Chapter Eight
A Grisly Tale
“A mistake? A mistake?”
Melissa stomped down the sidewalk, startling a couple of teenagers as she brushed past them. She rounded the corner, ignoring a man who smiled and waved at her, too annoyed to even admire the golden glow the sun had cast over the town.
“I feel like a complete idiot,” she muttered. “I can’t believe I let myself get caught up in the moment—and with him of all people.”
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this annoyed.
She was annoyed with Cal for kissing her without warning, annoyed with herself for enjoying it, annoyed at him for dismissing her the way he had, and then again at herself for feeling hurt by that.
She’d already decided long ago that she wanted nothing to do with him, and for good reason. Why should that bother her?
It had been a moment of weakness, nothing more. And it couldn’t happen again.
In the twenty minutes since she’d left Green Sanctuary, she’d hardly managed to get the memory of the kiss they’d shared out of her head.
All the more reason she couldn’t let it happen again.
She had a lot of reasons to avoid Calvin Stein, and topping the list was the fact that he was so damn irresistible.
Right now, she was seriously considering skipping town, putting as much distance as she could between them once again.
She slowed her pace, glancing up and down the street before crossing the road. She’d been so caught up with Cal, she’d almost forgotten to get back to Dale and Leto. She hadn’t fed the dog yet. She crossed her fingers, hoping Dale wouldn’t be displeased with her.
Her engagement ring was cool against her fingers. She lifted her hand, staring at it, and felt her heart clench.
She could still remember the day Cal proposed to her all those years ago. It had just about been the happiest day of her life before she learned the truth about what he was. How could things have gone downhill so quickly after that?
We’re not together, Cal had said back at the sanctuary. Not anymore.
“And whose fault was that?” she muttered bitterly.
Melissa wondered if they would still be together if he hadn’t told her what he was. Would she be happier than she was now?
She shook her head. Whatever the case, she was glad she knew the truth. She couldn’t imagine living in blissful ignorance of the fact that the man she loved was a—
It’s over, she reminded herself. Just don’t forget that. It’s all over.
So why didn’t it feel that way?
It took her less than ten more minutes to get to Dale’s. She considered heading into her house first and taking a shower before showing up at his place, but decided against it. She walked up to Dale’s and was about to knock on the front door when she realized it was slightly ajar.
“Dale?” she called.
There was no answer. Melissa debated for a moment, then pushed the door open, stepping into the house. She made her way into the living room. Empty. Dale was nowhere in sight. Neither was Leto. Where were they?
She couldn’t help feeling like she was snooping.
After all, Dale hadn’t actually given her permission to come in.
Then again, he’d employed her to look after his dog.
That was what she was here for. Not to mention she was a concerned neighbor.
An open door and no responses from within was definitely a cause for concern.
She swept her gaze around the living room, pausing near a corner. The white door she’d seen the other day wasn’t open this time, but Melissa felt a tug of curiosity as she stared at it. What was behind it, anyway? For all she knew, it was just a storage room.
It could also be something interesting.
Okay, now you’re definitely snooping, she told herself. You came here to feed the dog, remember?
Right. With a disappointed sigh, she turned away from the door—and found herself standing face to face with Dale.
“Didn’t hear you come in, Melissa,” he said with a frown.
She blinked at him. Leto appeared next to him, her tail wagging slightly.
“Sorry,” she said quickly. “The front door was open, and you weren’t answering. I figured I’d come in and make sure everything was—”
“I was pouring Leto her breakfast. You were supposed to feed her earlier.”
She glanced down. In his hand was a bowl of dog food. She lifted her gaze to meet his again, feeling her heart sink into the depths of her stomach.
“Dale, I’m really sorry,” she began. “I know I should’ve fed Leto. I just didn’t think I’d be away for long.”
His frown deepened, the jagged scar on the side of his face contorting slightly. “Away? Where were you, anyway?”
Melissa bit her lip. What was she supposed to tell him, that she’d failed to feed Leto on time because she’d all but dropped everything to work temporarily for someone else at the behest of her ex-fiancé? She couldn’t even begin to explain that.
“I...had an emergency,” she told him. “Some problem in Paradise Woods. But it won’t happen again; I’m sure of it.”
Dale stared at her for what felt like a full minute. Then he set Leto’s bowl on the floor, rubbing the dog’s large head as she ate.
“Leto’s very special to me,” he said without glancing up at her. “She’s practically family.”
Something about the way he said that filled Melissa’s gut with unease. Was she in trouble? She’d hoped he would be at least a bit more understanding of her tardiness today. But when he looked up at her, he looked far from it. Disappointment—and a bit of annoyance—clouded his features.
“You want to know how I got this scar?” He pointed to the scar on his face, holding up a finger as she started to respond. “Don’t pretend you haven’t wondered about it. Take a seat and I’ll tell you.”
After a moment’s hesitation, Melissa took a seat on a nearby couch. Dale sat across from her, keeping his brown eyes on her.
“I got this scar fifteen years ago,” he began, leaning back in his seat.
“Long before I moved to Colorado. I went camping in the woods with a friend of mine—a really close one. Man named Tyson. He was a great guy, practically family. We were both ex-military. Anyway, we decided to head into the woods, camp out at this cabin Tyson’s friend owned. ”
Melissa listened, unsure where this story was headed or why he’d suddenly decided to narrate it.
“So me and Tyson, we were hanging out at the cabin. Had a couple of beers, talked about our time in the army—we had a great time, pretty much. Then we ran out of firewood. That was the second day, I think. Tyson left the cabin to get some more that afternoon.”
Dale leaned forward in his seat, and she thought she saw his jaw tighten. “I figured he’d be back within the hour, but he still hadn’t returned by sunset, so I left the cabin to look for him. I searched the woods for my friend. Know where I found him?”
Melissa sucked in a breath. She’d figured his story would take a dark turn at some point, but it hadn’t occurred to her what the actual details might be.
“I found him by the river,” he went on. “He was still breathing, but he wasn’t conscious. And he was bleeding—badly, like he’d be dead within the hour. He’d been attacked by something. And I soon got to find out what it was.”
He shook his head. “That bear came out of nowhere. Full-grown grizzly. It attacked me—teeth, claws, and all. Only reason I’m still alive today is because I managed to get the heck out of there before it turned me into spaghetti. But I still got this scar.”
Now that he mentioned it, the scar did look like it had been left by a claw. Melissa’s chest tightened. She couldn’t begin to imagine how terrifying it must have been for him.
“What about Tyson?” she asked.
The look he gave her was all the answer she needed. He pointed at his scar. “This? It reminds me of that day. Reminds me to protect myself, protect the family I’ve got. And right now, Leto’s the only family I’ve got.”
So that was where he’d been going with his story. She nodded. “I understand. And I really am sorry.” How many times had she said those words today?
He gave a halfhearted shrug. “You mentioned an emergency in the woods. What was that about?”
Deciding there was no point keeping that from him, she narrated her trip into the woods with Cal. Dale straightened in his seat.
“Animals being killed left, right, and center,” he commented. He scoffed. “And you still don’t know what’s responsible for the killings?”
She shook her head.
“You know what I think? I think there are bears roaming about those woods. Heard of any bear sightings lately?”
The thought of Cal popped into her mind then. He was, after all, the only bear she knew of. What were the odds that he was behind the recent attacks? Each time she suggested the attacker might be a shifter, he’d pretty much shut the idea down instantly. Could he be hiding something?
If Cal was responsible for all those dead animals...then she would’ve been right about him, about his kind. The facts added up: The man could turn into a bear. Who was to say that he could control the bear’s violent instincts?
Or maybe she was wrong...
She shook her head again. “No, I haven’t. But I see why you’d figure it was a bear. I might, too. I’ve encountered a grizzly before, a decade ago.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “You faced a grizzly and made it out in one piece? And they called me impressive.”
She shrugged. “I...I guess I was lucky. My point is, I understand where you’re coming from. I also understand that you love Leto, and I’m sorry I didn’t feed her when I should have. It won’t happen again; I promise.”
Dale regarded her for a long moment, long enough to make her stomach squirm.
“I know it won’t,” he said finally, “because you’re fired.”
Melissa couldn’t believe her ears. “Wh-what?”
“You heard me clearly. I was wrong about you being a great fit for this job.” He rose to his feet, a look of disappointment crossing his face as he stared down at her. “It appears hiring you was a mistake. If I were you, I’d head back to Green Sanctuary.”