“Girl, you need to calm the hell down. Declan and I just met. We aren’t picking out China patterns or anything.”
Scarlett jumped up and down with a giddy laugh. “Oh, whatever. If he brought you here, he’s definitely thinking bigger than just a weekend fling.” Blair began to feel nervous butterflies invade her stomach, just as Declan walked up behind them.
“What kind of trouble are you causing now, Scarlett?” he asked with a low rumble in his voice. Scarlett just smiled.
“Oh, nothing. But speaking of trouble…”
As if on cue, Kurt came out of the lodge, looking imposing and handsome in jeans and a blue plaid flannel. Kurt walked up behind Scarlett and pulled her into a giant bear hug. “Scarlett, are you driving them crazy already?”
“Yes,” Declan and Blair answered in unison, causing Scarlett to pout haughtily. Kurt just laughed.
“I figured. Scarlett, leave them alone for a minute. Let them get inside and get settled, and then you can be a pest. Deal?”
Scarlett sighed dramatically and then rushed back inside, with everyone following them. They were almost in the lodge when Declan spun around suddenly. Blair and Kurt turned to see why he’d stopped.
“Declan?” Blair called after him.
“Did you hear that?”
“Hear what, man?” Kurt asked as he walked back down the steps to where Declan was standing.
“A rustling. In the bushes. I could have sworn…”
Kurt chuckled. “Come on man; you know firsthand this forest. There are all sorts of other animals out there in the brush. I don’t think some rustling trees are cause for alarm.”
Declan grumbled and squinted as he looked out into the woods. “I don’t think it was an animal. I swear it was…”
Scarlett poked her head back out of the house and interrupted. “Guys? Are you coming inside?”
Kurt shook his head. “Yeah, we’re coming. Declan is getting ready to chase a chipmunk into the trees.”
Declan swore at Kurt as they walked in the lodge, and Blair could tell he was still preoccupied with whatever he thought he saw outside. When they got inside, however, Blair completely forgot everything that had happened outside. She was completely overcome by the scale, and the beauty of the house, and how many people were lounging around in the living room, looking tanned and happy and relaxed.
The main living room was dominated by the windows she saw from outside, and the view was spectacular. The room was flooded with natural light, which set off the warm wood that was used to construct the house. Everything was classic and inviting and homey, and Blair thought that she could probably live in the lodge forever. If not for the multiple sets of eyes that were watching her, evaluating her. She felt the urge to run back to the car, but a curvy woman with brown hair and huge green eyes set upon her before she could take a step.
“Hi, Blair! I’m Lani! It’s nice to finally meet you. Scarlett talks about you all the time. That lumberjack of a man playing chess with himself is Cash, my mate. The two dorks in the kitchen are Frank and Reid. The rest of the clan are roaming around here somewhere. And of course, you know Kurt and Scarlett. I think that covers everyone who isn’t Declan. It will be so nice to have another woman around all the time!”
Declan and Blair both bristled, and Blair ran a hand through her hair nervously. “All the time is a little extreme. I mean, I just got here. Declan and I just met. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here.”
Blair wasn’t sure, but she thought she saw Kurt and Cash share worried glances. She filed that away too. Was there something going on that she didn’t know about? Scarlett seemed to sense the awkwardness, so she fluttered into the middle of the room.
“Let’s not overwhelm Blair with introductions! Declan, Blair, why don’t you two kids take the room in the new addition, so you’ll have plenty of privacy. Then you can get settled, and meet us back here for family dinner!”
Blair didn’t have time to object or agree before Declan had her by the hand and was dragging her off to the opposite side of the house. They walked down a long, windowed hallway that looked out in both directions over the valley and out into the woods. When they got to the end, it jutted off in three different directions, each one a different, newer bedroom. Declan looked at Blair and gave a little shrug.
“Your pick, Blair. No one really stays in the addition, so we have our choice.”
Blair inched away from the rooms. “Why doesn’t anyone stay here? It’s not haunted, is it? I really don’t do well in haunted spaces.”
“What? No, you nerd. The bears just tend to stick together, and everyone usually congregates in the main house. We keep adding additional rooms and cabins out on the property to accommodate everyone. There’s been so much construction lately that I forget which areas are new and which are not. Why would jump right to haunted?”
Blair laughed and pushed past Declan toward the door on the right, which she suspected would have the best view of the forest and the mountain peaking up behind it. “I don’t know! It just seemed the most logical explanation.”
Declan walked up behind Blair and swept her up into his arms, giving her a passionate, toe-curling kiss. Then he spun her into the room and plopped her in the middle of a giant, four-poster bed that overlooked a huge picture window with (she was right), a stunning view of the forest and mountains. Blair wiggled her eyebrows at Declan.
“We just got here, Declan!”
With a pout, Declan leaned over and gave her another kiss, but this time on the forehead. “Later, my dear. You can count on it. But I need to talk to Kurt for a few minutes. You can take a shower and get some rest without me pestering you.”
“Is that what the kids are calling it these days?” Blair said with a sly grin.
Declan smirked as he made his way to the door. Then he turned back, his face serious. “We’ll talk when I get back, okay?”
Blair nodded as he left, then she jumped off the bed to poke through her bags, looking for her shower stuff. Then she wandered around the bedroom, taking in the artistry and the magnificence of it. There were ornate carvings in the wall that carried over into the bed frame, and the furniture all looked to be hand-made. In fact, the whole lodge looked hand-made, and Blair wondered how much work the bears had done on it themselves.
Once she had fresh clothes as well, she made her way into the bathroom, which was just as stunning, though stylistically completely different from the rest of what she’d seen. Everything was glass and baroque white tiles, and the only trace of the wood of the lodge was in the ceiling. A claw foot tub sat next to a massive walk-in shower, and double sinks were surrounded by warm white light. Blair seriously thought that she could live in just this one room forever, and be entirely happy.
Blair started the bath and slipped into the hot, soapy tub, letting the stress of travel and all of the confusion from their arrival at the lodge melt away. As much as Blair liked Declan, and as much as she loved Scarlett, everything that had happened so far had felt very… weird. People Blair had never met seemed overly excited to see her, and she couldn’t help but wonder if she was missing something.
Was she moving too fast with Declan? She couldn’t explain it but whenever they were together something deep inside of her was completely drawn to him. It was as if her soul had somehow perked up at his presence and recognized him as her match. It all didn’t make sense to Blair because they had just met, and she didn’t want to rush into something with him just because he sent hundreds of butterflies soaring through her stomach. Blair knew that she was getting close to teetering over the edge where she would fall hard for Declan, but it almost made her nervous to do so. She only could hope that he felt the same way about her.
Blair sank lower in the bubbles as her mind raced on. Why was everyone so excited to meet her? Had Scarlett spent so much time talking her up that everyone just thought Blair was cooler than she was? Had it been so long since they’d been able to invite new people to hang out with their clan that the
y thought having her around was exciting? A few more nefarious ideas drifted through her head, but she pushed them away, chastising herself.
Scarlett has been a part of this family for almost a year. Nothing bad has happened to her, and she’s happier than she’s ever been. Get over yourself, Blair.
Blair washed her hair and then got re-dressed into her favorite pair of jeans, a loose pale pink t-shirt, and a pair of sneakers. Next, she braided her hair, so it cascaded down her right shoulder and swept on a little bit of makeup, followed by her favorite perfume. When she got out of the bathroom and saw Declan still wasn’t back, she found one of the books she’d bought in town, curled up in a big, plush captain’s chair, and settled in to read.
Yup, I could get used to this, she thought as she watched some deer racing in the valley through the picture window.
Chapter 14
Declan
“You guys need to calm the hell down. You’re going to scare her off!”
Declan had gathered the bears in the meeting room off the kitchen to try and get them to back off of Blair a little bit. Kurt, Frank, Reid, and Cash all sat around the big oak table where they dealt with issues of clan security, planning, and whatever else came up while they were in Colorado. Usually, it was nothing important, but that day, Declan was about to read the guys the riot act.
“Listen, I fully understand the consequences here. I’m not an idiot. I feel the bear stirring, even now when Blair is just a few dozen feet away. But we just met. There is no way she is prepared for all of this. She may know bits and pieces of mate culture from Scarlett, but I doubt she has been filled in on the extremity of it. On what it means to her, and how her life will completely change. You idiots shoving your faces up in her business and acting like she’s the answer to some unexpressed prayer is going to send her running, and then you may as well drop me in the woods and hunt me like dinner. Because that’s where we are going to end up. Do you understand?”
The guys grumbled, but Kurt looked deadly serious. “You’re right, Declan. We’re sorry. Scarlett just got us all excited, and I’ve been anxious at the thought of you… turning. Permanently. We’ve been doing research into what happens when a bear goes mate starved, and man, it’s no joke. We all saw what it did to Cash before him meeting Lani, which is why I sent him down to Bear Ridge as well. Other clans have gone through this same thing once their Alpha found their mate, and I hate that I have somehow caused all of this.”
Declan let out a low rumble. “You didn’t cause this Kurt. You found your mate, and none of us would have wanted you not to.”
“I know,” Kurt said. “But now everyone in our pack that doesn’t find their mate when their need calls, runs the risk of shifting permanently. Declan, you could become feral, dangerous, violent. I don’t want to have to make a decision about putting you down, but if it came to you or the safety or the pack…”
Declan sat down in one of the chairs next to Frank and sighed. “I know. I would never expect any less. If I turn, if I pose a danger to anyone, you know what you have to do. Blair is going to be under a lot of pressure. So, give it a rest. And talk to Scarlett and Lani about it too, please.”
“Understood,” Kurt said with a solemn nod. Declan leaned forward on the table with a concerned look on his face that made the rest of the clan shuffle nervously.
“That isn’t the only reason I called you here, though. Something else is going on.”
Frank snort laughed. “What the hell else could be going on up here? Almost no one even knows we come to this place.”
“You’re right. Virtually no one. I think I saw… Lucy.”
Every eye in the room bugged out, and Kurt scrunched his face up, frustrated. “Why in Gods’ name would Lucy be here? Now?”
“I have no idea. After things had ended with us, I thought Lucy moved away. I thought I saw her in town, but then I thought no way was that possible. And then, in the woods… When you were making fun of me for getting freaked out over a chipmunk. I’m almost positive that I spotted her red hair in the trees. Unless there was a red-haired sasquatch stomping around in the forest, I think we have a problem.”
Reid finally looked up from his phone, at last, interested in what was going on. “Okay, but that doesn’t really answer Kurt’s question. Why would Lucy be here? What possible reason could she have to come all the way to Colorado? Other than the fact she takes crazy to a whole new level.”
The guys laughed, but Declan didn’t even crack a smile. “This isn’t a joke. Lucy is unhinged, and if she did come up here, the reason doesn’t matter. She’s going to cause trouble. And I can’t begin to imagine what kind of trouble that might be.”
Kurt rubbed his beard as he thought. “I mean, there is no way she could know about Blair already. As you said, you two just met. So, is it possible she showed up just to throw you off your game? Or maybe she’s here to try and get you back? I mean, she wouldn’t try to hurt anyone, would she? I mean, how could she? Are the ladies safe?”
“I don’t think so,” Declan responded, unsure himself. “But I don’t know that for sure. She was never violent. Just incredibly jealous. She liked to cause scenes and be super dramatic, but I’m not sure she’d ever actually get physical. That could mean she’d get hurt too and I don’t think she’d take a risk like that.”
Frank shrugged and finished off the beer he was drinking. “Let her come. She’s five-feet-tall and ninety pounds soaking wet. What the hell kind of damage could she possibly do to a clan of giant bears?”
Declan ran his hands through his hair and sighed. Frank was right, against the clan Lucy didn’t stand a chance. However, Declan didn’t think she would go after the guys.
“It’s not the bears I’m concerned about, Frank,” he responded, his voice wavered with unease.
***
After the meeting, Declan made his way back to the bedroom, where he found Blair, curled up in a chair with a book in her lap, asleep. He almost didn’t want to wake her, she looked so peaceful, but he needed to talk to her, and sooner rather than later. Declan knelt down next to her and gave her a gentle kiss on her forehead. Blair sleepily opened her eyes and gave a long stretch.
“I thought maybe you’d gone back to the island,” she said with a smile.
“Without you? Not a chance. Listen, we need to talk for a few minutes. Are you awake enough for a chat?”
Blair stretched again, and yawned, then nodded happily. “Sure. What’s on your mind?”
Declan sat down on the edge of the bed and set his hands on his knees, making him look like a professor who was about to give a serious lecture. He could tell that Blair was starting to get concerned, so he tried to keep things as light as he could, though that wasn’t really possible given the circumstances. Fuck, he thought. How was he going to be able to explain this all to her?
“Blair, what do you know about mates, when it comes to the shifter world?”
Blair raised an eyebrow and shrugged her shoulders a little. “Not a lot. I’ve heard Scarlett use the word before. She mentioned it to me a few times when I questioned her moving off to Colorado. But I’ll be honest; I don’t know a lot about shifters. I should have taken more time to learn before going to Bear Ridge, but the whole trip was kind of a whirlwind. Wait… why?”
“Well…” Declan responded apprehensively. “Bears date around just like anyone else. We have fun. We… you know. But a time comes eventually where we have to settle down, or our inner bear gets restless and angry. And for most of us, there is only one true mate out there. One person who is meant to be our other half, and we spend our whole lives looking for them. If we don’t find them, the bear grows savage and can take over entirely. Next thing you know, you’re a wild-ass monster bear roaming the woods and looking to destroy anything in your path.”
Blair instinctively inched back further in the chair. Her face went white. “Right. Okay. And that has what to do with me?”
Declan pulled at his collar, which suddenly felt way to
o tight around his neck. Please don’t freak out, he thought.
“I’ve reached that point in my life where my bear wants its mate, and it started to get uncontrollable. Not “roaming the woods and looking to destroy anything in its path” uncontrollable. But I was getting into a lot of fights, causing trouble when I shouldn’t. Kurt warned me that if I didn’t find a mate, he would banish me from the clan. For their safety. And mine. But then I met you…”
Blair pulled her knees up to her chest and stared at Declan, a combination of terror and concern in her eyes. “So, you’re saying what? I’m a placeholder to keep your bear from going crazy?”
“No! God, no,” Declan said, and he gently grabbed her hands in his. “Blair, I think you’re my mate. No, I don’t think it. I know it.” A huge weight felt as though it had lifted from Declan’s chest. The second the words came out of his mouth he knew they were true. Blair was his mate, and he would do anything for her. He just hoped that she felt the same way.
She bit her lip and furrowed her brow. “I don’t understand, Declan. We just met. How can you possibly know that?”
“When the bear knows, it knows. And it knew when it saw you in that bar. I have never felt the way I do about you with any other woman before. Hell, I don’t think I have ever started to fall for someone like this. I know it’s not just some animalistic need either. I care deeply about you, and I can tell you honestly that you are already starting to take control of my heart.”
Declan searched Blair’s eyes hoping that she would show some sign that she felt the same way. She bit her lip slightly and held onto his hands a little tighter. Declan felt a current course through his veins at her touch, and he could tell in her eyes that she felt it too.
“Look, I don’t want to put any pressure on you,” Declan said honestly. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to agree to anything you don’t want to. But I needed you to understand why you’re here. I didn’t want you to be here under false pretenses. Well, any falser pretenses. I should have told you all of this before we left the island, but I didn’t even know where to begin.”
Furever Always (Furever Series) Page 29