Page 18 of So I Fell for Bigfoot

Marissa’s mouth dropped. “What’s going on, Bibi? Did something happen?”

“Bigfoot hunters want Lars’s head on a platter. If any of them are connected to that world, or Armand, we need to know. And it’s now also our responsibility to keep them safe.”

“Of course.”

“I’ll also need you to reach out to Wendy and Laura. Get them here to talk to Lars so they can do research on these ancient wolves. We’ll stack it against the information that Armand provided on his application.”

She nodded, running into a wall of gorgeous man and beast as she turned to leave. She immediately found her way into Bjorn’s arms.

I really wanted to do the same with Hugo, but we were at work, and I didn’t want Lars to feel like the odd beast out.

“The three of you, sit down.” I motioned to two chairs and the couch in my office. “As we speak, accommodations are being prepared for Lars in our indoor stage area. It’s not ideal, but you’ll be safe until this threat subsides.”

“Is the episode canceled?” Bjorn asked.

I shook my head. “Absolutely not. It’s more important than ever for us to continue. We need as many of our viewers on Team Lars as possible. If they care about him, they’ll help us protect him.”

A low rumble emitted from Lars’s throat.

I took the seat next to him. “I’m so sorry things are happening like this, and that this is my first chance to talk to you. And I hope I haven’t overstepped my bounds by insisting you stay here for a while.”

Another rumble. The big guy was pissed off, and rightfully so.

“Do you want to talk about Hannah?”

“Armand can’t get close to her,” he said. “He’ll use her as a way to get to my brother.”

“What are the chances your brother is still alive?”

“Until I had a run-in with Armand and his pack, I would’ve said zero. Now, I’m not sure.”

“How did he die?” If I remembered correctly, Leif had cursed those resurrected wolves. It was entirely possible that the discovery of the Hudaknocker could have weakened the curse.

“He was attacked by humans.” Lars chuckled grimly. “Seemed unlikely but poetic that the creatures that he feared the most were his downfall. Or so we thought.”

I considered the giant beast beside me. It wasn’t often I felt small. I was six feet tall and broad boned, but sitting next to Lars, I felt tiny. “How likely is it that a human, or a group of them, could really take down a giant, immortal beast?”

“We have our weaknesses.” He lowered his gaze, bringing attention to his hands knotted together in his lap. “Immortality isn’t a guarantee. It turned out to be a curse, and I was the one to bear it. But there’s something else I haven’t told you about. Until now, I was certain I was imagining it. Feeling guilty for pursuing a human. My brother’s been talking to me lately. Haven’t heard his voice in…” He shook his head. “I can’t even tell you how long.”

I nodded. “Is there anything else you haven’t told us? Because now would be an excellent time.”

“No. That’s everything. At least, everything that seems out of the ordinary to me.”

Fair. “One last question. What do you think would happen if your brother was still alive?”

Lars leaned back on the couch and sighed. “He’d expect to be in charge. And destroy any human that got in his way.”

A chill went down my spine. “So if he’s alive, and those hunters find him…”

“Things will get interesting,” Lars said.

“I’m sure they will, no matter what.” I rose from the couch and put my hand on Lars’s shoulder. “Thank you for trusting us. Your living space will be set up as soon as possible. I’m going to go talk to Hannah.”

“Tell her I…” Lars hesitated. “I can’t wait to see her.”

I nodded. It was more than that, but he was protecting himself. He’d done it many times to survive so long. And as I walked down the hallway, with only the sound of my stilettos and my thoughts for company, I wondered if it was my responsibility to protect an ancient shifter king who would rather see me and everything I loved destroyed.

Beyond that, if it had anything to do with that blood-stained cry for help I’d received from Calista.

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