“The one mistake I made,” Randy said, “was telling Norman what I was going to do. I guess I wanted to rub his nose in the fact that I was going to get the girl he’d been asking out since forever. Why did I say anything to that little piece of shit?” He slammed his palm on the steering wheel in anger.
“Norman knew there was something different about me since my trip to Deer Lake. He was scared of me, too scared to try and stop me finding you in the woods. That’s what I thought, anyway. But the fucking runt drove out there that night to stop me from talking with you. That’s why he was there before the ambulance; he hadn’t been driving by like he said, he was out there trying to stop me.
“When I saw his car, I flipped out. The change came over me. I tried to resist it, but I couldn’t, and the next thing I knew, I was heading for your tent as a bear. The rest is kind of a blur.”
“It wasn’t a blur to me,” Dani said. “You hurt me. I’m scarred for life because of what you did.”
“I didn’t mean to do that.” His voice had turned angry.
“And you attacked me the other night. You followed me in your car and tried to attack me.”
“I followed you because I wanted to speak with you. Then everything went out of control again. Listen, I don’t care that you’re scarred, Dani. I still want you. I’ve been reading about shifters and there’s this thing we can do called The Claim. If I do it to you, we won’t have to go through any more of this running and chasing. We’ll be bonded as mates. Forever.”
Dani felt like she was going to puke. If Randy tried to lay a finger on her, she would break it off.
“You’re not going to do anything to me,” she said, surprised at the calm tone in her voice.
Randy frowned, then nodded. “Yes, I am. There’s a clearing up ahead. We can do it there. It’ll be romantic.”
“Randy, you’re confused. This bear thing has affected you in some way that isn’t good for you. I think it’s affected your mind.”
He shook his head. “No, it’s nothing to worry about. I read something online about it. I’m what they call a New Blood, so it’ll take me some time to control my bear but I’ll have it soon enough. I think when you become my mate, that’s going to help speed up the process. I’m sure of it.”
Dani had heard enough. The fear she felt earlier had now turned to anger. How dare he think he could take her as his mate? First he had scarred her, and now he was going to lay claim to her? No fucking way.
She reached over and grabbed the steering wheel, wrenching it over to the left. Randy fought her, but too late. The Bronco veered off the path and into the undergrowth, stopping only when it rammed into a huge tree trunk. The jolt of the impact made Dani feel as if her shoulder was being ripped off by the seatbelt. The air bag inflated, cushioning her head as she was thrown forward.
Wasting no time to see if Randy was dead or alive, she unfastened her seatbelt and hit the button to unlock the doors. She fell out of the vehicle onto the ground. As she scrambled to her feet, her senses seemed to be sharpened. The smell of pine, and earth, and wildflower blooms seemed to be stronger than she had ever realized. It was probably shock that had heightened her awareness of her surroundings.
She heard movement in the Bronco. Randy was unbuckling his seatbelt and climbing out. Dani ran.
She had no idea where she was going to run to, but her legs seemed to carry her much more speedily that she had run earlier. She hit the path and sprinted along it, not daring to look over her shoulder to see where Randy was.
Even her wet clothing didn’t slow her down. Her boots squelched as she ran, and she was sure she would get blisters by the morning, but she kept running at a fast pace.
When she reached a clearing, she realized her disorientation had sent her the wrong way down the path. This was where Randy had been driving her to.
She halted and turned. She wasn’t going to run through the woods all night. It ended here, one way or another. She found a heavy branch the size of a baseball bat, and tested its weight in her hands. It was perfect for swinging.
The moon was out, full and low. And in the silvery, ghostly light, Dani saw Randy enter the clearing. He glared at her. “I told you to stop running from me. Dani. You’ll have to stop when we’re mated.”
She bared her teeth at him. “You come anywhere near me, and I’ll shove this branch up your fucking ass.”
He laughed, which made Dani even angrier. Then his laugh became a roar and he dropped to all fours. Dani prepared herself for what she knew was going to happen next.
Don’t freak out. Get ready to fight.
He shifted into a bear and roared again, the sound now chillingly animal-like, as if Randy had lost all humanity when he changed form. He ran for her.
Dani lifted the branch with both hands, ready to slug him across the face with it. She wasn’t going to leave this clearing until the bear was dead.
He reached her quickly, big teeth bared, eyes burning with anger. As soon as he was within striking distance, Dani swung the branch.
It cracked into his head, sending him reeling.
Dani lifted the branch again.
It broke in half, shattered from the impact against the bear’s skull.
Dani searched frantically for a similar weapon. The bear was regaining its feet, shaking its head as if to clear it, and searching for her with angry eyes.
She grabbed the first branch she found, but it was too thin and light to do any real damage. She didn’t have time to find a more suitable weapon; the bear was coming for her again.
Before it reached her, the bear stopped and reared up into its back legs, roaring at her.
Dani looked it in the eyes and said through gritted teeth, “I’m not scared of you anymore.”
The bear dropped to all fours and lunged at her, deadly sharp claws shining in the moonlight.
Dani waited for them to rip into her. There was nothing else she could do, but she wasn’t going to run. She was through running. Simone’s big bear theory had been right; face the bear and get over it. Dani wasn’t scared any longer. She only wished she hadn’t reacted to Cole in the way she had. He may be a shifter but he was nothing like the monster in front of her.
She closed her eyes and waited to be torn apart.
The feeling of the claws tearing into her skin never came. Dani heard a second growl and felt a rush of air as something big leaped past her. She opened her eyes.
A huge grizzly, much larger and more ferocious-looking than Randy’s bear, had come out of the undergrowth and attacked the smaller bear.
Dani watched as the two bears fought but the outcome was never in question.
After a few seconds of being bitten and clawed, the smaller bear ran for the trees. The larger bear followed, roaring its anger.
They crashed away through the trees.
Glad to be alive, Dani walked to the center of the clearing and sat on the ground beneath the full moon. Here she was, alone in the woods, and feeling unafraid. That was some sort of miracle.
She wasn’t sure how long she sat there listening to the breeze sigh through the pine boughs, but she was sure it was at least an hour later that she heard something big moving in the undergrowth near where she sat.
She looked over at the darkness beneath the trees as the huge grizzly emerged. Unlike Randy’s bear, this one looked at her with gentle eyes. She knew she had nothing to fear. She knew it was Cole.
He came over to where she sat and lay beside her, his huge head on his paws.
Dani reached over and ran a hand through the thick fur on his back. “Thank you for saving me, Cole,” she said as she stroked him.
He looked up at her with sad eyes.
“I’m sorry about earlier. I know you’re not a monster.”
He shifted into human form, and slid his arm around her. “It’s beautiful out here.”
“Yes, it is. What happened to Randy? Did you…”
“He won’t be coming back,” Cole said. “I ran him
off of my territory. He knows that if he comes back, I will kill him, no questions asked.”
“How did you find me?” she asked. “Did you follow me from the cave?”
He shook his head. “I let you go. I thought maybe after you took some time to think about me being a shifter, you might come to terms with it. But I wasn’t going to push it. Then I sensed you were in danger. I shifted and searched the woods for your scent.”
“Well, I’m glad you did. Thank you.”
“The strange thing is, when I was tracking you, your scent changed slightly.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Did anything happen to you? Did you feel different in any way? Stronger maybe? Or more aware of your surroundings?”
She nodded her head. “Yeah, that happened. And I could run faster than normal.”
Cole grinned and chuckled.
“What’s so funny?” Dani asked.
“You have an inner bear of your own,” he said. “Not enough to shift, but enough to affect your senses when needed. You did say your grandmother used to talk about shifters when you were growing up.”
“Yes, but a lot of the older people in town did.”
“I told you, there have been shifters in this area for a long time. Since the Indians painted on that cave wall, and probably before. You’ve inherited a little of the shifter bloodline.”
Dani wasn’t sure what to think about that, but she couldn’t deny the change that had come over her when she was trying to escape Randy. “Wow,” was all she could say.
“That explains why I felt The Call,” Cole said.
“The what?”
“The Call. It happens when a shifter recognizes his mate.”
“Randy said something about that but he called it The Claim.”
“Randy didn’t know what he was talking about. The Claim is what happens when both mates agree to be pair-bonded for life. The Call is the recognition of the potential mate.”
“So you felt The Call when you saw me in the diner?”
“Yeah, I did.” He looked into Dani’s eyes. “It was so strong, I couldn’t fight it.”
“I’m glad you didn’t.”
He stood and said, “I should take you home. After I get some spare clothes from my truck, of course.”
Dani stood and put her arms around him. “It’s such a beautiful night with the full moon and all, I’m not ready to go home just yet.”
“Okay, what do you have in mind?”
“I want you to take me to your home, to your bed. I want to spend the night with you. But first, I want you to claim me.”
His eyes widened slightly. “Are you sure?”
“I’ve never been more sure of anything.”
11
Dressed again, and driving his truck up the mountain road in the moonlight, Cole could barely contain his bear. It wanted to claim Dani right now and achieve the pair bond it craved. Cole knew The Claim could take place anywhere from a hotel room to a deep wood, but he wanted this to be a moment he and Dani would remember for the rest of their lives. As she had said, there was a perfect full moon in the sky; it would be a shame to waste such a beautiful night.
He parked the truck by the side of the road and said, “There’s a place close by that will be prefect. Are you sure you want to do this tonight?”
“You don’t need to keep asking me that. I told you, I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life. I love you, Cole. I want to be your mate.”
His excited heart hammering in his chest, Cole got out of the truck and took Dani by the hand, leading her through the trees to a clearing beneath a waterfall. The rushing water seemed to sparkle like diamonds in the moonlight as it tumbled over the rocks.
Cole led Dani to a grassy area away from the spray of water. He faced her, his heart quickening even more when he saw her pretty, moonlit features. She looked like a curvy goddess bathed in silver.
My mate. My destiny.
He kissed her and began to undress her, kissing each inch of soft flesh as it became exposed to him. When she was naked, he undressed himself and stood facing her. He was rock hard, his cock throbbing between his legs, eager to enter his mate and be surrounded by her familiar hot, wet tightness.
Dani’s pulse beat quickly in her neck. Her face and breasts were flushed, her nipples erect. Cole could smell her arousal and it drove him crazy. He could barely wait to sink himself into her willing flesh.
“I’m going to fuck you,” he told her. “And when you orgasm, I’m going to bite your shoulder. It won’t hurt much, but it will be deep enough to leave a mark. Then, when I come, you bite me the same way. Don’t hold back.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
“I won’t be wearing anything,” he said. “The Claim demands that my seed and your arousal are combined within your body.”
“That’s fine. I’m on the pill. Now, please, can we get on with it? I’m so turned on, I’m going to go crazy if you don’t fuck me right now.”
He didn’t need to be asked twice. Taking her in his arms, he laid her down on the grass and positioned himself over her, taking his weight on his hands.
Dani looked up into his eyes. “Do it,” she whispered. “I want to feel you inside me.”
He lowered his hips and sank into her hot, yielding pussy. She felt so fucking good on his cock. He wanted to fuck her every day for the rest of his life. This was where he belonged, deep inside her body, pushing to her core.
She raised her legs and wrapped them around him, taking him deeper inside her sex. Cole groaned with the pleasure of being inside her tight heat, his cock slick with her juices. He began to slide back and forth, savoring every inch of Dani’s pussy around him.
She gasped with each thrust forward, encouraging him to drive deeper and give her more pleasure.
Her pretty brown eyes were locked on his, reflecting the full moon above them. Her hands were on his ass, pulling him forward each time he thrust, as if she wanted more of him inside her, filling her with his thickness.
Her breathing became a series of moans, and Cole knew she was building to her orgasm. He wasn’t sure how long he could last before he exploded inside her body. The sensation of Dani’s exquisite pussy around his cock, the look of lust in her eyes, and the occasion of The Claim all made his approaching orgasm come that much faster.
He held back until he could see Dani was beginning to climax, her eyelids fluttering, her mouth open as she let out a scream of pleasure, before he let himself go. He erupted inside her, grunting with the sensation of releasing his hot seed inside her wanton pussy.
Leaning forward, he placed his teeth over Dani’s shoulder and bit down, tasting her blood. At the same time, he felt a wave of pain in his own shoulder as she bit him there. It mingled with the intense pleasure he felt at coming inside his mate. Everything was perfect. They were bonded by a ritual so ancient its origins were lost in the mists of time.
Dani released his shoulder and laid her head back on the grass, his blood on her lips. “Oh, my God,” she groaned. “That was intense.”
He nodded, still inside her as they lay together.
They kissed for the first time as a mated couple.
12
One week later
Dani bit into her pine burger, and made an appreciative “mmm” sound. Since her experience a week ago, when her senses had been heightened temporarily, she still sometimes found that food tasted more delicious, or smells were stronger.
She sat in a booth at Sarah’s Diner with Cole and Simone. It was time for Simone to return to New York; she had to fly to Paris to prepare a client for an upcoming bike race.
Her grandmother’s house was in the hands of the realtor and ready to be sold, thanks to Simone, Dani, and Cole working on the much-needed minor repairs and decorating.
Dani had called her parents and told them she had decided to stay in Silver Rock. Although she hadn’t expected them to argue with her about coming home, she was a little disappointed that bo
th her mother and father had told her to stay in Silver Rock, saying they could run the restaurant just fine without her. It would have been nice if they had at least feigned disappointment that their eldest daughter wasn’t returning home.
They hadn’t even asked her what she was going to do for money, so she hadn’t had to say she was finally pursuing her dream to be a painter. Since losing her fear of the woods and bears, her painting had become much better, the brush strokes looser. She had a way to go yet to return to her former standard, but that was simply because she was out of practice. She would soon improve, and there were lots of hidden away places around Silver Rock that were perfect for capturing on canvas.
“Now don’t you forget to pass my business card on to your brother,” Simone told Cole. “I think he and I should get together...purely for business purposes, you understand.”
Cole grinned. “Of course. Purely business.”
Simone had finally been convinced that shifters were real, and knowing that Brad was a bear shifter had not dampened her enthusiasm to meet him. In fact, after seeing how Cole and Dani were with each other, she was even more eager to meet Cole’s younger, tennis-playing brother.
“I guess I should hit the road,” Simone said, pushing her empty plate away. “Now you two be good to each other.”
“And don’t do anything you wouldn’t do?” Dani asked, repeating her friend’s favorite farewell expression.
“Honey, you two are virtually married now, or whatever the hell you call that claiming thing you did. You can do whatever you like to each other.” She grinned. “Maybe when I come back here next year, there’ll be babies. Or would that be cubs?”
“I think it’s time you left before this conversation becomes any more embarrassing,” Dani said jokingly.
“All right, I’m going. All I’m saying is that ‘Aunty Simone’ has a nice ring to it.”
They went outside into the morning sun. Simone hugged Dani and told Cole to look after her friend.
“I will,” Cole said as Simone got into the Taurus. “Have a safe journey.”
McClintock Bears Box Set Page 9
