His face didn’t change as he extended his hand. “I know, and I promise it’s all right. Come with me. There’s something you need to see.”
Something in his voice made the tingling awareness return to my spine. He didn’t sound worried or concerned. He sounded resigned…and expectant.
I took his hand. His palm was warm and solid against mine as he led me downstairs. In the foyer, he bent and helped me slide my feet into my boots. Silver glinted in his hair as he tied my laces while I stood docile, my heart trying to beat from my chest.
“Whatever you see,” he said as he straightened, “remember that I’ll never let anything hurt you. Okay?”
I swallowed against a dry throat. “Beck, what?—?”
“Just trust me, Charlotte,” he rasped. “Please.”
Silence shivered between us. I nodded.
He opened the door and led me onto the porch. The parking lot was full of bears. At least three dozen Kodiaks stood on two legs, their gazes trained on the porch.
On me.
Their fur ranged from honey-brown to almost black, and they were huge, each one at least a thousand pounds. Maybe more.
But bears didn’t act like this. They were mostly solitary except for mothers with young cubs. Even then, they didn’t stand in formation. They didn’t coordinate or even cooperate in these kinds of numbers.
“What the hell?” I breathed.
Beck tightened his grip on my hand. “Keep watching.”
One of the bears stepped forward—juststeppedlike it strolled down a sidewalk. It was larger than the others, its fur a rich honey-brown. It took a few more steps forward. Then it stopped, and light shimmered around it.
My gasp echoed across the porch. Beck kept a tight grip on my hand.
The light built, the blue sharp and glowing as it spread around the bear like an aura.
Possible explanations flitted through my head. Bioluminescence? Some kind of electromagnetic phenomenon generated by?—?
The bear began to change.
Fur receded. Limbs rearranged, shrinking and sliding in ways that should have been impossible.
Crack, crack, crack.
I jumped, a cry breaking from my throat.
“It’s okay,” Beck murmured, squeezing my fingers.
The light built as the bear’s massive form contorted. Flesh swirled over its fur. For one horrifying moment, muscle and tendon glistened thick and red.
Another cry stuck in my throat as the light dimmed, and a man stood where the bear had been a second before.
Tall and blond, he was built like a Viking warrior. His long hair was loose around his shoulders. Ice-blue eyes gleamed in ahandsome face. He was completely nude, but his lack of clothing didn’t appear to bother him.
My knees loosened, but I stayed on my feet, my hand sweating in Beck’s.
“Alpha,” the man said in a deep voice. “You called us.”
He stared at…Beck.
My heart pounded painfully. Behind the man, the other bears began to change. Blue light shimmered around each massive form. Bodies shifted. Fur receded. Within seconds, the parking lot was full of naked men, all of them watching me with varying degrees of curiosity.
Beck released my hand and faced me, his fingers going to the buttons of his shirt.
