him with curious blue eyes. Dutchy’s eyes.
“Pretty little thing.” To his surprise, the fox bounded over to him, circling his legs, its bushy red tail brushing his calves. It let out a high-pitched bark when he bent down to stroke its fur. “Hello.”
The fox yipped and nuzzled his palm with its dainty snout as its black-tipped ears twitched.
“We should go.” He stood up and grabbed the boots sitting by the door. “Follow me, little fox.”
They trudged through the snow, with Krieger clearing the way down the rugged path until they reached the main road. The snow was still piled high, and his bear would have made quick work of the blockage, but he needed this. Needed to feel the sweat on his body, the ache in his limbs. The fox followed along, darting about once in a while to sniff at a plant or dig at the dirt, but mostly it stayed by his side, circling his legs or brushing its tail at him saucily.
Finally, they reached Sector L, and the cabin was within his sight. The smoke from the chimney and the light on the porch told him someone was there.
When he halted, the fox ran around his legs in circles before settling in front of him. Slowly, it began to grow, until Dutchy stood in full human form.
“Thanks,” she said as he slipped the shirt over her head. When her face popped through the top, she sent him a dazzling smile. “My fox likes you. A lot.”
“I like your fox too.” Dread filled his stomach. “Station’s right over there.”
“All right.” She looped her arm through his. “Let’s go.” When he didn’t move, she tugged harder. “John?”
He swallowed. “Won’t be going with you.”
She frowned. “Don’t tell me your boss is sending you out to work. The storm’s passed. You’ve been stuck up there for days. I mean, you haven’t been strictly working.” She suppressed a smile. “But surely you deserve a couple hours off?”
He didn’t know what to say to her. What was he supposed to say? His instincts—his bear—wanted to get down on his knees and beg her to stay. But he couldn’t do that to her. Sentence her to a life up here because he and his animal were just too damn broken to function in normal society. “I’m sorry, Dutchy.”
“Sorry?”
“I can’t. Go with you.” Gently, he pried her arm off him. “You should go … back.”
“John?” Her voice shook. “I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
Bile rose in his throat, burning a path from his stomach to his mouth. “You don’t … you don’t know me.”
“Don’t know you? John, what are you saying?” She attempted to reach for him, but he evaded her grasp. “John? Tell me what’s the matter.”
He stared at her, memorizing the lines and shape of her face. “Nothing. We can’t … Dutchy, you need to go back. And I need to stay here. This is where I belong.”
Panic laced her voice. “John, please, tell me what’s wrong. We can work it out. We’re mates. We need—”
His bear reared up, and he couldn’t stop the savage growl from escaping his lips. “No!”
Fear struck Dutchy’s face, and she stepped back. “J-John—”
“I didn’t—I was—” Maybe this was what had to happen. “Go, Dutchy. I … I can’t have you here.”
“No, John—”
“I said, go!”
Her face crumpled as she shrank back, and his chest ached so fiercely he couldn’t breathe. Control slipped, and he could feel his grizzly slamming its head into his rib cage. He let out a cry as he fought it, but it was too late. Can’t. Let. Her. See.
With a deep roar, he turned and ran into the trees, as fast as his legs could carry him, fighting the beast inside him. He couldn’t let it hurt her. Or anyone. Not again.
In those three days he lay under the rubble, his team slowly dying around him, he vowed to each of them that he would get them the justice they deserved. After they found him and he made a full recovery from his ordeal, he ran off.
It took him the better part of the year to track everyone involved in the market building explosion. Taking down each and every man responsible for the death of five good men plus over a hundred innocent civilians should have satisfied him and his animal. With each kill, he relished in their death. Lived for the thrill of the hunt. But it had only unleashed a darkness in him. It was that wild force that he couldn’t control.