by Reina Torres
Bear His Mark
A Paranormal Dating Agency Story
Reina Torres
Bear His Mark
Paranormal Dating Agency
Copyright 2019 Reina Torres
Published by MT Worlds Press, Inc.
Winter Springs, FL 32708
http://mtworldspress.com
Formatting by Celtic Formatting
All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
http://mtworldspress.com
Hollis Kent has been the dutiful heir to the Black Hills Bears, but even her own father has decided that his patience is coming to an end. Hollis is a bear shifter unable to shift, and to keep her place in the line of succession with her clan, she must find her mate. She’s met more than her share of shifters who were eager to make a match, but no one came close to capturing her interest or stirring anything within her.
That’s when she went to the Paranormal Dating Agency and put her future into the hands of Gerri Wilder.
Conor Hill has seen other shifters around him find their mates and discover the happiness that seems just out of his reach. His neighbor, Boone Wayland, found his own mate through the Agency and lives an idyllic life. He’s been a soldier and shed more blood than he’d care to admit. Can he find a mate who would bind herself to him and soothe his wild soul?
Dedication
This is for all the readers who helped make my first Paranormal Dating Agency book my first to earn Three Number One banners on Amazon. And my first book to have over 100 reviews!
Thank you all for the support and your generous help by posting reviews! This book is for you!
Acknowledgements
A huge thanks to Milly Taiden and her staff for everything they do and allowing other authors to publish books in the Paranormal Dating Agency World!
Chapter One
Desperate shifters call for desperate measures. Especially bears like Hollis Kent. Or rather, what Hollis Kent should have been.
When Hollis was born into the Black Hills Clan, there was an immediate celebration. Everyone gathered to see the heir. Weeks went by and still the child remained just that… a child.
For generations, the heir to the Alpha of the clan was born and within minutes had shifted from a squalling human to a healthy black bear cub complete with wicked sharp claws.
Hollis had no such luck.
At first, some of the clan admitted that having a female born first had likely been a shock to the child’s system.
Alphas always bore boys and those boys would lead when their fathers grew too old to fulfill their duties.
So, the clan had waited and wished for a second child… a boy. But there had been no others.
When Hollis reached the age of her womanhood, male bears from all over the forest appeared to request an audience with her father and as part of their request, the chance to see if they would suit as mates.
Even without an ability to shift, she had her worth.
Her father hadn’t always been easy on her, insisting that she train alongside the males of her clan and those females who held the natural magic that she lacked. He would not allow her to fail in the eyes of her clan.
Insisting, as he always did, that she would rule in his place one way or another.
And it was when she found out exactly what he meant by that, she’d left her father a note and took her first trip outside the forest where she’d been born.
Standing outside of the Paranormal Dating Agency office, Hollis fought off the sudden urge to tuck her metaphorical tail between her legs.
This had to be the craziest idea ever.
Hadn’t she already met hundreds of bears without so much as a hint of recognition or the tiniest sensation of claws or fur.
Nothing ventured, she reminded herself, and even if her faith in old idioms was little more than a childish dream, it really was all she had left.
Raising her hand to knock on the door, it swung open before she could make any kind of contact with the solid surface.
The woman who smiled back at her own shocked expression was stunning. Silvery white hair framed a face that looked like time had stood still at her very peak of beauty.
“Hello there, my dear. Welcome to the Paranormal Dating Agency. I’m Gerri Wilder.”
Suddenly overcome with a strange feeling of hope, Hollis’s words tumbled from her lips. “I’m broken.”
#
Colin Hill was a bear who had learned many things during his life, but the one thing that he could call on over all others was the fact that when he had a mission, an aim to accomplish, nothing stood in his way.
If it hadn’t been for his preternatural strength and his incredible capacity for healing himself, he would have been dead long ago. He’d had his own challenges within his clan, but it was his time in the military that offered the most danger and challenges to his life.
Part of a group of special ops soldiers that was the harbinger of the ‘sudden’ proliferation of shifter-ops groups in all branches of the American Armed Forces, he’d found himself faced with and wounded by a number of artillery and chemical weapons.
But that part of his life was now completed.
And the leader of their band of brothers had settled in Sylvan City. Cage Gamble had led them through the burning embers of hell more than a few times on foreign and domestic soil and made sure that none of them had been left behind to suffer at the hands of their enemies. For that, Cage had earned Conor’s undying loyalty.
That hadn’t changed when Cage had suddenly become the guardian and then father of a young lion shifter. And Conor’s loyalty had extended once again when Cage had mated with the daughter of their human commander.
But rather than balking at the idea of settling down in a domestic situation, Cage’s child… and then his mate… had brought home the thought into Conor’s own head that he might desire the same thing too.
The bear within his soul, the other half of his corporeal form, had been quick to agree.
A mate.
Yes.
They wanted a mate to hold and protect.
A mate who would sooth the darkness and the pain.
A mate who would give them comfort and love.
“Any word?”
Conor turned his head and looked at the lone figure walking along the lake shoreline.
Boone Wayland, a bear shifter like himself, lived on the neighboring property to his own. Well, it wasn’t just Boone. He and his mate Willa had six sons that had begun as fosters. Two were within a year of graduating from Sylvan City High School, but the others still had a few years to go.
Remembering Boone’s question, Conor answered. “Not yet. I don’t like waiting.”
Boone’s laugh didn’t anger him or his bear. He knew the man well enough to know it was sympathetic. “When I contacted Gerri, it felt like it took years when it was barely any time at all. I’m glad you decided to contact her.”
Conor shrugged and let his eyes roam over the water, seeking the calm it sometimes brought him. “I want a mate. The women here,” he shook his head, “are not right for me. For us.”
Boone didn’t ask and maybe he didn’t have to. From what they’d shared with each other, his neighbor might have surmised that Conor had done his
due diligence.
Even though Sylvan City was large enough to be a large metropolitan area, Conor had been over the island a number of times. Each area had been searched for any scent of a woman who might be the metaphysical match for him. Night and day, also taking into consideration the possibility for holidays away and business trips, he had searched while he ran to keep his human body fit in all ways.
It had been Cage that had put a stop to the grid search.
His leader had confirmed that Conor’s mate was likely in another locale completely, and given Boone’s success in finding his mate, had all but instructed Conor to contact Gerri Wilder for her assistance.
When he’d left his clan years ago… correction, he’d been removed from his clan when the Alpha worried that he might challenge him for leadership, he’d set aside the idea of a mate. How could he provide a home for a mate when he had nothing to truly call his own?
He’d been big then.
Bigger now.
In all kinds of ways.
But he still didn’t want to lead a bunch of people. He just wanted a family.
His family.
Starting with a mate.
Realizing that Boone was still standing beside him in the quiet twilight, he ventured to ask the one question he hadn’t until that moment.
The moment he realized exactly how much he needed what the others like Boone had.
“How many did it take?”
Silence fell between them and Conor continued.
“How many women did you have to meet before she found Willa for you?”
At the mention of Boone’s mate, Conor heard the other man sigh. It was a sound of contentment. A sound that spoke of warmth and love.
Then he heard the deep chuff of sound that could only have come from Boone’s bear riding up close to the surface. Both man and beast had found their match and they were truly satisfied in their lives.
Conor felt Boone’s hand settle on his shoulder and so he turned to look at the older man.
The deepening shadows did nothing to hide the depths of Boone’s feelings as he answered Conor’s question.
“One.”
One.
It sounded like a dream.
A fairy tale.
One.
“You’ll see, Conor. She’ll find you the one. I know it.”
With that, Boone started off home.
Conor had been on their property enough to have a close relationship with Willa and their brood. Boone had most of his boys before Willa had become a part of his life, but she’d certainly made that motley crew a happy one. Even the boys would admit that with Willa there they were better behaved, but that it also went deeper than that.
She brought a warmth to the family that made everything better. Made them closer.
He didn’t have a need for a mate and mother like Boone had when he’d contacted the Paranormal Dating Agency, but he did want a mate.
One.
Gerri Wilder had hit the nail on the head for Boone with the first try.
He hoped and prayed that it would be the same for him. Until he met her, he’d have to hold onto his hopes.
Tightly.
#
She had a vague memory of crying all over Miss Wilder’s beautiful blouse, but when Hollis finally managed to sit up on the couch and pluck the lukewarm cloth from her forehead, the elegant woman sitting beside her was still smiling at her with genuine warmth.
“Now what’s this about you being broken?”
Taking in a deep breath, Hollis began to tell her story. “I’m the heir to the Black Hills Bear Clan, but I have no ability to shift.”
“That must make for a bit of family drama.” Gerri Wilder’s smile was earnest, but it didn’t do much to ease Hollis’s worry.
“That’s saying it lightly. My father is at his wit’s end. He’s been trying to give me my ability to choose a mate, but none of the bears who have come to town stir anything inside me.”
“Well,” she gave Hollis a look that spoke volumes, “that might cause a problem. I know how sticky things can get with shifter clans and families. Are both sides of your family shifters?”
Hollis’s chest ached. “My whole family tree fairly groans with them, every single one for generations. Beyond written history. There’s no reason for me to be like this.”
“So, you came here for me to find you a mate.”
Hollis let out a soft sigh. “If you can. I don’t know many shifters who would want a broken mate. Who knows if I can have cubs? The midwife in our valley said she doubted that I would be able to with everything else wrong with me.” The pain that wound around her heart squeezed so tight it stole her breath. “Who would want a mate if she can’t give him progeny? Or if there are children, but they’re like me and can’t shift?” Her mind was full of thoughts rushing around. Thoughts that sound a lot like her father and the elders in her village. It was enough to drive her crazy.
“Would you?”
Hollis’s mind couldn’t wrap itself around the question. “Would I what?”
Gerri’s eyes focused intently on hers. “Would you want a mate if he couldn’t give you cubs? What if you find the mate who completes you and years from now you realize that he’s unable to even if he wanted to?”
“That doesn’t matter to me.” She meant every word. “But it’s different for a female. We’re supposed to be fertile and bear cubs, especially the heir to a clan like Black Hills.”
Gerri nodded thoughtfully but didn’t let go of Hollis’s hand. “But that’s all down the line, sweetheart. The most important thing is what we’re here to do. Find you a mate. Without a brawny bear to get you all hot and bothered, there’s no need to worry about cubs. Let’s take one thing at a time.” Sitting back ever so slightly, Gerri gave her a conspiratory wink. “I’m going to find you the hottest bear you’ve ever seen and he’s going to get you so hot and bothered that you won’t worry about making a cub. The only thing on your mind will be climbing that man like a tree. And that,” she grinned, “is when things seem to happen on their own. So,” pressing a motherly kiss on Hollis’s knuckles, she got up and went to her desk for her iPad, “let’s take a look and see what I have.”
As Gerri studied her files, Hollis couldn’t help but feel the world closing in on her.
“I can’t imagine anyone wanting to meet me. You’re going to have to tell them I’m defective.”
Gerri’s eyes swung to meet hers over the top of the iPad. “Why would you say that?”
“It’s the truth.” Before Gerri could argue, Hollis continued. “While I was a child people kept quiet. No one wanted to anger my father,” a nervous laugh fell from her lips, “angering an Alpha bear by disparaging his heir? No one’s that stupid. But,” she drew in a breath and then let it go on a shuddering sigh, “once I turned twenty and twenty-one with no signs of turning or any kind of powers beyond slightly sensitive hearing and a crazy love of honey on my toast, well, people didn’t seem to have a problem making their little comments and my father didn’t seem to have a problem hearing them. I think at this point; he’d start to look at just finding a bear to be my mate just so he can have an heir that will be able to hold onto the position as Alpha. I would just be secondary to the whole thing.”
“Is that something you’d want?”
Hollis heard the disbelief in her tone and felt her gut twisting within her belly. “Of course not! I love the clan and my valley!”
“It sounds like some of them don’t return your feelings.”
The truth hurt no matter how many times she heard it. “The Black Hills clan is a proud one. No one has challenged for leadership in… no one has ever done it! More than anything I understand the frustration that the people must feel. That’s why I’m here.
“I heard stories about your agency. Snips of conversation when people didn’t think I could hear. And at the risk of sounding like Princess Leia, ‘Gerri Wilder, you’re my only hope!’”
“Then that’s
just what we will do. We’ll find the right shifter who will be your perfect mate and then we’ll worry about the rest of it.”
“I’d just settle for one that will be gentle and understanding.”
Gerri’s expression was doubtful. “Dear girl, I don’t do ‘understanding.’ What that means is that you’re settling.” With a gentle sigh, Gerri’s smile was more than reassuring. “What I do, and you’ll excuse me for saying that I’m damn good at it, is find you the one. Your mate is out there, Hollis.
“You won’t just be happy, you’re going to be amazingly happy. Toes curling, blushing from head to toe, and too exhausted to move happy.”
Hollis wanted to believe, but she’d spent the last few years meeting shifters one after another, all promising that they would be the one to make her whole.
Still, the Paranormal Dating Agency had a spotless reputation and she had been the one to seek out Gerri’s help. The least she could do was trust.
“Good!” Gerri stood up with a satisfied nod of her head. I knew you’d come around to my way of thinking.”
“But,” Hollis felt absolutely flustered, “I didn’t say anything.”
Gerri gave Hollis a gentle pat on her arm. “You didn’t have to, dear. You’re one of ‘those’ people.”
Before Hollis could ask, Gerri continued.
“What you feel is written across your face like a welcome sign at the airport.” There was hardly a pause before Gerri spoke again, a large and easy smile on her lips. “I have just the bear for you, Miss Kent. I hope you weren’t planning a long stay here.”
“You have?” Hollis was beginning to feel like the whole world was shifting under her feet. “Where am I going?”
“We.” Gerri smiled at her with a look of feral glee which should have made Hollis run for the hills. Instead it gave her a tremor of hope. “We are going to Sylvan City.”
Chapter Two
Conor didn’t bother looking up when the door to his dressing room swung open. He just continued with his normal warm up routine.