Teddy fought the impulse to sniff her armpits. She’d showered today…
Nina rose now, too, towering over Teddy. At five-seven, she’d never felt so small. The woman’s nostrils flared, but she shook her head. “That means Katniss Tranquilizer Gun here is paranormal, too. So what are you and why can’t anyone define you by your fucking scent? Shit, I hope it’s something new. I’m damn tired of vampires and werewolves.”
Teddy stretched her neck upward, shoving her hands inside the pockets of her down vest. No backing down, no matter how big and scary. And if Nina was anything, she was intimidating. Yet there was a hint of vulnerability to her Teddy didn’t understand.
“What are you?”
Nina rolled her tongue in her cheek, squinting one almond-shaped eye as she cocked her head. “Former vampire.”
That explained the discontent she’d sensed earlier. “Former?”
“Long fucking story, part of the reason we’re here. Now ante up or I’ll have you breathing through your belly button in ten seconds flat.”
“So you’re officially human now? No super vampire powers to speak of?”
“Yeah.”
“Then I’d like to see you try.”
Nina’s gaze was straight on and deadlocked on Teddy’s face. Her posture changed, her body language riddled with tension so real, she was like a bow ready to snap an arrow off. “Correct me if I’m fucking wrong, but am I hearing a challenge from your ruby-red lips?”
“You’re hearing my defense in regards to your threat. I like breathing from my mouth, thank you.”
Marty grabbed at Nina’s arm, dragging her out of her imposing stance. “This is exactly what I mean. You no longer have the muscle to back up the claims, bully! If you keep this up, you’re going to get us all killed one day. Do you want this to end the way it did with that poor man Eddie in the parking lot of the Dollar Store?”
Nina rolled her eyes in response, shaking Marty off. “Oh, fuck off. He deserved to have his shit handed to him. He was parked in a damn wheelchair parking spot. I just told him so.”
“No. That’s not the entire story. He was picking up his elderly mother, Mad Dog. He almost took your head off with a tire iron when you went at him like some sort of raging bull, Nina! And now that you’re human, a guy the size of a fully stocked fridge can do you some serious harm. You made me make him doubt his manhood after I got done sticking up for you. In front of his mother!” she howled in outrage. “Now for the last time, back the hell off, and stop trying to fill a role you no longer fit the requirements for!”
This particular admission left Teddy with instant remorse. How odd would it be to lose the part of her that had its own way of life? To lose the people closest to her because she didn’t have the same needs, the same abilities, the same struggles they did? It had to be like an average student ending up in the class for Mensa members.
Nina was struggling. With this huge change in her life, with her friends’ resistance to the changes, with the inability to live on the same plane they did.
She knew diddly squat about vampires—even less about how a vampire could possibly be a vamp one minute and human the next. But she regretted her rude words.
Instantly she turned to Nina, placing a hand on Marty’s shoulder to indicate she should back off her friend. “It’s okay, Marty. Really. I’m sorry, Nina. That was rude of me. I apologize.”
Nina flapped an irritated hand at her, slung her backpack over her shoulder and stomped to the farthest corner of the cabin where a small kitchen and a sink with actual running water was located. She dragged a misshapen wooden stool from the corner and plopped down into it, essentially turning her back on everyone.
Crap.
“So what are you?” Cormac finally spoke, his voice slithering over her like a sensual bath of silky warm water.
Her eyes met his, head on without blinking. “I’m a bear. Just like you. Brown bear, if you’re interested.”
Nina had that twinkle in her eye when she made scary bear paws. “You mean like roar, and shredding-unsuspecting-fucking-campers-while-they-roast-marshmallows, stealing-honey-from-hives, raw-fish-eating, Goldilocks-and-The-Three-Bears bear?”
Under any other circumstance, she would have laughed. “Mostly that’s what I mean. Except for the raw fish. Just can’t do it.”
“You’ve shredded unsuspecting campers?” Cormac asked.
Teddy looked right at him. “Duh. Don’t all bears? Is there anything better than hearing, ‘Oh my God, please don’t eat me, you mean, vicious bear!’ as you rip their throats out and collect your booty of baked beans and kerosene lanterns?”
“Aren’t you a real standup comedienne? You do The Improv when you’re done eating people?” Cormac returned.
“Okay, so wait. Lemme get this shit right. Your name is Teddy?” The former vampire squeaked her name out on a high note.