Bear King's Curves: A BBW Werebear Shifter Romance (17 page)

My stomach growled. I'd been eating pretty poorly
overnight. Nothing but a quick snack from the vending machine
outside.

It was stocked with jerky, jerky, and more jerky. I
shouldn't have expected anything else among carnivorous skinwalkers.

“
There's something you need to know,” I
said, twisting my hand deeper into his.

Nick stared, beaming his welcoming, masculine heat into
my eyes. I couldn't wait to see how much brighter they glowed when he
found out about his latest conquest.

No better way to say it. Out with it.

“
Congratulations, King, on more than just the
crown. We're going to have a baby together.”

His jaw dropped. He looked right through me, as if he
couldn't fully comprehend what I said, his eyes vast and wild with
mystery.

Nick dropped his arms. I stiffened in my chair as he
leaned back, gripped the metal rungs on his bed, and screamed.

The sharp, happy, crazy sound echoed through the entire
hospital's corridors. He threw himself at me, ignoring the wounds,
nearly falling out of the bed in the mad rush to completely press me
to his broad chest.

We were still laughing, two bawdy lovers going nuts,
when the doctor ran in.

“
Hey! Miss, I told you not to overtax him too
much. He needs to rest and –“

“
Back off, Valia!” Nick growled. “This
is the happiest moment of my life. I can handle a little pain from
these scratches up my back. Especially with the stuff you've doped me
up with.”

The doctor shook her head, quietly fuming.

“
Nobody listens to what's best for them around
here,” she grumbled.

Seeing neither of us were going to let go anytime soon,
she turned around sharply and walked away, stomping her heels on the
tile.

I laughed. One more reminder that humans and shifters
weren't so different after all.

“
I love you, Lyla. You've given me more than I
ever wanted. I'm going to give you the same, year after year, for the
rest of my life.” He held out one hand, pressing it to my lower
belly, my womb.

We hadn't talked about children much before.

“
No, I don't think so. The more than you ever
wanted part, I mean.”

He gave me a curious look.

“
Before I came along, you had a man's appetite.
Now, after all this, you've got a bear's strength, and a bear's
hunger. I just hope I can keep up with you,” I said.

“
You will, beautiful. Never, ever doubt that.”

IX: A Piece of Myself (Nick)

“
Let's go. Help me out of here,” I growled.
“I'm going to surprise my girl, Beamer. Doc says I'm free to go
a day early.”

I punched an opening in the metal bars flanking my bed.
I sat up, ignoring the burn on both sides of me. The deep stripes
Branson left on my flesh were healing slowly, constant aching
reminders of his last gasp before the grave.

They still didn't hurt as much as being confined to the
bed for five days.

“
Alright. Take it easy, your highness. This clan's
gonna fall apart if anything happens to you.”

I grabbed Beamer's arm and hauled myself to my feet. It
didn't hurt as much to stand as I expected.

“
Bullshit. Nothing else is falling apart from here
on out. Soon as I can move without feeling a tiger hanging on my
back, we'll do the coronation and the engagement. All in one stroke.
My people will get a whole royal family, more than just a King.”

“
Well, sir, they do like to gossip. More's
merrier.”

I slowly let my arm leave Beamer's shoulder. There. I
was standing upright, and then walking across the room. It hurt, but
it also felt good to move.

Beamer matched my slow pace, following me to the door.
On our way out, I looked at Hector, my new roommate for the last day.

The old man was in for some routine test or other.
Fortunately, there had been three big beds between us, and not a lot
of conversation.

“
Keep well, your highness,” he said, his
voice as weak and raspy as ever. “One thing you ought to know.”

We stopped. I suppressed a growl, wondering what the
hell he was getting at. Nobody understood the rush I was in.

“
What? Spit it out.” I stepped to the side
of his bed, right where he wanted me.

Hector smiled, the same nasty grin he always used on
everybody.

Forget it. He's old and decrepit. Not that it makes
me want to wipe that stupid grin off his face any less...

“
I remember an old record stored away in our
private archive. Blood laws. A King should only take a mate from an
Alpha family in Klamath or another clan. No half-bloods allowed, or
else he forfeits his line. Choose wisely, your highness. The human
female has brought you far, but she can't carry you any more.”

“
Hey, come on,” Beamer whispered lightly,
setting his hand on my shoulder. “Ignore this old fart. You
can't let yourself get all worked up again.”

I blew out of the chair. Nearly ripped my stitches.

Hector exploded into a fit of mixed coughing and
laughter, echoing after us as we left the hospital.

“
It's okay, King. We just gotta get you home.”

“
Damn it, keep calling me Nick. I don't give a
shit what a bunch of hundred year old scrolls say. Let's go.”

“
Home?”

“
No. The archive.” I powered on, flinging
open the hospital's doors and almost flattening a short woman
climbing the stairs.

Beamer ran after me. Probably surprised at how fast and
nimble I was moving. I had fire pumping in my blood. My bear whined,
eager to get me alone in that ratty little backroom and tear all
those old papers apart.

“
Hey! Okay, okay, we'll go there. Just what is it
you think you're gonna do, Nick?”

I sneezed. So hard the stitches in my side throbbed
painfully.

“
Where the hell could it be? Hurry it up,” I
growled. “I need to get back to my girl.”

Beamer wiped the dust off his face. He was just as
irritated as I was. We'd been combing Branson's cramped archive for
the past hour, kicking up a small sandstorm of dust up in a room that
was way too small to fit all these boxes plus the two of us.

“
Here! This one says...succubus laws?”

“
Succession laws,” I corrected, snatching
the lightweight box out of his hands. “Good work.”

Beamer stood next to me as I tore into it, rattling
through old papers too long and worn to be modern. I thought Hector
and the rest were kidding about scrolls.

Not by a long shot.

A couple tattered papers bounced across the room. I
stretched out their reams, looking for the threat.

Digging deeper, I found it, studying the old crabbed
writing. The ink was faded, but I could barely make it out.

Article One, Section Five: No King shall wed a lesser
bear, skinwalker of another kind, or a human female. If he weakens
his blood, then he ought to forfeit his crown for the good of his
kind, and exile himself and his tarnished mate to a place where they
can rut alone like the animals they are. Forever.

“
Gods! Forever...” Another growl beneath my
breath.

“
What is it?”

I pushed up and nearly fell. Beamer grabbed for me,
steadying me in my rage. I kicked at the box.

“
Pick it up. Let's take this shit out back. We're
burning all of it.”

“
Burning it?” His eyes were huge and
questioning.

“
I'm the King. Right? Time to modernize my line
after its long absence.”

And time to wipe away every last trace of the threat
looming over Lyla and I,
I
thought, giving Beamer a satisfactory nod as he cradled the box.

Half an hour later, we watched the old scrolls curling
in a great bonfire in the old fire pit behind the Executive Office.
The paper withered in orange embers, then black, then sprayed itself
into the wind each time a gust swept down.

I poked at it with a stick, ignoring the fevered,
coughing protests of the man creeping up on us.

“
Your Majesty. I see you've made up your mind
about how this rule will go. New boss. Same as the old boss, yes?”

I turned and glared at Hector. Beamer stood nervously
between us, unsure whether or not I'd turn the fiery hot stick on the
old man.

“
Listen here, Elder. I am the new boss, and you're
gonna keep quiet about this. I know Branson let you get away with a
lot to keep your support, but I don't need it. Got it?”

The wicked gleam in his eye melted a little. I wasn't
kidding around or even giving him a warning snarl. I was deadly
serious.

“
Okay.”

“
I don't care how old you are. You breathe a word
about this and you can join old Judy in the woods, prowling around
for a new home with teeth too dull to feed yourself. At least she
chose a noble exile, a good death. You haven't.”

Hector closed his eyes, rubbing his throat to stuff down
another cough. “I...want to contribute to this community.”

“
And you will. But you won't challenge my rule,
and you sure as hell won't come between me and the love of my life
either. Now open those wrinkled shades and tell me you understand.”

Hector looked at me. For the first time, he wasn't just
bored or kicking up amusement as a sassy old man. Unmistakable defeat
shimmered in his eyes.

“
I understand. Please, just let me live out the
rest of my days in peace.”

“
I will. A gift I'm happy to give to a well
behaved senior citizen. That's more than you deserve after all the
people you helped kill and maim with that old dead bastard.” I
turned to Beamer. “Come on.”

We walked. Hector stood behind the mansion, staring
sadly into the dying fire, watching his last opportunity to stir up
mischief consumed in the flames.

Beamer and I parted ways. I headed straight for the
cabin, shuffled up the three steps to my door, and planted my fist on
the old wood.

I hope I didn't wake her. Sleepy or not, I knew she'd be
beautiful. I readied myself to hold her close, to stroke her hair, to
give her the old box I had Beamer dig into Branson's treasure chest
to find.

“
Okay, okay! I'm coming!” Lyla's voice
echoed from behind the door, just a few steps away.

She flung it open and did a double take.

“
Nick? What the hell are you doing out?”

“
Shifter's heal faster, beautiful. Doc said I was
good to go a day early. Given a choice between hanging out in the
hospital or returning to you and my own home...”

She threw herself into my waiting arms. My cue to hold
her close. We kissed as I pushed her inside, slamming the door shut
with a rearward kick.

Lyla moaned sweetly into my mouth. Her nails dug a
little deeper into my skin, going down my back. When she raked my
sides, I sucked in a deep breath and twitched.

“
Oh, I'm sorry! Does it hurt?”

“
Hurts real fucking good to have your hands on me.
Don't take them away. Not even for a second.” I kissed her
again, feeling her lips struggling to hold my lips and smile at the
same time.

The place was halfway cleaned up. On I pushed, leading
her toward my old bedroom. I couldn't wait to sleep in my old bed
again, besides doing a lot more than snoozing with her there.

I twisted my neck, probing deeper, swirling my tongue
around hers until she hissed with dizzy delight.

“
I know you like that,” I whispered. “Sit
down on the bed. I've got something you're going to like a whole lot
more.”

Her eyes met mine, loving and unshakable as she did what
I asked. I reached into my pocket, wracking my brain to make sure
everything went off just right.

Let's see...how do human guys do this again? Down on
one knee?

I fell, lifting the little wooden box in one hand. It
was strange to bow to a woman. Thankfully, Lyla was a goddess, a
woman who deserved every bit of my heart's submission if that's what
I needed to claim her.

Her bright lips parted in disbelief as I held the box up
to her. One push and the lid flicked open.

“
Lyla Redd, we've shared more together all these
weeks than any human couple and most bears ever will. We're about to
share a whole lot more with my baby growing in you. How about making
it official?”

Lyla's eyes rolled wide gently, wet and shiny as freshly
polished marble. I saw the little gem reflected in her eyes, at the
center of the small gold bear fixed to the ring of bone.

I had no clue how ancient the ring was, or what kind of
bone it was made from. All I knew was that it belonged to my
ancestors, and she deserved to have it on her finger.

Then a funny thing happened.