Redeem the Bear (Bear Valley Shifters #5)(28)

“Thank you,” she muttered.

A meaty hand clamped down on her mouth and yanked her back before she could throw the jeep into reverse. Her scream was muffled behind the palm, and a man whispered in her ear, “You f*cked the wrong Long Claw.”

His other hand slid into position on her throat and she thrashed wildly. He was going to break her neck! Biting down as hard as she could, she tasted blood as the man jerked and loosened his grip just enough for her to reach her scrabbling fingers toward the gear shift. Ripping it into drive, she gunned the gas, and the man bellowed in fury as he lost his hold on her. The jeep bumped and rocked as it hit the curb and flew into the grass, and Corin shrieked in terror as he lurched forward and gripped the open frame. Long sandy brown hair whipped in the wind and his eyes were an inhuman copper color.

With one hand on the wheel, she pummeled him with her other, over and over as he tried to hold on to the swerving jeep.

His fingers were slipping, and she jerked the wheel hard to the right. He roared as he went flying, and a grizzly ripped out of him before he even hit the ground.

“Oh, shit,” she whispered, jamming the gas.

Grizzlies were fast and he was gaining on her. As second gear caught and then third, she put distance between them. Fumbling for the phone, she hit Brooks speed dial icon and pressed the phone to her ear. “Pick up, pick up.” She so needed him to pick up this time.

“Corin?” he asked.

“Someone’s after me. A bear. A shifter. He just attacked me!”

“I can’t hear you very well. Someone attacked you?”

It wasn’t the sketchy connection that was the problem. Someone was screaming on Brooks’ end, and a faint roaring sound echoed through the background. “Corin?” he asked low. “What did the man look like?”

“Long hair. Grizzly.” She was gulping air as she stared at the disappearing bear in her rearview.

“Fuck. It’s Mace. Did you get away? Are you all right?” Something crashed in the background. “Corin.” His voice was somber and dark. “I can’t talk right now. Get away from Mace and go straight to Riker, you hear?”

“Yes, yes, I understand.”

“Can you get to Bear Valley?”

“Yes, I got away. I’m going to Riker now. Brooks! Why is he after me?”

Another tremendous crash sounded, and the roaring became louder.

“Because you’re mine,” he growled, then the line went dead.

Something was really wrong. Whatever Brooks had avoided talking to her about was bad and was now leaking into Bear Valley. That sounded like vicious fighting in the background, and the reasons for Brooks not calling her for three days began to frighten her.

“What’s happening?” she whispered as terror constricted her throat.

That man, Mace, was trying to kill her. Not torture her, or enlighten her of his evil plan like they did in the movies. He’d come to the diner to kill her swiftly. She had f*cked the wrong Long Claw? What did that mean? She’d slept with the alpha of the Long Claws, and from what she understood about that clan of savages, the alpha could do whatever he wanted.

She took the corner onto the dirt road that led to Bear Valley going fifty and nearly took the jeep up on two wheels. Fear drove her as she imagined Mace the Grizzly appearing beside her open door to claw her face off if she slowed for even a mile.

As soon as she saw the no trespassing signs on the Bear Valley gates, she slammed on the brakes.

Nick and Brad, the night guards, came running.

“A bear…Long Claw…Brooks’ second came after me at the diner,” she rushed out. “He tried to kill me!”

Brad turned and started relaying her story into a hand held radio.

“We’ll call for back-up and see if Riker wants us to hunt him down,” Nick said as he scanned the road. “Go straight to the alpha’s house.”

Lurching forward on the gas, she took off again. Brooks had told her to go to Riker, and it hadn’t been just because he was her alpha and could protect her. He knew what was happening. She didn’t know how she knew, but every instinct screamed that Riker was privy to what had been going down with Brooks’ clan.

Screw the secrets. Someone was going to explain why she was nearly killed in the diner parking lot tonight.

It was a long drive into Bear Valley and Riker was waiting outside on his front porch when she pulled to a stop in the open field in front of his house.

As she slid from the driver’s side door, he said, “Brooks called. I’ve ordered Chase, Brody and Juan to track Mace down. We have permission to end him outside of Bear Valley property.

“Brooks called?” Two rival alphas were working together, and suddenly, something unsettling dawned on her. “How many times has Brooks called you?”

“I think we should talk. Come on inside.” He led her into the kitchen where Hannah was frying chicken. The pop of the grease and the fragrant smell of the breading filled the open space. The dark colors and natural wood countertops of the alpha’s house had always reminded Corin of a cave. Maybe that’s how Riker preferred his living space.

Riker gestured her to a seat at the table, then sat across from her when she was settled. “I have been talking to Brooks daily since the battle with the Long Claws.”

She’d been waiting for a call from him for days, and Brooks had been calling Bear Valley. He just hadn’t wanted to talk to her. “Is he in trouble?”