Authors: Natalie Frost
“Are you alright?” Max asked as he reached across the table to place his hand on top of hers. Lia looked up at him as she realized that the fear must have been playing across her face. She cleared her throat and nodded as she realized that wasn’t going to happen now. There was no way Max would hit her. He had no reason to. Carl would never have jumped in front of a moving car for her. Max was nothing like Carl and that made all the difference.
“I think I’ll just have some toast and a coffee.” Lia said as the waitress came to take their order.
“And for you Mr. Moray?” the waitress asked as she turned her attention on him, smiling at him as though he was the only man in the room. Lia could see why. He was very handsome and she found herself swooning over him to though seeing the waitress do so had her feeling jealous. The little green beast awoke in her stomach and she had to bite her lip to stop herself from saying something.
“I’ll have my usual please Nancy.” Max told her as he handed her the menu he’d been looking over even though he seemed he’d already picked what he was having.
“Great,” she smiled even more warmly at him and Lia was sure she saw a little dribble at the corner of her mouth, “I’ll be back in a moment with your coffees.”
Max turned to Lia as soon as the waitress turned away from the table, “So Lia, what is it that you do for a living?” he asked her giving her his full attention.
“Well, as you already know I work at the bar,” Lia explained.
“Something tells me there is more to you than that.” Max raised his eyebrow as though he was intrigued by her lack of willingness to talk about herself.
“Well I’m afraid your instincts are wrong,” Lia shrugged, “I moved to the city a few weeks ago and only took the job to keep hold of my tiny apartment.”
“So what brought you to the city?” Maxwell asked the question that Lia had been dreading. She could not bring herself to tell him that she was running from a violent relationship that had almost cost her, her life. Instead she simply shrugged and shook her head as the waitress appeared by the table again with two mugs of strong coffee.
“I just wanted a change of scenery, that’s all.” She told him, hoping that he would take it as an answer and let it go as she picked up her mug and lifted it to her mouth hoping that it would hide any sign of her lie, “So what is it you do for a living?”
Maxwell seemed to tense at that question. It seemed she was not the only one who had her secrets. It was something that intrigued her as she took a long sip of coffee.
“I work for a company that handles personal security,” Max explained, “After I served my time in the Navy I decided to put my skills to use within the city.” Lia was even more intrigued by his words. What could he possibly be hiding?
They spoke for several minutes before their meals arrived. Nancy placed them on the table, never once taking her eyes off Max and Lia felt the jealousy burning in her stomach. She gritted her teeth to stop herself from saying anything.
“Would you like some more coffee?” Nancy asked as she saw that Max’s mug was almost empty. Max nodded and Nancy disappeared again, reappearing a moment later carrying a jug of coffee. She stared directly at Max as she poured the coffee into his mug yet it seemed that his eyes were fixed on Lia. She couldn’t help but smile as she noticed his lack of attention toward the pretty waitress. It gave her a little relief from her jealousy.
All of a sudden Max jumped up out of his seat. When Lia looked down she could see why. Nancy had been so intent on looking at him that she had overfilled the mug and it had spilled out onto the table and spread until it had spilled onto Max’s knee.
“Oh my goodness! I am so sorry!” Nancy gasped as she covered her mouth with her free hand, “Let me get you a napkin.” Lia couldn’t help but notice the flash of anger that washed over Max’s face. For a moment he looked almost bestial in his anger as though he was going to yell at the waitress. Lia couldn’t help but remember how her ex-partner had often had the same look right before he struck her.
It forced her to flinch away from him, her appetite completely gone as Nancy reappeared with napkins to help him clean himself up. She leaned down and began to wipe at Max’s jeans as though she wanted more from him than just to help him clean the coffee away.
“Please, I can do that.” Max protested as he took the napkins from her. He turned to Lia and asked, “Would you excuse me for a moment?”
“Of course.” Lia replied with a nod and she watched as he disappeared in the direction of the rest rooms. As soon as he was gone, Lia found herself standing up. She could not allow herself to be drawn in again. She had seen the anger in Max’s eyes. She knew exactly where it would lead. All men were the same it seemed, unable to control themselves when it came to their anger.
CHAPTER FOUR
She left the café as quickly as possible, slipping down the side of the building into the alleyway to take a roundabout route home so that Maxwell would not be able to follow her back. As soon as she did so she began to regret it. Her heart stopped and sank into her boots as she came face to face with the man she had hoped never to see again.
Carl, her ex-partner, reached out and grabbed hold of her before she had a chance to turn and run. When she opened her mouth to scream he slammed his hand down over her lips and pulled her back against him.
He forced her roughly against the brick wall of the building and she felt the stone graze her cheek. He pressed himself hard against her pinning her against the wall so that she could not move.
“Why did you run from me?” he whispered harshly in her ear, “Why did you leave me?” as he spoke Lia could smell the foul odor of alcohol on his breath and she knew instantly that he was drunk. He pulled hard on her hair, forcing her head back so that he could look into her eyes.
Lia tried to wriggle free of him but his grip on her hair was like iron and whenever she moved it pulled painfully on her scalp.
“Let me go.” She begged him in a whisper, unable to speak any louder for the fear that lumped in her throat. She felt tears begin to stream down her cheeks as she waited for him to hit her, knowing that it was soon to come.
All of a sudden there were footsteps rushing down the alleyway toward them. They were not the footprints of a man but rather a beast, the thudding of paws on the cobbled floor. Carl was suddenly ripped away from Lia, the weight of his body removed so quickly that she stumbled backward.
When she turned her eyes fell upon the creature that had ripped Carl away from her. The man cowered on the floor as the huge black bear towered over him, its jaws dripping with saliva as though it was hungry for his flesh. Lia tried to scream but it stuck in her throat and choked her as she raised her hands to her mouth in utter shock.
The bear continued to tower over Carl baring its teeth as though it was ready to sink them deep into his flesh. Then it turned and began to walk toward Lia. Its mouth closed and its eyes glinted in the dim light of the alleyway. Lia stood paralyzed, pressing her back firmly against the wall as the creature sauntered toward her.
Her heart thundered in her chest as it reached forward and pressed its face into the palm of her hand. Lia felt a spark of electricity run throughout her body from her fingertips as the bear’s fur brushed against her hand.
“What the hell is that thing?” Carl demanded as he stumbled to his feet. He rubbed his eyes and looked at the bear hard as though he was struggling to believe his eyes. Lia found herself feeling the same though her heart was slowing as she realized that the bear was not going to hurt her.
A loud growl erupted from its throat then and it turned its blazing eyes on Carl, snapping its head around so fast that it made him jump. He turned and ran, disappearing down the alleyway, the smell of alcohol fading along with him.
As soon as he was gone the bear stepped away from Lia. She watched it closely wondering exactly what it was going to do next. Though she could never have imagined that there would be a bear within the city, she was even more surprised by what it did next. Its body began to shift and change. Its front legs shortened while its hindquarters began to lengthen and straighten out. The fur began to shrink as though sinking deep into the skin and then he stood before her, a man of blue eyes and dark hair, handsome as ever she had seen him. The sight made her breathless as her mind tried to register exactly what had just happened.
“Please don’t run,” Max told her as he raised his hands as though in surrender. He could clearly see the fear still shining in Lia’s eyes. Her heart still thudded against her ribcage as she thought over and over again of what had just happened. She could feel herself shaking uncontrollably and felt as though her legs were about to give in on her, “I won’t hurt you.”
“Wha…what are you?” Lia stammered unable to stop her jaw from shaking as she spoke. Her hands tightened into fists as she attempted to control herself.
“I’m a shifter,” Max sighed, “A bear-shifter.”
“How is that even possible?” Lia asked. Part of her wanted to run but the other part wanted answers. She knew he deserved the right to explain after having just saved her life for the second time in as many days.
Maxwell shook his head, “The truth is I don’t know the answer to that. I was born this way but I have never used my gifts to harm anyone,” he explained as he took a step toward her. When she flinched away from him he did not press on, “I protect people. I always have and I always will.”
Lia knew in that moment that he was telling the truth. She knew now that he would never hurt her. When he took another step forward she did not flinch away from him. “Can we go somewhere a little more private to talk?” he asked as he glanced down the alleyway toward the street where people had begun to walk up and down on their way to work or shopping. Lia was about to refuse and leave when she realized that’s not what she wanted. She wanted to get to know him better; she wanted to give him the chance that she would never have given another man.
“We can go back to my place,” She told him, “But if you try anything I will call the police.” She looked at him sternly hoping that he would understand what she meant. Maxwell smiled with amusement as though he found her threat funny. “I would never hurt you” he said.
CHAPTER FIVE
As soon as they returned to the apartment, Lia set to work making coffee in an attempt to make herself feel the least bit normal again. She was still shaking, her mind running over and over what had happened in the alleyway. Even worse than being attacked by her ex-partner was the secret that Maxwell had revealed so abruptly to her.
As though he sensed her shakiness Max stepped forward and placed his hand gently on her arm, “You should sit down. I’ll finish that.” Lia shook her head yet as she did so she felt dizziness overwhelm her. She was mentally drained, unable to hold herself up on trembling legs. Max wrapped his arms firmly around her as she found herself leaning against him for support.
“I…I’m fine.” She protested as she attempted to pull away from him only to feel her knees wobbling even more violently.
“Come on,” Max ordered as he began to help her toward the next room, “Let’s get you over to the sofa.” He almost carried her all the way through the apartment before helping her down onto the sofa. She leaned back against the cushions feeling herself shaking.
Max sat down beside her and placed his hand over hers on her knee, “Are you sure you are alright?” he asked, “You are as white as a sheet?”
“How can you ask me that?” she demanded suddenly feeling angry. It was his fault she felt so weak, “I feel like I don’t know which way is up. I feel like I’m drowning.” She felt the panic rising in her chest as she thought again of what had just happened. It seemed that she had no idea of the world she truly lived in. If a man could transform into a beast then who knew what else could be possible.
“I’m sorry,” Max shook his head and removed his hand from hers, looking away from her as though he could no longer bring himself to look her in the eye, “I should never have revealed myself to you like that. It’s just that when I saw him hurting you I couldn’t control myself.”
“I…I’m just shocked, that’s all,” Lia told him with a shake of her head, “I’m sure I’ll get over it.” but the truth was she wasn’t sure she’d get over it. She had never had to get over something so strange before.
“Do you want me to leave?” Max asked gesturing toward the door. Lia reached out and grabbed hold of his arm all too quickly, before even she herself had a chance to realize why she was doing so.
“No, don’t go,” she told him as she gripped his arm a little too tightly, “I want you to stay.” He placed his hand back over hers then and she loosened her grip on his arm.
“I will leave if you wish me to.” Max insisted and Lia quickly shook her head. No matter how drained she felt she had to admit she had never felt so safe with another man before. He had saved her twice and so she knew he had no intention of hurting her. Instead she found herself looking deeply into his eyes. Those blue eyes that blazed with desire as he looked back at her.