by Lily Cahill
Both bears were distracted by her screams, but Marcus recovered quicker. He rocked back and struck out with his paws, knocking the other bear aside.
Suddenly, they were both men again. Both were covered in dirt, with mussed hair and battered clothing. Marcus was bleeding from his lip, and the other man's eye was already swelling shut.
"Skye," Marcus said, getting to his feet. "What are you doing here?"
"What am I doing here?" Her voice was high and hysterical. "You're going to ask me what I'm doing here when you ... you just turned into a goddamn bear!"
"Did you follow me here?" he asked, just as shocked as she was. "You weren't supposed to see this."
Now Skye laughed. She felt like she was on a roller coaster, terrified into hilarity. "Whoops! I figured all I would find out here was some sort of shady business deal. Instead I find out that Chicago's wealthiest bachelor is actually a bear. A bear! How the fuck are you a bear?"
"I didn't want you to find out like this," Marcus said. "I was going to tell you, I swear."
"Really?" The truth slammed in to her. "Was that you in the alleyway? Were you the one who chased off the mugger?"
"I was trying to help you."
"Is that what you were doing? Because I'm pretty sure you've been lying to my face this whole time!"
"I never lied to you," he said, stepping forward.
She spun away. "You tried to make me think I was hallucinating. I've spent the last week thinking I might be going crazy. But you've been a bear this whole time!"
"I couldn't tell you. The Council forbids it."
"The Council?" Skye said, her voice pitching in disbelief. "What Council?"
"They don't have to know about this, son," the man on the ground said, joining the conversation for the first time. "I certainly won't tell them.
Marcus shook his head. "It's okay, Dad. She's my mate."
"What?" Skye asked, whirling on Marcus. "I'm your what?"
"You're my fated mate," Marcus said calmly. "We're destined to be together."
That was so insane, Skye couldn't even find the words to protest.
"She's your mate?" The other man--Marcus had called him Dad--got to his feet and enfolded Skye in a hug. "Welcome to the family. I'm so glad Marcus finally found you."
Skye just gaped at him. The man certainly felt real.
"Take your hands off her," Marcus growled, pulling Skye out of his father's arms. "You had her mugged to protect your own ass."
Each new surprise hit her like a slap in the face. "Hang on. What? You had me mugged?"
Marcus's father hung his head. "I didn't intend for it to go that far. But yes, that was my fault. I'm sorry if I caused you any pain."
Skye didn't stop to think. Instead, she slapped the man across the face.
The man winced, but made no move to defend himself. Marcus stepped between them, all but pushing her behind him. "If you ever mess with her again, I'll do everything I can to ruin what's left of your life."
"Fuck that," Skye said, shoving at his huge form. "Marcus, I can take care of myself. If he fucks with me again, I'm perfectly capable of ruining his life on my own, okay?"
"It's my job to protect you," Marcus said, turning back to her. "To take care of you. I knew it as soon as we made love for the first time. You're my mate."
That was crazy. Completely insane. But she would be lying if she pretended his words didn't bring her pleasure. Before she could respond, Marcus' father spoke.
"You can't protect her from everything, son. That was my mistake. I couldn't make your mother's cancer go away, and I let the guilt and misery of that destroy me."
"You were weak," Marcus spat.
The older man simply nodded. "But perhaps, now that you've found your own mate, you can begin to understand how hard it was when she died."
"I'm nobody's mate," Skye protested, but neither man was paying attention to her.
Marcus's voice was ice cold. "Any sympathy I had for you disappeared when you told me you had Skye mugged to save your own skin. I never want to speak to you again."
The older man's face crumpled, but he nodded. He looked at Skye one last time, then disappeared back towards the cars.
Suddenly weak, Skye sat down on a nearby tree stump. "Okay. What the fuck is happening here?"
Chapter Seventeen
Marcus
Marcus scrubbed a hand through his hair. Where to even begin? "Well, as you know, I can shift into a bear."
Skye held up a hand. "Okay, stop right there. Because that is crazy talk."
In a flash, he had shifted. Skye gave a short scream, but he waited patiently for her to calm down. After so many years of secrecy and hiding, he couldn't believe he was sitting in front of a woman as a bear.
"How ... what...?"
He shifted back. "Like I said. I can shift into a bear. I've been able to do it my whole life."
Skye's breathing was still short, but he could almost see her inquisitive mind kicking into gear. "And your father can shift too?"
"Yes."
"And there is some sort of ... Council of shifters?" Then it clicked. "B3."
He sighed. "Yes. I could be kicked out of the Brotherhood for shifting in front of a normal person."
"Is everyone in B3 a shifter?"
He nodded. "It stands for Billionaire Bear Brotherhood."
Her mouth opened and closed a few times before she could reply. "Billionaire Bear Brotherhood?"
He nodded.
"How much overlap is there between bears and billionaires?" There was an edge to her voice, like she was riding the line between curiosity and hysteria.
"More than you might think," he confessed. "We help each other to succeed. And the ability to shift is heredity, so there's a lot of inherited money."
"This is the craziest thing I have ever heard. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes ... but then, I didn't believe it when I did see it with my own eyes."
"I'm so sorry about that. I should never have encouraged you to think you were hallucinating. But I had to protect B3."
Her eyes were so shocked, so hurt. "So, instead of telling me the truth, you made me think I was crazy?"
It sounded so much worse when she said it. "I didn't know that you would end up being my mate."
She shook her head. "Stop saying that. You make it sound like we're predestined or something."
"That's right. We're meant to be together. We belong to each other."
Skye laughed. It wasn't her normal laugh--it sounded more like she was laughing so she wouldn't scream. She stood and started to pace. "And you think you can just say that and make it true? We barely know each other, Marcus."
"I know you're gorgeous," he said, reaching out and snagging her hand so she would look at him. "I know you've got a quick mind and a good heart. I know that I should never try and lie to you, because you'll dig up the truth no matter what. And I know we're meant to be together, Skye. I know it in my bones."
Her eyes softened, but she shook her head. "You lied to me. About the Brotherhood, about everything."
"No," he said, standing so he could pull her close. "I didn't lie about what I plan to do with this land. And I couldn't tell you about the Brotherhood before. It would have violated my oaths. But now that we're mated, I can show you everything B3 has to offer."
She stared at him. "You must think I'm a total moron. You've been lying to me since the beginning."
"I gave you all the truth I could," he said, imploring her to understand.
She shook off his hands and stepped back. "Why did you even bother? You could have just refused the interview."
"I should have," he said. "But I wanted to spend more time with you. From the first moment I saw you, Skye, I wanted you."
"You can stop lying now."
"I'm not lying." How could she not understand? She tried to stalk away, but he swirled her into his arms. "Don't you feel it too?"
Stubbornly, she tried to break out of his embrace. "I don't feel
anything for you."
"Then why did you follow me out here?"
She bit her lip. God, he wanted to kiss her so badly. "I wanted the story," she said. "I overheard you talking about the Brotherhood, so I followed you."
His temper pricked for the first time. "You were spying on me?"
"I'm doing a story about B3, Marcus. You knew that."
"You're still planning on doing the story? After what happened between us?"
"Of course," she said, tossing her hair like a proud mare. "It's my job."
"I don't care about your job," he said. His temper was more than pricking now. "You don't need to worry about a job anymore. You're with me now, you don't have to worry about money ever again."
Her mouth went round with shock. "How dare you? I'm not going to quit my job just because you say so. I love being a journalist."
"The same way you love riding the El, or living in that death trap of an apartment?"
Her eyes were burning now. "I've worked for everything I have, Marcus. I'm proud of what I've accomplished. You have no idea what it's like to come from nothing and fight for everything you've got."
"I had to fight to restore my reputation," he countered. "My father destroyed my legacy, my mother's memory."
"At least you know your father," she shot back, her voice breaking. "And your mother. I grew up in foster care, Marcus. I have no family."
Her words took him out at the knees. "Oh, baby. I didn't know."
She shook her head, blinking back the tears in her eyes. "I realize my apartment isn't as flashy as yours, but it's mine," she said fiercely. "It might not be much, but at least I actually live there."
"What do you mean?"
"You've got a big house, Marcus, but why? Half of those rooms never get used. I bet all you do there is sleep and work."
"You're right," he said. "When you move in with me, you can help me make it a home."
"When I move in with you?" She swiped angrily at her tears. "Is this your new trick?"
"No, Skye. We're meant to be together."
"This isn't going to work." Her voice cracked, and the sound shot though him like a spear. "All of this, last night ... you're trying to distract me."
"Distract you?" he asked, lost.
"All this fated crap." There was high color in her cheeks. "Did you think I would forget about the story? Forget about the fact that you're a goddamned bear? Forget that there are goddamned bears at the head of several major corporations?"
"Obviously, you can't publish that story."
"Why? Because I'm your mate?"
The sarcastic edge to her words had him gritting his teeth. Could it be that she truly didn't feel what he did? "Because you don't have any proof."
"Oh yeah? Because I just took a picture of you shifting into a bear."
Anger spiked inside him. "You did what?"
Her eyes were sparkling in bitter triumph. "I'll publish what I damn well want, Marcus. You don't have any control over me."
She was still wrapped in his arms. Her breasts, heaving with anger, were pressed against his chest. He wanted her more than ever. And she claimed to feel nothing?
"You're mine," he said through gritted teeth. "I'll show you."
He lifted her off her feet and kissed her.
Chapter Eighteen
Skye
Pouring arousal on anger was like pouring gas onto a fire. Passion exploded inside Skye. She was still so angry--so hurt, so betrayed--but, oh, how she wanted him. Her body was addicted to his touch.
It was insane to talk about fated mates, to imagine that they were somehow destined to be together, but the connection between their bodies was undeniable.
And if there was some part of her that swooned when he said they were meant to be together, it was just a romantic weakness. That was impossible.
She tore her mouth from his. "I don't believe in fate."
"Neither did I," he said, his breath short. "Until you."
When he kissed her again, it washed away any barriers she had left. She dove into the kiss, opening her mouth to him and throwing her arms around his shoulders. She wouldn't resist him--couldn't resist him. She had to end it, end it soon, if she was going to salvage any sort of story out of this fiasco. But not yet. Not yet.
Her submission seemed to have unlocked something inside him. In the night, he had been dirty and dominant but always, always gentle. In control of her pleasure and his own. But now, he was like a wild animal. His hands were all over her, rubbing so hard she ached. His mouth savaged hers, using his teeth and tongue to demand more, still more.
She gave it to him. She was determined to have all of him before they were done.
She should have been shocked by what he was, by the fact that he wasn't a normal human like her. Instead, she finally admitted to herself that the idea turned her on immensely. He was so powerful, so full of animalistic desires. She had never imagined that it would be so hot to encounter this wild side of him.
He backed her into a tree, pressing her against the hard wood so his hands could have free reign. He didn't bother stripping off her jacket. He simply tore open the button-down shirt she wore beneath it, exposing her skin to the chilly air.
"Marcus!" she gasped.
He didn't respond, only hitched her up so he could bury his face in her breasts. Between the way he had her pinned to the tree, and the incredible things his mouth and hands were doing, she could barely breathe.
She couldn't touch him, only his head and shoulders. Frustrated, she rocked her hips against his hard erection. He groaned, and she took advantage of the way he tipped his head back to kiss him again. It was wet and hot and fierce, as angry as it was hungry. She hated him for lying to her, for encouraging her to question what she had seen. She hated him for making her hurt so much.
She opened her eyes and closed her teeth over his lip, just a bit too hard. His eyes screwed together in agonized delight, then blinked open and stared into hers. She held him there as she changed the angle of her hips and watched his eyes darken with pleasure.
She had meant to torture him, but instead she was torturing herself. She was so close, so close.
Then his thumbs pinched her nipples and she gasped, releasing his lower lip. He pressed his mouth to hers, plunging his tongue inside as he pressed against her, harder, harder. When he tore his mouth from hers, it was only to command, "Come for me, baby. Come for me."
She couldn't help herself. She arched against him, electrified by pleasure. He kept kissing her, kept grinding against her, until she collapsed.
He let her loose just enough to tug off her jeans. She would have helped, but her hands had gone limp. She was docile as a doll as he stripped her, opened his own pants, and lifted her again.
His hands were on her ass, spreading her hips as he poised her over his cock. "You know this is special," he said as he rubbed the head of himself over her clit. "You know this is real. You're my mate, and we are meant to be together."
She tossed her head in denial. Suddenly coursing with energy, she sank her fingers into his hair and yanked his head back. "Fuck fate. This is my choice."
With that, she lifted her hips so he sank inside her.
A ragged groan shuddered from his lips as his head collapsed to her shoulder.
With him inside her, it seemed like there was no room for her to doubt his desire. It was madness, it was insane, but God, she did feel the rightness he had described. She wanted him, and only him, for the rest of her life.
Insistent, she used what little leverage she had to pump herself against him. He groaned again, his wide back trembling beneath her hands.
"Fuck me," she said, turning her head so she could bite his earlobe. Delirious with satisfaction, she said what was in her heart. "Mate with me. Make me yours."
He shuddered like a steam engine coming to life. When he raised his head, his eyes were so dark they were almost black. She had woken the beast now. And she wanted him, wanted him to ravage her.
Above them, the sun came out from behind a cloud and bathed them in light. Skye came then, giving herself completely to him. He came with her, and everything in her opened to take him in exchange.
#
"I shouldn't have done that," Skye said as soon as sanity returned.
Marcus' head came up from where it had collapsed between her breasts. They were still pressed against the tree, still locked together. "Why not?"
"Will you give me some space? I can't talk like this."
"All the more reason to keep you under me all the time," he said, but he backed off enough that she could put her pants back on. The buttons of her shirt were long gone, so she zipped her jacket shut over her breasts.
Getting dressed felt like donning her armor. "All right, Marcus. Cards on the table. What does all this fate business mean to you?"
He shrugged. "You belong to me."
"Okay, hold it right there. I don't belong to anyone."
"I belong to you, too," he pointed out.
The idea melted her heart, but she hardened her reserve. "I'm not quitting my job. This story could make my career."
Something new came over his face. "You would expose me--expose all of B3--for a little fame?"
"You don't think people deserve to know that there are shifters in the world?"
"Why? We're not hurting anyone."
"You're not helping anyone, either."
"We help and protect each other through the Brotherhood. Don't we deserve our privacy?"
She shook her head, but she could feel herself on shaky ground. She returned to the one thing that had driven her all her life. "This could be my big break."
"What about us?" he said, stepping closer.
Tears were welling up now. "There is no us. No," she said, cutting him off before he could speak. "You've talked a lot about fate. But all that seems to mean to you is that you get to tell me what to do with my life. I'm just supposed to give up everything I've worked for because you say so?"