Protector Bear

by Raines, Harmony

A small smile played across her lips as his cheeks colored. He’d anticipated a kiss, but she only wanted her clothes. He was far too focused on what was underneath her clothes, the image in his head conjured from thoughts of her showering naked.

  “If you need a hand with anything...” he offered.

  “I’ll bear that in mind.” She stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek.

  Hunter watched her go and then lifted his own suitcase and placed it on the bed before calling the pizza place and ordering a couple of pizzas and fries. The order would be here in the next half an hour. He took the opportunity of going over the day’s events and sorting through his feelings about the whole thing.

  Seeing his mate at the mercy of Hansel and his henchman had been difficult to watch without reacting. He’d wanted to run in there and hit them to the ground before grinding their faces into the dirt. But he’d kept his cool, and let things play out. He was proud of his self-control.

  We got the bad guy in the end, his bear told him.

  We did. Now we get our mate. Hunter frowned. That wasn’t exactly what he meant.

  I get it, his bear assured him. We have one less obstacle to get over before we get our happy ever after with our mate.

  One less. But they still had a huge obstacle to overcome. One that might mean they never truly got their happy ever after.

  Hunter hoped fate would not let that happen.

  Chapter Nineteen – Cynthia

  The shower was great. The smell of pizza better. The sight of Hunter the best.

  “I’m starving.” She joined Hunter who was sitting cross-legged on the bed, the open pizza box in front of him.

  “Help yourself.” He picked up a piece of pizza and took a bite. “Oh, this is as good as it smells.”

  With her wet hair wrapped in a towel and another towel wrapped around her body, she climbed on the bed, her tiredness eased by the shower and the thought of food. Her stomach growled in longing as she picked up a handful of fries and ate them. “These are good, too.”

  Hunter tried the fries and Cynthia ate a couple of pieces of pizza before they spoke again. They were comfortable in each other’s company, the need to fill each silent moment with words in the past. What they’d shared over the last couple of days had cemented their friendship. Although their relationship was already more than friendship, she could see that so clearly now.

  “When we’ve eaten, you should call Flint. It might do you good to check in on them before bed.” Hunter licked his fingers.

  “I talked to them while you were giving your statement at the police station.” Cynthia smiled to herself, recalling Thomas’s excited voice as he told her about their trip into town to get camping equipment. He was so excited. “I wanted Jenna and Flint to know they should be safe now.”

  “But they’ll watch over Thomas and Laurel just as closely,” Hunter assured her.

  “I know.” She sighed and paused between pizza slices. “Do you think it’ll ever go away?”

  “Will what ever go away?” Hunter asked.

  “The need to look over our shoulders. To always be on the lookout for the bad guys.” Cynthia clasped her hands together in her lap.

  “Yes. It will. I’ll make sure it does.” Hunter’s fierce expression told her he meant every word, but it was an impossible promise.

  A big fat tear rolled down her cheek, but she brushed it away. This should be an evening of elation, they’d finally caught the bad guy, the man who was responsible for all the misery inflicted on the children and their families. But elation was not what filled her heart. Instead, dark dread penetrated her very soul. Dread that she would fail to bring Horatio, Joey and the other children back to their parents.

  “Sometimes it feels as if I’ve lost sight of why I started all this,” she admitted to Hunter.

  “That happens to most people in their life.” He slid closer to her across the bed and tucked his finger under her chin, lifting her head so she had to face him. “It doesn’t mean you’ve failed, it means you’ve evolved.” He placed his hand over her heart. “You started this because of what was in here. What you felt for Connor. You were robbed of the father of your children. You wanted to avenge his death to give some meaning to it. By hunting down the men who were behind his death, you were giving it purpose. By finding those men and ending what they did, you gave credibility to Connor’s investigation. It was real. He was right.”

  More tears flowed and she sobbed, her chest aching as she tried to contain the sadness, the despair that had built up inside her with each passing year since Connor had died. He was right. She fought so hard, sacrificed so much for the man she thought was the love of her life. Yet this man before her was supposed to be the love of her life, too.

  “It feels like a betrayal,” she admitted as she leaned forward and buried her face in his shoulder.

  Hunter’s strong, capable arms closed around her and he held her close. “Us?”

  “Yes.” A strangled sob erupted from deep inside her. “I loved him so much. If he were still alive, this thing between us would be a lie.”

  “If he’d stayed alive, we’d both have walked different paths and maybe we wouldn’t have been fated to be together.” He took hold of her shoulders and gently pushed her away from him. “Listen, I can’t explain how any of this works. I don’t know exactly how, or why some people can shift and others don’t. It doesn’t stop it from being a fact. I don’t know why we were fated to be together.” He shrugged. “But what I do know is how I feel about you.”

  “I have so much baggage all stored up inside me. It feels as if I’m about to explode,” she admitted sadly.

  A small smile crept across his mouth. “Then explode.”

  She gave a short laugh. “I think that’s why I can let myself love you.”

  “Because I’m here to scrape up all the mess and put you back together again whenever you need me to?” He gave her a lopsided grin.

  “Because you are willing to accept me just the way I am. You aren’t afraid of the love I have for Connor. You aren’t afraid of the love I have for my children. There’s no competition, there’s no pressure to feel more for you than for anyone else in my life.” Cynthia stroked his cheek and leaned forward, her lips pressing against his.

  “I love you, Cynthia,” he murmured against her lips. “And that will never change. It will only grow deeper with each passing day. I don’t expect you to feel the same. All I hope is that you will give me a chance. Give us a chance.”

  “That I can do.” She sat back and looked at the man who was her mate. His fair hair, with hints of translucent red, was cut short, while his hazel eyes reminded her of the dormant forest she’d walked through earlier today. Like the forest, Hunter was ready to grow and blossom in the new beginnings of their relationship, of their love. As she sat still, watching him, she realized she was ready for her own love to unfurl and grow again.

  “Let’s finish eating and get some sleep,” Hunter suggested, although she was certain he wanted more than to sleep beside her.

  Was she ready for a physical relationship with Hunter? As they ate, and talked small talk, she tried to analyze how she felt. That part of her life was nonexistent, bottom of a list of other needs and desires. But Hunter had awoken that part of her. The part that wanted to express her love and feelings for another human being in a physical way.

  As they cleared the bed of the pizza boxes and Hunter went to the bathroom, Cynthia dug through her suitcase for a T-shirt she could wear in bed. She certainly hadn’t packed any sexy lingerie. Yet as she pulled the T-shirt over her head and then slipped between the sheets, she could not deny the first stirrings of arousal. However, mixed in with this was confusion.

  Would it be right to complicate their relationship now? Tomorrow was a big day for them, a long, arduous day of searching the massive forest for the children. Perhaps they should both save their strength?

  But as Hunter exited the bathroom and stalked toward the bed, she admitted to herself
the extent of her need for him, her desire for him.

  Cynthia watched him, longing in her eyes. He was the best of men. Which, considering she’d spent the last few years of her career experiencing the worst of men, meant a lot to her. More than a lot. It meant everything. He would be there for her through everything life threw her way. Not just because of this thing he called the mating bond, but because he was a good man, loyal and true.

  “What?” he asked as he lifted the sheets and slid into bed beside her.

  “Just you.” Her heart hammered in her chest, so loud she wondered if his super senses could hear it.

  “Just me in a good way?” he asked, unsure of himself.

  “In a very good way.” Cynthia reached out for him, her hands threading around his neck and she pulled herself into his body, feeling the heat and his arousal.

  She slid her hand across his chest, and he shivered with desire, a small groan escaping his lips. “You don’t have to...”

  “I know. I want to. I want you.” She slipped her leg over his thighs and climbed on top of him. “It’s as if you’ve opened up a part of me I’d shut off, shut out.”

  Hunter slipped his hand over her shoulder, his fingers stroking the nape of her neck as he pulled her head down toward his. They kissed, his mouth soft, gentle, questioning her as his tongue slid along her lower lip. She opened her mouth, allowing him in just as she was allowing him into her life. Cynthia stroked his chest, her fingers teasing his nipple and she felt him harden further, his need for her evident. But he didn’t push her for more, he let her set the pace.

  Sitting up straight, Cynthia tugged at the hem of her T-shirt and pulled it up over her head. Hunter cupped her breast in his large work-worn hand and brushed his thumb over her nipple. Her nerve endings exploded, sending signals through her body that ramped up her arousal. Her inner muscles clenched, needing him inside her. She wanted to be wrapped around him, feel him stretching her, impaling her on his hardened length.

  Cautiously at first, she slid backward over his thighs and then reached between them to slide her fingers around his hardened length. Breath hissed through his teeth, and his hips jerked upward as if he were thrusting into her. Encouraged by his response, she stroked her hand up and down, feeling him harden further. Hunter lifted his head off the pillow and kissed the soft sensitive flesh of her full breasts before sucking the hardened bud of her nipple into his mouth.

  Her hand tightened around his hard length, squeezing him as Hunter grazed the taut bud with his teeth. She bit down on her bottom lip, fighting for control. Was it possible to come without him even touching her intimately?

  Cynthia closed her eyes and fought against the orgasm rushing toward her. The ache inside her was deep and needy, she wanted to come around her mate. Her mate. For that was what she accepted Hunter as.

  Her true mate.

  She rose up, pushing herself off his thighs before guiding him into her. His hard length brushed her outer lips before she sank down on him slowly. He breached her inner walls, filling her, stretching her. Only in this moment of intimacy with Hunter did she realize how much she’d missed connecting with another person on such a deep level.

  Hunter groaned against her, his tongue rolling over her nipple as she moved on top of him. His hands ignited a fire deep within her as his fingers trailed across her skin. He excited her on every level, made her believe anything was possible, even an everlasting relationship with him, a man who could shift into a bear.

  She rose up on her knees before sinking down on him once more. Circling her hips, she lost herself to the incredible friction created by their bodies. Hunter let go of her nipple and slipped his hand around the nape of her neck, drawing her head down so their lips met. His tongue explored her mouth, teasing her as he mimicked the rhythm of their more intimate joining.

  Cynthia couldn’t hold it together much longer. Her need for him, to come around him, and feel him climax inside her drove her arousal higher, much higher. It was as if she were floating above the canopy of the forest, flying on toward the mountains surrounding Bear Creek, and then rising higher to fly among the stars.

  When she came, it was sudden and shattering. Her body tensed, her inner walls gripping Hunter’s hard length, before pulsing and throbbing around him. It was as if she were detached from the earth. But she was not alone, he rose with her as his own orgasm swept over him. His hands went to her hips and he guided her body as he arched his back and thrust into her hard and fast.

  Cynthia rode him, matching his pace as she came, not once, but twice. The tension in her body intensified and she cried out, letting go of all her pent-up emotions. She slumped forward, completely spent, and Hunter wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, holding her tight. This was where she belonged, by his side, in his arms.

  Cynthia pressed her lips to his chest, her fingers stroking his toned muscles. As she lay there, contentment covered her like a warm comforting blanket, and she closed her eyes and slept.

  Chapter Twenty - Hunter

  “So many people,” Cynthia said as they arrived at the disused farmhouse.

  “Guy put a call out for volunteers from Bear Creek, and these are all the people who came.” Hunter put his arm around her shoulders. “They are all shifters. Which means we should be able to fan out and cover the forest a lot quicker.”

  “That’s amazing.” She swallowed hard. “I just hope we have a positive outcome.”

  “I’m hoping that, too. But whatever happens, at least we’ll know. You’ll know. And that will give you and the other families closure.” Hunter dropped a kiss on her cheek. “But I have a good feeling about today.”

  “Me, too.” She smiled brightly. “I have a very good feeling.”

  “Okay, everyone.” Guy clapped his hands and the group of around fifteen people, faces he knew from Bear Creek, some he’d met, some he hadn’t ever spoken to, turned and gave their full attention to Guy. “We’re going to pair up. Then spread out. Liam has marked out zones on the map. We have enough people to cover most of the forest. The plan is to concentrate on the denser areas, this is where we suspect the children will be if they are in hiding.”

  “Do we know why they might be hiding?” Walt, a wolf shifter, asked.

  “We’re unsure,” Liam replied. “We know the children ran off and escaped. At least that’s what we’ve been told, although the witness is not entirely trustworthy. Why they never made their way to safety, we don’t know. One of our theories is that one of them might have experienced a first shift.”

  “And got stuck? Or frightened the other children?” Kit, a doctor from the local hospital and also a bear shifter, asked.

  “Take your pick, there are so many variables, we just don’t know.” Guy shrugged. “We all have the ability to sense them, human or shifter. Let’s use that and see if we can bring them home.”

  “I’ll be the eyes and ears in the sky,” Liam told them.

  “And me, too.” A young woman who Hunter didn’t know held up her hand.

  “Thanks for volunteering, Angel.” Liam winked at the young woman. “Two bird’s eye views are better than one.”

  “I didn’t want you to exhaust yourself trying to keep an eye on all of these earth-bound shifters,” she replied.

  “Okay. Liam and Angel will be watching over us as best they can but they will be stretched thin. We’ve also gathered as many satellite phones as we can, but there are not enough for every pair to have one. So we’ll divide them up so there is one in every other section. If you need to call the rest of us in, go to the nearest section with a phone. Or alert one of the eagles.” Guy looked around at the group. “Cell phones do not work in the forest, unfortunately.”

  “Or we could just roar loudly,” Hunter suggested.

  “We could. As long as you are not a lion.” Guy looked directly at a young man with shoulder-length hair. “A lion roaring might trigger a lion hunt in the forest.”

  “Would that be a bad thing?” the young ma
n asked.

  “It might give us a better chance of finding the children,” one of the volunteers said.

  “I don’t know. I’d personally prefer to be out there with you guys rather than tramping around the forest with a bunch of disorganized locals,” Walt replied. “We’ll cover more ground and our senses are far superior. If those children are out there, we’ll find them.”

  “Which brings me to my final point before we split up and start searching.” Guy glanced in Cynthia’s direction. “There is no way to pretty this up. The children might be dead.”

  “Understood,” Kit answered for everyone as they all averted their eyes, looking at the farmhouse, the scene of such misery, or out into the forest where the children might be hidden away. Lost in their own thoughts, Guy gave them all a moment to contemplate what they might find out in the forest. Or worse, what they might not find.

  None of them would be satisfied if the children remained lost forever, their fates unknown.

  “Okay. Liam, do you want to organize the groups?” Guy handed the task over to Liam, while he approached Hunter and Cynthia, beckoning them to one side.

  “Thank you so much, Guy.” Cynthia hugged the older man.

  “Don’t thank me yet.” He gave her a sympathetic look. “We might still end the search with nothing to show for it.”

  “I know, but this is our best shot.” Cynthia seemed more confident this morning. As if something inside of her had changed, shifted to a new, more positive place. Hunter would like to think it was their night together, but he was certain it was deeper than that. But a man could dream...

  You always were a dreamer, his bear told him bluntly. But today is about reality.

  “Where do you want us to go?” Hunter asked, leaning toward Cynthia. She might not be a shifter, but they were a team in this, and he wasn’t about to leave her behind.

  Guy indicated the truck. “We figured you could drive around the perimeter of the forest and drop off a couple of groups who are being sent to the north side of the forest. Then circle back around to the sector we thought would best suit you both.”