To Love a Bear

by Emilia Hartley

  He rolled off the couch and padded toward his bedroom. Her dark hair created a halo around her head. Dark lashes rested on her pale cheeks as she slept. He moved to open the curtains she’d hung, revealing the red and gold rays of the sunrise in the mountains. When she didn’t wake to the light, fear cut through him.

  He reached for her neck to check her pulse. At his touch, her eyelids fluttered. A sweet smile spread over her lips as she took him in and leaned her face into his outstretched hand. His mind blanked and his beast purred with delight. She stretched, closing her eyes and arching her back, drawing his gaze over her body. Her tiny breasts were hidden by the thin fabric of one of his shirts. It pulled an appreciative growl to his lips.

  She looked to the open window and the rays beyond it before groaning and shaking her head. Boomer laughed when she clutched the blankets and rolled away from the light.

  “Not yet,” she muttered into the blankets.

  “You don’t want to see the sunrise?”

  “I want to see the back of my eyelids,” she mumbled. Reaching back, she patted the space on the bed behind her.

  Boomer knew he shouldn’t. Emmy would go on a grand adventure and remember why she needed to live, but after that she had to go back to civilization. He couldn’t keep her out here with him forever. She didn’t belong with him or the other bears. It was too dangerous.

  And yet, he couldn’t stop himself from climbing atop the bed and laying behind her. He kept a reasonable amount of space between them, but she turned again and snuggled into his chest. Automatically, his arms pulled her in close. He was done for, after today. His heart and his beast would always belong to this tiny woman.

  His bear let out a pleased sound that rang through his ears. The beast had claimed her, against all better judgement. Boomer wondered if it was fated, written in the stars, or if he’d held out for too long and his beast had claimed the first woman it’d seen in months. Either way, she didn’t belong to him. He smoothed her hair back and reminded himself he couldn’t hurt her.

  The beast whispered in his ear. It reminded him that someone else was hurting her. Something pushed her to hide in the mountains. Something placed her on the edge of that hill. His hands tightened on her.

  Chapter Four

  Her legs ached when she stopped moving. They burned when she stepped. Clearly, she wasn’t prepared for the adventure Boomer brought her on. They’d trekked through what felt like miles and miles of mountains before he finally slowed down. Relief filled her until she saw him begin to pull out climbing equipment.

  “I’m not sure I can climb.” She chewed her lip while looking at the cliff face. It was jagged, with plenty of handholds, but rose so high that her stomach dropped just by looking at it.

  Boomer’s smile twisted into a frown. His energy seemed boundless. There was no stopping him, but Emmy felt as though she might fall apart at any moment. She didn’t want to say anything and disappoint him. The thought of letting him down filled her with dread. For some reason, she needed to see what he had to show her. It felt important.

  Maybe it was the look of excitement on his face that morning. She wanted to see it again, wanted to feel it through the murk in her head. Her dreams had been wrought with restlessness. In them, a man pursued her. She never saw his face. All she knew was that she had to run. It was endless, running and running without ever losing him.

  Then, Boomer had opened the curtains and brought her back to reality. Having a man stand over her should have ignited fear after dreams like that. Instead, Boomer made her feel safe. With him by her, she claimed another hour of truly refreshing sleep.

  If only that hour had been enough to get her up the cliff face.

  “Are you sure there isn’t a stair case I can walk while you climb? I’d gladly take that even if it wastes more time.”

  Boomer laughed and shook his head. She watched the muscles in his arms work as he prepared his climbing gear. The sight of him made her mouth dry. She was thirsty, but not for water. It made her remember the way those arms cradled her that morning. She wanted to be wrapped in them again, especially while she explored the small scars on his jaw and shoulder.

  When she came back to reality, Boomer was already halfway up the cliff face. He dangled from the handholds and leapt from perch to perch like a cat. The display was effortless, making her question everything she knew about him.

  Could any human being climb that fast?

  Before she had long to think about it, Boomer called out to her with his trademark booming voice. A harness arched through the air. It fell and dangled before her.

  “I’m going to pull you up!”

  Emmy complied, donning the harness while she wondered how he planned on getting her down. Her feet left the ground just as she envisioned herself clinging to his back like a baby monkey. The thought was ridiculous and slightly terrifying.

  The day before, she’d wanted to die. That much she knew about herself. Now, she feared it. Whatever had driven her to that hilltop was locked behind the wall in her mind. It was kept there by Boomer’s presence. He hauled her to the top of the cliff, the harness swinging and jerking.

  The ground fell away beneath her, but the scene that rose stole her breath. She could see for miles. Tree tops rose toward the sky, their towering heights never quite enough to scrape the clouds. Not like the white capped mountains around them. The moon’s silver face graced the sky, smiling down on the beauty below.

  Emmy gripped the rising rope with every ounce of her desire to live. Finally, strong hands drew her over the face of the cliff and into his arms. She clung to him, still looking over her shoulder at the scenery below. The landscape stretched for miles in every direction.

  “This is beautiful,” she breathed, still holding Boomer. Not because she was afraid of the cliff behind her.

  His lips were close to her ear when he spoke. “If you think this is beautiful, you haven’t seen anything yet.”

  His words startled her and made her look up. At first, her face warmed because she thought he’d been talking about her. Her embarrassment shifted when she realized he hadn’t meant her. He helped her out of the harness, leaving it behind as he pulled her along.

  “Aren’t you going to grab that stuff?”

  He grabbed her hand, gently pulling her along. “Our destination isn’t far ahead. I don’t think there’s anyone around to steal it while we’re gone.” Boomer threw a wink over his shoulder.

  “What if a bear comes along and rips it up?”

  His laugh rumbled through her and brought laughter to her own lips until he spoke. “If a bear touches the harness, I’m going to have to have some words with it.”

  Confusion was a bucket of cold water. Why would he speak to a bear? Was that some sort of bad joke? If it was, it had flopped unceremoniously. Every time she mentioned bears, Boomer had a strange reaction. It was as if he knew something that she didn’t. Part of her expected him to confess that he could speak with animals, maybe just bears.

  That was her head injury talking. She knew it was an impossibility. No one could understand animals, not even those self-proclaimed animal psychics.

  Boomer led her through the woods, between trees larger than both of them and trees younger than her. The sun danced over them until they reached a small clearing. A ray of golden light descended to reveal a small cave opening. While it was the size of a door, it seemed small compared to the mountain it led into.

  “This is what you brought me up here for?”

  “Not quite. What I want to show you is inside.” He rummaged through his bag for a flashlight and handed it to her. “You’re going to want this.”

  The cavern entrance seemed foreboding. The darkness inside it rippled with unknown dangers. “Promise you aren’t going to let me die in there? Promise you didn’t take me up here to kill me?”

  Boomer stepped closer to her. He gathered her hands in his, his expression softening and warming her heart. “I promise nothing will happen to you. Not
on my watch.”

  There was a sincerity in his voice that shook her. She wanted to wrap herself in it. In the end, she nodded and let him lead the way. She didn’t have to turn to the side or even bend her head to enter the cavern. The flashlight Boomer had given her washed over the cavern, illuminating the shadows that once threatened her. The smell of dust and mildew in the air became bearable. It was nothing more than the natural smell of the earth.

  The hallway was narrow, no wider than the hall in Boomer’s cabin, but before she knew it, the caverned opened into a grand room.

  “I call this Boomer’s Heaven.”

  “That’s a bit…” Then she saw why. As the light of her flashlight hit the walls, it danced over veins of gold and quartz. The ripple of metal and mineral caught the light and flashed it back at her in a dazzling array.

  She followed the winding veins along the wall, stepping to run her fingers along them. “This is absolutely beautiful.”

  She passed the flashlight over it again and again, enjoying the way the light hit fractures in the mineral veins. She’d never thought anything like this was possible. It was more beautiful than anything she could have imagined. She could see why Boomer called it his personal Heaven.

  Here, in this dark room, the world seemed far away. She didn’t have to worry about whatever might lay beyond the wall in her mind. Whatever it was, it couldn’t find her in this cave.

  The thought made her turn toward Boomer. What was he running from? Surely, his love for adventure was only an excuse to get away. While he was climbing and exploring the world, he didn’t have to look over his shoulder.

  He was doing so much for her. She felt the need to give back, to help him heal whatever it was that he hid from while he disappeared into the mountain. She couldn’t find the voice to ask, though. She told herself it wasn’t her place.

  Boomer’s life was his own. She was only a visitor, a blip in his life.

  ***

  The awe on her face was worth more than any paycheck Boomer had ever received in his life. It was worth more than his own victories, both small and great. To see her smile with excitement after learning why she’d fallen down that hill filled him with peace of mind. She’d reached the precipice, but he could pull her back.

  He wanted to fill her life with those same smiles. Every day, he would give her a reason to be happy, give her a reason to live.

  No. He wouldn’t. Not if she stayed with him and the other bears. He knew a fight would break out sooner or later. They were bears, barely unable to stand each other for periods of time. Boomer should have brought her to town instead of further up the mountain.

  Each moment in her presence was a mistake, another step in the wrong direction. All he wanted to do was help her find a reason to live, but he couldn’t be that reason. It would only hurt her more.

  The thought of bringing her to town and driving away infuriated his bear. The beast roared and slammed against the walls he placed between them. There was no way he could let them come down while he was in Emmy’s presence. She couldn’t know what he was. It would only put her in more danger.

  There were two choices for a human in the world of shifters, die or become a mate. He refused to force either upon her. Especially now that he knew something else in her life made her want to choose the former.

  But, when she closed the space between them, he broke. He opened his arms for her and drew her close. In the cavern, the world outside didn’t matter. He could let his hands run down her back and over her firm buttocks. She was small in his big hands, but it was her that reached for his beard. She tugged his face down and stole a kiss form his lips before he could process what happened.

  She darted away, back toward the cavern entrance while his lips still tingled. The bear surged forward. It gave chase. Boomer was moving before he even realized it. He caught her and spun her around just outside the cave.

  Emmy let out a laugh that rang through the air and let her head fall back. There was freedom in her voice, in the way she leaned into him. Freedom and happiness. And, he wanted to drown in it. He cupped the side of her face and caught her lips the same way she’d caught his.

  The kiss was soft, but her lips parted, and he hungrily pushed for more. His tongue danced along hers. He savored the taste of her, so sweet. His grip on her tightened. A growl rippled through him. She grasped the front of his shirt and deepened the kiss.

  Then, just as his head began to spin, she let go and staggered away. She turned her back on him, hand over her mouth. The bear nearly forced him forward to reclaim her. It took all of Boomer’s willpower to keep his feet in place.

  This was never supposed to happen. Emmy didn’t need him mucking around in her head. So, he plastered a broad smile onto his face, as if his heart wasn’t screaming in pain, and made his way toward the dropped harness.

  “Was that the adventure of your dreams or do you need me to carry you all the way home?” He’d been trying to lift the mood with a joke, but he slipped.

  Emmy’s brows rose. Her hand was still clamped over her mouth.

  Home, he’d called it. As if she lived there with him, as if it was where she belonged. The woman didn’t know where she’d been before he found her. How was he supposed to help her if he was already making room for her in his life?

  Silent, Emmy stepped into the harness once more. He carefully avoided her eyes while he buckled her in, all the way to the shoulder straps. This had been a bad idea. He’d meant to show her something beautiful and all he’d managed to do was confuse her further.

  He eased her over the edge of the cliff, slowly lowering her down. Her fear when she looked over the ledge had pinched his stomach until she looked at him and said, barely more than a whisper, that she trusted him. The words destroyed him. Especially after she’d been the one to end the kiss.

  Once her feet touched the ground, he tossed the rope down to her. It hit the ground inches away from her outstretched hands. Boomer would have laughed, but he turned away from the cliff and let out a silent scream. The beast in him raged. The creature refused to be silenced. It told him she only needed to be reminded, to be shown that they were meant to be.

  As desperate as his beast was, Boomer refused to force anything on her. He wouldn’t turn her life upside down with his demands. He would rather his heart bleed for her every day than to let her live a single day in pain or confusion.

  The scream did nothing for the storm inside him. The bear lashed out. His fingers curled and sharpened for a moment. He dug them into the ground and pushed against the inconsolable creature.

  “Everything okay up there?” Concern crept into her voice, softening the rage of the monster inside him.

  Boomer wanted to jump from the cliff, to show her everything that he was, but he knew he couldn’t. It would tie her hands in a way she didn’t deserve. Her compassion for him was ill placed. She cared for him as her savior and nothing else. Boomer knew it, and his beast would see it the moment they took her back to civilization.

  He didn’t respond. Instead, he carefully climbed down the cliff face. When there was about ten feet between him and the ground, he let go. Emmy gasped, but he landed with a crouch and bounced upward, ready to go.

  The moment they’d shared up on that cliff was gone. She was silent beside him. Her feet trudged, exhaustion trying to claim her. He opened his mouth to offer to carry her when he heard other voices. Familiarity rang bells in his mind as he sought out the source of the voices.

  “Is that…” He paused, cocking his head. “Is that a search team?”

  “What?” Her spine straightened. If he wasn’t wrong, it seemed like fear hit her. Her eyes opened wide and she scanned the woods around them.

  He didn’t understand her response, but the urge to protect her was overwhelming. “You wait here. I’ll go ahead and look.”

  She wrung her hands and gave a small nod. He glanced over his shoulder twice before disappearing down the hill, as if someone might grab her and poison her if h
e turned away for more than a moment. It was already clear that no true-love’s kiss would save them.

  Perhaps it was a good thing that the search and rescue team appeared. He could send Emmy back with them. He assumed they were looking for her, but even if they weren’t, it would have been safe to hand her over to her own people. The bear inside him would keep her forever if he gave it the chance.

  Voices shouted her name into he woods, confirming his suspicion. They roved over the hill in search of her. Dogs sniffed all along the ground while volunteers and unfamiliar faces shouted. Boomer approached with a friendly smile.

  The leader of the search and rescue team, a ranger he’d had dealings with from time to time stepped up and gripped his hand in a friendly greeting.

  “What’s going on here?”

  “A man claims his wife came into the mountains on a soul-searching trip and never came home. Records state she came up this way, but we haven’t found a trace of her yet.”

  The beast inside him growled possessively. He scanned the crowd of searchers. “Which one is the husband?”

  The ranger jerked his chin toward a young man in a polo shirt and slacks. He stomped through the underbrush, clamped his hands around his mouth, and snapped Emmy’s name. Immediately, Boomer hated him. It was more than the claim his beast had laid on her. Everything about the man screamed evil.

  There was no fear in his voice. If anything, he sounded like an irate man yelling at his runaway dog. The memory of what she’d admitted the day before returned to him. Boomer no longer wanted to let Emmy leave with them. Not until he knew that she hadn’t run away from this man.

  “Hey!” He called out to the man who claimed to be her husband. “Is there anything I can do to help you?”

  The man stopped his shouting and gave Boomer a look up and down. Had this man been a shifter, he would have been vicious. Boomer could see it in his eyes, sharp and decisive.