Curves for Her Bears (BBW Shifter Erotic Romance) (8 page)

“Maggie.” The other voice was talking now. “I’m going to examine you. Is that OK?”

Maggie nodded and turned her head, forcing her eyes open. A nurse was checking her arms and legs, paying close attention to the cuts and scrapes there. She manipulated her body to check for any breaks, occasionally asking, “Does this hurt?”

Each time Maggie shook her head or murmured “No”.

“OK. I need to take a look at your head now, you’ve had quite a bump. It might sting a bit.”

It did, but she gritted her teeth, wanting it over as soon as possible. She turned to look at Aiden, who caught her eye and gave her a weak smile. Then she closed her eyes, trying to let the thumping in her head go.

Slowly and painfully, she picked through her memories. Her parents, that was why she had been targeted, they were rich. Very rich. Images of her apartment came into her head, all the latest gadgets. Money no object, so different from the lives Aiden and Cyrus lived.

Yet she had been happy with them, much happier than she was in her other life it seemed. Unfulfilled, that is how her parents described her, and she had allowed herself to be open to kidnapping by taking chances. Well, that lesson had been learned.

At last, the nurse had finished, grunting satisfactorily she said, “I don’t think you will need stitches. It looked worse than it was. I’ll get you something for the pain, and then we’ll move you up to a ward.”

“A ward? Can’t I go home?”

“Doctor wants to monitor you for concussion. And your parents won’t get here until late afternoon, so it’s best if we keep you here. I think the police will want to speak to you too.” She indicated a man standing outside the room.

“The police.”

“Yes. I bet you have quite a story to tell.” Then she left, speaking to the officer briefly.

Maggie turned a worried look on Aiden. “What happened? What did you tell the police?”

“What exactly do you remember?” he asked, warily.

“Everything. The last thing I saw was Cyrus. Did he hurt Ted?”

“Ted? Oh, the guy in the car. The police have arrested him and charged him with kidnapping.”

“He’s alive?” she let out a sigh, her body relaxing at last.

“Yes. Cyrus simply frightened him. Luckily, the police have put his bear sighting down to the bang on the head he received when you hit the tree. Sorry about that.” He finished.

“Don’t be. God knows where I’d have ended up if Cyrus hadn't stopped Ted. Where is he?”

“Downstairs. He didn’t want to come up. Less people involved the better.”

“What have you told the police?”

“The truth, of a kind. We said we found you, and took you to the phone as soon as we could.”

“Will they come and look at your house?”

“They might do. But it would be too complicated to try to stick to a different story.”

“What should I tell them? I don’t want to cause you any trouble.” Maggie wanted to feel his arms around her and to know this was all going to be alright.

“You can always tell them you don’t remember. It’s pretty much the truth.”

She smiled. “Yes. I could. But I don’t want to have to lie about you and I don’t want to forget either.”

“That might be the best thing for you to do, Maggie.” He took her hand and pressed it to his lips.

“Don’t say that Aiden. Meeting you and Cyrus is the most real thing that's ever happened to me.”

“Your family are on their way to take you home. It would be best if you go with them and pick up your old life.”

“My old life is rubbish. I want to be with you,” she said, tears welling up in her eyes.

“It was a dream, Maggie. A week away from us and you won’t even give us a second thought.”

“That’s not fair, and it’s not true.”

He got up. “Goodbye, Maggie.”

The nurse came back in with the police officer and Aiden slipped out. “Aiden,” she called, but he kept on walking. She tried to get out of the bed but the nurse restrained her.

“Come on, lie quietly. You've had a bit too much excitement for one day.” She handed Maggie some pills, and she swallowed them down, wanting to feel better so she could get up and find her two bears.

She lay back and closed her eyes, answering the police officer's questions as simply as possible, then after a few minutes she said she felt unwell and wanted to rest. He went outside and spoke to the nurse, who came back in with more tablets.

Obediently she swallowed them, not realising they would send her to sleep. Her eyes closed without a fight, and she drifted into a sleep, only to be woken some hours later by a kiss on the forehead. Opening her eyes she expected to see Aiden, instead it was her mom.

“Oh, Maggie. We have been so worried. What the hell happened?”

“Hi Mom,” she answered, still groggy from the pills.

“Hey, honey. We are just glad to see you safe.” Her dad kissed her cheek, smiling at her with a face that had gained significant worry lines.

“I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. But when we got the ransom call, well it turned us all upside down. You've no idea how hard it is dealing with something like that.”

“Sorry,” she repeated.

“What about you? You must have been terrified.”

“I was, but then I got away, and these two guys found me.”

Her parents exchanged more worried glances. “Two men.”

“Yes. Did you see them? One of them came in with me. He was here earlier.”

“Oh, the officer said something about that. It was kind of him to wait until you slept.”

“How long was I out for?”

“The nurse gave you some pills; I think she said you slept for a few hours. They moved you up to the ward, and then we had you switched to a private room.”

Maggie looked around, struggling to keep up with all the things that had happened around her while she had slept.

“But if you moved me, how will Aiden and Cyrus know where to find me?”

“They'll find you if they need to. But really, I think it would be better if you severed all contact with them. If they prove not to be accomplices of the man their holding downstairs then I’ll mail them a nice big check to say thank you.”

“No! Don’t. They don’t need your money.” Maggie knew they would find a reward insulting, and she did not want to upset them. She still planned to return to them as soon as she could.

***

Maggie sat looking out into the garden. She felt caged here, her parents kept a constant eye on her since the kidnapping, and it was becoming more and more unbearable. Worse, when they were not with her they had employed a bodyguard to watch her every movement.

That was who was on duty now. Mitch. Big, broad and silent. Her parents had left him in charge while they went to the trial of Ted, the guy that kidnapped her. They had decided to keep Maggie away; she would only be attending on the days she needed to give her evidence.

The thing that was killing her was knowing that Aiden and Cyrus were there. At some point, they would be called to give their own evidence. There had been no contact between them, the prosecutor had done all the interviews and put the case together without her having much input.

Ridiculous really, but there it was. Apparently, her memory loss through most of her ordeal made her a fairly unreliable witness.

It all depended on witnesses at the club he had picked her up from, and the shop assistant who had called him when she went to use the phone. It turned out the phone number was her friend, Scarlet's. As soon as she got the message she had called Maggie’s parents, and they had alerted the police.

“Can I get you anything?”

Maggie turned. Right on time Mrs Fraser was checking up on her. “No thanks. Have you heard from my mom or dad yet?” she asked, although she knew it was too early.

“No, not yet Maggie. Why don’t I get you a nice cool drink? It’s so hot today.”

“Thank you, that would be nice,” she answered.

Her thoughts returned to the cold mountain days she had spent with her bears. She could almost sense the feel of their fur, and the touch of their skin against hers.

She sighed. They had ruined her when it came to men. No one could ever make her feel the way they had. Maggie knew she had to find a way to get back to them; this old life of hers was killing her spirit day by day.

“Here we go, dear.” Mrs Fraser placed the ice cold drink by the side of her. “Don’t worry, it will all be over before you know it and then you can go back to your old life.”

Maggie picked the glass up and took a sip. “That’s lovely, thank you. But tell me, Mrs Fraser, what if I don't want to go back to my old life?

“Then you have to find a way of making your new life work. I’ve known you for enough years to know you are capable of getting yourself out of any scrape. Your parents are just worried. You have to show them you can look after yourself. Or at least that those two men of yours can look after you.”

“Excuse me, Mrs Fraser!”

“Your mother was telling me how...intense they are. Big and strong. They would make good protectors of any woman. If she knew how to sell the deal to her parents.” Mrs Fraser winked at her, and then glanced up at Mitch who stood totally impassive. “You'll work it out.”

***

Maggie stood on the roadside, convinced she was in the right place. Her heart pounded, she was scared. However, there was no way back, she had to go forward, or regret it for the rest of her life. Because up there somewhere were her bears, and she had to find them.

“Here, we go,” she said out loud and then took her first steps into her new life.

“Take care. Let me know if you need anything. And let me know when you find them.”

She turned back towards the road. “Thanks Mom.” She went back and hugged her mom. “I’m so glad you understand.”

“I don’t know if I’d go that far. But it is your life, and if they treat you like you say they would you'll be safe. And happy. I just wish you would let us meet them first.”

“Soon, Mom. Soon. Let me spend some time with them alone. They don’t expect to see me, and to turn up with my family too will be a bit strange. They are very private.”

“With something to hide?”

“Mom. Don’t start.”

“I know you are keeping something from us. But in all honesty, I am simply glad to see you happy again. Ever since that horrible man took you, you’ve been out of sorts. He took something from you. I only hope Aiden and Cyrus can give you it back.”

“They will, Mom.”

“Can’t I walk with you to the house?” Her voice was strained with worry.

“No. I want to do it on my own.” She went forward, and hugged her mom. I will call you soon.”

Then she broke away from her mother and her past life and set off up the steep hill, hoping she would not end up proving her mom right. She had to find the way to the house, her mom was probably going to sit here and wait until she had, even if she had promised she would not.

Before she went out of sight completely she turned and waved to her mom. “Bye. I love you.”

Her mom waved, and shouted something she could not hear. Maggie waved back once more and then carried on in her quest to find the two men she had been missing so terribly for the last six months.

Despite her fear of not finding them, she also felt free. Not since those two days she had spent with them when she had no memory of who she was had she felt like this. It had not taken her long to realise she had changed forever. Nightclubs and bars no longer interested her, all she thought of were the big handsome men who made love to her and wanted her for who she was, not her money.

Once Ted had been jailed, her parents had become a little slacker about minding her every minute of the day. It had still taken some months and many frank discussions with her parents to persuade them to let her live her own life.

They had been concerned Aiden and Cyrus had brainwashed her for some ulterior gain, yet when the months passed and they did not get in touch to ask for anything, or tempt Maggie away, they saw things differently.

Then they tried to persuade Maggie that they obviously did not think of her too much because they had not come to see her. Maggie had struggled not to lose her temper at the unfairness of their arguments.

However, she knew her parents did not have all the facts; they had no idea how hard it had been for the men to come to the hospital with her. To then go on and testify against Ted, that alone had proved to Maggie how much they cared for her and would do anything to keep her safe. They had sacrificed their privacy for her. Now she wanted to pay them back.

She heard them before she saw them. A crashing through the trees, a large animal moving towards her with no care for who heard or saw them. Her heart raced, and heat grew in her body, she had been too long without them.

Cyrus was first, a blur of brown fur through the trees, and a low growl emanating from him. Her body reacted, feeling the pull of this magnificent beast. She reached out her hands to him, wanting to touch his fur and run her fingers through his thick coat.

When he reached her he stopped, his teeth visible and for a moment, she stood still, shocked. Had he not recognised her after all, were all her hopes and dreams for a future with them going to be shattered in this one moment when Cyrus did not recognise her. She knew her heart would break.

“Cyrus, it’s me.” She took a step closer and held her hand out.

He backed off, and she was close to tears, the rejection too much. Then he turned, and walked away.

“Cyrus,” she sobbed.

He turned back towards her and waited, she took a step closer, and he moved again.

“You want me to follow you?” she asked.

He turned and walked into the trees, leading her further and further up the hill and closer to their house, or so she hoped. Maggie longed to ask him what was wrong, and to find out if Aiden was near, but Cyrus did not slow down. He was leading her somewhere purposefully, and all she could do was follow.

All at once, he stopped and lifted his bear snout into the air and called. Some way off in the distance, a faint reply could be heard. Aiden.

Maggie’s heart thumped in her chest, Cyrus had wanted to share his findings with his friend. They still wanted to share her equally. Cyrus could easily have taken her first, and she would not have objected, instead he had taken her to his best friend, and now they could be reunited properly. Completely.