Malvin sighed. “It’s only time, Izo.”
She looked at him. “And what is happening while we stay here? I’m not stupid-I wasn’t drugged because I was strolling through the park. Do I have a family?”
He hesitated, face impassive. “You have two adult children. They’re both mated and your son’s mate is whelping a cub soon.”
Izo’s eyes widened. She was that old? She didn’t feel old. Though Bears didn’t age nearly as fast as humans-still.
“Well,” she said after a moment. “They’ll be looking for me.” She shook her head. “I have a feeling that I have to get home.”
The thing was, she trusted him. Bear trusted him, too, though she sensed her other half’s frustration. The groggy awareness, pushing at Izobelle’s mind. She gritted her teeth, human hands rising to cover her face. Damnit.
Fingers wrapped around her wrists. “You’re in pain.”
She lowered her hands, slowly, meeting his eyes. “I think the Bear wants me to remember faster than my human brain will allow.”
“Tell Her to settle down.” He smiled, a small quirk. “She is a fearsome beast.”
Izo’s eyes narrowed. She wasn’t certain if she were pleased or insulted by the comment. And decided to err on the side of pleased.
“Do you want to try to sleep again?” he asked, voice gentle. He lowered his head, brushing lips against hers. Soft, gentle. “You should rest as much as possible.”
After a moment she managed to breathe again. “How am I supposed to rest knowing I have children missing me? Not knowing what in the hell is going on? Who the hell are you anyway?”
His thumbs caressed her wrists, expression thoughtful. “I could tell you, I don’t know if it would mean anything to you right now. When I was young, they gave us the drug that ails you as part of our training.”
“I’m certain I received no such training.”
Laugher in his eyes as he shook his head. “No, not that. Though the training you do receive-and give-is second to none.”
She took a careful step back, putting distance between them. Not retreating. He let her go, fingers tightening for a brief moment of denial. Izobelle didn’t know what she would have done if he’d refused to release her. A fight of dominance between them-might not end well.
“I want to leave here, whether I remember or not.” Urgency, a twisting need to move, to run, to seek.
His nearly friendly expression shuttered. “I said no.”
The word rankled. “You don’t rule me.”
Malvin bared his teeth in what a fool would consider a smile. “Out here, I do. Out here, you are just a female, and I am a male. Stronger, and fully functioning.”
Just? Just? Bear objected. She lifted her lip, showing off a lengthened fang. “My Sow will meet your Boar any day. If you would like some instruction in respect for your elders.”
“Izo.” He shook his head. “You will never be boring. I don’t think any other female would have the spine to challenge me.”
She didn’t know if it was arrogance speaking, or if in his life he was of some status that made humility impossible. She drew up to her full height, preparing to blast him, when he closed the small space between them. A fast, sudden move she countered by leaping away, her reflexes proving she was no slouch.
A rumble from his chest. “You want to play, female? Are you strong enough to play with me?”
“And who are you?” she asked, circling him. “Other than the male attempting to prevent me from leaving this place?”
“For your own good, Izobelle.” Impatience warred with reluctant empathy. He moved with her, the first strain in a dance her feet knew from instinct. “If you enter the viper pit without your full defenses, you could be hurt. Killed.”
“If the enemy wanted me dead, I would be.”
“You’re alive because they can’t afford a war. Yet.”
War. Flashed of sound, images behind suddenly closed lids. She halted, bending over as a reel of hectic noise and emotion rolled through her, a tangled skein of clips as if from a poorly made film. And then they were gone, leaving her with the barest snippets of information.
“Izobelle.”
Malvin crouched beneath her, peering up into her face. His large hands braced around her waist, holding her steady.
She straightened. “I’m fine.”
“You are not fine. You should go lay down.”
“I-“ she cut herself off. Foolish to protest. Only cubs railed against the reality of what couldn’t be changed.
Mouth thinning, she settled back on the mattress. Rest. And in the morning they would see who was the more dominant.
***