by Kathy Lyons
“Hank!”
She scrambled backward, but ran into the wall. He was nuzzling hard, pressing his nose into her soft belly. The idea had been to jerk his head back and rip the buttons off. But once his head was there against her body and he was surrounded by that heady persimmon scent, all sorts of weird things began to happen.
First of all, he forgot what he was doing. There were too many delicious sensations going on. It wasn’t just her scent and the way her hands were gripping his fur. It was the rapid beat of her heart and the giggle she made as he wriggled against her. It was such a childish sound. Like a kid with puppies, and he felt lighter just hearing it.
Then he started burrowing deeper in. Not just her soft belly, but he wanted to feel her breasts against his cheeks. He wanted to lick the underside of those sweet mounds and taste her essence. He had a large tongue and there were so many tastes that she would give him from all over her body.
“Hold on! You’re going to pop the buttons!”
She unbuttoned the lab coat, relieving the pressure against the back of his nose. Good because that gave him the ability to draw higher on her body, rubbing his cheek against her clothing and licking the underside of her jaw.
“God, you’re just like a dog. Do you want me to scratch behind your ears?”
He should be insulted by that. He was insulted, except the feel of her fingers digging into his fur was heaven itself. He couldn’t remember any human ever touching him in bear form. Not like this. Not curling underneath his ears to tug upward. Not pressing her face against his as she rubbed her forehead against his fur. Not laughing as she hugged him to her while he licked along her jawline and up to her ear.
“I’ve never had a dog,” she said as she moved to scratch deeper on his neck. “But I imagine this is much better, right? You’re much better.”
Much.
And what the hell was he doing? He was letting her pet him and play with his ears. She was tugging on them, teasing the shape of them. Did she know how sensitive his ears were? And that what she did was sending bolts of pleasure throughout his body? It was one of the playful rituals of bears before they mated. And he was getting hard. Good God, he’d never had an erection as a bear before.
He licked her again, this time on her face. She squirmed away, laughing as she went. His face dropped lower as he tried to get a handle on his body and mind, but he was still leaning against her, his nose and his ears pressed against her hip and belly.
He inhaled deeply, his nose twitching and his body warming with her scent.
She was in heat, he realized. Ripe and ready for mating. He rumbled deep in his throat, a purr of happiness. He’d never made a sound like that before and part of him was startled. The shrinking human part of his mind. What was he doing?
He took a step backward as he tried to regroup. And in that moment, her head jerked sideways in reaction to a sound. An annoying human sound.
“Hank, your phone is ringing.”
He heard, and he didn’t want to. He inhaled and was pleased with her scent all over his nose and muzzle. But there was another scent as well. Something sour and—
Hybrid.
He straightened and bristled. He would defend her and the others. The young and the old. The scent wasn’t strong. The hybrid wasn’t close yet, but it was definitely in Hank’s territory.
“Hello?”
It took him a moment to realize what had happened. While his senses were focused outside on catching the hybrid’s location according to the wind, she had answered his phone and was now talking to whoever had called.
“Um, no. This is Dr. Lu. He’s…um…indisposed right now.” Silence. “Yes, I’m a believer. Can’t wait to get my hands on the data you…” Another moment. “No, I can’t access my phone right now. It’s outside where the werewolves are and Hank won’t let me go get it.”
Hank took another deep breath, his mind clearing as his nostrils sorted through the Detroit smells. What the hell had he been doing? He was protecting Mother and Sammy, for God’s sake. There were hybrids out there who could attack at any moment. And he’d been…what? Nuzzling Cecilia?
The enormity of his loss of control was staggering. Anything could have attacked while she was scratching his ears. Anything. And he would have been ass to the room completely exposed. The mental breakdown shook him to his core. Never before had Hank lost himself so completely in the bear. Not even when he’d been a randy teen.
He had to return to human. Forget the fact that he was a stronger fighter as a bear. He wasn’t fighting anything while he lost to the animal. It might not even want to hang around but choose to wander off to the River Rouge. That was dangerous for the women he protected and suicidal for him.
So he changed. He made the mental shift to human, the conscious reshaping of his body to the image he saw in his mind’s eye, but the bear didn’t want to leave. The instincts were running hot, and it didn’t care what the man wanted.
Meanwhile, she was talking, her voice calm and professional. Probably giving the sit rep to Simon. That’s the only person who would call now. But instead of the thought pushing him back into human form so he could make the report, his bear was sniffing the air inside, drawing Cecilia’s scent deep into his lungs.
He stilled, his mind at war. Her scent was intoxicating, but it was also tainted with another smell. No, not her. Outside.
The hybrid. It was closer now. He needed to find it and scare it away. If he couldn’t reform himself into a human just then, he’d damn well make himself useful and go frighten off the danger.
He leapt through the window. It wasn’t a hard jump, but he heard Cecilia gasp in surprise.
“He just…he jumped out the window.” Her voice dropped a note. “That’s a pretty impressive leap for something his size.”
Good. She was impressed with his prowess. She would be even more impressed when he chased the monster away.
Chapter 8
Cecilia stared at the window, straining for a sight of Hank’s furry body. He’d just leapt out the window, and she was still holding the phone and waiting to see if he would come right back. Meanwhile, her mind struggled to hold on to anything in the bursting whirlwind of data that came in too fast for her to process. This whole night had been like ripping aside a curtain to reveal a whole new level of reality. It was shocking and wonderful. It was also completely upsetting that she hadn’t even known she was missing it.
That’s what she was trying to deal with right then, but it was too much, and she’d gone too long without sleep. She couldn’t hold on to facts or details like she should. And as much as she wanted to dig into the corpses around her, she kept staring out the window waiting for Hank.
Why had he left and what had he been doing nuzzling her like that?
She didn’t want to think about it, but she couldn’t stop herself. He’d been playful and fun, but her body had responded in ways it shouldn’t. Her nipples had tightened, her belly had gone hot and soft, and that was nothing compared to the wetness that had drenched her panties.
What was wrong with her? She was hot and bothered because a bear had nuzzled her. A bear. A big, freaking bear. And when he wasn’t a bear, he was a big guy with a scar and a taciturn nature who reminded her of her harsh, demanding father. Yuck.
There. That ought to completely kill her libido. Except it didn’t.
“Hello? Are you still there?”
Cecilia jolted, remembering that she was on Hank’s phone talking to his…well, she wasn’t exactly sure who this guy Simon was except that he spoke with clipped authority and acted like Hank should be reporting to him. Kind of like a CO except that, as far as she knew, Hank was out of the military. Either way, he demanded a response from her, so she cleared her throat.
“Um, yeah. Sorry. I was waiting to see if Hank would come back.”
“If he left, he had a good reason.”
“Uh ye—”
“I’ve got your GPS coordinates from the phone, but there isn’t
anyone nearby. Are you in danger?”
Simon’s questions helped focus her thoughts. “Not right now. Mother and Sammy are resting. Mother because of her heart, Sammy because that’s apparently normal after a first shift.”
“Sammy popped?”
She frowned. “I have no idea how to answer that.”
“She turned into a bear and then reverted to human.” It wasn’t a question, but she answered as if it were.
“Yes and yes. Golden brown grizzly of approximately two hundred pounds and six foot nose to tail.”
Silence for a moment, and then…“Any other details?”
“Plenty, but I don’t know what you consider relevant.”
“Good answer. I’d like a full report by Monday. You can email it to me. But for now, tell me how she seems as a human.”
“Young African American woman of approximately sixteen years. She’s healthy and…feisty.” That wasn’t a medical term, but it applied. “Once the adrenaline wore off, she fell right asleep. I managed to get her to eat a couple Powerbars, but that was it.”
“Good choice. That’ll keep her until she wakes. And Mother?”
“Heart condition probably deteriorating with age. She needs advanced medical care, but is fine for now.” Then a pause. “Will you be able to help her? She doesn’t have insurance.”
Silence again as she heard tapping in the background. “She’s a werewolf asset. Hank wouldn’t even be there without Sammy in the picture.”
Somehow she doubted that. There was too much affection between him and Mother. Initially she’d thought Mother was his biological parent, but a closer inspection of the two showed too many differences. It didn’t preclude him from being her adopted child though. She really needed to get more details on his history. From a purely scientific perspective, of course.
Meanwhile, Simon was speaking to someone in the background. He’d covered his phone, so the words were muffled, but then he returned a moment later. “I don’t have anyone free to help you. We’re running food to those who need it and tying down those who are hallucinating. It’s our duty to help the people inside our territory.”
Pack logic from a bear. Not a surprise as humans could be extraordinarily territorial, but it wasn’t generally an ursine trait. Apparently, it was for ursine shifters.
“Understood.” She nearly added a “sir” but showing deference wasn’t in her nature. That she almost snapped out a salute was a measure of this man’s dominance.
“Alyssa and I will come as soon as we’re free. Expect us before morning.”
She frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“Hank is one of my people, too. If he needs help, I’ll be there. Keep his phone handy. If the situation becomes dire, speed dial number two. Add your thumbprint to his phone so you can use it. His passcode is ‘m-y-p-h-o-n.’”
Seriously? His passcode was “my phone” shortened to six numbers? Practical, she supposed.
“Anything else to report?” he asked.
Something along the lines of I’m not your employee, sprang to mind. But she didn’t say it. She didn’t dare at the moment. With Hank gone, she might need Simon’s help. So she suppressed her rebellious side and reacted rationally.
“Nothing.”
“Excellent. And let me remind you that our information is secret, Dr. Lu. There are real consequences if more people know about us.”
“So why bring me in?”
“The situation is dire. This Detroit Flu—”
“No, I get that,” she interrupted. “Why me?”
“Ask Hank. I told him to speak to Dr. Hayes. Simon out.”
Well, wasn’t he a barrel of laughs. This is why she never went into the military. Whenever anyone gave her an order, her first instinct was to give him the finger. Which in a good Chinese girl wasn’t normal. In any event, she followed his instructions and added her thumb imprint to Hank’s phone. And after checking on both Mother and Sammy, she was able to get down to business with the bodies.
Pictures first of all three—taken with Hank’s phone—and then she started taking detailed measurements of the werewolf given that his people were likely to take the body away for burial soon. She couldn’t stop herself from looking for Hank every few minutes. She was listening intently to the night sounds but except for the occasional long distance howl, all she heard were normal urban noises. Cars, a couple helicopters, an angry cat. Unless that was a cat-shifter? Did those exist, too?
She really needed to focus. She could already see evidence of decay in the hybrids. Interesting that the werewolf just looked like a normal wolf going through normal animal decomposition. At least as far as she could tell without the benefit of a microscope or even a magnifying glass.
She needed to stop with the werewolf and focus on the far more relevant hybrids. So she straightened and started her regular I-need-to-wake-up back stretches. She froze midtwist with her arms lifted over her head.
There was Hank standing framed by the empty windowpane. He was naked, his cut body lit like he was a Greek God. Or Shakespeare’s Othello. Or maybe just Hank looking fierce and terrifyingly wonderful.
“Hank,” she breathed, her gaze drinking him in greedily. The harsh angles of his scarred square jaw, the raised line of his collarbone, the taut pectoral muscles, and the bulging biceps. Her gaze took in the narrowing of his hips and the sweet line of dark hair that angled down to his erection. Corded thighs, strong feet, and clenched hands imprinted themselves on her mind.
Wait. What?
Erection. Big, thick, and arrowed straight at her. She saw the wet drop of pre-ejaculate and the way it seemed to pulse as he breathed. She heard that, too. The steady bellows of his lungs. And lord, she heard her own heartbeat rapid and aroused. Her breath was short and quick, her nipples tight, and her body lifted as she stretched out her spine.
She unhooked her hands where she clutched them together over her head. And as her arms came down, she felt her breasts sway as if she wanted him to see her condition: interested and too tired to fight him off. Except, of course, she wouldn’t be fighting him.
Wait! Of course, she would! She wasn’t an animal who mated with the first hot guy who showed up naked and erect. She was a thinking, rational, scientist. And she couldn’t possibly be wet and needy from the sight of him standing there, his gaze zeroed onto her nipples before dropping slowly—sensuously—to look at her hips and thighs.
She swallowed, her mind screaming to act rationally. This was not normal. Do something science-y. Grab a clipboard, take a measurement, damn it, say something! Begin with the basics.
“Are you…okay?” Her voice was breathy, and she cleared her throat midsentence trying to get her mind back online.
He nodded, a quick slash of his chin.
God, how could he be so beautiful just standing there? And how could the musky scent of him have her thinking of ways that he could impale her.
“Um, is this normal?” she breathed.
He tilted his head in an obvious question.
She gestured weakly toward his penis. “Your arousal.” She swallowed. “I’m…”
His nostrils flared and his hands twitched by his side.
“Is this pheromones or something? Are shifters deeply…um…erotic somehow?”
He shook his head.
“So, um, you want me.” God, how embarrassing to say these things aloud, and yet she couldn’t stop herself. She had to know if this was just biochemistry. And if it was, why weren’t women leaping onto shifters in every corner of the city? Because, she was not a libidinous woman. She wasn’t! But right now she wanted nothing more than to have him press her up against a wall, lift her leg, and thrust right inside. “And, um, I think you can tell my reaction. You can smell it, right?”
He nodded again. Another quick dip of his chin.
“But you don’t know me. I don’t know you. You just abducted me a few hours ago. Why are we like this?”
This time he didn’t answer at all. Not by a
twitch of his eyebrow or a jerk of his hips. Which left her with nothing but a pulse between her thighs that shocked her.
“I’ve never felt lust like this before.” She swallowed. “It has to be biochemical.”
His eyes narrowed as he thought. He was clearly processing her words, sorting through the facts. She recognized the expression from her own mirror whenever she was faced with a difficult puzzle. And then he suddenly moved.
She tensed, wanting him to come to her. Wanting from the core of her womb for him to do what she was picturing. Up against the wall, clothing ripped from her body, his hands on her breasts as she raised a knee to skate it over his hips. And then the penetration, deep and thick. God, she wanted it. She wanted him.
But he didn’t come to her. He passed within touching distance, but he didn’t touch her. He crossed to his clothes and pulled on his jeans. Commando. She wondered if shifters disliked clothes like tighty-whities. Maybe they were just another layer to get in the way when changing into an animal. And seriously, who wanted to look at a big scary black bear wearing tighty-whities?
Her mind disintegrated into silly images. It was the only thing she could do to deal with the cutting, horrible knowledge that he wasn’t going to touch her. She wouldn’t be able to kiss him or feel him between her legs. And honestly, she didn’t want him to, right? Right?
But she did. And she hated herself for the irrationality of her own desperate hunger.
So, she turned away. She had bodies to examine, right? Things to figure out. A whole world of science to explore and a dangerous flu to end.
And then suddenly she felt him. His heat along her backside. His breath right beside her neck. Her hair prickled to attention, and her skin tingled from his nearness. She didn’t know if she was imagining this, but damn it, it felt so real. She didn’t want to turn and find out it was all in her head.
Then he spoke, his words soft and so gentle, it brought tears to her eyes.
