by Dez Burke
The split screen faded away and the camera switched back to the news anchor. “Thank you for that live update, Chet. Whether this fire was just a tragic accident or a shocking crime remains to be determined. We’ll have another live update on this top story later in the broadcast. For now, our hearts go out to the unidentified victims and their families.”
The look on Paulette’s face slowly transitioned from serious to smiley and the corner of the screen displayed a wildlife scene of a bear frolicking in a river.
“The Department of Fish and Wildlife would like to remind hikers, campers, and all the other outdoor enthusiasts out there to be on the lookout for hungry bears, which will soon be coming out of hibernation. Washington is home to nearly thirty-thousand black bears that primarily live in our state’s forested areas. For the Department’s complete list of do’s and don’ts in Washington’s bear country, visit www...”
—
Nina turned off the TV and huddled under the covers, her mind and heart racing. The fire on the news couldn’t be Alex’s fire, could it? If yes, that would mean he was telling her the truth. Well, at least the part about there being a fire. Only time and the investigation would reveal whether he was the one who started it, and whether the people that died were killed by hunters, like he claimed, or the actual blaze itself.
Either way, it didn’t matter now. Alex was gone and all Nina had left of him was his slowly-fading scent on her pillowcase and the warm flannel that was wrapped around her naked body.
Chapter 11
Nina eventually slept and woke up Monday morning feeling slow and groggy. After getting ready for work, she headed to her car, which started up without a sputter. The check engine light was still on, but whatever Alex had done made her car run a whole lot better. She guessed that was good enough payment for patching him up before sending him on his way.
She drove through her favorite espresso stand and grabbed a triple mocha with whipped cream before heading into the office for the daily grind. Just her luck, she pulled into the parking garage of Building 3 just after Hannah.
“Good morning, Nina,” the cute blonde said with too much cheerfulness.
“Morning,” Nina grumbled, sloshing her mocha onto her white blouse. Great, just great.
“Here, let me help you,” Hannah said, grabbing Nina’s coffee cup and purse so she could blot at the dark spots with a napkin.
Nina blushed with embarrassment. “I guess I’m not quite awake yet.”
“I know the feeling!” Hannah said emphatically.
Nina had her doubts about that. Perky Hannah never looked tired or disheveled or anything but perfect. When she had cleaned herself up as much as she could, she took her things back. “Thanks.”
“You don’t look so great, Nina. Are you coming down with something?”
Yeah, it’s called Broken Heart Syndrome. “Maybe. I might be getting a cold or the flu. It would probably be best if you stayed away from me for now. I wouldn’t want you to catch what I’ve got.” Actually, nothing would make me happier.
“I have a really strong immune system, so I’m not too worried,” Hannah said with a bounce in her step, which made Nina want to douse her with her lukewarm, mocha-colored coffee.
Instead, she responded with a weak smile. “That’s good.”
Luckily, the garage elevator was full, which allowed Nina to slink into the corner and avoid further conversation with her happy-go-lucky nemesis. When the elevator stopped at their floor, both women went their separate ways. Nina headed to her cubicle in the ‘losers’ area of the human resources department and Hannah went to her private office in the recruiters’ area, into the private office that should have belonged to Nina.
~~~
Nina spent her morning shuffling paper on her desk and reading her email, trying to look busy but not actually accomplishing any work. Her mind was too preoccupied with Alex and what she saw on the news the previous night. She was supposed to meet Liz outside their building at noon for lunch. By eleven-thirty, she couldn’t sit at her desk for another minute, so she headed outside for some fresh air.
The sun was out, warming the cool spring temperature to the point where Nina thought about taking off her cardigan. But the t-shirt she had on underneath it was semi-fitted, and she wasn’t comfortable with the way it hugged her curves. Although Alex didn’t seem to mind the shape of her body, she preferred to keep it hidden under the loose sweater.
When Liz arrived, she snuck up behind Nina and threw her arms around her.
“So, did you get laid Saturday night? You promised me details!” Nina turned around and her somber look turned Liz’s smile into a frown. “Yikes. From the look on your face, I’d say the rest of your weekend didn’t go as well as expected.”
“That would be an understatement,” Nina said sadly. “Do you want to eat at the pub?”
“Sure,” Liz agreed. “A greasy burger and fries cure all.”
Nina looped her arm through Liz’s and half-dragged her friend to the crosswalk. The pub was just a block and a half from the office building. When they were seated at a quiet table in the corner and had placed their orders, Liz reached out and patted Nina’s hand. “Spill it,” she said.
Trust no one.
“Really, there’s not that much to spill. When I got home from the nail salon, Alex seemed...different.”
“Different how?”
“I don’t know how to explain it, really. Moody, maybe? He wasn’t happy that I ditched him to meet up with you. Then he told me this long, sad story about how his family was murdered, although I think that was just a bunch of B.S.”
“Sounds like he was trying to use the sympathy card to get you to sleep with him,” Liz responded. “And if a guy gets overly possessive like that right out of the gate, it’s better to cut your losses and move on anyway.”
“Exactly,” Nina agreed, relieved that Liz didn’t push her for more details. “We argued a little bit, I asked him to leave, and that was that. Over. Done.” The server brought their lunch and the women dove into their heaping plates.
When their burgers were half gone, Liz wiped her mouth with her napkin and leaned on the table with an expectant look on her face. Nina was pretty sure she wasn’t going to like what her friend had to say.
“Look, Nina, I know how important our friendship is to you, and to me, too. But I’m going to suggest something crazy anyway.”
“How crazy?” Nina asked with a big bite of burger wedged in her throat.
“On a scale of one to ten? Maybe a seven or eight.”
Nina sipped her iced tea and swallowed hard. “Okay. Let’s hear it.”
“I think you should go on a date with Danny.”
“W-wh-what? I thought we both agreed that that was a very bad idea.” On the crazy scale, that was probably off the chart!
Liz shrugged. “We did. But the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. You’re happiest when you’re in a relationship, and he’s wanted to date you for years. What if the two of you were meant to be together? If you give it a try and it doesn’t work out, I promise not to take sides.”
Nina looked down and played with a French fry, dipping it in ketchup and drawing on her half-empty plate. What Liz was suggesting was crazy. Especially since her emotions were so raw. But she had barely thought about Bruce since meeting Alex. Maybe the best way to get over her motorcycle-riding hunk involved putting her focus on another guy. She looked up from her plate. “Okay.”
“Okay, what?” Liz asked with one eyebrow raised.
“Okay, I’ll go on a date with Danny. But you need to tell him to keep it casual and low-key. No pressure. I’m not sure I’m ready for a full-blown relationship.”
Liz clapped her hands like a little girl. “I will, I promise. Ohhh! This is going to be fun. I’ve never played matchmaker before. Danny is going to be so excited when I tell him. Does Friday night work for you?”
“Yeah, sure, Friday night works.” Nina looked at the time on he
r cell phone. “We’d better be getting back. Our lunch hour was over fifteen minutes ago.”
Nina was pretty sure that agreeing to a date with Liz’s brother would end up biting her in her rather rotund ass. But having something fun to look forward to at the end of the workweek did lift her spirits a bit, so maybe it would be worth it.
Chapter 12
Alex loved being in the woods. He loved exploring, interacting with the wildlife, foraging for food, and resting among the fallen leaves. The full-blooded black bears would be coming out of hibernation soon, but for now, he had the run of the forest. Even though it wasn’t possible, part of him wished that he could discard his half-human side and fully embrace his bear, never to return to the pain of his fairly-civilized human life.
Some of his fondest childhood memories were of times spent in the woods. When he was very young, he and the few other children in his village would shift into cubs and play hide-and-seek in the forest surrounding their small community. Naturally, he would always win the game. Even then, he had been a leader.
Later, during his preteen years, Alex’s father taught him to hunt, fish, and forage for food. In lean times, the Alpha was expected to feed the entire clan, but he could only remember that happening a time or two during particularly harsh winters. Still, he was skilled and prepared for the possibility.
Now the only mouth left to feed was his own...
After several days had passed, Alex found that he was sleeping more and exploring less, and that the exhilaration he had initially felt had given way to unease. At first, he thought it was boredom or loneliness. He missed his family; that much was clear. And when he let his mind remember the feel of Nina’s lips against his and the curve of her hip beneath his hand, his body’s response was almost painful. Yet there was something else nagging at him, drawing him into a sleepy state, willing him to dream.
He found himself waking from his many dream-filled naps with a feeling that something wasn’t quite right, but unable to put his paw on what, exactly, that was. He sensed that his dreams were trying to tell him something important. Yet no matter how hard he tried to remember the details of his dreams, they quickly faded away upon awakening.
When he developed a prickling sensation that set his fur on end and made every muscle in his massive body tense, he knew it was time to find the magic berries. Alex didn’t know their proper name, but he knew what the berries looked like. When he was young, he had gathered them for his grandfather when important decisions needed to be made about the clan’s future.
The Elder told him that the magic berries enabled him to have powerful psychic visions and seek wisdom from the spirits of other living creatures as well as those who had passed. He also told Alex that the berries were poison, and eating too many of them would be fatal. The problem was, Alex wasn’t sure how many berries were too many...
It didn’t take long for him to find what he was looking for. After munching on a clump of the small, reddish-purple berries off the vine, he lumbered drunkenly back to his sleeping area and burrowed into the leaves. If he ate enough, he would soon have the answers he was seeking. If he ate too many, he would join his family in heaven.
Within minutes, his body was fully relaxed and his mind was pulled into darkness.
—
Alex was flying through the air like a bird, which struck him as odd considering he was a 400 pound bear. But in his dream world, he soared as if he were light as a feather. The scenery flashed by so quickly that he didn’t even realize that he had arrived at his clan’s village. But instead of the cottages being burned to the ground, they were all as they used to be.
Except for one small detail: all of his clan members were gone.
He raced from house to house, calling out names and hearing nothing but the echo of his own voice. That was when he heard his grandfather call out.
“Alexander.”
Alex entered the Elder’s cottage, expecting it to be empty like all of the rest. Instead, he found his grandfather sitting in his old rocking chair, gazing at the flames crackling in the hearth. He rushed to the Elder’s side and dropped to his knees.
“Oh grandfather, I thought the Hunters killed you!”
The old man smiled. “What did I teach you about death?”
Alex searched his memory. “That’s it’s just an illusion. That a being may shed its earthly body from time to time, but that the soul, the spirit never truly dies.”
“Yes, that’s exactly right. But there’s something else that I didn’t have time to teach you during my incarnation as your grandfather.”
“What is it?”
“That a soul never sheds its earthly body if there is still work to be done. Go, my boy. Back to the human world. Back to your mate. Complete the task you were born to do.”
“But grandfather, I like it here. I want to stay with you, in this cottage, so I can learn to be a better Alpha.”
“Ah, but you are exactly the Alpha you were meant to be. You may feel as if you are a lone bear without a clan. But this feeling is fleeting. Nina needs you...and you need her. She’s your family now. Together, you will give birth to a new clan.”
Before his eyes, the Elder faded away. The empty chair rocked slowly before coming to a stop as the flames in the fire turned to ash. Alex stood with a powerful roar. “Nooo!” he bellowed. He ran outside, hoping to find his other clan mates and seeing nothing but the charred remnants of his village.
With an anguished cry, he lumbered into the woods, the shrubs and branches beating against his fur. Soon he reached a familiar clearing.
“I wondered when you would get here. We have many more mouths to feed,” his father said, thrusting a fishing spear into his paws.
Alex loved to go fishing. “Father, oh father,” he cried, swooping his human parent into his arms for a bear hug.
His father chuckled. “I’ve been watching over you, don’t you know?”
“You have?”
“Of course. That’s what fathers do. But I must say that I’m a little disappointed that you haven’t claimed your mate yet. Since when do Alpha bears take ‘no’ for an answer?”
Alex hung his head in shame. “I didn’t want to take her by force.”
“Who said anything about forcing her? I’m saying you gave up too easily. Andreas Alphas have never been quitters, Alex.”
“I’m NOT a quitter!” Alex roared. He dropped his fishing spear and reared back on his hind legs, stretching out to his full height. Gravity gave way around him and he was suddenly floating up, up, up.
He could hear his father’s laughter as the man who raised him became smaller and smaller. “That’s my boy! No matter what happens, don’t give up!”
Alex was falling, his stubby arms and legs flailing as his round, bear-cub body hurtled toward the ground. Instead of landing with a THUD, he was caught by soft furry arms.
“I’ve got you, sweetie,” his mother said, holding him tight. Like Alex, she was in her bear form. “How many times have I told you not to climb trees when you’re alone?”
“But momma, I wanted some honey.”
“We can’t always have what we want when we want it, Alex. There are days when I would prefer to do nothing but snack on leaves and nap in the meadow. But when there are people who depend on us to protect them and provide for them, we need to cast our own desires aside and do the responsible thing.”
“But honey is so sweet,” bear cub Alex whined.
His mother smiled and hugged him to her chest. “This might surprise you, dear, but there are some things that are even sweeter than honey.”
Without warning, Alex’s body expanded and grew, spilling forth from his mother’s arms until he was a fully grown bear standing in front of her. “I think you’re sweeter than honey, momma,” he said, his voice no longer carrying the high pitch of a mere cub.
“I think you know someone else that’s sweeter than honey, too,” his mother said with a knowing smile.
“I do, momma. Her na
me is Nina. She’s beautiful and smart and curvy, just like you.”
“Then what are you doing here with me, sweetie? If I were you, I’d go get her before someone else does.” She blew him a kiss as he floated back up toward the clouds.
“Wait! I don’t want to go!” he cried, reaching out for her.
“We can’t always have what we want, Alex,” his mother replied with a touch of sadness in her voice. “Nina needs you and time is running out...”
Alex could feel the cool, damp leaves surrounding his body, but his muscles seemed to be paralyzed. He wanted to open his eyes and look around, but even his eyelids were weighted shut. He felt a small, delicate hand on his shoulder, shaking him with urgency.
“Wake up, Alex,” a whimsical voice whispered. “It’s time to wake up.”
Willing his eyes to open, his lids lifted just enough to allow filtered light in. Before him was an ethereal beauty with pale skin, long white-blonde locks, and a flowing white dress. A soft glow surrounded her body.
Surely she was an angel. “Have I died and gone to heaven?” he asked, his bear voice rough, gruff.
“Not quite,” the beauty responded. “But if you had eaten a few more of those berries, you might have.”
Alex tried to stretch, but his muscles and limbs were still immobile. “Who are you?
“I’m a Guardian,” she replied.
“I’ve always wanted to meet a Guardian,” Alex said, not quite understanding the gravity of her visit to his dream state.
“I don’t have a lot of time, Alex, so you need to snap out of this magic-berry trance and get moving,” she said, brushing away the leaves that half-covered his hulking form and using her tiny hands to massage his muscles through his thick fur.
Her movements brought him closer to the edge of alertness, but they weren’t quite enough to break through the barriers of sleep. “Why are you here?”
“Nina’s in danger.”
He struggled to sit up, but couldn’t. “What kind of danger?”