Nanny to the Bear (Burning Falls Shifters Book 4)

by Cynthia Wilde

He sat down at his desk and pressed his fingertips against his temples, willing his thoughts to go away. In the depths of his psyche he could feel the bear part of himself pacing like a caged animal. The metaphor was apt, his animal self literally trapped by his human self.

  He had not been with anyone since his wife had left, nor had he wanted to. He had had plenty of chances, attracting women with the charisma and pheromones of shifter kind. He knew from the others this came with the territory.

  He glanced down to the picture he had on his desk, a rare capture of him and his two kids taken by a passing tourist. One of the reasons he treasured this picture so much was also because it was one of the few moments in which Dillon was smiling. The boy had his mother’s dark hair and had inherited her serious nature. Dillon reminded him of Sarah, and he sometimes wondered if that made things harder for his young son.

  The nanny behaved quite professionally, keeping a distance between them and focusing her attention primarily on the children. They had not warmed up to her quite yet, but she had not been with them for very long. Both of his children had the streak of stubbornness inherent in both him and their mother.

  He peered down at the pictures spread out on the desk before him, something to occupy his mind away from the woman down the hall. Lisa had given him a few of the newer encyclopedias to examine in reference to the images from the Alexandria scroll. One of these books laid open on the left of him revealing the pictures of the talisman.

  He had seen two of them in person, as Lisa wore one and Derek’s girlfriend wore the other. All seven of them looked like ordinary necklaces, simple gold chains holding pale stones of varying shades. Whoever wanted them, believed them to be somewhere close to Burning Falls. While the scrolls did not hold much in the way of discernible information, the encyclopedia had a series of prophecies regarding the talismans and their relation to the Kon-Mar.

  “I never understood why the ancient ones had such a tendency towards vagaries,” he muttered as he carefully turned the pages, desperately seeking clarity in the prophesies. He thought of something, seeing a passage in the tome which he had seen before. He knew he needed to go up to the falls.

  He found Janet sitting on the couch in the living room double checking the calendar for the week. She glanced up as he walked in with the large book tucked under his arm.

  “Is everything alright?” she asked casually. “I was just about to go and get the kids from school.”

  “Yes. Everything is fine,” Austin replied. “I’m afraid I’ll have to be absent for dinner though. I’ve got some pressing work that needs to be done.”

  “The great protector at the gates,” she said with a smirk.

  “Perhaps so.” He could not keep his gaze from wandering to the exposed flesh at her throat, the human’s most vulnerable spot. Her pale skin contrasted against the errant curl of black hair on her collar bone. He needed to get out of there. Being alone in the room with her proved to be far too tempting.

  “Alright, then. Maybe I can do a movie night for them or something.”

  “Yes,” he stammered. “They would like that.”

  He darted out the front door making his way towards the edge of town. As much as he wanted to shift, he stayed in his human form, opting to hike by foot up to the falls. The exertion felt good and kept his mind from wandering towards her. He found it strange they had sent him a human nanny, especially from a shifter agency. Some of the dating services allowed for human pairings. After all, everyone has a type. But when it came to childcare, the industry standard tended towards keeping everything within their own kind.

  At last he arrived at the falls. His arms felt fatigued from carrying the oversized book. Luckily, at this time of day, no one else was around. The water flowed down from the overhang above creating a cove in which the flame flickered. The effect was quite beautiful, the sheen of dancing crystal illuminated by the light created an iridescent glow. These waterfalls and the ever-burning flame was the namesake of the town.

  He glanced around making sure no one had approached before he slipped into the space between the rocks and the water. The alcove behind the water allowed for plenty of room for him to scoot in sideways, making his way to the hidden door where he punched in the security code.

  Once inside, he laid the book down on the large wooden table before he headed for the dormant fireplace. Without the warmth, this hidden cave tended to run on the cold side. One whole side was lined with bookshelves on the left of the cave. Once the fire had a healthy roar going, emitting a steady warmth, he turned to the bookshelf, running his fingers along the spines. Not nearly as ancient as Lisa’s collection, the shifters still had a number of collected works in their possession.

  “Ah, here it is,” he said as his gaze landed on the book he sought. A history of documented shifter skills and how to hone them, the equivalent of a workout manual to a human being. This book, carrying the far-too-long title, The Comprehensive Updated Interpretation of the Kon-Mar, was nothing more than a paperback from the late twentieth century, not the ancient yellowed book as the other was. Still, it contained the information he needed. The last known location of the talismans, according to the wordy paper back, was somewhere in upstate New York.

  “Well, that explains that,” Austin muttered. Just as the thought drifted across his mind, his phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket to find Chase’s name on the screen.

  “What’s up?” he answered.

  “You tell me,” Chase replied. “You’ve discovered something. What is it?”

  “I don’t think I will ever get used to this weird shifter hive mind thing. I liked it better when it was just you and Jackson.”

  “Yeah, well, c’est la vie.”

  “So I’m comparing the notes of the ancient texts with what we have documented in the Kon-Mar, and I think we have a bigger problem than we realized.”

  “How so?”

  “These people, these-- whoever they are, they want the property because there is reason to think all of the talisman are in this area.”

  “All of them?” Chase sounded incredulous.

  “Yes. According to the ancient texts whoever is in possession of the seven amulets gains the power to control all of shifter kind.”

  “Control how?”

  “That I don’t know. They could be looking for a takeover.”

  “An uprising? You think they want to reveal shifters to the world?” Chase said.

  “I think it’s quite possible.”

  “That could be bad.”

  “Yeah, a little bit,” Austin replied. “What do you think we should do?”

  Chase exhaled slowly before he spoke. “I mean, at this point it’s just a theory, but it’s a valid theory. I think we need to call Logan.”

  “Logan, with Shifter Central Investigators?” Austin exclaimed.

  “Yes. I’ve been considering calling them already, but this theory just compounds the decision.”

  “It’s been a while since we’ve spoken to him.”

  “Yeah, it has. Hopefully, he’ll have some idea where to go from here.” Chase grew silent for a moment. “Oh, wow.”

  “What is it?”

  “This talisman business is not the only thing on your mind, is it?”

  “What are you talking about, Chase?” But Austin already knew what his pack alpha had picked up on.

  “You like her, don’t you?” Chase said with an obvious grin.

  “Like who?” Austin said trying on his best bluff.

  “Oh, come on! It’s so obvious. I can’t believe I didn’t see it sooner. The nanny. You like her. I don’t blame you. She’s very attractive.”

  “I don’t think of her that way. She’s not-- Dammit Chase! She’s off limits.”

  “Maybe so, but that doesn’t change what I see. It’s practically radiating from your mind. If you don’t see her that way, maybe you should let your bear know.”

  “Yeah, yeah.”

  “We’ll talk to the others at the ga
me tomorrow night. I’ll call Logan. We’ll see if he can come down soon.”

  Austin hung up the phone. “Great,” he muttered. If Chase could pick up on the attraction he felt towards Janet, then he was in deeper than he thought. He only hoped it was not that obvious to everyone else, especially not to her.

  Chapter Six

  Janet found the picnic basket on the top shelf of the pantry, a classic wicker with a peach cotton lining. She dusted it off and opened the lid. Inside she found a large plastic bowl, two porcelain coffee mugs, and a small cachet of silver wear. She washed everything up, getting everything ready for the outing.

  She had made a potato salad the day before which had been marinating in the refrigerator. This, along with the stack of roast beef sandwiches, loaded with lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese, would make an excellent lunch after a hike up to the falls.

  That morning, she had placed out their clothes for the day, active shorts, tee shirt, and their tennis shoes. The kids still had not warmed up to her. They were not disrespectful towards her by any means, but she could sense their apprehension. She hoped today’s outing would chip away at their distant demeanor.

  Austin had already began working in his office for the day, but he had said to have the kids say goodbye to him before they left. She lined the basket with ice packs before piling in the food, juice boxes, and bottled water. She called for the kids before heading down the hall to tap on Austin’s office door.

  “We’re about to go,” she called. “Kids are on their way down, and then we’re heading out.”

  He did not answer, but she heard his chair move as he stood up. She headed back to the kitchen to grab the basket. Bonnie and Dillon arrived at the bottom of the stairs just as the office door opened.

  “You sure you can’t join us today?” Janet asked.

  “Yes, come with us, Daddy!” Bonnie exclaimed.

  “I can’t today, kiddo,” he replied as he made his way towards them. “I’ve got a lot of work to do.” Janet averted her eyes from the way his shoulders filled out his tee shirt. “Where did you find that?” he asked, his voice suddenly sharp.

  “What?”

  “That basket. Where did you find it?” His face had gone pale, his gaze locked on the basket tucked under her arm.

  “Oh, it was in the pantry. I just thought-- I’m so sorry. I should have asked.”

  “No, no. It’s okay. Of course you can use it. I mean, it’s a picnic. It needs a picnic basket, right?” His face broke into a grin as he mimicked the cartoon character’s voice. Both Bonnie and Dillon laughed as he scooped them both into a bear hug. Janet could not keep from smiling at the scene before her. “You kids be careful,” he said. “And have fun!”

  “We will!” Bonnie and Dillon piled out the door, followed by Janet. She loaded them into the car, the basket into the trunk. They all waved at Austin standing in the doorway, seeing them off as they pulled out of the driveway.

  “Clara Masey says there’s panthers in the mountains,” Bonnie chirped from the back seat. “She says her mother saw one last week close to the new hotel place.”

  “Oh, really?” Janet said peeking at her through the rearview mirror. “And who is Clara Masey?”

  “A girl from school.”

  “Well,” Janet said playfully. “Do you think I would take you someplace dangerous? Or that your dad would let you come with me if we were going somewhere dangerous?”

  “No.” Bonnie replied, her mouth curling into a tentative smile.

  “Good. Besides, you can tell your friend, Clara Masey, that your nanny can kick any panther’s butt any day of the week.”

  Bonnie giggled, and Dillon peered at them out from under his swatch of dark hair covering his forehead. “She’s not her friend,” he said.

  “What’s that, Dillon?” Janet replied.

  “I said, she’s not her friend. Clara Masey is a bully and a snob.”

  Bonnie’s smile faded, and she glowered towards her brother.

  “Is that true, Bonnie? Is this girl not your friend?”

  “No,” the girl replied. “She’s kind of mean actually.”

  “Well, in that case, we don’t care about what she thinks. Right?”

  Bonnie thought about it for a few minutes. Just a few, before she broke out into the glowing grin once more. Janet smiled, returning her eyes to the road. It was a start, getting Bonnie to smile like that.

  They arrived at the parking lot leading to the trail heads. Janet had picked out one of the more direct paths leading up to the falls, an easier hiking trail for the children. They both bounced around the car after climbing out of the back seat.

  “Relax guys,” Janet said. “Save your energy for the trail. We’ve got a hike ahead of us.” Though in truth she felt glad they were lowering their barriers around her.

  The hike was not strenuous. Janet carried the basket under one arm, the weight of it lightened when she handed out water bottles. Being the weekend, they occasionally passed by other hikers. An older couple holding hands and wearing matching blue visors, a gaggle of teenagers laughing and running despite their obvious adolescent angst.

  By the time they made it to the falls, the sun shone high overhead. Janet spotted a flat-topped rock where she laid out the contents of the basket. Others climbed around on the rocks, everyone exchanging happy words of greeting. Janet dished everything up onto the paper plates. The children had clearly worked up an appetite. They devoured their sandwiches and both had seconds of potato salad.

  The scene was downright idyllic. The glow of the falls behind them, the roar of water rushing over the rocks, the laughter. Perhaps that is why Janet did not become aware of the panthers until it was too late.

  She had just cleaned up the plates from lunch, piling the leftover garbage into a plastic bag to carry out of the forest. She could hear the children laughing at the water’s edge behind her, splashing one another with cold droplets from their fingertips dipped into the stream.

  All of a sudden, everything fell silent. Not just the laughter, but the sounds of the forest, the birds, the wind. Everything. Janet turned towards the children.

  The panther stood between her and them, facing the children, ears laid back and crouched as if ready to pounce. Its long black tail twitched back and forth, and a low growl emitted from its throat.

  Bonnie held Dillon clutched each other around the shoulders, frozen in place. Janet immediately grabbed the picnic basket, slamming the hinged lid up and down trying to create as much noise as possible.

  “Hey!” she shouted circling around the stone to try and gain the creature’s attention. “Hey, over here!” She knew if the panther turned to her, she may get badly injured or even killed. But her job was to protect those children in her charge, and that is what she would do, even if it meant getting mauled by a wild cat.

  It did not come to that. The bear, much like the cat, came out of nowhere. Prowling across the top of the falls, it leaped onto the back of the cat, erupting in an explosion of growls, snarls, hissing. Fur flew as the two creatures wrestled. She took immediate advantage of the distraction and grabbed the children by the hand.

  “Run,” she instructed in a steady voice. They did, keeping pace with her as they bolted down the path back to the parking lot. They did not stop or look back until all three of them made it into the car, doors locked firmly behind them.

  “Is everyone okay? Is anyone hurt?” Janet asked as she threw the car into reverse, tires squealing as they skidded out of the parking lot.

  Ensured of their safety, she took a breath, shifting the car into drive and pulling into road heading back into town. She did her best to present calm and security in front of the children, but her heart pounded in her chest from the adrenaline.

  “See?” Bonnie said with a wavery voice. “She said there were panthers.” Her voice broke and tears began streaming down her cheeks.

  They arrived home. Austin was not there. “He’ll be back soon,” she promised the children, even thou
gh she halfway suspected she already knew where he had gone. She sent them for baths and made a huge batch of popcorn.

  “How about a matinee?” she said when they came back, both wearing clean clothes and wet hair. To her surprise, they both plopped down next to her on the couch, Bonnie curling up to her and reaching for a handful of popcorn from the bowl on the lap. Janet smiled and started the movie.

  The sun set by the time Austin returned. Janet had put them to bed, tucking them in with a story and a song. They both seemed shaken by the days events, but she assured them that as long as she was with them, no harm would come to them. When Austin entered, she glanced up from her magazine on the couch.

  “I’ve just put them down if you’d like to go and say good night,” she said.

  He smiled before heading up the stairs to do so. She wondered which of them would acknowledge it first. When she saw him in the forest, she did not know it was him right away, but the bear’s eyes had the exact same greenish gold tint as Austin. Once they had gotten to safety, her adrenaline abated, then she put it all together.

  When he came back down the stairs, she noticed he favored his left side. Not quite a limp, but he moved with a definite gingerness. “They’re both not much longer for the day,” he said. He crossed the room and sat down next to her on the couch.

  “Are you hurt?” Janet asked.

  He stretched his arms up over his head, as if working out the kinks. “I’ll be alright,” he replied.

  Janet put her magazine down on the table. “They did great today,” she said. “No one got tired or anything. Of course, they did have a bit of a scare.” She stood up, smoothing her skirt. “I should go now that you’re back.”

  He grabbed her by the wrist, but not in an aggressive way. Just enough to guide her back to the couch. Surprised she landed closer to him than before. Her breath caught in her throat the way he looked at her, the spark in his eyes, the curve of his lips.

  “You did great out there, you know,” he said in a husky voice. “The way you put yourself between them and the danger…”

  “I did what anyone would have done,” Janet replied. His hand remained on hers, resting at the edge of the couch.