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“Fuck it.”
~ Bear’s final thought before making decisions
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Bear glanced over his shoulder for the third time since leaving Chloe behind in his rune-protected apartment. The dark fae lord had assured him as long as the runes were drawn, they’d trap the Claíomh Solais and prevent anyone from portalling into the apartment. But the client had also banked on Bear not opening the box.
Bear waited in the apartment building’s hallway for almost an hour to see if she’d emerge.
Nothing.
She didn’t even try the door handle. When she found out today’s date, she’d wanted to watch television and “catch up.” Exactly how long had she been trapped in that box? She wouldn’t say.
Tasha clicked as she flew overhead, occasionally stopping on awnings, windowsills or ledges to click at him some more. He didn’t need to speak bird to know she was both telling him off for the disappearing act at the same time as expressing her excitement to see him again.
A man walking in the opposite direction on the sidewalk rammed his shoulder into Bear’s.
“Hey! Watch it, asshole!” the man barked over his shoulder.
Bear waved at him with his middle finger and kept walking. If he ran into someone, he’d normally apologize, but the other man had been walking side by side with his buddy and the two of them had taken over more than half the sidewalk. Why should Bear have to flatten himself against the wall to let two inconsiderate strangers walk past?
“Didn’t you hear me, asshole?” A large, heavy hand clamped on Bear’s shoulder and tugged.
Bear spun with the motion and blocked the predictable punch to the face with his arm. He stepped inside the man’s guard, grabbed both his shoulders and whipped his head forward.
Crack!
The man reeled back from the head butt and clutched his spurting nose. “Phuuck.”
Bear ignored him and turned to his buddy. “You want to come at me, too?”
The friend shook his head, raised his hands and backed away.
Everyone stared. Great. Low profile blown. His heart pumped blood hard enough the pounding of it drowned out all other sounds. He rounded his shoulders, turned back and ducked around the next corner. He didn’t want to make a scene and here he was getting into scraps on the sidewalk on the East Side. Stupid.
Not wanting to risk the main streets, he made his way through the filthy side streets to the local convenience store that sold everything from onions to cell phone cases decorated with kitties. He needed a burner phone, and in less than twenty minutes, he walked out of the store with one set up.
When the next SkyTrain slid to a squeaky halt, he hopped on and ignored Tasha’s indignant squawk. She’d find him again soon enough. She always did.
Bear got his lodestone ready and pulled out the business card of the dark fae. He stared at his phone. Maybe he should call Raven. Not for advice or help—he didn’t want his twin mixed up in this—but just to hear her voice. He knew his distance hurt her. He hurt his whole family, including himself. But he just couldn’t...
He gripped the phone and looked away. Swallowing a lump in his throat, he shook his head as if it would magically clear his thoughts.
He couldn’t bring himself to admit he’d been wrong. So wrong.
Bear had planned to make it big and roll back into the family house a successful man, proving to Terry he could make it on his own, doing things his own way. Instead, he was a thief and broke every single code of ethics Terry tried to instill in him.
He glanced at the card. Well, almost every code. There was still some honour left in him after all. Bear might’ve finally taken one bad job too many, but at least he’d dictate how things ended. On his terms.
He should’ve paid more attention to the early warning signs and turned down this job before meeting with the dark fae lord and crossing that point of no return. If he hadn’t taken the job, though, someone else would have. Chloe would still be in the box and the Claíomh Solais would end up in someone else’s hands. Literally.
Anger bubbled up inside him, and he turned the phone on. While he punched in the number, he took another deep breath.
The dark fae lord picked up on the first ring, his deep voice rattling the phone’s cheap speakers. “Is it done?”
Bear had been unsure of what to say or do, but the hard, detached voice of the dark fae lord confirmed Bear’s belief he couldn’t under any circumstances hand Chloe over to him, nor would lying get him far. Even if this choice meant his death, he had to stand for something. Maybe one day his family would be proud of him, proud that he finally made the right choice and protected something other than himself.
He closed his eyes.
All this time he searched for a way to prove himself without having the ability to shift, and the answer had been there the whole time. Raven was right. He was an idiot.
“You didn’t tell me the Claíomh Solais was a woman,” Bear growled. He briefly considered denying any knowledge of Chloe and lying about completing the job, but the dark fae lord would find out. Spies abounded in the Underworld and at least one fae already knew of the theft. Shadow Man.
Silence met his statement.
“The deal is fucking off. Women aren’t property or chattel.”
A couple of passengers blanched and stared at him with round eyes. He turned away from them to look out the window as metro Vancouver whizzed by.
“You weren’t supposed to open the box.” The dark fae lord’s voice dropped dangerously low.
“I’m dead either way.” The cars on the SkyTrain jostled a little as they rounded a corner.
The silence meeting Bear’s analysis confirmed he was right. At least this man didn’t insult him with lies. Instead, after another long pause, he said, “Bring Chloe to me.”
“Go fuck yourself.” Bear hung up. He did the right thing, but a sense of dread settled over him and clamped onto his gut. He’d stolen from one dangerous dark fae lord and he’d backed out of a deal with another. It was only a matter of time before one or both caught up with him.
Maybe he could make a deal with the fae he stole Chloe from. His memory flashed to the fae’s deadly expression and the flash of metal. Yeah, sure. Make a deal with a man who threw a knife at his chest. He’d already contemplated that idea and it was just as dumb as the first time the thought crossed his mind. He wouldn’t get past showing his face. That fae was definitely the type who killed first and asked questions later.
Bear swallowed and pulled his shoulders back. He’d find a solution to this problem. He always did. Like the corvids he commanded, he was resourceful. And when he figured out a safe way to return, he’d go to his family and make things right.
Bear dismantled the phone and chucked it in the garbage at the next stop before hopping on the next train. He had the rest of the Millennium Line loop to figure out what to do before heading back to the safe house.
To Chloe.