Sold To The Bears (A BBW Paranormal Romance Book 1) (4 page)

After driving through the city, we arrived at a cabin settlement kind of set apart from the city, more toward the woods. A little cabin-city-within-a-cabin-city. Though these weren't just any log cabins. These weren't like the ones surrounding the downtown area of the city in different neighborhoods. Though they all had exteriors made from split logs, these cabins were more like mansions, at least in size.

There were nine of them in total. Eight smaller, though still enormous, cabins ringed a massive three-story cabin that was about ten times the size of the town inn back in Stony Rapids, which was pretty large itself. To the side of all the cabins was a long, single-story structure flanked by tall evergreen trees.

While we rolled down a long paved drive leading to the cabins, Adrian glanced at me, his dark hair glinting in the sun. "Home sweet home. The three-story cabin is the family home, where all members of the Black family live. And, just in case you were wondering, those members include us three brothers, Samuel's two sons, our Aunt Milly, or, Mil as we usually just call her, Mil's grown daughter, and Mil's almost-grown son. Members of our household staff have living quarters on the ground floor; each grown family member has his or her own apartment-type quarters within the house. And then, still several apartment-type quarters are left empty for guests."

I certainly hadn't been raised in luxury and broad expanse. The house that Estelle, Gray, and I had lived in had been small to the point that a bed and dresser had barely fit into my bedroom. The three of us shared a bathroom so tiny you could barely turn around in it. The house was drafty and the furnace was always breaking, as was the washing machine. Estelle and I often had to do the wash by hand in a big metal tub. The prospect of living in a palatial residence with "household staff" kind of boggled my mind. Forcing myself not to gawk, I stared at the mansion of a cabin while Adrian continued.

"The eight two-story cabins surrounding the family home are where our council members and their families live. The long, single-story structure to the side is where our council meetings are held. Back in town, there are shops and stores, and various other businesses. On the west side of town is our manufacturing center with all its different industrial buildings. To the west of that, about a mile through the forestland, is where our orchards and dairies are, and our farmland.

We have several restaurants in town and a family-run bar called The Black Den. On the east side of town, a hospital, medical center, and a laboratory, all of them equipped with the same state-of-the-art technology found in Ashcrest, if you've heard tales of it. The most advanced technology in the world right now." Looking over at me, he paused. "Sun Creek basically has everything you could ever need. I hope you'll be quite happy here."

As I'd been doing all morning, I didn't respond. I didn't even look at him or nod. I had to admit, grudgingly, that I was impressed by Sun Creek. But I was certain I could never be
quite happy
living among murderers.

We'd arrived at the enormous three-story cabin, and Grant parked in front. The three of us in the cab of the truck got out, and Samuel jumped out of the bed. Grant grabbed my things, though they were quickly taken from him by a slim young man in what appeared to be some sort of a uniform of black boots and black pants and shirt. He'd scurried out of the house the moment Grant had parked the truck.

Grant dipped his head in a nod at the young man. "Thank you, Edward. Please take them up to the largest guest apartment suite on the third floor."

Edward scurried back toward the house. He seemed to be some sort of butler, though there was even another butler-type man at the front door, holding it open. This man was much older, with silvery hair, and he was dressed much more formally, in black dress pants and crisp white shirt.

While Grant, Adrian, Samuel, and I passed, he dipped his head, his gaze on Grant.

"Chief."

Grant gave him a single nod in return.

The house, or mansion, or whatever it was, was on the inside just like it was on the outside. Grand, yet cozy and rustic at the same time. Like the town itself. The walls were paneled with long planks of polished hardwood, the color of it not light, but not dark either. It was maybe something like a warm, honey-toned medium brown. The hardwood flooring was the same shade, though the wood was partially covered by long, patterned rugs in jewel-like colors of deep green, navy blue, and dark burgundy. Brass lamps on shining wooden stands gleamed in sunlight streaming in through open windows.

Adrian said Aunt Mil was usually in the kitchen preparing Sunday brunch around this time, and that we'd go meet her. "Most of the time, the household staff cooks, but Sunday brunch is one thing she likes to make herself."

I said alright, quietly, but nothing else.

Grant, Adrian, and Samuel led me through the spacious foyer, down a hallway, and into a large open room that appeared to be something like a combination kitchen, informal dining area, and living room. It struck me as maybe somewhat unusual to have all those different areas in one room, but for some reason, everything just seemed to fit. Beyond the kitchen counter tops was a long wooden table big enough for at least a dozen people, and beyond that, a wide, open area with several couches and overstuffed chairs upholstered in the same rich jewel tones as the rugs all throughout the house.

The room also had a small bar area as well. Adjacent to the dining area, a half-dozen cushioned bar stools sat in front of a polished bar with hundreds of glass bottles of varying sizes on shelves behind it.

When we entered this large, multi-purpose room, Adrian turned to me and spoke. "This is kind of the 'family everything room,' for lack of a way to describe it. This is where we all spend time together. No staff, just us. Every week for Sunday brunch, sometimes for Sunday dinner, too, and then maybe once or twice for dinner during the week."

Just then, across the room, a woman holding a clear glass pitcher popped up from behind the bar. "Well, hello. You all arrived sooner than I expected. I was just about to make a pitcher of Bloody Marys. Come have a seat, all of you."

She appeared to be in her early fifties and had dark curly hair, shoulder length, the top half of it pinned back from her face. Her dark brown eyes looked directly at me, even while she addressed everyone. Her expression didn't exactly strike me as one of friendliness, though it wasn't one of coldness, either. It was just neutral somehow.

I followed Grant, Adrian, and Samuel over to the bar, and Grant introduced me to Aunt Mil.

She set down her pitcher and extended a hand over the bar to me, her expression still neutral. "Pleasure."

I didn't want to shake her hand. With her being a human woman and not a bear shifter, I knew she'd likely had nothing to do with the attack on Gray and Estelle, though she
was
still a member of a bear shifter family. I  knew it was possible that she might have had something to do with the planning of the attack.

However, I knew civility was the order of the day. It was necessary. Aunt Mil was waiting for a response.

So, after a long moment, I extended my hand over the bar and gave hers a quick shake and a small dip of the head. I wasn't going to say it was a pleasure to meet her, because it wasn't. It was just something to endure.

She eyed me for just the same amount of time as I'd hesitated, with something like the very faintest hint of a grin curving her mouth. Or maybe it was a smirk. I couldn't tell. But it was quickly gone, and she spoke again.

"So, this is our bar in the living room. Might seem strange, but with the way these three brothers drink whiskey sometimes, we actually need one."

Now she did give me a clear, genuine-seeming little smile. But I couldn't return it. I was suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. I didn't want this woman to smile at me. I didn't want to have brunch with her, Grant, Adrian, Samuel, and the rest of their bear shifter family. I wanted to run out of the room. I wanted to run right out of Sun Creek.

After a moment or two of me remaining silent and unsmiling, studying the grain of the polished wooden bar, Mil made the softest of little scoffing noises that made me lift my gaze.

She looked at me with her smile not entirely gone, but somehow with a hint of sternness or disappointment present in her expression as well. "You don't speak?"

I instantly felt stupid. Rude. More than a bit embarrassed. Yet, at the same time, more than a bit angry.

But before I could respond, before I could even think of a response, Mil spoke again. "You've resolved not to speak. And that's fine. For now. But just so you know, this is a family that communicates, and you're going to be a part of it. So be aware, we won't be content with your silence forever."

I was going to have to be careful. I had a feeling that if I didn't give this woman a bit more civility and courtesy, she could make my new life a living hell. Yet, at the same time, I suddenly kind of liked her. I didn't even know why. Maybe it was because I had a feeling that she was a woman who wasn't able to help speaking exactly what was on her mind at times, like me.

Before she could speak any more of her mind to me, Grant, who was standing to my left, cleared his throat, his gaze on Mil. "We'll go round up the boys and let you two ladies get better acquainted."

He, Adrian, and Samuel immediately left, leaving me alone with Mil. She told me to have a seat on one of the bar stools, so I did. Then, she fixed me with a piercing gaze. When she spoke, her words were firm and matter-of-fact.

"You'll rest today, and then you'll share a bed with both Grant and Adrian tonight, immediately. Unless you can answer me one simple question."

CHAPTER THREE

I just about fell off my bar stool. I couldn't believe what Mil had just said. But I knew I hadn't misheard her. She'd pretty clearly said I'd be sharing a bed with both Grant and Adrian that night unless I could answer one simple question.

"What is it? What's the question?"

So curious was I to know, the words had tumbled right out of my mouth. I was very interested in answering any question that would delay me having to share a bed with a bear shifter that might have taken part in the killing of Gray and Estelle. And actually, not
a
bear shifter, but two.

  Aunt Mil began pouring a bottle of tomato juice in the glass pitcher, smiling a little. "Thought that would get you to talk. Though I didn't say it just for shock value. You'll be expected to share a bed with both Grant and Adrian tonight unless you can answer one simple question right now."

"So, what is it?"

She set the now-empty bottle of tomato juice on the bar and looked at me. "It's this. Which brother would you like to be mated to for life? Would you rather marry Grant or Adrian? I can tell just from little micro-glances they were both giving you that they both find you very attractive.

“No big surprise with your lovely chestnut hair, your beautiful eyes, and that curvy little body of yours. I'm not sure what man
wouldn't
be attracted to you. I'm not sure what man wouldn't want to claim you for his own. As I'm sure both Grant and Adrian would like to do.

“However, even though Grant is our chief, and really, he should be able to claim you as his mate for life if he wants to, we all decided before they even left to fetch you that it might be best for you to make the decision. So, it's up to you who you'd like to be your husband. Grant or Adrian."

Mil paused, as if awaiting my response, but I sat speechless. Dumbfounded. I couldn't fathom how she expected me to choose which of two men, two men I'd
just
met, I wanted to be my husband, just like that.

Seeming to read my mind, Mil continued. "Yes, I'm aware I'm asking you to decide between two men you just met. But, you see, when a new young woman comes to Sun Creek, we like these decisions to be made quickly. This is in part because we, as a people and a community, generally believe that first impressions in matters of the heart are most often correct impressions.

“The man a woman at first believes she's meant for, is usually the correct choice. We also require a quick decision because, as I'm sure you're aware, healthy young women are a minority in this post-Freeze world, and frankly, there are too many single men in this community to have single young women remaining single for long. It causes problems.

“So, when a family in our community purchases a young woman at auction, and when there are multiple single men in that family, we require that one of those men immediately claim her, or that young woman immediately makes a choice about what man she wants. Which is what we're requiring of you."

I didn't want to make a choice. I wasn't ready. I had no intention of  marrying either Grant or Adrian. I had no desire for either of them to be my "mate for life."

Sure, I knew I'd have to pick one of them eventually. I'd been purchased; this was my new life, and I knew there was no way out of it. However, asking me to choose between Grant and Adrian was too much right then. I found them both almost unbearably attractive; there was no doubt about that.

But that was irrelevant. I didn't intend to enjoy being mated to one of them, so that didn't even matter. What I needed to make a decision was more information. I needed to find out for sure if one of them, neither of them, or both of them had been directly involved in the attack on Gray and Estelle. Because, of course, if one of them
hadn't
been, he would be the man I'd choose.

If  both of them had been involved, I wouldn't care who became my husband; I'd be sickened either way. I didn't even bother contemplating what I'd do if neither Grant or Adrian were involved in the attack. They were bear shifters, and I knew bear shifters were murderers. Neither of them being involved seemed like quite a stretch.

I needed more time. I wouldn't directly ask which of them had been involved in the attack; I wouldn't even bring it up. For some reason, I felt as if it was a matter of pride to never reveal that Gray and Estelle had been my adoptive parents and that I'd been deeply hurt by them being killed.

I knew it was possible that the bears might already know, though I had no idea what Malachi had told them about me. All I knew about Malachi was that he was better suited to be a snake shifter than a wolf shifter, the way he'd willingly sold a young woman from his community to the bears mere weeks after the bears had killed two of his people in cold blood. He was a snake to have any dealings with the bears at all, no matter how desperate for money he was.

I also wouldn't bring up the murder of Gray and Estelle to the bears, or question them about the subject in any way, for a different reason. I simply didn't believe they'd tell me the truth. I didn't trust them an inch. People so savage as to kill two people out for a canoe ride weren't people who could be expected to tell the truth about anything. I was sure they'd lie if it suited them. Like, for example, if they maybe had slight regret about what they'd done and wanted to cover things up.

Even as betrayed as I felt by them, I probably trusted Malachi and the rest of the wolves more than I trusted the bears at that point. Yes, the wolves had killed my birth parents. They'd never denied it. But one of them, Gray, had also saved my life that same night. He and Estelle had continued to save my life by taking me in and raising me as their own. And the wolf shifter community had been
my
community for so long.

After several moments spent thinking while Mil added vodka to the tomato juice in the pitcher, I made a decision. I wasn't going to choose either Grant or Adrian to be my husband at that point. I was going to refuse to make a choice. Even if I couldn't get information or proof about who had directly taken part in the attack, I could maybe still get a
feel
for who had. Maybe I could get some clues. Maybe I would even overhear a few things. I just needed a week or two, or three, at most, I thought. Then I'd know which brother to choose. If I felt as if both of them had been involved, at least then I would know to resign myself, and I'd pick the one who I felt would be least likely to commit such an attack again.

While she stirred the liquid in the pitcher with a wooden spoon, I sat up a little straighter on my bar stool, my gaze on her face. "I refuse. I refuse to decide immediately who I want to be my husband. It's unfair. And I demand more time to think."

Smiling a little, she stopped stirring and looked up from the pitcher. "I knew you'd be one to be difficult just for the sake of being difficult. Knew it the moment I set eyes on you. Strong-willed that young lady is going to be, I said to myself. And that's fine. If I were purchased like you were today, I might get the urge to dig in my heels a little myself. I might get the urge to assert my autonomy a little as well. However...." She tapped the spoon on the side of the pitcher, set it on a dishtowel on the bar, and then looked me square in the eyes.

"Strong-willed young women aren't entirely unusual to us here in Sun Creek. We've had a few over the years. And so, if a young woman is offered a choice between two brothers, and she refuses to make one, we've found a way to force her to choose right away. We've found that giving a choice between picking one or sharing a bed with both until she does is awfully effective. That's why I told you you'll be sharing a bed with both Grant and Adrian tonight unless you choose."

I'd somehow completely forgotten all about that part.

Mil pushed the pitcher of Bloody Mary to the side and placed both of her slim fingered-hands on the bar. "You see, we realize sharing a bed might be a fantasy for many women, but very few women are willing to actually indulge that fantasy in real life. It's too intimidating. Particularly for younger women. So, most of the young women that come here make a choice between the two brothers or family members very quickly, rather than have a fantasy they're not quite certain they want in real life become a reality that's thrust upon them. Double entendre heartily intended."

A laugh burst out of my mouth before I could stop it. It had truly been involuntary. Mil's little joke, which she'd delivered with a deadpan expression, had taken me completely by surprise.

She looked at me with her dark eyes twinkling. "So you can laugh. That's good. And while you're in such a good mood, I'll tell you a bit about Grant and Adrian to help you make your choice. Because something tells me not much conversation went on during the trip here. But first...well, let's do a shot. Just because. Just because there's still a few shots left in the fifth, and if we don't use them up, I might be tempted to add them to the pitcher, and we don't want the Bloody Marys at brunch to be too strong."

She gave me the tiniest of winks before grabbing two shot glasses, setting them on the counter, and began pouring vodka into each of them. Almost against my will, I was beginning to like her more and more.

She glanced up at me. "Do you drink? If you don't, don't feel like you have to do a shot with me."

I gave my head a little shake. "No, I want to. I drink only sometimes, but right now...."

I couldn't even finish the thought. My brain was too preoccupied thinking about the fact that I was actually allowing myself to have a conversation with Mil. Like I had with Adrian, and to an extent, Grant, I wondered if she was playing some sort of a game. Trying to earn my trust before betraying it somehow.

She handed me a shot glass. "But right now, you could use a stiff drink."

I nodded. "Yes."

It was definitely the truth. I slugged back my shot in one gulp.

Mil did the same and then began pouring us Bloody Marys in tall glasses. "We can get a head start on brunch."

That sounded just fine to me.

After filling our glasses, she pulled a bar stool over from one corner of the behind-the-bar area, had a seat on it, and picked up her glass. "So. Some details about Grant and Adrian. Oh, but even before, I should tell you some details even before those details. I should tell you why Samuel isn't a part of this...why he's not an option to pick."

I
had
kind of wondered. I knew he had children, but I hadn't seen a wedding ring on his finger.

Mil took a sip of her Bloody Mary and set the glass on the bar. "Very sadly, Samuel's wife Amy died from cancer a few years ago. Our doctors here have all the most advanced medical technology from Ashcrest, though there are some things that still can't be cured. Amy's cancer was one of those things, and Samuel was devastated by her death, and that's putting it mildly. He's not yet ready to try to find love again, and he may never be. Which is why Grant and Adrian are the two brothers you have to choose from."

I took a long, thirsty drink of my Bloody Mary, a bit pleasantly lightheaded from the shot I'd done, but also strangely tense at the same time. Hearing about Samuel's wife had bothered me, and not just because what had happened was so very sad. It bothered me because Samuel being so devastated by the loss didn't quite line up with my perception of the bear shifters as cold, cunning murderers.

Mil took a long drink herself while birdsong floated in through the open windows all around the spacious room, then she set her glass on the sun-dappled bar again. "Grant and Adrian. What do they do, you might wonder. What are their 'jobs,' so to speak. Well, they're both involved in the family business, which is making and exporting whiskey. We employ seven hundred men and women of the community at our distillery, and we export our whiskey to cities far and wide. The only cities we don't trade with and export to are a few of the wolf shifter cities we're not friends with, such as Stony Rapids. No offense.

“This family business was started over a hundred years ago, and it's helped make Sun Creek a fairly affluent, comfortable place for all citizens to live. There's a lot of work that goes into the business, though, and it keeps Grant, Adrian, and Samuel very busy. Also, as maybe you've been told, or you just perceived, Grant is the chief and leader of Sun Creek. He runs things, and what he says goes. People respect him. People love him. People even...even I think fear him a bit, though not because he's a violent man or anything like that, at least not when it comes to members of his own community."