Waking the Bear (Shifter Wars) (18 page)

“What happened?” Derek rushed up beside Powell. “Where’s Amy?”

“Evers is dead.” Griff turned and threw up.

Powell shook his head. “Griff, this is bad.”

“There’s Amy.” Griff pointed. “Oh gods, I hope she’s okay. What if she’s not okay?” Tears streaked his face and his stomach cramped.

Powell was over her before Griff could get to her. He took her pulse and felt her neck. “She’s alive. I think her nose is broken. We need to get her some help, quickly. Her pulse is weak, so she may have some internal injuries.”

“Dammit.” Derek tugged on his beard. “What the hell did he do to her? Get dressed, Griff. We need to help her.”

Griff fought to stay on his feet, his legs weak. Tears poured now and his back burned like hell. He pulled his clothes and shoes from the bag and began putting them on. He had to get Amy to the hospital.

“Cell phones don’t work. We’ve got to get to the road,” Powell said. “We’ll worry about Evers later. I have a feeling Elijah will have something to say about it.”

“I don’t care. Amy is safe now.” Griff leaned to get Amy and winced at the white-hot pain that shot through his back.

“Looks like Griff needs medical attention, too.” Powell turned Griff around. “He got you big time. That cut looks awful.”

“Oh, it does look bad.” Derek whistled.

“I’ll be all right,” Griff mumbled. His vision blurred and he stumbled a bit. “I don’t think I can carry her to the road, though.”

“Look.” Powell pointed to Evers’s body.

Griff and Derek turned to see. Evers had morphed to a lion again, majestic and beautiful, but certainly dead.

“At least you aren’t going to have to explain a homicide in the park,” Powell whispered. “He’s just another mountain lion.”

“His pride will be upset.”

“Nothing we can do now. Like I said, Elijah will have a talk with you, I’m sure.” Powell bent and picked up Amy. “Let’s get her to the road so we can flag a car. Derek, you’re going to have to help Griff. He’s losing blood.”

“No.” Derek looked out over the mountains. “Not a car. We need to get her to the Cave of Whispers. We aren’t far away and the lake can heal her and Griff both. That’s where they belong.”

Griff’s mouth went dry. “No. We need a hospital.” He didn’t believe in the cave. He could never forgive himself if something happened to her. He’d already failed her and he wasn’t going to fail her again by wasting time on some tall tale.

“Derek is right.” Powell pulled Amy closer. “The cave will help. We’d be taking our chances on a car coming by if we went to the road. Might not see one for hours—and I can’t carry her all the way into town. It may be a chance Amy doesn’t have time to take.”

“What if the water doesn’t heal her?” Griff’s stomach knotted. How could he trust his mate’s life to a myth? What if it was all a fake? “I can’t lose her. I’ve lost everything. I can’t lose her now.” Sobs racked his body and he doubled over to contain them.

“You’ve got to trust us.” Derek put his hand on Griff’s shoulder. “The water will heal her. You, too. Come on. I’ll run back and grab your clothes from the Jeep then let’s take her. We can be there in less than ten minutes, and as I see it, we really don’t have a better choice.”

“Let’s do it.” Powell took a couple steps. “We need to hurry. She’s not stable. He hurt her badly.”

“He won’t hurt anyone else.” Griff spit on the ground and took a last glance at the mountain lion’s body lying in the wet grass and leaves. It looked so small and insignificant now. Nothing like the monster that had occupied it. Griff took a deep breath and winced as his back burned and throbbed. He’d trust his den-mates. They were right. Not many cars were in the park today in the heavy rain. Elijah believed in the power of the cave.

“Well?” Derek tugged at Griff’s shirt. “What’s it going to be?”

Griff looked from the mountain lion’s body to Amy’s broken body. He couldn’t let her die.

He had to trust in something, and the cave might be his only chance to save her. Not saving his sister had caused a lifetime of sadness and regrets. If he’d only taken a chance then, she might be alive. Now, he had the opportunity to take a chance and save Amy. He had to step up, trust his den-mates, and have faith.

“Okay. I’m going to trust you guys on this. Let’s get Amy to the cave. I don’t want her to die.”

Chapter Eighteen

The cave was cold and damp and Griff stumbled in the near-darkness. His heart thudded from the anxiety that boiled in his gut and his back burned from the long scratches Evers had sliced into him. Anxiety weighed him down. If he made the wrong decision, Amy could die. She
would
die.

“Hurry up, Griff.” Powell’s voice strained as he talked. He’d carried Amy the whole way, and as annoying as the bear could be, Griff owed him, big time. Den-mates were brothers of the best kind. The ones you chose.

“I’m trying.” Griff moved into the next room of the cave and took down a lantern. “Get Amy to the lake. She’s more important than I am. I’ll get there.”

Derek pulled another lantern from the wall and they lit them in silence.

“I’m taking her in to the shore.” Powell grunted. “But you’ll need to take her into the lake. She’s your mate, and you need to go into the water, too.”

The lantern flickered to life and Griff held it high, the beams casting long rectangles of yellow light across the wet cave walls. “I will.” He followed Powell into the larger cavern where the lake filled most of the space.

Derek came behind, his lantern waving and bouncing patterns of light off the stony ceiling. “We shouldn’t stay while Griff takes her in the water. This is their time. Their healing.”

Powell nodded, Amy draped in his arms. “We’ll wait outside, at the first sentry station. Come to us when you’re done.”

“Why?” Griff set the lantern on the ground. “I don’t even know what to do!” He gagged. He’d thrown up several times on the trip to the cave and his head throbbed.

“It’s simple.” Derek set his lantern near Griff’s. “You take her out into the water, and you wait. Clear your mind. Shoshannah might appear, or she might not. Either way, a few minutes in the water will heal you both, if that’s what’s meant to be. That is what Elijah says. I know you’ve heard him.”

“Yeah, and be prepared,” Powell said. “You’re going to have some explaining to do. Amy isn’t going to know where she is.”

Amy moaned and twitched in Powell’s arms then went limp.

“You better hurry.” Derek’s eyes grew wide. “That doesn’t sound promising.”

“Come find us when you’re done.”

“Okay.” Griff held his arms out and Powell set Amy in them gently. She groaned but didn’t move. He pulled her close. “What if it doesn’t work? What do I do then? I can’t lose my mate!”

“I don’t know what to tell you.” Powell’s mouth set in a firm line. “Have faith. Go.”

Griff nodded.
If I lose her, I have nothing.

Powell and Derek took off without even looking back. Griff stared out at the black water of the lake. How deep was it? He knew it was cold. He wished he’d paid more attention to Elijah when he’d talked about healing people in the cave. Griff had never watched or been near. When he’d brought Evers’s father, the sentries had taken him in. If she healed, Amy would wake up and be pretty upset she was drenched.

I’ll deal with that.

He didn’t even know how deep to go.

He took a breath. Only one way to find out. Stepping into the water, he winced.
Cold.
He took a few more steps, the only sounds in the cave his own splashes in the water. As the water came over his knees, then his hips, he realized it wasn’t cold at all. In fact, it was as warm as a bath.

He sank, letting the water cover Amy, up to her neck. As the water touched his wounds, they sizzled. He didn’t feel pain. The sensation was more of a tingling or light effervescence.

Amy stirred almost immediately, but she didn’t open her eyes. She twisted in his arms, as if she was trying to get more of the water on her. Griff sank lower. His back fizzed and zinged. The pain stopped and was replaced with a permeating warmth.

He watched Amy’s face for any sign of change.

None.

She had to get better. He couldn’t live without her. He hadn’t been living without her—he’d only been going through the motions.

Still no movement from Amy but his back felt completely new.

He closed his eyes.

Please let her be okay. Please, Shoshannah, or whoever is out there. Heal Amy.

Griff pulled Amy gently through the water, letting her hair fan around her like the petals of a beautiful flower. He watched her for any sign of life, but she lay still, her lips barely parted and her fractured face bruising. The split in her lower lip had begun to heal—at least it appeared to have started.

He leaned close to her face. She didn’t stir.

Oh gods, what will I do without her?

He brushed a wet strand away from her face. If she could hear him, he couldn’t tell.

Suddenly, Amy kicked and tried to sit up. Griff struggled to hold on to her, but she fought him to get away from his grip.

His heart sped. She was alive.
Thank the gods!

He wiped her face with his wet hand and watched the magic of the water heal her broken nose, as the blood washed away.

She was going to be okay. And he would protect her for the rest of her life.

He smiled at her.

My mate.

Her eyes flickered open, wide, and she screamed.

He tried to hold on to her as she flailed.

“Amy, it’s okay. It’s me.”

She paused. “Griff?”

“Yes.” He pulled her close.

“I was with Evers...”

“Evers won’t hurt you again.”

She looked around in the dark cave, the light barely casting enough of a glow to see much other than the reflection across the top of the water.

“Where are we, and why are we in the water?”

Griff paused. How much should he tell her, now? Eventually, she’d need to know everything, but right now she was fragile. “Remember I told you there were caves in the mountains? You were bleeding,” he finally said. “I brought you in the water to wipe off the blood. Plus you’d passed out. I hoped the warm water would wake you up. And it did.”

She scowled.

“It’s true!”

“Why didn’t you just take me home?”

“It’s a long way. I thought it best you wash off first. We can go home now.” He moved toward the shore. “Come on, I’ll take you.”

“What aren’t you telling me?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I can tell there’s something you aren’t telling me. I remember Evers hitting me and that was out in the forest. So, I guess I did pass out. I also remember him turning into a mountain lion and that seems a little odd. There were bears, too. There are almost always bears around when I see mountain lions. Why is that, Griff? I didn’t see
you
in the forest. Only bears.”

“There are a lot of animals in the forest.” He swallowed against the lump in his throat.

Amy tried to wrangle free. “You did. But you didn’t tell me that they could turn into humans.”

“Amy...”

“Where’s Evers? What did you do with him?” She pushed out of his grip and backed away.

“Amy, please—”

“What did you do with him? Is he dead? Did you kill him?”

Griff looked down. He couldn’t lie to her. “Yes. I killed him. He hurt you and he wouldn’t stop hurting you until you were dead. I couldn’t have that.”

The look of shock on her face stabbed him in the heart. Of course she didn’t understand shifter politics. She was human. He licked his lips. He’d said too much, too soon.

“I’m going to the cabin and getting the hell out of crazy town.” She headed toward shore. “Do not follow me or I’ll call the cops. In fact, I’m going to call them anyway. Report a homicide.”

“Let me explain.” Griff reached for her, but she rushed toward shore. “There’s so much I need to tell you.”

She turned, glaring. “No explanation needed. This area is full of crazy people and wild animals I need to get out of here. You don’t kill someone because you’re mad at them. What the hell, Griff?”

“You don’t understand.” Griff moved toward her. “I love you. I want to spend my life with you.”

“Don’t take another step toward me.” Her scream echoed off the cavern walls. “Do not follow me. I mean it!” She rushed out of the water and onto shore, dripping. She grabbed a lantern and headed into the room toward the cave exit.

At least she went the right way. It was a long way to the road and she could get lost. What should he do? She told him not to follow. Fuck that! He couldn’t let his mate wander in the woods, lost.

He started toward the shore. At least the water had healed them. The realization washed over him. His back no longer hurt and Amy was obviously better.

For once, he was glad to be wrong.

Suddenly the cave shook, or was it just the ground. He stood still, feeling the vibrations beneath his feet. Earthquake?

Griff...

The voice came from behind him. He turned. Nothing.

Don’t follow her.

He spun, looking for the origin of the voice. The lake was flat and calm. Serene, even.

Then, a small speck of blue light floated over the water, zipping and spinning like a dragonfly, yet soundless, until it was in front of him. It grew in size until it was at least twelve feet tall. Griff shielded his eyes.

You are angry.

He looked around for the source of the voice, but nothing was in the cave but the light. When he turned to the light, it had taken the form of a giant white bear with eyes of clear crystal, floating over the water.

“Shoshannah?” he whispered.

Yes.

“I have to get to my mate. She’ll get lost in the woods.” He stared at the bear, its beauty beyond anything he’d ever seen. Still, it held a power that scared him. He felt the history of his people and more in her presence.

The bear spoke, this time with its mouth. “I’ve instructed your den-mates to take her home. She will be safe until you return to her.”

“She doesn’t want me. She’s going to leave.”

“Not if you make amends. She senses you have upset the natural order. You must make things right. Then, you can talk to her and she will listen. Only then will you have a chance.”

He waved his hands through the warm water. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He did. He’d killed Evers in anger. Even though Evers had hurt his mate, he hadn’t even given him a chance to make amends or change.

“You must bring his body to the lake.”

Griff recoiled. “No! I don’t want him alive again.”

The great white bear reared up on its hind legs and blew out a puff of white smoke. Then she came down on all fours again. “The lake cannot give back life. It will transition him to the next dimension where he belongs. This is the order of things. In murder, he needs to be cleansed before he can move on. You also need to be cleansed for your actions or your heart will blacken like his. The only way is for you to bring him here.”

Griff scowled. He needed to get to Amy. What if she left before he got to her?

“It’s the only way to be absolved, Griff. Elijah would tell you the same. That, I promise you. Evers was never absolved and his heart continued to blacken until nothing was left but hatred and darkness. I know you don’t want your heart to turn black.”

“Of course not.” Griff’s mouth went dry. Elijah. He was going to be so angry when he found out what happened. Griff rubbed his head.

“Bears and lions once lived together and shared the Cave of Whispers.” Shoshannah paced. “Only in recent times have they fought over ownership over something that wasn’t theirs to fight over. Soon, they will fight again. Many lives will be lost in the upcoming battles.”

“I don’t want a war.”

The white bear paced, puffs of white smoke curling over the water behind her. “It’s coming. For now, you need to be right with yourself, Griff Martin. Then with your mate. Because once the war starts, there won’t be time for reconciliations.”

Griff took a breath. “Why have you never appeared to me before?”

“I appear when needed.” If a bear could shrug, she did.

Griff nodded. “This is something I must do?”

“Look inside yourself. Tell me.”

Griff closed his eyes. At first, he saw tendrils of white smoke, but as they parted, he saw Amy. She laughed. Then, he saw cubs. His cubs. Three, no, four! In his old cabin, running around at Amy’s feet. But there was a dark presence lurking. It thumped and beat. It was his heart. Black. Uncleansed from the murder. The darkness surrounded his cubs and then Amy. Then they all vanished in a cloud of darkness.

He opened his eyes. “I will be back with Evers’s body.”

“You will find your path. Walk in the light and you will find peace.”

Shoshannah faded until she was nothing but mist on the lake. By the time Griff reached the shore, even that had dissipated and the cave held nothing but water and darkness.

* * *

Griff ran. The rain hadn’t stopped and his fur barely kept the dampness from his skin. More than a few times he’d slid in the mud and his lower body was caked in clumps of the sticky stuff. He didn’t care. He had a mission.

Shoshannah was right. He had to absolve his crime. Killing Evers had felt right at the time, but it was wrong. Even though Evers had hurt Amy, Griff didn’t have the right to take his life. Bear code was confusing sometimes but they weren’t officially at war and personal attacks were quite different than all-out war. He should have talked to Elijah. Killing Evers hadn’t been self-defense.

War was coming. Panic froze in his chest as he leapt over a large downed tree. Shoshannah said it was coming and Elijah had, too. How would he protect Amy? He put his head down and ran harder. First, he had to take care of Evers. Then, convince Amy to stay. Then he could worry about the upcoming war.

The thought scared the hell out of him.

Being a bear held a lot of worry and his head pounded in time with his heartbeat. He crossed a stream that had swelled in its banks from all the rain, and leapt up the muddy bank. Almost there.

The meadow where Evers lay had areas of flattened grass where they’d fought, and it didn’t take Griff much time at all to find him. The lion lay on his side, tongue lolled out, eyes unseeing. So small.

He’d never be able to carry him back in human form so Griff carried him by the scruff. It was slow going, as Evers was long and lean and dragged the ground. The rain pelted his face and Griff wanted to be anywhere but where he was. The drudgery of carrying Evers back was hell.