Chapter Nine

The change back to human was agonizing, the bear’s painful roar ending in a man’s scream as his bones shrank and muscles snapped. The injuries he’d sustained in the attack weren’t as gruesome on his human skin, though he had a few gashes that he’d have to patch up and allow to heal over the course of the next few days. He ached all over, the battle taking its toll on his body in more ways than blood.

Dressing as quickly as he was able, Nick made a slow walk through the trees to the cabin. His body was most vulnerable now, broken, battered and human. Moving recklessly and without thought would make noise, and inhibit senses. He needed to be extra careful in case Dan and his crew decided that they wanted to go one more round. Nick hoped to the heavens they didn’t. The numbers definitely were not in their favor.

Tom had offered to go to the cabin to assess the damage so that Nick could go home and dress his wounds, but Nick quickly declined. He could have come up with any excuse in the book, but both of them already knew why. Nick wanted… needed to check on Jo. He needed to see with his own two eyes that she was alive, breathing and safe. He had to be sure that he’d fulfilled his duty to protect her the way he promised he would when Tom was lecturing him about the fragility of humans. They’d agreed to meet up at the shop after Nick properly assessed the cabin to talk strategies now that Lucas had made a move, and parted ways.

Flood’s words floated to the forefront of his mind, ‘Not even to save your mate?’

Taking another limping step, Nick shook the thought from his mind. She’s human. It’s impossible.

That’s what he’d said to Flood at the time, and what he thought now as well, but the more he thought about her, the closer he got to the cabin, the more he remembered her scared voice crying and screaming on the phone… he wanted nothing more than for the impossible to be true.

Even though he knew it would never be.

A human is much too weak to be with a shifter. She’s human. A fragile, delicate, gentle little human, he chastised himself. All it would take is an accidental flex of a hand, an arm curled too tight, the lazy swipe of an enemy’ paw… they were simply too easy to kill to make viable life partners. So shifters stayed away. It was one of the first things shifters were taught. Humans and shifters don’t comingle. So why…

Why couldn’t he walk away?

He was nearly to the porch when the smell hit him. It was bitter sweet, salty like tears, and numbed the tip of Nick’s tongue. Jo’s fear hung like a wet blanket in the air, and his heart ached for her all over again. All other thought left his mind, and in that moment, all that mattered was making that fear go away.

“Jo?” he called, hammering on the door. The door rattled and shook, broken and battered from the assault that the bears had put on it. The windows were shattered on either side, and Nick tried peering through to see if Jo had come downstairs. “Jo, are you there? It’s Nick. I need to know that you’re okay.” He tried knocking again. “The bears are gone. Tom and I chased them off. It’s safe to come out now. I promise.” The door groaned under his fist, raining paint flakes into Nick’s hair as he tried to get Jo’s attention.

Finally, he heard the distant noise of a door opening and closing deeper in the cabin. He breathed out a sigh of relief as the soft, quick pitter-patter of footsteps made their way down the stairs, and the way her hands scrambled against the door as she rushed to unlock it made his heart happy. She wanted to see him. That was good.

After what felt like an eternity, she finally swung the door open. The look of joy he had readied on his face died almost immediately when he saw her. Her face was splotchy and pink, swollen from the sheer amount of tears she’d shed. Despite having on a thick university sweatshirt, her entire body was trembling uncontrollably and she was holding her left hand close to her body like she’d hurt it.

Nick tried to speak, but the words wouldn’t come. He tried to get angry, but even his bear was eerily quiet. All that he could see, smell, and feel was Jo. My Jo, he thought he’d heard his bear growl, but he couldn’t be sure. All he knew in that moment was her sadness.

“Jo,” he whispered, opening his arms. She launched herself at him with a sob, and he caught her up in a strong hug. He winced as she coiled her hands around his still-bleeding wounds, but it was a small price to pay by far.

She stood back from him with a look of shock on her face, and asked, “Oh my goodness, what happened to you?” at the same time he asked, “Are you alright? Did you get hurt?”

“I—” he began, cutting himself off; he didn’t really have a good explanation for his wounds. “It doesn’t matter. I-I just got a little too close to the action, that’s all,” he stammered half-heartedly.

She raised her hand to her lips in further surprise. “A bear did this? I… how? How did you get away? Is Tom alright? How did you chase them off?? How can you—”

“Okay, okay, one question at a time,” Nick tried to joke, but chuckling made him wince. “Like I said, Tom and I know bears. You could even call us experts on all things bear. We know how to beat ‘em, we know how to join ‘em, and everything in between. Tom’s fine, he’s back at the shop, practically unscathed. Me? I just got a little caught up in the action and the big boy caught me by surprise,” he said, indicating his wounded shoulder. “Nothing a little gauze won’t fix. I consider it a lesson learned.”

“Oh,” Jo nodded. “I suppose that’s one way of looking at it.” Though the look on her face was more worried and less amused.

Nick gently lifted her chin with his finger. “Hey, don’t worry about me. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

She gave him a quick smile, but it fell flat before he could truly appreciate it. “Yeah, I’m fine. I mean, a bit shaken up, more than a bit exhausted, and I spilled scalding hot coffee on my hand, but ultimately fine.” She peered around to his shoulder and grimaced, watching as the blood seeped through his t-shirt from the wounds he’d sustained. “You didn’t have time to put anything on… those?” she asked, jutting her chin at the bleeding claw marks.

“Oh, uh… no,” Nick replied, daring to look slightly apologetic. “All I was really worried about was getting back here. I may scar a bit, but this is nothing. Your life is way more valuable than my flawless skin.”

“Oh,” Jo replied, and he could tell she was genuinely grateful. “I… thank you.” She smiled. “I’ve never had someone say they felt the need to run to my rescue before.”

“All in a day’s work, ma’am.” He grinned and tried to give Jo a mock salute, but winced hard when he raised his arm. It hurt like hell, but it made her laugh, so it was worth it.

Her smile faded back to concern as her eyes drifted back over the wound. “But I mean, there has to be something small at least that I could do to help with the bleeding? Consider it a thank you. Also, you’re beginning to drip.” She pointed to the little droplet of blood on the porch, both watching as a second drop fell from the hem of his shirt to join the first on the concrete.

She looked back up at Nick. “Is there a First Aid Kid or anything around here?”

As much pain as Nick was in, he couldn’t help but feel immediate arousal at the thought of her touching his bare skin again. He swallowed past the thick feeling in his throat and replied, “There should be. Somewhere in the kitchen.”

She smiled up at him. “So you don’t mind if I…?” She let the question trail off, turning towards the kitchen and waiting for a response.

Not really trusting his voice, Nick only nodded. Shifters don’t mate with humans, he told himself. Shifters don’t mate with humans. He would have to make that his mantra before it was over and done with.

“I’ll boil some water,” Jo called from the kitchen, tossing him a glance. “You might want to take that mess off,” she said with a light smile.

“Right.” As Nick awkwardly pulled off his shirt, even he had to admit that he was flustered and there was no denying it. He could see the amusement on her face as she watched him stare off into space or fumble over words. He didn’t have time to feel embarrassed about it though, because he was too busy being happy that she was happy. It made him feel at peace, like he was doing the right thing. His bear felt the same. Plus, when she smiled, she looked absolutely jaw-dropping.

Shifters don’t mate with humans. Shifters don’t mate with humans…

Jo sucked in a soft hiss. “These look pretty bad,” she murmured. Nick’s skin sizzled anywhere her gaze touched, and he fought not to shiver in delight.

He shrugged and then winced. “Like I said, file it under a lesson learned.” She chuckled, placing one soft hand on his good shoulder. It was his turn to suck in a hiss.

“Yeah I know, this probably isn’t going to be too comfortable for you, so I apologize in advance,” Jo murmured, too focused on the wound to notice his reaction to her touch. She ran the warm cloth down her open wounds in gentle pats, slowly cleaning the gashes that the attack had given him.

“This might hurt a bit,” she warned, before pressing firming on the center of the wound. Nick held back the growl that wanted to spring forth, but even to an alpha like him, that was painful. “Yeah, I know,” Jo said, as if reading his thoughts, “but the bleeding wasn’t stopping. I needed to apply pressure.”

After a thick layer of antiseptic cream, Jo dressed the entire wound in gauze, sending shocks electricity down Nick’s spine with every press of her fingers as she sealed the bandage closed. “There,” she said after what had felt like a torturous, amazing eternity. “I’ve done all I can.” Her nose scrunched as she thought, and Nick felt the overwhelming urge to kiss it. “Though it really looks like you might need stitches.”

Nick chuckled, voice breathy from both his arousal and the pain, but overall just loving the attention she was giving him. “I’ll be fine.”

She tut-tutted playfully at him, feigning disapproval. “If you say so, bear wrestler. At the very least, promise me no more learning lessons this way, you hear? Doctor’s orders.”

He grinned up at her, internally struggling with the urge to sweep her into his arms and carry her to bed. “I’ll be a good boy from now on. Scout’s Honor.”