Embraced by the Bear (2 page)

“Yes, we found them over on the reservation land.” Edward straightened and cleared his throat. “It seems as if they were mauled by bears.”

“Mauled?” she asked.

“Yes, a bear attacked them at the fence and then dragged them to an abandoned cabin on the reservation land.

“All of them at once?”

“It was a strong bear.” Edward tilted his head to the side and studied her for a moment before continuing. “I suspect that you were on his trail when you passed out.” He glanced down at her chest, and Shae noticed the hunger in his eyes. “Still no idea as to why that happened?”

Shae frowned and pulled the blankets closer to her chest. “No idea.”

“I see.” Edward stood and shoved his hands in his pockets. “I’ll have a doctor come by and check you out. Just in case.” He moved to the door, giving Shae a perfect view of his bony backside.

Damn, she’d love to bite that ass. . .

“What about the bear?” she asked, not quite ready for him to leave.

“The bear?”

She carefully placed the tray back on the end table. “The one that mauled that family.” Shae remembered Nathan talking about a rogue bear roaming the woods, and how they hoped to catch him before it did any more damage.

“If it’s still out there, then it might strike again,” she said.

Edward faced her, and Shae’s gaze was immediately drawn to the bulge in his pants. “Oh, you don’t need to worry about that,” he said. “I’ve taken precautions to make sure that that animal never hurts anyone ever again.”

Shae forced herself to look at his face. “What did you do?”

Edward flashed her a sickly smile. It transformed his face from something harmless, to something evil and deadly. “I hired the finest hunter in Alberta. She’s been hunting bear all her life.”

“Her?”

Edward nodded. “Don’t let her size fool you. She’s as vicious as they come. She’s brought along some friends and tonight we’re going to storm the reservation and kill that bear before it hurts someone else.”

“What about the mayor and the treaty? We aren’t supposed to hurt anyone on reservation property.”

“You expect me to let that bear roam free after what it did?” He shook his head. “He’s far too dangerous. What if he mauls another vacationer at the lodge?”

“Perhaps we should speak to—”

“No.” He took a menacing step toward her, causing Shae to shrink back in fear. “The time for talk is over. We must strike before those animals hurt someone else.”

There was something in the way he said
animals
that made Shae suspect that he meant much more than bears. It was widely known how much he hated the Natives living on the reservation. According to him, it wasn’t right that they should get so much government assistance while everyone else worked their asses off to get by.

Shae shifted her position in the bed. “But the law. . .”

“Fuck the law.”

Shae raised her brows. Edward was not one to cuss, and the words sounded foreign to her ears. “Fuck the law?”

“I’ll deal with the mess later. We can’t let those bastards have free reign. They’ll devastate the entire area.”

“Those bastards? I thought that there was just one.”

“We’ll see.” Edward smoothed his features. “None of this should be your concern. You need your rest.”

“I want to be a part of the hunting party.” Shae didn’t know what her boss was up to, but it didn’t sound good. The only way she could put a stop to whatever he was planning was if she worked from the inside.

“I can’t have you go out just yet. You’ve been hurt.”

“I’m fine.” A low growl vibrated in her throat, and she covered it up with a cough. “I will be fine. Let me go, Edward. I feel at least partially responsible for what happened to that family.”

He considered her for a moment before responding. “Come down to the kitchens at nine tonight, and we’ll talk.”

“Thanks, Edward.”

He nodded and turned back toward the door. “Now sleep.”

“Yes, sir.” Shae watched her boss go. With his absence, her desire receded somewhat, allowing her to think. Something wasn’t right about this, but for the life of her, she couldn’t figure out what.

The more she thought, the more her head throbbed. After several minutes she groaned and shifted down under the covers once more.

Shae had nine hours until the meeting tonight, and she needed to be in her best shape if she was to get to the bottom of all this. That meant that she needed her sleep.

Fifteen minutes before the meeting, Shae slipped out into the hall. She wanted to get there before anyone else so that she could assess people as they arrived.

We’re almost there, little one.
Nathan’s voice filled her head.
Some of my men should be on the property already. You will sense their loyalty to me. Trust them, and they will get you out of there.

Shae tried to respond, but didn’t know how. Frustrated, she pushed the voice out of her head. She didn’t want to go anywhere, not until she knew what Edward had planned.

After a quick glance up and down the hall to confirm it was empty, she started toward the stairs. When she was half way to her destination, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Stopping next to an alcove, she squinted into the shadows.

“Who’s there?”

A large man materialized in front of her. “Just me, sugar. I’ve come to take you home.”

Strange, she felt the same weird connection with this man that she did with Edward hours before. Everything was so confusing, and she wished that she had time to sort everything out. “Who are you?”

“Name’s Knox Goodman.” A noise rose up from the other end of the hall. Before Shae could react, Knox grabbed her arm and pulled her into the shadows. He turned her until her back hit the wall, and then pressed his large frame up against her.

“Sorry, sugar.” He covered her mouth with his own. Immediately Shae’s desire went into overdrive. She parted her lips, inviting him to enter. He did, and as his tongue brushed against hers, she groaned and wrapped her arms around his neck.

This was what she wanted, what she craved.
A man’s embrace.
Never before had Shae needed sex like she did in this moment. Tilting her head, she met his tongue and caressed it as she threaded her fingers into his thick, blond hair. His layers felt like silk, and his body felt like sin. Urgency rose up from her core, compelling her to raise her leg. He groaned as she wrapped it around his hip and ground her pussy against his growing erection.

From somewhere in the distance footsteps came closer, hesitated, then faded.

Knox pulled away from the kiss, but didn’t separate their bodies. Instead he rested his forehead against hers and took in large gulps of air.

“Fuck woman, we need to stop. Nathan’s going to kill me.”

“I don’t care. I need to feel you inside of me, Knox. I need it now.” She kissed the stubble on his jaw, the vein in his neck, and when he slid his hand up under her dress, she almost cried with relief.

“Shae.” His voice sounded strained as he dragged his rough fingers over her ass.

“Fuck me Knox. Fuck me like an animal.”

He squeezed her butt cheek, then pulled her closer. “You’re a strong one. Your mating heat is driving me crazy. Every bear in a five mile radius is carrying a raging hard on for you.”

She growled and nipped his jaw.

“I can’t think when you do that.”

“Good.” She ran her tongue alone the vein in his neck.

“Your heat . . .” He gasped as she nipped the base of his neck. “Your presence brings out the beast in me.”

She sucked his skin and pressed her breasts against his chest. Why wouldn’t he just fuck her?

“And that dress . . . you’re not wearing underwear.”

She pulled away from his neck and stared up into his green eyes. They flashed yellow, then turned dark as he shifted focus to her lips.

“I need to get you out of here. Nathan’s waiting for you and can tend to your needs.”

“Fuck Nathan. He’s not here.” She tightened her grip in his hair. “I know that you can give me what I want.”

“Sugar, you have no idea what you’re sayin’.”

“If you won’t have sex with me, then I’ll go downstairs and find someone who will.” They were bold words, and so unlike her. Shae had no idea what was happening, but she was beyond caring.

Surprise lit up Knox’s features. “No, you can’t do that. Sex with humans won’t lessen your mating urges. You need a bear—”

“A big, strong bear.” She ran her fingers over his arms. His biceps were huge, and his square jaw emphasized his masculinity. He seemed to fill the hallway, and made her feel small and delicate in his presence.

“I can’t.” Despite his words, she could feel his strength resisting.

“Can’t or won’t?” She nipped his neck
.
Moisture pooled between her thighs, and Shae ran her tongue over her lips seductively.

Knox curled his fingers into her flesh. “You need to control your energy. It’s building too fast.”

“Shut up and kiss me.” She reached in between them and pulled down the zipper of his jeans.

“I can’t do this. You belong to him.”

“I belong to no one.” Shae pulled out his cock and gripped it hard. “But if you fuck me right, I might belong to you.”

Hunger flashed through his eyes at her words. “Seriously? You’d be mine?”

“Yes.” She stroked him again. “All yours.”

“Mine.” He swooped down and captured her mouth, pushing his tongue past the seam of her lips and invading her senses. For a long moment, she could think of nothing beyond his rich, masculine taste and the building heat in her lower abdomen.

She stroked him once, twice . . . The man’s skin was so smooth, and yet underneath he was harder than iron. The air around them crackled with energy as a sense of urgency rose up in her core. After stroking him a third time, she positioned the tip of his cock at her opening.

Suddenly, he tore his mouth away and stared at her in anger. “Stop.”

He looked wild, almost crazed. Shae let go of him as he took a fistful of hair and pulled her head to the side. “You want to be mine?”

“Yes.” She rubbed her hips against his. “God, yes.”

Shae yelped as he bent down and took a long, deep inhale next to her neck. The gesture was strangely erotic, and Shae found it hard to think clearly.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

He lifted his head and pierced her with his stare. “He hasn’t marked you yet.”

“Marked?”

“I could still claim you.”

“Yes.”

“You’d seriously consider belonging to me?” He dropped his gaze to her breasts.

“Of course.” She didn’t care who she belonged to, as long as he fucked her hard.

Knox slid his fingers under the seam of her dress, caressing the upper swell of her breast. Shae moaned and closed her eyes as heat burned through her veins.

“I have to warn you, I like it rough.” With a quick jerk, he pulled, ripping the fabric as he it tore away from her breasts.

“I like rough.”

His smile looked feral as he placed his large, meaty hand on her breast. “Mine.”

“Always.”

Knox bent down and took the tight nipple of the second breast between his teeth. He bit down hard, making her cry out, but the pain soon dissipated and was replaced by pleasure.

“Oh god.” She threaded her fingers into his hair and held him close as he nipped and squeezed her sensitive skin. His touch was rough, almost primal, and it made something inside her stir.

“So sweet,” he murmured against her skin. “Just like sugar. That’s what you are, my sugar.”

“Please,” she whispered as she tightened her grip his hair. Pleasure washed over her body, and as the empty hallway faded away, all she became aware of was this man, this moment, and the rising need inside of her.

“No,” he said as he jerked away from her touch. “I want to see if you are worthy to be my mate. You must prove yourself before I claim you.”

“Tell me what you want,” she said as she slid her fingers over his well-muscled chest. “I’ll do anything you ask.”

He fisted her hair and guided her down onto her knees. “Suck me,” he commanded. “And if you do it right, I’ll mark you and give you more pleasure than you ever dreamed.”

Chapter Two

Knox was about ready to explode. Never before had he found a woman who had been able to appease his primal needs. Sure, he had fucked half the women in town, but there was something about her, something about the way that she touched him, that called to his inner bear and made him crazy with lust.

Shae moistened her lips as she grasped the base of his shaft. He groaned and braced himself against the wall for support. Moisture beaded at the tip of his cock, and she licked it up with her tongue.

“Don’t tease,” he said as he tightened his grip in her hair. “Don’t be gentle about it.” His words would frighten any human woman, but this bear, this youngling in heat, seemed to become even more aroused by his commands.

She wrapped her lips around his swollen head and pressed his length into her mouth. Knox shivered as her hot heat surrounded him, she pushed him to the back of her throat.

“Yes, take all of me.” He tangled both hands in her hair and pushed her head closer to his body, forcing her down his length. Shae groaned in response and shifted her hands from his shaft to his balls. She freed them one at a time, and then tugged on the full sacs as she slid her lips over his cock.

“Fuck.” Pleasure surged through his bloodstream, making him light headed. He lowered one hand from the wall and threaded his fingers through her hair.

It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. The mission was clear: find the girl—Nathan’s mate—and get her back to the reservation where it was safe. His boss had told her that she was fragile and sex had to be withheld at all costs, but now he understood those words to be a lie. This woman wasn’t fragile, she was needy, and had a sexual appetite that matched his own. It was obvious that Nathan wanted him to stay away because she was unmarked. He didn’t want someone to steal her away.

But what if she didn’t belong to the bear chief? What if she belonged to him instead?

When the tip of his cock bumped the back of her throat, Knox pulled back his hips, then thrust once more. Shae groaned and relaxed the muscles in her throat, taking even more of him than before. Fuck, the woman was amazing. And that tongue. . . He had never felt anything quite so incredible in his life.

“That’s it. Show me how much you want this.” He removed his other hand from the wall and pressed his palms against her temples. The rough action elicited a moan from her throat. Leaving his balls, she slid her fingers around his hips and curled them into his ass.

Damn, was she pulling him deeper? Desire gripped him hard, making his muscles tight. She was so hot, so wet. This youngling shifter was going to be the death of him.

“I’m going to come inside that sweet mouth of yours,” he said. “And then I’ll come again in that fine ass.”

Shae whimpered against his cock and pulled him closer. The urge to fill her with his seed was all consuming. He wanted to ravish her, to possess her. He wanted to come again and again inside that sweet body until they both were too exhausted to move.

She glanced up as he swelled inside of her. Their gazes locked and he saw his every desire play out over her features. She wanted this, wanted him. Knox tightened his grip on the sides of her head and thrust harder into her mouth.

She closed her eyes and groaned against him, and the vibrations rippled along his spine. Tightening his grip, he moved her head in time with his thrusts. In response she slid her hands around his hips and back to his balls, tugging them away from his body and causing a low, throaty groan to escape from his lips.

“Mine, do you hear me?” he said as he tightened his grip on her head. “From this moment on, you are all mine.” The pressure was building, and he kept his gaze fixed on her as a tingling sensation formed at the base of his spine. The urge to possess, to claim, overwhelmed him until all coherent thought evaporated.

Everything felt so primal, so base. She tightened her grip on his balls and he cried out, reveling in the mixture of both pain and pleasure. He jerked once, twice . . . On the third time he exploded into her mouth, filling her with his seed again and again as bliss tingled through his body and numbed his mind.

Shae moaned and continued to move over his length, drinking every last drop he was willing to give. Over and over he filled her, mesmerized at how eager she was to take his seed. She continued to stroke him, to take everything he could give, until the last ripples of his orgasm faded and his thrusts finally slowed.

“Fuck,” he whispered as he pulled from her mouth. “That was better than I expected.” He pulled her to a standing position and kissed her hard, hoping she could feel some of his gratitude in the kiss.

“I love how I can taste myself on your tongue,” he said as he pulled away. Despite having just orgasmed, he felt himself stiffen once more. Fuck, the woman was amazing. No wonder Nathan wanted her for himself.

She kissed his chin, then nipped his jaw. “Now it’s my turn.”

“You’d like that, eh?” He pressed her against the wall and pushed his large hand between her legs. “You’d love to have my cock right there, wouldn’t you?”

He slid his fingers over her pussy and growled when he realized that she was wet and more than ready.

“You’re so hot, sugar.” He pressed his fingers inside her body and felt her muscles contract around him. “I’m going to love branding you as mine.”

Shae wrapped her arms around his neck and slid her leg over his hip. “Yes,” she whispered right before she kissed his neck. “Claim me now.”

“Oh I want to baby,” he said as he entered her again. “I want to.” He slid his fingers out and brought her juices up over her clit. “But there’s no time.”

Shae lifted her head from his neck. “No time?”

“No.” He shifted his gaze to her lips. “The ritual is complex and needs to be performed in front of witnesses. The marking will have to wait for now. But make no mistake, sugar. I will mark you as mine, and then the entire world will know who you belong to.” He kissed her again, a brutal, possessive mashing of lips that pinned her against the wall and caused her to squirm against him. As he entered her mouth, he thrust his fingers into her pussy. Shae moaned and sank onto his hand when he finally hit that sensitive spot deep inside her core.

When he finally pulled away, they were both breathing heavy. “I might not be able to mark you just yet, but I
can
give you something to remember me by.” He sucked on her neck hard, causing her to gasp and arch her back. The impulse to break her skin with his incisors made him dizzy, but he managed to hold it in check. As he felt her body go weak, he shifted his head, nipping her jaw and ear with satisfaction.
Mine.

Shae leaned her head back against the wall and whimpered. This man’s hand was so large, so rough. She needed him more than she needed air. Gripping his broad shoulders, she moved her hips, thrusting down on his fingers as he pushed up into her core.

“Ah, sugar.” He kissed her neck. His rough shirt rubbed up against her breasts as she moved, stimulating the sensitive tips. Pressure built, and she made soft, feminine cries as he plunged deeper and deeper into her core.

“I’m close,” she whispered.
So damn close.

He adjusted his hand, then rubbed his thumb against her clit. Her world exploded, and she cried out as ecstasy bathed every inch of her body. Arching her back, she pushed closer, needing to pull him deep inside her soul.

Knox growled, then pulled away from her neck. She felt his tongue against her skin as he soothed away the hurt. All the while he continued to pump his hand inside of her, lengthening her pleasure and intensifying it to almost painful levels.

As the last ribbons of ecstasy faded away, she tightened her hold around his neck and glanced down at her arms, which had started to form fine tufts of hair along her skin.

“What’s happening to me?” she asked.

“Shae, are you up here?”

“Shit.” Knox rested his forehead against her shoulder as a familiar voice rose up from the other end of the hall.
Edward
. As Shae tried to calm her breathing, Knox retreated from her body and glanced down at her face.

“Stay in the shadows,” he said. “Or else he’ll know you aren’t human.”

“What do you mean?” Shae stared in shock as he stepped back and shoved his cock back into his pants.

He stared at her for a moment before responding. “Stay out of sight. I’ll find you again.”

“How?”

“I’ll know.” He brushed his fingers over where he had bitten. “Believe me, if Nathan didn’t give the order not to kill, your boss would already be dead.” He brushed his lips against hers. “Until we meet again.”

Shae gaped as he stepped out of the alcove and into the light.

“I’m sorry, it’s just me,” he said.

“Are you one of Mykala’s friends? She’s been looking for you. The meeting’s about to start.”

“I was just on my way down.” Knox moved toward Edward’s voice, and their conversation faded as they disappeared down the hall.

Shae pressed her hand to her chest as the erotic haze filling her mind started to clear. What the hell just happened? Looking down, she tried to put her dress back together, but knew that it was ruined.

Great, now she was going to have to find some new clothes.

Thanks to the clothes issue, Shae was late to the meeting. Thankfully, she was able to borrow some pants and a shirt from a coworker, much more suitable attire for the snow than the sundress she had on earlier. By the time she had dressed and gotten down to the kitchens, the group had already disbanded, and about twenty armed men and women had set out for the border fence in pursuit of the rogue bear.

More were soon to come, according to Edward.

Shae felt the need to warn the Natives, but she didn’t even know where to begin. Her head felt as if it was stuffed with cotton. The sexual interlude in the hall had helped her somewhat, but after Knox left her disorientation had returned with a vengeance. Despite feeling slightly ill, she knew she had to do something to stop this madness, so she grabbed a coat from the staff lockers, a snow mobile from the garage, and headed out to the fence herself.

When she arrived, the place was eerily quiet. If it wasn’t for the overturned snow and footprints heading off onto the reservation, she never would have known anyone was there.

“Hello?” she asked as she got off her snow mobile. After a few moments of silence, she removed her hood and scarf, and tried again. The cold winter air felt good against her hot skin.

“Is anyone there?”

Her temple throbbed, and she rubbed it as she walked over to the break in the fence. It had been hastily repaired in the past two days. Frowning, she took in a deep breath and climbed over it. As her feet landed on the reservation property, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.

Someone was watching her. Shae scanned the surrounding trees, only to find herself alone. Zipping her jacket up higher, she made her way across the small clearing to the edge of the forest where the natives dwelled.

If the rumors were true, then this was also where the rogue bear lived.

Shae took one step, then another. She still felt someone there, watching her, just out of her line of vision. Her head pounded and her vision started to blur as she scanned the surrounding forest.

Something moved off to her left, and a snap of a branch echoed through the clearing. Was the presence friend or foe? She didn’t want to hang around and find out. Shae darted around a tree and scrambled over a boulder on the ground.

A similar noise rose up from behind her and she realized that her watcher was taking up pursuit.

She ran hard, veering first left, then right in an attempt to lose her tail. Despite her best efforts, he was gaining on her, and as the crunching of snow became louder, she started to look for a place to hide.

There, off to her left. The cave wasn’t much, but the ground in front of it was patted down with the tracks of large animals. If she was careful, she could hide in there and no one would be able to find her.

Racing around a set of trees, she climbed over a fallen limb and darted for the entrance. Shae stumbled inside the opening and pressed her body against the rocks as the footsteps became louder.

One, two
. . . Shae counted the seconds as the footsteps first stopped, then hurried off again in another direction. As they became more and more faint, she let out a long breath, releasing the tension she didn’t realize she had.

After a quick glance around to confirm it was clear, she started to move outside when something hooked her arm.

“Not yet.”

She turned to find the man from the hallway staring at her.

“How did. . .”

He pulled her close to his chest and covered her mouth with his hand. Shae tried to scream, but then she heard the crunching of snow once more. Widening her eyes, she watched as someone paced out in front of the cave entrance. After a long moment, they moved away.

When they could no longer hear the footsteps, the man released her mouth.

“What are you doing here?
”
His hungry gaze should have made her uneasy, but instead, it made her body heat all over.