Chapter 792 Chapter 792
Finding the tracks wasn’t hard. They were uneven and weaving all over the place. He had to hurry. Calla didn’t look good. His animal was going crazy inside him. It had taken every ounce of control he had to stop him from forcing a shift when he grabbed that guy with the gun.
Now, they were running in the opposite direction of their injured mate. Bear slowed and looked a the tracks and tried to convey to his animal that he didn’t have a choice. He was not going to be the one to tell Griffin he lost the mother he’d never met.
A sound to his left made him freeze. Looking, he saw her. It had to be her. Unless blond polar bears lived in this province, and he didn’t think they did. She wasn’t huge, but after the animal was suppressed this long, that wasn’t surprising. She did have huge claws though, that part he noticed. She was sitting there panting, out of breath.
“Edda.” He walked slowly toward her. “I know you’re freaked out right now, but you need to calm down.”
She got back to her feet. Okay, so she wasn’t exactly tiny.
“Work with your animal; don’t let her push you around.” He stopped. “We have to go back. Calla is hurt and trapped in the van. I think it’s bad. We need…”
She took off in the direction he’d come from.
“Or we can run back.” He bunched the blanket up and went after her. At least if they were close, he could check on Calla. Patting his pockets, he found his phone and pulled it out. Then he dropped it. Skidding to a stop, he picked it up and wiped it off before he started running again. He could see the wreck. It looked worse from this angle. His heart pounded in his chest. If they’d hit any further back on the van, Calla would have died.
Edda was stopped at this side of the ditch. She was going to shift back.
“Edda.” He came up beside her. “Just relax and let it happen.” He opened the blanket. “It’s all right. She’s just tired from that first shift.” He smiled, remembering his. “It’s pure adrenaline. Just let the shift happen.” He heard the first pop of bones moving and held up the blanket. The rest happened in fast succession.
Lowering the blanket, he moved closer and placed it over her.
“Calla.” Edda was breathless. “Go. I’m all right.”
Bear paused and made sure she wasn’t lying. “Okay. You’re going to be really weak. Get back to the van, get dressed, and eat something.” He was backing away as he said it. “We need to get everything out of the van. I’m calling for help.”
“Yes. Go.” She was sitting up slowly.
Bear turned and ran through the ditch and up the embankment. “Calla.” He climbed over what was left of the front of the truck and dropped down between the two vehicles. “Calla?”
“Mmm.”
He breathed a sigh of relief. She was still conscious.
“Edda.”
“Yeah.” He leaned in so he could see her face. Her coloring was almost grey. “She’s okay. I got her.” Digging in his pocket, he found the earbud and stabbed it in his ear. “I’m calling Jesse.” Bringing up the number, he poked the call symbol and then stuck the phone in his pocket. Squatting down, he looked at the part of her leg that he could see. He didn’t see blood. Both legs were trapped.
“Bear?”
“Jesse. Oh my god. I need help. Now.”
“Slow down. What’s going on?”
“A truck slammed into us. They were going to shoot me…”
“Are you all right?”
Bear hadn’t even paused long enough to check, but he’d fought that man and run after Edda. “I’m fine. Calla is not.”
“Tell me.”
“They hit the passenger quarter panel area. Her legs are pinned.”
“Is she conscious?”
Bear stood up and leaned in. “Calla? Jesse says hi.”
She opened her eyes for a second. “Hey, Jesse.”
“Okay. Can you get her out? Do you have the med kit?”
Bear looked into the back. Everything was all over the place, but he’d seen it when he packed the van. “Yeah.”
“Bear, how’s Edda? How’s Griffin’s mother?”
Bear looked through the remnants of the windshield. Edda was walking up the ditch. “She shifted and took off, but I got her back.”
“Oh—” There was a pause. “Give me one second. Evanna has Calum on her phone.”
Bear leaned over Calla and touched her cheek. “Stay with me. I’m going to get you out.”
“Wrap Edda, Bear.” Her voice was so breathy he hardly understood her. “Tracker.” She opened her eyes. “They have to be tracking her. Warn the others. Some of the men might be.”
He nodded and pushed the hair back from her face. There was blood on the side of her head. Gently, he felt around. Shards of glass scraped his fingers. “Okay. Just stay awake for me. I’ll get the blanket. You talk to me.”
“Kay. About what?”
He kissed her cheek. “I don’t care. Anything. Sing. Stay awake.”
“I don’t sing.” She whispered.
“Okay, Bear. I’m back. Calum has them tracking Calla’s chip so we can get your location. How is she?”
Bear climbed into the back. “What’s your favorite color, Calla?” He said it loud so she could hear. “She wants me to wrap Edda in the Faraday blanket.” Edda. He looked out the window. She was getting dressed.
“Aquamarine.” He heard Calla say. Looking over the seat, he saw she was holding her hand in the air, moving her fingers. It was good she was trying to focus on something. Smart girl. “Favorite food, Calla?”
“It’s possible. That Edda is chipped.” Jesse said. “She may not know about it.”
“Calla thinks some of the men might be too.”
“I’ll message Eaton. She can reach out to the others.”
“Yeah.” Bear started tossing everything he touched out onto the ground. When he saw the med kit bag, he leaned over and grabbed it.
“My cat likes bunnies,” Calla said.
Bear grinned. “Rabbit is good. What do you like?” He said over the seat and then climbed out.
“Bear, how is the one that hit you?”
Bear stepped over the body on the way back to the front. “Dead. The other one died in the crash.”
“Okay. We’re going to need anything they had on them.”
“Lasagna,” Calla whispered.
“Lasagna’s good.” He checked on her and then knelt to look through the bag. A sound behind him had him jump up.
Edda stood there looking down at the body.
“Edda. Come here.” He motioned to her.
She stepped over the man. She was pretty shaky.
She covered her mouth when she saw Calla.
“Talk to her for me while I go through this.” He pointed to the bag. “What’s your favorite flower, Calla?” He moved so Edda could get closer.
“Tulips.” She whispered.
Edda leaned over her. “Calla.”
“Edda.” Calla held her hand out. “You okay?”
“Yes.” Edda took her hand. “I shifted.”
Bear knelt and dug through the bag. Everything was in pouches or containers. He started pulling them out, not even sure what he was going to need.
“How was it?” Calla asked.
Each time she spoke, relief flooded him. As long as she stayed talking, he could breathe.
“Scary. Painful. Wonderful.” Edda answered.
“Your leg?”
“Let’s worry about you right now.”
Bear glanced at Edda. Had she limped? He wasn’t sure.
He found the pouch with the blanket in it and stood up. “Edda, you need to wrap this around your shoulders and neck area.”
She turned and looked at him. “You think I have one of those chips?”
He opened up the blanket. “Probably something older.”
She took the blanket.
“Go eat something and get the rest of the stuff out of the van.”
She nodded.