Chapter Fourteen
Marius had to stop for gas a few miles out of Huntwood, just before darkness fell. A message glowed on his phone, from Hayley.
She was asking him to come over? A slow grin spread across his face. She was coming around—she wanted to see him.
Hayley Jaynes was voluntarily asking to see Marius.
He tried not to speed all the way back to Huntwood, but it was hard. He hadn’t had anything more substantial than a sun shower in four days. As much as he wanted to drive straight to Hayley’s and kiss her senseless, he had a feeling she’d appreciate it more if he put some time into his personal hygiene.
What she’d think of him if she knew the truth—he couldn’t let himself worry about that right now. Let her fall for him as much as he’d fallen for her, and maybe it wouldn’t matter. She’d understand. She had to.
Pushing it from his mind, he parked in front of his house, jumped out, and took a quick shower. Because he hadn’t shaved in a while, the beginning of a beard was back on his face, but he ignored it. No time—he had to see her, the sooner the better. Quickly, he brushed his teeth, threw on some clean clothes, and was back in his truck, speeding to Hayley’s.
Darkness had fallen completely by the time he reached her place. The chilly November air didn’t bother him, but he’d thrown on a coat out of habit. As he climbed out of his truck, he shrugged it off and tossed it over the seats.
When he straightened, still facing the interior of his truck, he paused. Something wasn’t right.
No time. He yanked off his pants at the same time he shifted. The sound of his shirt ripping filled the air and his shoes split down the centers.
Now a grizzly, Marius turned to face the massive mountain lion that had been barreling in his direction. It was practically on top of him.
Marius didn’t have time to think of defense. Instinctively, he crouched down, his foreleg flexed and ready to swipe. The lion leaped, and Marius knocked it aside. He kept his back to his truck and listened for more attackers, but it seemed the lion was alone.
The lion yowled in rage and pain and stood up. Ears back, it growled at Marius.
Marius’s nose told him this lion wasn’t Hayley—it was male. It wasn’t Jackson, either. Hayley’s other brother, Will? Murder was written on the beast’s face, its jaw open in a permanent snarl.
“Marius!” Hayley’s door banged open and she stood at the top of the stairs.
The distraction cost him, because the lion took that moment to pounce. It locked its massive jaws over Marius’s shoulder. The fangs punctured through fur and skin. Pain. The lion’s claws ripped down his arm and leg, shredding Marius’s limbs. Marius roared again and bashed into the side of his truck, pinning the lion. He put more pressure on his attacker, pressing him into the front fender. He heard the creak of denting metal.
Marius let go of his opponent and watched him slump to the ground. His shoulder was burning. Waves of pain rocked through him with every beat of his heart. He had to be losing a lot of blood. He swayed on his hind feet, then fell to all fours, nearly crumpling because his foreleg wouldn’t hold any weight.
A second mountain lion joined the fray, speeding forward in a golden brown shot from Hayley’s apartment.
The first mountain lion scrambled to all fours slowly. Its gaze locked on the other lion—Hayley—before it turned around and ran off.
The danger was gone. Marius sighed. He could smell blood in the air and he froze in alarm. Hayley? Was she hurt? No, she seemed to be nudging Marius with her nose, trying to get him to stand. Standing hardly seemed important. Somebody was hurt—Marius and Hayley had to help them.
The sleek lion next to him shimmered momentarily before transforming back into Hayley. She was so beautiful, in either form. He opened his mouth to tell her so, but a faint groan sounded. Had he made that pathetic noise?
She was talking to him, and tugging on one of his arms. Her words were fuzzy. Something about Alec. Was she calling Alec an asscabbage, or Marius? He couldn’t be sure.
“Up,” she said. And then she said it again, as if he couldn’t understand. “Up, dammit.”
She got him to his feet, and he watched her through half-closed eyes as she evaluated him in his grizzly form, and then checked out the stairs leading to her door.
“Okay, back into your human form. Shift back, Marius.”
She sounded worried, and Marius felt bad for her, so he did what she said.
The pain was excruciating. All the wounds that had been torn felt as if they were tearing again. A strange moaning sound escaped him. Odd. He looked down to see that yes, he was standing on his human legs. He shivered. “Cold,” he said.
“Shit.” She sounded worried again. “You’ve lost too much blood.”
He let her lead him over to the stairs, and then up. The scent of blood followed them, coppery and sweet. Not as sweet as Hayley’s scent, though. How was it possible to smell so good?
“Love your smell,” he said to her as she opened her door and collected the clothes she’d shed on the landing. “Love you.”