She dipped into the bedroom, scrambling for her phone. It hadn’t charged much at all, but she hoped that it was enough to make at least one phone call. She went closer to the door behind her, but realized quickly that the bedroom wasn’t going to be as good a stronghold as she’d hoped. Nick had obviously skimped on the smaller details; the room door in particular was flimsy, frail, and cheaply made. A rampaging bear would tear through it in mere seconds.
Stepping back out into the hallways, she realized quickly that the other room’s door was the same as the first. Another house shaking thud slammed against the front door, another splintering crack as the frame gave way a bit more. Jo was dizzy with panic.
The bathroom!
Jo remembered what Nick had said the night before. He’d put money into it. Maybe… just maybe…
She skittered down the hall to the bathroom door and nearly wept in relief. The door was a thick maple, and its frame was reinforced with metal framing. The screws looked shiny and new, devoid of rust or any other imperfections. It wouldn’t hold a pack of bears forever, but it was all she had. One step at a time. For now just she needed enough time to call Nick.
She practically threw herself into the bathroom locking the door and pushing whatever she could in front of it. Her legs promptly turned to jelly and she sank, scared and shaking to the bathroom floor. She knew she didn’t have much time, and that she needed to get to that phone call ASAP, but for one frightful moment, her body refused to move.
With effort, she snapped the spell and pounded the power button on the cellphone. It powered up quickly, displaying a 3% battery warning. Quickly, she dialed the number she’d pulled from Nick’s phone yesterday.
It rang three times before Nick picked up the phone. “Jo?” he asked, his voice mildly surprised and very relieved. “I honestly didn’t expect you to call me back after—”
“None of that’s important right now. Bears are attacking the cabin and my phone’s about to die,” Jo gasped into the phone. “Please. Please help me.”
***
“Bears?!” Nick roared, his vision flashing red with the shock of immediate rage. Tom poked his head out of the back room, a look of alarm on his face at the sound of the word. “I’m on my way.”
“Don’t forget guns or something! There are like… three of four of them!” Nick heard a crash in the background and Jo shrieked. His bear roared loud from within, and Nick couldn’t help but agree. At the sound of Jo’s terror, his fury knew no bounds.
“Okay, okay, okay,” he said, trying to think quickly and get her as safe as possible. “Where are you, right now?”
“Bathroom. I’ve barricaded myself in the bathroom,” she gasped.
“Good, that’s very good. It’s the safest place in the house for you,” he reassured. “Jo, I know you’re probably scared as hell right now, but I need you to do something for me, okay?”
“Yes,” she shuddered, and he could hear her tears and fear through the phone. “Yes, anything.”
“Okay, good. I need for you to peek out the little bathroom window. You should be able to see the front yard from there. Then I need for you to tell me what the bears are doing right now. Can you do that for me?”
Jo was silent for a small moment before saying. “Yes, I… I think I can.” He heard some rustling on the other end of the line as she scrambled to her feet.
“Okay, are you looking?” he prompted, headed out the door of the shop with Tom following close behind.
“I… yeah,” she answered, her voice losing some of its fear for a bit of confusion.
“What’s happening? I need you to explain it.”
“I… I’m not sure. They’re… growling? At each other, I think. But none of them are attacking.” A pause. “There’s one huge bear standing in front of three smaller, but still big bears, and the largest bear is growling to the biggest of the three smaller bears. I-I’m not really sure if I’m explaining this right.”
“No, no, this is good. They’re discussing something,” Nick assured, speaking aloud as a way to relay information to Tom without breaking contact with Jo.
“Discussing something?” Jo parroted, and Nick silently cursed himself. He didn’t have time to go through the ins and outs of bear shifter behavior with her, not that she’d get it even if he had an eternity.
“Just… don’t worry about it,” he dismissed. “Bears are somewhat of a frequent occurrence around these parts. We’ve dealt with them our entire lives; Tom and I know what to look for. What they’re doing is a good thing.” They were already jogging in the direction of the cabin. “It’s imperative that you stay on the line with me. I need to know when they stop growling at each other. The moment it happens, okay?”
“O-okay,” Jo complied. “Though I’m not sure my phone will last much long—” The line went dead in Nick’s hand.
“Shit!” he spat, wrenching his shirt over his head. He turned to Tom. “Line’s dead. We gotta go. Now.”
Tom was already undressing, but he had a foul look on his face. “What happened to her being ‘just human’, Nick? What happened to her ‘being safe’?”
“Well maybe I was wrong, okay?” Nick shouted, feeling the beginnings of panic setting in. “It doesn’t matter right now. Jo’s in danger and we need to get her out of it. You can do your ‘I told you so’ dance later.”
Tom gave a solitary nod that promised this talk wasn’t over before both brothers sprinted into the cover of the forest to shift.
Nick’s change pounded over him in a combination of pain and exhilaration. It was forced and rushed, excruciating in its expedience. He didn’t have time to loosen his muscles or grind his teeth against the agony. It all washed over him in wave after wave of torture until finally a bear stood where the man once did. Without so much as a shake of the fur, he tore off in the direction of the cabin at full speed.
Tom caught up when he was about half way there. “What’s the plan?” he growled.
“There are four bears,” Nick grunted back. “We need to separate them. Two for you, two for me, and then make them fall back.” Tom nodded once and split off from his brother, taking a route that would best help execute the plan.
It wasn’t long before Nick was within viewing distance of the cabin. It was still pretty far off, but he could still make out the figures of four brown bears surrounding the front of the cabin. The bear rattled dangerously at the sight, imagining just how terrified and alone Jo must feel being locked in the bathroom by herself. Stick to the plan… he reminded himself.
Upon closer inspection, Nick could see Lucas, the leader of the Northern Wind Pack, wasn’t among the bears attacking the cabin. He’s assumed the bear Jo described as “huge” was Lucas. Lucas wasn’t an alpha like he was, but still he was formidably large. The largest bear appeared to be Dan, Lucas’s biggest muscle and second in command. He also noticed Flood, one of the smaller bears. The other two were completely new. Nick snuffed. The last thing they needed was a larger Northern Wind Pack to deal with, but there was always more the next time.
Where the hell is Tom?
As if on cue, loud rustling cracked and rattled through the forest, Tom playing the perfect role of the clumsy, loud bear. As planned, all four Northern Wind bears turned their attention to the noise. A few growls passed between them and then Dan slinked off into the woods to investigate, one of the new bears following closely behind. When Nick was sure Tom had lured them far enough away, he approached the two remaining bears.
He didn’t try to hide anymore. If at all possible, he wanted to avoid fighting. But despite this, everything in him was screaming to protect Jo. The only thing that mattered was Jo. If he had to fight to keep her safe, he’d tear them apart with tooth and claw without a second thought.
The remaining bears noticed Nick approaching fairly quickly, both standing to attention when they saw his large frame lumbering through the grass.
“You’re here,” Nick heard as Flood inched closer. “Who’s the human?�
�
“No one,” Nick growled, but even he could feel the defensiveness of his reply. “She’s human. You know the law. She is to remain unharmed and unknowing. Just walk away.”
The bear he didn’t recognize hopped forward. “Join us, alpha.”
Nick’s dark eyes glowed dangerously. “No.”
“We were told you might say that,” the second bear rumbled, mischievously.
“We’re to make you change your mind,” Flood added, and Nick could see the manic grin that curled on the Northern Wind bear’s lips.
“We don’t want to hurt a human…”
“But we will.”
The threat in their words was clear, and Nick had to fight to keep from going savage on them. “Leave her alone. I will not say it again.” Nick’s muscles rippled as his body tensed eagerly for the fight. “She’s not one of us.”
“We will leave if you join us!” the new bear roared.
“I won’t!” Nick boomed back, rising onto his hind legs.
“Not even to save your mate?” Flood asked impishly.
What? Slamming the ground with his powerful front paws, Nick growled loudly. Tom wasn’t the only one watching as he fawned over Jo. Damn it! “She’s human. It’s impossible for her to be my mate, and you know it.”
Something changed in the posture of the two bears in front of Nick, but before he could react, it was too late.
“Then you won’t have a problem with us killing her!” came Dan’s powerful roar from behind. Nick turned in time to see the massive bear descending on him at breakneck speed before getting caught up in a tackle.
Nick bit back a painful roar as claws ripped into his back. He managed to turn around before too much damage was done, swiping downward on Dan’s head. Nick’s claws sank home, cutting deep into Dan’s face and making him back away with a startled whimper.
Flood launched himself at Nick, but compared to Dan’s massive frame, Flood was easy to handle. Nick batted him down, knocking the wind from the smaller bear as he hit the ground. The nameless bear sank his teeth deep into Nick shoulder, but with a booming roar, Nick managed to shake him free. He pressed down on Flood’s shoulder until he heard something buckle, and then swiped viciously at the new bear.
Dan charged Nick, but blood was leaking into his eyes from the wound Nick had created. Nick dodged the charge easily, clamping down on Dan’s shoulder and tearing into him. The new bear leapt forward with a snarl, and Nick got one good blow across the smaller bear’s nose before he was down for the count, whimpering at the spray and foam of blood that spilled from his snout.
Standing as tall as he could, Nick roared aloud, the sound echoing through the trees. He stood taller and larger than even Dan, his dominance clear. His lips curled back, his teeth bared, blood dripping from his claws.
“This isn’t over,” Dan snorted, finally turning to slink away. “Lucas will have what’s his to take. That means you, your brother, and anything else he wishes. You better watch your back.”
Nick didn’t move, his roars of triumph sounding long after the three bears of the Northern Wind pack had disappeared into the forest. Only when the immediate scent of the three bears faded did he finally fall back on all fours. In the distance, he heard his brother’s roar. He was fine, and the fourth bear was taken care of. He huffed in relief. The threat was gone. Jo was safe.
Even though this calmed the bear significantly, his blood was still rushing, his heart still racing, adrenaline only just beginning to fade. He couldn’t change like this. He slinked off into the woods to wait for his bear to grow quiet.
Then he could check on Jo.
Chapter Nine
The change back to human was agonizing, the bear’s painful roar ending in a man’s scream as his bones shrank and muscles snapped. The injuries he’d sustained in the attack weren’t as gruesome on his human skin, though he had a few gashes that he’d have to patch up and allow to heal over the course of the next few days. He ached all over, the battle taking its toll on his body in more ways than blood.
Dressing as quickly as he was able, Nick made a slow walk through the trees to the cabin. His body was most vulnerable now, broken, battered and human. Moving recklessly and without thought would make noise, and inhibit senses. He needed to be extra careful in case Dan and his crew decided that they wanted to go one more round. Nick hoped to the heavens they didn’t. The numbers definitely were not in their favor.
Tom had offered to go to the cabin to assess the damage so that Nick could go home and dress his wounds, but Nick quickly declined. He could have come up with any excuse in the book, but both of them already knew why. Nick wanted… needed to check on Jo. He needed to see with his own two eyes that she was alive, breathing and safe. He had to be sure that he’d fulfilled his duty to protect her the way he promised he would when Tom was lecturing him about the fragility of humans. They’d agreed to meet up at the shop after Nick properly assessed the cabin to talk strategies now that Lucas had made a move, and parted ways.
Flood’s words floated to the forefront of his mind, ‘Not even to save your mate?’
Taking another limping step, Nick shook the thought from his mind. She’s human. It’s impossible.
That’s what he’d said to Flood at the time, and what he thought now as well, but the more he thought about her, the closer he got to the cabin, the more he remembered her scared voice crying and screaming on the phone… he wanted nothing more than for the impossible to be true.
Even though he knew it would never be.
A human is much too weak to be with a shifter. She’s human. A fragile, delicate, gentle little human, he chastised himself. All it would take is an accidental flex of a hand, an arm curled too tight, the lazy swipe of an enemy’ paw… they were simply too easy to kill to make viable life partners. So shifters stayed away. It was one of the first things shifters were taught. Humans and shifters don’t comingle. So why…
Why couldn’t he walk away?
He was nearly to the porch when the smell hit him. It was bitter sweet, salty like tears, and numbed the tip of Nick’s tongue. Jo’s fear hung like a wet blanket in the air, and his heart ached for her all over again. All other thought left his mind, and in that moment, all that mattered was making that fear go away.
“Jo?” he called, hammering on the door. The door rattled and shook, broken and battered from the assault that the bears had put on it. The windows were shattered on either side, and Nick tried peering through to see if Jo had come downstairs. “Jo, are you there? It’s Nick. I need to know that you’re okay.” He tried knocking again. “The bears are gone. Tom and I chased them off. It’s safe to come out now. I promise.” The door groaned under his fist, raining paint flakes into Nick’s hair as he tried to get Jo’s attention.
Finally, he heard the distant noise of a door opening and closing deeper in the cabin. He breathed out a sigh of relief as the soft, quick pitter-patter of footsteps made their way down the stairs, and the way her hands scrambled against the door as she rushed to unlock it made his heart happy. She wanted to see him. That was good.
After what felt like an eternity, she finally swung the door open. The look of joy he had readied on his face died almost immediately when he saw her. Her face was splotchy and pink, swollen from the sheer amount of tears she’d shed. Despite having on a thick university sweatshirt, her entire body was trembling uncontrollably and she was holding her left hand close to her body like she’d hurt it.
Nick tried to speak, but the words wouldn’t come. He tried to get angry, but even his bear was eerily quiet. All that he could see, smell, and feel was Jo. My Jo, he thought he’d heard his bear growl, but he couldn’t be sure. All he knew in that moment was her sadness.
“Jo,” he whispered, opening his arms. She launched herself at him with a sob, and he caught her up in a strong hug. He winced as she coiled her hands around his still-bleeding wounds, but it was a small price to pay by far.
She stood back from him with a look o
f shock on her face, and asked, “Oh my goodness, what happened to you?” at the same time he asked, “Are you alright? Did you get hurt?”
“I—” he began, cutting himself off; he didn’t really have a good explanation for his wounds. “It doesn’t matter. I-I just got a little too close to the action, that’s all,” he stammered half-heartedly.
She raised her hand to her lips in further surprise. “A bear did this? I… how? How did you get away? Is Tom alright? How did you chase them off?? How can you—”
“Okay, okay, one question at a time,” Nick tried to joke, but chuckling made him wince. “Like I said, Tom and I know bears. You could even call us experts on all things bear. We know how to beat ‘em, we know how to join ‘em, and everything in between. Tom’s fine, he’s back at the shop, practically unscathed. Me? I just got a little caught up in the action and the big boy caught me by surprise,” he said, indicating his wounded shoulder. “Nothing a little gauze won’t fix. I consider it a lesson learned.”
“Oh,” Jo nodded. “I suppose that’s one way of looking at it.” Though the look on her face was more worried and less amused.
Nick gently lifted her chin with his finger. “Hey, don’t worry about me. I’m just glad you’re okay.”
She gave him a quick smile, but it fell flat before he could truly appreciate it. “Yeah, I’m fine. I mean, a bit shaken up, more than a bit exhausted, and I spilled scalding hot coffee on my hand, but ultimately fine.” She peered around to his shoulder and grimaced, watching as the blood seeped through his t-shirt from the wounds he’d sustained. “You didn’t have time to put anything on… those?” she asked, jutting her chin at the bleeding claw marks.
“Oh, uh… no,” Nick replied, daring to look slightly apologetic. “All I was really worried about was getting back here. I may scar a bit, but this is nothing. Your life is way more valuable than my flawless skin.”
“Oh,” Jo replied, and he could tell she was genuinely grateful. “I… thank you.” She smiled. “I’ve never had someone say they felt the need to run to my rescue before.”
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