Tempted by the Bear - Complete (41 page)

I
sabelle

A
man hovers
over me and strokes my face so tenderly I don’t think I’m in danger. Even if he’s the reason I have the worst headache of my life. I open my eyes to his teal-blue gaze. A seagull cries out overhead as I get lost in eyes so deep in color it takes me a moment to see the guy’s red hair that appears to glow with the sunlight behind him.
The same man I saw when I was drowning.

Fuck me now. I didn’t see God. Just some asshole who decided to save my life.

I turn my head to the side quickly to make sure my mother’s dead body is still in the truck bed with me. The nearly black blanket is still over Helga, and a telltale strand of her gray hair peeks out. At least I managed to kill one of us.

I scowl as I return my gaze to the man. He says, “Please don’t try to shift and make me knock you out again.”

“I won’t.” I sit up and groan as my brain sloshes around in my head and ignites fresh pain in my nerve endings. “Twice was enough.”

“Are you okay?”

“No,” I answer. “I’m alive.”

A scowl mars the guy’s beautiful face as he leans in close. “What’s wrong,
ma cherie
?”

I push him away with my hand, and his shoulder is firm under my fingers when I do. “Enough with the my love crap. You ruined a perfectly good suicide. That’s what’s wrong.” My hand tingles where I touched him, and I look down at it.

“
Mon Dieu!
” He shakes his head, and something flashes in his eyes. He’s a werebear too, and I wonder if he’s about to shift.

I chuckle at the absurdity of my situation. I thought I could break the curse on the De Rozier women by drowning my mother and me. Now the world still has one ticking time bomb of crazy. Me. My bipolar tendencies should mature in a couple years, and when they do, look out. Because I’ll be one batshit crazy polar bear who’ll stop at nothing to get what I want. I shudder at the thought as I glance around the truck bed and discover the metal rake I saw before. It’s used to dig through sand to get clams and other shellfish, and apparently to knock out partially shifted polar bears. I gaze again at the blanket that covers Helga’s body. This guy and his friend found us handcuffed together around a pole and must wonder if I killed her.

The other man has approached the truck and peers over the side at us. His hair is red too, but it’s more of a chestnut shade that I suspect looks brown without sunlight. I watch him as he looks at me and then moves his gaze to his friend to ask, “What’s her story?”

“She wanted to die with her mother.”

Does he know who I am?
They’re no longer speaking in French, and I appreciate it. They both stare at me as if I was asked a question, so I say, “It’s a long story.” I glance over at my mother’s body. “What’s important is that she’s no longer alive.”

The man next to me says, “She kills carelessly.”

I frown as I recall the pool of blood that lay under the convenience store clerk my mother killed with a swipe of her claws. “Who are you?”

“Jean Luc Ouellette,” he says. “And you are Isabelle De Rozier, no?”

He’s from the clan whose territory is in New Brunswick. We were being watched when we entered Canada, and it explains why they know what Helga did. I’ve got to get out of here. My body tenses up as my hands clench into fists. “Yes.”

Jean Luc sits back as if he’s preparing for my next attempt to shift and says, “Easy now. We aren’t going to hurt you.”

I snort at the thought they could hurt me now that I’m conscious but think better of it quickly enough to cover it up with a cough. I take in how the man’s T-shirt is tight across his chest and the light splay of freckles on his upper arms where the hair has been worn off. This guy’s hot, and I suppose if someone is going to ruin my suicide attempt, he’s not a bad choice. I might be able to swing one more day on earth. Besides, he made me tingle when I touched him. I imagine what his hands would feel like in intimate places and let out the breath I was holding in a big sigh as I ask, “What are you going to do with me?”

The man places his hand on my arm, and now I’m sure he’s got magic fingers, because electricity travels all the way to my sensitive places. Maybe I developed a weird sixth sense when I died. Our gaze locks as he says, “First I will fix this for you. Then you’ll come to my house and we’ll figure out what you need.”

Jean Luc says something in French to his friend. I’m not ready to take what he said at face value, and I ask, “What did you say?”

“I told Henri we can get rid of the body now. Nobody will ever find it,
ma cherie
.”

“Thank you.” I frown. This man is willing to cover up a murder for me. Granted, my clan wouldn’t prosecute me for it, considering what Helga has done, and I bet the Ouellette wouldn’t either. But he’s making this awfully easy for me, and I wonder what he expects in return. I gaze at my savior and notice tiny lines around his liquid eyes that remind me of the waters of my home in the Arctic. I ask, “Have you told Tristan I’m alive?”

“No.” The truck bounces as Jean Luc jumps down, and Helga’s body swishes across the metal as Henri tugs at her feet. Jean Luc tilts his head at me. “I won’t until you are ready.”

I nod. That’s good. Since I plan to revisit suicide again as soon as possible, I suppose it’s best if I don’t have my brother doing everything in his power to stop it. For the second time in the span of a minute, I say, “Thank you.”

I’d better be careful, because something tells me being indebted to Jean Luc could get complicated. I begin to move toward the end of the truck to get out and help, but Jean Luc holds up his hand and barks out, “No.”

“I killed her. I think I should do some of the work.” I slide over the edge of the tailgate as Henri chuckles. Maybe it’s my headache, but it irritates me, and I ask, “What’s so funny?”

“Jean Luc isn’t used to having his orders disobeyed.”

I glance over at my redheaded savior to find his brow furrowed in annoyance. I ask, “Everyone does what you say?” As soon as the words leave my mouth, I realize it’s a stupid question and grin at him. “You’re the Ouelette alpha, aren’t you?” Since this clan operates on their own, I bet he gets his way all the time.

He nods, and I have no idea what makes me do it, but I grab the shovel out of his grasp. “Let me show you how this is done.” Wood is smooth in my hand as I walk over to the shallow grave they’d been digging. I turn to the men when I get there, and Jean Luc raises his eyebrows in amusement at me as Henri hits his friend’s arm and starts walking too. He winks at me as he says, “I like you, Isabelle.”

My mood does a one-eighty, and I snap back. “Don’t.” Because I’m not sticking around.

A
nnie - Tristan revealed a startling truth
, and now I’m sure he was sent by the devil. Our true mate bond means I have to figure out if I can spend the rest of my life with Satan himself or with the pain of being apart.

I
sabelle
- My near-death experience gave me magical powers just in time. It seems I’m destined to save more than Jean Luc, and I have to return to Maine to save Tristan too. But when I get there, will I sacrifice too much?

A
nnie

I
wake
to the aroma of coffee and squint at the clock. Usually I’m the first one up, and when I roll over, I realize Tristan is gone. He must need to get into the office early today. As much as I’d like to stay in bed for the half hour before I have to rise, I get up and make my way to the kitchen. The oven timer beeps as Tristan sets it when I enter, and he turns to me.

I notice the ingredients for blueberry muffins on the counter and ask, “You’re making muffins?”

“I am.” Hot coffee gurgles into a cup as he pours it and says, “Today we register the girls for kindergarten, and since I’m taking the morning off, I thought I would cook for you for a change.”

I take the mug he hands me, and it’s hot on my fingers. I’m surprised he’s coming to the school with me. While he’s warmed up to his daughters, Tristan isn’t what I’d call nurturing, and I think he likes that I take care of his children for him.

“Oh,” I say. “The triplets are going to be very excited to have you with us.”

“I think you might be too. Handling the three of them all alone is work.”

“I have leashes.”

Tristan jerks before he realizes my joke. He replaces his surprise with a smile as he embraces me. “I have no idea how I got so lucky.” He leans down to kiss me.

“I feel like I’m the lucky one, Tristan.”

He releases me to go to the fridge, and bright light illuminates him when he opens the door. His face is shadowed as he says, “You didn’t think that when we first met.”

I recall how I found Tristan stark naked on a bus bench waiting for me when he first arrived. He said his clothes were filthy from days of travel, so he took them off. I marched him right over to Carly’s tattoo studio to get him some more. “No,” I say. “I didn’t.”

I also remember when we first touched. I was so distraught by his public nudity where humans might discover him I didn’t notice we were true mates. But he did, and that was the beginning of his teasing me about our physical attraction. I thought I’d been cursed with more than infertility.

I say, “You were relentless with your taunting.”

Tristan takes my cup from my hand, and it thumps on the counter as he sets it down and pulls me against his body. “You are awfully easy to tease.” He strokes my face, and his touch sends a shiver down my spine. “The flush on your cheeks is so sexy.”

I let out a low rumble as desire floods my body. But my feelings for Tristan are much deeper than lust. I say, “I never expected to find another true mate or get a family. You’ve made my wishes come true.”

He leans down to kiss me again, but this time his tongue darts in my mouth, and we drink each other in as he communicates telepathically with me.
“As you have mine.”

The sound of little feet pitter-pattering over the wood floor of the living room should break us apart, but I linger until one of the girls squeals, “Daddy!”

I pull away, and Tristan crouches down to scoop up his daughters in an embrace. He says, “Today is the beginning of you all becoming too smart for me.”

Ellie says, “Uh-uh, Annie says you’re a genius.”

Tristan glances over at me and says, “That’s because she is too.” He sets the girls down and tilts his head at them. “I think today should be the beginning of something else.” He stands up and comes over to put his arm around my shoulders. “I think you should start calling Annie
Mommy
.”

I say, “Tristan—”

He says “Shhh. You’re their mother now and deserve the title.”

Tears fill my eyes as Tristan says to the girls, “Try it out.” They all say
Mommy
as I crouch down to gather them up in my arms.

“I couldn’t have asked for three better children.” I touch each little nose with my finger as I say, “I love you, Eva, Echo, and Ellie.”

Tristan says, “All right everyone, sit. Breakfast is almost ready.” He looks at me. “You too, Mommy.”

I swipe the stray tear off my cheek as I smile at my mate. I think about how fortunate I am for this new phase in my life. Glasses of juice thump down on the table as the girls climb into their chairs. Little Echo is paler than the other two, and I’m sure it’s because she’s nervous, so I explain what’s going to happen today. My little observer might need a trial run for our first day of school too, and I hatch a plan to have a practice day to prepare them.

When breakfast is ready Tristan sits next to me, and I reach over to touch his thigh. His quads are firm under my fingers as I communicate with him.
“I love you.”

“Love you too.”
Tristan listens intently to his daughters as they chatter on, and I reflect on how much he’s changed since arriving in Maine. The cocky man who hid behind a brash persona has become a kind, gentle person who’s trying to be a better father to his children than he was in the past.

Tristan’s business, Arctic Vodka, is flourishing as well. He receives awards and accolades for the distinctive flavor of his alcohol, and I won’t be surprised when his commitment to customer service starts to capture attention too. I’m lucky to have found such an amazing true mate.

When breakfast is over, the girls help clear the table before Tristan sends them upstairs to brush their teeth and wash their hands before we go. My mate helps me clean the kitchen. Dishes rattle as I shut the dishwasher. “That’s it,” I say. “When the triplets finish we should probably go.”

Tristan says, “This is a big day I wasn’t sure would happen.” His face is serious as he reaches for my hands.

His grip is strong when he grabs onto my fingers, and I say, “Oh, I think it would have. I can’t imagine Tristan the genius wouldn’t have found somewhere to go if we hadn’t invited you here.”

My mate threads his fingers though mine and steps closer. “Annie—” He sighs as his brow knits.

“What is it?”

“There’s something I need to tell you.” Little-girl voices carry toward us as the children approach. “It’s important.”

“Sure.” The look on his face sends a flicker of fear through my veins, and a horrifying thought hits me.
What if the triplets’ real mother is going to return and take my family away?
I say, “Let’s talk when we return and the girls go off with the nanny.”

Tristan nods as worry takes me to dangerous places. While I hope my fear of losing the girls is unwarranted, I sense that whatever else it could be won’t be a welcome replacement. I gaze into my mate’s eyes as I brace myself for a shock and say, “We can handle anything that comes our way, Tristan. I’m sure of it.”

He releases my hands to pull me tight against his chest instead. His heartbeat races. “Just love me, Annie. Just love me.”