Chapter 7: Rogues!

Eliana finds Jasper outside, sitting in the middle of the meadow. He is surrounded by the bright daffodils that shine in the vibrant moon.

As she approaches, Jasper's shoulders tense and his hands grip the grass tightly.

"I am sorry, if I am intruding," Eliana speaks softly, her heart racing.

The scent of lavender is everywhere. She did not know that wearing an oversized shift of Jasper's and a pair of old slacks would smell so much like him. Her mind is foggy, and she is a little lightheaded. It does not help when she nears him either.

"Why are you not running."

It takes a moment for Eliana to focus on what he is saying. His voice causes her heart to quiver.

"Running," she questions. His head is tilted back, his hair falling away from his forward, showing his deep eyes.

"Escaping. If you hate us so much, why are you not trying to escape?"

Eliana opens her mouth to speak, but no words come to mind. He has a point, even though she does not want to agree with him. They are part of the clan that killed her mother. They have done no wrong to her though, this family.

"I am sorry for my outburst earlier. I have gone through a lot these past few days and I reacted poorly." Eliana tightens her grip on the hem of her new shirt. I hate apologizing. Why do I have to? I have every reason to hate Xefol. They are dangerous and even the rogues are trying to kill me.

Jasper is quiet for a moment, staring up at the stars. He breathes in deeply, "I am sorry you lost your mother at such a young age, by a member of my own race."

The fact that he is apologizing, sends tears into Eliana's eyes. She presses her lips together to hold them back. "It is not your doing."

"You can sit," he almost whispers.

With heat splashing into her face, Eliana slowly sits next to Jasper. Her ankle twists and pain bolts up her neck. Grunting, she falls. She brings out her hands to ease the landing, but her fingers brush Jasper's leg.

"I am so sorry," she blurts out through the pain. Now her entire body is on fire, her vision blurring. "I did not mean to—um, I mean—"

Jasper reaches out and gently touches her hand. Eliana's heart almost explodes, her entire body quivering.

The werebear softly chuckles, "You do not need to apologize so much. I understand it is an accident. Do not worry. Are you alright?" His gaze is seeking as he forces the eye contact with Eliana.

Although it is darker out, she is still able to see the creamy hue of his gaze.

"Is your ankle hurt," Jasper urges, his hand still just barely touching her own.

She begins to chastise herself within her mind, "Stop thinking too much. He is just being polite. He is a werebear. You will be leaving soon."

"It is—" Eliana cuts herself off as Jasper's head pivots around quickly and he stares off into the trees.

"Go into the cottage," he orders shooting up. He helps to gently pull her up before he pushes her toward the front door. "Tell my father to come out."

"Jasper—"

"Go," he growls out, his teeth baring.

Eliana jumps, fear exploding in her chest. She turns but is only able to take one step before two large bears bound into the meadow.

"No," tears blur her vision as her entire body shakes.

"Hurry," Jasper barks as he walks towards the assassins.

Eliana, limps away, tears escaping. As she nears the door though, Conrad swings it open and barrels out, toward his son.

"Honey, come here." Beatrice places an arm around Eliana to comfort her. Under her breath she utters, "We will not let them harm you."

Eliana bites her lip and watches as Jasper and Conrad both halt in front of the two bears. Once the assassins stand up on their hind legs, they tower over both men.

"Is Jasper going to be alright?" Eliana whimpers to herself. She swallows, her mind racing. "Why do I care? He is a complete stranger."

"What brings you onto our land once again, sir." Conrad's voice is deep and strong.

One of the bears snarls, "We want the girl. We told you before, did we not? That woman has committed crimes against the Climont nation."

Jasper's shoulders rise up and his hands curve into claws. "You will not have her."

The other bear takes a step further, its dark fur shifting in the breeze of the night air. "You do not have a choice. We will take her one way or the other."

"We will defend our friend." Conrad argues before hunching his back, short patches of fur sprouting along his back and arms. "We will not give her to traitors that willingly become slaves of the humans."

Eliana refuses to take her eyes off Jasper as he twists his arms into a circle before allowing his entire body to shift, morphing into that of a bear. His legs and arms grow a few inches as his mouth protrudes out into a snout. His teeth push down into points and he releases an echoing, guttural howl as his entire frame is changed.

The assassins make the first move. The one on Eliana's right jumps at Jasper before he has even completed his transformation. Luckily, he is able to just barely dodge the attack before lunging forward himself and sideswiping the enemy.

Conrad blocks the other Xefol by slamming his side into the assassin's. He brings his paw up to gauge out the upper shoulder of the enemy before he steps back, standing up on his hind legs.

"Are they going to be okay?" Eliana questions Beatrice as they stand near the threshold of the cottage.

The woman tightens her grip on Eliana, "They will be fine. They are strong."

Jasper missteps and the assassin is able to move in and latch onto his shoulder with his muzzle. The young werebear shrieks out in pain, the sound reverberating throughout Eliana's body. She takes a step toward them, but Beatrice holds her back. Jasper groans and shoves the assassin off of him, the enemy's teeth scraping part of the way down his arm.

Conrad tears into the side of the other Xefol with one of his paws and his own incisors. He growls deeply as he shakes his head and tears deeper into the enemy.

Eliana holds tightly to Beatrice, tears blurring her vision. She cannot just stand here and do nothing. She must help somehow. There has to be someway that she can contribute.

"I know you want to help them, but we will just be getting in the way. My men are capable of much more than fending off these rogues. Why do you think I am not helping them right now? Do not worry." Beatrice smiles down at the Princess as Conrad brings his paw up, knocking the head of the assassin. The bear falls back, his paw missing a step and sending him to the ground.

Jasper dodges a lunge from the Xefol and brings his paw up to scratch the back of the enemy.

"Enough," the assassin backing away from Conrad barks. He heaves, blood coating his fur. "We will not die for this woman. Wait for us, we will be back with reinforcements." He snarls, stepping closer to the tree line. The other Xefol quickly follows.

The two men stand quietly for a moment, in the center of the meadow, heaving.

"Come, let us bring them a change of clothes." Beatrice pats Eliana's shoulder before ushering her inside.

It takes a moment for Eliana to understand why they need to bring the men clothes, until she remembers that when they shifted, their clothes had been torn to shreds. Her face explodes with heat and she refuses to look up as she follows Beatrice.

She stands just inside of the cottage as the woman sifts through their belongings. "Here, bring this to Jasper."

The confusion is evident on her face, but Beatrice does not speak, and once Eliana grabs the pants, she pivots away from the Princess.

Walking slowly back outside, Eliana makes her way to Jasper in a daze. Did they really just protect her? Conrad called her a friend. Do they really believe that?

"Jasper," she almost whispers as his back is still toward her.

As he turns to face her, she gulps down her fear. He is large, towering over her now by almost a foot. Her vision spins when she tries to look up at him.

"Thank you," he growls out, causing Eliana's entire body to vibrate. He shakes his head and his form starts to shift. He decreases in height, fur falling from his body. His claws retract into fingers and he quickly grabs the pants, sliding them on as the bottom half of his body shifts back.

Eliana stares off to the side, her skin in flames. It takes several minutes for Jasper to completely revert back to normal. She swallows, trying to clear the lump in her throat, but it is useless. The edges of her vision are blurry.

"I am sorry, if I scared you," Jasper mumbles softly.

"What do you mean?" Confusion has Eliana swiveling her head back in his direction.

"I know you are scared of us; I am sure it was terrifying to watch." He scratches the back of his head, the injury from the assassin open and raw.

"Are you okay?" She moves her hand as though to reach for his shoulder, but she stops herself and steps back. "You should have your mother check that."

He scans her face for a moment, ignoring his injuries, before nodding and walking away.

Once the lavender scent he produces decreases in her senses, she releases a sigh, her shoulders relaxing. Why does she react this way around him? What is it about this werebear?