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“Cal saved me,” she ends her story, while her words still carry a weight of unease.
Cal, being himself, can’t resist interjecting with a teasing grin. “Saved you? I just happened to be in the right place at the right time, but I guess that is a given with us heroes.”
Elena playfully nudges Cal, a smile breaking through the tension. “If you weren’t there, who knows what could have happened.”
I join in with a smirk. “Cal, the hero. Who would have thought?”
Cal shrugs, a mock modesty in his tone. “What can I say? I’ve got a knack for being in the right place at the wrong time.”
All three of us share a moment of laughter, the sound of which eases the obvious tension.
“And you’re still here,” I point out. “This encounter hasn’t scared you away?”
“No,” she shakes her head. “Almost, but not quite.”
“You must really want to be here then,” Cal teases. “It’s me, admit it. There’s still the question of that photoshoot we arranged.”
“Is there?” she chuckles melodiously.
“Is that really why you’re here?” I ask, unable to resist.
There is so much I don’t know about her, and so much I want to find out. Even if she ends up leaving tomorrow, in a week or in a year, it will be worth it.
She turns to me, and there is so much sorrow in her eyes. I want to protect her from all the harm in the world. I’venever felt this way about anyone. It’s not love. It can’t be. But a sudden tidal wave of affection and the need to protect someone so precious, so delicate overwhelms me.
She exhales with exasperation, biting her lower lip. She did that when she was sitting in my lap, with me inside of her. The memory of that sight floods me and my entire body is alert, yearning to have her again. But Cal is here as well. And I know he’s as attracted to her as I am. How would that work, with us both desiring her? How would shefeel about that?
“No,” she says, and her voice brings me back to the present moment. I wonder if her no was addressed to my silent thoughts. But then she clarifies. “I didn’t come here to photograph bears. That would be… silly.”
“Why?” Cal asks, sounding curious.
She shrugs. “Because if I wanted to take pictures of bears, I wouldn’t have to come here to the middle of nowhere for that. There are much more civilized places which have bears, you know.”
“Are you calling us uncivilized?” Cal asks with a mockingly offended facial expression.
“A little,” she nods, resisting to chuckle, but still smiling.
“So, if bears aren’t your focus,” I interrupt, “what is?”
She turns to me again, and suddenly blushes. “You’ll think I’m crazy.”
“You came here all alone, yelled at a bear, almost got attacked by two drunkards and you’re still here,” Cal recounts what happened. “We already think you’re crazy, sweetheart.”
This makes her smile, but it is a weak smile, as if she’s carrying the burden of the world on her shoulders. I resist the temptation to caress her cheek.
“I guess it can’t be any worse than what it is now,” she nods. “I’m here to take photos of bear shifters.” She pauses,allowing me and Cal to speak, but neither of us does. Not at first. “See? You think I’m crazy. Double crazy.”
I raise an eyebrow. “You really believe in that folklore?”
Elena nods. A flicker of enthusiasm lights up her eyes as she continues to speak. “There have been whispers and stories about them. Imagine if I could document their existence and get actual photographic evidence. It could be… groundbreaking.”
“Sounds like a plot for one of those supernatural novels,” Cal chuckles.
Undeterred, Elena leans forward, imbued by a new sense of hope and courage. “Think about it. Wherever there’s smoke, there has to be fire. So, I’m sure there is some truth to those stories. Pinehaven, these woods… they could be hiding more secrets than we know.”
“We’ve lived here all our lives,” Cal reminds her. “Don’t you think that we would have seen one of those by now?”
I have to admit, it’s always fun to try to dissuade a human from believing bear shifters actually exist. Most of the time, we manage to do so successfully. But every once in a while, there is someone who truly believes. I can immediately sense that Elena is one of those.
