“You read those mushy romance novels, don’t you?” he said, wiping tears of mirth away from his eyes. “Where the lonely chick meets the impossibly sexy guy and he turns out to be a shapeshifter?”
My ears started to burn with embarrassment.
“I don’t think that’s any of your business!” I snapped at him.
Caleb was still laughing so hard he could barely speak. He threw the fork down onto the plate with a clatter.
“Oh, god,” he said, clutching his sides. “You’re killing me!”
“I’m so fucking glad I amuse you,” I glowered.
He took a deep breath to calm his laughter and then he said seriously, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. I just… bear shifters. Really? Us?”
“Sorry I said anything,” I grumbled.
I was really starting to feel like a moron, and I wanted to be anywhere but there. Unfortunately, I was in no shape to flounce dramatically from the room as I wanted to, so I had to just lie there and sulk gloomily.
“Hey, I’m really sorry,” he said gently. “I really didn’t… I was just surprised, that’s all.”
“Whatever.”
“Penny, don’t be mad.”
“I’d really like to be alone right now.”
“You need to finish eating,” Caleb argued.
“I’m not hungry anymore.”
“Penny…”
“Please!” I snapped.
Caleb sighed, but he stood up and collected the plate, silently leaving the room. I stared up at the ceiling and said a silent prayer that I would heal quickly so I could hop the next bus to Charleston. I never wanted to see him again.
Chapter Two
I’d been asleep for a while, but I had no idea how long. I heard the door creak open, and I gritted my teeth, expecting it to be Caleb.
“Penny?”
This was a female voice, but it wasn’t Anna. I allowed myself to be angry at myself over the tinge of disappointment I felt when I realized it wasn’t Caleb. I told myself I was still mad at him.
“Yes?”
“I’m Ivy,” the girl said. “I’m here to take care of you while Caleb is away. He asked me to entertain you and make sure you eat.”
“Away?”
“He had to take care of some family business,” she said.
Ivy moved into my line of sight. The room was still illuminated by only a flickering fire, but I could tell she was pretty. She was lean and strong, but somehow delicate of feature. Though her body looked like she could probably kick some serious ass, she seemed somewhat vulnerable. Her hair was a wavy mass of chestnut brown that fell into her eyes and cascaded over her shoulders, and even in the dim light I could see that her eyes were shockingly blue. She looked pretty young – maybe seventeen or eighteen.
“Wow,” I breathed in spite of myself.
“What?” she asked, sounding self-conscious.
“Sorry,” I said. “You’re just really beautiful.”
“Me?” she gasped, wide eyed and blushing.
“Yeah, you.”
She pulled her face behind a curtain of her hair, but I could see a pleased smile on her lips.
“Nobody’s ever said that to me before,” she said.
I found that incredibly hard to believe given how stunning she was. She could easily have been an actress or a model. She was prettier than anyone I’d ever seen on TV or in movies. In fact, much to my own irritation, I realized I was jealous of her being around Caleb. She was clearly so much more beautiful than me. I had to realize I never would have had a shot with him, anyway.
“You’re the beautiful one,” Ivy said.
“Oh, gosh, you’re just being nice,” I told her.
“No, really,” she said. “I envy you.”
Ivy pulled up the stool that Caleb had sat in before.
“Me? Why?”
“Because you have a real woman’s body,” she said. “I might as well be a boy. None of the guys pay a bit of attention to me. But if I had curves like you, they would.”
“Curves like me?”
I figured I must look especially fat for her to be able to see all my lumps through the blankets that rested on top of me. I made a mental note to go on a diet as soon as I was back in civilization.
“All the men around here like curvy women, but there aren’t any up here on the mountain,” Ivy said. “They don’t pay a bit of attention to the likes of me.”
“I find that really hard to believe.”
“It’s true. Then men around here… they’re not like the men you’re probably used to.”
“What do you mean?”
She looked like she thought she’d said too much, and she quickly replied, “I just mean they like a different type of woman than… than men in the big cities.”
“Sounds like my kind of place,” I chuckled.
“Not mine,” Ivy said glumly. “I want to get out of here so bad.”
“So why not go for it?”
“I can’t. This is my family. They need me.”
“I’m sure they can manage,” I encouraged her.
“Maybe I can’t.”
“I felt the same way when I left home,” I told her.
“Really? What happened?”
“I left Charleston to move to Napa Valley to work for one of the greatest chefs in the world,” I told her. “I was scared to death. I knew I’d miss my mom, and my friends… heck, even my stepdad. I was afraid I wouldn’t be any good at my job and I’d get fired and have to move home. But none of that happened.”
“You moved all the way from Charleston to California?” Ivy asked, seemingly impressed.
“Yup. I got a job offer through a friend I met in culinary school and I just packed up and left the next day. Took a bus all the way across country.”
“Man, I wish I could do that,” Ivy moaned.
“You can.”
“No, not me. I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“I just can’t. I’m not that kind of person.”
“I don’t believe that.”
“I’m nothing. I never have been.”
What the…
I just couldn’t believe that such a stunningly beautiful young woman could have so little confidence in herself. I could understand my own self-doubt. I grew up bullied for being a chubby kid, and then I got cheated on several times buy guys – usually with thinner women. I’d managed to develop my own confidence as I grew up, but there were some years there when I had practically none.
But Ivy? She was beautiful. She looked like a strong, capable woman. I just couldn’t imagine what could have caused her to have so little self-belief.
“How can you say that? You seem like a really smart girl, and you’re absolutely beautiful.”
Ivy shrugged and pulled her feet up onto the stool, wrapping her arms protectively around her knees. She was still hiding behind all that hair.
“I guess it’s because I’m an orphan and I don’t really belong here.”
“What do you mean?”
Ivy sighed heavily and tucked her chin between her knees. She shook her head slightly and acted as if she were contemplating something heavily.
“I was born in Northern Georgia, but my parents were killed when I was nine,” she explained. “I was really young, but I didn’t want to stay with my relatives, because they weren’t exactly nice to me. So I ran away.”
“Wow, I’m sorry.”
She shrugged and said, “I’m mostly over it now. My parents weren’t the best parents ever. But I didn’t really know how to survive on my own at that age. Caleb found me in downtown Gatlinburg begging tourists for spare change to get something to eat and he took me under his wing. Some of the others don’t like me much, but Caleb’s always been nice to me.”
“So Caleb’s a pretty nice guy, huh?” I asked cautiously, trying not to sound too eager.
“Yeah, he’s great,” she answered. “He’s the only person I’ve ever known
who treated me like I matter.”
“Well, you do matter, Ivy,” I told her. “You matter to me.”
“Really?”
I tried to nod, but it hurt too much, so I said, “Yeah, really.”
I saw a slight smile puff her cheeks out behind her hair.
“Can I get you anything?” she asked me.
“No, I’m just enjoying the company,” I told her honestly.
“Me too,” she ginned, peeking out from behind her hair.
“Ivy!”
I cringed at the sound of her voice. Despite having heard it only once, I would recognize that grating sound anywhere. Anna.
“What?” Ivy growled. Clearly, Ivy was no more enthused to hear from Anna than I was.
“What the hell are you doing in here? You’ve got trash detail today!” Anna demanded.
“Caleb asked me to sit with Penny,” Ivy said.
“Doesn’t he realize you’re too stupid for that?” Anna snarled. “God, your blabby little mouth would say anything!”
“I’m not stupid, Anna!” Ivy shouted.
“Don’t you dare raise your voice to me, you impudent little bitch!” Anna snarled.
I heard Ivy yelp and I craned my neck painfully to see what was happening. Anna had her by the hair and was pulling her across the room.
“Ow! Stop it; you’re hurting me!” Ivy whined.
“I’m going to teach you a lesson, you stupid little…”
“Stop!” I shouted.
Despite more pain that I’d ever felt in my life, I managed to roll off into the floor. I landed with a thud, and a jolt of excruciating agony shot through my entire body. I ignored the pain and used the stool to pull myself into a precariously wobbly standing position.
“Let her go!” I groaned.
Anna turned to me, a set of jade green eyes flashing viciously underneath a mane of bright red hair. She narrowed her eyes at me and her lip twitched upward in a snarl.
“How dare you speak to me that way,” she growled. “This is none of your business, so stay out of it!”
She yanked Ivy’s hair harder, and Ivy shrieked in pain. Anna started to drag her outside again, and I dove across the room and wrapped my arms around Anna, causing her to release Ivy and knocking Anna into the doorframe.
“You stupid bitch!” Anna shouted.
Before I knew it, Anna turned to face me and backhanded me in one smooth motion. I felt the fiery rush of pain searing through me as I toppled backward and stumbled over the stool, landing against the wall with a thud. My head was swimming, and I struggled to hang onto consciousness.
“Caleb was a fool to bring her here,” Anna muttered. She snatched Ivy by her hair again, growling, “Just like he was a fool to bring you here.”
“Ow!” Ivy screeched as Anna pulled her along by her hair.
“I said stop!” I shouted, trying to pull myself back to my feet.
“Alright, I tried to be nice,” Anna said.
The next thing I knew, Anna bridged the distance between us and slammed me against the wall. My ears began to ring, and my whole body went numb. I assume shock was setting in. She tried to wrap her hand around my throat, but the neck brace was in her way. This must have really pissed her off, because all I remember was seeing flesh headed toward my face in a blur and I was out cold.
Chapter Three
I felt the pain before I even woke up. Somewhere in my dreams I was groaning in agony, and it finally yanked be back into the real world with a scream.
“Caleb!”
Ivy’s voice echoed all around me as though I were in a tunnel. My vision was so blurred that I couldn’t distinguish anything but shadowy flickers.
“Don’t move!”
Caleb’s voice was sharp, but laced with nothing but concern. I felt his hands on my shoulders, and I instantly knew they were his. The tension in my muscles began to ease slightly, but the pain had brought the bitter sting of tears into my eyes.
“Stay calm,” Caleb said gently. “You’re going to be alright. I’ve sent someone for some pain medication for you.”
“Please,” I groaned. “I need something… anything. Tylenol. Aspirin. Something to take the edge off.”
“I’m so sorry,” Caleb said. “We don’t really keep many medications around here.”
“Please!” I begged, clutching the sheets with both hands until they ached.
“Get her some brandy,” Caleb said.
A few moments later, I heard the clink of glass against glass, and then the coolness of it pressed against my lips.
“Drink,” he ordered.
I parted my lips and accepted the fiery liquid. It burned its way down my throat and I felt a wave of nausea. Then my legs felt warm, and the pain eased slightly.
“More,” I pleaded.
Once again he filled the small glass and held it to my lips. At the awkward angle, some of the brandy spilled down my cheek, but I swallowed it greedily. I emptied the glass a second time.
“Better?” he asked.
“Some,” I acknowledged.
“Perhaps just a bit more,” he said.
One more shot of the burning liquid and my pain had subsided enough that I was able to stop crying and relax slightly.
“Thank you,” I told him.
“I’m sorry for what Anna did to you,” he said. “I assure you she will be dealt with.”
“She was going to hurt Ivy,” I told him.
“I know,” he said. “Ivy told me. I never should have left you here with Anna around. I should have known she’d start some kind of trouble.”
“It’s not your fault,” I told him.
“Yes, it is. While you’re here, you are my responsibility. I need to take better care of you than that. I promised your mother.”
“It’s my fault,” Ivy interjected. “I shouldn’t have let Anna get to me. I should have just ignored her.”
“You’ve been bullied by her long enough,” Caleb argued. “It’s about time you stood up to her.”
“You’re not mad at me for it?” Ivy asked cautiously.
“Not a bit,” Caleb said. “I’m actually kind of proud of you.”
Ivy said nothing, but I had a feeling she’d be beaming proudly from behind that wall of hair.
“It was Penny who gave me the courage to stand up for myself,” Ivy said at last.
“Me?” I asked with no small degree of incredulity.
“All that stuff you were telling me about how you got a job offer and just packed up and took a bus to California… I mean… you’re the kind of woman I’ve always dreamed of being.”
“Me?” I asked again.
“You’re not like any of the females around here. There are two types of women here. The evil bitches and the ones who get steamrolled by the evil bitches. I’ve never met someone in the middle like you. You’re strong and confident like Anna, but you’re not cruel like she is. You actually stood up for me even though you were in so much pain.”
“I couldn’t stand to hear her talk to you like that,” I said. “You don’t deserve to be treated that way.”
“She’s right,” Caleb added. “I’ve been waiting for the longest time to see if you’d ever step up and defend yourself against Anna.”
“Is that why you never tried to keep her from bullying me?” Ivy asked.
“I could have stopped it,” Caleb admitted. “But if I had, then what? There will come a time when I can’t be there to protect you. I needed you to learn how to stand up for yourself so you can be strong when I’m not around anymore.”
“You’ll always be around, won’t you?” Ivy asked.
“Well, let’s hope I’ve got a while left!” Caleb chortled. “But this world is unpredictable. Especially up here on the mountain.”
His words didn’t sink in as much as they should have, in retrospect. But it was at that moment that it really began to sink in that their world was much different from mine. This place… whatever it was… wherever it was… was
the antithesis of my own. I began to suspect that maybe my original guess about who Caleb was might not have been so far off the mark after all.
“Caleb, can we talk?” I asked.
“Sure,” he said. “Ivy?”
“I’ll go check on that broth you put on for her,” Ivy said.
I heard the click of a door shutting, and then the screech of wood on wood as Caleb pulled the stool across the floor to sit beside my bed.
“What is it, Penny?”
“You laughed before.”
“Huh?” he asked.
“When I told you I thought you were shifters, you laughed.”
“Yeah… because it’s ridiculous.”
“I don’t think so,” I challenged him. “Maybe it’s just the brandy talking, but I think there’s more to it. You don’t keep pain medication anywhere in your… town or whatever. I distinctly remember Anna referring to me as a human. I saw that bear at the crash site.” I paused to shudder at the thought of the crash, and for the first time I remembered all the other passengers that had been on it. They must have all perished, but Caleb had never mentioned it. I went on. “Caleb, you’re shifters, aren’t you?”
My vision was coming back into focus, and as he leaned over me, I gasped. His eyes… I’d recognize them anywhere. They were the same glowing, hazel eyes I’d seen staring down at me from within that mass of fur. Caleb was the bear.
“You’re him,” I nearly whispered.
For a moment he was silent, and then he hung his head, defeated.
“You don’t understand what this means,” Caleb told me.
“What are you talking about?”
“I can’t let you leave now,” Caleb said. “Anna was right. I never should have brought you here.”
“Caleb, what the hell are you talking about?”
“Pack law says that if a human discovers our secret, they cannot be allowed to leave with it,” he explained. A pained expression strained across his face. “You could tell other humans. You could bring a lot of shit down on us.”
“I wouldn’t do that,” I promised him. “I would never do that.”
“I believe you,” he said. “But the fact is, I can’t break pack law even if I wanted to.”
“Why not?”
“It’s something that’s so ingrained into my psyche that it’s literally physically impossible for me to go against it,” he said. “And I’m Alpha of this pack, so it’s even more important that I follow pack law to the letter.”
Heart Of The Bear (Appalachian Shifters #1) Page 2