Melted By The Bear: A Paranormal Shifter Romance (15 page)

Cormack didn’t even come home that night, though, at least not before I fell asleep around midnight. Abby had told me that council meetings often went on into the wee hours of the morning, so I wasn’t sure why I’d thought this one would be any different, especially considering how much there was to discuss at this particular meeting. I guessed I’d just been hoping.

Like the night before, I had a few blissful-yet-frustrating dreams about the two of us together, hands exploring and naked bodies merging. My subconscious seemed insistent on not giving me even a few hours rest without thoughts of Cormack.

The next morning, he was gone when I woke up, though a quick peek around his room told me that he
had
been home to sleep sometime. His shower floor and towel were still wet, and his bed was unmade, something one of the maids usually did mid-morning.

That evening, when I returned to the mansion from giving Natalie and her friend their first singing lesson, which had been a fun distraction from all my thoughts, I finally saw Cormack face-to-face and in the flesh again. The sight was well worth the wait. Just home from running patrols around the outskirts of the village with his men, his dark hair was tousled to the point of being a bit messy, and he was still dressed in his usual daily uniform of boots, battered jeans, and t-shirt, a casual and rugged look I found irresistible.

Over dinner together in the kitchen, he told me that although he’d discussed things with the council for hours the night before, he still wasn’t yet sure what he was going to decide as his course of action with AntiCormack and the shadow bears. “Not knowing if the prophecy may yet still be unfolding, I need to gather some information first, to find out what AntiCormack’s plans are. So, I’ve sent a spy team of sorts to Stonywood, where they’re going to do some surveillance and see and hear what they can. Hopefully, they’ll learn what AntiCormack’s plans are now that the prophecy doesn’t seem to be playing out in the way he thought and hoped. I’m guessing he’s stunned and feeling a bit desperate, especially since he lost so many fighters during the battle, which might cause him to do something reckless, though of course, I have no idea exactly what. But at any rate, a desperate, reckless move on his part, maybe something like another attack on the village while many of his men are still injured, might work to our advantage.”

“So, have you come around to the way of thinking that the prophecy is something that can be fought against and ‘defeated,’ so to speak, or that maybe we’ve already done that? Which is kind of what
I
still think, by the way. Cook’s got me pretty convinced that the prophecy is real and not just nonsense, but that maybe we just don’t ‘get’ it yet—don’t get what it really means—and that maybe everything will be okay for all of us in the end, no matter what.”

Knitting his brows, Cormack set his empty whiskey glass on the table. “Well, I will say that after we spent the night together and it didn’t result in everyone coming to immediate ruin, and in fact, exactly the opposite, I guess I’m coming around to Cook’s way of thinking. I’m
hoping
with all my heart that her way of thinking is correct, anyway. But at the same time I need to stay on the side of wariness and caution. Some of the folks in town who say that we
are
all still going to come to ruin, that the prophecy hasn’t fully unfolded yet, well, they could be right.”

Satisfied by his answer, and by the fact that he was at least open to the possibility that fate could be changed or maybe already had been, I just nodded, then finished the last sip of my wine.

When I set the glass back on the table, I had a thought and looked up to meet Cormack’s eyes. “So... about us sleeping together...”

I hesitated, trying to think of a tactful way to ask what I wanted to ask. “Can we do it again?” seemed like kind of a crass way to phrase the question.

However, Cormack’s deep green eyes, glinting gold in the light from two red taper candles on the table, told me that I didn’t need to continue further. He knew exactly what I was getting at.

With a slight smile playing around the corners of his full lips, he reached across the short length of table between us and took my hand. “Let’s go for a moonlit stroll.”

CHAPTER 14

The day had been unusually warm for October, so even though the sun had went down an hour or so before, the evening wasn’t yet very chilly. It was almost balmy for this time of year, actually, with the temperature still in the sixties. A light breeze carried the scents of warm earth, crackling orange leaves, and apples from a large orchard to the east.

Beneath a clear midnight blue sky studded with stars, Cormack held my hand, leading me across the vast backyard to the edge of the property where a walking trail wound through the forestland to the west of the house. With moonlight making his lightly tanned skin silvery, he glanced over at me. “So, I take it you must not be
too
mad at me about the argument we had, since you’re letting me hold your hand.”The feel of his skin on mine was making it difficult for me to remember what our argument of two nights before had even been about. Although making it difficult wasn’t the same thing as making me forget entirely.

Still determined to tell him in no uncertain terms that I
was
going to use my supernatural power to help against AntiCormack, but maybe not tell him right then, I looked over at Cormack. “I’m not still mad about our argument.” I paused, realizing that wasn’t entirely true. “Well... I guess if I’m being completely honest, I’m maybe just a little mad.”

He gave my hand a gentle squeeze. “I can’t blame you, and I want to tell you again that I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have assumed things about your motivations for wanting to do certain things. I especially shouldn’t have made assumptions about how the loss of your mom and sister may or may not play a part in your motivations. That was wrong of me, and admit that I’ve definitely made some mistakes since you’ve been thawed. I promise that in the future, I’ll do less assuming, and more just listening to you telling me what your reasoning is. And as far as what I said about you not being the easiest woman to deal with...”

We’d reached the edge of the forest, and Cormack brought us to a stop, taking my other hand as well. His eyes danced with moonlight, which also glinted off his nearly-black hair.

“Aria, I really like you. I really, really,
really
like you. Despite the fact that you can be just slightly maddening at times, and despite the fact that
I’m
still a little mad at
you
for running out of the house when I told you not to. But I shouldn’t have said that you’re not the easiest woman to deal with as if that’s an entirely bad thing. You’re not the easiest woman to deal with in a way I think I could get very used to if we all
do
end up surviving the prophecy. And in spite of the fact that something tells me we might have a few more arguments before all this prophecy business is resolved one way or another, I hope you feel the same way. I hope you think I’m the kind of man you could get very used to in the long term.”

With the feel of his hands holding mine sending some little current of electricity racing through me, I
did
think he was that kind of man.

“I do think that, Cormack. I think that not only could I get very used to you in the long term, I think that I could be incredibly happy with you.”

Caressing the backs of my hands with his thumbs, he smiled, perfect white teeth glinting in the moonlight. “You’ve just made
me
incredibly happy to hear you say that. And now, to answer what you asked me at the dinner table about us sleeping together again. I guess I see it like this. If something bad is destined to happen, if that something is unavoidable, despite our best efforts to stop it from happening, I don’t think us sharing a bed again is going to make things worse. And since the alternative would be us waiting to reunite in a physical way for an indefinite length of time, something I’m really not sure we’re capable of...”

“I’m definitely not capable of that.”

Cormack smiled. “I don’t think I am, either.”

That settled, we soon set out on our moonlit walk down the forest trail, still holding hands. At first, we walked quietly, just listening to the sounds of wind rustling the dry leaves of the tall trees, and the occasional hoot of an owl. The atmosphere was a little spooky, precisely the kind of atmosphere I liked in the weeks leading up to Halloween. It was made even better by me knowing that no matter how long we walked or how deep into the forest we went, I wouldn’t become
too
spooked, because of Cormack being with me. I felt completely safe with him and protected by him, which allowed me to enjoy the dark woods without even a touch of fear or anxiety.

After a few minutes, we began talking about Halloween memories from our childhoods, and then we began discussing other general memories from our childhoods. To my surprise, I discovered that I felt like I could tell Cormack anything, surprising because I’d never been able to fully open up to a man before. I’d always felt some instinctual need to guard my memories, emotions, and heart. Now I felt the opposite. I felt a need for Cormack to understand me, and
know
me, and for me to understand and
know
him.

As we continued on through the forest, feet crunching fallen leaves on the dirt trail, I ended up telling him all about how devastated I’d been when, at ten years old, I’d asked my mom where my dad was, and she’d told me he was dead. I’d cried for days, nearly nonstop, with a distinct pain in my chest, as if my heart were literally breaking. To make things worse,
my
crying had made my mom cry, which I’d then felt responsible for.

Once I’d gotten past my initial heartache about what I’d learned, I only very rarely brought up my dad again. In fact, being that he’d been just sixteen when he’d died, I kind of never even saw him as my
dad
in the years after I’d learned about him, even though I knew intellectually that he was. I thought of him more as like an older brother who’d died, maybe, than a
dad
. I also saw him as some sort of teenage guardian angel who looked out for me. I kind of still did at times.

Cormack listened to me share all this, giving my hand a few gentle, comforting squeezes along the way. By the time we paused when the trail came to a fork, I felt so close to him and so supported by him, that I developed an urge to tell him that I was insistent on using my power to fight AntiCormack, even though I’d specifically planned to
not
tell Cormack this while on our walk. For some reason, though, I felt like at present, with the two of us out in the peaceful, spooky, moonlit woods, sharing things, he might be more receptive to hearing me out and agreeing with me.

So, standing at the fork in the trail, when he asked if I’d like to continue going, or rest for a minute, or head back, I said I’d like to rest for a minute so I could tell him something very serious. Even in the dim light, I could see him furrow his brows.

“Well, what is it? You can tell me anything.”

I took a deep breath, taking his other hand to hold both of them. “I’ve been practicing my power. Yesterday, Abby and I figured out what makes it work and what stops it, and then today, I spent about three hours in the back room at the bookstore just practicing, using my power to zap various objects while working on keeping my mental focus where it needs to be in order to not have my power wane. By the end of the three hours—Cormack, I’m absolutely positive that I can use my power to help everyone.”

“But you don’t need to prove yourself to everyone anymore. The word in town is that people are slowly starting to change their thinking about you. They’re already starting to accept you, so you don’t need to try to ‘fix’ or prove—”

“That’s not even it anymore, though. At least not
all
it. Now I just want to
help
, because I have a gift that
can
help, and it seems like it would be a total waste not to use it. Now I just want AntiCormack and all his men dead. First off, they’ve murdered innocent men, women, and children, and I want to be a part of making sure that they can’t do the same to people in this village that I care about. Second, the shadow bears are preventing me from really starting a happy new life here, with you. We can’t really move forward and live in peace until they’re all dealt with.”

“And that’s why
my men
and
I
are going to deal with them. As soon as we gather intelligence and formulate a plan—”

“Which I will be a part of.”

“No, you absolutely will not be. And we’re not having this argument again. I’ve already told you that you will not participating in any future fight with the shadow bears, and I’m not going to change my mind about that. My decision is final.”

Blood boiling, I pulled my hands free from his and folded my arms across my chest. “Well, here’s another decision you need to make. You need to decide whether you’re going to accept me as a woman who’s ‘not the easiest to deal with,’ or whether you’re going to try to change me. Because that’s exactly what you’re trying to do, you know. You’re trying to change me into the kind of woman who’s content to just sit back while the
men
take care of everything, and that’s just not me. You’re also trying to change me into the type of woman who doesn’t use the special gifts she’s been given, and that, too, is just not me. So, you need to decide whether or not you’re going to encourage me to be who I am, or if you’re going to force me to be a weak imitation of myself, just sitting on my hands, protected only by you, every minute of every day. Which doesn’t seem like something I’d be able to live with in the long-term, by the way.” With that, I turned and began stomping off back up the trail. “I’m going home. Please don’t follow me. I’m sure you can shift into bear form and find a different way home through the woods.”

“Aria, please wait.”

Hugging my arms to my ribs, I didn’t even turn around. “I mean it. Please don’t follow me.”

I broke into a jog, trying to make my point that I really didn’t want to be followed. After a minute or so of not hearing any noises indicating that he was tailing me, I slowed to a walk, not wanting to trip over any rocks or branches in the dark. And that was when the woods became a little
too
spooky. The spaces between the trees became just a little too dark. The sound of my footfalls sounded thunderous in the quiet woods.

However, I knew I’d made my choice, and I had to live with it and just plow on through to the house. I wasn’t going to call out for Cormack, and I wasn’t going to try to call him on the phone, not that I even had mine with me, I realized.

A minute or so later, I jumped a mile when an owl hooted, then, almost immediately, I jumped again, gasping, when I saw some inky-black form moving through the trees just to my left. Immediately, this space of inky blackness disappeared, becoming Cormack’s human form. Exhaling in a rush, I realized that the darkness I’d seen, darker even than the dark spaces between the trees, had just been him in bear form.

“How dare you follow me and scare me like that?”

He stepped out of the trees and onto the trail. “I’m sorry. I figured I’d stick close by in case you got scared.”

“Well, I did just get scared. By you.”

With a sigh, he looked at me for a long moment. “Please let me walk you home.”

“No, thank you. Not unless you agree to let me use my power to—”

“No. No more talk on that subject tonight. And to ensure that you don’t bring it up again, I’m going to distract you.”

Snorting, I tightened my arms across my chest. “Well, when I get my mind set on something, there’s nothing that can distract me.”

“Is that so?”

“That’s a
fact
.”

“Let’s see.”

Gently, he moved a hand beneath my chin and tipped my face up, then brought his mouth to mine. At the feel of his firm, warm lips, I instantly felt my body relax, and when he began deepening the kiss, hands moving to cradle my face, my arms fell from my chest to my sides. After half a minute or so of him kissing me, I felt absolutely limp, my muscles like jelly.

I wasn’t yet completely distracted, though, and hadn’t yet forgotten what Cormack was intending to distract me
from
. So, when he broke our kiss and asked if his distraction method was working, I gave him an emphatic no.

“Not at all. You’re going to have to do a lot better than that.”

“Challenge gladly accepted.”

*

Cormack began kissing me again, this time with more intensity, though still with a tenderness that soon had me making quiet sounds of pleasure.
Now
I was becoming distracted, but not yet completely and thoroughly.

So, I broke our kiss, panting a little. “Still not distracted. You might try taking your shirt off and see what that does.”

He immediately complied, lifting his t-shirt over his head, allowing me a good look at all the rippling muscles in his broad chest and shoulders. The sight alone made me bite back a whimper of desire. Silvery in the moonlight, every hard ridge and contour seemed to be begging for my touch, and when Cormack pulled me into his arms and began kissing me again, I indulged myself, running my hands over first, his chest, and then his back, making a few soft moans into his mouth. He allowed his hands to begin wandering as well, moving them from the small of my back to my rear with a low growl rumbling in his chest.