For the second time, Ammon awoke from a sound sleep in the middle of the night. With a groan, he opened his eyes and realized that Kohana was lying at his side. The man’s hard dick was pressed up against his ass as Kohana’s fingers rested on his thighs. Unfortunately, he realized that Kohana wasn’t the only one who was hard. Ammon could feel his own cock straining his tattered pants, and he cursed. He wanted to believe he was turned on because of a wet dream and not because there was a naked man plastered against him, but the truth was, he knew the cause of his arousal was Kohana.
Who was also a man.
Ammon felt like he’d been hit with a brick. Maybe I’m just confused. Or maybe the island is getting to me. Or...or... Oh, who was he kidding? He had no excuses. He pressed his hand against his chest as he endured uncertainty and self-loathing. He couldn’t believe that this was happening to him now, of all times. What, had he done something atrocious to piss off God? Or had he messed up his karma somehow? It was the only way he could explain the chain of unfortunate events. After all, first he was in a plane crash, then he ended up on an island full of people who wanted to kill him. Now his own body was betraying him and reacting to another man.
Okay, this isn’t the end of the world, he told himself. One erection didn’t make him gay. And even if it did, it wasn’t like his life was over because of it.
Still, to Ammon, this was too much to handle. He had to put some space between him and Kohana so he could calm down. He had no intention of being stupid and wandering off, but sitting at the mouth of the cave would be all right, wouldn’t it?
With a shaky sigh, he headed over to the mouth of the cave and sank onto his butt. He grabbed fistfuls of hair and stared straight ahead, taking deep breathes.
One... Everything is fine.
Two... The world isn’t coming to an end.
Three... This is just a one-time thing, anyway.
Four... I can control my own bo—
Branches cracked underfoot, and he looked up, horrified. What was that? He peered through the foliage, wondering what had caused the sound, and saw a dark shape in the distance. At once, he knew that he was seeing the creature he’d spotted slinking through the underbrush the night before. Panic burned through his heart as he remembered Kohana’s warning.
Just when he opened his mouth to call Kohana’s name, the beast revealed itself for the first time and stole away his words. Oh dear God, it was a bear. And not just any bear. It was a humongous bear. Though he’d seen bears on the Discovery Channel, he wasn’t prepared for the giant beast that hovered in front of him. Thick brown fur covered a mountainous body. Yellow fangs curved over a short snout. Black eyes were narrowed in fury.
Ammon leapt to his feet. “Fuck.”
Kohana, who must have heard his cry, woke up and sprang to his feet too. “What’s wrong? What’s going on?”
Ammon was ashamed that he couldn’t keep the tremor from his voice. “B-bear.”
Kohana’s stepped in front of him fearlessly. The man peered through the trees and met the angry eyes of the approaching beast. The bear snarled, and Kohana charged forward down the hill, growling in a way that made the hair on the back of Ammon’s neck stand on end.
“What the hell are you doing?” Ammon yelled, stunned that Kohana would do something so stupid. “Are you insane? Run.”
The other man ignored him and stared down the beast.
“Ammon doesn’t mean us any harm,” Kohana said through clenched teeth. “Leave.”
The bear snarled in response and glared, but it didn’t try to bite Kohana.
What the fuck is this? It was almost like the bear was listening to the man.
“What’s going on?” Ammon whispered, taking a step forward despite the fact he longed to run in the opposite direction.
Kohana held up his hand in warning. “Ammon, stay where you are.”
Either it was the sudden movement or Kohana’s words, but the bear finally let out a fierce growl of anger and clawed Kohana right across the chest. His skin parted like paper between scissor blades, and blood spilled down Kohana’s ribcage.
All Ammon knew was panic. “Kohana!” he screamed, rushing down the hill. He didn’t care that Kohana had just told him to stay put. The man was hurt, for crying out loud.
When Ammon reached Kohana’s side, the man’s shoulders were shaking, and he was curled up in a ball. The bear in front of him snarled and bared its teeth, but in a heartbeat, Kohana leapt up and tackled the massive creature. Impossible. Ammon’s eyes widened as both man and beast rolled together.
Dark fur began to sprout all over Kohana’s muscular body. Ammon watched the hair grow in open-mouthed horror, certain that he was hallucinating. After all, men didn’t sprout fur. And men didn’t have eyes that turned the color of charcoal and menacing claws the size of bananas either. He cursed in horror as Kohana’s body stretched and grew. The man he thought was his ally was now a massive bear.
“Oh God.” Ammon reversed slowly, then gained speed as his panic escalated.
Kohana glanced at him, dark eyes narrowed, and Ammon’s stomach plummeted. The words from Kohana’s story echoed in his head: “In the beginning, there were men and there were beasts. The beasts were valued for their strength and power while the men were valued for their intelligence. The first and strongest bear god, Honaw, was once a flesh and blood man and also a great shaman. He made an alliance with the beasts and used his energies to merge his body with a bear’s. He was a fearsome animal that could change from man to creature on a whim.” The story hadn’t been some fairytale. What Kohana had told him was true.
Which meant that Kohana was a beast from the story he’d told him.
Ammon let out a yell of terror. The attacking bear howled, but Kohana leapt at the other beast again before it could attack. Despite that, Ammon was no longer concerned about Kohana’s safety. All he knew was that he had to flee, not only from the attacker but from Kohana as well. He couldn’t trust a monster with his life. Anguished, Ammon began to sprint as fast as his injured body could carry him.
Every time his foot struck the ground, Ammon’s body screamed with pain, but his need to flee was stronger than his agony. His arms pumped at his sides as he rushed through the bushes. While he sprinted, all he could think about was the way that Kohana’s golden eyes had turned dark and how fur had sprouted along his body. The images were like poison to Ammon’s brain, and he panicked in a way that he’d never panicked in his entire life.
Ammon wasn’t sure how he long he kept running. It could have been minutes, or it could have been hours. All he knew was that his brow became drenched with sweat and his heart thundered. His foot struck earth over and over again. He only came to a stop when he heard the distant sound of waves crashing on the sandy shore.
The ocean!
Kohana had told him that the islanders disliked water. Right now, his best chance of survival was to jump into the water. He knew he couldn’t stay in the ocean forever, but after what he’d seen, he’d rather remain afloat in the salty waves than stay on land, where some monster could devour him at any given moment. With that thought in mind, he rushed forward.
When he drew near to the waves, tingles of fear ran down his spine. He skidded to a stop right in front of the blue water. Normally, he wouldn’t have hesitated before launching himself into the shimmering abyss, but he did now. For a horrifying moment, he remembered what it had felt like when the plane plummeted into the ocean. The memory paralyzed him. That was when he realized he had to make a choice—the bears or the water.
Ammon glanced warily over his shoulder and saw nothing, but it was too easy to picture a bear skulking toward him, ready to tear the flesh from his limbs. God, what an awful way to go. Without a second thought, he plunged into the warm water, not caring that his already tattered clothes became soaked through with water. The salt caused the burns on his hands to throb, but he ignored the agony. After all, he had his survival to think about.
What the hell are those beasts? As Ammon swam like his life depended on it, the question haunted him. But that thought wasn’t the only one that entered his mind. No, he also began to wonder whether he’d died in the plane crash after all.
Maybe Walking Bear Island was actually his own personal hell.
* * * *
Night turned into day, and Ammon was certain that he’d been in the water for at least eight hours. The rising swell of the ocean made him queasy, and his mouth was painfully dry. Even with the ocean to cool him down, he was dehydrated. It was only a matter of time before he passed out. He knew that he needed to return to the island, but the thought of going back made his stomach churn more than the water did.
Unfortunately, staying afloat in the middle of the ocean would eventually kill him too.
Fuck.
“I can’t believe this is happening to me,” Ammon croaked. Hysteria rose within him, but he managed to fight off his screams, if only because he knew that shrieking would attract attention.
Instead of yelling, Ammon took a deep breath and swam back to the island. When he made it to shore, he climbed onto the sand, his heart pounding hard. In his mind, he made a list of priorities. First off, he needed to find water. Secondly, he had to locate some sort of shelter. He also hoped he would find some food nearby. He had no hopes of catching fish, but he was starving, and stuffing himself with bananas and potatoes didn’t sound like such an awful idea.
Unfortunately, even focusing on his plans didn’t help ease his fears as he crept through the overgrown underbrush. Ammon snuck forward, jumping at every sound. After what felt like days but had likely been only a few minutes, he managed to find a creek. He fell to his knees in front of it and gulped down water as fast as he could. The water tasted sweet, but he was too nervous to enjoy it. After all, danger could be lurking around every corner.
After he’d drunk his fill, he stood up and looked around for some sort of shelter. Maybe he could find a cave or—
Foliage cracked underfoot.
Ammon’s heart thundered in terror. Oh God, he didn’t think he could outrun a monstrous bear shifter, but he had to try. Escape was his only option.
Though Ammon’s chest screamed in agony, he took a stumbling step forward. A massive figure leapt out in front of him faster than he could blink. He let out a yell and reversed so fast that he tripped and fell on his ass into the river. He crawled out of the water, dizzy from fear. Despite that, he closed his hand on a large branch, though he knew such a weapon would do little good against deadly fangs and long claws. His burns ached, making him wince, but he would rather endure a little pain and have a weapon.
“Ammon, it’s me,” Kohana said.
Ammon blinked away his surprise. He’d been so unnerved that he hadn’t thought to look twice at his foe. But even though the new arrival was the person who’d sworn to protect him, he couldn’t forget the way the other man’s back had hunched and dark fur had sprouted from his pores. That image would haunt Ammon for the rest of his life.
“I’ve been looking for you everywhere.” Kohana took a step toward him. “Where were you hiding? I couldn’t smell you.”
Instead of allowing the other man to approach, Ammon held out the branch threateningly. Yet he didn’t swing. Was Kohana friend or foe? He had no idea. He was already so panicked that his teeth began to chatter. “Don’t come near me.”
Kohana’s golden eyes were gentle. “I know what you saw must have come as a shock to you.”
“Shock?” Ammon howled, losing his senses. “Shock?”
“Lower your voice.” Kohana glanced around nervously.
“You turned into a fucking bear. It was more than just a shock.”
Kohana sighed. “I would have told you what I am if I thought you’d believe me.”
“You still should have told me.”
“Maybe. But you know now. That’s all that matters.”
Ammon clutched the branch he was using as a makeshift weapon even tighter, but he didn’t say anything.
“Give it time.” Kohana spoke gently, seemingly trying to calm his frustration. “It’s a lot to take in.”
“But I don’t want to take it in. I want to forget,” he said. His whole world had been turned upside down. Why had he decided to board that plane? If he’d taken a different flight, this never would have happened.
“It’s for the best that you’re aware of what’s really going on. Now you know who your enemies are.”
“No, I don’t.” Ammon shook his head. “You could be my enemy.”
The words must have wounded Kohana, because he winced. “You don’t mean that.”
“I do mean that. You turned into a monster.”
“I turned into a bear, not a monster.”
“You sprouted fur and fangs. To me, that’s pretty monstrous.”
Kohana stared at him without speaking. For the first time, Ammon laid eyes on Kohana’s chest. The gash marks caused by the other bear’s claws were gone.
“The cuts are healed.” Oh God, did Kohana have superpowers too?
The man looked down at himself. “My kind heal quickly. You have to kill us fast if you want us to die.”
“What the hell are you?” Ammon took a step back. “Even normal bears can’t heal like that.”
Now Kohana’s eyes widened too. He took a step closer. “Don’t overreact.”
“I have every right to overreact. You can heal in seconds. God only knows what else you can do.” Ammon looked around wildly.
“Matwau wants to kill you. Stay close to me. Please.”
Anxiety overrode Ammon’s common sense. He didn’t know who to trust, and all he wanted to do was get as far away from Kohana as possible. Before he could have any second thoughts, he sprinted through the trees. As he rushed forward, he heard Kohana pursuing him. He tried to run faster, but the other man was upon him within moments.
Kohana seized his shoulder. The man yanked him to a stop and pulled him into his arms. At first, Ammon threw punches in fury, confusion, and fear. Unfortunately, trying to hurt Kohana was like trying to dent a brick wall.
“Let me go.” Ammon struggled, feeling just like he had when the plane had crashed and he was drowning in dark blue ocean. He was out of control and hated it.
Ignoring his command, Kohana curled his fingers in Ammon’s hair. “I know you’re scared, but everything is going to be okay. I’ll find a way to get you off this island.”
Ammon threw one last punch, but he knew now that his efforts were futile. His arms fell slack at his sides, and he let out an injured moan, his chest throbbing.
“It’s going to be okay. I promise,” Kohana said. “I know that you don’t trust me right now, but I’m your ally. And I’m not going to let you die here.”
Ammon squeezed his eyes shut as both his heart and body were swept up in immeasurable pain. He’s wrong. I’m going to die. As he had the thought, his kneecaps melted like hot butter. The only thing that kept him upright was Kohana, steadying him with his strong arms.
* * * *
Ammon lay curled up on the ground, staring into the fire, as Kohana sat nearby. The man appeared concerned but kept his distance. Ammon was grateful for that. Though he hadn’t tried to run again, when he looked into Kohana’s face, he no longer saw a man. He saw a monster, a monster with long fangs and dark eyes.
“You should go to sleep,” Kohana said.
Ammon swallowed, and his throat burned. During his stint in the water, he must have drunk too much salt water. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to sleep again.”
The truth was he was exhausted after the panic-filled day, but whenever he closed his eyes, all he could see were beasts ready to hunt him down. He was a full-grown man, but at the moment, he longed for the comfort of his childhood home. He wanted to curl up under the covers and feel safe and protected. Not this. Ammon sighed and massaged his sore chest.
For the first time since Kohana had embraced him, the other man crept closer. At first Ammon contemplated telling him to stay back, but the concern in the man’s eyes made him bite back the words.
“You look pale,” Kohana said. “Paler than Harry when he found out.”
Of course he was pale. What, was he supposed to be radiant with happiness? “So you surprised him with this information too?”
“He found out slowly, unlike you. It was easier for him because of that.”
Ammon groaned. “Great. So I discovered your secret the hard way.”
“Well, I don’t think there’s an easy way, but yes, it was more difficult for you.”
Ammon grimaced.
Silence fell, and Kohana reached out to touch his shoulder. Seconds before fingers touched skin, the man’s hand fell slack at his side. Ammon wasn’t sure whether he was grateful or disappointed by Kohana’s faltering. He could use the comfort, but he wasn’t sure that Kohana was the man he wanted to receive comfort from. As he shifted in unease, he decided he needed to fill the silence in order to get his mind off such thoughts.
Ammon stared off into space. “Earlier you said that somebody named Matwau wants to kill me.” The thought of somebody wanting to kill him was horrifying. He wasn’t a man without enemies, but he didn’t think anyone had ever wanted him dead until now. “Who is he?”
Kohana sighed, but he said nothing.
“Please don’t tell me that you’re hiding more information from me.” Ammon wasn’t sure he could handle any more surprises. “If you have any more horrible secrets, somebody will have to lock me in a loony bin, because I’ll completely lose it.”
“It’s not a secret,” Kohana said. “It’s just bad news. Matwau isn’t the best person to have as your enemy.”
“Why am I not surprised?” Ammon shook his head. “I haven’t heard any good news since I crash-landed here. I’m so shit out of luck that I half expect fireballs to come raining down from the sky at any moment.”
Kohana gave him a grim smile. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, I’ve lived on this island my entire life, and I’ve never seen fireballs come raining down from the sky.”
“Let’s just hope it stays that way. Now tell me about Matwau.”
Though Kohana gulped, he nodded at the same time. “You know that creature who approached the cave?”
“Let me guess. That was Matwau, right?”
“Yes.”
“And you said he wants to kill me?”
Kohana gave a slow nod. “That’s why he showed up at the cave. He wanted to talk me into getting rid of you.”
“It looked like he came to more than talk to you.” Ammon shivered at the memory of Matwau’s massive claws slicing through flesh. “He attacked.”
Kohana’s lips thinned. “That was just a warning strike. If he’d wanted to do damage, I would have been in a lot more trouble. The blow was nothing to someone like me.”
“So that was him holding back?” Lord have mercy.
“Yes.” Kohana nodded. “He hesitated because it’s me.”
“Why? Does he like you or something?”
“He’s the pack leader I told you about. You know, the one who raised me. In fact, he was even there when I was born. I don’t dislike him. For the most part, he’s been kind to me, even when the others haven’t been.”
“The leader of a pack?” Shit.
“Yes.”
Though he shouldn’t have been surprised, Ammon was still horrified that the pack leader had shown up to threaten him. But he knew enough about bears to be aware that they weren’t pack animals. “Why do you guys travel in a pack, anyway? Shouldn’t you be lone hunters?”
“We’re humans who can shift into bears,” Kohana said. “Humans are pack hunters, even if bears aren’t.”
“Fantastic. Human intelligence and pack mentality. Bear strength and violence. It sounds like you have the deadliest traits from both species.” Ammon let out a hysterical laugh, because that was all he could do. “I guess it could be worse. You could breathe fire.”
Kohana winced. “Well, you know...”
Ammon felt the color drain out of his face. “Oh God, you can’t breathe fire, can you?”
“No. I was kidding.”
Ammon had the urge to punch the other man in the face. “Not funny. I’m terrified.”
“I know. It was cruel of me. Now isn’t the time for joking.” Kohana sighed. “But like I said, I’ll help you get off of this island. I swear it.”
“Funny how I lack the confidence you seem to have. Maybe it’s because of all the hungry bears that are out to get me.”
“Matwau will hesitate to initiate a full attack as long as you’re with me.” Kohana stared deep into his eyes. “To him, striking me across the chest was the equivalent of a light punch. I don’t think he’ll try to jump you if he knows that I’ll leap in to protect you. I could die that way.”
“So, basically, he’s going to wait until you’re not around to kill me? Is that it?”
“Well, I don’t know for sure, but that’s the general idea,” Kohana said. “Matwau has never been cruel, just practical.”
“The killing of an innocent outsider isn’t cruel? It sounds pretty damn atrocious to me.”
“Matwau thinks he’s killing one to protect the lives of many.”
And I have to be that one? Fabulous. “I disagree with that logic.”
“Like I said, I never agreed with his logic either,” Kohana said. “When he said he wanted to get rid of any outsiders who washed up on shore, I fought him on it. Believe me.”
“I’m sure you did.” Ammon grunted. “But what if that killing of one becomes the killing of two? Sooner or later, he might end up losing patience and decide to get rid of us both.”
“He’ll protect me. I’m sure of it. I know him.”
Ammon was still uncertain. “But what if he comes at me while we’re sleeping and drags me off before you figure it out? Or what if he plans a surprise attack?”
At that moment, he considered building himself a raft and floating out to sea. He might have a better chance of survival on a hunk of wood in the middle of the ocean than here on this island.
“I have a game plan to avoid that. We’ll keep moving during the day and stay as close together as possible.” Kohana grabbed his arm. “You can’t leave my side, not even for a few steps, understand?”
Great. Joined at the hip with a beast who terrified him.
Despite his unease, he nodded and said, “I understand.”
“Good. Then tomorrow, we’ll make an SOS sign on the beach using logs and driftwood,” Kohana said. “Perhaps you’ll only have to be on this island for a few more days. It’s possible that somebody may see the sign and come to rescue you.”
“Do you really think so?”
“Maybe. After all, people are bound to come looking for the plane wreckage.”
“God, I hope so.” All he wanted to do was go home. He’d never take regular food, soft beds, or hot showers for granted ever again.
Though Kohana nodded, the man looked distant and forlorn.
“What’s wrong?” Ammon asked.
Kohana held his gaze. “Will you promise me something?”
He didn’t make promises unless he knew what they were. “What is it?”
“If you do get rescued, will you keep the secrets of Walking Bear Island to yourself?” Kohana fingered a stone that lay at his feet. “I may be helping you, but I’ll never forgive myself if my assistance is what causes the destruction of my people.”
“Trust me, I’ll never talk about this place with anyone, not even with my mother.” In fact, if he managed to survive, he was going to try not to think about this place ever again.
The other man’s shoulders slumped. “Thank God.”
“Why? Are you having second thoughts about helping me?” He was terrified that Kohana would transform and slit his throat as he slept.
“No, I’m not.” Kohana shook his head. “I just had to be sure you wouldn’t say anything.”
Ammon nodded, but he didn’t speak.
“You really should try to get some rest, you know.” Kohana squeezed his shoulder, and Ammon barely managed to keep himself from flinching.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to.”
“Try.”
Ammon hesitated, but then he lay down on the ground. A few minutes later, he was fast asleep.