Chapter Six
She was running. He could hear her panting with fear as he scrambled after her. He tried to call after her, to tell her that it was okay, that it was just him, but the only noises to come from his mouth were grunts and growls. He glanced down at his feet–paws. Concentrating, he tried to shift, to retake his human form. He couldn't. Becky was still ahead running toward a cliff. He tried to go faster, tried to warn her but for every step he took, she took two. He was stuck in mud, dragging him back. And then there was fire flickering all around him.
No! Come back!
A roar erupted from his mouth and she screamed, throwing herself forward. She tumbled off the cliff and—
They weren't alone.
Isaias jerked from sleep, heart in his throat. The fog of his dream hung briefly, confusing him, but the scent that hit him quickly drove sleep from his body. Bear. Thick. Strong. He knew instantly it wasn't his own scent. His arms were still wrapped around Becky, his fingers twined with hers. There were two other scents. Two bears.
With a growl, he leapt from the bed, ignoring Becky's startled cry as he jostled her from her slumber. He quickly scanned the room but it was empty. Flaring his nostrils, he followed the scent to the window and glanced down. The porch door was hanging open. His heart thudded as he raced back to Becky and pulled her to her feet.
"Isa? What's going on?"
"Somebody broke in," he said in a low voice. "Try to be quiet, I'm going to get you to the panic room and then go for Adela."
"Somebody broke in? How? You have security?" Becky tripped over her own feet as he pulled her to the door.
As soon as he opened the door, the scent of bear hit him hard. He cautiously stepped out–a roar greeted him, accompanied by thunderous footsteps down the hallway. With a shout, he pushed Becky back inside the room but it was too late. The other bear was already there, a huge paw swiping at his head.
He reacted without thinking. His bear roared and charged to the surface; he didn't fight it. It burst through his skin, his rational mind sinking down as the primal force took over. The only thought in his mind was to protect Becky at any cost.
The other bear's blow struck his face hard, sending ripples down his side. Isaias roared and threw his whole weight forward, claws tearing at his enemy. His jaws clamped down on the other bear's neck and he was able to throw him back using sheer bulk. The other bear dug his claws into Isaias's flesh, causing a metallic tang to fill the air.
Another snarl and Isaias threw himself over the other bear. He pinned him to the floor, chomping and tearing, trying to get a good angle at his neck. His enemy kicked him in the belly, causing pain to shoot through his abdomen. Isaias was forced to retreat. The bear scrambled to his feet and rushed towards the staircase. Isaias followed. He dug tooth and claw into his enemy's flank and with a great heave, flipped him through the bannister. The bear made a strangled noise as he fell, landing hard on his back.
Becky screamed.
Too late he remembered there were two of them.
He whipped around, knocking a hole in the wall as his head collided with it. Becky screamed again. A bear was half in the bedroom, moving backwards. When its head appeared, Isaias saw her leg in its mouth. He charged, not making a sound and threw himself at the bear that dared hurt Becky. His momentum carried them both into the wall, knocking through the drywall and into one of the studs.
The bear shouted. Another scream from Becky. Isaias stabbed the bear with his claws, mounting its back to bite at the back of its neck. This one was bigger than he was and threw him off. Its black fur glistened in the night.
The two circled each other while Becky scrambled deeper into the room, watching with huge eyes. Isaias wanted to tell her to get out, to run, to go through the window if she had to, but the only noise to come from him were the grunts and growls of his bear. The familiarity of his dream made a low moan reverberate through his chest.
She limped to one side of the room and pressed herself against the wall. "Put him through the window! Throw him out!"
Both bears lunged for each other at the same time. Isaias managed to get under the other bear's bulk and drove him towards the window. It bit and tore at him but he pushed through the pain. Claws tore through the expensive carpet. Becky shouted his name and he gave one mighty shove. His enemy teetered up onto its hind legs. Isaias lunged at it again. This time sending it crashing through the window and wall into the pool below.
There was no time to shift and explain his situation to Becky. He rushed to her, shaking his head and crouching down. She whimpered in her throat but climbed onto his back. Isaias tore from the room, headed for the panic room. The bear he'd pushed over the stairs was just limping back onto the second floor.
Adela was already in the panic room, no doubt having heard the noise. Luci screamed and Adela pulled Becky from his back. She handed the baby to the writer before diving for their defence supply. Isaias shifted just in time to catch the bottle of bear spray she tossed to him. Both of them pointed their canisters out as the other bear charged at them.
The door slid shut, sealing them in and it out. The house shook as the bear slammed into the door.
"I've already called the cops," Adela shouted. "They'll be here in five minutes!"
The shuddering stopped.
None of the cameras or controls were working. Isaias swore under his breath as he sat at the computer and tried to boot it up. Nothing. They didn't have any independent source of electricity in here. Clearly a flaw in the design.
Adela turned on a flashlight and put it on the desk before taking Luci back. The baby flailed in her arms and screamed, her tiny face red. Becky collapsed onto one of the beds. Her face was pale, her jaw hanging loose. She kept rubbing her arms and Isaias saw that there were goosebumps standing up over them. He retrieved the first aid kit and knelt in front of her.
"I'm going to clean out these bites on your leg now."
Becky stared at him and another shudder shook her but she nodded. She stared silently at him as he pulled rubbing alcohol from the first aid kit and inspected her leg. There was a lot of blood but the wounds looked superficial. Scrapes rather than the deep punctures that would have been there if the bear had really clamped down on her. It was a relief–hopefully it meant there were no broken bones.
"How did they get in?" Becky pulled away slightly as he went to take her leg in his hands.
"I need to clean your wounds."
She nodded but pulled away again. Her eyes were huge in her skull. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to do that. I'll hold still."
Isaias held his hand out. "Put your leg in my hand."
She did without so much as a shiver. He gripped her ankle tight as he swabbed the bite marks. She hissed between her teeth and gripped the blankets.
"How did they get in here?" She repeated. "What happened to your security system?"
"I don't know. I checked to make sure it was on." He didn't say that whoever did this probably had security codes. Somehow, their attackers knew exactly what to do to shut down the system.
"But how did they get in?" Becky insisted. "Bears can't open doors."
Adela, who had managed to calm Luci by this point, made a choking noise. Isaias ignored her, keeping his voice calm. Becky was in shock, after all. "They were shifters. Just like me."
"Shifters." Becky gulped in a deep breath. "Okay. Did they attack us because they don't want you to marry a non-shifter? Wait. You're a shifter? Of course you are, I saw you change into a bear. Oh, God. You're a bear. A bear shifter, I mean. Sorry. I nearly had sex with a bear!"
The words stung. Becky sucked her lip between her teeth, a flash of regret crossing her face. Isaias started to wind a bandage over her leg and Adela gripped his shoulder. Whether she was trying to make sure he would stay calm or trying to comfort him, he didn't know. He gave her a brief, reassuring smile and turned his attention back to Becky.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I shouldn't have said that. I shouldn't have even thought it. I just… I'm sorry."
"You're in shock. But no. You didn't almost have sex with a bear. In case you don't remember, I told you no."
Becky nodded, looking so miserable that he had to soften towards her.
He moved to sit beside her, putting a bracing hand on her shoulder. "Hey. It's okay. You got a little scraped up but it's nothing serious. You're safe now. I won't let anything happen to you. Okay? I promise. Nothing is going to hurt you."
She stared silently for a moment before she pointed at his shoulder. "You're bleeding."
He glanced down to see blood dripping from his collarbone. His head swum a little as the adrenaline started to fade, letting him know about all the pain radiating through his body. He groaned as he braced himself against the bed. Becky grabbed the first aid kit and began to clean him up. His tense muscles relaxed. Well. Maybe there was a chance that she wasn't going to run screaming for the hills then. That would put a damper on their fake engagement.
"I need you not to say anything to the police about our attackers being shifters," he said, glancing up at her. "We have enough bad press as it is. And this is not the way I want the world to find out that I'm a bear. Please. I need to be able to control my own image."
She winced as she got blood on her fingers from his wounds. "I promise."
"Thank you."
Adela rocked Luci, her gaze distant. And Isaias understood why. The larger bear, the one he'd put in the pool… it was Marcus Haught, Luci's father. What was that low-life doing, attempting to steal Becky? Was it all revenge?
"What did they even want?" Becky wrapped her arms around herself again. "Why go through all of this trouble to break in and attack? Did they want to kill you?"
Isaias grimaced. "I don't think they were here for me. I recognized one of their scents from when your house was broken into. Becky, I think they were after you."