Loyal To The Bear (Second Chance Shifters 2) (2 page)

A
cold
, wet nose pressed up against Henry’s cheek and startled him awake. For a slight moment, he was angered that his dreams of happiness with Carly were interrupted. His anger quickly faded when he turned his head to the side to see Booze, his light red bloodhound, sitting patiently and wagging his tail.

“Morning, buddy,” Henry said, as he reached over and scratched Booze behind the ears. Henry smiled as he rolled out of bed and walked to the kitchen to feed him. Booze had originally been his buddy Andre’s dog, and an important part of their Search and Rescue Team, but an illegal bear trap had snagged his paw and put Booze into early retirement. Andre loved Booze, but couldn’t commit to the time needed to heal and take care of an injured dog, so Henry had taken him in.

The Search and Rescue Team, along with Andre, had been the only thing keeping Henry sane since moving to Boston. When Carly disappeared, Henry had been heartbroken. Given her past, he completely understood, but he had hoped that their love would be enough to make her understand that not all shifters were like the one that killed her father.

Deep down, Henry knew that Carly was his true mate. From the moment he saw her in the dorms at San Francisco State, he had been completely enamored with her. It hadn’t just been her looks, even though her sexy curves were nice to look at. It had been her personality that drew him in. She had a closet nerdy side that she hid from almost everyone, except him. He was able to bring it out of her and embrace it. They were compatible in every way and had the most amazing relationship.

Then she found out what Henry was. He had wanted to tell her their whole relationship, but he could hear her fear of shifters in her voice. He was a coward and couldn’t tell her. He wanted to let her get to know him with the hope that she would understand that shifters were all different. That plan had backfired when one of his shifter buddies had come to visit from Washington. Henry had been talking to him about the state of their clan, and Carly had overheard their conversation in the next room. Henry’s heart sank when he realized what she had heard, and in an instant, she had left and would not return his calls.

After Carly had left, Henry had been distraught, and he fell into a pit of depression. It felt as if a piece of his soul had been ripped away from him. He tried everything to get her back, but she wouldn’t speak to him. Henry’s friends tried to help him by taking him out, and getting him other girls, but none of them held a candle to Carly.

Three years passed, and his heart could not take the separation any longer. The pain of being that far away from his mate was eating him alive, and he knew he had to at least be in the same city as her. One of his friends set him up with Andre and he got a job with the Search and Rescue team and moved to Boston. With his EMT background, and his grizzly abilities, he was a perfect addition to the team.

Henry found Carly’s apartment, through the help of her mom, Amanda, who he was still somewhat in contact with. Amanda never blamed Henry for what he was, and she told him that she hoped that Carly would eventually come around and realize what she had lost.

Even though Carly was pissed that he had moved to Boston, he was happier to at least be in the same city as her again. Despite all the odds against him, Henry never gave up hope that they would eventually work out their problems and get back together. They were true mates, after all.

Henry’s phone buzzed on the counter and he picked it up. It was a text from Andre.

Another victim of the Shifter Killer was found this morning. The police are pulling in our team to help with the efforts.

Henry let out a loud sigh. The Boston PD had been chasing this guy for the last several months. Each full moon, a new victim would be found, one that the killer thought was a shifter. Sadly, the majority of his victims were human.

Since the first victim, Henry’s bear had been on high alert, and he needed to know that Carly was safe. He was instinctually protective, especially of his mate, and he did not want something bad to happen to her. Henry’s only comfort had been watching her every morning during her weather broadcast on News Channel 8. He quickly turned on the TV and let out a sigh of relief when her beautiful face came on the screen. Henry knew he was toeing the line of stalker territory, but his protective instincts wouldn’t allow him to be far from her.

Henry’s phone beeped again, and he knew it was Andre, asking where the hell he was. He ran into the bedroom and grabbed his ID and leather harness to wear in case he had to shift.

Henry truly loved his job with the Search and Rescue team because he was able to use his abilities to help save people, which had always been his calling. When he got to the site, Andre met him outside the police caution tape.

“Nice of you to fucking join us this morning, Henry,” Andre laughed.

“No need to get your feathers all ruffled up,” Henry said. Andre, like Henry, was a shifter as well. Instead of a bear, he was able to shift his form into a large crow. It had always been an ongoing battle between them of who was more of a badass shifter. In Henry’s mind, bears won over crows any day.

“Same thing as the rest of them?” Henry asked.

“Yeah, it was. Except according to the police, it looks like he’s getting more violent with his victims. She looks like she was held captive for more than a week, based on her bruises, unlike his earlier victims who were only held for a few days. She also has more violent slashes and stab wounds all over her body. The ME thinks he is starting to enjoy the act of killing a bit too much.”

“Was she a shifter?” Henry asked. Andre looked down sadly and shook his head.

“No, she was human.”

Fuck
,
Henry thought. Why was this idiot killing humans thinking that they were shifters? It just didn’t make sense.

“What does the PD want our help with?” Henry asked.

“They want us to use our special abilities to try and find him or the victim before his next kill.”

A
very had convinced Carly
to go with her to happy hour that evening. Avery claimed that good drinks and some nice eye candy would be just the cure to help Carly get her mind off things. Carly thought it was more of an excuse for Avery to find her next fling, but she was always happy to be her wing woman.

Carly rummaged through her closet and searched for an outfit to wear. She let out a frustrated sigh and looked at herself, wearing her lace bra and thong. Figuring out what to wear had always been a personal fight for her. She had always loved her curves, but there were times when she put on an outfit and she hated the way it made her feel. It would hug her body in the wrong places or make her feel like she was trying too hard. Henry used to always make fun of her, saying that she could wear a burlap sack and she would look good.

Carly’s phone rang and she went to pick it up.

“You’re having a fight with your closet again, aren’t you,” Avery said.

“You know me so well.” Carly sighed.

“Wear that three quarter sleeve black dress you bought the other weekend. It fit you like a glove.”

Carly looked in her closet and pulled out the dress Avery was talking about. She held it up to herself and looked in the mirror.
Huh
,
she thought.
This will do
.

“I’ll swing by to pick you up in fifteen,” Avery said. “See you soon!”

Carly put on the black dress and her strappy heels. She added a chunky necklace and let her wavy hair frame her face.
Avery was right
, she thought. This dress hugged every inch of her and made her feel amazing. She only wished for one person to see her in it, and that person was Henry.

C
arly and Avery
walked into Nocturne, which was already packed. They pushed their way through the crowd and walked up to the long bar in the center to order drinks.

Carly looked around and took in her surroundings. The clientele was mostly young professionals in their late 20’s and early 30’s. It was a spot Avery and Carly frequented on Fridays. She normally had a blast, but tonight, for some reason, Carly wished she had stayed home instead.

“That guy over there looks pretty cute,” Avery said, pulling Carly from her thoughts. Carly looked over in the direction that Avery was pointing and all the color drained from her face. Across the bar, speaking with his friends, was none other than Henry Greene.

“Shit, Avery! That’s Henry,” Carly whispered. Avery quickly looked back over to the guys and raised her eyebrows.

“Damn, girl. Now I see why you can’t stop thinking about him. Do you want to get out of here?” Avery asked. Carly thought about it for a minute. A part of her wanted to run and hide. She didn’t want to experience the crushing feelings that she knew would quickly come back to her. On the other hand, she didn’t want her ex to control her life.
Screw that
, she thought. She was a big girl; she could be in the same bar as her ex and be fine. At least she hoped she could be. Carly grabbed her drink and took a long sip.

“That’s my girl,” Avery said and patted her back. “Now let’s go find you someone better.”

Carly took a deep breath and looked around the bar, specifically avoiding the spot that Henry was occupying.
I can do this
, she thought. Across the bar, Carly caught sight of a tall man with jet black hair. She leaned over the bar and smiled in his direction. He winked back at her and looked at the friend he was with. She took a moment to scan his features. He was a bit thinner than she liked. She normally liked her men to have some meat on their bones. His eyes were a golden brown and he had a strong chin, which she loved. Her eyes quickly flashed back to where Henry was standing, but she could no longer see him in the crowd. She sighed to herself and looked back up at the man across the bar, who now was staring directly at her. Her cheeks flushed and she bit her lip. To hide her embarrassment, she quickly picked up her drink and took a sip. The man nodded to his friend and got up and walked over to her.

“Mind if I buy you another drink?” he asked. Carly looked down at her half-full glass and shrugged her shoulders. “Sure, why not,” she said. “I’m Carly, by the way.”

“I’m Lee,” he said, extending his hand.

“I couldn’t help but notice you and your friend from across the bar,” Lee said. Carly looked over her shoulder at Avery, who was deep in conversation with the Thor look-alike next to her.
Jesus
, she thought.
How does she always end up with Thor’s identical twin?
She turned her head back to face Lee, who had moved his body closer to hers. For a second, she hated being that close to another man. She forced her body to relax and took a small step away from Lee, hoping he wouldn’t notice.

Awkward silence permeated the air between them, and she was thankful when the cute bartender placed another drink in front of her. She smiled at the bartender and thanked him, and when she looked back at Lee, he was giving the bartender a death glare, as if he was pissed that he was smiling at Carly.
Whoa, possessive much
,
she thought. Confused, Carly looked back at the bartender, but he was already gone, helping another customer. She looked back at Lee and he smiled at her again, but something was off. Carly couldn’t place her finger on it, but her gut was telling her not to trust Lee.

Carly grabbed her drink again and took a long sip. Lee was awkwardly staring at her and not saying a word.
Why isn’t he talking?
Carly set her drink back down on the bar.

“So, what do you do, Lee?” Carly asked.

“I have a pretty boring job,” Lee said. “But once a month, at least, I love it.”

Well, that was a strange answer
. Carly looked down at her hands. She was starting to feel very uncomfortable around Lee. He was just standing there with an odd, possessive look in his eyes, not saying anything. She needed to find a way to get away from him, but politely, because she hated being a complete bitch. He was nice enough to buy her a drink.

Carly asked him more questions while trying to look around for Avery. Each question was met with short answers and then awkward silence. To make things even stranger, Lee kept moving a little bit closer to Carly, and she couldn’t help but feel like he was staring down every other guy in the room, telling them to back off. His hand brushed across her lower back, and she tried to subtly move away, but he was just not getting the hint.

Every few moments, Carly would shift her eyes quickly back to where Henry was, hoping to spot him again. As much as she didn’t want to, she knew that if she got his attention and silently begged him to help, he would come to her rescue.

“Am I boring you?” Lee said.

Carly quickly shifted her eyes toward Lee.
Shit
, she thought.
Had he asked me a question?

“Um no, sorry, I was just looking for my friend,” Carly said.

“Your friend is fine,” Lee said. “She’s being chatted up by another guy. You should be focusing on me. You know, you’re lucky that I even came over here and spoke to you, with all the other pretty girls in here.”

In that moment, Carly was absolutely finished with Lee. Not only was he weirding her out, but now he was being a complete and utter douchebag. Carly was tempted to fling her drink in his face, but forced herself to place her drink on the bar.

“You know what? Thanks for the drink, but I’m going to go find my other friend,” Carly said. She turned on her heels to walk away from Lee, but he quickly grabbed her wrist and forced her to face him. Her arm twisted, and she let out a small cry in pain.

“Let go of me,” she said. “You’re hurting me.”

“Listen, bitch. I bought you a drink, so you should at least have the decency to pay attention to me,” Lee spat. Carly yanked her arm free.

“Leave me alone, you asshole,” Carly said.

Lee reached for her again, but this time, a large, familiar figure stood between them.

“Is there a problem, Carly?” Henry asked. Carly silently cheered inside.

“I was just leaving,” Carly said. Henry turned towards Carly and smiled. He faced Lee again. “You heard the lady. She’s leaving, so I suggest you let her do so.”

“What the fuck is your problem?” Lee stood up straighter and barely reached under Henry’s chin. Carly stifled a small chuckle. Henry looked down at him, and Carly could see his muscles tense up as he protectively pushed her behind him.

“ I have no problem,” Henry said. “Carly was finished talking with you, so it’s time for you to leave.”

Carly reached up and gently touched Henry’s shoulder. “I’m fine really, Henry. Let’s go talk with Avery.” Carly hoped Henry would take the hint and walk away. She appreciated him helping her, but she didn’t want him to get in a fight over it. Carly saw Henry’s muscles relax and she let out a quiet sigh of relief. He turned around to face her, when all of a sudden, Lee pulled Henry back around and took a swing at his face. Carly let out a shocked cry as Lee’s fist connected with Henry’s jaw, making a loud cracking noise. The entire bar turned toward the commotion.

“Now you’re just being stupid,” Henry said. Carly looked at Lee and watched as his eyes turned from golden brown to a bright golden yellow.
Shit.
He wasn’t human. He was a shifter. He had eyes just like the shifter that killed her father. She had nightmares of those eyes every single night. Fear gripped Carly’s body and she was paralyzed.

Henry caught Lee’s next attempted punch in his hand, and with lightning speed, picked Lee up by the neck and shoved him down on the ground. The security guards were trying to force themselves over to where they were all standing, but a large crowd had formed around them to watch the fight.

“You listen to me,” Henry growled. “I’m stronger than you. I know you can shift, but know that you are messing with a grizzly. If you were smart, you’d leave Carly and I alone and get the hell out of this bar right fucking now.”

Lee coughed under the pressure of Henry’s hand over his throat. His eyes flashed a brighter gold as he desperately struggled under Henry’s weight, but he eventually realized that he was no match for Henry’s brute strength. Lee reluctantly lifted his hands in surrender. Henry lifted up his hand and Lee quickly got up. The security guards had gotten through the crowd and pulled Lee towards the exit. As he was about to be pushed out, Lee turned towards Henry and Carly.

“You’ll get what’s coming to you. You both will,” he shouted and ran out of the bar.

Even with Lee gone, Carly was still frozen in panic. Henry looked back at her and quickly rushed to her side. Carly barely reacted when Henry placed his strong arms around her shoulders.

“Carly,” Henry said. “Let me get you out of here, okay?” Carly barely nodded and let Henry lead her out.