bags, which he tossed into the back of the truck before gesturing to Zoe to climb in. Then he made his way around and got in himself, sitting down hard in the driver’s seat.
“What’s your name?” Zoe said, smoothing her skirt over her legs.
“ Colson.”
“ Colson, I’m Zoe.”
“Nice to meet you, Zoe. I suppose.”
“You too.”
“I’m headed to Wolf Rock,” Colson said as he started the ignition. “Heard of it?”
Zoe knew of the place. It was a shifter town; the first of its sort , and certainly the most famous. Run mostly by the local wolf pack, its residents were predominantly shifters themselves, or humans sympathetic to their kind.
“Yeah, I know of it.” Zoe looked sideways at him, studying his profile. Colson had light brown hair and eyes that were a combination of green and yellow. His jaw was square and strong, and his handsome face seemed to match his perfectly muscled frame very well indeed. It was really too bad, thought Zoe, that she had no intention of getting involved with anyone. And too bad that she’d chosen today to go back to her natural, less than perfect form.
“So then, are y ou a shifter?” she asked him, knowing the answer full well.
“That depends. Do you like shifters?”
“I have nothing against them.”
He pulled o ut of the parking lot and accelerated down the straight country road.
“Then yes, I’m a shifter,” he said.
“I figured. I thought I saw a couple of canines that were longer than most.”
“ Yeah, you shouldn’t have seen that. I was just having fun and got a little carried away. The animal in me likes to dance.”
“Ev en if your teeth hadn’t been on display, you have the look, you know,” she said.
“Do I? I suppose I do. I forget sometimes that there’s a look.”
“Well, some have it . Some don’t. The wolves are easy. It’s all in the eyes. If I were to guess I’d say you’re a…lion?”
“Nope.”
“A stag.”
“No, not even close,” Colson said, laughing. “You’re not good at this game, are you?”
“Maybe not. Okay then. A wolverine .”
“Try again.”
“I give up,” said Zoe, laughing. She was pleased that her driver seemed to be warming to her. It meant that he’d let her stick around until they’d reached their destination.
“Well, that didn’t last long, did it? ” asked Colson. “I’m a bear. A spirit bear, if we’re going to be specific about it.”
“A spirit what now?”
“Spirit bear. We’re not the most common breed.”
“No, you’re not. I’ve never heard of one.”
“Well, then let’s just say I’m special.”
“That you are,” said Zoe, smiling. It was in her best interests, she knew, to keep Colson on her side while she was in his vehicle. She would do her best to charm him until they reached Wolf Rock and then she’d become invisible. In the meantime she wanted his trust. God, men were so easy to please, even if you weren’t tall and willowy. All you had to do was grin at them, seem to find them amusing and, when they were in need of further enticement, show them a bit of skin.
Colson didn’t seem to demand skin, though. It was almost a pity.
“To be honest with you, spirit be ars are really just black bears,” the young man continued. “The difference is our colour. My bear form is blond, a little like smaller polar bears. But that doesn’t mean I’m not an exceptional badass with indomitable strength and physical prowess.”
Zoe laughed again. “Is your family light-coloured then?”
“My father’s a black bear . My name is sort of a joke. Coal’s son. Colson.”
“I see what you did there,” said Zoe. “Cheeky parents.”
“Yeah, they’re nothing if not clever.”
“So why did you fight back there?” Zoe asked, changing the subject. “Those guys were just a couple of drunks.”
“Let’s just say that I don’t like being hit. I suppose you might call me defensive.”
“Fair enough.”
“And you? What were you doing at a bar in