Catching Her Bear

by Vella Day

  “Ready?” Kalan said, coming out from the bedroom looking as hot as ever. His jeans hugged his muscular thighs, and he had on a forest green form-fitting long-sleeved shirt that accentuated his beautiful eyes.

  Even though this was Sunday dinner at his parents, she’d dressed casually, as would the rest of his family. If this had been like the ones at her parents’ house, she’d have worn a dress, heels, and done up her hair. If nothing else, her parents had drilled into her how to present herself properly. But the Murdochs didn’t seem to care about that. To them, family was their number one concern, and they wanted everyone to feel comfortable and relaxed. Sure, they expected excellence from their children, and as far as she could tell, they got it, but they didn’t dwell on outward appearances.

  When they arrived, Kalan’s father, Daniel, greeted them both with a huge hug. Felicia, Kalan’s mom, rushed up to them, hugging them as well, and giving them each a peck on the cheek. “Blair had to go into work at the clinic. She said she had to cover for someone, but that she’d be back for dinner. Come on in.”

  Kalan’s mom was the sweetest woman alive, but she was no pushover. From the way she listened to every word, no one could get anything past her. According to his mom, slouches were not acceptable. Elana hoped she could run her household the same way.

  Their home was a large two-story house with well-worn comfortable furniture. Mr. Murdoch returned to his lounger while Kalan’s mom hustled into the kitchen.

  “Can I help?” Elana asked.

  “No dear, go talk with the men.”

  Kalan’s brother Jackson was there. He had such a carefree attitude that would make one think he was younger than her, but in reality he was a year older. Fair-haired with a short beard, he was almost as good-looking as Kalan. Along with Rye’s brother, Connor, Jackson worked at McKinnon Security and Associates, and seemed to love his job.

  Elana sat next to Kalan on the sofa and Jackson sat in the large chair next to them. “Kalan said you’ve learned to shift. How was that?” Jackson asked.

  She was surprised by the question. “You can shift. Isn’t it the same?”

  “Probably, but I can’t remember the first time since I was only two or three. For me, it just happened. Since you were born a human, it might be different.”

  “Since I don’t know what it’s like for you, it’s hard to say, but I do love it. The freedom it has given me has changed my life.”

  Jackson grinned. “Did Kalan tell you that as a shifter you can heal quicker and live longer, along with a host of other wonderful attributes?”

  She looked over at Kalan. “Why didn’t you tell me I could do all that?” she telepathed, her new favorite pastime.

  He grinned. “I’ve been busy trying to keep you from ripping my clothes off at every turn,” he answered.

  “You are so full of it.”

  “Children,” Felicia said. “Communicating telepathically is the same as bringing a cell phone to dinner and checking your messages.”

  “Ouch, Mom. Give her a break. I kind of forgot to fill in Elana on all the ins and outs of being a Were.”

  “I thought I raised you better,” she said, clearly enjoying sparring with her son.

  “I’m sorry, Felicia. I won’t do it again. If Kalan telepaths something to me, I’ll ignore him.”

  His mom smiled. “That’s what I do to Dan, isn’t it sweetheart?” She ruffled Mr. Murdoch’s hair and he waved away her hand with a grunt. As she turned away, he reached out and swatted her backside, giving her a big smile.

  A phone rang and Felicia rushed to answer it in the kitchen. While Elana’s hearing was now sharp enough to pick up what was said, she blocked it out since the call was none of her business. Elana leaned back and drank in all the love in the room. Even though the Bertas were like real parents to her, they weren’t as outwardly open as Kalan’s family.

  Felicia came out of the kitchen wiping her hands on her apron. “I’m afraid Blair has to work a little longer and said we should start without her.”

  Elana jumped up, wanting to help. This time Kalan’s mom didn’t shoo her away. One in the kitchen, Felicia instructed her on what to take out and where to place it. When the meal was ready, the men moved over to the table.

  Before they began, Dan Murdoch raised his glass. “To my son and his wonderful mate. May the two of you enjoy your reign over the Clan.”

  Elana doubted she’d be making any Clan decisions, but perhaps with time she could help Kalan with his.

  All during dinner, they regaled her with some of Kalan’s antics growing up, including his love of shifting into a bear when he was just a kid and destroying many family heirlooms along the way. She could see why he didn’t want her in the house in her bear form.

  “We know,” Felicia said, “that when we have grandchildren running around here, they won’t be able to break anything because there’s nothing left to break.”

  “Mom, I wasn’t that bad,” Kalan said with an exaggerated frown.

  Everyone laughed, but Elana could feel the heat race up her face. It was too soon to be talking about children, but at in the future she wanted some.

  Halfway through dinner, Blair arrived. “Sorry I’m late everyone. I got a call from my college roommate.”

  “Ainsley?” her mom asked.

  “Yes. She applied at the clinic where I work and has an interview later this month. She wanted to know if she could crash at my place.”

  “That’s wonderful,” Kalan’s mom said.

  Once Blair was seated, Elana pummeled her with a ton of questions about her job since she found Blair’s work at the clinic fascinating.

  As soon as they finished eating, Kalan pushed back his chair first and stood. “Elana and I need to be going. I promised her a evening romp.”

  If she hadn’t been looking forward to it for days, she would have insisted they stay. Kalan had worked late several nights in a row and being in her bear form was the most exciting time of her life—other than when she was in bed with him.

  They said their goodbyes and then walked back home. Halfway there, her cell rang. It was Izzy. Her friend usually didn’t call on a Sunday since she knew they’d be at Kalan’s parents’ house.

  “Go ahead and take it,” he said.

  She answered. “Hey. What’s up?”

  “Teagan and Kip broke up again.”

  “Oh no.” Elana wasn’t really surprised as there had been tension brewing between them for quite a while.

  “She’s hurting right now, so don’t call her tonight. Plus, she’ll know I told you. Tomorrow if you have time, maybe you can check up on her. Now that I’m teaching, I won’t be able to get away.”

  “Sure no problem.”

  “So how was dinner?” Izzy asked, her tone switching from highly concerned to friendly.

  “Awesome. Kalan and I just finished and are about to go for a run.”

  She squealed. “I won’t keep you then. Have fun.”

  She disconnected. As they entered the house, Elana remained sad that Teagan was going through tough times. “Teagan and Kip broke up.”

  “That’s a shame. Do you want to call her?”

  “I’ll speak with her tomorrow.”

  He ran a knuckle down her cheek. “Then let’s change.”

  Not wanting to shred their clothes when they shifted, they always undressed first. As soon as Elana finished removing her shirt, Kalan pressed up against her.

  “I know I promised we’d go out, but how about a quickie?”

  She wasn’t going to be deterred. “Run first, play later.”

  He tapped her nose. “Spoilsport.”

  She was naked before Kalan and took off, thinking he wouldn’t be able to catch her this time. She rushed out the back sliding glass door and down the porch steps. The half moon was visible in the clear sky, and with summer finally coming to an end, the air was deliciously cool. Kalan could shift in a heartbeat, but she still needed a few seconds of running and concentrating before c
hanging into her bear form.

  Without further trying to, Elana was on all fours running and twirling. She dipped her head and did a roll. As if he could perform magic, Kalan was suddenly beside her.

  He ran a few circles around her then scrambled up a tree. Elana had enough of tree climbing as a human and wasn’t interested in losing her balance and falling even as a bear. Someday she might be brave enough to try.

  “Bet you can’t catch me,” she telepathed to Kalan who was edging his way out on a limb.

  “You won’t even get halfway to the house before I nab you.”

  He was so easy to goad into doing something. Elana roared, though the sound wasn’t nearly as deep as when Kalan did it, but she was still learning. Before he had the chance to climb down the tree, she took off as fast as her short legs could manage.

  Seconds later, Kalan darted in front of her. Man, he was fast. Now was her chance. Her favorite thing was to jump on him especially she was quite small compared to him. He told her because she was short as a human, she’d be a smaller sized bear.

  Before he even slowed, she leapt up and landed on his back then kicked his flanks as if he were a horse. Kalan actually lumbered forward instead of stopping. She then shifted into her human form and hung on tight.

  “You will pay for that. You know the rule.” Kalan lifted up a little before dropping down on all fours.

  Ah yes, the rule. She was only allowed to ride him if they were both human, naked and in their bed. Elana laughed and hung on tighter. “You can take it out in trade.”

  “Then let’s get you to bed and enforce that rule!”

  Life as a bear couldn’t be better.

  Epilogue

  ‡

  “Quiet.” Brother Jacob pounded the gavel on the wooden table, unhappy the Council was unable to enter without talking. Once they were settled, he held up the knife with the sardonyx blade. “After searching long and hard, we have procured the prized piece of stone from another vendor. This beauty will help rebuild our kind. Brother Arnold did a masterful job of carving the stone into a blade so sharp that it will take little effort to exact the Wendayan’s magic.

  One of the Council members raised his hand and lowered his face in deference. “Yes, Brother Thomas? You may speak,” Brother Jacob said.

  “Which magic are we going after? We need many kinds.”

  “We do indeed. I have spent some time among the Wendayans. They are such a trusting group. After much searching, I have found the perfect man. His name is Landon. Once we extract his abilities to control electricity, we shall be able to do much damage to the shifters.”

  “That’s excellent, Brother Jacob. Simply excellent.”

  The End

  I hope you enjoyed Kalan and Elana’s story. To keep up-to-date on my releases, enter contests, and receive some books for free, sign up for my newsletter:

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  Next up is Teagan and Kip’s story—Surge Of Magic. Below is the first chapter!

  Chapter One

  Massage therapist, Teagan Pompley, lit the incense in a back room at the Crystal Winds Spa then opened a bottle of oil in preparation for her next client. As she placed it on the warming plate, her vision suddenly turned black and her body shook. No! No! Not again. She desperately tried to keep the dark images from invading her mind.

  Grabbing onto the table for balance, her stomach rolled as the movie swam in front of her eyes. The scent of incense intensified, and the sticky sweet aroma of the open jar of oil made her throat tighten.

  With her free hand, Teagan pressed her palm over her left eye and then her right to ease the ache, but even that didn’t help lessen the tension. In her vision, she saw herself standing next to Kip, her former boyfriend, and in the next frame, he was swimming in a pool of blood—his blood. Teagan tried to search the scene for clues, but it was as if they were in some kind of white vacuum.

  Before she could figure out what was going on, a sharp pain stabbed her arm, and without thinking, she released her grip on the table to clasp her forearm. Her knees gave way and she dropped to the floor, sending an ache ricocheting up her body. A second later, glass splintered next to her, the shards pinging on the tile floor. Then pounding footsteps came near.

  The door opened followed by a hand to her back. “Teagan, Teagan! Are you okay?”

  No, she wasn’t okay. If she were, she wouldn’t be on her hands and knees shaking uncontrollably with sweat beading on her forehead. Warmth suffused her body from Missy’s touch, and when Teagan’s vision slowly cleared she dropped back on her haunches, her breath coming out too fast. “I had another vision.”

  “Was it of Kip?” her cousin asked.

  Teagan had a premonition a few weeks ago about him, but she hadn’t been able to determine the extent of the tragedy—only that it was bad. “Yes. I saw him covered in blood.”

  “What else?”

  Teagan shook her head. “That was all. The evil was so intense.”

  Her cousin threw her arms around her, and her healing comfort helped. “I’m sorry. After I find something to clean up the glass, I’ll get you something to drink. Stay right here.” She sat back up.

  She glanced to the mess. Shit. “I must have pushed the table into the counter with the crystals. I’m so sorry.” She wasn’t ready to tell Missy that the table hadn’t moved. Her anger at having another vision had caused the telekinetic reaction, which knocked the glass off the table. Missy’s sister, Izzy, was aware of this new power, but Teagan didn’t want to tell anyone else until she learned to control it.

  “Accidents happen. At least it’s replaceable.”

  As soon as Missy stepped out of the small back room, her cousin took her healing powers with her, and Teagan wanted to vomit. Of late, her visions had been coming more frequently, and each time, it expended more and more of her energy. Her head still pounded and the ache in her chest made it hard to breathe.

  A few minutes later, Missy returned from the shop and handed her a cup of water from the cooler. “Here.”

  With shaky hands, Teagan sipped the liquid. “I can’t take this anymore.”

  Missy swept up the broken glass then dumped the pieces into the trash bin. She then sat next to her on the floor. “Maybe you should warn Kip.”

  “No. If I call him, I’ll want to be with him, and if we’re together the event will happen.” Only a few times in the past had she been able to alter the future, and she was determined to do so again.

  “Then I’ll be the one to tell him he needs to be careful,” Missy said with compassion.

  She grabbed her cousin’s arm. “You can’t say anything. If Kip knows I had a vision, it will give him an excuse to see me, and I don’t think I’m strong enough to stay away. It’s better if he thinks I’m not interested.”

  Missy rubbed Teagan’s arm. “You have to tell him the truth.”

  “If I do, he might end up dead.”

  Missy looked off to the side then returned her gaze to her. “Your visions don’t always come true. Besides, you’ve been miserable without him.”

  Her visions did always come true, unless she helped change things. “The pain of losing him would be much worse.”

  The bell above the store entrance chimed and Missy stood, brushing back wisps of her long auburn hair. “That’s probably Mrs. Rodriguez. Do you want me to ask her to reschedule her massage?”

  “No, I’ll take her. Give me a few minutes to compose myself though. Working on her might keep my mind off what happened.”

  Once Missy left, Teagan tried to pull herself together. Needing to prepare for her client, she straightened the massage table and tried to smooth out the sheets, but her hands were shaking so much she wasn’t sure if she was making things better.

  When her client stepped into the small room, Teagan painted on a happy face. For the next forty-five minutes, she would attempt to focus on her job and not on the upcoming tragedy.

  The slow rubbing with the oil and the soft music helped
reduce her anxiety, but she had to concentrate to keep from worrying about Kip. When Teagan finished, she pulled the sheet high onto Mrs. Rodriguez’s back.

  “Rest for a minute and then change. I’ll meet you out front.”

  “Thank you,” Mrs. Rodriguez answered, face down on the table.

  Teagan stepped into the main room to wait for her client. After Mrs. Rodriguez emerged, looking neat and relaxed, she paid and made another appointment for next month. Needing to clean up her room, Teagan returned to the back, enjoying the solitude for a few more minutes. Somewhere between the time of her vision and finishing the massage, she’d made up her mind about what she needed to do.

  For the last few months, almost all of her premonitions had resulted in either someone she cared about being in danger or in pain. The one exception involved Missy’s sister, Izzy. Recognizing that something bad was happening at that moment had saved her cousin’s life. When the visions about Kip had started, Teagan couldn’t chance he’d be taken from her. It seemed that those closest to her were being punished for some deed she must have committed in the past. It was time to break that link, and that meant Teagan had to stay away from everyone she loved.

  Once she replaced the linens on the table in her massage room, and extinguished the incense, she went in search of her aunt to ask for some time off. “Where’s Aunt Kathryn?” she asked Missy.

  “Mom had to make a house call.”

  That wasn’t unusual, but the timing couldn’t have been worse. “The store closes in an hour and since no one is scheduled for any treatments for the rest of the day, would you mind if I went home early? I’m not feeling well.” That wasn’t a lie.

  Missy hugged her. “Sure. Take off whatever time you need. You have vacation time that’s been stacking up.”

  “I know, but I don’t want to make more work for you. However, if I don’t take a few days to clear my head, I won’t be much good to anyone.”

  “Totally. I’ll let Mom know.” Missy’s cell rang and she checked the called ID then looked up. “Oh, no. It’s Kip.”