“We’ve got some talking to do first, mister .”
Eric did some heavy cursing and then swung around to the door. “Thanks a lot, Allie. Maybe, next time, you’ll communicate with someone if you have a problem with what they’re doing, instead of just holding it inside .”
“Hey, dumbass, women don’t like it when you cheat . Duh .”
I moved towards the door in case Eric needed help through it. Turns out he didn’t. He was out before I reached him, so I flipped the lock before returning to Allie’s side. “ You okay ?”
She was staring up at me and dropped the ice pack into her lap. “It wasn’t a dream, was it ?”
I sighed. “I’m not sure how much you want to know right now. Maybe we should wait until your brain feels a little better ?”
“I’m not sure my brain is ever going to feel okay again .”
“Well… here goes , then .”
24
Allie
“H ow did… How did you turn into a bear, Thorn?” I half expected him to laugh at me. It was ridiculous, wasn’t it? He hadn’t actually turned into a bear .
Thorn knelt on an old carpet square in front of me. “That’s something I left out of the story about mates .”
He leaned back on his heels and looked around. He seemed worried and uncomfortable. He opened his mouth several times, and then closed it again before he’d uttered a single sound as though he wasn’t sure where to start .
“Just spill, Thorn .”
“I’m a bear shifter. I mean… I can shapeshift into a bear. Bear. Bear shifter.” He looked up at the ceiling and groaned. “I turn into a bear. I’m still me, but a bear. A shifter bear .”
I didn’t know if it was the blow I’d taken to the head or how flustered the big man before me was, but I couldn’t help the single laugh that burst from my lips .
His cheeks turned red. “I’ve never had to explain it before. I don’t know how to say it. Jesus, woman. Don’t laugh. You’re killing me here .”
That just turned my single laugh into a fit of giggles. I’d officially lost my mind. The bump must’ve jumbled things more than the doctor thought .
“Alright,” Thorn sighed, “You made me do this .”
Before my eyes, fur started sprouting from his body and he opened his mouth to show me his jaw growing and his teeth sharpening. I stopped laughing and slunk farther into my seat .
Then, Thorn shook himself and he was back to normal. “Bear shifter .”
“But… that’s… just in the movies .”
It was his turn to laugh. “It’s not. There are all sorts of shifters out there. We just happen to be bears ‘ round here .”
“We ?”
“Yeah. A lot of people in this town are shifters. There aren’t a lot of other differences between normal humans and us, so it’s hard to tell who’s who .”
I swallowed. “What are the differences ?”
“You mean besides the shifting into an animal thing? Shifters run hotter. We’re always warm to the touch, no matter what. We’re usually just a little bigger, too. And…we have mates .”
I sat up. “Mates? As in soulmates ?”
He nodded. “ You’re mine .”
My chest fluttered. “You think I’m your mate ?”
Another nod. “ I do .”
We were both surprised when my hand shot out punched him square in the face. He didn’t so much as flinch, but I immediately gasped from the pain of my fist contacting his rock-solid jaw. He captured my hand in his and rubbed my knuckles. Crap . That was meant to hurt him more than it did me .
“Have you known since day one ?”
“I knew it. I just… I didn’t have a normal upbringing. My mom and stepdad… they weren’t exactly the picture of the perfect mating, but that’s all I had to go by. Their complete disaster. It scared the hell out of me. It still does. I don’t know how to do this. Mating is serious. I don’t how to be what you deserve, Allie. What if I can’t make you happy? If we mate and you decide this isn’t for you, it could kill me .”
I pulled my hand from his and edged away. My head throbbed but I needed some space. I moved to the other side of the couch and pulled my feet under me. “Literally kill you ?”
“It’s what happened to my Mom. I told you she went crazy, but it wasn’t much longer after her breakdown that she died. Doctor Mae tried to save her, but Mom lost the will to live. Without that, a doctor isn’t much good .”
“I’m sorry, Thorn. That’s horrible.” I paused. “Wait… we haven’t…mated, right ?”
He laughed suddenly and the surprising sound filled the trailer. If he noticed the goosebumps it left on my arms and legs, he didn’t comment. “No, we definitely haven’t mated .”
I scooted closer, unable to stop myself. “How do we mate ?”
He growled and reached out like he was going to grab me but stopped himself. “Jesus. I’m holding on by a thread here, Allie. I want you. I want this. I’ve been hiding from you, but that’s not working. We’re meant to be side by side .”
He paused and looked down at his hands, where they rested inches from my legs. “Do you like being called Alyson ?”
All my anger and worry was suddenly forgotten. It wasn’t gone for good, but in that moment, I wanted just to comfort him. I slid over until I was in front of him and cupped his face. “I prefer Allie. I broke things off with him the night we talked outside, Hawthorne. I realized that I wanted that soulmate thing that you talked about. I don’t know why he showed up, but it wasn’t because I wanted him here .”
“Why aren’t you freaking out? Or pissed at me? This doesn’t seem normal .”
I laughed and then winced from head pain. “To be honest with you, I’m still trying to digest the whole bear thing right now. And I am pissed, because you treated me like crap and I deserve better. Especially if I’m your mate .”
He growled. “You are my mate. No if . Are .”
Despite the pain in my head, fireworks were going off in my lower regions. “Can I see it? Can I see your bear again ?”
He looked wary. “I don’t know, Allie .”
I stroked his cheek. “I need to make it real for myself. It still seems too crazy to be real .”
“Okay.” He stood up and moved away from me. His hands went to his pants and he grinned. “If I don’t take them off, they’ll end up shredded .”
I turned my head and tried to act normally. I heard his pants hit the floor and then the trailer dipped dangerously to one side. I squeaked and then grabbed my head when my own high-pitched sound hurt it .
A loud huffing and a warm gust of air hit me on the back of my neck as the trailer settled again. I looked back, knowing I would see a bear, but still surprised as hell .
He was huge. I’d never seen a bear that close up before. I couldn’t help standing up to get a better look. Amazingly, I felt no fear as I reached out and touched his soft fur .
“Do you condition? This feels so good .”
Another huff and then the trailer rocked again as he went down on all fours. Even then, he was practically eye level with me. His wet nose nudged me and I laughed .
“Abram didn’t give me any rules about animals, but I think he assumed I wouldn’t bring a bear into his trailer. You’re denting the floor .”
He tossed his head back and made a snorting sound that soothed me to my very core. Something about the bear in front of me was as familiar and relaxing as curling up with a warm blanket in front of a cozy fireplace on a cold night. I felt like I’d known the bear forever and that I could trust it with my life. Which, I guess I was doing. Knowing that this was Thorn just added to my warm feelings. He’d felt familiar since the very beginning , too .
I ran my hands over its head and then scratched behind its ears. In a heartbeat, the bear was Thorn kneeling in front of me, naked as a jaybird, with his head in my hands. I stroked my hand over his hair once more and then moved away .
“You’re not freaking out .”
I
sat on the couch and picked up my ice pack again. “No. Maybe I’ll save the freak-out for later. Maybe I won’t. I don’t know .”
His nakedness was sat next to me, and damned if he wasn’t completely at ease with it. “Does that mean we can be together ?”
I turned my head away from him, unwilling to be distracted by all that he had on display. “It means that I’m going to make a serious attempt at processing all of this. You can’t expect me to answer tonight, Thorn. You’ve been hiding from me for days. I don’t know if I trust that you won’t do it again. You’re a bear. The whole town is full of bears. I’m trying to fit into my new ‘Allie who won’t be walked on by men’ persona. My head is being attacked by a sledge hammer. I need time, at least until the headache is gone .”
“Okay. I get it. I’m staying here to watch over you, though .”
I turned my face to glare at him and I held up my hand to shield his man parts from my view. “No, you can’t stay here. I can’t think if you’re going to be hanging around. I need time to myself .”
The pout my words drew from his lips was almost comical. He nodded and stood up, dangling his junk directly in my line of vision. When I slammed my eyes shut, he chuckled. “Sorry. I’ll be outside tonight, making sure you don’t fall asleep. I’ll leave in the morning .”
“Just go home, Thorn. I’m really okay. Plus, how do you plan on knowing if I’m asleep from out there ?”
He pulled his pants on and smirked. “I can hear your heart beating. Right now, it’s racing. If it slows down too much, I’ll know that you’re falling asleep .”
I shook my head and pointed to the door. “One more thing to process .”
He was almost out when I thought of something else. “Wait, Thorn. How is mating done, if it’s not sex ?”
He gripped the door molding and didn’t turn back around to face me. “I would… claim you during sex. With a bite. It would leave a mark on you, letting everyone know that you’re mine .”
I watched him go and leaned back. He had nothing to worry about. With these thoughts buzzing around in my head, there would be no sleep anytime soon .
25
Allie
I t’d been a week since I found out about the bear population of Burden. A week of looking at the world through very different eyes. Finding out that people I’d met in Burden, people who in every other aspect appeared to be, well… people , were actually bears too. The men, anyway. Even Abram was a shifter. Learning that they weren’t what I’d thought wasn’t as uncomfortable to me as I might have suspected. To me they were just normal men…who could also become bears .
Seeing was also believing, and Thorn’s friends were amazing that week. They each shifted for me and let me see their bears so I knew I wasn’t just imagining everything .
I’d also talked to Georgia about it for hours at a time on the phone. It went without saying that the whole shifter thing was something that needed to be kept hush-hush, but I knew Georgia. The woman had never met an idea or challenge that she wasn’t willing to face head on. Plus, I’d trust Georgia with my life. I knew she’d take a secret to her grave rather than betray our friendship .
Georgia had been beyond surprised, she was thrilled and excited. In fact, after I’d told her about Thorn, and that I was planning to stay in Burden for a while, maybe indefinitely, she made immediate plans to head to Texas to visit for a little while .
I’d lost all my anger at Thorn the night I found out about shifters, but I’d still kept him at a distance in the beginning of the week. I wanted to see how he was going to react to me when I wasn’t being stalked by my ex and recovering from a bump to the head. I didn’t really know how this whole mate thing worked. Would he still want me as badly when there wasn’t any competition ?
I worked at night and explored Burden during the day, doing all I could to get back to feeling normal and to forget about the biting part of mating .
I couldn’t deny what I felt for Thorn. The strong connection was there before I even knew about mates. Or shifters. Since then, he’d made so many efforts to get closer to me that our connection had grown stronger .
He was proving that he meant what he said about believing that I was his mate. His eyes stayed on me when he was in the same room as me and when I’d finally give in and look at him, he’d have heat and something softer in his eyes. It was arresting. Seeing such a big man, a man who had power that I didn’t even understand, look at me like he would just wither blow away if I rejected him was heart wrenching. I was his. I was. It was just the biting that I couldn’t seem to get past .
He left flowers for me. Granted, they sometimes still had the roots attached, but I gave him credit anyway, because, obviously, the crazy bear wasn’t used to giving girls flowers. He also insisted on walking me to and from work every day. I’d turned down all his invitations for dinner at his place, though. It wasn’t that I wasn’t ready to get on with our relationship. I was just nervous .
Abram had explained to me what a mate was to a shifter and what it meant. Mating with Thorn was a more powerful thing to do than if I went out and married him. Mating was forever. While I didn’t doubt my feelings for him, at all, I was terrified of forever. What if he couldn’t leave his womanizing ways behind? Without question, I knew if he cheated on me, it wouldn’t be like it was with Eric or the others. It would destroy me .
Still, I couldn’t stay away from him any longer. I was feeling the absence of his touch. Like an addict, my hands shook when he was near me. It seemed impossible to fight .
But, I had to eventually put on my big girl panties, and tonight was the night. I was giving in— at least to sex with him. I’d made sure to dress in a tiny skirt and a tank top that dipped low. I slipped away from the bar during a lull and carried a beer to his table .
Thorn was sitting in his normal seat, with Hutch, Sam, Sterling, and Wyatt beside him. I smiled at the rest of the guys and then leaned down in front of Thorn. The position gave him an eyeful of cleavage and he didn’t miss the chance to look at it .
“I was hoping that maybe you could show me around your place tonight.” I put the beer down in front of him and stood back up .
Before I could even turn away, he’d grabbed my arm. He easily picked me up and tossed me over his shoulder. “Abram, cover for us,” he shouted across the room .
I felt my face burning as the bar erupted in cheers. “Thorn !”
He slapped my ass hard enough to sting and rushed out of the bar. “Say no and I’ll carry you back inside right now, Allie .”
I remained silent and held on as he straightened me and put me in the cab of his truck. Instead of rushing around to the driver’s side, though, he captured my lips in a kiss, demanding and hot, and I moaned as he slipped his tongue into my mouth and his hands into my hair .
Just as quickly, he was gone. He slammed the door closed and was getting in behind the wheel in a flash. He looked at me with enough heat to light the world on fire, and then started the truck .
I held my breath as he pedal-to-the-metaled it towards his place. I’d planned on at least looking around his place for a few minutes, but his urgency told me that that might have to wait. I felt the same sense of urgency. As soon as he touched me, the need had increased to a nearly painful level. I wanted him . Now .
“You want to be with me forever?” I swore after I asked it. Why had I opened my mouth? Crazy things were bound to come out. I wasn’t in control enough to make sure they didn’t .
Thorn swung a sharp left and then glanced at me after he straightened the truck. “Yes. I want forever. Do you ?”
“You really do ?”
He slid to a stop in front of a log cabin style house. “Yes. I really do. That’s what I’ve been trying to show you. I messed up at first. I was too scared to accept what this was. I’m nothing without you, Allie. You’re my other half. I would let you go if you wanted me to, but that will never be what I want. I want to claim you and mark you as my own so you know and so e
very fucker in this town knows that I would die for you. I’m in. I’m in this with everything I have .”
I threw myself into his arms, across the console, and wrapped myself around him. It was exactly what I needed to hear. I kissed him with everything I had in me, letting him know how happy he made me .
Thorn pulled me out of the truck, stumbling as I made the job harder by kissing his neck and face. He grabbed my ass and lifted it and held me to him so I could wrap my legs around him. We made it to the door and then fell to the floor in the entryway .
It didn’t matter to either of us. Thorn kissed my skin as he exposed it, pulling the tank top down and then ripping it over my head. His hands were everywhere, teasing me .
“I want you to mark me. I want to do this.” I said it while gripping his hair and pulling his face up to mine .
Thorn kissed me senseless and yanked my skirt up to my waist. My panties were ripped off and his pants were undone. When he pulled back, his eyes were burning bright. “Forever ?”
I tugged at his pants and nodded. “Forever. Do you -?”
He cut me off by rolling us and suddenly brushing the tip of his shaft against my slick folds. He held my gaze as he slowly pushed into me. “Completely .”
I wrapped myself around him and buried my face in his neck, feeling entirely overwhelmed with delirious pleasure. This felt different. Knowing he was my mate and that this was going to be forever took it to a whole different intensity than the first time. I could already feel my body tensing for a release .
Thorn thrust himself back and forth inside of me, slow and deep, taking me to levels that I didn’t know existed. He braced himself on his elbows on either side of my head, and when I tilted my head back, and our eyes met, I could see that he was just as affected as I was. My world rocked .
“Claim me, Thorn .”
He nudged my head to the side and lowered his mouth to my neck. I held my breath as his tongue teased me and licked the sensitive skin. Then he kissed me there. “Relax, Allie. I would never hurt you .”
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