Page 22 of Awakened By the Guardian

Gary held out his hand. “I have no idea what that means, but I’m pleased to meet you.”

Vic offered a paw and Gary tensed. He had no idea how to grip the huge thing. But just before they connected, the arm changed, as did the rest of the bear parts. There was a split-second blast of heat, and then suddenly Gary was gripping a human hand. Beside him, he heard Margaret’s breath hitch in surprise.

“See what I did there?” Vic said with a grin toward Gary’s father. “Straight back to human. No one can tell I’m a hybrid.”

Gary’s father snorted. “Unless they got a nose.”

Vic glared. “I’m getting it under control!” Then he focused on Gary. “So, you a full bear? Or halfsies like me?”

“Can’t you tell? My boy smells as sweet as a newborn.” Gary’s father turned. “No full shifter has that stink.”

“Which I’m getting under control,” Vic repeated.

“But partials can shift with less difficulty and fatigue, so that’s a plus.”

Beside Gary, Margaret sniffed the air. “It’s not so bad.”

“See!” Vic crowed. Then he gestured them to follow him into the depths of the building.

They did, taking in the huge space. There were no partitions that Gary could see, just tables and desks to the left and a mishmash of bears sleeping to the right. And what a sight that was! Large pillows lay everywhere, but for the most part, it was fur and more fur, with muzzles, paws, and sharp claws going every which way.

Vic must have seen his bemusement, because he paused and waited, saying, “Most people can’t go bear more than once every few days. Easier to have them stay grizzly right now. In case we need them.”

“But how…?” Margaret sounded confused. “I mean, they’re bears. They can’t walk around the city like that.”

“No, they can’t,” Vic confirmed. “Most of them drove here and then shifted, and they’ll change back after the crisis is over. They’re here to protect home base.”

Gary’s father jolted. “You expect an attack? What have you heard?”

Vic held up his hand. “Don’t ask me for details. I’m just second in command, and Simon doesn’t tell me shit. But we’re the ones who figured out the Detroit Flu is a poison and not a virus, a poison that was used on the entire city. It makes sense for us to be ready for anything.”

At that moment Gary noticed a huge black bear pace past, making a slow circle of the entire building. On guard.

Vic peered at Gary. “So, you’re new to the club? Mind if I cut to the chase?”

Gary frowned, confused. “Um, no. What⁠—?”

“Are you paralyzed as a bear?”

Gary took a deep breath, trying to calm his chaotic emotions. “No. Everything functions as far as I can tell.”

“Cool. And…how often can you do it? Oh wait, you just shifted for the first time. You probably don’t know.”

“That’s why we’re here,” Margaret interjected. “We want to talk to one of your doctors.”

Vic shook his head. “You can’t right now.” He pointed to one of the sleeping grizzlies. “That’s our pediatrician, and Dr. Lu—that’s the CDC doc—is at the hospital with Hank. She’s new to the whole fur thing, anyway.”

Gary’s father took a step forward. “What about the ocelot shifter in Ann Arbor? Dr. Sherilyn.” He glanced back at Gary. “We’ve only got a couple shifter docs here in the city, but there’re others outside Detroit who’ve been helping.”

Vic nodded. “Right. The number’s on Alyssa’s desk.” He walked to a pristine workstation in the back corner of the building. A locked tablet sat dead center. Vic turned that on with a thumb press then pulled up a contact list. “Here it is. Give me your phone number and I’ll text it to you. That way we’ll have your number too.”

It was finished in seconds, and then Vic rubbed a hand over his chin. “Call Dr. Sherilyn. See if she can answer your questions. I’m gonna…” He looked around. “I’m going to take a shower.” Before walking away, he nudged Gary’s shoulder. “Good to have you in the Den.” He waggled his eyebrows at Gary’s dad. “Do you like that name? Don’t know why you didn’t call it that before. ’Cause bears have dens.”

Gary’s father grunted. “Careful. You’re going to make us want Nanook back.”

A visible shudder went through Vic. “That’s not funny.”

Gary wasn’t sure what was going on, but his father was immediately contrite, ducking his head and tilting it slightly to the side as if to expose his throat to Vic’s hard gaze. “You’re right. It wasn’t funny. No one wants that sick bastard back.”