Bears Repeating (3 page)

Matt looked at her reaction, then back at the belt and closed his eyes.  He said, "I'm sorry, Jena. We didn't realize he'd doubled back. We would have come sooner." He met her eyes and slowly knelt next to the fallen man. He moved slowly but with a quiet authority and hogtied the man, who was starting to regain consciousness.

Some of the tension flowed out of Jena. The other bear, whose coloring was just like Jack's hair, also relaxed after the man had been firmly bound. He watched her, then sat back on his haunches as Matt turned back to Jena. He held his hands out, took a step towards her and said, "Hey Jena, it's okay now. You're safe. We aren't going to let anything happen to you. Not while we're here."

Jena growled at him when he took another step towards her. He had to know she wouldn't, she couldn't back down and away from him. He had to stay away. She'd hurt him, she couldn't not.

He paused at her growl, but continued towards her, and said, "Jack's the same way, you know. Takes him a while to calm down enough to shift back. He's very territorial, and once those instincts are roused, it's hard for him to let go."

She glanced over at the other bear. He looked at her and flopped forward onto his belly. He then started inching towards her. The inherent ridiculousness of a bear belly-crawling towards her eased her fear and she allowed herself to shift. She was kneeling in the dirt when the bear rested his massive head on her lap. She couldn't help but start gently stroking between his ears.

It wasn't until he shifted back that she realized her panicked shifting had left her naked and she blushed. She looked up as Matt walked over to her, his eyes averted to the ground, her flannel shirt extended in his hands. Jack sat up, leaving his back to her, giving her privacy to slip into the over-sized shirt. She hadn't forgotten to shift her clothes in a very long time, and was more embarrassed by that than her nudity. Jena didn’t want to try and slip into the rest of her clothes in front of Jason.

She froze staring at him. He was awake and watching her. His mouth was twisted into a nasty sneer and he said, "I paid good money for your skills." For a moment, she wondered if the entire photo shoot was a trick, but he wasn't talking to her. He was talking to Jack.

Jack growled at him and said, "You're alive aren't you? Stupid jackal, she would have made mincemeat of you. Good thing you're such a slow shifter, isn't it."

Matt said, "Let's go back to camp. Jason will be fine here. We'll figure out what to do with him later."

The men flanked Jena, but gave her enough space not to feel crowded as they walked back to the camp.

Chapter Four

Don struggled to sit up as they came into camp. He looked at them and Jena's state and said, "Oh my God, Jena! Are you okay?" She nodded at him and slipped into the shelter. She just wanted to get dressed. Matt followed her in and she spun to face him, her hands out, warding him off.

She said, "Sorry, I'm a little hyped up."

"Don't be sorry. Can't say that I blame you." He continued, "I'm going to bring you some water. So you can wash up."

"Thanks, I appreciate it."

She lay down on the sleeping bag while he stepped out. As the adrenaline flowed out of her, she felt languid. Knowing the men were guarding her she let herself drift off.

She woke up with a start, in the dark and screamed at the shadowy figure in the doorway. It took her a moment to realize it was Matt.

She looked at him sheepishly and said, "Sorry."

Matt said, "Glad I was over here when you woke up, that was a hell of a swing!"

"I can't believe I fell asleep."

"There was a lot of energy pumped out earlier. I'm not surprised. I came back with water, but you were out."

"I feel better for a good nap though."

He smiled at her and said, "Good! Although I have some less than great news."

She sat up and said, "Is Don okay?" He'd looked so pale earlier.

Matt crouched down and looked at her with a solemn face. "Do not freak out. But Jason is gone."

It took everything in her power to keep for panicking. She never would have been able to sleep if she had an inkling he might go free.

"It's okay, he's long gone."

"I don't understand, what happened? He was tied up! You said you'd take care of him. How do you know he's long gone?"

She heard the fear in her voice.

Matt said, "He left a note. Sort of."

"Sort of?"

"Yeah, he said we were fired. And good luck getting out of here."

"But if he can get there..."

"Yeah, he's not real bright. But we have another way. It doesn't matter. He's got about a solid 3 day run to make it to the plant. And he's a lazy asshole so it will likely take him longer. I promise you, we'll have you out of here long before then."

"Why should I trust you?"

"Have I ever done anything you make you doubt me? Hidden anything?"

She felt a twinge of guilt. She hadn't lied, but she hadn't been very open, either. She shook her head and he smiled at her. "I brought warm water. Why don't you get cleaned up, then join us for dinner?" He stepped out of the shelter, dropping the tarp behind him.

Jena stripped down and gave herself as much of a wash as she could. It was a bit sketchy, but still felt amazing. Still, she really wanted a good soak. Maybe after dinner she could shift and at least get into the stream. She would feel safe that way. She got dressed and stepped out into the clearing.

Jack waved her over and handed her a steaming hot bowl. She sniffed it appreciatively. Real bits of meat floated up, and even what looked like carrots. And a dumpling! She looked at them suspiciously and said, "Do I even want to know what this is?"

Jack grinned at her and zipped his lips. Don howled in laughter at her tentative sip of the soap.

Jack relented and said, "I set snares. It's just rabbit. And I am a very good scout. I found some wild carrots and some herbs. Used a soup pack. Don even had some flour, so I made dumplings."

Jena dug in eagerly, listening as the men settled around the fire. She noticed they flanked her and were constantly scanning, although trying to be casual about it.

Finally she said, "Okay guys, seriously, I need to know: is Jason really gone?"

Don shook his spoon at the men and said, "I told you she wasn't stupid."

Matt finally said, "I'm pretty sure he is. I don't trust him, but his scent trail led off. I laid some snares if he does come back around, so I don't think he'll sneak anywhere close. But...we're not going to leave you alone, okay?"

She couldn't help but sigh. She said, "It's not that I don't think I can defend myself, I just...I really wanted that damn shower!"

Don piped up and said, "Well, you have a swim suit, don't you? Go with her, take her to the hot spring. You could all use a good soak."

Jack shook his head at Don and said, "But we can't leave you alone."

"Jason won't mess with me. I'll bunk down in the tent, get some privacy from you lunks."

Jack started to protest until Matt said, "Well, you can always stay here, with Don and I'll go with Jena. Alone."

Jena flushed bright red, especially when Jack growled lightly at Matt. He finally said, "Go change, I'll do a patrol and meet you there."

She giggled at the charge in the air. She trusted the men, but did she trust herself?

~ * ~ * ~

Matt hustled her along to the hot spring, but even so, Jack came thundering in, in bear form. Jena pointed at him and said, "Shift! No bears in the pool. Wet bears stink." He was laughing as he transformed, already in swim trunks. Matt set torches around the pool, and the flickering light glinted off both the men's muscular chests.

Jena turned slightly and stripped down to her bikini, then slid into the hot water. She sighed as water embraced her. The two men slipped into the pool with her, and they all sat silently for a few moments, just enjoying the heat.

Matt looked at her and said, "So, why so afraid to shift?"

Jena took a moment, finally saying, "It's not that I'm afraid, I just don't like doing it when I'm upset. Or not completely in control. It's dangerous."

Jack said, "Dangerous for you?"

Jena wiggled and finally decided to tell them.

She said, "He grabbed me in an alley. I was walking home from hanging out with friends, after school." Matt squeezed her knee gently and Jena continued, "It was a common cut through. We'd stopped considering it anything but ours. It was clean and bright, but it was still an isolated alley. It was tucked out of the way and most people forgot it even existed."

"Except teenagers."

"Except cocky teenagers who had never had anything really bad happen to them. Who never had to develop any defensive instincts. The whole world was in front of me and I was already a tenacious beast. So when I felt an odd jangle as I stepped into the alley, I ignored it." Jena paused taking a deep breath. She never talked about it. But their quiet eyes and stillness roused none of her normal fears. "I was at the midway point, I still don't know where he came from. But he grabbed me and flung me against the wall. My ears rang from hitting the wall. My face was crushed into the brick. He was big, taller than me. He grabbed both my wrists in one hand, pressing it into the wall over my head. I was pinned, trapped. Every move I made, he just pressed into me, harder and harder, my breath was being pressed out of me."

She dropped her head into her hands, she couldn't look at them for this. She let the warmth she felt emanating off them carry her through the rest. "He took one of my hands and thrust it into the front of his pants and rubbed his erection against it. Then he bit the back of my neck. That snapped me out of my paralysis and let the fear and rage take over. And I shifted."

Jack rested a soft hand against her lower back. It was warm and gentle. He said, "And he had an armful of angry wolverine."

She grimaced and said, "Worse, a pantsful."

Jack said, "Oh, ow."

"Indeed," said the other man.

"I was just in a panic to get away. I didn't mean to, but I cut his femoral artery."

"You know it wasn't your fault. It was his."

"He attacked you."

"I know, it's still a heavy burden to watch a life slip away because of what you did. He died crying for his mother. Whatever was wrong with him, in the end, he was a scared little boy who just wanted his mommy."

Silence settled between the three of them.

Matt broke the silence and said, "So you don't shift."

"I shift, just...only when I can be calm, if I can help it. And not around people. Plus, men always want me to be some fluffy bunny and get all weirded out by my form. Especially when they realize I'm the slip of a girl that stopped the Oceanside Strangler."

Matt and Jack sat up straight and Jack said, "Holy shit, I've heard that story. That was you?"

Matt glared at him, reaching around Jena to punch him in the arm. "What my idiot friend here is saying, is that you're a freaking hero. You stopped a very dangerous man."

Jena shook her head and said, "Do you know how hard it is to get a date in high school as it is when you're a scary shifter? Let alone when you literally killed the last guy who touched you. Teenagers are dicks. It only took one insecure asshole to make my last year of high school misery." She leaned back, letting their shoulders touch hers. Needing the comfort of touch, but too scared to let herself relax into them. They could just as easily hurt her as her assailant had. "Besides, after I met his mom, I didn't want to be a hero anymore."

"His mom?"

"Yeah, after they identified him and ran his DNA against CODIS, they realized what he was. What he'd done. She was packing to leave town, people in small towns are cruel. She told me she was sorry - her face...she was utterly destroyed. Devastated."

"Because her son was a serial rapist and murderer."

"I know, but it was still a hard and brutal thing. I didn't want to be part of it anymore. Every day people stared at me. Pulled their children away from me. I was marked by him. Leaving for college to a massive city was perfect for me. I could get lost, nobody cared who I was." The men leaned slightly into her, just letting comfort flow between them. "I've never told anyone all of it. Each time I start they react. Badly."

They each took a hand, Jack raised one to his lips and dropped a kiss on her knuckles. He said, "Thank you for trusting us with this." He dropped more kisses on each knuckle and Jena's breath caught. "Will you keep trusting us?"

She looked into Jack's eyes, the green caught flecks of the torches and she was drawn in. She wanted them. She was scared, but she trusted them. With her secrets. With her body. Jena nodded at him, she didn't trust her voice.

Matt took a hold of her chin, turning it towards him, making her stare into his eyes. They were the piercing blue of the sky and she fell into them, nodding at him too. He leaned forward and kissed her softly. Until she softened against him.

Matt pulled her into his arms and leaned them back. Jack eased behind her, slipping a leg between hers. She moaned against Matt's mouth, the sensations were starting to overwhelm her. Matt loosened her bikini top while Jack slowly nibbled from her ear, down her neck and back. Jack made short work of the pulling the top off while Matt eased her breasts out.