Love to Bear: A Werebear Shifter Romance (3 page)

Sam rifled through the bag for over a minute. When her
hands stopped moving, she looked up, twisted her face bitterly, and
cursed.

“
Fucking great! I must have left it with Jenn.”
She shook her head, furious at herself.

“
Don't worry. There'll be plenty of time to get
you home, safe and sound. I'm not going to jump your bones or make
you a snack. You can trust me, Sam.” I reached out and clasped
her hand.

She laughed uneasily. But I'd gotten her attention, and
basked in the heavenly warmth of her bright eyes.

“
Your clan...you're all like this?” She
asked quietly, sniffing away tears one last time.

“
Yes. Some humans who've dealt with our kind call
us shifters. It's a messy term, but it works. Here, in Horseshoe
Creek, everybody is a bear shifter.”

“
And you can control it?” She asked, nervous
and excited at once.

“
Right. The animal only comes out when there's
good reason. It's just a skill. A talent. And sometimes, a very
powerful weapon. We embrace our bears to guard, to fight, to
explore...it's who we really are.” I trailed off.

I'd covered the litany of reasons why I shifted –
the same reasons everybody else I knew did it too.

“
I can't believe this. Really, this is way too
fucking much.” She held her hands, covering her ears like she
was blotting out some terrible noise.

“
You can believe it, Sam. You're not crazy.”
Slowly, I changed my angle, and kneeled deeper into her. “I
only brought you here to make sure you were okay.”

Well, that's not the whole truth. But maybe we'll get
to that in time...

I couldn't resist. I lifted up on one knee and wrapped
my arms around her, flexing my muscles. Anything to make her feel
supported and protected. I had to make her believe she was safe.

“
I just want to go home,” she moaned.

Despite the fiery confusion I sensed racing through her,
she nuzzled into my chest, breathing deeply. I fought to contain my
arousal. Deep in my embrace, I vowed to protect this fragile women, a
spiritual oath unlike anything I'd experienced except on Harvest
Night.

And if home was the safest place for her, then so be it.
I'd take her there. Just one problem with that...

“
I'll get you back where you belong in good time.
As soon as I can,” I promised. “But we can't leave now.”

“
Why?” She looked up and stared at me
intently.

“
The others don't know you're here. We don't
normally allow humans into our territory. There are times when we
visit your world...but not the other way around. We can't let the
outside world know we exist, or you can guess what will happen.”

I stared into her eyes. I saw the possibilities rippling
in her gaze – the very same that ran through every Grizzly Bone
shifters' worst nightmares.

Military helicopters swooping in. Darkly dressed ninjas
in night vision goggles creeping through the mountains. A man
screaming behind glass in a sterile lab, rearing up and becoming a
roaring bear before the electric prods stabbed into his sides.

“
I'm glad you understand. The few humans our clan
interacted with in the past kept our secret. But when we come across
others, more recently, it's rarely this easy.”

Sam gave me an uneasy smile and pressed her face deep
into my chest. She sighed deep, reached out, and returned my hug.

“
We'll leave this evening after I've made the
rounds. Most of us turn in at night, leaving nothing but a skeletal
patrol to keep away outsiders. Good thing I'm one of the guards.”
I grinned, setting her at ease.

“
I know the route,” I continued. “Right
through the mountain pass. Straight through the ether. Then into the
park, and another hour or so down to Kalispell.”

“
There's one
thing I don't understand. How
do
you stay hidden away like this? Seems like someone would've
discovered your cabins by now. A surveyor. Or at least a plane or a
satellite.”

“
Like I said, we'll be passing through the ether
to get you home. That's the barrier between worlds.” I mentally
chewed on her question, drawing on what little I knew. “This
place is...slightly out of phase with your world. There are only
special moons and seasons when you can see it from the air at all.”

She cocked her head. Starry amazement filled her eyes.

“
That's incredible. Now, I'm not so sure I want to
go home. I was looking for something special. Is this what I was
meant to find?” Sam's last sentence faded below a whisper.

I understood. The question was aimed more at herself
than me. I didn't have an answer.

In fact, I couldn't think about anything at all. Without
warning, she leaned up, positioning her lips painfully close to mine,
just a few inches apart.

The shock and awe in her eyes simmered down. The
beautiful bright orbs narrowed into slits, focusing on me, releasing
an unmistakable arousal from her pores.

I gently inhaled her natural perfume. It smelled as
lovely as she looked.

Human women,
I
mused.
If only they understood how easy they are for a bear
to read.

I was glad she was easy picking. I leaned in and touched
my lips to hers, kissing her deep, kissing her long.

Our tongues met and began to twine and stroke. Sam
moaned into my mouth. Her hot breath tasted like exquisite cream,
sweet and addictive, forcing me to cover her lips completely with
mine and lap deep between her teeth for more.

More.

More!

Along my neck, her hands turned into needles. Her nails
pivoted up and raked at my flesh. Attractively sharp.

I pushed into it, giving her something to grab onto,
relishing the sharp imprint of pure lust against my skin. My hands
swept down, following the curve of her spine, dangerously close to
the place where her soft, ample ass began.

I was ready to rip her out of bed, straight into my
arms. Or maybe dive beneath the covers myself, pinning her to the
mattress, covering her body with mine and wrapping her divine legs
around me.

If only it hadn't ended so abruptly.

Her breath formed a heavy ball and stuck in her throat.
She tore away from me and coughed once, and then I saw tears rolling
down her gorgeous cheeks.

Fuck. Tell me I haven't made some strange mistake?

My mind ran through the possibilities. I hadn't been too
forward. Just as bold and predatory as human women liked. Even so,
none of the few I'd enjoyed during my scouting missions into their
towns had ever reacted like this...

“
What's wrong, Sam? I don't understand why you're
crying.”

She forced herself to meet my eyes. Her sobs increased
another pitch when she saw the rigid crease in my forehead.

Yeah, I was in human form, but I'm sure it looked a lot
like a wild bear studying a machine or some human activity he
couldn't hope to understand. Others in the clan had told me as much.

“
It's nothing,”
she whimpered, wiping her nose. “You look good.
So
good. I just...can't. I can't bring myself to do anything like this
right now. It's nothing personal. I left a bad relationship not so
long ago. I'm still getting over it.”

My heart sank a little. I gave her one last friendly
squeeze and backed away.

The human world was confounding. Shifters had all sorts
of relations. Hell, we came from humans in the first place, but I'd
lived long enough to understand relationships had changed a lot in
the last few decades.

Most humans didn't mate for life. They lived their lives
in constant search of love, and many never found it.

“
Forget it. You need your rest. I'll get us both
something good to drink. You should replenish your fluids after what
you've suffered the last day.”

I ambled over to the stove to start some tea. I felt
old. As I watched the steam rise, I thought of our wiliest Elder,
Emmerick, and began to understand how he must feel after a full
century.

Bad relationship, huh? What does that mean? And what
kind of human idiot would throw her away?

My inner bear bristled at the idea of someone hurting
her, physically or emotionally. I spread my hands out on the thick
wooden counter top in my kitchen and suppressed a growl.

“
She's probably right. It was crazy to think we'd
end up...like that. Crazy to bring her back here at all.” I
shook my head harshly, calming the bear with my reasonable words.

Except just now, I wasn't feeling like I wanted to be
reasonable at all.

A sound behind me made me prick up my ears. I whirled,
aggression on edge, and saw her standing shyly at the edge of my
kitchen.

The inner bear covered its teeth and landed on all
fours. False alarm.

“
Yes?”

“
Sorry to barge in like this, Don. I was just
wondering, uh, do you have anything to eat?”

Finally. A request I could fulfill.

“
Hell yeah. If you like steaks.” I took
several steps and popped the freezer door.

Sam nodded enthusiastically. I grinned. My kind of girl.

I dug into the freezer and drew out the stakes I'd
carved off an elk and stored last week. I laid them out to thaw,
waved her over to my tiny kitchen table, and plucked a few onions and
potatoes from the pantry to go with our meat.

Simple, but delicious. Halfway through cooking dinner,
Sam made a sound like a wildcat in heat.

“
Mmmm. You didn't tell me shifters could cook.
Smells delicious!” She moaned again.

The bestial part of me – or was it just the manly
one? – wondered if she was drowning her earlier desires in a
different pleasure.

“
You'll love it. We only eat from nature when we
can help it. Most of what we need is out here for foraging. There's
just a few things we get from your world like cheese. Well, that and
your technology.” I waved at the old refrigerator, humming like
a trusty friend in the corner.

She laughed. Though I'd lost my chance to strip her bare
just now, hearing her happy was the best runner up prize I could
imagine.

Steaks finished, we sat together. After all this, I was
pretty hungry. I dug into the lightly salted meat and potatoes,
casting the occasional glance across the table at my guest.

Looking away from her wasn't easy. Especially when she
shared my hunger, moving her succulent lips with enjoyment, bobbing
slightly in place during her first few bites as the pleasure traveled
through her.

At least I was able to give you some enjoyment,
beautiful. I only wish I could show you a whole lot more.

“
I came to Glacier to get away and clear my head,”
she said, just a few bites away from finishing her steak. “This
wasn't exactly what I had in mind. But damn if it isn't at least a
little enjoyable and relaxing.”

I winked. She laughed and reached across the table,
running her fingers over my hand. I almost grabbed her again and
began stroking her fingers, but she caught herself and withdrew her
arm.

“
Sorry. You're the first person I've really
connected to since I moved, except for my friend Jenn.” She
said the word 'person' slowly, as if she wasn't sure it applied.

I raised one eyebrow. “You were right the first
time, Sam. Shifters are people.”

“
Oh! Of course. I didn't mean any offense.”
That familiar, lively red shame dotted her cheeks.

“
None taken. Where did you come from?”

“
Sioux Falls. Lived in South Dakota all my life,
but never went any further West than Bozeman until last summer. I had
to get out of there after things fell apart with Mister Wrong.”
She took a big sip of the tea.

I shrugged and nodded. I'd heard of the places she
mentioned, but I was far less traveled than her. Bozeman and Sioux
Falls might as well have been on the Moon.

“
I like it here, even if it's been a bumpy
transition. I'm sure this won't be my last trip to Glacier. I'll be
back in the Spring.”

My ears pricked up. Was there hope in her voice, or was
it just my imagination?

“
I'd like that. If we ever meet again, I can show
you parts of the park no human knows. The canyons, valleys, and
streams between worlds. They're all beautiful.”

“
Definitely. But right now, I have to –“

“
I know,” I said, gently raising my hand.
“We have to get you home and let the dust settle. Will you be
good to go tonight?” I asked the question reluctantly.

“
Yeah. Just need a couple hours for my food to
settle.”

Just my luck. Ah well, perhaps it's better to do this
fast, without getting too attached.

“
Good.” I nodded. “Like I mentioned, I
have to go out on my rounds near sundown. I'll come back a few hours
after that. Be ready then.”