“You’re hurting her heart!”
I hear a snort and me, like me me, not that whimper sniveler crying inside me, wants to jump up and use all those Krav Maga moves Holly taught me to bring pain.
I want to hit him, drop him, and cause him so much agony he’ll never snort again. Or if he does, he’d do it while drinking soup through a straw and shitting in a bag.
Thank you, God. I am so back—
“Bear! She needs blood. She’s not in the grip of fever anymore; she’s way beyond that now. Whatever your scrub did, it has sent her mind into a place she can’t get out of. The only thing that will heal her is blood, and dammit, you will give it!” his mom yells, her voice coming out in a deep growl that makes me shiver.
She doesn’t sound human. It hits me that everything I’m hearing and feeling, hell even my illness is not natural. I know something is wrong here. I mean, duh, I’m in a sort of coma, I hear growling and snarling and a language I haven’t heard before, and since when does blood heal…
Crap, should I have died, I ask, flinching mentally when the growl turns into a snarl and Bear starts pacing near the bed where I’m stuck. I feel him, almost as if we’re connected physically and know deep down that he hates me.
Pain. I feel that rejection as the inner whimper comes again, and I breathe out in a stutter as my chest tightens.
“Bear! You’re hurting her.”
“Dammit Mom, I don’t mean to, but the sooner we all accept, the sooner Mika knows that I won’t be with her, the easier it will be for everyone. Don’t ask me to bond to her please. I don’t want to be with her.”
Like I wanna be with you! I so do not. Shut up in there, stop crying! What is this, a pity party? Listen honey, it ain’t never a good idea to pine for some dick who doesn’t want you okay, so stop bringing us both down and accept that we do not want him, I coax, hearing a confused whine and then a deep breath as the pain lessens.
See, that’s better now isn’t it? He’s not exactly a catch. I mean, I don’t know Bear—
But you do. He’s our Fated.
Fated?
Our male. Meant to be our one male. Sent to us through destiny.
I snort now, wanting to roll my eyes because what the hell is this shit. Fated? I don’t believe in that crap, and frankly, I am not impressed that whoever is in my head—probably a split personality, what do I know—is not a member of the card-carrying feminist movement. I will have to school her.
Listen hun, let’s just get one thing straight okay, whatever hocus pokus you’re brewing here is not welcome. I have never believed in that romantic stuff, and frankly this bunion on the toe of my life can get walking. I don’t do desperate if someone doesn’t want me.
But he can want us. He should.
Well, he doesn’t, so just stop that whining and put on your bloomers.
I say it, hoping to heck that she can’t tell how hurt I am, too. What? I’m strong but rejection hurts, okay.
“Well, then get out of here, Bear, because I won’t have her trapped inside herself and having to endure your rejection. I pray to God your father’s blood can wake her because if it doesn’t…” she trials off and I freeze, wanting to know what will happen.
Oh Lord, please, please don’t let this mean I’m a vegetable. I can’t do lying around for the rest of my life having someone wipe my ass.
“Mom, I—”
“Need to leave, Bear. You need to go and don’t come back here until your father comes to speak with you. Althea, go get Nick. As Alpha, I am hoping his blood and connection to Bear will heal her mind.”
I hear the door open and two sets of footsteps before a cool hand touches me again.
“Don’t worry, Mika my baby. Mom and Dad are going to make sure you’re okay. You don’t need him.”
I do. I so do, I think, as another spate of tears spring forth and my chest hurts. I need Bear because, because he’s mine and I am his. I don’t say any of this. I hardly allow myself to think it that hard, and I pray that when I wake up, if I wake up, I can face whatever is waiting for me.
If not, I have a feeling I won’t have much to wake up for.
Hopefully that happens, and someone can explain to me what the heck is going on.
********************************************************************
My eyes burn, as I open them, my return to consciousness a hard, fast ride that leaves me bewildered and blinking rapidly to clear my vision. The first thought I have is that I should have stayed asleep, but I quickly shove that away. I’m just grateful that after passing out I have life again and…and…
“Ah, there you are. Oh sweetie, I am so glad you’re with us.”
I turn my head, groaning when my stomach revolts and dizziness assails me but blink rapidly and clench my teeth and take in my surroundings. I am in a room, a really big room that is decorated in whites, creams, and very light browns.
The bed I’m in is easily one of the biggest I have ever seen and has enough room for more of me than I can safely multiply in my mushy brain. Sitting beside me, directly to my right, is a woman who looks to be in her mid to late thirties and a man of around the same age.
His hair is a deep brown, almost black, and his eyes are grey, a dark shade that reminds me of thunder clouds just before a raging storm. The woman has red hair, so dark a shade that I blink because it almost reminds me of blood, and her eyes are a merry, twinkling blue. They see to be lit from within.
Both are staring at me, expectantly, almost hesitantly. Seeing that, I feel less afraid. I recognize her voice though, and I guess that’s why I don’t freak out like a lunatic and run.
No, I know her voice.
Recollection comes back to tell me that this is the woman who caressed my face and promised to heal me.
Bear’s mom, I think, my stomach cramping, as it all comes back. Son of a beefeater. Bear. The longer I think of him, the more I remember, and when it all solidifies, I truly feel as if I may just have to kill that asshole.
I remember meeting him at the coffee shop. Rudeness. Arousal. Confusion. He was there when I went out into the little alley to grab a break and drink a soda.
He was angry, hissing and growling as he grabbed me. I fought him because he looked so angry and mean I thought for a second that he was going to hurt me.
I heard voices, people walking by the alley, and before I knew it, he was kissing me to stop my struggles and make it appear as if we were just two lovers necking on my break.
I remember the force of that kiss and the arousal that burned through my sex, making me wet and hot and so achingly empty. I climbed his body and started rubbing myself against him.
Oh, the way it felt.
The thick, hard ridge of his cock against my inflamed flesh was both electrifying and terrifying because the moment I felt him, I needed him so desperately I’d have let him strip me and take me right there in that dirty little alley.
I was desperate, frantic, and so horny I only realized he was pushing me away when I heard him snarl and felt his hands pushing where they were clamped around my upper arms.
I am so not proud to admit that I lunged for him and kissed him again, the force of the move bringing our mouths together with teeth scraping and him snarling.
He tasted so good though, like wildness and sweet copper. The taste had my breasts going tight and the flesh between my thighs soaking almost to my knees.
I needed him with a heat that made my blood bubble and sing in my veins, concentrating everything inside me into one, aching center of need.
He pushed me away though, spat, as if the taste of me in his mouth was repugnant, and then pinned me to the wall to stare deeply into my eyes.
Bear.
My cry of need went unheeded, and he stared down at me with revulsion and accusation before taking my chin in his hands and keeping my head still.
I peered into those hypnotic silver-grey eyes and felt myself settle, as if it was all clicking into place. In that moment, I kne
w that I was his, that I was meant for him, and the love that bloomed inside me was awful in its intensity.
Look into my eyes. You will not remember me. You will forget that you saw me and—
But I love you.
No! No, you don’t because we are not Fated, and I will never love you. Go back to work, forget me, and never think of me again without pain.
He let me go fast after that, leaving me with a splitting headache, my heart breaking, and my body in so much need I couldn’t breathe properly.
“Mika? Dear, are you okay?”
No. No I am not, I think as my heart clenches and despair fills me. I don’t know what is going on really, or why I feel as if the love of my life broke me, but I do feel it—and it fucking hurts. A lot.
Worse, I know that what he did to me is not normal. That he’s not—
“What is he?” I ask, my gaze whipping up in time to see the man flinch and swallow, his face shuttering before he looks down at me.
“Mika, daughter of my heart, I am Nick Silverton, and this is my mate Priscilla. Prissy to friends and family.”
Um, okay. Another cool name.
“Um, nice to meet you?” I venture, looking between them with a heavy dose of confusion.
He chuckles when she smiles, clasping her hands together in a way that suggests she’s excited, although God knows what about.
“Oh Nick, she’s so sweet and her manners! Mika, I am so pleased to finally meet you, my darling. We have waited so long for you and…and I…” she trials off, sniffling as she reaches out a hand to touch me, her soft hands stroking my face so tenderly I blink and swallow, just stopping myself from curling up into her and soaking it in.
After years of missing my mom, it feels too good to have someone treating me this way, and I want nothing more than to bask in it, but I can’t.
No, I need answers and something to eat and…and I don’t know what else but…
But whatever is going on is not normal, and the longer I stay in the dark the worse I feel, especially when Bear’s rejections keep playing in my mind.
“Where am I? Who are you? Why do I feel…this?” I ask softly, closing my eyes to quell the way I feel.
Prissy looks at her…mate? I’m pretty sure that’s what he called it, and I see her eyes go bright with tears, as he sighs and shakes his head.
“You’re in our home in the mountains. We’re not far from Kalispell where you live, but lucky for us all you were near Whitefish when you collapsed,” Nick says, confusing me because—
“We’re in Whitefish?” I ask, my brow furrowing because just two days ago I had the overwhelming urge to drive out here even though I haven’t ever been.
Not that I never wanted to come out this way, being as it’s not exactly far from Kalispell, but justifying a trip just to see scenic views isn’t easy when I’d have to borrow Bess’s car and pay for gas to do it.
Besides, it’s not as if I’m a vacation person, mostly from necessity mind you, but still.
“Yes, or close at least. We live a few miles out of the main hub since our community prefers…a more secluded existence,” Prissy says, stumbling over some of the explanation as if she’s afraid to elaborate too much.
Yeah, okay. This is not working for me, and neither is this festering emotion that is bubbling under the surface.
I feel…better, I think. I mean, at least my uterus isn’t killing me anymore, and Jesus, thank you for getting rid of the horny that was plaguing me.
I’m more aware—though still not feeling one hundred percent as yet, but at least I’m not so foggy anymore, and I can actually think. Which leads me to feel a kernel of fear because I do not know these people, and I’m certain that all serial killer families started off acting nice at some point, right?
“I uh, thank you for your hospitality, but I really should be getting home.”
That has Nick frowning and Prissy fluttering her hands around with a fearful look on her beautiful face. I don’t say anything, just look between them and almost bite my tongue off when he shakes his head and starts speaking.
“Mika, I…this is not easy for me to say, and trust me, I know that it’s going to sound crazy to a hu—someone like you, but just give us a chance, and I promise you’ll understand it all eventually.”
“Uh, okay? But then I really need to leave. I have things…,” I say, petering off when he shakes his head again and lowers himself down behind Prissy, one of his hands holding his weight as he gets comfortable near my legs.
“You can’t leave, Mika. I don’t think you will ever be able to leave us without getting sick again, and Althea warned us that another bout of heat or fever could kill you this time.”
Chapter Six
Meek
Say what now! Kill me?
I don’t understand what the hell he’s talking about, but you better believe I’m listening, as he sighs and seems to gather himself before looking down at me with a regret that sends shivers down my spine.
“I don’t understand. I—”
“A few weeks ago, Bear and Jules went to your coffee shop with three friends.”
“I remember. Three guys. One was blonde and the other two were…I don’t remember them all that clearly, but I remember that day. A little,” I say, grinding my teeth because I now know that Bear did something to me that seriously screwed me up.
I may not know what, or how, or even if it was natural, but I do know he effed me up badly—and this, right now, is a result of whatever he did.
Bastard.
“The memory glitches are part of what we call a scrub. My people…we have the ability to manipulate thought patterns in…others, shall we say.”
“Like hypnosis?” I ask, feeling a little calmer, as I start finding ways to explain what I know Bear did.
“Of a sort. It’s more like…I can’t explain it but to say that he wanted you to forget him and did something that is against our laws. What he did seriously hurt you and could have killed you if we hadn’t reached you in time,” he says heavily, making me close my eyes against the need to comfort him.
I don’t know why, but I like these would-be serial killers, and I hate seeing the shame that blazes from his grey eyes.
“Killed me? Look, I know that I’m still spacy about some stuff, and hell, maybe I have lost my mind, but I don’t get what is going on. So okay, your son took a dislike to me and hypnotized me, and then things started going downhill for me, and yeah, I was not doing well at the cabin, but no way can hypnosis explain what happened. I need to get to the doctor and have him take another look at my brain. Speaking of, that shit cost a packet, and I need to get back to work to pay Bess back.”
Shoot. I guess my vacation is now officially over, I think, groaning at the remembrance of the expense of seeing that doctor and having him take pictures of my brain.
“Oh no honey! That isn’t possible. Nick is telling you the truth. You have to stay here and take blood from me and Nick at least once a week, or you won’t survive the bond break!” Prissy gasps, grabbing my hand in an almost bone-crushing grip.
I still, not quite sure what to say to that, only to have the over-six-foot Nick stand and start pacing the room.
“To understand what happened to you, I need to start at the beginning, and to do that, I need to ask you to keep an open mind and hear me out before you say anything.”
“Oookay?”
“We aren’t just human. Well, to be honest, we aren’t human—period. And yeah, I know how that sounds but…you’ve heard of werewolves, I’m sure. We aren’t that and trust me if you use that terminology around any of our kin, it’s likely to get you in a lot of trouble. We’re shifters, wolf shifters to be exact, although there are many different breeds of our kind spread all over the world.”
I blink, my mind going blank for a hot second before a burst of laughter leaves my lips.
No, honestly, either I was roofied and I’m being punked, or I’m still on the cabin floor having a serious head
trip.
Prissy frowns, throwing Nick a look I can’t decipher and stays silent while I enjoy my mini-meltdown and huff to a stop, hiccupping on my amusement.
“Yeah, okay. So, uh, there are like mountain lions running around somewhere nearby who will turn into hot six-foot men who howl at the moon or whatever it is ‘shifters’ do? Pull the other one. Come on now. Where is Holly? Is she hiding in the closet watching you all punk me?” I ask, peering over at Nick with a grin on my face.
Look, I don’t feel the grin, okay. Part of me knows I’m being an ass, a desperate ass, who would give an organ for Holly or Jo to jump out of the closet and laugh their asses off at me while the other part is scrambling because it’s putting everything together like a puzzle, and the more I do, the more…plausible this all sounds.
“Mika, this is not a joke, and while I understand your reaction, it isn’t going to solve anything. We’re shifters. Wolf shifters. And part of our biology is for males and females to find what we call our Fated. The one. Our soul mates,” he says patiently, staring me down until the ridiculous smile slips free of my face, leaving me adrift as I acknowledge what I think could be…true.
“I’m sorry. I’ll listen.”
“Prissy is my Fated. I waited eighty years to meet her, but the moment she set foot in our community when her father came to negotiate a trade treaty with the Greyriver pack, I knew. I felt it. It was like an instinctive knowledge that I needed her, always, and for her it was the same.”
His words have my stomach turning into a knot of trepidation, and I lick my lips and try to halt the frantic flow of information that tries to bombard me, as he continues to sink one nail after the other into my coffin.
“For males, it is an imperative they cannot ignore. Our bodies start giving off a scent that will attract our females; nature’s fail safe I guess you could say because Prissy once told me she almost melted when she scented me.”
That smell in the coffee shop. The arousal it triggered. The need. Oh God, no, I think, breathing deeply to stop myself from freaking out.
Greyriver Shifters Page 6
