Lisa was beginning to feel pretty exhausted by the time they finished their waltz, so she retired with a chaste kiss on the cheek before she headed over to say goodnight to her brother.
"Tom!" She called, catching his attention. He turned away from the distant aunt he was entertaining towards her, and grinned.
"Hey, sis, off to bed?" He gave her a hug, and she could practically feel the excitement buzzing off him in waves. He was getting married the next day, after all.
"Yeah," she nodded, yawning. "But hey, why didn't you ever tell me about Joel before? He seems really cool, I can't figure out why you didn't introduce us till now."
Tom frowned, and Lisa's mind immediately ran through every possibility in the book. Kids? Secret serial killer?
"He was married," Tom shrugged. "Up until a couple of months ago. They've separated, but I don't know if they're divorced yet."
"Huh," Lisa tried to process the information, and furrowed her brow. "I should be getting to bed, anyway. I'll see you tomorrow."
The words danced round in her head as she got ready for bed, peeling off her dress and kicking off her heels. Maybe it was the champagne, but she found herself feeling a little…what was it? She wasn't angry, necessarily, if they were separated and that was common knowledge then she couldn't really get pissed at him for that. But…she had never so much as dated someone who'd been engaged before, let alone someone who wasn't even technically divorced. And that bothered her. Sure, he seemed cool, smart and funny and with charm coming out of his freaking ears. But that didn't negate the fact that somewhere, he had a wife, a wife that he hadn't thought to mention once the whole time they'd been hanging out. Obviously, Tom had never bothered to introduce them because Joel was married, how long had they been together? What was the wedding like? Didn't being here at Tom's wedding freak him out even a little bit? And why had he and his wife split up? Was it amicable, or had he done something awful that led her to chuck him? As Lisa slid into bed, she tried to quiet the arguing voices in her head, the voices that were making a case for both sides of the coin, half convincing her to see where the weekend led the two of them and half warning her as far away from him as they could manage. She fell asleep that night, her brain brimming over, and hoped the next day wouldn't bring as many questions.
Well, that had turned out to be a futile wish. When Lisa woke the next day, late, and slightly hungover, and made her way downstairs, it looked like a bomb had hit the place. Or at least, that's what the faces of everyone still milling in the lobby told her. Most of the guests had already made it off the storm-whipped island by the time she made it downstairs, and it was a while before she could find Tom to discover why. When she did, her jaw practically scraped the ground.
"Wolves?" She demanded. "Seriously, you're telling me this was freaking wolves?"
"Well, it still is," he mumbled, glancing at the ground and scuffing his toe back and forth like a kid who'd gotten into trouble. "The groomsmen, they're all out there now. They're trying to get it…in hand."
"They know it's a pack of wolves, don't they?" Lisa threw her hands in the air. "Like, the scary, dangerous, probably rabid kind?"
"They're not rabid," Tom shot back irritably. "And trust me when I say that they've defiantly got this under control."
"What, do we have our own pack of shifters to send their way?" Lisa asked incredulously, half-turning on her heel. When Tom stayed silent, she swivelled back and stared him down.
"Tom," she asked quietly.
"Yeah," he muttered. "They're…shifters."
"All of them?" She shrieked, her voice echoing off the empty walls around them.
"Yeah, pretty much," he shrugged, avoiding her gaze.
"Joel?"
"Well, yeah."
"And you didn't think to mention that last night when I asked about him?" Lisa demanded.
"Lisa, we've got more important things to think about right now than that," Tom snapped back, and Lisa immediately recoiled. She wasn't used to seeing her brother like this, in this intense state of stress and panic, and it was only then that it was really brought home to her exactly how bad this situation was.
"What can I do to help?" She asked, placing a reassuring hand on his arm. "Anything. Tell me."
"Just…stay out of trouble," he shook his head, and vanished back into the hotel. He obviously had bigger things to be dealing with than her. Lisa stared after him for a moment, feeling hurt, but soon wandered off to see if she could find someone to catch her up on the situation. By the time she had gone round all the rooms looking for Dina and returned back down the stairs, the room was packed with all the groomsmen and bridesmaids. Lisa's heart dropped through the floor as soon as she laid eyes on the nasty wounds one of the groomsmen was carrying. Shit. This was bad. One of them was hurt, and who was to say they would leave it there? She hurried over to Dina, who turned around with a slightly wild-eyed expression on her face.
"Lisa?" She asked, seemingly a little dazed.
"Dina, please, I need to know what the fuck is going on. Is everyone okay?" The words poured out of her without a filter, and Lisa found herself scanning the room for Joel, against her better judgement. He had been out there too, right? Where was he? Was he hurt?
"The guys…" Dina gestured to the huddle of groomsmen over by door, "They had an encounter with the wolves. We're staying here, and we're just going to keep on our guard until we can get out."
"What about the wedding?" Lisa asked.
"That's the last thing on my mind right now," Dina shook her head, looking a little sad. "The most we can do is keep an eye on all corners of this place and make sure none of them get in."
"Where should I go?" Lisa asked firmly. "Please, let me help. I want to."
"I don’t know, talk to the guys, they're getting it organised," Dina blinked up at her, and fear flashed through her eyes for a moment. "We can't let them get in. That's all I know."
Dina turned away, and Lisa peered around, she finally caught sight of Joel, his brow deeply furrowed as if he'd seen things that he never wished to see again. Probably against her better judgement, Lisa made her way over to him.
"Joel?" Her voice sounded thin, almost reedy, nothing like her. But she was scared, terrified, even, and it was taking it's toll.
"Lisa, thank God you're okay," Relief flooded over Joel's face as he turned to her, clasping her shoulders tightly. She was taken aback by his level of concern, but found herself touched by it too.
"Of course," she nodded. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"No reason, it's just, with all of this…" he cast his eyes around the room, his words trailing off.
"Dina said you needed help keeping a lookout. Can I give you a hand?"
"That'd be perfect," he nodded. "I'm taking the outside, on the courtyard, if you want to join me."
Lisa glanced out, the wind and rain were still thrashing the hotel, and it looked as if she might be blown away if she so much as stepped outside. But now wasn't the time to be selfish, to get caught up in her own desires, she had to do her bit to help, and she would. She pulled her jacket round her shoulders, and set her jaw solid, feeling resolute.
"Lead on," she gestured to the door, and Joel managed a weak smile.
They strode out to the courtyard, the one that overlooked the beach. Lisa had been so admiring it yesterday, before the storm hit and it looked like the place might be underwater in a few hours. Joel gestured for her to follow him, and found them a reasonably dry nook that allowed them a decent view across the hills.
"Is that where they were?" Lisa asked nervously, suddenly realizing with a stab of panic that they could still be out here and she wouldn't know anything about it.
"Yeah," Joel nodded. "They set up a camp over in the caves at the other end of the beach. I think they've gone back there, I'm not sure they're stupid enough to try any of that again."
"You think you scared them off?"
Joel pulled himself up to his full height, obviously trying his hardest to lo
ok imposing.
"Yeah, I reckon so."
"Did you shift to fight them?" Lisa asked casually. She needed to hear confirmation of that out of his own mouth before she'd believe it, even though she couldn't think of any reason for Tom to make up shit like that. Joel's mouth gaped open for a moment, and he turned to her.
"How did you…?"
"Tom told me. Is it true?" Lisa's words were brisk, and she didn't make eye contact with him. He paused for a moment before he replied, as if he was nervous about what her reaction might be.
"Yes."
"Huh."
Another silence. Not an awkward one, just one where both parties were taking their time processing what had just been said.
"Is that…a problem?" He asked eventually, squinting out over the cliffs as if expecting the wolves to come crashing towards them at any moment.
"No, I can't see why it would be," Lisa shrugged. She'd encountered a couple of shifters before, here and there, and had never had a problem with them. Besides, as long as he wasn't threatening to tear a chunk out of her, she didn't see it causing an issue. But then she remembered what else Tom had told her, the thing that might actually cause a problem.
"Tom…mentioned to me, about your separation," she began awkwardly. She couldn't believe the fact that this guy was married was a bigger deal than the fact he was basically a fairytale creature, but that was the situation, and she was going to power through it.
"Oh," Joel winced. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to bring it up because…you know. It's kind of a downer."
"Are you actually splitting up?" Lisa blurted, not stopping to think before the tactless words fell out of her mouth. "I mean, is it a trial separation, or…?"
"No, we're done," Joel said, with a hint of pain in his voice. "We're not getting back together, I can promise you that."
"What…what happened?" Lisa asked tentatively. She wasn't sure exactly how to go about getting what she needed out of him; all of it felt so grown-up and kind of scary.
"We just fell out of love," he shrugged, as if that wasn't the scariest thing he could have possibly said. "It was amicable, we're still friends. But I just didn't want to be with her anymore."
"Phew, okay," Lisa let out a breath.
"Why?" He cocked his head at her with interest. "What's it to you?"
"I just…" She paused. She wasn't sure how to phrase it in such a way that wouldn't come across as clingy. "I think you're cool. And I didn't want to get pulled into the middle of your marriage if you weren't sure it was over."
"So, the shifter thing, you're fine with, but the marriage…?" He asked incredulously. She smiled, he was right.
"Yeah, I know. I've just never…God, it's weird enough to me that my big brother is getting married, and the thought of…" she gestured towards him. "Sorry, I know I'm being forward. We only just met, and here I am, making assumptions…"
"Trust me," Joel cut off her ramblings. "You're not making assumptions."
Lisa felt a hot wash of delight pass over her body. He liked her back. She knew this wasn’t the time to get hung up on stupid middle school shit like that, but it was still sweet to hear.
"Cool," she nodded, not sure what else to do with his statement. They looked at each other, making eye contact for the first time since the conversation started, and shared a small, shy smile. After a beat, he leaned forward, pausing for a moment when he was only an inch or so from her face. And then he kissed her.
She was taken aback for a moment, she was still half-focused on everything else that was going on around them. The wolves, the attack, Dina and her brother and keeping them safe. But as soon as his lips came into contact with her own, it was as if those things simply melted away, it was a sweet, gentle kiss, the kind that seems to stretch out forever even though it only lasts a few moments. He placed a hand on her waist, steadying her, and drew her in deeper, their tongues moving against each other's at a leisurely pace. And then, in a moment, their reverie was broken.
"Joel!" Someone was yelling at the top of their lungs, a man's voice, though Lisa couldn't place it. They quickly pulled back, exchanging chastened glances, before Joel stepped out of the nook and called back.
"What? I'm over here!"
"They're inside," the man's voice continued as Lisa scurried out of their hiding place. She felt a jolt of panic, they hadn't managed to get in because the two of them were busy assuaging her insecurities, were they? Joel had obviously had the same thought, and furrowed his brow as he sped towards the entrance.
"Where did they get in?"
"They just walked in the front…we tried to stop them, but Dina thought if we talked it out then maybe…" The man sounded dazed, just as Dina had when Lisa had last spoken to her.
"Fuck," Joel cursed, grabbing Lisa's hand and pulling her next to him. "You, you need to get as far away as you can as soon as you can, alright?"
"Is Tom in there with them?" She asked, ignoring Joel.
"Yeah, he wouldn't leave," The man shrugged.
"Then I'm going in," she replied firmly.
"Lisa, you don't know what they're-" Joel tried to protest, but Lisa wasn't interested, striding back towards the door with certainty.
"Joel, I'm not leaving my brother in there alone and there's nothing you can do to convince me otherwise. Is that clear?"
Joel held his hands up, and allowed her to lead the way. She pushed the door open, her heart rattling against her ribs, and immediately looked around to try and locate Tom. But she was distracted by the fact that, standing between her and her brother, there were a pack of four wolves flanking a tall, imposing man.
Joel and Lisa stood at the back of the room, trying their hardest not to be seen. The atmosphere in the room was beyond tense, it felt like the air was brittle and thin around them. Dina was talking with the man in the centre of the room, and none of what she was saying sounded particularly flattering. Lisa could feel her scalp prickling, this wasn't good. This really, really wasn't good. If those wolves had attacked before, who was to say they wouldn't do it again now, and that it might be worse? Lisa was beginning to think Joel was right and that she'd made a mistake coming in. The thought of being trapped right in the middle of some shifter turf war made her breath catch in her throat. She could barely focus on what Dina was saying, but the two of them were closer now, standing only a few feet apart, as if they were sizing each other up.
And suddenly, it happened.
Lisa had never seen anything like it before, they both went so quickly, turning from human to animal in the blink of an eye. Lisa let out an audible gasp as they lunged for each other, two wolves, tearing and scratching and biting at each other as if winning that fight was the only thing that mattered. Dina had never mentioned this before, she'd never even hinted at it. How long had she been like this? And did she realize how terrifying it was for everyone around her to see the beast inside her?
Lisa was so focused on Dina's sudden shift that she had barely taken in what was happening in the rest of the room, it wasn't until she caught a glimpse of Joel from the corner of her eye, and turned to see that he too had suddenly shifted into his bear form. What the fuck? Lisa ducked out of the way as he barged past her, pushing her back against the door as if trying to shield her from the rest of the chaos in the room. There were four bears now, their enormity and presence taking up almost the entire room, and they soon came up against the rest of the wolves in a vicious clash that was marked by the sound of tearing fur, whimpers, barks, and bites. Lisa was frozen, stock-still, half-praying that she could find a way out of there without being seen, the other bridesmaids had been quickly hustled up the stairs, but she was too far away to make it up with them. She was stuck, the only human in a room full of crazed animals. And then she remembered, remembered the reason she'd come in there in the first place. Tom.
Colby (BBW Western Bear Shifter Romance) (Rodeo Bears Book 3) Page 64