Heart still beating a little fast, Zarina turned and headed in the direction she’d been going before. As much as she wanted to run, she resisted the impulse. Her time with shifters and hybrids had taught her running away was a very bad thing to do around any animal. She definitely moved with purpose, though.
Zarina thought her plan had worked and whatever was behind her would leave her alone, but the panting grew louder, like the animal was following her. She gripped the flashlight tighter, refusing to give in to the urge to look over her shoulder. She didn’t really want to know what was back there.
She crested a hill and started down the other side, picking up her pace even as she told herself to slow down.
“Don’t look like prey,” she whispered, remembering something her father had told her a long time ago back in Russia. “Rabbits get eaten.”
But the reminder did no good. Her feet decided they knew better and began propelling her faster down the slope. The flashlight in her hand swung wildly as she moved, casting crazy shadows and making her wonder how long she could keep going before she tripped over something…and got up just in time to find the animal stalking her ready to pounce.
That terrifying image fueled her fear, and by the time she reached the bottom of the slope, she was practically running. That’s when the panting behind her stopped and the long, drawn-out grunting started. Halfway between a loud moan and a low roar, Zarina had never heard a sound like it. But it was loud and menacing, and she couldn’t imagine anything cute and cuddly making it. Whatever was back there, it was big and it didn’t like her in its territory.
At the thud of heavy paws hitting the ground, Zarina abandoned caution and ran as fast as her legs would carry her. Playing it cool and calm hadn’t worked. Maybe giving in to panic might.
She didn’t even attempt to head up the next slope, instead running along the flat valley she was in. But the creature behind her was fast, and she barely made it fifty feet before it caught up to her. It was so close, she swore she could feel its overheated breath stirring her hair.
Knowing she wasn’t going to get away, Zarina slid to a stop and spun around, ready to shout at the beast that wanted to kill her. She’d seen Tanner let out a roar that could paralyze almost anything crazy enough to attack him, so perhaps she could do the same thing.
But her cry of defiance died in her throat as she came face-to-face with a gigantic grizzly bear. The beast reared up on its hind legs, towering over her for one heart-stopping moment before dropping to all fours and roaring at her so loud, her bones felt like they’d turned to jelly.
She vaguely remembered the store clerk in town trying to sell her a can of bear repellent. If she wasn’t so terrified, she’d laugh at the idea. What the heck would a can of pepper spray do to something this big?
The bear took a step in her direction with another roar, showing off fangs large enough to bite right through her.
For a split second, Zarina considered running again, but it would be pointless. She’d never outrun a bear.
Rabbits get eaten.
So instead, she screamed as long and loud as she could.
The grizzly looked shocked for a moment, but instead of scaring the animal off like she’d hoped, all it did was seem to make him mad. Head low, the bear started toward her.
She was going to die.
But suddenly, the bear stopped, a look of what could only be confusion on its face as it focused on something behind her. A second later, a roar ripped through the night that shook the ground. She jerked her head around, almost collapsing in relief when she saw Tanner standing there in the dark, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, his eyes glowing vivid red, fangs bared as he let out a roar that sounded exactly like that of a lion. Which made sense, because those were the DNA strands blended with his own.
Zarina stood transfixed. Tanner’s fangs were longer and looked more terrifying than the bear’s.
The rage and anger on his face must have been enough to scare the grizzly, because the huge animal gave one more half-hearted chuff in Tanner’s direction, then turned and scurried back into the pitch-dark forest.
To her right, she caught movement. Crap! Tanner was going after the bear. Not because he wanted to hurt the animal, but because by running, the grizzly had become the prey, and Tanner’s lion half simply couldn’t stop itself from hunting the animal down now that the rage had taken over.
“Tanner,” she said softly. “Let the bear go.”
He stopped like he’d hit a brick wall, then stood there, unmoving, for what felt like forever, facing away from her and staring off into the darkness in the direction the bear had run. Not that it was probably all that dark for Tanner. With his animal-enhanced eyesight, he could probably see the grizzly’s big, fuzzy rump bouncing off into the woods. And if his eyes lost the creature, then his keen sense of smell would fill in the details. Which was a good thing, since she’d have probably been a bear treat if it hadn’t been for that nose of his.
After what seemed like an eternity, Tanner turned and looked at her. His fangs and glowing red eyes were gone now, replaced by a mesmerizing blue gaze and a ruggedly handsome face that had made her heart almost stop beating the first time she’d seen it. He had a bit more dark-blond scruff along his jaw and chin now. Actually, a lot more. Maybe it was because she’d grown up in a cold-weather environment where the opposite sex went all caveman in an attempt
