Bear Bride (Bear Cove #1)(10)
When she heard the loud roar, which filled the constricted space, she wiped at her eyes with her forearm, smearing icing all over her forehead and hair, but finally making way for her eyelids to crack open. She wished she had stayed in the dark for she could hardly trust her own eyes as she took in what was happening around her. She struggled to make sense of the scene that was playing out in front of her.
The two men had disappeared and in their place two enormous bears were standing on their hind legs, entangled in a deadly embrace, their claws cutting through the other’s skin, splashing blood all about the floor and walls. She couldn’t even bring herself to look around for the bodies of the two men who had stood there just moments ago and had surely fallen victims to the lethal beasts. The heavy, metallic smell of the blood and the horrific sounds were overwhelming and Keyla couldn’t control herself. She began screaming. Her head was empty of logic and precaution. The sheer terror had seized every fiber in her body and she shut her eyes, awaiting the deadly strike of a bear’s huge paw. She felt paralyzed.
The shrieks were still coming out of her, strong, unhinged, desperate, when the door flew open once again and a third bear stormed in running at a speed Keyla had only heard about in the stories of the town’s hunters. Ignoring the other two fighting bears, the third one headed straight for her and the petrifying fear was more than she could endure. The last thing she thought before she slumped unconscious over the heap of blankets was as surreal as the fantastical action that was taking place in the room. She thought she had never imagined a bear’s eyes could be so blue.
Chapter 7
Keyla
Keyla felt a thumping pain at the back of her head and shifted it slightly, afraid to make a more drastic move. Her entire body felt fluid, senseless, as if she had been drugged or beaten to death until she had lost all sensitivity, but she was only slowly becoming aware of her surroundings. She gently opened her eyes to see her forehead resting on the steering wheel of her battered Toyota, her fingers clasped around its worn leather, numb and covered in something white and sticky. She couldn’t remember driving, but she must have, if she was slouched over the wheel with her feet still set on the pedals.
Slowly, as if she was moving underwater, she reached out her hand towards the ignition and touched the key that was safely tucked in its lock. The engine was sleeping. Her first thought was that she had had an accident and had managed to drive herself into a fence or a boulder. Only that could explain the pinching pain in her back and chest and her throbbing temples. Then, before she even lifted her head to look around, the details of the past few hours started crystalizing in her mind.
No, she still couldn’t believe she had been trapped inside a cabin with three ravenous bears, who had most likely killed and torn to pieces the man who had captured her and the other one who had wanted to rescue her. Why was she alive then? She remembered the third bear running fast towards her and then it all became fuzzy. Still, she could picture herself crawling through the grass towards her car (or was she being dragged?), while chilling screams and growls were tearing the air behind her. She hadn’t stopped to look back, almost obsessed with the idea of reaching the car door and driving off. Even if that wasn’t a real memory, but simply an elaborate guess, she could see no other explanation for what went on in the campsite.
A comforting warmth coursed through her veins as she saw that she had parked in front of the bakery. It was still light outside, though the sun had sunk lower towards the hills, so she must have been missing for a while. Aunt Cynthia must have been worried. Keyla looked in the rear view mirror and drew in a sharp breath. Her face was covered in dried frosting from Troy’s wedding cake and a few dark red drops of blood were splattered over her cheeks and neck. She frantically opened the glove compartment and started rummaging until her fingers landed on a pack of baby wipes. She couldn’t let Cynthia see her like that. She would probably ask a million questions and right now, Keyla wasn’t sure of the answers herself.
All that screaming, did it mean that the three bears had attacked the guests at the wedding? What about Troy? Was he hurt? Was Corin alright? Did the wedding even take place? There were too many things she couldn’t figure out and when the front door to the bakery opened and a flustered Aunt Cynthia rushed out, Keyla commanded herself to stop thinking and start rubbing harder at her face.
“Keyla,” Cynthia cried, “I was worried sick! You don’t pick up your phone, you don’t come back for hours! What happened? Are you okay?”
With a final swipe over her hairline, Keyla looked down at her clothes. The front of her frilly dress was torn to shreds and stained with blood and grass. She quickly pulled a long scarf from the back seat and wrapped herself in it, then swiftly pulled her hair into a tight ponytail and gave herself one last examining look in the mirror. She still looked pale and a bit disheveled, but it could pass Cynthia’s scrutiny if she kept a firm grip on that scarf. She plastered a carefree smile on her lips and wobbled out of the car.
Aunt Cynthia’s hand flew up to her mouth.
“Oh my God, child,” she whispered.
Alright, so there was no fooling her. Keyla soon realized she had no shoes and there were grass blades stuck between her dirty toes. Her calves were scratched and blood dripped down from her bruised knees. Cynthia grabbed her by the waist and only when she laid her weary head over her aunt’s shoulder, did Keyla recognize just how exhausted she was.