"It's a report on a girl who was murdered twenty years ago," Greta said as she vacated the desk chair. "You should read it."
With a moan, Elsa moved into the chair. A young high school girl, Carly Evans, had been discovered at the base of a mountain cliff overlooking the town of Port Mishenka. The last person to see her alive was her boyfriend, Howard Barr.
Elsa's breath caught. Howard had lost his high school girlfriend? She read more, her skin chilling with goose bumps. Howard had been arrested for suspicion of murder.
The next two paragraphs contained quotes from Carly's parents. They both believed Howard had killed their daughter. "You've seen how violent he is on the football field," Mr. Evans declared. "He's a dangerous psychopath. He went crazy and murdered our daughter!"
Elsa sat back, her heart racing. This couldn't be true. The parents were just desperate for someone to blame. She finished the article. Howard had been released for lack of evidence, but the people of Port Mishenka were convinced of his guilt.
"He's a berserker," Greta said, shaking her head. "It's like a sickness. He'll seem okay, but then he'll go berserk."
"You must never see him again," Ula said.
Elsa exited the newspaper article. "There has to be a mistake."
"I know it's hard to believe." Greta regarded her sadly. "I bookmarked the report if you need to look at it again."
Elsa shook her head. "I don't want to see it." She collapsed on the bed and covered her face. I don't want to think about it.
"You're tired." Greta pulled the curtains shut. "Get some rest. Ula will watch over you."
"Ja." Ula turned off all the lights. "You'll feel better after some sleep."
Elsa slipped under the bedspread. She wouldn't believe it. There had to be an explanation. Howard would never harm a woman. He would never betray her. He loved her. And she had so many sweet memories of him making love to her.
A beautiful man came to her in the night. Large and powerful, he covered her body with his. His big hands roamed over her skin, setting her on fire. She wanted him. She cried out for him. She burned for him.
His hands were magic. Skimming the length of her legs. Fondling her breasts. Stroking her neck. Tightening their grip.
Choking her.
She thrashed against him, but he was too strong. Too powerful.
His face, half hidden in shadow, twisted in rage. Transformed. He roared like an animal.
She gazed up at him in horror. In the flicker of firelight, she caught a glimpse of his head.
A bear.
She slapped at him. Clawed at his face. No, not her lover!
Words slipped from her mouth, then echoed in her mind.
"I curse you and your kind for all time!"
Elsa sat up with a gasp.
"Are you all right?" Ula opened the curtains to let in the afternoon light. "Did you have the bad dream again?"
Elsa whispered the words that were repeating in her head. She didn't know the language, but somehow she knew what it meant. I curse you and your kind for all time!
"What?" Ula stepped closer. "What did you say?"
She repeated the line. "I said it in my dream."
"Oh my." Ula perched on the second bed. "That is an ancient Norse language."
Elsa leaned back against the headboard. "How do I know ancient Norse?"
Ula's eyes narrowed. "It must be an ancient dream. A memory passed down through the generations."
Elsa gasped. All this time, she'd assumed the dream was a warning predicting her future. But it was the opposite. A warning from her past. She was remembering the murder of her ancestor, the first Guardian of the Forest.
And she was remembering the murderer. Howard's ancestor, one of the first were-bears to roam the earth. The guardian's lover.
She closed her eyes. Howard's not a murderer. He's a sweet, gentle man.
Then what had happened to his first girlfriend in Alaska?
Howard went straight to the security office at Dragon Nest to check his messages. He'd barely started on his e-mail when his cousins cracked open the door and peeked in.
"He's back," Jimmy whispered loudly to his brother.
"Without his girlfriend?" Jesse asked.
Jimmy snickered. "I guess she wore him out."
"Can I help you?" Howard asked drily.
"Just checking on you." Jimmy sauntered inside.
"Yeah. We wanted to make sure you were still alive." Jesse exchanged a glance with his twin. "We heard that Viagra stuff can kill you."
Jimmy snorted and slapped his thigh.
Howard groaned inwardly. "I'm not taking Viagra."
"Maybe you should." Jimmy grinned. "You are kinda old."
"Yeah," Jesse agreed. "I mean, you only lasted two days, dude."
"Don't you guys need to go to work?" Howard asked.
"Oh, yeah." Jimmy sprawled in the chair. "We're going."
"Some time today?" Howard muttered.
"Guess what?" Jesse perched on the corner of his desk. "After you ran off to your love nest, I got interviewed for the TV show."
"Me, too!" Jimmy added. "Madge said we were cute."
"Congratulations." Howard figured the interview wouldn't air for another six months. If everything went according to plan, Rhett would already be destroyed and no longer a threat to his young cousins.
"Our friends back home are so jealous," Jesse said.
Howard sat up. "You told your friends? Did you forget why you're here? You're in hiding. You can't tell anyone where you are."
"Chillax, dude," Jimmy told him. "We don't know where we are. We were teleported here, remember?"
"It's no big deal," Jesse said. "We just talk to our friends on Facebook."
"And Twitter," Jimmy added. "We posted some photos yesterday."
Howard winced. "Did you mention the name of the show?"
"Well, sure," Jesse said. "They have to know which show to watch."
Howard groaned. "Anyone with minimal investigative skills could find out where the show is currently being filmed."
Jimmy scratched his head. "You mean we goofed?"
"Delete those posts immediately," Howard ordered. "How long have they been up?"
Jesse shrugged. "We started posting and tweeting the first day on the job."
Damn. Howard dragged a hand through his hair. "I should make you quit. It might not be safe for you at the gatehouse."
"Dude!" Jimmy jumped to his feet. "Nothing's going to happen to us."
"Yeah," Jesse agreed. "The place is full of guys with saws and nail guns. Nobody's going to mess with us."
Howard took a deep breath. "Fine. But be careful. If any strangers come around looking for you or asking questions, call me immediately."
"Aye, aye, Captain." Jesse saluted.
"Do you really think Rhett and his minions would come all this way to get back at us?" Jimmy asked.
"We're trying to destroy him," Howard replied. "This is war, and he'll fight back. Remember what he did to Harry."
The twins grew pale.
"We'll be careful." Jimmy headed for the door.
"Tomorrow's Sunday," Jesse said. "No one works on Sunday. We'll stay here."
Howard watched them go, wondering if he was being too lenient. If things worsened, he might make them quit on Monday. Hell, even the school might be at risk now. He'd ask Angus for more guards.
He turned back to his computer to finish checking e-mails. Mr. West had sent several messages the day before, and one included a link he wanted Howard to see.
It was an article written by a mainstream paper that employed a lot of werewolf reporters who protected Rhett and the Lycan community.
The headline read "Madman Attacks Bleddyn." Beneath it, there was a large photo in color, shot at Harry's memorial service, showing Howard gripping Rhett by the tie.
Howard winced. Apparently he was the madman. The article reported that Rhett Bleddyn had gone to a memorial service to pay his respects when a madman had attacked him. The madman was identified as Howard Barr, formerly arrested for murder.
He snorted. So Rhett was fighting back, using his reporters to make Howard sound like the enemy.
He exited the article and read the latest e-mail from Mr. West. Stockholders in Rhett's company were throwing fits, demanding that he be investigated for embezzlement. The police had not been able to find him. Rhett had gone into hiding.
Howard nodded. Alaska was an easy place to hide in. Especially for a werewolf with hundreds of minions sworn to protect him.
A new e-mail appeared from Mr. West. A link to an article published this morning. "Rhett Bleddyn Missing." The report stated that Rhett had been missing for two days, and authorities wanted to question Howard Barr, who had attacked Rhett at a memorial service.
"Holy crap," Howard muttered. Was Rhett going to pretend to be dead again, and make everyone believe Howard had killed him?
He called his grandfather. Walter might have heard some news through the shifter grapevine, news that never appeared in papers.
"How are the boys?" Walter asked. "Your aunt Judy is hounding me every day. She wants to know how they're doing."
"The twins are fine," Howard replied. "Have you heard anything about Rhett?"
Walter snorted. "You did it. You broke the bastard. I heard his minions rebelled and kicked him out as their Pack Master."
A surge of victory swept through Howard. "We destroyed him!"
Walter chuckled. "Yeah. There's been some celebrating on this island, I can tell you. We don't have to worry any more about Rhett ordering his minions to attack us."
Howard smiled. "That's good."
"Yep. Of course, your aunt Judy is insisting the boys come home now. I tried to tell her they're safe with you, but she didn't listen. You know how she is."
"Yes." Howard hesitated. "About the curse; I thought you should know that the story is true."
"Of course it's true," Walter huffed. "You think I've been lying to you all these years?"
"I met the Guardian of the Forest."
"Hot damn! Are you serious?"
"I'm in love with her."
"What?" Walter sounded shocked. "When did this happen?"
"The last few weeks."
"Damn, boy. You work fast."
Howard grinned. "I just wanted you to know that I intend to marry her. That should put an end to the curse, don't you think?"
"Well . . ." Walter paused. "I'd be kinda worried about the curse repeating itself."
"I'm not going to hurt her."
"I don't mean that. The first guardian betrayed us."
"Elsa would never betray me," Howard insisted. "She loves me."
"Well . . ." Walter hesitated again. "I think you'd better be careful. You still have an enemy out there. You know Rhett has to be furious."
"I know."
"He's lost most of his minions and his power," Walter continued. "He's going to blame you for that."
Howard swallowed hard. He'd been so busy avenging Harry's death that he hadn't thought about the consequences. Now Rhett would be seeking vengeance. "I heard he's disappeared."
Walter sighed. "It's worse than that. Rumor has it that Rhett has left the state. Watch your back, son."
Elsa was finishing supper with her aunts at the diner when her cell phone dinged, signaling a text.
"Is that him?" Greta grumbled.
"He's a good guy," Elsa insisted, although she knew her aunts didn't believe her. She read the message.
LET ME KNOW IF ANY STRANGERS COME TO TOWN, ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT ME OR MY COUSINS. DON'T LET ANYONE KNOW YOU'RE INVOLVED WITH ME. IT WILL MAKE YOU A TARGET.
What? She read the message again. A target for what? A target like Harry? She gulped and dropped her phone into her handbag.
"Are you all right?" Ula sat across the table, finishing a piece of apple pie. "You look a little pale."
"I just hope she isn't pregnant," Greta muttered.
Elsa stiffened. She certainly wasn't pale now. Her cheeks burned as she wondered about the possibility. She was on the pill, but she'd gone to the cabin without them, so she'd missed a day.
Baby were-bears? Her hand pressed instinctively on her stomach.
"Well, hello there." A man stopped by their table and smiled at Greta. "We meet again."
"Mr. Pelton." Greta smiled at him, then leaned close to Elsa. "This is the reporter I told you about. From Alaska."
"And you must be Miss Bjornberg, the niece Greta was telling me about." Mr. Pelton gave her a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry to be the bearer of sad news, but I'm afraid Howard Barr is a dangerous person to associate with."
"We've been telling her that," Greta said.
Elsa winced. "He's done nothing wrong."
"I see." The reporter removed a pen and pad of paper from his briefcase. "Then perhaps you can tell me where I can reach him? I'd like to interview him and get his side of the story. That seems only fair, don't you think?"
Howard's text ran through Elsa's mind. "I don't know where he lives."
"What?" Greta gave her an incredulous look.
Elsa lifted her chin. "We meet at my place of work."