Bennett held his breath, heart beating wildly.
The intruder beamed a flashlight into his eyes, and Bennett twisted from it even as he lashed out with an open hand, claws extended. “Go!”
“No.” The quietly-spoken word slid across Bennett’s senses, raising every hair on his body. “I’m here to help.” When the shifter moved the light beam over him, he felt just as exposed as when Raphael had circled him.
Pulse pounding, he eyed the distance to the cave opening. Could he make it past the shifter before he was caught?
Since that last bout of sickness, his wits were dulled—something he couldn’t afford. He had to think his way out of this situation, because he was too weak to fight this shifter.
“My name’s Kane. I work at the Sanctuary.”
A headache throbbed behind Bennett’s eyes. He squinted. “Shut off that light.”
With a sigh Kane clicked off the flashlight. They were plunged into darkness, but somehow that made Bennett more aware of the shifter than ever. Though he hadn’t gotten a look at him, he felt as if he took up a lot of space.
“You should sit before you fall. You’re weak.” Again, Kane’s gruff tone shot an arrow at the wall Bennett had erected around himself.
It was an unstable wall.
It wouldn’t take much to make it crumble.
Bennett stiffened his thigh muscles to remain upright.
Kane reached out and lashed his fingers around Bennett’s forearm. His long, sturdy fingers were infused with so much heat, Bennett ached to throw himself at the man just to be warm again.
Kane clicked on the light, this time pointing the beam at his own chest and illuminating his face. He was so damn handsome, just like Raphael.
Bennett’s bear responded.
A growl issued from low in his throat. He was half-covered in fur before he could blink. As it erupted from his pores, the agony of shifting without being linked to his mate blazed a path through his chest. Raphael.
With a roar he rushed Kane, prepared to be met with the man’s bear. But Kane just remained in human form, arms extended at his sides.
To prevent Bennett from attacking or to embrace him?
Bennett shook himself and some of his fur receded. He issued a warning snarl and stepped forward.
Kane backed up, flashlight still trained on his chest. He wore thin layers against the chill evening—a lightweight jacket unzipped to reveal a blue T-shirt stretched over his muscled chest. “I have no desire to fight you, bear.”
“No?” The word was a cruel growl, almost ferocious. He was too close to shifting completely. He needed to control his emotions, and fast.
Kane’s voice was gritty. “I don’t fight. Most arguments can be discussed rationally.”
Bennett glared at him, his claws retracting. He took a menacing step toward Kane. Focusing on the shifter’s voice was giving Bennett a bit of his control back. He still wanted to hurt him, to drive him from the cave, but he’d do it in human form.
In bear form he was too close to Raphael.
His breath came faster as his gut roiled.
“At the Sanctuary we can help you get past this stage. You need herbs, healing rituals, food and rest.”
Bennett closed the gap between them, expecting to drive Kane out of the cave. Instead he held his ground. In fact, he puffed up his chest until his body heat radiated into Bennett. A shiver snaked down his spine, and he locked his jaw against it.
“We can help you,” Kane said.
“You don’t know anything about it. I’m not leaving this cave, and if you want to walk away, you’d better go now.” He thrust his face toward Kane’s. The man was unmoved.
Bennett puffed with anger. It was clear he wasn’t intimidating Kane. All he managed to do was drag mint and pine scents into his head. But his nausea eased a degree and he was able to gather strength.
“I’ll go but I’ll just come back.”
Anger built. He shoved Kane. “Like hell you will!”
The man didn’t budge, just folded his arms across his chest and gave Bennett a wry look he took as amusement. Fury pounded through his veins, and he fought hard to keep from shifting and ripping out the shifter’s damn throat.
He raised both hands and struck him square in the chest.
“You’re going to have to put some meat on those bones if you want to pick on me. Why not come to the Sanctuary, we’ll fix you up and you can try it later?”
“Get out!” His order came out as a pained wail.
Kane’s eyes darkened. His lips thinned.
For a heartbeat, Bennett thought he might force him to leave, but he only took two steps toward the cave opening. “Take this.” He extended the flashlight.
Bennett eyed the flashlight. Would having light help him through those long, agonizing nights alone?
“Go on,” Kane urged.
Slowly Bennett reached out and accepted the object.
Kane dug in his pocket. “Take this too.” He held out a clear packet containing some powder.
Bennett stared at the offering then switched off the flashlight, plunging them into darkness.
“Mix it with water. It’s for sleeping. You’re not sleeping.”
How did he know? Were there others like him, driven away by their mates, abandoned?
When Bennett didn’t move to take the packet, Kane released it and let it flutter to the rock floor. “Get some sleep. I’ll come back in the morning.”
“Don’t bother,” Bennett growled.
Without another word Kane turned and left.
Bennett watched him go, fighting the urge to shine the light on his back just to see his form. Even if he didn’t want to need the presence of another shifter, he did.
And he hated himself for it.
Once he was out of sight, Bennett crouched and picked up the herb packet. He cradled it on his palm, afraid yet eager for the sleep Kane had promised.
And wholly aware of the shifter’s heat still radiating from the clear plastic.
* * * * *
Kane perched on the rock wall overlooking one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the Medve Territory. Water creamed over the rocks and plunged fifty feet into a pool reflecting the forest around it.
The view should have provided peace, but his emotions were in turmoil. That shifter… his wild eyes and hungry expression haunted Kane. When he’d almost shifted, Kane had been mesmerized by him.
He was a blond bear—quite unusual in their world. He would have thought the shifter would be red-gold like his human hair, but when he’d begun to shift, he’d been surprised.
More than surprised.
That almost-shift had made Kane’s cock as hard as steel.
Irrational. Unheard of.
Unexpected.
It lengthened again now. He applied his healer’s mind to the moment. It has to be pheromones. Some chemical reaction between us.
Only the shifter had probably been too out of his head with fear and sickness to feel any connection. Kane’s mouth quirked up at the corner as he thought of the shifter’s show of power. In the cave they’d done a sort of dance—a push and pull of power, moving forward and back.
When Kane had finally backed off, he’d felt the shifter’s relief. It smelled different than fear. Spicier, earthy.
Kane plucked at the front of his jeans to make more room for his erection, but it was impossible. Damn, this was his first real solo mission to help a shifter. He couldn’t lust after him.
A picture of the refugee formed in his mind—tall, once-proud. If Kane had his way, he’d be proud again, not broken.
He was Niedz—ruggedly handsome as most were. His square jaw spoke of his heritage. It also made Kane want to stroke his thumb over the lines and feel the scruff of red-gold hair.
He sank to the ledge of rock overlooking the fall. He drummed the heels of his boots on the stone and stared at the fog of spray at the base. The swirling depths mirrored his emotions.
Damn, he could
n’t get the shifter out of his head. Couldn’t stop seeing the pain in his eyes, which were green like the reflection in the water.
Was this how Dirk had felt when he’d seen Ryan for the first time?
Kane shook himself. No, his instinct to help the shifter was the only thing garnering his interest. That was all.
Then why did his cock throb with want every time he thought of him?
He didn’t even know the shifter’s name. All he knew was he wanted to grab his wrists and pin him to a wall, then lean close until they breathed the same air.
Need rushed up, and he palmed his cock through his jeans. His breathing hitched as he did it again. When his shaft lengthened until the tip escaped his boxers, Kane could take no more.
He threw out his senses, and detecting no one nearby, freed his erection. The thick length fell into his hand, the tip already glistening with pre-cum. As he ran his thumb over the fluid, a tremor began deep in his gut.
Without willing it, his mind conjured an image of the shifter as he’d last seen him—confused, scowling but with a hint of boyishness that spoke to Kane on a higher level.
He rolled his cock through his fingers, rocking his hips in time to the rhythm. The sensation in his balls radiated out to claim much more than his groin.
It spread up into his chest.
His breath came fast, his release so close. Pressure mounted. His thigh muscles shook.
When he’d wrapped his fingers around the shifter’s arm, he’d felt his bones too close to the skin. The urge to feed him, cradle him as he slept, struck hard. A picture of the half-shifted bear formed in his mind.
With a stifled roar, Kane came. He snapped his hips, jerking his length through his clenched fist. Hot cum spilled over his fingers, and he threw his head back, mindless to anything but bliss.
As he returned to himself, the sound of water and the soft sough of wind mixed with his rasping inhalations. He glanced around, shocked by his behavior. He’d never gotten physical anywhere but behind closed doors, never fantasized about anyone in particular. When he masturbated he always held some nondescript lover in his mind.
Now he’d firmly dragged a certain red-gold bear into his fantasy and he’d had one of the biggest orgasms he could remember.
He quickly righted his clothes, remorse a burning lump in his throat. He couldn’t allow such a thing to happen again. Yes, he’d return to the cave tomorrow to check on the shifter.
But he’d forget about the way the man’s hands had trembled before his claws had burst out.
He’d ignore the shifter’s clean, masculine scent under the sickness of withdrawal.
Still humming from the endorphins in his system, Kane took the path back to the Sanctuary. He kept his pace slow, trying to put his thoughts in order.
The pine-needle-strewn path meandered around the waterfall and through denser forest. Kane kept alert. Often they’d find shifters lurking in the woods, trying to decide whether or not to seek sanctuary from their troubles. Sometimes they were afflicted with physical injuries caused by fights. Others sought refuge after being turned loose from a clan.
And lately they were seeing more shifters suffering from heartbreak and withdrawal after a mate cut them out of their lives.
He rounded a bend and came face-to-face with Ryan. Ryan’s step faltered.
Kane couldn’t bite off his grin. “Dirk doesn’t know you’re out, does he?”
Ryan stopped walking. He gingerly ran a hand over his chest where the gouges were. “Uh, I hope to keep it that way. He doesn’t want me to get into any more trouble.”
Kane issued a huff of laughter. “I never saw you. But since I have you here…”
What? Was he really going to ask Ryan about his former mate and the debilitating madness he’d lived through?
When Ryan met his gaze, understanding lit his eyes. He gave a slow nod. “You saw him.”
“Yes.” Why did Kane’s throat close up every time he thought of the shifter in the cave?
“He wouldn’t come back to the Sanctuary.”
“Not yet. But he will.” Determination oozed from Kane’s tone.
Ryan pressed his lips into a line. His paler than usual complexion reminded Kane of what the shifter had done to him in the cave. While he’d also come at Kane, not once had Kane felt a real threat. He’d only backed off to try to calm the shifter down.
When Ryan only continued to stare at him, Kane cleared his throat and said, “You don’t think he’ll be persuaded to come to the Sanctuary, do you?”
Ryan gave a half-hearted shrug. “If he’s so determined to be alone that he drives us away, it’s possible he may have chosen his place to die.”
Kane’s reaction was swift and powerful. He slashed the air with one hand. “No. No way in hell will I let that happen.” He couldn’t accept that.
The urge to move won out and he started pacing.
“You may not have a choice,” Ryan said quietly. “It’s not your life. He deserves to control his own destiny.”
Kane shook his head and stopped pacing. “I won’t accept that. He’s sick and needs help. He can’t make a decision like that, because he’s not in his right mind.”
After a minute Ryan nodded. “I hope you can convince him to see reason.”
Kane had to bring up the taboo topic. “You came to the Sanctuary on your own.”
Pain flashed across Ryan’s face but fled as quickly as it had come. “I am not a solitary person. I loved being part of the Ursu Clan. There were few times in my life where I was ever alone. My trek to the Medve Territory was one of them, but my only thought was to find other shifters. It never crossed my mind to be alone with my pain.”
“I’m sorry I brought it up. Dirk would probably kick my ass for it.”
At that Ryan’s face transformed, radiating happiness. “He would if I told him. But I won’t.”
Kane chuckled. “I owe you one.”
“Nah.” Ryan rubbed his chest again, lightly. “Just get that shifter out of there, Kane.”
With his heart drumming so loudly he heard it in his ears, he said, “I intend to. Tomorrow.”
-Chapter Three-
Bennett’s head sagged on his neck. The sleeping herb had been powerful, but not strong enough to make him forget.
Everything returned to him in a rush—Raphael’s abuse, the bruises he’d left with words and fists. Bennett had replayed their last moments together over and over again, but he still couldn’t figure out what he’d done to trigger his mate to abandon him.
“I’ll come along and hunt with you and the rest of the party,” Bennett had said as he watched Raphael ready himself for the three-day-long trip. After that the group was headed for the border to take over patrol duty.
Raphael spun to face him, suddenly half-shifted. His fur stood out straight and his eyes blazed. Bennett stumbled back. He’d never seen his mate look this way before.
He took a step toward Raphael.
His mate opened his jaws to reveal his fangs, and Bennett stumbled back. What was happening?
“I don’t want you.” The growled words reverberated to the pit of Bennett’s soul.
“Raphael—”
His mate closed the gap between them in one lunge. As his bared teeth came within inches of Bennett’s face, Bennett threw up his hands to protect himself. The blast of hot air from Raphael’s snarl washed over his skin.
Raphael’s bear revealed itself more fully with a man’s features but a bear’s jaws, broad shoulders… and claws. He swiped at Bennett, grazing his forearm.
Bennett recoiled, hissing in pain.
“Get out. You’re no longer wanted here.”
Bennett’s mind spun. What was going on? Was his mate ill?
The part of him that belonged to Raphael—the big part that took over most of his being—made his fear regress enough for him to reach out.
Raphael slapped his hand away, claws cutting into him deep. “You’re not my mate anymore.”
; Bennett gaped at his lover of three years. Not his mate? Was it even possible to un-mate? His stomach cramped. “But you claimed me. I belong with you.”
“Not anymore.” Raphael’s eyes darkened and his brows lowered. “Leave this place and never come back.”
When Bennett had continued to stare at him, unable to digest what he was saying, Raphael struck him. His head rocked. The second blow cut across his middle, and hot blood welled from each gouge of his lover’s claws.
A third swipe of his paw had ripped Bennett’s leg from mid-thigh to knee. Agony seared through his system, but it didn’t hurt as bad as his battered heart.
With a whimper, he’d shifted and run.
After running for days, blind with pain and torment, he had stopped several times, thinking to return to Raphael. But then the memory would play in his head again and he’d hear those snarled words.
He didn’t know where he belonged now.
The footstep sounded on the cave floor before Bennett even scented Kane. He snapped upright. Kane crouched before him.
An overwhelming urge to lean into the man, to feel more of that body heat that would drive away this bone-deep chill, had Bennett folding in half with sickness. He didn’t want this man—he wanted Raphael.
“I was afraid of that,” Kane said.
While Bennett wanted to drive him away, to be left alone with his misery, Kane’s quiet words raised a warmth he couldn’t deny but didn’t want to own either.
Kane leaned close and sniffed. “The sleeping potion isn’t strong enough to actually do more than make you dream-walk. I mixed some a little stronger.” He reached into his back pocket. When he extended his hand, a packet rested on his broad palm.
Bennett shoved against the shifter’s chest, sending him sprawling on the cave floor. Even when down, the man didn’t look one bit vulnerable. Still, Bennett took control.
Glaring, he hovered over the shifter, trying not to stagger. “You’re not welcome here.”
Kane lay on his back, unmoving, but Bennett sensed the tightening of muscles. A warning flashed through his head, but it was too late.
Kane gripped him and rolled. Bennett issued a warning growl that came out of his raw throat as a whine.
Trusting the Bear Shifter: A MM Shifter Bonding Alpha Mates Romance (Primal Roar Series Book 2) Page 2