“This is your secret? You can turn into a bear? What happened, did you get bitten by a werebear?” Her eyes grew wider and she slid around the tree trunk as if to shield herself. “Are you going to bite me and turn me into a werebear?”
His bear grinned and shook his head. Then he lowered his head and puffed air out of his mouth as he took a step toward Madison.
“Oh, goodness.” She slowly slid back around the tree to stand before him. “Is this some kind of hidden camera trick?”
His bear shook his head once more.
“So you really are Rob? But now you are a bear.” She put her hands on her hips and studied him.
And Rob’s bear studied her right back. He took in her long black hair, her nut-brown eyes, and her full lips, committing them to memory as her pale skin slowly flushed red with what he hoped was excitement.
“I can see why we had to come all the way out here. You would not fit comfortably in my apartment. Even if I moved all the furniture to the side of the room. Which would annoy the neighbors, all that banging and scraping.” Madison slid down the tree trunk to the ground as her legs gave way to the stress of seeing a man turn into a bear.
His bear looked at her with his small brown eyes, hoping to convey all the love and loyalty they had for her. It was a part of them, she was a part of them, and he wished he could make this easier, but there was no way to ever prepare anyone to see a person shift for the first time.
One step closer, then two, he closed the space between them. Madison swallowed hard, and then pushed herself up to a crouching position. Carefully, she extended her hand slowly, until she touched his nose.
Her hand sprang back, recoiling from the touch. His bear stood still. Once again, she reached out and touched him.
“You really are real.” She frowned. “I mean why wouldn’t you be? It’s not as if anyone could set up a special effects studio here in the forest. This is green screen stuff, not…” She ran her hand through her hair, looking from side to side wildly. “This is a setup, right?”
His bear shook his head and then took a step backward. Instantly the air shimmered again, and Madison reached out to touch the electrically charged air as Rob came back to her.
“It is real.”
She dragged her hand through her hair and turned away from him. “You expect me to just believe this?”
“There is no one else here, Madison.” He stood still, watching her, wanting to convince her it was real, but not sure how. This wasn’t what he’d expected. In his head he’d shift in front of her, she’d fall in love with his bear and they’d walk into the sunset, a bear and his mate, to live happily ever after.
“I want to go back to the car.” She struck off along the path.
“The car is this way.” He pointed in the direction they’d come from.
“Thanks.” Hugging herself tightly, she walked back along the woodland trail toward the car.
They didn’t speak, she didn’t accuse him of making this up and he didn’t attempt to convince her with words that it was real. She needed time. And he would give her that time.
Halfway back to the car, she stopped and turned to face him. “Do it again.”
“Do it again? You want me to shift?” he asked, a quizzical expression on his face.
“Yes. Here.” She pointed to the spot right before her and he took a step forward.
“Okay.” He pushed his senses out into the surrounding area, making sure there was no one else here who might see them. Confident they were alone, he let his bear change places with him.
When he came face to face with Madison, she was staring at him with narrowed eyes. “This is really you?”
His bear nodded and stood still as she walked around him, studying him from every angle until she faced him once more. She looked tired, and afraid, as if she had a million and one questions in her head but could not put them into words.
Rob shifted back into his human form. “It is me. I wouldn’t lie to you or make it up. I would never hurt you and that includes not making fun of you. There are no special effects, it’s just me.”
She nodded, her shoulders slumped forward as she rubbed a hand over her eyes. “I never knew this kind of thing was real.”
“Many people don’t,” he said gently. “It’s an open secret among shifters. But we don’t tell everyone. We’re still in the closet, you could say.”
“And this is why you know we are supposed to be together forever?” she asked, pointing from herself to Rob and back again.
“It is. Shifters have something called the mating bond and it links them with their mate. It’s an instant attraction when they see them or even hear them for the first time,” he explained.
“Like love at first sight.” She nodded slowly. “And is the shifter the only one who is capable of feeling this mating bond?”
“You tell me. When I spoke about love at first sight, I got the idea you had a clue about what I meant. As if you felt something, too. Did you?” Rob asked, taking a step closer to her.
“I felt something.” Her acknowledgment was welcome. Rob was worried the appearance of his bear might have pushed her into denial. “A bear?”
“A bear, yes. But not a werebear. I’m a shifter.” Rob wanted to make it clear to Madison that he was in complete control of his other side.
“What’s the difference?” Madison asked and then shook her head, a small laugh erupting from her. “How crazy is this? I’m standing in a forest with a man who can change into a bear, discussing the difference between shifters and werebears. Because they are real.”
“Werebears shift because of a full moon, and shifters change into a bear, or whatever their animal is, whenever they want to.” His explanation was met by more giggles.
But then she suddenly sobered. “This has to do with Colm, doesn’t it? He was a shifter, too?”
“He was.” A lump of emotion stuck in Rob’s throat.
“And that’s what you want to view the video footage for, to see if he escaped?” Madison asked, her brow creased as she tried to fit everything together. “He can’t be a bear. I mean anyone looking at the footage would see a bear getting out of the vehicle or running away from the vehicle.”
“He isn’t a bear,” Rob confirmed. “He’s a dove.”
“A dove.” Madison looked at him with renewed disbelief.
“Yeah, I know it sounds weird. But shifters come in all shapes and sizes, just like people.” Rob questioned Colm on why he chose to join the Army since a dove is a symbol of peace. He said he wanted to make a difference and sometimes you had to fight for those who could not fight for themselves.
“I get that. I just never… He can fly. So he could have just flown away from the explosion?” Madison asked.
“If he’d sensed it in time. It would be a split-second decision, between life and death. By shifting in front of people who didn’t know about shifters, he was taking a huge risk. But if his life depended on it, I believe he would have done it. If he’d sensed the bomb.” That’s what this all hinged on, Colm’s senses telling him he was in imminent danger.
“And this is why you want me to ask my mom if you can study the bodycam footage.” She understood now. But did she understand how he felt about her?
“That’s not what this is about, though. You and me, that’s different. I knew we were mates even before Ray told me your mom had access to the footage.” He closed the space between them and placed his hands on her upper arms. A shiver passed through her.
“I know.” She gave him a reassuring look. “I just didn’t know why.”
“You’re going to need some time to get used to the idea of shifters, I understand that.” He didn’t want to push her too hard, too fast. The shock on her face when he shifted was absolute. She’d no idea people could shift into animals.
“But Colm might not have time.” She opened herself up to him, leaning into his arms and resting her head on his chest. “This isn’t about you or me, this is about a man w
ho fought for his country. A man who might be lost or captive in another country.”
“It’s grasping at straws, I know that.” He rubbed his hand over her back to comfort her. “If he did leave the vehicle, it doesn’t explain why he hasn’t come home.”
“Then let’s get back. My mom will be here tomorrow, and I’ll make sure she doesn’t leave until she’s shown you the footage.” Madison pulled away from him and turned to walk back along the trail.
Rob reached out for her and pulled her back toward him. “Thank you. For accepting me for what I am.”
She arched an eyebrow at him. “I have fought to be accepted for who I am all my life. It would be hypocritical of me not to extend the same acceptance to you.” She gave him a mischievous smile. “And I guess it helps you are easy on the eyes.”
He burst out laughing, happy to see her more relaxed around him once more. “You’re not so bad yourself,” he joked. “But then you already knew that, being a model and all that.”
“And all that.” She shook her head. “I look in the mirror most mornings and wonder why I’m paid to be photographed. But each time I look in the mirror, I’m also grateful for the opportunity I’ve been given.”
“I’m grateful for the opportunity I’ve been given with an incredible woman like you, Madison.” He lowered his head and captured her lips.
Madison sighed and threaded her hands around his neck. She returned his kiss, her lips moving against his, her body close, so close he could feel the heat emanating from her. He longed to lay her down on the forest floor and make love to her all night long. But they had to get back and meet with her mom.
Not only because of Colm, but because Madison had unresolved issues with her mom and for her to move forward and be truly happy, he suspected those issues had to be dealt with. The reason Evan tried to kidnap Madison had to be set out in the open.
He only hoped by the end of it there would be some kind of resolution for all of them.
But whatever happened, he and Madison had taken a step forward that meant their future was secure. She accepted his bear, she’d accepted his ability to shift and she’d accepted him.
It was worth the trip, his bear said drily.
It most certainly was, Rob replied as he walked back to his SUV hand in hand with his mate.
Chapter Seventeen – Madison
The man who professed he would love her forever could turn into a bear. A freakin’ bear.
Okay, so he was a friendly bear, but a bear was still a bear. How did that even work?
Madison glanced sideways at Rob as he drove them back to the city. No wonder he’d taken her somewhere secluded to share that piece of information about himself.
“You okay?” Rob asked as he parked the SUV outside her apartment.
“I’m going to sleep on that and let you know.” Madison opened the door of the vehicle and slid out. “But let’s say I’m getting used to the idea. Or maybe I’m just blotting it out of my mind.”
“How can you blot out my bear? He’s as good looking as they come,” Rob said in a hurt tone.
“I don’t doubt that. I just never expected you to turn into a massive four-legged carnivore.” Madison could picture the bear in her mind. See his broad head, his sharp teeth, and his big, dangerous claws. Yet she hadn’t felt scared. Not one bit.
Surprised, yes. But not scared.
“He won’t ever hurt you, and it’s our job to protect you and keep you safe.” He watched the road, while she sat in her seat and thought over what had happened and how she was going to broach the subject of seeing the video footage with her mom.
Madison had never asked her mother to abuse her position, or to compromise her job or national security in any way. But this was important, not only to Rob but to Colm’s family. His wife was distraught, his children fatherless.
“Is your sister a shifter?” Madison asked as they headed into the outer suburbs of the city. Ten more minutes and they’d be home. Ten more minutes and she would walk through the front door of her apartment a different woman than the one who had left a couple of hours ago.
How did you go back to a normal life after witnessing a man turn into a bear?
“Yes. It’s hereditary. A gene passed down from shifters to their offspring.” Rob navigated the now empty city streets and parked the SUV outside her apartment building.
“Do both parents have to carry the gene?” Madison asked, realizing if she stayed in a relationship with Rob and they eventually had children, she might have a child who could shift, too.
“No, just one.” He gave a sad smile. “Colm and Ray used to debate who would pass their shifter gene on to their children. Ray used to tell him there was no way a dove could overcome a bear shifter gene.”
“And who was right?” Madison asked as she stepped out of the car.
“They don’t know yet. Children don’t shift, not until puberty. So they are still debating…were still debating.” He shut his door and locked the SUV before joining her on the sidewalk. “I still can’t think of Colm as dead. I keep thinking he’ll walk through the door with a wild story to tell.”
“Maybe he will.” Madison let them into her apartment building and headed for the elevator. “But why wouldn’t he make contact? Do you think he was caught by the insurgency?”
“I don’t know. He could have been injured. He could have been captured. Or he could be stuck.”
“Stuck? In what way?” Madison asked.
“As his other side. Perhaps he was injured in the explosion and couldn’t shift back. He might have forgotten who he was. Forgotten that he has a human form.” Rob averted his eyes as if he was holding something back.
“Would he forget his family?” Madison asked.
“Possibly. He could have amnesia.” He ran his hand over his short hair. “I don’t know. I have so many questions and no answers. I want to be able to look my nephews in the eye and tell them that I know with absolute certainty that he’s dead. But damn, I hope he’s alive.”
“It must be incredibly difficult.” They stepped into the elevator. As she pressed the button to take them to her floor, she noticed how tired Rob looked, as if he had forgotten what it was like to sleep for eight hours straight.
“I want to do my best for them.” As the doors opened, he stepped outside and looked up and down the corridor, his professionalism kicking in despite his obvious fatigue.
Rob gave her the all-clear and she followed him along the corridor. “One thing you should remind yourself of,” Madison began, “is if you don’t find Colm, your sister and nephews are lucky to have you to watch over them and take care of them.”
“I appreciate your kind words,” Rob said.
“But…”
Rob stood over her as she pulled her keys out of her purse and unlocked the door of her apartment. Pushing the door open, she went inside, and he followed. Madison stood by the door as Rob went from room to room, checking that they were alone and no one had broken into her apartment.
“But?” she repeated as he came back to her.
“But…” He took a deep breath. “But my sister will never recover, she’ll never be truly happy again. Colm was her mate and they were destined to be together forever. For a shifter, there is no second choice, no second chance at love if you lose your mate. Or they choose to leave.”
“Really?” Madison asked. Her heart ached for Ray. “There is no chance she’ll meet another man and fall in love a second time around?”
Rob shook his head sadly. “A mate bond is like a one-shot thing. One chance to find the person fate has decided is your destiny. If you don’t meet them or you lose them for whatever reason, then you live alone. You die alone.”
“That’s the saddest thing I’ve ever heard.” Madison covered her mouth, unable to get the thought of Ray out of her head. “No wonder she took it so hard.”
“She’s better than she was. At the start, she couldn’t function. Just getting out of bed in the morning was an incred
ible effort. Slowly she’s pieced herself together. She’s had to, because of the children. If she didn’t have her boys, I don’t know what would have happened to her.” Rob straightened up, trying to shake off his melancholy mood with a smile, but sadness lingered in his eyes.
“And that’s your fate if I don’t accept you as my mate?” Madison asked.
Rob’s eyes widened and he held up his hand. “No, I didn’t mean it like that. I didn’t tell you about Ray to emotionally blackmail you into being with me.”
“I know.” She placed her hand on his cheek, her thumb stroking his skin. “But that is what will happen. You will be alone for the rest of your life?”
He lowered his head. “We should get some sleep. I don’t want your mom thinking I’ve been keeping you up all night and not looking after you.”
She slipped her arms around his waist. “You could look after me and keep me up all night.”
Pressing her body against his, she rested her head on his chest, listening to the beat of his heart. The rapid beat of his heart. It beat for her, a steady thump, thump, thump. She closed her eyes and allowed the heat of his body to penetrate her clothes, and seep into her skin. This was right. He was right.
Rob was here, promising her forever, and she wanted to grab hold of it and hold on tight. What if something happened to either one of them and they never knew what it was like to complete the bond between them?
Yet even as she committed to exploring their relationship further, a nagging voice in her head asked if this was true, if Rob was for real, or was this something cooked up by her mom. Her mom who was always searching for new ways to control her daughter.
Madison shook her head. Her mom would never do something like this. She would never open her daughter up to such emotional turmoil. And her mom would certainly not have picked a shifter for her daughter.
Rob placed his hands on her back and smoothed his palms back and forth over her skin. “You should go to bed.”
“We should go to bed.” Madison looked up at him. “I’ve run away from experiencing raw emotion for my whole life. I’ve closed myself off from feeling what other people feel. I’ve never thrown caution to the wind and slept with a man on a first date.”
Savior Bear (Bear Creek Protectors Book 5) Page 11