Polarity of Us

by K. B. Ladnier

  I just hoped her comfort with me would stay even after she awakened to a massive polar bear cuddling her.

  Daisy

  I shifted in my sleep a little when a rumbling sound filled my ears. I felt so warm and comfortable though. I didn’t want to move. The rumbling kept happening, each time making my cheek vibrate.

  What is moving beneath me?

  I punched at it with my hands, surprised to feel it furry beneath my palms. The movement settled, so I shrugged it off.

  After a few more moments laying there, some things began to filter through. I remembered going for a hike by the lake. Getting a little off course on my hike. There were some animals. I lost the map and then got lost myself. I was cold.

  I pushed a little harder to remember.

  The bear...

  I fell off the side of the mountain, because a polar bear ran at me. I remembered!

  I had tripped and tumbled down, hitting my head. Then, I saw the bear walking towards me. Then the northern lights. Then nothing.

  Had the bear saved me?

  Omigod! Had I died?

  The fuzzy thing beneath me moved again. Finally feeling curious as to why Heaven would reward me with comfort, only to mess with me by making it move and disrupting my sleep, I lifted my head and squinted my eyes open. But any questions I might have had, died on my lips when I saw exactly what it was that’d been moving – and why it was furry.

  It was a fucking polar bear.

  I laid my head back down slowly and closed my eyes again, praying silently that the bear wouldn’t wake up.

  Was this what Heaven had decided to reward me with? I mean, it seemed kind of vindictive to have me die from possibly being eaten by a polar bear, only to have a polar bear here with me. What the hell did I do to deserve this? My luck couldn’t seriously be this damn bad! This was starting to feel like some big cosmic joke, yet I was the only one not laughing.

  Then again, this polar bear could be a nice bear. I mean, it was letting me sleep on it after all. This was Heaven. Surely, I wasn’t allowed to be eaten twice. It wasn’t like I could die again. He and I could be friends and frolic among the clouds. That’d be nice.

  The longer I talked to myself, the more the fog drifting through my mind began to lift. I was finally able to pry my eyes fully open. However, when I focused on my surroundings, a startling realization had me jolting up and backwards.

  This wasn’t Heaven. This was real. I’d been laying curled up on a real fucking polar bear!

  My back met a wall behind me and I hissed in pain. My body was sore everywhere, and my head throbbed. I lifted my hands up and saw my palms scratched to hell. I lowered my gaze to see my pants were torn in several places, revealing gashes on my knees and a couple on my thigh.

  I lowered my hands and glanced around where I was. I was in some sort of small cave. The bear I’d been lying on, was sleeping with its back facing the entrance. There was no way around it. I was trapped.

  Fuck! I was freaking the hell out!

  What was I going to do? And how the hell had I ended up here in the first place?

  I slid to the ground and pulled my knees to my chest, cradling them with my hands to my temples. I snapped my eyes shut tight in concentration, racking my brain to put some of the few missing pieces back together.

  I wasn’t where I’d fallen, that was for sure. So, how had a bear managed to drag me up the mountain? Why did it bring me here?

  The bear shifted again, then its eyes popped open. I gave a tiny squeak in fright as it’s blue eyes settled on me. Blue? I’d never seen a polar bear with blue eyes.

  Oh, my goodness, shut up about his eyes, Daisy! He’s a bear and he could eat you!

  What were you supposed to do when confronted with a bear? Play dead? That was so not going to work. But, I guess it’d be worth a try. Only moments ago, I thought I was already dead anyway.

  As the bear gazed at me, I did the only thing I could think of; I dropped like a sack of potatoes into the fetal position and slowed my breathing. Please let this work…

  I heard a wheezing sound just before the sound of its paws scratched against the dirt and rocks beneath us. I remained as still as possible, hoping that if this bear was nice enough to keep me warm, it would just wander away.

  Unfortunately, I felt it’s cold, wet nose press into my neck. It startled me so badly, I screamed and jumped. There went that idea.

  “Don’t eat me, please!” I shouted pitifully. I threw my hands in front of me and pressed myself against the back of the cave.

  That wheezing sound happened again. I was surprised when I peeked through my lashes that it was coming from the bear. And that it was shaking its head at me. The two actions together made me think the bear was laughing at me. Could bears laugh?

  Since the bear didn’t seem like it wanted to eat me, I cautiously lowered my hands and just stared at it. It stared right back for a few moments, its head tilting as if curious about me.

  This was complete insanity.

  “Did you save me?” I felt dumb talking to an animal, but then again, this was no average bear. I’d never heard or seen any animal act like this before.

  Shockingly enough, the bear nodded.

  My eyes widened. “What the hell?” I whispered in disbelief. The bear just nodded at me…

  The bear stepped closer. I stiffened, hoping it hadn’t changed its mind about eating me.

  Our eyes stayed locked on each other as it placed its face within an inch of mine. Its warm breath blew across my face. I barely breathed as its nose touched my cheek and sniffed. Then something happened that I wasn’t expecting.

  It licked my cheek.

  I still didn’t move, though. Whatever was happening, I felt it was in my best interest not to move.

  It took a step back and focused its stare on me once again. It was then something about its eyes became familiar.

  They were blue. A bright, crystal clear color like the sky. They had a dark, thick ring on the outer part of the iris. Just like Bastian’s eyes.

  I pinched my brows together, not believing where my mind was going. There was no way that was possible. People didn’t change into animals. This was reality, not one of my books.

  But the longer I stared at those eyes, the harder it was to convince my brain of anything else. Not only that, but my body began to relax as I stood there.

  Without even thinking, I slowly lifted my hand and rested it gently on the bear’s furry cheek.

  “Bastian?” I whispered.

  Suddenly, the bear began to vibrate, and its face started to change.

  One second there was a massive polar bear standing there; the next, Bastian gazed down at me with an uncertain look on his face.

  “Daisy.” Bastian replied in a husky voice.

  My eyes rolled into the back of my head, and once more, darkness greeted me.

  Fourteen

  I came to with a shout.

  My breathing was heavy as I looked around not recognizing where I was. I grabbed my aching head, trying my best to shake it off. I couldn’t wrap my head around everything. I had seen what I thought I saw, hadn’t I?

  How was it possible that Bastian was a fucking polar bear? Was I just losing my mind? No, no way. I know what I saw.

  I let go of my head and looked around. The bed was a California King and high off the ground. The walls were painted a soft grey color. A window was off to the right and had thick, black drapes keeping out most of the sunlight. From what trickled in through the edges, I could see a black dresser and a walk-in closet with no door.

  I moved the soft duvet cover off me and hissed in pain at my aching body. It hurt to breathe and my head still pounded. I rubbed my aching side, hoping I wasn't too badly bruised. I looked down and saw bandages had been placed on the spots where my jeans tore, and I was dressed in a shirt that wasn’t mine. It was also much too big to be a woman's. I grabbed the collar of the sweatshirt and smelled it. It had that same musky, woodsy smell that Bastian
did. Was I in his house?

  Oh, god. Was I safe? I thought to myself.

  I startled to my feet on the bed when a knock sounded at the door. I cried out when I felt the strain on my side from the sudden movement. Fuck, it hurt so bad!

  The door opened, and Bastian stepped in holding a tray with a plate of food.

  He raised a brow in concern at my stance, but quickly replaced the look with an unsure smile. "I was hoping you were awake. I brought you some breakfast. You're probably starving." He shifted from one foot to the other, not moving from his spot in the doorway.

  “You! You… you turned into a… a bear…” I stuttered out. Okay, so I was freaking out.

  On one hand, I trusted this man. He had been kind to me, and I had steadily begun to feel things for him that I hadn't felt in a long time. On the other, he was apparently able to shift into a massive, polar bear. But still, he’d saved my life. I couldn't find any fear within me. It was shock that had me standing on his bed. It was disbelief.

  He walked into the room and set the tray down on the dresser. He then sat on the edge of the bed with his hands up in the air as if to show he wasn’t a threat.

  “Yes. I do. But, I’d never hurt you. Will you please let me explain?”

  I watched him as he watched me. How does someone explain to someone else how they turn into an animal? That's not a conversation you can really prepare yourself for.

  “But… you turned into a bear…” I explained in exasperation. “How do you just turn into a bear? That is just… not possible.” I clutched my aching ribs as I tried to control my breathing. I was doing my best to remain calm, but internally I was freaking the hell out.

  Bastian leaned forward and held his hands out in a calming manner. “Daisy, please let me explain. I know it’s a little insane, but you have to trust me when I tell you that you are perfectly safe with me. I would sooner throw myself off a bridge than ever hurt you.”

  I shook out my hands and nodded my head over and over. “Yeah. Calm. I can totally do that.” I closed my eyes and tried slowing my breathing.

  This was Bastian. I may not have known he was a freaking polar bear, but I knew the man. He was a good man. He had plenty of chances to hurt me since I’d been here, and he hadn’t. I could be rational, and level headed. I think.

  “Will you please sit down? I’m a little worried you’ll pass out and fall off the bed. You’ve hurt yourself enough with your tumble down the mountain.”

  Not entirely sure what else to do, I nodded my head and sat back down on the bed, scooting until my back was against the head board. I wanted to be as far away from him as possible until I got some answers.

  "So... I'm guessing you have questions. I'll answer anything you want to know the best I can."

  "How?" It was the only way I could think to pose the question; straight and to the point.

  He ran a hand through his white hair. Ah, now the color makes more sense.

  "Honestly, I don't know the exact how. I just know that I can and that it's genetic. Addy can do it too." He watched me with a guarded expression.

  I nodded my head, not entirely sure how to respond to that. My head still couldn’t wrap around this. It was like too much information was being shoved into my brain simultaneously, and now it was short circuiting.

  He sighed and rested his elbows on his knees as he stared at me sadly. "You're afraid of me now, aren't you?"

  "I'm not entirely sure what to think. I can't wrap my head around how this is possible," I replied.

  His face dropped a little. "I've been asking myself that for a long time. But, I accepted years ago that it was just something that is. My parents died when I was too young to remember them. Luckily, an elderly couple that were also polar shifters had heard what happened and immediately retrieved me from foster care, then adopted me. They explained that it’s something that’s passed genetically and that we’ve been able to shift for as far back as they could remember. They don’t know if it was magic that made us this way, or if there were other shifters out there. They died when I was sixteen and I met Evelyn not long after."

  "Does it hurt?" I asked hesitantly as I processed this information from his past.

  "Sometimes," he answered. "It tingles mostly. Like that feeling when your foot falls asleep, but all over my body. If I don't shift within a certain amount of time though, my body forces the change on me. Then it is a bit painful. Addy and I try to shift at least once a week to keep that from happening."

  My eyes widened. "Wow. That's awful. Why don't you change more than that? Do you not like being a bear?" This was such a weird conversation. Yet again, I was feeling less uncomfortable with him as we talked. Bastian always had a way of making me feel at peace when he was around. It was no different now, even with this less than expected discovery.

  "We do, but we can't risk exposure. As far as I know, we’re the last of our kind."

  I cocked my head in question. "What about your wife? Did she know?"

  He gave me a pained expression. “She was one as well.”

  I nodded and let out a breath. I guess I should’ve seen that coming. But, I still couldn’t understand why he would show his bear to me. “Why me?” I asked quietly.

  "I trust you, and you were in trouble. If I hadn't shifted, you would've frozen to death out there last night," he replied without hesitation.

  He exposed himself to save me. He trusted me. He didn’t have to do those things, but he did. How could I be afraid of someone who would risk so much for me?

  "Thank you,” I whispered. “For trusting me and saving me. It was dumb going off the trail and I knew it." I wrapped my arms around my knees; my comfort level rose a bit more.

  "What were you thinking?" He chided me in a soft, worried tone.

  I looked down at my hands with guilt churning in my stomach. "I didn't think I was that far off the path. When I realized it was getting late, I took the map Aunt Em drew for me out to find my way back. It blew out of my hands, so I couldn't find my way back."

  He let out a groan and rubbed his face. "You had me so worried that you wouldn't make it through the night, Daisy. I have no idea what I would have done if something happened to you. Losing you would break me."

  The way he looked at me made my heart race. It was a look of worry and desperation. I'd never had anyone look at me like that. That look solidified all those mixed up feelings I'd been having for him since I met him. It hit me, like being struck by lightning.

  I didn't care if he could shift into a bear; I still wanted him. Yes, it was crazy. Yes, I was probably losing my mind. But in the end, he was still Bastian. He was still the guy I was slowly falling for every minute that I spent with him.

  That realization was all it took for me to find some of my hidden bravery. I shifted forward without hesitation and grabbed his face, pressing my lips to his. His response was everything.

  His hands dove into my hair and he pulled me closer, kissing me with a passion I'd never thought I'd feel. His lips were soft, and his tongue tasted sweet. I reveled in the feel of his lips moving against mine. My heart soared with emotions at finally feeling what they felt like. My stomach fluttered with butterflies and my skin heated as his hands found my waist.

  He lifted me and moved me to straddle him. His arms wrapped around my waist and he held me closer. My body fit against his perfectly. I pushed my fingers through his silky locks, happy to finally see that they were as soft as I imagined they'd be. The scruff of his beard scratched against my chin, but I didn't care. His kiss was far more magical than him shifting into a bear. Even if this was the only kiss I shared with him, I'd remember it my entire life.

  We pulled away from each other completely out of breath. His hand came up and palmed my cheek. He stroked a thumb across my cheekbone, then leaned into me and placed one last gentle kiss at the corner of my mouth.

  "You are so beautiful," he whispered; his breath fanned over my face. His hand slid to the back of my neck and he wound his fingers
in my hair. "I can honestly say I didn't expect this reaction from you after you fainted. I thought you'd hate me or fear me."

  I slowly shook my head and kissed his cheeks softly then leaned my forehead against his. "I was scared, but I was a little less freaked when I realized you weren't going to eat me."

  He let out a loud laugh and pulled me in to hug me. "I got a pretty good kick out of you yelling at me not to eat you."

  That was when it dawned on me that the wheezing I'd heard really was a laugh. "You laughed at me. I thought you were, but my logical mind couldn't process a bear laughing."

  He chuckled and leaned back to look at me again. "You said my name. How'd you realize it was me?" He asked.

  "Your eyes. Polar bears don't have blue eyes. And nobody has your eyes. I thought I was going crazy. Probably why my mind shut down and I passed out."

  He looked at me like I was the most amazing thing in the world. Those beautiful blue eyes of his brightened, and a smile lit up his face. It was blinding. Then, he pulled me into him again and kissed me like he would die if he didn't.

  I could have kissed him forever.

  Unfortunately, our moment was interrupted by a knock at the door then a voice.

  "Daddy! Is Daisy awake?" Addy called through the door.

  Bastian smiled at me and whispered, "We'll talk more later. Addy's been worried about you. And a little nervous about how you'd react to the whole bear thing."

  I nodded and smiled before lifting myself from his lap and opening the door.

  Addy's mouth turned into a massive smile when she saw it was me. Without hesitation, she threw herself against me and wrapped her arms tightly around my waist. The impact hurt my sore body, but I held back the hiss of pain to hug this sweet little girl. I clutched her tightly as she hugged me, knowing she needed this.

  "I was so scared when Daddy said you were in trouble," she mumbled against my stomach.

  I stroked her beautiful white curls reassuringly. "I'm perfectly fine thanks to your daddy."

  She let go and looked up at me unsure. "And do you hate us for what we are?"