Cindy Spencer Pape - [Guardian Investigations 01] by Heart of the Bear (html) Read Free Book Online Page B

familiar, hulking form of the
bear.
    Even on all fours, he was easily six feet
high at the hunch of his powerful neck. His dark brown hair was silver at the
tips, just like on the man. Now the frosted look made sense. His eyes were
still Evan’s though, warm and intense, which was reassuring. I reached over and
ran my hand along the massive muzzle.
    “Thanks for letting me watch,” I told him.
“Let’s go.”
    He nodded once, paused to sniff the air
then shambled into the woods.
    He didn’t move silently, but he didn’t make
enough noise to attract attention, either. He was just another animal wandering
through the forest. I slipped behind him as quietly as the wind, another skill
I’d learned from Granddad. I wasn’t silent, nor invisible, but it would take
good eyes or ears to detect me. Probably why one of my ancestors had been given
the name Lightfoot.
    As we approached the cabin, we circled
around in the woods in ever-narrowing circles. It was Evan who spotted the
snares, little fishing-line traps about six inches off the ground, designed to
trip a wolf or other intruder. I followed one of the strands back to the base
of a tree and disabled the alarm that would have sounded. Evan sliced the line
with one long claw. As we drew closer, we saw the four guards who had been
posted at the cardinal points of the roughly circular clearing. By mutual
consent, we split up. Evan moved around to the front of the cabin, while I snuck
around to the back.
    The gathering area was back here, a
circular fire pit surrounded by wooden benches—enough to seat maybe twenty
people. Inside the ring of stones stood one larger one, blackened with ash and
soot. Four iron rings had been driven into the ground, reinforcing the idea
that the stone was used for human sacrifice. Wood had already been laid for a
fire in the circle.
    After I’d had enough time to get in place,
I heard Evan move into the clearing and chuffle loudly.
    It wasn’t a roar, not a direct challenge
that would have had all four guards shooting. It was more of a curious,
exploratory sound. One of the guards yelled, “Holy shit,” and I heard the two
from the side of the house move. There was now only one guard in my line of
vision and even he turned his head for a moment to see what was happening. That
was my cue. I slipped out from behind a tree and clubbed him over the head with
Evan’s gun.
    He went down without a whimper. While I
heard the guards at the front say, “Hey, look he’s got a stick. He wants to
play,” and laugh, I dragged the unconscious sentry into the woods and darted up
to the rear door of the cabin. A quick peek in the window showed no one in the
small kitchen, so I pulled out my lock pick and hurriedly opened the door.
    “Get back to your positions,” came a sharp
male voice from the front of the house. “And shoot that damned bear.”
    “We’re not going to shoot him, boss.” I
heard those words as I tiptoed through the kitchen towards what looking for a
basement door. I found it just off the small side pantry and slipped through it
just as I heard footsteps slapping on the tile behind me. I’d taken my shoes
off before entering the house, so now my feet made almost no noise as I glided
down the wooden steps.
    “Ericka?” I
didn’t dare slip into a trance, but this close, I might be able to reach her
without it. I listened with my own ears to hear if the woman was still with
her.
    She was. I couldn’t see through Ericka’s
eyes, but I could sense her emotions. I knew she’d registered my presence. I
felt the relief and hope that surged in her mind.
    “Ouch! You’re pulling my hair.”
    “Then hold still, you little brat.”
    Good girl .
Ericka spoke loudly enough to cover my movements and give me an idea of what
was going on. Smart little girl. Apparently, the woman was still getting her
ready for some sort of ceremony. I shuddered at the possibilities that came to
mind. There were at least two ways I could think of to sacrifice a young
virgin. I wasn’t about to