“I’m glad to hear that,” she said, “Especially the part about being a pushover because there’s something I want to do, and I don’t know if you’ll want to do it.”
“Hmm, that sounds intriguing,” Justin said, wiggling his eyebrows at her.
Beth laughed, then drove right in. “I was hoping we could dress up like Little Red Riding hood and the Big Bad Wolf,” she said. “There’s a costume contest at the dorm, and I bet we could win.”
Justin normally would never have even considered such a thing, but it was Beth asking, and he didn’t want to say no. He took her hand and led her out of the barn and back into the warm fall sunshine. “Tell me what you have in mind?”
Beth took this as a positive sign and launched into her ideas for their costumes. “I can make them myself; you’ll see it will be fun,” she finished, a hopeful look on her face.
What she’d suggested wasn’t all that bad, and he could tell that it was important to her, so there was no way he could say anything but yes, but he wanted something out of the deal as well. “I’ll do it on one condition,” he said, then when she nodded her head, he added, “You have to come riding with me. I have a friend not far from here who has some horses she’ll let us borrow.”
Chapter Six
***Justin***
He could tell that his suggestion that they go riding had surprised Beth because she went silent. “I promise it will be an easy ride on a very gentle horse. I wouldn’t let you get hurt. I know falling or getting thrown off a horse could be really bad for you,” he said, “But I really think you’ll like it.”
Beth looked up into his eyes and knew that she could trust him not to put her in any kind of danger. “Okay, it’s a deal,” she said, smiling at him. “I’ll need to get measurements for your costume.” Then blushed when she thought of the measurements that she would need and added, “Or you could just bring me some of your clothes.
Justin saw that blush and knew what she was thinking, so he scooped her up and set her on the top railing of the fence they’d been leaning on. Sitting there, her face was even with his, and all he wanted to do was kiss her, but instead, he walked a few paces away, then turned back to her.
“I do have one question though before I agree to this,” he said, a playful smile on his face. “Why the Big Bad Wolf? Doesn’t he try to eat Red Riding hood?”
Beth was sure that he was teasing her but was suddenly nervous, feeling oddly like she was being cornered. “Well, I guess, but I just thought it would make a good costume.”
Justin advanced a couple of steps closer to her. “Then the other part of the deal is that I get to rewrite the story; instead of trying to eat her, I think the wolf is going to fall madly in love with her and kiss her.”
He took two more steps, putting him directly in front of her, then he took her face in his hands and kissed her. When he moved closer, she wrapped her arms around his neck and opened her mouth to him, moaning when his tongue slipped in and began to explore. Her body was pressed up against his, her legs slightly parted as she sat on the fence which let him slide even closer until the slight bulge in his pants rested against her.
Beth was shocked by how wonderful it felt to have him pressed up against her that way, wanted to experience more, but the sound of voices coming from the barn reminded her where they were. Pulling back slightly, she broke the kiss, but Justin wasn’t going to be deterred and began nibbling on her neck, sending delicious little waves of pleasure shooting through her.
“Justin, there’s someone coming,” she managed to say, her words coming out in a breathless whisper.
Justin stopped and looked over in the direction the voices were coming from, then back at her. “I would stop but I’m the Big Bad Wolf, and I just can’t help but be bad,” he growled, then pulled her snug against his body again and kissed her again until she forgot about anything but him.
The day of their ride dawned clear and cool but promised to warm as the sun rose. The fall colors were at their height, and he’d planned their ride carefully so that it would be easy for Beth. He’d even planned a romantic lunch on the top of a rise with a view that his friend promised him would be incredible. When he picked her up, he could tell that she was nervous, so he pulled her into his arms and kissed her until she relaxed.
As they drove into the mountains, they talked about their classes and Beth’s job, but soon she grew quiet, enthralled with the view from her window. “It’s beautiful; nothing at all like fall back home in the city,” she said, smiling at Justin, glad that she’d come.
“Just wait until we stop for lunch. I haven’t seen the view, but I hear it’s spectacular,” Justin said, smiling back at her, glad that she was enjoying herself.
***Beth***
Beth wasn’t sure which was more exciting: the view of the mountains or the one of Justin on his horse. But by the time they stopped for lunch, she was just a bit aroused and a lot embarrassed. For the last few miles all she’d been able to think about was Justin kissing her out here in the beauty that surrounded them. When they dismounted and stepped out onto the edge of the cliff where they planned to have lunch, she sucked in a deep breath as the view spread out before her.
For as far as she could see, there were peaks and valleys filled with color, from the dark green of the pine trees to the colorful aspens, it seemed that the forest was dressed for a party. “Oh, it’s beautiful, and it seems like it goes on for miles and miles with nothing to interrupt it. And it smells so good, like fresh cut wood and something else I can’t describe.”
Justin’s heart swelled to see the appreciation on her face. “It reminds me of home, miles and miles of unspoiled land, no roads, no power lines, no trace of people,” he said, then he got a strange look on his face and let go of her hand and began pacing back and forth so close to the edge Beth was afraid that he would fall.
“Justin, come back from the edge,” she said, then stepped a few paces forward and grabbed his hand then let go quickly when she felt a wave of raw power flow through her body, leaving her a little breathless and dizzy.
When the feeling passed, she saw that Justin was focused on one particular spot out in the forest, his shoulders rising and falling as if he’d been running. Alarmed, she asked, “Justin, what’s the matter?” Then took his hand again, this time prepared for what she felt.
Justin seemed to come back to himself. “I’m sorry, I got lost there for a second,” he said, but Beth wasn’t convinced he was okay.
“Are you okay? You look a little funny,” she said, concern in her voice as well as curiosity.
He took a couple of deep breaths, and as he did, the feeling seemed to fade away, like it had never been there before, but she was sure that she’d felt it. “I’m fine, just thinking about home,” Justin said, then asked, “Are you hungry?” Clearly hoping to change the subject.
Beth let him, but while they set up their picnic, she thought back and realized that this wasn’t the first time that she’d felt that kind of power coming from Justin. Today had been different though; it had been much stronger, almost as if something was trapped inside him waiting to get out, and being in the mountains gave it more power.
It was a stupid and ridiculous thought, so she pushed it from her mind and tried to enjoy lunch, but she found herself watching him, looking for something that would explain what she was feeling. Justin seemed distracted too, jumping up and going to the edge of the cliff and scanning the forest, then sitting down next to her only to repeat the process several times.
“What are you looking for?” she asked when he sat down after his fifth time.
There was a long pause, then he said, “I thought I heard something. Maybe we should pack up and head back.”
“Heard something?” Beth asked, looking around her. “What kind of something?”
When Justin didn’t answer right away, she said, “Justin, what is it?”
“I think I heard a bear,” he said, not adding that it was miles from them but he
ading their way.
Beth stood up as calmly as she could, although her heart was pounding in her chest. “I think we should go then,” she said, heading for her horse.
Justin stood, then stopped and listened, his enhanced hearing telling him that the bear had caught his scent and was heading their way. “That would be a good idea; let’s head back down the trail.”
They got back on the trail but had only gone a few miles when Justin stopped them and sat in silence for several minutes. Beth heard only the normal sounds of the forest, the birds chirping, the trees creaking in the wind, and began to wonder if Justin was imagining things. When she heard the snap of a branch behind them and Justin tensed in the saddle, she turned and looked over her shoulder to see a huge shadow moving in the trees behind them.
She gasped and started to say something, but Justin held up his hand and signaled for her to be still. Heart pounding, she watched the shadow approach, wondering why they didn’t just run, but then she remembered that when it came to bears, running was the worst idea. Her horse began to get restless, and she had to glance away for a second to calm it; when she looked up, Justin was off his horse and heading for the bear.
***Justin***
Justin cursed himself for bringing them up so far into the forest; he’d known that there was a risk of running into bears; his friend had made that quite clear when they’d arranged the use of the horses. But he’d been so excited to go riding with Beth that he’d ignored the warning, then so wrapped up in being with her that he’d let the bear get too close.
This was one of the dangers of being a shifter; animals, especially predators saw him as a threat, instinctively felt the need to protect their territory. Back home, they lived in harmony with all the creatures around them, but that had taken years to achieve. Now he’d put both himself and Beth in danger by coming into strange territory and letting his guard down; his only hope was that he could communicate with the bear in his human form.
If not, he wasn’t sure how he’d hide his change from Beth; she was squarely in the path of the bear and looking right at him, a horrified look on her face. The closer he got to the bear, the stronger the urge became to change into a mountain lion, his body screaming for the release of power that always came with the change.
It didn’t help that it had been weeks since he’d snuck out of town and run the forests, or that he’d smelled deer the entire time they’d been sitting on the cliff eating lunch. His control felt as fragile as tissue paper, ready to tear with each step he took closer to the bear. He wanted to shout to Beth and tell her to run, but to his dismay, she jumped down from her horse, too shocked by what he was doing to realize her mistake.
The bear, who had been focused entirely on him, turned his attention to Beth, who backed up a few steps then turned to try to get back on her horse, but it bolted, leaving her standing alone on the trail, defenseless and unprotected. She continued to inch backward, the bear matching her step for step, Justin standing forgotten between them until the bear sensed Beth’s weakness and charged.
“Don’t run,” Justin screamed as his other side took over and he became the sleek predator that he was.
He ran at the bear, hitting him with all three hundred pounds of angry cat, rolled the bear over, and stood on his chest. His eyes had begun to glow, so green that they glowed even in the light of day and he could hear Beth’s indrawn breath and the little scream that escaped her lips.
When he glanced up at her, the bear used the distraction to his advantage, exploding underneath Justin, roaring with anger. Suddenly on his back, it took Justin a second to clear his head, putting his massive leg up to protect himself just as the bear lowered his gaping jaws toward his throat.
Chapter Seven
***Beth***
Beth raised her foot, then set it down when she heard Justin’s order, but it took everything in her not to turn and run. The bear was charging at her, his bloodshot eyes locked on her, his teeth bared when suddenly a huge mountain lion attacked him. Afraid for Justin, she looked around but couldn’t find him, then she looked at the big cat again, its eyes glowing with a light that wasn’t natural.
Shocked by what she was seeing, she sucked in a deep breath and let out a little scream. The big cat looked at her and for a second and she saw something almost human in the bright green eyes that locked on hers. Then to her horror, the bear roared and threw the cat off him, they tumbled across the ground finally coming to rest with the bear on top. The bear opened its powerful jaws and went for the cat’s throat, but the cat blocked him by throwing up his paw.
When the bear’s teeth sank into the cat’s front leg, it roared with pain, then screamed in anger and its eyes began to glow brighter. With a strength unlike anything she’d ever witnessed, the cat threw the bear off using his uninjured leg, a blow to the head that left the bear motionless on the ground. When it finally got back to its feet, the cat stared into the bear’s eyes, growling from deep in its throat.
The bear roared at the cat, then ran off into the forest, stumbling a little as it went. Beth was too shocked to move, confused and wondering where Justin had gone. She stared at the big cat until before her eyes it changed, and Justin was lying on the ground holding his bleeding arm. His eyes were closed, and he was moaning, blood seeping between his fingers where they covered the wound.
She ran to his side, pushing the confusion of what she’d just seen aside. She gently touched his shoulder and felt that same rush of power, but instead of recoiling like she had before, she ignored the feeling. “Let me see your arm. How bad is it?”
When Justin opened his eyes, they were the same green that she remembered but full of pain. “It’s not too bad,” he said, through clenched teeth. “How much did you see?”
Beth ignored his question and pried his fingers off the injured arm. “Let me see it,” she said again.
When she finally managed to get a look at the wound, she sucked in a deep breath; it was bleeding freely from four large wounds where the bear's teeth had ripped the skin. Pulling off her shirt, she tore it into strips and wrapped them around Justin’s arm and applied pressure until the bleeding slowed, then she put on a fresh batch.
“We have to get you some help,” she said, still blocking what she’d seen from her mind.
“Just give me a few minutes,” Justin said, still clenching his teeth. “It’ll be better soon.”
Beth shook her head, thinking that Justin might be going into shock. “We have to get you to a doctor; it’s not going to get better on its own,” she said, helping him sit up.
Then as they sat there, Justin’s breathing seemed to quiet, and his body began to relax. Sure that he was bleeding to death, Beth looked at his arm again, shocked to see that the wounds had stopped bleeding. She carefully pulled back the bandage to find that the wounds had already begun to heal, then she looked up at Justin, who already looked better.
She stared at him too confused to do anything else. “What’s going on? I don’t understand,” she said, the images of the last few minutes rolling through her mind.
Justin got to his feet. “Let’s get out of here. I don’t think that bear is going to come back, but there’s blood in the air and its mine,” he said, heading for his horse, knowing that the bear might not be the only animal in the forest who might feel threatened by his presence.
Beth was rooted to the spot, too confused to make her legs work. Justin walked over to her put out his hand to help her up, then gently stroked her cheek. “I promise I’ll explain everything when I’m sure we’re safe,” he said, hoping that Beth wasn’t about to start screaming.
The gentle touch of his thumb on her cheek brought Beth back from where she’d gone. She looked up into Justin’s eyes and saw only the man she’d begun to fall in love with, felt only his concern for her and his need to protect her. When she nodded her head, he took her hand and led her over to the horse and helped her get on, then swung up into the saddle behind her.
They rode down t
he mountain in silence, the only sound was their breathing and the clop of the horse’s hooves as it navigated the trail. Nestled in his arms, Beth closed her eyes and took several deep breaths, but opened them quickly when images of the bear attack popped into her mind. Fighting panic, she concentrated on Justin’s strong arms around her and hoped that it was only a dream, that what she’d seen wasn’t real.
***Justin***
When they got back to his friend’s house, Beth’s horse was waiting outside the coral. He slid down, helped Beth off, and led the horse into the barn, then returned for the other one while she stood motionless in the yard. He had no idea what she was thinking, or what he was going to tell her: how to explain who he was and what he could do.
He went over the bear attack in his mind, wondering if he could lie to Beth, say that he was there the whole time, but then he remembered the wound on his arm, remembered the look on her face as she watched it heal. He took it as a good sign that she hadn’t run screaming from him right then, but she might have been in shock, might not have fully grasped everything she’d seen.
She wasn’t in the yard when he came out of the barn and for one heart wrenching second, he thought that she’d left, but then he saw her sitting in his truck. She was scrunched down in the seat so that he could barely see her, but she was there, giving him just a little bit of hope. She looked so small, so innocent sitting there that his heart nearly broke; he’d shocked her and that had never been his intention.
Wishing that he could run away from what was to come, he got in the truck and started it up. Not sure how to start the conversation they had to have, he opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He looked over at her just as she looked up at him and their eyes met, then her eyes went to his arm which had healed with only four small puckered scars as evidence that he’d ever been hurt.
FairPlay Shifters Prequel: (A Paranormal Romance Story) Page 4
