She snorted to herself. Some Guardian of the Forest she made. All the trees looked alike to her. She glanced back. The house was no longer visible. A deer peeked around a tree, watching her. Then another deer peered around a bush.
"Sheesh," she whispered. "You guys always show up. At least I don't have to worry about being alone in the dark, creepy woods." Though she doubted these two deer could offer her much protection.
The deer ambled closer.
They were bigger than she'd thought. She stepped back. "That's close enough."
They stopped but continued to stare at her.
"What do you want?" Did they expect her to do some sort of guardian thing? What the heck did a guardian do?
She waved a hand in the air. "Carry on, my loyal subjects. Cheerio."
They gazed at her blankly.
Apparently, being a guardian wasn't like being a queen. "Look, I don't mean to disturb your normal routine. I'm just trying to find a man who passed through this way."
The deer sprinted past her, then paused to glance back with an inviting look.
"He went that way?"
They cantered off, and she jogged after them. "I hope you're not taking me to some weird animal ceremony. I never liked venison, okay?" Except in sausage, but she wouldn't tell them that.
She winced. What if they could hear her thoughts?
She followed them for about five minutes, weaving around trees and jumping over moss-covered logs. Then they scampered downhill, moving quickly and nimbly. She slowed down, afraid she would skid on the damp, fallen leaves and hurt herself in the middle of nowhere.
The sound of rushing water grew louder, and the ravine grew steeper and rockier. She picked her way down slowly, grasping the branches of trees to keep her balance.
Finally, she reached the bottom. The trees ended, along with the spongy ground covered with pine needles. A rocky slab extended toward the edge of a creek. The sun shone brightly, and she blinked to adjust her eyes.
The stream serpentined along the bottom of the ravine, tumbling over rocks and meandering around large boulders. Downstream, she spotted Howard, partially hidden behind a pile of rocks. His back was to her, his torso bare. He'd taken off his shirt.
The deer scampered downstream, their hooves clattering on the rocky slab.
He turned toward the sound, and Elsa ducked back behind the tree line. Chicken. Why don't you let him know you're here?
She winced. She wasn't sure he wanted her here. After all, if a man wandered off into the woods, didn't that mean he wanted to be alone? If he had to use some sort of superpower to heal himself, he probably wanted to keep it secret.
But if he was serious about having a relationship with her, then he shouldn't keep secrets. She eased quietly downstream, making sure she was hidden behind trees and bushes. Luckily, the deer had decided to scurry back up the hill, and they were making enough noise to cover any noise she made.
Thanks, guys! She called out to them mentally. Great. Now she was as crazy as her aunts.
She spotted Howard, standing behind a large boulder that was flat on top. Apparently, he had washed his shirt in the stream, for it was wet, and he was laying it on top of the sunny rock to dry. She tiptoed farther downstream so she could see him from behind.
He was standing where the stream made a sharp turn. A wall of granite had impeded its progress, resulting in a pothole where the water was deep enough for swimming.
She winced at the raw and bloody scrapes along his torso and arms. Poor Howard. He kicked off his shoes, then unbuckled his pants and dropped them.
Her breath caught, and she covered her mouth. With his super hearing, she had to be careful not to make a sound. But it was hard, so hard not to whimper when he hooked his thumbs into the elastic waistband of his blue cotton briefs and slowly eased them over his rump.
Oh God. She squeezed her eyes shut and turned, pressing her back against the large tree that hid her. She was as bad as a Peeping Tom. Ogling the poor guy when he was covered with scrapes and blood.
But shouldn't she see how badly he was injured? She opened her eyes and peered around the tree.
Good Lord. Her heart stilled. He had the most beautiful rump in the world. No, the universe. Poetry should be written and songs dedicated to it.
Her eyes widened as she took in his entire form from the back. Huge, hunky Howard.
He stepped into the pool, walking forward till the water was up to his waist. Then he washed the blood off his arms and chest. Was this part of his healing routine? Whatever it was, it was beautiful to watch.
He scooped up some water with his big hands and splashed it on his face. Another scoop, and he raked it through his hair. His biceps bulged. The muscles in his back rippled. Her knees threatened to buckle.
She crouched behind the large tree, but a bush obstructed her view. She eased a branch aside. He had turned and was now facing her. Oh God, lucky break. He might have seen her if she hadn't knelt in the nick of time.
She closed her eyes, chiding herself. You should be ashamed of yourself, ogling the poor man when he's injured.
She opened her eyes and gasped. He was turning gray!
He looked up.
Dammit. She hunkered lower behind the bush. What on earth was going on? A man's skin color didn't just change like that.
She peeked again. Gray! He looked like a Greek god, sculpted out of pewter. His eyes blazed a deep blue.
Her heart raced. This had to be his superpower. This was how he healed himself!
She took another peek and choked. His body was shimmering, growing, changing. Hair sprouted. His face contorted, shimmered, then snapped into sharp focus.
A bear.
Her knees and arms buckled, and she collapsed on the ground. Dazed, she watched him through the branches.
She blinked, and he was still there.
Howard was a bear.
She shook her head. She'd wondered if he could be a wolf or bear, but now, with the proof right in front of her, she still found it hard to believe. But there he was. A huge, freaking bear. Not a cute little panda. A humongous, hulking grizzly bear!
He splashed around in the water, then lumbered out onto the bank and shook himself. Droplets of water shot out in all directions.
Her heart lurched as reality finally slapped her hard across the face. She was about thirty feet away from a grizzly bear!
Panic slammed into her. What could she do? If she ran up the hill, he would see her and chase her down. He? Was it a he? Was there any of Howard in that huge beast?
Oh God, she should have listened to her aunts! They'd warned her that he was a berserker, that he could turn into a beast, a killing machine.
What did a person do when confronted with a grizzly? Play dead? She pulled her knees up and hugged them, her back pressed to the tree. Her heart raced, thundering in her ears so loudly that she was afraid he would hear.
He would come after her. He would smell her. Hear her. He would come to kill her.
Was this what had happened to her grandmother? Was she mauled to death by a bear?
Elsa heard steps behind her, heavy and lumbering, coming toward her.
Hot tears gathered in her eyes. How could she have been so stupid? Why hadn't she heeded the warnings from her aunts? Would they ever find her body, ever know what had happened to her?
Get a grip. She squeezed her knees to her chest. She would have to play dead. No matter what the bear did to her, she couldn't react. God, please, let it leave me alone.
The bush beside her shook, and she heard a snuffling sound behind it.
Don't move. Don't react.
The bear lumbered slowly into view, making a wide circle till it stopped about fifteen feet in front of her.
Her heart raced, and she tensed, bracing herself for impact. It would attack any second now.
It sat.
She waited, but nothing happened. Slowly, she let her gaze wander up its massive body to its head.
It tilted its large head, studying her.
Howard's eyes. She inhaled sharply, then froze, determined not to react. But what grizzly had sharp blue eyes? Intelligent eyes that watched her every move. Was Howard in there?
The bear rose onto all fours, then walked toward her. Her fingers dug into her jeans. Don't move. Don't react.
It stopped about six feet from her and sat.
What was it doing? Playing with her before it attacked? Or giving her time to adjust? Adjust to what? Her death or her future?
It stood again and moved closer. She held her breath.
It nudged her foot with its snout, then looked at her. Its blue eyes looked peaceful, almost friendly.
She drew in a shaky breath.
It nudged her knee with its snout, then looked at her again.
"Howard?" she whispered.
It made an odd, groaning sound, then moved closer, its snout only inches away.
This was it. She closed her eyes. It was either going to let her go or maul her to death.
It nudged her right shoulder.
Burning hot flames shot through her birthmark. She gasped in pain, then slumped over as everything went black.
Chapter Sixteen
Holy crap! Howard shifted back to human form.
"Elsa?" He brushed her hair back from her face, his hand still gray from the shifting process.
She was breathing, but unconscious. He didn't know if she'd fainted from shock or pain. Maybe both. His nose still burned from where his snout had touched her birthmark.
With his hands now back to their normal color, he rolled up the short sleeve of her T-shirt. He'd been curious about her mark since their first meeting. The bear had been curious, too, but Howard would have restrained the beast if he'd known the touch was going to hurt her.
Heat radiated from the birthmark, an angry red circle on her shoulder with clawlike extensions. It resembled an animal paw and looked like a large animal had grasped her by the shoulder.
"Elsa, it's all right." No response.
He lifted her in his arms and carried her back to the stream. A few feet into the pool, where it was still shallow, there was a flat rock. He sat on it with her draped across his lap.
"Time to wake up," he murmured, trying not to think about her lovely rump nestled against his groin.
He dangled his hand in the cool stream, then stroked her cheek with his wet fingers. "Wake up, sweetheart." He dampened his hand again and brushed her hair back from her brow.
She moaned.
Was she still in pain? If he touched her birthmark with his bare hand, would it hurt her again? He looked around for something to use and spotted his cotton briefs nearby on the bank, where he'd dropped them on top of his pants. With his trousers and shirt both torn and bloody, the briefs were the cleanest choice. He grabbed the underwear, dunked it into the cool water, then pressed it against her hot birthmark.
Her eyes fluttered open.
"There you are." He smiled. "You were starting to scare me."
She stared at him, a dazed look on her face.
"You fainted." He sloshed his underwear into the stream again, then pressed it to her birthmark. "I didn't mean to make this burn again. I'm sorry."
A shudder skittered through her, then she frantically looked around.
"It's all right." He gave her a reassuring smile. "You should know by now that I'm not going to hurt you. I'm wild about you."
Her eyes widened, taking on a tinge of panic. "Wild?"
He winced. "Bad word choice. How about smitten? Infatuated?"
"No!" She scrambled out of his arms and stumbled onto the bank of the stream. "You - " She pointed a trembling finger at him. "You're - you're - " She blinked and looked him over.
"Four letters, starts with a b."
"Butt-naked!"
"That, too." He nodded. "Though it's probably a minor issue at the moment."
She dragged a hand through her hair as her gaze darted nervously about. "I didn't imagine it, did I?"
"No."
Her gaze landed on the tree where she'd hidden earlier. With a shaky breath, she pressed a hand to her heart. "I thought I was going to die." Her eyes shimmered with tears. "I thought you were going to kill me."
"Elsa." He started to get up. "Sweethea - "
"No!" She jumped, her hands spread out. "Don't move."
He sat back on the rock, half of his rump underwater. With his knees bent and his arms crossed over them, most of his groin was hidden. Which was good at the moment. "There's no need to be afraid of me."
"No need?" She waved her arms. "You're a bear! A huge, freaking grizzly bear!"
"And I didn't hurt you." He winced. "Except for the burn from your birthmark. I didn't expect that to happen. I thought it was a onetime deal." Maybe it was a onetime occurrence for him in each form as human and bear.
She bit her lip, watching him with a look that was part disbelief, part terror.
Dammit, he didn't want her to be afraid of him. Some day they would laugh about this, and the sooner that day arrived, the better. "I knew you were there, Elsa. I could smell your scent. And you moved through the forest like a herd of buffalo - "
"What?"
He smiled. That was more like it. He'd take her anger, embarrassment, annoyance - any emotion but fear. "Did you enjoy the show?"
"Watching you turn into a beast?" She shuddered. "Of course not! It was a horror show."
"I was referring to the peep show. When you watched me strip."
She looked away, her cheeks pink. "I - I didn't expect you to do that. I just followed you here out of concern for your health."
His mouth twitched. "That was kind of you."
"It was the least I could do. After all, you were injured bringing me flowers."
"Did you like them?"
"Yes." She gave him a sheepish look. "Okay. It wasn't just concern. I was curious. You said you were self-healing, and I wanted to see how it worked. The last thing I expected was for you to . . ."