Not So Silent Night (4 page)

“I just want to know about you, everything about you. About Russia, about what your family is like, about why you live in D.C. What brought you so far from home? America and Russia are so different; I can only imagine the culture shock.”

“I loved growing up in Russia. My family lives right outside of Moscow, so I had the best of both worlds, a large city nearby but the beauty of the countryside surrounding us. My family, well, I love them. We have a compound where the entire family lives.”

“Are you all weres?” Anna interrupted.

“Yes, there are not really many of us. Weres do not always marry weres and sometimes our children come out human even when both parents are. The bears are dying out in Russia. Not enough female bears are being born, it seems. My parents were so lucky to find each other. As for why I moved here to Washington, I work for the embassy. I like it here. I do miss my family and sometimes it is hard not having other shifters around for friends. Any I come across are usually smaller animals and scared of me. And I don’t like packs. So much politics in shifter circles.”

Unable to contain herself and her curiosity, she had to ask. “Can I watch you shift? I mean, I have seen a wolf shift before, but a bear would be amazing. I know you retain your human awareness, so I won’t be in danger, right? You are just so huge as a man; I can’t help but want to see you as a bear.”

Alex chuckled. “This is certainly a strange request, but if you want to see me shift I will need more room; I am quite large when I change.”

She bounced off the bed. “Goody, let’s go downstairs! There is a loading area in the back of the shop for storage. It’s huge and not being used. It’s cold though.”

He just laughed as he stood up beside her. “I am Russian and a bear. Cold does not bother me.”

Anna practically bounced down the stairs. “Shifting has always fascinated me. I don’t know why but it does. Maybe because it is a power more natural than mine.”

“Well we are even, because I have always wanted to meet a real live witch. Someone with your powers is something of legend in my country.” He walked to the middle of the large and empty room. “Okay, stand back.”

He began to shimmer just as he had when he climaxed, but more intensely. Anna stared in wonder. As she watched, her lover began to blur and then just a bundle of energy seemed to grow and grow and grow. The shimmering started to diminish and then suddenly there was a giant brown bear standing in Alex’s place. He walked over to her and she ran her fingers through the long, thick hair. The sheer size of him awed her. He was huge. She nuzzled the bear that was her lover. “Wow, well this can certainly make a girl feel safe. And to think that I was worried about what the wolves might do to you. But now I think you will be just fine.”

Bear Alexander growled a comforting growl. Then the shimmering started again and soon Alex was standing there in all his naked human glory. “I promise to keep you safe whether in human or bear form.”

He then swept her up in his powerful arms and carried her back upstairs. There was more she wanted to ask. She started, but he placed his lips on hers. “We have plenty of time to talk. I think I am ready for another round of not talking. How about you?” He was right; she certainly did not really feel like talking with his arms wrapped around her.

***

The next morning, Anna awoke from a night free of nightmares, for the first time since New York. She snuggled next to Alexander, his arms still encircling her. He remained asleep and she just lay there, staring at him and feeling happy. Something had clicked with this man. She felt at home with him, like she belonged with him. She didn’t even know if her connection to Ryan had been this deep this quickly. Anna thought of what her grandmother had kept telling her right before she passed, about something special headed her way. Anna just needed to be open when it arrived. Now she thought her grandmother had to have been talking about Alexander and how he was going to affect her. For the first time in years, she felt happy and actually filled with hope.

Alexander opened his eyes and smiled at her. “Good morning. What are you grinning about?” He kissed her gently on the lips.

“You make me happy. And I can’t wait to get to know you. And meet your family today as you promised.”

“Yes, I told them before I left last night we would meet them at the lodge for brunch.”

“You told them you would bring a girl you just met to brunch? They know you are here and I am just supposed to go meet them? Gosh, I must look like a harlot in their eyes!”

Alex just chuckled. “Does anyone still use the word harlot? And don’t worry. First, I am a grown man who can sleep wherever and with whomever he likes and my parents completely understand. Second, they are going to find you as charming as I do!” He looked at the clock and then smiled. “We still have a little time before I said we would meet them. Please tell me that you don’t have to open the shop this morning.”

“As it is Christmas Eve, I was only planning on being open noon to six. I figure most people have their flowers and decorations by now and I am ready for this holiday to be over already.”

“Oh, that’s right, it is your Christmas Eve. What are your plans for tonight and tomorrow? I had been planning on monopolizing your time as much as possible, well, and maybe letting you get to know my family when we came up for air.”

“What do you mean my Christmas Eve? Doesn’t it belong to everyone?” Suddenly something occurred to her. “Don’t you celebrate Christmas?”

Alex smiled. “My family and I are Russian Orthodox. We celebrate Christmas, but we do so later than you. Our Christmas is on January 5th. But tell me of your plans? I will work around them.”

Anna shrugged. “I was going to work today. Nothing else planned. I’m a witch, so I don’t exactly attend midnight mass. And as for tomorrow, I suppose Kev and Rach were thinking of kidnapping me and forcing me to have dinner at their place so I wouldn’t sit here all alone with a frozen meal. I guess I just don’t like the holidays that much.”

Alex sat up. “I noticed you have none of the decorations in your personal space like the ones in your shop.”

Again, she shrugged. “Decorations are good for business. I just don’t see the point of having them for myself. I guess that is why I don’t like the holidays. They remind me how alone I truly am in this world. Though even when my grandmother was around, I still always felt kind of lonely and apart during this time of year. I usually shut down the shop after Christmas and hide away from the world until after the new year arrives.”

“You will not be alone this holiday.” Alex took her in his arms and kissed her gently. “I will make sure you enjoy your Christmas as well as mine. Twelve days of Christmas is exactly what you need, I think, at least the twelve days that I can provide for you.”

“You are going to be in Vermont that long?”

“Not originally, but now we are.” He kissed her again. “I told you this is no vacation time fling. This is the start of something special.”

This time when he kissed her, Anna could certainly feel a lot more than lust behind it. And she felt something much more than the physical stir in her as well. She again remembered what her grandmother had said. She thought about how her instincts all told her this man was something special. He was her second chance at love and happiness. She knew it then; she was falling in love with her mysterious Russian
werebear and she felt at peace at last.

As they kissed and explored each other’s bodies once again, Anna’s newfound trust and acceptance of Alex and their connection made the experience even more intimate. They took their time, really letting the fire between them build. When Alex entered her this time, it was like he pushed more than his physical body into her. It was like part of his being was entering her and mingling with her. She raised her hips with each of his measured thrusts, taking their time as the tension grew.

Just when Anna thought she couldn’t take any more pleasure, Alex began to quicken his pace, his need overcoming him. They both came at the exact same time, shouting their climaxes. Alex shimmered so much that for a moment he was nothing but a blur above her. She came so hard she swore she might have shimmered as well. There was definitely something different about their lovemaking this time.

“Wow, did you feel that?” she panted, hoping that he was as connected as she felt, that they were indeed bonding in a way she had never thought possible.

Alex’s eyes were wide, as if he was in shock. “You shimmered with me. Is that even possible?”

Anna just laughed. “Apparently. It’s never happened to me before. I told you some witches can shift. Maybe I can shimmer when you make me blissfully happy.” She kissed him sweetly. “But I think instead of wondering about my shimmering, for it was something good no matter what it was, we better get ready to go see your family. I refuse to meet your parents smelling like sex. Especially since they are shifters with good noses. Let’s get showered and go meet them.”

They showered together, of course taking time to make out and help each other wash those hard to reach spots, but Anna kept catching Alex staring at her in wonder. She smiled to herself, knowing he was just as enchanted with her as she was with him. It felt so good to be with this man, to feel cared for and yes, even loved, after all this time. She had abandoned any hope of happiness long ago. Now she could see a bright and happy future and she was not going to let it go for anything.

***

As Alex drove them the short distance across town to the hotel where his parents were staying, Anna could not help but feel nervous. She was falling for Alex and he had already admitted he had similar feelings, but what if his family hated her? He seemed close to them. Could it be a deal breaker if they said she was trash? She was so wrapped up in her own thoughts, she wasn’t paying attention to what Alex did or said. Before she knew it, they had pulled into the parking lot of the town’s small luxury hotel.

Alex got out and opened her door, but she found herself unable to move for a moment. As she continued to sit there, he spoke up.

“Are you getting out? I think we would all prefer brunch inside as opposed to here in the car,” he joked as if to try to calm her nerves.

She nodded and took his hand to get out of the car, even though she was shaking all over. Evidently he noticed. “It’s okay; they are going to love you. There is no need to be this nervous. I promise.”

“I just feel uneasy. Something is not right; something is going to happen. I can just feel it. I don’t know if it has to do with your family or something else, but something doesn’t feel right. I was taught to never ignore these types of feelings. We need to be on the look out for something. I just don’t know what.”

He believed her in an instant. She could feel Alex tense up beside her and use his extra senses to scan the area. “I don’t detect anything. However, let’s get inside and check with my family and make sure everything is okay.”

They quickly went up the steps, both scanning the area surrounding the hotel as they did. Neither of them picked up on anything, not even with their supernatural powers. Inside, everything seemed perfectly normal. Alex’s family sat in the small restaurant, drinking coffee and clearly waiting for them to arrive. It did not appear as if anything was bothering them, until Alex’s mother caught a glimpse of them and her smile faded as she looked at their upset faces.

She quickly stood up. “What is it? Has something happened?”

Alex shook his head. “I was about to ask you the same question. Anna is having a premonition. Something bad is about to happen, and I think we need to trust her on this. She is special. Here, there are some things we should talk about, sooner rather than later.”

Alex and Anna went over to the table and joined the family. “This is Anna, everyone. I wanted us to get to know each other under better circumstances, but we are going to have to rush into a few details we might have waited on otherwise.” He gripped Anna’s hand, clearly feeling her shaking beside him again. “This is my family. My mother, Tatiana, my father, Mikhail, and my brother, Mikhail.” He hurried through the introductions, even though this should have been a joyous time of getting to know each other.

He continued without preamble. “Anna’s a witch. She knows what I am, what we are. We are so on guard because she had a strong premonition. Something is wrong. Something bad is about to happen. This is much more than being nervous to meet you guys.”

“I think it has to do with the werewolf pack in town. They saw Alex last night and they are not happy that he is here. I am not sure that they realize you are bears, but I am sure that they are planning to make it clear this is their territory. They are not the nicest weres on the planet, or the smartest, so who knows what they are planning.” As Anna spoke up, all eyes were on her, as she seemed to go into a trance-like state, trying to see what was coming so they could possibly prevent it.

To her surprise, the younger Mikhail almost chuckled, though he quickly covered it with a cough when his mother shot him a look. “Do not worry about it; we can handle wolves. I am sure they have no idea what they are dealing with if they think that they could beat one bear, let alone four.”

Tatiana reached out and took Anna’s other hand. “He is right, dear. We can certainly handle an attack from wolves; bears are very hard to beat in a fight. It is too bad that we did not get to meet under better circumstances. Alex was so excited about meeting you yesterday. Rest assured, whatever you are sensing, we will take care of it.”

Anna simply nodded. “This is not how I wanted to meet you either. I thought we’d get to know each other, eat brunch, then let you in on the fact that I am a witch.” She gave a nervous laugh as the family surrounding her chortled along.

“Well, imagine our surprise. You already know that we are shifters,” the elder Mikhail said. “And leave it to our Alexander to find himself a witch. Did he tell you your kind is spoken of in the hushed tones of legend in our country?”

“Yes, he did mention something along those lines.” She gave a small smile. Though she could still sense something coming, she found herself able to relax a little with the support of Alex’s family. She even found herself hoping this could maybe be her family too in the not-so-distant future.