by R. R. Banks
Even if I were to spring her from the trap though, I had no idea how she was going to get out of there – it wasn't like she could just walk out. The skepticism and worry must have showed on my face because she spoke to me earnestly.
“If you can get me out of this, I'll heal,” she said. “I'll be able to heal quickly. But the silver on this damn trap is keeping me from doing anything.”
I wasn't sure if she recognized me, but I sure as hell knew who she was. But I wasn't the type of woman who could just leave somebody to die. Not even after everything that happened. After everything she'd said to me.
“Please, Rose,” she mumbled. “I'm sorry for what I said to you. I was just hurt seeing you and Asher –”
“Shhh,” I said, looking around to make sure we were alone – though, I was a little rattled knowing that she did in fact, recognize me. “Don't talk. I'll get you out of here.”
I grunted as I pried open the trap. Even though it took all my strength to do so, I somehow managed to get it open. But Mariana's leg was freed and as soon as she was free, it started to heal. A look of relief swept over her face and she leaned back, moaning low with the pain that must have been shooting through her.
Sitting next to her, I was afraid for my life. I feared that as soon as she healed, she was going to shift into her bear form and tear my throat out. Mariana was obviously, not the kind of woman you screwed with. She was fierce and wasn't somebody whose bad list I wanted to be on.
“Silver,” she said. “Those bastards made silver traps just for us – for anybody who managed to escape the slaughter in the house. They scattered them around the yard, hoping to snag anybody who was getting away.”
“You're sensitive to silver,” I said.
“Yes, it would have killed me eventually, but you saved me.” She looked up at me and although there was still a blend of hurt and anger in her eyes, I could tell she was grateful. “I don't know if I would have done the same thing in your situation. Thank you.”
“That's alright,” I said, helping her to stand. “Thankfully, our situation wasn't reversed so we'll never have to find out the answer to that.”
I helped her walk back toward the car. She was limping and was still in pain, but before we even made it there, her leg was healing. Some of the pain that had marked her face was easing.
“Where's Asher?” she asked.
“He's already in the house.”
“Damn,” she said. “He can't fight them alone. There's too many and they're too well armed. I have backup coming, but I'm not sure they're here yet. I was out of it for awhile there.”
She started walking toward the house. “Where are you going?”
“To continue this fight. I can't leave Asher alone in there,” she said. “I was on my way back when the damn trap caught me, but I'm not finished yet.”
I hesitated, but eventually, I fell into step beside her. She turned to me and looked surprised.
“Asher know you're not staying behind?” she asked. “I just have a feeling he told you to wait in the car.”
“Of course not,” I said. “And I've never been very good at waiting around and doing nothing.”
She laughed. “He's not going to be happy,” she said.
“Doesn't matter,” I said. “If he dies, we die together.”
Mariana looked over at me, and while she looked terribly sad, she also seemed thoughtful. “You really care for him, don't you?”
“I do,” I said softly.
“And he cares for you the same way?”
I hesitated briefly, but then nodded, feeling a knot in my throat. I was worried my answers though honest, might throw her in a jealous rage. That she might decide to kill me after all. But I was surprised that what I said didn't seem to upset her too much. At least, not enough to warrant tearing my throat out. Instead, she just looked straight ahead, deep in thought.
We walked to the house in silence, taking care to avoid being seen as best as we could. But as soon as we got inside, it took everything in me to not fall to the floor in shock, fear, and sobs.
Bullet holes pocked the walls. The ceiling. Everything in the room we were in was trashed. Tables had been turned over, shattered glass littered the floor – there was very little left in the room that hadn’t' been shot or broken.
And of course, there were bodies, scattered everywhere. Bear and human alike. So many bodies, so many bears. So much blood. And no sign of Asher. Terrified for his safety, I opened my mouth to call out to him, but Mariana grabbed my hand and turned to me, putting a finger to her lips. She'd silenced me just in time, preventing me from calling out and giving our location away to the mysterious attackers.
“It's okay. He's not there,” she said. “Which means he's not one of the dead. He's still out there somewhere. We just need to find him.”
Gunshots and raised voices rang out, seeming to come from around the back of the house. I heard the roar of a bear blended with screams of agonized pain. My survival instinct told me to run far away, to get away from the battle that was raging and keep myself safe. But doing that would mean leaving Asher behind. And I couldn't do that.
Mariana had the exact opposite instinct. She took off running in the direction of the screams.
And I hesitated for a moment, but then quickly followed behind.
Chapter Fifteen
When we got around to the back of the house, I saw Asher, in human form, engaged in hand-to-hand combat with another man. I wanted to run to him, to protect him, but Mariana stopped me. Fifteen other men formed a half circle behind them, cheering their friend on loudly and raucously.
“Don't,” she said. “You'll distract him. That man has a silver blade. He could kill Asher with it.”
“What am I –”
But I never got to finish posing my question to her. Mariana transformed into bear form and lunged toward Asher's attacker. She roared in rage and launched herself at the man Asher was fighting with. And then the cavalry seemed to arrive. Other bears came running from the surrounding woods, the sound of their combined roaring reverberating through the air. I watched, in awe as at least twenty other bears joined Asher in battle.
Asher managed to somehow steal the silver blade from his attacker and used it against him. In one swift, graceful movement, Asher spun and sliced the man's throat. Blood sprayed high into the air and the man fell to the ground clutching his wounded throat in vain as blood poured out from between his fingers. Asher quickly transformed into bear form as well, and charged into the crowd of men and bears engaged in a melee on the back lawn of the N'gasso house.
I stood there, amongst the chaos, unable to move and unable to breathe. I was terrified watching the battle raging around me. As gunshots rang out again, I ducked behind a large tree, only peeking around to catch a glimpse as Asher and the bears attacked the men with brute force.
I watched as Asher lunged toward the man with the gun, ripping his throat out with a triumphant roar. Another man took aim and shot at him – but missed. Thankfully. Another bear – one I believed was Mariana – took out the shooter quickly and brutally. In the blink of an eye, the man was laying in a pool of his own blood on grass out back.
My heart was racing and I couldn't believe any of this was real. Couldn't believe this was all happening. But it was real. And it was really happening. I was off to the side, hiding behind a tree, and focusing on the battle at hand when I heard footsteps in the undergrowth nearby.
My heart racing, I turned and looked, catching sight of a man – the man who'd shot me earlier. The man who'd killed my aunt. When he saw me, he reached for his gun. I reached for mine.
“You killed my aunt,” I said, holding the gun in my hand.
I shook as I aimed at the man's chest, just like Asher had taught me to. I had no real experience with guns, but he did. And he'd done his best to teach me well. To prepare me. I hoped that all of that teaching and training was about to pay off.
“It's nothing personal,” he said with a s
neer. “I was hired to take you out. Not sure how you survived, but you won't be alive long. You'll get to see your aunt real soon, sweetheart.”
“Yeah, well, this is personal for me, you son of a bitch.”
I backed up, past the tree and out into the open. I felt vulnerable and exposed. But I really had no choice. I raised the gun and aimed it at the man's chest. I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. I was just preparing to pull the trigger, all the while, expecting to get shot myself any moment. Maybe Asher could save me again, maybe he couldn't. But I knew what I had to do.
“Pull that trigger, darling and you're dead too,” he said. “Because, trust me on this, I won't miss a second time. I'll be aiming for that pretty little head of yours.”
I'd never killed someone before. Never in my life. But then, I'd also never died before, and wasn't sure I was ready to come that close again. But I was stuck. The man was going to shoot me if I didn't shoot him first.
My stomach was roiling, when a loud sound came from behind me, shaking the ground beneath my feet. A bear pushed past me, lunging at the man and taking the man down to the ground. The man's gun went off, and its sharp report echoed through the night as he fell, the bullet fired aimlessly into the nighttime sky.
I ran over to the bear, afraid they'd been hit, but they transformed back into a human – a very naked human.
Mariana smiled up at me from the ground. “Now we're even,” she said before getting to her feet, taking off and transforming back into a bear once more as she joined the fray.
When I finally calmed down, I looked out at the carnage around us – and was dismayed to see that Asher was nowhere to be found again. Eventually, the sounds of battle died down as it drew to a close. Bears and human laid dead at my feet. No more gunshots, no more screams. No more anything. Mariana came walking out of the woods, naked and in human form. And beside her was Asher. My heart sank as I watched the two beautiful people walking together, smiles upon both of their faces after winning the battle together.
And I realized, I really had no place in his world. I couldn't fight with them. Couldn't help protect them. I couldn't do anything for the bears.
“Rose! What are you –” a worried look crossed his face as he took off running toward me.
Mariana stayed behind, her face covered in blood. But she gave me a nod and a small smile as if to signal that everything was okay between us. I returned her nod to acknowledge her – and felt a wave of relief pass through me. I realized that I would never have to fear Mariana again. We might never be best friends, but I wasn't going to have to worry about her sticking a knife in my back anytime soon.
“Is it all over?” I asked, feeling the tears building in my eyes.
I didn't know why I was crying – my dear Asher was safe. I was safe. But seeing him walking with Mariana reminded me of my own weaknesses and limitations as a human. And it killed me to know I could never be a fighter like the two of them. That I could never truly be a part of their world. I would forever be that outsider looking in.
“It is,” he said, kissing me and holding me close. “It is, baby. None of them are left, which is also bad because we have no answers. No idea who they are.”
“Which means they might come back?”
“Probably so,” he said.
At that point, Mariana joined us. She gave me an awkward smile as she passed by and took up a spot in our impromptu little circle.
“Thank you,” I said to her.
“No, thank you,” she said.
“What does she mean?” Asher asked.
“I'll tell you later.”
I felt exhausted and defeated. In that moment, I wanted to go home and cry. I'd lost my aunt, and I'd realized that even though Asher and I loved each other, we probably weren't as good a couple as he and Mariana would be. Their union made sense. It benefitted each clan. Him being with me offered him no perks and no benefits. It was over. Truly over. And I had to learn to accept it.
“What's wrong, Rose?” Asher asked, staring deep into my eyes.
“Nothing. I just want to go home, that's all,” I said. “Not that I really have a home anymore, that is.”
“Come with me,” he said, taking my hand in his.
We walked back toward the car in silence. As we walked past Mariana, I saw that she was busy taking care of one of her wounded. She looked up at me and smiled – a truly warm and genuine smile.
Be good to her,” she told Asher. “You have yourself a good one.”
“I know,” he said, raising my hand to his lips and giving it a gentle kiss. “Trust me, I know.”
Chapter Sixteen
Asher
I was still troubled by the attempt to ignite a war between the clans. I still didn't know who was behind it or what their goal was. The only thing I knew for certain was that the Sheriff was somehow involved, but until I had some concrete evidence of what was going on behind the scenes – and with whom – I knew I couldn't move on him. His time was going to come, but I needed some solid intel first. The war had been averted, but just barely. Somebody had to pay for that. And they would.
I could tell something was wrong with Rose, but considering all that she'd been through, I couldn't really blame her. As soon as we got to the car and climbed inside though, she burst into tears.
“Shhh, it's going to be okay,” I said, pulling her close to me.
“No, Asher, it's not,” she said. “How can it ever be okay? Look at me. I'm weak. I couldn't even defend myself earlier. And I had the advantage. If it hadn't been for Mariana, I'd be –”
“Stop it,” I said. “You're not like us, Rose. That much is true. But I love you because you're different. Because you're nothing like them.”
“But we can't be together,” she said, wiping her nose on her sleeve. “Because we're different. Let's face it, your clan needs someone strong. Someone like Mariana. Not a pathetic human who can't do anything when the chips are down.”
“You're anything but weak, Rose,” I said. “You're the strongest woman I know.”
“I'm nothing compared to Mariana,” I said.
I lifted her chin so I was now looking into her eyes. I held her gaze for a long moment so she knew to listen to what I was saying. So she knew I was serious.
“I don't want Mariana. I want you,” I said. “And strength is more than just being able to battle. We're not mortal like you are, Rose. It's not weak to be mortal. It's not weak to be human. You have an inner strength that rivals anyone I've met – including Mariana.”
“Really?” she asked, as if she didn't believe me.
“Really. You heard her back there,” I said. “Even Mariana agrees that you and I are better together than she and I would have been. And for her to admit that? You impressed her. I don't know what you did, but you impressed the hell out of her. Mariana is not the type who hands out compliments. Like ever.”
That made her smile a little bit. “I was just in the right place at the right time,” she said.
“Nah, it was more than that,” I said. “And I want to hear all about it. But for now, we need to get you somewhere safe and comfortable. You need to rest.”
I drove out to our cabin, where my father was waiting. He'd heard about what happened, and was prepared to defend our property if needed. He was standing on the front porch, but had many of our guys stationed outside as we pulled up. The tension in the air was thicker than the smoke from a forest fire. Everybody was amped up, ready for a fight. But there was no fight to be had. At least, not at the moment. It was over and we were all safe.
The minute he saw Rose getting out of the car though, he tried to pick a fight with me about it.
“No, we're not having this argument right now,” I said, ushering her inside.
We pushed past the wall of bears and into the cabin. Once inside, I took her to my room and we settled into my bed. She curled up next to me, and I comforted her the best I could. We just laid together, her head resting on my chest as I stroked her hair
gently. She seemed content enough, but I could hear her wheels spinning. I knew she was still consumed with her thoughts. And knowing her like I did, I just knew she was listing off reasons she wasn't worthy of me. When in truth, it should have been the other way around.
“I just hate that I'm so weak,” she said.
Deep down, I knew there was something I could do. Something that might help her. If she really wanted to, she could become one of us. It was often frowned upon to turn humans, but mainly because we wanted to keep the bloodlines pure. It was stupid, outdated bullshit if you asked me. But the means were there for her to shed her human skin and become what she wanted to be – strong. All she had to do was take it.
“What if I said you could be like me?” I asked, giving her a serious look.
“Could I?” Her eyes lit up as she stared back at me. I saw something in those eyes – a sense of hope I hadn't seen from her in some time. “I mean, would you?”
I nodded. “I'll have some work to do behind the scenes, but if you want to--”
“I do, Asher,” she said.
“Okay, let me see what I can do then.”
~ooo000ooo~
The attack on our cabin never came. I credited it with taking too many of their side out over at the N'gasso cabin. The attackers, whoever they were, would need to regroup before they came after us again. And now, they didn't even have the element of surprise.
With Rose still upstairs in my room, sleeping off the day, I approached my father. I knew I wasn't going to be able to avoid him forever and that eventually, I'd have to face his wrath. It was what it was. But I wasn't going to let him bully me or push me around. Especially when it came to Rose. If he wanted me to take his place on the throne, he was going to agree to some accommodations.
“We need to talk,” I said.
“I heard about you helping the N'gasso today, son,” my dad said, scratching his beard. “That's not something they'll likely forget. You did a lot of good out there today.”
“No, it's not something they'll forget,” I said. “And I believe we might actually be able to work with them again – without me having to marry Mariana. She's eternally grateful for my help. And she's smart enough to realize we're never going to get anywhere against our enemies unless we work together.”