Winter Tails: A Limited Edition Winter Shifters Collection

by Fox, Piper

  “Do you get to see this every night?”

  I glanced and realized Ezekiel was staring at me less so than the view. His brows were furrowed. “It amazes me how little you humans know or experience. I’ve watched the stars quite a few times, but never this comfortably,” he chuckled.

  I playfully shoved his arm “I don’t think I could ever grow bored of sitting here.”

  “Well,” he cautiously chose his words. “After you talk to your father, hopefully we can spend more time together, get to know each other, and look at the sky as often as we want.”

  I nearly choked on my own saliva. My stomach churned. But it wasn’t a bad feeling. My cheeks flushed. “So, if we really are fated mates like Iris said...does that mean we have to get married?”

  Ezekiel howled in laughter and I crossed my arms, sour toward his reaction. He fell back into the snow, white speckles flying into his dark hair. “Not so fast, human. We don’t need to think that far ahead.”

  I huffed. “I have a name and you know it, so please use it. I don’t call you bear.”

  “I suppose you have a point there. My apologies, Georgina.”

  I liked the way he said my name. It was low and smooth and was like a hum. It wouldn’t be the worst fate in the world to get to know him. My father had always instilled in me the idea that I’d have to get married to some boy from another burrow and become a dutiful wife to him as he led our people. My father would have a fit once he found out I was supposedly destined to be with a polar bear.

  “Georgina, look! The best part.”

  Ezekiel pointed above us, and my breath caught in my lungs as the sky was set ablaze. The most magnificent shades of green and purple and blue erupted into dancing ribbons above. I realized I was giggling like a little girl, but I couldn’t make myself stop. I didn’t want to. I had never seen something so beautiful in my entire life.

  “Oh, Ezekiel, it’s stunning. I love it so much.”

  We sat in silence for a small eternity, watching the sky ripple and undulate. Then I felt his hand touch my hand. It was ever so gently. I didn’t want to take my eyes off of the show, but I did and found myself locked once again in a gaze with Ezekiel. My heart pounded, and I wondered if he could hear it.

  “Ezekiel...”

  It was so fast, my brain almost couldn’t grasp what was happening. Before I knew it, his lips were pressed against mine. I tensed at first, but then melted into his touch as his hand slipped into my hair. Maybe it was the whole fated mates thing affecting us, because I had no explanation for why I felt suddenly so drawn to a man I barely knew. Why we were slowly slipping into the snow.

  I had a sudden desire. A childish and immature one, but one my nagging sense of curiosity couldn’t ignore. I pulled away from Ezekiel to unbutton my coat. I pulled it off with difficulty and threw it away from us. It landed with a soft thud and I laughed as I was one layer down. Ezekiel’s eyes twinkled before he eagerly helped me dispose of more useless clothing.

  I felt the snow with my bare fingers and squished more snow between my bare toes. All I had left was a thin undershirt and my panties. I knew I should have felt embarrassed, but I was having far too much fun playing in the white tundra.

  Ezekiel did away with his shirt, leaving himself only in his pants, and I had to force myself not to stare at his chest. It was an exquisitely carved chest, but I still had some manners. Or at least I needed to pretend to.

  With us both in the bare minimum of clothing, he reached forward and grabbed my arm to pull me closer to him. Snow started to fall around us, but we paid no mind to it. We were both enraptured in our kisses. I felt I was on top of the world.

  And the fear of speaking to my father couldn’t bring me down.

  Chapter 5

  It had taken all of my strength to leave the next morning. I was exhausted from not getting to bed until late in the evening, but also on edge from having to walk all the way back to my burrow by myself. Ezekiel had offered to escort me most of the way, but I didn’t want to risk a scouting team finding me with a polar bear. The whole point of me going alone was to avoid a situation like that.

  The hours were long and lonely as I trekked through the cold that I could suddenly feel again. It had been a terrible sensation, feeling the chill slowly enter back into my bones and nipping at my nose. It had felt like I was leaving a piece of me behind. But I was a girl on a mission.

  I was thankful to see the entrance of the burrow come into view. There were still a few hours left until sunset, though I quickened my pace anyway. I cleared away some snow on the ground to find the heavy wood and stone enforced door. They hadn’t locked it for the evening yet, so I pulled it up with some difficulty and descended the rudimentary steps into the cave system.

  I jogged through the halls until I found the lounge room that my father spent his afternoons in. My footsteps caught his attention, and he peeked up from the map he had been inspecting. He cocked an eyebrow.

  “Georgina, what are you doing here? You should still be at the other burrow. Where are Lance and Arthur, I’ll have to talk to them about this.”

  I frowned. That was going to be the hardest thing to notify him about. I took a deep breath and moved closer to my dad. I had rehearsed what I was going to say, four hours of rehearsing to be exact, but I still felt lost for words.

  “Father, I need to talk to you. Lance and Anthony...they’re dead. They died-“

  “From a blasted polar bear, I expect,” he roared, jumping to his feet. He clenched the map so tightly in his fist that I knew it would probably be useless from then on. I held my hands up to try to stop him from storming away before I could say what had to be said.

  “Yes, but it’s not what you think. They attacked first. The polar bears only fought back in self-defense.”

  My father grabbed my wrist, and I yelped from the pain. “What is this nonsense you’re spewing, girl. They’re monsters. How can you defend them like that? Lance and Anthony were good men!”

  “I know they were, dad, but we have it all wrong. Please, listen to me! The polar bears are actually people, good people. They can shift between the forms. I’ve talked to them.”

  I was terrified as my father laughed an enraged laugh. A laugh of a lunatic. I knew this conversation was going to be hard. But this hard?

  “Please, father. Arthur and Lance attacked an innocent polar bear, and they died for it. But the bears want to make peace. Isn’t that a good thing?”

  My father released my wrist, and I felt the blood rush back into my hand. Then I felt the stinging smack of the back of his hand against my cheek. I fell to the ground and stared up in horror.

  “You’re talking like an insane woman. Clearly, the cold has gotten to your brain. You probably barely survived the night after a polar bear attack and hallucinated.”

  By then a crowd had formed at the entrance of the lounge room. Eyes young and old stared at us in curiosity and concern. They had heard most of what I’d said. I thanked whatever deity was listening that the families of Anthony and Lance were at other burrows. They would need to be told eventually, of course. But just then was not the moment.

  My father uncomfortably noticed the audience before turning back to me. “Recant everything you’ve just said or I will have no choice but to punish you!”

  I stammered. I looked to my fellow burrow members for support, but they all knew better than to get in the middle.

  “I can’t and I won’t. Father...I...one of the polar bears is my fated mate. He and I are destined to be together, to love each other someday. I know that sounds crazy, but if you won’t listen to plain reason, won’t you please listen for the sake of your daughter’s heart?”

  The people gasped and began to murmur amongst themselves. My father spat in rage. “You absolute idiot of a girl. I could have made your punishment banishment to another burrow or cutting your rations. But now that you’re preaching these absolute insanities...I have no choice.”

  I didn’t even get a moment
to ask what he meant before he grabbed me by my hair and held me up as if I were a prize fish caught at the river. He showed me off to the spectators and his voice boomed in the cave.

  “My daughter has lost her mind to the ice. There’s nothing left of her except dangerous lies and untruths. For the good of the burrow, she will be executed tonight, tied to a tree to die to the darkness. This is not the execution of my daughter, for my daughter is clearly already dead.”

  I sobbed as he spoke. I couldn’t believe my own father would say these things. I pleaded with him to listen to me, but it was no use. Still holding my hair, he dragged me back through the halls I had so eagerly run through to find him. He pulled me up the steps and out the door, my friends and the people who had collectively raised me following close behind.

  My eyes found Lottie, crying just as hard as I was, if not more. She said nothing as I was pulled away, but I wasn’t resentful toward her. If she said anything, she risked the same fate as me. I hoped she knew somewhere deep down that I adored her anyway.

  I closed my eyes tightly and silently screamed into the void.

  Ezekiel, please come find me.

  Chapter 6

  I tested to see if there was any hope of wiggling my way out of the bindings that were wrapped around my wrists, legs, and torso. My father had done a scarily good job tying me to a tree just out of view of the burrow entrance. I tried to kick, jump, fall, or anything to give me some leverage. But there was no hope.

  The rope dug deeper into my skin the more I moved, and I grimaced. I could already tell skin had broken, but that would be the least of my concerns soon. The sky was a variety of oranges and reds as the sun began to disappear on the horizon. I let out a scream in defeat.

  I slumped against the tree, not very effectively however. My energy was spent. The tears began to flow. They rolled down my cheeks before falling onto my undershirt. My coat had been taken from me, as well as my gloves. It didn’t seem necessary considering I would still freeze to death either way. I suspected it was more to prove a point.

  I shivered as the sky darkened. There wouldn’t be long now. My tears were starting to freeze against my cheeks and I sucked in a sharp breath. The tips of my fingers were going numb, as well as the tip of my nose. I tried to not let myself panic.

  I’d heard stories of what freezing to death felt like. The women of the burrow always said it was like falling asleep. That you just lost the energy to breathe, so you’d close your eyes and drift away peacefully. I wondered if that was true, or just what they told us to quiet our fears and save us from nightmares.

  I saw the first few stars appear in the night sky. At least, that’s what Ezekiel had called them. I didn’t want to let myself cry anymore, as it only stung as they froze on my skin. But I couldn’t help myself. I wanted so much more time to watch the stars. I wanted a lifetime to watch them. With him.

  I screamed again. I screamed until my throat was raw. It wasn’t fair. Why did it have to end like this? In less than two days I’d been exposed to a future that was fantastical and new and full of possibilities, and then had it torn away from me by my own family.

  The green and purple ripples appeared in the sky. They were soothing, calming. It was like Ezekiel was watching over me, keeping me company as I became more aware of the fact that I was losing feeling in my arms and legs. There were moments where it felt like my skin was burning. But the sensation would eventually subside to be replaced with nothing.

  I felt tired. The ladies had been right. I had a sudden desire to close my eyes and just rest a little while...

  Just dream a little while...

  I dreamt of Ezekiel calling my name. It was getting louder and louder. It was almost as if...

  My eyes fluttered open, and I laughed. Ezekiel’s concerned face was right in front of mine, inches away from me. At first, I thought I was out of my mind. But I soon came to the realization that he was actually there.

  His hand morphed temporarily into a paw with long, sharp claws. He made quick work of the ropes that held me captive. I fell to my knees as soon as I was free and Ezekiel dropped to the ground to keep me from falling completely face-first into the snow.

  As he held me, I felt warmth come back to my body. I wiggled my fingers as feeling returned to them. Ezekiel whispered softly to me as I gradually came back from the brink of death. It wasn’t a quick process, but I eventually felt human once again, though tremendously weakened.

  He kissed the top of my hair like my father had when I left the burrow not very long ago. “Thank god, you’re okay. I came to wait the night out here to talk to your father in the morning. When I saw you there, not moving, I...I was so scared, Georgina.”

  I mustered a tired smile. “I’m okay now. It’ll be okay. I have a lot to catch you up on.”

  The sky danced with colors above us as I spent the second night in a row out in the snow with Ezekiel. This time was more solemn as I explained what had taken place during the conversation with my father.

  It was going to be an interesting morning, to say the least.

  Chapter 7

  Ezekiel and I awoke as the sun rose, shining brightly on our faces. We had fallen asleep in each other’s arms, a surprisingly peaceful way to sleep. I shook off the haziness of night as we got up, brushing fresh snow off ourselves. We both knew what would come next.

  Not long after, we heard crunching footsteps in the snow. There were a few sets from the sound of it. Over a snow mound, my father appeared.

  His facial expressions changed fluidly between curiosity then shock then confusion and finally fear. The rest of the burrow, except for the smallest children, arrived quickly behind him. A few women shouted and Lottie, forgetting any fear of consequences, squealed as she ran over to me, engulfing me in a hug. I was still weak from the event of the previous day, but I hugged her back, soothing her cries.

  My father said nothing. It was another man of the burrow that asked what they all must have silently thought.

  “Why are you not dead? And who is he?”

  Ezekiel squeezed my hand tightly as I kept my other arm around Lottie. “This is Ezekiel. He’s...he’s a polar bear.”

  The man scoffed. The women whispered to each other. I began to lose my confidence. But Ezekiel loosened his grasp on me and stepped forward. Without a word, he removed his shirt, exposing his chest to the cold that he couldn’t feel.

  With a shake of his body, he morphed into a polar bear for all to see. White fur rapidly grew all over him, his face extended into a snout. He stood seven and a half feet tall, fearsome, but not making any sudden movements or sounds toward anyone. Even so, Lottie shivered nervously next to me.

  I continued to speak. “I tried to tell my father last night. The polar bears are not our enemy. They are men and women like us, just with a few extra gifts. And this particular bear is my mate, as they call them. When we are together, we don’t feel the cold. This is something we can use to better our burrow and to help our people survive. The polar bears want to help. They want to be our friends!”

  The crowd before me seemed receptive of the notion. I felt hope well up within me. My father took a step forward, his fists clenched tightly.

  “This burrow can ruin itself, consorting with these beasts. But I won’t be a part of it.” He turned to his people. “Stand with me against these monsters or I will leave to another burrow that hasn’t lost its mind.”

  There was an ominous quiet that lingered heavily in the air. I thought for sure men and women would one by one join my father. But none of them did. Some looked at their feet, some pulled their family closer. But none spoke up for him.

  He spat at the ground by my feet. It was a bold move considering a polar bear stood next to me. But the gesture pained me. His face was red as he pointed a finger at me.

  “You’re just as big of a disappointment as your mother was.”

  I choked back the words I wanted to spit back at him. I couldn’t stoop to his level. This wasn’t the time or
place. Without another word, my father marched away. He didn’t eat a final meal; he didn’t take anything with him. I had a sinking feeling I would never see him again after that.

  Ezekiel morphed back into his human form and gingerly shook Lottie’s hand. She seemed excited and immediately launched into a thousand questions about his people.

  “Can we meet the others?” she pleaded.

  I glanced at Ezekiel, and we shared a warm smile with each other. “Yes, you’ll meet all of them. Things are going to be different from here on out. They’ll be better.”

  Lottie paused her interrogations for the time being, and the rest of the burrow was kind enough to not immediately start their own. There would be plenty of time for questions and wonderings and figuring everything out.

  But for now, I seized Ezekiel’s hand and led him into the burrow for the first time.

  Home at last with my polar bear mate.

  The End.

  * * *

  Thank you for taking the time to read Polar Opposites. If you enjoyed this story, please take a moment to check out my upcoming releases. You especially won’t want to miss the preorder for The Silent Shadow Society (a dark serial killer reverse harem novel).

  About the Author

  Samantha Coville is a fantasy author and alumna of the University of Central Florida. Her lifelong love of reading evolved into a passion for writing during the third grade and at the age of sixteen her debut novel, Blood Oath, was released. When Samantha isn't writing, she's either exploring the local theme parks with her husband Marsean or bowling with friends.

  If you want to keep up with Samantha and learn about new releases, sales, cover reveals, and sneak preview, join her newsletter here.