When the light fades, I’m on my back, staring up at the sky. A cluster of rocks broke my fall.
At least Bentley’s stopped screaming. Either he’s gone, or the bear ate him.
I blink in the silence. There's something wet dripping to my face. Maybe Bentley will get my half of the inheritance after all.
I grit my teeth, willing myself to live, if only to spite Bentley, when a huge shadow falls over me. It’s the bear, looming over me, his shaggy face close to mine. I had a teddy bear as a child. The real life version is nothing like it. Except the ears–those are round, fuzzy and super cute.
The bear grunts. His hot breath hits my face.
This is the end. I can’t talk my way out of this one.
I could try to get up and run, but these rocks under my back are weirdly comfortable. I let my head fall back with a clunk. Pain knifes through my head, and a black blanket drops over my face, blotting out the world.
Teddy
Thank fuck my bear drew me back to the pink-clad female. I arrived at the summit just in time to see the pasty male threaten her with a knife.
I didn’t think. I didn’t wait. I just shifted. And attacked.
Now her attacker’s gone, and she’s lying in a pink pile on the rocks with blood dripping down her face.
I would chase him, but I don’t want to leave her.
Still in bear form, I sniff her hair. Blood. She hit her head when her stepbrother pushed her. Now she blinks up at me, her gaze unfocused.
I’m probably freaking her out right now.
Before I can stop it, the shift comes over me. I tense and try to fight it, but it’s like trying to stop sneezing mid-sneeze. My spine arches and cracks, and my form flows from the giant bear shape back to human. I stagger on two feet, chest heaving.
What the fuck was that? My bear just forced me to turn. In front of a human. I’ve never been out of control like that.
I stretch out a hand, flicking my fingers to get rid of the cramps. I’m still standing over the little human, and even though my shape is smaller, I still tower over her.
Shit. Did she see me turn?
Her eyelids flutter. I hold my breath, but her eyes stay closed. But they were open before, right? Which means she knows my secret.
This is a mess, and I just made it worse.
She seems unconscious now. If she wasn’t lying on a pile of rocks with a trail of red running from her temple to chin, she’d look like she just lay down for a nap.
I touch her hand, and it’s limp. She’s out, probably with a head injury. Humans are so fucking fragile. She needs medical help. It might not be a great idea to move her now, but I can’t leave her, in case her psycho stepbrother comes back and finishes what he tried to start.
I need to get her out of here.
After checking her open wound, which bled a lot but seems to be clotting now, I carefully scoop her into my arms. Lifting her takes no strength. She’s a pleasant, warm armful, and as I try to steady her head, she mumbles something and snuggles closer. Her honeyed scent tickles my nose.
I move as quietly as I can. I’m naked, the remains of my clothes shredded by the treeline. If she wakes now, I’ll have a lot of explaining to do.
I’ll get her somewhere safe, get her checked out, and deal with her questions then. I’ll have a few questions of my own. Starting and ending with whether or not she saw me turn from a big bear into a human.
The knife is still in the rocks, glinting up at us. I’ll send one of my brothers to get it and her bright pink pack. Now that she’s in my arms, I don’t want to risk jostling her.
I’m striding towards tree cover when her head tilts back and her beautiful brown eyes fix onto my face. Damn, she woke up fast. She still looks a little dazed. Her eyebrows tighten to a V, then smooth out. I turn into a statue as her small hand comes up and touches my cheek.
“Bear,” she mouths. She molds her fingers over my face, and repeats intently, “bear,” before her hand falls. Her eyes close, and her head sags onto my shoulder once more.
Shit.
2
Teddy
The lovely human remains mostly unconscious all the way to my cabin. When I set her on my bed, she immediately curls up into a ball. I cover her with a blanket and draw the curtains to keep the room dark and cool. The sight of her in my bed is more than satisfying. I try not to think too hard about that.