Like that would be a rare story…not.
“We were stationed in Alaska near Mount Denali. He wanted to go climbing, but I said no. The weather would turn. He disagreed.”
“Really?” Her brother might be stupid but usually with people. Not with something like the weather.
“The reports said the storm wouldn’t come until the next morning.” Simon snorted. “The reports were wrong.”
She turned to look at him, only now processing what the man was saying. She remembered when Vic had been transferred to Alaska. She’d been thrilled. Sure, it was cold as hell, but he wasn’t likely to get shot at. But, of course, her brother would want to explore. Hell, he loved mountain climbing more than anything. And, of course, he would get in trouble. It was just how the boy’s luck ran.
“How did you find him?”
He grimaced. “I went with the rescue team. I knew where he meant to go, but the storm came in fast and hard. We were ordered back.” He shook his head. “Stupid. Stupid not to listen to me.”
“That’s Vic all right.”
He shot her the most human look she’d seen on his face: a wry almost-smile coupled with a shrug. God, how many times had she done that in response to one of her brother’s mad ideas?
“I was very angry. I fell behind the rescuers—told them I was going back—and shifted.” He grimaced. “The grizzly was very near to the surface that day. There is something about that mountain that draws it out. I don’t know why, but it allowed me to save Vic’s life.”
She blew out a breath. “You found him…as a bear?”
“Yes.” His voice was the same near monotone he’d used before. But she was starting to hear fluctuations in his tones now. And his next sentences seemed to imply curiosity as much as irritation. “My bear was very sharp then. Very smart in that place. Even with the snow and the storm, I could smell Vic.”
She felt her hands ease on the steering wheel. Her shoulders relaxed even though the danger had been months ago. Vic had survived and come back to Detroit only to be hit by whatever it was that was changing him now. “So you found him and both made it back to base.”
“I was a bear and he was hurt from a fall.” Simon looked down at his hands where they seemed to clench his thighs. Like claws digging in? She didn’t have the time to ask because the moment she noticed them, he stretched out his fingers until he could set his palms flat on the denim. “It was too cold to shift back to human, and I had already ripped out of my clothing.”
Right.They’d been in Alaska in a snowstorm. No way could he just shift back in torn skivvies and travel back to the base. “What did you do?”
“I carried him as a bear.” His lips curved and she was startled to see his smile. It softened the harsh angles of his face, but only in a small way. His mouth and cheeks eased, but not his eyes, which stared fixedly ahead. “He was terrified, but I gave him no choice.”
She couldn’t even imagine how that had gone down. “I’m surprised he didn’t shoot you.”
“He tried. It took a long time for me to convince him to climb onto my back, but then he did and we made it back to base.”
“But you were a bear.”
“There is much that can be expressed by pushing with my nose and a well-timed growl.”
She snorted. “Wish I had been there to see it.”
He flashed her a frown. “You would have frozen to death.”
Literal much?“Yeah, I know. I… It’s just a figure of speech.”
He didn’t respond at first, and when she finally glanced at him again, she was startled to see him grinning at her. Like full-blown grinning. It made his face look youthful. She did a double take and then finally figured it out. “You’re teasing me. Taking my words really literally just to see if I’ll roll with it.”
“No, I’m not.” His grin widened.
Holy hell, hewasteasing her. She’d just gotten into the rhythm of the man’s hyper-literal speech pattern, and now he was turning the tables on her. Pretending to be more communications-challenged than he really was. Would she ever gain the upper hand with this guy?
“Don’t be a dick,” she groused, but without much heat. She preferred dealing with someone who had a sense of humor, odd though it might be. “So you’re a bear and you convince Vic to climb onto your back. Was he able to hold on as you went back to base?”
“His knee was hurt, not his arms. He held on tight and I was able to move fast.” He blew out a breath. “Very fast.”
Sounded like it was surprisingly fast, even for Simon. “That’s the part about your grizzly being close to the surface, right? Being especially strong?”
“Yes.” The word held a wealth of uncertainty. “I have never been that strong or that fast before. Or since.”
