Phantom Warriors: Riot (11 page)

“Well then how do you call one?” she asked.
“I’ve never done it before.”

Hank’s mouth opened and closed as he searched
for the words to reply. In the end, he said, “Just call him
again.”

Riot moved to the back of the tree and sliced
through the ropes. He caught them before they could drop to the
ground and gently laid them against the trunk. All he had to do now
was get Nina out of the way and move her behind the tree. They’d
fire the second they realized that she was loose. He’d have to put
himself between her and the men, until she was clear of the
gunfire. Riot’s head swam. He reached down and clutched his side.
Despite his current invisible form, crimson covered his fingers. He
needed to get himself and Nina out of here before he lost
consciousness.

“When I say go, I want you to shrug off these
ropes and run. Don’t stop. Don’t look back. Just get out of here,”
he said.

“What about you?” she murmured.

“I’ll be fine.” And if he wasn’t, at least
Riot would have died honorably.

She turned her head toward the sound of his
voice. “I’m not going to leave you. These men may not be bright,
but they do know how to hunt.”

“Who are you talking to?” Mark asked. “She’s
talking to someone, Hank. I heard her.”

Hank stepped forward and looked around.
“There ain’t no one here.”

“I’m telling you. I heard her,” Mark
insisted. “She’s whispering to someone or something.”

“Who are you talking to?” Hank asked.

Nina shook her head. “No one.”

“Only crazy people talk to themselves,” Mark
said.

“Call the bear again,” Hank ground out
between clenched teeth.

“Go! Now!” Riot shouted and shoved Nina to
the side.

***

The ropes dropped from her wrists a second
before Riot pushed her. Nina stumbled out of her bindings, and
scrambled on her hands and knees to get away. She still couldn’t
see Riot, but she knew that he was there.

“Get her!” Hank shouted.

A roar shattered the silence. Something
shimmered like sunlight on water and Riot appeared.

“Shoot him!”

Shots rang out. Bullets struck the trees
around her. Nina ducked her head and kept moving. She stopped when
she reached a dip in the woods and dropped to her belly,
waiting.

Cries, grunts, and screams filled the air.
She thought she recognized Mark’s voice at one point, but the
warble was cut short. Fear gripped her as shot after shot punched
the air, deafening her. Gunpowder clogged the small clearing until
she could no longer see the truck. There was a loud crash, then
Riot stumbled out of the putrid cloud, his fur covered in
blood.

Nina screamed and jumped to her feet, racing
toward him. She didn’t see the other men.

His eyes were glazed and it seemed to take
him a moment to recognize her.

“I have to get you back to my office. I
have…” Her vet go bag. They’d tossed her kit and her purse into the
back of the truck, when they’d abducted her. Nina ran in the
direction of the vehicle.

Fear slowed her limbs, when she finally
spotted the beat up truck. What if Hank and Mark weren’t as hurt as
they seemed? What if they caught her again? What if they shot her?
She heard a loud animalistic moan. None of that mattered. Riot had
saved her life. And right now, he needed her.

Nina quickly scanned the area, then rushed
forward. She grabbed her bag and purse out of the back of the truck
and raced to where she’d left Riot. He was sitting now, his head
sagging toward the ground. She glanced in the direction of the tree
she’d been tied to. The cloud of gunpowder was beginning to clear.
“We have to go. It’s not safe. Can you move?”

Riot grunted and stumbled to his feet.

“Come on. This way.” Nina guided him back
toward the private property signs. They had to get off this land.
It would be safer once they reached the Qualla Boundary or the
park.

“Get on my back,” Riot said. Each word took
effort to speak.

Nina glanced at the blood dripping down him.
“I can’t get on you. You’re bleeding too badly.”

He looked at her. “We don’t have time to
argue. The gunshots will have drawn attention. There were too many
not to go unnoticed. I don’t want us to be here when the bodies are
found.”

Her eyes widened. “You killed them?”

Riot shook his massive head and swayed. Nina
reached out a hand to steady him. “I only wounded them. They shot
each other.”

She nodded in understanding. “I still need to
get you back to the clinic. I have more medicine there and better
equipment.”

“My health and safety isn’t important. Yours
is.” He took a shuddering gasp.

Nina crossed her arms over her chest. “Says
who?” She didn’t know a bear could look exasperated until that
moment.

“Just get on,” he grit out. I won’t be able
to stand for much longer.

Against her better judgment, Nina slung her
purse over her shoulder and climbed onto his back. Riot staggered,
then seemed to get his balance.

“Hang on,” he said.

His fur was wet with blood, making it slick
to the touch, but Nina did her best to cling to him. She leaned
over her bag and held on to his sides. Despite his many injuries,
Riot took off, leaving the carnage behind.

Riot took her deep into the forest.

“The trees look different here. Familiar…yet,
I’ve never been here before,” she said.

His big body staggered. Riot couldn’t seem to
focus. The trees swam before his eyes. He could smell the lake up
ahead. All he had to do was make it to the water. “Hang on.” He
groaned.

Nina sat up. “How far have we traveled? I’ve
lost track, but I know it’s been quite a distance.” She squeezed
his fur. “I don’t see anyone following us and I can’t hear anyone.
You need to stop. You are bleeding too much. I have to take a look
at your wounds.”

“We’re almost there.” His garbled voice ended
with a moan. He’d lost more blood than he realized. He needed to
shift, but he couldn’t—wouldn’t do that, with Nina on his back.

The trees parted up ahead. A small lake lay
beyond, mist rising from its placid surface. Nina slid off his
back. Riot kept walking. If he stopped, he’d collapse.

“Where are you going?” she asked. “Wait! I
have the medical kit right here.”

He didn’t answer. Couldn’t. Riot stepped to
the edge of the lake, leaned forward, and let gravity take over.
His big body fell into the water, disappearing below the surface.
The splash sent ripples cascading outward.

Riot swam for the other side of the lake,
switching forms multiple times as he did so. The cool water burned
his skin as the bullets made their way out of his flesh, slowly
sinking down to the murky bottom. He stroked harder. His wounds
were already closing. He was no longer bleeding. In another day,
his injuries would disappear, except for the scars.

He glanced down and saw his small shuttle
resting beneath him on the lake floor. Riot debated whether to
climb inside. Hiding in his craft would be taking the cowards’ way
out. He knew that, but what if Nina wasn’t there when he surfaced?
What if she was so frightened by everything that had happened that
she’d abandoned him? Then another thought occurred to him, what if
she was there? What if when she saw his human form she was
frightened?

Sure they’d danced the previous night, but he
hadn’t exactly been honest with her…about anything. Riot didn’t
think he could handle seeing rejection on Nina’s face. Not after
everything they’d been through. He hesitated underwater, knowing
he’d have to surface soon.

***

Nina stood on the shoreline staring at the
placid surface. She didn’t recognize this lake and she knew
all
of the lakes in the area. Where were they? Where was
Riot? He should’ve surfaced by now. She scanned the lake looking
for a hint of bubbles. Was he drowning due to his injuries? Pain
sliced her at the thought of losing him. Nina didn’t think, if she
had, she would have realized how ridiculous her actions were.
Instead, she stripped off her clothes and prepared to jump into the
lake to save him.

The second her toes touched the frigid water
there was another loud splash. This one on the other side of the
lake. Nina looked up, expecting to see the Great Bear.

A dark head surfaced. Broad shoulders and a
muscled back followed it. Water dripped down the man in rivulets.
As he walked forward out of the lake, it became apparent that he
was naked.

Nina’s mouth dropped open. “Riot?” She
stepped back from the water and stared. She couldn’t help it. She’d
never seen anyone quite so beautiful. So perfect. He walked onto
the shore and turned toward her. If her jaw could’ve gone any
lower, Nina was sure it would’ve been dragging on the ground.

She’d been wrong about his beauty, but not
about the perfection. He was massive. Her gaze traveled from his
feet to his head. She did a double-take, when she reached his
waist.
Who wouldn’t?
It wasn’t everyday a woman encountered
that kind of endowment. Their eyes met and in an instant, Nina knew
who he was.

“It’s you.” The man from the wedding
reception. The man she’d danced with. The man she’d dreamed about.
The Great Bear. But how?

“It’s me.” He hesitated but a moment, then
kept walking, closing the distance between them. His gaze took in
her swollen face before moving on to the cuts on her arms and
across her abdomen. “I am so sorry that I didn’t reach you in
time,” he murmured. A distance of only three feet separated them.
It might as well have been a continent.

“How?” she asked, even though her brain
registered that it was a stupid question. He was the Great Bear.
The Great Bear had powerful magic and he’d just proven it
again.

Riot gave her a sad smile. “I’ll explain
everything, but first let me tend to your wounds.”

A nervous laugh bubbled out of her throat.
“I’m the one supposed to be helping you.” She looked at him. His
face had a vicious scar running down the side of it. She hadn’t
noticed it in the candlelight or perhaps she’d just been too
mesmerized by his soft brown eyes. Smaller scars crisscrossed his
hands like he’d been in so many fights that they’d given up hope of
trying to heal properly. Fresh pink skin covered the spots where
the bullet holes had been. The scratches and scraps had scabbed
over. She couldn’t see any blood anywhere on him.

He glanced down at her. “Why did you take
your clothes off?” he asked.

Nina crossed her arms over her chest,
covering her underwear, and looked around for her clothes. She’d
forgotten for a moment that she was nearly as naked as him. “I was
about to jump in and save you. I didn’t want my clothes weighing me
down.”

Riot arched a brow and a smile played at the
corners of his sensual lips. “In my
Other
form?”

Nina felt her face heat. “I know it wasn’t my
brightest moment, but I couldn’t just let you drown. You saved my
life.”

White lines bracketed his mouth. “I allowed
them to touch you. In that regard, I failed.”

She picked up her shirt, but he stopped her
before she could put it on. Nina looked at him questioningly.

“You’re still bleeding. It has slowed, but I
can get it to stop. I can make sure that there are no scars,” he
said.

She glanced at his hands.

His smile widened. “It’s too late for
me.”

“How can you heal me? I only brought medicine
for animals.” She pointed to her bag.

Riot shook his head. “I won’t need your
medicine. I have medicine of my own. But I will need you to close
your eyes.”

Nina hesitated, but then complied. She
realized that even though she’d only known Riot a couple of days
that she trusted him. He would not harm her. He’d been injured
trying to save her life. He’d earned her trust and more. She heard
him take a step closer and she swallowed hard. A warm hand brushed
her hair out of her face. Nina sucked in a surprised breath.

“Don’t move.” His breath brushed across her
lips, making them tingle.

“I won’t.”

***

She hadn’t run. She wasn’t scared. Something
inside of Riot burst, leaving his two hearts strangely tender.
Absently, he rubbed a hand over his chest. He’d known Nina was
special when they’d met. He just hadn’t known how special until
now. Was she the one? He thought so. He hoped so. What he was about
to do wasn’t solely for altruistic reasons. Yes, he wanted to heal
her wounds. It was his fault that she had them. Had he been faster,
those men would’ve never been allowed to touch her.

He winced as he looked down at the cuts
covering her smooth skin and the bruise on her cheek. Riot would
heal her. But he also wanted—needed—to see if Nina was a compatible
mate for him. There was only one way to do that. Riot’s conscience
warred with his need, and lost. If she was compatible, then what he
was about to do would start the bonding process. He closed his eyes
and allowed his body to dissolve. The second his form disappeared,
Riot stepped forward and passed through Nina, leaving bits of his
essence, his very being, behind.

Gooseflesh rose on her arms. “Whatever you’re
doing tingles.”

“Stay still.” Riot reversed direction. More
of his essence filled her, healing her body, while attempting to
bond to her. If the bond didn’t take, then Nina wasn’t his mate and
his time here would be over. But if it did…soon Nina would start to
change and he wouldn’t be the only Great Bear wandering these
woods. Riot looked at her face. Her eyes were still closed, but her
lids trembled. “You can open your eyes now.”

Nina’s eyelids fluttered. The lovely brown
looked the same as it had upon their first meeting. There wasn’t
even a hint of a red ring that came with a Phantom bond. It was
still early. These things didn’t happen instantly. Riot forced
himself to be patient though it pained him to do so.