Jonah stared out the window as Betsy pulled out of the parking lot and began to drive quietly. He couldn’t get his mind off Lyla. She had looked better than he could ever have anticipated in her form-fitting red gown, her golden hair tied up behind her head and cascading down to her delicate shoulders…just the thought of the image was enough to send a jolt of fire to his loins.
She had amazed him constantly throughout the night with her kindness and grace in dealing with people from all over town, whether they were clearly prejudiced against humans or not. The bright smile and compassion in those oceanic eyes of hers had left Jonah dazzled.
As they made their way down the road, Jonah’s eyes lingered on the dark buildings of Stonybrooke, illuminated vaguely by the soft glow of the lampposts lining the roads. He hadn’t anticipated just how good it would feel to be home. His mind was flooded with memories of times before his days with the SEALs; playing football with his best friends, spending time with his mother and father during holidays, and walking around the neighborhood in search of adventure.
Jonah rolled down the window, longing for the fresh scent of the night air, when his hackles rose. The scent of bear was in the air. He looked at the rearview mirror and his blood froze. A dark figure was following Lyla’s car as she drove in the opposite direction. But he couldn’t tell Betsy about a bear in Stonybrooke. It would endanger her to know about the bear anyway, as she would surely want to help. He searched the area frantically for a reason, any reason to get out. There was a gas station up ahead, but otherwise, the entire area was rural.
“Hey, do you think you could drop me off up here?” Jonah said, already clutching the door handle. “I was thinking about taking a run. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen everyone like that, it was a bit much.”
“Sure,” Betsy said, thinking nothing of it. There were surely many things on her mind. “Just let me pull up over here so this guy can pass me.”
She finally stopped the car and Jonah leaned over to kiss her cheek. She was always such a mature person, older than him by around twelve years. It was almost more like having another mother than an older sister, but she was still young at heart. He hated to leave her alone.
“You think you could make me Mom’s plum pie tonight for when I get back?” Jonah asked, desperate for a reason to make sure his sister got home safely and as quickly as possible. “It would be the perfect way to end the day.”
He wasn’t exactly lying, but he couldn’t help but feel bad. Still, that was the nature of working for the SEALs. The fewer people who knew anything was wrong the better.
“Of course, Jonah,” Betsy said. “I was planning to do something for you anyway.”
“Great. Thanks.”
Jonah didn’t wait for a reply before he was out of the car and running back in the direction they had come from. The scent of bear was sickening in the air. What would it want with Lyla? It was strange for them to be bold enough to come into town like that anyway. He would be able to ask questions later, after he knew Lyla was safe.
He shifted as he ran, his clothes tearing off his body and being left behind along the roadway. It was lucky that Jonah had undergone the grueling training he had, because before long, he had nearly caught up to the bear.
Lyla’s brakes screeched as the bear jumped in front of her and her car collided hard into the bear’s big black body. When Jonah reached the scene, he was horrified by the bear’s grotesque appearance. He wasn’t just a bear; he was something more. Something worse.
But he didn’t have time to think about it before the bear caught sight of him and let out a loud roar.
Jonah could sense Lyla’s fear from the driver’s seat of her car, and he was filled with determination. Whether he knew just what was going on with that bear or not, he was going to face it. If anything happened to Lyla…
The bear walked on top of the little car, its heavy legs bursting the windshield. Lyla screamed, struggling to get out of the car, but Jonah stood in front of it and looked her deeply in the eye. She stared back. She would stay put, just as he wanted her to. It was far more dangerous for Lyla to be outside right now.
The bear’s muzzle was blunter than average and ugly as it stared at Jonah, its heavy body bending the metal of the roof of Lyla’s little car. Jonah could sense her fear as the bear’s weight slowly crushed the roof down toward her head, and he knew he couldn’t wait to strike any longer. Without any further hesitation, he leapt onto the car. The bear unleashed an ear-splitting roar as Jonah sank his teeth into the tough flesh of the bear’s shoulder.
A cry of pain rang through the air as Jonah’s body went flying. He landed hard on his back with a yelp and soon, the bear was standing over him, its ugly, strange face peering down into Jonah’s. Suddenly, he knew what he was dealing with. A hybrid. A genuine combination of bear and wolf. And it was angry.
Jonah paid no attention to his own pain, and instead, focused all of his energy on strategizing. It was the only way out of a situation like this; bears generally had the advantage during one on one fights, which is why the SEALs were trained in the manner that they were.
Fortunately, Jonah knew the pressure points behind the bear’s legs and dug his paws against them. The bear froze up for just long enough that Jonah was able to roll out from underneath him and pierce his teeth into the long vein going up the bear’s leg. The rusty taste of blood immediately filled Jonah’s mouth, and his desire to kill the beast consumed him. Lyla was in danger. He had to do whatever he could to save her life.
The bear whipped around to strike him, but its movements were clumsy compared to Jonah’s. Jonah growled loudly and sank his teeth into the bear hybrid’s neck, clamping down tightly until finally, the creature stopped moving and collapsed on the road.
As soon as it fell, Jonah knew it was dead and shifted back into his human form. He ran to the car, almost afraid to look inside, but Lyla was fine. She stared at him with wide eyes, and he could hear her heart pounding hard in her chest, fear – and something else – surging through her body.
“Jonah?”
Her gentle voice reached his ears and he knew, in that instant, he had never heard a sweeter sound.
“Are you all right?” Jonah asked, forgetting, for a moment, that his clothes had been shredded along the side of the road and now he was standing beside Lyla’s car, naked as the day he was born.
“I will be,” she said quietly, tucking a stray strand of golden hair behind her ear with a shaking hand. “I’m just shaken up a bit.”
“You shouldn’t drive like that,” Jonah said, quickly noting that her face was pale. “Let me get you home.”
Lyla didn’t protest and listlessly moved to the passenger’s side of the car as if in a daze. She didn’t even comment on his nakedness. She just stared straight ahead as if she had lost all of her ability to think. Jonah suddenly became worried that the poor girl might go into shock if they weren’t careful, and frowned.
“Why don’t you lay your seat back and put your feet up on the dash,” Jonah said, reaching slowly over Lyla’s slight body and helping her to move the seat back, careful not to make any sudden movements. “That way you can be a little more comfortable. We don’t want you working yourself up too much. Everything is just fine now.”
Once she was laying back a bit, Jonah attempted not to notice just how tantalizingly close he was to her and attempted to move away from Lyla, but suddenly, her hands were wrapped tightly around him.
“Don’t leave me,” Lyla whispered. Jonah felt nauseated. She was terrified. And yet, he couldn’t help but sense something more in her voice. Something he longed to respond to.
“I’m just going to the driver’s seat so we can get the hell out of here,” he said with a chuckle. He couldn’t trust himself with her. The wolf, having just tasted blood, was more awake than ever. There would be no rest tonight.
“All right,” Lyla said, though he could feel her energy reaching for him from across the empty space, as he put her car in drive and pressed the gas to move it forward.
“I’m going to need you to help me get to your place,” Jonah said gently. It was hard to keep his voice calm when all the wolf wanted was one thing. He didn’t even have the clothes on to hide it. But what was the point in that? They were both animals. Adults. No point in hiding from the truth. All he needed to hide was his mission.
“I can do that,” Lyla said, taking in a shuddering but courageous breath. “Let’s get away from that thing.”
She glanced over at him, and he could feel her ocean-colored eyes taking him in for the first time since he had gotten into the car. He could feel her reacting to the sight of his body; feel the gentle caress of her gaze over his every muscle, and burned when it rested, finally, on his exposed member.
Jonah cleared his throat and focused on the road.
“As you wish,” he said.