Reforming the Bear (7 page)

Sam
ran by him. This was the first time he’d shifted and run with his nephew while
the two of them were alone. The little guy was fast just like his dad had been
at his age. Liam took off after him, making sure he kept him in sight at all
times. He’d sensed that Sam was getting that edgy feeling again. It hadn’t been
so long ago that they’d diagnosed him with autism, when in fact all that was
wrong with him was his DNA: half human and half shifter. He just needed to
shift to put the wiring in his brain right. However, these were still early
days for him after his diagnosis, and Bear had told Liam that sometimes when
Sam got tired or frustrated he slowly regressed back and retreated within
himself. The word repetition would emerge all over again and he’d become
obsessed with straightening things like he had back at the pizza parlor. Shifting
and running was the only thing to turn off the bad wiring so Liam took the
initiative, driving him out to the woods.

 
He knew Hannah would probably be unhappy about
it because, one, she was human, and two, she assumed Bear was the only person
in the shifter community who could deal with this young, energetic cub. She,
like all humans, was so wrong.

Liam
picked up speed, sensing that if he didn’t Sam would pull away and be out of
sight before he knew it. That would mean big trouble for Liam, and he wasn’t in
the mood for trouble with either humans or shifters. He also guessed Bear would,
without a doubt, blame him if anything happened to Sam.

It
was a beautiful evening and perfect for running. He finally caught up with Sam.
Running with his nephew was great. He only wished Danny was around so the three
of them could run together.
 
Danny,
running with his son…

Me, running with
a son of my own.

He’d
never thought about having kids before now, but being around Sam brought out
his parental instincts. Oh yeah, this big grizzly was getting broody in his old
age.
 
Of course he’d have to find his
mate before that could happen.

They
both picked up speed and ran through a heavily wooded area.

Lucy’s
face suddenly sprang into his mind. She was human and he didn’t touch
humans.
 
One of his golden rules … but
every time he laid eyes upon her, his heart beat faster and his cock twitched
and went hard like never before.

Running
would help his pent up energy and libido.
 
If only she could run with him as a bear. If only she was a bear shifter
… then things would be perfect.

Sam
stopped and panted. It had been a hard run for a young cub and Liam knew he’d
had enough. Liam needed to shift back to let Sam know he had to do the same, otherwise
he’d be too exhausted. Liam relaxed his muscles and soon paws became feet and
hands, and the rest of his body transformed back into his human self. Liam
stood up tall and stretched.

“Okay,
Sam, it’s your turn!”

Liam
knew Sam still had to get used to this and it took him a few attempts to return
his body to human form. With each shift, things would get easier and easier for
his nephew.

“You
did great, Sammy. Let’s go back to where we left the truck and our clothes and
get you home before your mother starts ranting and raving about keeping you out
late on a school night.”

****

Lucy
checked that the bag was still where she’d left it. Of course, it was. The
chances of anyone knowing she was here were miniscule, but then she heard the
doorbell ring. At first the sound made her panic but then she guessed,
hopefully correctly, that it was Hannah dropping by to pick up Sam. Liam and he
had not returned from their run yet.

Lucy
struggled with her crutches as she opened the door to her.

“Hi,”
said Lucy.

“Did
they make you answer the door?” asked Hannah.

“No,
they’re not here. They dropped me off and went for a run about an hour ago.”

Lucy
knew apprehension and panic when she saw it, and Hannah looked at her watch and
then back out at the road.

“They
said they weren’t going to be long so I think they should be back any time now.
You want to come in and wait?”

“I
guess I’ll have to.”

Lucy
stepped aside and let Hannah into the house.

“How
did your dress look?” asked Lucy.

Hannah
seemed distracted, staring far-off, and clearly hadn’t heard what Lucy had
asked her.
 
She was biting the nail on
her index finger and looking like the weight of the world was on her shoulders.

“What?
Oh, oh, I’m sorry. It’s just I have so many things on my mind, what with the
wedding and because we’ve just moved to a new house.”

“It
must be exciting.”

“It
really is … but I’ll be glad when it’s over and we can settle in as a family.”

“So
your dress looked okay?”

“Perfect.
I cried when I put it on. You’ll be coming to the wedding, right?”

“No.
I mean…”

“Liam’s
taking part in the ceremony … and, well, I know he doesn’t have a date.”

Date? Great, now
she was his date. No. She couldn’t be. No getting involved, remember?

“He’s
probably got someone else in mind,” said Lucy.

“No,
he didn’t mention it.”

The
sound of the door opening and closing luckily ended the conversation.

Sam
ran into the room and straight to Hannah, who hugged him.

“We
should get you home because you have school tomorrow and you look hot and
somewhat muddy,” said Hannah. “You want to say goodbye to Lucy and Liam and go
get into the car while I chat with your uncle?”

“Bye,
Lucy,” said Sam.

“Bye,
Sam. It was nice meeting you.”

He
hugged Liam and drove his face into his belly. “See you at the weekend, buddy,”
said Liam.

Lucy
sat back on the couch as Liam and Hannah headed outside. She tried not to
notice but as she glanced out of the window she could tell by the animated
gestures of Hannah’s arms that she wasn’t happy with Liam over something.

Poor
guy would probably need a friend when he got back inside.

Chapter Seven

“You
know I don’t like him shifting if Bear’s not around to supervise,” said Hannah.

“And
you know that I wouldn’t let anything happen to him. He’s as much my blood as
he is yours.”

Humans. Damn
them all.

“Would
you phone and ask if it’s okay to let him shift, next time you want to do this
sort of thing?”

He’d
have to ask a human for permission to do something that was second nature to a
bear shifter?
In your dreams.

“Look,
if you must know … I saw signs that his brain was getting fragmented again.”

He
didn’t want to tell her about it just in case she worried, but she’d left him
no other choice.

She
didn’t respond. Yeah, that had gotten her attention.

“He
was getting overly organized again, moving stuff on the table, and he said he
felt strange.”

“But
he was okay after the run?” asked Hannah.

“He
was perfect after the run. He’s really got some speed to him.”

“Yeah,
that’s what Bear said when they ran last week.”

Liam
took a deep breath. He couldn’t help but feel some sort of resentment that Bear
was getting to do things with him, and Liam wasn’t. He liked Bear and thought
he’d make a great stepfather, but still, bitterness existed.

“I
should be getting home because Sam needs to get to bed,” said Hannah.

“Thanks
for dropping him off. I really love the time I get to spend with him.”

“By
the way, I like your new friend. I think she’s good for you. I mean when I
spoke to you earlier, when she was standing there, you seemed less defensive.”

Had
it been that obvious that Lucy somehow made him feel less threatened by the
world around him? Strange that Hannah had noticed it too.

“And
you don’t have a date for the wedding, right?” asked Hannah.

Was
she rubbing salt in his injury that he had no one in his life, and he’d be
going solo to a wedding, of all things? How embarrassing was that for someone?

“No,
I don’t.” Had that come out like the way the defensive Liam would have said it?

“Well,
you do now. I asked Lucy for you.”

And
she’d accused
him
of stepping over
the line by shifting and running with Sam?

He
was just about to open his mouth and give her his usual rant when he realized
she’d done him a huge favor. Not so much because he wouldn’t be going to the
wedding all by his lonesome, but he never would have thought to ask Lucy, and
not just because she was human. What would a pretty girl like her want with Mr.
Grumpy Bear?

“Really?”
he asked, playing coy and pretending he was a little pissed that she’d stuck
her nose in where it didn’t belong.

“Yep,
so that’s all set … and you’ll have to bring her along to the rehearsal dinner
too.”

“Are
you my social secretary all of a sudden?” said Liam. He’d have to keep this act
up or she might think she’d finally gotten the better of him.

“You
know I could tell the way you looked at her and the way she looked at you that
there’s some chemistry between the two of you. So don’t go blowing it, okay? I
think a human mate is just what you need.”

A human mate? Really?

“And
don’t forget Bear’s bachelor party. I don’t know if I can trust his cousin to
keep things from getting out of hand, but I’m asking you, Aiden and Christopher
to keep the evening sane and sensible. I won’t be bailing anyone out if any of
the partygoers gets arrested, okay?”

Sam
knocked on the car window.

“Okay,
honey, we’re heading home.” She turned back to Liam. “I have to go, but
remember all I’ve said.”

The
only bit he would remember was the piece about Lucy looking at him in a certain
way. He waved goodbye as Hannah sounded the car horn and then walked back
inside to find Lucy watching TV.

“Everything
okay?” she asked. “Sam’s mom seemed upset over something.”

“Yeah,
she was a little worried about Sam going running. She’s such a typical hu … woman.
Present company excepted, of course.”

Lucy
smiled at him and his legs went wobbly. No shifter ever made them do that
before.

“She
mentioned the wedding and that you’re going to be my date. If you don’t want to,
that’s okay with me.”

He’d
hate to think Hannah had pressured her. Maybe Hannah’s hunch about Lucy liking
him was way off.

“I’d
love to go with you.”

“There’s
also the rehearsal dinner.”

“Do
I have to buy new dresses?”

“I
thought women liked to do that.”

“We
do.” She looked at her watch. “I guess I should be getting to bed. I’m still
tired and I’m going to take a pain killer.”

She
stood and put the crutches under her armpits.

“You
sure the apartment’s aired out enough?”

“It’s
fine, please don’t worry. I’m so tired I probably won’t notice and I’ll keep
the window cranked open.”

“You
know I’m just across the way if you need me.”

She
nodded and Liam opened the door for her, turning on the light so she could see
to walk across the yard to the apartment. She gave him a wave before going
inside and shutting the door.

Liam
leaned against the jamb. It was a beautiful night. Moon full, stars shining … and
a beautiful young woman was about to sleep no more than a hundred yards away.

Tempting.
So very tempting.

****

Lucy
really thought she’d fall asleep and stay asleep until morning, but she’d woken
up in the middle of the night––and not on her own accord. Wolves howling close
by had woken her suddenly. She struggled to get out of bed, tapping the chair
for her crutches and as quickly as she could, made her way over to the window.
She shut it while making sure the lock was secure.

It
was stupid because there was a screen on it and wolves probably didn’t come
close to these sorts of areas and jump through people’s windows.

They
howled again.

She’d
never been out of the city. Never seen so many stars twinkling in the sky, and as
clearly as they were tonight. She’d never heard wolves howling. Yes, she had seen
nature shows on TV, but never in person. She was sure the surrounding area was
full of them. Probably mountain lions and bears, too. Scary, but she knew if you
didn’t venture into their territory, which she wasn’t likely to do, they
generally didn’t bother you.

Lucy
glanced across at Liam’s place. It was in total darkness. She knew his bedroom
was the one at the back on the left and next to the bathroom. She wondered if
he slept in shorts or maybe in the nude.

Why
had she even thought that? She hobbled back to bed, turned around, hopping on
her good leg, and sat back down on the mattress.

Now
that the window was shut, the room did have that closed-in, musty smell to it.

Poor
Liam, she thought. Not wanting to venture in here for so long because of the
memories of his brother, and then finding his medallion. She laid back down wishing
she had her squishy pillow from home with her. Why hadn’t she thought of
putting it into the car?

Because
she’d left in one hell of a hurry, that’s why.

Liam
loved his brother like she loved Mike and she could see how tough losing his
sibling must have been on him. She could never understand how some brothers and
sisters didn’t get along, didn’t speak to one another for years, and often
parted company once both parents were dead.

She
guessed that like her and Mike, Liam’s parents weren’t around either. At least
he had Sam. When she’d eaten with them at the pizza place and they’d both been
in profile she could see the resemblance. She hadn’t seen a photo of his
brother but she was guessing Sam must look more like him than he did his mom.

Lucy
had committed herself to going to the rehearsal dinner and the wedding. She
wasn’t sure if all the trouble with Mike would blow over before then. She’d
hate to let Liam down, but she’d have to, because family came first. She knew
he’d understand.

She
sighed. Why was it that you always found the best guys at the wrong time of
your life, and in this case, the wrong location?
 
Why hadn’t she found someone like Liam back in
Philly?