Bearly Hanging On: Soulmate Shifters in Mystery, Alaska Book 3

by Krystal Shannan

  But what happened after that?

  She couldn’t remember. Just that he’d been holding her. That she felt safe in his arms.

  A hand squeezed around her waist. Not on her skin. She could still feel the presence of her jeans and bra and shirt. And there was a sheet and at least one blanket, but still…there was an arm and a hand draped across her body as if he’d taken possession.

  “You should take the medicine now, if you are awake,” the familiar rumbly voice from the store murmured from behind her in the bed. “Ava brought in some Tylenol and water. She said it is helpful for pain.”

  Holy crap!

  Tara shot straight up and out of the bed. Way faster than she should’ve. Her head pounded. She put a hand on the wall to steady herself and looked down at the very large bed where only a moment ago she’d been warm and happy and buried in Owen’s scent.

  Now she was cold and felt an immediate loss of connection. She let her gaze flicker to the enormous man sitting up on the opposite side of the bed. He was still clothed too. Jeans. Red flannel shirt. Same one he’d had on in the store. Same one she’d seen dissolve around him and turn into shaggy brown fur. And yet…the only thing she could seem to focus on was how much she wanted to touch him again. How much she wanted to bury her face in the soft fabric of his shirt and forget everything.

  The fight. The creepy stalker guy and his pal. The fact that her parents were still in Anchorage. That her dad was undergoing yet another treatment and she was here instead of there with them.

  “The store!” She reached for her boots and then sat down with them on the edge of the bed. “What happened? I have to go back. I can’t imagine that it’s all still in one piece and it’s not locked up for the night. And—” A hand on her leg stopped her flood of words.

  Owen was kneeling in front of her on the floor, tugging the boots out of her hands. When had he moved? She’d forgotten how big he was. Even on his knees he was still eye level. And those eyes. God, she could get lost in those big brown eyes for the rest of her life.

  “I will take care of it. You must rest.” His words floated into her mind, only halfway registering. Mostly she just heard his gravelly sexy voice that seemed to make her entire body hum with excitement like she was the gameshow wheel and he’d rolled a perfect score.

  He was beautiful. Short scruffy beard. Wavy long brown hair. Shoulders that would make a highland warrior jealous. Hell, an entire body that made hers hum in very carnal ways just from proximity. How she could have a throbbing headache and still be thinking about what it would be like to actually sleep with Owen was mind boggling…yet, she was.

  She’d felt his arms. His leg on hers. He was hard all over. He probably had muscles that went on for ages.

  She met his whiskey-colored gaze again and noticed a twinkle of mischief in his brown eyes flecked with gold. She hadn’t said any of those thoughts out loud, had she? Heat warmed her face.

  His lips turned up just slightly at the corners.

  So beautiful. She just wanted to touch him again. She felt better when she was touching him. Why hadn’t she just pretended to stay asleep? She could still be dreaming and snuggled with him oblivious to everything else.

  But everything that’d happened at the store was still swimming around in her mind too. The things she’d seen couldn’t be real. She’d been panicked. He didn’t turn into a bear. He didn’t. It couldn’t be real.

  Instead of losing her shit, she just kept staring into his brown eyes, flecked with gold. They were an anchor for her, holding her steady. Strangely they weren’t as brown as they had been only a few moments ago. The colors churned together, sparkling and shining like the sunlight on choppy water. But it wasn’t the light filtering through the blinds on the window. His eyes were generating light on their own and the brown in his irises was rippling with gold like it was liquid. Alive with something she couldn’t describe. Something beautiful. But definitely supernatural.

  “It was real, wasn’t it?”

  The light in his eyes died away. The gold vanished. They were back to whiskey brown.

  “Yes.” The tension in his voice said he was waiting for her to lose it. One of his hands tightened around her ankle. Like he was preparing for her to bolt. The other hand slid up to rest heavily on her opposite thigh.

  He was so close. But instead of panic, she felt peace. Desire. Need. “I don’t understand how it could be real.”

  “I’m not from your world, Tara.” He said the words like it was nothing. Like he hadn’t just admitted to being an alien from another planet…world. And not only an alien, but an alien that could turn into an animal. An alien shapeshifter.

  The next thought that crossed her mind scared her worse than the bombshell he’d just dropped.

  “Are you going to leave?” Her chest tightened. Her lungs wouldn’t draw air. The engineer of the emotion train had pulled the emergency break and she was grinding to a halt. She couldn’t imagine her world without Owen. She barely knew him, but that one kiss. And every time they touched. It was like magick. It was magick. There was no other explanation.

  He shook his head and Tara felt some of the tension release.

  “My world burned. We escaped to this one. There is no going back.” He reached up and cupped her cheek. “I couldn’t leave you purposefully, Tara. Ever. You are mine. My shuarra.”

  Shuarra. Other world. Holy shit. “Wait. You said we. Who’s we?”

  “My sister is also from Reylea.”

  Tara nodded. That she expected. “What about the others in the store? The ones that stood up for me yesterday against Raish. Kann and Tor and Penny. That’s why they have such strange last names. Holy shit! Is Raish from there too?”

  “It is not my place to speak of the others, but Raish is a wolf. He is dangerous, but I will protect you. I won’t let him near you again. You have my vow.”

  “Like a werewolf. But you’re not a wolf…you were a—” She knew what she’d seen. A bear. A bear bigger than any she’d ever seen in Denali Park or on a freaking National Geographic Special.

  “A bear. Yes.”

  “You said that s-word. Shoo-something. Raish said it. He said it meant wife. We are not married. Not that I wouldn’t consider marrying you, but you’re from a different world and I don’t know what’s really going on here yet. Well, you said you’re an alien. But what are your customs? I can’t just be married to you cause you say. And oh my God, I’m going to stop talking now.” Tara sucked in small quick breaths. “Are we even compatible?”

  Holy crap. It was so much all at once. And she’d just word vomited all over the man she had a crush on. The man she now knew was a bear-shifting-alien person from another world.

  Holy crap. And she’d practically just said she would consider marrying him. And it hadn’t been a lie.

  Holy crap. What was wrong with her?

  9

  Owen stared in silent shock at Tara. Not only had she not freaked out about him being a bear, she’d rambled on about being willing to marry him and asking whether or not they were compatible. Well…she’d said a few other things too, but those were the only ones he’d really heard. He should’ve tried to listen better, but his bear was pushing from the inside out and he wanted nothing more than to lay her back across the bed and take her right here and now.

  Everything he wanted was right here in front of him. Everything he wouldn’t be allowed to keep. But to have her, even for a short time, was better than to never hold her in his arms again. Never know what she tasted like. Never feel her naked skin pressed against his. Never hear her scream his name in pleasure. There were so many other wishes.

  His bear rumbled in his chest again. Tara broke her gaze from his and looked down.

  “That noise. The growling. It’s you. I thought it was a dog in the store. But it’s you. It was all of you wasn’t it?”

  Owen quieted his bear and nodded. Tara reached forward and cupped the side of his face with a hand, grazing her fingers lightly along
his cheekbone and then down over the beard covering his jaw. Her thumb brushed just slightly across his lips.

  He leaned into her caress.

  “You didn’t answer my other question.” Her voice was so soft. Like a breath of wind that hadn’t decided which way to blow yet.

  Owen grabbed her hand and kissed the palm, relishing the tremble that rippled through her small body. Entranced by the enticing scent of her arousal, he continued to kiss. Further up her wrist. Up her arm to the crease of her elbow. She didn’t pull away. Didn’t push him away either.

  “We are very compatible.” He breathed the words against her skin. Her scent filled his lungs. Satisfied his bear. How had he stayed away so long? He hoped that was the answer she’d been wanting. It was certainly the one he wanted to give her. “And I would marry you as soon as you were ready to consider it. You are my shuarra.”

  Wrong thing to say.

  Her eyes bugged out and she scooted backward, away from him, folding her legs up to protect herself…from him.

  “I would never push you into anything, Tara. Ever. And even if you choose never to love me, I will protect you until I breathe my last.”

  Her shoulders visibly relaxed. Not a lot, but enough that Owen’s heart seemed to find a steady rhythm again. She was still on the fence about running. He couldn’t let that happen. He would earn her trust, no matter what it took.

  “You called me your wife. Shoo-ar-rah. Doesn’t sound like I have much choice in your mind.”

  “Shuarra is mate. You are my mate. Your soul calls to mine, but still I would never claim you without your permission.”

  “But the wolf would. Raish.”

  Owen grit his teeth and tried to quash the loud growl rumbling in his chest at the thought of Raish with his hand anywhere near Tara again. “You are mine. I will protect you.”

  Tara rubbed her temple and grimaced. “This is a lot, ya know. I hope you can appreciate how much I’m absorbing right now. I’m not even going to ask about the soul thing right now.”

  A knock at the door drew both their attention. Owen scented his sister before her head poked through the door. “Hi. Tara, I’m Ava. This big oaf’s little sister. I left you some pain meds there on the table with a glass of water. You really should get a bit of rest. Your head has got a Denali-sized lump on it. I’ve got some soup simmering on the stove. I’ll get Owen to wake you in a bit.”

  “The store is open. I have—”

  Ava shook her head. “I’ve got that covered. Headed there in five minutes to lock up everything for you. Owen will be with you if you need anything. Bathroom is just down the hallway to your left. Like Owen said, you’re safer here, especially if the wolves are still out prowling.”

  “The keys are in my bag. In the storage room.”

  Ava nodded and disappeared down the hall. When Owen turned to look at Tara again, she was laying her head on one of his pillows. Her eyes were strained. She’d been hiding how she felt and he hadn’t noticed.

  “Take this.” He took the two little white pills from the table and the glass of water. “Then rest.”

  She complied. Then laid back down on the bed.

  He pulled the heavy quilt up from the foot and covered her, all the way to her neck.

  “It smells nice. Smells like you.” She smiled dreamily as her eyes fluttered closed. His chest clutched tight and his throat closed. After all of this she wasn’t afraid of him. Not really. Perhaps confused and overwhelmed, but she wasn’t afraid. She wasn’t screaming for the police, turning him and his sister in. She was laying in his bed complimenting his scent.

  He circled the bed, toed off his boots, and crawled up to lay behind her. The clothes and blankets between them didn’t matter right now. He just needed to be near her. He rested his head behind hers, breathing in her scent, letting it wash over him. He draped an arm over her waist and pulled her body closer, tucking it against his.

  She stiffened against him, but he didn’t release her.

  “Rest, Tara. I’m here.” He knew she was tense because he was there, but he couldn’t bear to leave her alone, especially after his sister had said he should stay. Everything inside him demanded to stay. Wanted more than to just be holding her. But that was something that Tara would have to want and invite. She was destined to be his. It was only a matter of time.

  Time and evading the wrath of a certain dragon.

  “Were you sniffing my hair?”

  He couldn’t hold back the chuckle. It rolled up from his chest and shook his body just slightly. “You smell good.”

  “Oh.”

  He waited. She was thinking. He could almost hear the wheels turning. She trusted him, but he would have to tread carefully to continue building that trust. The last thing he wanted was to scare her off, but her curiosity was working with him for now and he couldn’t be happier with that. No matter how hard he was. Control.

  “Your bear though, he’s not going to come out without your permission and—”

  Owen hugged her tighter. “The only thing my bear wants is the same thing I want.”

  “Which is?” Her voice was hesitant, but curious.

  So he took a chance.

  “To taste every inch of your skin and make you scream my name until you collapse on my bed unable to move and agree to be claimed.”

  “Oh.” She echoed her previous answer and a delicious shudder rippled through her body. He could smell her arousal through her clothes and the blankets. He couldn’t see her face from where he lay behind her, but he could only imagine that her cheeks were the same color as her fiery red hair.

  He nuzzled her neck, rubbing against the silliness of her hair. “Rest, Tara. As much as I want to taste you. I want you to heal more.”

  “Plus, we don’t really know each other that well.”

  “There’s that.” He muttered into her neck.

  “And my head does hurt…a lot, actually.”

  “Also a problem.” He breathed slowly. In and out. In and out. In and out. His bear was on the edge though. It’d been too long since he shifted. His control was tentative at best. He needed her to sleep.

  “Why didn’t you come around before?”

  Owen’s chest deflated. This was the conversation he didn’t want to have. Couldn’t have right now. Right now he just wanted to hold her. Feel that she was safe. Know that at least for a few moments he got to pretend that she was really his. That she would accept his claim. That they would live and love and grow old together.

  But they wouldn’t. Col would make sure of it.

  Even if he wanted to fight, he stood no chance against a dragon.

  “I will explain after you rest.”

  The promise seemed to assuage her.

  Tara’s form finally softened in his arms. Her breathing evened out and sleep stole her ability to question him further. Instead he relaxed and pulled her just a little closer, fitting her luscious curves into the hard lines of his body.

  She was perfect.

  * * *

  ***

  Tara stretched and froze in place. She wasn’t at home. She wasn’t in her bed. She wasn’t even on a mattress. She was laying on top of…Owen. Holy crap, how had that happened? She was sprawled across his chest like she owned it.

  His breathing was steady beneath her chest. She could feel the thrum thrum of his heart beating. It was so normal. He didn’t make her think of a terrifying alien shapeshifter who could change into a bear at any moment. He was just a man, attempting to take care of a woman he was more than fond of. Their earlier conversations came rushing back. The ones that would have them skipping rapidly over the dating portion of a normal relationship and jumping right into the committed-for-life portion.

  He’d said he wouldn’t push, but the question in her mind was did she want to wait? And how was she okay with that? Owen wasn’t human. His sister wasn’t human. The other newcomers to town weren’t human either. They were all bear shifting aliens.

  Or were they? Raish was a
wolf. Owen and Ava were bears. Were the others different animals? Kann didn’t really seem like a bear-type guy, but then again. What did she know? She certainly wouldn’t have said Owen was a bear, but now that she knew…it did fit.

  Owen was big and growly and seemed to do what he wanted when he wanted. Except he’d been avoiding her. She’d felt it from the very beginning. He hadn’t been afraid. He hadn’t disliked her. But she knew without a doubt that he had been avoiding her until recently. The only thing that had changed was the creepy dude coming around—the wolf.

  Owen stirred beneath her and she tensed further, trying to decide the best way to extrapolate herself from his arms without disturbing him. There certainly wasn’t a clear way. She slid a leg to the side of his hip and held her breath. His cock twitched beneath her belly and she held her breath. Heat flushed her face.

  The man was large. Significantly larger than what she would consider normal. Maybe it was a bear thing? Or maybe it was just that fact that Owen was nearly seven feet tall. Being a semi-giant would mean bigger…ah…appendages, right? Logistically it made sense in her head.

  Shut up hormones. This is not the time.

  She put a hand on the center of Owen’s chest and lifted her body just a little, pushing herself closer and closer to the side of the bed. Before her body had moved more than an inch or two, Owen’s arms came up around her shoulders and pulled her back down flush to his chest. Her breasts were pressed hard against him. Her face was tucked neatly against his neck. Her heart thunked in her chest like a pinball in an arcade machine. He wasn’t making this easy and she really wanted to avoid the awkward moment where he woke up and found out that she had somehow crawled up him like a mountain goat.

  She turned her head. The light coming through the curtains was slight now. Sunset was nearing, which meant they’d been asleep over three hours. In May, sunsets in Mystery were closer to 9pm. She’d been closing the store at five when everything happened.

  Tara really needed to tell Katherine where she was…not everything, but at least where she was. She needed to get her car. Go home. If anyone drove by and saw her vehicle still in the parking lot. People might worry. Of course, her phone was in a dozen pieces on the floor of the store.