Southern Shifters: Bearly Dreaming (Kindle Worlds Novella) (9 page)

And then I waited some more. Terrified that I’d screwed this up. I hadn’t told her about my bear, too consumed with the mystery of her to think about the long-term effects of keeping that fact to myself. I hadn’t intended on shifting in front of her either, afraid my bear would scare her too much, but when I heard that scream, I panicked.

Standing, praying that she was willing to at least think about accepting both my bear and me, I was still panicking.

My gut dropped when the first tear fell down her dirty cheek, but then she made a noise like a sob and raced for me. I caught her as she jumped, holding her against me in a crushing hug, too relieved to let her go. Thanking the universe for being able to touch her again, for the fact that she hadn’t run away. I whispered against her cheek, knowing she couldn’t hear me but hoping to soothe her anyway. Words of comfort, of caring, of hope for us. Of thanks for her. Running a hand down her back, I moved us backward, out of the nasty, disgusting cage and into the hallway. I couldn’t let her stay in there, not for another second. My mate would never be behind bars again.

As we passed Whit and Audrey, Nyla kissed my chest, clinging to me, shaking in my arms. God, four days in this place. It had to be hell for her. I couldn’t even imagine how scared she must have been, how lonely. How heartbroken when I didn’t come for her right away.

Unknowingly reinforcing my thought, Nyla pulled out of my arms, just enough to sign to me.

“What took you so long?”

I wanted to answer her, wanted to beg for her forgiveness and prostrate myself at her feet, but I was struck dumb by how beautiful she was. I held her in my arms, unable to think or speak. She was mine, and she always would be if she let me claim her. If she would agree to forgive me and accept all that came with being my mate. Seeing her in person, being in the same reality as her, made me very aware of the fact that I was the luckiest fucker on the planet. I also knew I was the dumbest.

Squeezing her with my left arm so I could bring my right one up, I shook my head and signed each letter.

“My bear’s afraid of flying.”

She stared at me, blank-faced, as I waited for her anger. But then she laughed, bright and loud and perfect, even in this hellish place. I pulled her closer, laughing as well, kicking myself mentally for not just jumping on a plane and trusting my bear to deal with his fear. Never again. I would never put anything ahead of my mate again.

I didn’t want to let go of her, but the woman who looked just like an older version of Nyla physically pulled us apart, earning an unhappy snap of my jaws.

“I wouldn’t interrupt a shifter with his mate normally, but you need to go,” she whispered, signing the words for Nyla. “You’ve angered the Council. They’ll kill you for trespassing on MacDonald land and murder my daughter for endangering the secret of the MacDonald clan by allowing her mating call to go so long unchecked. They won’t care that you
are
her true mate and can calm the psychic storm with a completed mating ritual. This has gone too far to go back.”

Nyla signed a response to her mother, fingers too fast and unreadable for me. Her mother translated, though.

“She doesn’t want to leave me here to deal with the aftermath.” The lady smiled, a wicked glint in her eye. “Honey, I’ve dealt with this Council for fifty years. As long as you’re safe, I can handle them. I’m not afraid of their little temper tantrums. Besides, I have places I can run if I fear they’ll try to punish me for this. My bigger concern is you; everything has always been about keeping you safe.”

Her mother continued to sign, keeping her eyes on her daughter even as she spoke to me. “Her mating call is giving her false visions. They’ll make her doubt you, doubt reality. Without a strong mate to help her balance the power, she’ll go insane. That’s the price we pay for access to our gift. She’s already gone too long—weaker women would have fallen catatonic by now. My daughter may be the strongest woman in the clan, but she’s still beholden to the Tallan. You must claim her tonight, as soon as you’re safely away from MacDonald territory, if you want her to survive. The
full
ritual for your kind, shifter.”

“Yes, ma’am.” I nodded once, showing my respect for what this woman was about to give up. Nyla tucked her head against my chest, seeming to hide. Not that I blamed her. As open as shifters were about sex, I couldn’t imagine it was easy to watch your mother tell a man you’d technically just met to make sure he bit you while you were having sex later. Even to me, the situation felt a little awkward. Especially since I was still naked with only her daughter’s body covering me.

Untangling herself from my arms, Nyla dropped to her feet, leaving me naked in front of her mother but giving me a look that said so much. Fear and joy, anxiety and relief all danced in those green eyes. I lifted her hand to my mouth and kissed the palm, keeping our gazes locked, keeping us connected for an extra second. Nyla smiled and stepped away, hugging the other woman tightly, the two seeming to need that moment. Needing to say goodbye. When they separated, the older woman shot me a sharp look, eagle-eyed and direct. Not missing a trick.

“You take care of her.”

I put my hand over my heart, knowing I was making a vow to this woman who loved my mate completely. Who’d birthed her, raised her, and made her the woman she’d become.

“I will.”

“Promise me.” Her voice was little more than a whisper, but the emotion behind it, the threat, was perfectly clear.

“I promise. I will do everything I can to make Nyla happy. She’ll be safe and loved with me. You have my solemn oath.”

She looked from me to Nyla, eyes growing red and teary. And then she choked on a sob. “Go. Get her out of here. Take my baby and show her how good life can be when you find the other half to your soul.”

Nyla clung to her mother’s hand, her other arm wrapped around my waist. And though I wanted to grab her and run, to escape this place and ask questions later, there was one that had to be answered first.

I crouched down, eyes level with Nyla’s as I mouthed, “Come home with me?”

Nyla nodded, biting her lip, glancing at her mother as my heart broke for them both.

“Go, baby,” she said and signed, smiling through her tears. “Go live the life you deserve with your mate. This won’t be the last time we speak.”

With a final hug, her mother rushed out of the cave, hurried footsteps echoing through the chamber. I felt for her, but there was no way we could stay. Not with a ruling group so backward as to kill their young women instead of finding a way to help them. And especially if I wanted to keep my bear from going mad. This climate didn’t suit him one bit.

Nyla watched her mother go, then turned to me, eyes raking over my naked body, face flushing. I grew hard in an instant, wanting her to look at me like that again, forever, just not at that moment.

I gave her a grin and signed, “Want to hop on?”

Her eyes went wide, and she glanced toward where Audrey and Whit, in full bear form, waited. I shook my head and held up one finger, making sure Nyla understood. And then I called my bear.

White fur sprouted, my skin darkening and my body growing until I stood on all fours. Pure polar bear, lethal predator of the North. I crept toward Nyla, almost eye level with her, trying not to scare her. But my bear needed this moment of introduction, and I was hell-bent that he’d get it. When I stood directly in front of my mate, I chuffed and pressed my nose to hers. Rubbing, nuzzling, but doing my best to keep it gentle. The act a welcome of sorts from my bear. She watched me, eyes wide, bringing a hand up to pet my muzzle. Not afraid.

And then she hugged me.

I huffed, curling my neck to snuggle her close. Thrilled that she accepted me.

“We’d better go,” Audrey said, glancing down the hall toward where the Council members were making a hell of a lot of noise all of a sudden. Audrey hopped onto Whit’s back, motioning to Nyla to climb on me the same way. Nyla did, pulling herself onto my back and gripping the fur on my neck without delay.

With my mate clinging to my back and a roar to remind those fuckers what they’d get if they tried coming after us, we took off, running out of the cave and up through the woods. Heading back to grab the truck and drive north. Ready to leave Deals Gap and the MacDonald clan forever.

Hours after leaving the cave, I walked out of the bathroom wrapped in nothing but a fluffy, white towel. The hotel we were staying at was nice, much nicer than I’d expected, though it was no cabin in the woods. I would have liked to wait to finalize the mating ritual until we arrived at Kian’s, but there was no time for that. My Tallan was out of control, forcing horrible visions into my head at the worst moments.

The drive so far had been long and difficult, the barrage against my mind becoming darker, scarier, and more real. The delusions were trying to steal what was left of my mind, forcing me to fight to find reality. With every mile placed between us and Deals Gap, my anxiety had increased, the terror only I could see growing worse. I’d tried to hide it, but Kian knew. After the third time I’d caught him staring at me with a worried expression on his face, he’d signed, “That’s it.” So we ended up in this grand hotel, alone, Audrey and Whit in a room down the hall. With the biggest bed I’d ever seen smack-dab in the middle of the room.

Kian sat at the edge of the bed, head in his hands. He’d taken off his shirt at some point, wearing only the jeans he’d yanked on when we’d reached the truck and he’d shifted human once more. I loved the look of him in the tight denim, adored seeing him as real and here and solid. But flaring around him like a picture on a television just out of signal range was the other Kian. The one from my delusions. The one who didn’t want me. The one who scared me.

I must have made a sound, because Kian jerked, standing when he saw me, eyes dark and wide. The bad Kian flickered, glowing bright for a second before fading behind the real one. Or at least I thought he had. I couldn’t tell anymore, couldn’t see the difference between the two at times.

But then Kian smiled, and I knew which one I had. The smile was so bright, so perfect, and the look he gave me so filled with what I could only hope was something growing toward love. That gave me the courage to move toward him. With every step, the weight of the moment grew. This was it. My mate. My one. And tonight, we’d join ourselves forever.

“Beautiful Nyla,” he signed, making me feel wanted and sexy.

But when I was two steps away from the bed, Kian flickered and held up his hands, palms out to block me, his face twisting into an angry sneer. I stumbled back, my heart leaping in my chest.
No, no, no
, I thought, fighting for my balance, struggling to get back to reality. But nothing changed. Smiling Kian had disappeared, leaving me with an angry man who suddenly rushed at me, hand raised. I cowered, ready for the pain, but a slap never happened. Instead, I felt strong hands on my arms, rubbing me, holding me up. Calming me as I trembled.

“Kian,” I signed when I finally found enough courage to meet his concerned eyes once more.

“The visions are getting worse,” he signed, watching me, his eyes growing dark but scared.

“Help me.” I let my hands come to rest against his skin, connecting us. He took a deep breath before nodding, bringing his face down to rub his nose along the length of mine. I mimicked him, knowing it was something his bear liked, something that seemed to calm him. And I wanted to make his bear happy, needed to. They were one and the same, two halves of a whole.

His hands slid slowly to the knot of my towel as his eyes stayed on mine. Questioning, making sure. I stared back, solid and strong, knowing this was exactly what I wanted. Proving it without words. We didn’t need them anyway. And when he tugged, when the knot came undone and the towel fell to the floor, I smiled. Ready. Willing. Wanting.

He looked me over, his eyes hot and hungry as they seemed to devour my naked body. I gave him a few seconds to look, to see me, before reaching to unfasten his jeans, pushing them down his legs. Stripping him bare. He stepped out of the worn denim, letting me see him, watching me watch him.

“When we get home,” he signed, coming closer, those eyes of his burning with desire. “I’ll spend hours loving every inch of you. But tonight…”

He didn’t finish his thought, didn’t have to. I knew as well as he did what tonight needed to be. So I stepped into his arms and turned around, my back to his chest, pulling my hair over one shoulder and exposing my neck to him.

“You’re not my first, but you’ll be my last,” I signed, turning my hands so he could see. So he knew what I wanted. “I’m yours, Kian. Mark me.”

His chest vibrated against my back as his hands came around me. One on my hip, the other clutching my breast. He licked and kissed a trail up my neck, pulling me to him. Pressing his erection into my side. Every long, hard inch of him rested against me, teasing me with what I knew was to come. What I wanted with a desperation that made me ache.

I reached down, running a finger along the length of his dick, learning the feel of him. The width and ridges. His growl must have deepened, the vibration growing stronger, making me shiver. He was like a living, breathing vibrator, and I couldn’t wait to feel that tickle all over my body.

His hand released my breast and traveled down, creeping between my legs. Fingers finding me wet for him already. Breath rushing out of him on a whoosh when he slipped between my lips.

He teased me until I could barely stand, his fingers swirling around my clit for a few strokes before sliding into me. Pumping hard. Pulling out and returning to my clit. All the while, his other hand tweaked my nipples, grabbed my breasts roughly. Worked the rest of me over. Rough yet careful, just this edge of painful. Driving me wild.

When I shook in his arms, too close to coming to do anything more than cling to him, he removed his hand from my pussy. Not missing a beat, he reached between us to line up the head of his dick with where I was hot and achy for him. Slowly, he teased me, sliding back and forth, bumping my clit on every pass. But I didn’t want teasing. I bent over, placing my hands on the mattress and spreading my legs before looking over my shoulder to give him a smile. One I hoped told him all he needed to know. That I wanted this. That I was ready for him. That I needed to be claimed by him.