by Meg Ripley
You’ve got to be kidding me…
I glanced at Trent, who was trying his damnedest to hold back his laughter.
“And you didn’t trust me to keep watch overnight, huh?”
“Shut up!” I rolled my eyes. “Guys, wake up!”
Both agents jumped out of their sleep at the sound of my voice, and the magazine Alex had covering his face fell to the floor as he looked around wildly.
I put my hands on my hips. “So, this is how you two keep watch? Way to show how serious the FBI is about their work!” I scolded.
Not like you were doing any better… I rolled my eyes at my inward thought. I wouldn’t have been in a car making out with a hot guy if I had a suspect to watch.
“We’re so sorry, Agent Gianni. We were awake most of the night, I swear!” Gerard exclaimed, slightly panicked.
“Yeah! We only fell asleep the last hour or so,” Alex chimed in.
“I can check the cameras for you if you want…” Trent glanced at me, clearly enjoying the moment.
“That won’t be necessary, Mr. Bailey. I trust my boys. They had a long night and must have needed a moment of rest. I just wish they would have waited until I got here, like I asked.” I gave my two agents stern looks and they winced. “I’ll be including this in my report. You’re relieved for the day; go get some sleep.”
“Wait, isn’t HQ sending a helicopter for us today to bring the suspect in?” Alex seemed confused. They must have gotten called about the pick-up for today as well, but it appeared no one filled them in on the change. The Chief must have figured I would let them know.
“Plans have changed. We’re waiting for the blood results before we bring the suspect back to HQ. I will still conduct an interrogation today as planned and we’ll go from there.” I nodded at them both as a dismissal; they returned the gesture and started to head out.
“Hey, wait up! I’ll drive you guys to the gate and call Knox on the way to send someone to take you to your hotel.” Trent went after them, leaving me in the office alone.
Then, I heard shuffling.
How could you forget what you came here to do? I rolled my eyes again. I was being pretty hard on myself after the whole car thing with Trent.
I grabbed a chair from the side of Trent’s desk and slid it up to the cell, pulling a pad and pen from my briefcase as I looked up at the suspect. He was just sitting on the floor, glaring at me. I sat in the chair and returned his intense stare; I wasn’t afraid of him.
“Hello. I am Agent Gianni of the FBI and I’m investigating three murders that took place here in Acadia yesterday morning. You have been arrested as the primary suspect for said killings and I would like to ask you some questions. Let’s start with your name.”
The man’s gaze did not falter once while I spoke. He just kept glaring.
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way. We’ve already lifted blood samples off you, and when they are confirmed to be the victims’, we’ll be taking you to FBI headquarters. So, you can tell me your name and what happened, or you can just wait for the investigation to take its course. Either way, unless you really didn’t do it, you’re screwed. And I highly doubt you didn’t do it.”
The man bared his teeth at me and I heard a low growl escape his lips.
“Oh, so you can make animal noises, but you can’t speak?” I folded my arms in frustration. I was getting nowhere with this guy.
Just then, I could have sworn I saw something.
It was only for a second, but while I was staring at him, I saw brown fur sprout all over his hands. When I blinked, it was gone.
I closed my eyes for a moment, and opened them again. The man was normal, still baring his teeth like a threatened dog.
I figured it must have just been my imagination. Why would a man have fur growing from his skin?
“This isn’t getting anywhere.” I stood up, shaking my head as I turned away from the cell and walked toward Trent’s desk. But once my back was turned, I heard a loud roar behind me and something hit the bars.
Clank!
I whipped my head around at the sound and what I saw, I could not believe. I gasped and tried to take a step back, but my ankle caved and I lost my balance on my heels. I fell to the floor, pushing myself backward with my hands.
In the cell, a brown bear was towering over me, its mouth jutting out from between the bars as it snapped, its claws swiping wildly in my direction. I heard it growl in frustration, not being able to reach me, and I cried out for help, closing my eyes tightly.
It’s just a dream! It’s just a dream!
“Oh shit! Blanca? Blanca, are you okay?” I felt hands on my shoulders and I screamed, only thinking of claws ripping through me. “Blanca, open your eyes! It’s me!”
Trent?
I opened my eyes, hyperventilating as I looked around. My eyes met with the bear’s and I cried out again in horror.
“It’s okay, Blanca! You’re okay! It’s locked up. He can’t hurt you.”
WHY IS HE SO CALM? THERE’S A GODDAMN BEAR IN HIS OFFICE!
“It-It’s a bear! How did he get in here? Where’s the suspect?” I was terrified, and I tried to slow my breathing, but my body was in full-on panic mode.
“I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this, but the bear…is the man, Blanca.” Trent was shaking his head in disbelief. “I fucking knew this would happen!”
The animal released another roar from its prison and Trent glared in its direction.
“You’d better shut up before I come in there.”
I looked from the bear in the cell to Trent and back.
Why is he talking to it like it can understand him?
I stared at the animal long and hard, and as I watched in disbelief, it started to change. The bear shrunk and shed its hair until it became the suspect. My eyes widened as I observed the transformation, shaking from fear of the unknown.
What…the…hell is going on here?
“Look, Blanca. I’m going to explain some things to you. I need you to promise to let me get it all out before you decide what to do next. It’s a bit heavy, though; you might want to stay seated for this.” Trent looked worried and heavy, like he was about to drop a bomb on me, and I was afraid I wasn’t ready for it. I knew I wouldn’t be able to move, though, so I nodded and took a deep breath.
“The man in that cell is a bear shifter. This means that he can turn into a bear at will. There are other kinds of shifters, too; ones that are able to transform into many different types of animals. When I found Danielle’s body this morning, I knew a shifter was at fault because of the damage. Actual wild bears hardly chase after humans or kill people, and when I saw the corpses of the cameramen, I realized we had a rogue on our hands.
I did my best to track him down, and when I did, I wrestled him into cuffs and brought him here. Thing is, he’s not supposed to shift the way he did in front of you. I’ve also seen parts of his body change while the rest of him stayed in human form; this is also not supposed to happen. It seems like something has caused his human brain to lie dormant while his bear runs rampant whenever it pleases, even when he’s in human form. He doesn’t speak, he only growls and roars. Something is wrong with him and I have to find out what. And I might…need you to help me.” Trent winced at the last part.
He was breathing a little heavier now, after talking at the speed of light to try and get everything out. I just stared at him, only blinking.
Bear shifters? What the hell? Is this guy nuts? Did I just make out with someone who needs to be tied up in a strait-jacket? Damn, I sure know how to pick ‘em...Wait a minute…
Something dawned on me in that moment. Trent seemed to know a lot about this, as if it wasn’t his first time encountering this problem. In fact, he seemed extremely familiar with this information.
No…
“H-how do you kn-know all this?” I stuttered, feeling the fear and panic rising again.
Please don’t say it. Please don’t say it. Please don’
t—
“I’m a bear shifter as well, Blanca…” Trent gazed deep into my eyes. When I looked back, I could see worry and a little fear there. He was scared, too.
Shit…
“We aren’t supposed to discuss our existence with those outside our community, so that’s why we couldn’t tell you about him when you first arrived. Making it seem like it was either a human or an actual bear was our top priority. We thought we would be able to reason with him if we found him, but he doesn’t respond to anything.” Trent glanced back to the man in the cell.
“Wait, we? Who’s we? How many of you are there?”
“Knox, Sophia, even Ramon. We’re all shifters. There are others as well, and Acadia is our clan’s home.”
“Your clan? There’s a whole clan of—of…shifters?”
This was impossible. There was no way this was real. People who could change into bears at will? That sounded like something straight out of the fantasy books I read in high school. How could people like that exist?
“I-I…need some time to process this…” I said finally. I was still shaking as I tried to get up. Trent reached out a hand to help me. “Don’t touch me!”
The exclamation sounded worse than I wanted it to. I didn’t mean to scream at him; fear was still coursing through me and he’d just told me he could shift into a fucking bear whenever he wanted to.
He wasn’t human, and I wasn’t ready to accept that yet. Having him touch me would make this all real.
“I’m sorry…I just—I should leave…” I said, looking away from Trent’s defeated face. I used the desk as leverage to help me to my feet and started to walk out of the office. Trent’s voice made me stop, although I almost didn’t want to hear anything else he had to say.
“Blanca, I need you to promise not to tell anyone. We could all be in danger if the public were to find out about us. I know you need to do your job with this guy, but maybe we can find a way to make this work out for everyone? It might be too much to ask of you right now, but please. Promise me you won’t say anything for now…”
I could hear the pleading in Trent’s voice. But, how could he ask me to promise something like that? Who would I be able to sort out my thoughts with if I didn’t tell anyone?
I couldn’t make that promise, so, I didn’t. I continued to walk out of his office, and I didn’t look back.
****
“This is Agent Gianni reporting from Acadia. May I please speak with Agent Caulwell?”
I didn’t know who answered the phone when I called, but it was no one I recognized and it was definitely not the person I wanted to talk to. I was briskly walking away from the holding lodge toward the main gate and thanked the heavens the ground wasn’t muddy; I hated when my heels sunk into dirt.
“One moment, Mrs. Gianni.”
The receptionist was transferring me to the chief. My mind was racing, and I had no idea what to do. The thoughts in my head were screaming at me to tell him everything I just heard and to let the FBI sort out the situation.
I felt an overwhelming sense of duty rush through me. They deserve to know about this unknown species.
My heart was fighting my mind though, begging me to keep silent. Trent was still a person—sort of. He deserved a chance at a normal life just like everyone else, right? Even with the whole ‘turning into a bear’ thing.
Who was I to destroy their lives? And is that precisely what I’d be doing if I told the chief?
“Chief Caulwell speaking.” The chief sounded annoyed again, which must have meant I was interrupting him. “Hello?”
Oh crap… What do I tell him?
“Hey Chief, this is Agent Gianni. I was…um…I was just calling to let you know that… uh…” The words wouldn’t come out. I couldn’t do it.
“Yes, Agent Gianni? What is it?”
“Sorry, Chief. I was actually just calling to let you know that I conducted an interrogation this morning with the, uh, suspect. He was very unresponsive and did not confess to the murders, so we’ll have to wait for the test results before proceeding.”
“Whatever. Keep me posted.” The chief hung up and I breathed a sigh of relief. I felt like I’d been holding my breath during the whole conversation.
What am I going to do now?
I decided to just head back to my room. The hotel had a spa and maybe a massage would help me sort through my thoughts.
Oh shit! I never asked the receptionist at the hotel for the taxi number. I hope I have enough service to find it! I checked my phone and noticed I had one frigging bar, but luckily, I was able to find the taxi number—even though it took forever. They told me they’d meet me at the gate in 10 minutes. I had Knox’s number and knew I could call him for a ride, but after hearing everything I just heard, I didn’t want to be around anyone at the park.
Chapter 10 – Trent
Knox had called me in early to help him tear out some invasive weeds that were encroaching on the trails. The main Acadia trail that went around the entire park was 50 miles long and the job would take us all day, for sure.
“Is something wrong, man? You look like someone stole your puppy.” Knox didn’t say it jokingly; he was seriously concerned.
I hadn’t told him about what happened with Blanca yet, and I was honestly dreading it. She took off the day before and neither she—nor her agents—had retuned since. I panicked; what if they had gone back to the FBI and told them everything? They could be sending people to infiltrate Acadia at any moment.
I didn’t think Blanca went back and told them—or, at least I hoped with every fiber of my being that she didn’t. I wanted to believe that my plea to her carried some weight, especially after the time we spent together in the Jeep. I knew I was told to flirt like hell with her, so I did, but I couldn’t deny that my inner bear had begun to surface again that day. Desire—deeper than I’d ever known—surged through my body, blazing through all my extremities, and as my lips crashed against hers, I knew my bear had chosen his mate.
Like it or not, I knew it was time to tell Knox; I couldn’t keep it from him any longer.
“Knox, there’s something I have to tell you.” I could hear the dread in my voice and I knew Knox could, too.
“Yes?” His tone sounded like a parent whose child was about to admit to something.
“Agent Gianni…yesterday in the holding cell…She…The shifter, he…”
“Spit it out, Trent.” Knox’s voice was stern now.
“Agent Gianni knows about us. About shifters.” I held my breath, waiting for a response. He was silent at first.
“She what?” Knox roared; his expression was livid. “How did this happen?!”
“Before you get angry, let me explain. The suspect shifted in front of her, right there, plain as day! And while I was trying to explain things to her, he changed back. There was no denying it! What was I supposed to tell her? She was just hallucinating?”
“Wait, he full blown shifted in front of her? Who the hell does that in front of a human?” Knox still seemed infuriated, but his anger appeared more directed towards the shifter now and not me.
“I don’t think he’s trying to do anything. Knox, something is seriously wrong with that guy, and when Ramon saw him, he agreed. At first, we thought that maybe the bear had completely taken control over his mind and body, but after watching him closely yesterday, it’s much more than that. He’s wild, almost rabid. He doesn’t speak and doesn’t respond to anything; he just growls and snarls. If you try to talk to him, he bares his teeth and lashes out. I’ve never seen a shifter act the way he does, and neither has Ramon.”
“What about the blood sample? Have we heard anything else about it?” Knox seemed to be calming down slowly. He definitely wasn’t as angry as he’d been previously, thank god.
“I haven’t heard anything from Ramon yet. He must be hard at work trying to unravel what’s going on. Seeing the shifter seemed to make him worry that whatever was affecting that guy could possibly spread to t
he rest of us. I personally think it’s a stretch, since he scratched me when I was trying to bring him in and nothing seems to be wrong with me.”
“I’ll have to check with him for an update.” Knox’s voice seemed concerned and he reached out to Ramon with his mind as he went back to whacking weeds. I followed suit; the air seemed tense after the conversation and I’m sure Knox was thinking about how to handle the situation now that the FBI knew about our existence.
After a few moments of silence, Knox groaned. “Fuck, nothing solid yet from Ramon. So, about when did all of this happen yesterday?”
“Maybe 10am?” I winced. I knew he would be pissed that I waited so long to tell him about it. It had been over a day, but I needed the day to figure out what to do. I met Knox’s eyes to notice him glaring back at me.
“So, you decided to wait over a day to tell me this because…?”
“I’m not going to give you an excuse. I’m sorry; I should have told you earlier,” I responded. “So, how do you think we should handle this?”
“That’s a good question. I don’t know. This isn’t going to be as easy as it was when Hannah found out about us. I was lucky she fell in love with me, but I doubt Blanca is going to be that smitten with you any time soon.” Knox rolled his eyes.
“Well…you never asked me how that things went…” I smirked a little, hoping he knew what I was talking about. He caught my eye and returned the smile.
“I’m guessing from that face you were able to work your charm after all?”
“You could say that…”
“So, what happened? Did you get some ass?” Knox chuckled, seemingly back to his normal self.
“Not everyone can be as lucky as you are,” I laughed. Knox looked at me as if he was waiting for the details. “We kissed.”
“That’s it? Hardly anything to brag about. You think she’s sweet on you just because you had a little make out session? You’ll have to do better than that, Trent. Much better.” Knox was shaking his head in disappointment.
“It wasn’t just a kiss, okay? I felt something, and I know she did, too. Things would have gone further if we weren’t interrupted.” I rolled my eyes, remembering the moment we heard a knock on the window of my Jeep. “Bar Harbor’s sheriff caught us on the side of the road, but I was able to laugh it off with him.”
