Highland Shifter (MacCoinnich Time Travels #4)(25)
Author: Catherine Bybee

When Simon didn’t deny her crazy statement Helen shut her eyes tight. “No way.”

“I don’t talk to them, not the way you mean, but I do understand what’s going on inside their heads. Those gorillas are used to people. They were surprised by the child’s presence inside their space, but they didn’t feel the child was a threat. Not like me. I could have easily been a threat. So I used my link to suggest that I wasn’t there to harm them and they responded.”

Helen sucked in her lower lip. “This is crazy.”

“I know. Imagine how I felt the first time I realized I could climb inside an animal’s mind. With some effort I can take over the animal’s actions.”

Helen’s knuckles turned white as they gripped the steering wheel. “Are you saying you could make an animal attack or retreat?”

When he didn’t say anything, she glanced over and saw her answer in the depths of his gaze.

“Oh, God.”

“There’s more,” he said.

She thrust her hand out, palm up. “Stop. I’m not ready for more. Okay. I’m not ready.”

Her head already spun to the point of pain. It would take her months to sort out everything Simon was telling her, maybe even years. Her entire world was imploding around her and all she could do was watch and roll with it. It reminded her of her early days in foster care and orphanages. Every day was a new drama, a new obstacle to overcome. There was no consistency in her life, and everyone but Helen had the control.

She hated it then. She loathed it now.

Taking back some control, Helen started the car again and pulled out of the parking lot. They had a couple of hours to kill before they broke into Philip’s home, and Helen could use a little liquid courage.

She drove to the nearest bar, jumped out of the car, and didn’t watch to see if Simon followed her or not.

Chapter Eleven

The dim interior of the bar provided a blanket over the chaos of the day. Helen had tucked herself along a far wall and was already sipping something from a glass. A couple of heads turned Simon’s way as he walked into the room. A woman behind the bar slid an appreciative gaze up and down the length of Simon’s frame and let a half smile spread over her lips. As attractive as the lass was, he didn’t have a second thought for her as he made his way to Helen’s side.

Helen didn’t lift her eyes from her drink as he rested his arms on the table in front of them.

A waitress started toward the table, but Simon waved her off. The lady took the hint and moved to another group of patrons who were watching one of the many sets of televisions hanging from the walls of the establishment.

“They have pills for crazy,” Helen said over her glass. “Pills to make the crazy one feel more grounded, to feel more like they’re sane.”

“You’re not crazy, lass.”

She voiced a short humorless laugh and brought her glass to her lips. “Sanity is being able to judge and reason sensibly. I’m not falling into that category. Against all sensibility, not to mention everything I’ve ever been taught in life, I’m starting to believe everything you’ve been telling me since we met.” She took another swig from her glass and squinted her eyes as the amber liquid went down. “And you just jumped into a cage with wild gorillas. That’s not sane, Simon! Not sane at all.”

“Would a mother not jump into the ocean to save her child even if she couldn’t swim?”

“You weren’t that child’s mother.”

“But I was the only one who could help. The boy needed someone to look out for him.”

“Who elected you?”

Ahh, now Simon started to see the stress ease from her eyes. Her anger stemmed from her concern for his well-being.

“Are you afraid of cats?”

“What? Cats?” She narrowed her eyes to his.

“Kittens? If you were to see a child reaching to pull the tail of a cat, would you not try and stop him before he’s scratched or bitten?”

“Kittens are harmless,” she argued. “Gorillas, not so much. I’ve watched enough Animal Planet to know they can take out a man, even one as big as you, without much effort.”

Simon sat taller. Her unrealized stroke to his ego warmed his insides and brought a smile to his lips. “The risk of jumping in with those animals was no greater than you driving your car on the freeway.” He covered her hand with his and squeezed. “Once you know all of my talents, you’ll understand better.”

“Really?” She tilted the glass to her lips and drained it. “Lay it on me, Simon. What else is there?”

Her brave front was a mask, one he didn’t want to rip off in a room full of strangers. Besides, it wasn’t as if he could prove his ability to shift into an animal here in a public place.

“Perhaps this isn’t the best time to explain.”

She shook her head. “Of course not. Now that I’m ready, you’re not. Story of my life.” Helen raised her hand to the waitress, and pointed to her glass.

Someone at the bar raised his voice. “That crazy son of a bitch!”

“Would you look at that?”

Simon glanced at the television then turned toward Helen. Helen’s eyes grew wide and she grabbed his forearm. Above the noise in the bar, Simon heard the words hero and zoo and his body froze.

Helen’s mouth hung open, her attention riveted to the television. When he looked, Simon saw himself on an amateur video. He sat poised on the balls of his feet in a gorilla enclosure having a stare-off with a wild animal.

“Can you believe this guy?” the waitress asked as she sat Helen’s drink on the table.

Simon reached for the glass and drained the contents in one swallow.

His image plastered in the media would bring unwanted stares and scrutiny, something Simon desperately wanted to avoid with his brief time in this century. Breaking into Philip Lyons home, or spying on the man would be near impossible if strangers could identify him.

“Holy cow, that’s you!”

A couple of patrons shifted in their chairs with the server’s outburst.

Helen’s fingers dug into Simon’s arm.

“Time to go.” Simon helped Helen to her feet as she reached for her purse and tossed a few bills on the table.

“That is you, isn’t it?”

Simon shook his head. “You wouldn’t catch me in a cage with a gorilla,” he denied. “The guy just looks like me.”

No less than eight sets of eyes watched them as they left the bar.