Hansel's Bear (Erotic Shifter Fairy Tale) (7 page)

Unfazed he slipped his hand from under
Genma’s. “Thanks for the offer. But I was already informed that Den
didn’t have places for outsiders to even spend the night. I don’t
mind laying in the woods at night, but I don’t see myself being
able to get much rest with having to keep one eye open.” He let out
a humorless chuckle.

Genma laughed.

Rita smiled.

Octavia tapped her lip, her brow
lifted slightly, as she sat as if pondering a puzzle.

Placing his hands on the table, he
began to rise.

“
We know the perfect
place,” Octavia erupted as she set her gaze on Genma.

“
We do?” Genma’s eyebrows
lifted.

“
Tell me. I want in on
it.” Rita leaned toward Octavia who sat across the small square
table from her.

“
The first Den house.”
Octavia smacked the table and bellowed out a laugh of pure joy that
had many heads turning in their direction.

“
You’re right, why didn’t
I think of that. It makes sense.” Genma’s smile was so wide it
practically reached her ears then she fell into gleeful excitement
with her friend.

“
You mean where you two
stayed a few months.” Rita nodded her head, more to herself than to
the other ladies. “You’re so brilliant Octavia. We spent all that
time getting it cleaned and straightened up for you two, now it
just sits abandoned.”

Hansel wasn’t sure what these women
were referring to. Their coded conversation went so rapidly he
didn’t even attempt to follow it. He sat there feeling as if he was
waiting for them to say his name, even though they were discussing
him. His mind pondered. Even if they did have somewhere for him to
stay while he attempted to speak with Greta, ‘Should I stay?’ kept
popping into his mind. It was clear Greta didn’t want anything to
do with him or to discuss their past together.

Maybe I should leave well
enough alone.

No
. His bear nudged him mentally and caused his core to tighten
in resistance. This wasn’t the first time he and his bear were at
odds over what to do where Greta was concerned.

Finally, Rita’s gaze settled on him.
“It’s time to go, Hansel.”

“
Yes, ma’am.” seemed to be
the only response. Fishing his wallet out of his pocket he slipped
out funds to cover the bill.

“
We invited you. We should
pay.” Octavia rose to her feet and began to reach inside her
purse.

Placing a gentle restraining hand on
her arm, he shook his head. “The day I sit at a table with three
gorgeous females and allow them to foot the bill for my food, I
will throw my bear fur down in front of a human fireplace.” He
tossed the money down.

The three older were-females shivered
at the image of his words.

Octavia and Genma gave sharp
nods.

“
Let’s go.” Rita led the
way out of the diner.

“
Come back again, soon.
You’re welcome here anytime.” Ann stood at the door greeting more
guests as they left.

He gave the woman a wink, not
committing himself to anything.

~YH~

“
Oh, my, I needed this.”
Greta lay back in the soft grass and enjoyed the cool breeze along
her skin as she balanced her wine glass on her belly with one
hand.

“
Me too. I love my kids at
the school and my three at home, but there are times when I just
want to shift and go for a long run or lose my mind.” Riley rubbed
her swollen belly. “With number four on the way I am sure a mental
institution already has a room reserved for me.”

Rena laughed, lying on the other side
of Greta. “Hey, you have me a little scared over here.”

“
You’re only on one…don’t
get scared until you catch up with Theo and I.” Riley tossed
out.

“
Before this turns into a
full offspring conversation I’m getting more wine…can I top you
off, Greta?” Ebony rose from the ground and went a few feet back to
the picnic basket filled with wine and nibbles.

“
Absolutely.” Greta downed
the last swallow of her second glass of honeyed wine and held it up
high awaiting her refill.

They had been out there about thirty
minutes just lying around in the dark listening to the calming flow
of the lake. They were downstream from Genma’s house, but away from
any other houses.

Tranquil peace. Greta was glad she’d
agreed to this moment with her friends.

Ebony filled her glass from the jug of
Shardik-made brew, slightly unsteady she splashed a drop on to
Greta’s cheek.

“
If you’re going to pour
it on me…at least aim for my mouth.” Greta smiled up at the pretty
black woman with the birth-marked, gray streak in her
hair.

Ebony’s giggle slid out easily, proof
she was a little tipsy. Usually her co-worker and friend was too
serious for her own good. “True. No need to waste such good
wine.”

“
So, tell us, Ebony. Since
you don’t want to talk about breeding…when are you going to allow
that sexy Dainton to mate with you...” Riley leaned up on her
elbows and glanced back at Ebony.

“
Yeah. Make you his
officially. You have that Were twisted.” Rena added. “Bring me a
bunch of grapes when you come back over here with your
answer.”

“
And cheese.” Riley
added.

Greta kept quiet as she sat up to
drink down a gulp of wine. She didn’t enjoy the direction of the
conversation. She wasn’t pregnant or close to being anyone’s mate.
Not that she usually gave either issue much thought. However,
having Hansel show up in town had her body completely on edge with
need and made her mind display an occasional image of her life with
a male to love her.

But she wouldn’t fool herself into
believing that Hansel was here for love. The male was a
pseudo-brother. They were siblings of tragedy. For that reason
alone she had to be glad he had heeded her words and left
town.

“
I don’t know.” Ebony
plopped down hard in the grass beside Rena, drawing Greta’s
attention back to them.

Thankfully away from her own wayward
thoughts.

“
We know you care for him.
It’s evident on your face every time he walks into the same space
you’re in.”

That was so true. At work, Greta had
walked in on the couple at least twice with their faces locked
together and hands caressing and cupping. They were combustible,
ready to singe anyone that got near them.

“
Yeah, I do. Probably even
love the big lug of a bear.” Ebony put her glass to her lips and
downed half of her drink in one gulp.

“
Then what’s the problem?”
Rena maneuvered her round body into a sitting position.

“
What are you waiting
for?” Riley remained stretched out, rubbing her swollen
belly.

“
It’s…it’s—” Ebony’s words
broke off as she stared out at the lake. Her mouth opened as if she
was going to start again, but she closed it and shook her head and
sighed.

Greta understood Ebony’s emotional
frustration. Even though their situation was extremely different,
she comprehended the internal war of bear and mind.

“
It’s okay, Ebony.” Rena
placed a comforting hand on Ebony’s shoulder.

“
No, it’s not.” Ebony
burst out crying.

That caused them all to freeze. Such
open, raw emotions from the reserved, professional female had the
three of them momentarily dumbfounded.

“
I can’t shift. I can’t
shift.” The tears rolled unchecked down Ebony’s face.

Rena scurried across the ground to her
and pulled her into a hug. Greta watched as Riley joined in, her
heart breaking for her cousin’s mate. She, unlike the other three
ladies, had been raised as a Were-bear, knew what was expected of
her. Trained in her shifting skills and methods from birth, she
could shift with barely a thought or breath.

However, she didn’t belittle her three
friends. Riley was a home girl bitten at a young age by Theo, but
raised unaware of the Were gene in her blood until she’d met him
again. Rena was a half-blood, with a mother who had felt rejected
by Den’s sleuth and set out on her own to live a ‘human’ life,
leaving her daughter ignorant of her heritage until Rena’s bear had
come calling.

Yes, unlike them she knew whom she
was, inside and out. There were just darker thoughts that haunted
her heart and mind.

“
It’s okay, Ebony.” Riley
rubbed her back.

“
That first shift is a
bitch. It happened to me without me even realizing it was going
on…I thought I was dreaming.” Rena gave Ebony a kind
smile.

Ebony wiped her eyes and blotted her
cheeks with the back of her hands. “I don’t know what’s wrong with
me, I keep getting emotional like this.”

“
You better not be
breeding. Two pregnant friends that can’t drink with me when I’ve
had a rough day is enough.” Greta pointed a finger at
Ebony.

The ladies laughed, which seemed to
break the tension some.

“
Thanks, Greta.” Ebony
gave her a small smile.

A nod and a sip was her response. She
had really tried to lighten the mood more for her own sake than for
Ebony’s. There was little doubt in her own mind that if she gave in
to her emotions, even if in support of her friend, it may start the
firestorm brewing inside of her since Hansel’s appearance in town.
Correction, since she’d picked up his unique scent in the woods by
the river—woodsy cashmere notes.

A scent both masculine and delicate.
Why couldn’t he just have a simple musky spice like all the other
were-males around Den. To her, none of the other males even drew
her attention by their scent, let alone made her heart race and her
belly tighten with the thought of it. She drank some more wine and
dropped back to the ground with a groan.

“
How do you do
it?”

The three females went silent around
her, cluing Greta into the fact that they may have been awaiting
some sort of response from her. Rolling along the grass she stared
at them. “Do what?”

What had I
missed?

“
You know… shift?” Ebony
asked. “It happened while Rena was sleeping after a marathon of sex
with Cord and that’s no help for me. Dainton and I have torn sheets
up numerous times and—”

“
Hey!” Greta waved her
hand vigorously before Ebony. “My cousin…don’t need details about
you guys’s sexcapades.” Her bottom lip was feeling a little numb
and she could hear her words slurring a little. She almost smiled
at the thought that drunkenness had begun to finally set
in.

“
Anyway. After all the
gymnastics I still open my eyes in the same form I went to sleep
in.” Ebony’s sigh was heavy.

“
Hm.” Greta nodded, the
world tilted some. “I see how that could bother you.”

“
Theo took me through the
paces. However, by then I was already breeding so I think that may
have helped give me strength to shift.” Riley’s shoulder lifted and
fell.

“
There you have it. Get
Dainton to help you. Right paw, left paw, back paws, breathe.”
Greta giggled at her own childish instructions and choked some on
her dink as she finished it off and pushed to her feet. The ground
felt unsteady for a moment but after a few deep breaths it righted
itself.

“
Be serious, Greta. I was
so sure of everything in the corporate world. Never doubted myself.
If there was an issue I solved it. The envy of many.” She glanced
out toward the lake. “However, now, I feel out of sorts.
Uncomfortable. This Were-bear thing is still all too new.” Then she
looked back and met the gaze of each of them slowly. “But, I want
to find a way to do this shift thing myself. For myself and to make
Dainton proud.”

Moving across the lush grass, Greta
squatted before Ebony feeling a little jealous of the love this
person had for her cousin and the fact that she was getting an
intense love in return. “I’ll help you.”

“
Tonight?”

“
Uh, no.” Greta stood up
again, too quickly, and ended up on her backside. “If I even
considered it I think shifting while drunk would cause my bear to
bring up my dinner.”

“
I’m not feeling well
about now either.” Ebony frowned into her still half-full
glass.

“
No more wine for the two
of you.” Rena took Ebony’s glass then Greta’s and went to the
basket. She tossed the remainder of Ebony’s drink into a bush
before putting them away.

“
Well, I guess we all need
to head home.” Ebony stretched her arms over her head.

“
Not yet.” Riley spoke
beside her.

“
What’s up?” Greta lowered
her arms and glanced from Riley to Ebony who now stood beside
her.

“
We put this little
lakeside party together for you.” Ebony reminded her.

“
Tell us about the hot,
sexy rogue bear in town.” Riley folded her arms under her breasts
and waited.

“
Not much to tell.” She
glanced back at Rena hoping to get some support from her
ex-neighbor and friend, who now lived with her mate Cord instead of
her grandmother Genma. However, she could see there was no
reinforcement there, since Red, a nickname of Rena’s, was strolling
toward her with curiosity lighting her gaze.