Dare to Bear (Book 1 Trail Guardians Series)

by Julian, Christine

  That absolutely fascinated her. Compelled her. What was he hiding?

  He tossed her an aw-shucks grin. “I’m flattered you think I have magical abilities. And that you think I’m special. But, baby, the only thing magical about my life is you.”

  Without warning, he swept her into his arms and kissed her with such thoroughness, she lost all train of thought. When she recovered, and he left every inch of her body tingling, she said, “That’s not fair.”

  “Are you complaining?” he asked with a crooked grin.

  “No, damn it.”

  “You rarely swear.”

  “I do when the situation calls for it.”

  He chuckled. “I’m nothing special,” he repeated.

  In response to that, she grabbed his shirt and dragged him against her. “You’re special, and important, to me.”

  Pride settled on his features. He kissed the tip of her nose. “Good.”

  He continued moving at his rapid pace. She could do little except follow him on his determined course, leaving her too out of breath to talk, with too many thoughts of an unknown future swirling around her head.

  “How would it work?” she blurted, after they’d covered miles in silence.

  “What, honey?”

  “Right. You can’t read minds.” She rolled her eyes. “I mean, the whole long-distance relationship scenario?”

  Reaching out he clasped her hand in his, raising it to kiss her knuckles. “It would start with a text message I’d send you when the sun comes up saying, ‘Good morning, beautiful.’ Followed by a few emails during the day telling you I’m thinking about you constantly, and how much I miss you. Then we’d Skype at night, so I can see your gorgeous face, while I try to ignore the hole in my life you left when you went back to the west coast. I’d tell you how crazy I am about you. Then I’d whisper, ‘Good night, angel,’ and I’d dream about the next time I get to fall asleep with you in my arms.” Yearning, even a faint sadness, touched his smile. “Rinse and repeat.”

  “That sounds great,” she admitted, wistful. She’d never had an in-person relationship as beautiful as the long-distance one he’d proposed. “Are you willing to wait all that time between visits?”

  Without hesitation, he said, “I’d wait for you forever. I already have. I’ll prove that, until you come back to me, for keeps.”

  Overwhelmed, she gulped. “That will probably require a lot of compromises for both of us.”

  “I can compromise,” he assured. “A lot, if I get to keep you in my life.”

  Bowled over, she said, “You seem awfully sure about that.” Did her doubt seep into her tone?

  “If I was a gambling man, I’d bet my life on you.”

  “A little dramatic,” she said with a teasing grin. “We won’t have to make some kind of blood oath, right?”

  “That’s me.” He snorted. “I’m all about the drama.”

  “Hey.” She lifted her palms. “Just making sure.”

  No, he wasn’t into drama, but he did manage to be masculine and expressive. A combination she loved about him.

  Whoa. Wait. Loved? She’d actually used that word? She couldn’t fathom upending her life for a man she barely knew. Yet she did know Mason. Her heart spoke the truth better than any external reassurances. He was steadfast, loyal, and honest.

  What more could she ask for?

  Proof, her stubborn brain interjected.

  “So, what do you think?”

  “About?” she replied, sounding distracted.

  He tucked a red curl behind her ear. “Want to give it a try? Us a try?”

  Beneath the casualness in his words, he hid the torrent of thoughts and feelings he knew she wasn’t ready to handle or believe in. Not yet.

  Fortunately, his capacity for patience equaled his ability to compromise. At least, he’d do it for her. Sure, she needed to see his devotion in his actions. He got that. He’d follow through on every promise. A vow only a true mate fully understood.

  And she would, he hoped, in time trust how much he needed her, what she meant to him. Then again, the mingling of the enzymes from his bite with her blood might draw her back to him sooner than she expected. Damn, he hoped so. But with a human mate, there was no telling how she might react to the enzymes he’d deposited into her blood during their mating. The response to his infusion could take days, weeks…years?

  His heart sank, aching with the weight of the unknown.

  Ancestors, help me to let go and trust she’ll come back to me.

  In his experience, every major event held a specific meaning, a special purpose. If forced separation from his mate lay in his future, he’d uncover the reason and take solace in his belief she was meant for him and him alone.

  For the rest of the day, through the high-sun hour and into the afternoon, they walked side by side, hand in hand. The companionable silence was occasionally punctuated by moments of appreciation of nature.

  For the first time, she pointed them out more often than he did. Like the way sunlight filtered through trees and angled its illumination on a patch of soft, glossy ferns. Or the way a special type of moss grew like a patchwork quilt up the trunk of a great Oak. Or the way chipmunks chased each other under the cover of ivy.

  In the gentle, ancient beauty of this wilderness, he found his soul renewed by love.

  God, he loved her. She appreciated this natural beauty as much as he did. He’d never thought that could be possible of a human. With each point of appreciation, she delivered him to a place of quiet perfection. He would do anything for her. Absolutely anything.

  Then, he heard them.

  The hackles rose on his neck. His sensory perceptions heightened. His bear caught the scent of danger. The stench of death lingered in the air.

  The wolves.

  Hell no.

  Not now.

  Breath filtered heavily into his lungs. His gut told him what needed to happen. He had to shift.

  Instinct launched into overdrive. His heart raced at triple speed. He took in their surroundings at a glance.

  And his bear surfaced.

  There was no way to stop it.

  “Steph,” he choked through his tight throat. “This is bad. You have to get to safety. Now.”

  Forehead wrinkled with confusion, she asked, “What is it?”

  Already, he felt their paws trampling the earth at breakneck speeds, even through his hiking boots. As a Trail Guardian, he’d tuned his senses to an ultra-fine level to perceive threats via ground vibration.

  The short length and fast tapping of the vibrations told him time was short. To safeguard Steph, he had two minutes to prepare, maybe less, before the wolves encountered them. He dropped his pack to the ground and stripped hers off her shoulders.

  In his mind, Ollun’s warning rang with the finality of a death knell.

  If he sacrificed his life to keep Steph safe, his existence wouldn’t be in vain. It was the highest honor among his kind to give one’s life for his mate. Whether or not she was pregnant with his child, he’d do anything to protect her. If she was, that gave him all the motivation in the world.

  “Mason.” She reached for his hand. “What’s happening?”

  While he couldn’t imagine her confusion, he had one job to do. Keep her safe.

  His base nature bombarded him. He barely kept his head straight and his thoughts coherent. Words were almost impossible to form.

  During his fleeting scan of the area, he spied a tree to send her up, and he shoved her toward it. “Climb.”

  “What?”

  “Get to higher ground.”

  She looked at him as though he spoke a foreign language. “I don’t understand.”

  “Climb the goddamn tree.” He barked the order with enough ferocity to make her flinch and reach for the lowest branch. Probably to get away from him. Fine, whatever it took.

  “You won’t understand what you’re about to see,” he gritted out. “I’m sorry. I wish there was more time.�
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  “For what?”

  “Do you want to live?” he bellowed.

  Trembling, she nodded.

  “Climb to the highest branch.”

  “Mason—”

  “Do it.” Then one speck of reason ignited in his half-shifted brain. “Wait.” He grabbed the satellite phone from his pack. He tossed it to her. “The number programmed first is Tyce. The second is my brother. No matter happens to me, call them.”

  Her lip quivered. “Mason?”

  “I love you, Steph.”

  From there he allowed his bear to take over. He lost control of his higher faculties, one by one, until the animal reigned.

  Cartilage expanded. Bones popped, dislocated, reformed. Fur lengthened. His senses heightened times a thousand.

  He smelled the pack’s diseased stench. It almost made him retch. He dug his paws and claws into the earth, prepared to defend his life and his future with Steph.

  Ancients and Ancestors, give me strength.

  He was ready to fight the greatest battle of his life.

  He prepared to give his last breath for the mate who completed his soul, in this life and the world beyond.

  10

  Stuffing the satellite phone into her back pocket, she climbed the fur tree like her life depended on it. Considering Mason’s frightening words and expressions, it might.

  She trusted his survivalist instincts. If he said climb, she’d climb. But then, where did that leave him? She didn’t hear him ascending the branches behind her, but he had a way of moving his large body without a sound. Another remarkable attribute of his.

  The sap made her hands sticky. Bark splintered off the branches, gouging her legs, hands and arms. Coarse flecks dropped into her eyes, scratching until her vision blurred. She forcefully blinked them away until she could see the next place to grab hold.

  Oh, God. Okay. I can do this.

  When she made it to the highest branch she believed would support her, she glanced down the length of the trunk. No Mason.

  She panicked. Where is he?

  Ear-piercing howls shattered her eardrums. She clapped her hands against her ears to keep the sounds from doing permanent damage.

  What creatures could make such a blood-curdling noise?

  Then she saw them.

  A pack of six wolves hovered on the hill in the distance, howling from their perch. Oh, my God.

  They weren’t of this world. She saw it in their fiery eyes, blood-red sparks within black, hellish depths.

  A deeper level of panic shot through her. Where the hell is Mason?

  The answer came seconds later.

  The pack of wolves bared down on her location. They frothed at the mouth. Holy crap, not okay!

  Somehow, Mason had known who—or what—they were up against. He’d told her to climb to get away from this threat.

  Only one thing stood between the wolves and her.

  *

  Mason stood his ground, prepared for anything.

  None of them would attack or injure Steph. No way would he let them near her. Not when he could prevent that and protect her.

  As he faced the danger, he saw it in a new light. He’d do anything for his mate. He hoped she knew that. He’d prove it to her—with his dying breath, if necessary.

  While he knew she was safe at the moment, he still feared for her. He’d go at these Satan spawn with everything he had. He just hoped Steph had called his brother, as he’d instructed. And kept herself high above what was about to unfold.

  Howls thundered through the woods in ominous echoes, the stuff of nightmares.

  If they thought he’d let them pass, to get to Steph or his brother or Haventown, they thought wrong. No matter what, he’d save the people he loved. That’s the way he was raised. And he would go out the way he came in—from a long line of protectors.

  *

  Rough bark from the pine tree scuffed the sensitive undersides of Stephanie’s arms as she dragged herself one branch higher for a better view. She’d caught the devil-red glow in the wolves’ eyes from a distance. Now they crept even closer.

  No doubt, they’d go after Mason without a second thought.

  She called out to him. “Maso—”

  The last syllable caught in her throat. Because she couldn’t locate him through the boughs of the branches.

  Instead, in his place stood a proud, defensive, titanic creature.

  A bear.

  Suddenly dizzy, she gasped for air. She clung to the branch for dear life.

  You won’t believe what you’re about to see. His words circled in her mind. He couldn’t have meant…

  Disbelief shut down that possibility. No. No Way. Not possible.

  But she’d had her lens prescription updated last month to prepare for her trek. Fresh contacts made her vision crisp and clear—she just couldn’t believe what she saw.

  No Mason. Just a bear. An intimidating, terrifying bear.

  “Mason,” she cried.

  The bear turned its head, looked up at her. Their eyes met for a startling moment. It responded with a sloughing call filled with emotion, with warning.

  “Mason?” she choked.

  The beast sniffed the air, the gesture resembling a nod, before facing the wolf pack again.

  That couldn’t be possible…no way in hell…seriously, that was crazy…

  Yet something deep in her mind, like a disembodied voice, said, Yes, that’s Mason. He’s protecting you. Keep still and don’t make a sound.

  Glancing around, she didn’t understand where that strange voice had come from. Whatever her disbeliefs, the bear below charged the wolves like a mama protecting her cubs.

  Or Mason, protecting her?

  It defied logic and reason, or any form of reality she’d ever based her existence on. Regardless, somehow she knew in her bones that the bear was Mason.

  Remembrances flashed through her mind. His ability to subdue the bear in her path when she’d restarted the trail outside of his store. His overly-protective nature. Of course, the cave where they’d spent their first night—bears hunkered down in caves to hibernate, didn’t they? Then he’d steered her toward the river, the same place where she’d seen a bear high above her on the cliffs overlooking the bathing pool. What about the fish lunch he’d caught without a pole or hook or net? Followed by the way he’d saved her from the cliff side drop, his hand severely wounded, until later that night when his wounds had miraculously healed before he’d made love to her. Plus the scary growl she’d sworn she heard come from his chest, in the lean-to, before he’d disappeared to check on an unfounded threat. At the time, she’d watched his features change before her eyes.

  Superior hunting abilities. Super-human strength. And how about the fact that his family held three—no, four—sets of twins? Didn’t bears birth cubs in sets?

  God, it couldn’t be possible.

  Vampires? Werewolves? Sure, she could deal with those urban legends.

  But a were…bear?

  It was too much.

  Unreality swept through her with the same dizzying sensation the joy juice had given her, minus the tainted water. Swaying with the movement of the tree, so high up, she worried she might pass out.

  And become wolf food.

  That notion snapped her back to the present.

  Holding tight to the branch, she wondered. Had she blatantly missed the signs? Could there actually be a whole other side to nature she’d never considered?

  The proof had been there all along, she realized, awareness gathered by her sharp mind’s analytical side and the empirical evidence staring her in the face, along with everything she’d witnessed over the past three days.

  Heaven help her.

  She swallowed hard.

  Mason…what are you?

  11

  Below, the bear—Mason—whatever it/he was—reared up on its hind legs. It released the most fearsome roar, the sound rattling every brittle nerve in her body.

  Fear lo
cked her in its saw-tooth grip like a bear trap. An awful analogy, she thought, wishing she could laugh hysterically amid a terrible situation she didn’t know how to deal with. She’d always faced trouble with dry humor. Not happening today.

  The wolves fanned out around Mason—the bear. Foam dripped in soapy drools from their mouths. They were huge. Larger than any wolves she’d ever seen, even on television or in movies.

  Yet Mason towered over them, at least fifteen feet from his bottom paws to the tip of his raised nose.

  The wolves snarled, crouched, and inched forward in a tighter circle around him, white canines bared, looking as sharp as needles. Their frothy jaws chomped and snapped, lips curled back in dreadful menace.

  No way could one bear take on six feral wolves, intent on destruction.

  “Mason,” she cried out to him, disregarding any form of reality she thought she knew, determined to save him. “Run. Just run. Get help. Don’t do this alone. I’m safe in the tree, I’ll be okay.”

  The bear shook its head, heavy scruff swirling around its neck with the motion. He landed all four paws on the ground. And he charged.

  Dear God. She grabbed the branch with all her might.

  Terror sheeted through her like lightning.

  He trampled the first wolf with shocking ease. It lay broken on the ground, paws scratching the air, until it became stiff and motionless.

  With mighty swipes of his left then right paws, he mangled two more. But the remaining creatures still circled him, intent on meting out destruction from evil jaws.

  The scenario beneath her played out like a Shakespearian death parade. No creature was exempt from dismemberment or worse. Every act guaranteed a bloody end.

  From her perch, she watched on in horror. She distanced herself, emotionally and physically, from the man she’d trusted with her life.

  Swiftly, Mason turned into a crazed, animalistic stranger. Someone, something, unknowable. Untouchable. Untamed. Her gut told her to run, far and fast, but all she could do was hang there, high above the mayhem.