by Mary Winter
Liam pulled her against him. “I’m lying to you for your own good. I fell into a creek. We’re going to leave it at that, aren’t we?”
“No, we’re not. Dammit, Liam, things don’t add up. You leave and then a grizzly bear shows up. If they don’t like humans, then why did they wait until you were gone, but I wasn’t? You introduce me to a grizzly bear. You even ran up to one and made it go away. That doesn’t happen in real life, buddy. So tell me the truth. Can you turn into a grizzly bear or not?”
Liam released her.
She swayed against him, flattening her palm against his chest. Taking a deep breath, she stepped back.
“So who have you told about your accusations?” Liam narrowed his gaze over her shoulder at her tent. “Have you been writing them down in your notebook so you can put it all in your report?”
“No!” She gasped, then realized what she’d said. “Well, I’ve been putting my observations in the notebook, but I’d never put this in my report. My boss would think I was crazy.” She stepped back from him, not liking the wary vibes he gave off. Almost as if he weighed every single word. Not that she blamed him. If she had to reveal that she changed into a beast, she’d be careful too. “So is it like being a werewolf? Does it happen with the full moon?”
“Let’s go into the tent and keep your voice down.” Liam strode past her to the tent. He opened the flap, then gestured for her to precede him inside. Once she entered the tent, he followed her and closed it.
“So who is going to hear us?” Sarah tugged off her snowy boots and set them by the door. She tucked her sock-clad feet beneath her and sat cross-legged on the sleeping bags. “And you are going to give me the truth, aren’t you?”
Liam removed his boots in silence. “Yeah,” he said at last. He took a seat in the corner of the tent, away from the sleeping bags. Looking at him sitting there, she figured he had to be cold. “So, how’d you find out?”
Sarah shrugged. “I’m trained to observe. You have an uncanny rapport with bears. And every time you left, one showed up. Once I figured was a coincidence. Twice?”
“You saw me?”
“I saw a bear. Guess it was you.”
Liam sighed. “I won’t lie. I can turn into a grizzly bear. But I’m not like a werewolf. Though there are some of my people who can turn into wolves and others can turn into eagles. I’m not quite human, Sarah, and that’s why I didn’t want to tell you. I’m a variant of humans. Homo interans. Means, humans in transition, in Latin.”
“Oh god,” Sarah breathed. She closed her eyes, not quite able to believe what she was hearing. A separate species from humans. People who could turn into bears, eagles, and wolves. She buried her face in her hands and shook her head, half aware she kept repeating “oh god” over and over again.
“Stay with me Sarah,” Liam’s voice rumbled over her senses, his hand heavy on her shoulder.
She tried, she really did. Focusing on his voice, she strained to hear it like trying to see a dim light at the end of a really long tunnel. Her vision wavered and grew dark. Chills darted down her spine and she hunched into herself in a futile attempt to ward them off. Change. Into. A. Grizzly. Bear. Her mind focused on those five words, repeating them over and over again, even as she whispered “oh god” like a mantra. Her lips dry and her throat parched, she breathed a shuddering sigh.
“You’re not kidding me are you?” Sarah finally found the voice and the nerve to ask.
Liam shook his head as somber as a minister at a funeral. “No. I’m not.”
“I see,” she replied, and then she fainted.
~* * *~
Liam stared at Sarah’s still, pale form wondering what the hell he really thought he was doing. Telling a human about them was one thing; telling someone in politics something completely different and utterly stupid. Reaching for Sarah, he brushed a strand of hair away from her forehead. Her eyelids fluttered open.
He relaxed. She’d been out less than a couple of minutes, but those had been the longest seconds of his life.
“I fainted, didn’t I?”
Liam nodded. “Yeah.”
“Sorry.” She started to sit up.
Liam curled his hand over her shoulder. “Easy. You’ve had quite a shock. Why don’t you rest here? I’ll go outside and see if it’s stopped snowing.” He knew it had by the way the air smelled, but telling her that probably wasn’t wise at the moment. “I’ll be within ten feet of the tent at all times so if you need me, just call, okay?” He hated leaving her, but he heard an approaching bear and figured it was Cameron coming to check on them. Seeing another grizzly right now wasn’t in Sarah’s best interests.
“I’ll be fine.”
He hesitated for a moment, but when she shooed him toward the tent flap, he relented. Unzipping it, he stepped outside into a chilly, white world. Closing the tent behind him, he stood for a moment outside and breathed deeply, drawing the scents of the recent snowfall and the woods into his nostrils. As he thought, Cameron lumbered toward him from the direction of the lodge.
Liam raised his hands and waved them. “Go away,” he mouthed.
Cameron halted.
Liam took a couple of steps toward him. Careful to stay close to the tent, he tried to motion for Cameron to turn around.
The bear rose on its hind legs.
No! Liam suspected this fun-loving brother of wanting to create a bit of mischief. Sarah can’t take this right now. He stepped forward, glancing over his shoulder. Already he’d gone a good eight feet away from the tent. He’d promised her he’d stay in shouting distance.
“Liam, everything okay?” Sarah’s voice filtered through the canvas.
“Just fine. Looks like the snow’s stopped.” Liam kept a smile on his face. He hoped that his brother understood that he needed to head back. “I think we’ll be fine tonight and can head back in the morning.” He spoke a little louder than usual. Hopefully Sarah attributed it to wanting to be sure she heard him through the tent.
The bear dropped to all fours. He huffed and swung his head from side to side.
Liam stepped forward. He waved his arms, wishing his brother wouldn’t be so stubborn. Go back to the lodge. We’ll be just fine.
Cameron sat down in the snow. He stretched his forelegs out in front of him and glared at Liam.
Liam knew his brother’s look. Even in ursine form, Cameron wasn’t going anywhere. He wondered how far he could venture from the tent before Sarah noticed he was having a conversation with someone else. Or, before she became curious and found out that he was talking to a grizzly bear. After his revelation that might not startle her as much as it might have, but he didn’t want his brother to know that she knew.
Oh the tangled webs we weave. He glanced back to the tent. “We’re fine,” he whispered, knowing that Cameron’s keen ursine hearing would pick up the words. “Go away.”
Cameron grunted. He glanced meaningfully at the tent. With a sigh, he laid down on all fours and rested his muzzle between his paws. A flash, and he had taken his human form. “If she knows, she has to leave,” he said. Without waiting for a reply, Cameron switched back into his bear form. He stared at the tent and snorted, then rose to his feet, shook his fur and ambled away.
Liam watched his brother leave. Deep inside, he knew the truth. Now that Sarah knew about him, she couldn’t stay. And if she returned to Washington D.C. she’d be in a position to spread her knowledge through the political community. If his brother didn’t kill him, he figured the Quintursa would. With that cheery thought, he returned to the tent.
“Everything is all right,” he said as he closed the flap behind him. “We’ll stay the night here and then head back in the morning.”
She didn’t reply and he took that as a good sign as he realized she’d fallen asleep. He nestled down beside her on the outside of the sleeping bags. In the morning, they’d return to the lodge and he’d see what he could do about getting her to return to Washington D.C.. Maybe this was for the best. He
just hoped the Quintursa and his brother never found out.
Chapter Fourteen
Back at the lodge, Sarah sat on the bed with her feet tucked beneath her. She stared at the figures that had come through her email. Liam’s revelations still rang in her head and foolishly, she thought that getting back to work and her project would help put things in perspective. It didn’t. Instead, she thought about what she learned and how that’d impact. She always knew men like Liam needed remote, wild places in the world. She just never knew how much. Unclipping her hair, she finger-combed it and replaced it in the clasp that held it away from her face. A few strands tumbled free and she blew at them impatiently.
Sarah’s stomach churned. Grabbing her cell phone, she double checked the time and hit her sister’s speed dial number. The phone rang a couple of times.
“Hello,” her sister sounded sleepy.
“Hey, how’s it going? I hope I didn’t wake you.” Sarah kept her voice light. While she worked late hours her sister was usually in bed by ten, and it was almost nine thirty there. She’d been cutting it close.
“When are you coming back?” Natalie didn’t sound sleepy anymore. “I’ve been told if you’re not here with a report to present in a couple of weeks then I’m going to have to look for a new job. Come home, Sarah. I need you.”
Sarah sat mute at her sister’s onslaught. “I’m not sure. I need to check in with my boss. I’m pretty sure I have just about all the information I need, but I don’t want to leave until I’m a hundred percent sure.” And, I don’t want to leave Liam. There, she’d said it, even to herself. If she left without exploring whatever it was between them, she’d never forgive herself. Now that she knew he could shift forms, she simply had to know more. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity.
“That doesn’t sound like you, Sare-bear. You’re always so sure of yourself. What happened up there? Why do you need to stay there?”
“Because I have a job to do.” She pressed her lips together, not liking snapping at her sister. “I’ll call my boss and find out what’s up, okay? I’m sure your boss wouldn’t fire you over my report.” Most likely there are other reasons. She halted the uncharitable thought. Regardless of her sister’s faults, she needed this job.
“Can you, please? The girls just brought home school picture requests and there’s field trip money due.” Natalie sighed in a long, self-suffering way.
“I’ll see what I can do,” Sarah replied. She had the answers she’d sought, even if she didn’t like them. Things stood exactly the same way they had when she had last checked in. The nagging guilt had been for nothing, and Sarah’s stomach rumbled. To think, I’d been feeling guilty over not checking in with Nat. She sighed. “It’s late. Let me call my boss and see what I can do, okay?”
“Okay. Thanks Sare-bear.” A soft mumbling happened in the background. “Good night.” The line went dead.
The silent cell phone weighed as heavily in her hand as the late hour did on her mind. In the past Ken had always told her no matter the hour to call him if she had questions. Except that had been before he’d essentially told her to finish up the report and make Senator Durwell happy at any cost. Well, she had questions. Picking up the phone, she dialed.
“Ken here. Everything okay, Sarah?”
For a moment, she didn’t know how to answer.
“Sarah? You called me for a reason. What is it?”
His direct tone cemented her gut feeling that something wasn’t right. “Natalie says she’s being threatened.”
“You haven’t delivered your report yet,” Ken countered.
“I’m putting the finishing touches on my findings.” Suddenly defensive, she found herself staring that the laptop, wondering what was going on back in D.C..
“You have a week. I’ll have my secretary order your return plane tickets in the morning. I need you back here and ready for your next assignment. You’ve had long enough. If I didn’t know better I’d think you were dallying in Alaska on purpose. You’re not playing with company money, are you?”
“Of course not!” For Ken to accuse her of such things raised her hackles. “Send me the plane tickets. You’ll have your report in a week. I was just checking in to see if there were any last minute details and to say to send me home.” Already, she thought about things she needed to accomplish once she returned to the office. Last night’s revelations paled. A man who could change into a grizzly bear was nice, but he wouldn’t ensure her sister had a job. This report would. Her doing her job would keep Natalie’s family fed. And that was what she had to do.
“We need someone reliable on this job, Sarah. If you can’t do it…”
“Of course I can. You’ll have a rough draft of the report as soon as my plane touches down. I’m sorry I bothered you.” Sarah hung up the phone.
She flopped back on the bed. The phone tumbled to the floor by her feet and right now, she didn’t care. Flinging one arm over her eyes, she released a heavy sigh. She’d clung to Hodges & Associate’s mantra of being an unbiased source of information for so long. Her beliefs lay around her like the broken shards of a vase. Drawing a deep breath, she knew she only had a week. She’d better make the most of it.
Unable to stay cooped up in her room, she headed down the hall toward the living room. The smell of dinner lured her into the dining room where she found Liam broiling some salmon. A tossed salad sat in a large bowl. Lingering in the doorway, she watched the all-too-domestic scene. Her own apartment with its sterile kitchen mocked her with the fact she rarely cooked. It didn’t matter since she would only be fixing dinner for one.
“Anything I can do to help?” She moved into the kitchen, feeling as if she invaded a bear’s den. Liam appeared so at ease, she wondered if he and his brother ate like this all the time. She didn’t dare ask. She’d be going home soon and it was probably best not to involve herself in their lives any more than necessary.
Liam grabbed bottles of vinegar and oil from a rack and set them down beside the salad. “Sure, would you mind tossing it for me? The fish is almost done.” He smiled briefly at her before returning his attention to the salmon.
“Sure.” Thankful to have something to do, she crossed the hardwood floor. This close to Liam she remembered intimately what it felt like being pressed against his body. Though she smelled dinner, beneath it all, she also smelled him. A hint of lavender from her shampoo floated around her and she wondered if Liam could sense it. Of course he probably could. He was a bear.
She glanced at him, ducking her head when he caught her looking.
“What is it?” Liam asked. He stared pointedly at the salad where she hadn’t done anything with it yet.
Her cheeks flamed. To be caught staring at him like a high school girl with a crush totally undermined any professional image she wanted to project. She licked her lips and focused on drizzling olive oil over the lettuce leaves.
He leaned in close. Drawing a deep breath, he nuzzled her neck. “You always smell so good. Like lavender fields.”
Her eyelids fluttered closed. She leaned into his warmth and strength. Once she returned to Washington she’d only have her memories. “Can you smell it because of your abilities to turn into a bear?” she whispered. Walt never could smell her shampoo or body lotion. Of course, Walt turned out to be a self-absorbed jerk, too, which might explain why he never noticed such things.
“I’d think any man would have to have his nose removed not to notice the fragrance that clings to your skin. You smell like spring.”
“Bears mate in the spring, don’t they?” She’d seen only a few nature programs, but most of them talked about mating season being in the spring.
Liam’s arm snaked around her waist. “Honey, bears mate any time of the year.” He pinned her between his body and the couch.
His words flooded her body with heat. Drawing a deep breath, she waged an inner war. Turn around in his arms and finish what they started in the tent or stand here and hope he moved away so she could
regain her sanity. The first option called to her. Deep inside, she yearned for the kind of intimate closeness consummating their relationship would bring. A memory for her to take back to Washington. That wasn’t asking too much, was it?
“But you’re not a bear. You’re a man who can turn into a bear. I’m sure there’s a difference.” Sarah worked to engage the logical part of her mind. If she could get lost in the semantics then she wouldn’t think about the hard press of male flesh against her or how good it would feel to give herself over to her baser needs.
“I’m a man.” He lipped her neck, soothing the red mark with long swipes of his tongue.
Sarah gasped.
Somewhere a timer dinged.
Neither moved.
Flattening her palms on the counter, Sarah leaned back against Liam’s solid bulk. His hand at her waist tightened, his other arm wrapping around her abdomen. With his fingers splayed his thumb barely brushed the underside of her breast. She willed it higher.
“We should eat dinner.” Her words and her body said two totally different things. The last thing her stomach was thinking about was food. Fluttering with anticipation maybe, but not hungry. At least not for salmon and salad.
“I’m not hungry.” Liam inched closer. The unmistakable proof of another kind of hunger pressed against her buttocks.
Just do it. Just lose yourself in the sensations and don’t care what happens. Questions tumbled at the edge of her mind, ready to leap into the air between them. How long had he had the ability to transform into a bear? Had he told anyone else? Could Cameron turn into a bear and what did it mean when he said they were a separate species? He spoke of individuals turning into eagles and wolves like it really could happen.
“Shh, don’t think,” Liam whispered in her ear.
“How did you know I was thinking?” She stiffened in his arms, half afraid he held the ability to read minds. If he did, she was damned because the thoughts rolling through hers weren’t scientific or logical at all.
“You’re always thinking, analyzing information, seeing what it means and what you can do with it. I’m sure even now you have questions about what it means about my being able to shift into a bear and about my people. There are things I wish I could tell you. I can’t, though, and you’ll just have to understand that.”
