Touchdown Daddy (19 page)

After Mary told Easton where the community was, he had her flown back to the nearest city, where a rental car was waiting for her. She missed the soothing sound of Andre's breathing as she drove. More than once she had to pull over to the side of the road to cry. Was this really the right path to take?

Of course, it is. It's the only way Andre can stay safe.

She had written a letter to him, begging him again not to let his anger overwhelm him. But what if it did? What if she was driving to her death just so that he would follow her to his? What if he was so blinded by rage and grief that he would come after Peter?

Peter. Mary flinched, knuckles going white as she clenched her hands around the steering wheel. Could she blame Andre if he did kill her brother? Peter had killed his wife and daughter. Philip had been there too. How could she defend either one of them?

"I don't have to," she whispered. "Andre is not going to come after them. He's going to get away and live his life. He's my soulmate, but I'm not his. He'll find somebody else to love."

It was actually a comforting thought.

She almost missed the turnoff into the dirt road that led to Andre's farm. Mary yanked the wheel sharply, the car skidding over the road as she stomped on the brake.

The car shuddered a moment, but she was able to ease it onto the dirt road and avoid the ditch. There were still a few hours to go before she would get to the community, but she wanted–needed–to see the place where so many happy memories had taken place.

It was exactly as she had last seen, except the bodies of the sheep and goat her father had slaughtered had been picked clean by scavengers. All that was left of them was a disconnected bunch of bones. Mary's heart felt heavy as she gazed at the burned remains of the cabin, the charcoal ugly against the green of spring grass. A breeze blew down the mountain, bringing with it the scent of pine trees.

Yes, this was for the best. She would not get her happily ever after, but she had four blissful months with her soulmate, and then all the time they spent together afterwards. Although not free of fear, at least they were together. It was better that she found him and loved him than if she had lived for all eternity without him. Her heartache eased.

Darkness was quickly descending and Mary gathered the bones of the animals, putting them in the incomplete grave Andre had dug the day they found the animals slaughtered.

After she had completed that task, Mary took off her clothes and embraced her Wolf, perhaps for the last time and trotted into the barn.

The spare jackets still hung from a peg on the barn door. Mary pulled one down, wrapping herself in Andre's scent. She slept, accepting what would come in the morning.

***

It must have been days since he last saw Mary. Her frantic words, trying to make him promise not to let rage blind him if she died, kept ringing in Andre's head. Something was wrong. Why had he let Easton take her away?

Idiot!

Metal shrieked as he gouged at the door with his claws. When that did nothing he backed up, then threw himself forward, ramming the door. His whole body shook with the impact, but the door did not budge. Panting, he retreated, rotating his ears to check for any sounds on the other side.

He repressed his Bear to check the damage. He'd scratched the metal, but whatever it was seemed to have been made with keeping Bears captive in mind. Nothing he did seemed to do any good. Desperation burst from him and he pounded on the door with his fists.

"I want to see Mary!" he shouted. "Open this door now!"

There was a clicking noise from somewhere behind the door and Andre backed up, watching. The door swung open. Easton strode in, shaking his head.

"Will you quiet down? You're shaking the whole damn building."

"Let me see Mary," Andre grunted at him, muscles trembling. His Bear longed to rip the man apart. He should have trusted that sense earlier.

Easton glared at him. "You can't."

"Why not?" Andre froze, then rolled to the balls of his feet. He was getting out of this room and to where Mary was, one way or other! "If you've harmed her in any way, I'll kill you."

"All this for a
werewolf
? And not just any werewolf–a Locke! Don't you know how many of our kind that family has killed? Your own wife and daughter. And yet you look at that girl like she's a puppy! Do you think she's harmless because she's fat?"

"Where is she?" Andre roared.

Easton's gaze was cold and hard. "She went home."

Andre froze.

"Apparently she decided the only way to keep you safe from her family was to go back and face their justice."

"You—" Andre could hardly speak. "You manipulated her into going back so you could find out where they were."

Easton shrugged. "I did what I had to. You weren't going to help us. It was so easy to get her to tell me I thought she must be lying. But my scouts have confirmed it, and soon all those stinking werewolves will be where they belong. Worm food in the ground."

Andre didn’t let him say another word. He embraced his Bear as he lunged, his massive jaws opening. He caught Easton's head in his mouth and bit down hard, clawing and batting at his body while he crushed him to the floor.

When he tasted blood and felt bones break, he let the other Bear go and ran, his heart in his throat. He was in a long corridor. Freedom was through the doors on the right, down a set of stairs and through one more corridor. He pushed himself as fast as he could, adrenaline coursing through his body.

He scented other Bears and heard their shouts as he burst through the doors. A woman was in his way and he bowled her over. The stairs were treacherous and he slipped several times, but he made it to the bottom quickly.

Soon he was in daylight. The shouts of the Bears followed him out, but he would not stop.

Mary. Oh, God, Mary!

***

He stole a car and drove it through the border crossing. When border security took up the chase, he abandoned the vehicle and ran with his Bear until he came to the next town, where he stole another car. He didn't stop to eat or drink, and every second that passed felt like another second too long.

By the time he got to the Wolf community, he was half-crazed by worry and exhaustion. He didn't bother worrying about how the Wolves would react to a Bear in their community. He had to find Mary before it was too late, before the Wolves meted out their justice, and before the Bears attacked.

Mary’s sister, Julia, was in the yard of the Locke farm when he pulled in.

"Where is Mary?" he shouted at her.

She froze, staring wide-eyed at him. He bounded towards her and she screamed. Andre grunted, chasing after her as she ran. His feet sank into the muddy ground, slowing him. By the time he caught up, she was in the barn.

Peter was with her, holding a rifle.

Andre skidded to a stop. The Wolf's jaw dropped at the sight of him, but he quickly moved to stand in front of his sister and pointed the rifle at Andre's heart.

"Where's Mary?" the Bear demanded, resisting the urge to attack and beat it out of him.

A pained look crossed Julia's face. Andre's heart spiked.
God, no!
"Where is she?" His voice rose in pitch.

Peter lowered the gun. His expression, like his sister's, was pained. "She's not here."

Andre roared, leaping forward. Julia screamed again. The Bear caught Peter around the throat and hoisted him into the air, slamming him into a wall of hay bales. "
Where is she
?"

"Her Wolf was purged!" Julia fluttered on the spot. She stepped forward, eyes on the rifle still in Peter's hand, but Andre growled and she retreated.

"What do you mean, her Wolf purged?"

"It's…" Julia's eyes were wide and frightened as she met his gaze. "It means that it was taken from her. Purged."

Andre dropped Peter, feeling like his chest was caving in. His head swirled and he collapsed to his knees. "No! God, no! She… she's dead?"

"Not dead," Peter gasped, rubbing his throat. "Her Wolf wasn't taken away. It is buried too far to ever return to her again. She's alive, but the process does more than just stop the Wolf from coming back."

Andre somehow found the strength to look up. "What does it do?" he whispered.

"It does something to the mind. Erases memories." Peter knelt beside him, casting the gun away. A hand tentatively rested on Andre's shoulder. "Even if she was here, even if she was staring you in the face, she wouldn't remember you. Her memories are gone. Forever."

*****

TO BE CONTINUED

Continue to follow Mary and Andre in “Werebear’s Search (Shades of Werewolf Series Book 4)”

Bonus Book 4: Werebear's Search (Shades of Werewolf Series Book 4)

By:
T.S. Ryder

Description

A Bear’s search for his werewolf mate, whose Wolf was purged and whose memories were erased. Will she love him again?

This is the fourth part of the hot 5-part “Shades of Werewolf” series.

Mary Locke knew when she returned to the community of Wolf Shifters she grew up in that she would never leave again. She thought the worse they could do was kill her to satisfy the demands of their justice.

But what she found was far worse; her Wolf purged and all her memories, including those of her soulmate Andre Mitchel erased from her mind.

Andre never thought he would help the Wolves who killed his wife and daughter. But when other Bears threaten Mary's family, including innocent children, he finds himself setting aside his prejudices to help them. But helping the community that stole Mary from him is no easy feat, and he knows he can never give up his search for Mary.

But even if he is able to find her, how can he help her find her memories?

Mary Locke did not look at the faces that would decide her fate. Whatever punishment they decided on, she didn't want to make it more painful by recognizing them and remembering how they had given her presents during the harvest moon when she was a child.

Instead, she gazed past their heads, staring up into the sky. It was the color of a robin's egg. She always loved the sky in that shade. It looked so open and free.

The courts were always decided on in the open air, where anybody who wanted to come witness the trial might mock the accused. She heard the whispers behind her of the gathered community, as well as the whining from her youngest siblings wanting to get to her.

"Mary Locke."

The voice brought her back despite herself. She focused on the man who had spoken, Oliver Willows. She never had much to do with him, other than when he told her father that he needed to stop feeding her so much so she would slim down and find a good husband.

He seemed like a good choice to deliver her sentence.

She looked away before Willows could speak, searching for her brother, Peter. He stood at one end of the judge's table, hands clenched. He met her gaze and looked away, guilt written over his face.

"For the crime of killing your father, Paul Locke, you have been found guilty."

Of course, I have. I told you that I killed him. And the fact that he was trying to kill me and my soulmate doesn't make a difference to you.

Willows continued. "For the sake of your brother, we have decided against killing you. Instead, your Wolf will be purged."

Mary's hands went cold.

"Once your memories are gone, you will be placed in the human population and forgotten about." Willows glared at her. "Get this filth out of here."

Mary stared in horror, her Wolf howling with grief as the words rang in her ears. How could they? She had expected something horrible, but images of firing squads had been plaguing her. Not this. She clung to her Wolf as if they would begin the purging right away. Could she embrace it and run?

How was she supposed to survive without her Wolf?

A hand was on her elbow. She jerked back, but it was only Peter. His eyes were angry, but he silently pulled her away.

She expected to be taken back to the root cellar she had been locked in for the last few days, but instead, he led her to his house. It was a small cottage, built by their brothers and cousins when he married his wife. Amy stood on the step with her hand resting on a large, rounded belly, looking anxious. Mary blinked.

"You didn't tell me that Amy was expecting," she mumbled. "She's got to be six months along, right?"

"I didn't really have the time to tell you anything, did I?" Peter's voice was weary. He pulled her past Amy, giving his wife a small shake of the head.

He took her into the barn behind the house. Inside the building, the air smelled of hay and dust. Mary sneezed. She glanced around, but her eyes wouldn't focus on anything and so she gave up trying. Her Wolf was going to be purged. It whimpered, curling up in a tight ball in her chest. She closed her eyes as everything tilted around her.

"I'm sorry," Peter said. He helped her sit on a hay bale. "For everything. I wish there was something I could do."

"There isn't."

"I know. But I wish there was."

She looked at him. Her brother, younger than her by a year, had always been her closest friend. In many ways, he was her only friend as they grew up. She would miss him. Or she wouldn't. Once her Wolf was purged, she would have no memories of her past. She wouldn't remember him to miss him.

Oh, Andre! I wish I could tell you goodbye
. Would he manage to find her someday? They were soulmates, they were meant to be together. But without her Wolf, would he continue being her soulmate? Would she even have a soul anymore?

"Mary, I need to tell you something."

"I don't think I want to talk, Peter."

He grasped her shoulders, his green eyes intense as he gazed into hers. "I have to. It's about... him. Your Bear. About his family."

Mary's head jerked, breaking eye contact. She pulled out of his grasp and walked away, pressing a hand to her forehead as she considered his words. "I don't want to hear anything, Peter. I only have a few hours left, I don't want to hate you."

"I don't want you to hate me either. That's why I have to tell you." His voice cracked. "Please, Mary. I can't... I won't be able to live with myself if I can't tell you what happened that day."

Mary froze. A surge of anger bolted up her spine and she whirled on him. "What is that supposed to mean? You are going to kill yourself if I don't listen to whatever excuses you have to give? That's supposed to make me not hate you?"

"Mary, that's not what I—"

"Right now what makes you think I even care what you do once I can't remember you? You killed a little girl!"

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she regretted them. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply. The rage ebbed, replaced by a deep guilt that tore up her insides. Was this really how she wanted to leave her brother? Telling him that she didn't care if he lived of died? No! She loved him. Even though his sins burned her to the core, she couldn't leave him thinking that she hated him.

Slowly she returned to sit by him, her head hanging. Peter was silent and Mary wondered how she was supposed to apologize for something so terrible.

"I didn't mean it," she said eventually. "I'm sorry. It's just this... I'm just angry. With everything."

Peter slowly put an arm around her. "It's okay. I deserve it."

"No, you don't." But she wasn't sure of her own words. "Tell me what happened. I don't understand how you could..."

Peter closed his eyes. "It was three years ago. It was such a beautiful day, I wanted to spend it with Amy, but you know Father. He wanted to go hunting with Philip and me. He said that a couple of grizzlies had been hanging around the farm. He said he was afraid that they would attack one of the little ones, or something would happen during the Full Moon Run."

A pang hit Mary's heart. It had been years since she had been able to fully participate in the Full Moon Run. When she was with Andre, she was able to enjoy the time with him. But even that wasn't the same as running with other Wolves, sharing the glory of the moon.

She would never be able to run with her own children. She would never be able to run again.

"We went hunting. And we found a mother bear and her cub. I... we didn't have the proper guns. I don't know why Father brought the guns he did. It didn't kill them right away, we had to use knives to… I didn't know they were Shifters. I thought they were animals and a threat to the community. Oh, Luna! Forgive me, I didn't know."

Mary swallowed hard, wanting to reach over and comfort him but too frozen to move. "When did you realize?"

"After they were dead. He came. Your Bear. He didn't have his Bear with him, but he saw what we had done and he attacked. And then I realized what we had done. Was she his wife?"

"His wife and his daughter," Mary whispered, remembering the pain in Andre's eyes whenever he told her about them.

"Father shot him in the face as he embraced his Bear. It's a miracle that he survived. But he must have realized it was too late for them. He... he ran. Father wanted to chase him, so I pretended to be injured. We never talked about it again. A day later I went back to bury them, but they were gone. I assumed the Bear must have come back. I was glad that they weren't stuffed and mounted like trophies, or left to the elements."

Mary put a hand on his shoulder, not knowing how to comfort him.

"After a week, I found Philip with a gun in his mouth. I didn't know how, but I convinced him not to kill himself. It wasn't until I saw him like that… I was planning the same thing. But I knew I couldn't. If I did, who would be there for Philip?" He hunched over, hiding his face in his hands. "How old was the child?"

She had been six. Her name was Eve. But Mary couldn't tell Peter that. Instead, she put her arms around him and was silent.
This is something I will gladly forget.

"I'm going to make it right. Someday, somehow, I am going to make it right." Peter looked up again, his eyes burning. "I swear."

She didn't tell him that he couldn't. There was no bringing back the dead. There was no making something like this right.

***

Andre. Mary kept her eyes closed, bringing his face to her mind. She thought of the curves of his lips when she made him laugh. The taste of his skin, the pine scent of his body. His fingers traced over her lips, steady and calm. His callouses caught in her hair as he wrapped his hands in it. And how the heat of his body sent fireworks into hers. That was all she wanted to remember, the feeling of being near him, her Wolf howling and joining with his Bear.

A hand held hers, but she didn't open he eyes. Andre was with her. His voice was whispering she was beautiful and that was all she needed.

"It's time," Peter whispered. "Mary, I'm so sorry."

She squeezed his hand harder but didn't speak. If she spoke, the spell would be broken and Andre would no longer be with her. His black eyes gazed at her. Her hands were on the smooth, tanned skin of his body, tracing the strong muscles of his torso. She ran her hands through his shoulder-length hair and his mouth was against hers.

And then the pain began.