She nodded. “Over there.” She pointed off to her left. The chanting had stopped a few minutes ago but he knew she could probably hear the crackle of a campfire and the low murmurs of voices in conversation.
When he started in that direction she dragged her feet in the dirt. “What is it?” he asked.
She shrugged and fiddled with the hem of her dirty, long-sleeved shirt, tugging it down. “Maybe we should just leave them alone.”
He was startled to realize she was afraid. He wrapped his arm around her, hugging her close. “They helped me save you. It is only right and fitting that we thank them.”
“I know.” She sucked in a breath and pasted on a smile. “Okay, let’s do this. I faced demons down, I can do this.” Not waiting for him, she marched on ahead.
Marko shook his head and caught up to her in three steps. He caught her hand and drew her back by his side. “Together,” he told her.
“Together,” she whispered and gifted him with a smile that went straight to his heart before it sank lower into his groin. He shook his head and did his best to ignore his stirring cock. Now was not the time.
Marko and Kellsie stepped into the clearing with the two large bears flanking them. All eyes turned toward them and the voices fell silent. It was a small group of about a dozen people ranging in ages from about eighteen to eighty and everywhere in between.
An old man with black hair streaked with gray stepped forward and inclined his head. “Warrior Bear, it is an honor to meet you.”
Kellsie couldn’t believe her eyes. She gasped. Her hand automatically went to the bear claw resting against her chest and she closed her fingers protectively around it. It was the old guy from the diner, the one who’d given her the amulet. Just when she’d thought all the freaky stuff was over.
He turned to her and smiled. “You both have faced great evil and triumphed.”
She frowned. How could he know that? She opened her mouth to ask but closed it just as fast. Some things were better left a secret. If she questioned them, they’d have the right to question her back. And she didn’t want to talk about what had happened back in that clearing in the woods. She was still feeling too raw, too emotional. It wouldn’t take much to push her over the edge into tears. No way was she crying in front of a bunch of strangers.
All the members of the group watched the bears warily. Kellsie realized she’d gotten so used to them she’d forgotten they were really wild creatures. As if sensing the unease of some of the group, Marko turned to each bear in turn and captured their massive heads in his hands, thanking them in a language she couldn’t understand. When he was done, both bears turned and quietly lumbered back into the woods, quickly disappearing from sight.
“Join us.” The older man motioned them toward the fire.
Kellsie waited to see what Marko wanted to do. She was more than ready to follow his lead on this. It was taking everything she had to stay upright. Adrenaline and her new power had brought her this far, but she was hungry and so tired she was almost sick with it.
All she wanted was to go home.
“My name is John.”
Kellsie blinked at that. Shouldn’t he have a name like Running Bear or something? John sounded so ordinary and this man was anything but.
As if he knew what she was thinking, he grinned at her and added, “Running Bear. John Running Bear.”
Kellsie burst out laughing. She couldn’t help it. She thrust her hand out in front of her. “Kellsie. Kellsie Morris.” The old man’s grin grew wider as he shook her hand and soon he was laughing with her. The others smiled and waited until she wound down. She withdrew her hand and swiped at the tears in her eyes. “Sorry about that. It’s been a long night.”
Marko, who had been watching the scene quietly, suddenly raised his arms in the air. For a brief moment, the bear part of him overlaid the human form. Even she was impressed by the show of power.
“I am Marko. I am the bear, warrior of the Lady of the Beasts, goddess of old, mother of all.” Power pulsed around them. “I thank you for what you did this night. Your words of power, your prayers, aided me when I needed it most. I am in your debt.” Marko went down on one knee and laid his palm over his heart.
John walked solemnly toward Marko. “It is our honor, brother bear. You owe us nothing.”
Marko stood and towered over the elderly man. “You have given me my life.” He glanced at her and back at John. “There is no way for me to repay such a thing.”
John slapped Marko on the arm. “You are both safe. That is all that matters.”
Kellsie was shocked at how easily all these people accepted Marko and his show of power. Why were they even in the woods? How had they known?
One of the younger men stirred the embers in the fire and added another chunk of wood. It caught and the flames flared briefly before settling down. Kellsie eased down beside the blaze, grateful for its warmth and comfort.
Marko settled beside her and lifted her into his lap. The man did like to keep her close at hand. Not that she minded, and good thing too. She had a feeling she was going to spend a lot of time in this position in the years ahead. The thought gave her tingles.
She looked at John and finally had to ask. “How did you know to give me the amulet when you met me in the diner? How did you know to be here? How can you accept all this?” She motioned at Marko with her hand.
The older man smiled. Deep creases crinkled around his dark eyes. “I am a shaman just as my father and his father and his father before him. We are one with the land, the old ways.” He tossed a handful of what looked like dried grass onto the fire and a sweet, clean smell filled the air.
“I had a dream. The dream sent me to you. It told me you needed the magic of the bear if you were to survive. I brought you the talisman, never knowing you’d have the protection of the bear himself.”
Was it truly that simple? Kellsie couldn’t fathom having such faith in a dream, but obviously John was used to it.
“But where did the dream come from?” It hadn’t come from out of thin air and she wanted to know, to truly understand all of this madness.
John shrugged. “From Father Sky. From Mother Earth. From the Lady of the Beasts. Who’s to say? All that matters is it happened and I knew tonight we would need to raise the power of the Earth and the animals to aid a fight against evil.”
Kellsie supposed she’d have to be satisfied with that. John then introduced all the others, who were all related to him in some way or another. She met his sister, several cousins, two sons, a daughter, several grandchildren and his great-grandson. The names whirled in her head and she knew she’d never keep them straight. She was too tired to process all the information coming at her.
Thankfully, they had food and shared it freely. As Kellsie polished off several sandwiches and an apple, Marko and John talked. She didn’t know when she finally drifted off to sleep.
Strong arms enfolded her and she felt herself being carried. She relaxed, knowing Marko would take care of her. He wouldn’t drop her. He ducked down and she frowned as he entered a structure of some kind. She tried to open her eyes but finally gave up when it was too much trouble. She’d worry about where they were later.
Kellsie had no idea how much time had passed when she finally opened her eyes. She was warm and safe and utterly content. She was also stark naked. She glanced at her surroundings, surprised to find they were lying in a tent of some kind with the familiar cloak thrown over them as a blanket.
She tensed. Surely Marko hadn’t carried her back to the carnival.
He soothed his big hand up and down her spine. “We’re still with John and his family. They brought shelters because they weren’t sure how many days they’d be camped here.”