“Victor!”
He staggered slightly but didn't stop. Flames engulfed the brittle remains of the building on each side of us. I saw the exit ahead.
Something metallic glinted in the corner of my eye – the lighter.
Blood and fire roared in my ears. Victor’s powerful muscles rippled as we cleared the final threshold. I felt cold night air whip my face as we launched outside. Victor landed, stumbling but quickly righting himself. He laid me down on the ground.
“Liam, are you okay?” he growled.
“I think so,” I mumbled. “I… I’m sore. What about your back?”
Victor growled to himself and shook his fur, sending black debris flying in every direction. I heard sharp gasps and whipped my head to see the three men from earlier. I felt a brief flash of panic again before I realized I was safe now – Victor was here.
My golden bear.
Now a safe distance from the flames, I struggled to my feet. The men didn’t look so confident now as Victor stalked towards them, a massive 700 lbs of pure muscle and spitting fury. The light from the fire danced along his fur, making him look ethereal, like a glowing spirit in the darkness.
My heart leapt into my throat. The three men backed up against the fence. I felt a grim satisfaction at the fear flashing across their faces. I came to Victor’s side, putting my hand against his heaving fur coat. Powerful muscle rippled just underneath his skin as he stood, growling, in front of them.
“It was you,” I said. “The ones who started the forest fire.”
The scarred man’s eyes flickered from Victor’s to mine.
“I heard it all,” I mumbled. I stepped forward, my fists balled at my sides. “You stole everything from me. My home, my friends and family…”
Beside me Victor was growling deep in his chest. His legs were tensed, as if he was waiting for my command to spring and tear them to shreds. I put my hand on him calmly. He snorted, looking confused.
“I don’t want to hurt them,” I said, glancing at the men. “Even though they hurt me.”
Victor paused, and for a moment I thought he would do it anyway. My heart quickened as he stalked closer to them, then reared up on his hind legs. He towered over all of us. Finally, he let out an earth-shattering roar. His fangs glinted in the darkness, and the sound shook me to my core.
When he landed with a final snarl, the men were frozen in terror.
The blaring of sirens suddenly tore through the air. I gasped. Fire trucks had gathered on both sides of the building, hosing it down with powerful torrents of water.
“Let’s ditch,” the scarred man muttered, but as he went to lurch to the side, I cut him off.
“Don’t even think about it,” I snarled. “You’re not getting away this time.”
On his other side, Victor stood his ground with a deep growl in his chest. The men clustered together, all with grimaces of terror.
Footsteps pounded on the concrete. “Liam!”
I turned to see Nick running towards us with a few police officers at his side. My heart raced. Victor was still in his bear form. He was tense, and glanced towards me uneasily. Nick was his best friend, and even he didn't know Victor was a bear shifter; what would the cops think?
The police surrounded us, shouting orders. Another siren blasted from the end of the alley as a smaller cop car pulled up down the narrow strip of concrete. With nowhere to run, the men were trapped.
“Shit,” the scarred man muttered.
Nervous from the commotion, I shuffled closer to Victor. The cops shot us a glance – one did a double take – before focusing back on the arsonists.
“Liam!” Nick cried again, grabbing my shoulder. “Are you okay?”
“Um – I’m fine,” I said, blinking.
“Jesus, I was so worried about you two,” he said with a sigh.
I glanced back and forth between Nick and Victor. “So – you’re not… afraid?” I asked.
