by Sennah Tate
“Of course not… I see the most incredibly thoughtful and kind man. A man that would risk everything to save a stranger. One that would make a girl pastries every day without even introducing himself. You are more of a man than any other I’ve met… And you’re not half-bad looking, either,” she teased, her cheeks turning crimson even as she tried to embarrass him.
He couldn’t wipe the grin from his face. He couldn’t tear his gaze away from her. Could it be real? Was it possible to be this happy? It felt like a dream.
After a few minutes of looking at her, Elena finally shifted on the balls of her feet.
“What are you looking at?” she finally asked, squirming under his scrutiny.
Ben shrugged, “You’ve got a little something…” he smeared a line of flour across her cheek, “right there.”
She swiped at her face and realized what he’d done, “Oh yeah? Well, you’ve got something,” she grabbed a pinch of flour off of the counter and flicked it at him, “all over there,” she gestured.
He retaliated and soon they were scampering around his kitchen trying to flour-bomb each other, the entire house echoing with their laughter.
By the time they could both pass for ghosts on Halloween, Benny made a ‘T’ with his hands, “Time out,” he said, trying to catch his breath from all of the laughing.
“Truce?” she asked, dusting off her clothes.
Benny nodded, “Truce, but we have to seal the cease-fire with a kiss.” A billion hornets erupted in his chest. Had he really just said that out loud? Was he crazy? They were having a perfectly good time and he had to ruin it by asking for a—
Her lips were on his. Elena perched on her tiptoes and clung to his shoulders for support. Ben froze for a moment, but swept her into his arms the next, deepening the kiss as he lifted her onto the counter.
She tasted even better than she smelled. She filled his lungs in a way that mere oxygen never could. He felt like he was truly breathing for the first time when he kissed her.
Elena’s hands joined behind his neck and pulled him in deeper as she moaned. The needy sound coming from deep down inside of her elicited an answering growl from him.
“God, Elena,” he muttered, refusing to break their kiss even to speak as his hands slipped under her shirt.
Her knees parted and he filled the space between her legs, pulling her to the very edge of the counter.
“Ben,” she panted, her eyes emerald with desire, “I don’t want to wait any more.”
A strangled groan ripped from his lungs — she had no clue how difficult it was to restrain himself around her. He still couldn’t believe this was happening. His hands slid under her bottom and lifted her from the counter as she wrapped her legs around his waist.
Whether he believed it possible or not, he wasn’t going to waste a single second. He was smart enough to worship her every moment she’d let him and as he laid her on the bed he resolved to do just that.
Chapter Ten
Elena
Elena woke the next morning to the sound of hurried knocking. Her sleep-addled mind had trouble piecing together the facts, but the warm body and soft snores next to her brought sensual memories back to the forefront. Her body ached in the most delicious ways and sleep tugged at her eyelids even as she tried to open them again.
The pounding on the door continued. She nudged Ben, reluctant to wake him from his peaceful slumber. His long lashes rested against his cheek, his chest rising and falling in a slow steady rhythm. She wanted nothing more than to curl up against his body and fall back to sleep.
“Ben,” she whispered, sweeping a lock of hair from his forehead.
“Mmm,” he groaned, wrapping her in his arms. Radiant warmth spread from him deep into her bones and Elena sighed contentedly. His hands traveled down her back, fingers splaying over her bare ass as he pulled her closer.
“Someone’s here,” she whispered. He’d said he didn’t see people normally, who would be at the door?
Still half asleep, Ben’s fingers traveled up her thigh, recreating the exquisite thrum low in her body. His rough palm skated over her hip, over her rib cage. Her breath hitched as he brushed against the side of her breast, thumb and forefinger rolling a nipple between them — she sighed and leaned into his hand — his touch was heaven.
As much as she didn’t want to, Elena stopped him with a kiss, “Someone’s at the door,” she said more forcefully.
Ben groaned again and untangled his limbs from hers.
“I fucking told them they couldn’t just drop by,” he grumbled, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He stood and gave Elena another kiss before excusing himself with an apologetic look, “I’m sorry.”
She heard voices from the front door as she hopped back into her clothes. Ben’s, deep and irritated, a woman, excited and unintelligible, and another man, his voice smooth and rich like caramel.
“We found her!” The woman said. Elena perched herself just out of sight of the front door.
“Call your brother, we need to go after her ASAP,” the strange man said.
“I’m not a part of this. Call him yourself and find somewhere else to meet,” Ben answered gruffly.
Elena smoothed her hair down and hoped she didn’t look too obviously disheveled as she poked her head around the corner, “Is everything okay?”
The two strangers met her with wide-eyed open-mouthed stares.
Benny wasted no time in slipping his arm around her waist, pulling her into the conversation, “Yes. Everything’s fine, they’re just leaving,” he said pointedly.
The woman extended a hand in her direction, “Hi, I’m Hailey. This is my boyfriend, Brock,” her eyes flicked from Elena, to Ben, and back again, clearly trying to piece together some puzzle.
“Elena,” she introduced herself, taking Hailey’s offered hand, “What’s going on?” Though it was obvious Ben didn’t want to be a part of whatever was going on, Elena’s curiosity got the better of her.
Hailey shifted uneasily, looking at Ben again.
Ben muttered a curse and stepped away from the door, letting them both inside, “Fine, I’ll call Tucker.”
While Ben ventured off to call his brother — Elena didn’t even know he had a brother and she realized just how little she really knew about the man that had captured her heart — Hailey directed a sharp look in her direction.
“So, you and Benny…?”
Elena shrugged, not really one to talk about her personal life with strangers.
Brock made himself at home, flopping onto the beat up couch and putting his feet up on the coffee table without a second thought.
Ben came back into the room and scowled at the other man, “Tucker and Gabi are on their way. Elena, it’s probably best if you go home,” he said.
Her heart sank. He didn’t want her around? Did he not want his brother to know about her? Was she foolish for thinking last night had meant something?
She refused to believe it.
“I might be able to help,” she offered, wiggling her fingers at him subtly. “If someone could fill me in…”
Ben frowned, sighed and sat down.
“There have been attacks, lately. Another sasquatch has been spotted near the victims,” he said.
“Another?” It took her a moment to remember that she didn’t see Ben properly.
He nodded. “My brother and his friends are determined to hunt it down.”
“She killed my grandfather,” Hailey said solemnly.
“She?” Elena’s head swam with the new information. She tried to remember the legends Bea had peppered her with over the summers.
By the time Tucker and Gabi arrived and introduced themselves, Elena had a nearly complete account of Nora, the lover that spurned her and the monster that she’d become. Hailey explained the different attacks and the engine of Elena’s mind worked double time to fit everything together.
Tucker and Gabi both regarded her with thinly veiled surprise and suspicion. Apparently Ben wasn
’t lying about his life of solitude — other than this little group of people he seemed to know.
“I think we should help,” Elena said as the others geared up to leave.
Ben frowned, “What?”
She faltered, “If Nora is as dangerous as everyone thinks, won’t they need all the help they can get?” She had another theory — one about Ben’s curse — if they destroyed the person that cursed him, perhaps it could be reversed. She wasn’t positive that person was Nora and she didn’t want to get his hopes up, but Elena had to try — for his sake if nothing else. It might not work. She might be completely wrong.
She wished that she could talk to Bea. The old woman would know the answers. She’d know how to handle this.
His hand covered her hip and pulled her close, “It could be dangerous,” he said, his voice tightening with worry.
Elena smiled, “Life is dangerous. We can’t let this woman run loose giving a bad name to all the respectable bigfoots out there,” she teased.
His fingers laced through hers and squeezed with a swift nod, “Okay. If you want to join them I’ll come along. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you.”
They shared one last brief kiss, away from the curious onlookers, before they left for the hunt.
Chapter Eleven
Benny
The air hung heavy, damp and still as the group made their way through the swamp as quietly as possible. Benny still thought this was a terrible idea. It was one thing for his foolhardy brother to go looking for a dangerous sasquatch, but for Elena to join them…
He couldn’t stand the thought of something happening to her.
She squeezed his hand and Benny took a deep breath to steady his nerves. How had they gotten here? How in the world had he convinced someone as marvelous as Elena to give him a shot? He was more grateful than he could ever explain, but now he had something to lose. Everything to lose.
“We saw her heading in this direction,” Brock whispered with a gesture towards a break in the trees.
The moment they entered the clearing, they were under attack.
Three massive panthers sprang from the shadows, teeth bared, purposeful steps toward them — a chorus of low growls made Benny’s blood turn to ice in an instant. He stepped in front of Elena, shielding her with his body.
He heard her sharp intake of breath as Tucker and Brock both shifted in response to the threat. No one had filled her in on the were-panther bit — they hadn’t expected it to come up, truthfully.
The five big cats brawled in a blur of fur, claws and yelping howls. Crimson stained the tawny fur and pooled on the ground as teeth met with flesh.
Hailey and Gabi each grabbed a heavy branch and tried to swat at the enemy panthers. They’d all come armed, but for Nora — not the panthers.
Ben hoped that they had the panthers under control. He spotted the dark silhouette of another sasquatch in the distance, her arms in the air gesturing.
He froze. This was how it had all played out that night. The night he was cursed. The dark shape, the gesticulating, and then… well, he’d never been the same.
Without thinking, he took off after her, boiling hot rage propelling him to right the injustice that had been done to him.
“Ben!” Elena called, alerting him to a projectile Nora tossed his way. He ducked and leaped at the other sasquatch, a furious growl tearing from his throat.
They locked in a tangle of furry limbs — she was stronger than he’d expected, stronger than him, he realized.
He fell to the ground and saw Elena hurrying towards him, her expression full of worry, bewilderment, terror. He couldn’t let her down.
“You did this to me,” he growled at Nora, picking himself up.
She cackled, “I would have done worse if it had worked properly. Time to fix my mistakes,” the old sasquatch said with a sandpapery voice.
Nora lifted her arms again and began chanting. Ben followed her line of sight to Elena and flew at her once more, breaking her concentration. He tackled her to the ground and his hand found her throat, clamping down until she sputtered for breath.
“You’re a monster,” he spat, grinding his teeth as she clawed at his hand.
A smile played on her lips and made Benny feel suddenly sick to his stomach, “Like… you…” she wheezed.
That made him hesitate long enough for her to throw him off of her with a blast of magic, sending him into the trunk of a sturdy oak with a crunch. Benny laid on the muddy ground in a heap, his entire body screaming in pain as lightning shot through every one of his nerve endings, his synapses on fire even as his vision tunneled and the world began to fade…
Then another voice. Soft, sweet, determined. Elena. He forced his eyes open, but the ground swam before him.
“Don’t go near him,” Elena threatened, only the slightest waver in her words.
He couldn’t hear the words anymore. There was only pain. His body begged him to let go, to slip into unconsciousness, to let the pain end.
A flood of warmth took him by surprise and he pried his eyes open enough to see Elena nearby, casting a protective shield around him. The warmth seeped into him and distracted him from the pain long enough to take stock of the rest of the fight. He couldn’t give up. They needed him still.
Elena stood on the outside of the bubble, vulnerable, exposed. Nora seemed to be feeding off of Elena’s uncontrollable magic as it poured out of her in waves. Nora laughed maniacally — Ben’s heart stuttered, sure that she’d done something to Elena — and he heard twin screams from Gabi and Hailey.
With a wince, he turned his head enough to see all five panthers focused on the girls now, a strange gleam in their cat-like eyes. Tucker and Brock both seemed to be at odds with their own bodies, struggling against the witch’s command to attack their mates.
Mate, a voice deep down inside of him rumbled as he looked at Elena again, his heart straining to help her somehow. She was fading, losing strength. It wouldn’t take long for the panthers to turn on her.
A rush of energy flooded him as a second wind shoved the pain from his notice. It was still there — the bones still broken and flesh still mangled — but he was no longer blinded by it. Now he was blinded by something else. His instinct to protect his mate.
Deep deep inside, something stirred to life. A part of him that he’d only realized existed when he’d met Elena and only now — faced with her mortality — recognized. The panther awoke from his decades-long slumber, shed the shackles of Nora’s curse and burst forth, only thoughts of protecting Elena running through the beast’s mind.
The monster gone, it was only Benny and the panther, thinking, breathing, moving as one. They attacked.
Chapter Twelve
Elena
She felt the magic leaving her as well as she’d feel her blood pour from an open wound. It drained her. Left her feeling dizzy. Weak. She wanted it to end. They hadn’t expected an all-out war like this. They weren’t prepared. They weren’t strong enough.
Gabi and Hailey both retreated from the panthers, trying to talk to their boyfriends, to break the spell Nora used to enthrall them.
Ben fought valiantly — and Elena didn’t even try to comprehend that he was a panther now, too — but he was already badly injured and Nora didn’t seem to be losing strength at all.
Elena tried — and failed — to raise another shield around Ben. She didn’t have the power left. Her knees buckled and she fell to the ground, dry silent sobs shaking her chest. They were doomed.
Mentally, she cried. Cried for help. For salvation. For anything to make this all go away. She wanted to go back. Back to that morning when she’d woken up tangled in Ben’s arms. Back to when there was nothing in the world but the two of them.
She couldn’t find her voice to say any of this out loud. To tell him how she felt. She tried and tried to will the magic to come.
Someone, help, she begged, her eyes drifting close despite her best efforts to keep them open.
A brilliant dazzling white light illuminated the clearing. Elena saw the burst and flash through her eyelids and forced them open, squinting as she did.
The panthers all shook their head in unison, shaking off Nora’s enchantment as the glazed look left their expressions. Tucker and Brock wasted no time in shifting back to their human form, wrapping their respective mates in their embrace in the span of a heartbeat.
Nora howled and turned her attention away from Ben, to the intruder.
“How dare you come to my house and use your gift against me,” the sasquatch roared.
“It’s time to let go of the past, sister,” Bea said softly, tears shining in her eyes.
Elena gasped, her foggy mind barely cobbling together the events happening around her.
“They destroyed my love, I will destroy theirs,” Nora answered, her voice frigid and hard.
Bea shook her head sadly, “The only destructive one is you. I’d hoped to change your heart—”
“Never,” Nora hissed.
“But I see now that was a fool’s errand. I love you Norrie.” Tears streamed from Bea’s wrinkled eyes and Elena saw for the first time how old her aunt truly was. Ancient and withered, but full of untold power.
Bea raised her arms and with a flourish, Nora gasped, cried out and dissolved into the mud without a trace. Elena pulled herself up and rushed to her aunt’s side as he old woman collapsed into sobs.
A high-pitched whine drew her attention to the broken and battered panther that Nora left in her wake: Ben. His body morphed, muscles rippling, fur retracting into his skin, transforming into the man Elena knew and loved.
And in that moment, she realized she definitely loved him.
Days later, once all the excitement died down and everyone’s wounds were on the mend, Elena found herself penning a resignation letter from her job as she kept an eye on bacon in the skillet.
Benny stirred, the siren’s call of sizzling meats too much for him to withstand, and exited the bedroom with a sleepy smile and an early-morning beard. It had taken some getting used to for everyone else to accept Ben’s new human appearance, but to Elena, he looked the same as ever. Maybe better now that he was hers.
