by T. S. Ryder
Joseph wasn't fast enough. A shot that sounded louder than all the others rang in his ears. Buck's head jerked forward, slamming into the door. He bounced backward, falling. Everything was in slow motion. The clatter of Buck's gun on the pavement resounded over the sound of the gunshots in the air. It reached deep inside of Joseph, dragging his Bear forward.
He was already half-shifted, phasing between forms that rendered him almost invisible to the naked eye. He let his Bear take the lead, feeling his conscious mind suppressed under layers of evolution and instinct.
The cop–a face Joseph recognized somewhere in the back of his mind–turned his gun on him as the Bear barreled towards him. He never had the chance to use it. There was a strangled yelp as the Bear's mouth came down on him. Joseph grinned as bone crunched and blood flowed. His Bear brought the cop down, wanting to rip him to shreds.
Ana, he thought, reminding the Bear of their mission.
The Bear abandoned the corpse, shouldering through the door. Wood splintered as he squeezed in. There were heavy, confusing scents crowding him, confusing him. Two more cops lay on the floor, bullets in their heads, but the Bear moved over them, not caring what their fates were. His only thought was the beautiful woman in this house who was in danger. His protective instincts were stronger than anything he had felt before.
He heard a shout and turned. There was a group of men going out the door. One of them was resisting. Blood dripped from his face. Joseph caught a whiff of dog. Some part of his brain realized he needed to go after him, save him—
A scream rang in his ears. Ana's scream.
Joseph ran towards the sound.
Chapter Three
Intense eyes stared at her. Ana's heartbeat increased in desire, heat pooling in her intimate regions. Big, strong hands grasped her hips, pulling her closer to him. Some part of her brain told her to protest, that he was just like all the other men who had broken her heart; as soon as she asserted her independence, didn't submit to his every whim, whether it was what she should eat at a restaurant to what they would do in bed, he would drop her like a rock.
And she knew it would be far too easy to fall in love with Joseph Baker, so she had to stop this now before it was too late.
But his mouth was on hers now, demanding, hot, and her body was tightening. She had never wanted a man more than she wanted Joseph Baker at that moment and suddenly they were in a bed, his big, strong hands gripping her shoulders as he feasted on her breasts, a primal growl vibrating through her body—
Ana was jerked from her dream by the sound of an explosion. She gasped, pulse racing, disoriented as she clung to the blankets circling her. There was a soft lamp glowing on the nightstand–Ana had never really gotten over her fear of the dark–that lit the room. For an instant she thought it was a sound in her dream that had woken her, the night seemed so utterly still now. But then there was the sound of an engine roaring and the pop pop pop of gunfire.
She rolled out of bed, flattening herself on the floor at once. There was shouting in the house, the sound of voices both angry and frightened. Was it a coincidence, or had the assassin found them again? Was he trying another attempt on Seth's life?
Seth.
Just as she was about to scramble to her feet, the door burst open. Ana crouched behind the bed, but it was the senator who came into the room. He slammed the door shut and dragged the desk in front of it. Seth ran to the nightstand, turning off the lamp.
"What's going on?" Ana asked, clutching the bed, completely disoriented in the dark.
"Get out of the window," Seth hissed. "We've been betrayed, I saw one of the cops shoot the others."
Ana's heart stopped as she thought of Joseph. Had he been one of the ones killed…? She felt Seth brush by her as he headed to the window and followed him, not knowing what to think. Now was not the time to worry for Detective Baker, not when there was gunfire and a cop in the house trying to kill them!
"It's stuck," Seth grunted, trying to open the window.
Somebody pounded on the door.
"Let me," Ana replied. She groped blindly, finally finding the bed. Yanking one of the blankets off, she wound it around her fist. She punched the glass, shattering it, and continued to knock the glass clean off the window so they wouldn't cut themselves while climbing out.
But it was too late. The desk went flying as the door burst open. Bright, flashing lights blinded her. Seth cried out–it turned into a growl and he launched himself forward. One of the intruders smashed his face with the butt of his rifle and Seth collapsed.
"Bring him," one of the men said. "Scott wants the senator alive."
Ana trembled as they dragged Seth to his feet and pulled him out of the room. She felt so helpless, but what could she do, with the guns now pointed at her? Her hands clenched–they didn't need her alive, they would kill her the moment they got the order. A cool breeze brushed against her arm. Had she smashed a big enough hole in the window to get out?
A desperate cry strangled Ana as she snatched the lamp off the nightstand, ripping it from the wall, and hurled it at their attackers. It hit one of them dead on and he stumbled back, swinging his gun around towards her.
Ana dove out of the shattered window as the bullets came at her. Pain lanced her thigh. She screamed.
She hit the ground hard, rolling several times. Her leg throbbed and stung, but she didn't look to see if she had been shot. Adrenaline pumped through her, temporarily suppressing the pain as she scrambled to her feet. Lights peered through the window and found her. Somewhere in the house, she heard Seth screaming at her to run and she did. Bullets rained at her. She could hear them whistling by her ears and threw herself behind a tree. The impact of the bullets vibrated through the thick trunk, thrumming against her heart.
From where she was, she could see the back of the house. Seth was being dragged limply into a black van. Blood ran down his face. Ana patted her pockets, instinctively looking for her cellphone. If she could find it, take a picture of the vehicle…
"No!"
Tires squealed as the van pulled away. And from behind her, another sound came. A sound that sent shivers running down her spine and that told her to flee, to run as fast and hard as she could. A primitive sound, punctured by the screams of men and intermittent gunfire. Ana pressed herself to the tree, legs shaking with the desire to run, but somehow suppressing that instinct. If she ran, she would open herself up to gunfire again.
Something crashed behind her. It sounded like something huge bursting through glass and wood. More strangled cries.
A man ran by her, shooting wildly behind him. Ana threw herself to the ground; bark splinters rained down on her. She looked up to see the man jump into a car. Heavy feet pounded the ground behind her, and something massive leaped over her.
Her heart stopped as a huge bear attacked the car the man had climbed into. Claws tore the door clean off and massive jaws clamped down on the roof. With the horrible screech of metal, the bear ripped the car in half as easily as aluminum foil.
The man inside screamed as the bear bit down on him. A single gunshot, and then all was silent except for the cracking of bones.
Ana lay where she was, too horrified to move. The bear tossed aside its kill and turned. It was as big as an elephant, with long legs and a bulldozer body. Grey-brown fur, with some tan markings around its mouth and eyes, rippled as it walked towards her. She lay there, frozen, eyes as wide as saucers. Her body seemed to have shut down, the earlier urge to flee having disappeared as every muscle in her body tensed to the point where none of them would listen to her.
The bear stopped right above her. It shimmered for a moment, disappearing for the blink of an eye. Ana's breath caught in her throat as Joseph Baker knelt beside her. Utterly naked, his skin gleaming with a layer of sweat. His massive chest heaved as he reached for her.
Ana flinched back instinctively. The detective froze, a hurt look flashing over his face. That look disappeared quickly and was replaced by a frown
and clenched jaw.
"And here I thought you were shifter-friendly."
It took a moment for Ana to really understand what he was saying. Her eyes flashed and she pushed herself to her knees, ignoring the pain pounding in her thigh. How dare he?
"I am! But you can hardly expect me not to be afraid when this is the second time in two days somebody has tried to kill me! Plus I saw the way you mauled that man. You still have blood on your face." Ana's stomach churned. "I don't do well with blood."
Baker blinked. He wiped a hand over his face, smearing the blood further, then focused on her leg. He muttered a curse and grabbed her by the hips. Ana's heart jumped, thinking for the briefest of seconds her dream was going to come true. She yelped as the detective ripped off her pants.
"What do you think you're—"
"You cut your leg. Doesn't look like there's anything in the wound. But I have to bandage it."
He tore the cloth as easily as tissue paper. Ana's protest died as she watched his impressive muscles work. It was the adrenaline, she was going into shock… that was why she suddenly had the urge to launch herself at him, blood and all. It had to be. The detective bunched half of her pants on her thigh, making her hiss with pain and tied it into place with the other half. It was a good thing she had decided to wear cotton to bed…
"I am going to shift again," he said. "You climb onto my back and hold tight. We can move faster this way."
Ana stared at him. Her head felt a little spinny–she opened her mouth to tell him that she wasn't sure she was going to be able to hold on. But then she slumped to the ground, blackness overtaking her.
***
The agony in her leg woke her. She gasped, jerking, her hands going to her thigh. Big hands grabbed hers, stopping her from tearing off her bandages, and she was pulled into a strong embrace. A peculiar scent hit her nose and she instantly relaxed against the giant that held her. Blinking, she glanced up to see Joseph Baker looking down at her, their faces inches apart.
If it wasn't for the pain in her leg telling her that this wasn't a dream, she would have kissed him.
Come on, girl! Get your head in the game.
"Here." He pressed some pills into her hand. "Tylenol. Your leg is going to hurt, but it's not a deep cut. I had to sew it, though… I'm sorry, I couldn’t risk taking you to a hospital. There could be more of those assassins out there."
Ana managed to get herself sitting up straight and accepted the painkillers, which she dry swallowed easily. Was the massive bear that she remembered just her imagination? Everything from before she blacked out felt scrambled, and she wasn't entirely certain what she was supposed to be thinking right now.
"You're a shifter."
Joseph nodded.
At least he had cleaned off the blood. Ana pressed her hands together. "A Bear shifter."
"Yes."
"Do your superiors know?"
Joseph stared at her. "The only person on the force that knew is Buck. He is my partner… Was my partner."
He turned away from her, shoulders hunching. Ana didn't have to ask what had happened. She knew that Detective Harmon had been watching the house with him. So Harmon either betrayed him or died. Whatever it was, Joseph clearly didn't want to talk about it. She put her hand on his arm, trying to comfort him.
"I'm sorry."
"You have nothing to be sorry about," he replied gruffly. "Just try to rest. The sooner I can drop you off somewhere safe, the sooner I can go after the men who killed him."
Drop her off somewhere? Ana narrowed her eyes. Not likely.
Chapter Four
He could tell by the expression on Ana's face that she had no intention of letting him leave her behind. Given what they had gone through, it surprised him–but he was also pleased with her tenacity. She was a brave woman, there was no doubt about that, and even though he hadn't known her for long, he could tell that she was strong-willed and wouldn't give up what she wanted easily.
"Just rest," he said, getting to his feet. He had managed to procure a pair of pants since his shredded when he shifted, but they were a little small and uncomfortable. Better than being naked, though. "I'm going to check the perimeter."
He saw Ana glancing around, taking in their surroundings for the first time. Her eyes widened when she saw the cave they were in. It was one of Joseph's favorite haunts, for when city life became too constricting and he needed to be with his Bear.
We shouldn't leave her, his Bear snarled.
I'm just stepping outside.
We shouldn't leave her.
Joseph ignored his Bear, quickly leaving the cave. He needed some space from her to let himself feel what he ought to be feeling at the moment–fury. His worry for her was over, now that she was awake. All that was left in his body was hatred, a desire to kill all of those beasts that put his–not his–Ana in danger.
His Bear snorted. Our mate.
I don't want a mate.
There was anger at himself, too, though. Yes, Ana was important to him, but his first duty as a detective had been towards the senator. Seth Fischer was going to change the country and Joseph had abandoned him–as well as whatever future the shifters had–for Ana. There was no reason to. He barely knew her. And yet he had shirked his duty.
Because she is our mate.
He felt the instincts rising to go back to her, to mate her. Just being near her, smelling her, seeing her lush curves and determined gaze, had him hardening to a point where it was almost impossible to resist. He knew she would gladly take him. He could tell by the way she looked at him, the scent of arousal that hit his nose when her eyes met his. He'd never experienced anything that powerful before, although apparently, it wasn't usual. Shifters were well-tuned to the scents of their mates, so much that often a male would know when his mate was pregnant before she knew.
She is not my mate.
Then go in there and make her our mate. His Bear growled with frustration, beating its paws against his chest. We belong with her, can't you tell that?
Joseph ground his teeth. She is not our mate. I don't want a mate. Besides, she is in police custody, until this case is over it's forbidden to sleep with her.
His Bear made an angry, sarcastic noise.
Besides, it's different for non-shifters. They need time to decide who they want to be with for their whole lives. And even if they didn't, this is the second time in two days she nearly died. She isn't thinking clearly. And neither am I. Buck is dead. Or have you forgotten?
His heart clenched. Joseph didn't make friends easily, especially outside of the shifter clans. Buck had given him unconditional friendship. To even consider sleeping with Ana only hours after Buck died would be as good as spitting on his grave.
Thankfully, his Bear didn't argue anymore. Joseph scanned the trees, alert for danger. He hadn't been outside very long when he heard Ana staggering out to join him. He resisted the urge to turn and scoop her into his arms and take her back inside. He did, however, put a frown on his face and crossed his arms.
"You're going to injure your leg even worse if you don't go back inside."
"We don't have time to sit around. I've wasted enough time already." Ana shook her head, leaning against the cave wall for support. "We need to get back to the city so we can find Seth. Clearly, the assassin wasn't working alone and if we get to the office, I can give you the documents I collected on anti-shifter groups that have been threatening us."
The senator. Joseph sighed. There was really only one reason he could think of why the intruders would take him alive, and it wasn't pretty. In the old days, shifters were often tortured into shifting and then killed; they were then skinned and their hides hung up as warning to others. While there wasn't any one particular group that was saying they should recreate that sort of thing, the fact was that Fischer had been taken to send a message of shifters. The only way it would end was with the senator dead and his corpse made a spectacle of.
"Well?" Ana flinched every time she took
a step, but she started to hobble into the forest. "Are you coming or not?"
Mate her. His Bear's voice was louder than ever before and Joseph felt it clawing at him, trying to emerge.
He had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. The Beast never learned, it seemed. But he did go to her and pick her up. She felt so right in his arms. She yelped, her eyes widening. Then narrowing when he turned back into cave.
"Hey! We can't just leave Seth in the hands of those killers!"
"Miss Medina, I hate to tell you this, but he's probably already dead."
Ana stilled. She turned her face away, shaking her head hard. "No. I heard them, they wanted him alive. Why would they want him alive just to kill him later?"
"To make a spectacle of it."
His heart clenched as a silver tear ran down her cheek. Her big beautiful lips–her devil-red lipstick had been wiped away, but they were just as pretty without it–trembled. She shook her head again. He hated seeing her so sad but didn't know what to do.
His Bear, thankfully, kept its suggestions to itself.
Joseph settled her back down on the cave floor, in the nest of blankets he had made for her earlier. His hand moved to smooth her silky honey-dyed hair from her face before he stopped himself and instead clenched his hand at his side. What was wrong with him? He needed to remain calm and professional, not go all gooey.
"We have a bigger problem, Ana." There was no harm in calling her by her first name, especially when he was trying to keep her calm. And that was all he was doing.
Yeah… sure it is.
Joseph ground his teeth. It would be a miracle if he had any teeth left at the end of this.
Ana narrowed her eyes at him, folding her arms across her chest. The shifter fought not to notice how it plumped her breasts, turning the hint of cleavage at her neckline to an all-out feast for the eyes. He wondered what her skin would taste like…
Quickly he got to his feet and stalked away, furious at himself. Why couldn't he control his instincts?
