Tempted by the Bear - Complete (42 page)

L
ucy

M
y pencil scratches
against paper as I draw. I’m working the desk at Ink It and focused on creating a dragon design tattoo for a client of Sierra’s. While Sierra could easily do this herself, I think she’s trying to distract me from the mess my life is right now. My spare time is alternated between Sven and Serge so that I can discover which of my true mates is my destiny. It’s making me crazy.

I let out a big sigh, and paper rips from my sketchpad as I tear out a page to wad up in a ball. I toss it behind my head without looking, and a moment later it lands back on the counter in front of me. I turn to find Ian, the guy who runs Kick It, the martial arts center that shares our space.

“Hey,” he says.

“Hey yourself. It’s been a while.” I’ve blown off a few workouts lately. As I stretch my arms up over my head my tight muscles remind me of what a slacker I’ve been.

“I miss you,” says Ian. “But I hear you’ve got two polar bears vying for your attention.” Ian shakes his head as he grins at me. “Two true mates, Lucy. Ever thought about just doing the poly thing?”

What is it with everyone thinking I could possibly handle Sven and Serge at the same time? “They’d kill each other.” I wink at him. “Or me. Ever been with a polar bear? They’re the ones who could use two mates.”

Ian chuckles. “I might like that.”

I toss the paper ball at him, and it bounces off his chest. “I bet.” I used to have a major crush on Ian, and he certainly knows his way around women, if the rumors are true.

“I’ve got a free spot in an hour if you’d like to work out with me.”

I keep exercise clothes in my car, and sparring with Ian sounds like just what I need to burn off some of the frustration building in me. I say, “That sounds great. I finish up here in a half hour.”

“Awesome. Come on over when you’re ready.” Ian leaves me, and I get back to my sketching.

The door opens abruptly, and I know it’s Serge before I glance up. He’s the kind of guy who takes up space, and his presence is never missed. Even his scent seems to be stronger than most werebears’. I’m not sure why, but I’m instantly annoyed when he leans down expecting a quick kiss.

My irritation disappears as soon as our lips brush and the rush of true mate attraction takes over. He says, “We’re going for ice cream.”

I flash back to when Sven came to get me for our first date. We went out for cones too. He was awkward and sweet, and the memory makes me smile.

“Aha,” says Serge. “I knew it. You missed me.”

“Actually, I haven’t had a chance to miss you, since you took me out to breakfast before work.”

“It’s my day; I intend to make the most of it.” Serge crosses his arms over his chest to pump out his biceps with his hands as he puffs up his chest like a peacock displaying his feathers.

I sigh. Sven and Serge are such opposites. Sven lets me lead in how much time we spend together, while Serge takes advantage of every moment I’m free. I say, “I was going to work out with Ian after my shift. I’ve missed my training sessions, Serge. I hope you don’t mind.”

He scowls. “So what am I supposed to do until you’re done?”

Serge hasn’t bothered to get a job yet, and I’m beginning to wonder if he plans to live off my money if we end up together.

I shrug. “You could work out too, if you want. There’s plenty of equipment in the gym.”

“Naw. I don’t have my stuff, and then I’d have to go home and shower again.”

“You can shower here, and I bet Ian has something you could wear.” I know he’s going to decline, because Serge is high-maintenance when it comes to grooming.

“I’ll figure something out.” Serge pulls his cell phone out of his pocket and checks it. He’s been here for two weeks, and he’s got more going on in his social life than some of us who have lived here all our lives. He says, “Text me when you’re done, and I’ll come get you.”

“Thanks. I really need to exercise.” I offer a sly smile and pump up his ego. “Keeping up with you requires being in shape.”

He waggles his eyebrows at me and tugs on the door to leave as he says, “You know it, baby.”

Baby.
I stare at the closed door, and my heart twinges with longing for my other nickname, Little Bear. The one Sven gave me. But I push the thought away, because it’s not fair that everything Serge does gets compared to his brother’s actions. I’m in love with Sven, and that gives him an advantage.

After an exhausting training session with Ian my mood has improved, and my fingers tap on my phone as I text Serge.

“Done. Where should I meet you?”

“I’m at Jefferson Manor.”

The last time I was at Jefferson Manor was when I went to tell my brother, Luke, that Isabelle had died. I wonder how he’s doing. It’s been a few weeks, and other than an occasional text check-in, I haven’t spent time with him. I make a mental note to force Luke to see me this week.

I text Serge back. “I’ll be there in ten.”

When I arrive at the restaurant I head straight to the bar, where I know Serge will be waiting for me. My brother’s laugh rings out as I get closer, and it surprises me. It’s late afternoon, and Luke should be working at our father’s law office. He sees me too and raises his hand in a wave to come join him. He speaks in a voice that’s too loud, “Lucy!”

Great. He’s drunk.

Serge is sitting farther down the bar, and I glance at him before I stop to talk to my brother. Luke asks, “What’s the perfect one doing here in the middle of the day? Aren’t you supposed to be saving poverty-stricken clans?”

Most of my childhood, Luke was the golden twin. He was the star athlete, the better student, and the one my parents bragged about. But lately my parents are more proud of what I’m doing to help the De Rozier clan, and Luke has fallen out of grace. Although if he’s skipping out on work at our father’s law firm to drink at a bar, I can see why. I ask, “Aren’t you supposed to be working?”

Luke waves his hand as Serge comes to stand next to me and wrap an arm around my waist. “I had a business lunch, and on my way out I ran into Collin.”

I glance at his frat brother, who gives me a lecherous smile that makes me want to cover my breasts with my arms. Serge pulls me closer and reveals his highly polished teeth with a low growl to stake his claim. I ignore Collin and say, “Serge, this is my twin, Luke.”

Serge reaches out a beefy hand to Luke. “Nice to meet you.”

Luke frowns at me and asks, “I thought you had a true mate?” His words are slightly slurred.

I shrug out of Serge’s hold and say, “Apparently I have two.”

Collin says, “Sweet.” His glass thumps hard on the bar as his gaze falls to Serge’s crotch as if he’s sizing up the equipment. Collin asks, “
Menage?
”

My jaw drops. Why do these things happen to me? “No! God, I swear that’s all anyone thinks about.”

Luke chuckles and says, “Join us.”

I’m about to say no when Serge calls out, “Bartender! Three Yukons neat and a white wine.”

I sigh. Drinking with the boys is so not what I had in mind.

A
nnie

I
’m not
sure who was more nervous when we went to sign the girls up for kindergarten, Echo or me. Although it was for two totally different reasons. Ever since Tristan said he needed to tell me something, my imagination has taken me to all sorts of horrible places. Earlier I recalled a conversation that I walked in on. It was between Sven and Tristan after Sven had just arrived. I know that Sven is Tristan’s right-hand man, and I’m not sure what they were talking about, but Tristan gave the alpha order, “No,” as I entered the kitchen. Sven glanced at me with confusion on his face. Something about his expression stuck with me, and I still wonder what they’d been talking about.

Remembering that incident led me to rethinking other occasions when something was a bit off about Tristan’s reaction to things. I chalked up his curt responses to his reserve, but maybe it was something else…

The door clicks shut when the nanny and the triplets leave for a trip to the lake, and I turn to Tristan as he wipes his hands on a tea towel. He cleaned the kitchen while I got the girls ready for the beach. I ask, “Should we sit for this?”

He nods, and my chair is hard under my butt when I seat myself across from him. Tristan reaches for my hands and wraps them in his warmth as he says, “Annie, Isabelle and I didn’t come here with good intentions.”

I frown at him, because when Tristan and his sister came last December it was to figure out if the Le Roux could give them a new home for their clan, since their arctic ice and homeland had practically disappeared. I ask, “You mean you didn’t really need a new place to live?”

Tristan closes his eyes for a moment, and when he opens them something odd flashes.
Regret?
Pain?
“We did need a new home, but we came for more than your hospitality. We planned on taking over the entire kingdom.”

I try to pull my hands away and sit back. “What? How did—”

Tristan’s paler than usual as he says, “Before I knew you were my true mate, I planned on tricking you into marriage.”

“Marrying me wouldn’t have made you the leader!”

“It would,” says Tristan. “If you didn’t have an alpha.”

Oh god.
My stomach clenches, and the vision of Tristan dressed in black as he prepared to go get Helga comes to mind. I recall how cold and fearsome he appeared. Like a cold-blooded killer.
It wasn’t an act.
Tristan’s grip is tight as I tug my hands again, but he still doesn’t let go.

Ice runs through my veins, because if Brady and Carly were dead, I would lead the clan until one of their children was old enough to take over. I flash back to when Sven first arrived and stand quickly. My chair crashes to the floor as I yank my hands back with enough strength to release his hold. I ask, “What about me, Tristan? Did you plan on killing me too?”

His voice is almost a whisper as he says, “Yes.”

A low growl comes from the back of my throat before I say, “You came here to kill Brady, Carly, and me, but as luck would have it our true mate attraction foiled your plan.” I suppose I should be afraid right now, but my growing rage makes me stomp to the other side of the kitchen. I turn back to spit out, “How fortunate for me.” He and Isabelle probably wear black to match their hearts.

I remember the way Tristan and I completed our bond in the laundry room at Brady’s house while people in the kitchen heard us. Isabelle threw the mother of all temper tantrums as a result. Tristan is standing now too, and he walks toward me. I hold up my hand as I shake my head. “So that’s why Isabelle was so angry when you bit me.”

“Yes. That’s when she realized I was no longer in on the plan.”

I stare at the man I’m supposed to spend the rest of my life with. The true mate bond means that no matter how much I hate him, I’ll still be attracted to him over anyone else. And that our love will remain intact. I ask, “So exactly when did you decide my life should be spared?” My claws are out, and my skin prickles as fur tries to escape. I take a deep breath to keep from shifting and ask, “Was it our first kiss? Or the first time you
fucked
me?”

My whole body is trembling as Tristan says, “Annie. I can’t begin to convey how sorry I am.”

“Right.” I yank at the hem of my shirt to remove it before I shift and tear my clothes. “I can’t begin to
convey
how much I hate you right now, so I’m going for a run.” I barely make it through the door before I become a bear.

The earth shudders under my feet as I gallop at full speed. When Isabelle had her temper tantrum she ravaged her way through our woods, and the trail she left behind is handy for me as I race toward the river. I don’t even know how to process what I’ve just been told, so I let physical exertion deal with my emotions instead. When I reach the cliff that drops off to the river, I don’t bother to slow down, and I launch myself over the edge.

My dive is swift, and I go deep. Cool water seeps into my fur as I swim as far as I can before I have to come up for air. I almost push myself too far, and my lungs are burning when I finally break the surface and sputter to take a breath. I move slowly over to a large rock where I can rest.

The sunbaked stone is warm under my back as I gaze up into the sky.
I’m mated to a man who came here to kill me. A shiver runs through me, and
I wonder how Tristan planned to do it. Would he have poisoned me? Would he have shifted into a bear and torn me apart?

Isabelle.
I spilled tears and mourned a woman who intended to murder me. I suppose that explains why she tried so hard to keep me out. It was more than me threatening her relationship with Tristan. She hated me.

My stomach rolls as bile rises to my throat. On top of my rage, I’m humiliated. I was duped into welcoming the leaders of the De Rozier clan with open arms and giving them whatever they needed, when they intended to take all they could get without a care for those of us they planned to eliminate in the process.

My breathing gets shallow as a sense of loss takes over. The man I love unconditionally isn’t who I thought he was. I’m mated to an impostor. While I do know that polar bears are the cruelest of our kind, I guess I’ve been ignoring the truth.
Tristan is capable of cold-blooded murder.
And so are all the other bears I’ve let move in next door.

I roll over to vomit up my lunch. I thought Helga was horrible, but the whole time I was sleeping with the real enemy. I pound my paw down hard on the rock, and pain radiates through my limb. I thought I was given a gift when I found another true mate. Instead I’ve been given a new version of hell.

Water rushes by me, and the vision of the three little girls splashing in the lake comes to mind. They’ve stolen my heart. While forcing Tristan and the De Roziers to leave could be arranged, I can’t imagine leaving Echo, Ellie, and Eva to the evils that might happen if I’m not around to take care of them. The evils someone like my true mate would have no trouble dishing out.

Was his newfound love for his daughters all part of the act too? I shake my head. All the signs were right in front of my face, but I’d been too stupid to see them. I believed my true mate was what I wanted him to be.

Damn it!
I roll off the rock and into the strong current. I let the strength of it pull me down the river. No matter what fate has given me, I’m not one to dwell on things I can’t change. But those I can? I fight back.

With strong, sure strokes I make my way to the bank. I climb out and set myself on the course back home. I have no idea what I’m going to do with Tristan’s confession, but his little girls will not suffer for the man their father is. I’ll make sure of it.