“I have never seen or heard of anything like what happened in there.” Just the memory of it made his bear shudder in horror. “I have no answers for you.”
“But you knew about the smell. Back in the car, you asked about the smell.”
He had. But he still couldn’t place that memory. And he sure as hell had never smelled something like that. “I have no answers,” he repeated.
She nodded as she reached for a brownie. “Know anyone who would?”
“I can ask my alpha, but he is in Gladwin and our clan has a policy of staying far away from the Detroit bears.” He shrugged half in apology. “Most believe urban shifters are crazy, bears even more so. At least dogs and cats can exist in a city. Grizzlies cannot.”
She sighed, though it might have been because she was taking a bite of her brownie. There had been a definite note of delight in the sound. A moment later, she proved that her mind was quick in picking up the ramifications of what he’d said.
“So there are cat-, dog-, and bear-shifters. You’re a bear and you’re tied to the Gladwins. There are other shifters—bears included—here in Detroit, you’re just not friendly with them.”
He nodded. Then at her gesture, he took hold of a brownie. It was cool to the touch as if it had been in the refrigerator, but the way it smelled was pure human delight. “Vic was turning into a bear,” he said, his mind cataloging the clues. “I’m sure of it. There was no part of him that looked lupine or feline.”
She stared at him a moment, her expression vaguely horrified. But she didn’t speak. Instead, she took another large bite of her brownie. He mirrored her motions, putting sugar and chocolate in his mouth as if it were a sacred act. Perhaps she had the right of it, he thought, as the taste exploded on his tongue. Rich chocolate and sugar had his human body clicking into focus. He remembered other tastes, other delights, all of them unique to man.
“This is good,” he said as he took another bite. “Perhaps I will add it to the protocol.”
She looked at him with an amused smirk. “I’m honored. My humble brownies in the mighty protocol.”
He frowned, running over her words in his head. He heard the sarcasm, but it wasn’t heavy. More like a wry comment as if to say, “So long as there’s a silver lining.”
Such practicality threw him, and he examined her even closer. She was busy licking brownie bits off her fingers and finishing off her beer. Normal actions, and yet in this situation, it seemed very strange to him.
“Why aren’t you hysterical?” he asked.
She set down her beer, her expression steady. “Would hysterics help?”
“Of course not. They never help. But they would be a normal reaction to”—he gestured toward the basement and her brother—“the situation.”
She shook her head. “If it’s not useful, then I don’t do it. But if you want to melt down, be my guest.”
He leaned against her car and folded his arms as he faced her. She was watching him with a studied casualness. As if she couldn’t care less what he was about to say and yet the animal in him recognized the taut attention she gave him. Everything might look smooth and friendly on the outside, but inside she was as focused as any predator in the animal kingdom. And that made his bear sit up and take note.
“When I left the army, I was an angry mess,” he said. “I knew it was time, but I was still furious.”
She arched a brow. Obviously, this was not what she expected him to say. “So?” she prompted when he went silent. “What happened?”
“I fought my alpha, stayed drunk, and lashed out at anyone who came close. Eventually I went to the UP where I turned into a bear and stayed that way for ten months until a pushy woman shot me and dragged me to Detroit.”
Her eyes widened but her mouth stayed stubbornly closed.
“And now, I am struggling to remember the basics of being a man. How to act, how to move, how to fucking read.” The curse slipped out and it told him how close to the ragged edge he was. His mind might be in control, but the beast—and all his fury—were frighteningly close to the surface.
He slammed his jaw shut and glared at her. This was her fault. He’d been happy as a bear. And failing that, he’d have been content in his cabin as he waited for his human side to recall the details of human survival. Here in Detroit, he was completely lost. And totally vulnerable.
“You’re getting it,” she said. “You’ve got your protocol and everything. It’ll just take time.”
He snorted. She did not understand his point, so he decided to make it excruciatingly clear. “Don’t you think that one of us should be modeling normal human behavior?”
She grimaced. “There’s nothing normal about this situation. So why should I react in a normal way?”
Because it was human? Because she was his touchstone right now and if she acted bizarrely, then how would he know how to act? Because he wanted her to be normal so he could understand her, and right now she was more mysterious to him than the stop sign he couldn’t read and the brother he couldn’t save.
And while he struggled with his thoughts, she reached out a hand. It was small and feminine, the nails close cut and without polish. When she touched his arm, he felt it all the way through to his spine. Warmth. Comfort. Human connection. It rocked him back on his heels with how wonderful it felt.
“We just need to help Vic. Then I’ll take you back to the UP. I swear.”
