Bearly Enough (14 page)

“I used to date his brother.”

“Torin?” Lucy asked incredulously. Karina seemed nice, from
what she could tell so far, and she couldn’t picture her being with boring,
stuffy Torin.

“Yes. A long time ago.”

“What happened?” Lucy couldn’t help asking. When Karina
didn’t respond right away, she felt as if she had crossed a line. “I’m sorry. I
shouldn’t have asked. It’s none of my business.”

“It’s okay for you to ask. I’m not sure if it’s my story to
share. There was a death in their family. It was very hard on them.” She
paused. “On all of us.”

Lucy didn’t press further, but she was certainly curious as
to what Karina meant.

“Now, explain to me again about the whole
mating
thing,” Lucy said, her face twisting as she flopped back down on the bed. She
reached over and took a handful of chocolate from the container Karina bought.

“
If
you have royal blood, then you would produce a
cub if you mated with one of our bears.”

Lucy felt revulsion well up inside her. “I have to mate with
a
bear?
”

“No, not an actual bear. They wouldn’t be in bear form. They
would be in their human form. And then your child would have the ability to
shift into a bear.”

Lucy stuck her tongue out. “Why would anyone want that?”

“Our tribe wants that,” Karina said softly, “We are dying out.
Many of us are mixing with humans, and diluting our blood.” She looked saddened
by the thought.

Lucy felt bad for Karina and the tribe, but it wasn’t her
problem.

“I can’t just be forced to stay here! I’m a prisoner!”
Lucy’s face flooded with anger.

“I agree,” Karina nodded, “But that was the idea with your
sister.”

Narrowing her eyes, Lucy felt an overwhelming desire to
protect her sister.

“What do you mean?”

“Jeremy wasn’t in charge at the time, but the leader then
wanted to capture Gabby. They made many attempts to bring her here.”

Floored, things began to click into place in Lucy’s brain.

“That’s why!” she exclaimed. “We were all nearly killed one
night when a bunch of men broke into my mother’s house. Gabby told me that she
was running away, that people were after her.

Karina frowned. “Yes. It was our tribe. Many of us opposed
their tactics. Because your father was from our tribe, many within this tribe
felt that your sister belonged here. That we should reap the benefits of her
royal blood.”

“And because you couldn’t get my sister, you’ve settled on
the next best thing,” Lucy finished, her voice filled with venom.

“Please don’t lump me in with them. I don’t share the
feelings. And Jeremy is a much more gentle leader.” Karina paused, her dark
eyes filled with questions. “I think you should talk to your sister. I feel
like she could help you understand more.”

“I agree. I
need
to see her. There’s so much I
understand now that I didn’t before.”

Karina nodded. “Is there anything else you need me to explain
to you?”

Where did Lucy even begin? The more answers she got, the
more questions she had. “I don’t even know where to begin now.” She blinked and
looked up at Karina. “How do you know so much?” Karina had been able to fill
her in on much of the bears’ history.

“I come from a family of historians. It has always been our
role to document, to preserve for the next generation.” Karina looked at her
carefully. “I’ve given you a lot of information. It’s probably best that I
leave you alone now and let you process everything.”

Lucy nodded slowly. “Thanks for the food. Stone had nothing
in his pantry.” She looked down at her sweater. “Oh, and thank you for the
clothes.”

“No problem. It would be nice to have you as a part of our
tribe.” Karina looked embarrassed for a minute, and she ducked her head. “There
aren’t many young women. It would be nice to have a friend.”

Lucy was touched, even though she didn’t normally get all
mushy. If things had been different, if she could actually stay here, she could
imagine being friends with Karina.

Karina stood up, gathering her things and leaving the food.
“If you have any more questions, Stone knows where to find me.” She walked to
the door and then turned around. “Go easy on him. He’s had some tough times,
but he’s a softie at heart.”

“I’ll try,” Lucy said tightly, as Karina left.

Once she was alone, she let out a long sigh and flopped back
on the bed. What was she going to do? She was being held prisoner, her life was
a mess, her sister had married a bear, and her father had been a bear king.

What. The. Fuck.

She knew there was no point in trying to escape, and even if
there was, she had no idea where she could run. She needed to process all the
information and try to make sense out of it. Maybe then she could wrap her head
around everything and muddle her way to some answers.

She wasn’t sure how long she had been lying there, but she
heard a soft knock on her door.

Jumping, she sat up.

Stone waited outside her door, his face filled with
uncertainty.

Lucy raised her eyebrows at him and beckoned him forward.

“I was able to arrange something for you,” he said quietly.

Lucy stared at him blankly.

“Your sister is coming here.”

“What? Gabby?” Lucy practically fell off the bed.

“Yes,” Stone’s face was unreadable. “She will be coming with
her bear as well as others for protection. Jeremy isn’t very happy, but I think
this is the best option.”

“Of course it’s the best option! And I don’t give a crap
about Jeremy! I need to talk to Gabby and try to understand what’s going on!”
She was so deliriously happy that without thinking, she ran to Stone and threw
her arms around him. He was caught off guard, and she felt his body stiffen.

What was she doing, anyway? She was still mad as hell.

“Sorry,” she mumbled, backing up.

“No!” He said gruffly, grabbing her by the wrist and yanking
her toward him.

“Don’t!” she warned, but it was too late. Stone kissed her
hard, his mouth powerful and consuming as he crushed his lips to hers.

There was such fire and intensity in his kiss that the only
thing Lucy could do was kiss him back. She channeled all of the anger, fear,
and fury that ran through her veins into kissing him.

She clawed at his back, through his t-shirt, and bit down on
his lower lip. Stone only growled with desire, which Lucy found arousing. Stone
pushed her down on the bed, and Lucy let out a small gasp as Stone yanked down
her pants.

She couldn’t protest, and she knew that Stone wouldn’t hear
of it. With another definitive tug, her underwear came down and suddenly she
lay before Stone, exposed.

Stone looked up at her, and she noticed his eyes had
darkened again—was that connected to him being a bear? There was something wild
and feral in his eyes, and Lucy realized now what it was that she had not been
able to put her finger on.

She had been drawn to Stone from the moment she met him,
captivated by his mystery and wildness. And all along, it was because he truly
was
wild.
He gave new meaning to the term animalistic. Deep down, Lucy
knew that she should be afraid of him. He wasn’t
quite
human.

He was a werebear.

An animal.

And it excited Lucy.

Never breaking gaze, Stone trailed his hands along the
exposed line of her stomach and then circled his fingers around her hips. That
simple touch alone made Lucy quiver and moan. She could feel herself moistening
between her legs, and she knew that Stone would know soon enough.

It was impossible to hide her desire; she was an open book
for him.

Squeezing at her thighs, he lowered his mouth to her and
then let out a long, warm breath.

“Argh!” Lucy cried out, arching her back.

Stone gave her a wicked grin and continued. He ran his
fingers along her pubic bone, gently reaching down to graze her soft folds and
then up again, teasing her.

Lucy squirmed beneath him, pushing her hips toward him,
wanting what he was offering.

“Please,” she whimpered, hating how desperate she sounded.
She wanted him entirely too much.

Stone did not make her wait long, and he opened her up,
slipping his tongue between her and running it along her crevices.

Lucy cried out, arching again. Stone ran his fingers against
her, pushing and pulling at her, making her moan.

Lucy’s mind was a jumble of confusion—anger and desire for
Stone, along with questions about his motives. But she forced herself to let
all thoughts go.

Which wasn’t a problem since she could barely string
together a cohesive thought.

Stone’s tongue traced along her skin, heating her even more,
adding to the ample wetness. He slid two fingers inside her and Lucy couldn’t
help from moaning loudly; there was no one to stop them this time.

They could finally finish what they had started in the
shower.

Lucy’s breath was already coming quickly, and she knew that
she was going to come soon. Stone was relentless in his pleasuring, and he
sucked and licked at her while his hands moved inside her, anticipating her
every need well before she did.

How did he know her so well?

“Stone,” she exclaimed breathlessly, “I’m going to-’’

“Shh, enjoy,” he urged, looking up at her and taking a long,
slow lick. He pushed his warm tongue deep inside her, and then pulled it out as
he sucked her clit into his mouth. He slipped two fingers inside her again,
rubbing at her soft spot, as his free hand squeezed the flesh of her thigh.

She could hold out no longer.

Allowing the wave of pleasure to crash over her, she
succumbed, crying out Stone’s name as she trembled beneath him, her back
arching as her hands gripped the sheets.

Her thighs quivered, and she heard her breaths come in soft
little moans, until finally her body stilled and her breathing returned to
normal.

The whole thing had happened so quickly that her head spun.

She turned her head to look at Stone, who was now lying next
to her. “Why?” she asked softly.

“Why what?”

“Why did you do that?”

“Because I’d been imagining what you would taste like since
the moment I laid eyes on you.”

His voice was soft and throaty, and there seemed to be so
much more meaning behind it. What else could it mean?

She was too blissfully relaxed to contemplate his meaning.

“My feelings for you are real,” he said quietly.

Lucy propped herself up on one elbow to look at him, but not
before throwing a cover over her lower-half; she suddenly felt vulnerable.

There had been an idea creeping around her consciousness,
just on the outside of her thoughts, and now she had finally grasped it.

She needed to know the truth.

“Why did you come to Salem Community College?” she asked.

Stone looked away.

Crap. He didn’t even need to say anything.

“Tell me,” she said, her voice stronger now.

“I
had
to. It was an order from Jeremy. I was ordered
to get close to you.” His voice was filled with shame, and he refused to look
at her.

Mortified, Lucy felt her lower lip begin to tremble. So,
from the very beginning, everything had been planned. Everything had been set
up.

“And my work?” she asked, her voice sounding much stronger
than she felt.

“I knew you worked there already. I was showing up to spend
more time with you.”

“To spy on me,” Lucy corrected angrily. All the wonderful
endorphins that she had felt two minutes earlier were quickly vanishing.

“Initially, yes.” His voice was strong and he sat straight
up, looking at her. His mouth glistened just a bit from her juices.

The thought made her stomach clench with fresh desire, and
she pushed it away. She wasn’t going to be turned on while arguing with him.

“Initially?” she repeated. “How can I believe that? How do I
know this still isn’t one big game you are playing?”

“Because I was never playing a game! I hated the damn idea
from the beginning! And Jeremy basically blackmailed me to do it. The fact that
you were attractive made it easy! Made it real for me! So, I’m not going to sit
here and apologize for having real feelings for you!”

Stone jumped off the bed, and Lucy caught his muscles
rippling. It must be from his anger.

She wanted to jump up too, but she had no pants on, and the
thought infuriated her. Before she could open her mouth, Stone shushed her.

“Someone’s here,” he whispered.

Lucy’s heart beat quickly, and she peered around as if she
expected someone to pop into the room.

Stone cocked his head, frozen. Then he relaxed. “It’s your
sister,” he snapped. “Put on some pants.”

He left the room in a flash, leaving Lucy reeling once more.

As soon as the door closed, Lucy jumped up and pulled her
pants on. She barely knew Stone, and yet they were able to push each other’s
buttons so easily!

She rushed, hopping from leg to leg as she got dressed, and
she hurriedly pulled her hair up. A quick glance in the mirror told her that
she had that mussed-up-sex look.

Hopefully Gabby wouldn’t pick up on it.

Dashing out of the room, she hurried down the stairs and saw
Gabby sitting on the couch.

“Gabby!”

“Lucy!”

Gabby rushed up toward her, hugging her tightly. “Oh my god,
I’ve been so worried about you.” She released Gabby and looked at her. “Are you
okay?”

Lucy nodded. “I’m fine.”

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” Gabby cried, breaking down into
tears. “This is all my fault. I’m so, so sorry Lucy.”

“It’s not your fault. It’s not,” Lucy assured her. She
didn’t completely understand, but she knew all the blame didn’t fall on her
sister. “Where’s Zane?” she asked suddenly. She only saw Stone hanging back in
the kitchen.