The Grisly Grizzlies_Lachlan

by Kim Fox

  His hand darted out. My finger pulled the trigger.

  And now I’m about to be a murderer.

  But instead of falling to the ground, Luca stands back up. His face is red, his nostrils are flaring, and the ugly vein on his neck is throbbing impossibly large as he stares me down. He yanks his tie off and rips his bloody shirt open as I quiver in front of him.

  All I can do is watch in horror as he flexes his chest—his face straining with the effort.

  Like magic, he squeezes the bullet back out of his chest, and I watch as it falls to the ground with a ping.

  His wounded chest heals before my horrified eyes.

  I raise the gun to shoot him again, but he slaps it out of my hand and grabs me.

  Chapter 13

  Lachlan

  “So,” my mother says as she sits down on the couch. “That girl down there. How special is she?”

  How can I explain how amazing Jessie is? There are no words.

  “She’s pretty darn special.”

  “Did you bond to her?” she asks with a grin. “Is she your mate?”

  I take a deep breath as I watch her. “No.”

  “But you think you will?”

  I plop down on the couch beside her and rub my forehead. There’s nothing in the world I would like more than for that to happen, but I’m also afraid of what that would mean. It would mean she would be around my grizzly, and I still don’t fully trust the apex predator.

  Jessie seems to trust him, but I’m afraid he won’t listen to me when I’m trapped inside him. I can still remember feeling so helpless as he took Carter’s life. It’s not a feeling I want to revisit.

  “Well, I hope you do bond to her,” my mother says as she picks up her book. It was the same book she was reading the last time I came over. This horrible disease breaks my heart. “She is a lovely girl, and I adore the way she makes you smile so often. You’re always so serious and brooding. It’s nice to see you lighten up for a change.”

  “But what if I don’t deserve her, Mom?” I ask, feeling my chest tighten.

  “Oh, please,” she says, waving a dismissive hand at me. “Every person in every great relationship thinks they got the better deal. That’s how you know it’s right.”

  “But she’s just so… good. And pure,” I say, trying to explain without saying it. “And I’m… I’m not.”

  “Why would you say that?” she says, looking horrified. “You’re a good man.”

  I dip my chin to my chest as I look at my fidgeting hands. “I’ve done hard things, Mom. Necessary things, but hard.”

  She shrugs. “Sometimes we have to do hard things in life. But sometimes doing the hard thing is doing the right thing.”

  I’m starting to see the truth of it now. Carter made his choice, and it was the wrong choice. He was trying to take Kennedy’s freedom like those men took Jessie’s. He hurt her badly and deserved to be put down.

  It’s time to stop torturing myself over it. My bear made the right the decision even if I was too weak to see it.

  “Sometimes you can’t blame yourself that it happened,” my mother continues, “but you can blame yourself if you let it keep you down.”

  “As always you know exactly what to say, Mom.”

  She smiles, all proud of herself.

  “Now go find that friend of yours and make her your girlfriend for real,” she says.

  I kiss her forehead and make sure she has everything she needs before I say goodbye and leave. I decide to leave Carter in my past where he belongs and focus on my future with Jessie when I hear her scream.

  Before her scream comes to an end, I’m sprinting down the hall with my mind racing to the worst-case scenarios. Time feels like it’s slowing down, and I can’t get there fast enough.

  I explode through the back doors and rush into the forest where I find her. With them.

  My eyes narrow on the short stocky guy who’s holding her while the three other ones approach me. I can smell fur hiding inside them. Cougar fur.

  I hate fucking cougars.

  My bear is raging in my chest, desperate to get out to settle this in the only way he knows how. It’s a struggle to hold him in while I focus on the three shifters approaching, the guy who has my girl, and my own boiling anger.

  Will you fucking calm down? I snap at my bear. This is not helping.

  He doesn’t care. He just wants to water the trees with their blood.

  But I have to hold him back. Jessie is here too, and I’m not sure if my bear is going to stop with the four men or if he’s going to take her out as well. I may have forgiven him for Carter, but I still don’t fully trust him.

  My jaw is clenched so tight that it’s hard to talk, but I manage to get out a few words, although they sound more like hisses. “You guys get one chance to let her go. You’ll still get a fierce beating, but if you let her go now, I’ll let you live.”

  The three mob enforcers laugh as they spread out, rolling up their sleeves, shaking out their hands, and getting into their fighting stances as they approach me.

  My bear lunges for the surface, and he nearly slips through. It takes everything I have to hold him back, but it’s still barely enough.

  The three of them sense my distraction and attack at the same time.

  Shit.

  I dodge the first fist and land one of my own, but I eat the second one and the third.

  And the fourth.

  “Mmph,” I grunt when one of them nails me in the ribs with a right hook. I turn and crack him in the forehead, dropping him to his knees. A quick knee to the chin and he’s out for a few seconds.

  The two others swarm on me, but I’ve been in tons of fights in my day, and as a grizzly bear, I’m bigger and stronger than cougar shifters. I catch one in the jaw with my elbow as he’s coming in, and his eyes roll in the back of his head as he falls down.

  The first one I knocked out is back on his feet and coming at me again as I fight his buddy.

  That’s the thing about fighting a crew of shifters. It’s like Whack-A-Mole. You knock down one and he’s back up a minute later thanks to his enhanced healing.

  They come at me hard, but I’m desperate to get to the man who’s holding my girl, so they don’t really stand a chance. One by one they fall, over and over again until we’re all bloody and breathing hard.

  “Fuck this,” the one with the swollen eye and split lip says. He yanks off his shirt and starts to shake.

  “I fucking hate cougars,” I mutter, shaking out my fists as the three of them explode into cougars. “They’re so damn scratchy.”

  My bear is still itching to get out, but I have to try to end this without him. He’s my last, last, fucking dead last resort.

  “Run away, Lachlan,” Jessie screams. “I’ll be fine.”

  She’s so brave. She’s captured by four criminal shifters and she’s trying to protect me.

  “Not going to happen,” I say, turning to the closest cougar as he stalks toward me. I grit my teeth and squeeze my hand into a fist when he hisses at me.

  “Fuck you,” I hiss back.

  I kick him in the ribs and the other two swarm on me. Searing pain cuts through my skin as their claws and teeth sink into me, slicing me up good.

  I grab the one that’s on my back and throw him off, slamming him into a tree as the two others lunge on me. I’m stronger and faster, but there’s three of these fuckers, and they have a lot of goddamn claws. And right now, those claws are turning me into a bloody mess.

  I can almost hear my bear laughing as I get all cut up in the brawl. These claws would barely leave a scratch on his tough skin, but he’s still not getting out. Not while Jessie is here.

  I’m starting to breathe heavier as I grab a cougar by the neck and slam him into a tree, shaking the leaves over our head. His buddy sinks his teeth into my forearm, and I cry out in pain as I grab him with the other hand. I yank him off my arm and smash the two heads together, dropping them both out cold. The third one
is already looking pretty beaten up as he recoils from me. He’s not getting away that easily. I lunge forward with a quick right hook, cracking him on the jaw and putting him out.

  There’s only Luca left, but I’m exhausted, and I have more blood on me than in me.

  “Let her go,” I say as I stare him down with furious eyes.

  He glances at the three cougars on the ground who are still not getting up, and then swallows hard.

  “Stay back,” he says. He quickly reaches down, picks up a gun from the ground, and digs it into her ribs. “She’s mine to take.”

  “No, I’m not!” Jessie says, looking furious. She smacks the gun away when Luca is not expecting it and the gun flies to the ground.

  “You bitch,” he says, grabbing her arm even harder and making her cry out in pain.

  My grizzly bear rages forward like an unstoppable train, and I’m too beat to stop him. My body shakes and burns as he surges to the surface, exploding out of me.

  I’m a prisoner once again, watching from inside as my bear does whatever he wants.

  Don’t hurt her. I’ll never let you out again if you do.

  Luca throws Jessie to the side and quickly phases into his animal. He’s a cougar as well. Bigger and stronger than the other three, but he’s nothing compared to my furious bear. It’s not him that I’m worried about, it’s Jessie.

  My bear charges forward, and the cougar attacks. He darts out of the way of my bear’s thunderous paw and sinks his teeth into my bear’s hind leg. He roars out in anger and frustration as he tries to swat the cat who makes him miss once again.

  After a couple of scratches and bites, my bear finally slams his huge paw into him, stunning the cat. He drops his weight onto the cougar, pinning him to the ground.

  This shifter deserves to die. He treated the most perfect girl in the world like a piece of property, and he thinks he owns her. I think his time is done.

  Kill him. I urge my bear. He’ll never leave her alone.

  My bear opens his jaws, and I catch a glimpse of Jessie as he sinks his teeth into the cougar’s neck. She’s not watching. That’s a good thing.

  The nauseating metallic taste of blood fills my mouth as he bleeds the cougar out. I can still feel the intense rage coursing through him, and it’s starting to make me nervous.

  He releases the cougar, and I get a quick glimpse of his body. He’s dead. No doubt about that.

  The three other cougars wake up and sprint away in the direction they came from. They won’t be coming back after seeing what my bear is capable of.

  All right. Let me come out now.

  My stomach hardens with worry when my grizzly bear ignores me.

  I can still feel the blood lust surging through him. Violence is practically radiating off his brown fur.

  That’s enough! You killed him now let me out!

  I’m screaming and pacing frantically, trying to pull him in, but he’s not listening. He’s resisting me at every turn.

  No. This can’t be happening.

  My bear turns to Jessie and locks his heated eyes on her.

  This is why I don’t deserve her. This is why I’m no good.

  I’m filled with dread and self-loathing as he stalks forward on his deadly paws. He has the taste of blood on his lips and he doesn’t know when to stop.

  Stop! I fucking beg you! Just let me out!

  My heart is pounding as I helplessly watch him approach her. She looks so tiny. She looks so innocent.

  I can’t watch this part. I can’t look.

  Jessie gulps as my killer bear towers over her.

  I’m sorry…

  Then he opens his savage jaws and lunges at her.

  Chapter 14

  Lachlan

  My eyes are squeezed closed as my vicious bear descends on Jessie. They fly open a second later when I hear her giggle.

  She’s laughing as he licks her cheek, and it’s the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard. Relief floods into my body as my bear pushes his nose into her hand, begging to be petted.

  The rage and violence that was surging through him a few seconds ago just melts away as she slides her fingers through the thick fur on top of his head.

  Thank you. Thank you for not eating her.

  I’m still trying to pull this stubborn bear in when I’m seized by a strong force that stuns me and rocks me to my core. It’s like a firm hand gripping my soul as my bear stares at Jessie. The world around her fades to black, leaving her as the only thing visible against the darkness. She’s the only thing that matters.

  Our connection, our love, our devotion—it all deepens as our souls weave together as one.

  We’re bonding to her, both me and my bear.

  As of this moment, I know that we’ll always be together. She’ll always be the one for me.

  The gripping force suddenly releases us and the blackness around Jessie fades.

  Everything has changed.

  Everything.

  I’m speechless as I watch her through my bear’s loving eyes. I didn’t know the universe could be this beautiful.

  I’m no longer worried about having my bear around her. I can feel the intensity of the love he feels for her swirling all around me.

  It’s so beautiful that it hurts.

  I let my bear spend a few minutes with her, and then I’m begging him to let me out. Not out of fear this time, I’m just really excited to see my mate.

  I’m sorry I ever doubted you, bear. It won’t happen again.

  He lets out a little huff and then lets me out.

  Jessie watches with her wide blue eyes as I phase back into my human form. My body is still full of deep stinging gashes, but they’re starting to heal. And anyway, I’m too focused on her to care.

  She rushes over, looking panicked as her gorgeous blue eyes roam all over my body. “We have to get you to a hospital,” she says in a breathless voice. “You’re cut everywhere.”

  “Shifter, remember?” I say with a grin.

  “How long is this going to take to heal?” she asks, her worried eyes darting from cut to cut.

  “A couple of hours.” Most of the bleeding has already stopped.

  She still looks concerned, biting her lip as she looks around for help.

  “Jessie,” I say in a calm voice. “Really, I’m fine. Are you okay?”

  Her chin starts quivering as she looks from the blood splattered trees to the dead cougar lying on the ground. Now that the danger has passed, her nerves are catching up with her, making her break down.

  “Hey,” I say, gently cupping her chin in my hand. I tilt her head up until her eyes are on mine. “It’s all over. He’s not going to hurt you again.”

  “Because of you,” she says, looking touched with her watery eyes and soft lips. “You protected me just like you said you would.”

  “I tried,” I answer with a chuckle. “Although I think the credit has to go to my bear this time.”

  I glance down at my cut-up chest and laugh. “I put up as much of a fight as a stick of butter attacking a bunch of Samurai swords. He was the one who came through.”

  And I’m so thankful that he did. I can see now that he’s more than just a killer apex predator. He’s a mammal that’s capable of love and protection. I felt it flowing through him after the bond.

  My bear always does the right thing, even when I’m too weak to do it. He did the right thing when he took out Carter’s bear. I know that now.

  Carter was trying to harm Kennedy—an innocent girl who didn’t deserve it. He paid the price for the path he chose. It’s time to stop beating myself up over it, and it’s time to stop blaming my bear for doing what was the right thing to do.

  “I’ll thank your bear the next time I see him,” Jessie says, running her hand down my chest. She smiles when my bear lets out a low grumble in response.

  “I should get him out of here,” I say, glancing down at the dead cougar.

  Jessie folds her arms and holds her elbow as s
he looks at the animal. “That’s probably a good idea,” she says, looking uncomfortable. “I had no idea he was a shifter. Although, I only met him a few times, and there were always other people in the room.”

  “I’m just happy you came to me and that it’s over,” I say as I kneel down beside the cat. Her white cowboy hat is lying in the shrubs, so I pick it up, dust it off, and hand it to her.

  “I’m happy I came too,” she says, smiling as she puts the cowboy hat back on her head where it belongs. “But it might not be over. My father…”

  “We’ll deal with him if he’s stupid enough to come,” I say as I pick up the dead cat and toss him over my shoulder. I grab the gun and tell Jessie to wait there as I sprint through the forest. There’s a river about two hundred yards into the forest that I dump the pathetic mob boss in.

  I give him the finger as he sinks to the bottom and floats away.

  When I return, Maddux, the cop I play poker with, is talking with Jessie.

  “Maddux,” I say, swallowing hard as I hurry over to them. “Everything okay?”

  “You tell me,” he says, eying me up and down with a hard stare. “There were reports of cougars growling and sounds of fighting. Do you know anything about that?”

  I’m standing in the forest naked with deep cuts all over my body. Not to mention there is blood splattered all over the trees. “Nope.”

  He shakes his head. “You always sucked at bluffing.”

  “Still won money from you, didn’t I?” I can’t help but rub it in.

  He doesn’t look amused. “You mean you cheated.”

  “Allegedly.”

  “Where are these cougars?” he asks, looking around. He lifts his nose and inhales deeply. “More than just cougars here. Who were these guys?”

  Maddux looks from me to Jessie. Her eyes drop to the ground and her cheeks turn red.

  “Everything okay miss?”

  “I got attacked by a cougar,” she says, nodding. “He saved me.”

  “Really?” he says with a huff of breath. “That’s odd to me because I’ve never seen Lachlan take care of anyone but himself.”