I slumped back down, rubbing my face so Victor wouldn’t see my tears threatening to overflow. My throat was tight and I choked back a sob. I wanted to disappear. I didn’t want the only person who knew about me being a bear shifter to turn away from me because of this. I wished I could go back.
Something touched my shoulder. I jumped. With a face full of tears, I looked up to see Victor standing over me with a firm expression. His hand was on me.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “I’m not going to do anything. And you don’t have to cry.”
I sat there, frozen, as Victor thumbed away the tears streaking down my cheeks. I must have looked like a deer in headlights.
“You’re not scared?” I asked, voice trembling.
He blinked. “Why would I be scared?” He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world that hewouldn’tbe afraid of a bear shifter who just admitted to injuring somebody. Humans were so fragile…
I rubbed my arm, wracked with guilt. “I really hurt that man. I could hurt you, too,” I murmured.
Victor sighed. “Don’t worry. He’ll live.” He sat down next to me, still gripping my shoulder. A tiny smirk tugged at his lips. “And you won’t hurt me.” He looked me up and down. “I think I could handle you.”
I swallowed at his sudden closeness. He could definitely handle me, alright – his muscles were practically bursting out of his shirt. My face felt warm.
“He’s in custody now,” Victor said, expression serious again. “Hopefully for a long time.”
“What?” I gasped. “Why?”
Guilt gnawed at me. I’d hurt him badly –Ishould have been the one in trouble, not him.
Victor’s eyes narrowed into hard slits. “Liam,” he growled. “He was the one who set the building on fire.”
My eyes widened. “What?”
“After he saw what you are – your bear – he took it upon himself to rid the world of you,” Victor spat. His eyes blazed with fury. He suddenly looked angrier than I’d ever seen.
My eyes fell to my lap. “I don’t really blame him.”
Victor hand flew from my shoulder to my chin, forcing me to look at him. “Don’t you ever say that again,” he growled.
The hairs on the back of my neck rose. “Victor, I hurt him! It’s my fault!” I snapped. “If I was a human, this wouldn’t have happened!”
“Liam,” Victor said, his voice low. “He tried to kill you.”
“I started it,” I muttered and turned away.
“It’s not an excuse!” Victor snarled. “He tried to kill you for something you can’t control – and he almost would have, if I hadn’t shown up!”
Silence fell. My throat felt thick. My knees were trembling.
“Icancontrol it,” I said. “But I didn’t. It’s my responsibility to keep my bear under control.” I turned to face him. “You’re a human. I don’t expect you to understand.”
Something flashed in Victor’s dark eyes. His brows furrowed and he removed his hand from my shoulder, as if my touch had shocked him.
“Is that what you really think?” Victor said simply. “That I’m a human?”
What is he talking about?
I stared at him in confusion. I didn’t know what kind of answer he wanted. “Yes?” I paused. “Aren’t you?”
Ever so slightly, Victor raised a brow. He lowered his voice. “Do you remember back when I found you in the fire?”
“Sort of.” I must have blocked it from memory, since it still was fuzzy and unclear, but I remembered the gist of it. “I remember you yelling at me.”
“Do you remember what I said?” Victor pressed.
