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Darkness had brought its humid cloak over the jungle, shrouding everything in damp, black heat. They walked through a cavern of twisting vines and grasping branches, their feet sinking into the soft earth.
"Something feels...off," Margot whispered.
She was right. Bryce stopped walking, and Margot paused, too. They peered into the darkness around them. Bryce could see the outlines of trees and other vegetation. The sound of frogs calling to each other filled the jungle. When he inhaled, scenting the air, he smelled Margot's flowery violet scent, damp soil, and the myriad plant and animal scents he'd come to associate with the jungle.
"There's nobody else around," he said.
Margot nodded. "I know. But still..."
"Yeah, we'll be careful," he said. He wished he could’ve asked her to stay back at the little cabin, but as frightened as he could tell she was, his mate was not backing down. She was determined to help Illary, and Bryce wasn't going to tell her no. It wasn't his place...even though all he could picture, when he closed his eyes, was the panther tearing into her exposed stomach with its claws.
He shoved the thought aside. They'd be fine. They were strong, both of them. Rhiannon didn't want to hurt anyone, her dream had said as much.
He and Margot walked in silence until they reached the clearing where they'd met the Illarys before.
Margot stopped and looked around. "They've moved the sphere. It's not here anymore."
"What?" Bryce looked around, although he'd never been able to see the sphere to begin with.
"It's not here, and neither are they."
"But they were expecting us." Bryce stared hard at a tree trunk, like it would suddenly reveal one of the Illarys, or a sphere. "They wanted our help."
"Yeah, she did." Margot gazed around the little area, at the grasses and leaves that had been trampled earlier in the day by their feet, and Illary's.
Bryce took off his shirt and pants. "I think I should shift. I'll be more protection to you—and them—if I'm in my bear form."
"That makes sense. But first—" Margot closed the distance between them and pressed her lips to his.
He breathed in her love, her soul. This was his mate, who he loved. He could kiss her for days and never want to take a breath. Was this what it meant, to love someone so much that you could happily get lost in her arms?
"I love you," he whispered.
"I love you, too."
Stepping away, he kept his eyes on Margot until the shimmering light of his shift momentarily blinded him. Muscles tore and stretched, his limbs cracked, popped, reformed within his body. The entire time, all he could think of was Margot and keeping her safe.
Moments later, he stood before her on all fours in his grizzly form. He turned his head to the side, as if to say, "Ready?"
"Let's go, babe," she said with a grim smile.
They hadn't taken more than ten steps when Bryce smelled another presence with them in the jungle. A feline predator. Danger. He lunged in front of Margot, pushing her back against a giant, moss-covered log.
Rhiannon was here. He couldn't see her, but he could smell her catmint and dusty scent. If she touched one hair on Margot's head... He growled, sniffing the air, staring at the shapes of trees, logs, and ferns in the darkness.
"The sphere," Margot breathed against his back so only he could hear her. "It's somewhere nearby."
Whatever that sphere thing was, he wouldn't let the Bitterroots get their paws on it.
Footfalls, faint at first, grew louder as more shifters approached. A bear, from the grassy scent of bear that matched Bryce's, and a wolf, from the musty, canid scent. He growled lower in his chest, ready to tear everyone apart.
The hit came from where he least expected it—up.
A snow leopard fell on him and Margot both, claws out, scraping through Bryce's hide and into his flesh. Margot shouted in surprise—or maybe pain—and Bryce pushed himself on top of her to absorb the brunt of the leopard's impact. In her human form, Margot didn't have the protection of fur that he had. She struggled beneath him. He let up immediately, bursting upward to dislodge Rhiannon.
The leopard flew back, twisting midair to land on her feet. She lowered her head and snarled at Bryce.
He heard Margot scrambling behind him. Hesitating, he wanted to turn and check on her.
She said, "I'm safe, I'm okay—just fight!"
He had to trust her on that, so he lunged forward. The leopard flickered out of sight. Coward, he thought, spinning mid-lunge to confront the bear.
It was the wolf who got him, coming in from the side and locking its jaws onto his hind leg. He roared and shook his leg, trying to dislodge the wolf, which only clamped down tighter.
Margot rushed at them, wielding a thick branch. Bryce wanted to yell at her to get out of the way, to remove herself from danger, but she shouted and brought the branch down on the wolf's head.
Stunned, the wolf released his hold on Bryce and stumbled back. Margot hit him again and he went down, unconscious.
The other bear came toward them, rising up behind Margot. Bryce used one of his forelegs to push her aside, out of danger. His mate was fierce, but she was no match for a bear.
His hind leg was bleeding, but he barely felt the pain. Now wasn't the time to be hindered by pain or hurt. He knew he was injured, and yet he had to continue fighting.
The bear rounded on Bryce instead of Margot, thankfully recognizing that Bryce, too, was the larger threat.
Bryce roared and lunged for the bear, swiping the side of the bear's face with his savage claws. The bear spun out of reach just in time and countered with a full-frontal attack, rushing Bryce.
"She's looking for it," Margot shouted, pointing to a naked woman with long blond hair.
Rhiannon had shifted into her human form and had her arms outstretched in front of her, likely seeking the invisible sphere. Bryce couldn't stop her and the bear at the same time, so he focused on the immediate danger. From the corner of his eye, he saw Margot go after Rhiannon, her branch upraised.
Please be safe, please be careful, he thought. He couldn't handle it if Margot was hurt.
Rhiannon stopped walking and smoothed her hands over something in front of her. Margot pulled the branch back, ready to attack her if she made to move the sphere.
"Stop!" a warbled voice shouted at the edge of the clearing. "You're killing me!"
Bryce kept his eyes on the bear in front of him, ready to charge. But he heeded the voice and didn't move. If the other bear was still, Bryce would be, too.
Margot rushed past him. "Illary!"
Rhiannon also moved toward the witch, her face determined. "You will give me the sphere."
"No, she won't," Margot said, and swiped the branch on the ground at Rhiannon's feet.
Rhiannon tripped and fell just as the bear lunged once more—this time, at Margot. With a roar, Bryce rushed to intercept him. He shoved the bear aside, claws out, and felt the bear's flesh give.
The bear gave a cry of pain. The scent of blood filled the air. Bryce roared in the bear's face. He would do so much more damage, bring so much more pain, if the bear didn't cede the fight.
The bear raised his head, exposing his neck.
Their fight was over.
A soft light glowed from the dense vegetation beyond the clearing, close to where Rhiannon had originally stopped. Rhiannon clambered to her feet, eyes on the luminous orb.
"The sphere," Margot said.
She went for it, her steps light and quick, but Rhiannon shoved her aside and lunged for the globe. It flickered twice, its light growing more and more brilliant.
Just as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone. Rhiannon swiped at the air, but her hands met no obstacle. The sphere had truly disappeared.
"What is this?" Rhiannon shouted, whirling around on the older Illary. "What did you do with it?"
The older Illary rested against a different tree, her eyes closed. She didn't look right. Bryce shook his head, trying to make sense of the scene before him.
"Tell me, witch. Where is the sphere?" Rhiannon grabbed the older Illary by her shoulders and shook her violently.
"Stop," Margot said, her throat sounding full and garbled. "Stop. Please. Can't you see she's dead?"