by Amy Star
“I feel like a terrible person, stringing you all along like this.”
“I get it.” He shook his head. “We all feel whatever this force is. Normally I wouldn’t even put myself in the middle of something like this. Seeing Conner and Vincent fawn over you makes me want to back off. I even tried to keep my distance when I started feeling this way, but as soon as you come near me, it’s like I’m powerless.”
“I know what you mean.” She sighed. “It’s messy and complicated, and I only have until the first full moon of winter to make a decision.”
“Guys!” Conner’s door swung open, and the loud whine of an analog radio screamed behind him. “I got some bad news.”
“What is it?” Jillian got to her feet.
“Your fiancé made it back to civilization and told everyone that a Grizzly tore through your campsite.”
“What happened?” The front door opened as Vincent entered, carrying an armload of freshly split wood for the stove.
“Ted is not my fiancé.” Jillian scowled.
“Apparently, according to him, you guys were planning a spring wedding.” Conner held up his hands. “Don’t shoot the messenger.”
“And what happened to me in this scenario?” She huffed.
“He said you both ran and then you slipped and fell into the river.” Conner pressed his lips together. “So, the park rangers aren’t expecting to find you alive.”
“I’m kind of surprised they’d give up so easily.” Her anger deflated as she imagined her mother shopping for a dress she could wear to the funeral.
Her father would probably quote scripture for her eulogy. Thousands of people who had never cared about her would suddenly be offering their condolences and celebrating all the charity work she had done when her father was campaigning. It was just as well; she hadn’t done much else worth remembering. The person in her life who would be devastated by her untimely death would be Elaina.
“Oh no, the park rangers think this is a body recovery at best. But your father is still convinced you’re alive. He insisted on putting together a massive search party that’s combing the woods as we speak. They are all armed with what they’re calling RIP rounds, in case they come across the bear that may or may not have eaten you.”
“Appropriately named.” Finn rubbed his ribs, the pain still fresh in his mind. “I guess if I were one of those guys and I saw a bear running through the woods carrying a duffel bag, I might have shot me, too.”
“You were a bear when you got my duffel bag?” Jillian’s eyes widened.
“Well yeah, a guy picking through the campsite of a missing girl is a lot more suspicious than a bear.”
“Look, none of that matters now.” Vincent put his hands on his arms. “We can’t be here when the search party finds the cabin.”
“So, what are we supposed to do?” Conner shrugged. “They’re going over the place like a grid, and they’ll be expanding to this side of the river first thing tomorrow.”
“You guys aren’t going anywhere,” Jillian interjected. “There’s no reason to abandon the cabin. I’ll intercept the search party.”
“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.” Finn looked at Vincent. “She could get hurt.”
“I’m not going to get shot; I have until the first full moon of winter to make good on my promise to the spirit. I don’t think she’d let out of my deal that easy.”
“The spirits aren’t going to keep you from getting shot.” Vincent tugged his ear.
“If I don’t go back now, I won’t be able to stop my father from passing that bill. Construction on that oil rig will start as soon as the weather allows and we’re screwed anyway.”
“You’re more important than the circle.” Conner shook his head.
“Really?” She leveled her gaze at them. “Do you know what drilling for oil will do to this place? Even in a perfect world where they do everything by the book, they could still hit an underwater river that would spray out in a flash flood, putting all of this under a nice thick layer of mud.”
“That seems extremely unlikely.” Finn curled his lip back.
“An entire town in India got taken out like a month ago.” Her eyes widened. “If I had my phone, I could pull up an article on it right now.”
“Calm down.” Vincent held his hand up. “We need to think about this rationally.”
“I won’t be gone long, guys, I promise. I’ll make an appearance, show them I’m alive. After I tell my father what Ted tried to do to me, I don’t see him taking any more kickbacks from DuPont.”
“And you think your father is going to let you disappear, no questions asked?” Conner scoffed.
“No.” She sighed. “I’m not sure how that conversation is going to go. I could come up with some kind of cover story about where I’m going.” She put her hands up. “I don’t know. I have time to work that out. Today we need to stop them from finding the cabin and keep the DuPonts and their oil rig out of Hemlock Park.”
“Vincent,” Conner frowned, “say something. You can’t just let her throw herself to the wolves like this.”
“There is no one that would know how to navigate their world better than she would.” He shook his head. “I don’t like the thought of her putting herself in the middle of that mess any more than you guys do. But what she’s saying makes sense, and I trust that she can handle herself.” He smiled, stroking a lock of her hair. “Even in the wolf’s den.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Vincent backing her was all the support she needed. Conner and Finn both fell in line behind their alpha, and Jillian was grateful that she didn’t need to waste any more time arguing when she knew what had to be done.
Even though Finn had retrieved a whole duffel bag full of clean clothes, Jillian figured it would make the most sense for them to find her wearing the same thing she had on when she had disappeared. The fact that they were crumpled up and a little wet and musty smelling would only further support her cover story that she’d been wandering around the woods for the last five days. The fact that she hadn’t starved to death would be a little harder to explain, but she’d cross that bridge when she got to it.
Returning to Vincent’s room, she locked eyes with her reflection in the windowpane. Pulling on the damp hoodie felt like donning a costume as she pictured going back to her family. The thought of trying to live the real world felt less returning home than re-entering a prison. Running through the woods, with Conner, Vincent, and Finn had come to feel more real than anything she experienced in her life, and her heart ached at the thought of leaving.
As she gathered her resolve, she opened the bedroom door and crossed the kitchen into the den, where she found Finn had gotten dressed, and they were all ready and waiting to escort her to the river.
“I think I can find my way back.” She glanced around at the three men. “East, right?” She pointed one way and then the other.
“Even if we believed that,” Finn wrinkled his chin, “we would want to walk with you as far as we could.”
Her heart warmed at the sight of them, all three working together to make sure she had something to eat before they headed out. The four of them barely spoke as they hiked along the paths that wound up and down the hillsides through the trees. The colorful canopy of autumn leaves glowed like the stained-glass windows of a church. The sound of their footsteps was soft against the birdsongs and rustling leaves as they found a path down to the narrowest point of the river.
“I guess I just swim across?” Jillian shivered under the damp clothes.
“We’ll get you across.” Vincent looked around. “Lots of options here.”
“The cabin’s going to be excruciatingly boring without you.” Conner held his arms out, and she hugged him tight as he kissed the top of her head.
“Yeah.” Finn stepped forward for, and she buried her face in the crook of his neck. “I guess it’s back to sitting around the firepit, staring at each other.”
“He’s right.” Vi
ncent put his hand on the small of her back. “We’ve been a bunch of bachelors living out here for too long. It’s been nice having a lady around this place.”
“I won’t be gone long.” She put her arms around Vincent’s waist, sinking into his chest as he pulled her close. “If there were a better way, there’s no way I’d be leaving you guys.”
“You just take care of yourself.” He took hold of her shoulders, looking intently into her eyes. “And take care of that guy who roughed you up. When you get back, we’ll see about building a room onto the cabin for you.”
“I’d like that.” She wiped her eyes as they let go of each other.
“You’ll have to excuse me.” Vincent took his shirt off and started kicking off his boots.
“Oh,” Jillian spun on her heel, averting her eyes, “I’ll definitely have to re-adjust to not having gorgeous men strip for me every time I turn around.”
Conner and Finn chuckled. The low rumbling voice of Vincent’s bear almost felt like bass vibrating through her bones. His footsteps shook the earth, but it was the sound of a tree trunk cracking that finally made Jillian look over her shoulder. She gaped, dumbfounded as she took two steps back. This bear dwarfed Finn and Conner. When they said he was big, she assumed they were exaggerating, but he was as big as a full-sized SUV. His back was close to a foot over Jillian’s head even while he was on all fours.
He braced his two front paws against the tree, bouncing against it. The trunk splintered against his weight, releasing the smell of pine sap as it fell across the river. Vincent’s muzzle was proportionately shorter than both the boys’, making him look a little more teddy-bear-like. She would even go so far as to call him cute.
“You didn’t believe us when we told you how big he was,” Conner smirked. “I remember I had about the same reaction when I first saw him.”
“You’re a tank!” Jillian walked toward Vincent, reaching out her hands.
Somehow his sadness seemed more evident in his eyes now. He let out a gravelly breath and lowered his head that was a little wider than her shoulders. She put her arms around it, stroking the soft fur. “Thank you for everything.”
All her goodbyes being said and done, Jillian took to her pine tree bridge, bare feet and all. Sure, of every step, she crossed gracefully without even needing to hold her hands out for balance. She looked back across the river, waving to the boys one last time before disappearing into the thick foliage.
It was less than a half-hour before she started hearing voices coming through the trees. This was why she was here. They were looking for her and her for them; still, she hesitated to call out, finding herself back in the memory of that deer as its life slipped away. Every one of these guys was armed with the same kind of bullet that hit Finn. That meant if she startled the wrong person, her internal organs could be shredded in an instant.
“Hello!” Her hands trembled as she held them up, waving them in exaggerated movements to the dark shadows at the top the next hill. “I’m lost. Please can you help me?”
“Hey, I see someone.” One man spoke to the other. “There. See her?”
“Holy shit, she’s alive.” The guy said quietly before sounding an air horn to alert the others.
“Are you Jillian Lox?” The first man shouted.
“Yes!” she shouted, breathing a sigh of relief. “It’s me.”
As they reached her, she noticed they each had a photo of her safety-pinned to the forearm part of their sleeves. She was promptly wrapped in a blanket and offered hot tea they had been carrying in a thermos. She did her best to speak as little as possible. They were all under the impression that she would be dehydrated and half-starved when the truth was, she felt healthier than she’d been in a long time.
They brought her to the nearest clearing, where the helicopter touched down to take her to the nearest hospital where the doctors examined her from head to toe. The nurses whispered to one another that the whole thing must have been some kind of publicity stunt while Jillian stared out the window, pretending not to hear.
Am I crazy, or am I hearing people talking down at the other end of the hall? She rubbed her eyes and climbed back into the hospital bed.
A knock at the door was followed by the doctor peeking in. Doctor Campbell was a tall, sturdy redheaded woman with freckles and a bright smile. She was the only one who seemed uninterested in talking about how strange the whole situation was.
“You have a visitor, Miss Lox.” Dr. Campbell opened the door a little farther as Ted appeared in the doorway.
Jillian’s body went rigid as he entered, and the doctor narrowed her eyes for a split second as if picking up on her discomfort.
“Jillian, thank God.” He held his arms out, but Jillian held her hand up, eyebrows drawn together in a warning expression. Ted’s arms slowly moved back down to his sides as he turned to the doctor. “Doc, can you give us a minute?” Jillian looked at the doctor with a single nod.
“I do have some tests to run, but it can wait for just a couple of minutes.” The doctor pressed her lips together, then continued with a lower tone. “I’ll be right outside.”
“Thank you so much.” Ted clasped his hands behind his back with an angelic smile. The door closed, and Jillian glared at him. “I thought I’d lost you.”
“Oh, believe me; you did.” She folded her arms.
“Jillian, don’t be like this.” He sat on the edge of the bed, reaching out to brush a strand of hair out of her face.
“Don’t even think about touching me.” Her eyes burned into him.
“Babe, when that bear showed up, you fell… You hit your head pretty hard. I know you’ve been wandering out through the woods eating god knows what for the past week.”
“Don’t worry about my head.” She sat up with a pointed grin. “Turns out, you hit like a little bitch.”
“What?” His jaw twitched. “You must be confused or concussed or something.”
“No.” She shrugged, shaking her head. “No concussion. Not even a bruise.” She rubbed the scar on the back of her head. “In fact, I can barely even feel it.”
“Jill, I know you’re afraid of getting married.” He put his arm over her legs, bracing himself on it without touching her. “But I love you, and I know you love me. Do you know how rare it is to find that? You can’t seriously want to throw it away over one little spat.”
“No, Ted. I’m not afraid of getting married, and I don’t think it should be hard to find someone to love.” She tilted her head. “And as for the little spat, as you called it, I will never forget what you did. So, if you know what’s good for you…”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” His jaw twitched. “If you said yourself you don’t have a mark on you, what could you possibly do to me?”
“Stick around and find out.” She smirked. “You’re going to tell everyone that the engagement is off. Blame it on my traumatic experience. Say what you want… but don’t ever come near my family or me again unless you want me to expose you for what you are.”
“You’ve lost your fucking mind, haven’t you?” He scoffed. “Your father needs mine if he plans to get re-elected…”
“And that mattered a lot to me five days ago. Last chance to take me up on my offer.” She crossed her arms. “My name is trending on every social media platform in existence, and there’s an army of reporters clamoring at the hospital entrance, hoping to talk to me on my way out. Everyone is holding their collective breath, waiting for me to tell the world what happened out there. I am willing to leave certain details out, as long as you walk out of here and never try to contact me again.”
“What did happen to you out there?” He licked his lips. “What were you really doing for the last five days?”
“If you want to know, you can read it in the paper like everyone else.” She pushed his arm away.
“Okay.” He put his hands up and got off the bed. “I get it; it’s over.” He paced to the other side of the room and put his hands in his
pockets. “I did love you, you know.”
Jillian turned to look out the window with no intention of responding. Ted’s face reddened as he clenched his fist, punching the plastic water pitcher off the rolling tray, sending everything clattering to the floor. Doctor Campbell and one of the nurses burst in, and Ted smiled brightly.
“Sorry.” He pointed to Jillian. “Watch out for the temper on that one.”
Tears of rage stung her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Ted left without any further argument, and the doctors went back to their regularly scheduled fussing. She wondered if her family didn’t have money to cover all the tests they were running, how quickly she would have been discharged. When her parents showed up, it was a whole other circus. They brought a small film crew in to capture the tearful reunion.
“What happened?” Her mother had a whole list of interview questions disguised as parental concerns. “How did you survive on your own for so long?”
“I’ve watched a lot of survival documentaries.” Jillian croaked as a camera flashed.
“Sorry.” The photographer cooed. “We needed a candid shot, and the light was hitting your hair perfectly.
“Can we just go home now?” Jillian blinked. “I’m beyond exhausted, I’m hungry, I miss my bed, and I smell like a sasquatch.”
“Sweetie, the doctors want to keep you for observation at least overnight.” Her mother rubbed her shoulder.
“Look, I’m perfectly fine and healthy.” Jillian patted herself down. “Get Dr. Campbell in here; she’ll tell you. I’ll sign whatever waiver I need to. I don’t need to be in here anymore, and I’m sure someone else needs to be in here a lot more than I do.”
“Oh, sweetheart.” Her mother smiled for the cameras. “Even at a time like this, you’re putting others before yourself.
“Daddy.” Jillian waved her father over. “How about we take advantage of this opportunity to show how much we care for the citizens of New York?”
“What do you mean?” He raised an eyebrow.
“Have your assistant go out to the emergency room and find the saddest hard-luck case in there. I’ll give up my room to them, and you can foot the bill for their visit. Everybody wins.”