Red's Bear (Erotic Shifter Fairy Tales) (2 page)

“Any irritability?”

“Some.”

“However, that could be due to the ill feeling.”

Rena shrugged a shoulder.

“Racing heart?”

“No.”

“Exhaustion?”

“Nope. I lay down because I’m sick, but I’m not overly
tired.”

Dr. Jung-tu scanned Rena’s face and skin more closely
as if looking for something. “Stick out your tongue.”

Complying, Rena opened her mouth wide as her doctor
stood and shined the light in her mouth.

“Not swollen. With the seafood cravings, any dirt, corn
starch or other unusual substances?”

Rena could feel her face scrunch and tighten, “Who
would eat…?” She shook the gross thought away and tried to stay focused on her
own issue. “Nothing like that but…”

“But…?”

“The honey.”

“What about it?” The doctor flipped the record over and
read through the documentation sent from Rena’s pediatrician. “It states you’re
severely allergic to it. If you had some that may—”

“No, no. I didn’t but I wanted to. I’ve continued with
agave nectar as is the vegan norm. However, more than I wanted the meat the
honey has driven me almost insane. Last night I found myself at the all-night
superstore standing in the aisle before all those jars and bottles of various
types of honey. I couldn’t even recall getting in my car and driving there.”

Returning to the stool, Dr. Jung-tu mumbled, “This is
very strange.”

“You’re telling me. I stood there sweating, shaking,
salivating, and practically drooling on myself like an imbecile. I was so
freaked out I ran from the store.”

“I believe in some holistic treatments and with all of
your stomach ailments I would have suggested adding honey to your diet, but not
with the extreme allergies your childhood doctor annotated. So, it is unusual
for you to desire it.”

“It is. Please check the iron levels.”

“I will add some more blood tests to see what is going
on.” Swiveling around in her small, squeaky, black stool again, the doctor
turned her computer. “I already have your iron from the two times we’ve pulled
your blood.” Tapping away at the keys she called up the information. “You first
set of labs taken two weeks ago are completely normal, slightly low on the
next, but good range still.” Clicking away again, she continued. “Comparing the
results to this week may show us something.” There was more tapping and
clicking.

The doctor added in some notations to her notes, then
turned. “The results should be back in a few days then we will see. I changed
your medication to something a lot stronger.   Zofran. It will definitely take
away the nausea. It may make you a little tired so stay active at work.”

Smiling, Rena felt relieved. She didn’t care if she
gave her an elephant tranquilizer as long as the sick feeling deep in the pit
of her stomach went away. “Thanks. Should I start taking an over-the-counter
iron supplement?”

Standing, Dr. Jung-tu shook her head. “Since your
levels were not that low, due to your natural food diet, I would hold off. You
don’t want too high iron either.” The doctor’s mouth bowed up as she comforted
her with words. “Don’t worry, we will figure it out. If I can’t, I’ll send you
to a specialist.”

“Great,” Rena groaned. More doctors–that was all she
needed.

“I will call you with the results. Try not to worry
until then. Pick your medicine up at the pharmacy. It will be ready when you
finish dressing.”

“Thanks, Dr. Jung-tu.”

Nodding, the doctor stepped out, pulling the door
behind her.

Dropping her head in her hands, Rena wanted to scream.
After months of dealing with this weird illness, she was mentally exhausted.
She’d hoped in coming to see her doctor this time there would have been more
answers and less questions.

Getting dressed, she put all of her hope in the new
medication. It was stronger, the doctor had said, and she would be happy with
the peace
and
rest it would bring her. Picking up her meds, she got into
her car and headed home.

~YH~

There was no breeze blowing that night, but it felt
cooler than the air in her house. Inside, Rena felt stifled, unable to breath
and ill. Being outside at night was slightly calming, not by much, but she no
longer tossed and turned in her lonely bed.  Her body was still off balance and
her stomach turned worse with the new medication than before. It seemed the
stronger the meds her doctor prescribed for her, the more intense her negative
reaction to them. Sitting on her back patio, on the third floor of a posh
high-rise over top of a city center shopping area, she stared into the sky. The
crescent-shaped moon appeared so small in the city. Too many tall buildings
seemed to clutter the view. The city lights made the moon look dull and
insignificant.

Rena didn’t know why that bothered her tonight, but it
did. Everything was annoying her suddenly.  In a few hours she had to be at
work. She worked from four in the morning to one in the afternoon as an
assistant producer on a local kids network. They brought fairy tales to life
for children. She’d been with the company for seven years. She had interned
with them during college, gotten a permanent position soon after, and moved up
from a gofer’s helper to assistant producer. Her life had seemed perfect,
because her career was on a steady rise, until two months ago. Now she got a
lot of raised eyebrows and groans from her boss. Not to mention the station
manager was starting to pretend she didn’t exist. Those were not good signs.

Going inside, she grabbed a light blanket from the
couch and curled up on the wicker lounge and attempted to block out the sounds
of traffic and the occasional siren. She had to get some sleep and hope that
she’d have enough strength and energy for the day at work.

~YH~

“Son, you’re in your third season since you returned
home from your wandering years. It is time for you to choose a mate. The time
is now.”

Corduroy Bjorn stretched out beside the lake with his
hand in the water and listened to his father, Jasper. He didn’t have to turn
his head to know his father’s face was etched with concern. His features had
held that expression for weeks now. Most of the male bears in Den County had
just returned from a county line run. A couple weeks away from the First Frost
Moon had everyone on edge. It was now past midnight. Frogs and other woodland
creatures called out to their mates. Cord understood that he would soon be
thirty-three. Most of his friends had paired up within the last two years, but
they had no problem finding their life mates. Hell, even his friend Theo, who
had begun his wandering journey with him, at the last festival had claimed his
second life mate—a human female who had been blessed with the Great Spirit. All
others had found mates within the community. However, Cord knew deep within
that his mate was not in the county.

“I wish it was that easy.” Cord turned his head and
looked at his father who lay unashamed and nude with his back propped against
the base of a tree. At sixty-two his father was still a physically fit man.
Cord knew it was because of their genetic make-up that his father would never
diminish in bulk, strength, agility or lose muscle tone as his temples grayed.

Sighing, his father pierced him with an onyx-eyed
stare, a mirror of his own as well as the rest of the Were-bears in Den. “You
have
to make it that easy son. If you have not chosen on the night of the First
Frost Moon, the next day during the life mate ceremony I will make sure it’s
done.”

Facing the water again, Cord rolled up to a seated
position barely mindful of the debris clinging to his own sweat-coated form.
His mind played images of the available women in their community. Beautiful
Were-females, who were fertile and ready to find a male to commit themselves to
for life, females who didn’t stir his heart or his lust. Even his ex was easily
discarded. Each one passed through his thoughts in a haze until he reached the
only female that had captured every part of him, long ago. He knew she was a
woman now, but he could only picture her as a teenage girl, the last time he’d
seen her. At almost sixteen, he had already been two years into his first
season. However, his mating lust had not fully activated yet.

A group of them had been out fishing and swimming that
day. He’d taught her how to fish all afternoon and she’d struggled with the
line and hook, getting it caught on everything but in a fish’s mouth. He had
visions of teaching her to salmon catch while in bear form as the delicious
fish swam upstream to mate. He’d been shocked when the girl had told him that
her parents never allowed her to fish or taste of the iron-enriched treat.

She’d laughed along with everyone as they joked around
about her poor technique. She’d been over two years younger than he. But, she’d
still intrigued him with her natural ebony waves in a wild array surrounding
her face, her full lips and her skin, brown as if kissed at birth by the sun.
When she’d finally caught a fish, her hazel eyes had shimmered with pride.
Sitting on the short pier beside her, he’d been unable to resist. Leaning in
he’d kissed her. It was an action done on pure instinct. He didn’t stop to consider
the others around them swimming, talking and fishing. It didn’t matter what
anyone else thought, whether they saw them.

At that moment, he had to taste her. The kiss had been
sweet in the beginning, his lips against hers but an impulse to slip his tongue
between her lips changed everything. The contact of their tongues felt as if
he’d been shocked by a lightning bolt, causing them both to pause and in that
small window of time, he felt her heartbeat. His body seemed to come alive for
the first time during that kiss. As a Were, he was ultra sensitive and
intensely he felt everything—the inside of her mouth was warm, it throbbed and
pulsed, matching rhythm with his. She had been the first to pull away, shy and
nervous. Her hand had covered her lips as if trying to control the pulsation;
he’d had the same urge. It hadn’t been his first kiss, but he was positive it
was hers. Then everything had changed in an instant.

She was gone. Taken away by her mother and he’d never
seen her again. Since then, he’d kissed other girls and women, expecting the
same result and never finding it. There had been no electric current shooting
through his body and the only pulsing he’d felt was in his lap. None of the
other women’s heartbeats could he feel unless he reached out and touched their
pulse points with his hand. The final disappointment had been his onyx eyes had
never become gold again.

“Is it wrong of me to request time to find a partner
like you have with mom? A match. Someone whose heart shadows my own?” Glancing
away from the shimmering water, he captured his father with a stare.

His father shook his head and dragged his fingers
through his short hair. “No, son it is not. However, time is running down.
You’re the next in line to lead the sleuth, mayor of Den, but you cannot do
that if you are not equipped in all areas. Tim will attempt to sway the county.
My brother’s son has a silver tongue and will begin to pull the community in
his direction.”

A low growl rumbled in Cord’s chest. “We both know I am
stronger than Tim. I have bested him several time—”

The hand his father raised stopped him.

“But he has found his companion,
his
life
mate
. Last year, while you were not around…when you left.” His father
shook his head, still disappointed by Cord’s actions. “Now, you will begin to
see that their joining will provide Tim the strength and leadership he will
need. Nita even now is breeding and even that will add to it. As I have told
you before, you and your twin sisters gave me great might. I used it to guide
the community, not abuse and force them as Artie would have done.” His father
sighed and stared up at the stars and the moon. “Now, Tim will desire it from
you. It is how my brother has raised him.”

Cord sat silently, just like his father; he cast his
gaze toward the heavens, the moon. More than half of it was not visible yet.
However, he knew, could sense his time was running out. He would have to
choose. All that his father said was correct. His uncle Artie had envied his
older brother, Cord’s father, all their lives. Artie had raised Tim with the
passion to be mayor of Den.

Did he want the line to be altered because of him? Cord
knew deep in his soul that was not the case. His great-grandfather had led the
first sleuth of Were-bears into the Redwood Forest in northern California;
first to conceal them from humans that would have hunted them down and second
to unite them all in one place. Lorek Bjorn built a community and it had
thrived under his leadership. That mantle was passed at sixty to the first male
son.

“Maybe it is best if Tim takes the community when you
step down next year. If I don’t find my real companion, my strength will not
increase anyway.”

The warm presence of his father kneeling beside him and
the firm hand on his shoulder made Cord look at the older man. The leader of
the community.

“Then whichever Were-female you choose, you mate with
her fiercely and often. Ensure she is breeding soon and that child will still
fortify you. Besides you have my first-born bloodline and that of every Bjorn
leader before me so that means you have more strength in your core naturally
than Tim could have with five cubs.”