by Elle Thorne
Chapter Thirty-Three
Ciara opened her eyes. The room around her was a vision of white and creams. She tried to turn her head to ascertain her surroundings but flinched at the pain caused by merely moving her neck.
“Hey.” Krisztián came into view. “You’re awake.”
She tilted her head, studying him, confused. “Wh-what happened?”
“Here.” He handed her a cup with ice chips. “This will help with the dry throat.”
She reached for it and realized she had an IV in her arm. She tipped the cup into her mouth and sucked on a sliver of ice. “I don’t understand.”
“You remember being a bear in the woods?”
She gasped, then nodded. “What happened? Why do I have an IV?”
“You’ve been out for a few days and—”
“And he’s been right here, watching over you.” Mae popped into Ciara’s vision and took her hand.
Tears flooded Ciara’s eyes at the simple act of kindness. And at Krisztián’s sitting by her side for days. And at being unconscious for days.
Mae dabbed at her cheeks with a tissue.
Ciara turned her attention to Krisztián, studying him. His dark hair. Dark eyes. The intensity in his gaze. The way his bear brought amber fires to chocolate-brown irises. The way he looked at her, like he was thirsty, drinking her in. She couldn’t tear her gaze away from his lips, the fullness, the fierceness when he was angry. His brows, black and drawn when he was irritated, one arched when he was curious or pensive.
She locked eyes with him until Mae cleared her throat.
Krisztián continued, “Doc and Griz found us in the forest. Griz convinced your bear to shift.”
Flashbacks hit her, floodwaters pouring from a river. They deluged her memories. Bears. Struggling. Screams. Pain. Doc. Griz. Krisztián. And so much blood.
Then, her bear yielding. And the promise Ciara made.
Krisztián was still speaking “Then—”
She gasped. “I promised.”
He frowned. “Promised?”
He cocked his head, taking her measure. His brow popped up in the manner she’d become accustomed to.
“When Griz was…” She shrugged., “Doing his thing—”
“Kicking your bear’s ass,” he supplemented.
“Yeah, that. Well, I promised her I’d share with her. I wouldn’t let her be sent into oblivion again.” She tried to feel around in her mind for her bear. Ah, there she was, silent and content, in the background.
“Okay…” he prompted her, and she realized she’d been quiet—lost in her bear and her thoughts for a few moments.
“Anyway, so I made her a promise. If she’d shift back before he could kill her—us—then I’d work with her and I’d share with her and I’d make sure she was never chained again.”
“And now?” he asked.
Mae let go of Ciara’s hand. “I’m going to get Griz. He’s been going crazy since we brought you in. Doc would like to know that you’re awake, too.”
She nodded at Mae then turned toward Krisztián. “Now, she’s here. In the background.”
“Seem friendly?”
She pursed her lips. “I think so. She’s not hostile or hurting me. So…yeah, I’d have to say we’re friendly.” She fell silent.
Krisztián leaned closer. “And the intuitive thing?”
It was remarkable. He knew exactly what she was thinking. She closed her eyes. Opened them again and looked at him. Really, really looked at him. She couldn’t sense anything on him. No emotions.
“I think I’ve lost that.”
The door opened. Mae walked in, followed by Doc and Griz.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Krisztián was watching Ciara when the door opened. Her eyes went wide. She gasped.
Alarmed, he looked between her and Griz, then focused his gaze on her. “What is it?”
“I can see Griz’s aura. And Doc’s. Mae’s, too.”
He frowned. “So…what’s that mean, exactly?”
Her light eyes gleamed. “I haven’t lost my intuitive skills!”
He smiled, thrilled she hadn’t lost the part of herself that mattered so much to her. In his mind, his bear exhaled, also happy, but for a very different reason. And Krisztián knew why. He felt the same way about Ciara as his bear felt for her bear.
Griz gave Ciara a hug. Doc and Mae stood back, smiles of relief on their faces.
“How did you know?” she whispered to Griz. A whisper they could all hear. “How did you know to push my bear like that?”
He shrugged, his face somber. The scar on his cheek white against a ruddy glow on his cheeks. “Something had to give. For almost three days, we watched you and—”
“And we eavesdropped on your sync,” Doc added.
Krisztián looked between Doc and Griz. “How— That’s not possible. We—”
“You didn’t scent us because of hunter’s block,” Griz explained. “And we used witchcraft to get access to what was being said in your sync.”
“So you knew,” Ciara’s voice was low. “You knew she was holding me prisoner.”
Griz nodded. “And we knew Krisztián said he would leave, and it seemed she wasn’t going to relent, even though he’d threatened to abandon both of you.”
Krisztián cleared her throat. “I think her bear was going to try to stop me from leaving.”
Ciara’s eyes filled with tears. “She was.”
Griz shook his head. “But she wasn’t going to relent on the shifting part, was she?”
Ciara shook her head. “You’re right. She wasn’t.”
“Then why did she shift?” Krisztián asked.
“Because she finally decided to trust her,” Griz responded.
“Exactly,” Ciara agreed. “I promised her she’d never fade into oblivion. And I intend to keep that promise.”
Softly, the door clicked closed.
Krisztián glanced up. Mae, Doc, and Griz had left the room.
She smiled gently. “Guess they just wanted to check on me.”
“Griz is rather fond of you.”
“Well, he’s my cousin and all that. Closer than a cousin actually.”
He took her hand, rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. “He scared the hell out of me. I was sure he was going to kill your bear.”
“I was panicked. I would never think Griz would kill me, but I was afraid he’d kill my bear.”
“Lucky your bear decided to shift.”
“Yes. Lucky.”
“Have you heard of hibernation healing?”
She looked up at him, her beautiful light eyes wide. “I have. Wh—”
“Want to get better faster?”
“Seriously?” Her jaw dropped. He placed a finger under her chin and helped her close it. “What are you saying?”
“This morning—before you woke up—Doc said you were going to have to stay in this bed for at least a couple of weeks to heal. I was thinking…”
Her eyes narrowed. “You were thinking I could shift into my bear and then, what?”
“Go to the cave. Hibernate. Heal.”
She studied his face, deep in thought.
“Are you worried your bear won’t shift back?
“No. I think we’re past that.”
“Great. I’m going to tell Griz what we’re doing so they don’t worry. I’ll also tell him to come looking for us…in case.” Because Krisztián didn’t fully trust her bear yet, even if his own bear seemed confident she wouldn’t pull anything shifty.
Chapter Thirty-Five
A few days later, in the cave, coming out of hibernation, now in her human form, Ciara stretched, wriggling toes and fingers. Her eyes flew open.
Krisztián was smiling. “Welcome back.”
Still groggy, she attempted a smile and cleared her throat. Except it felt like she’d swallowed sawdust.
He reached behind her and handed her a water bottle. “Take a drink. Then we’ll talk. Do you remember anythi
ng?”
She took a swig, then another, shaking her head to clear the fog. “I remember shifting into my bear. That hurt.” She grimaced to make the point.
“Anything else?”
“We came here.” She glanced around the cave. It was dark here in the back, but light at the distant entrance told her it was daytime. “Then, I fell asleep?”
“Your bear went into hibernation. It’s how we shifters can heal faster.”
Her hand flew to her neck. It had healed. Just the faintest ridge of scar tissue. She recalled both of them coming here. “How long was I out? When did I shift back? When did you shift out of your bear?”
He laughed. “Slow down. Three days. Your bear surrendered your body back to you about an hour ago and shifted back. You were still asleep inside.”
“How long have you been—” She waved her hand to indicate his body. A body that looked damned fine, even if fully clothed in jeans and a flannel shirt. “Human.”
“Most of three days. Just let you rest and watched over you. Griz, Mae, and Doc stopped by with some food. Salvatore visited briefly.”
She rubbed her eyes, still disoriented, but finding herself overwhelmingly attracted to this man. What was up with that? Had losing the agony of having to deal with a trapped bear allowed these feelings to come up? What feelings were they anyway? Lust? Like? Love? Nah, you can’t love someone this quickly, she admonished herself. And to her surprise, in her mind, her bear roared back an argument to that. “Whatever,” she thought at her bear, and switched her thoughts back to the dilemmas they’d been dealing with. “What happened with Youngblood and his brother? Or Victor Saizon?”
He shrugged, dark eyes glittering, lips—way too sexy lips—pursed in consternation. “Griz said they haven’t contacted him. That until they did, there was nothing he could do.”
“So that’s that? With them? I mean, Youngblood started this whole damned thing and…that’s it?”
After a one-shoulder half-shrug, he said, “That’s it, I guess.”
“What about Mairi and Declan?”
“Mae said they took off.”
“No. This can’t be it. All that we went through. Everything. This is the ending?”
His gaze locked on hers. “I guess it was a bit of an adventure.”
“Mixed in with a touch of hell.”
He laughed.
“Okay, change that,” she said. “A lot of hell.” And yet, in spite of that, here she was, finding herself irreversibly attracted to the man next to her. A man who would probably be leaving her life now that he’d done Griz a favor and helped her out.
Krisztián took her hand. “I know you went through a lot. And I’m sorry I wasn’t able to help you more.”
“God, don’t say that.” Her eyes burned with a sudden burst of emotion. She lowered them so he couldn’t see through her. Couldn’t see the flood of sentiment that had struck her. “I couldn’t have made it without you.”
Then it hit her even harder. This was it. It really, really was. There wasn’t a reason for him to be a part of her life anymore.
“Hey.” His voice was low, intimate, but she couldn’t bring herself to look at him. He placed a finger beneath her chin and tilted her head up. “What’s going on?”
She grimaced. “I’m sorry. It’s probably just the last couple of weeks of excitement catching up to me. Guess it’s a delayed reaction to the stress.” She forced back a sniffle and composed herself, externally if not internally. “I need a shower. And to brush my teeth. And freshen up.” And to try to forget you. Well, she couldn’t exactly say that, now could she?
He nodded. “I get it. I think I could use a shower myself.” He wrinkled his nose for emphasis.
“I’m not sure if I should take that to mean you think I smell or—”
Her words were cut off when his head dipped and his lips took hers captive. His tongue pushed into her mouth, and the words that had been in her mind turned to jumble. The pull she’d felt toward him—oh, who was she kidding? It was more than mere pull—exploded exponentially.
He took her wrists and held them, pinning them above her head. Her lips yielded to his, letting him be the dominant one, but then her bear surged forward, taking charge of the moment.
Ciara writhed beneath him, broke her hands free from his grasp, and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her tongue met his. Matched his. Offered him a challenge. Was he man enough to be hers? Was his bear alpha enough to take hers?
A growl that didn’t really belong to her started deep in her chest and flowed out of her, muffled by their joined lips.
He pulled back, as though he needed air, lifting his head just enough to separate their mouths.
She panted. Desire and lust rolling to the forefront. “I wondered—”
“If I felt it, too?” He finished for her, his voice gravelly, as though his bear was near the surface.
She nodded, knowing her bear was right there, so very close to the top. She acknowledged her bear’s presence and thanked her for sharing the moment as they shared souls, bodies, and lives.
“Oh, I’ve felt it since the moment I barged into your place and your bear tried to kill me.” He wore a smile as he kissed her forehead.
“You never showed it.”
“How could I? With what you had going on, everything else took second place. It had to.”
“And now?”
“Griz and the others aren’t coming back. They’re waiting for us. They left enough food and water for a couple of days, but you said something about a shower…”
She frowned. Shower? What shower? Who cares about a damned shower? Especially after a kiss like that.
He laughed, the sound low and sexy.
Her frown grew more intense. “What are you up to?”
With one swift move, he was up and had her in his arms, in a fireman’s carry.
She squealed a laugh. “Krisztián! What are you doing?”
“Taking care of your needs. All of them.” He took long strides out of the cave. “First things, first. The lady wants to bathe.”
Many steps later, after a short trek through the woods, one during which he refused to answer her questions, so she finally gave up asking. The sounds of water babbling in a brook made her snap her head up to study his features.
“The stream?” she asked.
“You wanted to get clean.” He took a few more paces then stopped at the stream’s bank. Setting her on her feet, he started to unbutton the shirt she’d been in since she’d shifted into her bear days—forever, it seemed—ago.
There was no fumbling. With deft fingers, he released each button then pulled her arms through the sleeves, leaving her in a tank, her jeans, and her booted feet.
A wave of shyness flushed through her, heating her face and chest. Why did she feel embarrassed? It wasn’t like she’d never been with a man before. Of course, she had. Though, she’d never felt for anyone the way she felt about Krisztián. And with the adventures and misadventures over, she allowed herself to think of him as someone more than a partner in the endeavor to get things straightened out with her bear.
Oh, yes. She found herself completely and totally attracted to this hunky man with broad shoulders, a wide chest, and a set of lips made for kissing. Not to mention the dark eyes surrounded by tiny laugh lines.
“What is it?” Concern was painted on his face. “Rather go back to the B&B”
“God, no,” she uttered. She released a nervous giggle. Was that really her voice, sounding so…feminine? Need? Lust filled?
Mmhmm. It most certainly was. And it was reflecting everything she felt within. Everything her bear felt for his, as well.
“So, don’t stop?” His tone was playful and a mischievous glint had settled in his eyes. Dark eyes that now held amber flames, showing his bear was near the surface.
A wickedness erupted within her. “It bears repeating,” she said with a wink at using the word bears, “gods, no. Don’t you dare stop.” With that, she hook
ed her fingers into his waistband and pulled him closer.
She didn’t know if she would have one day with him, one week, or more, but she wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to surrender to the fires of need that had been repressed for so long. Long before Krisztián had stormed into her life, she’d been lonely. Not yielding to the needs of the flesh, no matter how badly she wanted to. But now, she had this opportunity and—
Her bear roared in her mind, interrupting her train of thought, urging her to get back to the matter at hand.
Okay, okay. Geez.
Krisztián was studying her. “Having a conversation with your bear?”
“You could say that.” No, she wasn’t about to fill him in on her thoughts or her bear’s urgings. “Where were we?” She raised a brow and licked her lips.
His gaze was pinned to her lips, tracing the track her tongue was making. He put his hand on hers—the one still hooked in his waistband—and tugged her closer. “I believe you had something on your mind.”
Ciara definitely had something on her mind as she studied the man before her. Corded arms, wonderfully thick muscular neck, a broad chest. Eyes that were predatory and at the same time tender.
Yes, she had a lot on her mind. All of him. She inhaled, taking in the woodsy cinnamon scent of him. The light aroma of the morning’s coffee lingering in his clothing, merging with the smoke from the campfire he’d tended while she regained her health.
She exhaled, closed her eyes and leaned nearer.
The forest was silent, except for the sound of the brook’s water making its path through timeworn stones and boulders.
She opened her eyes slightly. “What are you doing?”
“Drinking you in. Memorizing you.”
God, she hoped that wasn’t because he was planning to leave. She didn’t want to bring that up. Didn’t even want to think about it. The pain of it created a rift in her heart.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Krisztián couldn’t tear his eyes from her slightly swollen from their kiss, luscious, mouth. He’d had all these pent-up feelings for her that he’d pushed aside while he helped her deal with the travails her shifter had created. He’d shoved it all away, and now it came flooding back with a vengeance.