by Aurora Reid
As they neared the line that separated the bears from Marchini land, the fall foliage appeared like an ocean sunset. The wide trees stood guard, ancient gatekeepers to the Black Bear's land.
Could she really go along with her plan? It looked so majestic. So right.
Best not to go there. They had an agreement now. An agreement to simply enjoy their time together. No business. Just fun. It shouldn’t be so hard.
Her eyes wandered away from the woods and onto Jax. Talk about an enchanting sight. She bit her lip and watched as he squeezed the wheel, his bulky triceps flexing.
Any girl would want those rough hands on her thighs. If he touched her, she would soften, then melt like butter against his chest. Jax had a strange power over her. Mia thought she could deflect any man’s advances, since she’d been burned and underwhelmed so many times before.
“Here we are. We'll have to walk the rest of the way there. I hope that's okay?”
“That's fine with me,” she said. “It looks beautiful here. I wouldn't mind taking a walk. I suppose it's been a while since anyone from my family has been invited.”
“If ever, but don't worry about that. The bears will be all over you. I'll need to fight them off.”
“Oh, great. That sounds comforting. Do they have any idea who I am?”
They stopped at the dead end. He squeezed the wheel.
“No, and I suggest it stays that way. A lot of them aren't happy with your family. And that's all I should say about that.”
He hopped out of the truck. Jax held his hand out for Mia to take. She graciously accepted help out of the tall vehicle.
“You're just going to leave it here?”
“Someone steals it and they'll leave their scent. No one's got a better sense of smell than I do.”
“Glad I decided to wear this perfume.”
Jax started toward the woods. “Oh, you smell delicious, and I'm not talking about the perfume.”
“Stop,” she said, chuckling as she caught up to him. “I'm trying hard to not like you, and you're kind of ruining that.”
“Damn, wait until I'm inside you. You'll love me then.”
“What?” she blurted out.
The nerve of that man...he didn’t even give her a response!
Mia rolled her eyes as they kept going. Inside her? Best to laugh it off. But the joke hadn't been too funny. Mia's sex pounded in response. Every step had her thighs rustling together, the friction incredible. Another man saying that and she would’ve been disgusted, but he had been so confident and so sure.
Since when did she become so sensitive? So alert and alive?
They strolled down the path, ginormous trees flanking them. In the distance, a grouping of trees cast a reddish tint.
Mia ran up to them. Then she regretted it. She always ran weird. She felt self conscious that Jax would say something, but instead he remained by her side, not saying a word, only observing as she ran her hands over the intricate bark.
Above, butterflies floated among the branches. The wild, carefree side of her that she thought she'd left behind in childhood was emerging from her pessimistic shell.
“What is this, Jax?”
“This is what we call the Big Trees. If you're looking for a better name, call them the ancients.”
“I've never seen anything like them,” she exclaimed.
He grinned, shook his head, and leaned against the tree, waiting for her. “Not many non shifters have. They only grow when shifters tend to the land.”
A worried look marred her face. Mia understood what she'd be destroying now. But maybe there would be a way to develop around them? Her mind spun with wild ideas. Turning it into a tourist site…but none of it seemed right, especially when she stood beneath the ancient tree in all its glory.
“Take me to the next spot. I can't wait!” she shouted. Mia jumped and caught Jax's hand.
“All right, all right,” he said as he pushed off the tree. “You're so excited you look like you're going to piss yourself. I'll show you everything. No need to freak out. You’ll have your mind blown by the end of the night.”
He grinned at her, like he meant something else. Like he meant sex. Opening her wide and pushing in deep. Taking her, blowing her mind, far more than any magical sights of these woods could.
Maybe it was just her imagination. This place certainly wouldn’t help curb that.
Mia gulped. She took a leaping hop and then pulled him forward.
“Come on, show me everything like you said!”
Mia had lived her whole life wondering what was on the other side of their land. Her father tried to tell her that it was nothing special. Only a bunch of squatters settling there, taking up space and never paying for it.
He'd been lying the entire time.
At her doorstep, there was a beautiful, new world, and it had been calling to Mia for her entire life.
Now she would explore it for the first time, and realize what she had been missing for years.
As they traveled on, Mia wondered if she would ever get an introduction.
If he was serious about her, it seemed like Jax would introduce her to the other bears, but she agreed to listen to him for now. Mia was still Lucca's daughter, and Lucca, from what she understood, was a name you didn't speak of kindly in Black Bear Park. It made her feel like she was Voldemort’s daughter.
They walked amongst the various rows of homes, each one so different, all made by hand. It amazed her how much personality went into each and got her thinking about how her plans called for uniformity.
All the charm would be gone.
But modern America liked standard homes. A house that stood out and didn't follow the housing code could bring complaints from neighbors. There were strict housing codes for reasons. Reasons that would make her rich customers happy, and their company richer.
Mia had done all the research. She'd been buried in it. Now she shoved that all to the side, easily done, when a new breathtaking sight was on the next horizon.
“Is that a freakin' waterfall?” Mia gasped. “I'm going to lose my voice with all this screaming.”
“That is a waterfall,” Jax stated bluntly.
She raced ahead with Jax keeping up pace just by walking. They met at the edge of a crystal-clear pool. It even had a cove underneath, because a waterfall wasn’t complete unless it had a secret, romantic cove underneath its falls of course.
“This is crazy,” Mia said while her eyes bugged out. “I wish I brought a bathing suit. We can swim in here, right?”
“Yes, you most definitely can. We don't have as many rules as non shifters. Don't get me wrong, we have unspoken rules, but swimming in a lake isn't one of them.”
“I really wish I brought my bathing suit, but I don't want to get my dress wet.”
Jax leaned over into the pool and splashed her. Only a small amount hit her, but it was enough for Mia to yelp and jump back.
“Hey,” she yelled, and she playfully pushed him as he stood back up.
Perhaps Mia put too much force into the push, because it sent him tumbling in.
I just shoved a bear shifter...oh my God, I’m dead, aren’t I?
“I'm sorry,” Mia shouted as he broke from the surface.
He flung his raven hair back. Jax rubbed his eyes and gasped. Then he let out a long, guttural laugh.
“If you were really sorry, you would've jumped in to save me,” he said as he did backstrokes.
Mia folded her arms. “I would, but I'm wearing a dress. A dress that I love.”
“Then take it off,” he said, already undressing her with his eyes. “We don't have rules against nudity around here.”
“You'd like that, wouldn't you? Getting me out of this dress won't be so easy, mister.”
Jax smirked at her. Like he had something important to say. “If you were a shifter, you know what type of shifter you'd be? A pussy.”
She clawed at the air and gave him a feral meow. “A fuckin' hell cat, that'
s what I'd be.”
“No doubt about it.” He waded over to the edge of the pool and flicked his wet hair back again.
“Jump into my arms. I promise I'll keep you from getting wet.” He held his arms out.
“You can't promise something like that!”
“I'm a bear shifter.”
“I don't care who you are.”
“You're right. I just want you in my damned arms already. Will you please get in? Otherwise, I'm going to swim by myself.”
Mia ignored him. “This is a good dress. Too good.”
“Fine, have it your way. I'm going to enjoy this nice, natural pool, a once in a lifetime experience. You can watch me.”
Jax dipped under and swam around underneath. Mia crossed her arms and tapped her foot.
When he broke the surface again, she said, “Okay, you win. I'm coming in. But I'm not coming in with my dress.”
His tongue swirled against his cheek and his almond eyes darkened. “Then how will you come in? You've already seen me naked. It's only fair that you share.”
“You'll need to turn around and promise not to look.”
Agreeing, Jax turned around. But then Mia paused, her fingers on the strap of her dress.
“Wait, what did you say? When did I see you naked?” she asked.
“When I shifted. You must've seen something.”
“I saw your cute butt, if that's what you're implying.”
“Did you really?” he asked, his voice husky, sounding worried.
Mia stifled a laugh. “Calm down, I didn't see anything. I was too freaked out. All I remember seeing is a bunch of muscle turning into a big furball. It was hard to make out heads or tails.”
“Get in here. This cute butt is waiting impatiently. This cute butt doesn't know how much longer it can wait, being so cute. God, cute. No one's ever called me cute before.” He rolled his eyes as he back-stroked.
“I didn't call you cute. I called your butt cute.”
“You know what I mean...” he growled.
It still sounded like he kind of liked it. “Keep your eyes closed,” she warned him. Then she got to it. She worked quickly.
Mia stood exposed in her plum bra and panties, picked for the date. If Jax turned around, he'd get an eyeful. Her curves were on blast, the hip hugging panties accentuating the V down to her sex – aching, tightening, needing Jax, no matter how much she told it to stop.
Usually, it wasn’t a problem. Now it was like her pussy had a mind of its own. She had been ready to call that part of her a lost cause. Not now.
She did a running leap toward the pool. She felt awkward since she'd gained so much weight from her sedentary office job. Not like it was a new thing, since it was something that Mia wanted to change for many years, but it never happened.
Earlier, Jax said he liked girls with curves in all the right places. His heady look hinted that he was talking about Mia, but she couldn't be sure, nor would she assume. It was best to take the leap, dunk herself under, and hope that Jax didn't see much.
That’s exactly what she did. The jump wasn’t exactly graceful, though. It was more like a cannonball.
When she came up for air, Jax was soaked, and she was laughing, trying to stifle it. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to splash you.”
“I ought to dunk you back under for that.” He started toward her. She squealed, fearing what would happen if he snatched her.
“No, don’t put me under,” she screamed.
“Fine,” he said with one swift charge, lifting her from underneath. “I’ll help keep you up, then.”
Mia wanted to right away tell him that this wasn’t any better. Except she met his stare. Her fussing stopped. So did her screaming. She was silent. Still. She knew that she could never tell him to unclasp his arms. It simply felt too right.
Then the spark set light, and she was consumed in that erotic fire that she’d tried so hard to dismiss. There was no dismissing this.
The longer she didn’t respond, the more obvious it became that they were sharing anything but a romantic embrace. Mia was about to wriggle her way free, or attempt to wriggle out of Jax’s burly hold, once she feared that he’d been confused, rather than on the same page…
As she started, he pulled her closer, snatching her lips with his. It was madness. It was magic. It was a few seconds of horny clashing, their tongues entwining, rubbing, and flicking, and her thighs even jerking, then becoming a feverish humping for more. When he broke away, she was still swimming in those pools of honey, still gaping at him, unsure what she’d do next, or what he’d make her do.
His grip tightened on her hips. Mia couldn’t understand the way he looked at her. Did he want everything? So soon? She couldn’t give him that...couldn’t give him her womb....that was what he wanted, wasn’t it? That lustful, blazing look told her he wouldn’t be satisfied with a kiss, but would go all the way, until there was nothing left for her to give.
Mia, pregnant, on the first date?
She could’ve laughed...if she didn’t think it was possible.
Instead, she tore free.
“That’s enough, Jax. Don’t think this changes anything,” she said. She almost wanted to retract it right away.
But she didn’t.
“It doesn’t change a thing. You’re still mine,” he growled.
She scurried off to the edge of the pool, where it was safe, far away from Jax. Scary, pushy, Jax. “We still have business to discuss,” she said sternly as he rose out of the pool, like Poseidon himself.
Jeez. He was big. It looked like he was swimming around in a foot of bath water once he stretched and looked down upon her.
“Go,” he said, fire in his eyes, but now for all the wrong reasons. “I was right about you, and your clan. Bad blood. The lot of you.”
That stung. But Mia didn’t want to leave yet. Now that he turned her away, she wanted to fight to stay.
Had she said too much?
Maybe she should’ve known better than to turn down a proud bear.
“Go,” he said again, this time, pointing to the edge of the woods.
“Go where?” she asked. She shrugged quite helplessly. There was nowhere to go. They’d gotten there by truck, then a long walk through the woods, and by the time she would get back, it’d be dusk.
There was no way he could be that cruel to send her through the dark woods alone.
Jax tore from the pool, climbing out, upon which she could gaze upon all of his wet, shimmering muscles. Too bad they would be off limits. He looked really hot right now.
“I’ll walk you to the edge of the woods. Then one of your house pets can drive you home,” Jax said in a huff. She hurried, clutching her clothes to keep up with him.
How had she managed to screw something up with such a hot guy? The first guy she’d actually enjoyed kissing for once?
Maybe that was it, she realized, as she lunged ahead to keep up with his long strides. Maybe Mia was terrified of actually falling for someone.
This land...and Jax...were magic, and magic was something that Mia had long ago stopped believing in.
Jax watched her leave from the edge of the woods. Despite his flared temper, it was still hard to see her off without driving her there himself. The need to protect his mate, to right all wrongs between them, was strong still, and it reminded him that they were made for each other.
Or perhaps, he thought now, she had cursed him.
The bear gods were cruel. They had given him a love that didn’t understand him, that cared about nothing more but cold and calculating business. Only cared about getting ahead by any means.
Whoever picked her up sped off in a squeal of brakes in their tiny mid-sized car.
With her presence vanishing into the distance, her power over him slowly lifted, and in its place came waves of displeasure. He had a sense that all was not right, an unsettledness in his gut that was impossible to shake.
This would sometimes happen whenever he thought of his
mate, but now it was enough to bring him to his knees.
Instead of dropping, he let what strength he had take over, and he shifted.
Once again, he was wild and carefree. Once again, the influence that Mia had on him was gone as he whipped past the dark maze of trees, far into the woods. The moon usually cast its glow through the treetops, yet this night, it was cloudy. Jax might as well have been running blind, if it wasn’t for his excellent sense of smell.
Snuffling, trudging, he galloped through the ancient trees. His senses were heightened, and he felt very much alive, and his mate’s name didn’t even cross his mind once while he broke through the Tall Trees and onto the steeper climb up the rocky mountains.
He dug into the rocks with his powerful, yet adept paws. Jax was massive, barreling forward, the momentum and his sheer strength allowing him to easily climb the craggy path, when a human looking at him might believe due to his size that he would be slow. He was anything but.
Jax reached a rocky ledge. He stopped to sniff and look out into the night.
The ancient trees were still so tall that he needed to lift his heavy head to see the tops. He started to, but a need welled inside of him that told him to keep running. He wasn’t exhausted yet. He needed to be exhausted.
Now, the beast had taken over. Jax let his animal side run free, and that’s exactly what it did. His bear charged up the path, worn by so many shifters climbing the mountain. Wild, thorny berry bushes stuck out from the yellow grassy sides of the path, yet they couldn’t penetrate his thick hide.
Where was the water? The rushing water with its leaping salmon, that would surely calm this emptiness inside him? An urgency stabbed at him, and he lowered his head, charging ahead, his hind legs burning with how much exertion he was putting them through. When he got to the top of the mountain, Jax didn’t stop to take in the scenery.
Below, a river, teeming with salmon, bubbled and called him. They would be harder to catch in the dark, but Jax was up for midnight fishing.
Once he got to the river, snatched the first salmon in his jaws, and tore into it, Jax wasn’t satisfied.
That was unnatural. And alarming.