Loved by a Bear (Legends of Black Salmon Falls Book 1)

by Lauren Lively

  Once I was back inside my house I reached into the bureau against my bedroom wall and pulled out a nightgown. I was just dropping it down over my head, intending to crawl into my bed and allow the world to disappear around me, when I heard a voice echoing through the cavern.

  Chapter Eight

  "Loralia!"

  Bannack wrapped his arm through the vines hanging from the trees and called out to Loralia again. His eyes were focused on the massive expanse of ice that stretched across the cavern where the reflection of the sky had been when he was last in the underground world. He screamed for her again, not sure if he should even attempt to step on the ice, and remembering what she had said about believing in the reflection in order for it to be real. Considering he had no idea what it could possibly be reflecting in order to appear as a block of ice, he couldn't bring himself to believe in its ability to withstand his weight.

  Finally Loralia appeared on the other side of the expanse much as she had the first time he saw her. Her body gave off the same soft glow, but this time it wasn't being entranced by the glow that made him want desperately to cross the cavern and be near her. This time it was knowing that she was inside that glow, emanating it from her smooth, soft skin and her hypnotic eyes that made him need to get over to her. He could feel his body responding with almost painful intensity and his heart pounded just knowing that she was close again.

  "Bannack?"

  Her voice sounded confused and she didn't step any closer to him.

  "Loralia," he said again, "I need to talk to you."

  "I don't have anything to say to you," she said.

  The words made him feel like his heart had constricted and he couldn't force any breath into his lungs.

  "Please," he said, taking a step down the trunk of the tree and toward the edge of the ice, "I just want to tell you that I'm sorry. If after that you want me to leave and not ever come back down here, I will. It will be the hardest thing I ever do in my life, but I'll do it if that's what you want, as long as you just let me talk to you for a few minutes now."

  Loralia looked down at the ice and saw it breaking. Long, fine cracks appeared across the surface, forming patterns like lace until the pieces started to melt away, disappearing into the blackness of what was once again the reflected sky. She had created the ice to keep him away, but the sound of his voice and the desperation in his words told him that she hadn't been wrong about what she had reflected from him. It was questioning it that had brought her to the truth, however, just like questioning the sky had brought her to the ice that now melted into the stars. She wondered if outside it was raining.

  "Please, Loralia," Bannack said again, "Let me come over to you."

  There was a moment of stillness between them and Bannack watched as her eyes explored the sky that now stretched across the cavern, and then lift to him. He was worried that she was just going to tell him to leave and that he would never see her again, or maybe that she would make a floor for him to walk across and then make it fall away right when he was in the middle of the room so that he disappeared to wherever Jem had gone when he fell during the battle. To be honest, he really wouldn't have blamed Loralia if she decided to do either. He realized now how horribly he had treated her, and if she refused to have anything to do with him after it, it would be completely justified.

  Loralia's slim, graceful hand lifted slowly to her neck and rested on her compact for a few seconds before she loosened the chain and took the small silver compact in her hand. She opened it and focused it on the wall behind him just as she had the first time that he saw her. The sky disappeared, replaced by the dark grey of the stone.

  "Is it safe?" he asked.

  "Is it?"

  Bannack knew exactly why she was asking. She had already done what she could do to get him across to her, just as she had done everything she could to reach out to him and connect them. Now it was up to him. He had to trust in the solidity of the floor beneath his feet just as he had to trust in himself and in her. If he didn't, there would be no way for them ever to be together.

  Taking a deep breath and keeping his eyes focused on Loralia's, Bannack stepped forward. The ground was solid beneath his feet and he continued ahead. He walked in silence, crossing to her with deliberate slowness to prove his absolute trust and confidence in the floor and in her. When he was within a few steps of the edge of the expanse, he stopped and reached his hands out to her. This would be the moment, the moment when he would lose his trust and fall victim to the struggle within him again, the moment when he would let the conflict inside him rise again and send him tumbling down into the sky.

  Instead, the ground stayed secure. He didn't waiver in his desire to have her in his arms and as she stepped forward to join him on the solid stone that had replaced the sky. He knew that as long as she was there with him, the stone would stay exactly where it was. The sky was transient, always changing and shifting, never staying the same as if it didn't know exactly what it wanted to be. The stone, though, was absolute and definite. It was strong and solid, and never changed.

  This is what he felt now as Loralia walked toward him, reaching out to rest her cool, soft fingers against his palms so that he could hold them and draw her forward into his arms. What had once been transient like the sky was now like the stone, and he would never again allow himself to deny her, even for a moment.

  "I'm sorry," he whispered into her hair as he cradled her against his chest.

  Loralia pressed herself closer against him and he heard a gentle sigh slip from her lips.

  "You don't have to wonder who you are, Bannack," she said.

  The words struck him and he leaned back to look at her.

  "What do you mean?"

  "You worry that you don't fit what you are supposed to be; that you don't live up to what people expect of you. You wonder if you are really who everyone has always told you that you are, or that you should be."

  It was something that Bannack had never expressed to anyone, a feeling that he had carried within him his entire life and never given voice to, even to his closest family and friends. He understood now that it was not her that had caused all of his struggle, but himself. It wasn't that he was upset about her being another species that he didn't know anything about, but that he didn't know himself well enough to trust that he could be the mate that she deserved.

  "You are a warrior, just as you were born to be. You are strong, you are brave, and you are powerful."

  As she spoke, Loralia's hands drifted from Bannack's shoulders down his chest. He felt her fingers exploring his body through the fabric of his clothing as if memorizing the curves and planes so that she could remember them even when they were apart. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her against him so that she could feel more of his body and how much he needed her. Suddenly she drew in a breath and looked down.

  "What is it?" he asked softly.

  "Did I do something wrong? Did I try to go too fast?"

  Her voice sounded thin, almost like she was afraid to ask him the questions. He took her hands in his, pulling them off of his chest and holding them between them, giving them a slight shake so that she would look at him. He hated that she thought that it was her fault that he had run away from her, and he was going to do everything that he could to show her that it wasn't true.

  Chapter Nine

  The look in Bannack's eyes nearly took my breath away as he stared deeply at me. His eyes were flickering from their usual greyish blue shade to orange and back, and I could feel intense, searing heat pulsating from his body. It was so hot I felt like it should have burned me. Instead, it tingled across my skin and made my breath deepen.

  "You did nothing wrong," Bannack said.

  His voice was low and rumbling, deeper than it had been any other time he had spoken to me.

  "Are you sure?"

  Bannack glanced down at my lips and then back into my eyes. Without saying anything, he leaned forward a
nd caught my mouth with his. The kiss was even deeper, more intense than our first, like it was going beyond his lips against mine to connect us on another level. As his mouth moved against mine, he pulled me closer and I could feel the hardness of his body pressing against my belly. My breath caught in my throat and I arched my back to push more firmly against it. Bannack let out a soft groan and I started guiding him off of the stone and toward the second chamber of the cavern. I wanted to bring him home with me.

  We walked along in silence and I could feel his passion growing with each step. I led him past the house that I occasionally visited, where I had changed my clothes after bathing, and through the rest of the chamber toward the large, protective chamber in the back of the cavern. This was truly my home, the place where I truly felt the most comfortable and the most at ease, and this was where I wanted to be with him.

  "Is this your home?" he asked as we stepped into the chamber.

  "Yes," I told him, "I have a house, but this is where I consider myself at home. This is where I feel safe."

  Bannack gave my wrist a gentle tug so that I curled back into his arms. He pressed a kiss to the top of my head and then another to my cheekbone.

  "I will keep you safe," he whispered, "I will always keep you safe."

  His lips touched the side of my neck and I felt a shiver travel through my body and settle between my thighs. I ached for his touch again and could feel the warmth building as my body prepared for him. The tip of his tongue grazed across my skin. The feeling made my body tremble and I grabbed onto his upper arms, holding them to give myself stability as his mouth continued to explore along the side of my neck and down into the curve between my neck and shoulder.

  I felt Bannack's hands smooth down the sides of my hips and onto my outer thighs, gathering the sides of my nightgown with his fingers so that he could slip his hands beneath the hem. He moaned as he realized that I wasn't wearing anything under the nightgown and I felt him fill his hands with my flesh, kneading gently as he met my mouth again with another intense kiss.

  His mouth moved across mine with depth and need, but not intensity. He moved slowly, carefully tasting me as his hands massaged into my muscles and pulled me ever closer so that our hips met and the irresistible pressure of his erection against my belly made me whimper into his mouth. His hands swept up, tossing my nightgown aside. I had been wearing nothing else, and again I was completely bare in front of him. I reached up behind my neck and loosened the chain that held the compact I had reattached to its hook. Gently placing the compact down on top of my nightgown, I turned back to him.

  "You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen," he whispered.

  "Let me see you," I whispered back, reaching forward to release the laces that tied up the front of his pants.

  Bannack stepped back and took off his shirt, letting it fall to the floor beside my nightgown. He looked at me and I stepped closer to him, bringing my hands back to the laces on his pants. They loosened easily beneath my fingers and I eased his pants down his hips so that they fell to the floor. Bannack stepped out of them and took off his boots. Finally he was as bare as I was. There was nothing between us anymore and I indulged myself by touching the front of my body to his. The heat of his skin drew me in and I ran my hand down his chest and along the chiseled, rippling muscles along his side.

  "You are beautiful," I said quietly, admiring every bit of him that my fingers touched.

  "I know that I don't deserve to be with you," he said, nuzzling his face in my hair, "but if you will let me, I will do everything I can to earn you. Starting with worshiping every inch of you."

  With that, he swept me into his arms so that my hips nestled against his, my core cradling his erection and my breasts crushed against his chest. I wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist. He was so tall that holding me like that had me several feet off of the ground, but I wasn't afraid. I knew that I was never safer than when I was in his arms.

  "How did your kind choose a life mate?" he asked, his labored breath making his voice low and sultry.

  He held me with such ease, seeming to need to put forth no effort to keep me nestled against him. His mouth dropped to the side of my neck again and I closed my eyes briefly to savor the feeling.

  "They were tied together," I finally managed to say.

  "Tied?" he asked, lifting his mouth just long enough to speak before kissing along my collarbone.

  I nodded, tilting my head back to encourage his mouth to my neck again.

  "The women wove braids out of pieces of cloth and a treasured friend would tie their wrists together and say a blessing over them."

  "Will you do that with me?" he asked, his lips tracing along the front of my neck until they reached the soft dip between my collarbones.

  "Yes," I said, leaning back a little further to grant him more access.

  "Until then, can I show you how the Denynso bond?"

  "Yes."

  Bannack tightened his grip on me and started to walk forward. By the direction he was moving I knew he was headed toward the long, low bench that ran along the far wall. A few moments later he lowered himself to his knees and rested me back against the plush cushions, carefully drawing my legs from around his waist so that he could sit back on his feet. He gently parted my thighs, draping one leg over the side of the bench and the other over his shoulder so that I was totally open and vulnerable to him.

  "This time," he said, running his hand down my thigh toward the wet heat he had been creating with every touch and every kiss, "when I touch you, I want to be looking at you."

  Just those words made me feel like I was edging beyond my control and I pushed my hips closer to him, opening further to surrender myself completely to him. Bannack brought his hand the rest of the way down and drew the pads of his fingers through my core, sending shivers through my body. He pressed deeper, parting my folds so he could explore me as he gazed into my face.

  I watched as Bannack dipped his fingers into his mouth, drawing them across his tongue before reaching down again and slipping them into me. I gasped at the feeling, so overwhelmed that I at once tried to pull away from it and push deeper into it. He moved patiently, easing his fingers deeper into my tight, untouched body and moving them slowly so that he massaged my upper wall. He groaned in response to my body arching up toward him and the whimpers pouring from my chest. I gripped his arm, digging my fingers deeply into him as he continued his deliciously torturous exploration.

  Almost unbearable pressure was building throughout my belly, thighs, and hips and I felt the same desperate need for him that I had in the house in the Denynso compound before he left. Just before he allowed the tension to release, however, he carefully withdrew his fingers. I gasped at the emptiness and searched his face, worried for a moment that he was going to leave again. He smiled at me and drew his fingers through his mouth again, removing my slick fluids from his skin.

  "Not yet," he whispered, "Be patient."

  I wasn't feeling particularly patient, but I nodded, willing to give all of my trust and control over to him and allow him to guide me. I wanted to please him in whatever way he wanted, and whatever way that I could. He eased my leg down off of his shoulder at the same time that he took my hand and gently led me up into a sitting position. I moved by instinct when he stood, lowering myself to my knees in front of him. Bannack stroked my face tenderly before tucking his hand around behind my head and guiding me forward so that I opened my mouth and welcomed his erection in against my tongue.

  His long, hard shaft felt incredible in my mouth, and the deep sounds rolling over me like thunder pushed me even further. I let my mouth glide along him, savoring the feeling of every ridge and vein, and the warm, salty taste of his skin. I felt like I could have continued on like that for the rest of the night, but suddenly Bannack's hand tightened on my head and he gently pulled me back away from him. I looked up at him and he eased me to my feet.

 
Bannack sat on the bench behind him and drew me forward until I straddled his hips much as I had in the house, but this time I was facing him rather than looking away. Wrapping one arm around my hips, he lowered me down toward his lap. I felt the tip of his erection touch my opening and drew in a breath. He paused only for a moment, then led me the rest of the way down so that I settled against him, enveloping his shaft deep within me. My head dropped back and my mouth opened to cry out, but there was no sound. The feeling of him filling me so completely was so intense I could only gasp for breath.

  We sat still for several seconds as my body adjusted to holding him.

  "Relax for me," he whispered.

  I lifted my head so that I could look into his eyes again. Letting his beautiful face soothe me, I relaxed my muscles and let him sink even deeper into me. His hands came to my hips and he began to guide them, rolling them in slow circles. Bannack sat up straighter so that our bodies touched and rested his hand on my lower back. Bracing himself against the bench with his other hand, he rocked my hips into a faster rhythm. As our bodies moved and slipped across each other our sounds blended and swirled, filling the space around us until I could perceive nothing but what we were creating together.

  His body nurtured me back into the sense of dizzying pressure, but this time the desperation wasn't there. I had him within me and I couldn't imagine there was anything more incredible. Suddenly, though, I realized Bannack began to grunt deeply and thrust intensely up into me, coaxing me closer to the edge of my control, and then pushing me over so that I screamed his name and contracted around him at the same moment that he cried out, throbbing and pulsing as hot streams filled me.