Maybe this isn't going to be so bad, she thought. Maybe… The thought died when she turned the corner to her house, seeing the same, old battered truck that had been following her all day parked behind her car. She stopped in her tracks. Clive kept moving towards his truck, only stopping and looking back when he got to it and realized she wasn't behind him.
“It was you,” Beth breathed. She held the keys in her hand, but she knew she would never be able to get to her car before he stopped her. She could run, but she knew she couldn't get away from Clive.
“I told you. I was sent to help you,” he said, coming towards Beth. She shied a couple of steps back from him. “Beth. Please. Listen to me.”
At that instant, headlights pierced the gloom and two black cars roared down the street. As they reached her house, Beth watched as one whipped into the driveway and the other tore through the yard. Chunks of mud and grass spit out behind the tires. They stopped quickly and the doors opened.
“Run!” Clive roared, striding forward and ripping his shirt over his head. Beth caught a glance at his heavily muscled back and chest as he turned towards her, still walking forward. “Run! I'll catch up with you! Get into the woods!”
Beth still stood frozen, but that stopped when she saw that a couple of the men getting out of the cars had guns. She sprinted off, running through the soggy mud, around the side of her house. There was a small gathering of trees around 100 yards behind the house. They were dense, but could hardly be called a forest. She hadn't been in them for nearly 20 years, but she knew them by heart. She could lose them in the woods.
She flinched as a loud crack split the air. She turned around and watched as Clive doubled over in pain, slowing down but still moving towards the men. Oh my God, he's going to die! The thought flashed through her mind but was immediately overwritten by what she saw next. She wasn't sure exactly what happened, or even how to describe it, but as she watched, Clive started to transform.
His yells of pain transformed into ear piercing roars, almost louder than the repetitive crack of gunfire. His hair lengthened, his body expanded, and soon he was on his hands and knees rushing forward. In only the span of a few seconds, a bear stood in place of Clive. As he closed in on the nearest man, Beth turned around and ran even faster. Two men sprinted after her. She had dropped her purse without even realizing it.
She covered the distance to the woods in record time, diving through the wet foliage without hesitation. She thought she heard the men enter the woods behind her, so she dodged left around an old fallen tree. She leapt the dry river bed that was covered by leaves, hoping the men would fall into it. A couple of seconds later, she heard the distinctive crack of bone and screams of pain. She never slowed down.
She went up over a ridge of rock, then down the other side, scrambling down the rocky expanse. There was an old cave up ahead on the other side of the river, covered by an old, rotting tree. The tree covered the entrance perfectly and Beth knew that if she could just get there she would never be found. She slid down the embankment into the river, splashing through the shallow end but staying away from the deep bottom. When she reached the fallen tree, she dove into the icy water, swiftly swimming to the other side and pulling herself under the rotten tree.
Then she was in the cave. Old leaves, limbs, and foliage filled the bottom, but she pushed it towards the mouth of the cave, giving herself more camouflage. Cold and starting to shiver, she hardly noticed. The only thing she paid any attention to was the sound of the other man splashing through the water. She held her breath as his footsteps came closer and he lifted himself onto the log. If she wanted to, she could reach out and touch his legs. After a few moments, she heard him yell, “Shit!” and he moved on down the river.
She peeled off her wet clothes, laying them out in the back of the cave. She pulled the dirty debris onto her shivering body, knowing that it wasn't enough to keep her warm but having no other option. She wrung out her hair, trying to get as dry as possible. She wondered when it would be safe to go back outside.
And what about Clive? Of course, she knew Shifters existed. Who didn't? But she'd never met one before. They kept mostly to themselves, something she'd always been thankful for until today. Who wanted to know a wolf man? Or a guy who could turn into a bear? What good did it ever do anyone?
It turns out, in Beth's case, he had saved her life. If Clive hadn't sacrificed himself to let her get away, she didn't think she would still be alive. In fact, she knew it. Clive had given his life to protect hers. If she didn't get out of this cave and indoors, though, it wouldn't matter. Despite everything he'd done for her, she would still die.
A pang of guilt went through her. She felt bad about running while he had protected her. But that wasn't what was really on her mind. She felt guilty about how she had treated him. All she had done was yell at him for trying to protect her. Shifter or not, he only had good intentions and she'd treated him like dirt. And now she could never tell him she was sorry. Never ask for forgiveness. He was gone. Beth laid down in the leaves, curling up into the fetal position, and started to cry.
It was dark when she was jerked awake by the sound of leaves crunching. Beth strained to hear and after a few seconds she was certain that someone was coming towards her. She put her hands to her mouth, trying to silence her breathing. The footsteps stopped just outside of the cave, on the other side of the fallen log. Snorts and sniffs split the silence.
Beth scooted deeper into the shallow cave, trying not to crunch any of the leaves under her naked body. She winced as they crinkled. Immediately, whoever – or whatever – was outside of the cave was climbing over the log and crawling to get in. A darker shape blocked out the entrance to the cave, forcing its way inside. It was large and barely fit inside.
She let out a scream, no longer trying to be quiet. Whatever it was roared in surprise. Bear! The thought flashed through Beth's mind, but in her terror, she didn't put two and two together until the creature in front of her started to shift. She watched as the bear shrunk and hair receded until only a bulky, extremely naked man was standing in front of her.
“Beth?” the man whispered. He took two slow steps forward, bringing him just close enough for Beth to make out his face. She was on him before he could react, throwing her arms tightly around him, tears streaming down her face that she buried in his chest. Clive wrapped his large arms around her, pulling her close to his warm body. She hadn't realized it, but she was ice cold and shivering uncontrollably.
“Clive,” she said into his chest. “I thought you were dead. I saw them shoot you.”
“I told you earlier that I'm strong. It was nothing. I'm glad you're okay. When I saw a couple of the men run after you into the woods, I feared the worst.”
Beth looked up into his eyes. They were deep gold, even in the darkness of the cave. Without answering him, she pressed her lips against his. For a split second, Clive's lips didn't move. Then, they were working against her lips, deep and slow. He kissed her more gently than she would have expected from a man his size.
She broke the kiss slowly, reluctantly, and said, “I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that.”
He pressed his lips on hers again, harder and faster than before. She gave in to him, feeling his hands pulling her body close, keeping her warm. Oh my God, she thought. We're both naked! She didn't know how long they embraced for, but slowly, Beth pulled away.
“I was so worried for you, Beth,” Clive breathed. She could feel his warmth pressing against her naked body. That's not the only thing pressing against me! Beth thought, but she pushed the thought away. There were more serious matters right now.
“What are we going to do?” she asked.
“We're going to hang tight here for the rest of the night. Hudson's men are still watching your house, but they won't come out here during the night. In the morning, we'll head out the back of the woods. From there, we'll find a phone and I'll call some guys I know. They'll come pick us up, and if we're lucky, they'll ha
ve found Hudson. Then we'll end this.”
“End this?” Beth thought, dark thoughts forming in her mind. When she'd agreed to take this case, she never would have thought this is how it would play out. The case should have been a slam dunk. Hudson should be behind bars. And now, she was out in the woods, freezing, and fighting for her life.
Clive nodded solemnly. “It's the only way this can ever be over. You need to get some rest.”
“We're going to freeze out here, Clive,” Beth said, feeling her still wet clothes. They would offer no warmth. The leaves on the floor helped insulate her from the rock, but it wouldn't be enough to survive the night.
“I'll shift,” Clive stated. Seeing the look on Beth's face, he quickly added, “I can control myself. It's the only way we won't freeze to death in the night. I'll keep you warm. I'll keep you safe.”
Beth took a few steps back from Clive and watched him shift into his bear form. This time, she was calm and watched with interest. It was a truly wonderful sight. Clive dropped to all fours, barely fitting inside of the cave. He pulled Beth's wet clothes towards him, then laid on top of them on his side. Beth dropped down beside him, hesitating for just one second before pushing herself as close to him as she could get. Clive's warm fur enveloped her. Within minutes, she found she was actually hot. It was a pleasant change from nearly freezing to death minutes before.
“Goodnight, Clive.”
Clive made a low noise. Beth assumed that was his goodnight. She closed her eyes and weariness washed over her. Somehow, before she even knew it, she was fast asleep.
Beth awoke slowly in the morning. Warm sunlight was streaming in through the cave. Slowly, she got up and stretched. Sometime during the night, Clive had shifted back into his human form, but she'd hardly noticed. Together, they had stayed plenty warm enough.
Clive sat up, slowly rubbing his eyes. He glanced over at Beth, his eyes following every curve of her body. She raised an eyebrow to him, twirled a finger, and watched as he turned away. He held out her dry clothes with one arm.
Beth took them from him, grimacing at the grimy, stiff feeling. They were dirty, but at least they were dry. That's the important thing, Beth thought. She pulled them on, pleased to find that even her shoes were only a little damp. The back edge of the woods wasn't too far, so she decided she could deal with it. From there, Beth figured they could get to one of the little gas stations and call for help.
“How did you sleep?” Clive asked, still staring at the back wall. Beth thought about telling him he could turn around, but decided against it.
With a smirk, she responded, “Great. You?”
“Haven't slept that good in a long time,” he said. Silence pervaded the cave and Beth tried to hold back laughter. She watched as Clive fidgeted, getting impatient. She watched as he turned just a bit, getting a view of her out of the corner of his eye. When he saw she was already dressed, he turned around. Beth burst out laughing.
“I didn't think you..would ever...turn around!” she managed to say, through her laughter.
“You were supposed to tell me when you were dressed! That's how it works!” he said, but then he was laughing, too. Together, they laughed, trying to push the tension back. Beth found herself leaning in close to Clive, like last night. She glanced down, gasping at what she saw. I didn't know he packed a weapon, she thought.
Clive cut through her stream of thoughts with, “I'm going to Shift. It'll be easier to smell anyone out here that way. And I'll be able to protect you better. Once we get to the edge of the woods, we'll find a good place to get to a phone. Then you'll go in and call the number I give you. Once they're on their way, you come back to the edge of the woods where I'll be waiting.”
“Okay, that sounds good. There's an old gas station up on the highway. We can head there.”
Clive leaned down, kissing Beth gently on the lips. It was a short kiss. She found herself smiling as he walked outside, shifting into his bear form. He glanced back, his dark coat sleek in the weak sunlight. Together, they headed off.
Clive took the lead immediately, his nose alternating between the ground and the air. He moved fast, scouting the area, but he always let Beth catch up and made sure she was close. They made good time through the woods. Beth knew them like the back of her hand, but she wasn't sure if she could navigate them better than Clive was. There was something about him – something primal, beastly – that let him move through the woods like he was born in them. Maybe he was, she thought. I don't know anything about this man but I'm falling for him. Despite everything. And I know I can't.
They hit the road after only an hour in the woods. Clive had lead them to directly across from the old gas station. It was in disrepair, but still functional. She remembered the old man who ran it and knew that he was too stubborn to sell out to the bigger corporations. It would probably still be there long after she was gone.
Clive shifted back, telling her the number and then laying low in the ditch. Beth smiled and moved across the road as fast as possible. She didn't want anyone to see her if she could help it. She reached the door and stole a quick glance back to where Clive lay naked, but she couldn't see him.
Inside, it didn't take long to find a payphone. Beth couldn't remember the last time she'd actually used a payphone. She wished she hadn't lost her cell. In fact, she couldn't even remember where it was. Probably in her purse, somewhere on her lawn. She realized it didn't matter.
She asked the man at the counter for some change to make the call. Wordlessly, he pointed towards the take a penny jar. A couple of quarters sat in the jar, so she took them with a word of thanks. Returning to the phone, she dropped the quarters into it, punched in the number, and waited.
“Hello,” a rough voice said from the other line. It wasn't a question, more of a statement. This is Clive's friend? Beth wondered and shrugged her shoulders.
“Is this Joe?”
“Yup.”
“I'm with Clive. We need to be picked up,” she said. There was silence on the other line for a few seconds, then a muffled yell, as if the man had covered the headset.
“Is this Beth?” the man's voice grated.
“Yup,” she responded, unable to resist.
“Where are you? I'm sending someone to pick you two up.”
She gave him the address, adding that they would be in the woods across the highway. The man said they were on their way. “That's it?”
“Yup. Hang tight,” he said. And then the line went silent.
They didn't have to wait long. A large SUV pulled into the parking lot of the gas station. Three men stepped out of the vehicle, looking around. From their position in the woods, Beth couldn't see their features, but she could tell they were large. They scanned the woods for Clive.
He stood up from the woods, covering himself with one hand and waving with the other. The three men saw him and they chuckled. Together, Beth and Clive started to move across the highway, checking both ways that ensure that none of Hudson's men were closing in.
“Forgot an extra change of pants, Xan?” the largest one said. He had short brown hair, the same golden eyes, and tattoos all of the way down his forearms. Beth saw the edges of another tattoo around his neck. She had never been into tattoos, but she could not deny that he was attractive. “And who is this?”
Beth saw that the man was looking at her, intently, sizing her up. Clive got in between them. “She's mine, Marcus.”
“Yours?” Beth retorted.
Marcus let out a loud laugh. “Go ahead. I can't handle her. Let's get going and we'll fill you in. And Clive, put on some pants.”
They piled into the car. Marcus got behind the wheel. Another man, shorter and hairier than the others, climbed into the passenger seat. He turned around and extended his hand. “Name's Track.”
“Track?” Beth asked, sticking out her hand.
Saddled Bearback (BBW Shifter Cowboy Romance) (Bear Ranchers Book 2) Page 34