Bear This! (A 300 Moons Book)

by Tasha Black

  Except…

  Except that he had seen Derek that way once, in high school. Under the full moon…

  And for the second time since this girl walked out of the snow and back into his life, realization dawned on Ethan Chambers.

  8

  Evangeline studied the puzzled look on Ethan’s face.

  Shit.

  “You didn’t know,” she breathed.

  Ethan didn’t answer.

  “I won’t hurt you, I promise,” she assured him. The bear stretched and hummed in agreement.

  “I- I knew already,” he said without much conviction.

  The bear knew the lie, but Evangeline forgave him. He was only lying to protect her feelings. He was so brave, so very brave and kind. And she was a monster.

  “I’m so sorry, Ethan,” she murmured.

  Then the depth of her actions struck her and she nearly doubled over in agony with her regret.

  “They never told you?” she asked.

  “It’s okay,” he said immediately, comforting her, when he should be cowering.

  “I ruined everything. Kate didn’t want you to know.”

  The weight of it was too much. She hadn’t seen the Harkness family in years and she had already messed up their relationship with Ethan. She was bad news, and she brought trouble with her wherever she went.

  The room grew hazy as the bear tried to push her way through, to protect the human from a pain she couldn’t understand.

  “No,” she wrapped her arms around herself, wrestling desperately with the determined creature. “I’m okay. I’m okay.”

  She leaned against the cool glass of the window, rocking herself back and forth gently, eyes squeezed shut.

  At length, the insistence of the animal receded.

  Which was good.

  She didn’t want to hurt Ethan.

  And she didn’t want to hurt the baby.

  She hadn’t told him that part, at least there was that.

  What would he think of her then?

  She opened her eyes.

  Ethan was standing close to her. So close it ought to mean something. So close it should only preclude a kiss, or a punch. Or maybe a secret.

  “I’m so glad you told me,” he whispered to her. “I always knew there was… something. And now I know. Is it all of you?”

  “Not Kate,” she replied.

  He nodded again.

  “And you can really turn into a bear?” he asked, his eyes alight with wonder.

  She nodded.

  “That’s the coolest thing I ever heard,” he said.

  He looked like he meant it.

  She couldn’t hold back a smile.

  “So you all turn into bears?” he asked.

  “No, some turn into… other things,” she said carefully.

  “But Derek is a bear,” he said immediately.

  “How did you know?” she asked.

  “The way you guys eat,” he replied with a shrug.

  She raised an eyebrow.

  “No,” he said. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

  Evangeline let out a long laugh, the first real one she’d had in a while, and Ethan joined her. It seemed the most natural thing in the world when he put an arm around her and they sank to the carpet next to the window.

  Evangeline soaked in the warmth of his body near hers, and tried to memorize the way his eyes crinkled in laughter. It had been so long since that New Year’s - and so much had happened in between. But she had done this then, too - memorized his face. It had allowed her to bring back the image of his smile during her darkest hours.

  He hugged her to him and she shifted her weight so that her back leaned against his broad chest and they stared out the window together.

  “So your parents came back for you,” he said.

  What had seemed impossible to share with any living creature just five minutes ago was easy now. Evangeline watched the wind whip the branches of the Haber’s elm tree across the street, and unburdened her heart.

  “My mom came back for me,” she agreed. “She told Kate she had found a job, an apartment, and she was ready to be the parent I needed. I didn’t really want to go, but there was nothing Kate could do. I wasn’t officially her foster child.”

  Ethan brushed the top of her hair with his lips and squeezed her tight.

  “I thought maybe things would be okay, but she hadn’t really come for that, of course,” Evangeline continued, hoping she could get it all out before she lost her nerve. “She had only come to get me in order to sell me.”

  Ethan held her close, not asking the questions she knew he must want to ask. And for that she was grateful.

  “There are certain people who are very interested in… my kind,” she continued, careful to speak slowly and calmly. “They did experiments on me.”

  “Evangeline,” he whispered into her hair.

  “They made me shift when I didn’t want to. And… other things,” she said, losing her nerve at the last moment, before she could share the secret that was guaranteed to make him let her go.

  Because after all she had been through, Evangeline knew one thing. If she found herself in the middle of a happy moment, she needed to hold on. It would likely be gone again in a flash. But for now, she would revel in his arms, in the relief of sharing some of her secrets.

  “You must have been very brave to escape,” he told her.

  Yes, she had been.

  She nodded.

  “How long have you been on the run?” he asked.

  “A couple of months,” she said.

  “Is that why you’re so thin?” he asked quietly.

  “Yes,” she said quietly. “They kept us well fed but I lost weight anyway because of the exercise regimen.”

  She shuddered thinking of it, and inside her the bear grumbled and shook itself.

  Easy, girl. We escaped, remember?

  “And it’s been tough on the road,” she added. “Anyway, yeah, if I get hold of real food again, I’m going to be back to my old ways in no time.”

  “Good,” he told her. “I always thought you were beautiful, just the way you were.”

  Evangeline closed her eyes and let the words sink in.

  “Do you remember that New Year’s Eve?” he asked.

  She nodded, afraid to trust herself to speak.

  “I’d been attracted to you for so long already,” he murmured, his deep voice soft and musing. “You were so sweet, so beautiful. But I was sure Derek would kill me if I ever tried to put the moves on his sister.”

  “Yeah, he was pretty protective,” Evangeline said.

  “Did that bother you?” Ethan asked.

  “God, no,” she said, surprised. “I was really grateful to have a big brother include me. Did I seem annoyed?”

  “No,” he said. She felt him smile against her hair. “You never seemed annoyed. You were shy sometimes, but mostly you seemed so happy.”

  “I was,” she smiled. “It was heaven.”

  “You were heaven,” he whispered. “But I couldn’t get you alone to tell you.”

  Evangeline’s heart began to pound and she found herself trembling.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “Yes, just, yes…”

  “I shouldn’t have said anything,” he said. “I’m sorry.”

  “No, it’s fine,” she began.

  “Evangeline, nothing that’s happened to you is fine,” he told her, loosening the grip of his arms around her. “Least of all me making an ass of myself right now. You haven’t had control over any part of your life, but you’re in control now. I want to be your friend. I want to help you. You don’t have to run anymore. And if you decide to run, I’ll give you whatever I can so you can run safely.”

  “Ethan,” she turned in his arms, ready to look into his eyes, needing it.

  He smiled at her, but his blue eyes were serious.

  And then she was flung back in time. Back, back, before any of the madness, back to h
er home at the farm…

  New Year’s Eve.

  She was with the older kids, gathering pots and pans for the little ones to bang, her spirit light.

  Ethan was there. Ethan who made her heart sing, with his gentle smile and rugged good looks. Ethan who Derek loved and trusted.

  Evangeline wished desperately that she weren’t a chubby little kid, but a slender and sophisticated senior. Then maybe when the clock struck midnight, Ethan would kiss her.

  “The cider isn’t quite spicy enough. Somebody want to grab me a couple of sticks of cinnamon?” Kate called in her ringing, happy voice from her perch by the fire pit where she stirred a simmering pot.

  “I will,” Evangeline called back, thrilled to feel useful - a real daughter and not a guest.

  “Good girl,” Kate hollered back.

  Evangeline headed for the old octagonal barn with a light heart.

  “I’ll help you,” a deep voice offered.

  She turned, though she didn’t need to. She would know Ethan’s voice anywhere.

  “Thanks,” she replied nervously, trying to figure out how he possibly thought she needed help getting cinnamon sticks.

  She waited for him under the first of the big sycamore trees that lined the drive to the barn. It was cold and she could see her breath in the air. The stars winked down at her.

  Ethan’s big body was silhouetted in moonlight - a triangle of shoulders and narrow hips, all topped with those golden curls that looked white in the starlight. He caught up and she had to lift her chin to see his eyes.

  “Evangeline,” he said simply.

  Then his hand was enveloping hers in its warmth. He gazed down at her with a longing that mirrored her own.

  The bear in her chest nudged her encouragingly and drank in the woodsy scent of their favorite male.

  Evangeline had fantasized about this moment so many times, but it could never match the reality. She tried to memorize the curl of his breath as it fogged in the crisp air.

  He reached for her with his other hand, caressed her cheek so gently, like she might be made of glass, licked his lips nervously.

  Her heart pounded as she waited, afraid to breathe and break the spell.

  She needn’t have worried.

  There was the screech of brakes and then a car skidded on the gravel drive, stopping just short of hitting them.

  “Kate Harkness, where’s my daughter?” a shrill voice pierced the air.

  The headlights were blinding, but Evangeline didn’t need to see to recognize her mother.

  “No,” Evangeline whispered.

  But there was nothing to be done. She packed what little she had in a garbage bag, and left that night, never to set foot on the farm again.

  But now here they were all over again, Ethan gazing at her with that same expression of tenderness and lust, the air between them alive with electricity. Just the way she’d imagined so many times.

  Only he still wasn’t going to make a move.

  He thought of her as a victim.

  Before she could overthink it, Evangeline launched herself across the quivering inches that separated them as sure as any canyon. Clutching his left hand in hers, she caressed the rough stubble of his jaw with her right hand and brushed her lips lightly against his.

  9

  Ethan struggled to restrain himself. But the sweet friction of her warm mouth was almost too much for him. Valiantly, he fought the instinct to grab her roughly, to claim her with the violent need he felt to his core.

  She brushed her lips against his again, tantalizing him with her honey taste.

  He groaned in surrender and kissed her back, molding his mouth to hers, licking her lips and cupping her cheek in his hand to thumb her jaw open.

  She sighed and he felt her body soften with bliss when he tasted her tongue, caressed it gently.

  He was already so hard it hurt, pressing insistently against the fly of his jeans.

  He stroked a hand between her shoulder blades, hoping to calm them both. Her hair was like silk. He could feel that she had no bra on underneath the oversized sweatshirt.

  Oh god, and no panties.

  His hands itched to slide underneath the shirt and explore her warm, fragrant skin.

  Evangeline moaned and ran her fingers up into his hair. She was kneeling between his legs, her whole body exposed to him.

  He wanted to push her backward, cover her body with his, protect her from the world, solace her.

  But he didn’t dare make a move that would make her feel trapped. He was past the point of stopping her, but he could damned well control himself. He hoped.

  The moon must have come out from between the clouds again, brightening the room.

  Evangeline gasped.

  Then she was sliding herself closer to him still, straddling his legs to rest herself on his bursting lap.

  Ethan clutched her hips in his hands, helplessly lifting himself up to crush himself against the warmth between her legs.

  Evangeline’s nails sank into his shoulders and she arched her back, whimpering, as if offering him her breasts.

  Instantly, he let go of her hips to slip his hands under the hem of the shirt. Her skin was soft and smooth. She smelled like spiced honey. He ran his hands up and up, past the gasping movements of her ribcage to her small, firm breasts. Her nipples pebbled against his palms and for a moment he felt almost dizzy with lust.

  What was happening to him?

  Evangeline threw her head back and howled.

  He lifted her shirt slowly, mesmerized by the way the moonlight made her skin glow.

  But the sight alone was not enough for him and he found himself leaning in to taste one stiff nipple.

  “Ohh,” she sighed and slid herself over his lap, maddening him with the teasing friction.

  “Evangeline,” he whispered against her breast, a warning.

  But she whimpered and arched her breasts to his mouth.

  Ferociously, he lapped and sucked at her nipples, one then the other, until the little buds were tight and swollen.

  She cried out, sliding herself over him again and again with quivering hips.

  Sweet God, how was he supposed to stop himself when she reacted this way to his touch? As if she had been made to receive his pleasure.

  The sound of a buzzer filled the room.

  At first he was confused.

  Then it dawned on his befuddled brain what was happening.

  Someone was here.

  Someone else had arrived.

  10

  Evangeline was wrenched from glory to agony in an instant.

  Inside her, the bear roared and twisted in terrified fury.

  She had let her guard down. And at last, the wolf was at the door.

  “Damn it,” Ethan said, pulling her shirt back over her breasts.

  “Hush,” she said, holding him down.

  “I have to get it,” he said with a frown. “This is a public building.”

  Visions of the wolf, tearing through the station, attacking Ethan flooded her mind and she clung to him.

  “Please,” she whispered. “Please, we can’t let him in.”

  The buzzing resumed, dozens of staccato bursts. So he was sure she was here.

  “What the hell?” Ethan asked, standing up.

  The sound of the door crashing open boomed in the garage below.

  “Hide, Ethan,” Evangeline said in a low growl. Her bear was close to the surface now - she could feel her skin begin to tingle.

  “What?” Ethan spluttered.

  But it was too late. Footsteps thundered up the stairs and then the dark figure filled the doorway.

  Bron.

  He was just the same as the first time she’d met him, tall, dark hair that brushed his shoulders, steel gray eyes and a jawline that screamed “wolf” even if you hadn’t known he was a shifter.

  His eyes locked on hers, and though she held herself tall and proud, the bear wanted to back away in submission.

&n
bsp; Until Bron turned his cool gaze to Ethan.

  Fury seized Evangeline as the bear sprang to the surface. The beast no longer asked. She took the reins as if the powerful creature had only been good-naturedly indulging Evangeline’s human side all this time.

  She felt the delicious burn of her muscles splitting, swelling, blistering with fur and claws. She leapt, and by the time her feet hit the ground again they were paws. Her jaw lengthened into a snout as she landed on Bron’s chest.

  He was already shifting too, shredding his clothing as he exploded into a wolf the size of a small pony. He snarled and skittered out from underneath her.

  She went back up on two paws to turn, then dropped to charge him where he growled, paws splayed, against the back wall of the room.

  Screaming with fury, she swiped at him with a paw, but he ducked at the last minute and she took down a couple of the old photos that were hanging on the wall. They crashed to the ground, the glass cracking.

  The wolf was a clever foe. He would posture and then evade her attacks at the last moment until he wore her down.

  Desperately, she charged him again.

  He sidestepped her neatly.

  The bear roared again, infuriated. She whirled and charged.

  He leapt onto the back of the sofa to avoid the blow. It wobbled a moment, then tilted sideways under his weight. He slid off and landed on the hardwood, claws skittering for purchase.

  She charged again.

  He found his footing just as she neared him and managed to scamper out of her path.

  But Evangeline had too much momentum going. She slid across the floor and her head hit the dining table with a thunderous crash.

  Slightly stunned, she followed his scent. The room had gone pink and blurry, but her vision wasn’t as important as her sensitive nose.

  She sensed the wolf approaching. But, something wasn’t right. His posture was proud, but that was Bron’s way. He wasn’t antagonistic as she had expected.

  Why hadn’t he taken his shot when she was down?

  Before she could try to make sense of it, there was movement.

  Oh, no. No, no, no.

  Ethan had put himself between Evangeline and the wolf. His helpless human form stood tall in the sight of the fur and claws. In his hand, he held some kind of antique fireman’s tool, like a heavy pry-bar, with a sharp pick on one end. It might as well have been a toothpick, for all the good it would do him against Bron.