Going Polar: A Stand Alone Holiday Howls Polar Bear Shifter Romance

by Abbie Zanders

  She stared up into his eyes. He hoped she could read the truth in them.

  “Fine. But what about Henry? I can’t just leave him here without explanation.”

  Finn disagreed, especially since her brother hadn’t seemed to have any trouble leaving her behind. However, Lainey’s compassion was one of the most attractive things about her.

  “You said he’s a scientist, right?”

  She nodded. “A geneticist.”

  “Maybe he’d be interested in touring the research facility up north?”

  She considered this. “Yes, he probably would actually.”

  “Great. Leave it to me.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Lainey

  Lainey rubbed the spot on her cheek where Finn had given her a peck. Such a quick, chaste kiss shouldn’t light up her body from the inside out. Especially since he was ... yeah.

  “New friend of yours?” Henry asked, emerging from the bedroom.

  “Yes. He’s ... incredibly knowledgeable about the area. Polar bears especially.”

  Henry went over to the table, where the remains of their in-room breakfast sat. He lifted the carafe in a silent question. Lainey nodded, and he poured them each a fresh cup. She accepted the mug and then sank down into one of the chairs. She could feel Henry studying her with the same intensity he’d give a cellular anomaly under a microscope.

  “Stop staring at me like that.”

  Henry tilted his head slightly. “You like him.”

  “Yes,” she admitted.

  Beneath the questions, the confusion, and a host of emotions she hadn’t yet sorted out, she did like Finn. A lot. That didn’t mean she wanted to talk about it, especially when she couldn’t tell Henry the truth. Instead, she turned the focus back to him and his problems.

  “So, what are you going to do about Vicki?”

  He blinked and averted his gaze to his coffee mug. “I don’t know. I do know that since I walked out of that ski house, I’ve felt about a hundred pounds lighter.” He offered a small smile. “I guess that should tell me something, huh?”

  Lainey had the opposite problem. She felt lighter when Finn was around, heavier when he wasn’t. “What about your job?”

  “Guess I’d better start looking for a new one.”

  “I’m sorry, Henry.”

  “Don’t be.” He shrugged. “I miss working in the field, and I hate wearing ties.”

  She laughed softly, flashing back to when they were kids and their mom would try to wrangle Henry into a suit and Lainey into a dress and tights. “Some things never change, I guess.”

  “Not the important stuff,” Henry agreed with a quirk to his lips. “Now, let’s forget about all that and have some fun. Are those snowmobiles I saw on the way in as fast as they look?”

  SHOWING HENRY AROUND Aurora Falls provided a nice distraction from her heavy thoughts. It really was a beautiful town even if it did have its share of secrets. The locals were friendly, and the lodge was very accommodating, welcoming Henry with open arms and offering to provide him with a room of his own.

  Since Lainey’s VIP suite included a large sofa bed, Henry thanked them but politely declined. She had mixed feelings about that. While she enjoyed Henry’s company, it did restrict what she could and couldn’t do, particularly where Finn was concerned. Whether that turned out to be a good thing or a bad thing remained to be seen.

  After a day of low-key sightseeing and souvenir shopping, they shared a quiet dinner in the restaurant. Lainey introduced Henry to the other guests. Unsurprisingly, Mae tried to hit on him, Brad asked him about his investment portfolio, and the older couple shared their suggestions for what he should see and do. Henry and Liam hit it off and spent a good portion of the meal talking shop.

  Lainey was even less inclined to join in on conversation than usual. Her thoughts kept drifting back to Finn. She was glad when the meal was over and they returned to the suite.

  “You’ve got to try the hot tub,” Lainey told him.

  “What about you?”

  “I’ll pass.”

  “You’re moving kind of stiff. Maybe it’ll help.”

  As lovely as that sounded, she didn’t want Henry to see the extent of her injuries and start asking questions she wasn’t prepared to answer. “Maybe tomorrow. Tonight, I just want to curl up with a good book. The switch for the cover is there on the right.”

  “Suit yourself.” Henry went over to the sliding doors and peered out. “Uh, Lainey?”

  “Yes?”

  “There’s a polar bear out there.”

  Her heart leaped. “On the deck?”

  “No, just beyond.”

  “What is it doing?”

  “Nothing. It’s just sitting there, staring at me.”

  Lainey went out onto the deck and looked for herself. The bear was the same one she’d seen several times. The big one with the glowing green eyes.

  Finn.

  He stared at her for several long moments, and then he rose to two legs and let out a low-key roar. She couldn’t help but be impressed. He was a magnificent beast. Was it so wrong that she wanted to sink her hands into his fur and hug him?

  “What do you want?” she called out.

  The bear dropped to all fours and then let out another roar, this one much softer, more like a plea.

  “I know. Go on home now.”

  The bear hesitated.

  “Go on.”

  He turned and ambled away.

  “Did you just have a conversation with a polar bear?” Henry asked from behind her, gaping in disbelief.

  “Yeah, I guess I did.” Of all the things she’d done with that particular bear, the brief exchange was barely a blip on the radar. “Good night, Henry. Enjoy the hot tub and the view. The aurora borealis is really spectacular.”

  Finn

  “YOU’VE GOT IT BAD, man.” Beau’s voice came out of the darkness before he fell into step beside Finn.

  Still in his bear form, Finn grunted and shifted his substantial weight, knocking into Beau.

  Beau stumbled but caught himself and laughed. “She’s onto you though.”

  That had been the point. Finn had wanted Lainey to know that it was him out there.

  “Here.” Beau held out a knapsack. “I took the liberty of grabbing a change of clothes from the hut. You can buy me a beer, and I’ll tell you what’s going to happen tomorrow.”

  Finn grabbed the pack in his teeth and moved into the trees, emerging a few minutes later, clothed and in human form. They went into the lodge bar and chose a table in the back corner. Finn went up to the bar and ordered two beers.

  “I think you gave Doc’s brother a shock.” Beau chuckled. “Do you think that was wise?”

  “Probably not.” Admittedly, wisdom hadn’t been playing a major role in his actions these days. He was operating more on instinct. “Everything’s set?”

  “Done and done,” Beau confirmed.

  After talking with Lainey earlier in the day, Finn had sought out Beau and Steve with his request.

  “Lainey’s brother will get a personal tour through the research facility and what amounts to an all-access pass, while you get some alone time with your woman.”

  Your woman. Finn liked the sound of that. “Thanks.”

  “It was easier than you think. Apparently, Henry Swann is well-known in the scientific community. He’s a doc, too, but the PhD kind. Did you know that?”

  Finn shook his head. He hadn’t known, but if Henry was anything like Lainey in the smarts department, it wasn’t surprising.

  “Anyway, he should be out of your hair for a couple hours at least. Have you thought of what you’re going to tell Lainey?”

  It was all he’d been thinking about. “Everything.”

  Beau frowned. “Again I ask, are you sure that’s wise?”

  “She leaves in two days. I don’t have the luxury of taking it slow. Besides, nothing is going to compare to the shock of yesterday’s big reveal.” Or the
realization that the guy she’s been sleeping with shifts into a polar bear.

  “True enough.” Beau raised his bottle in toast. “For what it’s worth, I’m rooting for you, man. And hell knows, we could certainly use a woman with her skills around here, especially now that Doc Wilson’s out of commission.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Lainey

  “Are you sure you don’t want to come?” Henry asked for the third time.

  They stood in the lobby of the lodge, waiting for Beau to drive Henry to the research center. Finn had made good on his promise, and the anticipation in Henry’s eyes made the anxiety she was feeling worth it. It had been quite a while since she’d seen her brother that excited about anything, certainly not since he’d started working at Hargrove Pharmaceuticals for Vicki’s father.

  “I’m sure. Go. Enjoy your lab time.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “Make the most of my remaining downtime while I can,” she said, being intentionally vague. “I have a feeling that things are going to be crazy when I get back. Who knows when I’ll have time to breathe again?”

  “Especially if you get the directorship,” Henry agreed. “Any word on that?”

  “No, but I haven’t checked my email since I’ve been here.”

  Beau pulled up in an unusual-looking vehicle. The body was a boxy, enclosed cab with heavily tinted windows, perched over large tracks instead of tires.

  They went outside to meet him. He jumped out and joined them, his smile just as bright and friendly as always. Beau was one of the most cheerful people she knew.

  “Doc,” he greeted Lainey first and then turned to Henry. “Doc.”

  They both chuckled.

  “Cool ride,” Lainey commented.

  “I know, right? That thing’s a beast, but it’s the best thing for off-roading around here.”

  Off-roading? Finn didn’t mention anything about that.

  “Aren’t you taking Henry to the research center?”

  “Yes. This is just in case Henry wants to check out some of their field stations while we’re out there too.”

  Henry’s eyes widened. “Field stations?”

  “Oh, yeah. I don’t know if you’re aware, but this area is home to some species that aren’t found anywhere else in the world. The center has collection and observation sites at strategic locations in all of the important ecosystems.”

  Henry turned to Lainey, his face glowing. “Best Christmas present ever.”

  Lainey laughed at Henry’s barely contained excitement. His genuine smile went a long way in alleviating some of the guilt she’d been feeling for ensuring Henry was occupied while she met with Finn.

  “Have fun and don’t hurry back. We’ll order in later, and you can tell me all about it.”

  “Will do.”

  Henry and Beau climbed into the machine; Lainey waved and then went back inside to wait for Finn.

  “First you and now your brother,” said a cold voice to her right. “What makes you so special?”

  Lainey turned to find Mae watching her with undisguised dislike. “I beg your pardon?”

  “Individual-guided tours. Personalized attention. I’m just wondering exactly what you did to warrant that kind of royal treatment.”

  Before Lainey could respond, Mae turned on her heel and walked away.

  “I’m not supposed to say so, but I’ll be glad when that one goes,” Mo said, appearing by Lainey’s side. “She’s been trying to cause trouble since she got here.”

  “I thought it was just me,” Lainey confessed.

  “Hardly. Which reminds me, I’m supposed to tell you that Finn’s waiting for you out back.”

  Lainey thanked Mo and exited toward the rear of the lodge, where the equipment rentals were, her pulse picking up with every step.

  She spotted Finn before he saw her. He was leaning over one of the machines, tinkering with something or other. A tingling sensation sparked behind her ribs, and she felt a familiar fluttering deep in her belly. When he looked up and smiled, her heart began to pound.

  My polar bear.

  “Hi,” he said.

  “Hi.”

  Her nerves must have been evident.

  “Relax, Lainey. It’s just me, okay? The same guy you’ve been hanging out with all week.”

  She nodded, biting her lip and resisting the urge to tell him that it wasn’t him she was afraid of. Rather, it was how she felt whenever she was around him.

  “Where are we going?”

  “I’d like to take you to my place, if that’s okay with you.” When she hesitated, he added, “Just to talk, I promise. I know you have lots of questions, and I’m going to answer them all, but some topics are better discussed in private. If it really bothers you though, we can go somewhere else.”

  The topic did warrant a private discussion, and strange as it was, she did trust Finn.

  “No, it’s okay.”

  He flashed another smile, this one of relief, and straddled the machine. She climbed on behind him, quietly appreciating the pleasure that came from being that close to Finn.

  They started off on the same path they’d taken to his parents’ place, but once they got farther along, they veered off in a different direction.

  Finn’s house was a modest, rustic structure along the shoreline, set apart from similar-looking homes by a line of evergreens and a fair amount of space, a charming bungalow that blended well with the landscape.

  Inside, the place was comfortably warm and furnished with pieces that looked bigger and sturdier than the standard chairs and couches she was used to, with lots of space to move around. His parents’ house had been the same way. She supposed that made sense if they alternated between their human and animal forms.

  When they sat down in front of the television at night, did they prefer to do so as people or bears? Was one form more comfortable than another? Those were just two of a thousand things she didn’t know about shifters.

  He escorted her to his living room and offered her something to drink. She agreed to a cup of herbal tea, more to keep her hands busy than anything else.

  While she waited, she looked around. Except for the extra space and supersize furnishings, it could have been any single man’s home. Family pictures sat on the mantel. Hockey trophies adorned the bookshelf, and a framed, signed jersey hung on the wall.

  Finn returned shortly with her tea, surprising her with a plate of cookies as well.

  “You baked?”

  “Me? Not a chance. My mom did. She thought it might make things seem more normal for you.”

  It was a thoughtful gesture. Lainey said as much.

  “They understand. It’s a lot to process.” He sat down adjacent to Lainey and rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m not sure where to begin. I’ve never actually had to explain this to anyone.”

  “How about we start with the basics?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, okay. The ability to shift is genetic, like skin color or bone structure. No one knows for sure where or how it came to be, but it was probably an evolutionary thing. We think our ancestors might have come from Scandinavia, but it’s not like we can do those genetic profiles to find out, you know? It would raise too many questions.”

  It was too bad she couldn’t ask Henry. Evolutionary genetics was his specialty.

  “Can a human become a shifter?”

  He shook his head and frowned. “No. Years ago, some scientists got wind of us and tried, but it didn’t end well.”

  Lainey wondered exactly what had happened but decided to leave that question for another time. “Is everyone in your family a shifter then?”

  “Everyone in my family is, but there are mixed households as well—one parent human and one parent shifter.”

  “How does that work?”

  He grinned. “Exactly like you’d think it does. Except in our case, the mother’s genetic makeup is always dominant. If the mom’s a shifter, the kid will be a shifter. If she’s hum
an, then the kid will be too.”

  It made sense from a purely biological point of view. “When that happens, are the full-human kids treated differently?”

  “Yes, and no. Obviously, there are going to be some things a shifter can do that humans can’t, and vice versa, but in terms of being accepted and cared for? No, not in the slightest, especially now that we’ve established a permanent home here.”

  Finn went on to tell her about the dwindling number of polar bear shifters and their shrinking habitat and how that had led to an alliance with the people of Aurora Falls.

  “Aurora Falls lies directly in the path of the migratory route of polar bears making their way on and off sea ice to hunt,” he explained, corroborating what she’d read when planning her trip. “And every year, it became a battle between man and bear. It was either adapt with the human world or face extinction.”

  He revealed that most of the bears she’d seen around the lodge were local teens earning some extra cash. Her favorite part was when he told her how those who put in a good effort would get airlifted out to the floes by Beau at the end of each vacation group. He even showed her pictures of happy bears mugging for the camera and waving as the familiar helicopter lifted them into the air.

  They talked for well over two hours. Finn answered every one of her questions thoroughly and patiently. She learned so many things. Everything seemed to support his claims that, with the exception of a few obvious differences, shifters and humans weren’t all that different.

  The only time he stumbled was when she brought up a statement he’d made the day before. It had been tumbling around in her thoughts ever since.

  “Yesterday, you told me you couldn’t simply walk away.”

  He nodded. “That’s true.”

  “Why not?”

  He paused and considered his words before answering, “I said we’re a lot like humans in most aspects, and that’s true. But there is an area where we differ.”

  “Besides being able to turn into a polar bear, you mean?”