by Audrey Storm
The music was too loud—thrumming through her body—the lights were too bright and moving too quickly back and forth…
What had she become? When had being a journalist meant being a whore? Andrea raised her glass and swirled it around a little. A dull pain pounded inside of her skull as various thoughts taunted her. The more rational side of her told her to sneak out of the bar—let Hank enjoy time with all these new women. She had quotes from him—she had enough to write the story. But the way his eyes changed sometimes…the way he spoke about the bears as if they were people…as if they were people he knew…there was something more to this that tugged at Andrea’s curiosity. It was about more than her job; she had to know the truth of what was happening here.
Reassured and determined, she finished the remnants of her martini and then shoved the glass aside. The beverage burned pleasantly through her as she stood up and made her way over to Hank. He had a woman draped over each of his shoulders like a human-cloak. When he noticed Andrea, Hank looked away from the other women and smiled.
“Hey, sweetheart,” Hank said, leaning forward a little. The whites of his eyes had a slight yellowish tint to them, his head swaying back and forth in an uneven rhythm. “You getting looonesome on the edge? I apologize for this arrangement, but I did say ‘first come, first serve.’” He laughed, and then all of the women around him laughed; some of them pawed at his arm, and he turned to give one of these ladies a sloppy kiss.
Andrea prevented herself from rolling her eyes. Instead, keeping her expression calm yet seductive, she whistled sharply.
Hank’s head jolted up, his wide eyes on her.
“I understand, Hank,” Andrea said, speaking over the music. She bended forward and parted her lips a little, a warm, fruit-scented breath leaving her mouth and brushing against Hank’s face. “I really, really do. But I’d love to hear more stories about the bears—how uncontainable they are.” She raised her head a little, allowing her cleavage to be fully exposed.
Hank licked his lips, his eyes glued to her chest. “The bears?”
“Tell me how wild they are,” Andrea said, slowly moving herself back and forth. “Tell me where they like to go, and—if you want to get really kinky—tell me about the men who…take care of them.” When Hank didn’t say or do anything other than scoot forward a little bit, Andrea knew she needed to persuade him further. Shame flushing through her—as well as a twisted sense of arousal—she grabbed the straps of her dress and pulled them down until her breasts were fully exposed.
Hank, pushing aside the other women, rose to his feet and immediately pressed his palms against her nipples. As he groped her, she leaned into his touch and moaned.
“Let’s go,” Hank growled, grabbing her hand and leading her through the bar in her partially undressed state.
Andrea had the sense to blush and cringe every time someone glanced at her, but she worked to keep most of her focus on Hank. “Am I going to see the bears behind the men tonight, sexy?”
“Damn straight!”
He shoved past several people while keeping his grip painfully tight on her. The lights seemed to move about in a more manic pace as they exited the front doors. When there was nothing but streetlamps and dulled starlight lighting their path, Andrea had to blink hard to adjust to the softer sight; everything just seemed too dark and motionless to her, the chaos of the bar having warped her senses a bit.
“Hank?” she said, trying to regain her concentration on him. “What about the bears?”
“You’re going to see one, sweetheart, along with the face of God.”
Andrea smiled triumphantly up until the moment Hank practically threw her front against his limo. It had been parked in the back of the lot where a large streetlamp casted a blaring light over it. And although there weren’t many people around this part of the area, the brightness of it made Andrea’s skin tingle with even more self-awareness than she already had.
“Hank,” she said, gasping when he grinded his body against her backside. “Take me to the bear; we can make love in front of it.”
Hank chortled, his hot breath panting over her neck right before he bit it. She flinched in response, but she otherwise did not move.
“I’m not making love to you,” he growled against her pulse. “I’m fucking you.” He clawed into her back, making her cry out as he tore off her dress in two quick swipes. Then he tore off her panties before he grinded his erection against her rear again. “I’m going to make you scream—going to make everyone know who you belong to.”
“Even the bear?” she whispered brokenly, heat spiking through as she gyrated against the cool limo.
Between the heat of Hank and the chill of the vehicle, her body was flushing with all kinds of sensations and desires.
“Yes,” he said. Then, snaking his arm around her waist, he pulled her back far enough for him to open the door and shove her inside of the limo. “You want to see the bear? You’ll see the goddamn bear.”
On her hands and knees, she was about to turn over when Hank pressed his body against hers. Trapping her in that stance, she heard him tear off his own expensive clothing with a few swipes. Did he simply buy feeble fabric to make himself seem impressive during these kinds of scenarios? Andrea was barely able to ask herself that question, heat and pain flashing through her the second Hank grabbed her hips and shoved his swollen member inside of her.
“Marcy!” Hank shouted. “Take us home!”
Outside the sloshing sounds of Hank thrusting himself into her, Andrea heard the limo door close before its engine started up. After that, she felt as if the world was swaying around. Her arms shook, and her hands continuously fumbled about while she tried to maintain her balance. Hank was moving so quickly—so roughly—it was difficult for her to focus on the sensation itself; it felt as if her core had dulled its senses a little in order to withstand Hank’s animalistic need.
“Yes, yes,” Hank snarled into her back, his nails clawing into her hips. “Yes, take me. Take all of me. Take the bear.”
Andrea had no idea what he was talking about now. She just widened her legs a little and lowered her chest the ground. Her nipples rubbed against the flooring with each jarring motion Hank made, sending shocks of pleasure through her wet core. Andrea moaned and whined in response, finally gaining enough motivation to move back and forth as aggressively as he was.
“Yes! Yes!” Hank shouted, raising his head from his back. He let out a loud growl that immediately turned into an ungodly roar. “Yes!”
Andrea went cold, fear constricting her heart and icing her veins. That sound Hank had made…it didn’t even seem like it came from a human. And the more she paid attention to the feel of him, she was aware of how thick and sharp his clothes—no, no, his skin was. His fur was.
“Hank,” she gasped out, awkwardly rising until she was resting on her forearms. Her body trembling from fear and its exertion, she forced herself to turn at a painful angle and look behind her.
In that moment, she swore her heart stopped.
Hank was no longer Hank—not completely anyway. His skin had somehow gained massive patches of thick tan hair, his face misshapen and his eyes fully black and glinting like onyx orbs. He was grinning madly, revealing his sharp yet roundish teeth.
Andrea screamed. And as she tried to scramble away from the demon, she heard it roar as it came inside of her.
“Get off! Get off!” she shouted. “Stop!”
He instantly removed his cock from inside of her, the rapid motion making her flinch with discomfort. But she didn’t care about that. Her blood racing through her, she moved as quickly as she could to escape—to jump out of the vehicle if she had to. She managed to grip the door handle to do just that when human hands grabbed and yanked her back. Her head and back bounced against the ground, pain erupting in those areas of her body and making her mind swim. A few seconds later, she felt a pressure pinning her arms by her sides.
God, what was happening? How could anyone throw
her around so easily? She was no lightweight, not even to a monster—
“Sweetheart,” Hank panted, his voice choked. “Sweetheart, calm down for a second, okay? Just calm down and let me explain.”
Andrea blinked hard. She couldn’t breathe—couldn’t think—she could only gape at Hank, who looked human again. And who also looked terrified.
“I lose a little control sometimes,” he said, a nervous giggle burbling up his throat. He blinked too quickly and his smile was a little too wide for it to seem genuine. “You understand, right? Accidents happen. I’m forgivable, aren’t I? I’m only human.”
She would have furrowed her brow in utter confusion if her eyes weren’t so determined to remain excruciatingly wide. “What the fuck are you?!”
“What? Oh! The bear-thing.” Hank had the sick gall to laugh. He shook his head, his body falling against the seats a little as the limo driver made a turn. “Yeah, we shapeshift into bears. I mean, Fernando is big on ‘saving us all,’ but whatever. So long as it’s controlled, it’s fine, right?” His eyelids lower, a little drool dripping from his mouth. “God, I feel great. So great. You—you’re so hot and being inside of you while you’re taunting the bear makes it feel so—”
“What the hell are you talking about?!”
Hank’s face fell, his drunkenness too evident as he tried to swallow a few times without success. “Okay, okay, just…don’t panic or squeal, okay? I’ll tell you more when I can think straight. But for now, just be cool, okay? Not gonna hurt you, it’s just a…thing I can do. Like a party trick!”
Incredulous, Andrea forced herself to take a deep breath. Hank Bennet was insane, though he was also telling the truth about his…party trick. Trapped beneath him—trapped in this situation—trapped by her own damn curiosity—she found herself nodding before she could think better of it. What else could she do, anyway?
Hank sighed, clearly relieved. “Good. Thanks.”
Andrea nodded again, her entire body tensed. This was the greatest discovery of her career, yet she felt nothing but regret and panic.
Chapter 5
Once Marcy had parked the limo in front of the mansion, Hank and Andrea—both naked—exited the vehicle and hurried into the residence. Based on Marcy’s expression, Andrea figured this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened to Hank; Andrea hoped more than anything that that was a good sign.
Hank got her dressed in a nightgown he had bought her, and then the two of them laid in his bed. He promised her yet again to explain everything when he was sober, and then a moment later, he was snoring.
Andrea gaped at the ceiling for most of the night. She felt like she was outside of her body—like none of this was real, just something that someone else was imagining. God, how could any of this be real? Occasionally, she would turn her head and watch Hank snore and drool. He looked so normal—so foolish, even—that she could almost pretend that she hadn’t seen him turn into a bear-thing.
The moment sunlight peeked through the blinds and slashed over her face, she got out of the bed and went to the kitchen to make some coffee and take some aspirin. Her panic dulled, a wary kind of anxiety jittered through her; it gave her too much energy—too much fear—and she just wanted to get her answers so could finally leave this place and go to some place safe, familiar.
Grabbing her cup of freshly brewed coffee, Andrea winced. The safest place she could think of going to was her parents, but they would ask too many questions about her—they would judge her and disapprove of her.
They had no idea that she was in a different country, let alone with some…person-thing. She took a small sip of her hot beverage, it tasting much more bitter than she had expected. She cringed and glanced down at the dark liquid.
Distant footsteps—moving at a fast pace, tripping—caught her attention. Tightening her grip on her cup, Andrea stood stock still as she listened to Hank run into the kitchen. The moment he saw her, he stopped.
“Thank God,” he said, not even breathless. Jabbing his finger at her, he hurried over to her in a few strides. “Don’t just leave like that. You nearly gave me a heart attack.”
Annoyed, she dared to glower at him. “I didn’t know bears could get heart attacks. I’m sorry that I did something so crazy as to pour myself a cup of coffee.”
Hank groaned, bringing his palms to his eyes before rubbing them. “You’re mad, okay. That’s fair. Last night was…intense.”
Anger seared through her, burning away her fear and giving her a heightened sense of righteousness. “It was insane! Don’t try to downplay it. Just tell me the truth for once. I’m sick and tired of playing all of your twisted little games just to get a few words out of you.”
He dropped his hands, a sour expression on his face. “Like you never had fun playing with me. Not even a little.”
Her cheeks warmed, her eyes narrowing. “It hurts, to be honest.”
“Yeah, I like it rough.”
Her anger morphed into frustration—at the billionaire, at herself, at just about everything. “Hank, for God’s sake, just tell me—”
“Okay, okay, calm down.” He scratched the back of his neck, his lips curling downward. “I know I screwed up big this time. But I think I’ve come up with a solution that will satisfy us both.”
“A solution? No, just—”
“Quit your job.”
“What?!” She was squeezing her cup so hard now that she was a little surprised it didn’t shatter. Barely keeping herself from snarling at this bastard, she said, “Are you out of your mind?”
He raised his hands in a motion of surrender, his eyes gleaming with a false sense of earnestness. “Just hear me out. I’ll pay for you to live here—to be my…companion, let’s call it. You’ll get all the food you want, all the clothes you want, jewelry—hell, I’ll buy you an elephant if you want. I’ll get you everything, and you can stay here with me. I think it’ll be a rather comfy situation, don’t you?”
Andrea twitched. She knew she was responsible for getting herself in this sick situation, but now he was going way too far, even for her. While she had come to learn how far she was truly willing to go to get a story, she was relieved to know that the mere idea of her being his paid little…. Rage consumed her; she couldn’t even think the words—couldn’t give herself the title this man wanted her to accept.
“No,” she said, shaking as her eyes blazed. “Hell no.”
Hanks expression darkened. “I think you should reconsider my offer.”
“No. Even if I was interested by your disgusting offer, you have yet to keep any of the promises you’ve made to me. Why should I believe you will keep this one?”
For a moment, Hank seemed sincerely baffled by her question. He opened and closed his mouth, his eyelids fluttering and his shoulders tensing. Then, in the next instance, he grabbed her and shoved her against the counter. She cried out, dropping her cup of coffee and listening to it shatter on the floor.
“You listen here,” Hank snarled, his eyes turning into black orbs again. “I’ve been real generous with you, haven’t I? A generous host? I think I have. And I think I deserve a little discretion from you. My business is my business, and I don’t need to tell you a damn thing.”
Andrea gaped back at him. Although she was more familiar now with this inhuman side of him, she could still fight back the fear and shock that overtook her. Once again, she couldn’t get herself to breathe or think.
Clearly frustrated, Hank let out a loud growl before he dragged her away. Instinctively, she fought back—tugging against his grip, digging her heels into the ground—but it was no use. Despite her large size, his strength was beyond measure. If she didn’t know any better, she would think she was dealing with a god or a devil.
“What are you doing?!” she screamed, his nails slicing into her arms. Her eyes welled up as the stinging sensation worsened into a burn. “You’re hurting me!”
“I need to figure this out!” He glared at her for a second before
he turned and looked around his home. “You’re making this more difficult than it needs to be, so I need time to figure something out.”
Andrea continued to struggle—to scream—she even called out for Eric and Marcy, but it was no use. Hank eventually dragged her over to a door before he threw her through it. She tumbled on the carpet floor, her body slamming against the bed.
“Stay there,” Hank said, baring his teeth. “So help me God, if I find you missing again, I won’t take any more chances with you. Do you understand me?!”
Her body flaring with all kinds of aches and stings, she hesitantly sat up and held herself. Glancing over her arms, she saw blood seeping out of the deep scratches he had given her; the sight made her shake. Truly, she had no idea what Hank was talking about now, but she nodded in answer, anyway.
He slammed the door shut, and then she heard him lock it.
For a few moments, Andrea did nothing but hold herself and tremble. She was literally his prisoner now, and he had the upper hand; he always had. The thought was paralyzing, but it also renewed her earlier anger. Now wasn’t the time to obsess about her sacrifice of integrity and dignity, and knowing this, she eventually managed to break free from her stupor and observe her surroundings.
She was in one of the many guest bedrooms on the first floor. It was spacious, decorated sparingly and containing only a few pieces of furniture.
Andrea stood up and walked over to the window. Shakily, she pulled up the blinds, revealing the front property of the mansion. There were no fences, nor any guards, but Hank did have various kinds of help who lived and worked on the property. If they spot her, would they inform their boss? Their super-strong, bear-thing-boss?
Andrea opened the window. Icy hair swooped in to greet her, making her shiver and develop goosebumps. She hugged herself and glanced at her meek attire. Blushing, her torso constricted. If she didn’t reach a town quick enough, she could freeze to death out there, and that was only if Hank didn’t find her first.
