Roar For More (Online Shifter Dating Agency Romance) (9 page)

Chapter 10

Of all the people in town, shifters or non-shifters, Claire was the only other individual who knew of the importance of their expedition—unless we count Simpson’s dismissive attitude as being in the know—so Jesse’s friend was very much looking forward to their arrival. She’d prepared all the equipment they needed, as well as some high-energy snacks and a large supply of broccoli. If Jesse’s energy lapsed on the way and he needed the vegetable he would have to eat it raw. Claire told him she hoped he would not need it but very much regretted not going with them to see him eat it if he had to, just so she could tease him. Aubrey then said that she’d do all the teasing for her, and Jesse pretended to roll his eyes in annoyance; secretly loving it when Aubrey teased him.

Jesse could only be grateful for the fact that other than throwing a wink in his direction, Claire did nothing to hint that she was aware of his affection for Aubrey. Last night he had told her enough to admit it was true, though he had left out the part about saving of Aubrey’s life and the kiss, and he knew that his perceptive friend still sensed there was a bit more to the story.

‘All in good time,’
he had told her, refusing to tell her everything until he knew for sure whether anything would really happen between him and Aubrey—though he knew Claire would always get the truth from him in the end. At first this had been an annoying habit, but in time he had realized the benefit of having a friend as good as her to confide in; she had never let him down by gossiping behind his back.

“I guess we’re good to go then,” Jesse said after thanking her. “Sorry it’s a flying visit but I’ll bring you a report later.”

“Not so quickly, Mr. Adventurer,” Claire said, holding them back. “I have an important warning for you first.”

“What’s that?”

“There have been reports of a wounded bear wandering up on Mt. Brown, quite close to the reservoir.”

“Wounded?”

“Apparently it looks like someone’s shot it in the back leg.”

“Jesus…shot?” Jesse replied, genuinely annoyed. “People shouldn’t be doing that round here. Poor thing.”

Part of the town’s friendly approach towards shifters included strict hunting bans in the locality. After all, it would not always be possible for hunters to distinguish whether their sights were set on a shifter or a genuine wild beast. On the couple of occasions when Jesse had heard of hunters straying from their usual territory, he had been one of the individuals seeking them out to make sure they stayed clear—always having to resist terrifying them away in tiger form when it happened. Occasionally there were rumors of folk in less friendly towns who liked the idea of ‘accidentally-on-purpose’ shooting a shifter, but so far any incidents had like that had been avoided in Pine Valley.

“I know, but it might have retreated here from wherever it was shot,” Claire added. “Especially if it couldn’t catch its usual prey anymore. So you’re going to have to be extra careful. Both of you.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Aubrey, sorry to ask, but do you have your period?” Claire asked.

“
What
?”

“Some bears can be drawn by the scent of a menstruating woman.”

“Don’t be so ridiculous,” Jesse butted in, trying to spare Aubrey the indignity of answering such a question; Claire could do with being a little shier at times. “We’re having to go up there regardless, there’s no choice. I’ll just have to be on the lookout for Mr. Bear.”

“But what if you can’t shift and scare it off?”

“I can! Always, if it’s a matter of life or death. We’ll be safe, don’t worry.”

There were always bears around somewhere, of course. Usually they were not a problem. As fearsome and powerful as they were, anyone who had studied them knew that brown bears were generally shy creatures and would avoid being in close proximity to humans. The main danger was coming upon one and taking it by surprise, especially if it turned out to be one with young cubs, but Jesse was experienced enough in the wilderness to avoid this eventuality.

A wounded bear, on the other hand, was something else entirely. Wounded or starving bears could become man-eaters, whether by opportunism or strategy, and bears were probably the one land predator that even a tiger should fear.

I’ll just have to be extra careful,
he thought.

After thanking Claire for her advice and assistance, Aubrey and Jesse were off once again on their trip to the reservoir, hoping that this time there would be nothing standing in the way of finding out what was going on.

Once again, Jesse noted that Aubrey set off at a quick pace, but this time he did not seek to hold her back, understanding why time was of the essence. Aching legs and exhaustion was a price well worth paying for success and he was surprised by how much more swiftly their legs ate up the distance between town and the reservoir. Heaviness was still in his limbs, but it was useful to have the adrenaline of clear purpose, and he thought he could abide whatever pain was ahead so long as he was still actually mobile. If he was honest he would admit to brimming with self-esteem over the ability of his tiger genes to keep a deadly disease at bay for so much longer, but he always kept this pride to himself. It was no one’s fault they were not lucky enough to be of such a rare lineage as he was.

With the bulk of the walk being behind them quicker than expected, the pair of them could almost feel the reservoir ahead. Soon the trees would give way to rocky ground and Mr. Simpson’s keys could reveal their secrets. Keen as Aubrey was, it was also fair to say that her nerves were heightening as they drew closer to the reservoir. Only yesterday she’d had a near death experience at that very spot and knew it would take some time to get a fear of water out of her system—hopefully it would not haunt the rest of her days. Having Jesse with her was a great support in this regard.

Just as the edge of the forest canopy came in sight, Jesse suddenly spun around to face a danger Aubrey had been unaware was creeping up on them.

Had there been a slight rustling sound, or a heavy breathing?

Aubrey thought there might have been something she’d heard, but whatever it was would not have been sufficient enough to turn her around prepared for attack. Yesterday she had been grateful for Jesse’s superhuman strength; today she would have to add his animal instincts to her list of eternal gratitude. Numb and failing as she knew his abilities must have been from his sickness, they were still sharper than hers when it came to sensing danger.

A number of sounds pierced the air at the same time, all happening too quickly for Aubrey to register whom or what each one of them came from. More important than the cacophony was the reality of confrontation, however, and this at least registered quickly enough for her to make a bid for survival.

The wounded brown bear, which could still probably move as fast as most humans, had been closing in on them. Only a warning growl from Jesse caused it to be more cautious in its progress, without which one of them would certainly have been mauled. No doubt the sound confused the bear, belonging as it did to a large cat rather than a human.

Realizing that Jesse and the bear were squaring up to do battle, Aubrey turned to look into his eyes in alarm. She had opened her mouth to suggest they run but what she saw told her this challenge was not hers to deal with; the face she looked into was Jesse’s, but not quite Jesse’s. His eyes were the jungle eyes of childhood nightmares and his teeth were great fangs evolved to kill.

‘Get to the reservoir now, Aubrey
,’ he commanded her with his gaze, and as much as she might have wanted to linger and help she conceded immediately and got out of there. After all, when two such beasts are about to go head to head, what could an unarmed human actually do to influence the outcome?

She gave him one last look, and then turned and dashed away.

***

Fighting the bear off was Jesse’s daunting task, and it was one that would have been perilous in normal circumstances. With only half his usual strength he knew he was in trouble, but he’d never been so determined to prevail in all his life. Plus, his opponent was wounded as Claire had said; its back right leg limp having proven crucial in his ability to hear the creature approach, although nearly too close to comfort.

Seeing Aubrey obey his commanding expression brought him more confidence and focus on the battle about to ensue, although at the time he was at his most vulnerable, having only just shifted from human to tiger. Fortunately the snarl he let out had been effective in causing the bear to doubt its advance.

It may have paused for a few seconds, but the bear refused to back down, and one of them would have to give way; any sign of weakness would only result in the confidence of a full-on attack. Jesse stood his ground and so did the bear, seeing that its opponent was mightier than it first expected but knowing that it was mightier still. The bear was large even as bears go; a male that was clearly not used to backing down from any creature, let alone this pussy cat. Affirming its own self-confidence, the bear leaped forward and made a lunge for Jesse, trying to bowl him over.

Many a battle-obsessed child has debated over questions like ‘who would win in a fight between a bear and a tiger?’ The answer should have been there for all to see if it was to the death; the bear was just too big for even a tiger to take down. Jesse was able to spring out of the way of the lunge and knew that in every department but power, he had an advantage. Whether speed, agility or cunning, the tiger had the better of the situation, but he was not about to get into a grapple with his opponent. Jesse knew that whatever damage he could inflict up close, no matter how much his claws might rake the bear’s skin or his teeth sink in to wound it, that the bear’s aim would be to put its great bulk to work, to hold him down before applying its jaws and crushing his skull.

Jesse was not about to become vain in trying to prove this scenario wrong, but there is more than one way to win a showdown—although in this, all his better attributes would need to pay off. Seeking to confound the bear with speed and volume, Jesse responded to their close proximity with short and varied onslaughts of swift claw attacks. Using his agility to circle and frustrate the bear, he let his claws swipe two or three times with each attack before leaping out of the way of his opponent’s counter-attacks. As they fought, both creatures roared at such an intensity that by the end of it there was not a bird in the forest that had not taken to the air in fright, nor any small mammal that remained out in the open.

It was a dangerous game to play. The bear could afford to lunge and miss, but Jesse couldn’t make one mistake. Neither was he supported by great reserves of energy, but the bear’s attempts calmed and the creature took a step back. The tactic had worked. Only when the world stopped spinning did Jesse see the damage he had inflicted and the blood that ran from his attacker’s nose, head and shoulders.

Whether through pain or fatigue, the bear had conceded defeat and turned to make a quick exit into whatever corner of the woods it chose to lick its wounds.

On watching it disappear, Jesse actually felt pity rather than hate for the creature. Bears and big cats were supposed to avoid each other, not fight. The only reason such a situation had transpired was because of the heartless actions of some idiot with a gun, who was really the one to deserve a mauling. The animal would survive its tiger lashes, but it was not the time to dwell on the fate of one savage beast. Aubrey would have been closing in on the reservoir now and, as eventful as the last two days had been, he didn’t want to leave her alone for too long.

***

If the savage cries of battle were unbearable to listen to as Aubrey made her way from the scene, the weighty silence that followed was even worse for the unanswered question of what had happened.

Had Jesse survived unhurt?

Aubrey wanted so much to turn back and find out sooner rather than later, but she knew Jesse wouldn’t want that, whatever the result. Even if something terrible had happened, there was no contribution she could make other than to disturb a victorious bear and probably end up being mauled herself. She had to go on, though being even a partial witness to such a conflict made her limbs feel so weak and helpless against the might of nature.

Her love of hiking suddenly had a few caveats.

Praying for Jesse to turn up unharmed, Aubrey had continued running until reaching the rocky section that required a more careful climb, with or without equipment. Her slower nature of progress from then on proved frustrating, but she could hear Jesse’s voice in her head warning her not to fall again like the clumsy fool she had proven herself to be beside the reservoir the day before, and so with patience and discipline, she made the climb over the rocky outcrop without any bruises or broken bones.

Aubrey was finally at the business end of her field research, and she wasted no time in heading straight for the small office building, keys in hand so she could find out which was the right one. It would be just her luck if she tried to put the wrong key in the lock and got it stuck, she couldn’t help thinking, but there would be something more of a puzzle when the act of turning the lock came.

There were something like a dozen keys on Simpson’s chain. Aubrey did not care what any of the others were for, but she found herself pausing upon one in particular before she had even tried any in the lock.