Heartsridge Shifters: Cade (South-One Bears Book 2)

by Olivia Arran

  A low growl rumbled through my chest, my bear demanding a taste of the woman he had decided was his future mate. I took a step forward.

  Her eyes widened, but she didn’t retreat. The air crackled with temptation, thick and heavy.

  A bag whacked me in the stomach. “We haven’t got all night. Hand me the key.” Granny inserted herself between us, waving her hand in a come on then gesture.

  My growl cut off. What was I thinking? And that was the problem, I wasn’t. Instinct had taken over, my animal side overpowering human rationality. I dropped the key into her hand.

  She took one look at the tag, then glanced at the plaque mounted next to the door. “Bearbluff Cottage?” She didn’t hide her sarcasm. “That man has a sick sense of humor,” she muttered, before disappearing into the house. Liam glanced at his sister, gave me an encouraging smile, then followed her in. At least one Foxglove seemed to be on my side.

  “Mina—”

  She cut me off, “What time tomorrow?”

  “I’m on days, so I’ll be off around 9-ish?” That would give me time to shower and change. And shave, something I had to do twice a day unless I wanted to look like a mountain man.

  “Fine.” She disappeared up the path like her ass was on fire, not looking back once. The door slammed shut behind her.

  I shoved my hands into my pocket and took a deep breath. In the space of a day, I’d found the woman I wanted to be my mate and somehow managed to piss her off. And I’d never felt so fucking happy.

  Chapter Six

  Mina

  I rolled over and my ass hit the floor with a bang. Oh, heck. It all came flooding back. I opened my eyes to check. Yep, this wasn’t my room and that certainly wasn’t my comfy queen sized bed. This room had pale yellow walls and cute sash windows painted an off-cream. A small fancy looking dresser, a closet with carved panels for doors, and a single bed big enough for a dwarf to sleep in completed the room.

  Dragging myself up, I threw on some clothes and moseyed along the hall to the bathroom. Giving my face a quick splash, I scrubbed my teeth, all the while trying to keep my thoughts carefully blank. Safe. Serene. It was too early for what my mind wanted to dig into.

  Cade.

  Nope. Not going there. Not until I’d had my first coffee of the day. Dragging my overgrown bob into a spiky ponytail on the top of my head, I gave it a tweak and headed downstairs. It would have to do.

  I found Granny and Liam in the small kitchen, sitting around the table finishing off their breakfast. Grabbing the coffee pot, I poured myself a cup of the lifesaving nectar and splashed in some cream. “Why didn’t you wake me?” I never slept in at home; too many chores around the farm to see to.

  “Nothing to wake you up for,” Granny replied, sliding over a plate that was still piled high with bacon and eggs despite the crumbs littering their empty plates.

  Helping myself, I dug in, sipping my coffee around mouthfuls of food. I wasn’t a morning person, despite having grown up on a farm, and it always took me a good half hour and some calories to kick-start my brain.

  Liam pushed back his chair, wiping his hands on his jeans as he stood.

  A dishcloth hit him in the chest.

  Grinning at Granny, he tidied himself up, dabbing ineffectually at his jeans.

  “Where are you going?” Attention split between my coffee and my brother, I almost missed the excited glint in his eyes.

  “I’ve got a meeting with my counselor, remember?” He headed to the door, eager to be off.

  It rang a bell, though last night I’d been so wrapped up in trying to rein in my fox from rolling over and showing Cade her belly, to say I’d been distracted was an understatement. “School after, right?”

  Bouncing on the balls of his feet, he looped a backpack over his shoulder, his grin reaching from ear to ear. “School!” It was murmured with the kind of awe I reserved for chocolate or a snow day.

  Starting school for the first time at the ripe old age of fourteen; he was in for a shock. I forced a smile and wished him luck, but he was already gone, the door swinging shut behind him.

  “What are your plans for the day, Mina?”

  Snagging the last piece of bacon off my plate before she whisked it away, I leaned back and patted my overstuffed stomach. A whole day stretched in front of me with no plans. It was unheard of. I should be excited, thrilled to have some free time, but all I could think about was what I’d usually be doing right now. Walking the boundaries to check for holes. Driving the tractor and, depending on the season, either harvesting or planting. Fixing the goddamned tractor when it broke down for the thousandth time. Repairing the roof on the barn. Fixing the spray system, or trying to, at least. Running to the local depot and hauling back supplies. One of the many jobs around the house on the list that Granny kept pinned to the fridge. Then, at the end of the day, I’d curl up on the couch with aching muscles, trying to keep my eyes open long enough to fill my stomach.

  “I don’t know.” I didn’t mean for it to come out in a whine, but I wasn’t used to being at a loss.

  “Well, pull yourself together and stop moping,” Granny ordered in a brusque voice. Gathering the dishes into the sink, she set the water running and busied herself tidying around the already spotless kitchen, scrubbing the wooden counters with the gusto of a woman half her age.

  “I’m not moping.” Yes, you are. My fox was curled up inside of me, nose tucked under her bushy tail and having a nap. She wasn’t bothered that we weren’t out there working, but we’d had a bit of a falling out last night and she was still mad at me. I could tell by the way she flicked an ear at me and closed her eyes.

  Fine. She didn’t have to like my decision, just live with it.

  “Your brother needs you to be a role model, like you always have been. It’s no different here than it was back at the farm. Find some work and keep yourself busy.”

  Find work. That was all well and good, but to do so would mean letting go of the hope that this was all a bad dream. “What kind of work will there be here for someone like me?” Translation: someone who’s never had a formal education and knows more about crop rotation than the real world.

  “You spent all that time doing those online courses, didn’t you?”

  I bit back a groan. “That was a pipe dream, Granny.” I’d gotten it in my head that if I ever had the time, I could section off a part of the land to try and grow something a little fancy. Something other than grain and the vegetables for our table. Yeah, right. Time—what was that?

  She paused in her bustling, fixing me with a stern look I hadn’t seen since my childhood. “Your brother needs you to be strong and we need you to bring in some money. I doubt the Mayor will let us stay here forever rent free.”

  Damn. She was right. Hauling myself out of my chair, I carried my mug to the sink, giving it a quick rinse and setting it to drain. “We’ve got a couple of days yet.” Before we have to decide.

  “Only because that foolish man wanted to play soft with us. We’re stuck here and you’d better learn to live with it, even if you don’t like it.”

  “It’s not like you like it here.” Granny had always agreed with my parents. Places like Heartsridge were wrong. Shifters registering like cattle—wrong.

  “I’m willing to give it the benefit of the doubt for Liam.”

  Oooh, low blow. And she knew it. I took a deep breath and blew it out on a sigh. “Fine. I’ll go look for a job.”

  “Dinner at seven, so you’ll be ready to go fetch our car later.”

  Double damn. Cade was coming over later. At least I had all day to toughen up my defenses and work on my poker face. An idea sparked. I’d call over to the municipal building and see if anyone else was available to take me earlier. Maybe track down Harper or Leona. Waving goodbye, I set off on the road to the town.

  Time alone with Cade wasn’t a good idea. It’s not that I didn’t trust him to behave—though I totally didn’t—it was more the fact that I’d never met anyone b
efore who wound me up so tight I didn’t know what to do with myself.

  Yep. That was it. He wound me up.

  I had a funny feeling I was lying to myself, but it was better than having to face the truth.

  The main street leading through the town was busy, so much so, my feet ground to a halt and refused to carry me any further. All around me people carried on with their business, chatting with friends, talking on cell phones, walking with their heads down and a determined stride. Humans and shifters, all in one place and not a single eyebrow being raised. It was plain weird.

  They smelled strange, the humans, that is. The shifters smelled … pleasant. A little strange, but only because each species had a unique undertone to their scent and I wasn’t used to it. Bears had a woodsy, outdoorsy base, while wolves carried a tang that weighed heavy on my tongue. Cats were all fur and lush jungle, what I’d imagine a rainforest smelled like. Foxes were sharp. Almost citrusy. Of course, every person’s scent was unique and masked the underlying species scent, but it was there, splitting them apart.

  Humans smelled of everything, I decided. They had nothing tying them together. And there were so many of them! I watched and learned, standing still as they swarmed around me. They traveled in packs, hardly ever on their own. Loud and confident, they strutted and preened for each other, unaware of the subtle hints their body language telegraphed to the shifters nearby. I zeroed in on a group of women over by a tall fountain. They were sitting on the edge, running their hands through the water and splashing each other while another took photos on her phone. Shoulders back, chests out, legs swinging, and laughter ringing through the air—did they know they were advertising for a mate?

  “Are you okay there?” A woman’s voice jolted me out of my daydream. She was giving me a curious look, as if she didn’t quite know what to make of me.

  Cat, I decided, but on my next breath I got a whiff of wolf. Giving myself a mental kick, I nodded. “I’m fine. It’s been a while since I’ve been surrounded by so many people.” Or, like, ever.

  The woman accepted my answer, as if it wasn’t a bald faced lie. “We’re super busy at the moment, but we die down in the fall, once the schools all go back, and then, once the snow comes, we’ll have another influx.”

  “You have that many humans who want to come visit?” A few heads turned at my words, giving me a mixture of curious and suspicious stares.

  Catching my arm, the woman chuckled. “Come on, let’s get off the street and I’ll give you an informal rundown on the town.” Leading me toward a cafe, she pushed open the door and indicated a stool next to the counter that ran in a semi-circle around half of the shop. “I’m Julie, by the way, and this little cafe is all mine.” Sliding behind the counter, she jabbed some buttons on an impressive shiny coffee machine and grabbed some cups.

  “Mina,” I replied. At her quirked eyebrow, I gave her my order and accepted a frothy, steaming cup in return. “Thanks,” I mumbled, burning my tongue on the first sip. Wow, it was good. Like, drool worthy good.

  Settling onto a stool on her side of the counter, Julie winked, giving me a wicked grin. “Right, the low down. During busy season the buses come and go three times a week. The human tourists stay for seven days. We’re self sufficient here, meaning we have all the shops and supplies you might possibly need, and some you’ll never even think you need. In the town there are bars and restaurants that we all go to and then out of town is shifter only territory.” She lowered her voice to a confidential whisper, cupping her hand over her mouth, “Humans get in a whole lot of trouble if they’re found wandering around outside of the designated boundaries. Ask Leona—you’ve met her, right?—she’ll tell you all about it.” She grabbed a pen and paper and sketched out a large circle, slicing it jaggedly across the middle. “That’s the river; we use it to mark north and south boundaries.” She added a couple of crosses in what looked to be random places. “Wolf pack, bear, bear, bear, bear—”

  “That’s a lot of bears,” I interrupted. I couldn’t help myself.

  “Don’t worry, they’re softies really and make for good eye candy.” She prodded the center of the ‘map’. “Mainly cats,” then drew some jagged lines just outside the circle, “there be dragons,” she hissed in a deep voice, ruining it by bursting into laughter before she’d even finished. “Stay away from those guys; they’re not very friendly and unless you like the smell of fried fox…” She wriggled her eyebrows.

  I don’t think she even stopped to take a breath the whole time.

  “Back up a second, what makes you think I know Leona?”

  “You’re a fox and her sister is a fox, which means you’ve got to be Liam’s sister.” At my surprised expression, she shrugged, tucking her pale blonde hair behind her ear along with her pen. “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to the town gossip chain. The guys are the worst; where do you think I got all my info from?”

  “Your wolf?” I tried my best not to sound judgmental and I think I managed it.

  Her smile widened. “Yup. Tom, my mate, is an enforcer for the wolf pack.”

  They were mated. Now that I knew to look for it, I spied the edge of the mating bite scar peeking out from the neckline of her top.

  Maybe it wasn’t as taboo for different species to mix in Heartsridge as it was in the outside world? I mulled over the revelation, trying to decide how I really felt about it. It was hard to ignore everything I’d been brought up to believe in, but if it worked for them, then I was okay with it. I ignored the strange fluttering in my stomach.

  “Is there anything else you want to know?” Julie looked like she’d be happy to talk all day.

  She was probably my best bet for a crash course in how to survive in this strange new world, and it wasn’t like I had anything else I should be doing. “Actually…” I started with a grin, “I do have a couple of questions.” And, of course, if the conversation eventually got around to a certain bear shifter—carefully camouflaged by a list of other questions—who would be the wiser?

  Chapter Seven

  Cade

  It was too fucking early to be awake. After digging out some clothes, throwing them on, and seeing to some basic hygiene, I padded through my cabin and cracked open the front door. I blinked. Checked again. Looked a little harder. Yup. The sight that greeted me wasn’t something anyone would want to see at—I checked the clock hanging haphazardly above the stove—7:30 a.m. Scrubbing a hand across my face, I pushed the door fully open, snagged a bottle of water out of the fridge, and slouched into one of the two chairs I kept on my dilapidated veranda. Snagging a ball cap from an empty plant pot, I tugged it on, setting the brim low over my eyes and resigned myself to watching the early morning entertainment.

  “Who’s idea was it?” I called across the way, aiming my question at Austin and Leona, who sat curled up on some sort of rocking swing seat that had appeared out of nowhere one day and found a home in front of their cabin.

  Lifting her dark head from where it was nestled against her mate’s chest, she blinked sleepily at me, waggling her fingers in hello.

  “I’ll give you three guesses,” Austin replied, unsuccessfully trying to hold back a grin.

  “He’s going to go apeshit. You know that, right?”

  My Alpha shrugged, taking a sip of his coffee. “Maybe.”

  “No maybe about it,” I muttered, waiting for the fireworks to begin. “Nate’s got a fucking death wish.”

  I didn’t have to wait long. Jake swung down from the makeshift pull-up bar braced between two trees, sweat rolling off him. Not surprising, since he’d been hanging from his feet, reaching up and touching the bar with his fingers.

  Shaking himself off, he bounced from foot to foot, grabbing his discarded shirt and swiping it over his face.

  Any second now…

  He froze, the line of his body straining with tension. Raising his hand, he brought it to his face.

  I swallowed back the laughter, catching a glimpse of Nate peering around the side o
f his cabin.

  Jake’s fingers brushed over his eyebrows. First the right, then the left. Or, rather, where the left eyebrow had once been.

  How the hell had Nate managed it without waking him up?

  Yanking his ear buds out, Jake’s eyes shot up, scouring the area. Music continued to pipe out of the tiny speakers, some kind of heavy rock that was earsplitting even from this distance. He locked onto me.

  I held up my hands. “Nope.”

  Brent chose that exact moment to lurch out of his cabin, scratching at his face while cracking a huge yawn. “What’s everyone—” He frowned, wiping sleep out of his eyes. Squinting, he pointed at Jake. “Hey! What the fuck happened to your face?”

  A snarl ripped itself from Jake’s lips, his hands curling into meaty fists. “Where is he?”

  I thought about playing dumb, but what would the fun be in that? We had to start work soon, anyway.

  Nate chose that moment to stick his head out again. “Shit, did you have an attachment to your body hair? It’s unhealthy, you know,” he called out, a manic smile on his face.

  Body hair?

  Jake must have had exactly the same thought. His eyes widened. He grabbed the waistband of his sweatpants and peeked inside. Relief spread over his face, but it only lasted a second before he had launched himself in Nate’s direction.

  Nate crashed around the back of the cabins, popping out at the other side. “Seriously? You really thought I’d go near your balls?” He zigzagged back and forth, stepping and vaulting out of the way. “You now have the nicest set of stems this side of the mountains,” he shot Leona an apologetic grin, “No offense, Lenny,” he called.

  “None taken,” she called back, amusement dancing in her eyes.

  Stems? It dawned on me, the exact moment it dawned on Jake. He yanked up the legs of his sweatpants. His calves were as smooth as a baby’s bottom.