Maggie’s car skidded into the narrow shoulder of the backwoods road. “Don’t kill us!” Clara said, noticing the steep ditch.
Nick leaped out of the car and pointed into the woods. “It looks like a path here that runs parallel to the dirt road. We’ll take it instead. From here on out, we’re walking.”
“Are you kidding? It’s dark down there,” Annie said.
“My bear eyesight is better at night than during the day. Just stay close behind.”
“We don’t trust you enough not to,” Annie mumbled.
Nick glanced over his shoulder, just long enough to see Annie, Maggie, and Clara huddled in front of the headlights. “I told you I’m not waiting on you three,” Nick said, stripping out of his clothes.
“You’re not our first shifter. So, don’t be shy, shift,” Maggie said.
Annie clucked her tongue dismissively. “Yeah, after all, it’s not like you’ve got something none of us have seen before, man or beast.”
“Oh … my,” Maggie said, quickly turning her head as soon as she got an eye full of Nick’s naked body.
Nick tilted his head up, biting back on the familiar pain while he was enveloped in a swirling fog of magic. His muscles bulged, and his skin elasticized to accommodate his stretching limbs. Suddenly dropping to his hands and knees, he contorted into his new anatomy. When he turned to stare at the three witches, he had fully transformed into a gigantic bear covered in his familiar thick dark brown fur.
Baring his mouthful of sharp teeth, he roared out an unmistakable urgent call to his mate. The girls jogged to catch up to him as he bounded through the forest.
After several minutes, Nick froze in place without warning. The unexpected stop caused Maggie to crash into him. Clara and Annie soon joined the pileup.
Recovering her footing, Maggie stumbled backward a few steps. “Please keep in mind that we don’t have your magical bear night vision.”
Nick growled at them.
“It’s not like we can understand what he’s saying,” Clara pointed out.
“Here, let me fix that,” Annie said, leveling her wand at Nick and chanting a quick spell under her breath.
Nick’s growls turned into human words.
“There is a clearing ahead with what looks like several old trailers joined together to form a hodgepodge. It’s surrounded by a perimeter fence made out of junk vehicles.”
“A junkyard compound. Classy,” Clara groaned but thought Annie’s spell was perfect.
“Is Gina in there?” Maggie asked Nick now that they could understand him.
“Most definitely. I sense her. And Gavin’s scent is strong. So, he’s here too. Most likely, he’ll have a few of his bears lurking around as well. I suspect this was all done to get me to run into his trap. The only way to sneak through is to avoid the main entrance. I’m able to climb over, but I’ll do my best to find some sort of gap for you to slip through.”
“Yeah, well, that bastard wasn’t counting on you having three witches for backup,” Annie replied.
Nick’s struggled to lower his thick voice to nothing more than a whisper. “I suppose you’re right. But from here on out, we need to be slow and quiet. Get whatever spells, magic wands, or potions handy, and be ready for whatever comes up. I’ll lead us through the perimeter. Once inside, I’m going in after Gina. The three of you can keep our escape route open.”
Clara peered over his back, straining to make out the compound. “Are they all going to be as big as you?”
“Oh yeah. The next question is, how strong is your magic?”
“With all of us working together, it should be enough to nearly kill a man, and it’s certainly enough to incapacitate a giant bear,” Annie replied.
“Follow me,” Nick said, slowly creeping toward the perimeter. The junked vehicles had been crushed and stacked and placed between shipping containers which together created a rusting steel wall. A single yard light illuminated the imposing obstacle.
“Do we have a wall scaling spell? Because this is ridiculous,” Clara whispered.
“It’s like a fortress. Makes you wonder what they are keeping out,” Maggie replied.
“Or in,” Annie said, scanning the wall.