License to Shift (19 page)

“I'm fine,” Julie said. “And Alan's going to be fine.” She looked down the road. “That's where the ambulance went, right?”

He nodded. “He stopped seizing, but he looked pretty bad.” Then he looked back to the cop. “I can take her to the hospital. She's safe with me, I swear. And you can go back…” He gestured with his chin.

“My partner's still searching.” The cop clearly wanted to go help, but didn't like leaving her alone.

“Mark can take me to the hospital,” she said. “You go help.”

“I can call for another ambulance.”

Julie smiled at the man. “No. Please. I'm safe now.”

The guy glared at Mark, but in the end he gave in. It helped that another squad car was coming down the road. “I'll find you at the hospital,” he said then he started jogging back around, speaking into his mic and calling for his partner's twenty.

Julie took a breath, then wrapped herself in Mark's arms again. He was strong and solid, he held her close. She was safe. Finally, she was safe

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“I'd die if something happened to you,” he said.

She pinched him where she gripped his side. “Stop talking about dying,” she said. “I hate it.”

He didn't answer, just pressed a tender kiss to her forehead. And then another to her cheek. And before long, she had lifted her face to his and they were kissing deeply. But it wasn't rough or even rushed. It was heartbreakingly tender as he took care with her lips, her mouth, her tongue. Every second felt reverential, and she melted into him until in her mind, they were one.

Then he pulled back. “I need to get you to a doctor,” he said against her temple.

“Okay,” she said. And they turned as one, walking to a truck. “It's Carl's,” he said as he pulled out the key. Behind them, the new squad car pulled in and officers got out but didn't bother them. Must not have seen them, she realized because the truck was parked on the opposite side, half hidden in the woods. In fact, it was shoved up so close to the trees that it was going to be hard to open the passenger side door.

“Do you need to help Tonya or Carl?” she asked, looking over his shoulder as the new police officers ran around the house.

He shook his head. “I'm not leaving you. Besides, I can't shift. Or I shouldn't. And I'm shit with a gun.” There was worry in his voice, and she shared his anxiety. Even so, she was grateful that he chose to stay with her. She still felt shaky and the world had a brittle quality to it just then. She didn't even want to let go of him to climb into the truck.

He seemed to understand that—or maybe needed to hold her as much as she needed it—so he pulled open the passenger door but didn't push her in. They just held each other. One breath. A thousand breaths. It didn't matter. She wasn't ever letting him go.

And then they ran out of time.

M
ark heard the sound first. A low growl that had his hair sticking up and his body tightening with adrenaline. A furious animal was nearby. A cat predator, by the sound of it, and ready to attack.

“Get in the truck,” he ordered, shoving Julie inside.

She went awkwardly, startled enough to gasp out a “What?”

He didn't have time to answer. He spun around and saw the creature stalking around a tree trunk. A cougar. A shifter by the feel of her, strong in magic, older in chronological age. But in shifters, age often meant they were harder to kill, not easier. Magic or DNA strengthened the body and strong emotions sometimes made them downright invulnerable.

And he was standing here as a human without a weapon.

He knew better than to dash around the truck. Any movement and she'd be on him. The way her tail was twitching told him that much. But the growl was what terrified him. She was in the grips of fury, dark and ugly. The best he could hope for was to talk her down, but he doubted it would work. Especially since her eyes fixed equally on him and Julie. She wanted them both. She was just deciding which one she would take out first.

Which left him with a second option. A bad one, but it was that or watch her rip through the truck for Julie.

He unbuttoned his khakis and toed off his shoes. Sometime in the last adrenaline-fueled fight, his grizzly had finally come out of hibernation. He probably had the ability to shift now, but doing it in clothes would hurt. Behind him, Julie had finally figured out what was going on.

“Get in the truck!” she screamed.

Bad choice. The cougar hunched lower, jaw clicking as she took a slow step around a tree for a better angle. Mark made a quick gesture behind his back, hoping Julie saw it and understood it meant she was supposed to be quiet.

“You're the cat woman,” he said calmly. “Elisabeth Oltheten.” The bitch who was working with Evil Einstein to kidnap Julie and experiment on her, not to mention Alan, Theo, and some werewolf cubs. And that just made his blood burn. Which in turn was the last trigger he needed.

His grizzly took charge, itching like needle pricks beneath his skin. He wanted to meet the bitch and fight tooth and claw. He wanted to rip her apart as only a grizzly could. But even as he stepped out of his shoes, he heard Julie behind him.

“Don't you dare!” she cried. “Get in the truck!”

He couldn't. No way was the cougar going to let him move that far.

“Stay calm,” he said to everyone there, himself included. “Let's think this through. Elisabeth, if you attack, I'm going to rip you apart. You know I can—”

She leapt.

No pause, no hesitation, no reason behind it. She attacked. He shifted. There was no choice.

He met her on the upload. That's what he called the shift into grizzly. His bear was larger and taller than he was, so when he changed, his body grew upward, outward, and in this case—straight into her claws at a speed even a cougar couldn't beat.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he heard Julie scream. It fired his blood, reminding the grizzly that he was fighting for his mate. He would protect her no matter what.

He was hampered by his clothes, but he tore through them. And in that time, the cougar clamped her jaws on his shoulder. Pain ripped through his mind while his legs finally got free. She bit down like a vise, holding herself in place so her back claws could rake down his chest and belly. He grabbed at her while a roar tore through his throat.

Then he let his brain step fully back so that instinct could fight unimpaired. His last logical thought was that he had to use his superior strength to rip her off his body and throw her as hard as possible against the nearest tree.

Then it was only teeth. Claws. Pain.

Bite until he tasted blood. Contract muscles. Squeeze.

Her back claws dug into his gut. His claws gripped her body and wrenched. She wriggled in his hold. Her head lifted from his shoulder, aimed for his neck. In that split second before she bit, he threw her away. He heard her impact against a tree, the thud followed by a whimper of pain. He fell forward, dropping to all fours while his belly cramped and bled. He could smell his own life draining to the ground, but his eyes were on her.

She rolled to her feet with a snarl. He roared back, gathered himself, pushed upward into a stand. He would kill her now, but she leapt away. She was fast and smart.

He pursued. Into the woods. Rage burned through his being. Too slow. She was gone.

Gone.

He dropped onto all fours, anguish radiating through his shoulder. He flinched and fell to the dirt. His belly flooded his mind with fire.

He roared again.
Anger. Destroy. Kill.

And over all of it:
Pain
.

He had to return to his mate. He had to protect her. But most of all, he had to hide himself and her until he healed.

He lumbered around, searching behind him only to realize she wasn't there. Her scent was there, but he saw no grizzly. Only a human, pink and unimportant, though something about it made him pause. Mate? He knew the citrus smell of her, acrid with fear, but this pink creature wasn't his mate. And yet his nose twitched with interest. Important. He inhaled hard, trying to focus.

Pain.

Injured.

His thoughts scattered. Priorities realigned. His mate was gone. He had to hide and heal.

He roared one last time, the statement filled with all the mournful fury that coursed through him. He would leave, he decided. He would find a den to hide in and heal, and then he would search for her again.

He was still twitchy with pain and fury. He wanted that bitch cat. He wanted his mate. He wanted to kill something and end the pain. And then, in the midst of this disconnected anger, one of the humans annoyed him.

M
ark, come back!”

Damn it! The stupid grizzly man wasn't listening. It had been hell watching cougar and bear fight. She'd been helpless, doing her best just to scramble through the woods following the fight. But now the bitch was gone and Mark was hurt. He needed help, but he wasn't listening to her. Thankfully, he wasn't moving fast, so she took a deep breath and did what she'd do with a frightened dog. A really big dog.

She lurched forward and grabbed the scruff of his neck.

“Mark! Pay attention!”

Bad idea! The creature lurched, tossing his head at her. Pain exploded across her ribs as she went tumbling backward.
Stupid, stupid.
But at least she'd gotten its attention. That was good, right?

The grizzly lumbered toward her, his nose twitching as his belly dripped blood on the ground.

“You have to shift back,” she said, every word a painful push of breath. But she had to get through to the man. “You have to become human.” She knew enough about the size differential now to realize that if he turned back into a man, most of his wounds would shrink and heal.

A hard female voice sounded behind her. “Back away, Julie. Slowly.”

It was Tonya, and she turned to see the officer standing carefully behind a tree trunk with her gun drawn.

“Don't shoot!” Julie called in panic. “That's Mark!”

Tonya's expression flattened into a dispassionate stare. “I know who it is. I'd recognize that roar from a mile away. Why do you think I'm here? Now move away.”

Julie did move. She pushed to her feet right into the firing line. “I'm not going to let you shoot him.”

The woman cursed and moved to the other side of the tree. “He's feral, Julie. You have to accept that the Mark you knew is gone.”

“Bullshit. He just has to change back.”

“He's not going to. Can't you feel it?” Then she answered her own question. “Of course you can't, but I can. He's an animal now, nothing more, nothing less.”

Julie refused to believe that even though she knew it was possible. “He'll come back to me. You'll see.” Tonya opened her mouth to argue, but Julie stepped in front of her again. “And even if he doesn't, there's no reason to kill him.”

Tonya sighed, aiming her gun down. “Do you think I want to do this? I grew up with him! But ferals go crazy, and when they do, they hurt people.” She took a breath. “Mark doesn't want that. And he asked me to do this, Julie. He made me promise.”

Julie was close enough to see Tonya's face. The sheen of tears was unmistakable. Oh, hell. Tonya wasn't being cold or heartless. It was the mask she wore when she was doing something impossibly hard. Like killing a childhood friend because he'd pleaded her to do it.

But even knowing that, Julie couldn't let her do it. “I can bring him back. Look,” she said, pointing to where Mark had dropped to the ground. “He's waiting for me. He's safe.”

“He's hurt,” Tonya snapped. “And that makes him dangerous.”

“He won't hurt me,” she said, praying it was true. So she focused back on her love, taking a single step closer to him. “Hey, Mark. It's time to get back to being human. Come on.”

“Not too close!” Tonya growled, low in her throat.

Mark turned toward the sound, his nose twitching as he smelled the environment.

“That's right. It's me,” Julie said. “It's me.”

He pushed back up and started moving forward, but not toward either of them. He lumbered past them toward the truck, his steps heavy and slow. Julie looked to the blood that had pooled where he'd dropped. There was a gory mess there, telling her that he was bleeding steadily. Exactly how serious were his wounds? How much blood loss could a grizzly sustain?

“Hey, Mark. You really need to shift back. It's important. You need to be human.”

He didn't pay any attention to her. And as he plodded to the truck, Tonya managed to site him again with her gun.

“You need to give him up, Julie,” she said, her voice so brittle every word cracked. “We've known this was coming for years.”

“Not yet,” Julie insisted. She followed Mark, racking her brains for a way to reach him. She'd barely gotten within a dozen feet of him when he abruptly roared. It was an anguished sound, filled with an aching loneliness that made her vision blur with tears. “I'm here, Mark,” she said. “Come back to me.”

He turned toward her, his head swinging slowly. She smiled at him. Now was when—

He shifted away from her. It took her another few moments to realize he was leaving. Just…leaving.

“No,” she whispered. Understanding burst through her consciousness, more painful than anything. This wasn't Mark. Mark wouldn't leave her. Mark loved her. She knew that from the depths of her soul. So if the grizzly was walking away, then it couldn't be Mark. It couldn't be the man she loved.

She stumbled, the agony in her heart making her cry out. “Please, Mark, look at me. You have to look at me.” He stopped, then swung his head around until he stared right at her. Liquid brown eyes that narrowed as he focused. From the corner of her eye, she saw Tonya dash a hand at her eyes, wiping the tears away. But her gun hand held steady where it aimed right between the bear's eyes.

“Not yet, Tonya,” she sobbed. “Not yet.” Not with the grizzly looking at her so intensely, his nostrils flaring as he sniffed. Then he curled his lips back and a low growl vibrated through the air, loud enough that it was a physical sensation against her body.

God, she must reek. The thought was a random one, a flit of information through her terrified brain. She didn't want to be mauled by an angry grizzly, but she couldn't give up the hope that Mark was still in there.

Wait. Reek.

She did reek. From whatever was in that stupid potion she'd drank. And the crap they'd shoved into her arm. Could this be the bonding? Could her scent be right now releasing some sort of chemical whatever into his brain?

It was a slim hope, but all she had. So with a shaking hand, she raised up her arm. Her heart was slamming hard in her chest, too many emotions choking her. But she still did it. She still held out her hand straight at his really big mouth and tried to speak without stammering.

“That's right, Mark. Smell me. It's Julie. You remember me, right?”

The grizzly leaned forward, his nose flaring and narrowing as he breathed. The hot air curled about her wrist, and Julie wanted to close her eyes. She didn't want to see if she was about to lose a hand. She didn't want herself die. But she couldn't look away. She was mesmerized by the flare of his nose. The heat of his breath. And the long dart of his pink tongue.

What?

He was licking her hand.

Wet and hot, the scrape of his tongue made her tremble. Was this good? She didn't even know. But he wasn't eating her. So she just started talking, words flowing as she tried to connect any way she could. “I love you, Mark. It's crazy, I know, but it's true. I love that you are so strong. Not just physically, but in spirit. Your mind is disciplined, your focus perfect, but it's your heart that caught me. You look out for people. Tonya told me that you drop everything to protect kids. That you've donated a lot of your money to scholarship funds for the Gladwin bears.”

He stopped licking her hand. They were face-to-face now. She was kneeling on the ground, and he was facing her, his nostrils flaring as he took another step forward. She could smell his blood now, even heard the plops as it dripped onto the scattered leaves beneath them. If he attacked, she'd be dead in a second. No way was Tonya's pistol going to do anything before he ripped out her throat. But even so, Julie remained still as he scented up her arm to her neck. God, she was letting a grizzly next to her throat. She closed her eyes rather than look into his mouth and the sharp points of his teeth. She heard him sniff her and shook when a rumble came from deep inside his throat. But this was Mark. And if he was going to bond with her, then she had to feel safe with him. She had to relax and believe. So she started talking again, her words as much for herself as him.

“Did you know that you make me feel safe? Even when I'm terrified, I feel better when I'm with you. Even when you're growling like that.”

The rumble continued, the sound was low and angry. A purr gone bad. Her breath choked her. It took a dozen rapid heartbeats before she could speak again.

“I love that you make me feel beautiful. No one has ever looked at me like you do. You make me beautiful, Mark.”

He opened his mouth. She could feel his jaw widen. The heat was intense, and she shivered. And then…

He licked her. A soft, tentative caress of his tongue.

Without thought, she let her head drop back. She bared her throat to him, and she felt him lick her. Once. Twice. Wet and sloppy, and she chuckled.

Bonded. They were bonded.

She put up her hands to touch his face. Fur, muzzle, wet nose. She chuckled as she pulled them apart enough so that she could look into his eyes.

Liquid brown. But this close, she could see the flecks of gold.

And then
more.
She felt magic.

She watched as Mark twitched, jerking his head to her and baring his teeth. He was getting anxious and that wasn't good. But something was happening to them. Something was happening to
her
. Over his shoulder, Tonya cursed but Julie didn't have the ability to warn her off. She couldn't speak at all.

Meanwhile, Mark was backing away. His eyes had gone frantic and his lips were curled back. Suddenly he reared upward while she tried to scream.

She heard the rapport of Tonya's gun. Three rapid shots. If they hit Mark, there was no sign of it amidst his bellowing. Then Julie's body seemed ripped from her. Her back arched, her hands expanded, and her face. Holy shit, her face was on fire.

She screamed as her entire body seemed to explode. Her teeth scraped her tongue. And her skin burned while her body flung wide with hairy arms and extended claws. And the loose bulletproof jacket choked her enough that she ripped at it with hands gone thick and uncoordinated.

She had no understanding of what happened. She knew pain and power as the grizzly in front of her wrapped his arms around her. They were grappling, and she was nearly his size. Lord, she was pissed, and she roared as loud as she could right in his face.

A bear, she realized, though dimly in the back corner of her thoughts. She was a freaking grizzly bear. Except when she looked at herself, she was not full bear. The fur was patchy and uneven, her hands were huge and her joints thick, but not quite paws, though not really human either.

And then she lost thought as he gripped at her. Another bear—her mate—clawing at her sides.

She fought because she was frightened. She bit at him and swiped at his nose. He was bigger and stronger as he pushed at her. She fell to all fours and roared in fury.

He wanted to mount her, but she wasn't ready. Not yet.

But soon.

She growled, baring her teeth, and he backed away. She smelled his blood and worried at the scent. And when he dropped down to all fours, she paused, sniffing the air as she focused on his injuries. Blood, seeping slowly onto his fur. Pain that needed to be soothed.

She nudged forward with a low grumble. He responded with a dull moan. Her mate was in pain. She nudged his shoulder, nipping and licking at it as he thumped to the ground before her. Then gently, ponderously slow, he flopped back onto his side, exposing his raw belly.

She eased his pain. She licked his shoulder and then his belly. Tasted his blood in her mouth and knew that this was the way to healing.

She was still licking him when he shimmered. Tiny electric bolts of power hit her tongue, causing her to recoil. But the magic held them both together. When he trembled, she did as well. Their brown fur faded, replaced by pink skin. Bones contracted, muscles twitched and realigned.

Unsteady, she wobbled on her knees, her palms feeling cut by the underbrush. Below her, Mark's naked body shivered, and his eyes blinked in a dazed pain.

Human. He was human, she realized. As was she.

His gaze caught hers. His eyes widened in shock, but then immediately softened. He smiled at her while she gaped at him. What the hell had just happened?

She tried to speak, but her mind was too fuzzy to hold on to words. She tried to move, but there was no strength in her body. So she wobbled and dropped face-first into his chest. His arms wrapped around her, strong and vital. He held her secure while her eyes fluttered shut and the darkness overwhelmed her. But even so, she had the strength to hear sound and understand its meaning.

“Julie,” he said. “My mate.”