Fire & Flesh

by Kerri Carr

  “Are you sure you want this?” he asked looking down at her from his naked height.

  “Very sure,” she said, nodding.

  *****

  She was sitting in front of him, looking like an angel who had just found out how nice naughty really was. He wanted to capture the moment before she opened her mouth and told him she didn’t want this, that she’d changed her mind.

  Karen stood up and shimmied out of her pajama pants and he knew his mouth had dropped open but there wasn’t anything he could do about it while she was standing in front of him looking like the sexiest creature on Earth. He couldn’t believe she wanted him.

  “I really want this, shall we go to the bedroom,” she said holding out her hand.

  Just as he reached for it a sound registered in the back of his mind and he struggled to place it. Wolves, and lots of them. Their scent hit his nose and he recoiled. Her beautiful open face twisted painfully as she took in his rejection but he didn’t have time to explain. He just needed to keep her safe.

  “Get dressed,” he said and then turned for the back door. “Lock the door after me. I mean it.”

  She didn’t reply but he could hear her pulling on clothes. He opened the door and slipped into the night. His vision was good in the dark but he knew the wolves were better equipped in that department. They also outnumbered him by a long way and he wished he’d called in reinforcements. They had formed a semi-circle in the back yard and were not very patiently waiting.

  The biggest wolf, a black and brown scarred male, stepped forward. There was no way he could take on all the wolves; he needed to know what they wanted and then get them away from his girl. The pack-leader transformed and stood a little shorter and slimmer than him in human form. He had a scruffy look about him and a bad scent.

  “We have a little problem, bear,” the pack-leader said and his voice whistled slightly through a couple of broken teeth. “That woman in there belongs to one of my pack and I saw you were about to get pretty cozy in there and had to step in.”

  “What do you mean? She broke up with her boyfriend, that’s why she’s here,” he said stalling for time.

  He’d heard a brief story from her uncle. Her ex had taken her for everything she had and split. He didn’t see how she would ever want to talk to him again. He looked back at the cabin and saw a shadow by the window; why couldn’t she stay away from trouble?

  “They broke up after a misunderstanding; the girl is still his,” the pack-leader replied.

  Another wolf stepped forward and sat just behind his leader. He was scraggly and nervy; Lewis got the feeling the pack wasn’t up to your usual wolf standard. They looked tough but in an unkempt, unruly kind of way. He was starting to get very nervous because they weren’t reasonable creatures and he didn’t know how to bargain with them.

  “She’s not interested; that’s why she came all the way up here, to get away from him,” he said. “But I can pass on a message for him.”

  “Just a little message, that would be great,” the pack-leader grinned and stepped back.

  “Tell her I want what’s mine,” the ex-boyfriend had transformed into a tall mixed-race man with a large collection of bruises and a deep cut above his eye.

  “What is that exactly?”

  “The necklace,” he hissed before transforming back into his wolf.

  Lewis didn’t know anything about a necklace but if that was all they wanted, then he would advise her to hand it over and free herself from their attention. He didn’t get much of a chance to consider his options because four men grabbed him from behind so the pack-leader could punch him. They obviously were not used to bears, he thought.

  He transformed and raked a powerful claw across the pack-master’s chest before flinging men in all directions. They returned to him in wolf form and he fought them off for as long as he could; then they did some damage with their claws and teeth that he knew he’d feel for the next few weeks. When they finally moved away, he couldn’t move and he didn't have the energy to shift. He just hoped that Karen wasn’t looking out of her window.

  He remained very still and let his body begin the healing process. He could tell one of his ribs was broken and blood was leaking from his temple but they had mostly caused bruising and he was pretty sure he’d given Karen’s ex the same treatment. Did she even know she’d been dating a werewolf? He figured not or she would have suspected something more about him when he kept turning up naked.

  When the first rays of sun neared the horizon, he shifted and it wasn’t long after that he heard the back door open and feet step out towards him. He looked up and saw Karen coming towards him with a glass of water and a blanket. She looked even more angelic with the first rays of sunlight behind her.

  “I don’t know what I saw or what the hell that was about but we need to talk. Do you think you can walk?” she asked.

  “Not far,” he said and drank the water she held out.

  Every muscle ached and every inch of his skin felt damaged. He was a fabulous shade of blue and he would need to shift a few times to speed up the healing or he would be useless for the next few days. She helped him onto the sofa and covered him with a blanket. He wanted to sleep, but she sat there with a look on her face that said she wasn’t going anywhere.

  “Do you have any painkillers?”

  “I’ll get them and then we talk,” she said.

  He sighed and closed his eyes. He couldn’t sleep, he had to find out what to do about the necklace and call in some of his cousins. He really needed to know what she saw and what she was thinking. She couldn’t have seen him as a bear or she wouldn’t have let him in. His eyes remained closed and he felt himself drifting.

  *****

  Karen put the pills on the coffee table with a glass of water. Lewis had crashed out and she was hardly surprised, given the extent of his injuries. She needed to think about what she had seen and heard the night before and it was probably for the best that he was sparko. She also wanted to clean up the wound on his temple because it looked like it had picked up half the dirt in the yard.

  He didn’t wake when she cleaned his cut and stuck a plaster on it. He didn’t wake for several hours but, as the cloudy day progressed, she watched as his bruises changed color and several grazes formed scabs, healed, and created new fresh skin right before her eyes. She was pretty sure it had something to do with what happened to him when the thugs had tackled him.

  It brought back a memory from when she was a child. She had stayed at the cabin with her uncle when her parents went on holiday to Europe. She had stayed with him for four weeks and had the time of her life, running through the woods, climbing trees and building camps. Somehow she had forgotten she had ever been to the cabin and buried her entire stay with him in the recess of her mind. Now it was open and she could remember.

  They had been walking by a lake in the valley. They had a picnic and it must have been autumn because there were fallen crispy leaves all around. She had seen the big brown bear and her uncle had jumped up to stand in front of her. The bear had made a sound that hurt her ears and then fallen to the ground. That was when her uncle had tied the napkin around her eyes and told her not to peek. She had peeked and she must have thought she was dreaming because the bear had turned into a naked man with a terrible wound on his leg.

  She had seen Lewis turn into a bear, just like the man in the forest all those years ago. If she wasn’t going crazy for a second time, then Lewis was some kind of bear man and she didn’t even want to think about Brad turning into a wolf. If she had been dating a freaking werewolf, then it was seriously time to evaluate her life.

  She wished she could talk to her uncle but her phone had no signal and the nearest payphone was back in the village several miles away. She couldn’t leave Lewis when he was so badly injured and if what she’d heard was true, then this was all about Brad and his big con.

  “Wake up Lewis; we need to talk,” she said shaking him gently, trying to avoid obvious sore sp
ots.

  “Mmm…”

  “Wake up,” she said.

  His eyes fluttered open, and he looked confused for a few seconds. She tried not to dwell on how cute he was as his brain tried to process where he was and what was happening. When he finally settled his gaze on her face, he looked like Santa had just kicked his puppy. She could stare at him for hours but time was ticking by and she needed to figure out what Brad was up to; she’d lost almost everything to him and now he was back and walking on four paws.

  “Get up already,” she snapped. Thinking about Brad had brought the bad mood back.

  He sat up quickly and winced from the pain. She handed him the pills and water and he took them before looking back at her. She wished she had more caffeine in her system but she hadn’t bothered to get the stove going, opting for a heavy cardigan against the cold instead. She was pretty sure there wasn’t enough coffee to fix their situation though.

  “Why did you change into a bear?” she said, taking the direct approach.

  “I wasn’t aware that you saw that,” he grumbled.

  “Well it explains why you kept turning up naked,” she replied. “I thought you were a pervert.”

  “Oh,” he said. “I’m not; I’m just a regular werebear.”

  “And what is Brad, a werewolf?”

  “Yeah, not a good one either,” he said sighing and shifting his weight on the sagging sofa.

  “I need to know everything,” she said.

  “Okay but I think we should go to my cabin where there are stronger pain meds, food, and coffee,” he replied sliding his legs to the floor.

  “Agreed,” she said and was really glad he mentioned coffee.

  “I think you should grab some clothes and stay at mine, it’s easier to defend,” he said.

  “Fine,” she said, but she was already packing a bag because he’d had her at coffee.

  She made food while he showered and shifted. She wasn’t sure if his hairy bear form needed a shower too but she wasn’t about to ask. She was just surprised that it didn’t freak her out more than it had. In fact, she wasn’t fazed at all about him being a huge great grisly but she was pretty annoyed about Brad having concealed his mangy wolf self for all that time.

  She felt instantly better with Lewis’s solid doors and shiny new locks. She brewed the biggest, juiciest looking coffee and had found a bake in the fridge that looked homemade.

  “Is this good to stick in the oven because it looks like I need to eat it,” she asked the minute he set foot in the kitchen.

  “Yeah, my mother must have dropped it round when I was at yours,” he said grinning.

  “Is she?” she pulled a bear pose and showed teeth.

  “She’s a werebear; my whole family are," he replied, laughing.

  When he laughed his whole face reverted back to pretty, even with the bruises, and she felt her heart skip a beat. His fantastic body might have been covered by cargo shorts and a t-shirt but she knew exactly what was under the clothes and had memorized it in detail. He must have sensed her hunger because he reached for her and pulled her against him, wincing slightly as she knocked his ribs.

  “I’m not sure you’re ready for this,” she said.

  “I can take it,” he replied.

  *****

  Karen was amazed at how gentle Lewis was. His size alone should have made him heavy-handed, but he wasn’t; his touches were feather-light and sensual. In fact, she wanted him to hurry just a little because his slow teasing was driving her wild. When he picked her up and carried her to the bedroom she’d tried to protest but he just held her tighter. He put her down gently on the bed and removed his clothes; she was transfixed by the sight of him.

  “You need to come closer,” she said and noticed the huskiness in her voice.

  “Why?” he said, grinning.

  “Because I need you inside me, right now,” she said grabbing his hand and pulling him towards her.

  She removed the rest of her clothes and wrapped herself around him; he teased her core with a cock so hard it made her cry out with desire. She lifted her hips to meet his and it was his turn to hiss with pleasure. His tanned, freckled skin looked beautiful against her dark chocolate skin; he looked like he belonged in her arms and that was such a turn on.

  He brought her to a climax quickly and it was deep and long, growing with intensity. When Lewis finally deposited his load, she felt the sudden warmth hit her still throbbing core. She felt a release that was different from the orgasm she was coming down from. Her body suddenly felt in tune with his; it was as if they had connected on a deeper level, internally.

  “You're my mate,” Lewis said in a breathless voice. “It’s supposed to only happen with werebears.”

  “What do you mean? Don’t be telling me I’m going to have cubs because I’m not ready for that,” she said giggling.

  “Not yet, but as my bonded mate you will bear my cubs one day. Although, they will be half-breeds,” he said.

  “Lewis, I just had the best sex of my life, I can’t talk about babies of any kind right now,” she said, wondering if he was joking.

  “My bear and my human soul have given themselves to you, forever,” he said tracing a fingertip along the curve of her breast.

  “So, that means we’re dating?” she said grinning.

  “Hell yeah!” he said with the promise of more great sex in his voice.

  “Lovely as that was, what are we going to do about Brad?” Karen asked.

  “I’d forgotten about him. Before they got handy with their fists, he told me he wanted his necklace back,” he said.

  “Seriously? He took everything else, he can have the stupid necklace too,” she said.

  She knew exactly what necklace he meant because it was the only necklace she owned. It had been a peace offering from him when he’d upset her and she had wondered where it had come from. He’d just taken it out of his pocket and handed it to her and she had assumed that being that it was second hand it was his ex-girlfriend’s, or worse. She’d placed it in her makeup bag and that’s where it had stayed since.

  She got up and pulled his shirt and her panties on while he watched her every move. She’d left her bags by the door having been consumed with the desire for coffee. The necklace was there, and she saw nothing special about it. When she held it up for Lewis’s inspection the look on his face told her it wasn’t just the gold that Brad was after.

  “Wow, that is the offering a pack-master would give to his bride. It’s handed down through generations of pack-masters. They’re all slightly different but it has the pack inscription there,” Lewis pointed to the swirly design. “My guess is that he stole it and now he has to give it back and I wouldn’t be surprised if he is sent off with his tail between his legs. No one would trust a wolf that steals something so sentimental.”

  “If I give it back will he go away?”

  “I’m sure he will, whether he wants to or not,” Lewis said.

  The wolves arrived shortly after dark and Karen hid upstairs but she could hear every word thanks to the window vent being open. She didn’t want Brad to see her so she stayed out of sight but his voice alone made her cringe. She knew that there were more than just wolves in the area because Lewis had spent an hour talking to his relatives.

  “I’m glad to see you have it,” the deep voice she knew to be the pack-master’s came through the window loud and clear.

  “I hope it gets back to where it belongs,” Lewis said. “I’d like you to leave now.”

  “I see this territory is taken,” the pack-master said. “I had my eye on it but I’m not about to lose half my pack fighting for it.”

  “What about Karen?” Brad’s voice made her shiver.

  “Smells like she ain't your woman anymore; she’s mated to the bear,” the pack-master said. “Anyway, you’re not in a position to be wanting anything.”

  Karen sneaked a peek through the window when she heard Brad’s voice whine as he turned from human into a m
angy wolf. She hoped that she’d seen the last of him. Lewis appeared at her back and slipped his warm strong arms around her, pressing his growing manhood against her. Her heart did a little back flip, and she turned around to face him.

  “You want to know more about being a werebear’s mate?” Lewis asked.

  “Sure, later. But first, you need to do exactly what you did to me earlier,” she said leading him to the bed.

  “Exactly? Can I mix it up a bit, try some new moves?” he asked giving her a sexy grin.

  “New moves? Ooh, I like the sound of them, I’m all yours,” she said pulling the shirt over her head.

  “Oh, you most definitely are,” he replied.

  THE END

  Another bonus story is on the next page.

  Bonus Story 41 of 44

  When Gods Die

  Ever since she was a young girl in the blush of her first real romance, Frederica had fallen in love with the Champs de Mars. She had lost the boy, but her affair with Paris was forever. And so when the first hints of the season poked about, she was always lured back.

  The grand park had been so much lovelier in those days, before they erected that hideous tower. It was a quieter time. People would picnic, children would play, their silvery laughter filling the lilac scented air, boys would woo girls, and kites would fill the sky while crocuses blossomed on the ground. There was a general feeling of peace.

  Over the years, Frederica would return as often as she could to watch as gentle Persephone would work her magic, and her magic always brought that wonderful sense of serenity. Even during those awful wars, the place was a refuge. It was as if antagonists and defenders alike understood its sacred nature, and while armies would march in triumph, they would never ruffle a leaf.

  But the people of France had always recognized their special nature in the scheme of the universe. They had long ago beaten their swords into plowshares, horseshoes and hair-pins, and they strolled slowly and carefully behind as the world ran forward. Time passed, but people still picnicked, children still played, boys still wooed girls or other boys, girls wooed girls, and kites still filled the sky while blossoms bloomed bathing the park with the scent of hope.