by Clara Moore
He didn’t care that she was connected to the wolves. Her fear of them had been real. That, he could not deny. He cared that she hadn’t trust him enough to tell him the truth. That she didn’t trust he would protect her. She was in trouble, but there was nothing he could do about it. She had left. She had made her choice, even though it was the wrong choice.
That’s what he told himself. Somewhere deep within him, his instincts cried out the opposite. She’s your mate! They screamed. Find her!
He shook his head and turned up the radio, trying to drown out his confusion. What if he did find her? He couldn’t trust that she wouldn’t continue lying to him, or that she wouldn’t run away again, choosing the wolves over him.
The city came into view, the silhouette of the buildings a shade darker than the night. He could see his offices from here. His building was amongst the tallest. The lights shone bright, his employees hard at work.
Suddenly, the voice of a child whispered in his ear, “Papa, save us.”
Nearly wrecking the car, he swerved into a ditch, a telephone pole inches from him. “What the hell was that?” he cried, and he began searching around the car, knowing full well that there was no child there.
Something changed inside of him. He didn’t know its source, but all anger and hurt he felt towards Kendell instantly disappeared. It was insignificant. She was his mate, and she needed him. He was sure of it now. His only thought was to find her and live up to his promise to protect her.
Sniffing the air, he caught her scent. It was intoxicating, with the honey of a meadow but the resilience of the sea. No one had a better sense of smell than a bear. Turning the SUV back onto the road, he followed her scent into the city to the more elite neighborhoods, parking just outside the mansion Freddie owned. She was in there – his mate. His family.
***
Kendell
Kendell woke next to a fireplace the size of a furnace. It was mammoth, longer than the length of her body as she lay stretched out on the floor several feet in front of it. The heat of the flames was almost intolerable, but they were not enough to burn her. She wished they had. Freddie stood nearby, watching her. She could feel his vulgar eyes on her. Waking to his company was worse than death.
She sat upright and tried to move, but her ankle was chained to the mantle with an iron clasp. Even with the strength of a bear, she could not escape. Then she remembered why she had passed out.
“You shot me!” she said, glaring up at Freddie.
“It was a tranquilizer,” he told her, circling around her, much like the wolves when they’d chased her in the woods. “In my line of business, sometimes I need the beasts I pursue alive.”
“I’m not a beast,” she objected feebly, still struggling with the chain, even though her efforts were useless.
“But you carry one.”
She didn’t understand. She stopped struggling. “What do you mean?”
He smiled, but there was no humor in it. Only hatred. “You’re pregnant. With a bear.”
Instinctually, her hand went to her stomach. “That’s impossible. We only just–”
He cut her off, not interested in the details. “It works differently in the shifter world. That parasite within you has already latched on. You’re pregnant with his child.” Hatred wasn’t the word. Freddie was enraged, his fury burning hotter than the fire she was chained next to.
“What are you going to do?” she asked, suddenly much more protective of her body than she had ever been before. Death was not an option, not if what he said was true, which she knew it was. Her dream of the little bear cub, her newfound strength – it all made sense.
“Lucky for it, I don’t know how to destroy it without destroying you. I’ll let it grow, and when it’s born, I’ll leave it out in the woods where it belongs.”
“How can you say that?” Kendell hissed. “It’s an innocent child.”
“It’s a bear.”
She clenched her fist again, wishing he would step closer to her. She’d show him exactly what a bear could do. “You’re not corrupt. You’re evil.”
“And it’s all for you, little bird,” he said, sneering.
She wouldn’t believe it. He was trying to manipulate her. She had nothing to do with the emptiness of his soul. He’d chosen his own path. “So I’m to stay chained like this until the child is born?”
“You’re lucky–”
He didn’t get a chance to finish. A familiar brown bear charged into the room, the blood of wolves dripping from his fangs.
“Dermott!” she cried, a mix of fear and relief within her.
Instantly, Freddie changed, becoming a wolf as black as his ill-doings. He was much larger than his henchmen, and much more agile. He would not fall as easily as they had.
The men, the beasts, sprang at each other, clashing in the air. Dermott fought for Kendell and for the fate of their child. Freddie fought only for his pride, but such distorted pride could not be underestimated. Kendell watched in horror as he slashed Dermott across the face, temporarily blinding him. Gaining the advantage, he then clasped his jaws tightly around Dermott’s neck, working his teeth through his fur.
“No!” Kendell shrieked, and she tugged frantically at the chain, but it would not give. She couldn’t help. She could only watch.
Under the weight of the wolf, Dermott stumbled closer to her. He tried to push Freddie off, but Freddie was relentless, his eyes yellow and depraved. It frightened Kendell to the core, but she used the fear to her advantaged, tired of the fear Freddie caused.
Come closer to me, she willed Dermott. I have a plan.
She didn’t know if Dermott heard her or if he was simply losing the battle with Freddie, but he stepped closer to her, barely able to stay on his feet.
Kendell may be chained to the fireplace, stripped of her independence, the way Freddie had always wanted, but she was free to stand. Using the strength gifted to her by her child, she pulled Freddie off of Dermott and threw him into the fire.
“I’m no little bird,” she declared.
Unable to look as Freddie struggled against the flames, she tucked her head into Dermott’s thick fur.
“It’s over,” he said, recovering as he shifted back into his human form. “He’s gone.”
***
Back at the country mansion in the woods, finding refuge after their ordeal, Kendell sat on a blanket beside Dermott on the circular porch that overlooked the lake. It was night. The stars shined around them, as did numerous candles that Dermott had lit before guiding her out here.
“You know I’m pregnant,” she said, looking out upon the waters, finally at peace.
“You know I’m the dad,” he joked.
She smiled. “I guess you’re finally getting what you always wanted. I’m sorry it had to be with a stranger.”
He moved behind her and took her into his arms. She leaned against him, comforted by his weight, even if she did possess a strength of her own.
“You’re no stranger,” he murmured. “You’re family.”
Kendell grabbed his hand into her own, playing with his fingers. “I was never with him,” she tried to explain. “I know it looks bad, but we were never together.”
“I trust you,” Dermott told her.
It was the words she needed to hear. She took his hand and kissed it, meaning to be affectionate, but a much more sensual side of her took control. She grazed her tongue over his finger, and then she stuck it in her mouth and sucked it, revealing what she planned to do to him. Behind her, his cock grew, pressing into her back, and he growled with arousal.
She continued to suck his finger, sliding it in and out of her mouth, her tongue as wet as her core was starting to become. Unable to take her teasing, he pushed her forward, commanding but gentle, and pulled down her jeans and panties, exposing her backside to him.
“Have I told you how much I love your curves?” he rumbled, his voice thick with desire as he rubbed his hands across her rear.
&n
bsp; “And have I told you how much I love your cock?” she answered on all fours, arching her back like a bear summoning her mate.
On his knees, he undid his own jeans. She tried to turn around to deliver the promise she’d made sucking his finger, but he held her steady, keeping her backside towards him. She felt the tip of his cock slide around her opening, massaging her on the outside with her own wetness. It was tantalizing, knowing he was so close to entering her. It caused her core to ache. She arched her back further, inviting him in, but he didn’t comply. Instead, he reached forward with his free hand and rubbed her pink flesh, stimulating her opening and her clit at the same time.
Moving to his rhythm, she rocked her hips, panting against the ecstasy flowing through her body. His touch awakened her inner beast. She was no bear, but she was a woman burning with desire. The more he rubbed her clit, the more her body ached with need.
“Take me now,” she begged, yearning to feel his cock inside her once more.
He took her, thrusting his cock into her, his flesh warm and thick against her inner core. The pleasure she felt from his cock made her delirious. She moaned as he pumped within her, his manly sacks slapping against her thighs as he did. He was so hard within her, every thrust was another jolt of painful pleasure. She continued to rock her hips as he rode her, wielding their two bodies together.
When her body could hold on no longer, she erupted with bliss. She felt as if she had transcended. This is what love feels like, she realized. It’s transcendental. I love him. It’s weird, but I do. Acknowledging it made her climax all the more intense.
Feeling her come against his cock, he rode her harder, building up his momentum. She had been awakened, but a new heat built within her, stronger than the first. She pressed her back into him, letting him enter her as far as he could. It put him over the edge. As he came, he roared out loud, a mighty Highlander claiming his mate. A Highlander bear. His roar echoed across the lake, his joy like thunder.
Afterward, they lay on the blanket, the candles burning low around them. “It’s a girl,” Kendell told him lazily, rubbing her stomach with the greatest of affection, her shoulder pressed against his. “Our child. I had a dream of her. She has your hair, but she has my freckles.”
Dermott was thrilled. “I will protect you both,” he vowed. “And I will love her with as much devotion as I love you.”
Overcome with happiness, Kendell placed her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat, knowing it beat for them all, her and her little girl. And all the children that would follow.
***
THE END
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Chapter One
Cecelia
“Pick me up,” Michael pleaded, holding his little arms out wide. Cecelia couldn’t resist. He was too adorable with his trusting blue eyes and little blonde head. She lifted Michael up into her arms, bobbing the four-year-old as his sister and brother ran around her feet.
Cecelia Conrad didn’t usually cave to the adorable. With her raven-black hair and dark green eyes, she preferred the night over the day, mystery over mirth. But something about children lightened her spirit. It was why she had studied child development in college, and why she’d looked for work as an au pair upon graduating, eventually landing a job with the Johannsson family.
They were a beautiful bunch with their Scandinavian blonde hair and bright blue eyes – all except the father, who looked more Mediterranean than Scandinavian. The children took after their mother, Diana Johannsson, a hardworking woman with a genuine smile.
On a normal day, Cecelia took care of the children while Diana ran her own marketing company and their dad played big man at his law firm, but this wasn’t a normal day. They were on vacation, trading in the buzz of the city for the restfulness of the wilderness. As Cecelia held Michael on the porch of the log cabin where they were staying, if a two-story timber palace could be called a cabin, she looked out into an endless forest.
“You’re an angel,” Michael sang, twirling a piece of her nightshade hair around his finger.
Cecelia smiled and set him down. “Go play,” she encouraged. It was a good thing she did. As soon as Michael’s feet touched the ground, he hiccupped and turned into a bear cub.
“Oops,” he said when he changed back into a boy, covering his mouth. “I hiccupped.”
Thank mercy the clothes of shifters return with the flesh, Cecelia thought as she watched Michael and his siblings run around. Otherwise, I’d spend all day redressing triplets.
Nearby, Diana sat in a cushioned lounge chair drinking a pink lemonade Cecelia suspected had a shot of something special added to it. Between sips, she chatted loudly on her phone. “I miss the city already,” she groaned. “There’s no cosmopolitan on the Great Frontier.” She paused. “Yes, mother, I know we can come home at any time, but this will be good for us. We have bear in our blood. We need wide open spaces.”
She laughed as if she’d just told a joke, but then her face fell. “Mother, not this again. There’s no danger out here. You’re being oversensitive, like the time you thought the triplets were drowning at sea and it turned out they were only watching Sponge Bob. You need seer spectacles.” She laughed again.
Cecelia tuned the conversation out. Fixing a button on her purple flannel shirt, she wondered what it was like to shift. She never had, and she never would. Most of the members of her family were shifters, but the gene wasn’t always passed down. Her older brother was a shifter. At will, he turned into a big brown grizzly, but his heart was gentle, at least when it came to those he felt he needed to protect. He was in the military, using his abilities for good.
“My mom’s at it again,” Diana called from her lounge chair, tucking her phone away. “Being a seer is only a gift if you can see straight.”
That was something else Cecelia had missed out on – special gifts. It was rare, but some shifters could do extraordinary things, like see what others could not or make the earth tremble with a stomp of their foot.
“What is she worried about this time?” she asked.
“She thinks we’re in danger out here in the woods. I told her the only danger here was my husband’s barbequing skills.”
“The fearsome three are running around so much, they’d eat a plate of dandelions if you gave it to them.”
“They may have to if he burns everything again. I was thinking… there’s a tree house down the path. Why don’t you take the children there to play for a few hours? There’s something else I want my husband to set on fire.”
Cecelia tried not to cringe. Diana had no filter. It was one of the reasons she loved her, but sometimes it was too much. “I predict a fourth cub soon,” she said as she began rounding up the kids.
“So did my mom,” Diana called as they headed for the path. “That was three years ago.”
To be continued…
You can read the rest of the book at the following address:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0143O163I
Chapter One
Northern California
Cassie
“Did you hear the news?” Jessica asked, her eyes bright in the dark laboratory, much like the bioluminescent cells Cassie was studying. “They’ve brought in a white lion.”
Normally, Cassie Judd paid little attention to what Jessica considered news – usually unpleasant gossip from around the zoo where they both worked as research scientists – but this time, Jessica earned her full attention. In shock, Cassie stepped away from the lab table.
“What do you mean they’ve brought in a white lion? You can’t just bring in a creature like that out of nowhere. There’s paperwork and preparations that have to be made–”
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“I don’t know,” Jessica said, cutting her off. “The deal was done last night. It’s a surprise to everyone. They’re loading him into his den now.”
Intrigued, Cassie hurried out of the lab, giving Jessica her freedom to continue spreading the word. As she rounded the familiar paths, bypassing the aquarium and the gorilla enclosure, she removed her lab coat from her curvy frame and pulled loose her pony tail, allowing her glossy mahogany hair to pour down her voluptuous back. She wanted to appear more casual. If she called attention to herself as a scientist, she’d be inundated with questions about the animals at the zoo. Right now, her only focus was the white lion. She had read about the rare genetic mutation that made a small number of African lions so pale, and the superstitions surrounding them, but she had never seen a white lion up close.
That changed as soon as she turned into the lion’s den, a sheltered area behind the public enclosure. Behind the gate was a magnificent creature with strong, bulky muscles, a mane thicker than most male lions, and alarming grey-green eyes that stood out against his snowy coat. His eyes captivated her, much more than the novelty of his color. As he paced in his cage, those eyes spoke of a sadness. Cassie believed animals capable of emotion, but the depth of his sadness unnerved her. It was unnatural. And heartbreaking.
Briefly, the lion stopped pacing and looked at her. Something within her, something primal, told her it was not out of curiosity, but with intent, as if he were trying to communicate something to her.
“Where did he come from?” she asked the zookeeper handling the lion’s arrival – an older man who had worked at the zoo for most his life. At twenty-four and only starting her career, she had a lot of respect for the man.
