Chapter 23
After feeling Gunnar move, Mattie glanced behind her.
He was gone.
She couldn’t hear anything but the dull roar of rushing water. No snapping twigs, no snorts of breath, nothing. If he was close, she couldn’t tell.
No doubt the call of the moon had been more than he could take. She peered into the forest, but even with the full moon, it was too dark to see much more than a few feet.
She hoped he had a good night, whatever that meant for him. She walked slowly back to the viewing platform, thankful for the moonlight that illuminated her path. She tried to be quiet, then realized Blueberry, if he was there, wouldn’t be able to hear her over the sound of the falls anyway.
But the cake sat right where she’d left it, untouched. She groaned in frustration. This wish had to be reversed before something really bad happened. She glanced up at the moon. What were the odds that with so many shifters in town, they’d all go unnoticed this evening?
How many shifters didn’t know that the tourists were no longer under the spell of the waters? She wrapped the cake in the cling film again, feeling about as low as she had in a long while. She was worried about Blueberry and now starting to think something bad might have happened to him.
It was possible he was still hiding, but this was a long time for him to go without something to eat. He had no willpower when it came to food. Unless he’d made his way into town and was pilfering snacks.
Hmm. Maybe she should start asking around, see if anyone was missing food? But that would take forever, and there was no guarantee it would turn up anything.
She was worried about Gunnar, too. About the outcome of this whole thing and how it would come down on him. And herself, to some extent. But he would take the brunt of the blame, because he’d made the wish that caused the trouble.
Cake in hand, she took one more look around, but there wasn’t a hint of green dust anywhere. She picked her way down the path that led to the parking lot. There were no other vehicles besides hers and Gunnar’s.
Shifting the plate to her other hand, she dug out her keys.
That was when she heard a low growl behind her. The sound made her blood run cold. She stopped and turned slowly.
A black bear stood ten or fifteen feet away, close enough for her to see its nose working, inhaling the scent of the honey cake she was holding.
She considered threading her keys through her fingers for self-defense, but three keys against a bear that looked like it might easily be two hundred pounds? The best that might do is give it a good tickle.
Her heart thudded hard as she inched back toward her truck. Could she get the door open and get in before the bear reached her? They could move incredibly fast when they wanted to.
She sucked in a breath. Was this … Gunnar? It couldn’t be. He wouldn’t do this to her, would he? Even in his animal form, he had to recognize her, right? Had to know he was scaring her. Or had trying not to shift been too much for him? Had it flipped some primal switch inside him?
She didn’t know enough about shifters to answer any of those questions, but she knew enough to be afraid. “Gunnar?” she whispered, her mouth dry. “Is that you?”
The bear lumbered closer, snuffling and wrinkling its nose in the direction of the cake. Some inner voice that was not about to freak out told her to put the cake down.
Of course. Put the cake down. With trembling hands, she crouched and set the plate on the pavement, doing her best not to take her eyes off the bear for a second.
The bear picked up speed, making her think putting the cake down might not have been the best idea. In her haste to retreat, she fell backward but caught herself. She scrambled to get to her feet, but before she could, a roar louder than the falls ripped through the air.
A second bear launched into the first, knocking it aside. The second bear was enormous, easily twice the size of the first, maybe bigger. The two rolled, a black mass of teeth and claws and guttural howls that sounded like the world crashing down.
The larger one freed itself. Teeth bared, it stood over the second, causing it to cower. The new bear snarled and growled, and after a few seconds, the first bear whuffed out a low, submissive sound, then ran away.
This was not how she thought she was going to die. She crab-walked toward her truck, putting whatever distance she could between herself and the new beast. As soon as she touched metal, she crawled under her truck, hoping a couple of tons of steel would be enough protection.
A moment too late, she wondered if the bear could still reach her and realized it probably could if it really wanted to. She was definitely going to die. And it wasn’t going to be a good death, either.
Unless that bear was Gunnar. Please let that be Gunnar.
She tried to summon whatever magic she could to hide herself. It wouldn’t be enough, but it was all she had left.
She covered her head with her hands and listened to see if the bear was getting any closer. She heard a few sounds but nothing she could identify. The sounds didn’t get any louder, either. No indications that the bear was looking for her or coming toward the truck.
She stayed there for a long time until the sounds were gone. There was nothing but the roar of the falls and her own beating heart.
Swallowing, she moved her hands and looked past the tires. No giant bear feet in any direction. Was it possible the bear had moved on? Seemed like it.
She stayed where she was for a few more minutes, just to be sure. Then she checked again and finally rolled out from under the vehicle. There were no bears in any direction. And the cake plate had been licked clean.
She unlocked her door, opened it, then grabbed the plate and jumped in, locking the door as soon as it was closed.
Breathe, she told herself. You’re safe. She was still shaking, though. All she wanted was to get home.
The drive back to her house disappeared in a blur of nerves and thoughts. She blinked a few times, reminding herself that she was okay.
But the moment she was inside, she went straight to the couch and curled up, pulling the throw off the back to cover herself with. She stared at the blank television screen, not seeing it, not seeing anything but the replay in her mind of what had just happened.
To say she was shaken was an understatement.
She lay there, lights off, promising herself that eventually, this feeling of helplessness and fear would go away. She missed Blue more than ever. For all his chaotic nonsense, he still would have comforted her. He wasn’t heartless, regardless of what anyone thought about him.
The more she thought about him, the more tears threatened. This whole situation was such a mess. What if the Ellinghams decided that Blue was the one who should be punished?
She sat up, heart racing again. What if they banished him to be locked away forever?
A soft whimper slipped from her lips. She couldn’t abide that. She wouldn’t allow it. He’d already suffered that once.
If that happened, she’d … she’d take him and leave. She’d protect him.
An urgent knock on her door startled her, making her yelp. The knock came again before she could even get to her feet.
“Mattie? Are you in there? It’s me. Gunnar.”
She jumped up, leaving the throw behind, and went to the door. She opened it to find him standing there, eyes wild, a long, red scratch beneath one of them.
“Are you okay?”
She nodded, not sure that was the truth.
He looked her over and shook his head. “No, you’re not.” He stepped inside, nudged the door closed and took her into his arms. “Nothing’s going to hurt you.”
She leaned against him, her emotions tipping over the edge at his kindness and concern. She broke down, quiet sobs racking her body. After a few moments, she took a deep, shuddering breath and shook her head. She was done feeling sorry for herself. “I’m okay. I really am. Just shaken by …”
She pulled back to look up at him. “You were the bear who saved me?”
He nodded. “I shouldn’t have left you alone until you were safely back in your car. I’m sorry. I—”
She put her hand to his mouth. “You have nothing to apologize for.”
He was still for a moment. Then he pulled her closer, leaned down, and kissed her.