Guardian of Bear Creek

by Evelyn Winters

  Eli didn’t say anything for a long moment, choosing instead to pick at the end of his thumbnail. When he finally spoke, his pitch was a low rumble, arousing a flutter in the hollow of her breast. “There is one occasion when the tree will let another find her, find her guardian.”

  “Okay, and are you going to tell me or keep stringing me along?” She asked.

  “Every guardian, somewhere in the world, has their…mate, I guess you could say. When the time is right, such a person would be drawn to the tree and to their guardian.” He explained slowly, not meeting her gaze.

  The cold rush of fear doused any building comradery between them. “I’m leaving, right now, and if you try to stop me or follow me then I will stab you.” The knife had found its way into her sticky palm.

  “I understand how it might sound but I would never hurt you, Mia. Not ever. You have no obligation to me or to this place, although I will never be able to take another, you can go freely and without any expectation to return.” He said earnestly.

  Another high, hysterical laugh spilled from her mouth. “If I walk out this door and leave then you’ll never try to have another relationship with anyone? Ever?”

  He shrugged one massive shoulder. “It is our way. There is only one for us in our entire lives. But it is not something I’m going to force you to accept, Mia. I know there is a fear in you, a pain from your past that-“

  “No, shut up. Just shut up! You don’t know me. You don’t know anything about me.” She backed slowly towards the door they entered from. “This is insane. This is-this can’t be happening to me. I’m dead. I’m dead and this is-no, I’m passed out somewhere in the forest and this is a crazy fever dream.”

  “I can assure you that you are not dead, Mia, or ill.” He said. “I should not have overwhelmed you with so much at once. That is my fault.” He rose from his seat at the table, raising his hands in surrender as she swiped in his direction with the knife. “I told you that I’m not going to harm you. You can leave and you can never return to this place if it’s what you truly wish but you’ll get lost out there. You can follow me back to your truck and then I will drive you back into town. You can’t drive in this condition, Mia, you’ll get yourself killed.”

  She wanted to say no. Immediately. She wanted to scream it at him.

  “Okay.” Is what she said to him instead.

  ***

  It's Friday night and the diner is busier than usual after the local high school basketball game finished. Eli comes in just before seven, it’s the same time he's shown up every night for almost two weeks now. Head down, expression cautious as he takes his usual booth in the back. They haven't spoken since the night he drove her home, but he’s always there, watching her with his glowing amber eyes. Mia’s self-aware enough to admit she’s been avoiding him, asking the other girls to cover that table as casually as a person can ask such a thing. He’s kept to himself, watching, but never once approaching her. Sometimes she thinks about speaking to him, but she doesn’t know what she would say. She’s dreamt of the tree every night.

  She grabbed a menu from under the counter, knowing that enough was enough. The back of her neck prickled with nervous energy as she walked to his table. She caught him straightening in his seat, his fingers drumming a quick rhythm on the tabletop. “Hi.” She says stupidly when she’s finally face to face with him.

  “Hi.” He answered. “Uh, how are you?”

  “Good.”

  “Good, that’s-it’s good.”

  She cleared her throat when the silence between them stretches out a little longer, slapping the menu down on the table with more force than necessary when she realized she was still holding it. “Do you know what you want to drink?”

  He doesn’t have to look at the menu at this point, he’s been to the diner so often. “Sweet tea, if you still have it. Uh, just water if you don’t.”

  “Right, well, I’ll have that right out for you.” She told him and quickly fled from the table. She was almost breathless after being cocooned in the warmth of his presence. His scent had already wrapped around after those few short moments the warm, rich notes of fir and juniper berries and underneath something primal. She bit her lip hard, trying to clear her mind while she got his drink behind the counter.

  Just like every night he’s come in; she could feel his eyes on her. When she walks back towards him, he’s shamelessly watching her, but the smile on his lips is distinctively more wolfish. The strangest part is this knowledge doesn’t make her afraid. She feels the flutter of nerves in her belly, but they weren’t caused by fear. More from anticipation. She knew from the moment he walked into the diner, the next night after he drove her back, that she could have told him to leave, to not come back to her place of work, and he would have listened. But that isn’t what she wanted. She liked that he wanted to see her. She liked him watching her.

  “Here. Do you know what you want to eat?” She asked, and if she leaned a little closer than necessary to deliver his drink, well, she didn’t think that he minded.

  “I’ll just have the, uh,” his eyes quickly flitted over the front of the menu in front of him. “The chicken fried steak and eggs.”

  Her brow quirked as she jotted down the order. “At seven o’clock at night? Okay then. I’ll have it out as soon as it’s ready.” She returned to serving her other customers, fully aware of his eyes following her. She wasn’t afraid this time, she finally understood that he really wouldn’t hurt her. Now, she was filled with thrill and the hyper alertness that left goosebumps prickling on her skin whenever their eyes met across the crowded diner. It was a feeling that she hadn’t felt since dating her husband, one that she had been afraid to feel until now.

  She brought his food out as soon as Earl set it on the counter. “Here you go. Did you need anything else?”

  “No, Mia, thank you.” He said, looking hesitant to continue. “Except, I was wondering if you might like to see the tree again. Maybe this time in the daylight. I could show you around and we could have lunch at my cabin afterwards.”

  She smiled softly, trying to reassure that nervous expression off his face, it really looked disconcerting on a man his size. “I think I would enjoy that very much. I’m off on Sunday.”

  His smile was warm as he regarded her words. “I can pick you up outside of the diner at nine?”

  “I’ll bring coffee.” She said and finally tore herself away to tend to some of her more neglected guests. She spent the rest of her shift with a smile she couldn’t seem to get rid of, even when she tried to bore it off her by reading the newspaper. But even the news of theft out of the New York headquarters of Titan Labs wasn’t enough to dampen her mood. She walked back to her apartment after her shift, basking in the anticipation of her date, unaware of the pale, blue eyes watching her through the dark as she climbed the stairs.

  Chapter 5

  On Sunday morning, Amelia heard the low rumbling of Eli’s truck before she saw it pull up outside of the diner. She grabbed the thermoses of coffee and was out the door. She didn’t even spare a thought about how quickly her attitude towards him changed. It was in the past and despite all the craziness, they were obviously drawn to each other. She wasn’t going to fight that anymore.

  “Good morning, Mia.” He said as she climbed into the truck, reaching over to take the coffee from her hands. The low timber of his voice sent shivers racing down her spine and for a moment she was so flustered, it was almost impossible to get her hands steady enough to buckle her seat belt. A warm, calloused hand encircled hers, the rough pads of his fingertips catching on her skin while he helped her buckle in.

  “Thanks.” She muttered, taking a sip from her own coffee to try and disguise her awkward behavior.

  Unlike when she drove herself up North, the weather was sunny and the sky clear. The drive passed in silence, but it didn’t feel strained. It was comfortable. When the trees began to thicken and cluster outside her window, he began sharing stories from his childhood and
landmarks he remembered from growing up in the area. It was easy to forget that even wild, unused land such as this, could hold so much history and memories for a person.

  “That creek, right there.” He pointed out her window. “I used to practice jumping from bank to bank when I was young. My mother had to beg me to stop because it was an endless source of work for her.”

  “How was that?” She asked.

  “Well, I wasn’t very good at it. More than half the time I would return home soaked, trailing mud, and grass, and underbrush.” He told her and their laughter filled the cab of the truck, his deep and throaty, while hers were high and tinkling like bells.

  When they arrived back at his cabin, she realized this was the first time she got to admire it in the daylight. It wasn’t much to look out on the outside with its sagging porch and overgrown garden, but she knew how clean and homey it was within. Eli was there to help her down when she opened the door, his hands lingering for a second too long where they cupped her waist to lift her down.

  He cleared his throat. “Do you want to hike out to the tree first?”

  “Yeah, I want to see it in the daylight.” She said and wordlessly he offered her his hand. She took it and as they began to pick their way through the underbrush and low hanging branches, she intertwined their fingers.

  Finding the tree with Eli was much different than when she had gone alone. First of all, it didn’t have the drama because she wasn’t lost this time, alone, in the dark, while caught in a thunderstorm. Second, having Eli there was fascinating. He walked slightly ahead, moving branches and finding the right places to step, but it wasn’t the convenience of this that she enjoyed. She just loved watching him. The way he moved through the trees was akin to the way a mountain lion moved through its territory. His steps were sure, every moment had a graceful purpose, and despite his size, he was able to move through the forest silently. This was clearly the place that he belonged.

  “Mia?” He asked, and she realized that they had stopped walking. He was holding a branch up so she could pass underneath, and she didn’t need to see it to know that the tree was near. She could feel it. A buzz of energy like a hive of honeybees.

  “Sorry.” She muttered and ducked her head to pass under the branch. It was exactly like she remembered it, lavender silken leaves spread to catch the sunlight and branches stretching out towards the heavens. She stepped forward, letting her fingertips brush the tips of the high stalks of grass as she walked. “It’s even more beautiful in the daylight.” She murmured and gave into the urge to tumble down into the soft, downy grass. “This might actually be better than my mattress.” She continued.

  “May I join you?” Eli asked and she opened her eyes to see him still standing at the thick wall of trees surrounding the secret meadow. Without saying a word, she lifted her arm, extending her hand towards him.

  Eli folded his large body down into the grass next to her, their bare arms brushing until they were both laying comfortably on their backs under the protective arms of the tree. His hand was closing over hers after a few minutes of companionable silence, using the rough pads of his fingers to trace across the swirling lines that danced across her palm. Taking a chance, Eli pulled her hand towards him, gently brushing his lips across the top in a gesture that sent her heart racing in her chest.

  She rolled to her side, wanting to be able to see his face. The adoration and want in his eyes kept her speechless and propelled her towards him. Despite the way she dove forward, it started soft, lips brushing against each other hesitantly, each learning every shape and curve of the mouth pressed against theirs. They pressed closer together, bodies side by side, and then Eli slanted his head just so, licking between her parted lips, and then she was moaning, wanton and loud enough that it was probably echoing across the mountainside, but she didn't really care.

  Eli was possessing her mouth, deep and hot, nipping and licking, and Mia let herself be tugged over the top of his body as he rolled onto his back. Her moans grew embarrassingly louder as their kisses grew deeper and more frantic, but it had been so long since she had been touched in a way she had enjoyed.

  She couldn’t hold the pitiful little whine that escaped her as Eli’s lips finally parted from hers, trailing down her neck instead. She tipped her head to the side to allow him more access. She’s been in want of this for days, dreaming about him at night, every night since the fear of their first meeting left her. Just the taste of his lips and the heat from his body seem to fill some of the gaping emptiness that she’s felt for so long.

  Her head fell back, more sounds of her pleasure tipping from her mouth as Eli cupped her hips in his overly large hands and began a rolling grind up against her that makes a blooming heat of desire swell within her core. Her head tips forwards again, palms flat against his chest as she grinds herself against the growing bulge in his jeans, and a halo of her mousy colored hair fell forward to hide her face, which she’s sure must be very red and unflattering by now. Eli suddenly reached up to tuck it behind her ears. They just watch each other, panting for a moment, before he begins to speak.

  “Don’t hide from me. Not ever. You’re beautiful, Mia, and I want to see you. I want to see all of you if you’ll let me.” He said.

  “I want you to.” She said, her voice breathy and strained. No sooner were the words out of her mouth, and he was pushing off her coat, ripping her t-shirt over her head. Her bra he was at least a bit more careful with, taking the time to make sure he didn’t break the clasps or rip the fabric. He tossed her bra away, warm, huge hands cupping her breasts, kneading them as she pressed herself down firmly against him.

  Her heart stuttered in her chest as Eli suddenly bowled her over, flipping their positions so Mia’s the one on her back and it’s Eli’s muscled body that’s looming over her. A feral glint twinkles in his eye at the dominant position he’s taken over Mia and it sends a rush of heat through her body, pooling low in her belly. The surprise that she’s aroused and not even a smidge afraid doesn’t even phase her.

  “To think, if I had been more willing to explain to you the first time we met in the diner, I could have had you weeks ago.” He murmured against the skin of her neck before he bit down just hard enough to have her toes curling and her body arching up against him. “Such a pity.” He said, his broad, rough hands traveling down the line of her body, a warm, wet mouth following in its trail. “You respond so beautifully to me.” He continued and plucked at her pebbling nipples before leaning down to lap and gently scrape his teeth over each, alternating between nipping and suckling until the sounds coming from her mouth are nothing but unintelligible whimpering and her nails on his back begin to break skin. His fingers pluck, squeeze, and flick at whichever one his mouth isn’t torturing, and she can’t help but squirm against the scrape of his stubble on her sensitive flesh.

  Just when she thinks that she cannot possibly take another second, her hips desperately seeking release from her torture as they thrust up against his rolling grind, seeking any kind of friction, he worms a hand between their bodies. He presses the heel of his hand against her mound with just enough pressure and a few seconds of squirming is enough to send her over, thighs clenching tightly around his hand, body thrumming as she rode out her release. He let her catch her breath, meticulously divesting her of the rest of her clothes, while she lay there, content to let him undress her while she basked in the afterglow of her orgasm.

  He then takes the time to suck and nip his way down her body, tongue lathing over the ridges of her ribs, light butterfly kisses pressed into the hollow of her belly, and teasing nips over the little knobs of her hip bones. He does all this before settling himself comfortably between her spread thighs, looking up to give her a teasing twist of his lips. “That was one. Should we try for another?” He murmured against the soft pillowy flesh of her thigh. She spread her legs instinctively, hands gripping his dark, brown hair, guiding his sinful mouth towards her clit. He pressed two kisses to the insides of her thigh
s before he gave in to her pulling fingers and dove between her legs. He rolled the little bundle of nerves around with his tongue and she cried out softly, gripping his hair tight as she tossed her head back and forth against the fragrant grass. She could feel the heat that was ensnaring her lower body creep up and consume the rest of her with each obscene noise that came from Eli’s mouth as he lapped and laved and nipped and sucked.

  “Oh God, oh please. Eli, please.” She begged him, without really knowing what she was begging for. Eli pulled back to give her one long, slow swipe from the bottom to the top, his lips puckering as he blew cool air against her overheated, abused clit. Her whole body jerked, her thighs squeezing tightly around his head. Eli chuckled softly and slid his hands up her thighs to hold them apart and keep her spread for him. She heard herself let out a petulant whine as his attention slipped and had enough coherency left to feel embarrassed by it. It wasn’t like this was her first time ever being eaten out before, but Jas hadn’t exactly been a tentative and generous lover. This, here right now with Eli was something else entirely.