To Save A Bear

by Emilia Hartley

  Yet, the party on the beach appeared simple. There were only a handful of people, one of whom seemed to be a woman her own age. No one was tripping over anything—or on anything, either. If anything, they seemed to be quietly enjoying their day.

  “We don’t get together often. Ever since Boomer met his…well, Emmy, meetings like this have been happening more often.”

  “So, these guys are like old high school buddies?” She was stalling.

  “No, they’re my co-workers. I think Boomer and Morgan are related, somehow. I wouldn’t be surprised if they had the same mother but two idiot fathers.”

  “You really think highly of your friends,” Addison noted, not without sarcasm. “They can’t be that bad.”

  Just as she spoke, a sound pierced the air. It drew her head up just in time to see the shape of a man leap off the nearby cliff and into the water below.

  “Boomer, if you couldn’t tell from his name. He refuses to tell anyone his real name, so we call him Boomer because of the awful sounds he makes.”

  From the grin growing on Reid’s face, she could tell Boomer was the closest thing Reid had to a friend.

  “And, he’s with Emily?”

  Reid choked. “Don’t call her that. Only her ex-husband called her Emily and that, well, it didn’t end nicely.”

  Words stuck in Addison’s throat. She didn’t know how to respond to what Reid had implied. He took her silence for resignation and got out of the car. Addison followed closely behind, using Reid’s body as a shield she could hide behind.

  The moment she stepped onto the beach, the entire party stopped and turned toward her. Their eyes landed on her, finding her no matter how she tried to hide. All she could do was offer a weak smile.

  Reid jerked his chin in a strange kind of greeting and dropped to sit on the sand. A man with bronze skin and a wild mane of hair passed by and placed a beer bottle in Reid’s hand as if this were an old ritual. She guessed this was about as far as Reid’s interactions went when it came to these get togethers.

  The air smelled of freshwater, wet earth, and delicious smoke. The simple pleasures calmed her. When no one moved toward her or asked about her, some of the tension she’d been holding in the car evaporated.

  “Want a drink?” Reid offered her a bottle of beer.

  Addison shook her head, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. She was nervous. Every man present was as large as Reid. Their eyes were dark as they watched her. All Addison wanted to do was disappear into the sand.

  “We have wine, if that’s more your thing.”

  “I don’t drink,” Addison confessed.

  “Oh. I, uh. Well, shit.” Reid pushed up from where he was sitting and turned toward the dark-skinned man near the grill. “Dominic! Did you grab any soda by chance?”

  The man looked up from the grill with a death glare. She thought he would leap over the flaming contraption and tackle Reid to the ground.

  “I don’t know. Whose job was it to grab supplies from town?” Dominic’s voice was pointed, so sharp that it should have drawn blood.

  Turning toward Addison, Reid rolled his eyes dramatically as if just for her. She hid her smile behind her sleeve. He dropped to the sand beside her.

  “I was supposed to get party supplies that day. You can blame me for the lack of palatable drinks.”

  Even though he didn’t explain, Addison knew which day he was talking about. At the time, Reid hadn’t looked shaken, but if he hadn’t finished his errands that day, then it must have impacted him more than she thought. Addison scooted closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder, as if the simple touch could chase away anything that lingered after what happened.

  He’d been the one to deal with the gun and the robber, not her. He’d saved anyone else from having to do that.

  “I’d say you could drink the lake water, but it’s obviously polluted.” He gestured toward the waves.

  Pollution? This far into the mountain? A howl broke the surface of the water and Addison realized what he meant.

  She bumped her shoulder into his and tsked her tongue. “Don’t be so mean to your friends. They look like they bathe.”

  “Yeah,” Reid grunted. “You’re watching it happen right before your eyes.”

  A thin woman with dark hair that fell to her lower back stomped across the sand to flick Reid in the nose. He flinched, surprised, and spun on her.

  “Don’t act like you’re special just because…” Reid paused half way through his reprimand and glanced at Addison.

  She waited, confused. He clenched his jaw and settled back down into the sand. Whatever he’d been about to say was left hanging in the air. When Addison turned, the dark-haired woman was watching her with a look of interest and…sympathy, Addison realized. The pity turned Addison’s stomach until, she too, turned back around.

  “You don’t have to interact with any of them, Reid whispered in her ear. The sensation of his breath on her skin sent a thrill through her that she tried to hide. “I don’t bother, and they mostly leave me alone.”

  “Mostly?”

  Reid growled again. The sound should have scared her, coming from such a large and imposing man, but it didn’t. “Orion thought it’d be funny to motorize a super-sized squirt gun. The spray stung like a son of a gun, but it backfired and shocked him in the end.”

  She had him point out Orion, so she could keep an eye on him, even though she was quietly laughing at Reid’s story about the man. He was lithe and had a sly grin seemingly glued to his face. Orion wasn’t the kind of man she would have wanted to be alone with, but he seemed affable, especially in the company of the other men.

  “You can read, if that’s what you want to do. I’ll protect you and your book from Orion’s squirt guns if he comes along.”

  Addison found herself letting out a sigh of relief. She hadn’t wanted to interact. Mostly, she’d tagged along because the idea of reading on a beach felt luxurious, like a reward she didn’t wholly deserve, but wanted nonetheless. She plucked her book from the fabric carrying case she’d tucked it in earlier and cracked it open to the marked page.

  After a while, she became aware of the cover. There was a man boasting abs and a long, flowing mane waltzing with a woman bound in a tight bodice, and Addison was flashing it to the entire party. Her face warmed and she lowered the book to read it in her lap, hiding the cover. After a while, her back began to ache. It was not the kind of position she could keep up forever, which sucked because the Duke was just about to enter Margaret’s suite to confess his love.

  Addison wanted to keep going, but her back protested until she paused to stretch. Reid noticed her movements, even the way she had her book placed in her lap. If he could tell why she did what she did, he didn’t mention it. Instead, he leaned close and suggested she try lying down.

  “And put my head in the sand? Do you realize how awful sand in your hair is?”

  Reid laughed. “No, woman. Put your head in my lap.”

  Addison’s face warmed. She hesitated. It was intimate, but after a moment she did as he asked. Reid’s legs were not soft in any way, but there was something nice about the position. Her hair splayed out over his skin and she could feel his pulse beneath her neck. The world shrank until it was just the two of them.

  She should have been reading, but she looked up at Reid instead. His eyes were pale as they burned. She imagined the blue-white of fire, the hottest color. This was an inferno she would gladly die in.

  Addison shook herself. She was reading too many romance novels. Perhaps it was time to pack them away and pull out the fantasy books. If she kept this up, she would throw herself at Reid in no time. What then? So many things could go wrong. He was her landlord. If it turned sour, he could kick her out. If he enjoyed it and she didn’t, he could blackmail her.

  She looked up at Reid again. There was a soft smile on his lips, so unlike the grim countenance that greeted her every day at the bank. No, this man wouldn’t do anything to hurt her
. Reid would let her break it off if she wanted. He would let her stay in her room, even if it hurt him to see her every day.

  Sucking in a breath, she held it. Reid paused, his entire body going still. She thought he might lean down and kiss her. She realized she wanted it.

  Then, a voice broke the spell. “This isn’t a cuddle-fest!”

  Water splashed over them. Addison cried out and shielded her book with her body. That didn’t stop the pages from getting wet. When she looked, black ink was blurring together.

  “Orion,” Reid snapped, violence in his voice. “Didn’t you see the lady was holding a book?”

  His words had teeth that snapped. When Addison sat up and turned toward the perpetrator, the young man looked frightened. His gaze darted between Reid and the book clutched in her lap.

  “It’s okay,” she tried to say, even though disappointment weighed her voice. “It’s just a book…that I haven’t finished.”

  Reid’s growl was an unspoken warning that Orion apparently heard loud and clear.

  “Here, let me see the title. I’ll order you a new one. I didn’t mean to get it wet.” Orion stepped closer, all the while keeping an eye on Reid.

  She placed a hand on Reid’s thigh and tried to tell him it was okay. In the end, it was just paper and ink. If she wanted a story, she should be writing her own. It’d become increasingly frustrating once she realized she’d been writing Reid into her own book. It would take days to write him out, and she wasn’t even sure she wanted to.

  There was a fantasy there, on the pages she created, that she couldn’t explore in her own life. There had to be a wall between them, though it did seem that the wall grew thinner and thinner every day.

  “Since you don’t have a book,” the woman said as she moved to shove Orion out of the way, “why don’t we go for a swim?”

  She grabbed Addison’s hand and hauled her out of the sand. Reid narrowed his eyes at the woman, but the sexy cave-man behind her glared right back at Reid and sealed Reid’s lips shut. The woman twined her arm with Addison’s and led her away from the herd of men.

  They climbed the nearby hill to the cliff that the others had been jumping from. Addison dug in her heels and tried telling the woman she wasn’t about to jump from that height when the woman stopped.

  “You can call me Emmy. I’m the newest here, but I thought you could use a crash course in stupid if you plan on sticking around.”

  Her words stole the breath from Addison’s mouth. She had nothing to say in response. They sat down on the edge of the cliff, their feet dangling over the waters below. Emmy was nice, sweet where the others were rough. It was easy to let her guard down around her.

  “Putting them all in the same square-mile is like lighting a firecracker and running. Orion is the firecracker.” As Emmy spoke, the firecracker went off. Reid’s fist connected with Orion’s face after the younger man said something.

  Addison moved to climb to her feet, but Emmy gripped her arm and held her, pointing to Orion with her other hand. The man was laughing. His head had cracked to the side and blood poured down his face, but he was laughing.

  “I can’t seem to understand that one. I’m not sure if he wants to be a punching bag for the others to let off steam or if he gets off on the pain. Either way, this is part of the ritual. I just thought I’d get you out of the way before fists started flying.”

  “Are they all barbarians?” Addison watched with an awe she knew she shouldn’t feel. It was like watching a train wreck. She couldn’t look away.

  “Dominic is the only level-headed man here. Morgan isn’t bad, but he’s an awful enabler. Just last week he convinced my—ah, husband to ski down the hill they’re clearing for work. They both won lacerations from branches they hit after they fell off their plywood sleds.”

  “Is Reid…?”

  Emmy shook her head. “He’s brighter than my husband, though a bit quieter. Reid helped me save him once. Then, he helped save me.”

  Down below, the fighting had ceased. Everyone sulked. Orion crouched near the water, cupping handfuls to wash away the blood that had been smeared on his face. Reid wiped his hand on his shorts and dropped back into his seat in the sand.

  “How about we go back down? Orion’s going to need his nose reset…again.” Emmy helped Addison to her feet before winking.

  The dark-haired woman stepped back before launching herself off the cliff. Her delicate frame was silhouetted by the sun so that she looked like a matchstick come to life. She hit the water below, the lake swallowing her howl of exhilaration.

  On the shore, her husband hooted and pumped his fist in the air. Emmy emerged, in one piece and grinning. Addison watched her with awe and respect, but when she looked down the cliff, any intention of jumping she might have had vanished into thin air. Her stomach dropped to her feet, and she swayed where she stood.

  Nope, Addison wasn’t the jumping type.

  Footsteps crackled behind her, leaves and twigs snapping to announce someone’s arrival. Addison forgot they’d been watched. Panic sliced through her as she spun. She expected the worst, but found Reid standing behind her. He held up his hands, eyes filled with worry.

  Addison let out a breath and clamped her hand over her heart.

  “I saw Emmy left you up here by yourself,” Reid explained. It was all she needed.

  Her fear receded and left her hands shaky. Reid noticed, taking them into his own. His hands were warm, and his fingers rubbed along the soft skin above her thumb. The touch sent a shiver through her spine, despite his warmth.

  She couldn’t help but remember the kiss he’d given her days ago, when he’d given her the desk. It had been a gentle press of lips on lips. The kiss they’d shared the night before had been wildfire. It’d consumed her whole, leaving her empty when he ran away. While they were alone on the hill, Addison bravely closed the space between them until her chest pressed against his. She could hear his breath hitch and become ragged.

  “Clearly, there’s something between us,” she began, even though her voice shook with fear. This wasn’t like her. She wasn’t the kind of person to bravely voice her thoughts. Normally, she swallowed whatever she might have said and let it fester. They’d played enough games with one another.

  Addison needed to know.

  Reid gripped her wrists to keep her from touching him. His eyes dropped to where their skin touched, seemingly entranced for a moment. “I never should have let you stay,” he whispered. Almost absentmindedly, his thumbs began to rub against her bare skin.

  “Why is that? I need to know if you want me to stay or if you want me to go. I’m getting a lot of mixed signals.”

  Reid let out a pained sound. It twisted his face, drawing his brows together and darkening his eyes when he finally met her gaze.

  “Let me guess, you can’t tell me.” She pulled her wrists from his grip. The need that tightened her stomach was overwhelming. It wasn’t just sexual, though that was there, too. Addison felt the need to know Reid inside and out. She felt the need to make him smile and laugh, disrupting that grumpy mask he always wore. “That bullshit isn’t fair. If I knew what was going on, I could make a decision for myself.”

  She folded her arms over her chest and stomped down the side of the hill. Reid followed, a few paces behind. Disappointment sat heavy in her stomach when he didn’t stop her or try to offer any kind of explanation. He was playing the part of the savior again. She could see it, but she couldn’t figure out what he was trying to save her from.

  Her father had been dead for years. The only thing she feared now was living an incomplete life.

  He’d almost told her. The words had been on his lips, ready to fall and bind her to him. It was what he wanted, deep down. He wanted to force her to stay with him for the rest of their lives. The law of the Den would bind her to him if he told her. That wasn’t the kind of man he wanted to be, though. He wouldn’t make decisions for her.

  Though, she seemed intent on getting the truth
out of him, she didn’t know what it would mean for her. For now, she lived in his spare bedroom and she was free to come and go whenever she pleased.

  Reid would keep it that way. He would let her go on with her life.

  Even if it hurt him.

  As they descended, Boomer caught his eye. The man shook his mane and flung water in every direction as he stepped out of the lake. Just as Boomer approached him, Reid turned in the other direction. He didn’t need advice from Mr. Reckless. Boomer lived without ever thinking of the consequences. That much was clear from the stupid things he’d done for Emmy.

  He could hear Boomer calling after him. Everyone could for miles. Reid pretended not to hear. The party went on, unfolding as it always did, with Reid sitting quietly apart from everyone else. Except for the human woman who sat by his feet, her back pressed against his legs as if she, too, could barely stand being apart from him despite her irritation.

  Could she, too, feel the bond that strung them together? He hoped she couldn’t. It would be better, for her sake, if she couldn’t. That way, when he left, he would be the only one hurting. Reid had struggled with his beast for a long time. Putting himself in dangerous situations had helped release some of its pent-up energy and ease the sense of self-loathing that haunted him. He would continue to do the same in the next town, if only to forget about Addison for a while.

  The beast in him growled unhappily. It scratched at Reid from the inside, if only to remind him of the power it held. The beast refused to leave their mate behind. It would shift and throw her over its shoulder if it had to.

  “Bro? Are you alright?” Orion’s voice broke his train of thought.

  When he looked up, both Orion and Addison looked at him with mirrored expressions.

  “Fuck off,” Reid growled at the younger shifter. Addison slapped his knee, and Emmy chastised him from somewhere behind them. He didn’t know why they bothered.

  Meetings like this almost always ended in fist fights, in men roaring at each other because they were all too dominant to be friends. They were coworkers and working in silence had done them good. It made the days slip by and helped Reid forget the roaring monster lurking inside him.