“Can’t I be here for both?” she replied. “Did you say abducted by aliens?”
“It’s one of my theories,” he said. “No, you can’t be here for both.”
“Why can’t I?”
“You can’t be on both sides of two opposing forces.”
“What makes you so sure he’s the opposing force?” she challenged. “What if you’re the one who has it wrong?”
“You’re kidding, right?” Loch chuckled. “Maybe bringing you back to the house isn’t the best idea if you’re going to be saying things like that.”
“Maybe that’s part of the problem,” Elise snapped. “You and your lot are so sure you know everything about everything. You’re so certain you’re on the right side of this that you won’t entertain any idea that doesn’t support your assumption.”
“I’m sorry, when did fighting for the balance of this world become a moral debate? Super strong, super-fast bears with human intelligence with no empathy or humanity isn’t what the world needs.”
“I’m not arguing that.”
“You’re arguing something in a situation that doesn’t seem arguable. You can come back to the house, but only if you don’t stir the pot. That’s the last thing we need.”
“Fine. Can I get a ride?”
“Seriously?”
“Oh, I forgot. I left my helicopter behind that tree over there,” she snapped.
“Fine, you can have a ride.”
“I’ll give you a moment.”
Elise turned her back on Loch. He slid out of his clothes for the third time that day and packed them into his bag.
He shifted with some difficulty. He hadn’t tried to shift three times in one day since he was a teenager. He wasn’t anywhere near past his prime but, damn, he didn’t remember shifting to be this draining. Thank goodness he had that sandwich. It worked wonders.
He picked his bag up with his teeth and brought it to Elise.
“Good boy!” She patted him on the head with a smirk. “If Timmy ever falls in that well, we’re all set.”
Loch let out a snarl.
“Who is Timmy, anyway? And where was he living where there were so many wells?” Elise continued on as she climbed onto Loch’s back. “Want to know the best part of this? You can’t tell me to shut up. You can’t talk.”
Loch growled and stood up on his back legs, forcing Elise to come tumbling down from his back into the dirt.
“You can throw me, but you still can’t shut me up.” She took fistfuls of his fur to haul herself back onto his back. “Come on, let me have a little fun.”
Loch twisted to look at her.
“I know you’re busy moping about your girlfriend and that maybe-future mother of your maybe-child, but I’m going through shit too. My brother might be insane. I have no idea where he is. A whole town is missing. I can’t shift.”
Loch listened as her throat grew tighter with each word.
Elise stifled a sob. “So maybe, just maybe, you can let me make this fun where I can.”
Loch nodded. He didn’t know if Elise could see it, but it didn’t matter. She knew.
He took off at a hard gallop, charging through the dark forest. He did his best to make sure Elise didn’t get smacked by any low hanging branches, but there was only so much he could do.
Part of accepting a ride on the back of a bear in a dark forest was acknowledging the high chance of getting smacked in the face by a tree.
Loch had nearly made it to the house when he felt his strength waning.
Elise tapped on his shoulder, urging him to stop.
“We can walk the rest of the way,” she said. “I know when a shifter is reaching his limits.”
Loch couldn’t imagine losing the ability to shift. As draining as it could be, it was as much a part of him as his heart, lungs, and blood.
How Elise remained sane through it, he’d never know.
He pushed himself to shift back into human form. It was a slow, painful process.
Elise tossed his bag at his feet with her back to him.
Loch was barely able to get his shirt over his head.
“I’m not shifting again tonight, so you better be sure you can walk.”
“I can see the house lights. I’ll survive. I made it twice as far on a bad ankle before it was broken.”
“Sorry about that.” He winced.
“It’s okay. That broken ankle probably saved my life. It kept me out of that horrible battle.”
“I thought you brought Holly to the mines?” Loch asked. “I heard a crazy story about a shifter spell.”
“It’s a true story.” Elise nodded. “I taught myself magic a few years ago. I’m not great at it, but I learned enough to force a shifter spell through my body. Worst decision of my life.”
“Seriously?”
“Oh, yeah,” Elise scoffed. “It was an uncomfortable shift. Half my bones didn’t end up in the right place. I rebroke my ankle all over again. I didn’t even make it to the battle. The spell failed before I got there. I thought it’d be worth it, just to feel my other form again, you know? Not worth it. Definitely not worth it.”
“I’ll keep that in mind in case anyone steals my power,” Loch said.
“As long as you never meet my family, you’re in good shape.”
“I’ve met your brother.”
“Right.” Elise winced. “If it helps, he’d never steal another shifter’s power.”
“He tried to kill me on more than one occasion.”
“I didn’t say he was without flaws.”
“Pretty big flaw!”
“You worked with Fang and what’s-his-face!”
“You mean the burly dude that followed Fang around? You don’t know his name, either?”
“No one knows his name.” Elise sighed. “It’s his thing.”
“What a weird thing. Does Fang even know his name?”
“Who knows?”
