Once she’d made it to her feet, using one hand to hold on to the wall, she eyed him. If she appeared overeager to get outside, he’d suspect something might be up. Instead, she had to appear to not want to leave the house.
“I refuse to go anywhere with you,” she declared, her voice shaky and breathless. “If you’re going to kill me, you might as well do it here and now.” He had no way of knowing a bullet wouldn’t kill her. Not unless it was made of silver. Her kind could die only from a silver bullet or fire. But she’d keep that information under wraps for now.
Her statement had the desired effect. “Outside,” he growled, prodding her with the gun. “Now.”
Since outside was exactly where she wanted to go, she didn’t put up too much of a struggle. She wouldn’t have been able to resist too much, anyway, with her head throbbing from the blow she’d taken. Dragging her hand across her mouth, she found her fingers came back smeared with blood. Again, just the taste of it infuriated her inner beast.
Pacing, her inner wolf snarled. She pushed it back, drawing strength from the sure knowledge that she—with her razor-sharp teeth and massive wolf claws—could take him down and rip out his throat easily, even after being shot.
Pack law declared she’d have to be careful. While wolf, she could attack a human only in self-defense, and then only if her life was seriously threatened. She couldn’t do such a thing lightly, and she’d prefer not to have to do it at all. She’d rather have him arrested and sent to jail.
For now, Shawn appeared to have forgotten about the baby. Good. The longer she could keep his focus on her, the better.
“Yolanda is taking care of your new boyfriend, you whore,” Shawn spat. “After she’s done with him, I’m going to let her work you over, too. We’ll see how defiant you are after that.”
Now he had her wondering how much he really knew. “Umm, Shawn? Do you have any idea what Yolanda can become?”
“Of course I do. Why do you think I’m helping her?” Eyes wild, he gestured widely. “She has a special gift—a superpower. And if I continue to help her, eventually she’ll let me have it, too. Once she does, I’ll be unstoppable. Just wait, you’ll see.”
Oh, brother. JJ knew better than to roll her eyes, but she really wanted to. With each second that ticked past, she felt herself grow stronger.
Downstairs, she heard the sound of the front door crashing open. Though Eric knew better than to call her name, he made a lot of noise as he rushed up the steps.
Shawn swung his pistol from left to right, covering her and then the doorway, making her wonder if he actually knew how to use it. If he accidentally squeezed the trigger while aiming at the crib, Garth could get shot. This helped her make her decision.
The next time Shawn had his gun pointed at the doorway, she sprang up, launching herself at him. A second after she did, Eric came rushing in the front door.
The gun went off. No silver bullet, but Eric jerked back and fell. He’d been hit. The echo of the gunshot woke Garth, who let out a frightened cry.
Outside, sirens sounded in the distance. The Pack Protectors to the rescue, she supposed. It appeared they would arrive too late.
Somehow, Eric struggled to his feet. Grinning, Shawn grabbed JJ and held the gun to her throat. “First her, and then the kid,” he gloated. “You might as well watch.”
Garth had been through so much already with his pneumonia. Babies’ bodies hadn’t yet built up the strength adult shifters had. In his weakened state, it was entirely possible a gunshot wound might kill him. If not, he’d surely suffer.
JJ could see that Eric was fading fast. While she knew he wouldn’t die, seeing him in such a state terrified her. Blood seeped from the new wound in his leg and he swayed as he tried to reach them.
With his arm around her throat, Shawn could see it, too. Tightening his hold, he dragged JJ over to the crib. “Such a cute little baby,” he mocked. “Wonder how adorable he’ll look with a big ole bullet hole right through his forehead.”
“No,” JJ protested, struggling to get the words out while choking. Her vision went gray and she nearly fell, causing Shawn to loosen his grip so that she could breathe. “Leave the baby alone!”
Shawn only laughed in response.
Eric roared. The inhuman sound alerted JJ to the unbelievable. He had changed. Somehow, Eric had shape-shifted back to bear in a furious instant, tearing his clothes. He attacked Shawn, saving his son, saving her. As Eric slammed into Shawn, he pushed her aside hard enough that she hit the side of the crib, jostling Garth.
This, as well as Shawn’s pain-filled screams, frightened the baby, who began to wail. One swipe of Eric’s powerful claws and Shawn went down. JJ grabbed Garth, startled to see the baby appeared to be shimmering in between a human and a bear. No way. Shifters couldn’t actually shape-shift until they were in their teens.
Trying to process this, she ran for the door. Behind her, the two wrestled—man and bear—in a fight most certainly to the death.
She heard the report of the gunshot at the exact same instant she felt the flash of pain in her back. Somehow, she kept going, aware she couldn’t fall while carrying the baby. Once she reached the living room, she managed to place Garth carefully on the sofa before her legs gave out and she crumpled to the floor.
* * *
When Shawn shot JJ in the back, Eric relinquished his tenuous grip on restraint and let himself go. With one hard swipe of his mighty paw, he whacked at Shawn. He meant to only knock the other man unconscious, but he must have hit him in such a way as to break his neck. He knew instantly, looking at the awful angle Shawn lay, that he was dead.
Full of worry and remorse, he eased himself to the floor, light-headed from the loss of blood. He’d need to shape-shift back to human so he could call 911. To do that, he’d have to find the strength from somewhere.
Initiating the change, he couldn’t keep from crying out as the pain sliced through him. Once he was man, he wrapped a baby blanket around his wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding, and crawled into the living room, to find JJ unconscious and Garth unharmed.
He checked her pulse, relieved to find her heart still beating. And then, because he had no strength for anything else, he picked up the phone and dialed 911, just as DeLeon and his crew burst through the door.
* * *
They came for him at sunset. Three men, grim-faced and silent. They put the steel handcuffs on without a word and led him to their car. Eric didn’t resist. They didn’t bother reading him his rights. Because of his crime, he had none.
He went willingly, glad JJ didn’t have to witness this. His heart ached, already missing her and Garth. He’d saved her, protected her and himself both, and for what? The crime of killing a human in his bear form was punishable by death. Unless he could prove it wasn’t him or that it had been self-defense. Unfortunately, he had no proof. Only his and JJ’s word. Once again, he wished he’d had a camera.
“Get in the car,” the tallest man ordered.
Unable to help himself, he glanced back once at JJ’s house, foolishly hoping for a final glimpse of her before the Protectors took him away. He imagined there’d be a trial, a mock hearing at best, giving him a chance to explain himself before they killed him. Meanwhile, people would be working behind the scenes to mess up the forensic reports, to make sure nothing showed the dead man had been attacked and killed by a large bear. Among his kind, humans finding out about their existence was considered the worst of all threats.
And for nearly revealing this, someone would have to pay. The Protectors seemed determined to ensure that someone would be him.
Heart racing, Eric opened his eyes, momentarily disoriented. Instead of being cuffed in the back of a government-issue sedan, he lay prone in a hospital bed, hooked up to machines. His heartbeat slowed as he realized his arrest had been only a dream. Hopefully, not a premonition.
Garth. Suddenly, everything came crashing back to him. JJ hit in the back, finding her on the floor, Garth unhurt. Was JJ all right? And where was his son?
He located the call button and pressed it. When no one immediately answered, he pressed it again. And again. Until finally an annoyed feminine voice asked how she could help him.
“My son,” he croaked. “I need to know who has my son.”
“I do,” DeLeon said, as he walked into the room. “And JJ is recovering in the room next door.”
Briefly, Eric wondered if he was dreaming again. “What do you mean? Do you really have Garth?”
DeLeon ducked his head as if embarrassed. “Well, actually, my wife is babysitting him while the two of you recover. Seemed like the least I could do after what happened with my brother.”
His brother. Shawn. Eric swallowed. “I’m sorry about your loss, Frank. Please know that I never intended to—”
“Stop.” Gently, the Protector placed a hand on Eric’s shoulder. “It was very clear what occurred. You did what you had to do in order to protect your family. I’m just glad Shawn didn’t manage to kill anyone before you took him out.”
“Still, I know how difficult it is to lose a family member, especially a brother.”
A shadow crossed the other man’s face. “My mother is taking it hard. But we’ll get through it. Rhonda’s and Yolanda’s deaths were a bit more difficult to explain. Sadly, we made Shawn the scapegoat there, too, at least publically.”
Inwardly wincing, Eric nodded. He couldn’t help but wonder if DeLeon would casually add that, oh, by the way, Eric was under arrest.
Instead, the Protector released him. “Your prognosis is good. They got the bullet out and it doesn’t appear to have done any serious nerve or muscle damage. You both were lucky he didn’t know to use silver bullets.”
“I’ll say.” Eric thought of his own weapon, and what he’d loaded. He’d known if he was going to shoot, he’d have to shoot to kill. He’d hoped he wouldn’t have to, but Garth had to be protected and kept safe. “What about JJ?” he asked. “She was shot in the back.”
And while she might not die, she could still end up paralyzed. For a shifter, that would be a special sort of hell. Trapped in a nonworking body, unable to die.
DeLeon looked down. “The good news is that the bullet didn’t go anywhere near her spinal cord. The bad news is she hasn’t regained consciousness yet. The doctors don’t understand why not.”
“I want to go see her.” Eric pushed himself up, using his elbows. “Please. Can you take me to her?”
“I don’t think you can walk.” DeLeon appeared uncertain. “Maybe you should wait until you’re better.”
“What about a wheelchair? Surely you can ask the nurse. Wait, I’ll do it.” Eric pressed the call button again. This time, the voice said someone would be with him in a moment.
When the nurse arrived, she seemed surprisingly amendable to locating a wheelchair and helping get Eric to the room next door. She paged someone else and a few minutes later an orderly came in with a chair. The nurse and the aide helped Eric out of bed and got him settled, hanging his IV pole on a bar on the wheelchair.
“I’ll take him,” DeLeon said, stepping forward. “I’ll call you when he’s ready to get back in his bed.”
Once the nurse had gone, Eric drew a deep breath. “Let’s go,” he said.
Though the Protector placed his hands on the chair handles, he didn’t push it forward yet. “I should warn you that she looks pretty bad.”
Eric nodded. “And I should tell you that she’ll always be beautiful to me, no matter what shape she’s in.”
His comment made the other man smile. “Let’s go,” he said, and wheeled him out of the room.
* * *
JJ felt light, as if she could float along without the heaviness of her earthly body weighing her down. The sense of calmness and peace felt so profoundly beautiful that she wanted to weep. At first, she’d struggled to remember, to ground herself back where she knew she needed to be, but the effort seemed too much, so she let it go. She knew there had been turmoil and violence. Bloodshed even. But there’d also been love.
She needed to focus on the love. But doing that was so difficult, she didn’t. So much easier to simply let herself float.
A familiar voice called her name. Not once, but twice, lingering lovingly over each letter. She wanted to respond, goodness knows she even tried, but she couldn’t summon up the necessary strength.
With silence came abject disappointment. Had the voice gone? Suddenly, desperately, she wanted it to stay. Moisture filled her eyes. But then—then—he spoke again, so close to her ear she felt the tickle of his warm breath. Her heart gave a little skip of joy as the voice surrounded her with love, gently and firmly grounding her.
“Come back,” he pleaded. “We’ve got too much of a future for you to go away now. Garth needs you. I need you.”
Still, though she understood the sentiment, the context of the words didn’t quite make sense. Who was he, the man behind the love? His name... Still frozen, still trapped in that strange sort of space between asleep and awake, she struggled to remember the name of who the deep, masculine voice belonged to. Somehow she sensed doing so would be vitally important.
Eric. It finally came to her. Eric Mikkelson.
And just like that, she remembered everything. Him, his baby Garth and the love that filled her heart. Still.
But with love came fear. Terror. Shawn and his pistol. She remembered nothing after he’d shot her in the back.
She struggled to open her eyes. But the ethereal, unfocused self she’d become had no control over anything. Especially her earthly body. Yet she could feel a tear track moisture down her frozen cheek. And when his calloused finger softly brushed it away, she knew he remained at her side.
“Don’t go,” she said silently, hoping against hope that Eric somehow heard and understood. “Keep talking to me. Stay.”
As if he heard her, he did.
“My brave little wolf,” he said, tenderness and love making his voice rough. “You’ve been through so much. But that’s over now. We’re safe. You’re safe. And the future—our future—looks so bright, you gotta wear shades.”
This last comment made her smile. More than smile—laugh. She felt the joyful sound bubble up inside her and was actually able to open her mouth to let the laughter out.
“JJ?” Sounding stunned and joyous, Eric took her hand. “Are you back, sweetheart? Squeeze my fingers if you can hear me.”
With her strength returning, JJ did better than that. She opened her eyes.
Later, when the astounded doctors had finished examining her, after all the multiple tests were completed and she’d been brought back to her room, she and Eric were finally alone again.
Exhausted and relieved, JJ smiled at him. “Thanks for sticking with me,” she said softly. “Hearing your voice felt like a lifeline, keeping me grounded, keeping me here. I’m not sure what would have happened if you hadn’t started talking to me.”
He kissed her again, this time on the cheek. “I’m not letting you go anywhere.”
Smiling at his comment, she wished she had enough strength to turn her face so his kiss landed on her mouth. “Where’s Garth?” she asked. “Since you’re not worried, I know he’s somewhere safe.”
“He’s with Frank DeLeon.”
Shocked, she could only stare. “The Pack Protector? Shawn’s brother?”
“Yes. And he’s perfectly safe.” Eric pulled out his phone. “Frank’s been sending me videos. Apparently, his wife works in a neonatal unit in a hospital and loves taking care of infants. Look.”
Rapt, JJ watched as a woman with long, slender fingers dangled a set of bright plastic keys in front of Garth, letting him play with them.
“He looks good,” she mused.
“Yes, he does.”
Though part of her didn’t want to know, she had to ask. “Is Shawn...?”
Eric knew what she was asking without her having to say the words. “Dead? Yes. He is. I killed him.”
Considering his words, she realized she felt nothing. Not joy, not sorrow, just a huge blankness. “How?” Selfishly, part of her wanted to know.
“Vedjorn claws and teeth,” he whispered. “I was worried the Protectors would arrest me, but since it so clearly was self-defense...”
Closing her eyes as relief flooded her, she nodded. “So it’s really over? All of it?”
“Yes.”
Her gaze drifted to the window. Outside, she saw it had begun to snow.
“To new beginnings,” he said, following her gaze with his own.
She smiled, glad that he’d remembered her words about how snow made her feel. “To new beginnings,” she repeated.
Gently, carefully, he gathered her in his arms and held her close. “Now you just need to focus on getting well so we can go home.”
Home. The word had never sounded so beautiful.
* * * * *
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