by Lisa Daniels
“Why do you have to protect him? Can he not do that himself?”
Ryland gave her a wry smile, “Have you met the man? If someone doesn’t remind him to eat, he will completely forget. He has a single-mindedness that made him unfit to take the lead. That fell to me instead.”
“Take the lead?”
“Oh, um, I am responsible for all of the bear shifters in this part of the country.”
“There are more of you?” Serenity’s eyes were wide. “Wait, are you saying that Alaric and Silas are shifters, too?”
“Yes, of course. We are related.” He shifted a bit on the bed, trying to get comfortable while keeping his distance.
“Oh,” a light went off in Serenity’s head. “That’s why they are always defaulting to you, and why what you say and want is given so much weight. I thought that was because you were picky, but they are showing deference.”
“No. It’s just respect.”
“Just respect? I don’t think that is a bad thing. So the man that I look up to, looks up to you?” She placed her head on her hand. “After the last 48 hours I can see why.”
His eyes watched her for a moment, the look returning to them. Ryland began to sit up. “I don’t think that I can stay like this and not…”
“Please don’t leave me.” Serenity placed a hand over his.
He turned and looked at her. Slowly his hand shifted and his fingers interlocked with hers. Tentatively, he moved closer to her. “Promise you won’t try to own me. You won’t become jealous.”
“You don’t need to worry. I tend to get wrapped up in my work. As long as you promise not to get jealous, we will be fine.”
“I can understand why men would be possessive of you,” his eyes moved down her body, then back up to her face. “You need not worry about that with me. I trust you completely.”
“Why’s that?” She smiled at him as he moved closer to her. “Some kind of sixth sense?”
“No, just the regular five senses. I’ve seen and smelled the way you interact with others. Your cold demeanor goes much further than just your voice. Your entire body locks up when you aren’t interested.”
He was very close to her, but Ryland’s words caught her attention. “You mean you can tell that about people?”
“My senses are much stronger than a human’s. I can smell and see things in the way people act that say a lot about them. Not everything, but enough. It was obvious that the defensiveness you felt around me wasn’t actually because you were trying to reject me, but because you were afraid of what would happen if you got comfortable. Fighting your instincts. It’s why I have fought my own.”
Serenity looked at him, the words and his actions now making more sense. “Instincts have worked against me in the past.”
“I am sorry for that. It is terrible how people teach each other to distrust instinct.”
“My instincts tell me that I can trust you. And I…” Serenity was unable to say what she was thinking, but her eyes moved down to Ryland’s lips.
He leaned in, his lips gently touching hers. Serenity couldn’t stop a moan from working its way up through her throat. The sound seemed to inspire him, and Ryland slid his tongue into her mouth. Serenity’s hand ran through his hair, gently running her nails against his scalp. Ryland let out a low growl that rumbled through her body, causing Serenity to lean into him. Ryland’s body responded by pressing her down into the bed as his hands moved down to her shirt and slipped into the back of her jeans. Serenity pulled away from him and moaned a little louder as she brought her leg up around his hip.
Ryland’s hand snaked up her shirt, quickly pulling it over her head. He buried his face in her neck, his other hand slipping around her back and pulling her to him. The way his teeth gently pulled at her skin caused a groan from her as she pressed her hips into him. Serenity’s hands moved to his pants and quickly began to unbutton them. He removed them, and just as quickly pulled off her shoes and jeans. Pausing for a moment, his eyes looked over her body, his hand gently caressing her calf, then working up her thigh. He brought his face down and pulled her legs against his body, being extra careful with her injured knee. Ryland lifted up her legs, and breathed between her thighs. Serenity groaned and gripped the old sheets with both hands, not even feeling the pain in her wrist in the excitement Ryland was causing her to feel. His hands cupped her shoulder blades and he moved up, sliding into her in a single motion. Serenity shouted at the sudden sensation as he penetrated her. Her body arched up into Ryland as her hand ran through his hair. Lowering his body over hers he continued to hold her legs, cradling the knee, and he slowly pulled out of her, only to quickly press back into her.
Finally finding her voice, she shouted his name. For a moment he stopped. Serenity opened her eyes and looked at him, the hunger obvious on his face. “Please don’t stop, Ryland. Please.” She panted the words.
Almost as if she had broken a spell, he brought his face down to her breast and began sucking on the left one, his hips creating a steady, desperate rhythm. Serenity ran her fingernails up his back, calling his name. Every time she said his name, she could feel him harden further inside of her, which made her yell louder until her body tightened up and she desperately tried to pull him closer. Ryland quickened the rhythm, bringing her to another climax.
An hour later, he lay down beside her, both of them sweaty and tired. She lay down on his chest, panting heavily. He pulled her closer, kissing the top of her head. The rest of the night, they clung to each other, even long after they had fallen asleep.
Chapter 11
In the Light of Day
Serenity woke the next morning and looked into crystal blue eyes, causing her heart to skip a beat. “Good morning,” Ryland murmured, pulling her into a kiss. She pressed into him, her body wanting more.
“I’m sorry, but we need to get moving. We can pick up later.” Ryland moved his lower half away from her, and she could tell by the sheets that he was fighting the urge to continue.
“You are right. We need to get out of here and let someone know about the poachers.”
At the last word, Ryland tensed. “Yes. I need to get to a working phone before they move on. We also need to get you to a hospital,” his eyes looked at her body under the covers, “although at this point I think it is mostly as a precautionary measure than a necessity.” He swallowed and quickly slipped out of the bed.
Serenity smiled at the way his face flushed a little. It would have been impossible to imagine that look when she had first met him. “Alright.” She pulled the sheet over her and stood up to collect her clothing. “Maybe there is a car nearby.”
‘There isn’t one with fuel in it. I’ll change back into the bear and you can ride me until we get to the cabin.”
“Sounds good to me.” There was a tone in her voice that indicated she wasn’t thinking the same thing he was.
He turned to look at her, a look on his face showing that if she kept going, he was going to find it very difficult to focus.
“Sorry,” she murmured. “But you will need to shift again, won’t you? I can’t walk up to strangers with a bear.”
“I plan to keep going. You can get to safety because the family is a good family. They won’t be up here much longer because they leave when it snows. They can get you into town.”
“Why can’t you join me?”
“I have a few other things I need to take care of. We have been looking for the camp for a while. I had hoped to spot it on the trip, but it was not supposed to be quite like that.”
Serenity couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed because he had said that he was there because he had promised to be. Now it made sense why that was the case. He had promised to take care of the shifters, so he needed to be there. Hiding her disappointment, Serenity nodded. “Okay. If you need to go, then I will have them take me to the hospital.” She wanted to ask him when she would see him again, but she didn’t want to make him feel like she was trying to track him. “I’
ll text you when I get out. There is no doubt they will keep me for at least a night since I won’t be able to explain half of what has happened.”
Ryland gave her a feeble smile as he picked up his clothes. “Yes, thank you. I trust you to say what you need to without hinting at the… other stuff.”
She laughed, “If I said that you were a bear, they would lock me up.”
He handed her his clothing as he said, “There I think you are right. Not an enviable position.”
Serenity couldn’t help but smile at him. “Don’t worry. I have a much better reason for not talking about it. I mean, people have always thought I was a little off in the head, so that’s not much incentive for me.”
Ryland’s smile was genuine as he looked at her. “People are fools.” Still naked, he stepped up to her and gave her a long kiss. When he pulled away, he stroked her head, then turned and offered his back. Serenity let him lift her from the floor. As soon as she was on his back, he moved to the door and opened it. Once they were outside, Ryland shifted and took off.
The trip to the cabin took until early afternoon. Ryland took her as close to the house as he could manage. Serenity tried to hand him his clothes, but the bear simply shook his head, indicating that he had no way to carry them. “I’ll hold them for you,” she murmured, then leaned over and kissed the top of his head.
Ryland rubbed his head against her breast, startling her. He gave her a sly smile, and Serenity nearly got lost in his large, blue eyes. Then he turned and moved off into the woods. Favoring her uninjured leg, Serenity moved to the front door.
“Hello?” she called.
A head poked out from around the side of the home. “Hello.” An older looking man was peering at her. “Oh my! Are you hurt?”
The flurry of activity over the next 30 minutes made it impossible for Serenity to see if Ryland had stuck around to make sure she was safe. The old man was at the cabin with a middle-aged couple, and they were all fussing over her. They insisted she take a shower and have a good meal before they took her into town. The shower felt amazing, but then things got complicated.
As she was eating, the family was preparing the truck and getting ready to leave. They had left the TV going, and the news was one, something she generally tried to avoid. The anchor was talking about some actor recently disappearing while taking a break from work.
“No word yet on his whereabouts, but the group that was with him said that he jumped out of the raft to save someone. No word has been heard from either of them since.”
“It’s a strange story, but maybe…”
Serenity had stopped eating as soon as she heard what sounded like a familiar story. Her head turned to face the screen, not wanting to believe that the story was related to her own experience. There on the screen was Ryland and some actress. They were standing at the top of a building sharing a kiss. Her heart plummeted.
…her knowing who Alaric is and not Ryland tells you everything you need to know about her.
We aren’t going to ruin this for him.
Other things started to drop into place. He had spent 10 years in California, and he didn’t like cities, but he didn’t completely avoid them either. He went when work required it.
Ryland had looked familiar because even someone who was wrapped up in a highly competitive school couldn’t avoid seeing images of the man.
Promise you won’t try to own me. You won’t become jealous.
Serenity ran a hand through her hair, cursing her stupidity. He had tried to warn her, and she had not listened. Now she was beginning to realize just what she had been asking of him the night before and why he had been so reluctant. Acting was not what he loved, but it was what he did to protect the other shifters. It provided power and more control over his own life, as long as he could stay out of the eye of the paparazzi. It was why he didn’t live in the town and why he wasn’t around much.
Burying her head in her hands, Serenity felt that she had gotten exactly what she deserved for having given in to base instinct instead of focusing on what was important to her. Her mind was already starting to calculate how to get back to the east coast so that she could put everything behind her.
“I never should have tried to search for happiness. It has never worked out in the past. I should have been content.” Feeling foolish and lost, Serenity rose and began cleaning her dishes.
The woman stuck her head into the kitchen. “Just leave those in the sink and we’ll take care of them later. Everything’s ready, so let’s get you back to town.”
Serenity looked out the kitchen window into the woods where Ryland had disappeared what felt like a lifetime ago. Her heart sank as she turned and carefully made her way to the door.
Chapter 12
What the Heart Wants
Serenity tried to be as talkative with the family as she had been when she arrived.
“The hospital is only about another 45 minutes away,” the old man explained from the back seat.
“Actually, I think it will be alright to just go home. I forgot that my mother gave me a knee brace a while back when I hurt my knee during a dance competition. That should take care of the problem.”
“Are you sure?” The husband was driving beside her.
“I think it might be best just to get checked out.” The woman leaned forward from the back seat. The old man voiced his agreement, too.
“Thank you all for caring so much, but I’m really fine. I wasn’t lost very long and I was able to find decent shelter for the one night. It’s nothing that a long sleep and a couple of good meals won’t fix. Besides, I need to contact a lot of people, like my professors.”
“Oh, are you a student?” Suddenly the family was asking her questions about her degree, her experience, and a host of other things that helped to get her mind off of the problems that she didn’t want to think about. The rest of the trip went relatively quickly, and they had Serenity back at her place. She thanked them profusely and promised to keep in touch before saying goodbye. Getting the spare key from its hiding spot, she entered the home and began getting ready.
Once inside, she went and found her knee brace. She collected some clean clothing, put her outfit in the washer, and headed to take another shower. Within an hour, Serenity was cleaned up and sitting at her computer. None of her friends would have heard about her disappearance and no one from Deep Water would bother emailing her. At some point she would need to get her bag, but at the moment she had no way of getting in touch with anyone who may have it.
“Oh, wait, Alaric should be able to help,” she muttered to no one in particular. Quickly she sent him an email that she and Ryland were alright and that she would need her bag returned. She asked if he could set up a way of getting the bag back since she didn’t have class again for a few days.
She had no more than stood up when she got a ping. Turning around, Serenity saw that Alaric had already replied.
You should be at the hospital.
It was the entire email. Serenity frowned, “What kind of an answer is that?” With a deep sigh, she tried to figure out another way to get her stuff. Without a phone, she couldn't contact Silas or Cora. “Only one way to fix this problem.”
Pushing herself up, she picked up her wallet, which she had left at home since she hadn’t needed it for the rafting trip, then headed out the door. Her walk took her to one of the nearby stores. There were several cheap phones that would do for now, so she bought one and began to head home. The smell of food lured her into a restaurant, and she decided to eat in and learn about the phone.
More than an hour had passed when she finally left and headed home to rest. Feeling exhausted, Serenity lay down, figuring she would trying to contact Silas or Cora after she rested.
When she woke, it was already dark outside. Groaning, Serenity rose and decided to just get ready for bed. She would start packing up the easy things that evening.
She was working on her second box of books when there was a knock on her door.
Serenity frowned, turning to look at the clock. “Who on earth would stop by after 10?” Standing up too quickly, she twisted her knee. “Oh, damn it,” she muttered before heading to the door.
Looking through the peep hole, she saw Ryland standing on her step. For a moment she felt panic. How was she supposed to treat him now? There was no way she could possibly keep his interest, and the idea of losing him hurt.
“I know you are standing on the other side of the door.”
Serenity froze. “Why did you stop by?”
“First, I have your bag because Alaric said you asked to get it back.”
“What’s second?”
“I’ll tell you after you open the door.”
Serenity bit her lip and shut her eyes. “Alright, hold on a second.” She unlocked the door and peeked out.
“May I come inside?” He was looking at her with the familiar smile that looked hollow now that she knew more about him.
“As long as you promise not to drag me off to the hospital.”
“I promise that I won’t drag you off anywhere you don't want to go.”
Her heart was beating wildly, but her head was telling her it was a bad idea. Serenity paused for a second before pulling the door open. “Of course, sorry, come in. I’m still a bit drowsy.”
Ryland stepped into her place and slipped off his shoes. “That’s why you should be in the hospital.”
Serenity was immediately defensive. “You promised.”
“I did, but nothing was said about trying to persuade you to go.”
“Please don’t start right now, Ryland.” He gave her a strange look, then his eyes started moving around her place. “How are things going? Were they able to get the poachers?”
His face snapped back to her. “No, they had already moved on. The dogs brought back… they knew there were people around, so they slipped off. We’ll find them, it’s just going to take a while longer. Why are you packing?” Ryland’s blue eyes bore into her, as the question caught her completely off guard.
