by Yvette Hines
Ebony didn’t seem like one of those females that passed out at the sound of shocking news, but he wasn’t taking any chances in her hurting herself.
She hesitated for a moment, but finally took the seat across from him.
“The second vision was mine. I know you saw it. The two bears playing in that field. They were us.”
She shook her head. “Do I look like a bear to you?” She questioned, holding her arms out wide.
“Yes.” He didn’t even hesitate. “I see you as the beautiful woman that you are before me, but when I look at you, I also see your secondary form. Some of our kind says it is our true form.”
Nodding, she said, “I was right, you are a loon.” Tossing her head back, a cackling laugh exploded from her.
“I could prove it to you.”
She went silent and pinned him with a suspicious, squinted stare. “How?”
“Before I do, I want you to understand something. You’re not the only person who has had their whole life and self-awareness flipped upside down.”
“Are you going to try and convince me that something like this happened to you?”
“No, I’m not. I was fortunate enough to be raised in a sleuth that is located in a place called Den County. We’ve been there for many, many years. We are very private and keep to ourselves for the most part. Both to enjoy our way of life fully and for security and safety of everyone.”
“Understandable if what you say is true.” Her voice was still filled with disbelief.
“It is,” he declared. “There is a woman in our county. The Mayor’s wife, our new First Lady of Den. Rena was raised away from the county and made to suppress her bear-side even though she didn’t even realize she was doing it. She was both shocked and horrified to determine who she truly was. But, she came to embrace being a Were-bear. I want you to come home with me for Christmas and stay through the New Year. Take the days to meet my family, talk to Rena.” He hoped she would decide to stay a lot longer. Permanently.
“I don’t thin—”
“Don’t think, Ebony.” He slid out of his seat and kneeled before her, his great height still placed him on eye-level with her. “Being a Were isn’t a thought, it’s instinct. Whether you accept what you are or not, sooner rather than later your bear will come forth. I’d hate for that to happen in a mall, or at your next job…anywhere that something could happened to you.”
Taking her hand, he pressed it to his heart. “You feel this?” He remained still so she could feel his heartbeat. “It would stop if anything happened to you. When a Were loses its mate, it can tear them apart, cause them to go mad and even kill them.” Raising her hand, he placed it on the side of his face absorbing her warmth. “Honestly, I never wanted this, sweetheart. I thought I was happy living as an unattached male. But now that my bear has found you and I’ve had you in my life…don’t make me be without you.”
“I’m not sure what to say…or even how to feel about all this, Dainton.” She brushed her thumb over his mouth. “This seems like an odd dream that I’m going to wake up from at any moment. Truthfully, a big part of me is hoping it is a dream and I’m screaming at myself in my head to wake up.”
He could hear the trembling in her voice, fear and apprehension present.
“Is there another voice? One that may be softer, one located in your belly somewhere?”
Her light brown eyes darkened and her brows creased with perplexity.
Placing a hand on her stomach, he rubbed it slowly. “What is the voice saying, sweetheart? That tiny roar is the one I want you to listen to.”
“I don’t know…”
“Fair enough.” He couldn’t push her. Moving away, he stood. “Will you at least give me a moment, trust me, and promise not to yell or run from the room?”
She licked her lips and fingered the gray lock of hair behind her ear. “I’ll try.”
He gave her a small smile. That was all he could hope for right now. Removing his pants, he tossed them toward the bed then stood before her nude of body and bared soul.
Holding her gaze, he inhaled deeply, once…twice…three times then shifted. His legs shortened, dropping him to all fours as the trunk of his body expanded. His skin tingled as every hair of his body grew longer, covering him. The change wasn’t painful, but dizzying as his internal temperature increased and the strength of his senses sharpened. He could see the tiny spider crawling in the corner by the door. He could hear the laughter and discussion of a group of people in the other suite—writers and readers discussing books. His nose even detected the stench of oil and the musk of the elevator mechanic who was walking passed their suite door.
All of those things his bear turned off and tuned out until he only saw, smelled and heard the woman before him—his mate. The intoxicating, rich smell of her apricot and clove scented musk made his core hum and his soul fill with peace. She was his life. It didn’t matter that he’d just met her last night, or that she hadn’t even performed one single shift, her bear was his bear.
Resting on his hunches before her, seeing her light brown gaze take in all of him, he waited. A half whine/half roar croak from his throat. He wanted and needed her acceptance. Ebony didn’t know it, but she held the power to destroy him emotionally; cause him a grief he could never recover from—the rejection of a mate.
She moved on trembling legs, extending a hand toward his bear. Her breathing was coming out rushed as she placed hesitant fingers on the top of his head, far away from his mouth.
He licked her arm.
Squealing, she pulled her hand back and stared at him.
He whined and leaned his head against her stomach, trying to show her that he meant her no harm.
Her body was quaking, but this time she gingerly touched him with both her hands. She slid her fingers from his crown around the back of his ears, in a way most people pet their dogs. It had the same effect on bears, his skin tingled and he pushed his bulk closer to her and whimpered for more.
“Whoa, big fella.”
The quivering of her laughter started in her belly before it ever came out of her mouth. She scratched him on the back of his neck between his shoulder blades…the sweet spot that all bears searched out trees to reach. His bear became putty in her hands at the moment. It took all of his strength not to drop, like a big lump at her feet.
Kneeling before him, she gazed into his eyes as if searching for the man inside.
From within his bear, he could see the tears streaming down her cheeks. He could sense how mystified and confused she was.
“Dainton…Can you hear me?” Concern shadowed her features.
Closing his eyes, he inhaled deep and shifted back to human form on the exhale.
She gasped when he was kneeling before her in an instant.
Cupping her face, he whispered, “I’m here, my Ebony-girl.”
Her body shook and a loud cry came from her as more tears poured from her liquid brown eyes.
He pulled her to him, burying her face against his neck as he held her tight. As she cried, he continued to stroke her back and murmur words he hoped were reassuring. He wasn’t sure how he’d react if the situation was reversed. His heart beat with hope that she wouldn’t allow her fear to cause her to run from her true self.
“I don’t know who I am. I feel like my whole existence has been a lie.”
Leaning back, he looked into her face. “No. It was unfortunate and you got sidetracked a little from your expected path, but all that led you to me.” He placed a light kiss on her mouth before continuing. “I think that your parents were in those woods on a run. Maybe their first run of the spring before you were going to be born.”
“Why did someone have to kill them?”
“That, we may never know. People harm animals a lot of time out of fear.” Brushing the tears away with his thumbs he went on to say, “I’m just sorry it had to happen to your mother and father.”
Sinking her teeth into her lower lip, she nodded. Perhaps s
he was thanking him for his words or just trying to make a little sense out of something that was senseless.
“I’ll do it?”
“Do what?” He didn’t want to make any assumptions where Ebony was concerned.
Resting a hand over his heart, she said, “Go with you to Den County, meet this Rena bear person.”
“Are you sure this is what you want?”
Lifting a hand, she grazed a finger along the stubble on his chin. “I’m not sure of anything right now…but the fact that I want to trust you. I’m going to trust you. I want to know who I am, not what some file down at the county says about me. But the real me. Will you teach me, Dainton?”
Rising, he scooped her up in his arms. “I will teach you everything you want to know and help you discover the wonders of each item on your ‘I don’t’ list.” He winked at her as he sat down in the chair at the table with her in his lap.
Wrapping her arms around his neck she giggled.
A sound that he was sure the old Ebony Scrooge had never made before.
“You have changed me this Christmas, Were-bear.” Pressing her breasts against his chest, she asked, “So, where do we start?”
“With your first taste of pecan pie.” He leaned in and laid his lips along her ear. “Then I’m going to spend the rest of the morning buried deep inside of you and showing you our bears at play again.”
“I do so like the way your mind works, Dainton Armel.”
Dainton gazed at the woman in his arms. Now different than the one he’d met downstairs, the one with no reason to smile. Now there was life reflecting in her eyes. There was so much for her to learn and he looked forward to showing and teaching her all the wonders of their kind. He and his bear were aligned, understanding that one day the time would come for the final bond, the third bite. Until then his bear was at peace that she had accepted him. Dainton couldn’t ask for anything more.
Coming in 2014
Greta has worked hard at hiding a horrible memory behind her sweet smile, but when a man, she always tried to think of as a brother, comes blazing into Den County turning her life upside down and making her face the past... Greta has to decide if she's woman enough to be Hansel's Bear.
About the Author
I've been penning erotic tales since 2006, on the hedonistic side of the romance genre. However, I've been writing romance under a different pen for a while. I'm eclectic by nature. My stories range from paranormal, contemporary, BDSM, sci-fi and historical. Mostly short stories, but occasional full-length novels.
I'm married to my best friend. A guy that makes me laugh 'til I can't breathe and one who steals my breath every time he walks into a room. I believe in happily ever after like the rising of the sun depended on it.
If you’d like to find out more about my books, visit my website. http://yvettehines.com