Called by the Bear 1-3 (11 page)

S
ierra

K
eith's house
isn't nearly as big as Brady's, but he must do well for himself because it's beautiful. It's a more modern design, and when I enter, all the windows fascinate me.

Clear glass takes up the majority of a two-story-high wall in the great room, and the sensation is as if we're in the middle of the forest. There’s no lawn, and there is just enough space to keep trees from brushing up against the house.

I glance at Keith, and a smile covers his face. "Go ahead and look."

I wander over. The glass is cool on my fingers when I touch the window to make sure it's really there. Green moss lies like carpet leading to trees that were probably thinned. The brown and gray branches have tiny buds on them, adding just a hint of pale green. Some are pinkish, and I guess they're red maple. When I notice the small brook, I gasp.

Keith has come over to me, and his arms wrap around my waist. I lean back. I can't get over his size and how solid he is. He makes me feel petite, and being over six feet tall, I've never had any man dwarf me. He whispers into my ear. "Would you like to go see it?"

"Yes. It looks like where fairies would live. Did you make it?"

"I did. I wanted a magical place for you."

For me?
"I don't understand. This couldn't have just been made. How could it be for me?"

"You're my mate, Sierra. I made this knowing one day my mate would get to enjoy it with me."

His warm fingers wrap around my hand, and he leads me to a door on the left. We go through, and my boots tap lightly on the flagstone path that is surrounded by sunny yellow daffodils and other annuals peeking up from the earth.

The air is cool on my skin, but I barely notice when we step onto the spongy moss. Keith leads me through the trees and says, "I imagine our children in here running around and playing make believe."

His words warm my heart. "You do? Boys or girls?" I should be surprised by this conversation and wary, because the thought of having children has always been far into my future.

"Both, but I won't care what we get."

Keith pulls me against his chest, and his scent makes me take a deep breath as if I'm inhaling the most decadent of smells. I place my hands on his fleece and slide my fingers into the opening of his flannel shirt. Coarse hair sprinkles his chest, and I wind my way into it.

He’s unusually warm, and I realize it's because he isn't completely human. I step back and gaze into his deep brown eyes. "Keith, can I see you shift?"

"Sure. But aren't you afraid? I mean--"

I shake my head. "No. I was before I knew it was you, but I don't think you would have showed your bear form if you couldn't control it."

He's removing his fleece, and there's a twinkle in his eyes as he says, "I'm going to strip to do this. I hope you don't mind."

I rub my hands together. "Nope, I think this might be my favorite part."

Keith chuckles as he drops his shirt to the ground with a soft whoosh. The clinking of metal sounds as he undoes his belt, and my gaze drops to see what's revealed when he pulls of his jeans.

The fact that my core is trembling in need doesn't bother me the least when I see he's turned on too. While I woke up to his cock in my face earlier today, it wasn't erect, and right now, it's larger than any I've ever seen. I should be nervous about what might happen later, but I'm not. In fact, I can't wait to feel the silky hardness in my hands, my mouth, and inside of me.

I say, "Damn, you better make this fast because just the sight of you has me soaked."

A shy smile forms on his face, and his cheeks turn pink. It's so adorable, and I want to do wicked things to shock him further. He says, "Ready?"

I nod and watch as hair begins to thicken and lengthen on his body. He grows in height, and an odd cracking sound mixes with a deep rumble, followed by a ground-shaking thump as he drops to all fours. Claws grow from his hands as fur coats his entire body. His aroma is multiplied and infused with a strong scent that is so primal it's scary, yet it makes me quake with desire.

My voice is horse when I ask, "Can I touch you?"

Keith's large bear head nods, and I step forward. I comb the hair of his head through my fingers. Thick but soft, it leaves a slight oily residue on my hands. "This is amazing. God, Keith, you're beautiful."

He tilts his head and backs away from me. The strange crunching sound from earlier returns, and I watch as he morphs back into a naked man.

My chest is heaving as I approach him. "That has to be the sexiest thing I've ever witnessed." I grab his cock with one hand as I pull his head toward me to kiss him.

A low growl comes from deep inside him, and he swoops me up in his arms. He breaks our kiss. "I want you, Sierra. But it's too cold for you out here."

I can barely speak, and I croak out, "Take me, but do it soon, because I've never been so hot for anyone and I might die if I can't have you."

He chuckles and carries me into the house. The door snicks shut softly, and he nods his head toward the couch. "Will that do?"

I'm already stripping out of my clothes as fast as I can. I say, "Shit, yeah, I'll do you on the coffee table."

My hair clip flies across the room and clatters on the hard wood floor when I pull both my shirt and sweater over my head. Keith is standing close and reaches for the waistband of my jeans. His voice rumbles through me. "Let me help."

I take a shaky breath as he slows my attack. But just as he's gotten to my zipper, he halts. I look into his face as his eyes widen.

Keith steps back. "We've got to go. Something's wrong with Carly. Get dressed." He races back outside for his clothes.

His panic is contagious, and even though I haven't got a freaking clue how he knows Carly is in danger, I dress quickly.

C
arly

O
h
, God.
Everything hurts,
and I'm afraid to open my eyes. Something rough cuts into my wrist as I try to raise my arm.
I'm restrained?
I clench my fist and my fingers are sticky.
Ick, I want to wash my hands.

I open my eyes and see Brady's green eyes. He's wiping my face with a warm washcloth. "Hey love, nice to have you back."

Sierra is crying, and it's then I realize blood is everywhere.
Crap on a cracker, what happened?
I try to sit up, but I seem to be tied down. My heart starts to beat faster, and I can't breathe. "Brady?"
Why am I tied up? And he's okay with it?
I have to get out of here. My hands are throbbing, and my jaw aches. A strange prickling sensation is all over my skin. I look down at my body and see that hair is growing. I scream and watch as my fingernails turn to claws.

No, this has to be a dream.
I struggle to break free of the restraints. Voices are telling me to be calm. "Let me go! Sierra! Help me!" I hear material ripping, and from the sensation of bulk under my nails, it's me. I've sliced whatever is under my hands with my thrashing.

Sierra's face is in front of mine while millions of hands seem to be trying to hold me still. She speaks sternly. "Carly. Stop!" Her skin is blotchy, as if she's been crying for a while.

I relax and feel a whimper escape. "Why won't they let me go?"

A tear rolls down her cheek. "You're hurting yourself. They tied you up so you would stop clawing yourself."

"I don't understand."

Sierra's cool finger strokes my face. "I know, hon. I know. We're not sure either, but you seem to have become--" She shuts her eyes and in a small voice says, "You're a bear now."

Oh, God.
I'm going to throw up. Annie's face appears over me as Sierra moves away. "Carly, I'm going to help you through this. You aren't alone." She smiles. "Nice job shifting back. You'll get the hang of it."

I "shifted" back?
I squeeze my eyes shut and know tears fall.
I'm a freak.
My body shudders with silent crying. I'm trying to stop because it won't solve anything, but I seem to have lost control of everything in my life. What are a few tears?

Brady's voice breaks through. "You're going to be okay. We heal quickly, and your wounds are already speeding right along."

I open my eyes to his face and remember how this started. Through clenched teeth I say, "You did this to me." Blood rushes to my ears, and I begin to shake as anger floods my senses. My hands ache again, and I think the claws are back. Brady's eyes widen, and Annie shoves him out of the way. When I feel the prickling, I'm sure I'm covered in hair. I lick over my teeth and discover my canines are huge. I let out a scream, only it comes out as a roar.

Annie says, "Carly, listen to me. Take a deep breath and focus on my face."

My eyes go to hers, and I try to listen.

"Good. Breathe with me."

I take a deep breath with Annie and let myself think only about air coming in my lungs and air leaving. I run my tongue over my teeth, and they're back to normal. I glance down and don't see any hair. In a shaky voice I say, "Thank you, Annie."

She chuckles. "Oh, sweetie, you don't need to be polite with me. I’d be pissed off too."

My throat is raw, and my voice is raspy when I ask, "Do you know how this happened?"

"I'm not sure, but I think when Brady bit your mark, he somehow managed to shift you." She strokes my cheek. "He didn't know. None of us did. We all thought biting a human to turn them was a myth." I recall when my body started to turn red and hear his panicked voice in my head.

Cool hands are on my arm. Annie unties a restraint. "Werebear have bitten humans before, but they haven't changed. We think this happened because you have shifter blood, and he bit your mark. I don't know if he had done it anywhere else if it would have happened." She turns her head and speaks to someone in a stern voice. I assume it’s Keith. "And we won't be testing that out, will we?"

Sierra helps Annie untie me, and I sit up. I look over at Sierra. "Aren't you afraid of me?" Moisture pools in my eyes.

"Oh, honey, no. I love you too much for that. I'll never be afraid of you."

Hot tears streams down my face. "I--"

Now Sierra is crying, and she pulls me into a hug. "I love you too."

Brady is keeping a safe distance and is fidgeting behind Sierra. I notice Keith across the room in a chair, and I suddenly feel self conscious about being naked. "Could I have a shirt?"

Annie answers, "Of course. Let me go find Brady's best one in case you shift again so we can have the pleasure of ruining it." She grins at me, and I can't help but give a weak smile in return.

Brady.
He has to feel awful. But I need a minute to be sure he doesn't make me angry again. I guess that's a trigger for shifting.

Annie and Sierra help me into the shirt. It's a starched white one, and I smile knowing I've probably gotten blood on it. It hardly makes up for turning me into something awful, but it's a start. The cold stiff fabric is rough on my tender skin, but I feel better with clothes on.

"Brady? I think I can talk to you now without clawing your eyes out."

"Hey, how do you feel?" He takes my hand and gently holds it between his. The moment he does, my love for him surges. How can I be mad at him for something he didn't try to do?

"Like I was roughed up. Can we try vanilla sex next time? Because I didn't bargain for this." I tear up again.

His eyes crinkle in a quick smile. "I'm so sorry, love." He leans down and kisses away my tears. His touch soothes me.

"I know. I wasn't really mad at you. It's just kind of hard to go from a regular girl tattooing dicks in California to a werebear in less than a week, you know?"

"You were never regular." He places a hand on my cheek, and I lean into it. "You're the most amazing woman I've ever laid eyes on."

His words tug at my heart. He really loves me, and I know I love him too. "How do I look in fur and claws?"

He leans over me and whispers in my ear. "Sexy as hell."

A jolt of desire races through me, and I whisper back. "You'll have to shift for me sometime. I might have a new fantasy."
Whoa, did I just admit I want to have animal sex for real? I let out small growl that makes him grin.

I ask, "So what happens now? I assume I have to learn to control shifting, right?"

"Yes. And Annie is probably the best one to teach you. Women have different triggers."

I nod. Sierra and Keith come over to talk to us. Sierra says, "We're going to go now that you're okay. You should probably sleep. But I'll be back to see you in the morning."

She leans down and kisses me on the cheek. I say, "Thanks."

When they've left I swing my legs around to get off the bed. Annie asks, "Want any help?"

"No, I think I've got it." I stand, and while sore, I feel strong enough to walk. The thick carpet in Brady's room wraps around my toes as I make my way to the bathroom.

When I get to the tile, it seems unusually cold under my feet, and I wonder if maybe I have a higher internal temperature now. Sitting down to pee, I'm struck by how high the toilet is, and it makes me think I'm going to like living in a giant-sized house. The enormousness of that hits me.
I live here.

Water splashes in the sink as I wash my hands. Dried blood is under my nails, but my hands look perfectly normal, and nobody would ever know by looking at them that claws can slip out at a moment's notice.

I look down at my bare legs and see red welts and bits of caked blood. I could use a bath. I wander back into the bedroom to Annie chastising Brady. I overhear something about making sure the others know before more women show up.

She stops talking when they see me. I should mind, but I'm too tired to care. "I’d like to take a bath. Should I do it here?"

Brady answers, "Yes. Let me run it for you." He gets up and walks by me, touching my arm as he does.

Annie says, "I've got lovely bath salts you can use. I'll go get them. Can I get you some tea, too?"

I shake my head, "No, I'll come down to the kitchen for something later."

Before she turns to leave I ask, "Annie?"

"Yes?"

"Is being a werebear hard?"

"Oh, Carly, no. For us it's just something that happens, and we're prepared." She bites her lip in thought. "Do you remember going through puberty and your emotions were all over the place? And when you got your period you were sure women were cursed and it wasn't fair?"

I smile, "Yeah. I was pretty pissed off that I had to get cramps and bleed."

"This is kind of the same thing. You'll get better at it and then forget what it was like to not be one." She smiles as if she's remembered something. "Tomorrow we'll go into the woods together. I think you're going to like being a bear."

I frown at the thought, and she says, "I'll be right back with those bath salts."

I wander to the bathroom and ponder her words. Right now being a werebear doesn't seem like anything I'll ever like. Tears come again, and I don't bother to stop them.