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Strapped in, she’d had opportunity to prepare, but she still took a few hits as the front window smashed and a tree branch slammed into her seat an inch from her shoulder when it pierced through the dash.
Fortunately, her inner grizzly gave her strength, and she was in one piece as the vehicle came to a stop.
The same couldn’t be said for the man in the back. She smelled blood, and when she untangled herself to turn, she could see he’d taken a few knocks.
“Gerald?” Never Gerry or Ger, Gerald Winter had been a precise and logical kind of guy for as long as she’d known him—practically all her life.
But he’d never been mean. Arrogant, yes, but as a fox, that was expected.
The town organized by shifter type, and each clan had certain characteristics. The foxes tended to be arrogant and dramatic, the bears laidback, the raptors argumentative, the wolves secretive and problematic, and the cats unpredictable.
Generalizations, but they usually held true to form.
Still, Gerald maintained a popularity due to his smarts, looks, and sense of humor. Or so she’d been told. Personally, she’d never seen or heard him be all that funny.
He didn’t answer, so she hurried out of the vehicle, which had fortunately rolled to a stop right-side up. She found the trunk door stuck and used her enhanced strength to pull it open. In human form she maintained a human’s senses, though she’d always had the rare ability to tap into her grizzly when needed.
It sure came in handy now.
She took one look at the battered attorney and knew she needed to stabilize him.
“Gerald?” she asked again, wondering how much time they had before the raptors caught up or found them.
With the growing storm, they might be okay from the raptor threat. But Mother Nature would only be taking their place.
“L-Laura?” He blinked his eyes open, but they didn’t focus.
“I think you might have a concussion.” She hurriedly gathered a large bag she kept in the SUV for emergencies. Then she took Gerald’s bag while he tried to sit up. “No, lie down.”
“I’m okay. Just dizzy.” He sat up anyway and wavered.
“Come on out, Gerald. Easy now.”
Once out and on his feet, she had to look up to see his face, which annoyed her. Of course he had to be sexy, smart, and tall. At five-ten, she typically didn’t need to look up at most men.
“Laura?” He stroked a finger down her cheek and gave her a dopey smile. “You’re pretty.”
She flushed, something she never did.
Only Gerald could get under her skin like that.
“Okay, Romeo. I need you with me. Are you with me?” Despite the danger, she had a tough time focusing because he wore nothing but sweatpants. His upper body had surprising definition for a man who sat behind a desk all day.
He blinked. “With you. Yes.” He rubbed his head and winced, and blood trickled down his temple. Likely a gash matted in his sandy hair, now darkened with dirt and blood.
“I’m going to shift into my bear. I need you to strap the bags around me. Then shift into your fox and climb on. We need to hurry.”
“I can run.”
“Not fast. And I know where we’re going. You don’t.” She wiped her face from the snow falling harder. “Today, Gerald. Let’s go.”
“You’re not the boss of me.”
She stared at him. “Did you really just say that?”
“Maybe.” He sounded like a sulky little boy, and she hated that he looked even more attractive all beat up.
She laughed. “Aren’t you cute?”
