“Mel, it’s okay,” Andrew repeated, his voice broken. “It’s okay, I will never hurt you.”
“What are you?!” She hadn’t realized she was moving until her back hit the wall. Her hands slapped back against it, and she felt around for a window or a door—anything she could throw herself through. “What the hell are you?!”
“I’m a bear-shifter.”
“What?!”
Andrew was also breathing strangely; it sounded like he was wheezing. “I can shapeshift into a bear. I’m one of the few people on this earth who can.”
Maybe it was his tone of voice, or maybe it was how slowly he said each word, but Melinda finally managed to make herself go still. She stared at him—or, at least, at his darkened form.
“It’s supposed to be kept secret,” Andrew continued, choking on the words. He sniffled loudly and wiped at his face. “That’s all I know, I swear. My dad died when I was little, and my mom didn’t tell me much about what I am—just that it needed to be kept secret. I don’t know anything else about bear-shifters, okay? But I know that I am never a threat to you. Never.”
Going slack, Melinda leaned back against the wall. Everything was so…crazy and absurd and she didn’t know what to make of it. She was a little relieved that there wasn’t a real bear-monster in the apartment, but a bear-shifter? She couldn’t comprehend it—any of what she had just seen or heard.
“Please,” Andrew whispered, reaching out for her without moving toward her. She could see his arm shake against the little light that managed to slash its way into the apartment. “Please, believe me. You’re the best thing that had ever happened to me, and I would have told you about everything sooner if I thought…if I thought it wouldn’t scare you away. Please, just…just say something.” A small sob shook out of his throat, and he slapped his hand against the floor as he bowed forward. “Please, Mel.”
Melinda inhaled deeply. She had never seen Andrew express this much emotion—this much vulnerability. His sincerity, and her trust in him, soothed her fears somewhat. And as she calmed, she remembered what she had thought to herself earlier that day: it only had to be as complicated as they made it.
She would have laughed at such a thought now, except that she was still struggling to think and feel past her overwhelming shock.
“Okay,” she managed to breathe out. She swallowed thickly. “Okay…you’re a bear-shifter…that’s unexpected, but at least you’re not a rapist.” When he didn’t say anything right away, her eyes widened. “Right?”
“Right,” he said, sniffling. “You’re okay?”
She gave herself a moment to think about her answer. “Yeah. Yeah, I am. I’m stunned and probably in some form of denial right now, but I think I’m okay.” Her gaze flittered over him. “Are you?”
Andrew snorted, the sound coming out sloppy.
Melinda smiled. “Right. Stupid question.”
They remained motionless and quiet for a long while, uncertainty heavy between them.
“Can I come over there?” Andrew whispered. And his voice sounded so small, it made it even harder to imagine that he had ever been a bear.
Melinda smiled again and rubbed the spot over her hammering heart. “Yeah. It’s okay.”
Slowly, Andrew crawled his way over to her. When he was in front of her, he shakily reached out and grabbed her shoulder. The feeling of his calloused hands on her eased away the rest of her tension, and she released a taut breath.
“Hi,” she blurted, relief making her dizzy.
An abrupt chuckle popped out of his mouth. “Hi.”
She grabbed his wrist and squeezed it. Everything was—messed up, baffling, shocking, twisted—fine. Everything was really fine, and despite the craziness of it all, she knew she was safe with the man before her.
“I love you,” Melinda whispered to him. She could feel herself slowly come back to her senses, and the realization of this calmed her further. Confident, she gave Andrew a watery smile. “I love you, and I want to make this work.”
“I love you, too,” he whispered. “So much.”
Her heart soared. Letting her instincts take over, she carefully pressed her hands against his cheeks before leaning forward to press her lips against his own.
“Let’s go to bed,” he whispered over her mouth, his hand skimming over her hip.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep after all that.”
“That’s okay.” He kissed her cheek before nuzzling against it. “That’s perfectly okay, so long as you’re next to me.”