Page 10 of Torin

The bear.

My breath catches.

It charges straight at the truck.

“No. No, no, no⁠—”

I scramble backward, although there’s nowhere to go. It barrels toward me, huge and dark in the headlights.

Then it stops. Right outside the reach of the headlights.

I can hear myself breathing.

The bear takes one step closer.

“Go away,” I croak.

It stares at me.

“Go!”

Its head lifts.

Then its body jerks.

I stare.

The bear seems to fold in on itself. Its shoulders buckle, its back twisting as the enormous shape begins to shrink. Fur recedes. Limbs lengthen. The outline of it changes so fast my brain can’t make sense of what I’m seeing.

The last of the fur disappears. The body straightens.

Seconds later, a naked man stands in the road.

A very large naked man.

Of course.

Because apparently one bear shifter tonight wasn’t enough.

He strides toward the truck.

I reach for the lock again before remembering I already locked it.

He comes into the light.

Jesus, he’s huge. Six and a half feet at least, broad through the shoulders and chest. Dark hair frames his face, and a thick beard covers his jaw.

He reaches the driver’s side and bends toward the window.

Then he stops.

His nostrils flare.

His eyes lock onto mine.

For a moment, he simply looks at me, and I watch shock spread across his face. His lips part slightly. His eyes widen.

Oh God.