But the moment Tiffany started hitting on Chet, all bets were off. Thinking back, her reaction was probably a little over the top, especially for having just met the guy. I wonder what that was all about, she thought as the four girls inched closer to her. Crystal backed up until the red rubber seat was digging into her thighs.
“Tiffany, Michelle, Becky, Heather. Always a pleasure.” She tried to suppress the sarcasm, but apparently she failed.
“Fuck you, freak!” spit Heather.
“Nice. You kiss your mother with that mouth?”
Heather’s response was to glare, which Crystal took as promising. If that’s as aggressive as she got, they probably weren’t going to scream ‘Dogpile!’ and beat the living shit out of her. In fact, they were all dolled up. They must be on the prowl.
“Now, girls,” Tiffany chirped, her words slathered in a huge helping of saccharine. “Let’s not lower ourselves to her level, okay?”
Crystal didn’t have the energy for them right now. “What do you want, Tiffany?” she sighed, leaning back and letting her feet leave the ground. The girls scampered back, out of reach of her feet as she started swinging.
It only took a moment for Tiffany to regain her composure, including a new level of haughtiness. “We just wanted to warn you that you’re done in this town. We all know what happened at Paulie’s the other night.”
“So?”
“You’re tainted! And we felt it was our civic duty to let all the guys in town know that you’re damaged goods. No one’s going to date you ever again. God only knows what kind of diseases you caught from that filthy animal!”
A terrifying rage filled Crystal from her toes to her head, where it came screaming out of her mouth as she launched herself at Tiffany. How dare this bitch talk shit about her man?! She was going to pay!
Tiffany wasn’t prepared to be tackled by the shorter but stouter Crystal, so she crumpled like a paper doll, landing with a loud, “Ooooff!”
Before she was even aware she’d done it, Crystal had Tiffany pinned under her weight and was pressing her nose up against the other girl’s, staring into her shocked eyes. “You never speak about Chet like that again, do you understand? Blink once for yes.”
Tiffany blinked. It was all she could do. She was gulping for air like a trout on shore, unable to speak or even breathe, from the looks of it. Alarm shot through Crystal, thinking that she’d really hurt the girl, but then realized she’d just had the wind knocked out of her. At least she’d keep her pie hole shut.
The other three girls scrambled to help her sit up as soon as Crystal released her. No one said a word. The only sound was Tiffany gasping for a breath as Crystal strutted away, deathly calm and exhilarated at the same time.
She knew. She finally knew what she was going to do. Now she just needed to find a rowboat.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Chet watched in horror as Aunt Clea let her beast take over and run bellowing at a stunned Crystal, her clothes falling away in shreds while her colorful cape flapped around her. It would have been comical if she wasn’t running straight for his mate.
“Nooo!” he screamed. Instinct kicked in and, before he could so much as blink, he was running after his aunt, even though he knew it was hopeless. Even in her drunken state, Aunt Clea had a huge lead and would reach Crystal before he could make it halfway across the clearing. Shifting wouldn’t help him gain on her either, and the last thing he wanted was for Crystal to see two bears running at her.
What was his aunt thinking? Even he knew it was absolutely forbidden for weres to attack humans, at least in their animal form. She was risking banishment herself, but he couldn’t care less about that at the moment. All he cared about was saving Crystal from being torn to shreds.
He didn’t need to see Crystal’s face as his aunt bore down on her to know she was terrified — the sharp smell of her fear filled the clearing, broadcasting her emotions to everyone gathered there. A low growl of fear and anger filled his chest as he ran, vibrating throughout his body. He was oblivious to everything else beyond Crystal and the fast-approaching bear. He had to make it to her in time, he just had to!
A flash of black and bright colors caught the corner of his eye. A moment later, Aunt Clea was tumbling to the ground under the weight of a gigantic black bear, who also wore the ceremonial cape. Tufts of black and brown fur floated up from the weres writhing around in front of Crystal, who could do nothing but stare in shock. Teeth flashed, fabric tore, claws slashed and blood splattered around them. Screams of pain and fury pierced the air as the huge black bear struggled to contain Aunt Clea.
The alcohol she drank before the ceremony must have caught up with her bear because it wasn’t long before she lay prone and panting beneath the black bear, surrendering to it completely. A weak whine escaped her snout as her bear retreated back inside, pushing a weeping Aunt Clea back to the surface to take any further punishment.
As soon as she was back in her human form, the bear that tackled her also underwent the transformation, shrinking down into the form of Uncle Max hovering over her. Breathing heavily, he rolled off his wife, gathered her into his shaking arms and pulled her cape closed to cover her exposed flesh. Werebears weren’t prudish about nudity under normal circumstances — it sort of came with the territory — but everything going on right now was far from normal, and his instinct was to protect his mate.
Which was exactly what Chet wanted to do, needed to do. It seemed to take an eternity to reach her on his human legs but he didn’t want to scare her again by shifting, especially when doing so wouldn’t have helped him reach her in time. When he finally did, he dragged her shaking body into his arms, his heart lurching in both gratitude that she hadn’t been torn into pieces and resignation that she would undoubtedly run screaming any second. The only thing left behind would be a Crystal-shaped hole in his soul.
“Shhh, you’re safe now,” he soothed, stroking her hair and holding her like he might never hold her again. “You’re safe, baby.”
Her small fingers clutched at his shirt, grabbing fistfuls of fabric to pull herself closer into his body. He let her scent wrap around him like a warm blanket, blocking out the cold reality that surrounded him. All he wanted was to disappear into her forever. For a brief moment, as she crushed herself to him, a flash of hope flared up inside him.
It was instantly extinguished when she pushed away from him. The distance was only a few inches but it seemed like miles to Chet. He reached for her to pull her back, but she slapped his hand away, a scowl replacing the look of fear she’d had a minute earlier.
“Just who do you think you are, Chet Pearce?”
“Um…” He wasn’t sure what the right answer was. He was…Chet. “Huh?”
“I said, who do you think you are?” Her volume increased with each word. Was she really yelling at him? In the middle of a pack of werebears? This girl had some serious cojones.
“I’m sorr—“
“You certainly are sorry! You’re a sorry excuse for a mate, that’s what you are. All this time, you go on and on about how we’re ‘fated mates’, that we’re meant for each other, that life without me would be a torment.”
“That’s all true, Cry—“
“I’m talking here!” she snapped.
His bear grumbled at being admonished in front of other bears but Chet shushed it. He’d take a tongue-lashing now if it meant getting another, more pleasant one later…and forever. Because if she was here, and she was calling him her mate, that could only mean she was ready to commit to him. And nothing would stop him from being with her.
Once she was satisfied that he was going to keep his lip zipped, she continued. “So you say all those pretty things but you were lying to me all along.”
He opened his mouth to object, to say he’d never lied, but one scathing glance from her and he shut his trap. She was right. It was a lie of omission.
“How am I supposed to trust you? Forget all this bear stuff, our relationship
will never survive if you can’t trust that I will always love you no matter what.”
Chet blinked, not trusting that his ears had heard correctly. Did she just say… “W-what?”
The sweetest smile he’d ever seen slowly lit up her face. “I love you, Chet. I tried to talk myself out of it, but you were right. I felt our connection almost instantly. We’re fated mates, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you!”
He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Even his raging beast was choked up with emotion. She finally admitted it! They flew into each others’ arms, Chet peppering her face with desperate kisses as her joyful laugh echoed through the clearing.
“Heh hem.”
He’d been so wrapped up in Crystal’s well-being, and then her profession of love, that he completely forgot they were surrounded by a pack of werebears.
Not good.
Not only would they be irritated that the initiation ceremony had been interrupted but they’d be furious that a human had witnessed any part of it. There was no telling what they’d think about the whole ‘fated mates’ thing.
Chet pulled his face out from the delicious nook of Crystal’s neck and looked up to find his uncle and several angry clan elders standing before them. His heart started thumping, wondering what kind of punishment he’d receive. Shuffling to put himself between them and his mate, he squared his shoulders and waited.
“Chet, we talked about this,” Uncle Max said, his voice cracking with strain. “You can’t mate with a human and be a member of this clan. You have to make a decision. Her or us.”
There it was, the threat of banishment. He shouldn’t have been surprised but it still twisted him up inside now that he was face-to-face with it. His beast wasn’t paying attention. All it wanted to do was go back to nuzzling Crystal’s neck. And quite honestly, so did he.
All of this was a farce. It was put on for show, to reinforce clan loyalty. He didn’t have a problem with that but he did have a problem with them telling him who he could love. It wasn’t like he’d simply decided to fall head over heels for Crystal. They were meant to be together and nothing he did or they threatened could change that.
Nodding curtly, he stepped forward and extended his hand to his uncle. “I understand. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me, Uncle Max. I know it was all done with love. Please tell Sandy goodbye for me, will you?”
Tears welled in his uncle’s eyes as he took Chat’s hand in his own. “Are you sure?” he whispered, desperate to not lose his nephew. Aunt Clea moaned in drunken grief.
Looking back at Crystal, Chet’s resolve strengthened. Here was a girl — no, this woman — who had pushed through her fears to track him down tonight. The courage it took for her to not only approach a werebear gathering but to interrupt it was staggering. Then she faced certain maiming, if not death, and came out the other side stronger than before. She was the bravest person he’d ever known.
And she was his.
He tipped her a quick wink before turning back to his uncle. “I’m so sorry that it’s come to this, but yes. I’m more sure of this than anything in my life. Crystal and I are destined to be together for the rest of our lives, and that starts tonight. Do what you have to do.”
Tears spilled down Uncle Max’s cheeks and he pulled Chet into a tight hug, his chest hitching with bottled up sobs. Werebear males rarely cried, and usually only when a loved one died. And that’s what was happening, as far as his uncle was concerned. Chet was now dead to him.
He released Chet and turned his back. Gathering up Clea in his arms, he walked out of the clearing, never once looking back. Chet nearly cried himself, but then Crystal’s hand slipped into his and gave him strength.
“Wanna get out of here?” she murmured up at him.
“Fuckin’ A.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“Where are you taking me, Crystal?”
After they ran out of the clearing, hoping the rest of the clan wouldn’t chase after them, she’d led him to her grandfather’s truck. They were on a deeply rutted logging road that hadn’t seen any use in recent years, if the craggy weeds lining the tracks were any indication.
“It’s a surprise,” is all she would say, even after he tickled her. “Watch it, dork. I’m driving!” she giggled.
This was a dream, it had to be. He’d spent an eternity — okay, a week — thinking he’d never see her again, yet here she was. He couldn’t take his eyes off her, the sweep of her neck, the curve of her breasts, the swell of her hips. It took a tremendous amount of effort to not rip her clothes off right there in the front of Pete’s truck. Instead, he scooted over next to her lush body and buried his face in her neck again, breathing her in.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” he mumbled into that little spot right behind her ear. A shudder rippled through her and he could smell her arousal.
She had to swallow hard to get any words out, and that made his pants uncomfortably tight in one particular spot. “What, you think I’m dumb enough to let my one true love get away over a silly little thing like shapeshifting? As if!”
“How did you get your grandpa’s truck, anyway?” His hands skimmed along her silky arms, caressing her hands, dropping to her thighs and trailing up to where they joined. Her breathing was growing heavier, faster, but she swallowed again and managed to answer.
“He gave me the keys. Duh. Whatever I was back in Seattle, I was never a thief.”
Chet pulled back in concern. “No, I just meant…I mean to say…Um, well…I guess you haven’t told them about us yet then?” A tiny part of him was sad that she hadn’t told her grandparents, especially knowing how close she was to them.
Taking her eyes off the barely-there road for a second, she gave him a sad smile. “I told them.”
“And they still gave you the keys? I thought they didn’t want us to be together any more than my family.”
“They don’t. But they love me more than their stupid prejudice and saw that I meant business.” She shrugged indifferently but it couldn’t have been an easy conversation. What an amazing and strong woman!
The road petered out into the barest hint of a trail before opening up into a gravel-choked landing next to Hardy Channel. Crystal stopped just above the high tide line, which was marked with a haphazard band of bleached driftwood. A small, battered rowboat was pulled almost out of the water, the rope tied to its bow made fast to a mossy, half-rotted tree stump, its transom bobbing slightly in the lapping wavelets.
“We’re almost there,” she chirped, flashing a mischievous grin before hopping out of the truck.
It was a scene from a postcard or watercolor painting, all blues and greys and greens. When he first arrived on-island, he’d been overwhelmed by all the lush growth, but now he loved it as much as he loved the woman skipping down to the little rowboat.
Scrambling out after her, he called, “What the—“
“C’mon, Tubbs. Don’t be afraid to get your fancy loafers wet!”
Crystal slipped off her Keds and tugged on a pair of brown rubber boots she pulled from the bow of the dinghy. Seriously, what the…?
But then he was distracted by the sight of her round rump thrust high up in the air as she shoved the dinghy into deeper water. Her Guess jeans hugged her ripe curves, leaving very little to the imagination and that was just fine by him. His brain — not to mention his nether regions — went into overdrive at her bent over and wiggling like that. When she looked back at him over her shoulder, he could see by the sly smirk twitching her lips that she was teasing him on purpose.
“You’re gonna pay for that, sweetheart!” he growled, taking her in his arms and spinning her around. He pulled her tight to him with no resistance, their bodies molding together as if they were one. Heat pulsed between them, and the scent of her arousal nearly bowled him over.
This was the first time they’d truly embraced since she announced her love for him, and it was made all the sweeter because of it. All those make-out ses
sions from before were always tainted by his deception. Now that she knew about his beast, and accepted him fully, there were no barriers to their love.
Tracing her eyebrow, her cheekbone, her jawline with his finger, he memorized every curve, every angle. His lips followed suit, her breath hitching in her chest at every flick of his tongue. Nuzzling into her ear, he whispered, “You’re amazing.”
She practically melted in his arms at his words, pressing into him and clutching at his back. A tiny, tormented moan vibrated through her and into him, drawing out his own moan of need.
“Why don’t we find a nice soft spot around here—“
“No,” she breathed, pushing weakly at his chest. “I-I have a plan.”
He tried to draw her back into him but her resistance was strengthening, damn it. Reluctantly, he let her escape his embrace, but not before planting one last kiss on the curve of her sweet neck. It was delightful to watch her nipples eagerly respond.
“Fine,” he relented, holding his hands up in surrender. “I’m all yours. Forever.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Crystal made Chet row, giggling as he got used to using oars and trying to navigate facing the wrong direction. She’d call out “Port!” and “Starboard!” when he needed to alter course, but he kept forgetting that port meant the boat’s left and not his left. They nearly rowed in a full circle a couple of times before he got comfortable.
The normally raging waters of Hardy Channel were eerily still as they rowed out to Tremble Rock. Their timing couldn’t have been any more perfect — in fact, if it had been off by another ten minutes, they wouldn’t have been able to make the trip. As it was, the supposedly ‘slack’ current kept nudging them sideways.
“Hurry, Chet, or we’ll get swept out to sea! Mush! Mush!”
He grinned back at her, even as sweat popped out on his brow. “I’m not a workhorse, woman. I’m a bear!”
Bearly Hanging On (A Werebear Shifter BBW Romance) (Laid Bear Book 3) Page 10