The Bear's Hired Mate: A Paranormal Bear Shifter Romance (12 page)

*

Vincent walked into the boardroom, rented on neutral territory, second in line behind his father. The rest of the board, including Xavier, followed behind him in order of age and rank. Each of the men seemed to be trying to control their bears in different ways. For his part, Vincent was controlling his breathing and trying to remember the way Jane’s hips swayed from side to side, as she walked down the long hallway at Midnight Ink. The Mezzanotte Clan were the first to arrive and the men sat tense and ready - prepared to speak civilly, but ready to fight back physically if need be, because they were about to meet the enemy.

One of the red-flagged emails had been a mandatory invitation to a meeting with the Longclaw Werebear Clan. In the past few months, the Longclaw’s Clan members had been responsible for a series of attacks on the Mezzanotte Clan. The first few were petty thefts and vandalism, but the final attack had been a house fire that had killed one of the Mezzanotte’s families. In a species that enjoyed a long life and relatively good health, the loss was devastating. At that point, Vincenzo could no longer excuse the Longclaw Clan’s antics as the work of young cubs going wild.

In the intervening months, the Longclaw Clan had been suspiciously silent, their movements contained to their own territory. The meeting request had been their first sign of diplomatic entreaty and it came mere days before the official inter-clan requested summons had to be completed.

Sitting around the generic boardroom of a small convention center in Las Vegas, Vincent checked his watch and grew impatient for the other Clan’s arrival. At one point, he opened his mouth to say something, but one look from his father reminded him of the board’s agreement to stay silent until they had heard the Longclaw Clan out. It was a smart move on behalf of Vincenzo, as most of the board members wouldn’t be able to control themselves once they started talking.

What Vincenzo and Vincent wanted to see come out of this meeting was a hint at the reason behind the attacks. For hundreds of years, the two Clans had held neighboring territories without issue. The big question was why was it happening now? What had changed?

Exactly two minutes after the meeting was to have started, the Inter-Clan guards posted outside the meeting room, opened the doors to admit the Longclaw Clan. Led by Sitting Bear and his son, Lawrence, the members filed in. Their Clan was native to the land and held many of the same traditions as the local Native American tribes of the region.

Sitting Bear was the official name and title of the Longclaw Clan leader and someday Lawrence himself would be renamed, when he took over his father’s position. Sitting Bear looked every inch the warrior he was born to be, his long hair braided and adorned with beads and bone, though his son, Lawrence, couldn’t have looked any more like a frat-boy decked out in an Affliction t-shirt and enough hair gel to constitute as an addiction.

Lawrence’s smug smile made Vincent want to jump up out of his chair and deck him. But he told himself he would follow his father’s stoic lead and wait to speak until spoken to.

Sitting Bear motioned for his board members to sit in the chairs flanking the one he had chosen at the opposite end of the table. Nodding to Vincenzo, he began.

“Hello, Vincenzo and members of the Mezzanotte board.” Sitting Bear paused here and seemed to wait for a response from the Mezzanotte werebears, but they sat silently as instructed. Sitting Bear’s face lost its mask of goodwill.

“As you know, we’re here because the Inter-Clan board requires it of us after an official complaint is logged,” Sitting Bear sneered. “And this meeting drives home the point of our attacks. The Mezzanotte Clan has become too humanized. You’ve all lost your bear instincts to the money and glamor of the strip. It’s bad enough that years ago, you stole the richest land from our Clan. But now you’re squandering it - pacifying the humans rather than ruling as the superior species.”

Sitting Bear looked along the row of Mezzanotte board members with a disgusted glare. His gaze finally fell on Vincent and it looked like the Longclaw leader wanted to spit. “You, First Son, are the worst offender of them all. You dare, as the future leader, to mate a human?”

Vincent growled low in his throat, but a restraining hand from Xavier stopped him before he could jump out of his seat and attack.

Sitting Bear’s eyes noted the action and he continued, “Look, you can even be held back from the lowest ranking werebear on your board.”

He paced back up the table and addressed Vincenzo, the paraphernalia hanging from his hair clanging with every step. “I think the best thing that could happen to the next generation of the Mezzanotte Clan would be for you to lose the human. No need to dilute a bloodline that is obviously already thin.”

At this, Vincenzo jumped up, his seat flying across the room to land against the wall with a bang. “Listen here, Sitting Bear, I remember when you were a cub that couldn’t fend off a bunny attack, much less fend for yourself in human society. If anyone’s blood is thin, it isn’t the Mezzanotte Clan. We are fated to be with our mates no matter where they come from. History shows that the induction of human blood into a bloodline only makes it stronger.”

Vincenzo paused, fisting his hands at his sides to control himself before he continued. “As for your insinuation that we stole land from your Clan, you’ve chosen the wrong werebear to bring that up with. I was there when your father offered the tract of land to my father. I remember the previous Sitting Bear to be a strong and fair leader. One that never would have resorted to killing innocents to gain attention. If you wanted to discuss bloodlines all you had to do was ask.”

Sitting Bear walked to the head of his line of board members before turning back to Vincenzo. “I’ve never been in the mood to discuss anything with you, Vincenzo. I’m a man of action, unlike my father, and I’ll take what is mine and even what’s not.”

Vincent watched as after the last statement, Lawrence’s eyes flicked to Vincent’s and a smug smile played at his lips. Vincent’s blood ran cold. Every mated instinct told him that Jane was in trouble. As Sitting Bear and Vincenzo traded insults, Vincent could barely hear them through his haze of fear and anger.

The only thing that kept him from turning into a bear and ripping their heads off one by one, was Xavier’s iron grip on his forearm. When Sitting Bear had insulted Xavier’s position on the board, he must not have been aware that someday Xavier would be Vincent’s right-hand man. It just showed how little recon the Longclaw Clan must have done before launching their campaign against the Mezzanotte Clan.

When the Longclaw Clan had left the room, Vincent held up a hand before anyone could talk, “We don’t know who to trust in this space. We’ll reconvene in my office in a half an hour. I trust you all can get there in time?”

The group nodded and when they arrived at the Clan’s current headquarters off the strip, no one was any less angry. If anything, time had turned their anger into rage. Vincent broke into the glass conference room with all the frustration and anger that he’d held back in the mixed company of the clans.

“How dare they attack our Clan with no provocation and no apology or explanation afterward!

And to threaten the future wife of the Clan Leader - this is unacceptable. We need to attack them first. We need to protect Jane and launch a full-scale attack against the Longclaw Clan.” Vincent slammed a large fist down on the solid wood conference table which, heavy as it was, shattered under the pressure. “Surely we’re within our rights to do so,” Vincent’s eyes went to his father for confirmation.

Vincenzo sighed and scrubbed his face “To be honest, we’re not.”

“We’re not what?” Xavier questioned, growing still at Vincenzo’s answer.

“We’re not within our rights to launch a full-scale war. The Longclaw Clan stopped their attacks after we launched our own complaint with the Inter-Clan board and they’re attempting to process historical action against our territory rights. I believe they are going to claim that their territory extends into the area where the house fire happened. I don’t think they have a leg to stand on,” Vincenzo stared hard at his son, “but any action we take will be seen as a direct violation of Inter-Clan protocol.”

“Well, that’s bullshit,” Xavier exclaimed before anyone else had the chance. “I actually agree with one thing the Longclaws had to say...where the hell are our bear instincts if we can’t defend an outright killing of Clan members and a literal threat to the first daughter of the Clan?”

Vincenzo answered stiffly, “Jane is not literally a member of this Clan.”

“How dare you say something so prejudiced, father. How dare you discriminate against her because of her species,” Vincent yelled at his father. 

Vincenzo held up his hands to calm his son. “Vincent, you’ve scented her as your mate, but you’ve had no official ceremony. At this point, the Clan can’t protect her as one of their own, nor can the Inter-Clan board do anything more than protect her as they do any other human that gets involved in Clan politics.”

Vincent stilled and fell into the nearest chair, shocked to find that Jane was even more unprotected than he had thought and that it was all his fault. Vincenzo walked over and placed a hand on his son’s shoulder. “I know you don’t want to rush things, but it would be in everyone’s best interest if Jane made her decision sooner rather than later.”

Vincent nodded and listened quietly as the others picked apart everything Sitting Bear said, trying to find the meaning behind his actions. The odd meeting, everyone agreed, must be a setup for yet another attack...but what? Most of the board believed that Jane was not actually going to be the target. Until this point, each attack had come without warning and without pattern. Why warn them now if not to put them off the trail of the true target?

What bullshit, Vincent thought. He knew, deep in his gut, that Jane was the target. Sitting Bear was just flaunting that Jane was unprotected and that Sitting Bear knew it. Vincent had been wrong, it wasn’t that they had done too little recon. No, they had done extensive reconnaissance. They had a plan, and Vincent and the rest of the Mezzanotte Clan were playing catch-up and it was too little too late.

When the meeting broke up, Vincenzo tried to stop his son before he evacuated the office space, but Vincent only had one thing on his mind. He needed Jane.

CHAPTER NINE

Jane was done with her shift. Tiredly, she watched as the numbers climbed in the private elevator She was looking at an evening of studying after dinner. Jane sighed, it wasn’t like she didn’t want to learn about the Werebear Clan and culture, it was just that she’d imagined the process being far more interesting than reading a massive book and getting quizzed weekly by a tutor.

Stepping out of the elevator, Jane walked toward the suite. As soon as she opened the door, she could smell the aroma of red sauce simmering on the stovetop. Bless her man for taking care of dinner; Jane was feeling a little too overwhelmed to work on that task as well. Kicking off her heels and throwing her hair into a ponytail, Jane dipped into the kitchen to give Vincent a kiss.

“Hello, my love,” Jane said as she grabbed Vincent’s butt after the kiss.

“Hello, yourself,” Vincent said with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Why don’t you go on out into the living room and pour us each a glass of wine. I’ve got some breathing on the table.”

Jane took an extra-long look at Vincent, but his eyes were already focused back on the basil he’d been chopping. Watching his long fingers holding the delicate leaves in place made Jane want to have those fingers all over her as well. The kiss in the breakroom earlier had only lit a fire in her; it had come nowhere near satisfying her. She had to focus on the positive - and sex was a BIG positive.

Pouring wine into the two glasses waiting for her on the table, she took a moment to unbutton two of the buttons on her shirt-dress so just the edges of her purple bra showed above the black fabric. Jane wasn’t too tired to have a little fun before dinner. Walking back to the kitchen, she stepped between Vincent and the cutting board, forcing him to look at her and put down the knife. Holding out his wine glass Jane began, “Here’s your wine, sir.”

Vincent raised an eyebrow, motioned at the knife and took the wine. “Watch out, you know I’m a dangerous man with a tool.”

Jane laughed. “Oh Vincent, that was a bad, bad pun - even for you!”

“Does that mean you don’t like my tongue or my tools?”

“I like your tongue and your tools just fine,” Jane rejoined, lowering her own wine glass so it sat just below her cleavage, enjoying Vincent’s eyes widening as they took in the sight. “I think you like my own...tools too. Care to cleave me as well?”

This time it was Vincent’s turn to snort into his wine. “Who's being punny now? But I’ll take you up on your offer to supply the appetizer for tonight’s feast.”

Jane watched as Vincent took her wine glass out of her hands and took a deep sip of his own, before setting it aside as well. As Vincent reached behind her, Jane arched up expecting a kiss, but instead he shifted the cutting board of herbs and turned to dump the chopped contents into the big simmering pot of red sauce. As he turned back, Jane noted a troubled look in his eyes, but before she could say anything, he returned to her and this time swept her into the kiss she’d been expecting.

Their lips met soft and hot, keeping the kiss chaste, as their hands explored each other above their clothing. Jane enjoyed the texture of her linen dress pressing into her skin beneath Vincent’s touch. The rough feel only amplified how sweet his mouth was on hers. Slowly, Vincent’s hands trailed down the sides of her body to grip under her ass. He gave her a delicious squeeze that had them both groaning before lifting her up to perch on the countertop.

Vincent put one knee between her legs and used his denim-clad leg to open her up. The swift breeze of the air conditioner turning on, forcing cool air to her core where Jane was beginning to feel wet and hot, and it sent shivers up her spine. As Vincent moved between her legs, Jane drew him in closer, needing him to be as intimate as possible. The action spurred Vincent on and his kiss turned possessive.

A hand trailed up her back, causing her to arch with delight into the hard plane of his chest. As the hand sank into her thick hair, Jane felt the combination of pain and pleasure as Vincent’s tongue licked its way into her own mouth to steal the ‘ouch’ she’d produced when he’d tugged her hair.

They were locked in place by the other's body, but Vincent still had a hand free and he used it to lift her breasts out of the cups of the purple bra. Jane felt her nipples tighten as they hit the air and her core give a spasm in anticipation of Vincent’s next move. Vincent lifted his head from Jane’s mouth and trailed kisses down the side of her neck and across her collarbone before finally dipping down to take each nipple into his mouth in turn. Jane sucked in air and wrapped her limbs tighter around Vincent’s hips. The warm, wet sensation of Vincent’s tongue made her breasts ache.

When his mouth returned to her own, she took advantage by kissing him deeply and rubbing her now bare breasts against his shirt. The waffle pattern of the Henley was a rough counterpoint to the gentle lapping of his tongue. Jane was itching for more, but sitting on the counter put her at a disadvantage. The position, while perfect for aligning her core with Vincent’s hard length, also meant that her weight was thrown back and without Vincent’s help, she was supporting them both with her hands on the countertop. It meant that Vincent feasted freely on her body while she simply had to endure the pleasure. As lovely as that sounded in theory, Jane was hungry for more.

Thus, it was a great relief when she felt one of Vincent’s hands move between their bodies to reach for his zipper. As he pulled it down, the back of his knuckles grazed against her wet panties and Jane felt herself melt with need. Once he had freed himself, Vincent moved the head of his erection back and forth against her, the warm heat of him teasing her through the thin fabric. Jane tried to angle her hips, an unspoken plea for entry that Vincent took seriously. Removing a condom from his back pocket, Jane felt rather than saw him put it on. One of his fingers hooked behind her silk underwear and moved to tease her from behind the constrictive fabric. Swirling around before dipping in and out of her, Jane felt herself start to go boneless, her head drifting back toward the cabinets with a groan.

The noise must have been what Vincent was waiting for because his finger moved out of her and simply ripped her panties off. Jane didn’t even pause to mourn their loss. The hard length of him replaced his finger and pushed at her entrance.

Both Jane and Vincent moaned together as they felt him enter, smooth and wet. He sunk easily the whole way in; Jane was so ready for him. Jane felt his hips make one last kick of a thrust before he lifted partially out and then sank slowly back in, repeating the first thrust as if assuring himself of their perfect fit. Vincent’s thrusts continued slow and deep until Jane’s legs tightened and restricted his movement. Today she wanted him to stay deep, to feel him fill her completely.

Vincent reached up, braced his hands against the cabinets, and started to move harder and harder within her. Then, he hit just the spot and there was no warning - Jane saw stars. The orgasm shot through her body, going to her head just like champagne. Through the bubbling fizz of the sensations racking her senses, she felt Vincent give two more deep pumps before losing himself in a groan as well. His pleasure sent aftershocks of another orgasm through her.

Finally allowing her head to drift back to the upper cabinet behind her, she trusted Vincent to support her back and simply sat there enjoying the feel of Vincent between her legs. Jane loved how big he was, how her hips and thighs had to stretch to accommodate him. With her eyes closed, she didn’t see Vincent moving in to kiss her neck and she gave a little jump when his wet lips met her skin.

Opening her eyes with a smile, she gloated, “I think my appetizer is going to kick your dinner’s butt. I would totally win this round on Top Chef.”

“When they start judging sex and food, I’ll watch more closely,” Vincent said as he pulled out of her.

Jane pouted at the loss. “Why’d you have to leave me so quickly?”

“We have a few things to talk about tonight. I was hoping to soften you up with a glass of red, but I think I did just fine.” Jane looked into Vincent’s eyes as he helped her off the countertop and she didn’t like what she saw. Vincent moved out of the kitchen, ostensibly to clean himself up and Jane watched as his ass retreated from her both literally and emotionally. Picking her glass of wine up off the countertop, she took a deep sip. She seriously hoped that he wasn’t going to ask her to speed up her test taking any more.

Jane could only read so much each day, run Midnight Ink, and keep his schedule clear. Now that she’d added in a few women’s groups to attend a few nights a month there was barely time to come home and have sex with her man. Jane thought that she couldn’t possibly do any more than she was already doing at the moment. Her schedule was full.

Vincent came out of their bedroom and walked into the kitchen like he was about to face the firing squad. There was no doubt about it now, something was wrong.

“Vincent, what’s up, my love? Sex is supposed to make you feel more relaxed, but you looked less stressed after chopping basil.” Jane approached Vincent and put a hand on his shoulder, “Is it me? I know I’ve been a little stressed with all of the Clan stuff lately, but I’m trying to make it work. I just keep thinking that it’s not forever. I’ll get through it, eventually,” she finished with a smile.

Vincent shook his head and looked like he was trying to find the words for something. Jane waited patiently, but when he kept his hands in his pockets, she frowned and started to prompt him. “Well, was it the meeting this morning? Did something happen there? It’s the first meeting since I started working with the other assistants that no one knew what it was about. They still don’t - is that what’s bothering you? You can talk to me, you know - you have to be able to share these things with me if I’m going to be your mate...even the big book says that.”

The teasing didn’t work on Vincent, he gave a half smile, but it wasn’t nearly enough. “You know, Jane, it’s kind of both things and neither of them.”

Jane’s brows furrowed in confusion and Vincent sighed like he knew he was fucking it all up. Reaching for his wine glass, he took a big sip and seemed to be more confident. Pulling her out of the kitchen, he moved them to the floor to ceiling windows that were currently showcasing the glorious pinks and reds of a Nevada sunset. Seeing Vincent’s worried face framed by the falling sun, Jane’s hand itched to soothe his brow. Whatever he said, she would help him with - anything to help him curb what was quickly becoming a panic attack.

Vincent took a deep breath and began, “Jane, I’ve known you were my mate since the moment you walked into Midnight Ink. At a time when I was feeling like I needed to fight every demand on my time and my life, you showed me not only how to make room for it all - but how to enjoy it, too. Because of you, my life is better. You have become not simply my mate but the love of my life and the center of my world. There is nothing I wouldn’t do for you. I hope you know that.”

Here, Vincent paused and Jane nodded, surprised at how emotional his words were making her. Nodding in return Vincent continued, “Jane, I want to complete the mating process with you. I don’t want to wait any longer.” Jane was having a hard time making the switch between what she thought was an emotional moment to "the moment".

It was an out-of-body experience, watching Vincent drop to the floor on one knee. As he pulled out the little blue box that signified the best of the best in jewelry, Jane could barely catch her breath as he untied the white ribbon and removed the little velvet box. As he opened the thing, the large oval shaped rock reflected the light of the sunset around the room in a dazzling display of what could only be considered fireworks.

Jane knew that her mouth had to be agape and her hand was most definitely trembling against her chest. She was just utterly unprepared for this moment. Vincent finished the fanfare with the simple question, “Jane, will you be my wife and mate?”

She couldn’t even move to - what? Extend her hand? Say yes? Say no? Run screaming from the room? Melt into a puddle at his feet?

Vincent took her teary silence for a yes and lifted her left hand from her chest and placed the ring on it. Looking down, she was practically glamored by the thing. The oval cut stone in the center had to be at least ten karats and it was surrounded by a halo of diamonds that easily added up to somewhere between two and three karats. Jane would be tempted to think the thing was fake, if not for that blue box and the stupendous light show it was putting off from her finger.

Looking into Vincent’s pleading eyes, she drew him in for a long kiss. She thought that it might pacify Vincent for the moment; maybe he would take it as an unspoken yes while she gathered her thoughts. But as she backed away from him, the ring safely fisted on her hand, his eyes told her that he needed verbal agreement. With a rueful smile, Jane grabbed his hands in hers.