Gathering Darkness: A Paranormal Romance Collection

by Anna Zaires

  Torben knocked softly on the door before pushing it open, “You alright? You’ve been in here for a while.”

  She looked up at the reflection of the man in the mirror and smiled, “I was just admiring my new healing capabilities.”

  He smiled, crossing his arms and leaning against the door jam, “Just wait… after a couple years, injuries like the ones you’ve suffered will be healed in hours rather than days.”

  She turned to face him, leaning her butt against the sink, “Is there anything that can kill us?”

  “Of course. We’re not immortal just harder to kill. We also live a hell of a lot longer than humans do.”

  “How much longer?”

  He shrugged, “Until we die.”

  Her eyes rounded, “So we could live forever?”

  “Possibly.”

  “What can kill us?”

  “Being beheaded…”

  “Obviously,” she said rolling her eyes. “I doubt anyone could live without a head.”

  He smirked, “Silver, bleeding out, another shifter or anything causing damage too extensive for our powers to heal. Like falling from high elevations, being crushed, etc.”

  “Got it. So basically stay away from cliffs, falling houses, violent shifters and silver.”

  “Falling houses?” he asked, eyebrow raised in question.

  “Wizard of Oz?”

  He laughed.

  Changing the subject, she asked, “So, when are we going back for your brother?”

  Torben’s smile fell, “As soon as you speak to our den master.”

  “And when will that be?” she asked, fearing that the longer they waited to return for Berend, the worse off he’d be.

  “Tomorrow.”

  She nodded, “Ok.”

  Holding out his hand to her, he said, “Come with me.”

  She took his hand without question, “To where?”

  “Outside.”

  “For what?”

  He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it, “I think it’s time you learn how to shift.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yep.”

  “Alright.” She gripped his hand tighter, “Will it hurt?”

  “No, but it will feel a little weird the first few times you do it. It kind of feels like ants crawling along your skin.”

  “As long as they’re not fire ants, I guess that’s ok.”

  He laughed. “No fire ants, I promise.”

  They stepped outside into the warmth of the late morning sun.

  Torben’s house was centered in a small clearing with a creek running along the side. The air was fresh and clean, and nothing like the city air that Aspen was used to breathing.

  “Ok, sweetheart, strip,” Torben instructed as he began to remove his own clothes.

  “What?” she asked mortified. Not that he hadn’t already seen her naked, but she’d been injured and unconscious at that time and couldn’t have cared less. Now, she was very much awake and alert, and despite the fact that she’d been kept completely naked during her captivity, she was still a very modest woman.

  He chuckled, “It’ll make it easier for you to shift. If you shift with clothes on, it’ll just destroy the clothes. I promise not to look… much.”

  She laughed, “Not much, huh? Just a few glances here and there?”

  “Hey, it’s not like I haven’t seen you naked already.”

  “True, but I was unconscious at the time.”

  “Not true. You were very awake when I carried you to the bathroom butt-naked,” he reminded her, grinning.

  “Alright, alright, get on with it,” she said, removing her shirt and dropping it to the ground. Since that was the only thing she had to wear, removing it left her completely naked. So, she crossed her arms over her breasts and waited.

  Torben finished removing his clothes and stood just as naked as she was. “Watch…”

  She watched as his body began to shift — his skin moved as if made of water, his arms and legs widened out and his back lengthened. She stared in awe as his snout began to appear, as did wave after wave of dark, black fur. When his shift was complete, she stood face to face with a massive bear. She took a step towards him but stopped, “Can you understand me?”

  He nodded his head yes.

  “May I touch you?”

  He nodded yes again.

  Moving forward, she placed both hands on his body, running her fingers through the soft fur on his head, “Amazing.”

  Torben rubbed his head beneath her breasts affectionately making her laugh, “You’re just like a cat.”

  He growled at her playfully.

  “Ok, ok… not a cat. So, how do I do this?”

  He transformed back to his human self, and just as before, she stared in awe. “That has got to be the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.”

  He brushed his hair out of his face, “Thanks. Now all you have to do is close your eyes and visualize your bear. Imagine her coming forward and the two of you becoming one.”

  Aspen closed her eyes, “I don’t see anything.”

  “Relax,” he coached her. “Take a deep breath and let it out slowly.”

  She did as instructed a few times before she finally saw her bear. She was a pale golden color, almost the exact same shade as her human hair. Even their eyes were the same deep forest green color.

  Opening herself up, Aspen allowed her bear to come forward and take over. Almost immediately, she began to feel the tingle across her skin, but just as suddenly as it began, it ended. She opened her mouth to tell Torben it wasn’t working, but the only sound to emerge was a bear’s roar. Instinctively, she jumped.

  Torben laughed, “Easy now,” then quickly shifted so they could communicate telepathically.

  How do you feel?

  Strange, different, awesome!

  He laughed. Let’s walk around a bit.

  She took a few steps and giggled. This is so weird!

  Follow me, he instructed, taking off at a run and leaving her.

  Hey! She said, loping off after him.

  They spent the next couple of hours roaming the forest in their bear forms. It was like experiencing everything for the first time, but with better senses and a keen awareness of everything that surrounded them.

  Stopping briefly for a rest, Torben approached Aspen and nuzzled her neck with his snout, Your bear is beautiful.

  Aspen fought the urge to roll belly up, Thanks.

  Brushing up alongside her, Torben marked her with his scent before moving back around to rub their faces together.

  Completely lost in the feel of Torben’s bear mingling with hers, she didn’t even realized that she’d shifted back until she found herself pressed between Torben and the soft grass. His lips captured hers as her hands wound through his hair pulling him close. His thumbs caressed her jaw as he kissed her. His lips soft and full as they ran trails of molten lava across her sensitive skin.

  “Torben…” she purred.

  “Mmm…” came his reply, as his kisses moved from her mouth down across her neck to her breast.

  Aspen moaned, arching her back up as he pulled her nipple into his mouth.

  Torben struggled with the need to claim her, marking every square inch of her body with his scent. He wanted the world to know she was his, but now wasn’t the time.

  Slipping his arms beneath her, he rolled them over so that she was resting on him. It killed him to stop, but until she accepted him, he couldn’t do it. However, she wasn’t making things easy on him when she slid down his body to plant kisses on his chest and incidentally coated his lower stomach and pubic area with her juices.

  Aspen’s body was on fire. It was as if she needed this man like she needed her next breath. She was wanton and completely aroused, so much so that she didn’t blink an eye when she trapped his enormous hard on between their bodies and slid her engorged clit back and forth along its length.

  Reaching up, Torben filled his hands with her breasts squee
zing and fondling them. The fact that she was using his body for her own personal pleasure had him harder than granite.

  “Torben…” she moaned. “ Is this wrong?”

  He shook his head, grabbing on to her hips and grinding his cock into her clit, “Nothing we do together is wrong.”

  She leaned down and bit him several times on his chest and nipples, “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

  He cupped the back of her neck and pulled her up his body to kiss her, “It’s our animals… they want to mate.”

  She whimpered unhappily at the loss of his cock at her clit, “I want you.”

  “As I do you, but I won’t let our bears rule us,” he said, holding her tightly to his chest. “I want the woman to want me just as bad as her bear does.”

  Sliding her arms underneath his shoulders, she dropped her head and sighed. “The woman does want you, Torben. She’s just too afraid, stubborn and overwhelmed to admit it.”

  He lifted her face and kissed her reverently, “Until you’re able to commit to me, Aspen, I won’t make love to you. I can’t…”

  She nodded, resting her head on his chest once more, “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. You’ve had a lot of change in a short period of time. I would never expect you to make a decision like this without some time to consider the ramifications.”

  She sat up and the motion caused her clit to run against his lower stomach. She groaned while grinding against him again.

  Torben grabbed her hips and chuckled, “Maybe we should head back.”

  She nodded, “That might be best before I do something I might not be ready for.”

  He rose quickly, setting her on her feet, “How about some lunch?”

  She grinned, “Lunch sounds great!”

  CHAPTER 11

  Aspen sat Indian style on the bed with her back against the wall. The little cabin she’d shared with Torben for the last four days was bursting at the seams. It wasn’t that there were that many people in it, it was just that all the men were as big as Torben – all over six and half feet tall and built like brick houses.

  Sitting next to her on the bed was Torben. Directly across from her, sitting in one of the dining room chairs was Mihail, the den master. Standing just behind him was Mihail’s son, Caelan. Caelan was the head of the den’s security and could have been his father’s twin they looked so much alike. They both had jet back hair and very light brown eyes. The only indication of Mihail’s age was in the little lines next to his eyes.

  Sitting off to the side in the other dining room chair was Gemma, Torben’s mother. She was small and delicate with brown hair and blue eyes. Standing behind her with his hands on her shoulders was Harlan, Torben’s father. Like Mihail and Caelan, it was obvious that Torben and Berend got their looks from their father.

  Lastly was Misha. He stood leaning against the doorjamb of the front door with his arms crossed over his shoulders.

  Mihail leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees. His smile was warm and inviting, “I’m going to ask you some questions about what happened to you and Berend. The more information you can give me, the better.”

  Aspen nodded, “I’ll do my best.”

  He smiled, “Excellent. Let’s start with the day you were taken.”

  “I was walking back to my office after meeting some of my friends for dinner and drinks when someone grabbed me from behind and tossed me in a van. I’m pretty sure they used chloroform on me because the next time I awoke, I was strapped down to a gurney.”

  Mihail nodded, “What happened next?”

  She swallowed nervously but was grateful when Torben reached over and grabbed her hand. “I was treated like a lab rat. I was poked, prodded and examined under a microscope.” She shook her head, “I’m not even sure what they were looking for. Maybe they just wanted to make sure I was healthy enough for their experiments.”

  She sighed heavily and looked down at her free hand as she kneaded her fingers into her thigh, “I was kept in a cage with no clothing and no toilet, only a bucket.”

  Gemma gasped, covering her mouth with her hand.

  Aspen smiled at her, “It’s alright… at least I wasn’t the one who had to clean out the bucket.”

  Quiet chuckles erupted throughout the room.

  “When did you discover you were a shifter?” Mihail asked.

  She raised her hand, inspecting her nails, “I was asking one of them to tell me where we were, but he wouldn’t answer me, and after all the stress and fear, I finally lost it. I reached out from behind the bars and tried to grab him. I was angry and frustrated, and as I reached for him, my hand started to change…” She smiled sadly, “Of course, I had no idea what was happening to me at the time.”

  “Of course,” Mihail commented. “How long after this incident did you finally meet Berend?”

  “Not long. He was wheeled into my room on a gurney…”

  A sob escaped Gemma’s lips making Aspen feel worse than she already did. How could you tell someone that their son was raped and was being used as a baby maker?

  Aspen looked at Gemma and Harlan. Gemma’s anguish was obvious, and poor Harlan was being the strong, supportive husband, but she could tell this information was killing him too.

  “Please continue, Aspen, we need to know everything.”

  Turning her attention back to Mihail, she nodded, “In essence, they raped him to try to impregnate me. When it didn’t take, I was released. I tried to bring Berend with me, but they shot him with a tranq dart as we were running across the grounds to the forest. He made me promise to leave him there and find his brother, but when I hopped the fence, they started shooting at me, and I don’t mean with tranq guns.”

  “She was dying when I found her,” Torben explained.

  Mihail nodded, “So, as far as we know, Berend is still alive.”

  Aspen nodded, “I believe so, yes. One of the doctors told me they still had use of him.”

  “Could you find your way back to this place?” Caelan asked, speaking for the first time.

  “I believe so. It’s a two day run south of here.”

  Caelan’s eyes widened, “That’s really close to the den, father.”

  Mihail nodded, “I’m beginning to think it was a strategic placement.” He turned his attention back to Aspen, “Is there anything else of significance you think we should know?”

  “Truthfully, there’s not much more I can tell you. No names were ever used, and their faces were always covered. There were no signs or landmarks, and everything was sterile, white or stainless steel.” She sighed and looked to Gemma and Harlan, “I’m sorry I couldn’t get your son out of there.”

  Harlan smiled sadly at her, “It’s alright, Aspen, now that we know where he’s at, we’ll get him out.”

  “I do have one last question for you, Aspen,” Mihail said, rising to his feet. “You seem awfully accepting for someone who was kidnapped, experimented on and turned into a shifter against her will. Are you truly alright with the hand you’ve been dealt?”

  Aspen stood, her body a mass of shaky nerves, “Truthfully, Mihail, I’m hanging on by a thread here. Every night I’m plagued by images of men in masks coming at me, of being trapped and alone, and every morning I wake with the overwhelming guilt that I couldn’t bring Berend with me. So, everything you’re seeing now is a façade.” She fisted her hands, “I had a great life before all this happened. Now I’m stuck in a world I never knew existed, and it scares the hell out of me.”

  “Aspen…” Torben said, reaching for her.

  She held up a shaky hand, “I’ll be fine. I just need some air. So, if you’ll excuse me…” and before anyone could respond, she briskly walked right out the door.

  ***

  The minute she passed the entrance to the cabin, she ran. She ran until her sobbing became so intense it blurred her vision and made it impossible for her to do anything other than collapse on the ground. She curled her legs up into her chest and b
alled like a baby.

  Everything she’d kept locked away for the past few weeks came crashing down on her in one swift blow. She cried for the life she was undoubtedly going to have to leave behind. She cried for the way she’d been treated while in captivity. She cried because after they released her, they tried to kill her and because, despite her best intentions, she couldn’t free Berend from that hell. Lastly, she cried for Torben. She was inexplicably drawn to him, and truthfully, she couldn’t tell if it was the woman or the bear that wanted him more.

  Warm arms drew her in and she sobbed harder burying her face into his chest and her hands into his shirt.

  Torben held her close, rocking her gently, “It’s alright, Aspen. You’re safe. I’ve got you.”

  Aspen cried until she had no tears left. Then she was flooded with anger. Lifting her head, she lashed out at the only person she could. “Why did this have to happen to me? I had a great fucking life till all this happened. I had my family, my friends, a job I absolutely loved and a great apartment in the heart of the city.” She punched him in the chest repeatedly as she screamed; “Now I’m a fucking bear. I’ve been forced into a world I never wanted to be a part of, and I have a mate that I’m not sure what to do with.”

  She stopped, dropping her head back to his chest, “I’m sorry…”

  Torben wrapped her in his arms and held her close, “I’d rather you scream and hit me and get it all out than to have it fester inside you, sweetheart. I know you’re upset, and I can’t blame you for that.”

  “You’re a great guy, Torben, you really are…”

  “But…”

  “But, right now, I don’t know if I’m ready to be mated to someone for the rest of eternity. I don’t even know you, much less what to do with my own situation.”

  Torben stroked her hair, “And that is why I said I’d give you time, Aspen. I’m in no hurry, and I won’t force you into something you’re not ready for.”

  “Thank you,” she whispered.

  He lifted her chin and stroked her cheek, “You’re welcome.”

  “When do we go back for your brother? The guilt of leaving him behind is eating away at my soul. And if we don’t do something soon, I’m going to be forced to have to go without you.”