Lord of the Bears (Wild Ridge Bears Book 1) (16 page)

“Nora?”
Aaron called me from the hallway. “Why don’t we head out to lunch? Do you have
time?”

“Uh,
yeah! I’ll be right there!”

God. I
just needed a few more seconds. I prayed Aaron wouldn’t hear the printer.
Anything I sent from here would come out near the receptionist’s workstation. I
printed three of the emails and their attachments and prayed I’d have enough
time.

Aaron
was just coming around the corner when I flung myself out of Damon’s desk chair
and headed for the receptionist’s hub. The last of the print jobs chugged its
way through the machine.

“Just
thought it’s a good idea to have a copy of anything I sign,” I smiled as I
grabbed the stack and stuffed it into my bag. I hoped Aaron didn’t notice my
trembling fingers. Then, I left him staring at me, slack-jawed as I ran toward
the elevator.

There
hadn’t been enough time to shut down Damon’s computer. The minute he got back
or Aaron figured out what I’d done, my life could be in danger.

Chapter Eighteen

Jax

Claws
ripped across the bear’s back. I felt heat flow out of me and tasted blood in
my mouth. It was good. Raw. It suited my mood. I turned and faced Simon’s bear.
He was more black than brown, his eyes glinting yellow in the morning sun. I’d
wanted to finish this last night, but the others wouldn’t hear of it.

“We
don’t settle things this way anymore, son. We’re more civilized. Just like you
said about claiming your
Anam Cara
. You can’t have it both ways.” Hank
had stepped in, just like he always did. I resented it. He wasn’t my father.
His time had passed. He kept Cullen trapped between leadership and servitude
when his time should be over. Maybe Cullen was the one who should have called
for a wager of battle against his father.
That
is how the clans used to
do it in the old days. Not this peaceful transfer of power. We settled our
differences in blood, rage, and power.

I
landed the next blow right across Simon’s snout. He let out a roar loud enough
to shake the trees, staggered backward, then reared up on his hind legs. Blood
rage made his eyes glow dark as he stomped his front paws to the ground and
charged at me again. I went up on my hind legs and caught him. We locked our
front paws, tearing at each other, keeping deadly jaws from clamping down on
each other’s throats.

A
stalemate.

I let
go first and we circled back around again. Simon hung his head low; foam
dripped from his snout. He was tired. So was I. I had no sense of time, but it
had been hours. We’d begun just as the sun peeked out over the horizon. Now, it
blazed high in the sky.

The
others formed a circle around us. Some of them shifted. Cullen shadow boxed on
the edge of the circle. I knew it took everything in him not to join in the
fight. We were as close as brothers, he and I. But this was my fight. One I
would have to the death.

Simon
got close again. He rubbed his shoulder across my snout. I pushed him back. Lightning
went off behind my eyes.
Nora
. Her scent was all over him. He’d touched
her. His naked lust for her came off him in waves. His message was clear. He
wanted her. He would kill me for her. He would try to make her submit.

I
landed hard on my front paws and stretched my neck long. The growl ripped from
deep inside of me and blew Simon’s fur back. There was my answer.

You’re
the one who’ll die today.

There
could be no doubt. Simon had the slight edge in size, but I had something
bigger to fight for. Images of Nora flashed through the bear’s mind. It was
getting harder and harder to stay inside of him. Blood dripped down my back
from the deep gashes Simon made there. A part of me wanted to succumb, to lay
my head down and dream of her. Her warmth. Her soft skin. The way her nipples
rose to peaks with just the kiss of air.

Simon
landed a blow across my snout that sent me reeling. I tumbled end over end and
would have rolled down the nearest hill. I rallied though, getting my powerful
hind legs under me, I didn’t give him time to regroup. I barreled into Simon’s
chest and pushed him back, snapping my jaw near his neck.

I had
him for an instant. His eyes clouded over, and I saw him give up. But, it only
lasted a fraction of a second, then his survival instincts took over yet again.
He pushed back with his hind legs and we tumbled over and over again.

We
could rest. It was allowed. Simon made a motion, a slight raising of his front
paw. We could each go to neutral corners and regroup. The fight wouldn’t end
until one of us gave up or died. Maybe it would have been the smart thing to
do, to take rest. But as I buried my snout into his shoulder, I scented Nora
again, and my bear was anything but finished.

Simon
let out a howl as I sank my teeth into his flesh. I tore a gash so large that
even if he was the one to survive, he would bear that scar for the rest of his
life. Just like I would bear the scars across my back.

Nora.
Nora. Nora.

I
might die today, but I would take Simon with me. He saw the clarity of that thought
in my eyes. His own widened. He managed to raise a paw and swipe down hard
enough to release my grip. We tumbled again. The rest of the clans gave way,
breaking the circle.

Simon
skidded down the hill and toward the tree line. Heaving, I got to all fours. He
took down three tall birch trees as he hit them. I let out a thunderous roar
and gave chase. We would take the fight to the woods.

“Stop
it now!” I heard Hank’s voice from a distance. He’d been shifting from his bear
and back again, not sure how best to try and control the situation. But, there
was no way to control it except for Simon’s death.

When I
burst through the trees, Simon was out of sight. I let out a roar to let him
know there would be no rest. A doe and her newborn fawn froze downhill. Not
today, I thought. My fight is not with you. The doe seemed to understand. She
nuzzled her baby and the two of them bolted out of sight, shaking branches in
their path.

Simon
was close. I could smell the sour stench of his breath. He was hurt. His blood
stained the low branches that marked his path. I stalked him. He would head for
the stream, for cleansing water. Once there, the ridge would surround us. It
seemed fitting to end this there. The cool, rushing waters could wipe away our
sins and carry us back to mother earth. Our bones would sanctify this ground
again for the bears who lived after us. But Clan Marshall and Clan Lord would
end here today. Unless I could find him first.

Simon
moved too quickly. I reached the edge of the stream first. He’d gone to higher
ground but misjudged the angle of the light. I saw him falling, he would have
broken my back when he landed with a force I couldn’t survive. I saw what would
have been my final moments in his thoughts. He would paralyze me. My splayed
limbs broken, he would turn me to my back and show his face. He would shift and
whisper in my ear as my lungs tried to draw breath, but he would push me down
and let the water rush in.

“She’s
mine. I’ll make her mine. She won’t want me at first. But, I’ll wait.
She’s Anam
Cara
, her magic won’t be denied.”

But…a
shadow betrayed him instead. I saw him leap and dodge to the side. Simon landed
hard, shattering the bones in his front leg. He let out a piteous roar, but
righted himself. I moved, putting the full weight of my body on top of him. I
could crush him like this, hold his head into the rushing waters. End him.

It was
in me to do it. A sound rent the air and cut me to the quick.

“Jax!
Wait!”

I
roared her name. Nora stood at the top of the ridge. I shook my head, trying to
clear the bear for the man. I looked back at Simon. His eyes flashed with dark
desire for her, even now. I pressed my weight even harder; his head dipped
below the stream.

“Don’t!”
Nora yelled. She was moving fast, her feet skidding along the rocks as she
tried to get down to the stream. She would fall. She would break her neck. But,
a hand reached out to steady her.

No. It
couldn’t be.

Caleb
Lord. My father. His silvery beard glinted in the sunlight. He put an arm
around Nora and helped her down the rest of the way.

“Let
him go, son,” he said. “This isn’t the way. Not today.”

Simon
choked and sputtered beneath my grip. I had him. I had bested him. Mercy was
mine to give.

“Jax,
please!” It was Nora’s voice which broke through to me. I slowly closed my
eyes. When I opened them, I took my weight off of Simon. He had already shifted
back. He lay naked and shivering with the water rushing over him and blood
pouring out of the gash in his shoulder.

My
body relaxed. The bear receded. I stood on two legs and turned to face my
father and the woman I loved.

Chapter Nineteen

Nora

What
if I hadn’t gotten there in time? What if the road washed out or I’d lost my
way? Or what if I’d gotten there too soon and shouted? If Jax had been
distracted, Simon might have gotten the upper hand.

But,
fate had done more than just put me in Jax’s path in the first place. It worked
again as I barreled back up the trail in Cullen’s Grand Cherokee. Then, a ghost
stepped out in my path.

At
least, in that split second before I slammed on the breaks, that’s what Caleb
Lord looked like. He was Jax with silvery hair and a full beard. He put a hand
up and slapped the hood of the car as I came to a stop. I knew who he was
without introductions. He could be no one else. That magic that flowed through
my veins recognized him as family. My heart warmed as Caleb piled into the
passenger seat and commanded me to keep driving.

“They’re
trying to vote him out,” I said, breathless. There was so much to explain. And
yet, as Caleb sat beside me, no words seemed necessary. He just knew, and so
did I.

“I
sensed trouble the minute that son of mine woke up. I’ve been trying to get to him
as fast as I could. But, there’s not going to be any vote. Jax chose a wager of
battle against Simon. I feel it in my blood.”

“A
wager of what? You mean they’re going to…”

Caleb
nodded. “Yup. Jax is fixing to just rip Simon’s throat out.”

I
couldn’t help that a part of me wanted him to do exactly that. But the minute
I’d read Damon Spence’s personal email, everything turned on its head again.

“There’s
something you need to know,” I said. “Open the glove box.”

Caleb
raised a gray brow and reached in front of him. He took the crumpled stack of
paper, and his eyes flashed as he scanned the words. Then he let out a low
whistle and sat back hard in his seat.

“Well,
this changes things up a bit,” he said.

“Tell
me about it.”

“Good
girl,” Caleb said, shaking the paper in his hand toward me. “You’ve done real
good. Do you trust me?”

I bit
my lip. “I think we’re family.”

Caleb’s
face split into a wide grin and he threw his head back and laughed. “Honey,
that’s good to hear. You don’t know how long I’ve been praying for this day. Is
he good to you? Does my son make you happy?”

Tears
stung my eyes. The question took me by surprise. The answer thundered in my
heart. “He makes me whole,” I said.

Pain
came into Caleb’s
eyes. Jax told me his mother had been like me. His
Anam Cara
, but human.
Her loss had nearly killed him. Now, I understood a bit of the depths of what
that loss meant to him. I reached over and put a hand over his knuckles. He put
his other hand over mine and squeezed. Whatever else happened, we seemed to be
in this together now. It felt so good to have another ally.

“When
we get up there, you better let me do the talking. It’s going to be tricky.”

“That,”
I said, “might be the understatement of the century.”

We
pulled up the hill and into the clearing. The clans stood in half circle at the
top of another hill. Some had shifted to bear; others were still men. But all
of them had battle lust in their eyes. We arrived just in time to see Jax and
Simon tear into the woods.

“Oh,
God,” I gasped. “Are we too late?”

“Maybe
not,” Caleb said. “How fast are you?”

“Pretty
damn fast.”

“Take
that trail to the east of the woods. If I know Simon, he’s headed for the
stream. That’s where I’d want to end it. We can drive up to the ridge.”

Nodding,
I did as Caleb instructed. At the top of the ridge, I skidded to a stop. Caleb
was already half out of the car and running. I took off after him. When we got
to the top, I saw Jax ready to go in for the kill. I can’t help that a part of
heart thrummed with his bloodlust. Simon coveted. Simon was a threat. But
Caleb’s hand on my arm brought me back into myself, and I yelled down for all I
was worth.

Stunned,
Jax left Caleb to deal with Simon. He bounded up the rocky ledge to get to me.
When he brought me into his arms, all my doubts and fears melted away. He
kissed me long and deep.

“You’re
hurt,” I said. My fingers grew sticky with half-dried blood. His back was
scored deeply. I could see muscle and a layer of fat.

“It’ll
heal within the hour. Might leave a mark though. Not as bad as what I gave
though. God, Nora. When they told me you’d left.”

“I’m
sorry,” I said, hooking my arm around him. He didn’t need my help to walk, but
it felt good just the same. The sweat of exertion poured off Jax. My eyes
traveled down to marvel at his nakedness. Even under our current circumstances,
lust stirred within me.

We got
to the Jeep and Jax grabbed a pair of jeans Cullen kept in the back. Caleb had
to half carry Simon out of the gorge.

“You
two go on ahead in the car,” Caleb said. “It’ll give Simon and me a chance to
talk, and I can explain a few things to him. Jax, you don’t let that girl out
of your sight. Trouble’s not over. She’ll fill you in.”

Jax
tightened his grip around my waist. No. He would never let me go. I climbed
into the driver’s seat and handed him the emails. Jax gave me a quizzical look,
then started reading.

“Son
of a bitch,” he muttered. “Son of a
bitch!”

“I’m
sorry. Baby. It was a setup. This whole thing. I just wish I’d thought to pay
closer attention to what Aaron and Damon were doing. Maybe I would have
realized sooner and saved you from all of this drama.”

Jax
shook his head. “There’s always going to be drama on the ridge, Nora. Though,
this is worse than most. Does he know we know yet?”

I
shook my head. “Caleb said it might be better if he did the talking. You think
Simon will believe him?”

Jax
nodded. “If it were anyone else, he wouldn’t. But this…Oh, God.” Pain came into
Jax’s eyes. He crumpled the paper in his fist and slammed it against the
dashboard.

We’d
reached the longhouse. The rest of the clans were human again and waiting for
us. Simon had recovered enough not to need Caleb’s help. He stood naked and
proud, his left eye swollen shut and his shoulder a mangled mess. But he walked
tall and straight up the steps to the long house. When he reached the porch, he
turned and faced the rest of them.

“Jax
and I have settled our differences. But there will be a vote today.”

Caleb
stepped forward. Jax let go of me and put a hand on his father’s chest. “I’m
the head of the Lord clan, now. I need your support, but the challenge has to
come from me.”

Caleb
gave his son a slow nod and came to my side. I drew strength from his solid
presence and handed Jax the emails. Caleb gave me a quick, reassuring pat on
the shoulder and moved, putting his body between mine and Hank’s. Hank gave
Caleb a linod and a smile.

“Hank
James,” Jax said, his voice booming across the open valley. “I have evidence
that you’ve betrayed us to outsiders. You’ve been conspiring with Damon Spence
and the Vista Foundation. You’ve put our livelihood and our lands in jeopardy.
I call for a meeting of the clans and you can answer these charges.”

That’s
when hell broke loose.