The Bear's Arranged Mate: A Bear Shifter Romance Novel (8 page)

“No one’s watching us now,” she said sleepily, drawing back so she could look at him.

“Perfect,” he whispered back, his hands rising up.

She lifted her arms as he pulled the T-shirt off her and cupped both her breasts again, moving them in a circular motion. His palm brushed her nipples, and they hardened instantly as he drew his mouth down over her sternum, licking the space between her breasts. Finally, opening his mouth, he sucked down hard on her breasts, and she let out another little muted scream with her mouth open.

Lower he moved on her, his hands planted firmly on her breasts and still kneading them, faster and faster. His tongue left its mark on her abdomen, over her navel, and he stopped at the lip of her panties. Inch by inch he pulled down on the elastic, and the small hairs of her pubis sprang out, further still until he had them around her ankles. He stared at her sex and its thin shock of hair.

She grunted as his tongue found her, licking up from her anus and over her labia. The pink organ of his mouth buried between the folds, and she felt herself grow suddenly wet as he continued to probe her and finally found her clitoris. Gently, with one thumb he peeled back its sheath and licked at its sharp nub. She shook, almost losing her balance, and he steadied her by grabbing both her legs and rubbing his mouth around it, clockwise.

“Oh Christ, I’m going to cum,” she said.

Connor stood up and unbuckled his pants, and she helped him pull off his boxers. His penis was half-erect and stood at the precipice between them. She kneeled and took it in her hands, massaging it as if it were an animal.  The blood rushed into it and began to swell in her hands, and she reached down and pushed two fingers into her vagina.

She could feel him aching for her as she wrapped her lips over the tip and felt it expand again in her mouth, knocking against the back of her throat and trying to activate her gag reflex. She kept it in her mouth and felt her own saliva pool at the edges of her mouth and run down her chin. Her tongue became a paintbrush, painting its fresco of desire against every nerve-ending of his penis, and he inadvertently bucked his hips, plunging further back in her throat and she let out a choking sound.

“Come here,” Connor said, lifting her up again. His hands reached under both buttocks and lifted her up and she reached down and touched his cock, dripping with her own spit.

Gently she guided it up into her, and watched as it disappeared in her vagina, pushing steadily against her insides, and she leaned back. The ribbed texture of his shaft plastered itself against her G-spot as she rode him and his other hand came up to brace her back.

“The bed,” she motioned.

He laid her down and she wrapped her legs around him, her own hands coming down to his buttocks, and gripped him tightly. He bent down again and kissed her neck, rubbing his tongue across her throat, and began to pump harder into her.

She pushed her hands behind her, letting him have his way with her, and felt herself nearing a climax. She looked down and saw his hips, dark and tanned, entering her again and again, and felt the wet mingling of their sexes crushing against each other in sheer ecstasy. For her, sex had always been some sort of abstract ritual of the flesh – something she had never really understood. All that had changed when she met Connor. He had showed her what it really meant to be a part of another person.

She let out another little scream of joy and felt him come first, moving inside her like a hot flood of passion, and her orgasm quickly followed. Her legs trembled and she shivered in spite of herself, leaning into the movement of his final thrusts.

Exhausted, he tipped over on his side, but remained inside her, one of her legs draped over top of him, and held her tightly, pressing his lips to her forehead and gripping her shoulder.

“I love you, Connor,” she murmured against his chest.

“Forever and always,” he said. “Are you scared?”

She shook her head, her nose brushing his chest. “I know I should be, but I’m not. Maybe the danger doesn’t feel real. Or maybe, I just don’t want to be fearful. I have you and Cora… I feel safe. Are you scared?”

It took him a few moments to reply. “I don’t know, either. I feel like something’s waiting for us,” he said, “something that’s been watching us ever since we left the Estate.”

“Well, whatever it is, we’ll handle it together,” she said.

CHAPTER SIX

The next morning Sarah and Connor met Patrick outside the lodge and Cecily arrived early on another train, which had been a day behind them. Sarah put a hand on the English girl’s shoulder and relinquished Cora, still bundled tightly in blankets, into her arms.

“I’ll look after her, mum,” she said, “you and the master, though. You be careful, hear? I don’t like this whole affair.”

“Neither do I, Cecily. Let’s hope it’s over soon,” she said.

Patrick had rented a 4x4 Jeep for their meeting and the couple squeezed inside. It was summer, but the morning was particularly chilly; the clouds had started to roil up on the horizon like a stew, bubbling black over the hills.

“Looks like it might rain,” Connor replied grimly.

“Hopefully, this’ll be over before that,” Patrick said, pushing the Jeep into drive and tearing off down the rough dirt road. Each jump seemed to rocket through the vehicle’s outdated springs, and Sarah felt her knees hit against the side of the door. “In any case, this will be a very delicate situation,” the ex-Senator went on, “I hope you two are up for it.”

“You called us, don’t forget,” Sarah chided, and saw Connor smile at her volatile remark.             

They drove for almost half an hour, but it was slow going up an old logging road that circuited into the hillsides, and on more than one occasion, they almost got stuck in the ditch or high-centered on giant washouts that had split the road.

Finally, they arrived at a big turnaround surrounded by tall cedars on the uphill side and a vast clear-cut to their right on the downhill. It was maybe two years old, since there was still evidence of tracks and wrecked slash – but for the most part, life was trying to seed itself, and a canopy of ferns and wildflowers had sprung up among sapling trees.

“This is as far as it goes,” Patrick said, stepping out and stretching.

“Nice place for an ambush,” Connor replied.

“They wouldn’t dare.”

“I don’t see anyone,” Sarah said, stepping out. She had on a leather jacket like Connor’s, but black, and she undid the top strap that ran up one side.

Patrick scanned for a moment, his eyes trying to filter through the shapes above and below and finally he made a little gasp and pointed. They both followed his finger to where a large shape was regarding them. It was a Bear, female and grizzled, like someone had been chewing on her collar. One eye was shut tight, but it was impossible to tell whether it was injured or missing altogether.

“I guess this is it,” Connor said, starting to take off his clothes.

Sarah followed suit and soon the two of them were naked on the logging road. Connor reached out and touched her hand, and she nodded. Patrick backed up and watched as the two of them transformed. It had become a fluid process for both of them, as easily as one might put on or take off a pair of shoes. Connor’s form was a gaunt but muscular brown shape, with long legs and a wide torso, and he let out a little growl and sniffed fondly at the black bear beside him. In contrast, Sarah had always been a bit smaller, and like her hair in human form, every part of her fur was a sultry black. Almost like it was re-imagining what ‘black’ was – light didn’t even seem to reflect off of it, and save for her eyes and when she opened her mouth, it was like staring into a shadow.

They both approached slowly, loping toward the shape on the hill. As they neared, the other Bear suddenly grunted and turned, as if to lead them further back into the woods. Sarah perked her ears, trying to sense if there were others around, and almost lost her nerve – but beside her striding casually and with his muzzle set, Connor seemed to say without words that there was nothing to fear.

A few minutes later, they reached a clearing and the other Bear turned and quickly turned into her human form. She was a young woman, but there was a grit and toughness to her. Her slender body was a deeper tan than Sarah or Connor, who changed into human form as well.

Sarah noticed that the woman’s left eye was healed over, where she’d obviously lost it in a fight of some sort. She could make out scar tissue warped around the socket. Her hair was also long, but knotted into firm dreadlocks that bunched at the top of her head, and fell almost to her buttocks.

“I’m Connor, this is my mate Sarah.”

The woman didn’t seem to register anything, but glared at them.

“You are part of the Bloodweres, are you not?” Sarah asked, taking a step forward. The woman recoiled a bit, and her small breasts hung on either side of her body. Unlike Sarah’s, which were already large and full before she’d started nursing Cora, the woman’s seemed to sag uncomfortably.

“Damon was right. You actually came,” the woman suddenly smiled, and Sarah decided she didn’t like the look of it, “amazing. Such arrogance.”

“We seek peace with the Bloodweres,” Connor interrupted, “we know that it was you who burned the chalet. We hold no grudges about that – it was our belief that you wanted to become a part of the tribe again. There is no schism anymore. Clawgrove and Greyback are as one. We welcome the Bloodweres as well.”

The woman laughed. “Welcome us? Do you not know who we are? We are
Blood
. We live here, free of restraint. Free from the pompous decadence of your so-called tribe. Damon was right about you… you are not only arrogant, you’re stupid as well.”

Sarah felt a knot grow in her stomach. Things were not going according to plan, and she could sense Connor planting his feet as well, bearing down should the situation turn ugly.

“Then why did you burn the chalet?”

The woman turned and glared again at Sarah, her teeth flashing. She was filthy, Sarah realized – it wasn’t so much a tan as layers of accumulated dirt and grime. She’d probably been living as a Bear for months, if not longer. Even now, she seemed a bit unsteady on two legs.

“To bring you here. Damon knew. He always knows. He knew you’d come.”

“Connor,” Sarah whispered over her shoulder.

He sensed her fright and narrowed his eyes. “I want to meet Damon.”

“That’s an honor that may come to you one day, Clawgrove whelp,” she bit off the words, “but it will be your final hour. Mark it. By now, his plan has already been put into action. You’re too late.”

Panic gripped Sarah and she thought about Cora – an image of the small girl twisted in her gut and she let out a little whimper as Connor approached and steadied her, and then marched firmly up to the woman. The woman was much smaller in comparison and her eyes grew large as he grabbed her by the shoulders and thrust her hard against the trunk of a cedar.

“What plan?!”

The woman didn’t say anything, but cautiously her eyes fell back on Sarah, and it was obvious what the Bloodwere’s mysterious plan had been.
Cora.

“Oh god, Connor,” she said.

Connor growled and looked back at the woman who glowered at him with an evil grin. He swiped at her with an open hand and the crack of his slap echoed through the woods. The woman was hurled like wet laundry into a bed of moss by the power of his strike, and lay there, unconscious.

Sarah took off at a run, her bare feet slipping on twigs and could feel the skin tear and rip as she ran with Connor close behind, calling her name.

It had been a trap. At the landing, the Jeep was sabotaged – most of the engine had been ripped out by what looked like claws, and bent over in human form on his back Patrick laid against the side of the tire. He had several vertiginous grooves in his belly and chest, and was breathing hard as they landed on their knees and tried to prop him up.

“Bastards!” Connor shouted.

“I… I think I was wrong, Connor,” he said, “Please forgive me. I only wanted… only wanted peace. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. For the good of the tribe.”

“I know,” his son said, bending down.

“Don’t speak, you’re hurt badly,” Sarah said, pulling back his open vest to get a look at the wounds. He had already bled profusely, and she knew that the wounds were fatal. Connor also must have known, but he didn’t let it show on his face.

“They came all at once, before I could change,” he wheezed, his breath becoming a labored gasp, “I tried to fight them off, but there were too many. You have to… have to go. It was all a trap, a way to lure us away… they’re after the child.”

Sarah grabbed their clothes from the back of the Jeep and pushed them against Patrick’s wounds, forcing him to gasp in pain, and she started to cry as she worked to tend to him. Big hot tears plummeted over her cheeks as she tried to restrain her sobs.

“There is only this,” Patrick said, reaching up with a palsied hand and touching her cheek, “don’t cry, my daughter. Go… now… save them.”

Patrick Clawgrove died with a smile on his lips and a slow exhalation that tapered off and then he was still. Connor merely stared at his father, his eyes clouded over, and a grim resolve settled behind them like sediment in a river. Sarah saw his fist tighten into a ball, turning white and shaking, and several drops of blood oozed from between his fingers.

Gently he touched his father’s forehead and kissed him and stood up. Sarah wept again, her sobs choking in her throat. Connor reached out and grabbed her hand, and suddenly took off at a sprint. She followed behind, letting him drag her for several meters down the road.

He turned back once, and she steeled herself and increased her pace so that both of them were running side-by-side. Then, almost as if on cue, both fell to all fours, and without breaking pace became Bears again. Their black and brown shapes sped downhill, their claws tearing into the earth with fresh resolve – all Sarah could think about was Cora.

Heaven help them if they’ve touched her
, she thought to herself, until it became a mantra in her head, synced to the beat of her heart and the movement of her paws.
Heaven help them all
.

*

By time they reached the edge of town, Sarah knew something was wrong – there was a lot of shouting, and smoke had started to cinder up into the air like a black drill. The smell clogged her senses, and she sped up, racing ahead of Connor. From the top of the hill through the trees, she could make out men and women running to and fro, and it looked like an antiquated fire engine had been called out of retirement to help put out the blaze that was racing through a number of buildings.

Including the lodge
, Sarah realized,with a pang of fear and panic that swept through her. She lunged down the hill and would have barrowed right into town if a huge paw hadn’t reached out and pulled her back into the shadows of the trees.

She turned viciously, growling at Connor. He simply regarded her with his usual calm and stoic expression, and she realized he’d pulled her back because she was still a Bear. It would only deepen issues if she appeared in town as a raging furred creature.
Although it will still be odd, a naked couple running into town
, she thought.

They changed back and Connor grabbed her hand, pulling her out of the woods and down a back alley. As luck would have it no one saw them, and they would have been too busy dealing with the fire to really care. They ran again, skirting a street, and headed toward the hill where the lodge was. Even from here they could see it had all but burned to the ground. There was smoking wreckage and a number of figures gathered – they all looked to belong to either the Greyback envoy or Patrick’s.

When Sarah and Connor arrived, breathing hard and panting, it was a relief to see that no one from the town had made it up yet. The lodge was just one of many buildings on fire, and she supposed the lodge didn’t take precedence.

“What the hell happened?” Connor bellowed.

One of the envoys, Sarah’s trainer from the past, Marcus, approached holding his side, and held out a simple black uniform. Connor took it with a growl and pulled it on, and held out the other to Sarah who absently tried to cover her form.

“You’re hurt,” Sarah said.

“It was an ambush, m’lady,” he growled, and she could see blood coming out between his fingers, “it was the Bloodweres, alright. Right after you left, they hit us in full force.”

“Where’s Cora?”

He flinched at the question, and Connor let out another growl. “We… we don’t know. We think they took her.”

Connor’s hands pulled at his lapel, and he grunted. Sarah tried to keep her composure and touched Connor’s hand. “No,” she said, “it’s not his fault.”

“It is, m’lady,” Marcus insisted, “I was tasked with the protection of the family. I failed in that. Do as you will, my liege. Otherwise, I shall do it myself.”

Connor’s giant hands slowly relaxed. “No, I’m sorry, Marcus.”

“Where did they take my baby?” Sarah pleaded.

“We don’t know. But we think this,” he waved at the whole village below in smoke and fire, “was just a ploy. We think they were after Cora all along.”

“Why??”

Connor reached out and held Sarah who was on the verge of hysterics, and she shook, her eyes wide and flummoxed, and suddenly afraid.

“We don’t know,” Marcus said.

Sarah rushed forward to where a group was bent over another figure. As they cleared, she saw it was Cecily – poor innocent Cecily, who was not a Bear herself, but who had served the Greybacks her whole life. Sarah felt another shock of rage quiver into her fingertips as she knelt over her beloved friend and touched her face.