Kara didn't respond at first. She was busy replaying everything that had happened and all that he'd said to her since coming into her life. She was about to set Hallbjorn straight when he informed her that they were being followed.<br/><br/>Alarm raced through her, and her heart starting beating a quick rhythm as he pulled them into an empty parking lot. She didn't understand why they weren't trying to get away. Kara was scared of what they were about to encounter. When Hallbjorn opened the door, she wanted to stop him, to urge him to get them away from the danger. But it was too late. He shut the door behind him and went to meet the threat head on.<br/><br/>Moving forward in her seat, her hands clenched the dashboard when she saw the werewolf couple from the restaurant, along with two more that shared the man's red hair. Their eyes glowed like hers, but the blue looked eerie. She saw the lips of the man from the restaurant move, and Kara rolled down her window just a little bit to hear what was being said.<br/><br/>Although she didn't understand everything the werewolf said, in part to his thick accent and odd words, she understood clearly that Hallbjorn had killed their brother. It was a harsh reminder of what he said he was. That he had shed much blood. But any sympathy she might have felt for the werewolves was burned away when one of them gave her a look that made her skin crawl.<br/><br/>Terror seized her along with the realization that if Hallbjorn did not defeat them, horrible things would happen to her. Kara couldn't force herself to move, even as the need to do something became overwhelming. There were too many. She had to get Hallbjorn and escape.<br/><br/>Then Hallbjorn was moving so incredibly fast, and he began to grow bigger. She could scarcely believe what she was seeing. Kara couldn't tear her gaze away as he tore through the werewolves. Not even the first two times she'd seen him fight could prepare her for what was happening now.<br/><br/>After he took down the first one, and she saw the others grow larger as well, Kara found it hard to breath. She was torn between being afraid of Hallbjorn, and being afraid for him. Then the others were on the ground, and her protector ripped a wheel from their remaining vehicle like it was nothing.<br/><br/>In the sudden silence, she was able to hear groaning from the fallen werewolves. If what Hallbjorn told her about how hard it was to kill an immortal, then that meant he'd let them live. The mercenary had shown more mercy to his enemies then she would have ever expected.<br/><br/>He turned towards her, and Kara's gaze met his and his stunning grey eyes. There was no hiding the fear in her own eyes, but she did not look away. Now he looked undone, with his hair wild and his body so incredibly large. Now she'd finally seen a berserker in full rage. Yet amazingly, she still trusted that he wouldn't harm her. It didn't mean she wasn't still afraid, though.<br/><br/>After a long, tense minute, Kara opened her door. She didn't break their eye contact, and most definitely didn't look around at the carnage. Her body trembled as she slowly made her way to him. Once she was only a few feet away, her eyes traveled down his body. She sucked in a breath to see his shirt torn and bloody.<br/><br/>When she looked back into Hallbjorn's eyes, she became resolved. Kara slowly reached for his hand and gripped it as best she could. Though it was not easy since normally his hand would be bigger then hers, and right now they were so much bigger.<br/><br/>She swallowed her fear, then spoke. “Let me take care of you.”<br/><br/>Slowly, Kara began to lead him back to the truck. She was still avoiding looking at the werewolves. Their sounds of agony made her sure that they wouldn't be getting up anytime soon. Still, she wanted to be away from them.<br/><br/>She led Hallbjorn to the passenger seat, then moved around the truck to the driver's side. Kara slipped behind the wheel, then pulled the seat up until her feet could reach the pedals. Once their doors were shut, she pulled out of the parking lot and drove until she felt she'd put enough miles between where the attackers lay. After pulling into a lit gas station, she chose a spot right on the edge of the lot and parked.<br/><br/>She found the small first aid kit in the glove compartment that she'd caught sight of the day before, then left the truck and came around to Hallbjorn's side. After opening his door, she looked into his eyes to see if he was returning back to normal.<br/><br/>“I want you to know,” she said, then forced more calm into her voice, “that you did not mess up my life. I would have changed anyway, and if you had not come for me, then there is the very real possibility that I would have killed someone I care about. That is a fate I could not have endured.”<br/><br/>She looked back down at his torn shirt before returning her gaze to his own. Her voice was softer, less certain when she asked, “Will you let me tend to your wounds?”