Page 31 of Bear Protector
“Interesting.”
“What would you do?” he asked.
“I have honestly never thought about it. All this time, I believed in a reality that does not exist. Remember, it has only been two days since I found out I have seven days to live.” She took a drink of water from her glass. “By the way, thanks a lot for shattering my cozy view of life as I knew it.”
“Ouch. That sounds like sarcasm.”
“It is and it is not…I mean, it is mostly genuine. This knowledge…it is a heavy truth hanging around my neck, dragging me into despair, choking the hope out of every good thought.”
“I am sorry to have been the bearer of such bad news.”
“I know. Still, at the same time, I do not want a second to go by without making the most of it. I want to do everything, try everything, and see every square mile of the region if I can, before…well, you know. For that, I am grateful to you.”
Xander pushed his plate aside and stood up abruptly. “Don’t be grateful, Kiera. Be angry enough to do something about it.” He began to pace from the fireplace and the front door. “Dig deeper. Ask the questions that can bring about change. Fight! Use your magic as it was meant to be used… for all, not the select few.”
“I have had two days with this new information. Do I look like I can move mountains in two days?”
“Two days is a lifetime for some of the shifters who are turned every year. They move mountains with every destroyer attack. They never got the choice, but you know what? They still fight with everything they have!” He must have noticed her hands were shaking, because he stopped pacing, pulled his chair to her side and took a seat, covering his hands over hers. “Look. I am sorry for the way I just acted. Steamrolling is my default setting, so I have a tendency to get overly impatient.”
Did he ever, but how could Kiera blame him? She couldn’t imagine living with this knowledge for years, seeing men die unnecessarily if there were other ways to protect the region. “I understand why.”
“I do believe you should fight,” he continued in a gentler tone. “In your own way. You can tell every Chosen witch the truth about the ceremony, and stand against Minassus. But it is not my place to put such a burden on you, or to force you. I would be no different from him if I did.”
“I do not want to spend another minute of my seven days arguing with you.”
“You are missing the point about the seven days, Kiera, but I agree. Let’s not argue.”
“Thank you.”
He returned to his seat and picked up the cutlery again. “Would you like to take a walk after supper?”
“What about your curfew?”
“I have my ways to get around the village when I need to.”
“How about something else? I was going to ask you…”
“Go on.”
“I wondered what you look like after you shift.”
“Is that a trick question? I look like a Kodiak bear.”
“No, what I mean is, I wanted to see you transform…so I can observe the magic as you go through the process, and for sure, see your animal too.”
He grinned, helped her to stand, and took slow steps back to his bed, pulling her with him. “There are easier ways to see me naked, Kiera. All you have to do is ask.”
Kiera turned away, cheeks blazing hot from embarrassment. “That is, um…I did not mean it that way.”
“I know, woman. It was a joke…though there is no way to avoid seeing me naked while I turn.” He began pulling the homespun sweater over his head.
“You mean, right here?”
He threw the sweater on the bed and unbuttoned his shirt. “Yes here and now, Miss seven days.”
The sight of his pants dropping to the floor made her pulse race so fast, she could die. With a coy expression on his face, Xander lowered his stretchy boxers down his legs, kicking them off his feet. He was completely bare, and the man was a chiseled, beautiful God. Heat sparked in her core, spreading throughout her body at the sight of his manhood. It was massive, not that she had seen others to know the difference. She could not wait to touch him…everywhere. Except that was not the reason she had asked him to remove all his clothes.
A second later, his skin appeared to shimmer. His body grew outward in all directions. A coat of sleek, bristly, white fur replaced his bare skin. Claws, legs and paws replacing his nails, hands and feet. His torso bent forward until he was on all fours. His face and skull elongated until Xander was a thousand pounds of Kodiak bear.
