It was bizarre, to be sitting in a sunny little Denny’s in Hemford, Colorado, calmly discussing the logistics of leading a mob through the forest on a goose chase and possibly getting shot here and there. Not that Elie’s life was particularly predictable, but this was by far the oddest morning she’d had since the Mardi Gras she’d spent partying with a troupe of drag queens.
“Why not just let them hunt for nothing?” she asked, already knowing the answer. “You can just come watch a movie with me and my parents, or we can go back to your house and ride each other to death. Why even risk it?”
“One,” Jake held up a finger. “As temptin’ as it sounds to pound you until we both drop dead, I killed somebody, Elie. They’re serious this time, if your dad’s letting people off work to organize a search. Maybe they’ll never stop. Maybe they’ll come up with nothing, and someone puts in another call to Fish and Game, and the big guns come up to see what the fuss is about. Next thing you know, the government’s here, someone thinks there’s a new bear species, media, all that nonsense. Before you know it, Jake Framer is in a testing facility out in Area 51 or some shit.”
Elie rolled her eyes. “You might be overthinking this.”
Jake held up a second finger somberly. “Two, I don’t have a choice.”
Elie frowned. “What do you mean?”
He took another bite of egg. “I mean, I’ll be changing tonight whether I like it or not. It’s a full moon. I might as well make the best of it.”
12
Just be careful, please.” Elie kissed Jake again, lingering. It was a promise of things to come later, when they were both back in his bed, safe.
“It’ll be fine,” Jake promised. “I’ll just run around the mountain for a few hours and make like I’m running west. Just pick me up at the truck stop in the morning, ok? I’ll have to hide naked somewhere, and I’d rather not wait around too long.”
Elie nodded. “I’ll be there. You be there, too.”
Jake kissed her again. He stripped off the rest of his clothes. Elie sighed, admiring his body, as always, in the twilight. They were in Jake’s back yard, where he planned to begin his little adventure. The moon hadn’t risen yet. According to Jake, once it did, he’d better be in bear form already if he wanted to keep his sense.
He leaned on the porch railing. “Strange how things turned out,” he chuckled. “Bet you didn’t expect to turn up here.”
Again, that evening in the rain, after graduation. It was on her mind too often. “Jake, I… I definitely didn’t expect it, but I’m not complaining.”
They shared a smile.
“You remember what I said before you left, Elie?”
She did. She just wished she hadn’t said what she had in return. “Jake, I was stupid then. I shouldn’t have been such a dumb kid. I should have told you—”
“I asked if you remembered what I said, not what you said.”
“Of course.” Elie set a hand on his arm. “You said you were in love with me. You wanted to marry me. Back then, well, forget back then. I’m not a dumb kid anymore, and now, I’m saying—”
Jake stopped her with a kiss. “Not now. When I come back. I have to get going, now, and if you say anything more, I might not leave.”
Elie laughed. “Fine. I’ll see you in the morning.”
He kissed her hands and turned away. Elie watched his silhouette disappear into the woods, and soon the crashing of a much larger animal replaced Jake’s footsteps. Before long, that was gone, too. Elie sighed and walked around the house to her car. She didn’t like this plan.
13
I hate being right,” Elie murmured.
The time was two in the morning. The moon had crested the horizon four hours ago, which meant that Jake had been in bear form for half the night already. He’d stay that way until he was exhausted or until the sun came up, whichever happened first, or so he had said. Elie looked at her phone for the time once more. The sun wouldn’t rise for another four hours at least.
Jake should have met up with the hunters. When Elie left the Framer’s and cruised back through town, she drove by several unfamiliar trucks with the Colorado Fish and Game seal on the doors. What seemed like dozens of trained professionals were setting up base camp outside town already.
They didn’t want to kill him or chase him off, Jonny had explained excitedly. They were going to catch the beast. Shoot him full of enough ketamine to knock out a whale, and drag him off to a safer habitat. They were going to corner him in a gorge, and see to it he went to live somewhere more peaceful.
Elie banged her hands on the steering wheel. Terror shot through her veins like lightning. Would tranquilizers work on a werebear? If they did, Jake would surely turn human again, wouldn’t he? If he did, and there were enough downers in his system to put a full-grown grizzly to sleep, would he even survive? And if he did, what then? His secret would be out.
So here she was, sitting outside the mill, the town’s lifeblood, planning something excruciatingly stupid.
No one was here. The mill was on the east side of town, and the bear hunt was happening throughout the west. Elie got out of the Outback and ran inside. She knew what she needed, thanks to CSI. A number of spare extension cords were left simply lying around; she grabbed the longest and trailed it to an exterior outlet. The farthest, most isolated one she could find.
The end of the extension cord, she hacked at with a shovel. When the glimmer of copper wire showed through, she took the shovel and found a likely-look heap of sawdust.
“Here goes my ass,” she muttered, shoveling sawdust through the air like confetti or fake snow. It fell slowly to the ground, catching the sparse light. It was probably her imagination, but she could almost hear them on the other side of town, chasing Jake. Was he still alive? Had they caught him already?
When she was coughing sawdust, Elie ran out front. She crouched behind the Outback, which she had parked next to the outlet farthest from the mill.
“I sure hope this place has good insurance,” Elie moaned. “Sorry in advance, Dad.”
She plugged in the extension cord.
Nothing. Just dark, still, night. Elie peered over the hood of her car.
Somewhere in the mill’s depths, the stars aligned and a spark caught the floating particles of dust—the explosion was spectacular.
It lit the night like dawn. A deafening boom, like being inside a drum, filled the air with almost physical presence, as heat shoved the world aside to make a place for the blossoming column of fire that unfurled from the mill’s ruined roof.
Even hiding behind the car, Elie was thrown backwards. Her ears rang. Had she turned herself deaf?
Then the debris started to fall. Elie scrambled back inside the Outback and swerved out of the mill lot. Everyone in Colorado must’ve heard that, much less Hemford. They’d be showing up any second, and whatever else happened, she mustn’t be here at the scene of the crime when they arrived.
She took the long way around to reach the base of operations. It had worked, to her relief. Everyone from Hemford was streaming back through town towards the mill, to save what they could. The fire siren wailed pitifully, and Elie watched it go, relieved.
“How far’d you guys get?” she asked a Fish and Game hat. He sighed.
“We almost had him. This is one smart bear, but we almost cornered him—then he slipped out, headed toward Utah, for how fast he was booking it.”
Elie’s heart leapt. He was headed towards the meeting place.
“That’s a shame,” she shrugged. “Next time, you’ll get him. He might have tried to respond, but Elie didn’t stay long enough to hear.
14
The sun was rising. On the western side of the Rockies, it would be dark for a while, yet. Elie locked the Outback and set off around the shower hut with a blanket and Jake’s pants. They had come here with friends a lifetime ago, and it seemed that she still knew the way.
There was a rocky little trail here. It led down into a gul
ly, a pleasant little place to picnic and plan meetings of all kinds. Even this kind.
“Jake?” Elie called softly over the trickle of water. A stream that had broken off a larger river up the mountain came tumbling over a rock sheet here, forming a pool just deep enough to wade in before moving on.
By the pool, a still figure lay supine. Elie ran.
“Jake!”
At her yell, he opened his eyes. He hadn’t been shot, Elie was sure of that, at least. She scanned him with her eyes. He was dirty and scraped up, but seemed whole.
“Elie?”
“Jake, I think it worked,” she said as she covered him with the blanket. “Fish and Game thinks you ran to Utah. I think they might stop hunting you, now.”
“Elie,” he groaned weakly. “Did you blow up the mill?”
“Why… why do you ask?”
“I can still smell the burnt sawdust on the wind.”
She winced. “I’m sure the insurance will cover it, right?”
Jake closed his eyes. “Looks like I’m laid off for a while.”
“Jake,” she murmured, “I thought you were dead, you idiot. You had me worried sick. They said they almost had you. Now can I say what I want to say?”
He shook his head. Elie smacked his shoulder lightly. “Why not?”
“It was me,” Jake whispered. His voice sounded like he’d eaten glass. He looked up at her. “I’m the one that killed my Mom.”
Elie stilled. “I… I know, Jake. I’m not an idiot. I can put two and two together.”
His jaw clenched as he watched her face. “It was an accident. It was the first time… and I couldn’t control it back then.”
Elie shushed him. The sun was finally touching the treetops overhead. It would be full daylight by the time they got back to Hemford. “Jake, you can’t hold on to that, and you can’t expect me to hold on to that.”
“I just wanted you to know,” he went on. “It was the only thing I hadn’t told you. I needed you to know.”
“Well, I know,” she agreed. Elie leaned down and kissed him. “And I love you, still. Now let’s go home, I hear there’s been an explosion at the mill.”
Epilogue
It was enrollment day.
Elie looked up at her school doubtfully.
“Might as well get this over with,” she said. She turned to Jake, who was sitting in the passenger seat. “You sure you don’t want to go back to Hemford?”
He shrugged. “Until they rebuild that mill, I’m out of a job. I might as well live up here with you, pick up some work on the side. It’s only fair you should put me up, since you’re the one who made me unemployed.” He grinned at her through his beard, and Elie shoved him.
“Fine, fine.” They got out of the car. Elie carried a bag today, full of papers. She hated paperwork, but it was a necessary evil. “It’s only two more semesters.”
“You were thinking of quitting with only two more semesters to ‘til your BS?”
“It took me seven years to get this far.”
“Oh.” Jake put an arm around her waist as they walked through the entryway. “Well, hopefully this’ll only take one more. Then you can start your career as a social worker, or whatever you had in mind.”
Elie nodded. “I was thinking along those lines. But maybe I should consider a major switch.”
Jake scoffed. “To what?”
“How about veterinary assistant?”
They entered a crowd of students then, so Jake had to satisfy himself with the knowledge that he’d make her pay for that remark later, once they got back to her apartment.
He smiled and hoped her housing had thick walls.
THE END
The Lion’s Claim
STORY DESCRIPTION
Everyone in the city knows Jakob Moore, the billionaire playboy whose face graces the covers of multi- national newspapers and magazines. Referred to as one of the world’s richest eligible bachelors, as well as a cutthroat businessman and CEO, Jakob is well aware of his reputation. He’s proud of it!
After all, he’s the CEO of a highly successful corporation, King of his lion shifter pride, has a different girl on his arm every night… what man in his right mind wouldn’t envy him? His life is damn near perfect until the fateful afternoon he runs into sweet, curvy Bree Reynolds. Literally.
Suddenly, Jakob’s fabulous high-powered world becomes hollow and superficial. In fact, nothing in his life means anything to him unless he can claim Bree as his mate.
Bree Reynold’s parents are pressuring her to marry, but not to just any man. They want her to find a husband whose financial and social status will rival their own. But, there's not a man alive who can pin Bree down. If her parents' horrendous marriage wasn't enough to convince her that love is a sham, then her last few years working as a marriage counselor certainly was. Bree has been surrounded by awful relationships and painful, troublesome marriages.
When Jakob Moore enters her life, he's already got two strikes against him. He's rich, and he thinks he loves her. He’s quick to learn that the only thing Bree hates more than the phony concept of love, is money.
Surrounded by yes men, Jakob is used to getting what he wants, but with stubborn, headstrong Bree, he certainly has his work cut out for him. Bree’s mind is made up, and no man will convince her otherwise. Not even Jakob Moore, the sexy CEO who makes her pulse race and her knees weak.
When Bree gets dragged into danger because of him, Jakob has had enough and now he will stop at nothing to save her and mate her. But, will Bree accept this Shifter into her life before it's too late, or will her stubbornness be the end of her?
1
Bree Reynolds sat in her office listening to Mary and Peter Ableman discuss their sex life—or lack thereof—for the third time this month. When she'd ditched law school to go into marriage counseling, she'd thought she'd be saving marriages, helping people. Since graduating and getting her job at Oasis Counseling Services, she hadn't seen one couple successfully redesign their marriage into a happy one. Oh, plenty of couples stayed married after coming to see her, but those marriages consisted mostly of women who'd decided to accept their husband's infidelities, or men who'd decided to stay with their nagging, ball crushing wives for the kids' sake.
That was a big one: for the sake of the kids. She heard it all the time from couples. She knew she should just stop asking, but inevitably she'd put the question to them: Do you still love each other? Think about each other during the day? Miss each other when you're not together? The inevitable answer was always: Well, no, but for the sake of the kids...
Her phone vibrated and she looked down to read the text from her mother.
Are you coming to our anniversary dinner? I haven't received your RSVP. Your father's not well, you know. It could kill him if he doesn't see you.
Talk about passionless marriages. Bree's parents had decided that making money was their top priority, and everything else was a distant second. They were richer than Bree would ever be, but they hadn't loved each other since she was five. She was twenty-six now. That's a lot of years to spend with someone you can't stand. Bree rolled her eyes and looked up to see Mary and Peter staring at her.
"Sorry," she said, "did you say something?" Bree caught her reflection in the mirror and smiled at her new haircut. The hairdresser had been right. It complemented her round face and the curves of her body. Somehow her bright green eyes looked that much brighter with a cute bob and red highlights.
"I asked," Mary said, her voice barely audible over Peter's heavy breathing. "If you thought it was worth it for us to stay together?" She burst into tears then and Peter automatically stuck out his hand and patted her knee. It would have been sweet if Bree didn't know the main reason for Mary's tears was because of the twenty-year-old secretary she'd caught Peter screwing not long ago.
Bree replied with her much rehearsed answer to such questions. "There's still a lot of work to do, but if you love each other, that work can be done. Marriage is t
ough for everyone."
Which is exactly why I'm never getting married. No marriage plus no kids equals a happy life.
She looked out the window and wished she could be outside and away from this constant reminder that all the movies and songs got it wrong. There was no such thing as happily ever after.
Jakob Moore sat behind his mahogany desk and looked at his watch. The overhead lights flickered on the gold, creating a rich tapestry of yellows and creams that made his watch look shiny and expensive. Considering the fact that it was expensive—very, Jakob appreciated the opulence of it as it gleamed against the tan of his skin.
Blake scanned Jakob's face, uncertain if he should speak. He hated feeling inferior to anyone, especially Jakob. But that's what being second in command meant—you were always inferior to the King above you.
"Well?" Jakob asked. With this new deal coming up, there was nothing to be left to chance. Jakob had planned this takeover for too long. Putting his competition out of business was the only thing he'd thought of for the last several months, carefully plotting each move before taking action. That was what any good leader did—thought of a solution, then implemented it. The takeover wasn't about getting rich—Jakob already had billions more than he could count—it was about protecting his pride from their rival company.
If one rival was able to make a dent in his production, reduce his income by even one percent, the whole pride would suffer. The pride depended on him not just for money, but for their lives. It was Jakob's company—he was the alpha, the King, after all—but it was run by his pride, and they all depended on him to make sure it continued.
"Well?" Jakob demanded, baring his teeth a little more. He did not like waiting for answers.
Bear Outlaw (She-Shifters of Hell's Corner Book 4) Page 45
