by Clara Cody
His clothes seemed to burst from his body. He launched into the air, and in a blink of an eye, he changed. I did a double take as he landed on four legs. Another bear. I shook my head and looked again. There were two bears, no Sean. What the actual fuck? Before I had time to process it, the new bear chased the first bear off. He roared as the first bear fled into the forest.
I sat in the dirt, panting as the new bear turned to look at me. I felt another scream gurgling up in my throat, but it never came. Suddenly, my head felt light and empty as my vision began to close in. I think I’m fainting, was the last thought running through my mind as the bear came charging towards me.
My head felt like it was about to split into two when I woke up. Fuck, that does not feel good, I thought as I sat up. Everything spun for a second before I realized where I was. In a small cabin, on a couch. Well-worn and light green. The kind you wouldn’t be surprised to see in an elderly woman’s house with an afghan thrown over the top. Where the hell am I?
“You’re up,” Sean said, coming from another room, carrying two mugs.
I still felt a bit woozy, like a thick fog had taken over my brain. I couldn’t remember what had happened or how I got there. The mugs he had looked promising, though. “One of those had better be for me.”
He simply nodded, setting one down in front of me. But I barely noticed it. Worry was written all over Sean’s face, from his furrowed brow to his clenched jaw.
“What the hell happened to me?”
“You don’t remember?” He watched me warily, like I was a dog about to bite him.
I picked up the mug from the coffee table. A tea bag floated inside the dark brown liquid. It smelled sweet, like cinnamon and sugar. “I remember following you…” I gasped. “The bear. There was a bear.” And Sean…
I dropped the mug, splashing tea across my legs and the floor. I hissed in pain, leaping backward onto the couch. I pulled my scorched legs up to my chest and jabbed a finger in Sean’s direction. “You!”
“Lacey,” he said, holding his hands in a calming motion. “Just relax.”
“You’re a—You’re a—”
“Calm down, Lacey. It was just a dream, okay?”
“A dream? Bullshit!”
“You must have hit your head or something.”
I scoffed. “Oh yeah? Well, if I didn’t see anything, then why do you assume I saw something? Unless what I think I saw, I actually did see. Hmm?”
He blinked. “What?”
“Ha!”
He took a deep breath, nostrils flaring. “I didn’t assume you saw anything. But you were about to say I was—”
“What, Sean? What could you have possibly assumed I was going to say, hmm? You’re a…jerk, maybe? A bear-slayer of sorts?” I pointed to a carving on the self. “A fine craftsman?”
“Lacey.”
I jabbed a finger in his direction. “But you’re not! You knew exactly what I was going to say. You’re a…bear!”
He sat back, looking away. “There was a bear,” he said, crossing his arms. “And yes, it attacked you, but I was just trying to protect you. I don’t know why you assume I was a bear.”
“I saw you!”
“Sounds pretty crazy to me.”
“Oh yeah? Look me in the eye and say that.”
He met my gaze, chewing the side of his cheek. “I suppose…to most people, saying that someone is a bear, might sound…insane.”
I glared. “Say I’m not a bear.”
He tried. I could see in his eyes he was really trying. Finally, his face broke. “Okay, fine! I’m a bear.”
“I knew it!”
His face relaxed. “Holy shit!” He exhaled an enormous breath. “It felt so good to say it out loud.” He seemed to remember I was still there. “Oh, shit. You’re not going to run, are you?”
I thought it over for a second. Maybe I should be doing exactly that. If he was a bear, I ought to be running as fast as I could in the opposite direction. But I wasn’t, and the truth was, I didn’t want to. “No,” I answered finally, not really understanding why. “I’m not going to run off.” I cleared my throat. “I dropped your mug.”
“Right. Let me get the mop.” He seemed grateful for the excuse to disappear for a moment. I was too. I needed to have a second to process things. I took a deep breath. Werebears. Who woulda thought? “Was that another werebear?” I asked.
“Shifter,” he answered, returning with a mop and paper towels. “We prefer shifters. And…yeah, I think it was. Too big to be a normal bear.” He came around to my side of the table, pushing the mop back and forth in front of me. “It was only bluffing. The other bear, I mean. It was a bluff charge.” Once the floor was clean, he grabbed a handful of paper towels and wiped the spilled tea off my legs.
His touch made me shiver despite the roughness of the paper towel. If he was really trying to keep his hands to himself, this wasn’t a good way to do it. “I got it,” I said, taking it from him. I cleaned the rest of the tea off myself, not enjoying it nearly as much as before. “How do you know it was a bluff?”
“I just do.”
“Then why did you protect me? Why’d you change and let your secret out?”
“I couldn’t risk it. Not with anyone, least of all you.”
I bit back a smile. “Why’s it here?”
He gave a look back down the hallway. “I don’t know. At least, I hope I don’t.”
“So, you don’t just change on a full moon then?”
“No, shifters are different. We can shift back and forth when we want. And we don’t become animals completely. We can still control ourselves.” He looked away. “Usually.”
“Usually? What does that mean?”
“Some occasions, rarely though, the beast gets the better of us. Like if we’re in an agitated state, maybe. Or if we haven’t learned to control it yet.”
“How do you learn to control it?”
He shrugged. “Practice. Most shifters are born, so we learn it from a young age. Our parents are always there when we shift as cubs to keep us in line, you know?”
I chuckled. “Wow. That sounds almost…normal.”
He handed me his cup of tea and gestured to the opposite side of the couch. “May I?”
I nodded.
“It was normal. For us, at least.”
It was weird to see him talking about himself like that. Not that I knew him that well, but he was always so stiff and tightly wound. Seeing him now, he seemed…relaxed. “So, your whole family is…shifter?”
He nodded. “Born and bred.”
“Where are they? Your family, I mean?”
A shadow passed over his face. “At home. Where they belong.”
Apparently, I’d crossed over into touchy territory. “Is that a bad thing?”
“It is when I’m not at home with them.”
“Oh…sorry. You must miss them a lot.”
“Yeah, well, like I said, I’m used to being on my own.” He gave his head a gentle shake, like he was pushing the subject away. “I have to say, you’re taking all this remarkably well.”
“Did other people freak out when you told them?”
“I never told anyone else.”
“Really? Nobody knows?”
“A few people my parents trusted when we were kids. But I’ve never told anyone else. Just you.”
No wonder he’d felt so relieved after telling me. He’d had no one to talk to for who knew how long. It could have been years since anyone knew the real him. And he’d trusted me.
CHAPTER NINE
Sitting on the other end of the couch from Lacey, I felt…different. Exposed. Like I was standing naked before her with my hands tied behind my back. I’d told someone and let out the biggest secret I’d harbored. And it was okay. She didn’t run for the hills. She didn’t turn away from me. A calm came over me. I couldn’t believe how good it felt. It was…liberating.
A soft smile turned up the corner of her mouth. “What are you smi
ling at?”
“Nothing.” I moved closer to her. “You’re an amazing person, you know that?”
She blushed. “What? I didn’t do anything.”
“You did. You’re so strong, so completely unafraid.”
She was the most exquisite creature I’d ever seen. Voluptuous, soft, welcoming. The bear in me stirred, begging me to be near her, urging me to touch her. She returned my gaze, her lips parting slightly. But after what she’d seen, what she’d found out, I didn’t know if it would be welcome. I couldn’t stand to have her pull away.
I reached a tentative hand towards her, giving her time to react if she didn’t want me. She didn’t pull away, though. She leaned into my hand, nuzzling my palm. I felt good in a way that reached all the way through me. It was like we were connected somehow. Like I was a part of something again. My bear felt it too.
I leaned in as her eyes slipped closed. My lips brushed hers. Soft, gently at first, but her lips pulled me further in. Thankfully, my brain turned off, and I stopped thinking and let myself give in. Existing only in the physical.
She kissed me back, harder, her lips pushing violently against mine. I pushed back. Already, my cock throbbed painfully. It had been too long. Slipping my hands under her legs, I pulled her down so that she lay flat on the couch. I yanked down a shoulder of her shirt, kissing and nibbling the skin there. She moaned, lifting her hips to press into mine. Jesus, everything about her felt so good. My cock ached, demanding release.
“I want you,” she whimpered, reaching for my belt. She reached in, pulling my cock free. “A condom,” she said, stroking the head. I could barely think straight, let alone talk. I simply shook my head.
“You don’t have one?”
“That’s dangerous, woman,” I said, grasping her wrist just long enough to remove it. “You can’t do that and expect me to utter an intelligible sentence at the same time. You on the pill?”
“Of course, but there’s—”
I shook my head again. “Shifters can’t get anything. We’re both safe from that. Babies on the other hand…”
“Are not an issue. Been on the pill for years, and I never miss a day.”
A grin crossed my face. No more holding back. I pulled the cup of her bra back, exposing her tit. It was a perfect, soft scoop of ice cream with a cherry nipple. Bending my head forward, I took her nipple in my mouth, giving a hard suck. Her breath caught in a gasp. Her fingers dug into my hair as I felt her nipple lengthen under my tongue. “You drive me crazy,” I moaned as I released her tit. “I want you so badly.”
Lacey must have been thinking the same thing. With one smooth motion, she rolled me over, falling to the floor on top of me. She straddled me, pinning me down. I would have chuckled if I weren’t so drunk with arousal. She hovered over me, one beautiful tit exposed, still wet from my mouth. But it wasn’t enough. I needed to see all of her. I lifted the dress over her head, throwing it behind me. She snapped off her bra, tossing it in the opposite direction.
“You’re perfect,” I said, reaching to cup her breasts in my hands. Her head rolled back as my thumbs glided over her pebbled nipples. She writhed, grinding her soaked panties against my cock. I bit back a groan and tried to think of anything else other than how wet and hot she would be.
Lucky for me, her panties were lace and flimsy enough that they came off with one tug. Her pussy positively glistened. Smooth, clean-shaven and dripping with desire. Licking my lips, I imagined running my tongue through her. Later, I promised. I would taste her, savor her, make her come again and again. But right now, I needed something else. I need my own release, and I couldn’t wait.
She knew it too. Grasping my cock in her hand, she guided it towards her entrance, gentle but firm. Her flesh was hot and inviting. My fingers went to her soft, generous ass. With a smooth, hard thrust, I pushed myself inside of her. A sound escaped, half gasp, half moan. I dug my fingers into her needy flesh as she rocked her hips, pulling me in deeper. She moved faster, her moans growing louder and more desperate. Pleasure was written all over her face. Yes, baby. Come for me. I charged faster towards my own orgasm which was going to be strong as hell. I held back, waiting for her, wanting, needing to come at the same time. To get there together.
Her nails dug into my chest as her eyes went wide, mouth open in a silent scream. My balls grew impossibly tight. I couldn’t take it anymore. Teeth clenched, I released, letting it go. Driving harder into her, I lost myself as I came. Hot liquid spurted forth, filling her. Her cries of pleasure echoed in my ears as I drifted slowly back down to Earth.
She collapsed against my chest, hot and sticky with sweat. We struggled to catch our breath.
“Holy shit!” she panted. “I’ve never, ever had sex like that before.”
I kissed her forehead, pulling her hair over her shoulder. “You’ve never had a shifter before.” Though that wasn’t quite it. I’d had other women, even shifters, and I’d never experienced anything like this before either.
I sat up, gently easing her off me.
“What?” she asked, her eyes big.
The realization shook me. This was much stronger than anything I’d felt for anyone else. Could it be? “Nothing,” I said, stroking her cheek. Then I saw it. “Did I do that?” I touched the bite mark on her shoulder. I didn’t even remember doing it.
“Oh yeah,” she said, with a smile. “It doesn’t even hurt. Weird.”
I sighed, pulling my pants back up. “No, it’s not.” I looked away to fasten what was left of my buttons.
“Huh?”
“I claimed you.”
####
“What do you mean you claimed me? For what?” I slipped my bra back into place. My panties lay shredded on the floor. I’d just have to do without.
He looked away, like a guilty puppy waiting to be slapped on the nose with a rolled up newspaper. “As my mate.”
My eyes widened. “Mate? Jesus, I told you I’m on the pill. I’m not getting knocked up anytime soon just ‘cause you took a nibble.”
“No, it’s not like that. My mate, as in, partner. Like…soulmate.” He reached over and grabbed my dress off the floor, tossing it my way.
“Soulmate?” I repeated, pulling my dress over my head. “That’s…heavy. I mean, we just met.”
“It’s like that for shifters. We just know. Like an instinct. I suppose I probably knew the moment I met you, I just didn’t want to admit it.”
“Oh.” My stomach twisted, a hundred emotions surging through me. I didn’t know how to make sense of all the thoughts speeding through my mind. Mate? Partner? I flopped down on the couch with my head spinning.
“Lacey, I understand it’s not like that for humans. Don’t worry, no pressure. I know you probably need more time to work this out in your head.”
I scoffed. “Among other things.” Not only did shifters exist, but apparently one was in love with me. I was claimed. That’s a lot for a girl to swallow in a half an hour. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean that I don’t…I mean, of course, I feel something for you. I just don’t—”
He touched my cheek. “It’s okay. You don’t have to explain yourself or apologize.”
“Thanks.” I leaned into him, resting my head on his shoulder. “There’s something I was wondering.”
“What’s that?”
“Who could the other shifter be? The other bear that was outside?”
He blew a puff of air. “Good question. A rogue bear, maybe. Someone looking to take my territory. Someone just passing through, a camper at the park who maybe had a few too many and let his emotions get the better of him. That can happen.”
“You don’t sound convinced.”
“No, I’m not.” He stood and walked to a bookshelf desk. He opened a drawer and pulled something out. “Here,” he said, handing it to me. It was a picture frame. A group of people sat huddled close together. An older couple in the center, smiling, surrounded by young men fresh out of adolescence and a couple of younger girls stil
l suffering through it. They were all happy, so close, so…content. A much younger-looking Sean sat to the side, his arm around one of the teenaged girls.
“Your family?”
He nodded.
“It’s huge.”
“I’ve been getting calls lately from my brother Jason.” He pointed to one guy in the middle, strong, like Sean, muscular with the same strong jaw and dark hair. Their eyes were a world apart, though. Jason’s eyes were soft, warm, and bright with laughter.
“You think he might have come here?”
“I don’t know. He clearly knows where I am, but— He wouldn’t do that, though. He would never vandalize someone’s quad or charge a person. That’s not him.”
“When’s the last time you saw him?”
He turned the picture over. “Years ago.”
“He might have changed.”
He nodded. “Yeah. He might have.”
“Maybe, next time he calls, you should talk to him.” I wanted to wrap my arms around his neck, kiss the worry away, but he was somewhere else now. His mind was occupied, and I didn’t want to intrude. I squeezed his knee, the only way I knew how to let him know I was there.
“In the meantime, I should look into things, ask around about bear sightings or whatever. People will be expecting something in the newspaper about it. And I wanted to talk to Eileen Truman about this bear that she saw.”
“I told you; you can’t write that article. Not yet.”
“No, I mean, I can investigate and ask around with the excuse that I’m going to write a piece. And then just turn it into a fluff piece or whatever.”
He smiled. “You’re a genius, you know that?”
I rolled my eyes. “Hardly…well, I am, but not for that. Wait till we play chess, then you’ll really be impressed.”
“Can’t wait.”
CHAPTER TEN
I rushed home to take a quick shower before heading out again to interview people. Unfortunately for me, I found an unwelcome surprise waiting for me in the driveway. Christopher.