Secret to Bear (5 page)

I glanced up to see a young mother walking with her child, hand-in-hand. I wondered just how long it would be before the bear turned to murder.

***

The neon sign at Ursula’s buzzed as it flickered in the dusk. I drew in a deep breath, and stepped inside. It only took a minute to spot him. He sat in the same corner, and I could smell the bourbon from the door.

“Hi,” I snapped as I sat down. “You left me lying on the floor naked. What the hell?”

He cringed, looking down at his glass. “I’m sorry about that. I panicked.”

I huffed and flopped both arms down on the table. “Men turning into wolves don’t faze you, but my naked body sprawled out for your pleasure for some reason sends you fleeing.”

He looked up to study my face. “Something like that,” he replied.

“I see,” I said. “Well, I really hate to bother you, but I need to learn to hunt. I need fresh meat, but I don’t know what I’m doing.”

He nodded. “I said I would help you, and I still intend to. But we shouldn’t get too familiar, okay?”

I shrugged in angered dismay. “Whatever,” I bit. “Just teach me to survive, and then I’ll leave you alone.”

My heart crumbled as he nodded in agreement. “But you need to trust me, and trust yourself. Have you turned since I last saw you?”

Sighing I reached out and took a sip from his glass. Bourbon burned nicely. “I almost did, but I stopped it.”

He stared in surprise. “Why?”

“Because,” I grumbled, “I can’t let that monster loose. What horrible things will it do?”

“That ‘horrible monster’ is you, Jo,” he exclaimed. “There isn’t any difference between the two of you; it’s simply a part of who you are. You shouldn’t fear it. And, honestly, you can’t hunt without it.”

I groaned. “I figured as much. But let’s take this slow, okay?”

He nodded. “But we should start tonight,” he said. “I’m getting hungry myself, and the sooner we teach you to let the bear loose, the better off you’re going to be.”

***

We drove to the hills in his car, pulling into a deserted campground. Without a word he clambered out into the dusky quiet and pulled a sagging duffle bag from the trunk.

“What’s in the bag?” I muttered.

“Nothing,” he grunted back at me. “It’s for our clothes.”

I stood in stunned shock as he trudged off along the trail before I hurried to catch up with him. “What do you mean it’s for our clothes?” I blurted out.

He gave me a grumpy, stifling glare. “Any clothes you’re wearing when you shift completely are going to get shredded,” he explained. “It gets too expensive to keep buying new clothes, and either way you’re naked when you change back. But this way you have something to put on.”

I had to run to keep up with him. “If you think I’m going to stand out here in the forest and get naked with you, you’re . . .”

“I’m what?!” he interrupted me with a brutal growl. “I’m realistic? I’m dealing with the way things are? I’m living my life being what I am? Maybe you should try it sometime!”

He stopped and threw the bag to the ground, glaring at me ferociously. The burning anger in his eyes sent terrifying chills up my spine as I stepped away from him. I wanted to run away and leave him there to stew by himself, or slap him hard in the face. But a glowing tenderness in my lower stomach screamed out for a different resolution as the warmth was strangely enticed by his outburst.

“This is far enough,” he grunted. “Get undressed.”

With little hesitation he unbuttoned his shirt, pulled it off, and stuffed it into the bag. I only stood and watched, at first dismayed, then enflamed by the sight of his large, hairy chest.

He stopped and gave me a stern stare. “I’m not doing a striptease for you, Jo. Now, get your clothes off or get the hell out of here. Either way I’m hunting tonight.”

The humiliation ripped through me, and I turned away from him as I reached up to unfasten my shirt buttons. As I slowly peeled my clothes off, piece by piece, I could feel his eyes staring at me. At last I slipped my panties down along my legs, my butt cheeks turned to his full view, and reached down to pick my clothes up off the ground.

As I turned he was watching me, his expression cold and unforgiving. I stood in horror as he looked at me, naked once again. I scanned over his nude body, his powerful legs and arms, his large chest and chiseled body. His penis was slack but long, hanging down heavy over two hefty testicles. As he came up to me I wanted so desperately for him to grab me and hold me close. I wanted to hear that everything was alright, and that he loved me.

But, instead, he took my clothes from me and stuffed them into the bag with his. Then he turned to glare at me.

“How can you do this to me?” I whimpered. “Gage, how can you hurt me like this?”

“I’m not hurting you, Jo,” he grumbled. “I’m teaching you to hunt. It’s best if you’re naked when you shift.”

My eyes focused on the squared chunks of muscle on his chest and I refused to look away. “I’m not talking about the clothes,” I cried. “I’m talking about us, Gage. For me it’s more than the naked bodies or the sex. Last night you lavished me with kisses and caresses, and …” My eyes dropped to stare in longing at his privates.

He turned away, and I watched his taut cheeks as he moved.

“Why would you turn so cold all of the sudden?”

He didn’t answer, but I could hear him groan angrily.

“Was it something I did?” I persisted. My nipples were getting chilled in the night air, turning stiffly erect.

He still didn’t respond. He stood and fiddled absently with the duffle bag.

“Damn it Gage,” I pleaded, “I think I might be falling…” My throat tightened on the words. “I think I may be falling in love with you.”

His body stiffened. “I don’t care,” he mumbled.

The words rolled over me, slowly crushing my insides as I heard them. I clasped my arms over my shivering body and cringed back on the impending tears. I stood and heard those words echoing in my mind over and over again, until the searing pain was unbearable.

He turned to face me sharply, but his eyes flared with a seething agony. He looked at me, this time really seeing me as I stood in stripped misery. His eyes grazed over my body from top to bottom, then back to my face.

“You don’t understand,” he groaned. “Jo, I don’t care. I never care; that’s just who I am. I can’t afford to care, can’t afford to be hurt anymore. The only thing love gets you is pain!”

I stared in shock, watching the terror in his eyes. “You love me?” I gasped.

With a grumbling groan he gritted his teeth and clenched his fists in frustration. “Yes!” he screamed. “Around you I feel like I’m a scared little kid, terrified of how he feels. Is that what you want to hear, Jo? You want to hear that you make me feel weak and fragile?”

Sweet warmth flooded through me as I watched his anguish, finally exposed. “Yes,” I sobbed. “Yes, Gage, that is what I want to hear. You can’t fight your feelings. That frightened little boy is still a part of you.”

I raced to him, throwing my arms around him and holding him tight, my tears rolling down onto his chest. He wrapped his arms around me, releasing a deep moan as I fell into him.

I laughed aloud as I felt him stiffen from my pressing against him. Burrowing my head into him I reached down and gently massaged his manhood until I heard the pleasured rumbling in his chest. His penis enlarged and hardened, and my womanhood craved the taste of it.

I kissed at his body as I tickled down his thighs and over his balls. He clung sweetly to me, his breathing growing deeper and more passionate.

“I can’t just…” he began to object.

I pulled back and gripped tight at his arms, feeling the hard muscle in my hands. “Shut up,” I breathed. I turned and leaned over a rock. “Just screw me already.”

His hands grabbed tight to my hips, and he eagerly thrust inside. I gasped to catch my breath with the exhilarating feel of him stroking inside of me, his masculinity forcing its way into my most private softness. I moaned in velvety desire and felt his stalk stiffen harder from the sound of it.

He grabbed firmer at my hips and ground deeper within me. With a heaving shudder his penis jerked hard several times in orgasm before he started to relax.

Slowly I stood upright, reaching behind me to fondle his testicles as his penis slipped from inside. He clasped an arm around my abdomen, pressing a caressing hand over my breast. With the other hand he greedily explored my softness, his fingers delving deep inside with tender, probing lust. His touch casually glistened over my clitoris over and over again, filling my body with titillating sensations each time. His embrace, his yearning interest as he caressed my nipple and breast, his fingers reaching into my soul and stimulating my little button, aroused waves of dizzying enchantment inside of me.

The world began to swirl, lost in the fluttering ecstasy that tumbled over me. Breathless, I clutched at his powerful thigh and my body tensed in hard elation as hot rapture poured from my pussy, through my body, and out my fingers and toes. Quivering, trembling, I soared into mindless orgasms as he clasped me upright against his body. A treble moan vibrated in my throat, and I felt a gush of hot liquid spray from me and dribble down along my legs.

My heart swelled and swooped as I plummeted down from the ecstasy, my mind slowly drifting lower, drenched in sex and gratification. His touch over my clit and suddenly tickled my stomach and I laughed, reaching sharply down to stop his hand.

His breath was hot in my ear and we stood in the cold moonlight, the steam rising from our naked bodies, and basked in the contentment— together.

He shivered at the sharp crack, and I squeezed tighter to his thigh. “What was that?” I asked, still struggling to catch my breath. He didn’t answer, didn’t move. I grinned at how engrossed he was in the rapture, and turned around to kiss him.

A trickle of blood escaped his lips, dribbling down over his chin. He stood stiffly, his eyes wide in terror, before collapsing in a heap to the ground.

I stared in horror, a scream catching in my throat. The shocking panic was paralyzing and I stood in helpless, useless confusion.

The breeze shifted, and the scent of dog filled my nostrils. My blood turned cold.

“I got him, first shot!” One of the young men burst out from the bushes and onto the trail, a handgun grasped in one hand. He raised it as he eyed me, pointing it directly at my heart. I froze, staring dumbly back at him, listening in dread to Gage’s gurgling breath.

“No Garret,” Todd commanded. “Don’t shoot her—not yet. I’ve got other ideas first.”

His sinister tone clenched my heart with icy fingers. The fear screamed at me to run, but my legs refused to leave Gage there to die alone. I watched Todd as he trotted down along the trail and into view, his thin body naked, his member wriggling back and forth like a dead snake. He was followed closely by another man, still fully clothed, who stopped to eye me with a lecherous grin.

“Grab her,” Todd ordered, his voice quiet.

I gave him a puzzled glare until I heard the two wolves creeping up from behind. I turned in time to watch them shift from their crouching position on all fours to standing upright, naked, as men, their gangly human genitals now swaging grotesquely from their skinny crotches. They each grabbed one of my arms, their fingers digging in harshly.

The monster on my right grabbed my butt cheek and snickered, gripping it hard as I squirmed and whimpered in pain. Todd walked calmly up to me, his eyes scanning lustily up and down the length of my body, and grinned.