Barrel

11

BARREL

Barrel was having a pleasant time getting to know Eva, although there was a part of him that wanted to distrust her. Women weren’t exactly in his good books, but something about Eva calmed him. That was until he sensed a car speeding behind them.

They leaped into the bushes and crouched to observe what was going on. Barrel could feel his heart hammering through his chest as he held onto Eva, her hand, warm and inviting, curled into his.

They watched as two men climbed out of the front seats and then began yelling. He was considering whether to flee, to take a chance and move, or to talk to the men and convince them they were just out camping. He would have loved to get into a fight if Eva wasn't there. Since he left the prison, he was craving it the way humans hunger for a good meal.

He looked at her, her blue eyes wide and swimming in the darkness.

“Let’s move along the path,” Barrel mouthed, motioning to his right.

Eva looked in that direction and nodded, giving his hand a light squeeze.

Barrel began stealthily moving around the bushes to the right, and Eva followed in line. He held her hand the entire time, watching the men wander around the edge of the trail.

“Hello!” a man called out. “We are here to help you. You looked like you were walking for a while!”

Barrel and Eva continued along the outline of the forest. The men had something in the back of their jeans, which gave Barrel a sour taste in his mouth.

“Your woman looks tired!” the other man called out.

Barrel sensed Eva’s anxiety and tried to speed up. But before they had a chance to get out of sight lines, two more men came up behind them and spoke with booming voices.

“They’re here!”

Barrel instinctively pulled Eva behind him as they stopped. Two men with wide, malevolent-looking smiles rushed behind them, and Barrel’s body went rigid, protecting Eva as they approached aggressively.

“Don’t worry! We’re here to help!” a man in a ponytail said.

Barrel held out a hand to the men, who stopped in their tracks.

“We don’t need any help, gentlemen,” Barrel said, trying to be assertive. “We’re fine on our own. Thank you for your offer.”

The men looked at each other, licking their lips. He didn’t need to be a shifter to sense there was something not so kind hidden in their motives. The two men who came from the car were nearing them. Barrel could feel the space between the strangers narrowing and Eva pressing closer up against his back. He held onto her waist from behind, trying to reassure her with his grip.

“Come on, then,” a man from behind said. “It’s rude to refuse help when it's offered.”

Barrel slowly began backing in the direction they were headed. He needed to leave some space to flee, or fight, or both. He couldn’t place Eva in harm's way. That would destroy him. The reason crossed his mind before he even had time to analyze it. He just had to get Eva out of here unharmed.

“We appreciate it,” Barrel reiterated. “But as I said, we are doing fine.”

A man in front of them hooked his fingers into his belt loops, shaking his head dramatically.

“Now, that’s no way to treat your woman,” he said, voice as slimy as his hair. “Get her the relaxation she needs. Be a man!”

Barrel felt Eva’s entire body wrap around his, the feel of her hands against his back, and her anxiety made him angry. He could feel her heart smashing in her chest, sending frustration through his body like ice.

He took her by the waist and then twisted her around in front of him. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail and brushed against his chest as he moved her sternly.

Her scent was pleasant, and it centered him. He placed his hands on her shoulders, and they continued to slowly back away.

Barrel had to assess the moment practically. He could pick her up and start running, but they could have guns. Eva was human, so guns were likely to injure her.

Or he could fight off the men. He could push her out of the way and have a go at them with no hesitation. He just had to make sure she was completely out of the way before he went into full-blown violence.

One of the men was looking at Eva. She reached her hands around his back, pinning her body against him.

“Come on, babe,” the man said, staring with wide, feral eyes. “Let me show you what a real man is like.”

Two of the men in front of Barrel lunged at Eva while the other two kicked at his shins and knees. Startled, he fell forward, reaching out and narrowly missing the collar of Eva’s shirt. Eva struggled and screamed as they yanked her toward the car.

Barrel couldn’t waste any time. He used his legs to sweep the men who had kicked his legs, then swiftly removed his pants. He shifted into his bear form, towering over the men. They both yelped and fell backward onto the forest floor, staring up in horror at the beast.

He clamped down on them both, roaring in their faces with saliva spraying into their mouths. He took one of their arms into his mouth and thrashed it around like a chicken bone. The man screamed in agony as he tossed him aside. The second man managed to get to his feet, but Barrel turned in time, catching him by the ankle with his claws.

The man looked confused as Barrel tripped him up. He used his razor-sharp teeth to bite off his calf muscle like it was a slab of meat.

“Barrel!”

He immediately let go of the man’s leg and then stomped toward Eva, who was still being dragged toward the car.

Barrel was enraged. He used that anger to slap the men who were holding onto Eva. She had managed to dig her heels into the ground to prevent herself from being thrown into the back seat.

He skimmed one man's cheek and cut the forehead of the other. Eva ducked away from them and used one leg to kick at the shins of the closest man. He shouted in pain, which gave Barrel time to swipe at the men once again. He cut one man’s throat like butter while the other man’s head smacked on the car, then he slid down the side to the ground. Barrel crushed the man’s head like a juicy watermelon below his feet.

His adrenaline was peaking, and Barrel stood in a fighting position.