Page 78 of So I Fell for Bigfoot

Once the dust had settled and everyone—except Lars—shifted back to their human forms, we headed back to HQ. Now we had the exhausting task of evaluating everyone we’d rescued. The ones who had made it.

Not everyone had.

Lars had had to say goodbye to Tanyth once more.

He’d been quiet on the way back. Distant. Of course he was. My heart was a pile of rubble for him.

The stage, the place that had been used as his makeshift mancave, had been turned into triage. Now he looked so out of place here. He stood near the door, behind the lights, watching.

I couldn’t imagine what was going through his head.

I wanted to take him into my arms and tell him everything would be okay, but I wasn’t sure if that was what he wanted, or if it was even the truth.

“Hey,” I said instead.

His sad eyes still managed a twinkle when he smiled at me. I had missed having him in his natural form.

“You did amazing today,” he said.

“You did too.” By all reports, he’d defeated his brother easily.

He shook his head.

“I have a feeling this could be classified as one of the worst days of your life. I want to make it better and I don’t know how.”

He managed a smile, and put one of those big, leathery hands on my shoulder. This was not the time to think it was sexy, but I missed him like this. Even more because I’d had to make peace with the fact without the Sempiternal Scepter, he might have never shifted again. That I could’ve lost him.

But he was here, stronger than ever. Once again, the only one of his kind.

“You are making it better.” He leaned down and kissed me on the top of the head. He smelled like smoke and something sweetly spicy I’d never experienced before. I had a feeling it was Tanyth’s scent lingering on him. What I would give to bottle it for him. To give him a way to keep her close. And not lose him at the same time. “If it wasn’t for you, we might not have known what my brother had planned until it was too late.”

“But he…” I shook my head before I said ‘brought Tanyth back.’ “We didn’t find Armand.”

“We will. And he’ll be weak.”

I nodded. There was this naked fear in the pit of my belly that he’d want to use me to make his statement. “I want this to be over.”

Lars frowned, and I needed to clarify.

“Not our episode, just that icky feeling that the baddie’s lurking in the shadows, waiting to get us.”

That sad expression didn’t fade from his face. Crap. Maybe this had all been too much for him…

“I’m gonna go check on Zoe.” I went up on my tiptoes to give him a kiss, loving the way his fur felt against my skin. He held onto me, even as I forced myself away from him.

I could only look back at him quickly, because I didn’t want him to see that tears were stinging my eyes.

“Hannah.” The word was pure growl.

I turned around.

“If I have my way, our story will never be over.”

A tear escaped as I smiled at him, but it was a happy one. “I can’t wait to find out what happens next.”

Zoe was on a cot, sitting upright, in the emergency sweats usually reserved for unexpected shifts during the episodes. Her hair was pulled into a messy ponytail, and there were some faint traces of old makeup.

Bibi had somehow found the time to make herself perfect. She was in a purple shirt dress and a wig that had a sky-high bun.

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