Bear Mountain Baby: Shifter Romance (Bear Mountain Shifters)

by Sky Winters

  But she took ahold of herself as he continued to fuck her, and saw something different in Kieran’s face, something besides the look of intensity that gripped his beautiful features, and the glistening sheen of sweat that covered his brow like a wet patina. Fangs, white as milk and glistening in the shallow light of the moon.

  Nora hadn’t noticed them before. They must’ve been hidden, or pulled up. But something about the way he was pounding her, letting pleasure take hold of him, must’ve made him lose the control required to keep his fangs out of sight.

  But as soon as Nora noticed them, she was wracked with the all-obliterating force of the waves of orgasm building and building. Each thrust, each pounding sent her closer and closer to the brink of ecstasy, and the constant tempo of his movement in her was exactly what she needed. But something else gripped her, beyond the crashing waves of pleasure. His fangs.

  “Bite me,” she said, her voice a shaking whisper.

  “What?” Kieran asked, his voice gripped with an oncoming orgasm of his own.

  “Bite me, now.”

  His eyes narrowed, and he lifted his torso from her while still fucking her. Now his magnificent, sculpted body was in plain view, and the sight of it brought Nora even closer to the brink. But orgasm remained just out of reach, teasing her and tantalizing her with its nearness, like a specter that flitted into mist as she swiped her hand through it, only to reform before her like a smirking phantasm.

  “Are you sure?” he said, his voice barely raising at the end of the sentence.

  “Yes,” she said, her own voice breathy, but firm.

  With that, he pulled his teeth back into an animalistic snarl, cocked his head back, and snapped his teeth onto her neck as though drawn by magnets.

  The feeling at first was that of a slight pinch, not to dissimilar from a shot at the doctor’s. But after that passed, Nora felt the penetration of the pair of warm fangs as they pierced through her skin.

  Nora cried out, the feeling of Kieran being inside of her again taking her right to the precipice of release. She could feel his teeth do their work in her neck, drawing out blood by the swallow, his lips a wet, warm seal on the delicate skin. Then, there was a muffled moan from Kieran. His thrusts grew harder, more deliberate. He was just about to come, and so was she.

  His release seemed to have the force of a levee breaking. Nora could feel his hot, thick cum shoot inside of her, deep into her, and this feeling was the push she needed to fall into the rich oblivion of orgasm. Her body rocked with quakes of pleasure, and she felt like she was being undone at each joint, as though she were being pulled apart by the forces of ecstasy that tugged at her like winds. Kieran continued his slow, heavy pumping, each thrust releasing more cum into her, each thrust punctuated by an animalistic grunt. Nora’s vision blurred again as the tight pressure at her pussy exploded like a small star going nova, pummeling her body with crashing waves of orgasm. Kieran pulled his head from her as he finished, and she could feel the warm trickle of blood trail down her sticky skin. Her own orgasm began to ebb and fade, her body now melting like soft, pliable putty.

  The pace of Kieran’s thrusting slowed, and Nora could feel his cock soften inside of her. His grasp on her hips changed from an urgent hold to a soft rubbing of her curves. Their breath slowed from urgent grunts and pants to slow, steady exhalations. Nora loosened her hold on Kieran’s shoulders and began to drag the backs of her nails against the skin of his hard, taut shoulders. With one final breath, Kieran collapsed forward, resting his head on Nora’s shoulder; she responded by working her fingers through the wet tussles of his hair.

  “That was… incredible,” he said, still catching his breath.

  Nora smiled and scratched his scalp. “I’ve never been fucked like that before,” she said, “not even including, well, the other thing.”

  Kieran looked up at her and smiled “I hope that wasn’t too painful,” he said, scooping the trickle of blood from her neck with the side of his finger and bringing it to his tongue.

  “No,” she said, “it was just painful enough. “

  Kieran sighed with contentment and nuzzled his head into the side of Nora’s neck. Nora looked beyond him, past the skyline of the city, at the first shades of azure-washed orange as the sun began to rise over the horizon.

  “I don’t know everything about vampires,” she said, “but I’m pretty sure that’s not good for you.”

  She pointed, and Kieran looked.

  “Yeah, that’s my cue,” he said, his voice husky from exertion.

  And with that, he stood, scooped Nora up into his arms, and walked back into the apartment, a slight smile playing on his lips.

  Chapter 12

  After depositing Nora in the bed, Kieran went off to his own quarters to sleep. She awoke first, and saw that it was well into the afternoon. It wasn’t like her to sleep so late, and it dawned on her that her students needed to know that she wasn’t going to be coming for their lessons. Not tonight, maybe not ever again. As happy as the idea of being here with Kieran made her, she was developing a sick feeling in her stomach from not attending to her responsibilities. But she accepted her situation. She had no other choice.

  She passed the time in Kieran’s apartment, not knowing exactly when he would awaken. Without her phone, Nora felt disconnected from the outside world. She didn’t have much in New York yet, but not being able to leave, having to stay here, made her feel trapped. And the whirlwind of events from the previous night was still not fully processed.

  Within a few hours, I go from being food on the auction block to being in the arms of a beautiful dead man. What could possibly be next?

  The question was answered when the clock hit five o’clock. A deep, bass whirling sound began from somewhere in the depths of the building and continued for several seconds. Nora looked around with fear, wondering what was happening. Then, heavy, black shades began to descend from the tops of the windows, moving at a slow pace until they reached the bottom of the glass walls that looked out onto Manhattan and set into the bottom with a thick click. Nora was in complete darkness for several moments, until the lights of the apartment flicked on all at once, along with a roaring fire in the fireplace and the soft, lively sounds of classical music from a speaker system built into the ceiling.

  Nora looked around, wondering what was going to happen next. But with the lights now on, she noticed something on the long, storm-colored granite countertop: A package, wrapped in a golden bow. Nora approached it, and saw that there was a note on top.

  A little something to cover up with. – K

  The handwriting was ornate and meticulous. Nora yanked the bow open and lifted the top of the box. Inside was something made of soft black fabric. She lifted it out by the shoulder straps and held it in front of her. It was a beautiful, black dress; simple, but well-made. Nora took another look in the package and saw that there was something more: A few sets of bras and panties, all of them lacy and luxurious. Her head swimming with anticipation, Nora snatched the box off the counter and dashed to her room, her gift tucked under her arm.

  After a quick rinse in the three-head shower, she dried off and tried on her new clothes in the walk-in closet dressing area, a three-paneled mirror lined with soft, orange bulbs. The dress fit her perfectly, the expert craftsmanship obvious; every curve was emphasized, and the dark fabric of the dress accentuated her creamy-white skin tone. Kieran knew how to buy a dress.

  When she returned to the main room of the apartment, Kieran was sitting at one of the barstools at the kitchen island, a cocktail in hand. Upon seeing her, he stood and walked toward her with pleased, admiring eyes.

  “My people did well,” he said, “though I could dress you up in anything and you’d still be beyond gorgeous.”

  Nora blushed. “It’s not necessary,” she said, her voice demure.

  “I’d say it is, if you’re going to be staying here. As much as I’d like to see you in nothing but what you wore last night, I think there’d b
e some, ah, logistical issues with that arrangement.”

  A small pang of worry hit her stomach. “So, I take it this means you’re not going to kill me?”

  Kieran smirked, and nodded. “But, what are you going to do when they find out?”

  His expression turned pained and pensive. “That’s… going to be tricky. The penalty for not, well, disposing of the bid-upon item is, severe, to say the least. But I believe it can be circumvented.”

  “How?”

  “There’s something in the vampire world known as a Drudge. It’s essentially a vampire slave. We charm humans and make them perform various functions, like live-in help, crimes that need doing… sometimes for sexual needs.”

  Nora gulped, wondering where this was going.

  “Now, I won’t perform the necessary rituals that would put you in this complaint state, but I can, well, say that I have, should anyone notice your presence.”

  “Wait,” said Nora, incredulous, “does that mean that I’ll have to stay here… forever?”

  “Not forever. Just… for a time.”

  Nora was uncertain and worried. Without thinking, she moved her hands along the sides of her dress.

  “I should warn you,” he said, his eyes on her hands moving up and down her curves, “you’re making it very hard to concentrate.”

  Nora gave a slight smile. “Okay,” she said, uncertainly clear in her voice. “For now.”

  “I should make it clear that the penalty for being caught would be a swift death for me, and a different kind of death for you,” he said, his tone dire.

  Nora nodded, now understanding the nature of the circumstances that they were both in.

  “Now,” said Kieran, closing the last few feet of space that remained between them, “as much as I like to see you in that dress, seeing you out of it sounds even better.”

  Nora blushed and smiled, as Kieran moved his hand under the filmy fabric of the dress, and up, along her thigh.

  Chapter 13

  Several days passed as planned, with Nora staying in the apartment, and Kieran telling anyone who asked that yes, he enjoyed his purchase from the auction, and no, he wouldn’t be requiring the complimentary disposal services of the Hell’s Kitchen society. For a while, it seemed that the ruse would be successful. That was, however, before Ian showed up unannounced.

  “Aye! You’ve still got this one, huh?” he said, perplexed, when Nora came into the room.

  “Yes, she’s still here. And not another word about it,” said Kieran, his voice grim.

  Ian ran his hand back through his spiky hair. “Jeez, you know what a no-no this is, right?

  Kieran breathed in, barely masking his impatience. “Yes, I’m aware of what a ‘no-no’ it is.”

  “And what about you, lady; what do you have to say about this? You talk him out of it at the last minute?” Ian gave Kieran a friendly swipe across the shoulder. “I always knew this one had a soft spot.”

  “We’re keeping this secret, for now,” said Nora, her eyes shooting over to Kieran, who made a look that Nora interpreted as “the less said, the better.”

  “I’ll say yeh are!” Ian said, shaking his head once again.

  After Ian left, Kieran was pensive and dour. Nora tried to ignore it at first, but Kieran was the type of man who, when upset, had a black, dark cloud around him.

  “What’s wrong?” Nora asked, running her hand through his hair.

  “This was a mistake,” he said, not turning to look at her.

  “But, I’m happy here with you.”

  “And I’m happy with you here. But this was a foolish thing to do. It’s only a matter of time before someone else shows up and sees you here, or until Ian has a few too many and runs his mouth to the wrong person.”

  “Like the Italian?”

  “Yes, like Marcus. If he were to find out…” Kieran’s voice trailed off.

  “So, are you saying you wish you would’ve just eaten me that first night? Just sucked my blood for real right in the middle of sex?”

  That prompted a reaction.

  Kieran blasted out of his chair and turned to face Nora, standing inches from her face. “No. I will never regret what I did.”

  And with that, he stalked off, to some faraway corner of his vast apartment.

  * * *

  Kieran returned a time later, a grim look on his face.

  “Ian was right,” he said, staring deep into Nora’s eyes. “I was foolish to think I could keep you here.”

  Conflicted feelings danced in Nora’s stomach. On the one hand, she was happy at the prospect of freedom. On the other, she’d grown close to Kieran over these last few days. Not to mention the incredible sex.

  “So, what are you going to do?” she asked, her voice wavering.

  “Take you back to your apartment. You’ll have to lay low for a while, but you should be fine. I’ve heard rumors of vampires who’re, morally-opposed, you could say, to our traditions, and have purchased humans simply to release them. And gotten away with it.”

  “So, you’re just going to drop me off back home, and I’m supposed to forget this whole thing ever happened?”

  “I can leave you with some money, to compensate you for your time and… the inconvenience.”

  Nora felt herself grow angry at Kieran’s heartless resolution to this problem. “You don’t get it,” she said, her voice a yell, “there’s more going on here than that!”

  Kieran raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Such as?”

  The anger mixed with sadness in Nora began to boil over. But as she forced it downward, feeling it heat her limbs, something strange happened. The glow that she could detect, the one that she hadn’t seen from any of the vampires, began to emanate from Kieran. It was a strange color, a soupy blue lightened with traces of yellow. It struck Nora as sadness, but a sadness laced with confusion. Nora stepped back, shocked at the appearance of her powers.

  “What is it?” Kieran asked, the colors ebbing and flowing around him like an aurora borealis.

  Nora stumbled backward.

  “Nothing, nothing. I’m just not happy one bit about this, is all.”

  That seemed to satisfy Kieran. “In that case, grab your things. I’m taking you to your apartment.”

  She complied, snatching the few articles of clothing that Kieran had bought for her from her room, tossing them into a cloth bag, and storming into the main room. Kieran said nothing, simply gesturing her for her come with him. They made their way down to the car and drove out and into the Manhattan evening. Fuming, she typed her address into his phone, and said not a word as they made the drive from Hell’s Kitchen to Harlem. Eventually, they reached her apartment, a worn brick building.

  Kieran looked over the building, displeased. “I don’t know how I feel about you living in a place like this.”

  “What do you care? You’re just going to drop me off here and forget about me.”

  “Some money is going to appear in your bank account in the next few days. Use some of it to find a safer place to live.”

  It was no consolation. Money wasn’t what she wanted. Nora felt overcome with emotion. She didn’t want to say another word, for fear that she’d break down into a weeping mess. So instead, she opened the door of the car and prepared to step out.

  “Wait,” said Kieran.

  Nora stopped where she stood, but refused to turn to face him. A tear tickled down her face.

  “I’m sorry it had to be like this.”

  And with that, Nora slammed the door of her car, made her way to her apartment, and as soon as she shut the door of her tiny studio behind her, collapsed into wracking sobs.

  Chapter 14

  Over the next few days, Nora did her best to keep a low-profile. She wore baggy clothes and hid her face behind sunglasses and under hats. And sure enough, just as Kieran promised, when Nora checked her bank account a few days after being dropped off, she saw that the total was bigger than it had been before. A few zeros bigger. But the money was
no consolation. Aside from getting a new phone and buying some takeout so she didn’t have to leave the apartment, she felt no desire to do anything with it. Despite the circumstances in which Nora and Kieran met, she still felt something with him, a closeness that she had never felt before.

  After a few days of hiding out, Nora finally felt ready to at least begin the process of putting her life back together. When her new phone arrived in the mail, she set it up and, not knowing who else to call, dialed Carly, one of her few acquaintances in the city.

  “Nora,” Carly said, her voice equal parts surprised and excited, “to what do I owe this honor?”

  “Hey, Carly,” said Nora, her voice uncertain, as though trying to remember how to communicate with people who weren’t emotionally-distant bloodsuckers. “How’re you?”

  “Me? Who cares about me? It’s been months since we talked; how are you?”

  “I’m fine, I just…” Nora’s voice trailed off.

  A moment passed.

  “You don’t sound fine,” said Carly.

  “It’s just that there was this guy, and he… he…” Nora couldn’t hold it in. She let out a series of whimpers before a flood of body-rocking sobs overwhelmed her.

  “Lady, lady,” said Carly, “get over here right this minute. I’ve got some wine. Let’s split it and then go get something to eat. My friend works at this adorable wine bar in the village. You can tell me everything.”

  “Okay,” said Nora, “but only if you let me treat.”

  Carly laughed. “I won’t try to talk you out of that. Just call an Uber and get your little ginger butt over here.”

  Nora felt the first bits of a smile spread across her face. “Okay. Thanks, Carly.”

  “Love you, lady.”

  Nora put down the phone, and realized that she was beginning to feel a little better. She got up, undressed, and went to the dresser to pick out something to wear. She considered something Kieran had bought her, but decided it was too soon for that. Hearing nothing but the typical sounds of the city beyond her window, she flicked off her hearing aid.