Shiftr_Swipe Left for Love_Jessica

by Ariana Hawkes

  He came to a stop. The smell was getting stronger. He was no longer smelling the trail left by the foreign clan – it was their actual scent that he was picking up. He wrinkled his nose in disgust. Bikers. He knew that stink anywhere. It was unwashed bear, mixed with cannabis, engine grease and old leather. His hackles went up. They’d be very dangerous and very hard to beat. His head snapped to the side as he saw a movement in his peripheral vision. It was a tall rangy bear, moving stealthily toward Christian’s clan house. As ugly as all hell and dumb enough not to have scented him. Lucas crept up behind it, matching its steps tread for tread, so it didn’t hear him coming. Then, silently, he pounced, all four sets of claws digging into its flesh. It crashed to the ground with a scream and, with a swipe from one of his huge paws, he flipped it onto its back. His jaws clamped around its throat, biting into flesh and the hard, brittle windpipe beneath. He shook it hard with his powerful head. Within seconds, its eyes glassed over and its body relaxed.

  Lucas released his hold, running his tongue over his teeth. He hadn’t killed another bear for a long, long time, and hadn’t expected to again. Killing wasn’t in his nature, but he was relieved to see that he was capable of it when the necessity arose.

  He stepped over the lifeless body of his enemy and continued to advance toward the house. Adrenaline shot into his heart as he spotted more bears – a line of them, like sentries, walking in formation. Could he take at least one of them down without the others noticing? It was unlikely, and far more likely that the others would turn on him and he’d be savaged by five bears. Instead, he continued to follow them at a distance.

  They reached the boundary fence of the clan’s beautiful flower garden, and leapt over it in a smooth movement, landing simultaneously in the flower beds. He waited until they’d reached the lawn before he vaulted over too. He stopped on the periphery of the lawn. There was no point exposing himself now, and he’d be more use taking them by surprise later on. His lip curled in disgust, he watched as they crawled like slugs across the lawn. His nostrils worked all the time, trying to figure out whether they represented the whole number of the enemy, or if there were more hiding someplace else. He thought that was all. Luckily, the wind was blowing toward him, concealing his scent from the enemy bears, and sending their scent in his direction.

  The biker bears stopped creeping across the grass and raised themselves up to their full height. The one in the middle gave a low call that Lucas understood meant ‘prepare to attack’. And then the floodlights when on. Suddenly, the entire lawn was illuminated in dazzling white light, like at a football stadium. They froze, absolutely stunned, and Lucas couldn’t resist a chuckle. He should’ve known that Christian and his clan would have something special waiting for them. And then a series of deafening roars ripped through the air, as a dozen huge black bears leapt out from all sides of the lawn. They’d been hiding there, Lucas realized, knowing that the enemy bears would assume they were inside the house, so they could attack them from behind. The enemies’ faces displayed utter confusion as the clan launched themselves on them. They must’ve been congratulating themselves for how well they’d planned the ambush, and now they were the ones being ambushed.

  Lucas leapt out from his hiding place too, and sank his claws into a broad, furry back.

  The fighting was ruthless, and Christian’s clan took no prisoners. Lucas located Christian, and they moved in tandem, working together, one of them distracting an enemy bear, while the other made his attack.

  There were howls and screams as the enemy were picked off, throats torn open, and bellies gashed. Blood sprayed into the air, and all Lucas could see whenever he looked up was a flurry of muscular, furry bodies and flying claws. He was hardly aware of his actions as his instincts took over, and he slashed two throats in a row with his razor-sharp claws. He picked up a few gashes of his own, but he didn’t feel them, the adrenaline charging through his body making him single minded. As he threw his full weight onto the back of the biggest bear, a huge, lumbering grizzly, he saw some more of them appearing from the side of the house. He let out a powerful roar, and Christian immediately turned and spied them. The rest of his clan dropped their wounded and perishing victims and raced toward the newcomers, surprising them with their strength. They moved in a wave, pouncing on their backs, drawing bellows of surprise and pain. Lucas bit deep into the back of his victim’s neck. With a wild snarl, the enemy bear shook him hard, trying to dislodge him, but only succeeded in tipping them both over, as Lucas had intended. In a flash, he jumped up and seized the huge bear by its throat. He clenched his jaw and shook his head from side to side until he heard a loud snap. Another one down, he thought grimly as he bounded across the lawn to join the assault.

  The reinforcements were harder to beat than the initial attack. Lucas figured that they’d kept them in reserve deliberately. As he was struggling hard with one, fending off its vicious claws, he saw Christian flipped onto his back, a fearsome set of jaws only inches from his throat. He gave a roar, and, instantly, a large, loose-limbed bear from Christian’s clan detached itself from the midst of the fight and leapt on the enemy’s back. With a bellow of pain, the enemy bear snapped its head back, which was enough for Christian to lash out with his claws and rip its throat open. The large bear was Christian’s brother, Lucas realized. His kid brother who had suddenly become very big and very fearsome.

  While he was distracted, a claw swiped at his own throat. He jerked back just in time, retaliating with a swipe of his own, slicing the enemy’s muzzle right down the middle, and spraying himself with blood. He bit down on the muzzle, cutting off the air supply until the bear collapsed. Another pair of dumb, biker’s eyes turning glassy as the miserable life drained out of them.

  The roars and bellows were dwindling until, at last, they stopped altogether. Breathing hard, the clan stopped moving and surveyed the damage. Miraculously, none of them had been killed, although three of them were seriously wounded and would need hospital treatment. The rest of them were bloodied, covered in gashes and tears. A tooth had just missed Lucas’ left eye, cutting into the tender flesh above his cheekbone instead. It had swelled up immediately, and he was having trouble seeing out of that eye. He didn’t care. He didn’t care about the hundred burning gashes all over his flesh. All that mattered was that Christian and his clan were safe. Christian gave a long call and all the bears bounded over and surrounded Lucas. Christian hugged him hard and all the other bears followed suit, until they were a big pile of furry bodies. Lucas realized with surprise that they were looking on him as their savior. Christian’s brother dipped his head and looked right into his eyes with his own steady, green ones. The look was a humble expression of gratitude, and Lucas gave a purr in return. Then he turned to Christian, angling his head toward the forest. They had to go and get Jessica.

  They ran fast through the woods, exhilarated at having successfully fought off the enemy attack. Lucas picked up Jessica’s scent quickly, but it was stronger than he’d expected from the distance. And it wasn’t coming from the direction of the place where he’d left her, but was off to the left somewhere. He turned his head and caught Christian’s eye. His friend had obviously noticed the same thing. They increased their speed and plunged on, into some particularly dense forest.

  Jessica’s scent was getting stronger. But it wasn’t her usual sweet, delicious smell. It was the smell of fear. His heart hammering in his chest, Lucas ran full pelt. And then he heard a scream. A chill snaked down his spine. She’s terrified. Someone’s got her. Either that, or she’s hurt herself badly.

  A hundred yards further and he saw a flash of white among the trees. He didn’t check himself. He was like an arrow, heading unerringly toward a target. And that target was the woman he loved, more than he’d known it was possible to love anybody.

  She was lying on her back in the middle of a small clearing, a huge, naked man crouched over her, face twisted in evident enjoyment of her terror. Her skirt was high on her thighs, and h
er shirt was torn, exposing her bra.

  “There’s no point crying. You’re mine now. And I’m going to claim you for my own,” he said in a thick, ugly voice. Jessica’s whimpers of terror were like shards of glass in Lucas’s ears. He and Christian simultaneously let out roars that shook the trees around them. And then they leapt, right for the man.

  He didn’t stand a chance against two bears. He held out his hands, hoping to defend himself, but Christian clamped his jaws around his shoulder, and Lucas took his leg, and they hauled him off, out of Jessica’s sight, dispatching him swiftly, ripping him almost in two. Lucas looked down at the limp body in disgust. He wished he’d got to play with him a while, make him feel some of the fear he’d subjected Jessica to, but his main priority was getting her back to the house so they could check she was okay. They left him out in the open, food for the vultures.

  Jessica was curled into a ball, weeping from shock, but she lifted her head as soon as Christian purred. Immediately, she got up, wiped her eyes on her shirt, and flung her arms around Christian’s neck. Then she ran over to Lucas and did the same to him. He gave a rumbly purr – a good enough substitute for a hug right now.

  “Is he dead?” she whispered in a stunned voice. They dipped their heads in a nod, and she gave a ragged sigh.

  She made to climb onto Lucas’ back, but he gently nosed her over to Christian. His back was cut up worse than Christian’s, and even her small weight would’ve been agony pressing against it.

  She took the cue, and snuggled close to Christian, pushing her nose into his fur, and they trotted back to the house. The clan were still gathered outside, keeping watch, ensuing that there wouldn’t be a third wave of attack, and they cast curious glances at them. They’d speak later. None of them would be in any hurry to shift into their human forms, since the pain of their injuries would be so much worse for their human bodies to endure. Christian carried Jessica indoors and took her upstairs to a large bedroom. He crouched down by the bed and she clambered off and sat down on it, her legs shaking badly. Lucas went over to a lamp in the corner of the room and used his claws to turn the dimmer switch way down. And then both bears shifted.

  It was an agonizing process, their human skin resisting all the way, and the wounds hurting as bad as when they were first inflicted. Finally, they both stood in their human forms, trembling. Jessica looked at them and her eyes went very wide. She clapped her hand over her mouth to stifle a scream.

  “Oh my god, you’re both hurt so bad,” she gasped, and her eyes filled with tears.

  “Don’t worry about that. We’re both tough old bears, and shifters heal real fast. You’ll see. In two days, we’ll be all better,” Lucas said. “But how are you? Did that piece of shit hurt you?” She shook her head, but let out a sob. Lucas sat down next to her, forgetting that he was stark naked, and laid an arm around her shoulder.

  “It was my fault. I stepped inside the forest. You were gone so long, and I was so worried about you both. You weren’t answering my messages. I couldn’t just leave you there and take a taxi like nothing was happening. I set the GPS on my phone and was following it pretty well through the woods, when a bear appeared from nowhere. I knew it wasn’t either of you guys, so I was terrified. And then it shifted right in front of my eyes. He was such a sleazy guy. He grabbed my arm and started dragging me around, while saying that it was my fault, and little girls like me shouldn’t go wandering around the woods by themselves. He kept muttering that it was time I was mated and he was going to claim me, and all his clan was going to claim me too. I was so scared.”

  “That piece of shit!” Lucas exclaimed, and his bear snarled and churned at his insides, ready to burst out of him and fight the man’s entire family.

  Jessica took a deep breath, forcing her emotions under control. “But then you rescued me, just in time.” She looked from one to the other. “He was from the enemy clan, wasn’t he?” Christian nodded. “I’m afraid so. But we’ve dealt with them all. I’m pretty sure they won’t be bothering us again. I just need to speak to my brother. I’ll be back in a moment.”

  When he was gone, Jessica flung herself into Lucas’ arms. He stroked the back of her head, holding her against his chest.

  “You’re safe now, Jessica. We’re here to protect you. Nothing like that will ever happen to you again. She moved her head and looked up at him, squinting a little, and he realized that she wasn’t wearing her glasses.

  “Oh, I lost them when that dickweed grabbed me. They fell off and I tried to pick them up, but he just laughed and hauled on my arm.”

  “Don’t worry, we’ll find them tomorrow.” She looked doubtful.

  “You’re going to locate them in the middle of the woods?” He laughed.

  “We’ll just follow your scent and they’ll be there somewhere. But does this mean you can’t see too much right now?”

  “No, I can see fine to about ten feet away. I can see that both you guys are naked,” she said with a giggle.

  “Oh. Sorry,” he said. She laughed more loudly this time.

  “Don’t be. I can tell that shifters are pretty comfortable with being naked. I’ll just have to get used to it.”

  “Maybe you’ll start joining in too.”

  “Don’t bank on it,” she said. Then she stood up, a little shakily. “Let me see to your wounds. Know where I can find a first aid kit?” He opened his mouth to tell her not to worry about it, but then he realized that it would probably soothe her. And his mom was always telling him that wounds healed better and scarred a lot less when he took the trouble to clean them, instead of letting them do their own thing.

  “In the bathroom, I guess.” He went over to the en suite and rummaged around until he found a box containing bandages and antiseptic creams. She followed him in and filled the sink up with warm water. Then she took a washcloth and began cleaning his wounds. It burned unbearably, but he gritted his teeth and made out that it didn’t hurt. Before long, the water in the sink was bright red, and Jessica was gently drying him with a warm towel. But when he caught sight of himself in the mirror, even he was shocked. His torso was covered in claw marks and bites. He stared in fascination. Last time he’d been in a bear fight, which was many years earlier, he hadn’t looked at himself afterwards. No wonder Jessica had been so distressed to see them.

  Jessica carefully smeared the antiseptic cream on every wound, until the air was full of that distinctive tang.

  “Thanks, Jessica,” he said. “That’s much better.” And he bent down and kissed her on the forehead.

  Just then, Christian appeared in the doorway. The tension in his face had eased and he looked relieved.

  “Everything okay?”

  “Yeah. Some of the guys are staying on guard, while the others are patrolling. We all believe that we took the entire clan down though, and that there’s no further danger.”

  “Thank god,” Jessica said.

  “Thanks to the two of you,” Christian said, with a tired smile. “If you hadn’t forewarned us, we would’ve been much less prepared.”

  “But no thanks to me getting kidnapped in the woods,” Jessica said. “You guys had enough to do without running off after me.”

  “Don’t be silly. It’s our job to protect you. And you should be safe walking around the clan’s territory. It’s only because of the attack tonight that our resources were diverted to saving the clan from being taken over.”

  He nodded his head toward the antiseptic cream.

  “Now, do you think I can I get some TLC too, or is that just for Lucas?” With a grin, Jessica emptied out the sink and grabbed some fresh towels.

  Lucas went through to the bedroom and left them to it. He lay down on the bed and let his thoughts wander. Whatever Jessica’s solution was, he was so glad that it had brought them to Wynter Hollow in time to fight off the enemy clan, and he also felt like tonight had brought them closer together. He and Christian had worked as a team, united in their need to protect the clan, but most of all
, to protect Jessica. He could see that Christian’s concern for her was identical to his own.

  He could hear their voices coming from the bathroom, as they chatted and teased each other, and he hoped that the solution wouldn’t cause any of them pain.

  When Jessica was done cleaning Christian’s wounds, they came back into the bedroom. She immediately gave a long yawn. “I think I need to lie down,” she said, and climbed onto the bed, shuffling along until she was right in the middle, next to him.

  “I guess I’ll head to bed too,” Christian said. “I’ve been awake for two days straight, and I don’t think I’m any use to the clan right now.” He strode to the bedroom door, but Jessica called him back.

  “No, stay,” she said. “I need you both here, protecting me.”

  He shrugged.

  “If you think there’s enough space in the bed?” Lucas glanced across the bed. It was a huge bed, bigger than king size. Even with the three of them in there, there was plenty of space. Jessica tapped the empty portion of the bed adorably.

  “Of course, come lie here.” She pulled the comforter out from under her and Lucas’s bodies, and as Christian climbed into bed, she drew it over all three of them.

  Christian fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow, his breathing slowing and little rumbling sounds coming from his chest.

  “Poor guy, he’s so exhausted,” she whispered, turning over in the bed so she was facing Lucas.