Benny jumped up. “Follow me. Stay right behind me.” He kept the toddler in his arms as Karma ran behind him with the other twin. Avoiding a couple of skirmishes still going on, he ran to a couple of grizzly bears guarding a shifter helicopter that had just landed. A male opened the back door, and Benny handed over the girl before turning and lifting Karma and the other twin inside. “Go to the back and keep down in case anybody is still shooting,” he ordered, ripping his shirt over his head and tossing it at her.
They did so, and he turned to guard them as the world burned around them all.
The main lodge exploded, and he ducked to avoid debris. Karma, his shirt safely covering her, perched at his side with the girls behind her, her gaze seeking. “Vero! This way,” she called, gesturing wildly to a young Kurjan teenager.
The kid took a couple of steps toward them and then glanced at the forest, where another teenager stood, watching him. It was Drake, and for a second, their gazes met. Drake was braced to fight, but his gaze remained thoughtful. Many of the Kurjans were fanned out before him, protecting him. He said something to the younger kid, but Benny couldn’t hear what it was.
“Do you want me to grab the kid?” he asked Karma. Kidnapping a Kurjan child would be a disaster, but he’d do it if she wanted.
Just then, the kid ran toward Drake. When he was safely behind the Kurjan line, he and Drake turned and disappeared into the forest. “He chose to go with family,” Karma said softly, tears in her voice. “I wish we could’ve taken both of them.”
“They’re old enough to make their own choice,” Benny said. Hopefully they’d make good choices in the coming years and not end up as his enemies. “Get your head down, sweetheart. There’s debris flying.”
She did so and he watched the remaining few skirmishes wind down. Most of the Kurjan forces had followed the kids or taken other escape routes, and the grizzlies lumbered off, blood on their teeth, to run home. Garrett and Logan bounded into the helicopter, followed by Sam and Bear.
Benny gave the pilots the heads-up to move. He grabbed a rifle off the mount and then sat with one leg hanging out, ready to provide cover.
Garrett clipped him in at the belt and secured the other rifle, facing in the rear direction.
They lifted into the air, watching the fire burn below them. The rain slashed inside, mixing with the dark smoke as it tried to choke them.
Then they were free. Away from the fight and into the clouds.
One pilot looked back, his brown eyes still bearlike. “Don’t see any Kurjan forces in the air yet. Are we tracking?”
“Negative,” Bear yelled, leaning against the opposite wall, his head back and tingles emanating from him as he healed a bloody hole in his neck. “We’re done. Get us home and don’t engage unless somebody comes after us.”
“Affirmative,” the pilot said, turning back to the front windshield.
Benny remounted the rifle above the hatch. Once Garrett had done the same, he slid the door closed. Then he turned and stared at the back of the craft.
Karma sat in his too-large shirt, her eyes wide and bruises on her neck. The twins sat on either side of her, safely secured against her body by her arms, their clothing wet from the run through the rain. Their eyes were wide and topaz colored. Soot covered their faces.
They looked like three terrified birds all holding their breath.
He smiled and not one of them smiled back. “We’re safe,” he mouthed, wanting to go reassure them but figuring if he moved, they’d freak. The little girls huddled as close to Karma as they could, their small bodies trembling.
Benny looked around. It wasn’t as if they had blankets in an attack helicopter. “Bear? You have a tarp or anything in here?”
Bear slowly opened his eyes. “Where would I get a tarp?” He looked to the back of the helicopter. “Oh. No.” Then he glanced around. “My shirt is wet, or I’d give it over.”
The pilots both immediately took off their shirts, which were still dry. They tossed them back to Benny. He grinned and threw the warm garments back to Karma. “They’re all we have right now, honey. The pilots are big bears, and these should warm you a little bit.”
Her hesitant smile eased something in him that had hardened painfully when she’d been taken. She covered the girls with the shirts and settled back, her gaze never leaving him. Then she frowned. Edging slightly to the side, she yanked a tablet out of the back of her jeans. Her grin this time was triumphant.
Yeah. That was his woman. His. And those incredibly fragile creatures hanging on to her were her children. None of them belonged in the life he was leading right now.
How was he going to let them go?
* * * *
The small cabin given to them for the night at Grizzly territory was warm and safe. Karma finished settling the girls into a quaint queen-sized bed after a very quick shower to warm up all three of them. They wore clean shirts and she had on a clean tank top and short pajama set the bears had provided. The girls fell asleep within seconds, even though the storm had increased in force outside. The wind and rain battered the windows of the comfortable cabin Bear had given them for the rest of the night. Exhaustion weighed down her limbs.
Linda wavered by the end of the bed.
Surprise caught Karma, and she turned. “You’re here.”
The meager light from the attached bathroom seemed to shine right through Linda. Yet her smile was clear. “We did it, Karma.”
Karma smiled, and tears filled her eyes. She had no idea what was going to happen next, but they had done it. The girls were safe. “We did.”
Linda reached over and she touched Karma’s hand. Karma flipped hers around and held her friend’s hand. Her sister, really. The closest thing she’d ever have to a sister. They’d been united in saving these girls, and they both loved them completely.
“Thank you, Karma,” Linda whispered, her voice sounding far away. “Keep them safe and love them. You’re a good mother. Someday tell them about me, okay?”
“You know I will.” The tears slid down Karma’s face. “I promise I’ll protect and love them. You’re free, Linda. Don’t worry. Our girls will have a fantastic life.”
Linda smiled, released her, and then kissed both of her babies on the cheeks. A light surrounded her, she sighed, and then her form slowly disappeared.
Karma let her shoulders relax. Finally. They had done it. Together. She leaned over and kissed both girls good night again. “Terre should’ve known not to go up against two mothers,” she whispered, meaning every word. “There’s not a doubt in my mind that a mother’s love is the most powerful force there is.”
The girls snuggled down, both sound asleep.