by V. Vaughn
I shift in the blink of an eye, and I’m moving before I land on all four feet. Strips of my dress flap in the air as they fly off my body. The ground shakes under me with the impact of my feet as I move as fast as I can. A flash of white makes me glance over to see Darin managed to get away with me. The faint sound of shouts is muffled by an adrenaline surge that has my pulse banging in my ears like a drum. A shot rings out, but I think we’ve made it. Large limbs crack as we barrel into the woods, and I let Darin lead the way.
He runs until I’m sure my lungs are going to explode, and when we reach a clearing I collapse on the ground to catch my breath. Darin shifts back to human, and I groan as I rise to do the same. While polar bear are fast, we’re also large and leave a big wake. As humans we’ll definitely be stealthier.
“Nadia, we can’t stop.”
I nod, and he takes off running again. I follow as air rasps through my lungs. A stitch in my side is painful, and I regret my fast-food binge as I push through the agony until Darin finally stops again. I sink to my knees as he says, “I think we lost them.”
I pant as I speak. “I had a tracker in my dress. When did they get clever?” Darin is leaned over his thighs, and his chest heaves as he sucks in oxygen. I ask, “Do you have any idea where we are?”
He says, “We’re not dead. That was my first priority.”
I offer a dry smile. But my heart sinks. The hunters are getting smarter, and that means we have to be more than strong and ferocious. We have to be smarter, too.
12
Izzy
After Tally left, Grace and I cleaned the kitchen, and my mother-in-law retired to her room. Jean Luc’s best friend and right-hand man, Henri, is here. I lift the kettle of boiling water from the stove and pour it in the small teapot that contains Tally’s special tea blend for me. Steam rises as I squeeze honey into the liquid. I look over at the men on the couch and ask, “Would either of you like me to make you anything?”
“No, thank you,” says Henri. The man runs his hand through his russet hair as he glances up from Jean Luc’s laptop.
Jean Luc says, “Isabelle, we need to show you something.”
The tone in his voice makes me think it’s serious. He and Henri have been hovering over the computer and speaking in hushed tones, but I know what they’re talking about.
I walk over to join them on the sofa and discover they’re looking at a map. Certain areas are highlighted in red. Jean Luc points to one and says, “These are the hot spots that mark where hunters have attacked recently.” I notice the closest one is in southern Maine. He continues to speak.
Henri says, “I spoke to Tristan today, and the attack in New York City was on Nadia Boucher.”
I recall the girl who came to Maine as Sven’s wife only to find out he’d met his true mate. She went on to become the spokesmodel for my brother’s vodka company. “Did they kill her?” I ask.
“No,” says Jean Luc. “But she and another De Rozier named Darin are missing. Apparently they were ambushed by the hunters at a rest stop in Massachusetts.” He lets out a low growl of disgust. “They got away, because according to eyewitnesses two polar bear ate them alive.”
I’d laugh at the way humans mix things up in their minds to keep from seeing a truth they don’t believe, but this news has the hair on the back of my neck standing on end. I ask, “What about the attack in Maine?”
“One hunter dead,” says Henri, “and get this -- the other hunter ended up being a half who was the true mate for one of the men she was supposed to kill.”
“Wow. Did they bond?” I lean forward and remove the tea filter from my pot. Liquid gurgles as I pour myself a cup.
“Yes,” says Jean Luc. “She’s now a Veilleux. Tori says she’s helping them understand how the hunter groups operate.”
Henri lets out a low growl. “I don’t like it.”
Tori is the Veilleux alpha and a half too, so I understand why she’d be receptive to accepting a half hunter who changed to a werebear, but I don’t like it either. “I agree. I hope she’s taking precautions to make sure this woman isn’t a spy.”
Jean Luc gets up and walks over to the sliding glass doors that lead to the deck, and he gazes out at the ocean as he says, “I know many werebear get involved with humans, and I even understand how it can happen, but I’m not sure if welcoming halves into our clans with open arms is such a good idea.”
I think about Carly, the half who became an alpha of the Le Roux clan when she bonded with her true mate. When they took in my clan to save us, I had no idea she used to be human until someone told me. I say, “Once they change they’re just like us.”
Henri says, “Yes, you’ve known some, haven’t you?”
I nod. “None of the Ouellettes has changed a human yet?”
“It hasn’t come up,” says Jean Luc.
I think about how the Le Roux were suffering from an infertility curse and put out a call for half were to come mate to keep the clan in existence. While only four women acted on it, the call triggered other halves, like Tori Veilleux, to come forward later. And it was discovered the call was not clan specific. While it’s suspected the spell was confined to the northeast part of America, for all we know any werebear kingdom in the world could be dealing with half were who are drawn to werebear men.
“It may,” I say. “The Le Roux’s call went to every half were-female who was able to bear children.” I think about the strong sex drive of werebear during prime mating years. “Don’t you dare try to tell me this clan hasn’t had pregnancy scandals with humans.”
“Oh, we have. I guess I never gave much thought to what happened to the babies, since before the Le Roux changed a half, we assumed they’d be human.”
I think about Tally’s crush on Marcel. What if-- “Hey, what if Marcel and Tally had children? Do you think they’d have halves who could become werebear with magical powers like me?”
Jean Luc scowls at me. “Izzy, no.”
“No, you don’t think the children would have magic, or no, you don’t approve of Marcel and Tally?”
Henri’s mouth twitches, and I think he’s trying to contain a smile. He loves that I challenge the Ouellette alpha.
“The latter,” says Jean Luc. “It’s just--” He sighs. “I don’t want to say it’s not right, because I don’t really believe that. But it sure makes things complicated.”
I suppose it does, but I want my best friend to be happy in love, and if Marcel makes that happen, I’ll be on her side in this matter. I move on to more important considerations and ask, “How worried are you two that hunters are after Tally?”
“She’s in good hands,” says Henri.
Jean Luc comes back to sit next to me, and I inhale his scent that still has a trace of our sexual aroma to it. I lean into him as he places an arm around my shoulders. “I’m more worried about you, ma chère. Polar bear scare hunters, and if two got away from an ambush, the hunters are bound to consider you the most dangerous of us all.”
Henri says, “Shall I put some men on Isabelle?”
Jean Luc nods. I’d object if Henri weren’t here. I place my hand on my stomach and think about my babies. I know when to bite my tongue around the alpha. Especially since I’m pregnant with his successor. I sip on my tea but don’t taste it as I recall an incident a few months ago when hunters shot at Jean Luc and me. The same group kidnapped my nieces, and Jean Luc and I joined forces with the entire Northeast Kingdom of clans in Maine to save the children. It was a bloody battle that killed off the majority of that hunter group. But there are so many more out there, and I’m not sure either side can ever win.
I ask, “So what do we do?”
“We stay aware of the humans around us.”
I think about the young girl I saw in the parking lot of Jean Luc’s business. She was definitely human, and I recall my husband said he was getting an intern. I ask, “Is your new intern human?”
“Kelsey? Yes, she is. But I--” He stops speaking for a
moment before he says, “I suppose no human is safe, are they?”
“Tally is.” I take another drink of my tea and notice how relaxed I’ve become.
“Tally is one of the good ones.” Jean Luc nuzzles my neck.
I think about the red sea glass Grace gave her and how it’s supposed to be a warning. The powers that be wanted to make sure Tally sees the signs so she can protect herself. Since she’s one of the most powerful witches of our time she’s got the ability to fight most who come her way. But what if she can’t? Pain slices through my heart as I imagine what could happen to my best friend.
Henri says, “I think I need a drink.” He glances at Jean Luc, who nods in response.
I flash back to when I met Tally and the day she taught me how to make a protective shield. I smile to myself as I recall her throwing her entire body against it to test the strength and then falling to the ground when she bounced off it. She’s no warrior. My adorable goofy friend is in danger, and I’m going to make sure she’s ready to protect herself.
13
Nadia
I hug myself as we walk. Being naked in human form when the temperature is hovering around freezing is cold, even for a polar bear. It’s still more than an hour until it’s dark and we’ll be able to shift into bears again, so I’m going to have to tough it out. I say to Darin, “The hunters aren’t as stupid as we thought. I can’t believe it took me so long to figure out I had a tracker in my dress.”
Darin growls. “At least my evasion skills weren’t the reason. When did hunters start getting smart?”
I shove a tree branch out of my way, and the bark scratches at my skin as I say, “My thoughts exactly. But what I wonder is how they got it there.” As soon as I speak the words it occurs to me my gown passed through many hands, and it could have happened at any time. All because I couldn’t control my temper. I sigh. “I can’t believe I almost lost it at the shoot. If I had maintained control, we wouldn’t be in this mess. I’m sorry.”
Darin says, “Don’t be so hard on yourself. They could have known what you were before that. They’re getting sophisticated, or maybe the ones in the United States always have been. We are used to a more rural type of people.”
The nice thing about our old home in the Arctic was that if hunters ventured our way we usually managed to kill them all before any could escape. The wild land of ice has rules all its own, and I’m not a fan of civilization right now, because I would have rather killed the men in the parking lot instead of running. A truck’s air brakes groan in the distance as we walk. Darin and I picked up the sound of traffic a while back, and we keep the highway to our left as we head north. I say, “I guess it’s possible they already knew what I was.” While what Darin said might be true, I can’t shake the feeling I sabotaged the good life I was living.
A shiver runs through me, and again I wish I could shift to keep warm. While the two of us can survive easily in our animal form, it’s going to be difficult to get back to Maine without being spotted. Polar bear roaming around are not something people would ignore. We need to stay human and find clothes and a phone. I think about what I’m returning to. When I came to Maine I thought I had a loving husband waiting for me. But instead I found he had discovered his true mate, and I was given a mandatory divorce. It was a dark time for me, and my life as a superstar was a nice consolation prize. But I somehow managed to lose that too. Despair begins to build in me. Why can’t I ever catch a break? It seems when my life is going well something comes along to yank all the good away.
Darin whispers, “Bingo,” and breaks me from my thoughts. I glance at where he’s pointing and see we’ve stumbled on a small cottage. Pine needles and broken sticks litter the driveway, which makes me think it’s someone’s summer residence.
“Perfect,” I say.
With any luck we’ll find a phone. As we get closer I notice the cabin is on a small lake with numerous camps to choose from. Darin grins at me, and we both take a moment to listen for any human activity. When we don’t hear it, he leads the way toward the home.
Darin is about to break a window when I glance up at the roof. There’s a dormer on the top, and a window is cracked open. I say, “Hold on. See that?”
Darin glances up. “Nice.” He folds his fingers together to give me a foothold and lift me up. The shingles are rough under my feet as I walk to the window, and it creaks as I open it to get inside. I enter into a bedroom with a king-sized bed. I walk over to the bureau and lift the phone off the receiver. I hear a dial tone, and because Darin can hear it too with our sensitive ears I say, “I’ll meet you at the front door.” The lock clicks before I let him in, and when he enters he jogs up the steps to the phone to make a call.
While he’s upstairs I check out the place. It’s small but functional, and when I open the cabinets and spy a jar of peanut butter my stomach growls. My day just got infinitely better. I figure nobody would notice if I took it, so a drawer scrapes as I search for a spoon.
Darin comes downstairs to find me sitting on the counter, eating. I ask, “Does Leif know how to find us?”
He says, “While you were out here chowing down I found something.” I glance at the piece of paper that rustles as he waves it. He says, “They rent this place out, and here’s a list of restaurants. We’re meeting Leif at the Laughing Loon Diner in two hours.”
“I suppose we’re going to need clothes for that, huh.” I lick my spoon and hold out the jar to offer some to Darin.
He takes it and sticks his finger inside as he says, “There’s a closet with some upstairs. I bet I can find the water shut-off if you want to shower.”
While the water will be cold, the idea is appealing. “I would. Thanks.”
My feet thud on the floor as I hop off the counter to go upstairs. Once I’ve cleaned up I help myself to the toiletries I find, and lotion is silky smooth on my skin as I rub it in. A light floral scent wafts up, and I bask in the simple pleasure. It’s amazing how quickly I’ve become accustomed to a life of luxury considering most of the last decade I spent in poverty, trying to survive. I’ll probably never experience such luxuries again.
I manage to find shorts, a T-shirt, and a sweatshirt to wear and retreat downstairs while Darin takes his turn in the bathroom. He’s not so lucky in the clothing department, and when Darin comes out of the bedroom I snicker. The small kitchen lamp we lit bathes him in just enough light for me to notice the skin-tight shorts he found are pink-and-green plaid. He glares at me, and I try to suppress my giggle as he says, “It’s not funny.”
“Nope.” A snort escapes, and I try to cover it with a cough. “Not at all.”
Darin says, “The diner is less than a mile from here, and look what I found.” He holds up a twenty-dollar bill. He glances down at his pants, and a smile turns up on his face. “Whoever owns these just bought us coffee and pie.”
“Let’s go.” I step aside to let him go by and add, “Walk in front of me. I like the view.”
Darin flips me off and says, “Still not funny.”
I chuckle as we climb the stairs to sneak out the way we came.
The aroma of grilled onions wafts toward us well before we spot the diner, and I wish we had more money, because I’m hungry again. As we approach the parking lot I notice it’s nearly empty. But I’m wary just the same. Darin and I stop and take a moment to survey the place. My guess is the vehicles all belong to employees, because they’re not parked near the door.
Darin says, “Looks safe, but be on your guard.”
I nod, and we walk toward the restaurant. When we get inside I discover I was right. We’re the only customers. I lead us to a booth in the back, and the red vinyl seat is cool on my legs as I slide in. A young girl approaches us with a coffee pot, and steam rises up when she fills our cups.
Darin says, “Slow night, huh?”
“Yeah. It’ll be a few more weeks before the summer folks start to arrive.”
I ask, “What is the best pie?”
&nbs
p; The girl frowns at me. “Do I know you?” I shake my head and hope she doesn’t figure out who I am. She says, “Chocolate cream is my favorite.”
“Great, that’s what I’ll have.”
Darin orders apple before the girl walks away.
I close my eyes for a second when I realize how sleepy I am. Darin says, “You’ve had quite the day.”
“Yeah. I’ve gone from famous to fugitive in less than twelve hours.” I gaze at the man across from me. Darin is one of the guys who have been my driver, bodyguard, and stand-in date. As a De Rozier he also knows about what happened with my ex-husband.
He reaches for my hand, and I let him take it as he asks, “Are you going to miss it?”
“Yes. It was nice to be adored.”
“Hold on to that feeling, Nadia.” He squeezes my fingers. “It’s bound to happen again.”
I offer him a weak smile and wish I could believe him. I pull my hand away and sit up when the waitress returns with our desserts. She grins at me and says, “I figured it out. You look just like the Arctic Ice vodka girl.”
Darin says, “See?” He flashes his charm at the girl. “I’ve told her that, but she doesn’t believe me.” He lowers his voice. “She doesn’t think she’s pretty enough.”
The girl’s mouth drops open. “Oh my god.” She looks at me. “You are so pretty. You totally could be her.”
“Thanks. You’re sweet.”
“Well it’s true.” She glances at our mugs and says, “I’ll go get you more coffee.”
I watch her walk away and think about how there is no way I can live a public life. While Darin managed to convince her I wasn’t the Ice Queen, I can’t count on that happening. If a diner waitress just recognized me, hunters definitely can. There’s no way to stay safe, and more importantly the werebear around me would be in danger too.
I put a forkful of chocolate cream pie in my mouth and let the sweet flavor placate me. I really have lost my glamorous life. I gulp down coffee, and the bitter flavor washes away the dessert. Tears burn in my eyes, and I blink them back, because crying is foolish. I know better than anyone things could be worse.