by C. D. Gorri
He’d worked with the architect on the design for the log cabin so that it would be inconspicuous and yet maintain the standard of luxury he was newly accustomed to. What could he say? Even Grizzlies liked their creature comforts.
“Wow,” Teresa gasped as she took in the rustic looking two-story structure.
“I need to unlock the door, then I’ll get the bags,” he said and exited the vehicle.
Oliver had the latest state-of-the-art tech in security systems. Draco Fortis made the best. The company was owned and operated by a rare Dragon Shifter with exceptional skills and powers that he infused into all of his designs. The Falk brothers also happened to be fans of Oliver’s work and the youngest, Nikolai, had installed the system himself just to get a chance to meet him. It was flattering and he welcomed the opportunity to visit with the unique and rare Dragon.
Oliver opened the sleek security pad that was hidden under a cut-out piece of log like the rest of the entire exterior, and he pressed his thumb to the reader before entering a secret passcode. After that, he used a standard key to unlock the massive wood door. Once inside, he activated the smart cabin using the touchscreen that was recessed into the wall.
Immediately, his generator started and electricity began to hum throughout the building. He was proud to say he’d also utilized wind and solar panels that stored energy into backup batteries to give power to the cabin. Oliver quickly pressed commands to start the central heat and he lit the fireplace, while switching the lights on. He swallowed nervously.
A woman, not any woman, Teresa Witherspoon, his runaway mate was about to enter his home away from home and oddly enough, he wanted her to like it. He straightened his shoulders and shook his head. What the hell was wrong with him? He walked back to the SUV, nodding at her to go in and went to the back to begin unloading the bags.
He tried not to notice the curve of her shapely body as she bent and took Thomas out of his seat. He was definitely sick for taking pleasure in her rounded bottom in her condition. His chest rumbled and he shushed his inner Bear.
“Mommy, forest!” the cub laughed and pointed at the tall pine trees and a single red cardinal that peeked out at him from one of the limbs.
“Yes, baby,” she said and held his hand while he navigated the three steps to the open front door, slowly and carefully, “Thomas, easy does it,” she said when he tried to run.
“Hungry,” he said and rubbed his tummy.
“Alright, now let’s sit at the table and I’ll get you something to eat,” Teresa spoke to him gently and he approved.
Oliver listened to the cue and grabbed the grocery bags first. He walked into the kitchen and almost tripped at what he saw there. Teresa settling Thomas on one of the tall counter chairs and licking her thumb to wipe a smudge from his nose. He snorted.
“What?” she asked mid-swipe.
“Nothing,” he smirked, “it’s just such a mom thing to do.”
“Oh,” she grinned back, “sorry.”
“This Mommy,” Thomas said and tilted his cherubic face to the side as if questioning Oliver’s sanity.
“Yes, Thomas that is your Mommy. Do you know who I am?”
“Daddy,” he bit his lip and waited, uncertain of Oliver’s response.
“That’s right,” he said and crouched down to eye level with the boy, “I am your father.”
Oliver watched as the boy cocked his head to the other side and his brown eyes deepened to near black. Oliver heard the chuff and whine of the child’s young Bear and his own animal rose to respond to his cub for a brief poignant second. But how could that be?
His eyes darted to Teresa’s and he saw her biting her lower lip. She was scared, that was obvious, and he wanted to snarl and roar once again to protect her.
“Grisle Bear likes you,” Thomas said in a whisper.
“Grizzly, Thomas, it’s Grizzly Bear, and that’s good cause I like him too,” Oliver said patiently.
“Hungry, Mommy, want dippy eggs,” he blinked up at his mother, his Bear momentarily pushed aside.
“Me too,” Oliver winked and stood, turning to Teresa who had started unpacking the groceries.
“Is it alright if I put these away and make something?”
“Of course, make yourself at home. I’ll get the rest of the things.”
Oliver vaguely registered the background noise of Teresa cooking in his kitchen. That was a marvel in and of itself, but he was distracted by another obvious and unusual truth.
Thomas, his cub, was a Shifter like him. Now, typically Shifters did not experience their first transformation until puberty. The child couldn’t be more than two-years old, though age was difficult to tell in a Shifter baby since they grew more rapidly than normal children. Still, his Bear was very near to the surface. The boy could possibly have his first change a lot sooner than was usual.
He needed to call Jennifer. The Owl Shifter woman was the oldest creature he knew at over six-hundred years, though she didn’t look a day over thirty. She lived in the forest near his cabin year-round and he knew her to be connected to some secret Shifter agencies that worked with keeping their secret from being outed to the rest of society.
Jennifer would know just how rare a thing it was for a young cub to be so close to his Bear, and she could possibly tell Oliver what to do. Besides, he could use other advice as well. Like on what he should do with Teresa. Plus, he’d brought the supplies she’d asked him for so that was a good excuse to call her for a visit. Maybe they could all go. Thomas would like to walk through the woods, he was sure.
The image the thought conjured up made his chest swell. Oliver had been alone so long, but now he had something he’d only ever dreamed of. A family.
That is, he had a son for certain, but whether or not Teresa would want to stick around was an unknown. Could he trust her even if she said she would stay?
Mate, his Bear once more supplied the answer, but Oliver was still unsure.
Chapter Five
“I finished washing the dishes and pans from breakfast, and Thomas is taking a nap in the bedroom you suggested. I thought, maybe now we could talk?” Teresa had spent an extra fifteen minutes washing the dishes just to build her courage to approach him.
Gosh, he was so handsome. More so now than he’d been back when she had first known him. Oliver Pax, the man himself, was as tall and wide as ever. Big as a house with taut muscles cording his enormous frame, smooth skin, usually bronzed from his time outdoors, was still a little on the pale side from the long, harsh winter they’d experienced.
He wore his beard close-cropped but thicker and longer than before, and his dark hair was shorter. He used to keep it a bit more shaggy, but she supposed that was more from it not mattering to him at the time. He looked more polished now.
His teeth were white and straight, and his chiseled features more emphasized by the expensive new hair-do. It was obvious he had become a success, even if she hadn’t read all about him in every article and blog she could get her hands on over the past two years.
But his eyes are still the same, she thought as she inhaled the deep woodsy scent that she’d always attributed to him. Those rich brown orbs resembled freshly ground coffee beans with a dash of magical sparkle thrown in. Whenever his Bear was close to the surface they darkened impossibly so, to near black but they were not cold like the word implied. They were rich and warm, like molten dark chocolate.
Sigh. Teresa had given up her virginity staring into those bottomless velvet brown pools. She’d always known he was different, special somehow. Just like she’d always known she would love him until the day she died.
Oh, Oliver, her heart squeezed painfully in her chest. Looking into his now cold eyes, she couldn’t help but remember how it used to be. How they’d once glittered in the darkness full of passion and love for her. She’d felt so safe, so cared for when she was in his arms. When he told her his secret she’d cried tears of joy. Just knowing real magic existed in this sometimes cruel world had
given her so much hope.
Hope that she could end the nightmare that was her homelife. Her father had gone from distant and cold to intrusive and cruel once she’d started dating Oliver. She tried, oh how she tried, to keep it from him, but the man had her followed on more than once occasion.
She had to tell Oliver the truth now. All of it. She had no other choice. Thomas’s life depended on it. Swallowing back her fears, she took one last look at the closely guarded expression on his gorgeous face. How many nights had she gone to bed sobbing into her pillow, tears in her eyes and pictures of him floating around in her head? It didn’t matter now. Only Thomas mattered.
“Well?” he looked up from the sheet music in his hands.
The sight of Oliver writing music was nothing new. He seemed to always be working back in Brooklyn Heights and she used to love watching him. Amazed that he’d tolerated her presence while he captured the beautiful music in his brain on paper and recordings. There was none of that forbearance in him now. She shivered at the sharp note in his voice.
His eyes flashed behind her, concern on his face, and she warmed to him once more. It was obvious he was worried about their son, obvious he cared for their sweet baby as she’d always known he would.
Wow. She’d never expected to be able to even think those words much less say them. She inhaled a deep breath allowing the familiar forest scent of him to fill her nostrils. She opened her mouth slowly, taking the chance to utter those words aloud. Finally.
“Our son is special, Oliver, he’s growing very fast, much more advanced than any human children,” she watched him swallow down that fact, “he is bright and strong, and so very precious to me. You have to know I would do anything, hell, I would die to protect him.”
“Teresa,” he started, but she didn’t allow him to finish the thought, she used the moment to take the chair across from him.
“I know this is not easy for you, Oliver. Believe it or not, it isn’t easy for me either, but I need to say it. What I am about to tell you is going to sound mad, and you may not want to believe it, but I swear on my life it’s the truth,” she closed her eyes for a moment, the thing inside of her was riding her hard, and she had to work even harder to shut it down.
“I heard some of your story, Teresa, and I suppose it is only fair to warn you before you go down this road that Shifters like me can pick up on certain things with our supernaturally enhanced senses, like emotions, heightened pulse, even a rise in blood pressure,” he quirked one eyebrow as he spoke, and Teresa couldn’t help but think he was cute when he was being all arrogant.
Sigh. She’d been talked down to most of her life by one man or another. It was one reason she’d fallen so hard so fast for Oliver. He didn’t treat her like an idiot. Until now.
“In other words,” she looked right into his deep chocolate-colored eyes, “I shouldn’t bother lying, is that it?”
“That’s right,” he said in a gravelly voice.
God, how she missed that about him. Oliver had the deepest, sexiest voice she’d ever heard. Especially when his Bear was pushing him as his majestic beast surely was now. She could only imagine why. The animal probably hated her for her abandonment. The very thought brought a stab of pain straight through her heart.
“I didn’t know it then, but back when we were seeing each other my father was having me followed.”
“You said that, but why would he do that?”
“A million reasons I suppose, but mainly to control me,” she swallowed.
It was difficult to reveal this side of her life to him. Back then, she’d brushed aside all his inquiries about her home life, choosing to remain firmly in the comfort of his presence. It was so much better than thinking about her father and his maniacal attempt to control every aspect of her life.
“He found out, Ollie,” she slipped, calling him by the nickname she’d given him back when he used to smile at her, before she left him thinking their relationship had been some trifle when in reality it had meant the world to her. Ollie she wanted to still be able to call him that. Her Ollie. But he’d corrected her that morning. He wasn’t her Ollie anymore. He was Oliver.
The flare of his nostrils and slight widening of his eyes made her own breath catch in her throat, but by the time she blinked that look was gone. Maybe she’d imagined it.
Teresa would give anything for him to look at her the way he used to even if just for a moment. She closed her eyes and shook away the silly wish. She needed to remain focused on what she had to say.
Lord knew, she wouldn’t get through this if she started thinking about all her regrets and longings. There were just too many and too much time had passed for that. She had Thomas to consider now. With that in mind, Teresa took a fortifying breath and moved on.
“Witherspoon Tech has been working in collaboration with some secret organization, I don’t know what they are called, but I found messages signed or not signed exactly, but stamped with the image of a beetle on the bottom.”
“What are you talking about?”
She huffed out a breath in frustration. The truth was she didn’t have enough information on all the nefarious deeds of her father, but she knew it was bad. The fact that he had never stopped hunting her and her son, that he wanted to put sweet Thomas in a cage, frightened her more than anything else in the world.
“My father is into something truly evil, Oliver. He wants to study Shifters, and not for anything good. After the last night I spent with you, his men grabbed me just outside your apartment when I’d gone to catch a taxi. They brought me to him and he was horrible. He threatened you,” her voice cracked as she lost herself in the memory.
Her father’s steel eyes glittered at her wildly in the confines of his home office. Unfamiliar in his rage and revulsion, Teresa recoiled each time he raised his hand. He slapped her hard across her face and she tasted blood inside her mouth. She’d bitten the inside of her cheek with that last hit. Teresa begged him to stop, cowering on the floor in confusion at his apparent hatred of his only child.
“You little slut! How could you bed an animal! Just like your mother. You’re no Witherspoon!”
“Father, please!”
She’d cried and begged. He did stop hitting her, but then he did something much worse. Nodding at someone behind her, Teresa found herself soon bound to a chair and forced to write a note to Oliver callously ending their relationship.
Afterwards, he had her taken to a secret lab where his henchmen took her blood and gave her a series of injections. Once she discovered her pregnancy, she was able to bribe one of the guards to release her. All she had to do was give the man the numbers to one of her father’s bank accounts. After that, she ran.
“I couldn’t go back to you, he would have been watching. I had to protect you and the life growing inside of me,” Teresa blinked at the paper towel that was thrust in front of her face.
She’d been so lost in the memory that she didn’t even realize she’d been crying. Oliver was kneeling beside her. His concerned expression made the tears fall harder, and she bit back a sob.
“Teresa, I don’t know what to say,” he began, and she nodded covering her face.
“I know you don’t believe me, but I swear, he made me write the letter, he told me he would kill you otherwise. He had pictures, Ollie, of you and your Bear, he was going to blackmail you and expose you,” she cried harder, “then when I knew I was pregnant I had to get away from him. I don’t know what he did to me, but there is something inside me now. Something bad. I can’t let it out. If something happens to me and my father gets his hands on our baby who knows what he will do. He wants Thomas. He’s tried to take him before, but I can’t let that happen. You have to help, please, even if you don’t believe me. You have to protect our son,” she begged, foregoing all pride in her fight to save her son.
“Easy, easy, I believe you,” he looked at her hard for a moment then tugged her into the familiar warmth of his powerful embrace, “I got you, Resa,�
� he murmured and she clung to him.
“Thomas?”
“I have you both. He’s my son, I will protect him. I have money now, power, connections, I’m a Grizzly Bear for fuck’s sake and if anyone tries to mess with my son or his mother, that person will die,” he vowed.
“Ollie,” she breathed as relief and something else inside her began to take flight.
The feeling took off and lit up like fireworks. It felt good, right, being in his arms. Safe and protected. She breathed in his scent and clung to his strong capable shoulders. Teresa was finally home.
Chapter Six
“Resa,” Oliver squeezed her tight in his arms and nuzzled her cheek.
He turned slightly so that they were facing each other. They were so close that he could see the tear drops that clung to her dark blond lashes and his reflection in her creamy jade eyes. Oliver pressed her even closer still.
She was so beautiful. Even more so now that she’d matured. Her lovely lithe body had filled out in wondrous ways that both animal and man were dying to explore.
Shit. If he went down that road, he’d never find his way back. But right then, Oliver and his Bear did not give a damn. He wanted her. Wanted to feel her soft submission under his searching lips. Wanted to taste her peaches and cream scent on his tongue and swallow it down.
“Ollie,” she said his name unconsciously swaying closer.
The scent of her sweet arousal reached him and he growled softly in response. She was hypnotizing him all over again, and right then he didn’t care, wouldn’t fight it. He wanted it and her, that sweet oblivion only she could give him. Oliver’s heart thudded inside his chest.
Mine, growled his Bear.
He cupped her face in his hands, wondering at the way she turned into his touch, and the soft rumbling sigh that escaped her plump pink lips. Need flowed through him, an unstoppable tide. Why should he fight it?