Jo tried to smile as the client’s manager talked on and on about how wonderful a painter his client was.

"Yes," she murmured. "And, of course, that's why we want his work displayed in Liberty Art." To her frustration, the man didn't even stop for breath, praising his client over and over. Jo sat back in her chair with an inward sigh, keeping a professional outward manner at all times. Her mind began to wander, her eyes drifting away from the manager. She wondered how Nick was doing, if he was missing her the way she was missing him. There was a desperation growing as the man continued to talk. She wanted to get away from him and be on her way back to Nick, a sense of urgency almost forcing her to her feet. "Of course, of course," she murmured, wishing the man would simply stop talking and make his decision.

Tom was another issue, of course. He’d obviously wanted her far away from Nick, and now that she’d seen him change, she could understand why. Fixing her car faster than she’d expected had been a clear sign to leave, but in a way, Jo was glad that he had done it. It had given her the time she needed to clear her head, get over the shock and decide what it was she really wanted. And what she really wanted was to go back and see Nick.

“Excuse me,” she said, interrupting the manager. “I must press you for a decision. I have other places to go and other people to see and I’m on something of a tight schedule.” She gave him a bright smile, hoping that she hadn’t come across as rude.

The man sighed. “I must be honest with you, I was hoping you would push harder for the job.”

“Listen,” Jo replied, sitting forward and folding her hands in her lap. “Liberty Art is an excellent gallery. You know that. What’s the point in me trying to convince you when you’re already aware of our reputation?”

He pressed his lips together. “You do have a point,” he mumbled, not meeting her gaze.

“We want your client’s work, as you know, and I’m sure it would be great exposure for him, but at the same time, we can’t sit about and wait until a decision is made. We are a business at the end of the day, which I’m sure you understand.”

The man nodded, getting to his feet and holding out his hand. “Thank you for being so frank with me. I’ll send the contract over to Liberty Art this afternoon.”

Jo smiled widely, shaking his hand firmly. “Thank you very much. I look forward to seeing his work in our gallery.” She watched him leave, a sense of satisfaction in her chest knowing that she’d done what she’d set out to do. Brian could have no issue with her resignation now, not when she’d managed to get the client. That part of her life was over now. Grinning to herself, Jo flipped open her laptop and emailed Brian, letting him know that he should expect to get the client’s details this afternoon and also attaching her resignation letter. Closing it carefully, she sat back in her chair and looked around. Everything was exactly as it had been a minute ago, but it all felt completely different. She was free. She could do anything she wanted, go anywhere she wanted and be with anyone she wanted. And she wanted to be with Nick. Picking up her laptop, she got to her feet and practically ran back to her car.

 

Tom's phone beeped, and he picked up with a frown, realizing that he'd missed a call from Nick. He'd been beginning to wonder where he was since it was already getting dark and Nick had been away pretty much all day. Holding the phone to his ear, he listened to the voicemail Nick had left him.

“Tom,” Nick had said. “I’m going to speak to the Northern Wind pack. I’ve had enough of this. They’ve damaged the cabin and I’ve spent hours cleaning and fixing it up. I’ll deal with this on my own, don’t worry.”

Dropping his hand, Tom stared at his phone in horror. Nick was walking into a death trap. He’d known that his brother was getting tired of the Northern Wind pack pushing them both to join, but talking to them wasn’t going to change their minds. They’d tried that already and it had only made things worse. Slamming his hand on to the table, Tom set his jaw. Why was Nick going by himself? He was going to get himself killed! Deep down, Tom knew that it was because he didn’t want Tom to get hurt, in the same way that Tom had tried to protect Nick from Jo, but that had been a completely different situation. He had to try and help Nick, even if he didn’t want it. All he had to do was change and then follow Nick’s scent.

Tom was just about to walk out of the door when the sound of a car pulling up caught his ears. Frowning, he sniffed once, catching the smell of Jo's perfume. She was back. He didn't know whether to be happy or annoyed.

Jo climbed out of the car, rushing straight into the office. “Nick?” she called, as she pushed open the door. “Nick?”

"He's not here," Tom growled, his anger and frustration over his brother pushing the bear to climb out of his skin. "He's gone, Jo."

“Gone?” Jo could sense his anger, taking a couple of steps back. “I’m sorry, Tom. I know you’re trying to push me out of Nick’s life, and I can understand why but I have to see him. I need to speak to him at least!”

“You really care about him, huh?” Tom asked, after a moment of silence.

“Yes, I do.”

He nodded, tightly. “It’s not that I don’t like you, Jo, it’s that a shifter’s life is dangerous, too dangerous for humans.”

She smiled, her voice soft. “You were trying to protect me and him, then.”

He shrugged. “I suppose, in a way, I was.”

“I’m sorry if I’ve made you angry.”

Tom shook his head, his hands clenching. “It’s not you, Jo. Nick’s gone after the Northern Wind pack.”

“What?”

Quickly, Tom explained about the voicemail he’d got from Nick. “He thinks he can sort it out just by talking to them, but the last time he tried that, we were both badly beaten – although we won the fight and thought we’d made our point.”

“But they’ve kept coming back,” Jo said, heavily.

“Yeah. So I can’t let Nick fight them by himself,” Tom said, elbowing his way past her. “Just stay here, Jo. We’ll be back later.”

“I’m not staying here alone,” she exclaimed, following after him. “If Nick’s in trouble, I want to help.”

“Didn’t you just hear what I said?” he exclaimed, rounding on her. “This is too dangerous for delicate humans like you.”

Jo set her jaw, looking up at him. “I’m coming. I might not be able to help but I want Nick to know I’m here for him. That I’m back.” She wasn’t going to stand around the office, just waiting for him to come back, probably dripping with blood. No, she wanted to go to him. The urge to see him – even in his bear form – was too much to resist.

Tom clearly had other ideas. He growled loudly, baring his teeth.

“And you can do that as much as you like,” she commented, completely unafraid. “I’m still coming with you.”

Tom growled louder, but Jo ignored him, walking over to her car. “I’ll just follow you, will I?”

There was no time to argue, but Tom knew that Nick would never forgive him if something happened to Jo. “Promise me you’ll stay in the car,” he bit out, his body tensing as the change surged through his body.

“I promise.” Getting in the car, Jo put on her headlights and watched, in grim fascination, as Tom changed from man to bear. He wasn’t quite as big as Nick, but he was still completely terrifying. Knowing that he wasn’t going to touch her helped Jo to keep calm, revving the engine and following Tom as he began to run into the woods.