We turned a corner, and there ahead was the cabin, dark because we hadn’t left any lights on.
I let out a relieved breath, a new bounce in my step now that we’d returned.
“See,” he said, pulling me close. “Just around the corner.”
“I have no clue how you found this place. I was sure we were lost.”
Grinning, he kissed my forehead. “I could tell. Sorry I kept you out so long. You’re a trooper. We should have headed back earlier.”
I tried to laugh off my earlier apprehension. “Well, now that we’re here, I’m looking forward to that bath and spaghetti.”
* * *
Emerson pressed a button on the remote.
Landon gasped, his hands flying to his neck. I jumped back, my heart galloping. His skin rippled and seemed to grow, hair erupting along his arms and chest. A tearing sound echoed. What remained of his pants, then underwear, ripped away as his body swelled.
The transformation didn’t stop. The fur grew longer, the muscles bulkier. His face…my God…his face stretched and warped, canines growing over the top of his lips. My heart lodged in my throat. Each limb filled out until he landed on all four paws with a huff of a breath, the grass in front of him bending at the force of it.
The moisture in my mouth dried up; my throat clenched tight. A one-ton grizzly bear stood in front of me and I had nowhere to hide. The air around me stilled in anticipation of what came next.
The bear tossed his head, then stared at me with dark brown, almost black, eyes.Those eyes.They were Landon’s eyes, and they were fixed on me. I held myself immobile, waiting for him to make a move. Then he bowed, breaking eye contact.
You did know me.
Those were Landon’s words from minutes ago. He’d been telling me our past wasn’t a lie, the same as I had told him. But he was also telling methiswas him. Inside the bear, it was Landon.
He lifted his gaze, but remained where he was, watchful, waiting. Swallowing around the lump in my throat, I stepped forward. Oh God, he was so big. On all fours, his shoulders came up to mine. He could crush me if he wanted to.
I reached toward him. His snout lifted, touching my fingers. A sharp inhale squeezed my lungs. His breath was warm on my hand, his nose damp. He moved his bulk forward, his cheek brushing my palm. I stroked up his neck. A huge huff of breath escaped him, shuddering through me from the weight of it. Another step and his shoulder bumped mine gently.
This was Landon. He might look different, but itwashim. Even though he was something other than I expected, I felt the same things I did yesterday. I still loved him.
The collar he wore cut into his auburn and black fur, matting a large swath of it against his body. It looked painful. My eyes burned. That collar wouldn’t have been choking him if I hadn’t stolen the plans. I wanted to weep for what I’d done. And if I hadn’t told my brother what I’d seen that day in the forest, Landon wouldn’t be hunted.
My arms wrapped around his neck, and I buried my face in the soft and wiry fur of his shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”
I didn’t know if Landon understood words in this form, but he leaned into me enough for me to believe he returned my hug, forgiving me. My throat ached with the need to cry.
“Touching.” Emerson’s angry voice cut through the moment, causing me to jerk straight and spin around. He stood behind the safety glass of his bunker, a disdainful curl to his lips. “Since he seems to be one of those beasts who don’t attack when a human sees what they are, I guess we’ll move on to the audience participation portion of the agenda.”
He’d always pushed that narrative, that each time he’d used deadly force, it was because the shifters attacked first. I never should have believed him. Landon’s intelligence shone through his eyes. He remained self-aware.
The sun set behind the mountains, drenching the arena in shadows. I’d been thinking at least we had that on our side, but with a flick of Emerson’s wrist, floodlights turned on everywhere, blinding. One light in particular cast a circle around me and Landon like a circus act. I leaned into his side, comforted by the warmth and weight of him.
“I’ll be nice and give you a five-minute head start.” Emerson’s voice was as hard as I’d ever heard it. The sound of Cliff’s shotgun being cocked reverberated through the speakers.
My brother would kill us both. With joy.So fucked up.My heart raced. We were out-manned and out-gunned with no backup in sight.
“Clock’s ticking.” Emerson stared straight at me when he said it. “I’d suggest moving unless you want to be slaughtered here.” The guys behind him vibrated with anticipation, wide grins splitting across their faces.
Clenching my fists, a frustrated noise escaped my throat. I spun around, ready to run with Landon. He’d lowered onto his belly behind me. At first I thought he was giving up, then he tossed his head at me. He wanted me to climb onto his back.
A thrill shot through me, one incongruent with the occasion, but no less profound.I’m about to ride a bear.How many people could say they’d done that?
My chest tight with fear for both of us, I took a fistful of Landon’s scruff and swung my leg over him like I would a horse. I sank into his fur, my legs spread wide to accommodate the breadth of his shoulders.
As soon as I settled, he was off. His movements rocked me forward and back. My arms squeezed him tight, my shoulder pulsing where he’d bandaged it.Don’t fall off.Wind whistled past us, my hair coming out of its ponytail a tendril at a time. I never would have thought a bear could move so fast. We trundled through the brush like a locomotive without brakes, crashing sounds echoing behind us. Stinging branches lashed my face. I tucked down, flattening against him, protecting my body as best I could.
