Page 35 of Goldie's Grumpy Grizzly
In my bear form, I tear through the trails and crash through the brush. The darker it gets, the more anxious I feel.
I keep picturing her losing her way, wandering for miles in the wilderness. Lost. Hungry. Alone.
What if she’s hurt?
What if she’s scared?
Rae, baby, answer me. I’m such an idiot. I’m so sorry for running away. When I find you, I swear I’ll never leave your side again.
Why the fuck did I leave her?
Anything? I throw out to my brothers.
They both respond in the negative as we continue trying to catch her scent. I’ve already checked the trails we’d walked together and my sacred space. Nothing. No traces of honeysuckle, no hint of sugar.
Desperation clogs my throat as I head north toward the clearing where I’d marked her. With my paws clawing at the rocky ledges, I’m halfway there when I pick up a faint trace of something… something sweet mixed with something metallic.
Blood.
Shit.
I got something. North side of the forest, about five miles from the family lodge. Head toward the meadow. Come quick.
I skid down the side of the ledge, not caring when a jagged edge catches on my foreleg and rips a gash into me. The second I’m on level ground, I rise up on my hind legs and try to catch it again.
Honeysuckle. Sugar. And something extra.
My bear roars, the sound of it bouncing off the sides of the mountain and echoing down into the valley.
Then, weakly, a small voice enters my mind.
Cole? Is that you?
Relief swamps me as I drop onto all fours and reach for our connection.
Where are you, baby? You sound so far away.
I’m not sure. I came to our meadow, looking for you. But I got turned around someplace and the ground fell away so suddenly. I slipped and fell a long way. I hurt my leg. It’s pretty swollen and I think it’s broken.
I know where she is. The ravine. As I bolt in her direction, I bark the location to my brothers with instructions for Clay to assist me and for Connor to assemble the rescue team in case it’s tricky for me to haul her out. Running flat out, thanking every lucky star I’ve got that I know these woods like the back of my hand, I cut through the pines and sprint longer than I’ve ever sprinted before.
Hang on, sweetheart. I’m coming.
I’m scared, Cole. There’s blood. She breaks off on a choked sob, and I push my muscles harder.
Listen to me. You’re a healer, Rae. You healed me. How did you do that? I skid to a stop at the edge of the ravine and pick up her scent. A sick feeling roils in my stomach as I realize how much blood clouds her sweet smell, but I grit my teeth and put one paw in front of the other to pick my way down the steep incline.
I don’t know.
Despite the fact that I know I’m close, the connection between us is still distressingly fainter than I’d like. How much blood has she lost? How long has she been out here?
I do. You willed it to happen, so it did. Someone told me once that love is the most powerful magic there is. Since you believe in its power and you share it with so many people through your stories, it’s made you strong. You embrace it willingly, without fear or hesitation. Hell, you embraced me willingly, even when I was an absolute ass.
I can feel her snort, and the connection between us flickers. Brightening. Strengthening. My heart swells as I hurry across the rocky ravine, following her scent. But when the connection between us dims again, my steps quicken.
Goldie, I need you to stay with me. Keep talking. Describe where you are.
She doesn’t answer for a long moment.
