Bodyguard Bear

BARRETT - FOXY SURPRISE

Barrett watched Tala eating, eyes down and her hair hiding her face. He couldn’t believe Penny had never told him how beautiful she was. Thinking about what Penny had told him of her, he realized she had barely mentioned her looks at all and certainly hadn’t done them justice. Penny had focused more on Tala’s personality, how shy she was, how she got uncomfortable in crowds and her issues with casual touch. Penny had also mentioned she could be surprisingly funny and had amazing situational awareness, always telling Penny when a situation was about to become more then they had bargained for.

His first look at her had removed all coherent thought from his mind. She was easily a foot shorter than his own 6’2, and wearing the prettiest dress he had ever seen, a shade of cream covered in green vines and small flowers in blue and purple. The skirt flared out from her waist and he flushed slightly noticing how the bodice fitted tightly around her breasts and had a modest neckline that barely hinted at her cleavage. Her hair was longer than he expected and flowed down over her shoulders in reddish brown waves. Her facial features were delicate and unadorned, as she wore no makeup. She didn’t need it though as her eyes were captivating, a sparkling emerald green, looking into them felt like he was running through the forest and he felt his bear rising up to look at her too and knew his eyes had flashed with his bear’s regard.

He had both hated and been grateful to Penny for interrupting the moment and allowing him to regain his self control. He knew without that interruption he would have been across the room and trying to get Tala in his arms. Based on her instinctive reactions to him the rest of the evening that would have been a huge mistake. He would have lost her trust right then and there and never been able to get to know more about her, or the chance to make her his.

Barrett shook his head slightly not sure where that thought had come from. He was here to help protect Tala not make her his. It was clear that she needed help and he was worried about her reactions as well. Not even the most submissive shifters he knew cringed back and acted as wary as she did unless they had been abused; either emotionally, physically, or both. He suspected that Tala wasn’t even naturally a submissive shifter but would fall more mid pack or a low level dominate. Her ability to speak even though she was cringing away to try to pacify him and Penny was not something an abused submissive would have been able to do. On that note he couldn’t believe Penny had told her about the pink bear incident.

Barrett had been home from his second year at college for summer break. He heard Penny talking with one of her friends about they party they had been invited to out by the lake. Knowing how crazy some of these parties got he had decided to go keep an eye on his sister to make sure nothing happened to her. Of course, it had not at all gone to plan. He had seen Penny and her friend leave with one of the guys there and followed them. When he caught up to them he saw the guy grab an ass and he had lost it and laid him out flat, only to have Penny punch him in the face for hitting her friend’s boyfriend for grabbing her friend’s ass. Penny had yelled at him for a good half hour as he had taken her and her friends home. He had felt like an i***t for the mistake and had decided to go for a run as a bear the next day to clear his head and come up with a good enough apology Penny might decide to talk to him again before he left to go back to college. He had never gotten the chance as shortly after he shifted, Penny had attacked him with water balloons filled with a mixture of water and pink paint. He had spent the next week as a pink grizzly bear and they had agreed to never speak of the incident again.

Hearing a small laugh, Barrett straightened up and noticed both Penny and Tala were glancing over at him and had finished eating.

“Sorry got a little lost in thought.” He said to explain why he had been staring at nothing for the past several minutes.

“Well I hope it was on how to help Tala” Penny responded primly.

“Uh, not exactly. More a trip down memory lane.” Barrett responded, slightly abashed.

“Perhaps you and Tala should go sit down on the couch where it is more comfortable and start figuring out how to solve what is going on with her.” Penny suggested, as she glanced sidelong at Barret and her eyes glinted.

“Um, I think I will be more comfortable in the armchair but a good idea Penny.” Barrett shifted his weight slightly; he didn’t think sitting right up next to Tala would help anyone. He certainly wouldn’t be able to keep his mind on helping her, hell he wasn’t sure he could keep his hands to himself if he had to sit that close.

As he and Tala sat down, he tried to keep his eyes from wandering and his mind on what he had learned about her from his research earlier. “So, Tala. I looked up your basic information in the shifter census database. You are from the Scotia Gold Pack, Alpha Seth Carhardt, you are 24 years old, have a business degree, and spent the last year working as a receptionist and bookkeeper at Gleeson’s Automotive. Is that all correct?”

“Yes, that’s right.” Tala answered him quietly, her eyes downcast and body shivering slightly.

“Are you cold?” Barrett asked suddenly concerned whether Tala was comfortable.

“No, I am ok.” Tala answered him.

“Oh, right then.” Barrett said, carefully watching Tala for any other signs of discomfort. His bear rumbled unhappy to think Tala needed for anything. “Can you tell me a little bit more about why you felt you had to leave your pack?”

“Seth made me put my notice in at Gleeson’s, told me I didn’t need to work anymore, ever.” Tala replied, shivering more with each word.

Barrett could feel his bear right on the edge of his mind, must change to protect what is ours, she is ours. He breathed in and out counting to 10 as he did so, not the time to shift now, there is nothing here she needs protecting from.

When he had regained control of himself, he asked, “Why did he decide you no longer needed to work? There must be more to it then that for you to leave and feel you are still in danger. You do feel like you are in danger, don’t you?”

“Yes, I know they are coming after me.” Tala whispered her answer and continued just as quietly. “I didn’t need to work anymore because I would be bearing and raising pups.”

Barrett felt himself begin shaking, his bear roared in his mind and he struggled not to do the same aloud. “I see.” He managed to bite out. “That will not be happening on my watch. Why don’t you get some rest?”

“That sounds like an excellent idea.” Penny threw in, after having been surprisingly quiet.

“I will be back in the morning and we can discuss your protection in more detail then, and options to convince your pack to allow you to break with them.” Barrett suggested, happy to be getting out of there before he lost control.

“Right then, we will see you in the morning. You can see yourself out brother. Night.” Penny waved him off airily.

He followed her cue and got ready to leave, he almost missed the quiet “Thank you Barrett. Goodnight.” Tala spoke as he walked out the door.

Her voice was enough to make him want to turn back for another glimpse of her and to wish he could be holding her in his arms and offering her comfort as his sister was doing. Damn just the thought of her in his arms and now he had to burn off more than his fury at her old pack. No where to shift in the city, so he guessed he was going to have to try an evening run instead.