by V. Vaughn
“You don’t have to do that.”
“Yes, Tally. I do. I can’t shake this feeling something bad might happen to you.” He grips my arms lightly as he says, “It’s silly to think I might be here to stop it, but let me be a fool, okay?”
The redheaded girl pops into my mind again, but I push her out of the way as I gaze at the man I wish could be mine. I place my hand on his chest, and when his heart pounds against my palm I’m the fool, because I imagine it’s beating for me. I have to swallow down a lump in my throat to say, “You’re welcome here anytime.”
21
Nadia
The day after I got to Orono I was packed up and shipped off to Canada. I suppose I should be flattered two of the best De Rozier warriors drove me to the border, where Jean Luc’s men met us. But I do wonder if it was because Tristan was afraid I might run and cause him more trouble. I climb into the backseat of the SUV the Ouellette drove. They had to wait for us to arrive, and I think it might have been a while, because the sun has heated up the interior of the vehicle, and the leather is hot under my thighs. The guy named Xavier slides behind the wheel while the one named Marcel gets in the passenger seat. Marcel turns to me and asks, “Hungry?”
“Always.”
He’s got dark hair and blue eyes that twinkle as he grins. “Me too. There’s a restaurant not far from here.”
“Sounds good to me.” I lean back and gaze out the window. The pine forest that lines the road doesn’t look any different from the one I’m coming from.
Xavier says, “We’re not far, but Marcel takes any excuse he can get to eat at Pat’s.”
“They’ve got the best roast beef sandwich you’ll ever have,” says Marcel.
“What about poutine?” I ask. “I’m told I have to try this French-fry-and-gravy dish.”
“You do,” says Xavier. “That’ll fatten you up quick, and then you can call yourself Canadian.” He chuckles, but these guys are buff, so I’m not sure what the joke is.
Xavier has bright-red hair that makes me think of fire as sunlight streams through the window and illuminates it. I ask, “Do either of you work for Ouellette Yachts?”
“No,” says Marcel. “We’re warriors.”
“Nice. That’s what I used to be.” I fight the rumble of a growl that wants to come with my frustration. “But Tristan thinks I’m safer being hidden in the hull of a boat.” I cross my arms as I scowl. I might as well be going to prison, because I bet the places I’m allowed to go alone are limited too.
“That sucks,” says Xavier as he glances in the rearview mirror at me. “But at least you won’t be stuck behind some desk. Boat building is physical work.”
Marcel says, “You’ll get to train if you want. Every member of our clan is encouraged to.” We slow down before Xavier turns into a small restaurant.
“That’s good to hear.” My shoulders relax as I say, “I’ve gotten out of shape, and it will be nice to fight again.” Once we park I climb out of the car.
“I bet you’re good,” says Marcel. “You polar bears are strong.” His door slams shut.
“Yeah, when Izzy gets in the ring Marcel shakes in fear,” jokes Xavier.
“Bro. That was you.”
I laugh as they poke fun at each other and exchange punches that have to hurt as we walk to the restaurant. A twinge of jealousy passes through me, because I wish I were going to be roughhousing with these guys.
When we get inside the sandwich place I take in the surroundings. Square tables are set out, and I notice a salad bar. A large sign is behind a counter, where it appears customers order their food. The scent of seasoned beef catches my attention as a man walks by with the largest sandwich I’ve ever seen. Thinly-sliced meat spills out from an oversized roll, and I decide that’s what I’m going to have.
We order our food, and once we pour ourselves sodas the guys lead me over to a spot by the window. Carbonated liquid tickles my tongue as I take a sip of my cola, and I gaze out at the people walking by. Xavier whispers, “Whoa,” and I glance where he’s looking to notice a tall girl the size of a werebear. She’s got thick auburn hair and a body to die for with her hourglass figure.
As she gets closer Marcel sighs in disappointment and whispers, “Human.”
“Figures,” says Xavier as he cranes his neck over his shoulder to keep watching as he speaks in a low voice. “Maybe she’s a half.” He turns back around and says, “I should go talk to her.”
Marcel chuckles and whispers, “What are you going to do? Bite her and find out if she can change?”
Xavier frowns.
I ask, “Do you guys change a lot of halves?”
“Nope,” says Marcel. “Until recently we didn’t know you could. Now it’s kind a of a fantasy.”
I frown as I try to fathom why.
“It’s been taboo to have a serious relationship with a human, but a lot of teenaged werebear get involved anyway. So the idea halves are out there and can become like us is fascinating,” says Xavier.
Plastic baskets lined with paper and overflowing with fries and our sandwiches clatter on the table as the waitress glares at us. She’s a werebear too and probably pissed these guys are lusting after a human. Marcel grabs his as if he’s starving.
Xavier takes a big bite of his food and speaks over it as he asks, “What are the changed ones like?”
I assume Isabelle has told them about the Le Roux and Veilleux alphas, who are changed humans, and say, “Amazingly like us.” I bite into my roast beef and let the salty flavor fill my mouth.
“That’s got to be so strange,” says Marcel.
I shrug. I never spent much time thinking about it. “Not for me. The ones I know were already changed when I met them.”
“Shit,” says Xavier under his breath. “Three hunters just came in.”
I’m sitting across from Xavier with the front door at my back. I can’t turn around to see without causing suspicion. And when Marcel hands me a baseball cap adrenaline rushes through my body. My muscles twitch with the urge to run as I shove my hair into the hat. “Figures,” says Marcel. He glances at me. “The hottie’s one too.”
Xavier says to me, “From what we can tell the hunters can’t identify black bear. And if they spot you, they won’t do anything in public.”
I grab my meal and take a huge bite that I chew quickly. My stomach is in knots as adrenaline rushes through me as I prepare to run. I shove the rest of my sandwich into my mouth, and I begin to choke when I try to swallow too much food. My eyes water as I sip soda to rinse it down.
Marcel reaches over and touches my arm. “Slow down, Nadia. We’ve got your back.”
A low rumble in my chest escapes, and I cough to cover it. “Sorry, but when you’re being hunted it’s easy to be paranoid.” I ask Xavier, “How did you recognize them?”
“Guns at their hips they think they’re hiding,” says Xavier. “And they’re scanning the place looking for something.”
Marcel says, “We should get Nadia out of here, before they see the hair.”
What the hell? Why would Tristan send me someplace where the hunters know that my blond hair is an indicator I’m a polar bear? I ask, “What’s the plan?” before I shove a handful of fries in my mouth.
Xavier winks at me. “I’m going to go chat up the hottie and piss off her partners while you and Marcel slip out through the kitchen.”
I struggle to swallow the lump of food in my mouth. The Ouellette warriors are ballsy, and while I’m nervous, I’m also impressed. Xavier rakes his hand through his hair and asks, “How do I look?”
I chuckle. “You get a number, and I’ll let you kill the first one.”
He grins. “Done.” His hands rasp as he rubs them together. “Meet you two at the truck.”
As he walks away Marcel says, “When I stand, we bring our garbage over to the station by the kitchen and walk in as if we belong.”
I know he’s making sure I understand the plan, but having hunters at my back
makes me furious. So does the fact I’m not any safer here than in Orono, and I wonder about the real reason Tristan sent me to Canada. I squint at him as I say, “This isn’t my first rodeo.”
Marcel doesn’t respond, and we both listen for Xavier to make his move. When Xavier’s rumbly voice sounds, Marcel stands, and I lead the way to our exit so Marcel can block the hunters’ view of me. As we walk by the kitchen crew, one or two of them glance at us, but nobody interferes with our progress. I flash back to my escape in New York. Being on the defense goes against my warrior nature, and my skin prickles with my bear, who is itching for a good fight.
Sunlight is bright and hurts my eyes when we get outside, and I keep my head down as we approach the car. When we’re inside the vehicle I slouch down in the backseat, and Marcel turns from the front to talk to me. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” Marcel doesn’t turn back around, and I think he doesn’t believe me. I cross my arms and snarl as I ask, “What?”
“Nothing.” He faces front, and I notice Xavier coming toward us. The seat creaks as Xavier gets behind the wheel, and he glances at me. “Caitlyn with a C, but she likes to be called Cat.” He reels off a phone number and says, “They had no idea what I was.”
I tug my cap down lower. “Lucky you.”
The engine of the truck turns over and begins to hum as Xavier says, “You won’t have to hide long.” His eyes appear dark blue in the rearview mirror, and his bear flashes in them as he says, “I swear it.”
I nod as if I believe him. But one thing I’ve learned is I can’t depend on anyone to look out for me. Sven broke his promise, Tristan withheld the truth from me, and there is no reason to believe these guys are any better. I am the only person who can keep me safe.
22
Kelsey
I hug myself as I stare out the window over my kitchen sink. The evening sun sparkles on the water like tiny diamonds. Val and I have a routine of cuddling on the couch after dinner in front of a movie, and last night I fell asleep in his arms. When I woke he told me I could stay, but being bone tired I declined. And once I got home I kicked myself for it. So tonight I plan to take our relationship to the next level.
I take extra time with my grooming and put on a shirt that is more revealing than what I usually wear before I make my way to his apartment. I no longer knock, and when I enter, the aroma of garlic teases me. Val is in the kitchen, and he turns to smile at me as he asks, “How was your day?”
The sight of him ramps up my desire, and I decide to seize the moment. I walk over and greet him with a kiss instead of answering. I make it steamy, and when we break apart he strokes my cheek as he says, “Must have been a good one.”
The skin on his back sears my fingers as I slide my hands under his shirt and say, “Um-hm.” I lean in and place kisses on his chest where his collar opens.
Val’s voice is gravelly as he says, “Kelsey.”
“Turn off the stove.”
He turns away from me, and the knob clicks as he fumbles with it. When he turns back to me I reach for his waistband and tug him closer. I don’t let go, and the cotton of his shorts is soft in my grip. I say, “I should have stayed last night.”
“Yeah?”
I nod as I slide my hand into his pants. Val inhales sharply when I place my palm over the shaft of his cock, and it pulses beneath my hand as it thickens. He grasps the back of my head and kisses me hard before he pulls away and removes my hand from his shorts.
I frown as he says, “God, I want you. But first we need to talk.”
“I’m on the pill and ha--”
“No, not about that. I think I know what your mother is coming to tell you, and I feel as if I need to do it first.” His gaze is intense as he stares at me, and my stomach rolls as I wait for him to say more. “I’m like your father.”
“My father?” I recall Val’s statement the first night we met. “What he is has something to do with our connection.”
“Our connection we have,” he says. “It’s something special.”
I nod as the warmth of my feelings for Val floods my body. “It’s amazing.”
Val searches my face for a moment, and he nods slightly as he asks, “Do you believe more than humans walk this earth?”
My happiness fades, and I scowl. “Maybe. I haven’t given it much thought.”
Val rakes his hand through his hair. “They do, and your father and I are some of them.”
I like to know the topic of a conversation instead of being led down a path to get there, so I cross my arms and say, “Cut to the chase.”
Val appears to steel himself for my reaction as he says, “I’m a werebear.”
“A what?”
“I’m half human and half bear.”
My dream I used to have of the bear flashes in my mind, but I shove it out of the way as I scan his body for a sign he’s not a man. “Okay.” I’m not sure what to do, so I walk to the living room as I try to fathom how Val could be part bear. I pick up a sea urchin. The surface is rough under my finger as I touch it, and I think about how beautiful they are. I remember my mother telling me when she met my father he was the most beautiful man she’d ever met, inside and out. I was a little girl and laughed at her calling a man pretty. Val said my father is like him, which means my dad is a werebear too.
I turn to face Val. He’s leaning against the kitchen counter, watching me with what I think is trepidation. I avoid the big issue at hand and ask, “You think my father is a werebear?”
“He has to be, unless your mother is,” says Val. “Otherwise we wouldn’t be true mates.”
“True mates.” This is getting freakier. “Wait. My mother?”
Val comes toward me, and I step back a little. I’m not sure I’m afraid, but I don’t want him to cloud my understanding with the way he makes me drunk with our attraction when he’s too close. He stops and says, “I don’t think she is, because it’s hard to stay away from the clan. But I’m pretty sure you’re part werebear, Kelsey. And fate wants us to be together. Forever.”
I stare at him as I imagine what he’ll look like as an old man. And I flip to what he must look like as a bear. I take a deep breath. “This is a lot for me to take in.”
“I’m sure it is, which is why I needed you to get to know me before I laid all of this on you.”
The oddest details begin to cloud my mind. Like what happens to his clothes when he shifts and was he a bear cub when he was born or a baby. And then my mind jumps to imagining what kind of children we’d have together. I close my eyes and massage the bridge of my nose. I’m in love with a shape-shifter, and he thinks I’m one too? Odd bits of conversations I heard as a child click into place. My grandmother mentioning I might be an animal. My grandfather’s stern tone telling me to leave it alone when I’d ask about my father. And my mother? Is she coming to talk to me because she fell for a werebear the way I’ve fallen for Val?
I open my eyes to Val’s intense stare. He asks, “Are you okay?”
I nod as it hits me I’m fine. I know in my heart Val is the man I’m supposed to spend my life with. And while I should be freaking out about what he is, I’m not. If anything I feel enlightened. I say, “If I’m going to be your girlfriend, I’ve got a lot of questions I’ll need answered.”
Val lets out a big breath and holds out his hands. I step forward and take them as he says, “I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”
I gaze up into his face as my heart swells with love. The intensity of my feelings makes the urge to cry rush to the surface, and my eyes fill with tears.
Val asks, “What’s wrong?”
I shake my head. “My heart feels like it’s going to explode.”
He takes my face in his hands. “Mine does too, Kelsey. I’m so in love with you, and I can’t believe I’ve finally found my true mate.” He combs his fingers through my hair, and the sensation of his touch gives me goose bumps as he asks, “Is that what you feel?”
A hot tear rolls down my
cheek. “Yes. I’m in love with you too.”
Now my tears fall freely, and Val leans down to kiss them away with a tenderness I know I’ll see from him for the rest of our lives.
23
Izzy
I gaze at the thin girl in front of me. Nadia Boucher is a couple years younger than me, and we were never friends, but the sight of another De Rozier makes me nostalgic. My smile is genuine as I greet her. “Welcome to my clan.”
She’s hesitant as she says, “Thanks. It’s nice to be here.” She glances at Marcel and Xavier as they deposit her two bags by the door.
I say, “Thanks, guys.”
They both make their good-byes, and Nadia tenses when the front door clicks shut. I understand the trepidation. To say I was a bitch in the past is putting it mildly. While I have no recollection of our encounters, I’d bet money I wasn’t kind to her. I say, “Tristan speaks highly of you. I know my brother, and he wouldn’t do that if he wasn’t impressed. It’s a shame you had to stop being the Arctic Ice spokesmodel.”
“Yeah.”
Her gaze darts around, and the slight scent of her fear lingers, although I don’t think she’s afraid right now. I ask, “Would you like something to eat? I have some of my husband’s legendary fish chowder I can heat up.”
Nadia swallows hard before she manages to answer, “Yes. Thank you. I’d like that.”
I lead us to the kitchen, and a stool scrapes on the floor as I pull it out. “Have a seat, and we can talk while I make your soup.” I notice she’s gazing out at the ocean, and I say, “Beautiful, isn’t it?”
“You must love living on the water,” she says.
“I do.” A pot clatters on the stove, and cold, thick liquid splashes as I pour it. “After we eat I’ll take you down to the beach.” I turn to face her and ask, “When’s the last time you were in the ocean as a bear?”
“I can’t remember.”