by C. D. Gorri
Yes, she’d thought it was a fling at first, but somewhere along the line she’d been bitten by the love bug. Lena believed in love at first sight. She just never expected it to happen to her.
The man who’d come to visit had been talking about something she didn’t fully understand. Something about Shifters and mates. It was time for her to get some answers. Even if they broke her heart. Gathering her courage, she exited the room.
Time to face the music.
Lena sucked in a breath and walked into the living room. Keeton stood up from where he’d been sitting on the lounge chair. His friend did the same from his position on the couch.
“Hello,” she said, addressing the stranger. “My name is Marilena Sorelli. You can call me Lena.”
She smiled and extended her hand. She was unsure what to do when he nodded but made no move to touch her. Lena dropped her hand.
“He’s not being rude. He won’t touch you because he knows I would not like it.” Keeton explained, but she still did not understand.
He looked so tense and uncertain, her heart squeezed inside her chest. Maybe this was difficult for both of them. Marilena was not capable of being completely cutoff from others’ emotions. Her empathy and sympathy were her greatest downfalls, according to her mother. Just another mark against the woman’s chubby daughter.
“You wouldn’t like it if he touched me? Even just to shake my hand?”
Keeton shook his head, grimacing in a way that reminded her of a young boy who’d been caught doing something wrong. He huffed out a breath and ran his fingers through his hair and back down his beard.
He looked so gorgeous with his sweats and no shirt. The fireplace was lit, and the light from the flames danced across the muscles on his arms, chest, and abdomen. She felt heat stir within her in response to his blatant masculinity, but she ignored it.
This was not the time or place. Perhaps it never would be. The thought hurt, but she was a realist. She might have fallen for him, but she never expected this to last forever. Just look at him. He was in another league entirely. A world apart from her own pitiful self.
Fuck that, she thought with a shake of her head. If she’d been helpless against her attraction to him, he sure as shit felt something similar. No man could fake the hungry way he’d stared at her, rolls, flub, and all. Not to mention the thorough lovemaking they’d shared. He’d wanted her every bit as much as she’d wanted him. Hell, she still wanted him. What they had was extraordinary. A once in a lifetime thing. She didn’t have to be a Shifter, or whatever the stranger had called them, to feel that.
“Why? Explain why you wouldn’t like it? Tell me what it is I saw happen to you. Please,” she whispered the last word.
“Lena, I really shouldn’t,” he said, looking everywhere but at her.
“Don’t I deserve to know?”
“Just tell her, man,” the stranger spoke up.
“What you saw is called a half-shift-”
“Pretty gnarly one too. Not every Shifter can pull that off,” the other man added.
“It happens sometimes when we lose control of our animals-”
“Animals? What are you?” Marilena whispered, eyes wide, but not with fright.
“We’re Shifters, Lena. Dual natured beings who share our souls and bodies with our spirit animals. We can call them forward, swap our skin for fur. And sometimes we take on their attributes.”
Lena listened patiently to his explanations. She could see the concern on his face and wondered why he should be so afraid to tell her what he was. Keeton was a marvel in this jaded and oftentimes harsh world. A genuine miracle in her eyes. Didn’t he know that?
“That’s why the, the growling, um, earlier,” she mumbled, cheeks burning with embarrassment as her eyes flashed to the other man who was still sitting there.
“Oh, um, excuse me,” he grumbled and stood up. “My name is Niels, Niels Orson, by the way. It is very nice to meet you.”
The growl coming from Keeton’s lips sent Niels running into the kitchen, and Lena frowned. Forest green eyes glowing with something she could not name met hers, and her heart thudded inside her chest.
Holy shit. She recognized something in his stare she hadn’t seen before. Or if she had, she sure as hell didn’t realize what she was looking at. His animal. And, oh my, he was beautiful.
She’d always had an active imagination and loved reading fairytales and folklore as a child. As an adult, she’d curbed that enthusiasm for fantasy. Choosing instead to direct it towards her creative pursuits with food.
“Will you show me your animal?”
“Lena, I don’t think-”
“Are you dangerous?”
“Yes. Very.”
“But you won’t hurt me,” she replied.
For whatever reason, she just seemed to know it. Keeton Grey was a Shifter. A magical being. Powerful. Capable of things she could hardly suspect. But he would never hurt her. She’d bet her life on that fact. Was about to, at any rate.
“Lena, I shift into an Eastern Mountain Lion about twice as big as any wild cougar. I don’t want to scare you.”
“You won’t. Please?”
He seemed unsure at first, but something in the way she looked at him seemed to move him because suddenly he was standing.
“Need to make room,” he growled, and slid the chair and sofa out of the way.
“This is a little hard to watch. I will understand if you close your eyes. Just remember, I won’t hurt you. I couldn’t.”
“Okay,” she said.
Keeton slid his sweatpants off his lean hips, revealing that deliciously long, male part of him she’d worshipped with her body mere hours ago. His massive cock stirred under her stare, and the growl that escaped his lips this time was anything but hostile.
“Lena. I can’t do this if you’re gonna stare at me.”
“Sorry,” she replied, swallowing audibly.
Her cheeks were bright red. Must be, she reckoned, considering his knowing smirk. He exhaled a deep breath, closing his eyes and rolling his shoulders. Then something began to happen. That air around him took on a gossamer quality. It shimmered with tiny little lights that increased in speed as they zipped around Keeton’s magnificent form.
Then he crouched, a look of pain crossed his face for one brief moment, causing her to rush forward. But by the time she reached him, Keeton was no longer Keeton. He was a five-hundred-pound Mountain Lion with six-inch fangs. Lena stopped short. Her momentum was too strong for her injured ankle to hold, and she fell backwards, landing on her ass. The Keeton-Cat roared, and Niels came running, stopping in the doorway when the Mountain Lion turned and snarled at him.
“Fuck Keeton, shut up already,” he told the cat nonchalantly. “You okay? He won’t hurt you. You’re his mate. He couldn’t if he wanted to.”
“Mate? What do you mean?” Lena asked as she used the coffee table to stand.
Keeton moved forward, rubbing his head on her belly, and causing her to lean heavily on him else she fall again. It was crazy. Unbelievable. And yet, she felt completely at ease with the incredible creature. The sound of his purrs made her grin, and before she knew it, she was on the couch with the gigantic animal pushing between her legs so he could embrace her in his furry form.
Holy shit. This was really real. And for some reason, she accepted it as a fact. Maybe it was her upbringing and the lack of magic in her childhood. Maybe it was because he was there in his fur. Right in front of her face. LOL. Either way. She was happy to know there was magic out there. And just maybe, some of it was for her.
His sandpapery tongue licked her cheek, and Lena giggled, stroking the big cat’s fur with her hands. Laughing out loud when he licked her again.
“Alright, down!” She tried to push him, but he would not budge.
“You’re crushing me, Keeton,” she said with another laugh tickling her throat, and this time he moved, sitting down on his haunches directly in front of her.
Lena s
topped, smiled, and just stared at the familiar green eyes that glittered at her. His face might be different, but her heart recognized Keeton. The air surrounding his body shimmered once more, and he was a man once again. He did not look at her as he tugged on his sweatpants. Her heart squeezed inside her chest as she recognized what he was doing.
He was building a wall between them. It hurt. But she understood. She’d heard his comments to his friend earlier. Keeton Grey was not going to leave his mountain. Not even for her. And Marilena Sorelli could not stay there. She was meant for the world. Even as her heart broke, she knew the truth behind her thoughts.
“I’m going to get some more firewood,” he grumbled, moving quickly out the front door.
“Your shoes,” she called after him, but he was already gone.
“He’ll be okay,” Niels entered the living room with a tray of tea and cookies.
He poured two cups, handing her one and sat on the couch opposite of Lena. The hot tea warmed her suddenly chilled hands. This was the most wondrous, and also the saddest two days of her life. How was she going to go back home now? After everything she’d seen and experienced?
“So, you’re a Shifter too? Like Keeton?”
“Yes, and no. I am a Shifter, but not a Mountain Lion. My animal is a Grizzly.”
“Oh, I see. So what are you guys exactly?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, are you cursed? Like Werewolves? Or are you like Aliens or something?”
“No,” he answered, snorting into his teacup. “We’re humans with a little something extra in our DNA. The government called it a mutation, but there is magic in our blood. Hell, there is magic in the entire world, but normals, that’s what we call humans, don’t readily recognize it anymore.”
“I guess that’s true. But you said something else to Keeton earlier. You called me his mate. What does that mean?”
“Oh, uh, Lena, he should probably explain it to you.”
“But he won’t. You know he won’t.”
Niels placed his cup on the coffee table, seeming to ponder her question. He was huge, a little scary, and did not at all put her at ease the way Keeton’s presence seemed to. But she knew she was safe. Keeton would not have left her otherwise.
Whatever wonderful magical mystery she’d stumbled upon in Panther Mountains, she needed the entire story. It would help her understand it all when she returned home.
“First, you have to know that this is a secret.”
“But the government knows-”
“Yeah,” he growled. “They know about a lot of stuff they don’t tell the public. But for your good, and ours, the Shifter secret must be kept.”
“Of course,” she promised. “I won’t tell a soul.”
“I believe you. Shifters can sense emotions. I know you will keep Keeton’s secret because I know you love him.”
“What? How can you? Does he?” She gulped audibly.
“He probably can sense it, but he is in denial. Have you ever heard of fated mates?”
Lena shook her head. She leaned forward and placed her mug on the table. Patience wasn’t her fortitude, but she needed every ounce in her possession, and Niels chose his words carefully. Each second that passed with Keeton gone, she felt his absence more and more keenly. What could that be if not love or magic? And who was to say one existed without the other?
She shook her head. She was being silly. Even so, she wanted information, and the Bear was sitting on a goldmine.
“Tell me.” She demanded.
“In Shifter lore, there is a legend, one soul created for another, one body designed to fit one mate, one being meant for one other alone. Fated mates, you understand? As rare and valuable as anything in this realm or any other. Each Shifter is born with a one in a million shot at finding his or her fated mate. I believe you are Keeton’s.”
“I am?”
Niels nodded, his face as serious as a heart attack. Marilena gasped. She covered her mouth with her hands. This was incredible. If she was Keeton’s fated mate, then he wouldn’t just let her disappear. Would he?
“Yes.” Keeton’s voice sounded from behind her.
Surprising her so that she jumped and knocked her knee into the coffee table, disrupting the tea set. Happiness swelled inside of her, but he didn’t return her smile. He stood still, skin glistening with wet from the elements.
“You’re my fated mate, Lena, but I am no good for you. The storm passed. Tomorrow, I’ll take you home.”
“But-” She wanted to argue, but the set of his shoulders and the way he turned his face stopped her in her tracks.
“Fine,” she replied in a small voice.
“But you needn’t bother yourself. Niels will take me home. Right?” She asked the big man, who nodded his head, watching Keeton warily out of the corner of his eye.
“Fine. Whatever you want,” Keeton growled.
“No,” she replied. “Never that. If you will excuse me.”
Marilena turned around and went back to the bedroom. It was his, and she had no right to it, but she was not about to sleep on the couch after everything she’d been through.
Fated mate? No. It must be a mistake. She did not believe for a moment she was his fated mate. If it were true, how could he let her go so easily?
Lena tried not to think about it, but it was no use. She sat up all night long, waiting for daybreak. When she finally packed and dressed for the long trek down the mountain, keeping his thermal on beneath her sweater and jacket, she exited Keeton’s bedroom.
I’m not gonna cry. Not gonna cry.
She repeated the mantra as she walked into the living room and looked around. But it was empty.
“He left,” Niels said from the kitchen.
“Oh. I guess he didn’t want to say goodbye.”
Niels shrugged. He looked upset but smiled pleasantly. Niels took her bag from her and walked outside.
“We will have to go slow. I twisted my ankle and-”
Before she could finish her thought, Niels was pulling a tarp off a muddy, but functional UTV. He grinned and gestured for her to slide into the passenger seat.
“Hell! You didn’t think I walked here, did you? I’ll have you know I really am smarter than the average Bear.” Niels winked playfully, and Lena laughed. Neither of them caught sight of the forest green eyes watching from the rooftop or heard the mournful purring of Keeton’s Mountain Lion.
“Come on. We’ll be down the mountain in no time at all,” Niels said.
“Okay,” Lena said, her heart breaking as she slid into the cold leather seat.
They’d only gotten half the promised snow, and even that had already started to melt. It didn’t matter. The large tires of the Utility Terrain Vehicle moved easily over the snow, rocks, and mud.
Lena would just have to forget her time up there on Panther, make that Shifter Mountain. She’d tuck it away like every other secret little dream she’d ever had. Safe and sound, something for her to pull out when she was all alone so she could remember and relive her time with him. The first man to ever touch her heart.
Chapter Ten
“Get up!” Niels kicked at his foot, and Keeton snarled angrily.
It had been three weeks since she’d gone, taking all the sunshine with her. He’d done his best since then to drink himself into a stupor. The empty bottles littering his once pristine floor were evidence of that.
“The fuck, bro?” Keeton bolted up off the carpet after Niels dumped a cup of icy cold water on his head.
“You asshole. Still sitting here then. What are you doing, Keeton? Waiting for another mate to knock on your door and fall in your lap? You sorry sonofabitch!” Niels sneered, shoving Keeton into the wall.
He roared in retaliation, tackling his blood brother, one of his best friends, down to the ground. Niels responded in kind. The two men well-matched in skin, even with his days of wallowing in drink and misery. They wrestled and punched their way across the living room, bust
ing up some of his furniture in the process.
But who gave a fuck? What did it matter when he had no one to share it with anyway?
“What kind of jerk are you, bro? She was special. Lena was perfect for you. And you let her go!”
“I had no choice! You know what I did, Niels. I couldn’t risk exposing her to my own lack of control!”
“Bullshit! Bruce Taylor was a fucking lowlife. You are not responsible for that asshole’s death,” Niels snarled in outrage.
“He didn’t trust me. What if she doesn’t? What if she can’t?”
“Some shit is worth the risk. Don’t you think you owe it to the both of you to try? Fuck man, if I met my mate, you could be damn sure I wouldn’t give her up for anything, let alone fear. You are braver than you give yourself credit for, Keeton. And you’re a good man too.”
“She deserves better.”
“Damn straight,” Niels chuckled. “But she loves you. Unfortunately, you might be too late.”
“What do you mean?”
He sat up, pushing the Bear away from him as fear gripped his heart. Yes, the last few weeks had been hell. But somewhere deep inside, he thought he still had a shot. Niels’ next words were about to put a serious damper on that.
“She’s preparing for a wedding right now.”
The big man dropped that bomb a little too nonchalantly, but Keeton was too amped up to notice. Nor did he see the grin Niels hid behind his hand.
“Where is she?” Keeton growled, unable to keep the Lion from his voice.
“In Maccon City. At the new Oasis Convention Center behind their beachside hotel.”
“Keys! Now!”
“Fuck man, take a shower first. You stink. Besides, ceremony isn’t till seven.”
Keeton looked down with wild eyes. A shower? Fuck. He did stink. He growled and dressed quickly. His frown increased when he saw Niels waiting in the driver’s side of his UTV.
“I can drive myself.”
“Maybe, but this is my vehicle, fuck you very much. Besides, I know a shortcut. Hold on.”
“Lena, here are the dried rose petals you asked for,” Bobby, her newly hired assistant, said, handing her the package of edible flowers.