Hansel's Bear (Erotic Shifter Fairy Tale) (13 page)

He didn’t and now his bear was angry
and they were at odds.

Now, he was unsure about something
else. This night brought more and more complexity to his life and
emotions he didn’t care for. He pondered for a few minutes just how
much he wanted to share with Greta about his life. He wasn’t the
kind of person that opened up to anyone or made attachments. But,
Greta was different, that he could admit to himself.

He chalked it up to their shared
experience, she was a sister of tragedy to him, and left it at
that.

She must have sensed his hesitance
because she gazed up at him, balancing her chin on the back of her
hand at the center of his chest.

“
You don’t have to tell me
if it is too painful. I understand pain around that
situation.”

Rubbing her back, he gazed into the
kind ebony eyes of the female that had grown to mean so much to
him. Not just because of tonight or anything of their past. Just
because she was Greta. “I don’t mind sharing some things with
you.”

“
Thank you.” Her fingers
curled into his chest and scratched along his skin as if trying to
sooth him.

“
I will tell you about the
day of my escape.”

“
Whatever you’re
comfortable with.”

He wasn’t comfortable with any of it,
but he would still take a small chip out of his wall for her.
Moving the hand from behind his head, he wrapped it around her and
pulled her closer to him. He refused to analyze the gesture as
anything but that he liked her full, soft body against his own. Not
because he needed her for emotional support.

“
After I caused that
distraction that helped you get away, the three men that ran the
place kept a sharper watch on me.” He stared up at the wooden slats
that made up the arched ceiling.

“
They didn’t just chain me
to a stake in the floor of the animal keep, but placed me in your
cage. They told me that since I aided you in getting free I could
take your place. My training time was doubled, as well as the
length of time I performed for the audience they brought in for
shows was extended. They were purposely exhausting me. Keeping me
from considering my own escape I’m sure.” Being in her cage and
smelling her scent every night had caused him to long for her and
his loneliness to feel insurmountable. However, he couldn’t have
kept her there with him. Greta had a family she needed to return
to.

“
But it didn’t
work.”

“
No. The more vicious they
were to me and the harder they worked me the more I plotted and
planned for my freedom.” He gazed down at her and stroked the
supple skin of her cheek. “What you don’t know is that before you
showed up, I had given up hope. I had nothing to live for…no family
anymore. I was sore and emotionally empty. You gave me a purpose.”
Taking hold of her sides he dragged her up his body and kissed
her.

It wasn’t a kiss of passion, but one
of thanks—soft and slow.

When the kiss ended, she settled back
against his side. “I’m glad I could give you hope again. No one
deserves to live out their days in that hell.”

He thought about all the other
animals, nonshifters, he had left there. It caused an ache of
sadness in his chest. It was part of the reason he hunted them
now.

“
No one.” She echoed. “How
did you finally do it, if they had you chained and
caged.”

“
I waited until the
perfect moment during my performance. They always removed my collar
and links to put on one of those idiot ruffled collars around my
neck before I entered the ring, so the humans that came to watch
wouldn’t see the chains. There was a point in the show where I
would run in circles around Jackal, the ring master, and then they
would turn on loud music and I was expected to stand up on my hind
legs and move toward him to the beat—”

“
As if you were dancing. I
recall them trying to teach me that move even while my ankle was
still tender and sore. I could never stay up long enough to
complete the movements.”

Hansel recalled those few attempts as
well. He’d stepped before her, shielding her bear’s body from the
sharp bite of the tip of the whip, one of Damian the trainer’s
favorite tools.

“
Well, when the music was
loud and the tent was packed with people, I stopped myself on the
farthest side of the ring waiting for the music to start. Once it
did, I got up as I was supposed to, began to move in the rehearsed
steps, but after a few I dropped back down. As soon as my front
paws hit the sawdust-covered floor I started running toward the
single opening that the people used to come and go.”

“
Didn’t they come after
you?”

“
Yes. I but I ran toward
the woods. I doubled back behind one of the worker trailers. There
was the teenage boy that cleaned out the cages, he was about my
size. I shifted to my human form and snuck inside to steal some
clothes from him. By that time the crowd had also exited the tent
and were running everywhere. Some headed to cars trying to escape
the ferocious escaped bear. Others mingled around and still got on
rides and bought food and souvenirs.”

“
That was a smart move to
shift and blend in. Did you catch a ride from someone?”

“
No. I didn’t want the
questions of where my parents were or how I’d gotten there. So, I
just started walking down road. Two hours later, Damian and Bart,
the accountant, came tearing down the road in the animal catcher
truck. I thought they had me.” He ran his hand along her
spine.

She gasped. “Did they?”

He chuckled, recalling that moment.
“Hell, no. They stopped and asked me if I’d just come from the Big
Top and if I’d seen the runaway bear.”

She laughed.

“
I wanted to reach inside
the truck and yank them both through the window and beat the shit
out of them.” Even now the heat of anger shook his core. He opened
and closed his fists.

Greta took hold of one of his hands
and lifted it to her mouth, kissing his knuckles until he relaxed
some and opened it. She stroked the center of his palm with her
thumb.

Her care and concern for him warmed
every icy corner inside of him. It had been so long since someone
else had worried or fussed over him, he didn’t know how to respond
to it, so he remained silent.

“
I’m sure you did want to
attack them. You had every right. What did you do?”

He sighed, pushing out frustration’s
poison energy. “Just looked them straight in the eye and said I
hadn’t seen it. They gave a sharp nod and sped away.”

“
What have you been doing
since then?”

“
Just wandering around the
country trying to live some semblance of a life.” Uncomfortable
with the conversation, he shifted her away from him and sat up. “I
think it is time I get you back home safely.”

Pushing into a seated position, she
grabbed the edge of the sheet tangled on the bed and pulled it over
her body—covering her nudity. “I don’t need an escort, Hansel. I
can take care of myself.”

He had done that. Made her feel
vulnerable and insecure all over again. He was a shit, but he
couldn’t help it. Life had thrown him too many curve balls he had
to take care of before he was any good for himself or anyone else.
If he stayed curled up in this bed beside her much longer opening
up his heart and thoughts, he’d start to wish for things and a life
that wasn’t meant for him. He was a loner…experience had taught him
a harsh lesson—that it was better not to feel for anyone or attach
yourself because you could lose everything too easily. And the pain
of that loss hurt like a motherfucker and he had barely survived it
the first time, he couldn’t risk it again.

For Greta.

Not even for Greta, he explained to
his bear.

“
I know you don’t, but I
won’t be able to have any peace if I don’t see for myself that
you’re alright.”

“
Fine.” She climbed out of
the bed and looked around the floor still clutching the sheet to
her beautiful body.

Guessing what she needed, he got up
and swiped his shirt from the floor and crossed the room. “Here you
go.”

Glancing at him, she saw the shirt he
extended to her and took it. She quickly dropped the bedding and
put it on, ensuring she buttoned every button. The fastening done
up at her throat made her look more tense and
uncomfortable.

“
I’m ready.” She started
to turn, but he stopped her with a hand on her waist.

“
Blackberry, thank you for
this night.” He waited until she met his gaze. “There has been very
little joy in my life, but when there has it always seems to be
brought by you.” He cupped her face and stared into her ebony orbs.
There were so many things he wanted to say, share, but he couldn’t.
Nor did he know how to. He was captured at such a young age that
this was all foreign ground to him.

With one step, she closed the gap
between them and set her lips softly against his. The kiss was
closed mouth but more powerful than the hundreds they had exchanged
throughout the night.

His heart beat fiercely in his chest
and caused his gut to clench, ache.

She moved out of his arms. “This night
will be one I will always remember fondly.”

There was nothing left to be said and
everything to say, instead he nodded.

“
I’ll wait for you
outside.” She walked away.

When he heard the soft click of the
front door closing, he dropped to the bed and buried his head in
his hands.

How can you walk away from
her?

“
I have to.” He could feel
the agitation of his bear. It wanted Greta. Wanted Hansel to claim
her as his. However, he couldn’t. What life could he offer her? A
life on the road running down one lead after another was no way to
live. No way to build a family.

He thought about what it would be like
to have a family with Greta, but even the momentary consideration
caused him pain in the deep recesses of his mind where memories of
his lost family were stored. Shoving the thoughts away he stood
quickly and grabbed his jeans from the floor. Greta was waiting for
him and he needed to take care of her then get far away from her.
It was for the best.

For who?
His bear growled.

“
Everyone.”

When he got outside he saw her
standing at the edge of the trees out of the arc of light from the
porch. She was just as ready for their time together to end as he
was.

Without a word he walked toward her
and they fell into step together. He allowed her to lead the
way.

Forty minutes later they arrived at a
small clearing on the far side of the lake away from most of the
cabins in the county. Her white truck was parked there.

Opening it up, she grabbed her clothes
from inside and dressed in her jeans, blouse and shoes. “I feel
like I should say something more than thank you.” She handed him
his shirt.

Pulling it to his nose he smelled it
as he held her gaze. Wildflowers and rain—Greta.

Lowering the clothing, he wrapped an
arm around her waist and drew her against him. Placing his lips
along the shell of her ear, he allowed the heart of his bear to
speak. “May tomorrow never come and tonight’s end tarry so that I
may live in this moment with you always.”

“
And I with you.” She
squeezed him to her.

He brushed his lips along her temple,
then clutching his shirt he released her and walked
away.

Moments later he heard her truck start
up and the forest debris snapping beneath her tires as she drove
away.

Even as his soul burned at the thought
of parting from her, he knew it had to be done.

Chapter Six

Shifting her truck into park in the
driveway, she told herself for the one hundredth time not to think
about Hansel. It had taken all of her strength and will power not
to drive her truck back to the founders’ cabin and race into his
arms. Just to have him hold her one more time. However, what was
the use, just to have him turn her away again. Remind her that
there was no future for them? The hell of it all was that in her
mind she knew that. Knew it just as clearly as Hansel made
it.

It was her heart and her bear that she
had to continue convincing.

Opening the door she slipped to the
ground and assured herself that her feelings for Hansel were only
because he was the first male she’d given her body to. The only one
she’d allowed close to her heart. Now that she’d decided to start
living her life, things were going to change for her. By this time
next year she would hopefully be living in her own cabin with a
mate and hopefully her first of many offspring.

Offspring
. Her feet stumbled at the
last step onto her parent’s porch. She placed a hand on her stomach
and thought about the feeling of Hansel’s cub growing inside of her
womb. She knew it wasn’t even a possibility without three markings.
But, she allowed the fantasy to play out just this once as she
reached for the door.