I would never.”

  In that moment, Raene believed him. His conviction, his certainty, his determination. She couldn’t doubt him, not when he looked at her that way.

  Then, she saw his chest, the shining smear of fresh blood soaking through the slits in his moss-green tunic top. “I’m sorry I scratched you. I didn’t mean—”

  “Yes, you did.” He dropped his hand and added, “It’s fine. I earned it.”

  Raene pushed away from the tree, away from Parson, and forced her feet back toward camp. She’d done the unthinkable—she transitioned and harmed someone, and she hadn’t even gotten the satisfaction of hunting or killing. Her tiger blood churned anew, more eager than ever, yet she’d already erred far more than Hale would ever allow. She had no choice but to tuck her tail between her legs and go back before she did anything worse.

  “Where are you going?” Parson called after her.

  “I can’t do this,” she told him again, and this time, she was sure.

  “Why did you come out here?”

  Raene turned and avoided his eyes as she answered, “To tell you that. I can’t hunt with you, or lie to Hale, or any of it.”

  “I won’t ask you to. But—” Parson raked a hand through his hair. “I’m leaving tomorrow. To go to the capital on a trade. You could come—”

  Raene shook her head against the possibility.

  But Parson continued. “We can get to know each other without anyone else around. Just you and me. We’ll be gone for three days. If you’re not sure by then, we end it. Hale won’t see anything. You won’t have to lie to him.”

  She was still shaking her head when he closed the distance between them. His hands squeezed her waist, and his lips pressed gently against hers.

  Raene closed her eyes against him, refusing to give in again. She liked Parson the way she liked getting her totem tattoo. It hurt, but in a good way, and in the end, it would leave a mark. Raene had to pull away before she got lost in him. “You said I could walk away. I’m walking away.”

  But Parson wouldn’t relent. He gripped her shoulders and kissed her again. Breathless, he told her, “I lied. I won’t give up.”

  Raene stepped back, forcing distance between them. “I’m sorry, Parson. My answer is no.” It killed her to say it, but someone had to put an end to this.

  Parson’s mouth fell open as if she’d slapped him across the face. He was hurt and shocked and confused, but that wasn’t her problem anymore. Raene had to walk away.

  Trudging back to camp, Raene refused to cry. The tears welled up but she wouldn’t let them fall. She wouldn’t let her face be a mess when she returned to the celebration, when she told Hale where she’d gone.

  Never again would she play this game. She was going to marry Hale, and that was the end of it.

  Envoy

  RAENE LET HALE pull her back to his tent the second she returned. Ignoring the ongoing celebration, he pushed her into a chair and lit a dozen candles.

  Raene didn’t breathe a word of protest.

  And to his credit, Hale didn’t ask her a single question.

  He merely brought his chair closer and moved her hair over her shoulder. His features were analytical as he examined the flesh on either side of her neck.

  Between his cool, careful fingers and his kind eyes, Raene cracked open. Against her will, a tear slid down her cheek.

  “Are you in pain?” he asked quietly.

  Raene shook her head and wiped the betraying tear away. She didn’t want to tell him, but she didn’t want to lie to him, either. Raene had nothing to say for herself, and she wouldn’t condemn Parson. Hale deserved better from both of them.

  Hale’s ringed fingers moved up and down her neck, searching, determining the extent of her injuries.

  But Raene knew he would find nothing more than bruises. The aroma of blood was absent from the tent.

  Raene reached up nervously and gripped his wrist. Hale’s eyes softened, and he stroked her cheek with his thumb. “I’ll take care of this. He’ll never hurt you again.”

  Raene could only crease her brow and wonder how he guessed, if he’d known all along.

  A sad smile crept across his cheeks. “Even if I didn’t know my brother’s scent, the bite is clearly a bear. I know Lathan wouldn’t dream of hurting you…”

  “Parson didn’t hurt me,” Raene admitted, dropping her gaze in a futile attempt at hiding her shame. “I transitioned. He only did it so I wouldn’t hurt him.”

  But Hale would have none of it. “That isn’t how things work here. He could easily kill anyone in the clan. He could have killed you. There are repercussions.”

  Raene couldn’t stand it. “No, there aren’t. It was my fault. I should be punished for attacking him.” In truth, they were both at fault, but she wouldn’t let Parson take the fall alone. Raene would accept responsibility for the sake of the brothers.

  In this case, Raene could make a solid attempt at undoing the damage she’d caused.

  Hale pursed his lips when he saw she was serious. If he blamed Parson, he would have to blame her, too.

  So Hale relented, choosing to comfort her instead. He released her cheeks only to encircle his arms around her entirely. He’d been worried about her. He breathed his relief against her shoulder, and Raene knew it was behind them.

  Raene envied that about him—that he could so easily give up his anger. She wondered if someday she’d be less angry about Kaide, or even Blossom. Perhaps once her totem no longer had her life in its grip.

  Satisfied she was neither seriously hurt nor in danger from Parson, Hale set up her pallet, and they continued their usual evening of wine and conversation. There was a new edge to him—he sat closer, he touched her arm or her waist more often—and Raene did her best to assure him, and herself, that she was in the right place.

  Only two weeks into her month, Raene had already made a decision. It was both easier and far more challenging than she would have ever thought possible. Nonetheless, Raene knew her choice was Hale. There would be no more going back and forth from brother to brother, from hot to cold, from hunting to control. Her mind was made.

  Well after dark, Hale left to let her change. Raene hated that she had to choose between Hale and her Pyro night clothes. If she wore the heavy Terra version, he would stay. If she was comfortable in her Pyro clothes, he would sleep at Da’s. So Raene conceded.

  When they settled in to sleep, Hale maintained his usual respectful distance. He stroked her back in that soothing, calming way only he could manage, and when he lay on the pallet beside her, Raene was less than surprised his hand crept close to find hers.

  That simple moment was enough to crush her with guilt. Hale cared about her, deeply she suspected, and she’d been less than reciprocal. He was kind and gentle and devoted. Why had she even considered betraying him?

  Hale released her hand for a half-second, and when he found it again, he slid a warm wooden ring onto her smallest finger. “In Terra, rings are symbolic of belief or family or wealth. This one, with thirteen leaves, is the ring of the Terra branch, made of the Mother’s wood.”

  Raene only lay on her pallet in stunned silence.

  “This one,” he said as he hovered the second ring on the next finger, “is for the Frane clan. You can’t see it now, but it’s made of iron and has bears carved into the surface.”

  Hale slid the third ring onto her next finger. “And this is my ring. Terra men are given a ring at transformation. They wear it until they find someone worth giving it to.”

  Raene swallowed hard to keep from bursting. She squeezed his hand in the dark and slid close enough to kiss him. Lying on his back, Hale was an easy target. She settled over him and kissed him hard. He put his free hand on her shoulder as if to push her away. Raene smiled against his mouth when he didn’t.

  “Thank you, Hale,”
she whispered against his lips. Raene let her hair fall against his chest as she took charge of their first real kiss, the first kiss that wasn’t slow or chaste. His hand moved from her shoulder to her waist, pulling her closer.

  Raene liked feeling that he wanted her, but she knew his limits as well.

  Before she pushed him too far, Raene pulled away. She sweetly kissed his cheek before returning to her pallet.

  “Raene?” he whispered, squeezing her hand.

  “Yes?”

  Hale remained silent so long, she wondered if he’d fallen asleep. Only the drumming in his chest gave him away. After a while, he finally said, “I’m so glad you’re here.”

  Raene smiled into her blanket, but otherwise, she didn’t answer. She knew he didn’t expect her to. She wouldn’t say it until she felt it with as much conviction as he did.

  Instead, Raene held tight to his hand as he drifted off to sleep. She wished she could sleep as easily as he did, but the blankets were too hot, the Terra nightgown too suffocating. Raene spent the night thinking of her future husband, of the brother she turned down, of the uncle who put her in such a horrible position.

  Raene wondered if Kaide had ever expected her to connect with both Frane sons—though in entirely different ways.

  Parson appealed to the totem in her; there was no denying that feral connection. But Hale appealed to her human side, the part of her that was refined, elegant, controlled. Raene wanted that life with him, and she let the thought soothe her through the night.

  By the time she woke, Hale was already gone. Raene was surprisingly disappointed, but after a few hours of sleep, she was eager to get up and moving.

  She didn’t mind wearing her soiled Pyro clothes. They were only going to get dirty again. Raene tied off the end of her braid and set out toward Gemini’s garden. Hopefully, it would help her silence the incessant urge to hunt, the one that seemed to only grow louder with each passing day. And maybe it would quiet the thoughts of how she’d rejected Parson.

  Maybe it would help her concentrate on what a good thing she had going with Hale.

  But Da approached her before she’d gone more than a dozen steps. His sly fox eyes glowed as he greeted her. “Good morning, my daughter. I hope I'm not imposing, but I need you today.”

  Behind him, Raene caught sight of Parson, his hair pulled back just off his neck. She struggled to keep her focus on Da. “I was going to help Gemini—”

  Da nodded and cast a disappointed glance at her. “I’m sorry, it will have to wait. I’m sending an envoy to Seraphine City, and you’ll need to ride along.”

  Then, Raene knew what was happening. Parson had asked her to go with him, and she refused, so he recruited Da to force her hand.

  “No, I’m not going.” Raene stood her ground and crossed her arms, resisting the urge to stomp her foot for effect. She didn’t want to look childish. She wanted to look in control, but she wouldn’t be coerced into this.

  “My daughter—”

  “I’m not your daughter!” Raene screamed, the sudden shout escaping her lips before she could hold it back. But with rage fueling her words, she narrowed her eyes and continued. “Blossom was your daughter. Not me. It’s disrespectful to even suggest that I replaced her. I’m not your daughter.” When she’d finally finished, her breaths were ragged from screaming at him.

  Da didn’t so much as bat an eye at her outburst, as if he expected it all along. He nodded and said, “Blossom is my daughter, but you are, too. I can have many sons and many daughters, and that makes me a greater man, not a lesser one.” Da reached forward and placed a comforting hand on her arm. “You are my daughter, Raene. I’m only doing what’s best for you.”

  Raene looked at her feet, mortified that she’d spoken to him in such a manner, in front of whole the clan, no less.

  “And I need you to escort the envoy to the capital. I can spare no one else, and your experience there may be needed. I’m counting on you, Raene.” His eyes fell to the sides of her neck, and Raene wondered how badly the bruises looked in the morning light.

  She pressed her lips into a thin line and nodded. Raene was smart enough to know when she had lost. Da waited as she packed her bag with all the clothes she had. Hale never showed to argue, but Raene knew it wouldn’t matter. There was no arguing with Da.

  Nonetheless, she wished she could have told Hale she was leaving. After their closeness last night, she wanted him to know that her departure—even if only temporary—hadn’t been her choice.

  An hour later, Raene found herself in the saddle of a tall, cinnamon-colored mare, riding alongside a cart of cut alder wood, so large and heavy it required a team of six horses to pull it through the shadow-filled forest. Instead of traveling with a half-dozen men, there was only Parson, riding on the cart with the reins in his hands.

  “You didn’t have to come.” It was the first thing either of them had said since camp. Raene didn’t acknowledge him with even a sideways glance. She was too angry. Instead, she concentrated on the rhythmic turning of the cart wheels as they moved along some long-forgotten road. Raene wondered if Parson even knew where they were going.

  “Where’s everyone else?” Raene finally asked. When she told Da she’d go along, she expected the others to distract her from Parson. She expected Asla and Lathan and a few others to keep her company. Instead, it was only Raene and the brother she turned down.

  “I don’t need anyone else.” A moment later he added, “I’m sure you won’t believe me, but I didn’t ask him to do that.”

  She ran her fingers over the three rings she now wore. “You’re right. I don’t believe you.”

  At least he was smart enough to keep his mouth shut after that. With no real idea of how to get to the capital, Raene couldn’t ride at the front of the horse team, but she also didn’t want to ride behind the cart, with nothing to see but that back of Parson’s head, the squareness of his shoulders…

  So Raene was stuck trotting her horse beside the cart, trying her best to pretend Parson didn’t exist.

  Sometime around mid-day, Parson pulled the cart to a stop and leapt to the ground. From the way he stretched and took each step carefully, he was as sore as she was. Raene peeled herself from the saddle and tried to look like she was in less pain than she actually felt.

  “You’ve got an hour,” Parson said, both his hands low on his back as he arched.

  “An hour for what?”

  “To get something to eat. I figured you’d rather hunt, but if not, you can have some of the venison jerky Tasia made.” He reached into the cart and pulled out a leather bag.

  Raene’s fingers itched and twitched. “What about you?”

  “I can survive without for a while. Besides, someone has to keep you from eating the horses.” He bit a piece of jerky between his teeth as he grinned. Ripping it off, he added, “Go on. One hour. Don’t be late.”

  Raene had no idea how she was supposed to tell time in totem form, but that was a problem for another day. She couldn’t pass up the chance to hunt, to eat, to kill.

  After last night’s disappointment, the urge saturated her more than ever. Without a moment’s hesitation, she transitioned and raced between the trees, eager to fill her belly before she had to be back.

  Raene had never experienced such freedom. Her nose brought her to one innocent after another, each putting up a meager fight or chase before she crushed and consumed them.

  Then she heard a sound, something low and shrill. A whistle, she realized. Someone was calling her. Tiger-Raene ran in the direction of the sound, and before long, she had the scent of horses in her nose. After that, she carved a path straight for them. Her tiger feet carried her swiftly through the trees, and within minutes, she caught sight of the hulking beasts whose scent filled her nostrils.

  And then, as it almost pained her to do, Raene transitioned back into her human form. She pushed up from the earth and brushed her hands together. Only then did she notice Parson atop the cart, his bow and
arrow drawn, aimed at her chest.

  “I’m fine,” she groaned, annoyed that he would even think of shooting her. And in truth, she felt better than fine. With her belly full and her hunger satiated, Raene could think clearly for the first time in days.

  “It was just a precaution. You never know out here,” he said as he lowered his bow against his thigh. “Get enough?”

  “For now.” Raene climbed back in her saddle and collected the reins. “Are you going to go out?”

  Parson signaled the horse team into motion before he answered. “I don’t need it yet. Tonight, yes. But I’ll be fine for a few more hours.”

  “Did you go out last night? After I—” Left you alone in the woods. Attacked you. Rejected you.

  Parson nodded, his eyes straight ahead. “I go out every night.” It was then Raene believed him. He hadn’t asked Da to have her join him on this envoy. After what she’d said to him last night, this trip was as painful for him as it was for her, maybe more so.

  Raene had refused him, refused to betray Hale that way, and retreated to the safety of their tent. Hale had investigated the serious bruises on her neck, but they were minor enough. Parson’s on the other hand…

  “Who cleaned your wounds?” Raene had scratched him and left without even a thought to his injuries.

  “I did.” His tone was clipped and flat. He didn’t want to talk about it.

  Because she’d hurt him. Raene knew it with undeniable certainty. “Do you want me to go back?” She wouldn’t subject him to three days of her company when he so obviously hated it.

  Parson shook his head. His eyes were dark and his mouth was stern and set as he said, “No. I don’t.”

  Raene didn’t know what to say after that. Everything with Parson was always so confusing. He was kissing her or yelling at her or ignoring her, and there was never an in between. Hale was even and measured, where Parson was erratic and unpredictable. Hale was cool where Parson was hot. Hale was articulate where Parson spewed whatever came to mind. There couldn’t have been two more different brothers if they’d been molded from clay.