Bear's Temptation

by Fay Walsh

  “Well, if that’s what you think, then you leave me no choice. You’ve made your choice to protect that bear and I’ll make sure that you fucking regret it,” he told her.

  Thomas stood up and he shifted into a familiar presence. Lisa felt terrified, completely unsure of how to fight him back. She saw him shift in front of her, as she had seen him that evening, taking the form of a lion. She looked at the animal with terror on her face. She didn’t want to die here, not like this.

  Before she could react, the lion hit her against the desk, pushing her on the floor. She felt his claws up against her throat, and when she looked at the lion’s eyes, she realized that it was indeed Thomas.

  The hatred in his eyes was the same that she had noticed earlier. His true form made her feel sick to her stomach. She didn’t want to die, not like this. She needed to get out of there.

  But, his claws pinned her in place, his teeth right up against her throat. The slightest move would cut her skin. She could feel the warm breath on her skin, making her shiver. Her entire body ached to get out of there.

  If she could just figure out a way to free herself from his claws, she’d be fine, but there was no way out. The terror of the moment washed through her body, and she resigned at the fact that she was about to get killed by this man.

  She wondered if Darren would learn that she was dead. She wondered if he would do something about this. She wondered if he would actually come to her funeral. She didn’t even get a chance to apologize to him, even though she knew that she was being as stubborn as always.

  Yet, here she was, completely at the mercy of this man, at a loss as to what to do. She could feel the lion shifter right on top of her, his teeth about to sink in her throat when she heard a crash over towards her right.

  She tried to turn her body, which didn’t do much to free her. Her eyes remained focused on whatever would show up behind that door. She could barely make it out, and when she finally realized what it was, she felt relieved.

  She recognized the black fur immediately, and the snout that the animal had. At first, she thought that she was dreaming. She half-expected that he would turn his back on her and never come back. However, through her hazy vision, she knew that what she saw was the truth.

  She wanted to help Darren with his fight with Thomas. As she was about to extricate herself, she felt a thud and everything blacked out. Her entire body went lifeless for what seemed to be forever, at the mercy of whoever was over her.

  Chapter 16

  Darren couldn’t shake this feeling that something was wrong.

  He needed to get Lisa out of whatever situation she was in, and he knew for a fact that whatever it was, it was dangerous. Her boss had something to do with it but he couldn’t put his finger on what it was.

  He decided to continue to do a bit of recon, to find out the truth. If she happened to notice him and ask why he was there, he’d just be honest. He would tell her that he was trying to protect her.

  When Darren got back home after his next recon mission, he found Travis waiting in the front room.

  “You’re back late.”

  “I’ve been watching something. I’m a bit worried about it. I know that there is something going on in this damn town, but I can’t put my finger on it,” he stated.

  “Well, if you need help looking for it, let me know. I might be of use,” Travis pointed out.

  “Thanks. But this is my fight, and you’ve done enough already.”

  “Whatever you say, Darren. Remember that you’re a part of our Clan, a part of the team, and if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask,” Travis insisted.

  Darren nodded. “Thanks. But I’ll let you guys sit this one out.”

  He didn’t like leaving Travis and the rest of the Clan out of the business he had with this shifter, but it was for the best. Darren knew that there was going to be a fight.

  He went to the website’s office the following night. He noticed that the lights were still on in multiple rooms, and there were still multiple cars there. Darren didn’t like the vibe that this building was giving off, and he soon stepped in. He could feel all of his shefter senses at an all-time high. He shifted and turned around the corner to meet the threat in the office. The inside of the office was quiet, too damn quiet.

  Darren walked up the stairs that was almost too narrow for him. As he was getting higher, he heard signs of struggle. There was a cry, one that sounded just like Lisa. Darren tensed, giving a small roar as he made his way up the stairs.

  When he reached the source of the struggle, he saw the lion pinning Lisa to the floor. As if on cue, he attacked the lion giving a loud roar.

  He looked at Lisa with concern etched on his face. His bear felt the desire to kill, the need to take this lion down. That was all he could concentrate on. Darren wanted to make this man pay for what he had done.

  “Fancy seeing you here,” he said.

  Darren immediately grew tense, his whole body shaking with complete fear. He needed to save her, noticing that her boss was in a position to kill Lisa with the smallest move. She definitely wouldn’t stand a chance. Darren charged onto the lion, managing to grab her and pull her away.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you when it’s time,” Thomas told her distracted by Darren.

  Darren looked at the shifter that was causing all of this trouble. He was a lion shifter with a big golden mane. He noticed that this shifter was stronger than Darren had thought. But, he needed to fight him. He just had to.

  “What are you doing?” he roared.

  “What I need to do. You’re in the way, Darren,” he snapped.

  “I’m not in the way. I had a feeling that you’re going to keep being a nuisance until this was over,” Darren said.

  He looked in the corner, noticing that Lisa was unconscious. The boss smiled at him, pulling back.

  “Alright, do your worst Darren. I’ll make sure that I kill you quickly and painlessly,” Thomas roared back.

  “That’s what you think,” Darren said, getting ready to attack on his two legs.

  He lunged at Thomas and pushed him down. He was hitting him constantly. He didn’t stop even as the other shifter started to cry out in pain, and Darren continued to deliver blow after blow.

  He pushed his claws straight into the stomach of this lion, watching with delight as the other started to cry out in complete pain and shock. Darren smiled, feeling like he was doing the right thing, but Darren felt this guy grip his leg, biting into it with his teeth. He cried out and kicked the other shifter back. Darren stepped forward, looking at the other shifter with anger in his eyes.

  “You… who do you work for? Why are you doing this?” he demanded.

  “That’s for me to know and for you to not find out,” Thomas spat.

  “You’re full of shit,” Darren said, hitting him with his claws a few more times.

  He smacked the guy right on the head, taking his claws and tearing through his mane, straight for the flesh. He looked at the form with blood trickling down his neck.

  Was it over? Could Darren save Lisa? But Thomas widened his eyes again.

  “This isn’t over. You haven’t met the last of us yet,” he said.

  “You’re going to die,” Darren warned him.

  “You say this, but you don’t realize the potential that I have, Darren. You don’t realize how much I can fuck up your life, make you lose everything, and you will wallow in the pathetic existence that is your life. Don’t fuck with me Darren, for this isn’t over,” he said.

  Before Darren could even say anything, he vanished. Darren left looking at the blood on the floor, and then rushed to Lisa.

  “Lisa...” he said.

  Lisa was still unconscious, which might be for the best. He had a feeling that whatever was about to happen next would change his course of action.

  He decided the best thing to do would be to bring her home, and not explain any of that just yet. He listened to her heartbeat, wondering if s
he would wake up soon. She was alive and that was all that mattered to him.

  He wanted to help Lisa, to protect her. However, he wasn’t sure of what she might say after all that had happened.

  He thought about what Thomas had told him. He didn’t think that this was over either. He might’ve been badly beat, but the fact that he had just disappeared made Darren sense there was more foul play at hand.

  Additionally, Thomas didn’t smell like the shifter that was stalking the office. That had been a different guy, although Darren knew that they were connected.

  Darren called Travis.

  “Hey, Travis. It’s me. Yeah, her boss is definitely a shifter. We had an altercation earlier, but that’s the least of my worries. I think there is another shifter in town. Thomas didn’t smell like the one that had been stalking her,” Darren explained.

  “I see. Are you going to stay there tonight?”

  “Yeah. I might’ve hit her a little too hard to knock her out, but I will stay with her ‘til she wakes up,” Darren explained.

  “I think so too. You two have a lot to discuss, and it’s better to do that with her, and not with me,” he told Darren.

  “Yeah. I’m just trying to figure out where to begin.”

  “Begin with what you think your heart wants Darren. Don’t worry about anything else.”

  “Thanks. I’m trying,” Darren replied.

  He hang up and looked at the unconscious form. Maybe he should get some sleep too.

  He sat next to her body, falling asleep shortly after. He wondered what she would say when she woke up, but he had a feeling that it would be words of both encouragement, and annoyance, that’s for sure.

  Chapter 17

  When Lisa woke up, she didn’t expect to be at home with Darren next to her. But, the closeness of their bodies made her blush. It had been a while since she had felt so happy. She felt that nothing of what had happened between them mattered anymore.

  For a moment, she wondered if this was a dream, but the body next to her proved otherwise. When she started to move, she saw the fluttering of his eyes, followed by a groan.

  “Hey there,” she said to him.

  “Hey. You woke up, finally. I was worried you were hit a little too hard,” he said.

  “Yeah uh... My head feels a bit heavy… I have a lot I want to talk with you about,” she said.

  “I do too. I thought that I wouldn’t have to worry about you getting involved with us, but I guess you already are. Let’s get some coffee and food in our stomachs though, before we do this,” Darren said.

  She nodded. “I’ll get that ready.”

  Lisa got up, looking at Darren, and at first, she wanted to feel angry at him. It had been a month ago and all this while she was feeling like a complete mess. She looked at him, and instead of feeling complete anger, she felt… happy.

  She believed in Darren and was happy to have him by her side.

  She finished getting some breakfast ready for them, putting it down on the table and looked at him intently. She blushed, and he did the same.

  “This is good,” he said to her, eating the food and not saying much.

  “Yeah. By the way, thanks for helping me out back there. I honestly don't know how you knew I was in trouble. That’s the second time that you are saving me,” she said.

  He looked at her, his eyes focused on her own.

  “Do you want the truth?”

  “Yeah. Is it weird?” she asked. She could handle weird, but he seemed a bit off when she asked.

  “Yeah. I’m worried you’re going to hate me for this. But, I can’t lie to you. Truth is, I have been watching over you for a bit. I know that probably sounds creepy, but I heard about the chance of shifters in this town again, and after the last one, I wanted to make sure you were kept safe,” he said.

  “That is a little creepy, but I understand why you did it,” she said.

  “Yeah. I wanted to make sure you were okay. I had my hunches, but this proved it. You were in danger, and I’m glad I acted on instinct. About two weeks ago, I saw a strange figure outside of the office. I approached him, and we fought, but I learned that he was also a shifter. He also knew something about me… something that only a couple of people know, that not even Travis does, and I… I got worried. I don’t want people to know about it. It’s a part of me that’s definitely not easy to face, and I’m a bit worried that once the truth comes out, everyone will hate me,” Darren explained all at once.

  Lisa nodded. “Do you want to talk about it yet?”

  “No. not yet. It’s… it’s a bit hard to explain. I’m just worried you’re going to think I’m being cold again when I’m really trying not to be. I really am not, Lisa, I’m just… I never told anyone about this, so it’s new to me,” he admitted.

  Lisa listened, and a part of her wanted to be mad at him. However, she understood the sentiment, and instead of feeling angry, she felt like she had to protect him.

  “You know, I can see it in your eyes, Darren. You mean what you say,” she said.

  “Thanks. I am also trying to figure out the best way to approach what happened between us too because we obviously need to talk about it,” he explained.

  Lisa wanted to know about that too, and she hoped more than anything that he would be the one to talk about it.

  “Well, if you’re willing to put this behind us, I am too. But, why were you so worried?” she asked.

  “Because I’ve read countless stories before. One of the reasons why I struggled with finding the right location for our Clan was because people would trick journalists into writing about us. Lisa, I hate to say this, but you were tricked by him, tricked into writing that piece, and I have a feeling that he would’ve tried to persuade you to write more, whether it be with mental games, or by force,” he told her.

  She nodded, listening.

  “So you were… trying to help me,” she said.

  “Yeah. I’m bad with helping others. I hope that you’ll forgive me. My ways of doing things is just wrong,” he said.

  Lisa nodded, understanding his words.

  “I do forgive you. But, I want you to do one thing for me,” she replied.

  Darren immediately tensed, looking at her with slight concern.

  “What do you want?”

  “What I want is, if you need me to help you with anything, don’t be afraid to let me know. And stop keeping secrets from me. The truth is Darren I… I was almost coaxed into writing some disparaging pieces about you. I felt terrible for doing it. I was forced to, and I don't want to hurt you anymore,” she told him.

  Lisa felt bad for what had transpired, but Darren seemed focused on listening to her. She was sure that he understood in his own way.

  “It’s alright, Lisa. And I’ll keep you in the know about what is going on. I fought Thomas and I learned from him that it isn’t just him. I want you to be careful, Lisa. I want you to keep your guard up at all times. I may not be able to do as much all the time but I want to protect you. I care about you,” he admitted.

  Lisa nodded. “I do too. Listen, Darren, I want to be there for you, to support you in your endeavors. I know that it will take some time to make things right between the two of us, but I think that, if we keep in touch, we will be able to do something about this mess,” she said.

  “I think so too,” he replied.

  She ate the rest of the breakfast with Darren, feeling better about the whole situation. However, she felt curious about the rest of the story, the part that Darren wouldn’t reveal to her. Not just yet.

  Chapter 18

  Darren ate breakfast with Lisa, feeling positive about thir future. Even though they might not have the perfect relationship, they would make it work. He felt better, just by knowing that she was safe and secure.

  “What should I do about work? I mean, I kind of need that job,” she pointed out.

  “You have to decide whether you want to go back to this work or not. But if you do go back, know that yo
ur boss is a shifter, and it will be dangerous for you. I can’t be always around to protect you,” Darren said.

  Darren felt a strange sense of worry and he wondered just who this guy was. It was obvious that whoever this guy was he had some connection to what had happened in the past.

  Darren needed more information. Lisa seemed to want to ask something, judging from the way she kept looking at Darren, and after a while, she spoke.

  “I want to go in, just to see if I can find more information for you. I can tell that he’s got some connection to you. I know that it will be dangerous and that it won’t be easy, but I’d like to help you out,” Lisa admitted.