Bearly Ever: An Alpha Werebear Shifter Paranormal Romance (Arcadia Knights Book 1) (10 page)

The throbbing between Ever’s thighs wasn’t what woke her up, but it definitely helped pull her from sleep.

She shut her eyes tight against the light streaming in from the nearby windows, turning over in bed to press against the wall behind her. Her brain didn’t find that thought at all puzzling until said warm wall of flesh moved, reaching around her and pulling her close. Ever blinked her eyes back open, focusing on the naked torso that took up all of her vision.

Oh, yeah.

Ever made a move to push away, but the arm around her wouldn’t allow it. She suddenly found herself squished up against the rock hard body of the man beside her, tucked under one arm, her face unceremoniously wedged between a bicep and a rather shapely pectoral.

Yay, stinky armpit. Well, okay, not stinky in this case, surprisingly clean and fresh, but…whatever. Pits, bad.

Awake now, she poked Aidan’s ribs, then again when the first time did nothing. He rolled over, freeing Ever’s head but pulling her back against him. Unused to waking up in a man’s arms, she tried unsuccessfully to wriggle out of his grip…until she felt a heavy poke against her backside.

Well now.

Aidan nuzzled her hair, kissing the top of Ever’s ear. “Morning, beautiful.”

All the fight went out of Ever. A reluctant smile tugged at her lips, and she nuzzled her cheek against his. “Morning yourself, handsome.”

His arms tightened around her briefly in answer. He rearranged himself so his thick length lay pressed between them, and Ever rolled her eyes. “Trying to ask me something,” she said, amusement heavy in her voice.

He just grunted. “Why ask,” he murmured, “when you could just take?”

Before she could work up an argument for that asinine statement, Aidan rolled them over and rotated Ever around so she was laying face down over him. She scowled down at him, straddling his belly, as he just grinned. She stuck her tongue out at him even as she scooted back, the cleft of her backside rubbing against his hard length.

His eyes flashed amber, just briefly, and Ever grinned. She repeated the motion, slower and more deliberately this time, and the hands on her hips tightened. “I might be willing to help you with that,” she said softly, leaning down to taste those fuckable lips again.

Somewhere in the room, a cellphone rang.

The muffled noise made them both freeze. It kept going, each tone an unwelcomed intrusion of real life into Ever’s happy world at the moment.

“We don’t have to get it,” she whispered, staring down at him. But there was no conviction in her words; she knew what needed to be done, what was more important right at that moment. Sadly, screwing Mr. Tall Dark And Handsome was second on the Important Things list.

A very close second, but still not first place.

Ever swung her leg off Aidan as he sat up, bending over the bed for his pants. Rifling through them, he fished out his partner’s cellphone and put it to his ear. “What have you got?”

He listened for a moment, then his eyes met Ever’s. “We’ll be there in ten,” he said before ending the call. “We might have a lead. Get dressed.”

“Can I get details?” she said, grabbing at the clothes scattered around the room and tossing him the ones that weren’t hers.

“Someone came in this morning with some information on Kevin, and won’t talk to anyone but me.”

She could hear the tightness in his voice. “Someone you don’t like?” she asked.

Aidan grunted. “I helped his mate leave town. Her choice, but he hasn’t forgiven me for my part.”

Ever frowned. “I thought your Shifter mates were for life.”

“They hadn’t officially sealed the bond. She didn’t want him, so I helped her leave.”

She rolled her eyes. “Seriously, your mating system sucks. I’d hate to be told who I
had
to love; would rather make that choice for myself, thank you very much.”

“It’s not like that.”

“Sure sounds that way. First your mom leaves your father after many, I’m guessing, happy years together just because of some mating ritual-thing. Then a girl has to leave her hometown just to get away from a guy who claimed to be her one-and-only.” She hitched a shoulder, dragging her shirt across her body. “Like I said, it sucks.”

Aidan said nothing to that, just finished dressing in silence. Ever glanced at him, wondering if she’d struck a nerve. “Look, I didn’t mean to insult your way of life. I just don’t get it.”

“Come on, let’s go see what he has to say.”

Yup, definitely struck a nerve. Like, blow-with-a-sledgehammer kind of knock. Ever swallowed back the pain in her chest. She was just voicing an opinion, she hadn’t meant to deliberately hurt him.

That was the last thing she wanted.

He didn’t say anything, just held the door open for her as she exited the house. She got her first real view of the front yard and it was as magical as she’d imagined; all roses and color and beauty. Somehow, that made the pain in her heart worse, which was silly. She’d known him for a freaking
day
, so why was she going so maudlin and mopeybutt? It was stupid, it was…

God, were those freaking
tears
pricking her eyes?

When had she turned into such a ninny?

They both stayed silent as they climbed in the car. Ever stared out the window, watching the houses and stores as she went past.

It really was a cute little town.

Fingers laced through hers, and she looked back to see Aidan hand in her own. He kept his eyes on the road, but lifted it to his lips and laid a kiss on the back of her wrist.

Pressing her lips together to contain a smile, Ever resumed looking back out the window, trying to ignore the kernel of hope shining in her heart.

*

Julian Murphy was a smug asshole on the best of days. He was downright unbearable on his worst.

He was seated in the chair next to Mac’s desk, but rose to his feet when Aidan and Ever entered. “Why, Sheriff Tucker,” he said, his voice oilier than snake shit. “What a
pleasure
to see you again.”

Aidan wanted to knock the smirk off his face, but settled for ignoring the other man’s outstretched hand. “You said he had information,” he said to Mac.

The female deputy shook her head. “He wouldn’t tell me anything.”

“Oh no, I wanted to go straight to the source.” His smile had too many teeth, all straight and white. “Cut out the middle man, make sure you had all the pertinent information.”

Aidan’s answering grin might have shown more fang than necessary, but was just as fake otherwise. This close, it would be so easy to sock the other man in the jaw. “How thoughtful,” he said instead, keeping his tone bland.

“And this must be your new mate.” Julian turned to look at Ever, his grin widening. “I’ve heard so much about you, my dear, all good things I assure you.”

Alarm bells went off inside Aidan’s head. He growled, stepping in front of Ever. “What do you want, Julian?” he asked, his voice low and rumbly.

Apparently, the bear wanted a go at the other man too.

“Why, I’m trying to be polite, Sheriff.” Julian’s face was the epitome of innocence, unless you looked at his eyes. They held a calculating light that had every muscle in Aidan’s body tightening, ready to spring.

“Aidan.” A small voice came from behind his back, and Ever laid a hand on his arm. “What’s he talking about?”

He looked back at her, at a loss for words. Her earlier words rang through his brain:
Your mating system sucks.
He couldn’t tell her like this, but he couldn’t make himself deny it either.

Unfortunately, Julian had no such compunctions. “Why, didn’t you know, my dear? You’re his mate, tied to him for eternity.” Julian’s grin was wide like the Cheshire Cat’s, full of teeth and malice.

“Congratulations.”

“You’re lying.”

The words were out of Ever’s mouth before she could think about it. She turned and looked at Aidan, staring up into his face. “Tell him he’s wrong. I’m not your mate, we’re just… Tell him he’s wrong, Aidan.”

Nearby, one of the deputies coughed at her words, but nobody else said a thing. Aidan’s mouth worked, his eyes silently pleading, and an aching revelation came to Ever.

He believed it too.

“I’m human,” she exclaimed, backing away from him. “I’m not like you guys, I’m…I have a choice in who I love, dammit!”

Aidan reached out for her, but she danced away from him. “Ever, please.”

“No.” She leveled a finger at him. “No way, you tell him he’s wrong, tell me that you don’t believe this.
I
get to choose who it is I love, goddammit!”

Didn’t I?

Something rippled across Aidan’s face, and he turned his head to look at Julian. “You son of a
bitch!”

Ever gasped, falling sideways as Aidan threw himself at the man in the suit, Changing instantly. The sheriff’s uniform tore at the seams, brown hair sprouting across his body.

“Finally,”
Julian murmured, his voice garbled as he did the same, fur erupting from his skin as he met the other man’s charge with his own. What was probably an expensive suit was shredded in an instant as a black panther, its eyes bright yellow, collided with the bear.

Ever and the rest of the room's human occupants fell back as the two animals tore at one another. It was immediately obvious to onlookers that the strength the bear was matched by the agility of the panther: Aidan couldn't move fast enough to land a blow, but Julian's strikes didn't faze the bear.

Ever backed up until she was at the exit. Everyone seemed to have forgotten about her, watching instead the battle that was tearing up the office. A far table all but exploded as the panther was thrown into it, glass shattering and black coffee spraying over the ground. Nobody was stepping in to help, although Mac was in a corner near Ever, cellphone to her ear.

Her butt hit the metal bar across the door, and she pushed it open and rushed outside. Mac's voice called her name but she ignored it. The bear roared its anger and rage again, answered by a similar yowl from the panther.

Ever's head swam. This was all too much strangeness. She'd been so sure she could handle it, but it was like she'd been thrown in the middle of a safari. She staggered down the stairs, trying to decide which way to run, when a maroon car pulled up behind her.

"Ever?"

She whirled at her name to see Aidan's mother step out of the car. The woman—
thank God!
—was in human form, and peered at Ever, concern in her eyes. "Honey, where's..."

Another yowl from the panther rent the air, and Ever jumped. Eleanor's head turned sharply toward the answering roar, and her lips thinned. "Come on," she said, her voice tight, "get in the car."

Ever wasted no time accepting the invitation. She'd barely closed the door when the panther crashed through the police department doors, bouncing once on the stairs before finding its feet. It looked ragged, blood pouring from one shoulder, but that didn't seem to slow it down. It hissed toward the entrance as Aidan's bear charged outside straight toward the black feline.

The cat dodged, spring sideways then back onto the bear. Aidan swung at it with one thick paw and the panther went flying. Momentarily dismissing his attacker, the bear lifted up its nose and smelled the air, then turned and stared straight at Ever.

She cringed back from the window, and saw the bear cock its head to one side. It wuffled at her, taking a step toward the car, and Ever froze, uncertain what to do.

"My son is an idiot sometimes." Eleanor stuck the car into gear and hit the gas. Tires spun briefly as they shot past the duo of animals just as the panther was launching itself in the air again.

A wordless cry of warning rose up in Ever's throat, ultimately unvoiced as they sped past. She immediately turned in her seat to see them tangling again, but seconds later that view was obscured by a tall hedge.

"That fight has been brewing for a while." The older woman sounded annoyed, but reached over and patted Ever's knee reassuringly. "It'll serve him right if I kidnap his mate for a little while."

"I'm not his..." Ever trailed off, staring out the car window miserably. "I don't know what that means," she said in a small voice.

"What, being his mate? It just means you two are compatible. Certainly doesn't give him the right to put you in danger like that." She glanced at Ever. "Why, what did you think it meant?"

Ever shrugged. "Julian made it sound like..." She trailed off again, unsure how to proceed.

Eleanor snorted. "If my son is an idiot, then Julian's a dumbass. Come on, let's get you something to eat and we can talk."

"But Aidan..."

"Will be fine, trust me. I’ll make you breakfast, bet my boy hasn’t even fed you yet. Leave them to their dominance displays and I'll answer any and all question you might have. Deal?"

Ever's stomach rumbled at the reminder of breakfast. If his mother trusted Aidan to survive, then Ever could at least do the same. Plus, it would be nice to have some actual straight answers once and for all.

"Deal."

*

She was leaving.

The bear roared in protest and started after the car, only to have the panther land on its back again. The sharp claws dug in, teeth closing around the back of Aidan's neck. The teeth barely penetrated—all the cat got was a mouthful of fur and fat—but Aidan redirected all his rage toward Julian.

He dropped and rolled, taking the cat with him. When Julian went to leap away, Aidan shot out a paw and grabbed the large panther around the middle, dragging it down and beneath the bear. The panther drew its back legs beneath the bear and clawed desperately at the unprotected belly even as Aidan pressed down on the cat's rib cage, allowing his bulk and gravity to slowly crush the cat.

"Freeze."

Every muscle in Aidan's body seized up, unable to move. The single word held enough command to almost stop his heart. Beneath him, Julian ceased his struggles too, wheezing beneath the weight of the giant bear.

"Let him go."

There was no denying this voice. Aidan reared up, releasing the panther from his grip and backing away. The black cat rolled quickly to its feet, crouching low to pounce again.

"No."

It was Julian's turn to freeze in place. He didn’t look so good; blood poured from a wound atop his skull where Aidan’s claws had managed to leave a furrow of red lines. Still, his ears were laid back and, judging by the narrowed eyes, he wasn’t ready to stop the fight. But there was no denying the power holding them in place.

The Brahm walked up and surveyed the two of them. He was still fully human, thin glasses perched atop his nose. His style of dress was very old world, as if he'd walked out of a painting from the twenties. Aidan’s father had changed with the times in some ways, but still kept the bits and styles he liked.

Marshall looked from one animal to the other, then said in a low voice, "Change back."

The bear receded at those words, roaring its protest but unable to fight the leader. Julian completed his change first, staggering to his feet. Blood covered his skin, and his ribs were deep purple from bruises. Aidan was similarly affected, his belly scratched bloody by the cat's frantic clawing.

"Now, will someone tell me why a banker and the Sheriff of our little town are brawling in the streets?”