Changing back into his human skin was agony, the roar ending in a scream as his bones shrank and muscles snapped. The injuries from the attack were now red scrapes to his shoulders and back, and Nick could taste blood. He’d bitten down hard when he’d changed, in an attempt to keep the pain inside, but it hadn’t been any use. The bear liked it when he roared, but he always tried to keep it inside. It never worked. Nick just hoped that Jo hadn’t seen anything. He’d tried to change far away from the cabin, but he didn’t know where she was or if she’d even been looking out of the windows.

Dressing quickly, Nick walked through the trees towards the cabin. He was struggling to hide his limp. He'd really taken a beating. The Northern Wind pack hadn't been kidding when they'd threatened to force him into joining them, but their threats against Jo had to be taken seriously. She was human and could be easily killed. A single swipe from a paw could do that. Fragile, delicate, gentle little human, he warned himself, just as the rush of protectiveness flooded him. He could almost taste her fear as he walked towards the cabin, pulling himself up the steps.

“Jo?” he called, hammering on the door. “Jo, are you there? Are you okay? It’s Nick.” He strained to hear any sound from indoors, frowning when nothing caught his ears. “Jo?” he called again, banging on the door again. “They’ve gone. It’s Nick, you can let me in now.” The door creaked loudly. Nick winced as he saw the marks on it. They’d really given it a battering, no wonder Jo wasn’t answering.

 

Her legs were still shaking, but Jo could hear a familiar voice calling her name. Relief flooded her as she realized it was Nick. Her first thought – that he was outside and the bears were attacking him – had her scrambling for the door, but as she made her way down the stairs, she heard him call that the bears were gone.

Nick’s senses were all focused on Jo. Finally, he heard her footsteps coming down the stairs, sagging against the doorframe in relief. “Jo?”

“I’m here,” she replied, her voice quivering. “I’m just coming.”

She’s shaking, Nick realized, standing back so she could open the door. Her fingers had slipped on the key at least twice, and he could hardly bear the wait. "Jo?"

“I’ve got it,” she replied, finally managing to swing the door open.

“Jo,” he breathed, catching her up in his arms. “Are you all right?”

“What happened to you?” she asked, at exactly the same time. He half carried her back into the house, slamming the door behind him.

"I just – " Realizing he should have thought of an excuse earlier, Nick struggled for an answer. "Had a few scrapes fixing your car." It wasn't exactly the best excuse, but it was the only one he could think of. The scent of her sweat made him realize just how afraid she'd been, his anger towards the Northern Wind pack making him tighten his grip on her.

“Really?” Waiting until Nick set her down, Jo looked up at him with frightened eyes. “But what about the bears? How did you chase them away?”

Nick tried to smile. “We have a security camera outside the cabin, just so we know if something like this happens. The car horn scared them off.”

“Oh,” Jo said, softly. “I didn’t hear it.”

“Where were you?”

“In the bathroom,” she replied, feeling a little embarrassed. “One of them almost cracked the front door so I tried to get as far away as possible.”

“That was exactly what you should have done,” Nick said, gently, lifting her chin with his finger. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

Taking a long breath, Jo gave him a shaky smile. "You didn't have time to put anything on….those?" she asked, pointing at the marks in his shoulder. The blood was seeping through his t-shirt, and part of it had been torn away, exposing his shoulder.

“Uh – no,” Nick replied, his anger beginning to fade away. “I saw what was happening and –”

“Came running,” she finished, gratefully. “Thank you, Nick.”

“All part of the service,” he grinned, mischievously. Seeing the hint of laughter in her eyes made him smile, glad that she was forgetting about what had just happened.

Jo felt something between attraction and concern, wondering if she should offer to help him clean up. It would mean taking his shirt off, but that would just be so that she could see what needed to be done, right? "Is there a first aid kit around here?" she asked, a little timidly. "I mean, they're still bleeding."

Nick swallowed, his need for Jo roaring into life at the thought of her touching his skin. “There should be,” he said, a little thickly. “Somewhere in the kitchen.”

“You don’t mind if I….?”

Shaking his head, Nick swallowed hard, trying to get the bear back under control. Already he was growling inside, wanting to take her completely this time. Shifters don’t mate with humans, he told himself, over and over. Stay away from her. You almost lost it last night. Don’t let it happen again.

“I’ll boil some water,” Jo said, throwing him a glance. “You might want to take your – well, what’s left of it – off.”

“Right.” He could smell her arousal, a rattle in his chest almost escaping from his mouth. Keep it under control. Throwing off his shirt, he sat down at the kitchen table, feeling the blood pound in his veins.

“They look bad,” Jo murmured, trying not to let her gaze travel down his body. “You said this happened from fixing my car?”

“It can be a bit of a dangerous profession,” he tried to joke, his teeth practically clenched as she rested one hand on his good shoulder and gently cleaned the other with a warm cloth.

"Well, you should be more careful." Rinsing the cloth out, Jo carefully wiped away all of the dried blood from the scratches across his back and marks to his shoulder, frowning at the way some still oozed slightly. "This doesn't look good." She couldn't quite understand how this had happened from fixing her car, but then again, she wasn't a mechanic.

“I’ll be fine.” Right now, he was having a hard time focusing on anything other than what she was doing to him, her soft fingers shooting sparks all the way down his forearms. The memory of how soft and warm she’d felt under him last night rushed into his mind, and he gripped the edge of the table to stop himself from turning around and taking her in his arms.

Jo picked up some antiseptic cream. “This might sting a little,” she warned, brushing it on gently. “Then maybe a couple of dressings.”

“I don’t need dressings.”

“I think you do,” she challenged. “And I’m the nurse, after all.”

A groan escaped from Nick’s mouth at the thought.

“Sorry,” Jo whispered, mistaking the sound for pain. “I’m almost done.”

He tried to smile, focusing on the smell of the antiseptic instead of the images that flooded his mind. “Take your time,” he murmured, closing his eyes, wishing he could tell her not to stop.