Page 10 of Flare
Saliva dripped from his jaws as he bared his teeth. A low growl reverberated through her bones.
The bear lumbered forward, claws hooking in the expensive woolen carpet. He stopped inches from her face, breath rank and steaming. His golden eyes burned with inhuman intelligence.
He made a sound, deep and deliberate, that could only have been a warning.
She whimpered in mindless terror and frantically pushed herself up and over the back of the sofa, briefly falling to her knees before scrambling backward until her spine pressed into the living room wall.
This can’t be happening! People don’t turn into bears! Am I hallucinating? Did he drug me?
But the musky animal smell was real, the wall behind her was real, and her terror was so sharp she tasted blood in her mouth.
The monster bear held her gaze for what felt like forever. Then, in a sickening, fluid motion, it shrank. The fur receded, the snout caved in, the paws twisted back into hands.
Where there had been a monster, Andrew reappeared. He rose to his feet, breathing hard, his tanned skin flushed and slick with sweat. He was naked, his suit lying in shreds over the coffee table and floor.
The only thing remaining of his nightmare transformation was a faint gold shimmer in his eyes.
He stared at her wildly. And she realized it wasn’t rage she saw in his expression now. It wasfear.
“Oh, God, Emily. I’m sorry!” His voice was a raspy echo of itself.“I didn’t mean for you to find out like this. I was going to tell you when—when we were married!”
Her mind blank with shock, Emily just stared back at him.
She didn’t dare move as he ran upstairs to his—their—bedroom.
When he reappeared a few moments later, he was dressed in fresh clothing. He clung to the chrome newel post at the bottom of the stairs, the picture of shame and abject misery.
That unsettled her even more than seeing him turn into a giant bear.
“Emmie, sweetheart, please know I wouldneverhurt you.” Now he sounded as if he were pleading.“You’re mymate!” And there was that word again. And then, the biggest shock of all.“I’m so sorry, my love. Forgive me. I’ll do anything to make this right.”
Andrewneverapologized. Ever.
Then he was gone, leaving the wrecked room and the smell of animal musk behind. She heard the garage door open, and the roar of his BMW as he screeched out of the driveway and tore down the street.
He’s gone.Relief flooded her.But for how long?
Feeling numb and floaty like a ghost, Emily stumbled back upstairs. She pulled out the new suitcases she’d bought for her honeymoon and frantically ripped through her closet and dresser drawers, grabbing clothes, toiletries, her mom’s jewelry, and a battered manila envelope stuffed with her most important documents.
Before this afternoon, she’d have stopped to pack everything neatly, double-checking every item against a packing list, and placing her underwear and clothes into labeled, zippered pouches.
Now, desperate to make her getaway before Andrew returned, she just crammed everything inside the suitcase until the zipper threatened to pop.
She found her envelope of emergency cash and threw it, along with her laptop and charger, into the carry-on tote bag that had come with her suitcase set. Then she dragged the heavy pieces of luggage downstairs.
Panting, Emily stood in the foyer, trying to force her muddled brain to work. She looked around wildly.Did I forget anything? What else do I need to take with me?
Because she sure as hell wasnevercoming back to Andrew’s freaking McMansion!
The oversized diamond on her finger caught the light and sparkled.
She hesitated, heart thudding. Until today, she’d believed this ring was her ticket to a better life. It symbolized that she mattered to someone, that Andrew loved her and hadchosenher.
But it had been a lie. All of it. Andrew and his family weremonsters.
She pulled off the ring and plunked it dead center on the living room coffee table, where Andrew couldn’t miss it when he returned.
Then she headed for the garage, heaved her luggage in the back of her Subaru wagon, and reversed it out of the driveway.
