The Bear’s Forever Mate: Borealis Bears: Book 3

by Arend, Vivian

  He jerked upright in surprise. “I don’t have to. It would slow us down too much.”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know that we’re in a race against time. Either Mason will be around when we get there, or he won’t. There’s nothing to say we can’t travel at a pace that works for us. Which means why don’t you fish? It’ll save some of our food supplies for another day.”

  Cooper nodded slowly. “I don’t think we should dawdle too much, but you’re right. It would save us food.” He glanced at her. “I’ll have to shift.”

  Here they went. Ever since he’d surprised her back at the cabin, Amber had been waiting for an opportunity to make this point.

  She went straight into his personal space, planted her fists on her hips and stared him in the eye. “I assumed you would shift because I don’t think you’re any better at catching them with your human hands than I am, and I don’t remember us packing fishing gear.”

  He slowly shrugged out of his coat, laying it over the seat of the sled. “I don’t want to make things tougher for you. That’s all.”

  “Maybe part of the reason why your bear and I are a little uncomfortable around each other is because we’ve never had the chance to get comfortable. Have you ever thought about that?”

  He went absolutely still. Opened his mouth. Closed it.

  He tilted his head, and suddenly it was his bear examining her as his eyes changed slightly to reveal the wilder part of him.

  She lifted a hand to his face, the roughness of his beard already beginning to appear. “I’m not scared of you.” She spoke softly but clearly. “I’m cautious, and that’s not the same thing as scared. Maybe if we spend more time together, that caution will go away.”

  Amber helped strip off Cooper’s shirt, and this time it wasn’t with some sexual haze but a determination to learn more about both sides of this amazing man she wanted in her life.

  Although how shifters could stand in an icy wind with bare feet on the snow was beyond her.

  She stepped back slightly, but kept her gaze fixed as Cooper met her eyes directly one more time. He nodded as if agreeing and then—

  It was indescribable. That moment of transitioning between human and animal. His magic seemed to blur the forms so at the same time he was Cooper the man and Cooper the bear, and yet neither.

  When the magic settled, a massive polar bear with blue eyes rested on his haunches only a few feet away from her, sitting very, very still.

  Which was considerate, because no matter how much she wanted to prove she accepted both sides of this man, whoa, Nellie, he was big.

  Big head, big paws. Big body now settling to the ice as he rested his chin between his front paws and looked up at her.

  Waiting.

  Amber marched forward, dipping low enough she could brush a hand through the thick fur on the top of his head and his neck. Slowly she worked her way around him, getting used to the feel of his fur under her fingers. Estimating the distance around his torso and deciding that if push came to shove, she could probably ride him—not that she was going to say that out loud.

  When she finished her leisurely stroll around the behemoth that was Cooper, she returned to his head. “Okay. I have zero desire to arm wrestle you in this form, but I can see why the girls call their mates cute.”

  Cooper lifted his head, disapproval apparent in his eyes.

  “Sorry, but it’s true. I mean, you’re also intimidating and massive and a mighty predator, grrrr and growl and all that. But gosh, you’re also cute.”

  The bear pulled back his lips into a smile and razor-sharp teeth came into view.

  Amber had been expecting it, so while her heart rate picked up a little, she knew it was all in fun. “Don’t sneak up on me, that’s all I’m saying. I might tackle hug you.”

  Cooper the bear rolled his eyes so hard he ended up on his back, legs waggling in the air.

  Amber gathered her courage and slipped beside him, leaning into his side and laughing.

  Connection growing.

  14

  Cooper was head over heels in love.

  He was also standing knee-deep in the open water of the riverbank where Amber had ordered him to get fishing, but all in all, he was very pleased with how the past few minutes had gone.

  Isn’t she awesome? he asked his bear.

  The creature rumbled a little, slightly distracted by the fish darting below the surface. Mostly not wanting to admit the truth.

  Go on. Admit it. Amber is awesome, and she totally dealt with your big furry ass without freaking out. Maybe there was a way to shortcut the mating situation before any of the dire issues Alex had mentioned became true.

  I like her, his bear admitted. She’s trying, but she needs to find her brother. Otherwise she’s going to spend all her time wondering where her family is instead of becoming our family.

  And there again, Cooper couldn’t argue with the logic. Which was annoying, considering his bear’s stance on logic.

  For the next fifteen minutes, he gave in to the other side and thoroughly enjoyed chasing the silvery salmon. Once he had a nice selection, he sat down and waited to see what Amber would do.

  She’d had been watching him fish, and she stepped forward right away. Her approval was clear as she stooped over the pile of fish still quivering on the riverbank then nodded at him. “Very nice fish. Well done.”

  Okay, she is kinda cute when she’s trying to suck up, his bear said.

  But then the damn creature had to go and shake.

  A shout of dismay rang out from Amber. By the time Cooper pulled himself back together and shifted to human, it was to discover her glaring at him. Water dripped off the end of her nose and from the ends of her sleeves.

  He shrugged. “Oops?”

  Amber rolled her eyes at him then shook herself, rather unsuccessfully in his estimation. “Fine. Get dressed and you can help me deal with the fish.”

  Which was when Cooper discovered that despite all the training his grandmother had insisted he and his brothers complete while in human form, parts of his education were lacking.

  The fire did nothing but smolder. Plus, when he picked up a fish to help Amber clean it, he had no idea what to do.

  Amber had watched him as closely in his human form as she’d examined his animal side, and now she pushed his hands aside and took over the fish. “I’ll work on teaching you later. Now we should have something to eat quickly and then hit the trail again.”

  “But there’s no fire,” Cooper growled, annoyed with himself on so many levels.

  “We don’t need a fire now, and if we don’t manage to get one going tonight, that’s okay. You’ll just have to keep me warm,” Amber told him. “I’m pretty sure between you and that set of high-quality sleeping bags, I’m going to end up toasty warm.”

  She’d been working quickly while she spoke and now handed him a plate covered with beautifully sliced ribbons of salmon sashimi.

  Cooper pretended to be shocked. “I can’t eat that. It’s raw.”

  She stared at him in horror. “You’re kidding me, right?”

  How he kept his expression straight, he didn’t know. “Raw food? That’s for bears.”

  Don’t mind if I do. His animal side poked him eagerly.

  Amber slid into his lap, one brow raised as she examined him. Then she shook her head and grinned. “You’re a tease.”

  He let a smile come as he used his fingers to pick up one of the delicate morsels. He lifted it to her mouth. “Eat.”

  Her lips closed around his fingers. Her tongue stroked hot and wet against him until she pulled back and began chewing.

  Cooper took the next piece for himself and commanded his body to behave until the food was gone, because then there would be no reason for them to continue to sit there in the cold. Not when she was looking at him with those eyes that said the sooner they got to where they’d set up for the night and they could get truly warmed up, the better.

  Travel fell into an ea
sy rhythm. They woke, ate, packed, and traveled. Through it all, they chatted when they could, headsets buzzing with shared stories and hopes and dreams.

  It was lonely out on the tundra, the landscape changing only minutely once they passed beyond the tree line. There were sections with more rocks, or more hills, or the occasional lake with scraggy brush clinging to the shoreline. But whiteness and blue skies and small bushes covered with more whiteness were pretty much it.

  The fuel caches were in good repair, but with each one they reached, Cooper scented less activity in the recent past.

  They were going through their supplies at a steady rate, so whenever possible, he shifted to fish. Amber didn’t seem to be at all upset by his animal presence.

  They were setting up for the third night when he caught her tossing a rope over one of the scarce trees in the vicinity.

  “What are you doing?” Cooper asked.

  “Hanging our food, same as usual.”

  He knew he was staring. He’d had no idea she’d been doing that. “Why?”

  “To keep it from wild animals.”

  “You’re adorable.” The words slipped out before he could stop them.

  She paused. “Um… Thank you? But why?”

  He caught her chin in his fingers. “The biggest, baddest predator out here is me.”

  She blinked. “Oh.” Another pause, then she nodded.

  Cooper hesitated. If she looked horrified…

  A sharp sound escaped her lips. Cooper checked carefully to discover Amber was laughing.

  “Oh my God, your face. I can totally see why Kaylee and Lara say that polar bears are cute.”

  “Oh, honey, no. We’re the scariest of all the beasts.”

  “But cute… I think it’s the winking.” She gave him an exaggerated example, and he snickered in return.

  I do not look like that when I wink, his inner bear protested, but the animal was snickering as well.

  The fourth day of the journey, they hit a snag. This fuel cache had been used lately, and only a limited amount of supplies were left.

  Amber eyed the skimpy stockpile. “If we fill both our sleds, somebody else is going to hit this stop and be in big trouble.” She glanced at him. “What if I take the sled, and you run along in your bear form? We can hook a small toboggan behind me for anything extra we want to take, but then we’ll only have to fuel one vehicle.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’m the one who suggested it,” Amber said dryly. “Come on. It makes the most sense, as long as your bear is up to it, which I’m pretty sure he is, because he’s awesome.”

  Why is it that I know she’s buttering me up, yet it still feels good when she makes a compliment? This is a human thing, correct?

  It was damn amusing is what it was.

  It was also hopeful because as long as his bear was still trying to figure things out, Cooper thought he wouldn’t be making any rash decisions like trying to take over full time.

  It’s a human thing, he agreed. It means she likes you. Humans also deal with this by teasing the people they want to spend time with. And occasionally poking each other. Only that one gets complicated as to who gets to poke who, when, without overstepping boundaries.

  Humans are weird.

  No arguments there.

  Which is how Cooper and Amber ended up abandoning one of the sleds and heading out. A skid full of extra supplies was attached behind Amber’s sled, and Cooper, in his fur, bounded along at her side.

  There was something exhilarating about having the snow under his feet as they raced forward. Amber drove the sled with confidence, the occasional dip or rise hidden by the sheer strength of the sun on the snow occasionally sending her jerking. But she kept her seat, and they made good time.

  Darkness welled near the distant horizon.

  Cooper moved toward Amber to make sure she’d spotted the change in the coming weather. She was already focusing on the sky. She waved a hand forward, gesturing to the right where the faintest shadow suggested there might be trees or a place to find shelter from the coming storm.

  The wind picked up. Cooper tucked his head down and put all his energy into moving forward. Beside him, Amber fought the wind and the increasingly rough terrain.

  They were still too far from the protective shelter of the ridge when the wind unexpectedly changed direction. It picked up the layer of snow that had been on top of the base, and suddenly they were surrounded by whiteout conditions.

  Between one breath and the next, Cooper lost sight of Amber.

  He slowed, keen ears listening for the sound of the sled engine. The steady buzz slowed as Amber dropped speed—

  A grinding whine rang out. Cooper cursed because he knew the noise. The shocking sound of the engine whining at high speed followed by a muffled crumple as if a paper bag were being folded against a snowy mattress.

  Amber.

  He moved quickly, the tumbled skid the first thing he discovered. A few feet away, the sled lay on its side. The engine was still whining, smoke billowing from the electrical system.

  He put his nose down and tracked straight to Amber.

  She lay so still and motionless he was nearly scared to death. He stuck his nose beside her neck and was delighted when she shouted, rolling and scooting away from him, crab-like.

  “Dammit, Cooper. I told you not to sneak up on me.” She pressed her hand to her forehead and swayed.

  He shifted, catching her in his arms. “Sorry about the nose. I know it’s cold.”

  She laughed softly then moaned. “Okay. Next move?”

  Cooper glanced around quickly. He spotted a gear bag that had been tossed off the skid and hauled it back to her side. By some freak luck, he’d found the sack holding their sleeping bags, and he wrapped the warm fabric around her. “Stay here. I’m going to make a basic snow cave. I’ll go as fast as I can.”

  When she didn’t protest, he stepped away and shifted again so he could use all fours and his full bear power to dig into the snow. The wind whistled past, but as soon as he broke through the upper layers and got down a foot or two, the hard snow beside him created a wind block. The temperature was still cold but lessened without the windchill.

  In the distance, the sled engine hiccuped then stalled.

  By the time he made the pit deep enough for the two of them and went back in his human form, Amber had dragged together a few more of their supplies.

  Concern and cold hung on her. “I can’t find our shelter.”

  “We’ll be okay,” he promised, reaching for the clothing she’d found for him.

  She pushed his hand away. “You need to shift. If you stay in your bear, you’ll keep both of us a whole lot warmer.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Amber nodded decisively. “I’m positive.”

  Shift. You’re not built for this weather. I am, his bear said bluntly. Hurry up.

  The urge to change was so strong, Cooper worried that it wasn’t a good idea. Was his bear taking over?

  Yet shifting made the most sense, so he led her back to the basic shelter, helped her down and arranged the blankets so that once he was in his bear form, they’d both be as protected as possible.

  “No slicing me open like a tauntaun,” he warned.

  He wasn’t sure why she laughed as hard as she did.

  Laughter still on her lips, Amber caught hold of his face and kissed him fiercely before leaning back against the snowy wall and wrapping the sleeping bag tighter around herself. She watched him shift and, once he had carefully settled, she crawled up against him.

  She shivered hard, her face screwed up tight. It was breaking his heart that she was so afraid but still willing to face her fears.

  Why did it take you so long to shift? his bear asked. Even I was cold out there, he complained.

  Probably not a good thing to discuss that they might have a possible issue at hand, Cooper decided. If it came down to it, he would stay in human form to be with Amber forever.
>
  It was a terrible decision to imagine making, but ever since he’d heard Alex’s warning, Cooper had been quietly considering his options.

  Yet as the temperature around them slowly rose and Amber rolled in to face his chest, she reached out a hand and brushed against him. And again. As if she was petting him as she fell asleep.

  That little bit of hope in his heart grew larger. Maybe, just maybe, everything was going to work out okay, and no one would need to make any big sacrifices.

  15

  Amber woke to a low buzz in her ears and the heat of a sultry summer day.

  A pale blue light filtered from above, and when she twisted her head, she discovered the groundsheet that they’d stretched over them before curling up against the storm was now firmly anchored in place by snow.

  They were safe and cozy in their small snow cave, and she was no longer cuddled up against Cooper’s bear, but his very human self.

  Naked self.

  Naked and aroused self—that last bit became utterly apparent in a very short period of time. He moved her over him, and she blinked in surprise at discovering his back rested on a soft surface that was warm to the touch.

  “Where did you find a bed?” she asked.

  “The one supply bag I tossed in the hole with us had exactly what we needed. Once we had a roof overhead, and it warmed up, I shifted and did a little organizing. You were sleeping soundly, so I guess you missed the action.” He stroked his hand over her cheek and down the side of her neck. “How do you feel? Anything hurt after your little flight off the sled?”

  She stretched slowly, the heat from his body sliding around her like a radiator. “A few twinges, but nothing serious. How are you this morning?”

  His eyes flashed, wild and needy. “Hungry.”

  He slid his hand up her back and pressed her body closer to his, angling their mouths together for a kiss. The setting was unlike anywhere she’d ever experienced before. The blue light shining down on them was still visible even with her eyes closed, turning her surroundings into something unworldly.

  Cooper kept her anchored, though, his kiss bringing her to here and now. Exactly where she wanted to be. His touch was so caring, so careful, and the love growing in her heart welled up even stronger.