Brother Bear Mated (3 page)

“If the spell isn’t affecting you too badly, I thought I might heal the cuts on your face too. And the bruises under your eye.”

Yes. He wanted that. More of her touching him. Whatever it took. Hell, maybe he’d knock himself around with one of those two by fours later on, and they could do this again.

He managed a single nod, and hoped it was enough of a yes.

Slowly, Nastia brought her fingers to his face, the tips barely grazing his skin and the day old growth of his beard. The touch was light but the effect was not. It was a hundred pound weight on his heart that he never wanted to be free of.

Hallelujah and amen.

His eyes were drawn to her full pink lips as they moved almost imperceptibly, reciting the healing words. Her hand rose to his temple, pressing with her fingers and sending another breath of that gentle sensation into him. The more of her power he experienced, the more relaxed he became, until something shifted. The feeling was
so good
it started to become something else. Something…
arousing
.

Thames swallowed another moan when he realized what was happening.
Yessss
, his bear rumbled.
Make mate mine
.

But Nastia wasn’t ready. She’d only just woken and they hadn’t bonded yet. He hadn’t proven himself yet.

He stared at her face through slitted lids as she swept her palm over his cheek and brushed her thumb under his eye. She was beautiful. Lost in concentration, with a tiny crease between her brows. Freckles dotted her nose and sprinkled across her cheeks, and he was glad she didn’t wear makeup so he could see them.

Thames grit his teeth for control as she repeated the temple cheek routine on the other side. He was stone hard for her, aching already, but he couldn’t mess this up. He had to wait, take it slow.

When he finally had his female, it would be because she wanted him as badly as he wanted her. And after he knew a little about her hopes and dreams. This was no random encounter. He intended to court her. He’d waited too many years for his time, and he wanted a romance. He wanted to give her something to hold in her heart when it started going dark like the Mother Bear prophesied.

Nastia moved her hand to his lips. They were split in several places, and she pushed her power into healing them. But all Thames could feel was her thumb brushing over and over like she was coaxing a kiss from him, and his control snapped an instant before he caught himself. What had nearly become a full on kiss to her lips, one that would have taken her breath and held it hostage, instead became a tiny peck to the pad of her thumb.

Nastia froze, her whispered chant drying up and her eyes darting to his. He tried to read her. What did he see in that green gaze? Fear? Confusion? Indignation? But none of those words seemed to fit. There was no reaction besides her stillness. It was as if they were suspended in time.

“Enough,” he managed, though it came out a slurred whisper.

This broke the spell and she immediately pulled her hand away.

“Yes,” she said, turning and brushing her hands off on the skirt of her dress. “That was quite successful. There shouldn’t be much pain. The spell worked pretty thoroughly.”

Thames rolled his shoulders, testing his once shredded back muscle as a distraction from his little problem below the belt. But there wasn’t even an ounce of pain to take his mind off of what he wanted to do to Nastia.

“Can I leave? Return to the lodge?”

Well, that did it. The idea of her leaving sent a shot of cold straight to his groin.

Thames stepped past her, keeping his hips out of view, and began opening the packages Bailey had brought. He was starving, and if he couldn’t have Nastia, he’d have to settle for Bailey’s magical breakfast items.

“Adira said you asked to be locked away.”

He set two paper plates on a stack of lumber and carefully portioned out their meal, making sure to give his female the best offerings. The leanest bacon, the fluffiest eggs, the perfectly round biscuit.

“I did. I just… I assumed it would be in my room. With… you know, plumbing.”

Frowning, he lifted his head to peek at her. “Plumbing.”

“Yeah, you know. A ladies room.”

Oh.

Thames couldn’t help smiling at the way her face turned an obscene shade of scarlet. He set the food container down, picked up a lit candle, and started toward the one room he’d worked on. He and Renner had spent some time on it just after Thames took possession of the cave. The cat must have recognized Thames’s bear was anxious to fix the place up. But they’d only had a day or two before all hell broke loose with the Alley Cats.

“Follow me. We may not have a floor or heating,” he called over his shoulder as he led her toward the front of the cave and around a bend in the rock. “But I made sure we have a bathroom.” He pushed through a narrower opening. And set the candle on the floor. “Toilet right there. No sink yet, but you can wash in the spring if you want.”

Water gurgled from a natural crevice in the wall of the cave. Renner had plans to turn it into a fresh water source.

Nastia looked around. Her face was curious but not disappointed.

Thames pushed out a breath of relief. The cave wasn’t much now, but if she was patient, he’d make it beautiful for her. Give her a proper place to call home.

“No door,” she murmured.

“Not yet. But I’ll wait for you in the main room. You can find your way back, right?”

She gave a nod.

“Okay. Just… you know… holler if you need anything.”

Her lips tweaked in an awkward grin. “I’ve got this, bear.”

“Yeah.” He started for the opening. “Okay, yeah.”

Of course she’d be fine. The cave was safe and she was only using the restroom. But letting her out of his sight was no easy thing with his bear ranting and raving over the short distance already between them.

Steady, bear. Steady. She’ll be ours soon. So very soon
.

Chapter Three

Nastia used a stack of bricks for a chair, not caring that the rough clay was probably snagging the soft fabric of her skirt. She was just thankful she wasn’t compelled to count them all. As she and her sisters had come closer to the lodge, her counting compulsion had grown to include anything that remotely resembled a rock. Bricks fit that description even if Adira and Mirena didn’t think so. But now… she didn’t need to count, and for that she was thankful.

Her gaze shifted from Thames where he finished off his breakfast to the ceiling high above her. The cave was tall. At least two stories high, and with offshoots. Little hidden crevices that led to other jewels. Like the spring where Thames was building a bathroom.

But the most amazing part of the cave was the light that filtered down from above. She hadn’t expected it. When the sun began to rise and the cavern filled with the rays, she’d marveled at the surprise.

“How is there light?” she asked.

“You like it?” Thames voice was quiet and drew her attention back to him.

“I do.”

His expression was serious. Intense. Like he was studying her.

“Natural phenomenon,” he said. “There’s an opening at the top, but as you can see, no rain gets through.”

She nodded, staring back up to see what he explained.

“That’s because there’s a shelf of rock hanging over it, about four feet up. Part of the cliff. It’s enough to let light in, but keep the weather out. Mostly anyway. Ryan said they can seal it off with plexiglass and make it even more weatherproof.”

“That’s amazing.”

“Agreed.”

He stood and collected the candles, blowing them out now that they weren’t needed. Nastia watched him carefully. The longer she was awake, the more convinced she was this wasn’t a dream.

Thames and the cave, all of it was real and not a spell put around her mind by her sisters.

Stretching, he reached up to a high ledge that made a natural shelf in the wall and pulled down a folded shirt. With his back to her, he shook it out and eased it over his head. The muscles of his back and shoulders—the ones she’d healed—flexed in beautiful ways that had her breath stalling. He was a big man. Maybe the biggest she’d ever seen. Head and shoulders taller than her, and wider than a normal doorway. And the muscles of his body bulged to support his tall frame.

But it wasn’t just his size that had her gawking. It was the way he moved. With purpose and deliberation. Every step or shift was decisive. No hesitation. He was sure of who he was and how his body worked. For that, she was envious.

Even though she’d been of age for near a decade, she was more in tune with her own mind than her body.

Like when he’d pressed his lips to her thumb during the healing spell. Things had happened within her she couldn’t explain. Decadent things that both thrilled and scared her. A fluttering in her belly, her legs feeling like noodles.

More of that
, the dark song whispered.

And she couldn’t deny that she
would
like to feel those things again. Perhaps just to explore them, study them. She was a learner. It was in her nature to explore.

“We should expect guests soon,” Thames announced as he bent to lace up his work boots.

“Oh?”

“Your sisters will be checking in on you, but also, some of the clan is coming to help fix up our place here.” His lips turned slightly downward into a frown. “I would do it myself—
should
do it myself, it’s the right way—but we don’t have the time for a one man job. Gotta get this place settled for you so we can focus on… learning your Anchor.”

His hesitation caught her attention, and she narrowed her gaze on his face to read between the lines. But he wasn’t looking at her and his jaw was set tight, not giving anything away. Had he been about to say something else?

A dark streak of color between the stacks of lumber jerked her gaze away from Thames. There was something there. Something small and moving.

“Look!” She grinned, pointing. “We have a visitor already.”

Easing forward as not to scare the creature, Nastia crouched low to the dirt-packed floor and inched her hand forward.

“Wait,” Thames bellowed and she yanked her hand back. He winced, but continued. “Could be a snake. Lemme check.”

“It has legs,” she countered. “Ever heard of a snake with legs?”

“In the Bible,” he said seriously.

Nastia rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the creature. “Come here, little guy. No one with big giant muscles will harm you. You have my word.”

She clucked her tongue a time or two to get his attention, and to her delight, a tiny reptile nose poked free of the cut boards. A lizard. How wonderful.

“Hi there,” she murmured. “So very nice to meet you.”

In response, the animal which was black as night and lined with bright yellow stripes zigzagged up the lumber, back and forth, like it was a maze to the top. Nastia giggled at his antics and held her hand out to him.

“It’s a skink,” Thames said as the reptile hesitantly stepped into her waiting palm. “As close to a snake with legs as you can get. But harmless.”

“I knew it.” She smiled, standing and bringing the lizard closer. “A friend,” she announced. “He probably has a name already, but there’s no way to get it from him.”

The skink curled into her palm, coiling his thin body tight for warmth and instinctually, she cradled it to her chest like a baby.

“He probably wandered in here looking for warmth. It’s barely spring and still cold at night,” Thames said from over her shoulder. His voice so close made the small hairs on her neck tingle.

“Can we keep him?” she asked, hopeful.

“He’s wild. You wouldn’t want to cage him.”

Nastia frowned up at Thames. “No, of course not. Just… can he stay as long as he wants to?”

Thames stared at her so long before answering she thought he’d say no. “You like him?”

Nastia nodded, glancing down at the reptile curled in her hand. “He seems sweet doesn’t he? He wouldn’t be much of a bother. He can fend for himself mostly. What do you say, bear?”

More silence and then finally, “If it makes you happy, the skink can stay.”

Her smile grew and grew until she was sure she was blinding Thames with her teeth. But she was alright with that. Smiles meant light. Light was what she needed.

***

The morning was a bustle of pounding hammers and whirring saws and Nastia getting to know some of the Ouachita clan on a deeper level. Renner, the panther shifter, and Ryan, the human mated to Layna, operated a small construction crew aside from their work at the lodge. Owyn, also a panther, and the human Clara, were part of that crew. The four of them and Thames had been steadily working away at the cave construction all morning. From what Nastia could tell, the priorities were finishing the bathroom, the floor, and adding heating.

Things were coming along nicely.

Mostly Nastia had tried to stay out of the way. She didn’t know a thing about building. Had never found need to study it. But now, she’d been watching the crew work and had learned a lot.

Like measure twice, cut once. And which saw performed which cuts. And that you laid the drain pipes
before
you laid the floor. And that drilling through rock was very, very loud.

Nastia eased around a pile of discarded wood and pipe pieces and headed for the warmest spot in the great room. She’d left her lizard in a pool of sunlight on a waist-high rock. She had the feeling he was a nightowl since he’d been snoozing the entire morning. Time to check on the little guy.

But the skink wasn’t in the place she left him.

Looking around, she didn’t see the black streak anywhere against the red-gray wall of the cavern.

“Where have you gone, you slippery lizard?” she murmured, bending low to search the ground.

“Looking for something?” Clara’s curious voice called from across the room where she was laying out a line of boards.

“Just… well…” An arrow shaped head poked out from the smallest crack in the rock. “Aha! There you are.”

Nastia held out her palm for the skink to crawl into and straightened to show off her new friend. Walking back over to Clara, she clucked her tongue and he scurried up her arm to sit on her shoulder.

“Skink!” Clara’s voice squeaked in excitement as she tossed her tools aside and rushed over. “Where have you been, little rascal? Look, Owyn,” she called over her shoulder. “I
told you
he was still around. He wouldn’t leave this place. He’s one of
us
.”

“Awww, shit,” the burly tattooed shifter drawled as he lumbered over. “I was sure there’d be no losing on that bet. The damn beast has been away for months. You sure it’s actually him?”

“One hundred percent,” Clara insisted. “This is Skink. See how that middle line right there is lighter than the rest? And this notch right here on his tail? It’s him, now pay up.”

Nastia looked between the two workers.

“Damn.” Owyn sighed. “How much do I owe you?”

Clara smiled up at him triumphant. “A cool twenty.”

“Twenty dollars,” Owyn murmured eyeing the lizard. “How’d you manage not to get eaten by an owl or something, huh?”

“He doesn’t talk,” Nastia informed him.

Owyn’s brow furrowed as he looked up from the reptile.

She cleared her throat. “I tried, but he doesn’t… um… talk.”

Nastia hesitated because maybe what she was saying was stupid. The shifters didn’t talk in their animal forms either. But magic was in everything, so she never underestimated anything. Maybe a lizard could communicate. Maybe he couldn’t.

“So I went ahead and named him Newt because I have no idea what his actual name is, or even if he’s ever had one. I think he likes it.” She nodded, to assure herself more than Owyn.

The panther shifter’s expression curved into a grin and he shook his head seeming lost for words.

Clara shrugged. “Sure. Why not. I always just called him Skink.”

“Why Newt?” Owyn asked.

“Well…” Nastia stared over at the snoozing skink. “He’s a lizard and I’m a witch. So, Newt, for Eye of Newt. Even though he’s not technically a Newt and I’ve never used eye of anything for a spell.”

“Ahhh,” Owyn said, nodding. “I see what you did there.”

Nastia shrugged a shoulder. “Thought it was funny.”

“I love it.” Clara smiled. “And it looks like you’re taking good care of him too. He never had such a warm place to sleep when he was rubbing elbows with me. You’re good at this, taking care of people… er, reptiles.”

“Bears too.” Thames’s voice rumbled from beyond Owyn’s shoulder and brought their attention around. He stood casually, arms crossed with one shoulder propped against the cave wall. But his gaze was nothing close to casual. It was intense as always, blistering past any barrier she might try to erect.

He’d see straight through to her darkness before anyone else did. She was sure of it.

“Healed me right up,” he murmured. “Her spell worked like a charm in only minutes.”

“That right?” Owyn mused. “Handy skill to have, witch.”

Thames looked at him oddly and started to say something, but then shook his head.

A beep sounded from Clara’s pocket and her eyebrows shot up as she retrieved her phone. “A message? I thought there was no service in here.”

“Gash is up at the top with Ryan. He put up a signal booster after they weatherproofed the hole,” Thames explained.

Owyn raised an eyebrow. “Sounds dirty.”

Nastia frowned. “What does?”

“Weatherproofing the hole.”

“It’s no more dirty than the work you’re doing in here. Maybe even less, since they’re in the open air.”

Owyn’s mouth was open on a silent argument, but then he looked to Thames, and closed it. Clearly she was missing something.

“I don’t understand.” Her tone was frustrated as she stared between the two shifters while Clara pressed her lips together, eyes to the ceiling.

Owyn held his hands up, backing away.

“Look,” he said, “It ain’t my fault you’re all innocent as a newborn calf, ‘kay? It’s someone else’s job to dirty you all up.” He shot a look at Thames and went back to work on the floor.

“Wh…” Nastia looked at Clara for an explanation. “What does that mean?”

“Listen, don’t worry, babes.” Her hand dropped onto Nastia’s shoulder. “They’re being boys. You know, always got sex on the brain and brain on the sex. Just ignore ‘em.”

Nastia felt her cheeks go red hot. But… how did fixing the hole in the ceiling have anything to do with sex?

“Well, lookie there.” Clara held her phone in front of her face like she was having trouble seeing. “It’s a message from Eagan. It says he’s on his way up with lunch. And I don’t know about y’all, but this gal is huuuuungry.” She whistled low and walked back to her job. “Gotta finish this line before lunch break.”

Thames cleared his throat and Nastia snuck a peek at him. His brow furrowed making deep ridges of his forehead but his lips quirked ever so slightly upward. Part of her wanted an explanation. The rest of her wanted to ignore whatever social faux pas she’d just committed.