Bear with Me (Bear Mountain Patrol Series Book 1)

by Addae, Sydney

  Camilla liked her immediately but wasn’t sure this was real. “Is it true? Tag can turn into a bear? Like Yogi?”

  Cyndy laughed. “Maybe not like Yogi or Smokey but yeah, he does and so does my husband. Would you like to talk inside?” She looked up and down the street before returning her gaze.

  Swallowing hard, Camilla nodded. It was just a conversation, right? Nothing to worry about, piece of cake. Easy peasy. She continued her mantra until they reached the porch, turning, she reached for Tag’s hand. He took hers and they walked inside together.

  “Please have a seat, I have bottled water and sweet tea if you’d like something to drink,” Cyndy offered.

  “I can’t, my stomach’s tied up in knots. I…” Camilla shook her head unable to speak through the dread swamping her. She didn’t see a bright side or happy ending for this conversation. Either her lover was crazy with weird hallucinations and knowing Tag that didn’t seem plausible. Or he had some type of disease that turned him into animals and she didn’t do animals. The idea made her sick.

  “Relax, it’s not like you think, plus there are some side benefits,” Tag whispered.

  Gold smiled as he took a bottle of water and headed into the kitchen. Cyndy clapped her hand and grinned wide as she sat in front of them. “Let me tell you about how I met Gold.”

  For the next hour, Cyndy and Gold, who remained close to the kitchen, shared how Cyndy boldly walked up to him in the mall, while he was on a date and asked him his name. The black bear he was with didn’t appreciate the little human interrupting their stroll and Gold stepped in to prevent a public brawl because Cyndy refused to leave. Worse, he didn’t want her to leave but didn’t know why.

  “Did he scare you when you first saw him as a… a bear?” Camilla lowered her voice on the last word, embarrassed to say it out loud.

  “Yeah, that was monumental.” Cyndy laughed and stared at Gold. “He thought I would leave him, kinda like what Tag’s thinking right now. But when Grizzle laid his head in my lap and I looked into his eyes, I fell in love with him all over again. Both parts of him.” She paused and met Camilla’s gaze. “That’s what it takes for the mating to solidify into an unbreakable bond, we accept both sides of the man. When that happens, you take a part of him and he takes a part of you. Neither are complete without the other.”

  “How does he take a part of me?” Camilla asked squeezing Tag’s hand.

  Cyndy leaned back and pursed her lips. “The way it was explained to me is this, when humans mate with bears, it’s different than when two bears mate. The bond between the human and bear is unbreakable, neither will find fulfillment with others. If one passes away, the other does as well if there are no children. If there are children, the remaining spouse remains but I heard they don’t really live.”

  Camilla’s eyes widened. “If Tag dies, I die?”

  Cyndy nodded slowly.

  “Unless there are children,” Tag said.

  Camilla thought about everything Cyndy said. “So he can’t cheat on me? Ever? Not even when I’m older and gain weight?” Thinking of all the men she knew who acted as if cheating were the ultimate sport, she looked at Tag.

  Cyndy chuckled. “Neither of you can cheat but remember I said you take on a part of him and he takes a part of you?”

  “Yes,” Camilla said.

  “Well, your aging will slow down to match his, you’ll heal fast like he does, and your sense of smell will go through the roof. It’ll drive you crazy at first. I never smelled grass or dirt until I mated with Gold, at least not in the same way. It’s impressive,” Cyndy said.

  “My eyes? Is that what you meant this morning?” She looked at Tag.

  “Yeah, it’s already started, you don’t need your glasses anymore, do you?”

  Her heart lightened. This morning had been epic when she realized she hadn’t worn her glasses or contacts yesterday. Tag smiled and said it was because they were a couple. At that time they both laughed and she wanted to wake Tyra and Ryan to tell them but Tag wanted to leave early to visit his friends.

  “No. I see everything perfect. Does this mean my retina is healed? I don’t have to worry about going blind?” For years she lived in fear of blindness because of her disease, it couldn’t be done and over.

  Tag smiled

  “I’d have a doctor check, because most of this kicks in after the bonding, so I’m not sure if this is permanent or not,” Cyndy said.

  Camilla sobered at the idea of losing her vision again and changed directions. “Do you change into a bear too?” she asked Cyndy.

  “I could I suppose,” Cyndy said looking at Gold who smiled at her. “But I don’t have a reason. Not like Gold does. My bear is passive and young, it doesn’t require the same things a dual-natured or natural bear does.”

  “Young, passive? What does your bear require?” she asked Tag.

  “Grizzles or grizzlies are the heavy hitters in our line, well, with our arctic cousins, we are trained to fight from cubs. My bear is aggressive and is always ready to fly into action, military academy, remember?”

  She nodded.

  “Gold and I work out together from time to time to release steam.”

  Camilla looked at Gold and couldn’t picture him as a bear or fighting Tag. He looked like a desk jockey who avoided trouble at all costs. But then again, so did Clark Kent. She sighed. “I’ve got to stop thinking of cartoon and fictional characters to deal with this, Tag is real and so is his Yogi… bear.” She smiled at the analogy, glad he couldn’t read her mind. Or could he?

  “Do mates have special gifts?” she asked Cyndy, curious and afraid at the same time.

  “Some do, others don’t. For instance, I can feel Gold’s emotions, no matter where he is and he feels mine. But only a couple of our friends have that ability.” She shrugged. “You won’t know what the two of you can do together until after you bond and even then it takes a while to kick in.”

  “Is mating and bonding the same thing?” Camilla asked, since she wasn’t sure.

  “You’re mates. But you have to bond for that to solidify.” Cyndy glanced at Tag. “Bonding is a part of the mating process. Makes sense?”

  Camilla nodded slowly and looked at Tag. “What do you want?”

  “You.”

  “Two days ago you said you didn’t want a relationship, what happened to that thing you need to do?” She crossed her leg and waited for his response.

  “Two days ago I was an idiot.”

  She laughed at his unexpected response.

  “But I still need to handle what happened. There are some things I can share with you, later.”

  The serious glint in his eye caused concern but she’d wait until they were in the car. She cleared her throat and clasped her hands together tight.

  Leaning forward he brushed his lips across hers.

  The air in her chest stalled then released on a quick swoosh. Tag was too damn potent, she needed some time to think about this. Cyndy looked normal and happy. Gold looked like a Fortune 500 CEO, they had kids and lived in an expensive housing area.

  Camilla glanced at Tag, read the hope shining in his gaze and stood. “Thanks Cyndy, Gold. I really appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions, you’ve been a big help.” She accepted Cyndy’s loose embrace.

  “You are welcome. I’ll give you my number, call me if you have any questions or just need to vent. There are 12 of us in the state and we get together regularly; we have a private Facebook group where we talk. I’ll give you that information and you can meet everyone else.”

  Facebook group? High-tech indeed. “Thanks, I appreciate that. These are humans married to um… bear shifters.”

  Cyndy smiled. “Yes. Tag and my Gold are the only Grizzles in the state.”

  “Grizzle?” Camilla frowned and looked at Tag.

  “Grizzly, the others are black bears, just different,” he said.

  Camilla tried to read his blank expression and vowed to study the different bre
eds of bears. “Oh, okay.” She waved to Gold. “Thanks for your hospitality but why did you stand in the kitchen the whole time?”

  “Tag will explain it to you, as my wife said, call if you have more questions. The group of ladies she referred to have become close like sisters and they’ll help with anything you need.”

  Camilla smiled as Tag took her hand. They said final goodbyes and walked out to the car. “Why did he stay in the kitchen?” she asked.

  “I might’ve attacked him for being too close to you.”

  She spun around and searched his gaze. “What?” she asked in a breathy voice.

  “A side effect of not bonding, it’s extremely difficult to know you are around other men, doesn’t matter who they are.” He stressed the last.

  Camilla straightened. “Is that what happened with Ryan yesterday?”

  “Yeah.”

  She leaned close. “Get the hell over that.” She turned and stormed off toward the car.

  Chapter 20

  “Where is he?” Rex stormed into the room where his father sat on the sofa reading a paper. He ignored the expensive artwork on the wall and vases on pedestals. The old man always enjoyed surrounding himself with pretty things. Stopping a few feet from his parent, he searched the area for clues although he doubted there were any. Brody could be in another country by now hiding in a basement or lying on the beach, depending on how the old man set things in motion.

  “This time he’s gone too far. I warned him about trifling in my affairs, babysat that sniveling…idiot and he goes and does this.” Rex slammed his fist against the mahogany sofa table and pointed at his father. “You can’t keep protecting him, he’s a royal fuck-up and you know it.”

  His dad closed the paper and looked at him. Their gazes clashed. “He left town.”

  Hearing confirmation of his thoughts, fury chased by disappointment raced through Rex’s veins. Why couldn’t the old man be on his side just once? Fist clenched, he stared into the eyes of the man who had chosen the wrong son this time. This time Brody would pay. “I’ll find him.”

  “As a favor to me, I’m asking you to let him go. Everything you’ve said is true, Brody’s weak, can’t be trusted. It’s amazing he’s lasted this long working for you but he took a liking to this last one...”

  “Took a liking?” Rex yelled. His skin tightened as the enormity of the situation slammed into him. “He talked. Not just talked but bragged to the wrong people. Word got out about her and now… now my fucking client is demanding I bring her to him. He wants this Camilla person, the one I switched, do you understand? What do you think is going to happen when I can’t produce her?” He slammed his palm against the bookcase, dislodging a few books. “He will kill me, that’s what. Your son… your fucking golden child signed my death warrant because of his mouth and you… you ask for a favor, to let this shit slide. Why should I do a damn favor for you? You’ve always made it clear you preferred Brody and the others…” He shook his head. “Well, pretty soon that’s all you’ll have left!”

  “Stop talking nonsense,” his dad snapped. “Listen to me, no one is going to kill any of my children. We’ll fix this. I’ll make a few calls and we’ll fix this.”

  Years of respect for the older man stopped Rex from leaping across the room and slapping sense into him. “You don’t get it do you? Sanchez won’t accept anyone other than Camilla Lopez now. He’s demanding I deliver her next week and the only reason he knows about her is because of Brody running his mouth.”

  His father pursed his lips. “She is a beautiful girl.”

  Rex didn’t care how she looked, he didn’t want to die over her. “You’re fucking killing me.”

  “Language,” his father said in a sharp tone.

  Rex walked in a tight circle biting back the caustic remark to his father while wishing Brody was within striking distance. Whether his dad liked it or not, Rex had already sent two men to find the bastard and when they found Brody, he’d make him sorry for all this trouble.

  “No contracts on your brother either, this is a family matter. When you cool down, we’ll deal with that as well.”

  Rex stopped and stared down at the old man he’d always wanted to be proud of him. He remembered the days he had sought his father’s love and respect. Nothing ever worked, he always fell short. Perhaps he’d been fooling himself all these years and the old man just didn’t have it in him to give. Regardless, Rex no longer needed or wanted anything to do with this man. “I don’t have a brother,” he said, fed up with his father’s bullshit. Arms crossed and feet spread apart, he faced the old man. “I have no brothers or sisters. None. Just my mom.” The fleeting guilt that chased across the old man’s face pleased him. “Feel free to turn me in to the cops and cut me out your will but Brody will pay in blood for this.” He turned to leave.

  “Rex, wait.”

  “No, Dad.” He stressed the empty title. “No matter how long it takes, if I live, I promise he’ll pay for this.”

  “What if I make a trade?”

  The cautious tenor in his father’s voice made him turn. His stomach clenched at the pleading in the old man’s eyes. Curiosity made him ask. “What do you have to trade?” Money? Rex didn’t want a penny from him.

  “How long before Sanchez expects the girl?”

  Rex’s chest tightened at the reminder and the task of securing her again. “One week.”

  “I’ll deliver her to you before then.”

  Frowning, Rex stared down into forest green eyes, like his own. His father had never gotten involved with this type of business. Sure he knew about it, even introduced Rex to a few people but never directly involved. Knowing he’d do that now pierced Rex’s heart. “You love him that much?” Rex hated the words slipped out.

  His father released a long sigh and held out his hand in a placating manner. “I love all of my children and will do whatever’s necessary to protect you. When you’re not angry and thinking rationally, you’ll remember that. I love all of my children, son.”

  Rex searched his father’s gaze and realized the old man probably believed what he said which put them at odds. “Well, I wouldn’t allow anyone to do what Brody did, it sends the wrong message. When I find him, you’ll be short a son.”

  “In that case I’ll be short two sons. Remember that,” his dad said in a hard voice.

  “Strange, hearing you say that this time doesn’t bother me so much. So I must truly be done with all this. Done being walked over and shit on. All these years you knew he wasn’t right and yet you insisted he work for me –”

  “Because you were a good influence on him. If he hadn’t worked there, god knows what would’ve happened to him by now.”

  “You used me to babysit your son!” Rex spat. The words left a bad taste in his mouth.

  His father released another long stream of air. “No. Not really. He needed direction and you were good with him. Look, I’m not saying he didn’t mess up, he did. That boy never could hold his liquor. What I’m saying is I’ll handle getting the girl back to you in time for Sanchez; all I ask is that we trade. I give her to you and you leave Brody alone.”

  Rex took a step back and shook his head. “Sorry, no deal. I have to find her, my client won’t accept excuses or hold her over my head as a bargaining chip.”

  His dad stood and took a step forward. “Please, son, reconsider. I don’t want to lose you too.”

  Hearing the words from his father’s lips crushed his heart. Rex looked over his shoulder at the man whose respect he’d fought so hard and long to win. “You did that the day you chose your bastard’s well-being over mine.”

  Chapter 21

  Camilla lay on the chaise lounge in the pool house thinking about everything Cyndy and Gold said. Their comments, the genuine affection they had for each other and the way he looked at Cyndy… the man had it bad. All of that ran on a continuous loop in her mind. Bears? Men who turned into bears or bears who turned into men? The chicken or the egg? Which came first?


  Rolling onto her side, she listened to the soft gurgling of the water filter and wondered if she could do this. How would they manage as a mixed couple? She chuckled. Mixed couple? With a Black mom and Cuban father, she understood the label well. But this… mixed what? And Tag, he’d been mixed all his life. The women in the Facebook group were all shapes, colors and nationalities yet bound together because their husbands, who were also from varied backgrounds, were bears. Mind-boggling!

  “Hot tub?” Tag asked standing near her lounger.

  “No, not right now.” She didn’t look at him. Just the thought of him turning into that large, lumbering animal sent her heartbeat into a tailspin. Yesterday he had shown her Grizzle. Most of the time she kept her eyes closed, taking occasional peeks. Grizzle had brushed against her and she scooted away and covered her head until Tag returned to human and left her alone.

  “Right.” He paused. “Hungry? Can I get you something to eat?”

  “No. Thank you, though. I’m still full from breakfast.”

  “That was five hours ago,” he complained.

  “I know that,” she snapped preferring to be left alone with her thoughts.

  Tag held up his hands, took a step back and walked toward the door.

  “Tag,” she called. Filled with guilt, she looked over her shoulder just as he walked out. “Great,” she muttered. “That was totally uncalled for, stop being such a bitch.” Two days had passed since the visit with Cyndy and Camilla was no closer to making a decision. Did she love the man? Yes, with all her heart. The past two days, he showered her with so much attentive affection she couldn’t imagine life without him. Then she’d hear the grunting of Grizzle, that sound his bear made and she wasn’t sure she could accept that part of him.

  The door opened. With an apology on her lips, she turned.

  “Hey, you okay?” Tyra asked walking toward her.