Taming the Bear Collection (14 page)

      
"You're amazing," she said. "I don't even think Rowan is that strong."

      
"He's not. No wolf is."

      
"I didn't think anyone could be stronger than a werewolf. I thought we were at the top of the food chain."

      
"You knew about demons," he said, snorting. "You know they're not something to be fucked with."

      
"I guess I did know that," she said. "But I meant as far as shifters go. I thought we were at the top of the food chain."

      
"That's the arrogance of wolves. It's not your fault. Your pack leaders instill it in you. It's hard to get away from something that's been beaten into you since birth. That's one of the reasons I can't stand wolves—they're just so full of themselves. Aster has never met a mirror he didn't like. He's never gone face to face with someone he didn't believe he was better than. If it wasn't for Leena's quick thinking, Aster would've been murdered by Abaddon ten years ago. The crazy fool actually thinks he can beat the demon."

      
"Are you sure Abaddon is really possessed? What if he's just bluffing everyone? What if he's full of bullshit and everyone believes it?"

      
Beorn tilted his head as he considered the idea before shaking it off. "No, that's not it. I know that there's some funny business going on. You weren't in my forest when Leena's demon was in it. It was affecting us in ways we couldn't explain. I was ready to kill everyone who even looked at me sideways. Now, I may be a crotchety old bastard, but I'm not a murderous old bastard."

      
"I did hear Hawk's story when I got back last night," Rain said. "It was pretty intense. But if the demon left Leena, then where is it? Is it still in the forest?"

      
"I would imagine so. It's found a new host."

      
"Who?"

      
"Forrest. That's the only explanation."

      
"Wasn't the demon mated with Abaddon's demon?"

      
"That's one way to think of it. I'm not sure I really understand demons. I've read a few books, but none of them really explain them all that well. They could've been two halves of the same whole for all I know. They could've been companions in hell. It's kind of a weird deal."

      
"But Abaddon and Leena fucked, right?"

      
"From what I understand, they were together for ten years."

      
"And from what Eva told me, Leena really didn't have any control. She was basically a passenger in her own body."

      
"That sounds horrible."

      
"So that means Abaddon's probably the same and that means the demons were probably fucking each other."

      
"I guess that's one way to think of it."

      
"Does that mean that we're going to catch Forrest and Abaddon fucking each other?"

      
Beorn stopped and thought about it. It was a pretty messed-up thought, but it was a plausible one. Was Forrest going to get back with Abaddon? Or was his demon going to break out on its own and try to take over the town itself?

      
"I guess we'll never know Forrest's motive for betraying us," Rain said.

      
"We know what his motive was," Beorn said. "Believe me, we know what it was. He wants to return to nature. He doesn't want to be domesticated anymore. The question is why he went about it the way he did. Why not just take his entire pack back into the forest and be done with it? Why did he feel the need to start a war with Abaddon and everyone in your town?"

      
"Maybe he wanted everyone in our town to die. They would never relent and join his cause, so he figured he would just eliminate them."

      
"I bet he didn't bank on getting possessed."

      
Rain actually laughed at that. She was a different kind of girl, and Beorn really liked that. She was really easy to talk to and she had a good head on her shoulders. He was beginning to discover that he had more and more feelings for this girl.

      
That's dangerous,
he thought.
You can never be together long term.

      
But why couldn't they? She'd made it clear she didn't want to have children, and he certainly didn't want to go the bear route. Plus there wouldn't be any claiming or mental bonds between them, just a normal relationship.

      
A human relationship.

      
In truth, that’s what they were going to fall into. The irony of everything was that two shifters getting together produced something completely human, something Beorn had rallied against for a long time. Life was funny.

      
"So I had a thought," Rain said.

      
"What's that?"

      
"You know what Eva told me about Leena?"

      
"Which part?"

      
"About how she was a passenger in her own body."

      
"Yes?"

      
"Do you think my wolf feels that way?"

      
"Probably. You rarely let her out. Didn't it feel liberating to shift earlier and attack someone? To give in to instinct?"

      
"Oh, hell, yeah."

      
"You'll have even more fun tonight."

      
"Is Forrest out there?"

      
Beorn stopped and looked at Rain. She had a serious look on her face with a hint of fear in her eyes. It was a thought he hadn't considered. Beorn feared nothing, so running into the demon had never occurred to him.

      
"He probably is."

      
"So we're going to go run around the forest in an area where we could potentially be killed?"

      
"I hadn't thought about that," Beorn said, looking down. "He won't bother me. He hasn't yet."

      
"Because you're a bear," Rain said. "I'm a wolf. When he figures out I'm not one of his wild wolves, he'll have my hide."

      
"Then what do you suggest we do? Huddle up in my cabin and hide like scared children?"

      
"Let's find the bastard and bring him to justice."

      
"And how do you propose we do that? He's a fucking demon."

      
"Hawk said Leena was wrapped in cold iron chains. They're probably still in that cabin. Let's go get them to protect ourselves."

      
"And how do you propose we do that?"

      
"You wrap it around your fist and cold-cock the son of a bitch."

      
Beorn rubbed his beard, deep in thought. Cold iron was a demon's only vulnerability, as far as he knew, that and holy water. He sure as hell wouldn't have any holy water around here, but a devastating cold-iron punch could be just what the doctor ordered. A demon wasn't invincible. Rain was crazy for thinking it, but she was taking Beorn right down the insanity path with her.

      
Rain wasn't sure where the idea to go on a crusade to rescue Bucklin had come from; it had just popped into her brain. Maybe it was fear of revealing her wild side? Or maybe it was her wolf screaming to be let out and demanding vengeance against the creature that threatened it.

      
Whatever the case, they were going to take business into their own hands and save Bucklin. Forrest couldn't get away with this; no way in hell they would let him. It was time to take control once and for all.

      
After another half an hour of intense walking they arrived at Beorn's cabin. All of her troubles momentarily flew away as Rain took in the tranquil scene. She could almost hear violins in the background as looked around Beorn's little slice of heaven. The cabin was perfect and the land around it was worked and kept clean. It was exactly what she needed to clear her head. Unfortunately the moment was fleeting; she knew there was a task at hand.

      
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Beorn asked. "We could die."

      
"You're not afraid to die?" she asked. Nothing about the plan seemed to faze him; he was acting as if he could go either way on the matter.

      
"I fear nothing," he said stoically. The man's expressions, tone and mood seemed to change on a dime. She'd always heard bears were moody and now she was seeing that firsthand. Still, his obvious gusto was a nice little turn-on.

      
"So then let's go," she said.

      
"Let me put my stuff up."

      
"How can you be so calm right now?" Rain was feeling completely amped, ready to throw down and have a brawl. It was definitely her wolf controlling her now; she knew it and did nothing to stop it. After the earlier fight with Eden, the beast was ready for a brawl and was tired of having its territory threatened by others. She was going full wolf tonight.

      
It took Beorn close to twenty minutes to get all of his stuff situated, but finally he emerged from the cabin ready to go. Before he could speak a word Rain stripped her clothes off, leaving them in a pile at her feet.

      
"First you tell me you want to go demon hunting and then you get naked? Pick a road, woman!"

      
Rain didn't respond, just shifted into her wolf form. It was like she had been trapped in a box much too small for her body. Everything popped and exploded and the most exhilarating feeling of freedom overtook her body. It had never been like this before, but now it was amazing. It was as if she had shifted for the first time, like she was born again.

      
"You're shifting?" Beorn asked.

      
She glanced up at him; her senses were sharper in this form. He was even more beautiful through her wolf eyes, more rugged and dangerous. She just growled and sniffed the ground, ready to find their enemy.

      
"I'm not shifting," Beorn said. "I need hands to pick something up."

      
She just glanced up at him, waiting for him to arrive at some decision on his own. As he stood there contemplating it, he threw his hands up and began to peel his clothes off.

      
"I guess I can always shift back when I need them."

      
Rain was impressed as he began to crack and shift and change. Brown fur sprouted all over his body and his snout elongated to reveal a jagged row of deadly teeth. His claws were bigger than her head, even in her giant werewolf state, and his body rose almost to the roof line of his cabin. He stood up on his hind legs, casting an impressive shadow, and roared into the air. This was it; this was what they were meant to do.

      
Together they turned and bounded into the forest, roaming death looking for whatever poor sap happened to get in their way. The forest broke and the small creatures ran for cover as Beorn stomped a majestic trail all the way to the river.

      
Rain stopped and began to lap up the gritty river water as she glanced at the wide world around her. Beorn had moved onto a wooden rope bridge that groaned and creaked with each step he took. He looked back at her and gave a small growl, indicating she had better hurry up.

      
She followed him across the bridge, sniffing the whole way. She could smell another wolf in this area; no, two more, one male and one female. She was offended by the presence of intruders on her new land. She was the alpha in this place and nothing would stop her from running the offending parties out of her domain.

      
The hair was standing up in a ridge down Beorn's back, making him appear to be some sort of horrific dinosaur. He was truly an intimidating sight. With his extreme strength and power he could probably defeat the demon with one blow if he snuck up on him. Demons weren't invincible; they just used the body as a vessel. If the vessel was destroyed, then the demon would have nowhere to go.

      
Finally a dilapidated, half-collapsed cabin came into view in the distance. Rain knew what it was: it was the spot where they would meet their doom, or salvation. Evil hung thick in the air, nearly choking her. It took all of her power not to begin to hack and cough. Instead, she quickly shifted back to her human form and looked over at Beorn.

      
"Don’t shift," she said. "You're too powerful like that."

      
He nodded his giant cranium in agreement.

      
Beorn's eyes landed on the cabin door, then returned to her. He was signaling to her—the demon was inside the cabin.

      
Rain crouched low and moved as silently as possible, hopping from foot to foot as she darted up to one of the windows. On her way she began to hear something, something loud and horrible. There were screams from a woman, screams of pain and horror. What was he doing inside the cabin? Was someone being sacrificed to the demon?

      
As she arrived at the window, her horror was replaced by revulsion. He wasn't killing a woman—he was fucking one. She definitely recognized Forrest's large and hairy frame from behind. He was completely naked, standing in front of another window. Bent over in front of him was a female, screaming and moaning as he thrust into her. Each thrust was powerful, causing his ass to clench as he thrust his cock into her. She certainly seemed to be enjoying it. Rain couldn't make her out; Forrest's form blocked all of her.

      
As she scanned the room her eyes landed on something to Forrest's left: the chains! Two big, heavy chains lay coiled like a black snake ready to strike. If she could reach them without him hearing her, she could easily capture him and bring him to justice.