Love to Bear: A Werebear Shifter Romance (5 page)

The monstrous grizzly tilted his head toward Rufus,
opened his jaws, and growled. “Shut up.”

The words came out distorted. The blood drained from my
face and I began to shake.

What? A...a talking bear?

To say that Emmerick spoke in his shifter form was being
generous. It was a barely intelligible warning, the best a savage
animal could do to mimic human speech.

Rufus clammed up immediately. Alex's grip on me tensed –
not because I was struggling, but because he was nervous too.

Only Don stared at the big bear with cold defiance in
his eyes. He was fully human, but I knew the animal inside him was
rising. It forced his lips to peel back, showing his perfect teeth.

Emmerick's feet clapped loudly on the floor. At last, he
stopped in front of Don, dark brown eyes staring like an indifferent
fire.

I blinked. The bear's fur, bones, and claws retracted,
rapidly disappearing into the wrinkled, but muscular flesh of a tall
man in his late fifties.

He jumped once, spreading his arms and legs. I didn't
understand why until Rufus went running across the room, and returned
a second later with a huge cloak.

Servile, he tied it around his leader's neck, fixing the
silver clasp. Emmerick waved him away and pulled the fabric tight,
shielding himself from the cold.

“
What the hell do you think you're doing, Flood?”
In human form, the Elder spoke with the same jagged menace as the
bear, only far more coherently. “I should have you hauled into
the holding pit for this.”

“
I broke the rules, Elder.” Don twisted the
last word with contempt. Not respect. “And I know it. I had to.
This girl may have gotten hurt if I hadn't stepped in, if I hadn't
brought her here...”

“
You know that's forbidden.” Emmerick turned
and shook his head. Shifter or not, he was obviously exasperated.

“
How many times have we let you get away with
bending the rules or outright breaking them?” In a flash, he
faced Don again, the small gray crop of hair on his chin bobbing as
he spoke. “I should've punished you a long time ago. This is my
fault. I'm the one who foolishly deferred to the others, my peers and
their childish worship.”

“
It's not my fault anyone idolizes me, Elder. I do
my best to protect this community, and you know it.”

“
Really? Is that what you do?” Emmerick
lunged forward, wrapping both hands around Don's huge neck. “Bringing
this human female here protects no one! Stop lying to me, child.”

He squeezed. Don made the tiniest sound, but he wouldn't
give Emmerick the satisfaction of choking him. Expression curling
with disgust, the Elder released him.

My heart sank as Don grabbed his knees, struggling to
replenish lost oxygen. I wanted nothing more than to run over and
comfort him, to thank him, to tell them this was all my fault for
leading him on and not leaving immediately. But, of course, wishes
rarely line up with reality.

If wishes were fishes...

Not now.
Shut
up mother!

“
You know I've protected this clan, Emmerick.
Everyone here knows it. So do the others on the council,” Don
said weakly, still filling his lungs.

Rufus and Alex shifted uncomfortably. I couldn't tell if
they feared a similar punishment one day at the Elder's hands, or if
they were just jealous of Don.

“
Yes. And frankly, your exemplary service in the
past is the only reason why you'll do your time in the pit instead of
becoming this clan's second treason case. And you know the council's
price for treason.” Emmerick smiled wickedly. Even as a man,
his teeth looked big and sharp.

It didn't take a psychic to understand what he refused
to say. In every country I'd ever heard of, the penalty for treason
was death.

I hugged my arms close, trying to contain my terror.
Emmerick lowered his face and walked toward me.

His dead eyes met mine.
I wanted to look away, but every instinct inside me warned against
it.
Don't!

“
And this creature, this woman...she brings great
danger to the clan.” He turned to Rufus. “Throw her in
Margret’s old cabin. Feed her, but nothing more. If she
survives the winter, we can figure this out then. Though it would be
better for everyone that she freezes there.”

“
Wait!” I chirped. “You can't do this.
I wasn't going to tell anyone your stupid secret! I would've
forgotten all this, and I still will, if you'll just change your
mind...”

My tongue worked faster than my brain. I didn't have
time to think about being brave or coy anymore. I begged, knowing it
probably wouldn't save me.

But I had to try. When faced with a slow and horrible
fate, everyone tries the unthinkable. Everyone pleads.

Better a coward than dead,
I thought.
God, please don't let me die in this place, with
these things dragging me around and watching me.

The roar from further down the line took everyone by
surprise.

Rufus and Alex both ran forward, but it was too late.
Don shifted and lunged, pouncing on Emmerick's back, knocking the old
man to the floor.

The two younger shifters changed and threw themselves on
him. There was a flurry of fur. I ran and pressed my back against the
furthest wall, watching like a fool. I had to stay out of the way, or
else they'd easily crush me like big hairy boulders rolling down a
mountain.

Even at full strength, laying heavy on top of him, Alex
and Rufus were no match for Don. He exploded up, roaring, his huge
grizzly neck stretched toward the ceiling.

His rivals went flying. Don ran, closing the short
distance between him and a very dazed Emmerick.

Don lifted one immense paw, claws ready, one swipe away
from ending the Elder's life.

“
Are you done?” Emmerick said in a low
voice. “You stupid fool. You can throw your weight around, but
you'll never understand why I do what's best for this clan. Never.”

I saw the rage lift a little on Don's muzzle. He closed
his maw, replacing raw anger with confusion.

A second later, he turned into a man, a glorious naked
man standing triumphant. Rufus and Alex weren't even on their feet
yet. They'd hit the wall pretty hard, and they lingered on both sides
of the room, literally licking their wounds in bear form.

“
Sam will stay with me this winter. And you won't
put me in any fucking dungeon. That's my compromise, Elder.”

Sneering, Emmerick stood, pulling his cloak tight. He
walked forward, until there was only an inch between them. His knobby
pointer finger shot out and he pointed it at Don's face like a
mottled spear.

“
The council will take this up immediately. I'm
calling it into session tomorrow. You may defy me, just like you
always do, Flood. But if you try defying all of us, we'll send more
than just these two dolts after you.”

“
Understood,” Don said grimly. “I
won't try to take her outside our borders again until this is sorted
out. You have my word. Increase the nightly patrols if you don't
believe me.”

Emmerick watched him sourly as he turned and approached.
Don grabbed my hand and I began to follow him toward the door,
shooting anxious glances over my shoulder to make sure the others
weren't behind us.

My knees ached. They'd turned to stone during the whole
tense episode, bound in terror like the rest of my body.

We walked into the darkness. Don led me on silently,
along a back path that led us toward the dark cabin I recognized.

Every snap of wood almost sent me jumping. Adrenaline
rocketed through me, swirling like a toxic elixir, keeping all my
senses on high alert.

It felt good to be back in his cabin. At least it was
somewhere I recognized. Plus I only had to worry about Don, the one
creature I was comfortable with here.

“
What the hell was that all about?” I
finally said, throwing myself down on the seat at his kitchen table.

“
What?” Don cocked his head.

“
Uh, the fact that you almost killed your king.
The way they let you go so easily. Was I the only one paying
attention the last hour or two?” Sarcasm flooded my words,
borne from deep frustration.

Without a word, he sat down, and reached for my hand. I
looked away, too scared I'd start crying for the thousandth time.

“
Emmerick's no king,” Don growled. “He's
just a councilman. Leader by virtue of his seniority, and nothing
else. He's just a big, fat brute. Don't let his size fool you. I
could've taken him to the ground.”

I smiled. His naked chest beaded with sweaty heat. I
swore his pores steamed a little more when he got angry.

“
Sounds like the clan isn't so different from my
world if that's how things are run.”

Frowning, he nodded in agreement. “No. Politics
are universal. You keep forgetting that we're descended from the same
place.”

I sucked in my bottom lip. I guessed the irritation in
his voice was a faint battle echo of what he'd suffered earlier for
me, but I didn't want to add to it.

“
Sorry. If that's so...then what makes you so
different? Are you saying your clan has no interaction with humankind
except for these scouting missions?”

“
That's right.” Don's reply was serious and
sad. “There was a time when we had interactions with the old
mining towns in the nearby mountains. Humans returned with our men
and women, and even interbred. Supposedly.”

He shook his head. It sounded like he didn't know his
people's history much better than I did. My brow creased, wondering
why it was like that.

Politics,
I
thought with contempt.
The answer always comes down to
politics.

I leaned into the chair and relaxed. Don stared out the
frosted window, into the gloomy night, listening to the glass rattle
slightly every time a heavy gale blew against its surface.

“
Hey,” I whispered softly, pressing my
fingers deeper into his. “I appreciate the way you saved me. No
one's ever put themselves on the line for me. Not like that.”

“
I don't deserve your praise. I was supposed to
help you get away. You should've been in your own bed and tucked in
by now. I failed you.”

I shook my head vigorously. I couldn't disagree with him
more.

“
You're too modest, Don. What would've happened if
you hadn't been there to intervene when your friends caught us in the
darkness? Or when your Elder wanted to toss me into a cold dungeon
for winter?”

His lip curled like he needed to growl. He held it in.

“
Nothing good. Okay, I'll give you that,” he
said smartly. His features softened a little.

I relaxed. That was all I really needed to see right
now.

“
It's been a long night.” I withdrew my hand
from his. “I don't mean to put you out, but do you mind if I
turn in?”

He stood, a little more relaxed. He was probably glad to
have such a mundane problem in front of him after all we'd been
through.

“
This way.”

Don led me down the long hallway I'd left only once
before, straight to his small bedroom. His big, soft mattress waited
for me there.

“
You're the guest, and you deserve the best bed in
the house.” He waved his hand toward it, a swift, inviting
movement that would've been damned near seductive on an easier night.

I couldn't stop my smile. I sat on the bed, realizing I
still had his coat on. Slowly, I peeled it off my shoulders and
passed it back to him.

“
What about you?”

“
I've slept on the stone cold ground outside many
nights. A blanket and a wooden floor in the other room are nothing.
Trust me.”

He turned as I laid on the mattress. My bones protested
at first, struggling to remember what it was like to be comfortable
and relaxed.

“
If there's anything else you need here, just let
me know.” He wished me goodnight and switched out the light,
bathing me in darkness.

A couple minutes later, all the other lights in the
cabin went out. The wind blew and the old timber walls creaked.

I pretended I was at an isolated mountain resort and
forgot about the shifters – all of them except Don – my
private Adonis.

It worked. Before the clouds had split outside my small
window to reveal the faint, distant stars, I was fast asleep.

Bears, bears, bears.

They haunted my dreams. I was crouched in the woods,
watching them lumber around, stalking small animals and each other.

When a big grizzly came toward me in the brush, I tried
to hide. Even in my dreams, I relied on wishful thinking, foolishly
forgetting their senses were far more acute than mine –
especially smell.

In one movement, the bear reached through the trees,
pulling me out between the growth with a surprisingly human grip.