Wyatt loved the sound of his name on her lips. It did things to his body he’d never experienced before, but her attitude was the kicker. Peyton was a lethal combination of complexities. She kept him so off-kilter, he had no idea what she was going to do next. One minute, she was aroused, the next pissed, then laughing, and remorseful. Damn, what was he going to do with her?
“You better not have hacked my system,” she told him plainly. “Bastian’s friend or not, I’ll cut off your balls. No one messes with my system!”
“I didn’t hack your system, Peyton. What you see, or should I say saw, was me in all my glory. How did you like my bear? He’s pretty impressive, isn’t he? I wish I could’ve seen the look on your face myself, but no matter. There’s plenty of time for that. You and I are going to be spending a lot of time together here on out.”
“Are you nuts? No way that bear turned into you! You realize I can pick up that phone and call Bastian back? I’m sure he’ll get a good laugh out of it. Maybe that was your plan all along, a little payback for me going off the grid and worrying my brother. If so, this is a little extreme. I don’t know what your game is, mister, but I’m in no mood to play with you right now. If this is your and Bastian’s idea of a joke, it’s so far from funny, it's bordering on tragic. Do you think it’s funny to freak out people to the point they start questioning their own sanity?
“This whole little scheme of yours is way beyond uncool. I’m going to give you another two choices before I decide your dangly bits are once again in danger. If you thought that little brush of my knee was bad, imagine what it would feel like if I really meant it to happen. Are you willing to risk it?”
Wyatt couldn’t help himself. Peyton was cute when she was pissed. He felt is lips curling and tried to hold back the smile threating to break. Peyton was definitely unpredictable. He couldn’t resist the urge to cover his balls. His boys were already damaged enough. He seriously doubted Peyton would go through with her threat. She felt bad enough when she’d done it by accident. At least, he hoped she wouldn’t. He had a feeling Peyton had been underestimated more than once, and maybe he should heed her words. Then again, he really liked her fire; put to the right use, it could be volcanic.
“Here’s what I really want to know. How did you do it? I mean, that video was pretty impressive, and I’m a hard woman to impress. It was seamless. I couldn’t even tell it was a recording. You didn’t trigger any of my firewalls, and my system showed not even the slightest glitch. Your skills are very impressive, Mr. Green. You’re so going to have to show me how you did that.”
“Oh, baby, I’ll show you. Why don’t you come out into the common room?”
Peyton wasn’t opposed to moving out of the small space. Wyatt’s mere presence was getting to her, but she liked the feeling of control she had at the moment. He was going to answer her questions, then they could move on from there. Not to mention the common room had so many more possibilities than her tiny computer room.
“Lead the way,” Peyton directed, “if that’s what you want. But why wouldn’t you show me on the computer? There isn’t one out there.”
“More room out there,” Wyatt explained. “What I have to show you isn’t for small, confined spaces. By the way, I think we need to start over. Things have gotten a little out of hand.
“Hi, Peyton, my name is Wyatt Green,” he said, holding out his hand, “and it’s a pleasure to meet you in person, finally.” Winking, he added, “So do you often go on vacation to underground bunkers? I think it’s kind of hot, but not the usual vacation choice. I tend to go for sandy beaches and tropical weather, but this works, too.”
Peyton wanted to keep her grump on for a little while longer, but she couldn’t stop the smile coming to her lips. Wyatt was a charmer, and she liked it. He was also gorgeous and a myriad of other things Peyton didn’t care to name at the moment. She would love to see Wyatt Green in a pair of swim trunks, lying out in the sun.
Playing along with him, she shook his hand. “It’s nice to meet you as well, Mr. Green. I tend to take rustic vacations although a beach sounds nice. This place has a unique ambiance, wouldn’t you agree?”
“That it does, pretty lady. Now, how about we get on with this show and step out into the common room, with your permission, of course,” Wyatt said, bending at the waist and motioning with a sweep of his arm.
“Why thank you, kind sir,” Peyton couldn’t resist playing along, “I would be happy to join you.” Nodding her head at him, she started to walk toward the door. When Wyatt placed his hand on her lower back, she almost melted on the spot. She loved being led this way, it made her feel safe and protected. It also made her feel cherished. Damn, this man was hitting all her hot spots.
“Shit, honey,” Wyatt couldn’t resist leaning in close and nuzzling Peyton’s hair, “your scent—warm sugar and vanilla—has been driving me crazy for days now. I got a whiff back at your place, but nothing is as good as being close and smelling it in person.”
“Huh? My scent? Whatever, Wyatt, it’s time to drop the animal thing. It was good at first, but you don’t want to overplay your hand. I have to admit, I should’ve checked in with my brother, but this is overboard even for his control freak nature. I should have known big brother would bring in the troops. Are the rest of the Frost crew hiding out in my woods? Bastian is so going to pay for this. You know, I have this tape from when he was about sixteen. He was in the shower singing that big butt song. I’ve been keeping that little gem, waiting for just the right time to bring it out, and you know what, I think that time is now.”
“You're evil,” Wyatt joked. “You can’t keep stuff like that. Bas was worried, and no, the rest of the Frost crew isn’t out in the woods. I found you all by myself. Well, with a very unique part of me. Why don’t you have a seat on the couch, so we can get this over with and move on?”
“Fine, show me what you’ve got, Mr. Green,” Peyton said, taking a deep breath and scooted up on her knees on the couch.
No. Way. In. Hell! A huge-ass grizzly bear stood in front of her where Wyatt had been standing. She didn’t know if she should stay where she was or run screaming from the room. Maybe she should get the fresh air vents tested. The bunker was old. Hadn’t she read somewhere certain types of mold caused hallucinations? It could be a magic trick, but she quickly dismissed that idea. She didn’t have any smoke or mirrors in the bunker. She needed to put on her big girl panties and figure out what the hell was going on.
Peyton decided rather quickly there was only one way that could happen. Unfolding herself from the crouched position on the couch, Peyton planted her feet on the ground. After a couple of seconds with the big boy not moving, she decided to stand up. If this was a trick, she would find out rather quickly. Placing her hand out in front of her, she walked gingerly towards the bear.
She was expecting some ripples as a result of disturbing the image of what had to be a hologram, like on Star Trek. She could deal with that. There were technological advances made every day based off ideas from movies. However, she didn’t expect the fur, real fur, soft and warm; she also didn’t expect the huge tongue to come out and lick her cheek. Stepping back, shaking, Peyton brought her hand to her cheek. It was wet. Shit, this wasn’t a hologram. It was so much more incredible than science fiction; Wyatt Green was a bear! In her haste to get away from him, Peyton didn’t pay attention and tripped over her own feet, toppling to the floor. Damn, she wasn’t going to make it out of this day without a shit ton of bruises. At least this time, it was her butt that took the brunt of the fall.
Within a blink of an eye, Wyatt was a man again.
“Okay baby, I’m really starting to think we need to wrap you in padding. Maybe we should get you back to base, so Ryleigh can check you out. Do you have balance issues, any inner ear issues I should know about?”
Wyatt was asking those questions, and Peyton was trying to catch her breath. Trying to figure out what she’d seen and now, knew was the truth. This man was a Werebe
ar, and he was worried about her balance issues or inner ear problems?
“Dude, you’re a freaking bear!”
“Yeah, I know. I thought we established that already. I can shift again if you’re not convinced.”
Peyton’s mind was traveling a hundred miles a minute. Shit, more like warp speed. She didn’t know what to ask first, but that didn’t stop her. Peyton started blurting out questions.
“Does Bastian know you turn into a bear? How are you a bear in the first place, did you get bitten? Or worse, did the government decide to experiment on you like some Sci-Fi movie? Fuck, are you going to kill me because I know you turn into a bear? Do other people turn into bears? How about other animals, I mean, are there people out there who can turn into bunnies or something? Oh, is Big Foot really a Shifter? How about Nessie? Are there dinosaur Shifters?”
“Baby, are you feeling light-headed, headache, or weird lights behind your eyes?”
“Come on, Wyatt, I just found out people could turn into bears.” Peyton backed up from him, unable to get far because her back hit the couch. “Shit, are you going to change me into a bear?” Peyton didn’t like the sound of that. In all the movies she’d ever watched about Werewolves, they had to bite the person they wanted to change. She didn’t mind a little biting in the bedroom, but she didn’t want to get more than an orgasm out of it. Nope, not her thing. She liked just how she was, human.
Wyatt loved watching Peyton work through all her questions. Her hands waved wildly with gestures and movements, but it was her face which told all her secrets. She went from excited, to curious, to mad, then scared all within a matter of seconds.
“Okay, crazy lady,” Wyatt laughed, “let’s see if I remember everything you asked.
“Yes, your brother knows I can turn into a bear.
“No, I’m not going to kill you, but eating you has a certain appeal,” he said, with hooded eyes and a naughty grin.
Damn, Peyton liked that look on this man. She should be freaking out, trying to get away from him, but she was far from feeling that way. The man was a Werebear, and maybe she was a tiny bit touched in the head, but that turned her on even more.
“I’m a Shifter, not a Were-anything. My people have been around for as long as time, and yes, that means we’re born this way. We can’t turn anyone else into Shifters by biting them or any other means.”
Wyatt was actually getting a major kick out of Peyton’s reactions to his answers. When he said he couldn’t turn her into a Shifter by any means, her shoulders relaxed, and she let out a breath he was sure she didn’t know she’d been holding. Wyatt could also see the excitement in her eyes; her need for data rivaled his own. She was waiting for him to continue. When he waited a little too long, she started flinging her hand, telling him without words to get on with it.
“Okay, let me see. Yeah, many other people turn into bears and other animals. However, there are no bunnies, that I’m aware of, only Apex predators. Yes, Big Foot is a Shifter, Gorilla Shifter to be exact, his name is John Thompson. He’s a pretty decent guy, he just doesn’t like the human world, so he stays in the animal form most of the time. He does like to drink though. He thinks it’s funny to freak people out in his shifted form, then walk up as a man and ask them questions. I don’t get it, but hey, to each his own.
“Nessie isn’t a Shifter, and I’m pretty sure, except for dragons, there are no dinosaur Shifters. Did I miss anything?”
Peyton was getting more excited by the minute. She was obsessed with Harry Potter, Dr. Who, and anything medieval. This was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up. Bears were cool, but dragons were better.
“You have dragons? Oh, you so have to show me a dragon. That would be awesome!”
“Yeah, sorry baby, but that probably isn’t going to happen. To my knowledge, there’s only one, and he really isn’t the show-and-tell type. Anyway, bears are way cooler. I mean, we have fur after all. Dragons have those hard, old scales, not something you can cuddle up to on a cold winter’s night.”
“Oh, I don’t know.” Peyton put her finger up to her lip, pretending to think really hard. She liked playing with Wyatt. “Dragons can light me a fire to keep me warm. And let's not forget, they have treasure. What do bears have? A dark, musty den somewhere in a cave?”
“Oh, honey. I assure you, my den is quite nice. Nothing dark and musty about it.”
“Wait a minute,” Peyton had been rolling everything he had said around in her head and had to ask, “the other animals can be explained. I mean, I even thought you were someone’s pet, but how the hell do you hide a dragon? It would have to stretch his wings somewhere. Why haven’t I ever heard of dragon sightings, like UFOs or aliens?”
“Okay, first off, I’m no one’s pet. Let’s get that straight, right now. I get where you’re coming from, but like John, some things are more than meets the eye. Senior is the only dragon Shifter I know, so you’d have to ask him those questions. But honey, I have to warn you, he isn’t exactly the sharing type. Not to mention, you only need to concern yourself with one Shifter at the moment.”
“I see, and who would that Shifter be?”
“Why,” Wyatt lunged forward and starting tickling Peyton’s sides, “that would be me, Miss Carlton.” He continued tickling her until she screamed uncle. Wyatt loved playing with Peyton, but they needed to get serious.
“Peyton, we’re getting off topic. I need you to answer a few questions, then we need to pack up and get out of here. Bas wasn’t lying. Right now, all of Alpha Team is in danger, and that includes you.”
Damn, this guy was cute with his hair disheveled from their play, full beard, and sparkling aqua blue eyes. She’d never seen eyes that color before, and now that she thought about it, the bear had those eyes too. How odd, or interesting, depending on how you thought about it. But that brought on more questions.
“Does it hurt when you shift? I mean, I know you said you’re nothing like Were-people, but your body transforms. What does it feel like? How do you keep your clothes on, shouldn’t you have to strip or something? Is the animal still you or are you the animal?”
“Shifting is like an explosion,” Wyatt responded. “Your body turns into pure energy, and that energy or some say magic, is what allows my kind to change forms. It's sudden, a burst of mutation which happens in a blink, but so much changes, within and without. You go from feeling like a human with human emotions, tastes, and urges to feeling like an animal with different emotions, tastes, and urges. But one thing that always stays the same in both forms is you’re the same person. Sometimes you have to fight for your dominance over the animal. But I’ve been doing it for so long, the struggle is instinctual instead of discomforting or strange.
“The first shift we have in our adolescence is often painful, but that’s because everything is new, mind over matter and all of that. You’re so scared you tense. The anticipation builds, and you tense even more. The tension causes pain when the transformation begins and often lasts longer than it would without it. Over time, you learn how to deal with it to the point shifting itself is as natural as walking or talking.”
“As for my clothes, honey, I keep on telling you, we’re nothing like the books or movies have shown. Our history doesn’t really give us much information, but there are plenty of theories revolving around why we have our abilities. It’s a matter of genetics, and even that’s a fluke of nature. Some children born to Shifters have the ability while others don’t. I tend to believe it’s magic and accept the gifts I’ve been given. We’re stronger, live longer, and have abilities no other species has. But for us, it’s just the way it is. Would you ever ask a blind person what if feels like to not see? Or to explain a color they have no physical reference to?”
Peyton felt bad. Wyatt was right. She let her excitement and shock get the better of her. But damn, a person didn’t get the chance to witness, let alone ask, these types of things every day. He had to understand her curiosity, didn’t he?
“Wyatt,”
Peyton said, placing her hand on his chest, “I get that this isn’t new to you, but for me, it’s all come as a shock. You’ve had your whole life to come to terms with your being, I’ve only had a couple of minutes. I hope you understand I’m not belittling what and who you are. It’s in my nature to question, to collect the data, and formulate it in my mind, so I can effectively formulate proper conclusions.”
“Peyton, believe me, I get it. But, honey, you’ve known a Shifter for most of your life. You can’t tell me during that time you never once noticed any differences.”
“Wait, what? Who do I know who’s a Shifter?” Peyton knew it was a stupid question as soon as the words crossed her lips. “Bastian?”
It made a weird sense, he was different. It also brought uncanny clarity to Peyton. At the beginning of this little adventure, she couldn’t figure out why anyone would be after her brother or his teammates. Now that she knew about their abilities, it infuriated her. If those men and her mother were after Wyatt and Bastian because of their shifting ability, God only knows what they planned to do to them. Peyton was even more determined to never let that happen. Shifters, if found, would be put under a microscope to be studied, dissected, and dismantled like objects instead of people or even worse.
“Yeah, honey, Bas and his father. Shit, all of NAC. We’re all Shifters.”
“Why are you telling me all of this, Wyatt? You said your species has been around for a long time. Even though Were-people are depicted in movies and books, there’s never been any concrete proof of your existence. I’m sorry, but I can’t believe I’m being given this opportunity without something for your people to gain as well. As you’ve said, Bastian is my brother and never once has he mentioned any of this to me. Why now?”
“Shit, listen, I understand your confusion, and you’re right, you’re getting this information for a particular reason. Your association with Bas and NAC has placed you in a vulnerable situation. Your work for us has allowed you to have information regarding our whereabouts, cases, and now, our status. The Team decided it was only right you had all the information and to bring you in as quickly as possible. Peyton, I wasn’t supposed to show you my bear. That was meant to happen in a controlled environment, one where the Team had the ability to answer any and all of your questions. I screwed that up, but honey, I don’t regret it.
NAC & The Holly Group - Box set: Alpha Team Page 71