Serena rolled her eyes. She stripped off her panties, giving Tristen the barest glimpse of a dark triangle of trimmed hair before she shifted. Her Bear sprang from her form so quickly that he jumped back. She was a beautiful russet-brown, with red highlights in her gorgeous fur.
Then one of her paws whipped out. It hooked around his ankle, making him crash to the ground, before she shouldered Robert out of her way. She charged back toward the car. Tristen cursed as he scrambled to his feet. Serena slid into the car naked. She was trying to get back to the clan. And the danger of the Sawyer group who wanted to kill her.
“Shit!” Robert started out. “I left the keys!”
Tristen dashed out without another word. The engine of the car sputtered, then roared to life as soon as he got there. Tristen lunged, not allowing himself to think. He seized the bumper of the car and hefted it into the air. From inside the car, Serena made a yelping noise. The engine roared and the front wheels spun uselessly. Tristen’s muscles bulged and a drop of sweat trickled down his back.
“Let go, you idiot,” Serena shouted at him. “You’re going to hurt yourself!”
Nope. Tristen lifted it a little higher. From this angle, he could see Serena clearly. Her eyes were wide, mouth hanging open. The wheels still spun and her hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly that her knuckles were white. He grinned at her.
“I can do this all day,” he shouted.
Luckily, he didn’t have to prove his bluff. Robert was there within seconds. He opened the driver’s side door and pulled Serena out. The wheels stopped spinning and Tristen gratefully set the car back down. His spine ached a bit, his arms tingling with the burn of overexertion. Serena glared at him as Robert turned off the car and took the keys.
“You can’t keep me here,” she spat at him.
This time, Tristen found it easy not to let himself be distracted by her nakedness. At least, mostly. He kept his gaze on her face as he marched forward to take her arm. “It’s not safe for you out there.”
“This is kidnapping and illegal imprisonment. Do you know how much shit is going to go down if people find out about this? This is exactly what the Sawyer group wants.”
“No.” Robert sidled up to her other side and put a blanket around her shoulders. “They want you dead.”
“I have duties!”
“You’re technically not the matriarch yet,” Tristen interrupted. “We also spoke with your grandmother. She and Natasha will be handling things until you can come back. The official story is that you are taking time off from your duties so that you can get to know your new mate better.”
Serena yanked her arm away from him. “So you’re saying that you talked to everybody but me? Wow. That’s a real vote of confidence, there. I thought I could count on you. This is the kind of decision that is supposed to be mine to make, not yours!”
Robert held up a hand. “Technically—”
She didn’t let him finish. She dropped the blanket and slammed two stiff fingers into his throat. As Robert stumbled back, choking, she followed it up with a punch to his stomach. Tristen leaped forward and snatched the keys from his brother’s hands before Serena could take them.
The next second, her russet bear was on him. His feet slipped out from under him and he fell heavily to the ground. The keys jangled in his hands and Serena closed her mouth around it. Just as she started to bite down, she shifted again. Her blunt human teeth hurt no less than if they had been her bear’s jaws; he dropped the keys, crying out in shock and pain. Serena grabbed the keys, shoved them in her mouth and rolled off him. She shifted once more, threw herself down on him, making the air burst from his lungs, and dashed for the car again.
Tristen grinned. Even as he choked for breath, he staggered to his feet and lunged after her. He shifted smoothly, his clothes bursting off his body. His bear paws wrapped around her waist and pulled her back. She let out a yelp as he shifted back to human form and spun her around.
He pinned her against the car, catching her wrist in his hand. She snarled, flashing him bear canines, and he answered in kind. His bear was excited, loving this game with her. Even though it wasn’t really a game.
“You are an adept fighter.” He squeezed her wrist tighter. “But you have to know that I’m not going to let you go. You could get into this car and be on your way, and I’d still stop you before you got back to town.”
“I have to—”
“You have to be safe.” Emotion fueled his voice and he was surprised by it. He took a deep breath and shook his head. “Serena, right now you’re a symbol of hope for your clan. We need more information about our enemies. I know it’s hard for you, but you have to be safe. That is the most important thing you can do for your clan right now. Okay?”
Serena shook her head. Ever so stubborn. “Tristen, I know you think you’re protecting me. But this isn’t a matter of keeping the princess safe so she can be queen. I have to prove I’m strong. If I can’t protect myself without running away, how am I meant to protect the clan? I have trained my whole life for this role. I know it’s dangerous. I know that people want me dead. I’m not afraid.”
And she wasn’t. He could see in her eyes nothing but sheer determination. And he had never felt more drawn to another person. Never wanted anything more than to kiss her over and over and over until they were both panting and defenseless in one another’s arms.
At that moment, Robert spoke. “You two need to stop being all smooshed together naked like that.”
He felt her body pressed against his, as if for the first time. Her soft breasts pressed against his chest. The roundness of her hip pressed into his. The soft patch of hair against his upper thigh. And he became aware of how his own body was responding to her. The tightening in his loins, the heat that burned through him, the tightening of his skin wherever she touched him.
And a very prominent part of him jutting into her stomach.
He sprang away from her. As he did so, her gaze dropped. A red flush rose into her cheeks as her eyes locked onto the juncture of his thighs. He hung semi-erect, his hardness pointed at her feet. Her fingers dug into the paint of the car behind her. The keys fell to the ground.
“Okay, well. That’s embarrassing.” Robert’s voice was utterly even. He picked up the blanket and wrapped it around Serena before leading her back to the cabin.
Tristen watched them go, wondering if he should run after and apologize or if that would just make things worse. He tore off the final shreds of fabric that clung to him, swirls of guilt and lingering desire warring inside of him. His bear urged him to go after her, but he ignored it. How could he have acted that way? Forget about acting—that had happened because he had no self-control, apparently.
They were going to think he was some sort of gross pervert. And in all honesty? He felt that way himself. Why was he aroused in a situation that was decidedly not sexy? Fighting with her, arguing about her safety. Yes, they had been naked. Yes, their bodies had been pressed together. Yes, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. But it was the wrong time.
Tristen scrubbed his hands over his face and shook his head. He grabbed the car keys and pulled a pair of spare pants from the trunk and pulled them on as Robert came back out of the cabin. He was probably furious with him. Tristen knew he would be—hell, he was angry and jealous enough when it came to Serena and she wasn’t even his mate.
“I’m sorry,” he said when Robert jogged over to him.
“Tristen—”
“You don’t have to worry about me,” he said. “It doesn’t matter. That was… I’m not sure what it was. I was excited because she was such a good fighter. And let’s be honest, naked bodies pressed together have certain connotations.”
“Yeah, but—”
Tristen shook his head. “No, listen to me. I promise there is nothing you have to worry about. I want the two of you to be happy. Okay? That is what I care about most. And I’m sure she’s embarrassed. Hell, I’m embarrassed. I’m go
ing to go back to town to find the Sawyer group.”
Robert shook his head as Tristen yanked open the door. “You don’t care what I have to say, do you?”
“Of course I do.” Tristen managed to meet his brother’s eye. “But right now tensions are high. I’ll get out of here so you can reassure and calm your mate. I’ll be back in a few hours. Just… protect her. As her mate is supposed to do.”
Robert didn’t respond. His eyes were narrowed as Tristen started the car and drove away. Tristen didn’t look back. Robert was Serena’s mate. He would take care of her. He would protect her. Now Tristen needed to find the Sawyer group and eliminate them.
Chapter Seven
Her hands trembled as she pulled her pants up. Every inch of her felt like it was on fire. She tried to breathe deeply but her lungs didn’t want to work like that; her breaths came in pants and bursts, and there was a distinctive hitch every few seconds. Heat flowed through her bloodstream and even though her eyes were open, it seemed like she could see Tristen standing before her. That beautiful, muscular form. The dark hairs that went from his navel to his hard length.
Serena swallowed dry as she put on her bra. Her breasts felt too heavy. Her stomach twisted itself into knots.
The feeling of his body against hers had done something to her. Something she couldn’t explain, something she couldn’t define. At least, not in polite terms. Serena pulled on her shirt, wondering if things would have ended differently if Robert hadn’t been there. Her bear growled and paced, demanding satisfaction.
Serena had desired men before. Strong men, smart men, sexy men. Even if she never acted on it, that desire was there. But she had never had this raging fire before.
Robert slipped back into the house. Her mate. Despite what she had said before, this wasn’t grounds for her to refuse him. He was doing what he was meant to do—protecting her. Even if it wasn’t the way she’d have liked. Her mind rolled around like stones in a rock tumbler, thoughts crashing into one another. The heat still burned through her, demanding fuel.
He was her mate. Tristen wasn’t.
She launched herself at him. Her arms snaked around his neck and she pulled him hard against her. He opened his mouth and she swallowed his words. He jerked, but kissed her soon enough. He spun her in a circle and pressed her against the door. With a growl, he moved to her neck and lifted one leg over his hip.
Heat continued to swirl through her. Her eyes fluttered shut and she saw Tristen in her mind’s eye. Tristen smiling at her. Tristen’s mouth inches from hers. Tristen pressed up against her. Tristen’s hard hips between her thighs, his hard length inside of her. His mouth on her neck, her breasts, trailing over her ass.
She gasped.
Robert pulled away. There was a flush to his face. His hair was all messed up from her digging her fingers into his hair. He panted, swallowed, and shook his head. Looking like he wanted to do anything else, he stepped back from her. A rueful smile crossed his face as he ran his hands through his hair. Serena panted for breath. The heat was still inside of her. Trickles of worry started to come through, though.
Was she destined to forever lust after her mate’s brother? After all, she had just been naked with Tristen. Of course he would dominate her thoughts. She had to erase him from her mind, though.
“If I thought that you actually wanted me, I would be the happiest man alive right now,” Robert said. “But you want Tristen.”
Humiliation flooded her. “It’s just a silly crush. I will get over it.”
Robert put his hands on her arms. “Do you really believe that?”
She lowered her gaze. “I would never act on my feelings. You are my mate, not him.”
“No. I don’t really think I am.” Robert tucked his fingers under her chin and lifted her gaze to his. To her surprise, there was no condemnation in his eyes. Instead, he smiled at her. “Listen, I was never all that sold on this mate thing. I entered the fights because Tristen asked me to. And the more I’ve seen the two of you together, the more I understand why.”
Serena sucked her lower lip between her teeth. “That doesn’t matter. I need to be with you. You won me at the games. If you’re not going to be my mate, it has to start all over again. I can’t be the matriarch if I’m unmated. I have no choice, I live for my clan.”
Robert nodded. “Yeah. It’s clear that you do. You would do anything for them. But here’s the thing, Serena. I don’t.”
She really couldn’t blame him. It felt as though she had been stabbed, though. The guilt was stronger than she had anticipated. After everything that had been said and done, she had truly thought that she would be able to get over Tristen. And maybe this was only the second day she had been with Robert, but even that day… it felt like she had been cheating on him the whole time.
And it would only be worse for her clan if things went further. What if in a month, a year, five years, she couldn’t resist anymore? It was unfair to Robert and unfair to the clan to make a promise she wasn’t completely certain she could keep.
She turned away from him and cursed. That felt good, so she cursed again. And again, until she ran out of swears to say.
Robert laughed. “Wow. That’s intense.”
“I’m sorry. I know this must hurt.”
“Eh. Stings, maybe.” Robert laughed again. “Honestly, I knew from the start that you didn’t really want me. I just didn’t know that you wanted my brother. So why didn’t you just take him? You know that the fights were just a formality, right? You could have chosen anybody from our clan to be your mate.”
Serena lifted one shoulder and let it fall again, feeling miserable. “I went to him. He refused me. I figured he saw me as just some kid, he kept saying that I was so young.”
Robert laughed again.
“Well, I’m glad that you find this so amusing.” She glared at him.
“It is amusing! I mean, it’s clearly not the case. He doesn’t think of you as some kid.”
She thought about how he looked standing naked before her and a swirl of heat went through her again. Frustration rose with it. Couldn’t she control her body in the slightest?
“He kept saying that I was young,” she repeated.
“Probably because you are quite a bit younger than him,” Robert said. He grinned at her, clearly still very amused by this whole situation. She would have been angry at him for it, except for the fact that it meant he wasn’t angry. “You know, I’ve known my brother for a long time. He’s always been very proper about things. Odd, considering some of the people I’ve met that are in the military with him. But let’s sit down and really talk.”
She followed him into another room. He pulled a sheet off a couch and a mouse ran across the floor. Serena watched it and shook her head. There could be a nest in the couch; who kept furniture like that in a place like this, when it was rarely lived in?
They chose to sit at the table in the dining room instead. Robert broke out a couple of beers from the cooler he’d brought. Serena gratefully downed half of her bottle, just for something to do. Like coffee, alcohol really didn’t have an effect on bears.
“I knew from the start that Tristen cared about you. A lot. I mean, he was very insistent that I enter the fights. That wasn’t for my benefit. He wanted you to be with someone he could trust. Enter me. Now, it did confuse me for a bit about why he cared so much. I thought at first it was because your uncle is his friend. But after today? It’s obvious. He’s in love with you. But afraid to act on it because he thinks the age difference is squicky.”
“Squicky?”
Robert nodded. “Socially, not really all that acceptable. I mean, random people are going to give you nasty looks. But that’s okay because the two of you are obviously head over heels.”
Serena hesitated. “But the games… we can’t really just say that it didn’t work out after two days. It’s going to be a huge upset if we back out of this, people are going to say that we put the games on for nothing. Not to mention th
e people who will go crazy about me breaking tradition. They’re already expecting me to because of my mother.”
“Then I will back out of it.”
“And people will wonder what’s wrong with me.”
Robert sighed. “No, they won’t. I’ll say that I wasn’t ready for the commitment and I’ll sing your praises. And then since we haven’t slept together nobody can say that we’re really mates and insist on making it work. You and I haven’t made any commitments to one another. All that’s necessary is that you take a mate from my clan. Tristen is from my clan.”
It was Serena’s turn to sigh.
“Okay, fine. Then we can wax poetic about it. Say that I won you in a fight but Tristen won your heart. Heck, we could even fight for you if it’ll make people feel better. I’d be more than willing to take a dive.”
Despite the situation, Serena found herself smiling. If he wasn’t so insistent about this, she wasn’t sure she would have allowed herself to be convinced. Maybe because she was so used to sacrificing her personal happiness, being presented with a solution that would benefit both her and the clan seemed too good to believe.
Her shoulders relaxed and the tightness in her chest eased. At least her desire had faded away so it wasn’t at the forefront of her mind.
“Then I guess the only thing that’s standing in our way is Tristen, huh?”
Robert shrugged. “Yeah. Convincing him might take a little work. I just wanted to say… In the twenty-four hours that we’ve been a couple, I’ve learned a lot about myself. I never thought I’d want a mate, really. And now? I want someone that looks at me the way you look at Tristen. So, thank you for that. Now.” The sincerity on his face morphed into a devilish gleam. “We have to figure out a way for you to claim your mate.”
“Claim,” Serena repeated.
The Bear Shifter's Mate Page 4
