by Mirajane
“I’m sorry. I didn’t that Tyler was supposed to be yours. He never mentioned you, so I had no way of knowing. If you want him, then you can have him of course. I won’t stand in the way.”
I realized I was babbling, but I had to keep stalling and saying whatever came to mind. I was running out of time.
“That’s cute,” Tobi said. “But, I’m not nearly that stupid.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Tyler
I walked into the room where Jackie was staying. She had called out a moment ago, and though I was standing guard at the door while Angie went to the restroom, I felt she was probably safe enough for a moment for me to check on her friend. I was glad to see that Jackie was wide awake and talking now. She was sitting up in bed and looking as alert as she could have.
“Hey, how are we feeling?” I asked in my best chipper mood.
“Good. Can you hand me that water bottle over there?”
I handed her the bottle and she took a huge gulp.
“Well,” I said. “Someone is thirsty.”
“It feels like I can’t get enough water,” she said. Then she chugged another bunch from the large bottle. I wanted to talk to her about the fact that she would become a bear shifter like me, or even just introduce the concept of it to her, but I was worried that with the strain of everything, she might be feeling a bit weirded out by such a thing. But I still decided that it might be beneficial to see how receptive to a conversation like that she might actually be.
“I can’t get the image of that bear attacking out of my head,” I said. “It was bizarre, like the way it went after you, as if it was calculating in its head how best to proceed with the attack. It acted almost human.”
She laughed. “It did. Hell, at one point, I could have sworn there were two bears. But I know that is craziness. It wouldn’t make sense. But I keep having this odd flashback of two bears fighting each other over me.”
“Maybe, you are just thinking about guys fighting over you,” I teased her.
She rolled her eyes. “No, I don’t think so, but it is so bizarre. I keep seeing it in my head.”
“Do you think it is possible that the bears were actually humans? And they had shifted into bear form?”
She looked at me like I was crazy, and then she started laughing. “Wow, now you sound like those crazies who were trying to run you out of town.”
I laughed. “Right, I suppose I do. I’ve always been fascinated by the paranormal though. How about you? I mean, growing up there it was kind of hard not to have some paranormal experiences that we couldn’t explain, right?”
She shrugged. “I don’t think I ever had any experiences. I don’t believe in any of that jazz.”
“Good,” I said. “It sounds like your mind hasn’t been affected by the trauma.”
She was shaking her head and giggling a bit. “I’ve been examined by several doctors already. I’m ok. But thanks for your concern. Did everyone else go home?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Well, they went to the hotel down the street after the doctors told us all that you were going to be ok. And you are, you know? You are going to be just fine.”
“Thanks,” she replied. “What’s taking Angie so long in the bathroom?”
It had been a while. I thought I’d go check on her. Suddenly, a loud banging noise came from the bathroom. What in the hell?
“Angie!” Jackie yelled.
I ran towards the bathroom door. I was already beginning to change. I tried to hold the transformation back, but I was so amped up that it was coming whether I wanted it to or not.
The door opened and banged loudly against the wall as my full weight went through it. I landed on the floor hard, but ready for whatever was waiting for me. I saw a young woman with blond hair holding Angie up against the wall by her neck. The woman’s mouth was open wide and she was baring her fangs at Angie trying to scare her into submission.
“Let her go!” I roared.
The girl looked at me and smiled. She looked familiar. “Hey, lover,” she said. “I was hoping you would get in on this.”
It took me a moment, but then I began to piece together from my memories who exactly this girl was. And then it all clicked into place.
Tobi.
Chapter Thirty
Angie
The grip around my throat was tight as a vise. I could barely breathe. My body was hanging, pulling at the neck, and I was starting to grow numb. I felt like I was about to pass out. One moment, I’d been talking to Tobi and keeping her somewhat engaged without anything violent happening, and then she just all of a sudden decided that we’d had enough small talk. She grabbed me by the neck, lifted me up, and slammed me against the wall.
I tried to cry out, but my voice felt pinned down, along with my air flow. The pressure was too much. I thought surely I was going to die at least form the lack of oxygen going to my brain. I wanted to scream and fight back, to do something to help myself, but this woman was just too damn strong. She was already turning into a bear more and more the longer she talked to me. It was so evil, this thing inside of her. She was nothing like the nice girl that I vaguely remembered. She used to be so nice, and sweet. I wished I had spent more time with her. I didn’t mean to ignore her, but it wasn’t my job to take care of everyone else’s needs. I had my own pain to deal with.
I struggled against the grip, but it only seemed to make it tighter. She was enjoying it so much, having this much power and control over me. It gave her life, it seemed. She got off on it. This was what she now lived for. She lived to tear down other people. She lived to destroy people and take what she wanted from them. How had this happened to her?
“I’m going to enjoy watching you die,” she said. “I hoped to avoid this, because of Tyler, but I will just have to take my chances that he will still be receptive to my charms when he is grieving over the love of his life. He will finally know real love though, won’t he?”
She squeezed me tighter then.
My body was going limp. There was no air in me anymore. I had no idea what this woman had in store for me, but I was about to pass out from the pain. I was going to die soon. I knew this, and I was about to accept my fate. Tyler would come to my rescue too late this time. I would miss my family and friends terribly. I wanted to see them once more and tell them all how much I loved them, to ask them to not cry for me.
But it was too late now. I was done for.
Suddenly, the door burst open and there was Tyler. He was starting to change. His eyes were wide and ferocious looking. I’d never seen him this angry, except maybe when he’d attacked Oren for shooting at me. He was ready to throw down and take this woman out. I wanted to stay alive long enough to at least see that.
Tobi laughed and looked his way. He was demanding that she drop me. She had no such intention.
“Tyler, I wasn’t planning for you to see this,” she said. “Shit. I guess the cat is out of the bag. But no mind. This has to be done.”
“Let her go, now!” Tyler warned.
If he even made a move, she would snap my neck like a twig from this position. He had to wait until she released me before he could truly attack.
“Why, should I?” Tobi asked. “Do you even remember me?”
“Tobi,” Tyler replied. “Yes, I remember you.”
She was surprised, but laughed it off. “Well, good for you.”
“Why are you doing this?” he asked.
“Because it is the only way you and I can be together. We have to get this bitch and everyone else out of the way. That’s why.”
“What are you talking about?” Tyler asked. “We aren’t together. I’m in love with Angie.”
Her grip tightened. I was fading quickly. I could barely stay awake.
“Stop it, or you will pay the consequences,” Tyler said.
“Nah, I don’t think so. You had better stay right where you are, or I’ll kill her.”
“You should never underestimate your opponent,”
Tyler said. He looked at me, giving me the signal.
I had no idea what he wanted me to do, but I recognized he was trying to create a diversion.
With every last bit of strength I had, I jabbed Tobi right in the eye. I loved the sweet popping sound it made when I did it, as if I was finally getting this bitch back for something.
Tobi grunted and I saw true hatred flashing in her eyes. She started to snap my neck with both of her strong hands, but Tyler was there in a flash. He grabbed her and jerked her off me. Her hands were gone from my neck and I fell straight down to the floor.
Then it really got intense. I crawled to the corner to stay out of the way, but I now saw two full sized black bears fighting it out in front of me in the bathroom.
The noise was ear splitting as the two beasts roared and fought hard back and forth with each other. I wasn’t really able to tell which one was Tyler anymore, but then I noticed that Tyler was just a little bit bigger in bear form.
Tyler kicked Tobi hard in the ribs and she slammed hard against the wall leaving a large hole there. This was definitely going to attract some attention, most notably the wrong kind.
Tobi roared back to life and as Tyler came at her again, she swung her mighty paw and hit him hard right in the throat. He staggered backwards. Tobi wasn’t done finished with him yet. She let out a horrifying roar and slammed her whole body into Tyler, sending him into the hard sink, which broke instantly and sent water spraying everywhere.
Neither bear seemed to notice as the fight continued. But then I saw that Tobi was quickly coming towards me. I tried to move, but I was still too tired, too weak from the attack earlier. Tobi’s clawed wrapped around my leg and she swiped me hard across the meaty part of my calf.
I screamed from the pain as I twisted away from her, but she was on me. I could smell her hot breath, see the huge teeth looming over me, ready to bite into my skull. She hated me. There was nothing in her eyes but pure hatred.
Her eyes went wide suddenly, as she was grabbed from behind by Tyler. He put his arm around her neck and the other arm on top of her head. I heard him grunting and trying his hardest to jerk the neck over his arm. It was working. I could hear the snapping of ligaments and then bone. The light in Tobi’s eyes went out just then as she struggled so hard to escape the grasp, but it was too late for her.
Her body slumped down and her eyes remained wide open. Within seconds she was changed back to human form. She was lying there totally nude, looking as peaceful as could be, except for the dead gaze in her eyes.
Tobi was gone.
Epilogue
Angie
Christmas Day…
“Who wants more eggnog?” Heather asked.
“I do,” I said, raising my hand. It smelled so good that even though I’d had three cups already and was feeling very fine, I decided I would indulge in another glass. “I’m not sure what it is about eggnog that pairs so nicely with pumpkin pie.”
“Oh, I think eggnog pairs nicely with just about everything,” Tyler said. He was sitting on the couch beside me with his arm around me. He kissed me and then I grabbed my glass of eggnog that my dad handed me. He didn’t even give Tyler any disapproving looks for the kiss. My parents liked Tyler. He was way nicer than most any other guy they’d ever known me to date.
My mom pulled out her phone and snapped a quick picture of the two of us. “You look so good together,” she said. “This has turned out to be the best Christmas, even if there were some hiccups. So, not to rile anyone up, but Tobi is dead?”
“Yes,” Tyler said. “She is dead and done with. Poor girl. Even after everything, I still feel sorry for her. She felt lost in life and then was accidentally given this horrible curse, and that type of power that she could only see one use for. Revenge was the only thing on her mind. That will eat you alive.”
“Right you are,” my dad replied.
After the incident at the hospital, the cops were all over the place asking us what had happened to Tobi and the damage that had taken place. We blamed it all on the same animal that had attacked Jackie. She lied for us and said it was the same one. The cops just had to believe there was some crazed bear that had grown attached to the taste of human flesh and was now coming for us. They organized a search party of hunters and sent them out into the woods, but I knew they would never find that bear.
Meanwhile, Tyler sat everyone else down and told them all the truth. Of course they didn’t believe him, until he provided a little demonstration. After some craziness, and everyone discovering that Jackie was going to be a bear as well, our little group just started to accept and even solidify around the idea.
And the thing that really did it was when I announced that thanks to Tobi’s attack, I was also now infected with the curse. I could tell within a few hours. My senses were growing stronger, the wound on my leg was gone, and I just felt this psychic connection to the earth that I had never felt before. I was scared, but I had an amazing partner to see me through it all now.
“I would like to announce something to everyone,” Tyler said. “Actually, it’s less of an announcement and more of a proposal.”
Tyler stood up and got down on one knee in front of me. I couldn’t believe it. The room was gasping, but silent around me. The moment I heard the word proposal, I felt this was coming. I just had that instinct that said I wanted Tyler to propose to me. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. I never wanted to be away from him, and no matter where the different paths of life took us, nothing meant anything if he wasn’t with me. I loved him and he loved me. There was no doubt in my mind that we would be together forever. This was just another way to solidify that.
“Angie Silver, I love you more than words can begin to express to you. The best thing that has ever happened to me without a doubt is you. I want you by my side for always. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
“Yes,” I said. “Absolutely.”
Tears stung my eyes as he placed the ring on my finger, and then he kissed me softly on the mouth. “I love you.”
“I love you,” I said. “I love you so much.”
I stood up and fell into his arms. We enjoyed a big kiss as everyone around us began to clap. As we swayed side to side to music that was not there and just enjoyed being with each other, I found myself wondering what the next step was. Tyler and I were getting married, but I couldn’t help wondering what wonderful adventure was waiting for us next.
And if it was ready for two bears in love.
Excerpt
She’s in danger because of me, and I need to save her before it’s too late!
I used to be Alpha wolf of my pack.
Now, all I long for is a perfect mate.
Rose is the woman for me.
She’s my client but I don’t care about breaking the rules just this once.
Her gorgeous eyes and luscious lips drive me crazy.
But she’s been bitten by another wolf who’s eyeing her.
The bite is turning her into one of us.
It’s my job to keep her safe.
To keep our family together.
…and there’s no force in world that could snatch her away from me.
Rose
I finished packing up the box with the last of my paperback books. I closed the flaps, sealed them shut with packing tape then I grabbed a sharpie and wrote the word “bedroom” on it. Last, I sat down on the box and looked around at my now empty bedroom. Well, it was empty, all except my bed in the corner.
I was feeling a bit nostalgic. This was the room I’d shared with my best friend, Dana Barret, for three years. Inseparable ever since we’d been freshman at Arizona State. It was tough to believe it had been that long; it felt like we just started our college careers. There had been lots of fun with friends, parties, long nights of studying, and even a few fights about silly things. So many memories, and now I was leaving.
“Is that the last of it?” Dana said. She was standing in the doorway with two c
old beers. She walked in, handed one to me, and sat down on another box.
“Yep,” I said. “That is the last.” I took a sip of the beer. It felt good going down and it helped take the edge off the fact that this was the last night I would spend in this house as a roommate.
“You know, there are these things called digital books now,” Dana said.
“Yes, I am aware. But you know I love the real thing.” I’ve always been a voracious reader and I spent a lot of my weekends going to library sales, yard sales, and even the local Goodwill when they had half price day, scouring for as many books as I could get my hands on. That was the thing in life I enjoyed most. It was probably why I was an English major to begin with. My goal was to be an editor with a major publishing company, but with standard publishing companies dwindling nowadays thanks to the eBook revolution, I wasn’t sure I would be able to find gainful employment.
Of course, I could still get that writing career off the ground. If I could ever summon up the courage to actually finish my first novel, and send it out into the world to be rejected over and over again. I couldn’t bear the idea of someone telling me that I was a hack. No… I couldn’t handle that at all. But I supposed that one day I might get over that fear. I knew it was totally irrational. But when would that time come…?