Called by the Bear 4-6 (14 page)

S
ierra

A
shton’s moans wake me
. Sweat glistens on his face as he dreams about some evil I’ll never know. He came back to Maine after being honorably discharged from the Navy SEALs. While the reason for the discharge was knee trauma that left him less than capable of doing the job, the emotional damage is the injury he suffers from most.

I whisper telepathically.
“Ash, honey. Get naked for me.”
I hope that by appealing to his sexual impulses the need will drown out the demons he’s remembering.

“Sierra, get down!”
The panic in his voice frightens me, but I want to hold him like a child when I hear his next thoughts.
“Jesus, not you too.”

I shake him by his arm. “Ashton!”

He blinks to consciousness, and I say, “You were having a nightmare.”

My true mate nods, and his face relaxes before a sly grin covers it. He rolls me over. “Did you just ask me to get naked?”

I reach down to grip his thickening cock. “I sure did, but it seems you already—”

He quiets me with a kiss that will bruise. I know this kind of sex with Ashton. It’s desperate, as if he believes we’re running out of time. He chases his demons away and fucks me like the more powerful our orgasms are, the safer we’ll be.

I guide him into me without foreplay, because I’m dripping with a desire he can turn on like a faucet. His mouth nips at me as he moves down my neck, and his fingers dig into my ass as he tries to fill me beyond what’s humanly possible.

Raking my nails down his back, I pant as Ashton’s sinewy muscles flex under my hands with the relentless pounding of his hips. I grip his back tightly because I, too, am trying to fill myself with this man. I lick his shoulder to taste the salty flavor of his skin and inhale his scent. I want to be overwhelmed by his physical presence. He’s close to coming and my intention is to bite just as Ashton climaxes and send him over the edge to fall so far into the valley he’ll never be able to climb out.

I let my bear come to the surface and my sharp teeth sink into Ashton’s shoulder. Warm blood rushes over my tongue, and the tang is the last thing I am aware of before my orgasm joins his. Growls reverberate through us as our passion explodes. But my husband isn’t done, and he bites into my breast while I shatter. My orgasm resurges to new heights. This time my roar is deafening, and I spiral into the depths of our love that is for life.

We lie quietly in a tangled heap as our heart rates slow down. I lick the wound I inflicted on Ashton to speed the healing process, and when I’m finished he does the same for me. His tongue is rough against my skin, and I squirm a bit under him. “Want to tell me about your dream?” He never does, but I always ask just in case.

His voice is muffled against my chest. “Yeah, there was this hot woman telling me to get naked.” He sucks on my nipple before he speaks again. “And you know how good I am at orders.” Ashton slides a finger along the opening between my legs and I twitch. He dips it in, causing me to tremble. “Especially when they come from you.”

I recall how we first met. He came to rescue me and I attacked him physically, making us both orgasm within minutes. The thought of Victor holding me prisoner seeps into the memory, and I try to shut it out as I focus on what my husband is doing.

“Uh-huh.” A small sound comes from the back of my throat as I squirm in pleasure. My mate stills, and I might have let out a whimper before I ask, “Are you waiting for an order now?”

Dusty blue eyes twinkle down at me. “I am.”

I want to look at those eyes for the rest of my life and watch as skin loosens and falls into lines of time on his face. “Make love to me slowly. As if we have all the time in the world to grow old together.”

His playful smile turns to something more serious and he lowers his lips to mine.
“We are forever, Sierra. I’ll love you beyond this life and whatever comes after it.”

I
pluck
a ripe strawberry from my bowl of fruit. Ashton is sitting across our small kitchen table in only a pair of gym shorts. He went for a run as a bear this morning while I lazed in bed, and his strong scent makes its way to my nose as I say, “Carly and I are looking at a space for the tattoo shop today.”

“Sounds fun.” He takes a swig of some pureed vegetable drink that is a putrid shade of green. He licks his lips as if it tastes good, but I know better. “You’re training with me this morning, right?”

“Oh, yeah.” I wink at him. “I don’t want to miss a chance to sweat with you.”

He grins back. “You could switch over to yoga for the next few months if you want.”

Ashton knows working out isn’t my favorite thing, but the idea of being vulnerable to Victor makes me set my teeth in determination, and I growl a little before I answer, “No, I can’t.”

“Sierra, he can’t get to you. You’re never alone.” He reaches across to take my hand. “You’ll always be safe with me. I promise.”

Heat rises to my face. “I know. But I need to do this. I...”

The vision of Victor’s evil smile comes to mind, and my blood boils with the desire for revenge. The Veilleux alpha held me against my will with the intention of keeping me for years to breed his children. Because of some stupid prophecy I know is wrong, he believed I would bear the children that would lead all the clans.

“I want to do more than protect myself from Victor.” I get up to pace, and when I reach the counter, I turn to gaze at my husband. “I want to be capable of killing him, Ash.” My fists clench, because if I ever get the chance, I will.

“I know, babe. You never want to be a victim. I get it, and I’ll do whatever it is you need to feel safe again.”

“I do feel safe with you.” I stare into the steel-blue determination of his gaze and think he would kill Victor on sight too. I imagine to what lengths my true mate would go for me, and the knowledge makes my heart hurt, because I never want to live without Ashton. “But you can’t always be with me. What if he manages to—”

“Stop. He won’t.”

Ashton rises from the table as I shake my head at him. “You don’t know that. I don’t want to live without you.” I blink quickly to hold back the tears filling my eyes. The musky scent of my mate seeps into me as he hugs me tight. “I’d kill him before I’d let him hurt you too.” I press my face against the warm skin of his chest.

“Oh, babe, he’s not going to get that chance.” Ashton lifts my chin and gazes at me intently. “And you won’t be giving him a chance to get to you either. You stay very far away from the Veilleux clan. Do you understand?”

I nod, and Ashton pulls me tighter into his arms. The memory of my husband crushing the rattle Victor sent me on our wedding day makes me consider a different fear. “It’s not just the two of us we need to worry about. The babies are never going to be safe as long as Victor is alive.”

“They may be his biological children, but he’ll never know what’s it’s like to be their father. I’ll make sure of it.”

The idea of my children growing up with bodyguards makes me sad, and I decide to change the subject instead of dwell on things I can’t change. I smile as I reach up to drag my finger down the center of my Navy guy’s chest. “Have I ever told you about my SEAL fantasy?”

Ashton grabs my hand and kisses my palm. “You mean it’s better than the real thing?”

He sucks my finger into his mouth, and I moan. “I’m not sure. Want to find out?”

“Anything for you, babe. Anything.”

I gaze into the dusty-blue eyes that are filled with lust and love. Suddenly I know I don’t have a choice. If given the opportunity, I will kill Victor Veilleux to keep this man and my babies safe.

T
aylor

T
he whine
of a motorcycle catches my attention as I dice an avocado for a salad. The late-afternoon sun is low in the sky, giving an orange cast to the landscape as I glance out the kitchen window to watch for Ian. The trees are vibrant with fiery shades of color as they change in preparation to drop their leaves for winter. I’m eager to hear what he has to tell me, because he hinted at a possible business partnership.

My new life with Keith is like a vacation that has gone on too long. He’s at work every day, and there are only so many hours one can train to be a warrior. I find myself wandering around the house with nothing to do. I inevitably surf the Internet and fall down rabbit holes that suck my brain cells out as I catch up on the latest celebrity gossip. I’ve got to get a job that stimulates my mind. I’m used to running a business and need some numbers to crunch and customers to serve.

My knife scrapes wood as I push green cubes of avocado into a bowl of cut tomato. Ian’s boots thump on the walk as I drizzle balsamic vinegar over the salad. Before he can knock, I call out, “Come on in. It’s open.”

He enters the kitchen along with the cold breeze of fall. “I could smell the garlic a mile away. I didn’t know you could cook.”

He walks over to the saucepan on the stove and lifts the wooden spoon full of liquid to splash some on his tongue. Ian’s eyes close as he moans. “Amazing. What is it?”

“Chicken Piccata.” I wave my hand in dismissal when he grins. “I have a few recipes I’ve learned over the years.”

Ian winks at me. “Keith’s a lucky guy.”

I snort. “Yeah? I spent time eating Annie’s food. I think you’re pretty lucky too.” While in the human world relationships take time to foster, it’s not so here. Werebears are instantly attracted, and nobody has to play games with their feelings. Since Annie and Ian hooked up over a month ago, the natural progression is to make a commitment, which usually involves living together. “When are you two going to finally move in together?”

Ian’s smile fades. “I wish. She’s too hung up on the idea I might find my true mate. Lots of people never do, so I don’t know why she’s so worried.”

Annie’s true mate died a couple years ago, and I speak without thinking. “Probably because she knows the difference and you don’t.” I wince at my words. “I’m sorry. That didn’t come out right.”

Ian sighs. “No. You’re right.” He rakes a hand through his shoulder-length hair. “I need to stop pressuring her, because I don’t know how it feels. It’s easy for me to want to take the next step, because I’ve got nothing to lose. She’s the one that could get hurt.”

If Ian’s true mate came along while he was involved with Annie, then the attraction would be too great to ignore. He would be even more in love, and my dear friend would be heartbroken. I get it too. “I’m sorry, Ian. You’re in a tough situation.”

“Yeah. But I’m not giving up.” He flexes his arm and grins. “She’ll eventually cave to my charms.”

“Right. So tell me about your idea.”

“Did you hear Carly and Sierra are opening up a tattoo parlor?”

“I did.” I rub my shoulder where my paw-print mark is. The black ink sealed my fate.

“The space they looked at is huge, and Carly thought it would might work to use part of it as a gym.” I nod as he continues. “Yeah, so I think we could do more of a martial arts studio and cater to werebears with some classes and humans with others.”

I know that the human world doesn’t know about bear shifters, so I ask, “Is it okay to mix with humans like that? I mean, what if they come in and watch a werebears class. Wouldn’t it freak them out?”

Keith’s Jeep rumbles in the distance. The platter of raw chicken is cool in my hand when I remove it from the refrigerator and Ian says, “I’ve thought about that. We would have a separate entrance for us and run those classes when humans think we’re closed. Because it would be a more exclusive type of gym, short hours should be fine.”

“That could work.”

Ian smiles as Keith enters the kitchen. “So you’re in?”

“Yes.”

My true mate kisses me on the cheek before he asks, “In for what?”

“I’m going to get a life. Ian and I are talking about opening up a gym in the space that Carly and Sierra are planning their tattoo parlor.”

Ian expands on the idea for Keith as I finish cooking. We continue brainstorming our business over dinner and make plans to visit the location in the morning.

The next day we meet Carly and Sierra in town. As we approach the vacant building I watch Sierra’s arms swing out as she explains her idea for two entrances. She turns toward us. “Pumped and Inked. What do you think?”

Ian laughs and replies, “Marked and Ripped?”

I join in. “Kick It and Ink It.”

“Perfect!” says Carly. “Kick It Martial Arts Studio and Ink It Tattoo Parlor.”

Sierra has a sketchpad and flips it open. “And we can use a cool font for the It part while something clean will spell out the rest.” She draws out her idea as if the names are a done deal.

Keys jingle when Carly unlocks the filmy glass door. A musty odor wafts over us as we enter a cool dark space. Fluorescent lights buzz when Ian flips a switch, and they reveal a large space that reminds me of a warehouse.

I say, “Whoa, this place is enormous.” I turn to three grinning faces. “How much space do you need, Carly?”

“Because you want all of what’s left over?”

I nod as she chuckles. Sierra grabs Carly’s arm to drag her away as she chatters on about their shop layout. Ian wanders off to the left while my boots tap slowly as I make my way in the opposite direction.

I think of my father and how he supported my dream to learn Krav Maga when he could have pushed dance lessons instead. The familiar scent of gasoline laced with oil comes to mind as I recall the time I spent learning his auto mechanic business. The two skills have gotten me to where I am today. I wonder if he could have imagined what he was training me for.

Wait.
One of my parents was a werebear.
Could it have been my dad?

Donna mentioned that perhaps Lily was from Veilleux stock and that’s why she’s with Victor. Now my curiosity is piqued, and I long to know which clan I descend from. Keith is my true mate, and it’s likely I’m a Le Roux. But what if I have family that are Robichaux? I hug myself as the cold temperature of the building bites through my thin jacket.
What if I’m a Veilleux?