Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 54803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 274(@200wpm)___ 219(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 274(@200wpm)___ 219(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
I allow that to sink in, acutely aware of how much distress this unsolved crime caused and is still causing Caleb misery. Costing him his sanity.
“I was in Tucson last month for a fight.” He pinches my nipple some more. He’s rough with it, almost cruel. I never thought I’d like such treatment, but I do. I absolutely love it. “I caught a scent there that reminded me of it. Not the same—it lacked the overtones of bear. But the base smell was similar. Like it’s some kind of mutated shifter. I don’t know.”
“But it was a human? I mean, someone in human form?”
“Yeah. Three guys. But I didn’t stick around to find out more. And my phone doesn’t work up here. I’ve been kicking myself all month for not finding out more.”
“Could you drive into Pecos to call?”
Caleb pulls away from me and rolls onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. “Fuck,” he mutters.
“What?”
He pulls on his beard. “I don’t know what the fuck’s wrong with me. I should’ve done that weeks ago.”
I’m a little afraid to touch him since he pulled away and he’s upset about his dead mate, but I lay a hand on his bulging bicep. “Stop beating yourself up. You can do it tomorrow. Tonight, if you want to.”
Caleb slides a sideways glance at me. “Yeah. Yeah, I guess so.” His voice is gruff. “Tomorrow.” He rolls back to his side. “Miranda?” He tugs my hip to turn me to face him. “Did you see anything in the woods today?” His expression frightens me. I guess that’s because I see apprehension on his face—like his worst nightmare is coming true.
I shake my head. “No, why?”
He scrubs a hand over his beard. “I scented something. What was Bear barking at?”
I consider, trying to remember the way things went down. “He ran ahead, to the river bank. I heard him barking and he didn’t come when I called, which is weird for him. When I got to the river bank, I saw him fall in.”
“Fall in? Did he fall in?” Caleb demands, and my heart starts beating faster. Does he think someone threw Bear in?
I gnaw on my lower lip, considering what I saw. “He tumbled in. That’s what I saw, Caleb.”
Caleb falls back onto the pillow. I can’t decide if he’s disappointed or relieved. He’s quiet for a long time while I search my mind for what to say. “Sometimes I’m not sure what’s real and what’s PTSD,” he mumbles.
“What?” I lean up on an elbow.
“I lost my shit after my family was killed. I turned into a bear and stayed that way. When that happens, you usually have to put a shifter down. It addles the mind. The human part gets lost, and the animal becomes extremely dangerous.”
Tears pop into my eyes for him. For the pain he endured. I cover my mouth in horror. “I’m so sorry, Caleb.”
He blinks rapidly. “Sometimes…” His voice comes out broken and raspy. “Sometimes I get confused about what happened. I wonder if I killed them.”
Caleb’s words hit me like a taser. For one horrible moment I feel like I’m in a horror movie, and I just realized I’m in bed with the killer. And then I know—I know with all certainty—he’s not.
This time, I don’t hesitate to touch him. I grip his arm and squeeze. “You’re not.” I make my words clear and strong. “Caleb.” I wait until he looks at me. “You didn’t kill them. Were you confused before their deaths?”
He shakes his head. “No, everything was normal then.”
“Right. You’re confused now because you spent too much time in bear form while you were grieving. And then you turned the confusion backward in time. That’s not what happened.”
He locks gazes with me, his expression intense, like I’m speaking the words that spell his salvation. “How do you know?” he croaks.
I just shake my head. “I know you. You’re not a killer. You’re considerate and giving and deeply human, no matter what happened in the aftermath of the tragedy. You would never, ever hurt your family. I’ve known you three days and I’m sure of this.”
A sheen of tears fills Caleb’s eyes and he throws an arm across his face.
I squeeze it. “It’s okay to grieve. It’s okay to be angry and to seek answers and justice. The more you do, the more you step into your humanity. Turning against yourself, holing up and being your animal, or hibernating all winter… that leads you away.” I finish the last part softly, because I’m a little nervous about how he’ll receive my opinion. “I’m not judging how you’ve grieved—not at all. I’m just saying… maybe you can honor your family by working to solve the mystery. By living.”
A broken sob erupts from Caleb, and I’m shocked when he rolls into me, lets me pull him into my chest as he cries.