by Jenna Kernan
“Ty!”
The men scrambled to their feet as Goliath stood on his hind legs, looming over them.
Both men screamed, but they retained their guns and an instant later took aim. Goliath dropped to all fours and charged. Luisa raised her tranquilizer gun, but only had a clear shot at the one called Cal. She got him in the shoulder with a tranquilizer dart loaded for bear. He stared first at the dart and then at her, his gaze full of wide-eyed astonishment.
Goliath’s forepaw swung out, knocking the rifle from Ben’s hands. The next blow knocked the helmet off his head, cracking it like an egg. Ben drew a wicked hunting knife and swung at the bear’s middle, trying to cut through the thick hide to the belly. The bear lunged, sinking his fangs into Ben’s exposed neck. The crunch of cartilage and bone was sickening.
Goliath turned to find the second man wobbling as he tried to mount his sled. The tranquilizer was filled with enough juice to down a bear and it worked fast. With luck it wouldn’t stop his heart. He fell across the seat, his arms flopping like a rag doll’s.
Luisa ran toward Goliath, but stopped as he reared before her. He said he would recognize her and yet she saw no sign or assurance. To face the sheer mass of such a titanic animal turned her insides to gelatin.
“Ty,” she whispered, feeling dizzy from the cocktail of fear and adrenaline racing through her bloodstream.
He changed to human form, covered only in the heavy fur cloak draped about his shoulders and fastened with the familiar grizzly claw. Blood painted his hands crimson and dripped in bright droplets to the snow.
She shuddered at the sight and watched her revulsion strike him like a blow.
His voice was gruff. “Are you hurt?”
“The bullet missed.” She cast an anxious glance at the dark sticky stain on his fur cloak. “You?”
His expression remained grim as he glanced at the wet spot. “Not my blood.” His voice took on a hypnotic quality as he stared at his kill. “These men raise cattle to be killed, yet they shoot bears for doing the same thing.” His gaze reconnected with hers. “I saved the old one. That’s what took me so long. I had to heal the bear.” He met her gaze, his eyes round with regret. “I’m sorry, Luisa. It is my duty. I didn’t realize they were coming for you until I started to hunt them.”
Luisa had witnessed the aftermath of bear attacks before and knew exactly how violent such confrontations could be. None of it prepared her for this. There on the snow lay the reason she couldn’t take the position as head of her own bear research tem in Idaho, because she couldn’t leave her research subjects here unprotected. This was the man who had sent her death threats, killed sleeping bears and shot at her. Did he deserve any better?
She glanced at Ben’s body sprawled motionless on the icy ground, his head at an unnatural angle and the blood melting the snow beneath him. Her stomach gave a heave and she gagged.
She wrapped her hands around herself, rounding her shoulders as she glanced back to find Ty studying at her. His mouth pressed in a thin line as he lifted his chin in defiance.
Here stood the guardian of bears, but also of her life. He had stepped over the line and made her his responsibility. She stood in awe, glad it was not her fate to judge and punish, like the changeling before her.
She met his gaze. His eyes glittered with some emotion she could not fathom, and she thought she had never seen a man look more alone. Suddenly, she understood. He expected her condemnation, waited for it in fact. She drew a breath and gathered her courage.
“Thank you for my life.”
One high, aristocratic brow lifted in surprise.
“The rangers will be looking for evidence as to which bear made this kill, just like they are hunting the bear that killed that hiker in the fall.”
“The killer of cubs?”
“It’s a death sentence, Ty. There is a zero tolerance for fatal attacks. Once a bear takes a human, they are always put down.”
“Too bad it that doesn’t work both ways.” His tone held an icy disdain.
She ignored it. “They’ll measure the bite wounds, interview witnesses and find the hairs you left behind.” They’ll know it’s you.
She extended her hand, uncurling her fingers to reveal the glass vial, tightly capped with a black plastic lid.
“Your hair,” she said. “That’s the only sample. They can’t match the bear without it. But they’ll be looking for samples from males in the spring.”
Their eyes met as understanding settled between them. He had to leave the area. He accepted the vial, staring down at the dark hairs trapped in glass. His smile was sad as he curled his fingers in a fist around the sample.
He lifted his other hand, reaching for her and realizing too late they were slick with blood.
Luisa stepped back, and Ty drew his hands beneath the cape, shame now coloring his neck. When he lifted his gaze to meet hers, she saw that his deep brown eyes sparkled with anguish. “This is what I feared…that you would see me as the animal I can become.”
She swallowed, not willing to lie and say that this was easy.
“And I am alone again,” he whispered as if to himself and then to her, in a more formal tone. “But I thank you for the night you gave me. I hope you do not regret our joining too much. I will always remember you.” He nodded to her and then turned to go.
She lunged forward, wrapping her arms about his middle, clasping her fingers over his flat stomach. He stiffened and then relaxed, leaning back against her.
“What will you do now?” she asked.
“Den for the winter. The bears are safe, so I can rest.”
She released him, but only to move to stand at his side. She held his arm, threading hers through his. “Do you have to hibernate?”
He stared at her as if considering his words with care. “No. I den because it is a sleep without dreams.” He glanced toward the forest as if it called to him. “A peace, of sorts.”
“Ty?”
He fixed his sad brown eyes upon her.
“I’ve been offered a position in Idaho. Would you come with me?”
“You want me with you?” He looked so shocked.
“Yes. I know you will outlive me, Ty. I can’t prevent that. But I’m asking you to take a chance on me, because I think we belong together.” She clasped his hand. “Please, Ty. Let me in.”
He realized he already had. All his efforts to keep himself safe and insulated had failed him. He wanted her badly enough to take the risk. For the first time he wasn’t alone and he wasn’t afraid. She was right. Love meant risk and he was willing to accept that Luisa already owned his heart.
He nodded his head. “Yes. I will go with you and protect you and love you always.”
She lifted up for a kiss, and he gathered her in his arms, pressing his mouth to her sweet, yielding lips.
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ISBN: 978-1-4268-4358-7
Moon Shadow
Copyright © 2009 by Jeannette H. Monaco
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