Bear Shifters: Hunt Collection #1 (23 page)

Chapter Eleven

Toby’s body was buzzing when he left the mansion. He ended up at home again, not wanting anyone from work to see him out and about. Stan had done him a favor, the least he could do was keep to himself for the rest of the day. His plan had backfired when he entered his home and was reminded of Alexa. He even smelled the imprint of her perfume and shampoo. He opened all of the windows, needing to air out the space. He went into the bedroom and opened the closet doors. Where Alexa’s clothes had taken up all the space, three-quarters of it was empty.

“Son of a bitch.” She planned all of this. He went into the bathroom and all of her stuff was gone from there too.

He let out a frustrated groan and decided he needed a distraction. He looked into the mirror, seeing a frazzled man looking back at him and figured out what to do.

He grabbed his laptop and fell against the over-sized pillows on his couch. The leather stuck to his skin as the temperature rose in the room, the air conditioner battling with the heat from outside. The scent of the outdoors calmed him. He’d be fine.

He opened a search engine and his hands hovered over the keyboard. What was he going to write?

He tried “man changing into bear” and came up with strange videos and fictional stories. He watched a few videos which were bogus and a waste of time. He scrolled through pages of information until he understood that he was using the wrong search terms. The word “shifter” had come up more times than not.

After a few clicks he avoided the romance novels with chiseled men on the covers. Instead he clicked through to article-type websites. He found a lot of information on wolf shifters but apparently the idea carried over to other animals as well.

The origins of werewolves and the like were based in fantasy and magic. Nothing magical had happened to him that he knew of. He felt silly reading about shifters and diverted his research to bears in general.

As he read, the connection to everything he’d been feeling made sense. His senses were heightened, even when he was in his normal human body. He felt a kinship to the animal and wanted to know more and more about them. He read until his vision was blurry.

He checked his phone and was surprised to see it was late in the afternoon. But what surprised him more was the five messages and ten missed calls from Estrella. He knew she’d called that morning. He had clicked the vibration setting on when he left Alexa, not wanting to speak with anyone for a while.

Opening the voicemail, he listened to the last message which came in an hour ago.

“Toby, please call me back as soon as you get this.” The Doc’s voice was chopped between quick breaths as if she’d been running.

He looked at his phone, wondering why the Doc was so interested in speaking with him. Was there something about his heart that caused her alarm?

He pressed her number and she picked up on the first ring. “Toby?”

“Yeah, Doc. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I want to know if you’re okay.”

Well I turned into a bear last night, Doc. Apparently I’m a shifter of some sort
. Yeah, right. She’d probably refer him to a different type of doctor if he admitted that. “I’m fit as a fiddle. Are you sure you’re okay? You sounded frantic on that last message.”

She sighed on the other end of the line. “I’ve been busy today. I hope you don’t mind—” then she rattled off a series of questions; was he eating, was he tired, etcetera.

Toby formed each response carefully, only giving straight answers. He feared he’d give up warning flags of something awry if he spoke too much. Though when her questions were leading, he was the one to become frantic and a little suspicious.

“Have you noticed any changes in your body?” she asked.

“Not that I know of. What would you be referring to?”

“You mentioned previously about you not being able to see your scar. Sometimes medications have side effects. I’d like to keep track of those in your file.”

He searched for anything he
could
give her. Growing fur and changing into an animal definitely would not qualify.

“You can trust me, Toby,” she said. “I only want what’s best for you.”

What was best for him was to keep this strange new part of him a secret from everyone. “I haven’t noticed anything out of the ordinary.”

“That’s good,” she said and he heard her smile over the line. “I apologize for alarming you. When I don’t hear back from patients, I tend to think the worst.”

He hesitated, not wanting to end the conversation just yet. “Is there any reason for me to worry?”

“Not at all,” she said.

It might have been his lack of restful sleep or the need to put Alexa behind him, but he was feeling bold. “Hey Doc—Estrella. Do you want to get a drink sometime?”

A pregnant paused stretched on the other line. Toby pressed his lips together, willing her to say yes.

“Um, sure?” her answer was a question, but it was in agreement.

Toby grinned. “I’ll be in touch during a more reasonable hour. You should get some rest.”

“You too.”

“Goodnight, Estrella.”

“Night.”

A silence fell on their conversation though neither hung up. Toby smiled, his cheek pressing against the phone. A small,
click
concluded their conversation. He wasn’t sure why, but their conversation had made his entire day. 

#

When Toby managed to get to sleep that night, he fell into a vivid dream.

He wandered through the same woods that he had been as a bear the other night. Colorful wisps of air, looking like the Aurora Borealis but moving in front of him instead of in the sky. He wasn’t surprised to see his large brown paws propelling him forward. He reveled in the feeling of being a bear again. He followed the wisps, each color representing a different scent. He followed the orange one, somehow knowing that was the right thing to do.

He approached a tree. It was the same one he saw the other night with the claw marks. He came closer to the tree and lifted his paw, tracing the marks with his own claws. He pressed his nose against the bark and inhaled. An explosion of scents tickled his nose. He could pick apart at least ten different scents, though they all had the same underlying commonality. A sweet smell, almost like honey, and something else that he couldn’t put his finger on.

A twig snapped nearby and Toby stood on his hind legs, sniffing the air.

A man came out from behind a tree, his head tilted down and his hands in front of him. Toby stiffened but understood the man was showing him he meant no harm. After a moment, the man lifted his head and Toby recognized him as Cal. A lighter shade of orange wisp connected the tree to Cal.

“What are you doing here?” Toby grunted to him.

Cal pressed a finger to his lips and then moved it to his chest, pointing at his heart.

Shuffling movement made Toby’s ears perk up. He dropped to all fours, scanning the influx of bears that surrounded him. He turned in a circle, knowing he couldn’t defend himself against all of them. They moved in unison but stayed at a distance. It appeared they weren’t there to fight him. Then why were they there? How did they know he would be there?

Something touched his fur and he swatted at it. Cal was already out of the way before Toby finished the swipe.

Cal’s mouth moved but Toby couldn’t hear him, it was as if Cal was speaking under water. He narrowed his eyes, trying to read his lips but the attempt was futile.

Every shade of orange filled the space between him and the other bears, the wisps moved as if they were alive. The color pulsed around him faster and faster. Cal reached out to Toby, his alarmed expression setting his nerves on high alert.

Then the world turned black.

Toby awoke breathless and sweaty. He laid on the top of his bed completely naked. He sat up quickly. Had it happened again? He looked for torn clothes but slowly remembered that he’d been so tired he stripped before going into bed. He scooted to the edge of the mattress and rubbed his face. He had been asleep for almost eight hours but felt as if he only slept two.
Today is going to be rough
, he thought.

The dream replayed in his mind as he made coffee and showered. He could still
smell
the other bears. He was able to differentiate that underlying scent, it was musty earth mixed with honey.

His subconscious must have placed Cal there from the surgery. Though he wondered how his mind created that connection. He had pointed to his heart. Even though his shower was steaming the bathroom, an ice cold shiver slowly moved its way down Toby’s spine. Toby had been through the impossible since he fainted on the golf course. He’d been given a second chance with a new heart that Estrella got from somewhere secret. Then he turned into a fricken bear. Would it be that impossible to make the connection between the two? He was washing his chest when a dangerous thought crossed his mind. From his search, shifters tended to have quick healing abilities. Had Estrella lied about the medicine to clear up the scar? Even though he never saw doctors, he knew technology like that would be well known.

His heart sank at the thought of another woman in his life lying to him. She had no reason to be truthful, he barely knew her. He wanted to know her better, but not if she turned out to be like Alexa. There was only one way to find out.

Chapter Twelve

The sign for Patrick’s Pub was carved out of wood, easy enough to miss in the dark if you weren’t looking for it. The streetlights in that area were few and far between. Toby was surprised when Estrella suggested the place. He was used to taking women—mostly Alexa—to more expensive and quieter places. Yet another reason they weren’t compatible. He still chastised himself for not listening to Stan sooner.

He expected to wait for Estrella but she was already at the bar when he arrived. She waved him over and hopped off the bar stool. A breath caught in his throat. He’d only seen her in a lab coat or in a business suit at her office. He was pleasantly surprised to see her in normal clothes. Her jeans showed the curve of her hips and the low-cut shirt added to those curves. Her dark hair was down, longer than he expected since she’d always had it up in his presence.

Her lips curled into a smile when he came up next to her. “Hey, Toby.”

“Hey Doc.”

“Estrella, please,” she said sitting on a stool. Her accent was more pronounced tonight. Maybe she was more relaxed in this place. Whatever it was, he wanted it to keep happening. He’d forgotten how gorgeous she was, or it might have been because he was clouded by Alexa’s bullshit. At the end of the day he was an honorable man. Though seeing Estrella made him want to fast forward to the next part of their date.

Get yourself together
, he thought.
You have to get answers before anything can happen.

He sat on the stool next to her, unsure how to ease into the conversation.

He was happy when she spoke first. “Have you ever been here?”

“I can’t say that I have,” he said, looking around at the wood paneled walls adorned with random photographs. “I didn’t even know this place existed.”

She smirked. “It’s a hole in the wall for sure.”

The bartender leaned against the counter in front of Estrella. “A hole in the wall that you’ve been keeping in business since college.”

She pursed her lips at the tall, burly man. “What can I say?” she turned to Toby and stage-whispered conspiratorially, “I like the fact that no one here will hit on me.”

Good thing Toby hadn’t hit on her yet then. “Why’s that?”

“My cousin owns the place.”

The bartender chimed in. “And he’s very protective.” He smiled with all of his teeth.

If he was trying to be intimidating, it wasn’t working.

The thump of a glass on the bar grabbed all three of their attentions. “Marty, gimme another round.”

The greasy guy winked at Estrella and Toby’s chest tightened.

She planted a kiss on the bartender's cheek. “I hope Isabelle is doing well.”

He leaned close to her. “She’s better when I’m not sober.”

Estrella laughed, tilting her head back. Her hair brushed Toby’s thigh and it took all of his strength not to run his fingers over it.

The bartender, Marty, placed a full glass of beer on the wood top. “Whose tab is it on tonight?”

“Mine,” Toby said, not really knowing why.

Estrella and the two men looked at him. “To new friends.”

Toby caught a silent exchange between Marty and Estrella. He pretended not to notice.

The greasy man, tilted his glass to Toby and shuffled to a nearby high-top.

Toby and Estrella put in their drink order and then she turned to him. “That was a smooth move.”

Toby grinned. “I’m a smooth guy.”

They both laughed.

“Wow that sounded stupid,” he said, still laughing.

“It really did, but I forgive you.”

Two beers appeared in front of them and Toby picked his up and clinked it with hers. “Thanks for saving my life.”

He swallowed a mouthful of beer, the bubbles soothed his parched throat. He hoped he didn’t show how nervous he was.

Estrella hadn’t drank from her glass. She merely offered a small smile. “It’s my job.”

Toby pressed on, not wanting to turn back from the conversation. “I meant the other part.” He was being vague for the sake of the patrons in the pub since they were both aware of what he was talking about.

She scanned the room then sat forward on her stool, not looking at him.

He leaned into her. “Did I say something wrong?”
Tell me the truth.

“I’m so stupid,” she said to herself. “I shouldn’t have brought you here, I just thought—”

“You thought what?”

Her eyes met his, they were brown pools of secrets.
And lies.
He took another swig of the beer to quell the sinking feeling in his stomach. There was no turning back now.

“You thought what?” he repeated in a harsher tone.

“You’re not okay, are you?”

It was hard to keep the edge out of his voice. “Why would you think that?” He wanted
her
to explain, he already knew what he was going through.

She pressed her lips together before speaking. “There wasn’t a special scar-reducing medication. You healed on your own.”

“How?” he asked in a low voice.

Her gaze fell to her lap. “That’s something science can’t explain.”

“What
can
science explain?”

She looked around the room and leaned closer. “We shouldn’t be talking about this here.”

“Afraid you’re going to get fired?” he hadn’t intended the question to come out as harshly as it did. Her wince made him regret it.

“People are here are very…observant.”

Toby looked around at the men and women who hadn’t bothered to look in their direction. How observant could they be when he could barely hear her in the noise of the place.
And
he had heightened hearing.

“Toby,” she placed her hand gently on his arm, the touch sent an electric current through his body. “Did you change?”

The question struck him, rendering him silent.

“The other night.  You were something else?”

“Stop skirting the truth. Tell me what’s going on with me.”

She took a large swig of beer and wiped her mouth with a napkin. “The heart I gave you wasn’t a normal human heart.”

As if it were called, Toby’s non-human heart beat hard against his chest in response. “Go on.”

“It’s a bear shifter heart.”

The impossible thoughts Toby had weren’t so impossible now. “How did you obtain the heart?”

“I’m a doctor for this particular group of shifters.”

“And you just go around, transplanting their hearts into humans?”

She swallowed. “No, they are like everyone else who opts for organ donation when they die. This one came up around the time I asked you if you wanted the surgery.”

His breathing sped up. “Is this a normal reaction to a shifter heart? Have you done this procedure before?”

“I’ve had one hundred percent success rate with all of my shifter heart transplants. When I said ninety-five percent recovery, I meant only five percent were given the ability to shift.”

“So I’m the five-percent?” He had misunderstood her, though he was sure she’d been misleading to begin with.

She nodded. “Most side-effects are the traits linked to a shifter. Quick healing, heightened senses, sometimes increased hair growth. When you said that you’re incision mark was gone, it was a good sign that the heart took. I prayed that you wouldn’t experience the shift.”

Something inside him perked up, offended. “But I did. And that’s your fault.”

“Toby—”

He cut her off. “Did you ever think what would have happened to me? My neighbor called the cops. He thought I was mauled by a wild bear. And if the police found me? I could have been shot down.”

Estrella’s hands wrung in front of her. “I’m so sorry. I wanted to save you. You’re a good man. I was trying to do what was right.”

“At what cost? I’m a fucking anomaly now.”

Wooden chairs scraped across the floor, grating at his brain. A ringing settled in his ears, blocking the noise from the other people in the pub. That sweeping heat ripped through his body.
Oh no
.
Not now. Not again
.

He tried to calm his breathing but it picked up pace on its own. He slid off the stool. “I have to go to the bathroom. I’ll be right—” he collided with another person.

The older man grabbed Toby’s arm. “Are you okay, son?”

Toby apologized and faltered once more before gaining control of his legs.

“Toby!” Estrella called over the ruckus of the pub.

He ignored her and pushed through the bathroom doors. The scent of antiseptic materials assaulted his nose, intensifying the tightening sensation in his stomach. He fell against the sink, not caring how dirty the porcelain was.

He splashed water over his face, cooling the scorching. He rubbed a hand on the back of his neck and was startled to feel excess hair there. He looked into the mirror for only a moment before the excruciating pain ripped through his body.