The Way You Are

by Carly Fall

  Ruby listened to his soft voice as he told her about the crappy apartment he lived in after the accident.

  “I grew up in the projects, and I thought this place was a shithole.”

  She’d never seen the projects of New York except in pictures, and they’d looked awful. How could he live in something worse?

  “At least there, I had my Nana,” he said. “In Seattle, they isolated me from everyone, except for my neighbors, and I didn’t want to have any contact with them, anyway. They were a bunch of drunks, addicts, and life-long losers. The prostitute was okay, though.”

  She cringed, trying to imagine living with such people.

  “So there I was one day, just minding my own business in my apartment. See, they had someone watching me all the time. I found out it wasn’t that way for Brody and Lucas, and I don’t know about the others because I haven’t found them yet. Apparently, they thought I was trouble, which I suppose I would have been if I didn’t have that asshole, Frank, looking over my shoulder all the time.”

  “It all seem surreal, Garrett,” she said as she stroked his head. She noted the submissive way he lay with her. Perhaps he felt the need to be comforted?

  “It is. But anyway, I was minding my own business when I felt something grow inside of me, almost begging to get out. It had been building for quite a while, but then it just exploded.”

  “What happened, then?”

  “My body cracked and snapped, my muscles grew different ways. When it was all done, I glanced at the television and caught my reflection in the screen. I was a bear.”

  Her heart beat hard, listening to his story. “That’s crazy.”

  He chuckled. “I know.”

  “Did you freak out?”

  He held her closer for a beat of silence. Finally, he spoke.

  “I suppose I did. But at the same time, it made sense to me. I’d had this feeling inside of me for a while, like something was trying to get out from inside my body. When I saw my reflection, it all made sense, so there was clarity, but yeah, I was freaked out.”

  “And after that?”

  “Frank came to the door, and I concentrated on getting back to my human form. It took a while, but I did it. I told him I was watching TV.”

  “How did you get out of there? How did you get with Joe?”

  He chuckled. “Thomas showed up one day. Knocked on my door and pointed a gun at my head. He told me if I wanted a real life, one where I could do what I was trained to do, to follow him.”

  “And what did you do?”

  “I shut the door and followed him down the stairs.”

  “How did you make that decision so quickly?”

  “When the right opportunity presents itself, you just know it. Even though he held a Glock to my head, I knew I had to go with him. As far as I was concerned, I had hit my rock-bottom. I couldn’t go any lower. Anything was better than what I had.”

  “What happens if the people who did this to you find you?”

  “I die.”

  A beat of silence ensued as she wrapped her mind around his simple statement. It made her sick to her stomach, and she swallowed hard. He said it so matter-of-factly, without any fear. If she knew she had someone hunting her, she’d be rattled and very afraid.

  “What do you do now?”

  He stretched a bit, and sighed. “Now, I try to find the rest of my unit, and I hunt those who did this to us.”

  They lay in the quiet night for quite some time, and Garrett’s breathing evened out, making her wonder if he’d gone to sleep.

  Her mind raced with what he’d told her, the issues of his world, and the consequences of him telling her his secrets. By revealing the whole story to her, he’d obviously trusted her, and that made her feel even closer to him.

  “I want to see you shift,” she whispered into the dark night, not really expecting an answer.

  “Tomorrow, Ruby,” he mumbled. “I’m way too comfortable right now.”

  She grinned and kissed the top of his head, the coarse hair tickling her lips. The moonlight streamed through the parted blinds, casting the room in a comforting glow. As her eyes closed, she became so content she never wanted to move, but knew eventually she’d have to, both figuratively and literally. She and Garrett both came from— and resided—in different worlds.

  How could they possibly make this relationship work?

  They couldn’t.

  He lived in his world, and for the time being, she was simply a visitor.

  No amount of sex, caresses, or shared secrets could ever change that.

  Chapter 31

  “Well, let’s see it.”

  Garrett grinned at her as they stood outside the cabin. Why he’d told her he’d turn into a bear for her, he didn’t know. Maybe Zach had been correct and she did have him by the short and curlies. Apparently, he’d do anything for her, including shifting. He hadn’t felt the need to change in a couple of days, but now the opportunity had presented itself, he looked forward to it.

  “This is going to cost you,” he said, kicking off his boots.

  “Really? I don’t remember that being part of the deal.”

  He gazed over at her as she crossed her arms over her chest, a smug look on her face. The shy Ruby he’d been introduced to a few days beforehand had disappeared. In her place stood a confident woman who didn’t have trouble talking back to him, and it turned him on to no end. If he’d had it bad for her four days ago, now, his want for her shot off the charts.

  Removing his shirt, he dropped it to the ground and walked over to her. She licked her lips as he approached.

  “Oh, yes, little girl, this is going to cost you.”

  She glanced at his chest, and then back at his face. She’d told him how much she loved his stomach and chest, and he’d use anything at his disposal to get what he wanted. God knew she did.

  “Okay, what’s the price I have to pay?”

  He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “I get to tie you up tonight and do all sorts of naughty things to you,” he whispered.

  3 … 2 … 1 … and there it was—her cheeks reddened at his words, and he grinned.

  “You are so bad,” she said, gazing up at him, her eyes dancing.

  He shrugged. “So what’s it going to be?”

  She sighed and cocked out her hip, acting like she deemed his proposition a huge inconvenience for her. “Fine. I’ll see if I have the time.”

  He took a few steps back and unbuckled his jeans before letting them drop to the ground, thankful the warm, spring weather had returned. “If I keep my clothes on, they get shredded.”

  Her gaze raked over him appreciatively, and his cock thickened.

  “You are completely insatiable,” she said, obviously noting his growing member.

  He chuckled. “Only for you, honey. Only for you.”

  He shut his eyes, looking for the beast that lived within him. After a few moments, it came to the surface, and the changes began.

  Ruby stared in disbelief as Garrett’s skin began to glow golden, the exact shade of his eyes. The aura grew brighter, and she heard snapping and popping coming from his body. He fell to his hands and knees; his back arched and his head grew, a bear snout forming on his face. His chocolate skin turned darker, and through the glimmer, she could see hair sprouting all over his body. His hands and feet widened, his fingernails extending into claws, and then the glow began to fade.

  Before her stood a bear.

  The silence of the forest seemed deafening as if all its inhabitants knew a predator was in their midst, and her heart pounded wildly. Garrett had assured her he wouldn’t hurt her, but still, she stood face-to-face with a bear, and fear ran through her. A completely natural, human reaction, as far as she was concerned.

  He tossed his head at her and pulled his lip back, showing her his teeth. Coming toward her slowly, he huffed and growled, and she took a step back.

  “Don’t come any closer,” she whispered, holding out her hand.r />
  He did as she asked and lay down on the ground, putting his head on his paws.

  They stared at each other for a few moments, and she took a deep breath and stepped toward him. She wanted to touch him, to feel this part of him, to know him completely.

  He rolled to his side, obviously trying to be as unthreatening as possible, and it gave her courage.

  She timidly moved, the minutes ticking by. Finally, she reached him and slowly got down onto her haunches. Extending her hand, she placed it on top of his head, and he huffed again.

  His fur felt coarse against her palm, and she threaded her fingers through it, feeling a soft undercoating. Shutting his eyes at her touch, he grunted, and she had to smile. It seemed he liked to be petted, just as he did in his human form.

  Feeling braver, she sat down next to his head and stroked his muzzle and behind his ear. This earned her another grunt, and he rolled onto his back.

  “I didn’t know bears liked their tummies rubbed,” she said as she touched his chest. She gently patted him and studied his paws.

  They seemed to be a little larger than a man’s hand, but viewing the claws up close fascinated her. Long and sharp, they could easily rip anything to shreds, and she shuddered thinking about seeing one come at her in a predatory way. “You do need a bath though, Garrett. You kind of stink.”

  He huffed again and rolled back to his side. She noticed his ears constantly twitching, as if he listened for anyone —or anything, for that matter—approaching them.

  The birds in the trees once again began to sing, as if they knew Garrett wasn’t to be feared.

  “You’re beautiful,” she whispered as she stroked his head, feeling that she had now been introduced to all of him. There existed no secrets any longer between them.

  As the afternoon stretched on, they sat in the dirt in front of the house, and she wondered if she’d ever known anyone so thoroughly before in her life?

  She thought of the people she knew, her family, the few guys she’d dated.

  The answer was a resounding no, and a tear slid down her cheek thinking that she’d never be able to make a connection like this again.

  Chapter 32

  Garrett came into the kitchen as Ruby hummed, her back to him. After he’d turned back into a human, she announced she’d make dinner for them, which suited him just fine as he became hungry after a change, and something baking in the oven smelled damned good.

  However, he would make sure she kept to her part of the deal for after dinner, and he’d been scrounging around looking for something to tie her up with. The only thing he had come up with so far was an electrical cord, which seemed sort of serial-killer-ish, and socks, which just seemed wrong. He needed a silk sash or something like that, and he wished he’d brought one.

  But really, how could he have known the way Ruby would affect him? He’d expected something totally different when given this assignment, not the woman he’d come to intimately know in such a short period of time. Maybe he could just tell her to keep her hands and feet where he wanted them, but he didn’t see that working out very well. Part of the turn-on for both parties would be her not being able to move, and him having his wicked way with her.

  He allowed himself a brief fantasy of both of them living here in the middle of the woods, happily ever after. He could still continue his work with Joe, and maybe they could pop out a couple of kids somewhere down the line. However, he could also be a greedy bastard, and he liked the idea of having Ruby to himself for a few years.

  Shaking his head, he cleared the thoughts. None of that would happen. He didn’t see a way he could hunt Group Nine and have a live-in partner.

  Hi, honey! How was your day?

  Good. I killed one of those assholes from Group Nine.

  Great! I made pasta!

  Nope, it just didn’t work.

  He walked up behind her and put his arms around her waist, planting a kiss on her neck. “What are you cooking up?”

  “I thought I’d go with southern cooking tonight and—”

  A thump against the window made both their heads turn, and it was quickly followed by another one.

  Garrett honed in on the polycarbonate pane and registered that two bullets had lodged in it.

  Pushing Ruby to the floor, he realized Zach’s vision had come to fruition, and he swore. Time seemed to stop as he hunched down next to her, slamming her body into the cabinets and covering it with his own.

  Another bullet lodged in the window, and he sent up a quick prayer of thanks for the polycarbonate. If it hadn’t been there, both of them might have been shot dead.

  Fear and anger radiated through him. Fear, not for himself, but for Ruby, and he directed the anger inward. They’d become so cozy playing house that he’d slacked off doing his job, and now they huddled on the kitchen floor, a sheet of polycarbonate the only thing standing between them and death. He should have known it would arrive—Zach had told him so, and as Zach liked to say, he was never wrong.

  At least, he’d been present enough to lock the front door.

  “Stay right here,” he whispered and glanced over his shoulder at her, seeing the fear in her green gaze, her eyes wide, her face ashen. It only ratcheted up his anger.

  He moved to stand and she grabbed his arm.

  “Where are you going?” she hissed.

  He brought his finger to her mouth and touched her lips, hoping to silence her.

  “What is that stuff? Those bullets didn’t even go through,” a man’s voice said.

  “Garrett!” Ruby whispered, clutching his arm.

  “Shhh. We have to be quiet and listen.”

  He didn’t hear anything for a while, and then caught movement out of the corner of his eye outside the window in the living room. He stood and pushed Ruby to the other side of the kitchen, before following her so they’d be hidden from view.

  He closed his eyes, thinking he’d seen two figures—two against one. However, there could very easily be more. Straining to hear, his muscles tensed as he reached under the sink and grabbed a gun holstered underneath. He’d been slipping so badly, he hadn’t even been armed. Talk about a fail.

  Ruby gasped when she noticed the weapon and he glared at her, hoping to convey for the third time that he needed her to quiet down.

  He heard footsteps on the front porch, and then the front door jiggled as someone tried to get in.

  Glancing at the clock on the microwave, he noted the sun would be down shortly. He had a feeling shit would get real then.

  “Are you sure you even saw anyone in there?” a man whined.

  Apparently, they had moved back to the kitchen side of the cabin.

  “Yes! I never would have fired if I didn’t.”

  “I think you were seeing things. This place is locked up tight. We’ve looked in all the windows, and I don’t see anyone. Let’s just go. It’s getting cold out here.”

  “But we didn’t finish the job! If we don’t get the job done, then what about the money?”

  “We can try again tomorrow. C’mon, let’s go. I saw this bar on our way out here. Let’s go get some brews.”

  Garrett held Ruby in place, thinking about the conversation he’d heard and watching the clock on the microwave. As the minutes ticked by, he half-expected for a bomb to go off and the cabin to be stormed.

  But nothing happened.

  Closing his eyes, he replayed what had just taken place. They hadn’t confirmed the target before shooting. They’d walked around the cabin as if they had been on a trail walk, no military or professional maneuvering. One of them whined like a cranky toddler, and they’d left to go drink beer because they were cold.

  His body relaxed as the realization set in—they weren’t professionals. But were there here after Ruby?

  They had to be. But how had they known she was here? The only people she’d talked to had been her parents, and he couldn’t see them putting a hit out on their daughter.

  Or had they?

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nbsp; Stranger things had happened. Once he’d found out he could shift into a bear, he’d no longer discounted anything as impossible.

  Smoke started wafting from the oven.

  “Garrett,” she whispered. “The biscuits are on fire.”

  He nodded, certain of his assessment, but afraid to let her up. However, if they didn’t get that oven turned off, the whole place could go up in flames. Glancing again at the microwave, he noted they hadn’t had any movement anywhere in ten minutes.

  “Don’t move,” he commanded, and slowly stood up. If they fired on him again, the window should hold.

  He went to the oven and hit the “off” switch, and noted the sun had set and twilight had moved in.

  “Stay right where you are,” he growled. “If you see anything out the window, you yell. Otherwise, don’t make a sound. Do you understand me?”

  She nodded, and a lone tear tracked down her cheek.

  He wanted to comfort her, but he needed to secure the house first, then call Joe.

  As he went from room to room, he found what he liked to call his military calm. His hand steadied, his body moved in a fluid motion. He’d slipped into his zone where all his senses were heightened, where he almost became one with the environment around him. He experienced the difference in the air from one room to the next, the slight fluctuation of temperatures. As the sun continued its drop, his eyes adjusted accordingly.

  As he left each room, he shut all the blinds, plunging the cabin into darkness. If the intruders thought no one had been home before and they decided to come back, they’d most likely realize the blinds had been pulled, but it offered him and Ruby more security and freedom to move around the house.

  Once back in the kitchen, he opened the drawer housing the emergency candles and matches. He closed the blinds, lit the candle, and reached his hand out to Ruby. She took it, her whole body trembling in the candlelight.

  “Let’s get you to a safer place,” he whispered.

  He led her down the hall to the room she had used at the beginning of the week. It sat in the corner of the cabin and only had one window except for the small one in the bathroom where the raccoon had come through.