And Howard had gone back to Alaska? Elsa’s heart raced. Was Howard in danger?
“I’m sorry.” Shanna patted her on the shoulder. “I’m afraid I’m screwing this up. I meant to reassure you, but I’m just scaring you.”
“I’ll be okay. I’m still getting used to all the supernatural stuff.” Not only was she adjusting to Howard being a berserker but she could also feel herself transforming into a guardian who communicated with animals.
“You’re concerned about Howard being a were-bear?” Shanna asked.
“I would say it warrants some concern, don’t you think?”
Shanna gave her a sympathetic look. “I’m sure you were shocked at first. But the shifters are very much like humans. There are good ones and bad ones. Howard is definitely one of the good guys. Look at it this way. If you were under attack, wouldn’t you want someone like Howard on your side?”
“Well, yes.” But could he always control the beast? He was, after all, a descendant of berserkers, who were famous for their lack of control.
“He’s been our daytime bodyguard for years,” Shanna continued. “He’s family. My kids adore him. He’s so sweet, gentle, and shy—”
“Yes. I always thought he was a bit—” Shanna’s eyes lit up. “You mean he’s not shy around you?”
“Not . . . really.” Elsa’s cheeks grew warm as she recalled him pinning her to a tree that afternoon, then kissing her and unbuttoning her shirt—she shoved the vision aside before her face could combust in flames.
“Wow.” Shanna’s eyes widened.
Elsa had a strange feeling that Shanna was imagining a similar scenario.
“This is wonderful!” Shanna clapped her hands together. “I was afraid he would be too bashful. Do you know he was smitten with you for months, but he had all the DVDs of your show hidden under his bed? If I hadn’t arranged to bring you here, he could have gone on for years, admiring you in secret and too shy to tell anyone.”
“You brought the show here just so Howard could meet me?”
Shanna winced. “We really did need the house renovated. But yes, my main purpose was to fix you up with Howard.”
“You thought it was perfectly acceptable to fix me up with a were-bear?”
“Howard’s a great guy!”
“He’s a grizzly!”
“He’s a sweet honey bear,” Shanna insisted. “I trust my children with him. We trust the entire school with him. You won’t find a more loyal and trustworthy guy than Howard.”
Elsa sighed. “He’s still a grizzly. It’s not that easy to accept.”
“I understand how hard it is. I was afraid to fall in love with my husband, too, at first.”
Elsa gasped. “Roman is a were-bear?” She’d known there was something different about him.
“No, he’s . . . something else. You should meet my sister, Caitlyn. She’s married to a were-panther named —”
“What?”
“Carlos. He’s a were-panther from Brazil. They have the most adorable twin babies.”
“She married a . . . cat?”
“A were-panther,” Shanna clarified as if it were a common daily occurrence. “They’re extremely happy. And I know you could be just as happy with Howard if you could please give him a chance.”
“It’s not that simple.” As if dating a were-bear was a simple matter. “Howard is what my family calls a berserker, and there’s a curse that has been passed down my family for centuries. According to the curse, Howard . . . might . . .” She couldn’t bring herself to say the words.
Shanna touched her shoulder. “You’re afraid he’ll hurt you. That he’ll lose control and . . .”
Elsa nodded.
Shanna squeezed her shoulder. “There was a time when I was afraid Roman would lose control and attack me. But I love him, and I’ve been blessed with a wonderful marriage and two beautiful children. Roman loves me, and he would never hurt me.”
Elsa’s eyes grew misty with tears. “You think I can trust Howard.”
“I know you can. He’s a dear, sweet man, who would never hurt you.”
Elsa nodded. She’d always felt deep down inside that she could trust him. And in her heart, she wanted to love him. She wanted to grab on to his love and never let go.
“I know it’s hard,” Shanna whispered. “But with love, sometimes you have to take a leap of faith.”
A tear ran down Elsa’s cheek. “He said he loves me.”
“Then you can believe it. You can trust him.”
Elsa nodded. “I’ll try.” When Howard returned from Alaska, she’d continue to see him. Even though he was a were-bear. Even though it meant she would fall deeper in love with him.
Howard paced across the hotel room as if he could escape reality if he kept moving. Stuck in airports and on planes for the last several hours, he’d thought he would go crazy. His mind had raced, imagining a hundred different scenarios till he’d found one that kept him momentarily sane.
Harry was a smart guy. He would have known about the bomb. And he would have let it explode in order to fake his own death so he could continue the mission in secret. Any minute now, he would contact Howard. They would meet and have a beer like old times, laughing at the way they had fooled Rhett.
Harry hadn’t called.
And Howard was the fool. All his damned strategies he’d thought were so clever: they had gotten his best friend killed.
He clenched his fists. The bear inside him wanted to rip the hotel room to shreds. His body shimmered, demanding to shift. For the first time, he understood the power of the berserker blood that flowed through his veins. How easy it would be, how tempting it was, to let himself go berserk and destroy everything in sight.
His hands turned into bear paws with long, lethal claws. What was he doing here? Why stay in Anchorage to attend Harry’s memorial service when he should be driving to Rhett’s house so he could slaughter every werewolf he could find.
When his cell phone rang, the grating noise jerked him back to his senses. He wasn’t a berserker who went on murderous rampages. That was Elsa’s greatest fear. He couldn’t prove her right. He seized control and forced his hands back into human form.
Meanwhile, the phone had stopped ringing, so he checked the missed call. Dragon Nest Academy. He tossed the phone onto one of the beds and resumed his pacing.
After arriving in Anchorage, he had headed first to the office of
A small group was traveling from the Bear Claw Islands to attend the memorial service and collect the small wooden box containing what they believed to be Harry’s ashes. Howard had booked them rooms at the hotel where he was staying. And he had called the school to make sure Phil had arrived to take over his duties.
Ian MacPhie, the Vamp in charge of nighttime security, had answered, and when he’d started expressing his sympathy, Howard had hung up. He didn’t deserve sympathy. He deserved a severe beating for getting Harry involved in his stupid plan for revenge. He’d wanted to drive Rhett crazy. He’d driven him to murder.
“Idiot,” he called himself. He’d rushed off to Alaska, as if getting here quickly would somehow change the facts and make Harry still alive.
His cell phone rang again. Dragon Nest Academy. “What?” he growled into the phone.
“ ’Tis dark there now, aye?” Ian asked.
“I don’t want any damned sympathy!” Howard heard his voice echo. They’d put him on a speaker phone. “Dammit, I don’t want any company.” He started to push the button to finish the call.
“Howard!” Shanna’s voice shouted. “Don’t hang up!”
“Don’t you dare come—” He groaned when two forms materialized. Dougal and Phil.
Then Ian appeared, holding a tote bag and two duffel bags. “All right, ye can hang up now.”
Howard grunted and pocketed his phone. “Go away. I didn’t invite you here.”
