Bear Shifters: Hunt Collection #2 (2 page)

CHAPTER 2

“I’m going to be honest with you. I wasn’t listening last time you were here. At all. What is your study about?”

Justin was trying his best to be patient in his present situation. Instead of faking a phone call to the researchers in the privacy of his office to placate Kimber, he had been roped into another meeting. He wished he could be mad about it, but Kimber had asked permission to attend the next meeting, and he hadn’t been able to come up with a valid excuse quickly enough. With Kimber sitting next to him, he was putting on his best behavior. He figured that if he acted like he was taking them seriously, then it would seem like he had logically weighed all the options before he refused to grant them the money.

The woman, who looked like she could still be in college, explained, “NASA has confirmed that our sun is about to experience a series of solar flares. The resulting solar storms will be the strongest recorded in history. They believe the activity should start within the week.”

“That soon? Why did you wait until now to fund your study?” Justin asked flippantly, trying to sound interested.

The woman looked over at her colleague nervously, and he took his cue. “Gretchen and I have had… difficulty obtaining funding.”

Justin froze. Kimber shifted uncomfortably in her chair, glancing over to see how upset he was. “Explain,” he ordered. Not only was Kimber practically forcing him to give his money away, but he was giving it to a research team that no one else would fund? He might as well withdraw the cash from his account and toss it in the garbage.

“Our hypothesis is that solar storms affect animals in a unique way,” the man said. “The earth’s magnetic field and atmosphere protect the earth’s inhabitants from harmful effects like radiation, but we think the solar activity affects animals’ brains.”

“How so?”

With only the slightest hesitation, the man answered, “Telepathically.”

Justin stared at the man, his mouth gaping. “Is this a joke?” He looked over at Kimber. Even she looked skeptical now. “Are you kidding me?”

“Let’s hear them out,” Kimber suggested, her voice cracking slightly. She wanted to be polite, but she also knew how farfetched this sounded. She hoped they had a plausible explanation that would ease her embarrassment.

Rubbing his face, Justin let out a long breath. “Alright. Go on.”

“Two years ago, there was a minor solar storm,” Gretchen began. “I was just an assistant in a lab back then, and when my shift ended, I went to meet my brother and his kids at the zoo. The animals… Their behavior was uncanny. Some were abnormally aggressive while others cowered in the corners of their enclosures, growling or whining or howling. But most interesting were the animals that maintained eye contact with us for unbelievable lengths of time.

“I went back the next day, and I brought Ken here with me. He agreed that something strange was going on. We watched various animals all day, recording all our observations. We returned again the next day, and it was as if nothing had happened. Everything was back to normal. We mentioned the strange behavior to a zoo employee, and she admitted that she had noticed. But then she said, ‘We expect unusual behavior around the full moon, but this was unprecedented.’ It made me wonder if the sun storms, which had incidentally cleared up the night before, had anything to do with it. The more research we’ve done on solar activity and its effects here on earth, the more we’ve become convinced that the events are correlated.”

“I’m sorry, but do you know how ridiculous this sounds?” Justin asked, unable to refrain any longer.

“Mr. Woods!” Kimber reprimanded.

“It’s alright, Miss Haze,” Ken said calmly. “We do know that it sounds ridiculous, but you can’t blame us for pursuing something we believe in. Let me just ask you this: Have you ever felt that an animal – a pet dog perhaps – knew how you were feeling?”

“Of course,” Justin replied impatiently. “But research shows that they can read human expressions and smell adrenaline. It has nothing to do with telepathy.”

“Fair enough,” Ken conceded. “But have you ever taken a dog to the vet?”

“Yes,” Kimber replied. “I just took my Maltese a couple weeks ago. She hated it.”

“And when did she start acting agitated?”

“As soon as we got in the car.”

“Does she normally react that way when you get in the car?”

“No. We drive to the park almost every weekend and she loves it. I did think it was strange that she was so upset on the way to the vet. It’s not like she knew where we were going.”

“Exactly. We believe that some animals can sense human brainwaves. Since they spend so much time around people, domestic dogs and cats have evolved over the years, developing the ability to understand our thoughts to a certain extent. That would explain why our dogs get agitated during the drive to the vet versus a drive to the park.”

“That seems reasonable,” Kimber agreed.

“Now consider this,” Gretchen suggested. “The Solar Storm of 1859 created geomagnetic disturbances here on earth that interfered with telegraphs, some operators reporting sparks that shocked them and set telegraph paper on fire. As recently as 2003, a solar storm caused satellite communication interference and power outages in Sweden.”

“I don’t have time for trivia. Get to the point,” Justin insisted. Kimber glared at him, but he ignored her.

Gretchen was unfazed. “As you probably know, the brain of any living creature is constantly shooting off electric signals as it communicates with the rest of the body. If solar storms can cause geomagnetic storms that interfere with electronics here on earth, we think it would make sense if it alters the brain’s electric signals as well. We want to watch what happens to brain activity in humans and other various creatures during the upcoming solar event. We feel confident that we could make the arrangements in time to do the study if we just had the funds.”

Justin was still for several moments as he pretended to consider the proposal, but he didn’t last long. “I’m sorry,” he said, his tone lacking the sympathy his words suggested, “but I can’t. It sounds like a bunch of science fiction to me. Maybe you’d have more luck in Hollywood.”

Gretchen and Ken, though obviously disappointed, expressed how much they appreciated his time, even as he stood and left the room abruptly. Kimber spent a few minutes with the research team, apologizing for her boss’s behavior and wishing them luck. But after seeing them out, she headed straight for Justin’s office. The door was open, as if he was expecting her. She crossed her arms angrily and leaned against the doorframe.

“Go ahead. Let me have it,” Justin said, reclining in his chair, his hands folded behind his head.

You can’t tell me you’re not even a little intrigued. You could afford to throw some money at this research, regardless of how ridiculous it sounds. And even so, how could you be so rude? They’re people too. You made them feel stupid and you wasted their time.
But of all the words flying through her head, the only ones she spoke were, “I’m disappointed in you.” She searched his eyes briefly for the goodness she believed was in him. Unable to find it, she turned and left, wondering if it would be better for them both if she just quit.

CHAPTER 3

“This is…” Kimber’s older sister Vivienne searched for the right word. “Garish. All this for one guy’s birthday?” She looked around at the table settings and decorations that were reminiscent of a wedding dinner. Closer to the house, a stage was set up and a band was playing a song from the 80’s that she heard on the radio fairly often. Judging by other people’s reactions, she was pretty sure it was the original band, but she couldn’t fully appreciate the appeal. She didn’t even know the name of the band. In her defense, they would have been popular before her time.

“I know. It’s disturbing. I bet this party cost more than my entire year’s salary.”

“And you can’t tell me he knows all these people. No one has this many friends. Especially not people who are arrogant jerks like Justin.”

Kimber almost wanted to defend him, but after the research funding debacle, she was less inclined. She settled for keeping her mouth shut.

Vivienne didn’t need Kimber’s input to goad her on. She had plenty to say even without audience interaction. “And his girlfriend? As completely horrible as she is, I have to admit she is gorgeous. Did you ever think in high school that Justin would end up with someone like that?”

With a slight frown on her face, Kimber said, “No. I thought he had better taste.”

Kimber’s tone made Vivienne stop scanning the party. She focused in on her sister’s face, then groaned, “Oh, Kimber. Still?”

“What?” Kimber played dumb. She knew Vivienne had never approved of her high school crush, so she wasn’t eager to admit that it had never really gone away, regardless of the way Justin’s character had deteriorated over the years. She felt stupid enough as it was. She didn’t need Vivienne’s criticism too.

“I don’t know how I missed it. You still like him, don’t you?”

“No. In fact, I hate what he’s become.” It was the truth. The problem was that she couldn’t let go of who he used to be or the hope that he would someday be that guy again.

“Then why are you still working for him? Why did you want to come to his birthday party?” Vivienne knew her too well to be misled by a few words.

“I’m still working for him because he pays better than any other job I’m qualified for. Although it’s almost to the point where it’s not worth it. And I wanted to come to the party for the same reasons you agreed to come with me.”

“Free fancy food? Free open bar? The possibility of meeting his celebrity friends? Favor bags with diamond necklaces in them?”

“All of the above,” Kimber laughed.

“Justin? Are you even listening?”

His gaze snapped back to Elle. “I was distracted. You were saying?” He hoped she hadn’t noticed that he had been watching Kimber and Vivienne laughing together. It was strangely satisfying to him that the sisters were still so close after all these years.

“I was just telling Ty about that crazy research team you met with earlier this week. Ty was wondering when the solar storms are supposed to happen.” Justin could tell that beneath her smooth façade, Elle was irritated with him. He was just lucky Ty was there to keep her from openly chastising him.

“Actually, I heard on the news that there was a huge solar flare a couple days ago. I’ve been at work all weekend, though, so I haven’t noticed anything unusual. Do all the animals have ESP now?” Justin asked with a jovial grin. Ty and Elle both laughed. “I don’t even understand why it would matter,” he continued. “Who cares if your dog can read your mind? What’s he going to do about it? Go tell everyone your deepest, darkest secrets?”

“That’s a good point,” Ty said. “Besides, if they can’t understand human language, how would they understand human thought? I suppose some of our thoughts are more abstract, or they involve images rather than language. But still, what would it matter?”

“It wouldn’t. Once again, Justin’s instincts have saved him from throwing his money away,” Elle bragged. “And that leaves more for me.”

Justin looked at her in shock. He wasn’t naïve. He knew that his money was hugely appealing to her. But she would never admit it. “What did you say?”

“I said your instincts saved you from throwing your money away,” she repeated. “What is wrong with him tonight? He’s not listening to a word I say.”

His brow furrowing, Justin looked to Ty, who looked bored now. He didn’t react at all to what Elle had just said. Maybe he was just politely ignoring her rude comment.

“Is he wearing an ascot? What a pretentious idiot!”

Justin’s head whipped around to see who dared insult him at his own party. He would have no qualms escorting the offender off his property. But everyone around him seemed to be wrapped up in their own conversations, none of them even looking at him. Shaking his head, he turned back to Elle and Ty, who, surprisingly, was eying the ascot around his neck. Justin reached up and touched it self-consciously.

Everything felt off all of a sudden. He had to get away for a moment. “Would you excuse me?” he asked his companions. Without waiting for a reply, he walked away, towards the house. Afraid that Elle would try to follow him, he moved quickly, keeping his eyes down to avoid eye contact with anyone.

“Justin, are you alright?” He looked up to see that he was approaching Kimber and Vivienne. Kimber was watching him, obviously concerned.

“I’m fine. I just need a minute,” he answered, rushing past.

“He looks terrible. I wish he would let me help.” It was Kimber’s voice, but when he looked back, she had her drink to her lips as she listened to Vivienne’s chatter. He wondered if he was losing his mind.

Not a moment too soon, he was in the safe haven of his house. There were caterers rushing around and a couple girls headed for the bathroom, but he ducked into the library where it was perfectly quiet. He paced the length of the room, parallel to the bookshelves he had hired someone to fill, but he couldn’t get his head to clear. Why was he hearing things? He looked down at the drink in his hand, wondering if someone had spiked it with some sort of hallucinogen. If that were true, though, the effects surely couldn’t have worn off so quickly, yet he wasn’t hearing anything out of the ordinary now.

It had been such a distressing phenomenon, and he couldn’t manage to compose himself. If he could just shift and escape into his bear’s mind for a little while, he knew he would feel much better. Bu he dismissed the idea immediately. There was no way he could get away with it with so many people around. Someone would see him ducking into the woods by himself, and then the rumors would start. Unless, of course, he went through the garage. There was only a small strip of lawn between the back of the garage and the woods, and there was even a door leading out that direction. It could work, and he didn’t feel like he had much of a choice if he wanted to return to the party with his sanity.

Slipping out of the library, he soon made his way through the house to the garage, out the door and into the forest. He could hardly wait until he was hidden in the trees before he stripped off his clothes, hanging them neatly on a low branch. Then he closed his eyes and concentrated on becoming a bear. Moments later, he fell onto his forelegs and began to wander aimlessly, allowing his preoccupied human mind to be overpowered by the animal’s.