Page 35 of Warlander Grizzly

“I know a place! Turn here!” she huffed out, gripping the oh-shit bar and pointing to a turn-off with her other hand.

Landon jerked the wheel and turned off where she’d said.

“The police will be looking—”

“They won’t look here. Trust me.”

The angles of his face were sharp like glass, and his eyes were glowing so bright, it hurt to hold his gaze. “He touched you.”

“I’m okay.”

“No one can touch you!”

Go to him. “My bear is talking,” she whispered.

“What’s she saying? Fuck.” He slapped the side of his head and curled inward, gripping the steering wheel. “Luc, I’m not going to make it. I don’t want to Change in here! It’ll hurt you!”

“Thirty seconds. Hold on. Hit that gas, we’re on a straightaway.”

Trusting her, Landon floored it up the steep incline and crested the hill straight to the clearing in front of her log cabin.

“It’s my territory,” she explained.

A long snarl ground out of him, and then he slammed on the brakes and shoved the door open without putting the truck into park. He pitched out and the smattering, gunshot-sounds of his breaking bones filled her entire head.

With a gasp, she grabbed the steering wheel and climbed into the driver’s seat, slammed her foot down on the brake right before the truck went barreling through her living room.

The roar from the grizzly shook the ground as she threw the truck into park. She didn’t even turn it off before she was scrambling out of the vehicle to see Landon’s monstrous blond bear. To her memory, she’d never seen him Changed, but the vision of him had her frozen on her hands and knees.

He was a blond grizzly like his father, but he was covered in scars and patches of fur were missing. His face was clawed on one side, and his eyes were blazing silver as he angled his monstrous, block head toward her.

He charged immediately.

“It’s me!” she screamed. “It’s Lucia!”

He was barreling down on her, and she threw her arms over her head and braced for an impact that didn’t come. Other than the dusting of dirt that sprinkled her arms, nothing touched her.

When she dared to look up, he was pacing in front of her, eyes on the road they’d come in on. He turned and strode a tight circle around her and then paced in front of her again, breath heaving, eyes full of fury.

What was he doing?

Heart pounding against her breastbone, she murmured, “Hey, hey, hey,” and held her hand out. She hadn’t been this scared since Kru had gone saber-toothed tiger at Damon’s house and tried to kill the entire Crew. “It’s okay.”

The bear shook his enormous head and charged toward the road, then stopped and circled back, eyes casting over his shoulder at the road time and time again.

She didn’t understand. She didn’t understand!

“It’s just us here.” But then the wind shifted, and she smelled him.

Beaston.

Her dad.

His silver grizzly meandered out of the shadows of the woods and, eyes on Landon, he strode for the cabin.

Landon roared, and Beaston offered the same bone-chilling war sound.

“No, no, no!” she screamed, scrambling upward.

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