Bear Apparent (BBW Shifter Romance) (Stone Claw Clan Book 1) (4 page)

Chapter Four

Garrett came awake with a start, his body jerking in alert. The pain had subsided to an ache, his wounds itching rather than burning, and his head didn’t feel pressurized.

“You’re still alive. Thank God,” someone said, and the soft, feminine voice tugged at Garrett’s memory cords.
Dahlia.
Yeah, that was her name.

He blinked away the bleariness, and centered on her worried expression, her golden hair like springs around her pale face. His rosy lips parted, and Garrett felt the sudden desire to claim them. That lovely scent that was clearly her own, soaked deep into him, rousing the bear still slumbering inside. Closing his eyes, he pushed the drive away, reminding himself he had more important things to worry about than getting his rocks off.

When he opened his eyes again, her throat was shifting as she slowly lowered her ass onto the coffee table. She leaned forward, her significant breasts pressing against her tee shirt and he nearly groaned. He couldn’t ask for a more attractive woman to nurse him back to health.

He chuckled. “I’m guessing you have a lot of questions.”

“That’s an understatement and a half,” she said. “Are you okay then? I found you passed out in the bathroom, and deposited you on the couch. You wouldn’t wake up. I thought you might be dead, except you were breathing.”

“I was severely injured, and my body needed to heal. I was hibernating,” he said, looking around her modest place. It was so unlike the club style atmosphere of the clan’s residence that he felt out of place.

“Of course,” she said, amusement thick in her voice. “Why didn’t that occur to me?”

Garrett slowly relaxed against the pillow he had been propped up on. His gaze found the dislodged bathroom door lying against the wall. He arched a brow at her. “I didn’t do that, did I?”

She frowned. “No. You had locked it so I had to get in somehow. I guess, if you want to be technical about it, it’s your fault I had to take a screw driver to the hinges.”

He offered her a sheepish smile in apology then shifted, a spear of pain stabbing him in the side. Clutching the site of discomfort, he realized his wounds had been dressed. He snapped his attention to Dahlia. He had passed out in the bathroom… but he had awoken on the couch. “How did you get me here?”

She huffed. “With a lot of elbow grease. I think I burned off all those power bars dragging your butt across the floor. You owe me a new door lock, by the way. And if you want to thank me, you can fix the siding, too. The wood cracked.”

Garrett gaped, something deep inside of him filling with pleasure. This human female had gone out of her way to help him, had taken him into her home, and had cared enough about him to make sure he was comfortable while he healed. Other than his mother, no one had been so kind to him. The warmth spilling into his soul energized him, but he didn’t move, wondering what she might say or do next.

“I’m guessing you are hungry?” she inquired.

At the mention of eating, his stomach growled like a grizzly, and he grinned. “You are planning to feed me, too?”

Shrugging, Dahlia got to her feet. “You can tell me all about you over dinner. And you will tell me everything. I’ve been looking for you my entire life. As payment for my services, I demand information.”

Garrett’s jaw hung open as she left.
I’ve been looking for you my entire life.
The words filled him more completely than anything before, and he didn’t understand why. But questions zipped through his greymatter—why had she been searching for him? Maybe he’d misunderstood. As he listened to her move around in the kitchen, he grew impatient. He wanted her to come back so he could look at her. Now that the fog was clearing, and his head didn’t hurt, he wanted to fully drown in her charm.

Every second she was away was excruciating, but Dahlia returned ten minutes later with a tray. She set it on the table, a wisp of steam curling out of the bowl of soup. The scent of clam, cream and various spices invaded his senses, further enticing his hunger.

“It’s seafood… kind of. I didn’t have any salmon or trout, and clam chowder is the next best thing. It’s not can, and it’s fresh from a restaurant,” she said, taking a seat on a barcalounger. In his opinion, the three feet separating them was too much.

The idea that she cared enough about what might please his taste buds further enticed his animal nature. He reminded himself she had no idea what her actions and words were doing to him, and that she was just trying to be nice.
Or manipulative,
he mused, remembering there was a price for her help.

He sat up and positioned the tray across his lap. He was so hungry, he could just pour the soup down his throat, but he didn’t want to come off as a slob in front of her. He lifted the spoon and dipped it into the thick concoction. The moment the soup hit his tongue, he sighed, and closed his eyes. She watched with curious fascination as he ate, the bowl quickly draining. He refrained from licking it clean, and set the spoon down.

“That was delicious. Thank you,” he said, pushing away the urge to beg for more food.

“You want some more?” she asked, taking the bowl before he could respond. “I’ll get you some more. I know you didn’t get that size on single course meals.”

She was gone in an instant, and Garrett wondered if he had given himself away somehow… one bowl of soup wasn’t going to satisfy his monstrous appetite, especially coming off an injury induced hibernation. She returned quickly, and set the refilled bowl on the tray. He passed her an appreciative smile then dug in.

“So,” she started, and Garrett didn’t miss the hesitation in her voice. Her body tensed, too. “What exactly are you?”

He swallowed his food then took a sip of the water provided. “A shape-shifter. We don’t really have a designation, we just are.”

She digested that nugget for a moment then frowned. “And you can become a bear? Can you take other shapes?”

“No. I am bear, but there are a few that can shift into multiple forms. It’s a rare skill,” he said, running his eyes all over her face. His hunger bled into a need of a different sort.

She nodded slowly, her gaze growing distant. “And that other bear… why was he trying to kill you?”

Garrett knew she’d have questions about that, but he was sore about the whole thing, and admitting to her he was the loser in that show of strength went right to his pride—but he owed her an explanation. Setting the tray on the coffee table, he sighed. “That bear is called Lazaran, the leader of a rival clan. His clan ran mine out of our home, and he tracked me down. I guess he was dead set on making an example by killing me rather than chasing me off. Either that, or he was bored.”

“That’s… barbaric,” she said, her voice cracking.

“I agree. It’s not uncommon for a clan’s territory to be taken over by a challenger, but the event rarely ends in death. I’ve heard of Lazaran’s cruelty before, but I guess I never thought he’d come this far south, and challenge me.”

Her lip went between her teeth and her emerald gaze slid to his. “Are you going to fight to get your home back?”

Garrett looked away, a show of submission if there ever was one. After a long moment, he admitted, “I don’t know. Lazaran has the backing of a mating-bond, and I don’t. I’m not as strong as he is without it.”

He didn’t need to see her expression to know all sorts of questions were zipping through her mind.
What is a mating-bond? And why don’t you have it?
Along with a whole other host of details. Her silence was welcomed as he didn’t want to broach the subject with her right now – he was still too sore about being beat by the other bear.

Unfortunately, she was a curious little kitten. “By mating bond, I assume you mean a wife?”

His voice was hoarse as he spoke, and his chest suddenly grew tight. “If that is the word you want to use. But there is a long and complicated story behind the whole thing.”

Dahlia did that thing with her lip again, and Garrett knew he wasn’t going to be able to say no if she insisted. “Will you tell me?”

Grinding his molars, Garrett moved the tray to the coffee table, and lay back down, his energy levels still way too low. He hated thinking about the mating-bond and what it meant. He could remember his parents being so happy, but the single moment of tragedy, and the slow death of his father afterward seemed to have overshadowed all those years of joy. As much as he hated to admit it, he was in this predicament because his father couldn’t handle his mother’s death. If she had been alive then Dad would have continued to be clan-leader, and Lazaran would have likely avoided challenging him. The Stone Claws had once been a mighty clan, large and holding a vast territory.

Her resigned sigh drew his attention. He hated the disappointment that crossed her face. “Sore subject, I see. It’s okay, I know how that feels.”

His brows furrowed as she got up, and she took the tray back to the kitchen. What exactly did that mean? He wanted to know but didn’t want to pry. He reminded himself it was none of his business, but the fierce need to know nipped at him. She was back in an instant, a pile of clothes in her arms.

“I’m not sure if these will fit you, but since you have absolutely none of your own, and I’ve been wanting to trash them for the last year, it’s a win-win.” She set the jeans and tee shirt on the coffee table then returned to the Barcalounger.

Garrett’s eyes dropped to the clothes. They so clearly belonged to a man. His nostrils flared, pulling in the scent of laundry soap and the faint undertone of a human male. His gums suddenly ached from his fangs punching out of his skull—the idea that she was claimed by another infuriated him.

She isn’t yours,
he told himself.

But she could be,
a deep, grumbly voice refuted.

“I’ve uprooted your life,” he deduced as she watched him with a guarded expression. “I apologize.”

Dahlia sputtered a humorless laugh. “That is debatable. Actually, I would go so far as to say it’s a good thing.”

Snatching the shirt, he unfolded it. “Right. Because you’ve been looking for me all my life?”

Shrugging, she offered him a sheepish smile, her eyes twinkling. “Well, not specifically you, but I think someone like you.”

Intrigued, he arched a singular brow. “What do you mean?”

Garrett could see it was a subject she was passionate about, and he admired the way her breasts rose as she took a deep breath, apparently preparing for a long-winded explanation. A fervent knock at the door stole her bluster, and Garrett immediately went on the defensive, his body tensing in awareness.

“Dahhhhliaaa!” A feminine voice preceded a flurry of pounding.

****

Dahlia jumped to her feet just as Garrett did. She threw her body in front of him, terrified Jessica would be mauled. His face was twisted by rage, his eyes glowing and ivory fangs protruded from his lips. Putting herself in the way of a mindless predator capable of tearing her in half with one swipe wasn’t smart, but she didn’t want to see Jessica harmed.

His caramel eyes slid to the door, his lips curling up for a moment. She realized she was in way over her head—who knew what this man—or bear—was capable of? “You know this person?”

As her friend continued to pound on the door, she held her hands up in supplication. “Yeah. She’s okay. Listen, can you hide somewhere? I’ll try to get her gone as quickly as possible, but you don’t know her. She is relentless.”

Garrett’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t do hiding well, but I don’t need another human knowing I am here.”

Dahlia was tempted to remind him he was a guest in her house, but she refrained. Sighing, she watched as he lumbered into the bathroom, his perfect, tight ass flexing beautifully as he positioned the broken door in the jamb—she was going to have a talk about him running around in nothing but his birthday suit.

Pushing away the tinge of heat that went through her, she rushed to her front door to spare it from being turned into splinters.

Jessica’s fist froze in midair, and her manicured brows cut a V in the middle of her forehead. “Dahlia Ann Pinski! Where the hell have you been? I’ve been trying to call you for days. I didn’t know if you were sick or injured or dead! How could you do this to me?”

“I’m sorry,” Dahlia whispered as her friend pushed her way in. So, the girl was right—she should have returned her calls, but she’d gotten distracted by the supernatural hunk on her couch.

Jessica stopped in the middle of the living room and ran her heavily mascaraed eyes up and down Dahlia. “Jesus, you seem whole. You’re fingers aren’t broken, are they? How long have you been back?”

She shrugged. “Three days.”

Dahlia got a look of her friend’s expression as it morphed from worry to aggravation, but before she could respond, the bathroom door fell to the floor, and Garrett stepped out in all his naked glory.

“Three days!” he hissed.

Jessica’s mouth dropped to form an ‘O’, and she slowly craned her neck to Dahlia. “Oh, you little sneak. This is why you are ignoring me—” she motioned to the man then ran her eyes down his body where she hesitated for a long second. “Oh. Yeah… I can see why. I didn’t know you were into bondage.”