He wasn’t her mate.
She had to know that. Whatever they felt for one another was a burst of lust and longing, growing hotter with each unfinished clash. He could still feel her lips against his. His cock bulged uncomfortably against his pants. Little by little, the blood that had rushed to his groin found his brain again.
It brought the fiery pain back to his shoulders, his heels, his knees. Walking filled him with pain, jarring with each step. His shoulders hunched, and his spine bent beneath the force of it. His beast rose. It growled and offered him a respite.
He let the creature take over. Here, in the woods of the mountains, the beast hurt no one. There was no one to hurt. Fur burst from his skin, muscles tensing before they flooded with magic and power. He dropped to all fours. Padded paws hit the ground and claws tore through the frozen earth.
The sound of a stream, water trickling over stones like chimes, beckoned him. He sought it out, moving further and further away from his human life. The beast had no concern for his human fears. It sought to live and survive. No one could hurt it if it hurt them first.
Distantly, Dom knew it was a bad thought. It was jaded and warped, but he didn’t have the strength to fight it back. He didn’t have the strength to do anything. The bear held him inside, not in a cage, but swaddled tight. Dom slipped away, unsure of when he would wake while his beast was in charge.
***
The day was long and quiet. She made dinner for Callie and Morgan. While their voices filled the space, it didn’t fill the emptiness inside her chest. Aimee heard nothing of what they said, even when they tried to pull her into the conversation.
Her mind played the scene on repeat. Dom’s back as he disappeared into the trees. His form had been dark, swallowed by the darkness of the forest that hadn’t yet lost all it’s leaves. Distantly, she’d heard the sound of shifting. She felt the earth tremors when his paws hit the ground.
They led away from her, away from her urge to fight for what she wanted. He kept doing that, walking away when she thought she was getting closer. How much longer could she deal with it? There was only so much fight in anyone. Aimee knew she had a lot of fight in her, but it was slowly draining away.
How much did she have left? What happened when she lost it? Would life feel dull and empty? Would the world keep turning while she was trapped in the failure she’d let happen?
The sun came up the next morning. The cabin was silent, not even the squeal of wind through the wall reaching her ears. She strained to listen for Dom, going so far as to creep down the hall and peer into his room. His bed was still made. He hadn’t come home at all.
Outside, the air was colder than ever. She should have been used to it after living in Alaska for as long as she had, but she still hated it. Throwing on several layers of clothing, she went in search of Dom. The work-site was empty. It was a weekend and not even Orion could be found tinkering with anything.
Her heart dropped with each passing second.
Aimee wasn’t sure she knew how to search the mountains for a missing person. Boomer was more familiar with the wilderness, as she’d seen from his climbing gear and hiking boots. She wasn’t sure he liked her, but Dom was his family. If she asked him to search for Dom, would he help?
Could Dom’s friends even see what was happening with him? Or, were they oblivious to their friend’s pain? If they didn’t know, then there was a chance they would turn on Callie when they found out. Callie’s relationship with Boomer was already tenuous enough. Aimee didn’t want to strain it further and see her friend pushed out of her newfound family once Boomer decided they weren’t worth the trouble they caused. Callie no longer had the Den to lean on.
She didn’t know what to do.
Dom was missing, and she feared the worst. Yet, the cold was stinging her face. Her fingertips were numb despite being tucked in her pockets. It was time to go back, and she knew it. She wasn’t ready to give up. There was more she could do, other places she could search, but she couldn’t find him if she froze to death.
Perhaps that was a dramatic thought, but she didn’t know where else to go and so she turned home. Her steps were slow, head down in disappointment. Part of her had been hoping to find him sitting with his back to a machine like she had the week before. All she would have needed to do was tug his hand and lead him home.
The way they came together then flung apart again bothered her. It was obvious that there was a chance they could be happy. She couldn’t save someone who didn’t want to be saved. She told herself this, but the words didn’t really sink in. A part of her refused to believe it and held onto hope that Dom was not too far out of reach.
The ground beneath her started to shake. The soft vibrations brought her chin up, and she found herself looking into the eyes of a bear. His golden eyes were apologetic, as apologetic as a bear’s eyes could be. She reached out and touched his thick, black pelt. It shone in the light of the rising sun.
“What are you doing out here in the cold, you idiot?” Her words were choked by tears of relief.
She knotted her fingers in his fur. “Let’s go home. Come on.”
At first, she thought the bear would fight against her. Then, it lifted a paw and moved toward her. Dom’s nose was cold, but he leaned into her as they walked, and his warmth filled her.
“I’m so glad I found you.” She knew she was talking to the beast.
Its eyes remained gold the entire walk home. Dom was somewhere inside, trapped behind the force of his creature. She thought that perhaps the beast knew they were mates and that it might listen to her, but when she tried to drag it toward the door, it didn’t budge.
“Not you, too.” She rested her head against the bear’s flank. The beast was easily five times her size. Maybe even six, considering she was a small woman. “Why do you both have to be such stubborn asses? You’re a bear. Not a donkey.”
Aimee moved around to the front of the bear and gripped its ears in her hands. She forced it to meet her gaze.
“Listen here. You and I are going to make things right. We’re going to help Dom heal and get through this. I know you want that for him. It’s going to take a lot of work on your part. For one thing, you need to stop being a reckless asshat. Not everything is going to try to kill you. Especially not humans trying to find the ripest melon. Do you hear me?”
The bear didn’t move. She paused and wondered if she’d dragged home a wild bear.
Trying to push the beast into an agreement reminded her that she was just a small otter shifter. Even her human form was ridiculously small. While she could be clever and witty, she lacked the force that everyone else in the family had. She couldn’t push Dom’s beast, couldn’t dominate it. There was no way the beast would listen to her little otter voice.
Then, as if it had read her mind, the bear lurched forward. Aimee landed on her butt. The beast’s head filled her lap, and its eyes drifted closed as it snuggled into her. The feeling of warmth that blossomed through her chest brought tears to her eyes. They were filled with frustration and longing.
“Why can’t this be easy?” her voice was low, a whine she tried to keep to herself. She gripped the beast by the sides of its head and made it look her in the eye. “We’re mates. That should be it. You. Me. End of discussion.”
The bear just looked at her, blinking slowly.
Aimee threw her hands in the air. “Okay, insufferable beast, give me back the insufferable man. At least he can speak English.”
It took a long time for the bear to change. Not because the change was difficult, but because it seemed content with its head in her lap. In that small time, it felt as though things were the way they were supposed to be. She felt the connection that should have been there the whole time. The beast was not running away from her.
If anything, the beast had accepted her as its mate. It was Dom who pulled them apart. She knew why. Aimee could feel his fear for her, but she needed him to understand that he was hurting her one way or another
.
Should he keep this up, she would have to leave just to save herself. It would force her to give up not only her best friend but the possibility of a mate—even if said mate thought he was a broken man. She didn’t know what it was like in his head. What the Den shifters did to him, she would never be able to imagine. The one thing Aimee knew was that there could still be life after this. Dom could go on and do a great number of things if only he would let himself.
She peered down at the man panting in her lap. She could have taken advantage of the moment and had a one on one with the bear. Man and beast ran in opposite directions, stretching Dom thin. If she could have spoken to the beast, bartered with it for better behavior, then she might have been able to find a middle ground for them both.
For now, she had Dom in her arms again. She pulled him tight to her and he responded the same. His hands travelled over her waist and down her back. He pulled her into the warmth of his naked body, and she shuddered.
Chapter Nine
“Did I misbehave?” Dom’s voice rumbled through her. It sparked the fire in her core and brought her to life.
“Not yet,” she whispered.
He trembled, an echo of her own response as he rolled over and let her sit on top of him. His hands cupped her hips, long fingers holding her ass. He was laid out before her like a delicious spread of sweets, ready to be devoured. She wanted to taste every last nook and cranny, but she knew he would run if she tried.
The hunger inside her was nigh uncontrollable. It gripped her and brought her fingers to the lines of his stomach, tracing the muscles he’d formed from long days of work. He was thinner than she remembered. He’d lost weight since they met, too much in this short time.
She groaned, a thought invading her lust-riddled mind. “You haven’t been eating enough, you fool. The beast would be more amicable if you ate a meal once in a while.”
His eyes flashed gold and a smirk lit his lips. Her stomach clenched. When his lips parted, and his tongue swept across them, she couldn’t help the small sound that escaped her. They had both teased each other for too long. She wanted more. She needed more.
Aimee couldn’t help the way her hips rocked against his. Dom’s desire was presented to her, uncovered and boasting a hefty girth. Aimee wondered, only momentarily, if she could take it all.
They were mates.
She knew they would fit together like two pieces of a puzzle. There was no question.
The beast was not asleep. It seemed to take control of Dom’s hands, tearing at Aimee’s clothes until she was free of them. Her sweatshirt lifted over her head and dropped to the ground, followed by her t-shirt. He tugged at her jeans until they slid down her waist and over her legs. No such patience was saved for her panties, which he bunched in his fist before tearing completely.
Aimee liked this, the beast directing Dom’s hands so that they might finally share in what they both needed. Perhaps this would help both Dom and his beast finally settle down. She hoped they would fight less, that the beast wouldn’t need to lash out at everyone around it. Aimee would gladly lay herself down every day if it helped her mate.
She looked down at him and ran a tender hand over his cheek. Atop him, she felt strong. She felt like the queen of everything, no longer small and inconsequential. He lifted her to where she belonged, showed her who she really was.
The thought made her throat tighten. Fear gripped her, for a brief moment. This might not last. It might not even come to fruition. Then, Dom pulled her into his body and rolled them over. Tucked into his chest, wrapped in his warmth, she felt claimed.
Dom could be so many things for her. He was the beginning and the end, almost everything she could have needed. All that lay in between, she knew she could find with him by her side. She wanted to hold onto him and never let go. Unfortunately, she knew that holding tight to something often made it run away faster.
His beast was wild. Though it had claimed her, Dom was still confused. Should she cling to him the way her heart begged her to do, she could succeed in chasing him away. So, she swallowed down the fierce need that made her fingers curl into fists and her nails bite the soft flesh of her palms. Instead of trying to take control of the situation, she let Dom lead.
And lead he did.
His head ducked, lips following the line of her breast bone. An apology for her small breasts came to her lips, but the words were lost when he took a nipple into his mouth. She gasped at the sensation that erupted through her.
Aimee’d had her romps with some of the bears that passed through the Den. They were always hump and dump, exciting one-night stands that meant nothing. This was different. The way his lips felt on her skin was like electricity, it burned so hot and sweet that it seared into her memory. She was convinced she would forever feel the press of his lips upon her breast when the world grew silent. Then, his tongue flicked over the taut nipple and she broke apart.
Her groans filled the cold air. They should have been freezing, but Dom’s warmth and the heat of their desire burned the air. The thin layer of snow on the ground melted around them. It slowly sank and disappeared as she reached for his shoulders. Her palms throbbed from how tightly she’d been holding her fists. Now, she sank her nails into his skin.
His back arched and his head rolled, revealing his eyes flooded with gold. Her breath caught in her throat. She snatched his chin in her hand, trying to organize her brain even though she could feel his cock pressing against her leg, pulsing with his need.
“Tell me that you are in agreement before I let this go any further. I won’t let you commandeer Dom just to get your dick wet.”
His beast snarled, lips curling away from his teeth before he moved to capture her mouth. She tasted the bloom of blood on her tongue and pushed him back. She wasn’t mad that he’d nipped her. All she wanted was an answer.
***
Blood painted Aimee’s lips. She looked like a painted warrior, small but fierce. Her eyes blazed with determination. This would go no further until she’d gotten her response, even though he could see the quick rise and fall of her chest and hear the wild thump of her heart behind her ribcage.
Her fingers dug into his face. She was in control of the situation, unafraid of what Dom’s beast might do. She knew. It would never hurt her. The blood was only the small price of holding back what they both felt.
He leaned over her, pushing her back to the ground. She lay back, eyes on his revealing the trust that laid in them. He didn’t deserve the trust that she gave him. He was broken and unpredictable. The blood on her mouth should have been proof enough hat he couldn’t reign in his monstrous beast any more.
This was it.
He would allow himself this one night, this moment with her. After this, he needed to push her away. If she trusted him so completely, he would only end up hurting her. He couldn’t allow her to follow him into the dark places he would go. If it came to an end, as he suspected his life might, then he did not want her there when it happened.
This was all they would ever have.
Yet, she held onto him like she would never let him go. She spread her legs and wrapped them around him. His cock found her entrance with ease. She was so small beneath him and yet, as he slid inside her, she felt just right.
He balanced himself above her with one arm, fingertips digging into the earth as he fought for control. Not only did he invoke an uncontrollable lust, but the beast rose with it and tried to fight for dominance again. He could feel the twist of brown and gold in his eyes. Aimee grabbed him again.
She brought her lips to his. Blood and desire mixed on his tongue. He found his rhythm, slow and precise. At this angle, Dom hit the hidden spots inside her that were like a match on tinder. He stroked it and brought forth a firestorm that consumed them both.
Aimee threw her head back, exposing her pale throat as she moaned with pleasure. She could barely stay still as he thrust, in and out. He felt that echoed inside himself. The world shifted and rearranged
around them until they were at the very center of it.
Mate.
The word flitted through his mind, but he batted it away. They might have been mates, but he wouldn’t let her drown with him. Especially if she was his mate. He couldn’t let her get hurt.
Mate, the beast growled again.
The beast’s need mixed with his. It poured power into his body, his limbs. It hastened his thrusts, made him wild.
***
Aimee held on while her body threatened to break apart. Not from his bucking, but from the pleasure growing inside her. It was too much for her small body. She didn’t know if she could contain everything he made her feel.
She cried out, if only to release some of it. When that didn’t work, she held her breath and waited for the dam to break. There was so much of him. He seemed to fill every available space inside her, leaving no room for anything else.
“Dom,” she moaned.
He growled in response. His head dipped, and his lips found her neck. He tasted her. His tongue swirled in the small hollows of her throat and travelled along her collarbone. When his teeth dragged over the bone, she felt the dam break. Aimee’s pleasure burst in every direction. It pinged like shooting stars that left behind a trail of cold electricity.
Fingers and toes curling, she arched into him. She took him as deep as she possibly could while her body spasmed around him. He growled with triumph, the beast deepening his voice. They weren’t in agreement yet. There wasn’t the balance that they needed, but while she was under them, she could see the beginning of it.
They were on the right path, and the thought only amplified what she felt. The shooting stars bounced through her body. They zinged this way and that, coming back to her core only to rocket out again.
Beneath Dom, she shuddered and sighed, happy. This wasn’t the end. Dom was not finished. His beast flared in his eyes right before he gabbed her and flipped her over. She was grateful for her small breasts as he thrust into her from behind. Her nipples didn’t drag along the ground beneath her as her body rocketed forward with each thrust.
To Tame a Bear Page 6
