by V. Vaughn
A tall blond man greets us, and Tori introduces me to Tristan. I gaze at him and decide I don’t have to try to be a little afraid of him. Even his smile comes across as cold. His handshake is firm enough to hurt, and I do my best to squeeze with similar strength back. Something flickers in his eyes, and I swear he’s trying not to smile.
I blink in confusion as I wonder what he thinks is funny. We enter into the aroma of cinnamon and sugar baking, and Annie rushes toward us. “Welcome!” She hugs and kisses everyone and saves me for last. She scans my body with her eyes and says, “You are one mighty-fine-looking werebear, Ginny. Now come with me.” She takes my arm and leads me away as I glance over my shoulder at Adrian. He winks, and I turn back as Annie says, “Let’s go for a run. I have a feeling your bear needs it.”
I guess we aren’t wasting any time before I begin my training, and we stop in a small area that is just past the kitchen. It’s a typical New England mudroom lined with hooks and cubbies for outdoor clothing. Annie talks as she begins to strip off her shirt. “So I hear you have trouble with staying human, is that right?”
This woman is treating getting naked with a near stranger as if it’s normal, and I follow her lead as I pretend it’s not a big deal for me either as I lift my shirt over my head. “Yeah. Mostly when I get angry or frustrated.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but are you usually a hothead?”
I slide my only pair of jeans down over my hips, and the denim rasps over my thighs. “No. Well. I didn’t used to be. But lately I feel as if my emotions are magnified.”
Annie is completely nude, and she nods at me as I remove my bra. “Huh. I think Adrian’s right. Your bear is acting out because she’s feeling trapped.”
I pick up my clothes off the floor, and my shoes thump when I place everything in a cubby the way Annie does. The low growl that’s been happening all day rumbles through me, and Annie grins as she says, “C’mon, you’re going to love this.”
We step outside, and she asks, “How do you usually make the shift happen?”
“I don’t. It just does when I don’t want it to.”
“Really?” She frowns. “Adrian didn’t teach you how to shift?”
“He didn’t have to. When he bit me, it hurt, and I shifted right away.”
Annie says, “Damn, talk about an orgasm like no other.”
My jaw drops, and she says, “Please tell me he bit you during sex, because if he--”
“He did.” My cheeks are flaming with heat, and I chuckle before I say, “Not much is sacred for you, is it?”
She rolls her eyes. “Get used to it. Believe it or not, people used to think I was kind of a prude, but now I just let my thoughts fly like most werebear. It’s a heck of a lot easier.”
“I suppose it is. So?”
“Right. Okay. Do you have trouble shifting back to human?”
I shake my head. “I focus on breathing and imagine my skin closing around my fur.”
“Good. To shift, what I want you to try is to think of something that has made you angry, and when you sense your bear start to prickle against your skin, imagine opening it up to let the fur out.” She frowns. “Does that make sense to you?”
“Yeah.” I close my eyes and return to the frustration I felt when I was trying to memorize Aleck’s new song. The growl inside me gets loud, and this time my prickle barely starts before I realize I’m a bear. A roar sounds, and it takes a second for me to realize it’s me. I gaze at Annie, who is now the one with her jaw wide open. Shit. I did it wrong. I take a deep breath to shift back to human, and just like shifting into a bear, it’s almost immediate.
Annie shakes her head and whispers, “Holy shit.”
“What?”
She scowls for a second, and I recognize the look as the one Adrian gets when he’s talking to me in his head.
I grab her arm and speak louder. “What?”
The door squeaks open, and I turn to Tristan. I lift my leg to cover myself as I cross my arms over my breasts. He gazes at my eyes only and says, “Annie tells me you can shift instantaneously.”
“Yes.” I say it as if it’s a question.
He asks, “Can you do it again?”
I glance at Annie, and she nods encouragement, so I close my eyes to perform. I’m nervous, but that seems to add to the intensity of the frustration I bring forward. When I glance at Tristan with my bear vision, I discover his eyes are flashing again, and I can’t figure out if he’s impressed or pissed. I’m not sure if I should shift back to human, but my bear has had enough of this game and she wants to run, so I begin to pace in agitation.
Tristan says, “Take her for a run, and I’ll talk to Tori.”
As curious as I am about what Tristan plans to tell my sister, it’s not enough to stop me from moving, and the moment Annie begins to gallop, I follow her into the woods. My muscles revel in their power as we run. Annie is a beautiful brown bear, and I wonder if I’m that attractive. It’s not as if I’ve ever looked at myself in a mirror as a bear. She weaves me through trees with grace. We don’t stop until we reach a ridge, and I gaze over the edge as we catch our breath. It’s a long drop down to a fast-moving river. Annie nudges me with her snout and then jumps.
My heart leaps into my throat at the height but as soon as her body splashes, I jump too. If I were human right now, I’d scream all the way down, and an odd noise comes out of me instead. I plunge into the water and let the current take me for a ride before I break the surface to search for Annie. I’m not sure if bear grin, but I sure am. I swim over to her, and she takes us to a large rock. It’s on the edge of an area that is shallower, and when she stands up, I notice the flashes of silver swimming around her. She swipes quickly with a paw and spears a fish to flip it into the air and gobble it down.
Fun! I move next to her and try to snag my own snack. It’s amazingly easy, and I spear one immediately. While the idea of a raw fish, skin and all, would make my human stomach turn, it appeals to my bear, and I toss it up to catch it in my mouth. The scales are smooth on my tongue, and a light, fresh flavor floods my mouth when I bite. I let the deliciousness slither down my throat.
After a while we tire of fishing, and Annie and I lie on the large rock to soak up the spring sun for a while before she takes me back to the woods. When we return to the house, I find shifting back just as easy as it was earlier, and a relaxed feeling envelops me. The soft cotton of my shirt slides over my relaxed body, and I say, “That was amazing. Thank you. I can’t even explain how much better I feel.”
“Oh, I get it. Sometimes a girl just needs to let the animal out.”
I chuckle at her before I remember Tristan’s reaction to my quick shift. I ask, “What did I do earlier that shocked you?”
She shakes her head. “I’ve never seen someone shift as quickly as you do. Even the Le Roux’s fiercest warriors will be impressed.”
Warriors? I recall Adrian telling me that when a young werebear can’t keep from shifting they choose them for clan fighters. Am I supposed to be a warrior?
I must have a look of horror on my face, because Annie breaks me from my thoughts with a touch on my arm. “Hey. We’ll sort this out. It’s a good thing, okay?”
“Yeah. Sure.” My bare feet are suddenly cold as I yank on my socks, and I wonder how exactly the fact that I’m supposed to be a killer is a good thing.
5
After I finish getting dressed, Annie hands me a glass of wine and tells me to go into the living room while she tends to dinner. I walk into a large room that is open two stories high and over to the sitting area formed by three oversized couches in a semicircle. I sink down next to Adrian as he asks, “How was it?”
I sigh as I lean into him. I need the comfort of my mate because I’m freaking out on the inside and know I have to keep it together until later. “I feel like I just had a massage.”
He wraps his arm around my shoulders, and I glance at Tori. The only two people a werebear can communicate tel
epathically with are their mate and their alpha. She speaks in my head. “Warrior, huh?”
I glare at her. “What the hell, Tori? Am I supposed to become your trained assassin or something?”
“Of course not.” She stands and says, “I’m going to show Ginny the gardens.”
When we get outside, I notice the temperature has dropped as evening approaches. Neither of us put on a coat, and I wrap my arms around myself as we walk toward a fountain that is surrounded by bright color. Tori says, “Look. I’m sure finding out you’re a warrior is freaking you out right now.”
“Ya think? How can that even be possible?” I’ve always been the family peacemaker. Heck, I was the one who usually smoothed things over in our friend group too. Until I became a werebear, I could count on my hand the number of times I got really mad. Teaching me to fight would be like teaching Tori how to sing -- some things just can’t happen.
“I’m not sure.” Tori stops and steps in front of me so we’re facing each other. She grips my arms lightly. “Ginny, I know this is going to sound crazy, because believe me, I never thought I’d be an alpha. We’re given these gifts for a reason. I don’t know what this means for you, but destiny has a plan.”
I yank my arms out of her grasp and say, “No. Don’t give me that lame ‘a greater power has a plan’ excuse because something bad happened. It’s nice for those that believe. But when you don’t...” Tears sting in my eyes because coming to Orono didn’t make things better. Somehow everything has gotten worse. I take a shaky breath and say, “I’m here to learn to control my shift, and that’s it.”
“Of course, and you will. I’d never force you to do something you don’t want to do.” Tori links her arm with mine and starts to walk us back to the house as she says, “I’m not sure, but I think there’s more to this than we realize. For now, just be happy you have amazing new reflexes and can shift faster than Superman, okay?”
I snap back, “I’d rather be Wonder Woman!”
Tori grins as she leans against me. “You’re freaking Black Widow.”
I offer her a wry smile as I realize I’m taking my anger out on her. “That works.”
By the time I finish a glass of wine and we sit down for dinner, I’ve managed to get over myself. Even if my bear is a warrior, I realize it doesn’t mean I have to exercise that strength. Adrian knows I’m upset, but I told him I’d explain everything later. I’m afraid I’m going to break down in tears, and I want to be alone with my mate when that happens, because I’m going to need his comfort. He’s next to me, and his hand rests on my thigh as he reaches for the wine bottle. Burgundy liquid splashes in my glass as he refills my goblet, and Annie tells us a story about finding their three little girls having a food fight one morning.
I bite into the cheesy goodness of lasagna, and as if on cue three blond girls come running into the kitchen. A woman about my age, who I guess is the babysitter, stands in the doorway as the girls hug and kiss their parents goodnight. I gaze at Adrian and think about how some day we’ll have children that do the same. I’m barely old enough to imagine getting married, but the amazing thing about a true mate bond is it’s for life, and I can fantasize about the years to come for us with the knowledge that they probably will.
A yawn escapes before I can hide it, and Annie asks, “The tension’s gone, isn’t it?”
“It’s amazing. I haven’t felt this great since--” I realize only Tori would get what I was about to say, but Annie finishes my sentence for me anyway.
“Since you were changed.”
“Yeah. Sorry.”
Tristan says, “I imagine this has been quite unsettling for you. Having everything you thought you knew change in a matter of weeks isn’t easy to accept.” His gaze is serious but not as cold as before, and I think he’s referring to how the De Rozier clan moved to Maine to save themselves. I place my hand over Adrian’s as I think about how we never would have met if it hadn’t been for their glacier melting. I suppose some drastic changes do bring good.
Adrian says, “Sometimes it brings you wonderful surprises. Coming here was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
I turn to gaze into his eyes, and the love I see makes my heart want to burst. I say, “Me too.” I speak to him telepathically. “No matter how upset I am about this, I’d do it all again to have you.”
Adrian tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, and his touch makes my insides quiver with desire as he says, “Me too, babe. Me too.”
Tori clears her throat, and I turn to glare at her as I communicate with my alpha sister in a snippy tone. “You and Keith don’t have sex anymore?”
She grins at me as she says, “I think we should get back. Some of us need to get to bed.”
I roll my eyes at her as we stand. What I really need is to play music. It’s the best way I know to deal with what troubles me, and I recall the grand piano I saw at Tori’s. I wonder how soundproof the room is and then decide I can always ask to play when we get back so I don’t wake anyone.
When we arrive at the Veilleux mansion, I announce my plan. Keith says to Adrian, “I have a nice scotch if you’re interested,” and the guys retreat to Keith’s study. A teapot clatters on the stove as Tori turns on the burner and says, “Don’t step on the muffle thingy. I miss hearing you play.”
I grin at her because she purposely pretends she doesn’t have a clue about music, and I say, “Fine,” before I leave her to walk down the hall. My footsteps disrupt the silence of the grand space when I get there. I flip a switch, and a large crystal chandelier illuminates the room. I lower the dimmer so that it glows and make my way to the piano. The wood is smooth under my hand as I drag my fingers along the top and seat myself at the padded bench. Someone must have liked to play in the Veilleux family, because the seat is designed for comfort, and I sink into the cushion as I flex my digits. The key cover clunks as I lift it, and I stroke the keys lightly to feel the smooth ivories before I begin to play.
I start off with simple scales to warm up and notice the piano must have been tuned lately, because the tone is true. I start off with Beethoven’s Fantasia. I love the way the notes spill out in bursts, but each time I get to one of the scales, I realize my fingers move too quickly. I sigh and stop to relax before frustration takes over. I hadn’t noticed anyone had entered the room, and when a coaster clatters on top of the piano followed by a glass thumping, I glance up at Adrian. He seats himself next to me without a word and begins to play Beethoven’s Contra Dance, which is a beginning duet most piano students would know.
He sets the tempo, and I join in. I realize he’s trying to help me with the pace, and I bump him in thanks as we play. I turn it into a game and change the song on him. Tori and Keith have come to watch as he chases after me while I lead him through all the music I can remember from my childhood lessons. I glance at Tori and wink when I turn the tune to Chopsticks. Adrian chuckles as he keeps playing, and the next thing I know we’re competing for speed. I ramp up the movement of my fingers steadily, and Adrian stops as I watch my hands in amazement. The notes are so quick now that they almost blend together, and Keith says, “Whoa.”
I can’t seem to stop, and I let the music take me away as I move my hands up and down the keys at a speed I hardly believe is possible. Oh my god. I stop, and silence slaps me in the face with my realization. “My reflexes.”
Adrian grins at me as he says, “I think you just kicked my ass.”
I launch into the new song Aleck wrote that was giving me trouble. I let my fingers do what they want, and it’s almost as if the less I focus on making them move quickly, the easier it is for them to flow. I let the song take me away as happiness fills me with warmth.
When I’m done, Tori smiles at me. “This is your new gift, Ginny. Use it wisely.”
I nod at her as tears fill my eyes. Adrian puts his arm around my shoulders and pulls me to his chest. “Babe, why are you crying?”
I shake my head and whisper, “I don’t know.” But I
do know. I’m crying because I’ve spent the last month hating my new state. I was sure that becoming a werebear was a curse I had to endure to have the love of my life, and now I know that if I had only let the change happen instead of fighting it every step of the way, I would have realized that it isn’t. I gaze through a watery veil into Adrian’s face. “Thank you.”
“Hey, you’re welcome, but I’m not sure what I did.”
I sniff and say, “You found me.” I touch his cheek, and he leans down to kiss me. Tori clears her throat again, and I flip her off as I keep kissing Adrian.
She says, “Yeah, just take it upstairs. I don’t want to think about you two on this piano. Okay?”
Adrian breaks our kiss and winks at me. “There’s a great big bed in our room. I sure am tired.”
I chuckle as I let him lead me away.
6
I spent three days immersing myself in the ways of werebear. I learned more about our abilities, and that for me it’s important to let my bear out on a regular basis. Apparently my warrior traits mean I’ve become physical in nature, and it was recommended I satisfy my need to fight by taking some kind of class like kickboxing. When I balked at that, Tori reminded me that it’s always a good idea for women to take a self-defense class. Looking at it in that light helped, and I promised I’d find something.
When we got back to Brunswick, I noticed our apartment had a shiny new door. Aleck and Aaron must have taken care of it while we were gone, and I decide that I’ll make them cookies this afternoon as a thank-you. Adrian had to go in for a security shift at the college, and music plays in the background as Aleck tinkers with a new song in the living room. A bowl clatters on the countertop as I gather supplies to bake. I’m not quite sure what Aaron is doing, but I guess it involves a girl. He’s enjoying himself immensely with the college’s female population since few women can refuse a sexy drummer.
