by T. S. Ryder
“You don’t know half of what is making me angry right now. I told you to leave me alone.”
“But you haven’t even given me a chance.”
“I don’t need to give you a chance!” Cynthia stepped closer, her eyes narrowed. She felt herself standing straighter, throwing her shoulders back to appear bigger. It was a habit she had picked up at her previous place, with five roommates who were always partying. Rex was a big man, but that didn’t mean she was going to let herself be intimidated. “I owe you nothing. I enjoyed your attention but it was only flirting. I didn’t agree to anything, nor did you do anything deserving that I should just ignore the big red flags that you’re waving in my face and decide that your words mean nothing.”
“I didn’t mean it.”
“If you didn’t mean it, you wouldn’t have said it.”
Rex opened his mouth, eyes flashing, but closed it again. He sucked in a deep breath, clearly struggling to reign in his temper. Then he took a step back, putting distance between them. His whole body seemed to deflate. “I didn’t mean it. I know that you don’t have any reason to believe me—”
“You bet your donuts I don’t.”
“But I didn’t mean it.”
Cynthia folded her arms. It was clear that he was putting effort into being calm about this, so she could, too. She counted to three before speaking, forcing her voice to remain even. “If that is true, then the fact that you said it is just as much a warning sign, Rex. You’ve got issues. And I am not the type of woman who can fix other people. Hell, I’m a big enough mess as it is, I don’t have the energy or emotional resilience to try to be the crutch you use until you get back on your own feet.”
Rex ran a hand through his long hair, looking for all the world a god made flesh. If she hadn’t had Tyrell look at her with desire and lust, if she hadn’t seen the rivulets of water wash down his body and tasted the sunshine on his skin, she might have been weak before Rex.
But what was a god when compared to a flesh-and-blood man who held you in his arms and laughed with you? A man who could laugh at himself, who wasn’t arrogant, who didn’t expect everything to go his way just because he was physically imposing. What was Rex to Tyrell?
“I know that you’re attracted to me,” Rex started.
That sent her blood boiling again. How dare he? He had no right to tell her what she was feeling. “Maybe I was once, but then I learned what a jerk you really are. Leave me alone, Rex. This is the last time I’m going to tell you before I call the cops.”
The store owner rearranged some fabric in a display near the window, still keeping an eye on them. It occurred to Cynthia that he wasn’t watching a show or worried about what their fight might do to his store but really concerned for her. As comforting as that was, it made a shiver run down her spine. Was Rex actually dangerous? You heard about it all the time in the news, guys who couldn’t handle being rejected.
“Look,” Rex snarled, then snapped his jaw shut and sucked in a deep breath. “Look,” he said again, softer this time, “I’m sorry. What I said was… it was crude and I shouldn’t have said it. I just lose my head around Tyrell. He’s the reason my baby sister died. He’s the reason why I never get to see my own niece.”
She folded her arms and shook her head. “Rex, I know that there is more to the story than that. You can’t blame Tyrell for your mistakes. Now I’m calling the cops.”
She pulled the radio from her belt. Rex took another step back, frustration mounting on his face.
“Why won’t you listen to me? I’m trying to say that I love you!”
Cynthia dropped the phone. She gaped open-mouthed at Rex, certain she had heard wrong.
“I love you, Cynthia.” Rex eased himself forward now, eyes locked on her. “I love you more than anything. I’ve known since the moment I first saw you that you are the one that’s meant for me. My mate. My soulmate.”
What the hell was the kind of drugs he was on? “You don’t even know me.”
“Does it matter? I know you enough. I love you.”
She shook her head, backing away from him now. At one stage of her life, she would have been thrilled to have such a declaration of love. Now, though, she knew that love was complicated and messy and it wasn’t so straightforward that you could look at a person and love them.
“I’m with Tyrell. With him with him,” she added, to make sure that he understood.
This time Rex did growl, his teeth flashing in the sun. “With him? He’ll break your heart and leave you laughing just like he did with Angela.”
“That is my business.” Cynthia retrieved her radio and gave him one final deathly look. “Now leave me alone, Rex. You do not love me and I have no interest in getting to know you. This obsession you have with me is illogical and quite frankly, it’s creepy.”
She walked away, head held high. To her relief, he did not follow her. Anger strummed through her, as well as a fair bit of disbelief and shock. Did he really think she’d crumble into his arms because he said that he loved her? When all they’d had was a handful of conversations, and all of those had been light and without any meaning?
If he was serious, the man needed help. If he wasn’t… well, then it was clear that he was still trying to use her to get at Tyrell. She stomped across town before she remembered that she was supposed to be meeting Ruby, and radioed her.
“I’m not quite ready to go,” Ruby said, confusion in her voice.
“Don’t worry, I’ll just start walking,” Cynthia replied. Her hand clenched over the radio as she clipped it back to her belt. The nerve of that asshole…
Part of her wanted to feel sorry for Rex. After all, he had lost a lot. It had to be a terrible life. But it wasn’t like he was the only one. Tyrell and Ruby both had told her that most of the people now living on the island had been orphaned as teenagers, due to a terrible storm and ill-prepared boats. Yes, maybe Rex was still grieving but it wasn’t an excuse.
By the time she got out of town, she was grumbling under her breath. She hadn’t even gotten any fabric.
She shoved her hands into her pockets, wishing that she had just gone back to the ranch with Tyrell and Tamara. It wasn’t far to town, she could have ridden her bike out in the morning. It wasn’t like she was in a rush to get the fabric. She shook her head, speeding up to a jog along the shoulder of the road. It felt good to release her pent-up energy, and soon she found herself able to clear her mind from Rex’s idiocy.
Once she reached the first fences holding cattle, she slowed back to a walk. Her lungs burned as she greedily sucked in the clear air. The cattle lifted their heads, staring at her. She waved out of habit, but there seemed to be a tension among them that wasn’t normally there. The hairs on her neck prickled and she turned.
Her breath caught in her throat as she saw a huge, lumbering shape headed for her. It took a moment for her brain to catch up with her eyes, but when it did she froze to the spot.
Since when did the island have bears wandering around it?
The animal on the rolling hills to the opposite side of the cattle was huge. Bigger than any bear she’d ever seen before. Its coat was pure black, but it had a humped back like a grizzly. Its face was more slim and pointed, though, like a polar bear. Its gaze seemed to be locked onto her as it continued forward. She started down the road making sure to face it.
The bear paused, lifted to its feet, and snarled, a sound that had goosebumps rising over her flesh. It dropped back down and charged. All of the things she had been taught to do when faced with a bear fled her mind and Cynthia reacted on instinct. She ran, hopping over the fence and rushing straight into the midst of the cattle. They moved aside for her, a few snorting, but none of them seemed to be overly perturbed by the bear. It stopped at the fence and paced there, snarling.
Cynthia continued to run, her heart in her chest. She grabbed her radio and a burst of static came over it.
“Bear!” she shouted into it. “Tyrell, there’s a bear out her
e!”
There was a cracking noise behind her. As she turned to see the bear breaking through the fence, her foot snagged on something. She stumbled, radio flying from her hand. She didn’t bother taking the time to grab it again as she continued to race ahead. Her heart slammed into her chest and a bitter taste came to the back of her throat.
The cattle lowed and moved aside for the bear, but paid it no more attention than they had her. She didn’t stop to think about why.
The bear gained on her, but stopped, panting hard, when she reached the other side of the fence. She leaped over it and started down the dirt roadway. She thought that maybe she had outrun it, that it was too tired to continue, but when she slowed, her own legs burning, it crashed through the fence once more and came after her.
Visions of herself lying on the ground with her heart ripped out filled her mind. She heard the roar of an engine, but it sounded faint and distant compared to the roar of the bear as it closed the distance between them.
Then, all of a sudden, a motorbike was there. It swerved, blocking the space between her and the bear. Cynthia skidded to a stop as Tyrell jumped off the bike. A scream was on her lips as the bear barreled toward him. It stopped just short of impact and reared to its hind legs, letting out a roar that left her trembling.
Tyrell punched it in the chest.
Punched it. A bear.
Cynthia’s scream died in her throat. Was this a dream?
The bear stumbled back. It dropped back to all fours and Tyrell stormed forward and punched it in the face. The bear reached to grab his shoulder in its mouth and Tyrell let out a shout that sounded almost like the bear’s roar. The bear flinched back. Tyrell drove his fists into the bear’s meaty side again and again, like a man possessed.
“I told you to leave her alone!” Tyrell shouted, wrapping the bear in a headlock now. “I’ll kill you, I swear I’ll kill you!”
And then something even more impossible happened. The bear changed. Slowly, with its gaze still locked on her. The fur disappeared into the gleaming skin, the white teeth shortened and dulled. Paws became hands and feet. In just a few moments, a man stood there, dropping to his knees once Tyrell released him.
James Smith. The man who always looked at her like he wanted to kill her.
Cynthia’s mind whirled. How? What was this? Tyrell kicked Smith in the face and continued to shout, but everything seemed muddled in her ears. Smith dropped to the ground, his face beneath Tyrell’s boot. At that moment, all Cynthia could think of was that Tyrell was going to kill him. Everything else disappeared, and she started forward.
“Tyrell, no!”
He jumped, turned to her, and released Smith. Worry washed over his face as he rushed forward. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her close. Something pricked her arms and she saw that his nails had grown black and sharp. Her head whirled again. Darkness started to encroach at the corners of her mind, but she fought against it.
“Get out of here,” Tyrell snarled, “before I change my mind.”
Smith sneered at him, but once more became the huge black bear and took off down the road. Tyrell’s arms tightened around Cynthia. He led her to the bike without a word and helped her on. Cynthia didn’t know what or how to think as they headed back to the ranch house. What she had just witnessed seemed impossible. People couldn’t turn into bears.
And yet, this did not feel like a dream. Not at all.
By the time they got to the house, Cynthia felt like she might pass out. Tyrell took her to the kitchen and sat her down before getting her a glass of water. Worry shone from his face as he touched her shoulder.
“Are you okay?”
Cynthia stared at him. “No. I’m not. That… that man turned into a bear!”
Tamara spoke from the doorway, sounding positively thrilled. “You know that now?”
Both Cynthia and Tyrell turned. Ruby appeared in the doorway behind Tamara. The little girl didn’t take any notice of the adults, though, beaming in a self-satisfied way.
“Now I can show you. I can do it too!” She closed her eyes and her form shifted.
Ruby cried out. Cynthia stared. Golden-red fur sprouted over Tamara’s body. Her arms lengthened, hands becoming clawed, space-like shapes. Her face twisted shape, a muzzle protruding from her nose while a mouth of sharp teeth grew. It all happened in a few seconds. And then, where Tamara had been standing, was a small, golden-red bear.
Cynthia screamed.
Chapter Ten – Tyrell
Cynthia’s scream rang in his ears, high-pitched and terrified. It made his heart shrivel up and sink into his shoes. He reached for her but before he could touch her, she slapped away his hands. She jumped to her feet and backed away from Tamara, staring with pure terror.
He crossed the room in an instant and gathered Tamara into his arms. Ruby gave him a wild-eyed look and he just shook his head. He’d deal with Cynthia, but not when Tamara was in the room. Then he dashed upstairs, cradling his daughter to his chest. She shifted back slowly, starting to cry.
“What did I do wrong?”
Tyrell let out a shaky breath. “Nothing. Nothing, Cynthia just wasn’t ready.”
“I scared her…”
“Honey, I need you to stay here.” He set her on her bed and kissed her forehead. “You didn’t do anything wrong, I just need to make sure that Cynthia is okay.”
“Daddy—”
He hated leaving her, but what choice did he have? He tore back downstairs. The screaming had stopped and he allowed himself a moment of hope, thinking that perhaps Ruby had calmed Cynthia down and they could discuss this rationally. But as he landed on the last step, he heard Ruby cry out in pain. Seconds later, Cynthia dashed out of the house and slammed the door behind her.
“Wait,” Ruby called.
Tyrell didn’t wait to see what had happened. He was after Cynthia in a flash, his heart in his throat. In her current state, she might get herself hurt. Or, if she left the island, she could tell everybody about the bears here. And then what? What would happen to them?
Damn James Smith! What was he thinking, ambushing her like that? Tyrell’s bear raged; if Cynthia got hurt because of this, there was nothing that would stop him. Not even the alphas. Smith would die.
He caught up with her as she was opening the door to the truck. He seized her around the waist, slammed the door shut, and spun her around. Pushing her against the side of the truck, he pinned her there. Memories of how many times he’d done this before surfaced but he shoved those aside. Now was not the time to be thinking about sex.
“Cynthia, I need you to calm down.” He tried to make his voice low and soothing.
Cynthia made a screeching noise and slashed at his face, fingers held like claws. Her nails scraped down his cheek and he grunted. “Calm down? Calm down? What are you? What sort of sick joke—you’re freaks!”
Her words drove through his shield of calm, shredding it. His bear snarled. Freaks. He had hoped that when she found out she would be understanding. But freaks?
“Calm down,” he snarled.
Her eyes widened. “Oh, my God. You can do it, too. You can… I’ve been sleeping with a bear!”
“We call ourselves shifters. I know it’s difficult to understand when it’s been sprung on you like this, but—”
“Get the hell away from me!”
Cynthia began thrashing and screaming. She hurled every insult and profanity he’d ever heard of to him. Frustration mounted as he struggled to hold her, to stop her from hurting him or herself. A quick glance at the house showed Ruby standing in the doorway, eyes wide with a hand covering her mouth.
And suddenly all he could think of was Tamara. Tamara in her room, hearing all this and thinking that it was her fault. Thinking that there was something wrong with her.
Tyrell grabbed Cynthia’s wrists and dragged her from the truck. His gaze flashed over his property, finally settling on the hill that housed the root cellar. He seized Cynthia around the waist and slung he
r over his shoulder. Her fists rained down on his back, but he ignored the pain as he rushed to the cellar. He opened the door, thrust her inside, and slammed the door shut. Her shouts were instantly muffled by the thick wood.
“Let me out!” she screamed through the door. “Tyrell, please! I won’t tell anybody!”
Panic and terror infused her voice. Tyrell leaned his head against the door. His stomach clenched and his teeth ground. That was hardly the issue, but he knew that trying to tell her that in her current state would do no good. He slammed down the crossbar to lock the cellar door and yanked the radio from his belt.
“Ricky, come in. It’s Tyrell. Over.”
For a moment, he was afraid there would be no answer. Then Ricky’s voice crackled over the line. “What is it? Over.”
“Cynthia knows.” He wasn’t going to tell the whole story over the radio. Who knew who else might be listening in?
He cursed at the prolonged silence from Ricky’s end. This was why she should never have been hired. He should have sent her on her way the moment Ruby brought her to the house. He should never have allowed it to get this far.
And he ought to go find James Smith and tear out his heart. He’d been stalking and chasing Cynthia. Had he planned to hurt her? If he had… I’m going to have to let the alphas deal with him. But I’m going to demand something be done right away this time. I’m done waiting around and just barely catching him before he does something.
Ricky’s voice came over the well. “How’s she taking it?”
“Not well.”
“And by not well you mean—?”
“She started to panic.”
A curse. “What are you doing now?”
Tyrell glanced guiltily at the cellar door. His heart twisted as Cynthia started to sob. Good God, what was he doing? “I… She kept screaming and fighting so I locked her in my root cellar.”
In a second, a new voice came over the line. “What the hell?”
That was Noel. “Sir, I—”
“That’s not going to help her trust us, Jarvis!”