Page 34 of Handcuffs & Honey

“This is nice.” Julian pulled his coat closer to his body as he walked beside Dominic.

Dominic was in his bear form, and they were in the woods behind his house. The bear was walking slowly, lumbering along, so huge that if the bear lay on top of him, Julian wouldn’t be visible.

Not that he wanted a bear who looked close to nine hundred pounds lying on him.

Julian smiled, thinking that it was nice that Dominic had shifted and taken him out to enjoy the peaceful silence of nature. He could feel the bear’s warmth radiating from his fur as he walked beside him. Julian had been going stir-crazy in the house and wanted to get out, and Dominic thought this was the safest way for Julian to get some fresh, crisp air.

The snow was a pristine, white blanket covering the terrain, lightly dusting the pine needles, and there was a light flurry of flakes coming down from the sky.

Julian looked up, mesmerized by the sheer beauty of the snow-covered forest. He inhaled the scent of the pine needles and reindeer moss and felt content. “This was exactly what I needed.”

Dominic stopped and pushed his nose into Julian’s side. Laughing, Julian petted the big beast. Never in his life had he thought to get this close to a bear. You were supposed to get away from a bear when you spotted one in the wild.

At least, that was what all those YouTube videos said to do.

But Dominic wasn’t a wild bear. He was a shifter, and he understood everything Julian was saying to him. Julian looked into Dominic’s eyes and saw the same contentment reflected in the bear’s gaze—a calmness that only came from feeling safe and secure. He realized that this was just what he needed right now, time to relax, reflect, and bond with his mate.

Their honeymoon period.

Julian didn’t feel so overwhelmed with the thought of Ezekiel after him. Instead, he embraced the peace and tranquility of the moment.

They soon started walking again, Julian admiring the way the light glimmered off of the snow and how even the slightest sound echoed through the forest.

One second the huge bear was beside him, and the next Julian was staring at a naked Dominic. “Hold on.” His mate held up his hand and looked around.

“You have to be freezing,” Julian said, though he was looking around now, too. “What’s wrong?”

“We need to go back. Stay next to me. Don’t leave my side.” Dominic shifted back into his bear form, and damn it, Julian had a hundred questions he needed to ask. Like why did Dominic shift and look so concerned? Why in the hell hadn’t he told Julian what was going on?

The bear turned, and they walked faster than before. Julian gripped Dominic’s fur to keep up as he stepped over fallen branches, praying he didn’t stumble. Dominic was moving too quickly, and Julian was finding it hard to keep pace.

Then Dominic stopped, and Julian tried his hardest to catch his breath. He looked around but didn’t see anything. As he gripped the bear’s fur tighter, he asked, “What is going on, Dominic?”

Julian whipped around when he heard twigs snapping behind him. The picturesque scene no longer brought him comfort. The air felt threateningly cold. Julian’s breath came out in puffs from his mouth, and his cheeks were freezing from the fast-paced walk.

From behind a large pine bush, a wolf slowly emerged. Julian’s heart nearly gave out. This had to be Ezekiel. He’d shifted into his wolf form, and now he was going to get his revenge for his son’s death.

Dominic stepped in front of Julian and let out an enormous roar.

“I didn’t kill your son,” Julian argued. “He came after me, tried to kill me.”

Ezekiel snarled as he took a step closer, his ear pinned back, his sharp teeth showing, his legs spread apart. Julian was terrified. Ezekiel wasn’t going to listen to reason. He wasn’t going to accept the truth, that Rob had lost his ever-loving mind. The wolf didn’t want to hear any of that because he was out for blood.

Julian screamed when the wolf attacked, but Dominic tackled him, taking the wolf to the ground. Julian watched in terror as the wolf and bear fought, their claws and teeth ripping at each other’s fur and skin. Julian looked around for a large enough stick to use to defend himself, but all he saw were sticks that would only be good for roasting marshmallows.

“Where’s a big branch when you need one?” Julian spun in a circle, making himself dizzy, but he still couldn’t spot a damn branch. If he could get past the fighting animals, he could go back the way they’d just come. He’d stepped over plenty of large branches back that way.

But Julian wasn’t going anywhere near the two.

“No!”

Julian looked in horror as the wolf gouged the bear in the side. Dominic stumbled slightly, his lumbering form hitting a tree. Dominic shook his head, turned, and roared. Then he turned and looked at Julian.

The wolf attacked again while the bear was distracted. This time he used his sharp claws to swipe at Dominic’s head, only he missed and got the bear’s shoulder.

Blood stained the brown fur, and Julian was beside himself. “Get off of him!”

The wolf looked directly at Julian, and Julian thought for sure he was about to die. A shot rang out, echoing through the woods. Julian froze, unsure what to think until he saw Deputy Cannon Lowry come into view. He was holding his gun, and it was aimed right at the wolf.

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