"I prefer the term shifter,” Alexander said, rising from the couch, snatching his underwear off of the ground and stepping into them.
Despite the fear running through her, Hannah felt her eyes lock onto the bulging muscles of Alexander's legs.
Why does he have to be so goddamn sexy?
"Shifter, bear—whatever,” Hannah said, covering her body with a nearby pillow. "What the hell does that mean?"
Alexander flashed her a smirk, not bothered in the slightest by Hannah's stress.
"It means just what you saw, that I can shift into the form of a bear at will."
Hannah shook her head, watching Alexander move through the dark apartment, his stunning body outlined in a ghostly silver from the moon outside.
"You're saying that like it's the most normal thing in the world," she said.
"Well, for me it is."
I guess he's got me there, thought Hannah.
"You mean you've just always been like this?"
"What are you thinking, that I got bit by a werebear or something?"
He poured a pair of drinks, walked back over to Hannah and handed one of them to her. She brought it to her lips and drank nearly half of it in one gulp.
"I mean, I have no idea how this all works; I literally found out about it an hour ago. I'm still not sure that I didn't hit my head and dream all of this."
"Trust me," he said, sitting down in a leather chair across from her. "What just happened wasn't a dream."
A small smile formed on Hannah's lips as she thought back to the incredible lovemaking they'd just finished with. Part of her wanted to go over to the chair and hop right onto Alexander's cock.
"Don't distract me," she said. "I need to know all about this fucked up situation that I'm in. So spill it."
"There's not much to say," he told her. "I'm a bear shifter, along with just about everyone else you met tonight."
"That was a…shifter party?"
Alexander nodded.
"You met some of the wealthiest and most powerful shifters in the city tonight. The Stefan Langford being the top of the heap."
"And you're a…shifter security force?"
"Security, sure, but some prefer to call us mercenaries. The outfit that I run is called the Elders."
"Why the Elders?"
"We're the oldest shifter merc group in the city. We had a regular name at one point and "the Elders" was just a nickname, but it eventually just became how we were known."
"Does that mean that you're…immortal, too?"
Alexander shook his head.
"As the little incident earlier tonight demonstrated, we're hardly immortal. We have slightly longer lifespans than humans, but we live and die just like your kind, with a few notable differences."
Hannah shuddered at the realization that Alexander wasn't a human. He looked like one, talked like one, and fucked like one.
Okay…maybe he fucks a little better than one.
But she knew now that he was something different—a different species.
"My crew runs operations for the highest bidder, and the party tonight was all about networking. Not to mention trying to sort out a contract with Stefan Langford."
"And that other guy, the one with the shaved sides; is he a shifter too?"
Alexander's eyes went wide.
"Wait, what?"
"Some asshole with a stupid haircut talked to be when you left me alone. He hit on me like a goddamn creep."
"Did he saw what his name was?"
"Um, he did—Mark? Something like that. Oh! And he gave me a card."
Hannah reached for her purse and withdrew the card that the man had given her. She handed it to Alexander, who took it eagerly. He looked it over, his eyes narrowing.
"That scummy little fuck," he said, crumpling up the card and throwing it aside. "Marcus Sharpe is my main competition; he's the kind of little shit that'll do anything to get one up on anyone who stands between him and a payday."
"Do you think…he had anything to do with the attack?"
"Maybe; it's hard to say. Being in the line of work that I'm in there's no shortage of assholes with grudges. Whoever it was that was behind the attack, they didn't pay extra for the best men."
Hannah shook her head and finished her drink; it was all so much for her to take in.
"And…Grace?"
Alexander nodded slowly.
"She's a shifter, too," he said. "But she doesn't know it yet. Powers don't show until puberty, and I'm planning on keeping her as innocent as I can until I have to explain all of this to her."
"And where's her mom?" asked Hannah.
It was a little personal, but she needed answers.
"She's…it's a long story," he said. "Sorry, I know you want all the info you can get, but that's not something I'm prepared to talk about right now."
"Fine,” Hannah said. "So, I guess this is what the NDA was all about."
"That's right,” Alexander said. "Buried in all that legalese is a strict clause that makes it clear you're not to talk about the shifter world with anyone who isn't a part of it. So, be careful about getting drunk and running your mouth at a bar."
"That's the last thing on my mind," she said. "Part of me wants to just forget about this whole thing."
"You have that right,” Alexander said. "You want to walk out that door and never come back, you're more than welcome. But I have some news that might change your mind."
"Oh?"
"I think it's safe to say that your probationary period is over."
Hannah smirked and tossed a nearby pillow at Alexander.
"Seriously," he said, "if you want to stick around, then you're going to have to be okay with all of this. But you'll be compensated handsomely and…well, I think Grace likes you quite a bit."
"She's a great kid,” Hannah said. "But…I don't know; this is all a lot to take in."
"Why don't you sleep on it. Head back to your bedroom, get some rest, and make a decision in the morning. I mean, you did have a near-death experience tonight."
"True,” Hannah said. "A lot of interesting things happened tonight, now that I think about it."
Hannah flashed Alexander a coy smile, and he picked up on what she meant right away.
"Seriously, though," he said. "If you want out, now's your chance. Take some time."
"Okay," she said. "I will."
She stood up and found her clothes. And as she put them away, put of her was still fixated on doing all sorts of dirty things to Alexander as he sat there beautifully nude, his long cock draped across his muscular thigh.
More important things to worry about now, Hannah.
"Um, good night," she said, holding her clothes tightly in a bunch under her breasts.
"Night,” Alexander said.
Once she was back in her bedroom, she dropped her clothes on the ground, shut the door, and let out a long sigh. The enormity of the events that she'd been through today finally settled on her like a heavy blanket; Hannah felt physically and mentally drained. Noticing that the very, very expensive dress was in a heap on her floor, Hannah picked it up and hung it carefully in the closet. She still couldn't believe that she owned something so beautiful.
As soon as the dress was hanged, Hannah collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep.
When Hannah opened her eyes, she was shocked to see that she wasn't in her bed. Instead, she somehow awoke in a great, still forest, the air calm and cool all around her. Heaving herself up from the ground, she looked around her to see that she was all alone, that just as before, she was the only being anywhere in sight.
Hannah stepped on the soft damp earth, the ground squishy between her toes. Taking slow, deep breaths, she tried to get a sense of where she was.
I was in my bed just a moment ago, and now I'm in a forest again. How does this keep happening?
Her thoughts felt confused, as though she couldn't pin them down and guide them into coherence. She felt as though she were mildly drunk, but only mentally.
She continued on through the woods, looking all around her for any sign of life. But there were no birds in the sky, no critters in the trees, and not even bugs in the dirt. It was just her. After a time, she approached a precipice that looked over a clearing in the woods. The edge rose up and blocked Hannah's view of the glade, and she rushed up to it to see what she could see. Once she arrived at the edge, she looked over and saw a large pond, as calm as still as the rest of the forest.
And then she spotted something at the far end of the pond. Hannah had to squint to make out exactly what it was, but as she did she saw that it was some kind of animal, a huge one, with coal-black fur. Hannah hurried over the edge of the overlook, carefully scrambling down the fifteen or so feet to the bottom. Once there, she ran to the edge of the pond to get a better look.
Her heart raced when she saw that it was a large, black bear. And as she looked at the beast she realized that it wasn't just any bear—it was Alexander. She recognized the shape and color of the animal from the encounter last night. Her heart sang when she saw that it was him, and she flailed her arms to get his attention. However, busy with drinking from the lake, he didn't notice her.
Then, as she continued to wave her arms, she saw the tree line behind Alexander rustle. Moments later, three large, fearsome bears emerged from the forest, all heading for Alexander, who was still snout-deep in the still waters of the lake. Hannah's heart began to pound; she realized instantly that the bears were out for blood. She waved her hands in a more frenzied manner, and now yelled at the top of her lungs to get Alexander's attention.
But he didn't notice her, and the bears drew closer by the second. Hannah began to panic. She knew that only she could make Alexander aware of the approaching threat. So, not sure of what else she could do, Hannah ran into the water in front of her. She was never much of a swimmer, but she knew that this was too important—she had to try.
Once she reached the point in the water when her feet no longer touched the bottom of the lake, she began to paddle in the water as hard as she could. Her thoughts were still muddy, but she was single-mindedly focused on Alexander. Her head dipped below the water, and each time she swam back up to the surface she could see that the bears were a little bit closer. She knew that if she didn't get his attention soon, they'd been on top of him.
Finally, she was close enough to Alexander that she could yell to him. She screamed his name as she paddled in the water. At first, he didn't notice her. But after a few more yells, he raised his large head up from the pond, water dripping from his face.
"Behind you!" Hanna shouted.
Alexander whipped his head around just in time to see the bears approach. He let out a mighty roar, startling the bears in place. Then, he swung a paw through the air, sending the clear message that he wasn't to be messed with. The bears stared him down for a few moments before snorting, turning around, and heading back into the woods.
Relieved, Hannah soon reached the other side of the lake and scrambled out of the water. Once on the other side of the lake, Alexander looked at her with suspicion, as though she were just as much of a threat as the bears that were, only moments ago, about to attack him. Hannah stared at his dark, black eyes for several long moments, her heart beating. Then, she stepped forward and, reaching out carefully, placed her hand on his fur. A feeling of calm and warmth was the last thing she noticed before waking up.
When Hannah awoke, she was well-rested and refreshed. She stepped out of her bed and walked to the windows, pulling the curtains open and letting the room fill with warm sunlight. She smiled as she looked out over the morning city, and she knew right then and there that her decision had been made.
Stepping out of her bedroom, Hannah was greeted by the delicious scent of breakfast cooking in the kitchen. Going further into the main room of the apartment, Hannah saw Alexander at the stove and Grace seated at the kitchen bar, her tablet opened in front of her.
"There she is,” Alexander said, looking at Hannah from over his shoulder. "Sleep well?"
"Very good," she said.
"Morning!” Grace said, waving to Hannah enthusiastically.
"Morning, kid,” Hannah said, mussing Grace's hair as she walked past.
"We're having bacon and eggs!” Grace said as she swiped her finger on her tablet game.
"Sounds delicious,' said Hannah, taking a seat next to her.
"And it's just about done,” Alexander said.
Then he turned to his daughter.
"Gracie, why don't you go wash up before we eat?"
"Fine,” Grace said, sliding out of her chair and pressing pause on her game.
Alexander poured Hannah a cup of coffee, his eyes on his daughter as she walked down the hallway.
"So,” Alexander said, leaning against the counter. "You have a chance to think about things?"
"I did,” Hannah said. "And I think I'm game. For now."
A small smile tugged at the corner of Alexander's lips.
"Excellent. I think you'll be happy with your decision."
"I think so, too,” Hannah said. "But I'm still a little, um, shook up from everything that happened last night. You know, the almost-dying thing."
"I'm going to get to the bottom of that," he said. "The odds of those bears being random criminals just happening to know who I was are low. But I swear to you that I'll keep you safe. As long as you're working with me, no harm will come to you."
Alexander's voice was stern, and Hannah felt safer right away. If another man had made this vow, Hannah might not've taken it all that seriously. But a man like Alexander, well, she knew just what he was capable of.
And then the dream came to mind. Hannah considered telling Alexander about it and the other dream she had.
"You look like you have something on your mind,” Alexander said.
Hannah opened her mouth to speak, but thought better of it. There was nothing lamer than telling people about weird dreams. They're probably nothing.
Before either of them could say another word, Grace returned to the kitchen and plopped back into her seat.
"We eating, or what?"