The B*E*A*S*T* Within

by Rebecca Goings

  "Don't!"

  "Noah, what is it?” she asked again, her voice rising.

  "A cop's behind us."

  "Oh, God...” Lanie's tears were suddenly forgotten.

  "Just be calm and don't look back,” Noah said. “His lights aren't on. Maybe we'll get lucky."

  Lanie's hands began to shake. “What if we don't get lucky? What the hell are we going to do?"

  "Calm down, baby,” Noah said, glancing in the mirror again. “If he turns on his lights, then we'll have to get away."

  "Get away how?"

  He gave her a knowing look.

  "You can't mean..."

  "We have to."

  "No one actually gets away in a car chase, Noah! Don't you watch TV?” Lanie started to panic. “Oh, God ... oh, God,” she said over and over.

  "Easy, Lanie,” he muttered. “You're making me nervous."

  "I'm making you nervous?"

  Her heart threatened to beat out of her chest. She could see the cop behind them in the passenger side window on her door. He was driving too close to their rear bumper.

  "Christ,” Noah whispered.

  "I think he's running the plate,” Lanie said, a hint of fear in her voice. “He's too close to us. Cops only tailgate you for one reason, Noah."

  "Is your seatbelt fastened?” he asked in a low voice as he reached up for his own buckle.

  "Y—yes,” she answered, feeling as if she were going to vomit at any moment. “Noah, please..."

  "I need you to be ready just in case."

  Terrified didn't even begin to describe the turmoil inside her at that moment. Sweat beaded along her brow as she leaned her head against the back of the seat. She had to remind herself to continue breathing.

  If they were caught, then this B*E*A*S*T* agency would definitely find them. According to Noah, they'd both become nothing more than experiments to be tortured. Lanie found herself praying to every god she could think of to rain fire and brimstone down on the cop behind them.

  Fifty-five miles per hour never seemed so slow. She wanted Noah to go faster, her fight or flight instincts almost choking her with their intensity.

  As if through a tunnel, Lanie heard the familiar wail of a cop's siren.

  Noah hissed a foul curse as the red and blue lights reflected onto his face from the mirror.

  "Hold on to something, baby!” he bellowed right before his foot slammed down on the accelerator.

  Fourteen

  The brown sedan lurched forward, and Lanie couldn't stop the squeal that escaped her. This wasn't happening! She had to be dreaming. But her racing heart told her she was wide awake. Swallowing hard, she grabbed hold of her seatbelt and concentrated on not hyperventilating.

  The car's engine roared as the needle on the speedometer climbed. Trees outside raced by while her head spun. Memories of her accident suddenly bombarded her, and Lanie felt herself panicking.

  "Noah, we have to stop!” she exclaimed, her palms itching with sweat.

  "Are you crazy? Not a friggin’ chance!"

  "How are we going to get away on the highway? He'll know exactly where we're going and have his cop buddies there to stop us!"

  "I don't know, Lanie, but we can't afford to let them catch us."

  "But we might crash,” she wailed, her voice cracking.

  "I'll be careful."

  "Yeah, I was careful too, until a white tiger leapt out in front of me!"

  "That was an accident!"

  "What the hell do you think they call a car crash, Noah?"

  The speedometer inched toward one hundred miles per hour. “Lanie, just be quiet! I need to concentrate."

  More tears filled her eyes as she stared at the road in front of them. “We're gonna die."

  "We're not going to die!"

  "Watch out for that car!” she shrieked.

  A slow-moving car appeared around a bend. Cursing under his breath, Noah pulled the wheel and passed him in the oncoming lane, but another car was barreling toward them, making him jerk back quickly and almost lose control.

  "Shit!” Lanie yelled, looking behind them. The cop couldn't go around either car and was forced to pass them on the shoulder. The slick snow made his car spin out in a cloud of white powder. “Noah, the cop slid off the road. Oh my God!"

  "Hang on,” he said, pressing the gas even harder. After a few minutes of driving like a hellion, Noah finally braked and forced the car off the road, plowing into a snow bank.

  "Let's go,” he commanded, out of breath himself.

  After popping open the driver-side door, he jumped out of the car. Lanie couldn't unbuckle her seatbelt because her hands were shaking too badly. With a growl, Noah ripped open her door and helped her.

  "Come on!"

  "Wait,” she said, reaching behind her to grab the blanket from the back seat. “We might need this."

  "Hurry up!"

  She rolled the blanket into a ball, then she grabbed Noah's hand and ran off with him into the cover of trees. “Won't they just follow our footprints?” she asked as her breath puffed in the cool air.

  "Maybe,” Noah said. “But judging by that dark cloud overhead, it's likely to snow again very soon. Maybe we'll get lucky this time."

  With her lungs on fire, Lanie groaned at his words. He'd said them before and luck had forsaken them. So far, their luck was wearing a little too thin. Now, they were literally on the run, trusting their fate to the whim of Mother Nature. Lanie would have laughed bitterly at the hopelessness of it all if she'd had the breath.

  * * * *

  Collapsing in the snow, Lanie struggled audibly to breathe, and Noah knew he'd pushed her too hard. Running his hands through his hair, he let out a low growl and looked over his shoulder.

  "I ... I can't ... go on...” Lanie said, gasping.

  "I know,” he told her, urging her to roll under a low bush.

  "Wh—what ... are you—"

  "Shh,” he said, placing his finger on her mouth. “You should be safe here, Lanie. I'm going to go back and see if I can cover our tracks."

  "But—"

  "Don't argue with me, woman,” he said in a gentle voice, pushing the hair away from her face. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

  "Don't leave ... me, Noah,” she panted.

  "I'll be right back, I promise.” Looking deep into her eyes, he said again, “I promise."

  He turned and ran back the way they'd come, ripping off his shirt as he went. Once that was gone, he tore out of his pants, leaving them in a heap in the snow. Naked and sprinting, Noah made sure he was far enough away from Lanie before he shifted.

  He wasn't exactly sure what he was going to do, but he hoped the appearance of a white tiger in the woods would confuse the cops and give them the time they needed to get away.

  Shifting was such a strange sensation every time. He could hear his bones popping as they distorted, turning thick and solid, changing shape. His body became heavier, growing white fur as his hands and feet turned into paws that thundered through the snow. It had taken only mere seconds, but Noah was now a tiger.

  He could still think as a human and understand human language, which gave him an advantage over a regular tiger. However, a DNA test would prove that he was indeed a tiger and not a man. That was one perk the B*E*A*S*T* agency had woven into their shifters should they ever be caught. They could merely pretend to be the animals they shifted into until they found the right moment to escape.

  His paws decimated his human tracks, and he purposefully rubbed his body along trees and bushes, leaving tufts of white fur behind. What would their bloodhounds think of that? Probably shit themselves, he thought. His chuckle came out more like a growl as he ran through the trees, skidding to a halt yards away from the car he'd stolen with Lanie.

  Only a few minutes had passed, but already there were swarms of cops surrounding the vehicle, searching it while others scoped the trees. A few men had dogs, and he knew those dogs could smell him. They began yipping and whining,
some straining to be set free from their leashes to lunge at him, others trying to run the other way.

  Noah's coloring made him difficult for the police to see against the snow as they charged in the direction their dogs were leading them. Without wasting any more time, Noah's eyes flashed as he took a deep breath. He roared at the top of his lungs and the trees shook at its intensity. That stopped the cops in their tracks.

  "Holy shit!” one yelled.

  "Oh my God!” yelled another. “It's a tiger!"

  "What the f—"

  Noah roared again, this time growling as he laid his ears back, making sure they could see his long, sharp teeth.

  "Sweet Jesus, shoot it! Shoot it!"

  One of the cops reached for his gun, but Noah turned and leapt in the opposite direction from Lanie. Within seconds, he weaved in and out of the trees, knowing they didn't have a chance at a clear shot. Let the bastards think on that for a while.

  He growled in satisfaction. Being a shifter definitely had its advantages.

  * * * *

  Lanie sat up at the sound echoing through the forest. The roar was familiar—too familiar. Instantly, shivers racked her body. That sound had come from the direction of the road. Noah! Dear God, had Noah encountered the black panther?

  Panic gripped her as she tried to stand, stumbling a few times before she finally found her footing. But she felt as if she were being watched. With tears in her eyes, she whipped around and came face to face with the largest timber wolf she'd ever seen in her life.

  "Oh, God,” she said under her breath. It was pacing back and forth, staring at her with yellow eyes, its dark grey coat a stark contrast against the snow. Its ears pricked back and forth, never once taking its eyes off her.

  Terror entered her heart. Where there was one wolf, the whole pack was sure to follow. Remembering a documentary about wolves she'd once watched, she knew they rarely attacked humans unless provoked or starving, but that didn't stop her from grabbing the nearest stick she could find on the ground.

  "Go away,” she said. The wolf cocked its head and sat on the ground. “Go away,” she said again, flicking her hand in a shooing motion. The animal cocked its head in the other direction and merely continued to stare, panting.

  Glancing around the trees, Lanie saw no sign of Noah. She moved ever-so-slowly in the direction he'd disappeared. The wolf stood once again and followed. When she stopped, it stopped as well.

  "Go away!” She jogged a few steps, noticing the wolf loping along behind her. In exasperation, she grabbed a handful of snow and threw it, hitting the wolf square in the snout. It sneezed a few times.

  "I said leave me alone!"

  As the wolf glanced back at her, its eyes flashed, and Lanie wondered if this was the last thing she'd ever see. What the hell was she doing? She'd just thrown a snowball at a wild animal for Heaven's sake!

  A growl rose from the wolf's throat as its hackles suddenly raised.

  "Oh, no,” she whispered.

  At that moment, a loud commotion came from the trees behind her, and before she could think of what it could be, a white tiger sprang out of the foliage, growling at the wolf and flicking it's tail.

  "What the—?"

  Loud snarling interrupted her as she stared at the creature before her. This was the same white tiger she and Noah had left miles behind them! It had to be. The odds of another white tiger roaming the Colorado wilderness were slim to none. But there was no way that animal could have found them!

  The wolf paced in front of the tiger, neither animal taking its eyes off the other. Wherever the wolf paced, the tiger followed, keeping its large body between Lanie and the wolf. Was it protecting her?

  Suddenly, the wolf gave out a small yip and sat in the snow, thumping its tail. After a moment of silence, it lay down, placing its head on its front paws. The tiger approached the wolf, and Lanie was sure she would witness a bloodbath. The cat was twice if not three times as big as the timber wolf, but instead of going for the throat, the tiger sniffed the top of the wolf's head.

  The tiger turned to look over its shoulder directly into Lanie's eyes. All the times Noah had told her the tiger would never hurt her came flooding back to her now, and she hoped to God he'd been right. And the tiger indeed didn't look as though it wanted to tear her limb from limb.

  Leaving the wolf lying in the snow, the tiger padded over to Lanie, and she dared not move. There was no way she could outrun a six-hundred-pound predator. She didn't even risk breathing as those ice-blue eyes took her in. Before she could guess its intent, the tiger placed its head under her hand and rubbed itself on her, as if to say it wouldn't hurt her. With a trembling hand, she scratched the animal behind its ear, amazed that she was actually touching such a fearsome creature.

  The wolf continued to calmly watch them, still lying in the snow wagging its tail. If Lanie hadn't known better, she would have thought she was dreaming. What the hell was going on? Remembering Noah, she glanced around at the trees but still saw no sign of him.

  Good Lord, was the tiger purring? That had to be the loudest purr she'd ever heard.

  Once again, she looked into the tiger's eyes which suddenly seemed familiar. She remembered looking into those eyes for the first time after her accident when it had dragged her away from the burning wreck of her car before it exploded.

  "How did you get here?” she asked, feeling silly for talking to an animal. “How did you know where to find us?"

  The creature chuffed in the air and turned, finding an unmarked patch of snow. Lanie watched in awe as the tiger scratched it with its paw. Were those letters? No, it couldn't possibly be! Holy ... they were letters! N-O-A-H

  "Noah?” she said, her voice wavering. “My God, you can spell Noah? What's wrong, did something happen to him?” Tears suddenly threatened to fall from her eyes. Was it her imagination, or had the tiger just shaken its head?

  "Can you understand me?” she asked.

  The tiger nodded. Twice.

  "Christ,” Lanie hissed through her teeth. Her skin was crawling. “Where's Noah?"

  Walking over to her, the tiger pushed her with its head until she stumbled in the snow. Lying on her back, Lanie gave out a cry of fear as the huge cat loomed over her.

  Then ... something began to happen. The tiger was ... changing.

  Before her eyes, the white fur disappeared and was replaced with skin. The paws on the ground beside her became hands and arms. And the face of the tiger thinned out, its eyes becoming more human, its nose and mouth transforming into that of a man.

  Within seconds, Noah himself was hovering above her.

  "It's me, baby,” he said in a gentle voice. “The tiger is me."

  Lanie closed her eyes while the world spun out of control. She was going to be sick, but before she could turn her head to retch in the snow, she fainted into oblivion.

  Fifteen

  "Way to go, Romeo."

  Noah scowled and stood, staring down at Lanie out cold in the snow. “Shut up, Rogan,” he said with a sigh.

  Spinning around, he glared at the man who now stood where the wolf had been, stark-raving naked. His brown hair was short, and his dark eyes were smiling.

  "Oh, God,” Noah grumbled, leaning over and taking the blanket from Lanie's limp hand. “Do me a favor and wrap up in this, would you?"

  "What, you haven't seen a grown man naked before?"

  "Just shut up and put it on!"

  "What about you? If your eyes are burning, then mine are on fire!"

  My clothes are over there,” Noah said as he pointed and trudged in their general direction.

  "So you didn't tell this pretty little lady you were a shifter?"

  "No, Rogan, I didn't. How exactly do you tell a woman you're lusting after that you can turn into a tiger at will?"

  "Ah, so you're lusting after her?"

  Noah scoffed as he picked up his jeans. “I thought you'd be able to smell it. And what the hell are you doing here?"

  "I can
smell it, but I like tormenting you."

  Noah rolled his eyes as he searched for his shirt and shoes. “How did you find me?"

  Rogan pointed at the sky, and Noah looked up. He could see a large bird soaring high above them, circling the forest.

  "Justin's been following you for a while now, and I just followed him. We're here to tell you Tam is getting closer, and I'm not so sure he's going to listen to B*E*A*S*T*'s directives not to kill you."

  "He's that pissed off, eh?” Noah finally found his shirt and grimaced. It was wet with patches of melted snow.

  Rogan gave him a humorless smile. “Pissed and horny, yeah."

  Noah stopped in his tracks. “What's that supposed to mean?"

  "Let's just say you're not the only one lusting after Miss Erickson here."

  The hair on the back of Noah's neck stood on end. A sudden jealousy and possessiveness welled up inside him as he moved to stand over Lanie. His eyes darkened as his hands clenched.

  "He wants Lanie?"

  Rogan nodded. Noah could only stare at the man who'd helped him escape from B*E*A*S*T* not more than a week before. If it hadn't been for Rogan, he wouldn't have been able to get away from the agency. As far as they knew, Rogan was loyal to B*E*A*S*T*, a shifter almost as highly prized as Tam himself, but they couldn't have been more wrong. Rogan could also remember flashes from his life before, but he chose to stay with the agency to find out if they had any kind of files on who he used to be.

  "He wants her something fierce, my friend,” Rogan said. “You've got to get far, far away from him."

  "No shit,” Noah snapped, bending down to lift Lanie in his arms. “How do you propose we do that? We're in the middle of a forest with cops on our trail. We've got to move."

  "Come with me. Justin and I stole one of B*E*A*S*T*'s Hummers."

  "But—"

  "Don't worry about a thing, Noah,” Rogan said, walking away through the trees. “We've taken care of everything."

  Noah followed, holding Lanie close so she wouldn't get hit in the face by tree branches. “But it's one of their vehicles, Rogan!"

  Tossing a grin over his shoulder, Rogan said, “True, but we've ripped out the GPS locator."