by Jane Jamison
She’s smart.
She’d gone home and come to the conclusion that shifters were real. And that she’d hit one with her car.
And she’s persistent.
Instead of letting it go, instead of convincing herself that she’d imagined the whole thing, she’d come up with a plan to find him.
“It’s time for us to meet again, babe.” He rested against the side of the barn and watched. She was washing dishes in the sink, her arms moving with the effort, her head down. When she lifted her gaze to look out the window, he flung his body back around the corner and out of sight.
“Shit.” The splinter bit into the fleshy part of his ass. He pulled it out then flicked it away.
Brynn looked up, scanned the yard between the house and the barn, then, satisfied that nothing was wrong, went back to taking care of the dishes.
He’d better get moving. If she didn’t discover him before nightfall, he’d spend the night caged for no reason.
As soon as she turned her back to the window, he hurried around the edge and into the barn. The cage was a ridiculous idea. If placed out in the open where real bears might find it, then maybe the big metal box would work. But any self-respecting shifter wouldn’t go near the thing. Even in their bear forms, they could still think and reason as men. Thoughts came to them differently, more as images than as words, but their intelligence didn’t diminish. And, unlike regular bears, they had great eyesight. A werebear would see the cage as the trap it was from a mile away.
But he wasn’t just any old shifter. And she was his mate. He could walk up to the door and introduce himself, then tell her she was right about his being a shifter. But that would put him into a jam with both his brothers and the werebear clan. He wasn’t ready to push it that far.
Instead, if he played it just right, he’d get to know more about her. Maybe once she got used to him in his bear form, she’d be ready to meet the human side of him. Putting his bear in her care would show him the real side of her. Hopefully, the compassionate side of her.
Plus, it’ll be a whole lot of fun.
Shifting, he let out a low laugh of a growl and stepped inside the cage.
* * * *
Brynn heard the clang of the cage slamming shut from inside the house. She froze then slowly turned to her sister.
“You’ve got to be kidding. Already?” Lizzy threw herself out of the recliner and raced her to the back door.
Brynn couldn’t believe it. She wouldn’t believe it until she saw it. Running as hard as she could, she let out a yelp as Lizzy grabbed hold of her arm and yanked her back. She stumbled, barely righting herself before she landed on her rump.
“What the hell, Lizzy?”
Lizzy kept glancing toward the barn. “Just hold up and think. If you really caught a wild animal, maybe even the bear, you don’t want to go storming in there. Maybe it tripped the cage door from the outside.”
She had a good point. “You’re right. I guess I let my excitement get the better of me.”
“You sure did.” Lizzy put her hands on her hips and walked in a circle, her head down except for the times when she’d check the barn. “You’re an idiot.”
“Hey!”
“Don’t worry. I’m an idiot, too. Why didn’t we think to bring along a gun or two?”
“Because we’re not going to kill it.” She started walking toward the entrance, careful to make as little noise as possible.
“If it’s about to chomp off my head, then I’m going to try and kill it. If it’s a choice between me, you, or it? I’m choosing to keep you and me alive.”
“Maybe having a gun would’ve been a smart move, but it’s too late to think about it now.”
Lizzy trailed Brynn, putting her body behind hers. “Just be extra careful, okay?”
“I will. I am.” Once she was close enough, she squinted into the darkness. The light from the setting sun didn’t give them much to see by. “There’s something in it, all right. And it’s big.”
Now that it had actually happened, she wasn’t sure she could handle it. If what she’d captured was a real bear, then she’d have to figure out how to set it loose without it coming after her or Lizzy. And if it turned out to be a real shifter? Then what? Ask it to pretty please change into a man?
She scooted to the side, deciding not to enter head on. The pungent aroma of the fish and other bait still lingered, but the scent of the animal overwhelmed every other smell.
“Holy crap. You caught one.”
She had. She’d caught a massive grizzly bear.
“Is the door shut? I mean, really, really shut?”
She eased even closer. “Yes. It closed just like it was supposed to, but just to make sure…” She moved fast, dashing over to grab the huge padlock and key. With her heart in her throat—she was sure the bear would reach out at any moment and snag her with one of its huge paws—she hurried back and snapped the lock around two bars, securing the cage door to the front bars. Her breaths had tightened in her chest by the time she’d snapped the lock closed.
She stepped back, her eyes wide, as she took a good look. “He’s incredible.”
Lizzy dared to come to her side. “I can’t believe this worked. I can’t believe you caught a bear.”
“A grizzly bear.” She couldn’t help but grin. How many women could say they’d trapped a grizzly? “Just like the one I hit with my car.”
“Brynn, it’s a bear. That’s true. But that doesn’t mean it’s a shifter.”
“Really? How many grizzlies do you think there are around Shatland? Like a whole community of them?”
“Okay, okay. So you’ve got me there. Still, maybe we should call the authorities or PETA? I don’t know. Maybe a pest control company.”
A pest control company? She wanted to laugh at her sister but didn’t dare. Lizzy hadn’t made fun of her for saying she’d seen a grizzly. “No. He’s not an animal, he’s human. Or at least part human.”
“If he’s a human, why doesn’t he go ahead and change?” Lizzy approached the cage with caution. “Come on, big guy, show us what you’re really made of. Shift and show us you’re a man with a twelve-inch cock.”
“Lizzy!”
“I’m only saying that because I know he’s a bear and not a man. A bear we’re going to have to feed and take care of. Then either call someone or turn him loose. I’m not going to be anywhere around him when we set him free. Grizzlies are known for their tempers, you know.”
“Grizzlies are, but that doesn’t mean the man inside is.”
“Brynn, I hate to say this, but you’ve gone too far. You’re delusional. Again, if he’s what you think he is, why doesn’t he go ahead and change? Because he can’t, that’s why.”
Was Lizzy right? Why didn’t he change? The answer came fast enough. “He’s not going to change in front of us. That would be like outing himself to the world.”
“But didn’t he already do that after you hit him?”
“Maybe it’s not the same man? I don’t know. This is all new stuff to me, too.”
“Then how are we going to get him to do it?”
She tried to ignore her sister’s obvious pessimism. And yet, what if Lizzy was right? What if she hadn’t seen a real shifter three months ago? What if she’d captured a poor, normal bear for nothing?
No. I know what I saw was real.
“Huh, sis? How?”
“I don’t know.”
He turned his massive head toward her. Was she imagining it? He acted like he knew what they were saying. And why wasn’t he railing against the bars and trying to get out? Instead, he seemed to be listening, taking in their conversation like any bystander might do.
That just added to her conviction. He was a shifter.
“Please. Whatever your name is, change. I promise you. We won’t hurt you and we won’t call anyone to come get you.”
“Brynn, watch out. Don’t get so close.”
Lizzy jerked her back just as she’d gotte
n within a foot of the cage. The bear, however, hadn’t moved or growled. She sensed that he wouldn’t hurt her.
But what was the other sensation she got from him? It felt like an electric current zipping through her, like a swarm of buzzing bees forming a whirling mass that then swept outward to sting along her arms and legs. The feeling was a good one, one that struck her dead center in her gut and in her pussy.
What is that? It’s almost like being…turned on.
She backed up and tried to make sense of it. Where had she felt that same kind of excitement?
Liam’s and Connor’s faces flashed across her memory.
Damn. I’m as turned on by a bear as I was by the McGarrett men. Maybe she really was mentally ill? Or a sexual pervert? Who gets turned on by a bear?
“Sis, you need to give this more thought.”
“Now you’re saying that?”
“Yeah, I am. If I’d thought you’d actually catch a bear, then I’d have said it earlier.”
“So you were just humoring me all this time?”
“Sort of. Okay, yeah, I was. Can you blame me?”
She couldn’t. Not really. But that didn’t mean her sister’s confession didn’t hurt.
Brynn was getting angry, but not all of that anger should’ve been directed at Lizzy. Some of it came from confusion and from the very disturbing idea that she was sexually stimulated by an animal.
But he’s not just an animal. He’s a man, too. That has to be the real reason.
I’m attracted to the man beneath the fur. Not the animal.
“No. I’m sorry, Lizzy. I shouldn’t have gone off on you like that. But don’t worry. I’ll get him to change. Maybe we just have to wait him out. Maybe he can’t think like a human while he’s a bear, but once he changes, then we’ll—”
“We’ll what? Talk about politics? Ask him to change back so we can pet him?”
“I don’t know, Lizzy. I’m kind of playing this by ear. Give me a break, okay?”
“Okay. We’ll give it some time. Until then, promise me you’ll stay five feet back from that cage.”
“I promise.” She would, but she wasn’t about to leave, either. She’d waited too long for this chance. “Please, um, whoever you are, you can trust me. All I want to do is to know that I didn’t hallucinate that night. Just show me the real you and I’ll let you out. That’s it. Simple, right?”
“What if the bear is the real him? What if that’s a real bear and not a shifter? Sis, come on. Let’s end this before things get any weirder. I admit it. I’m scared. You’ve got a bear in a cage and you’re talking to it like it’s a guy you just met at a bar. This is—”
“Insane?” Lizzy had been so supportive, but every once in a while, she let her true feelings slip out. “Is that what you were going to say? That this is insane? That I’m insane?”
“Please, sis. Look at yourself. You’re talking to a bear and expecting it to answer.”
“Lizzy, if you’re not going to help me, then go back into the house.”
“No way. This is dangerous shit you’re doing. I’m not going anywhere without you.”
The bear whirled around, pounding its paws into the rubber to spin in a circle, startling both of them. Brynn’s heart leapt to her throat as she stumbled away. She could almost feel the agony of its claws searing through her flesh. He could kill her with one quick swipe of his huge paw.
Maybe Lizzy was right. It was dangerous. Maybe she was insane.
Again, she refuted that idea. She’d come too far and she wasn’t about to back down now.
“Change for me. Then we can talk.” She dared to get close again and heard her sister’s grumbled protest. “Please. If you can, change for me.”
“And what if he never changes, sis? What then? How long are you planning on keeping him caged? How long are you willing to stay here?”
How long? That was a question she’d asked herself many times and still hadn’t found an answer. Two weeks? A month? Until he changed?
Or until her sister had her committed?
She tried again and again to coax him to speak. More moments came and went when she was sure he knew what she was saying. Thirty minutes passed as she pleaded, promised, and even tried to trick him into shifting. But he never changed.
“Ladies, what the hell do you think you’re doing?”
The sound of the deep, rich voice spun Brynn around. Liam and Connor stood at the barn door, their arms crossed and their frowns boring into her.
Damn, they’re so hot they just sent the temperature in the barn up twenty degrees.
She tugged at the collar of her T-shirt, perspiration dotting her hairline. “Hi. What are you two doing here?”
“We finished with our chores and decided we should check on you. To see how you’re doing.” Connor stalked around the cage. “Looks like we were right to do so.”
Strangely, he seemed to be getting more upset with each step. When he faced her again, she wasn’t sure which one looked more dangerous. The bear or the man?
“You caught one.”
“Yeah. I did.”
He let out a breath and grabbed two of the cage’s bars. Wasn’t he worried about getting too close?
“So now what?” He didn’t even jump away when the bear snarled at him.
Lizzy shot her a look. “That was my question, too.”
She held up her head, determined to not break no matter how many of them were against her. “I wait until he changes into a man.”
“And when he does?”
Not if. But when. Like he knew the shifter was real and would change eventually.
Liam hadn’t moved. Although he kept his face more composed than Connor’s, she could tell he was irritated, too. And yet, she didn’t get the impression that the men were upset with her. But then with who?
“I keep him.”
“And who’s going to feed and water him?”
“There are food trays and a bucket tied to the far corner for water. I’ll fill it with the hose outside. As for food, I can just toss it to him if I don’t want to use the trays.”
Connor moved away from the cage and back to his brother. “And what about the other?”
“What other?”
“What goes in has to come out.”
Was he telling her a riddle? Her eyes widened as she realized what he meant. “I hadn’t thought about cleaning up his, um, his—”
“His shit. His feces. His poop.”
“Oh, shit.”
Connor’s smile came, easing the tension in his expressive face. “Exactly.”
“I don’t know, but I’ll figure it out.” How was she going to clean a bear’s cage?
“We can help.”
Where Liam had looked sexy as hell earlier, he now looked like a real hero to her. “You will? You mean, as in…” She made a face as though she already smelled the poop.
“Yeah. As in taking care of the shit.”
“Wow. You two would do that?”
His glorious green eyes met hers, eyes that were the color of emerald and twice as precious. The look he gave her was filled with a yearning that matched her own. Whereas she could see Connor’s feelings on his face, it was Liam’s eyes that told her what he was thinking. She swallowed and felt the buzzing sensation pick up speed. Whatever that sensation was, she never wanted to go without it.
“For you? Anything.”
She heard Lizzy’s gasp that echoed the one she hadn’t voiced. Anything? Was it just a come-on line? And yet, it felt like so much more than that.
“I’d like that.” She had to know. Had to know if they thought she was out of her mind. “So you don’t think all this is kind of crazy?”
She was relieved when he didn’t laugh or give her a pitying look.
“Not at all. But we do want something in exchange.”
Me? Say you want me. “Oh? So you want to get paid?” But not with money. Say you want to be paid with me.
“Yeah. Would dinner be too
much to ask?”
“Of course not.” It wasn’t the answer she’d dreamed of hearing, but it was a start.
“And I think we should stay here with you.”
She struggled not to smile. That was a step even closer. Should she act hard to get? Or throw caution to the wind and jump into his arms? “You do?”
“Yeah. I’d hate to have you stuck out here and something happen. With the bear, I mean.”
“But don’t you have a ranch of your own to run?”
Connor, who had watched the exchange, eased away from the cage. “Don’t worry about that. We’ll call in a couple of friends to handle the place.”
She glanced at Lizzy, who didn’t give her any indication not to do what she wanted. “Okay, sure. Um, there’s only two bedrooms in the house, but I’m sure Lizzy won’t mind bunking with me.”
“Don’t worry about it. We always carry sleeping bags in the back of the pickup. For emergencies. We’ll sleep on the floor.” Connor nudged his brother. “I’ll get the sleeping bags and let the girls show me where to toss them. You can get some water and feed for Fi—” He cleared his throat. “For the bear.”
She didn’t want to leave Liam behind in the barn, but she followed Connor out to the truck. The same current of lust continued to pound into her body as she walked to the house and waited for Connor to get the sleeping bags.
Lizzy eased to the side as his brawny mass filled the doorway and went inside. “You know why they didn’t want to take my bedroom, don’t you?”
“They said why. Because they didn’t want to inconvenience us.”
Lizzy rolled her eyes, then pushed the door open and stepped over the threshold. “Nope. They don’t want me sleeping with you.”
“Huh? I don’t understand.”
“Little sis, you can be so clueless at times. They want you alone in your bedroom so they can come there and visit you.” She made air quotes around the word visit.