“Liam!”
“Huh?” He blinked up at me.
“We have to get out of here,” I growled. “Let’s go.”
But as I pulled Liam by the hand, he stopped, refusing to go forward.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. The panic was rising in my voice. We were still outnumbered and in danger – and I didn't want to have to bring out my bear to deal with it. The scarred man staggered to his feet, and the other two joined his side. I bristled with anger.
“No, I can’t remember!” Liam cried.
I rushed to his side and held him firmly by the shoulders. “Liam, we have to go!”
But he pushed me away, shaking his head and stumbling backwards. He clutched his head and groaned. Tears rimmed the corners of his eyes. “Why can’t I remember?”
Liam crumpled and fell to his knees. I swore and stood over him protectively as the three men slowly came closer.
“Get out of here!” I snarled.
The scarred man spat on the ground and wiped the blood off on his sleeve. The smug grin never left his face. “What was it you said to me earlier? Something about the forest fire?”
Liam suddenly cried out. He curled up, tearing at his hair.
“Liam!” I yelled. I crouched over him, grabbing and holding his frantic hands before they clawed at his own head. “What’s wrong?”
“No!” he shrieked. His voice cracked. He whimpered for his grandmother.
The scarred man took a step closer.
Suddenly everything clicked into place. I turned slowly to face him.
“You did this to him,” I muttered. I stood, with new fiery rage burning inside me. “You made him lose his memory.”
“His memory loss has nothing to do with us,” he said. “It’s not our fault his brain blocked his memories out.”
The other one snorted. “Hell, we didn’t even mean for him to escape in the first place.”
My bear snarled and slammed into the surface of our consciousness. Sweat trickled down my temple and my hands curled into fists. I wanted to taste their blood under my fangs. Every muscle in my body twitched with the desire to lunge forward and bite.
Something inside me snapped. I couldn’t control it anymore.
Fury washed over me like an exploding volcano. Everything was heat and bone. My body twisted and contorted. I saw the flash across their eyes as my transformation took place. The familiar, powerful sensation of shifting flowed through my body as it changed. My bear roared louder than I’d ever heard it. The sound reverberated through my cells, until finally it was no longer coming from inside my mind, but erupting from my fanged mouth.
All men except the scarred leader staggered back. I stood, towering even on all fours, above Liam. Fury blazed in my chest. My breath came out in thick hot grunts. Power coursed through my body. I felt immensely powerful. Iwasimmensely powerful.
“Easy,” the scarred man muttered.
But there was an imbalance of power. What he said earlier was true. I could take his head off with a single swipe, yet he was still coming slowly closer towards us.
My eyes flickered to a small metal object held tight in his hand. I realized the building was behind us.
He was trying to herd us both in there and end the two bear shifters in front of him once and for all.
Liam had passed out between my legs. I didn’t know if he’d seen my bear or not. I needed to get him out of here but I couldn’t risk picking him up – my jaws were too powerful. I could easily break his neck by accident. I growled and glared daggers at the scarred man advancing towards us, playfully throwing and catching his lighter.
He flicked it. A tiny flame sprung to life. It stood out like a beacon in the darkness. I snorted and slammed my paw on the concrete, warning him.
I couldn't move Liam, so I only had one option. I had to stop the scarred man.
