by Lisa Daniels
“I still feel a good bit colder than usual. The extra warmth can only help, right? I mean, you still want me to go to the hospital, don’t you?”
“Of course,” he was looking at her again. “But–”
“Don’t argue. I don’t want you sleeping on the floor and there is no way you are going to sleep on that.” She pointed at a couch that looked like it was more than a century old.
Hesitantly, he moved over to her. “I am not sure this is such a good idea.”
Serenity moved over so that he could lie down. “What are you afraid of? I don’t bite.”
His cheeks turned a little pink. “That was certainly not what I was afraid of.” Ryland reclined, but he looked incredibly uncomfortable as he did.
Without thinking, Serenity moved close to him. Instead of turning her back to him, she put an arm over his chest. He took a deep breath and his body seemed to freeze.
“What’s wrong?”
Ryland turned to look at her, his eyes shining in the dim light. “Now that you are not in any real danger, I find that I am having trouble keeping myself under control.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Serenity looked up at him, and she found that her eyes drifted down to his lips.
His breath became shallower as they stared at each other. Ryland’s hands pushed Serenity’s hair behind her ear and then lingered on the back of her head.
“Oh,” her voice was low as she realized what he meant. She leaned up and pressed her lips to his. His hand immediately slid down her back and rested on the small of her back, pulling her hips against him.
Suddenly, he pulled back. “No, I’m sorry. I do not take this kind of thing lightly.”
Serenity looked at him and couldn’t help but smile at the look on his face – it was the first time she had seen him look uncertain. “Neither do I.”
“But you don’t know anything about me. That suggests–”
“Apart from the fact that you have repeatedly saved me, you are loyal and faithful to a fault according to a couple of people who seem to know you well. You take things seriously, but you also keep perspective in a way that people like me and Alaric can’t. And I know that you can become a bear. I don’t understand it, but it seems unlikely that many people know about that, even in a small town like Deep River.”
Ryland rubbed his ear. “But you have known me less than a month.”
“And you have known me less than a month, too.”
He looked at her, then looked away as he shook his head. “No, Alaric told me about you almost right from the start of when he tried to poach you. The more he talked about you, the more interested I got. Then when I saw you for the first time…” His eyes said everything that he seemed unwilling to utter. Attempting to hide his feelings, Ryland began to slide out of the bed. “You don’t have any idea who I am.”
Serenity stretched out a hand. “I know that you care, that you are not the jealous type, and that I will always be safe with you. And your interest isn’t just physical. Do you have any idea how much of a turn-on that is?”
He was speechless for a moment. Clearing his throat, Ryland wasn’t quite able to look her in the eye. “I don’t like the jealous type either. It’s never you they are interested in, but the idea of owning you. I can’t belong to any one person because I am needed by too many.”
Serenity pulled her hand away. “Because you can change form, you are responsible for a lot, aren’t you?”
He gave a slight nod of his head. “Though he is older than me, I was responsible for Alaric. You have no idea how difficult that was. When he was young, he was worse than Silas. His womanizing nearly exposed us to the world. When he got into technology, I thought that things would finally settle down, but he went crazy, gaining more and more attention that made it nearly impossible to protect him.”
“Why do you have to protect him? Can he not do that himself?”
Ryland gave her a wry smile, “Have you met the man? If someone doesn’t remind him to eat, he will completely forget. He has a single-mindedness that made him unfit to take the lead. That fell to me instead.”
“Take the lead?”
“Oh, um, I am responsible for all of the bear shifters in this part of the country.”
“There are more of you?” Serenity’s eyes were wide. “Wait, are you saying that Alaric and Silas are shifters, too?”
“Yes, of course. We are related.” He shifted a bit on the bed, trying to get comfortable while keeping his distance.
“Oh,” a light went off in Serenity’s head. “That’s why they are always defaulting to you, and why what you say and want is given so much weight. I thought that was because you were picky, but they are showing deference.”
“No. It’s just respect.”
“Just respect? I don’t think that is a bad thing. So the man that I look up to, looks up to you?” She placed her head on her hand. “After the last 48 hours I can see why.”
His eyes watched her for a moment, the look returning to them. Ryland began to sit up. “I don’t think that I can stay like this and not…”
“Please don’t leave me.” Serenity placed a hand over his.
He turned and looked at her. Slowly his hand shifted and his fingers interlocked with hers. Tentatively, he moved closer to her. “Promise you won’t try to own me. You won’t become jealous.”
“You don’t need to worry. I tend to get wrapped up in my work. As long as you promise not to get jealous, we will be fine.”
“I can understand why men would be possessive of you,” his eyes moved down her body, then back up to her face. “You need not worry about that with me. I trust you completely.”
“Why’s that?” She smiled at him as he moved closer to her. “Some kind of sixth sense?”
“No, just the regular five senses. I’ve seen and smelled the way you interact with others. Your cold demeanor goes much further than just your voice. Your entire body locks up when you aren’t interested.”
He was very close to her, but Ryland’s words caught her attention. “You mean you can tell that about people?”
“My senses are much stronger than a human’s. I can smell and see things in the way people act that say a lot about them. Not everything, but enough. It was obvious that the defensiveness you felt around me wasn’t actually because you were trying to reject me, but because you were afraid of what would happen if you got comfortable. Fighting your instincts. It’s why I have fought my own.”
Serenity looked at him, the words and his actions now making more sense. “Instincts have worked against me in the past.”
“I am sorry for that. It is terrible how people teach each other to distrust instinct.”
“My instincts tell me that I can trust you. And I…” Serenity was unable to say what she was thinking, but her eyes moved down to Ryland’s lips.
He leaned in, his lips gently touching hers. Serenity couldn’t stop a moan from working its way up through her throat. The sound seemed to inspire him, and Ryland slid his tongue into her mouth. Serenity’s hand ran through his hair, gently running her nails against his scalp. Ryland let out a low growl that rumbled through her body, causing Serenity to lean into him. Ryland’s body responded by pressing her down into the bed as his hands moved down to her shirt and slipped into the back of her jeans. Serenity pulled away from him and moaned a little louder as she brought her leg up around his hip.
Ryland’s hand snaked up her shirt, quickly pulling it over her head. He buried his face in her neck, his other hand slipping around her back and pulling her to him. The way his teeth gently pulled at her skin caused a groan from her as she pressed her hips into him. Serenity’s hands moved to his pants and quickly began to unbutton them. He removed them, and just as quickly pulled off her shoes and jeans. Pausing for a moment, his eyes looked over her body, his hand gently caressing her calf, then working up her thigh. He brought his face down and pulled her legs against his body, being extra careful with her injured knee. Ryla
nd lifted up her legs, and breathed between her thighs. Serenity groaned and gripped the old sheets with both hands, not even feeling the pain in her wrist in the excitement Ryland was causing her to feel. His hands cupped her shoulder blades and he moved up, sliding into her in a single motion. Serenity shouted at the sudden sensation as he penetrated her. Her body arched up into Ryland as her hand ran through his hair. Lowering his body over hers he continued to hold her legs, cradling the knee, and he slowly pulled out of her, only to quickly press back into her.
Finally finding her voice, she shouted his name. For a moment he stopped. Serenity opened her eyes and looked at him, the hunger obvious on his face. “Please don’t stop, Ryland. Please.” She panted the words.
Almost as if she had broken a spell, he brought his face down to her breast and began sucking on the left one, his hips creating a steady, desperate rhythm. Serenity ran her fingernails up his back, calling his name. Every time she said his name, she could feel him harden further inside of her, which made her yell louder until her body tightened up and she desperately tried to pull him closer. Ryland quickened the rhythm, bringing her to another climax.
An hour later, he lay down beside her, both of them sweaty and tired. She lay down on his chest, panting heavily. He pulled her closer, kissing the top of her head. The rest of the night, they clung to each other, even long after they had fallen asleep.
Chapter 11
In the Light of Day
Serenity woke the next morning and looked into crystal blue eyes, causing her heart to skip a beat. “Good morning,” Ryland murmured, pulling her into a kiss. She pressed into him, her body wanting more.
“I’m sorry, but we need to get moving. We can pick up later.” Ryland moved his lower half away from her, and she could tell by the sheets that he was fighting the urge to continue.
“You are right. We need to get out of here and let someone know about the poachers.”
At the last word, Ryland tensed. “Yes. I need to get to a working phone before they move on. We also need to get you to a hospital,” his eyes looked at her body under the covers, “although at this point I think it is mostly as a precautionary measure than a necessity.” He swallowed and quickly slipped out of the bed.
Serenity smiled at the way his face flushed a little. It would have been impossible to imagine that look when she had first met him. “Alright.” She pulled the sheet over her and stood up to collect her clothing. “Maybe there is a car nearby.”
‘There isn’t one with fuel in it. I’ll change back into the bear and you can ride me until we get to the cabin.”
“Sounds good to me.” There was a tone in her voice that indicated she wasn’t thinking the same thing he was.
He turned to look at her, a look on his face showing that if she kept going, he was going to find it very difficult to focus.
“Sorry,” she murmured. “But you will need to shift again, won’t you? I can’t walk up to strangers with a bear.”
“I plan to keep going. You can get to safety because the family is a good family. They won’t be up here much longer because they leave when it snows. They can get you into town.”
“Why can’t you join me?”
“I have a few other things I need to take care of. We have been looking for the camp for a while. I had hoped to spot it on the trip, but it was not supposed to be quite like that.”
Serenity couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed because he had said that he was there because he had promised to be. Now it made sense why that was the case. He had promised to take care of the shifters, so he needed to be there. Hiding her disappointment, Serenity nodded. “Okay. If you need to go, then I will have them take me to the hospital.” She wanted to ask him when she would see him again, but she didn’t want to make him feel like she was trying to track him. “I’ll text you when I get out. There is no doubt they will keep me for at least a night since I won’t be able to explain half of what has happened.”
Ryland gave her a feeble smile as he picked up his clothes. “Yes, thank you. I trust you to say what you need to without hinting at the… other stuff.”
She laughed, “If I said that you were a bear, they would lock me up.”
He handed her his clothing as he said, “There I think you are right. Not an enviable position.”
Serenity couldn’t help but smile at him. “Don’t worry. I have a much better reason for not talking about it. I mean, people have always thought I was a little off in the head, so that’s not much incentive for me.”
Ryland’s smile was genuine as he looked at her. “People are fools.” Still naked, he stepped up to her and gave her a long kiss. When he pulled away, he stroked her head, then turned and offered his back. Serenity let him lift her from the floor. As soon as she was on his back, he moved to the door and opened it. Once they were outside, Ryland shifted and took off.
The trip to the cabin took until early afternoon. Ryland took her as close to the house as he could manage. Serenity tried to hand him his clothes, but the bear simply shook his head, indicating that he had no way to carry them. “I’ll hold them for you,” she murmured, then leaned over and kissed the top of his head.
Ryland rubbed his head against her breast, startling her. He gave her a sly smile, and Serenity nearly got lost in his large, blue eyes. Then he turned and moved off into the woods. Favoring her uninjured leg, Serenity moved to the front door.
“Hello?” she called.
A head poked out from around the side of the home. “Hello.” An older looking man was peering at her. “Oh my! Are you hurt?”
The flurry of activity over the next 30 minutes made it impossible for Serenity to see if Ryland had stuck around to make sure she was safe. The old man was at the cabin with a middle-aged couple, and they were all fussing over her. They insisted she take a shower and have a good meal before they took her into town. The shower felt amazing, but then things got complicated.
As she was eating, the family was preparing the truck and getting ready to leave. They had left the TV going, and the news was one, something she generally tried to avoid. The anchor was talking about some actor recently disappearing while taking a break from work.
“No word yet on his whereabouts, but the group that was with him said that he jumped out of the raft to save someone. No word has been heard from either of them since.”
“It’s a strange story, but maybe…”
Serenity had stopped eating as soon as she heard what sounded like a familiar story. Her head turned to face the screen, not wanting to believe that the story was related to her own experience. There on the screen was Ryland and some actress. They were standing at the top of a building sharing a kiss. Her heart plummeted.
…her knowing who Alaric is and not Ryland tells you everything you need to know about her.
We aren’t going to ruin this for him.
Other things started to drop into place. He had spent 10 years in California, and he didn’t like cities, but he didn’t completely avoid them either. He went when work required it.
Ryland had looked familiar because even someone who was wrapped up in a highly competitive school couldn’t avoid seeing images of the man.
Promise you won’t try to own me. You won’t become jealous.
Serenity ran a hand through her hair, cursing her stupidity. He had tried to warn her, and she had not listened. Now she was beginning to realize just what she had been asking of him the night before and why he had been so reluctant. Acting was not what he loved, but it was what he did to protect the other shifters. It provided power and more control over his own life, as long as he could stay out of the eye of the paparazzi. It was why he didn’t live in the town and why he wasn’t around much.
Burying her head in her hands, Serenity felt that she had gotten exactly what she deserved for having given in to base instinct instead of focusing on what was important to her. Her mind was already starting to calculate how to get back to the east coast so that she could put e
verything behind her.
“I never should have tried to search for happiness. It has never worked out in the past. I should have been content.” Feeling foolish and lost, Serenity rose and began cleaning her dishes.
The woman stuck her head into the kitchen. “Just leave those in the sink and we’ll take care of them later. Everything’s ready, so let’s get you back to town.”
Serenity looked out the kitchen window into the woods where Ryland had disappeared what felt like a lifetime ago. Her heart sank as she turned and carefully made her way to the door.
Chapter 12
What the Heart Wants
Serenity tried to be as talkative with the family as she had been when she arrived.
“The hospital is only about another 45 minutes away,” the old man explained from the back seat.
“Actually, I think it will be alright to just go home. I forgot that my mother gave me a knee brace a while back when I hurt my knee during a dance competition. That should take care of the problem.”
“Are you sure?” The husband was driving beside her.
“I think it might be best just to get checked out.” The woman leaned forward from the back seat. The old man voiced his agreement, too.
“Thank you all for caring so much, but I’m really fine. I wasn’t lost very long and I was able to find decent shelter for the one night. It’s nothing that a long sleep and a couple of good meals won’t fix. Besides, I need to contact a lot of people, like my professors.”
“Oh, are you a student?” Suddenly the family was asking her questions about her degree, her experience, and a host of other things that helped to get her mind off of the problems that she didn’t want to think about. The rest of the trip went relatively quickly, and they had Serenity back at her place. She thanked them profusely and promised to keep in touch before saying goodbye. Getting the spare key from its hiding spot, she entered the home and began getting ready.
Once inside, she went and found her knee brace. She collected some clean clothing, put her outfit in the washer, and headed to take another shower. Within an hour, Serenity was cleaned up and sitting at her computer. None of her friends would have heard about her disappearance and no one from Deep Water would bother emailing her. At some point she would need to get her bag, but at the moment she had no way of getting in touch with anyone who may have it.