Secret to Bear (3 page)

“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice sincerely concerned.

I laughed and shook my head. The thought crossed my mind to tell him about how I had grown claws, and how I was banned from the local grocery store for eating the raw salmon. Or maybe about waking up nude and disoriented after—

“Oh god!” I gasped, my eyes wide in horror as I looked over at him again. He only returned the same puzzled stare. But was it him? Was he the one that had drugged me the night before? Is that how he knew about the bear thing? Was it a side-effect from the drug?

Without another word I covered my face and pushed myself from the bar, disturbed by how intently the rowdy men in the booth glared at me as they watched me leave.

I burst out the door and back into the cool night air. The creep that had been watching me before was gone, and I was grateful to at least be rid of him. It took a minute for me to get my bearings, but soon I was hurrying down along the sidewalk, heading for home. Most of the street lights were broken, but the moon was large and bathed the night in a ghostly glow.

I could smell them before I could see them. I had only gone a little way when the scent of the men from the booth behind me flared in my nostrils. I was surprised to find they quickly surrounded me, and I stopped in horror, waiting for them to come out from the dark crevices.

“Are you alone and afraid?” a voice barked behind me. I spun around to see him, tall and strong, a maliciousness tainting his smile.

“She could use some company,” another voice grunted. I didn’t bother turning to face him, but cringed in a surging terror as I heard them all gathering around me. There would be no easy escape; they had seen to that. The realization of my situation soon overwhelmed my earlier anguish, and my muscles began to tremble uncontrollably.

“Leave me alone,” I squawked. I tried my best to sound threatening, but my voice cracked and warbled in despair as the terror rose. They stepped closer to me, some of them starting to giggle in wicked, sickening glee. The hopelessness poured through me; they weren’t going to leave me alive. I felt nauseous, and only hoped to vomit all over them as they—

“Oh god, no!” I cried out in bitter helplessness. “Oh god, please don’t do this to me!” I knew my pleading was senseless, even humiliating to me. But it was all I had left, and that understanding was burning hot in my chest.

I gave one of the men a pleading look, the tears dribbling over my cheeks. I pulled my arms tight around my body, waiting, hoping he would feel sorry for me.

He smiled, his grin stretching tight over his face, which seemed somehow to protrude out at me, mocking me, as it—

“Holy shit!” I squealed. His mouth and nose were stretching out into a snout, complete with drooling fangs, and his ears were lifting up into sharp points. I screamed at the horrifying hallucination of them, all of them, changing into monstrous wolves, standing upright on their hind legs.

“Are you dirty dogs sure you want to piss around with her?”

The gruff voice, the familiar and melodious in sound, rumbled through the still night air. It was Gage, and I swung around to see him walking across the street toward us. The wolf men stepped back a few paces.

“Gage, help me!” I begged. I began sobbing, feeling pathetically weak. He gave me another oddly puzzled look, but strolled calmly up to stand beside me.

“Gage,” the tallest wolf snarled. “This is none of your business. Scram!”

“None of my business?” Gage scoffed in retort. “This is my girl you’re harassing. What if she were to break a claw ripping your face off, Todd? You don’t think that would put me into a bad mood?”

“What the fuck?” I blurted out before I had a chance to stop and think.

“You don’t think we can take you down?” Todd threatened. “There’re five of us, Gage.”

Gage snickered and gave the others a humored but threatening glance. One of the wolves scurried back and crossed the street, waiting there and watching. The rest fell back only a few feet. Gage steadied his glare directly back on Todd.

“I’m bored of talking now,” Gage said, his voice low and mean. “I think it’s time you try putting your teeth where your mouth is.”

Todd shifted nervously, but gave a defiant laugh. “My teeth
are
where my mouth is, moron.”

“I meant after I’m done with you,” Gage growled, his voice reverberating in deathly rage.

Holding my breath I watched Todd. First he stepped away, and I heard the others scampering into the distance. With a sudden yelp Todd turned and ran into the night. I took a heaving breath of relief. I had the definite idea Gage was tough, and probably a fighter, but with five against one he wouldn’t stand much of a chance—especially if those five were part wolf.

I felt light-headed and reached over, searching for Gage’s hand. My hand landed on his thigh, his muscle thick and hard beneath his jeans, and I turned to thank him for saving my life.

I screamed—I think. There was a roaring in my ears, and I couldn’t hear much over it. As I turned around Gage towered over me, his eyes black and cruel, his face monstrous with his mouth snarling to reveal long piercing fangs. His shirt was ripped open to make room for a bulging chest and huge shoulders that dropped down into two massive flesh-ripping claws. The world went black, and I was falling.

“Jo?” Gage’s voice cracked through the fog in my brain. “Jo, are you alright?”

I opened my eyes and sighed with relief. The hallucination was over; it was Gage kneeling over me, cradling my limp body gently in his arms. They were real arms, not bear arms with killer claws. Just strong, loving arms wrapping warmly around me. His face was back to the rugged, stubbly cheeks and deep brown eyes, with tender lips that I could—

“What happened to your shirt?” I asked, seeing the top buttons torn away to reveal a delicious hairy chest.

He gave me a stunned glare. “You can’t tell me you don’t remember what just happened, Jo. My shirt tore when I shifted a bit to scare off the pack. You don’t remember that?”

I put a shaking hand up to my throbbing head. “That really happened?” I moaned. “Wasn’t it all a delusion?”

Gage laughed. “I’d say yes if it weren’t for what you are. Jo, I’m starting to think you don’t know about bears and wolves.”

“Wolves eat babies,” I grumbled, “and bears do unspeakable things in the woods. Is there more to it than that?”

He shook his head. “How can you
not
know? Didn’t your parents teach you about what you are?”

I pushed myself up from the ground as Gage helped me onto my feet. “What’s this crap about what I am? I’m a girl, Gage—where’s the mystery in that?” I took a deep breath, looking nervously around. We were still in the bad neighborhood. “But I never knew my parents. They died when I was just a baby and I grew up in a strict, Christian orphanage. They told me I was a child of God and a piece of shit sinner, and that’s all they ever said about it.”

“But—” he stopped and stood, staring in puzzled dismay. “You haven’t changed before?”

I still felt woozy and leaned into him for support. “I’m sure I’m not who I once was, if that’s what you mean.”

“Damn it Jo, you’re a freakin’ bear! How can you not know that?” There was frustration in his voice now.

“What the hell do you mean, I’m a bear?”

He shook his head and wrapped both arms around me. I swooned warmly with his sudden affections and held him tight.

“What you saw tonight wasn’t some trick of your mind, Jo. Those men shifted into wolves, and I shifted into a bear. The thing is, you’re every bit as much of a bear as I am. I can’t believe you haven’t noticed before.”

I looked up into his face. He was serious.

“You mean those guys were werewolves?” I stammered. “And we’re, what—werebears?”

He nodded. “So far, so good, yes.”

Pushing away I gazed up at his face. “You’re serious? I don’t believe that crap.”

“I could change again and prove it to you,” he offered.

“No!” I snapped, jumping back. “I believe you, I do.” It took a minute for me to wrap my mind around what he was saying. “So, I’m not going crazy?”

“I wouldn’t go that far, but what you’ve been seeing is real,” he said with a laugh. He took my hand in his and we started walking. “I’ll walk you home and tell you about it, okay?”

“We turn into bears, those guys turned into wolves. Is there more?” I asked.

He laughed again. “Not much, no. Just that wolves run in packs, and we don’t get along with them. They try to lie low most of the time, but they have nothing against killing. And they see us as competition. That’s why they were going to kill you tonight.”

“Just because I’m a bear?” I gasped.

He shrugged. “That’s all it takes, I’m afraid.”

“So they’re killers,” I repeated. “And what are bears like?”

“You tell me, Jo. You are one, remember?”

“I can’t understand how this happened,” I groaned. “One day I’m normal miss nobody and suddenly—” I gasped, putting my hand to my mouth. “The other day I was attacked!” I breathed. “There was blood all over me, too! I must have been bitten by a bear and been infected.”

Gage furrowed his brow. “Did you see what attacked you?”

“No.” I reddened. “I was drunk off my ass at the time.”

He rubbed his rough cheek thoughtfully, then he stopped in stunned shock and turned to stare at me. His eyes grew wide.

“What?” I demanded.

“Jo,” he said in amazement.

“Yes?”

“No, I mean, you’re Jo Dixon!”

A shocking jolt streaked through me. “Yes. How did you know that?”

“Holy shit!” he crowed. “You’re Dixon’s daughter! I’ve heard of you, Jo. The clan tried to find you after your parents passed away but never could. I guess there were no close family members to claim you.”

I gripped his arm with excitement. “You’ve heard of my parents? Gage, no one has told me anything about them. What do you know?”

He thought for a minute. “Only that they were well-known among the clan, and everyone missed them when they died. I heard they were great partiers. And, that they were Kamchatka bears.”

“They were what now?” I asked.

“Kamchatka,” he grinned. “It’s an eastern brown bear. They’re very large and strong, a lot like the grizzly. Both of your parents were Kamchatkas, and so are you. I thought you seemed a bit different than most.”

“But those wolf-men things weren’t afraid of me,” I said. “If I’m so powerful, why would they attack me?”

“Wolves can’t tell one bear from another—unless you’re in bear form, of course. They probably figured you for a more common black bear, especially since you’re so slender in human form.”

“So I still don’t understand,” I whined. “If I was born a bear person—”

“Werebear,” he interrupted me.

“If I was born a werebear,” I corrected, “why have I not figured it out before?”

Gage furrowed his brow again, and we continued walking back toward my apartment. “You said you were raised in a Christian orphanage, right? Just how strict were they?”

My eyes teared quickly at the painful memories, which surprised even me. I leaned my head down to hide my childish reaction, but he gently squeezed my hand.

“You couldn’t cough without getting smacked,” I grumbled.