Catching Her Bear (16 page)

When the door to her bedroom closed, he let out a breath then waited until the lock clicked. Once he was convinced she was snug and safe in her room, he grabbed a beer from the fridge and dropped onto the sofa.

From his pocket, he took out the address of the Changeling who might know something about the murders. The handwriting looked like something one would find on an ancient sea scroll, written in ink with long flourishes at the end of the letters. Kalan didn’t recognize the address because the Changelings rarely called the sheriff’s department for help. Driving around the mountains was asking for trouble, so he’d avoided it when possible.

Tomorrow, he’d ask his dad to keep an eye on Elana while he and Rye checked out this Chris Darden fellow. Even if this guy wasn’t responsible for killing the Stanleys, he might provide some useful information—or not. Changelings weren’t known for their generosity.

Kalan stretched out on the sofa ready to keep vigil over Elana. If anyone tried to sneak in, they’d have to come through him first. The Changelings’ powers weren’t strong near the lake, but they could cause trouble. If a human had been responsible for the deaths, Kalan bet that person would die of a heart attack if Kalan shifted into a seven-foot bear. No, Elana would be safe on his watch.

Needing to relax, he turned on the tube. By midnight, however, the drivel on the television made him nearly comatose. If he slept in his room tonight, and someone managed to break in, they might reach Elana before he did.

There was only one solution. Shift into his bear form and sleep in front of her door. He’d rise as soon as the sun came up, and she’d never be the wiser. His biggest fear was that once he was in his bear form, though, he’d want to break down the door just to be with her. His human self had some control, but he wasn’t sure about his animal side.

He left the television on with the sound off, hoping to make an intruder believe he was still up.

Kalan shifted and then spread out in front of her door. As much as he believed he would fall asleep quickly given how fatigued he was, he found it hard to calm his racing thoughts. Elana’s little whimpers tempted him like no other. He prayed she didn’t cry out, for if she did, he wasn’t sure what he’d do. For now his bear seemed to be satisfied with at least being allowed out to protect her.

If he didn’t get some shuteye, however, he wouldn’t be able to protect even an ant tomorrow. Eventually, his mind shut down and his body succumbed to a deep sleep.

The full body impact and scream woke him.
What the hell!
He opened his eyes to find Elana on top of him, scrambling to get off.
Oh, shit
. He didn’t dare move for fear of further startling her. Only then did it occur to him that she might have wanted to use the bathroom in the middle of the night—the one that was across the hall from her room. Stupid…stupid. His hormones had blocked his thinking process.

Once she managed to climb off him, Elana rushed back into her room, mixing whimpers with screams of
Oh my God
and
Stay away
.

Fuck
. She slammed the door, and he shifted back into human form then knocked. “Elana, are you okay?” That was a stupid question, but he wanted her to speak to his human half. Then he’d tell her he was the bear in front of her door.

Suddenly, the door flung open and Elana grabbed his arm to pull him into her room. She then slammed and locked it once more. The next thing he knew, she threw herself in his arms then leaned her head back looking up into his face with scared wild eyes.

Seconds later, she released him and frantically paced the room not paying any attention to him. She waved her arms around. “There’s a bear out there. Didn’t you see him? We need to get out of here.” Elana was headed for melt down, and he needed to do something.

“It’s okay, calm down. We’re safe. I promise.”

She edged her way toward the window and clicked on the light next to her bed. When she swung around, her eyes became as large as the white moon.

“What’s wrong? I won’t let anything happen to you, trust me.”

“You’re…you’re…naked.”

Oh, fuck!
He’d completely forgotten that when he shifted back to human form he would be wearing clothes. Of course his cock had no problem showing just how happy it was to see her. Kalan clasped his hands in front of his cock and balls, but it didn’t help much, not with Elana dressed in an adorably thin T-shirt that had her perky nipples poking through just begging him to suck them. Add in her loose pajama bottoms, and he was hotter than the fire they’d lit tonight. “How about I put on something?”

He opened the door and she rushed toward him. “What about the bear?”

“The bear’s gone,” he said walking back to his room. He was botching this badly, but he wasn’t going to have a conversation when she was gawking at him, and he was pretty sure right now she was staring at his ass.

“How is that possible?”

He just needed to tell her. Taking a deep breath, he turned around to face her. “I was that bear.”

She stared at him like he had two heads. Kalan rushed back to her, ready to calm her down.

All of a sudden, a broad smile split her face. “You’re a werebear?”

Her gaze dropped to his hands that were once more trying to cover his junk.

“Yes,” he said hesitantly, shocked at her wide eyes and the joy in her voice. His bear was pushing hard from the inside, forcing his incisors to sharpen and hair to sprout on his body.

“Ohmigod. I know Rye is a werewolf, but I had no idea bear shifters even existed.”

“Well, we do, but I’m a bit confused by your reaction. You aren’t scared? Or even surprised?” His voice deepened.

“No. I’m excited. This is so cool. Can you shift back for me?”

The joy in her voice caught him of guard. As his brain tried to catch up and comprehend what she had asked, he stumbled with his words. “What…Why?”

“I love bears. They’re one of my favorite animals, so big and cuddly. Izzy said Rye is really sweet even when he’s in his wolf form.”

Sweet? He doubted the Alpha would appreciate that label. “We’re not vicious in our animal form if that’s what you’re asking.” He stepped back. “I’ll go change.”

“Yes, change into a bear.”

Was she crazy? Her mind must have scrambled from the shock. Elana hadn’t even been aware his kind existed, yet she seemed to accept it. Having grown up with the Wendayans probably helped. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

From the gleam in her eye, returning to his bear form would delight her even more. He couldn’t help but shake his head. She was practically giddy about finding out he was a werebear. Never had anyone had that kind of reaction to him before.

This can’t be good, but since Elana was his mate, he’d do it. Steeping back, he did what she wanted—he shifted.

*

The sight before
Elana overwhelmed her. Kalan Murdoch really was a bear. How cool was that? She couldn’t decide what part of him she should touch first. She’d had a love affair with animals from a young age, but her parents had steadfastly refused to let her have a pet, saying they were too messy and too much trouble. No amount of arguing had swayed them. After she finished her schooling and moved out of the house, she’d decided against having one, as she’d been too busy getting her business off the ground.

Now she was actually standing in front of a real live animal—and what a glorious creature he was. Standing, he was a good seven feet and quite imposing. His fur was a dark brown and shiny, except around his mouth, where it was streaked black and white. He had a long and sleek snout, but his black nose was compact and cute. Kalan made a handsome bear.

With caution, she stepped out of her room and faced him, keeping her back to the living room. “Kalan can you understand me?”

Izzy said Rye could understand her when he was in his wolf form, but she also said that once they mated, they were able to communicate using only their minds, but that seemed like science fiction to her.

He gave a huffing sound and nodded his head. Yes!

Believing the human Kalan was inside the large bear, she walked behind him to test his reaction. Bear Kalan didn’t move. “Can you get on all fours for me?” she asked as politely as she could.

What sounded like a low growl came out, but he did as she asked. Even in this position, he was huge, but that wasn’t going to stop her from fulfilling her fantasy. Grabbing hold of his coarse fur, she bent her knees and sprung up onto his back, his body more muscular than she’d expected. As soon as she was seated, he moved forward as if he wanted to take her outside.

“Not too fast,” she said. She petted his head, loving the silkiness of his fur. “Nice.”

This time his growl turned even deeper. Instead of heading for the front door, he lifted up and she gently slid off, thankfully landing on her feet. “Whoa.”

Fur flew and what sounded like bones cracked. A blurry whirlwind later, Kalan was back in his human form—and gloriously naked too.

The smile she expected from him wasn’t there. “I hope you had some fun, but I need to explain something to you,” he said in a stern voice as he stalked towards her, towering over her. “I am not a pet. You may touch me all you want, but I am still a man who has wants and needs. You’re little riding exercise has caused my hormones to explode, and if you don’t want some hard loving right now, I suggest you run and lock your door.”

Holy crap
. Elana couldn’t move. For years, she’d dreamed of this moment, but this serious side of Kalan scared her in its intensity. It also made her juices flow. “Okay.”

He stopped and clenched his fists. “Okay, what?”

I’d like to make mad, passionate love with you.
“I’d like to kiss you.”

Kalan closed his eyes and groaned. “I couldn’t stop at one kiss if I tried. The moment you say yes, beware I might lose control.”

Those words resonated deep within her. Until now, she hadn’t realized how much she truly wanted and needed this man—to breathe, to think, to be happy.

“Yes,” she said, her heart pounding so hard she feared it might burst from her chest.

Clasping her shoulders, he walked her backward until she ran into the wall next to the front door. As much as she wanted to look deep into his gorgeous eyes—eyes that seemed to be changing from hazel to amber—she wanted to gaze at his cock even more.

Kalan grabbed her hand, his palm rough and calloused, and placed it on his super long, thick shaft. Elana had slept with a few men, but none were anything like this. “You’re so big,” she said as she hesitantly ran her hand up and down its length.

“The more to satisfy you with.” This time he graced her with quirked up lips that turned his rugged good looks into a highly sensual one.

He cupped her face and kissed her with what was probably restraint for him, but what was to her an amazingly take charge kind of kiss. She released his cock and dragged her hands up his back, mapping out every ridge and muscle. Elana couldn’t touch him enough. Kalan must have sensed her desperation and wrapped his arms around her, drawing her close, and then running his tongue along the seam of her lips. Passion and desire swamped her and she opened up. The moment their tongues came in contact, she could actually taste the minty toothpaste from when he had brushed his teeth earlier. As their breaths increased, so did the pressure on her chest. She dragged her hands back down his rippled back, loving the play of his muscles each time he moved or ran his hands up and down her butt.

Kalan broke the kiss. “Need you naked now.”

Oh, God. Did he really just say that? Given he was so large in his bear form, she hoped he’d appreciate her larger-than-life size. “Umm, ohhkay.”

Elana hated that she hesitated in her response, but suddenly she was nervous and unsure how to proceed. He was already naked—thankfully. If she’d had to take off his clothes, she might have melted into a big puddle of goo on the floor. Just the sight of his glorious was body was making it hard to think clearly.

“I need to warn you first,” he said.

That made her a little nervous. “About what?”

He huffed out a breath. “The longer we stand here, the harder it will be for me to stay in my human form. You know nothing about what we shifters go through once our bodies tell us that we have to have you. If you see my eyes change color or my facial hair grow, it means I’m about to shift, and I really don’t want to do that, but damn, it’s hard not to.”

Elana was speechless. The whole concept that a man would want her that much blew her away. “Can I touch you?” She reached out to him.

“I don’t think that would be a good idea, at least not this first time.”

This first time?
Did that mean he wanted her for longer than tonight?

“What would you like me to do?”

“Keep your hands at your sides.”

A giggle escaped.
Gah
. She was a twenty-seven year old woman, not some virginal teenager, so she shouldn’t be shocked at the idea of sexual attraction. He slipped his fingers under her T-shirt, and when he dragged his palms up to her breasts, she actually shuddered with pure lust and desire.

“So nice and firm and round. I bet they taste sweet too,” he said.