by Leslie Chase
"You could just have fired me if you wanted to get rid of me," Lucas said from the living room.
Lucas watched Emily jump into the air with a terrified squeak and had to restrain himself from laughing.
That wasn't nice, he told himself, trying to be stern. It wasn't easy, though. He deserved a little payback, he thought.
She hit the floor, spinning around to look at him. Her eyes were wide, her face pale, and she was shaking. That was enough to make him feel guilty. A little fright was fair, but he didn't want to hurt her.
"What – what are you?" Emily was backed against the front door, holding up the laptop bag in front of her as though it were a crucifix and he was a vampire.
"I'm exactly what you asked for, Emily," he told her, keeping his distance, his arms at his sides and hands visible. He couldn't help towering over her, but he could keep himself from being more intimidating than necessary. At least he hoped he could. "I'm a security consultant and a bodyguard, and I'm here to help you."
"You're a monster!" She didn't sound entirely sure of herself, but she did sound terrified. He could understand that. Still, being called a monster hurt, and he couldn't keep his feelings off his face.
"I'm not. I'm a man," he said. "No more monstrous than any other. I can do more than most, yes, but that doesn't make me any better or worse than they are."
Moving slowly, not wanting to startle her, he lowered himself to sit on the floor. That put him lower than her, and less mobile. She seemed to recognize that, or at least, her breathing slowed to something like normal again.
"If I didn't have that talent, would you be here now?"
Emily shook her head, frowning and biting her lip. Lucas tried a smile, not sure if it would help or not. He'd never been good with smiles.
Still pressed back against the door, Emily looked down at him. The fear in her eyes was real, but there was something else there as well.
"How do you do that?" she asked at last. "Were you, um, bitten by a bear or something?"
Lucas laughed. He couldn't help himself, that idea was too funny even in this situation. "No, it doesn't work like that. It's a family thing, we inherit the talent and pass it on to our children. Though it's a skill too; someone who was born a shifter but didn't learn how to use their abilities won't be able to control it. That's probably where a lot of werewolf stories came from. Mostly our parents teach us about our abilities, though."
"You mean there are whole families of you out there?" The idea seemed unsettling to Emily. Lucas couldn't really blame her; this was opening the door into a world she'd had no clue about before. Of course it would be frightening. But she was still there, still listening and asking questions rather than running off as fast as she could go. That was progress, sort of.
"Yes, there are families. We don't tend to have many kids, though, so the families are small. And we keep to ourselves, try not to get in the way of normal humans' lives. It would be a disaster all around if we were discovered. People in general aren't that good at dealing with folk who are different than them."
He sighed and shook his head. "In fact, I shouldn't tell you about this. But you clearly know enough already that you need to learn more. The Guardian Bears agency, well, we exist to deal with problems that non-shifters can't handle. We're all bear shifters, and ex-Army. After we got out of the military, we wanted to keep protecting people from the dangers that you aren't aware of, that the police can't handle. Right now, I'm guessing that's what brought you to us."
Emily sank down the wall until she was sitting opposite him, her face pale and stressed, her eyes locked on his. He couldn't imagine having this dumped on him all at once – his family had raised him to know about the supernatural community they were part of, so he'd never had to face a moment of revelation like this.
Willing her to understand, to accept it, he met her gaze. He couldn't tell what she was thinking, what was going on in her mind, but he could feel his bear reaching out to her as well. There was, he'd been told, a sacred link between shifters and their mates – a bond through which they could understand each other and strengthen each other. He'd never been sure if that was true, or a nice story people told each other, but right now, he tried to believe it with all his heart. He'd believe in anything that made it easier to convince Emily he was looking after her.
"So… you really are here to protect me? From them?" Emily's voice was tight, strained, as though she didn't want to hope. "You knew about the, the monsters?"
"I'm here to help you, yes. To protect you, just like you hired me. And not just because you hired me to, either. But I don't know anything about the 'monsters' as you call them, apart from what I saw today: a pack of wolf shifters wants to kidnap you. I didn't know what the danger was until then."
She nodded, hope blossoming in her eyes. Biting her lip, she cautiously reached out a hand across the distance that separated them. It looked like she was afraid he'd bite, but was trying to trust him anyway.
Lucas leaned forwards, stretching out an arm, and took her hand. He stayed as far back as he could. Her fingers felt cold, but she gripped his hand with surprising strength.
"I don't know where to start," she said. Her voice was quiet, a whisper in the shadows of the hallway. "I've been so scared."
"Start with what you saw that made you run," Lucas suggested.
13
Three weeks earlier:
From the beginning, there had always been some bad signs at the startup. Despite Sam's grandiose claims, Emily it didn't think it likely that a little firm in a small building on the edge of town was going to revolutionize the stock market with a new trading algorithm. She'd just told herself that it didn't matter. All she was doing was setting up and maintaining their network and their website, and as long as Sam paid her bills, what did it matter if he succeeded?
But then there were the constant visits from the big, rough-looking men who represented some investors. Sam always managed to look happy to see them, but once they were out of the building he'd often close his office door and not come out for an hour or two. And when he finally emerged, she'd smell the booze on his breath from six feet away.
She'd already started looking for other work, and squirreled away as much of her salary as she could in case the company folded out from under her. And that meant putting in as many hours as Sam would pay for, but fortunately, he didn't seem to care much as long as the computers worked.
"Just another week," he'd tell anyone who'd listen, "then everyone'll see. Just got the last couple of bugs to work out. Then we'll be riding high!"
He'd been saying that for two months by the time it all came crashing down.
They were the last ones in the office that night, Emily working late for the extra hours and Sam staring fixedly at his monitor as he worked away. She might not think much of his plans, or his ability to run a business, but she did have to admit he had a work ethic. Every day he was the first in and the last out. It was a shame, she thought, that his hard work wasn't getting him anywhere, and perhaps worse that he wasn't willing to admit that.
She'd been finishing up and about to go home when she heard the argument. Raised voices from Sam's office, one voice stressed and quavering and desperate, the other a gravelly growling voice that sent shivers down her spine.
Even as she'd gone over to the door, she'd known it was a mistake. That she shouldn't get involved, that she should just grab her bag and go home for the night. But she'd never liked bullies, and Sam had hired her despite her lack of experience. She felt like she owed him some loyalty for that.
I'll just go and check that he's okay, she told herself as she approached the door. She could only make out a few of the words from inside. She hesitated, one hand on the door handle, listening in.
"… wants his money back," the snarling voice said. "Tired of waiting."
"I don't have it!" Sam sounded panicked, and a little drunk. "But I will, next week, you'll see."
The reply was too quiet for Emily to
make out. Whatever the man said, it was followed by a crash and a meaty thump. Emily jumped, biting down on a squeal of shock, and threw open the door. She knew that she'd regret getting involved, but she had to try and help.
Sam stood behind his desk, his face a picture of shock, blood running from his nose. A tall blond man, long hair tied back, muscles taut, stood with his back to her. His fist was raised and he was growling, a noise more animal than human. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion as Sam's hand came up from under the desk, holding a pistol.
Afterward, she couldn’t clearly remember what happened to the other man. He was already moving forwards when she saw the gun, and he kept going, but as he did, he changed, body twisting impossibly in on itself. The arc of his motion carried him over the desk and into Sam, but it wasn't a man who struck her boss, it was a great wolf.
The gun cracked, but it wasn't aimed at anything. The wolf's teeth sank into Sam's forearm with bone-crushing strength, and Sam cried out, his hand spasming open. The gun dropped from his fingers and the wolf's jaws released him. Emily finally started to react to what she was seeing, drawing breath to scream.
Before she could get the breath out, the wolf jumped up to sink its teeth into Sam's throat, tearing out a mouthful of flesh. Blood sprayed across the office, arcing everywhere in bright crimson splatters.
The wolf looked at her. Its eyes met hers, blood dripped from its jaws, and she could swear that it smiled.
At last she managed to get her body to react, slamming the door shut on the scene of carnage just before the wolf pounced. The impact of the creature on the door shook her, drove her back, and she barely managed to get her shoulder to the door to hold it shut in time. She knew that she'd not be able to hold the thing off for long – the strength of that impact was far too much.
Desperate, she looked around for something, anything, that might help. Not far from the door she saw the cleaner's cart – nothing else was in reach.
With another thump the wolf smashed into the door hard enough to shake her bones.
I have to try it, she thought, and grabbed the handle of a broom sticking from the cart. It fit through the door handles of Sam's office, and she got it in place just in time. The third impact of the monster behind the door was stronger, and would surely have bowled her over. But the wooden handle held.
Not for long, though. Emily was sure of that. Was that a werewolf? She finally let herself process what she'd seen as she ran for the exit. Oh God my boss has been killed by a werewolf!
She only stopped to grab her bag with her work laptop before she fled, leaving the monster to fight its way clear of the office.
Lucas held Emily's hand tight as she finished telling her story. When she trailed off, silence filled the apartment, stretching uncomfortably over them.
"That explains why you couldn't go to the police," he said finally. "You couldn't explain that."
She shook her head, and he saw the tears glistening on her cheeks.
You ass, she hasn't been able to talk about this to anyone. She doesn't need practical discussion, she needs support!
He scooted over to the wall beside her, offering her his arm. She slipped under it, huddling against him and wrapping her arms around him. Letting all that out seemed to have let her get past her suspicions for now, at least. He settled his arm around her shoulder and held her tight.
"I promise, you're safe with me," he told her, keeping his voice strong and level. He wanted to rage against the bastards who'd hurt her, who'd scared her so badly, but first he needed to make sure that she was okay. "I will never be a danger to you, and I'll protect you from anyone else who dares to threaten you. No matter who or what they are, they have to come through me first."
Emily sniffled against him, and he wondered if he was only making things worse. But her arms held him tight, squeezing him as though his presence was all that she could rely on.
Must be doing something right, he thought.
"I'd never seen anyone die before," she said, trembling against him. "And it was so, so –"
"Horrible," he finished for her. "I know. It's never easy, and it shouldn't be. And when you're walking into it unprepared, well. I'm impressed that you dealt with it as well as you did, Emily."
"But I just ran away!" Her voice rose, and he could feel her anger at herself, at her own fear, tearing at her. "I didn't do anything to stop him, or even get the police or someone. Sam died, and I didn't do anything."
"You did everything you could. Listen to me," he said, aiming for a stern tone without being harsh. "If you'd fought that wolf shifter, you'd have lost. If you'd called the police, they'd have been useless against this – even if you could identify the man, it was the wolf that killed Sam. And you were right, the wolf shifters would have killed you too to cover this up, especially if you went to the authorities. The shifter community doesn't want our existence to come into the open.
"So you got away, you got the evidence away with you, and you contacted me. There's nothing more that you could, or should, have done. Understand?"
She sniffled again, but her head moved in a jerky little nod and some of the tension left her body. "You're really going to protect me? Even though they're shifters, like you?"
"They aren't like me," Lucas rumbled, and he couldn't keep all of his anger at them out of his voice. "I don't murder people, and I'd protect you against them even if you weren't my mate. But you are, which means I'd protect you against anyone, no matter what."
Emily looked up at him. In the shadows of the unlit corridor, he couldn't read her expression very well, but he thought he could see a fresh determination in her eyes. And a question.
Damn, I didn't want to have to explain fated mates to her so suddenly. We've got enough to discuss right now without going into that.
"The next questions are who they are, and what exactly they want," he continued quickly. "I'm not going to let them get away with this. The shifter you saw attack Sam – did you recognize him at the diner today?"
"Maybe. I don't know." Emily shuddered at the memory. "I didn't get a good look at him, but I think it was the one who tried to stop you reaching me."
Lucas bared his teeth in a hungry snarl of a grin. "He's most likely in charge, then. The Alpha of their pack. I'll track him down and then…"
He let that trail off, not wanting to spook Emily with more talk of violence. Inwardly, though, he let himself have the luxury of imagining taking his revenge on the man who'd set so much trouble in motion for his mate. The bear inside him rumbled with a matching anger, waking and coming close to the surface.
A glance down showed him that Emily was having similar thoughts. At least that's how he interpreted the iron-hard glare that had settled on her face as she looked off into the distance.
"They must be after the laptop, too," she said after a moment of shared anger. "I mean, they have to be after something apart from me, right? Otherwise they'd have been trying to kill me, not kidnap me."
"They might not have wanted to do anything too drastic that publicly," Lucas mused, and then shook his head. He'd revealed his bear form and no one had seen – the wolves would have had every chance to get away with it. "But you're probably right, they were after something else. What's on the laptop that's so valuable? Just the accounts?"
He didn't mention that she'd been obviously hiding something on it from him. He didn't need to. Emily bit her lip, looking up at him guiltily. "I've got a lot of the backups for TannerTech's systems. That includes the accounts, but it also has a recording from Sam's laptop webcam. I think he was trying to record the confrontation, or something. He didn't do a good job of it, but it did catch the man turning into a wolf."
Lucas whistled. "Yeah, that's something they'll want to make sure doesn't get out. The rest of the supernatural community would help cover it up, but he'd be in deep trouble with the rest of us for letting it get out. His whole pack would be. The only way they'd get out of it would be to turn on him, and depending how muc
h trouble they caused, that might not be enough.
"The bad news is, they won't stop coming for that. The good news is that it gives us something to bargain with."
14
Emily didn't know what to say. What Lucas told her turned her world upside down, but at least now she knew she wasn't insane. That was a huge weight lifted off her shoulders. Knowing that she had seen what she thought she'd seen, that it was real, was both terrifying and liberating.
And on top of that, he was able to offer her a way out. When she'd hired him, all she'd been able to think about was the next week, the next month – however long she could afford a bodyguard before her savings ran out. The idea that he might actually be able to get her out of the trouble she was in felt a little unreal. She hadn't allowed herself to even consider the possibility until now.
The fact that he wasn't entirely human seemed like a small thing in comparison to the feeling of safety he brought. No, not even that. Part of her was insisting that she should be frightened of him, but deep down she knew it was wrong. That she was talking herself into a fear she didn't need.
She felt safe in his arms in a way that nothing would be able to shake; he wouldn't hurt her, and he wouldn't let anyone else hurt her either. Emily had known that all along, but her mind hadn't been willing to listen to her heart.
"You can really save me?" she asked, feeling hot tears running down her cheeks. His powerful, muscular bulk reassured her as she leaned into him, feeling the slow, steady rise and fall of his chest.
"Yes." His voice was a deep rumble, and Emily felt the vibrations of it, powerful and reassuring. His hand cupped her chin and lifted her face to look up at him. His gaze was strong, confident, and angry – not at her, but at anyone who might hurt her. She shivered, biting her lip.
"Now that I know it's wolves who are after you," he continued, "I'll be able to find out exactly who it is. And then they won't bother you again, I promise. One way or another."
