Bear Guard

by Zoe Chant

  Carrie didn’t have time to think about that strange reaction. All she could feel was a bone-deep contentment.

  Darrell was right. He was just right, and he was exactly where he should be—here. With her.

  “Okay,” he said with a little laugh. “Now don’t panic. I’ll shift as well, and then we can go explore the forest a little, so you can get used to your animal.”

  Once more, Darrell stripped down. A new waft of that intriguing scent washed over Carrie, who breathed in deeply with delight. It was so good it was making her dizzy. She wanted to wrap herself in it like a blanket.

  And then his gorgeous, muscle-bound body shimmered, and a heartbeat later, a huge bear with dark fur stood before her. She should have been scared, but this time, she was filled with nothing but delight.

  He gave her a little huff of encouragement, and then, together, they ran.

  It was the most fun Carrie’d ever had. As a child, she’d dreamed of going to an amusement park, imagining sparkling lights and thrilling rides and adventure waiting for her at every corner.

  This was all that, and so much more.

  Her cat was no longer wary. Instead, she’d come forward, a strange but comforting presence in Carrie’s mind. Her cat knew all about the forest and the rustling of mice beneath leaves. She knew just where to climb a tree, and where to jump into a patch of grass to startle a bird.

  It was the greatest adventure Carrie’d ever had—so much better than the time they’d gone on a paintball outing with the office.

  Carrie felt like an explorer, someone brave and adventurous who’d laugh at danger. Who could stand against her now?

  I’m not afraid of anyone or anything, she thought, stretching against a tree and unsheathing her claws to sharpen them against the bark.

  Yes. Just like that, her cat whispered in her mind, fierce and pleased.

  Carrie grinned at her, and then she turned her head. Darrell was behind her, the large, powerful form of the bear watching her from those light-filled brown eyes.

  A second later, Carrie had vaulted up the tree—only to turn right around again, flying through the air in a perfect, graceful arc.

  Oh my God, she thought, exhilarated and grateful while her cat purred with proud approval. And then she landed exactly on where she’d planned to land.

  Right between the bear’s shoulder blades.

  Darrell made a surprised growl, and Carrie rubbed her head briefly against his ear. His scent was stronger here, and something about the thought of his scent all over her made her feel giddy with adoration.

  And then she was off again, jumping onto the springy forest floor to race off, zig-zagging between trees while Darrell came racing behind her.

  She couldn’t talk, but even so she knew exactly what he was feeling. Maybe it was the sharper senses of the cat that told her: Darrell was filled with joy and amusement, just as she was. She hoped the breathless game of hunt would never end.

  And it didn’t end—not until they stumbled into a light-filled clearing at the heart of the forest an hour later. The sunlight came falling in through the canopy of the trees that surrounded the clearing. The ground was dappled with sunlight, little spots of gold and silver and green moving continuously, as though the sun-warmed grass beneath their feet was a shifting ocean of verdant light.

  Among the grass, patches of wild flowers bloomed, filling the air with their sweet scent. There were poppies and cornflowers and snapdragons, and a hundred flowers Carrie didn’t recognize.

  If I live here, I’ll have to get a book about flowers and trees, and I’ll spend an hour outside every day, just learning all there is to know about nature.

  And mice, her cat purred contentedly in her head. I’ll teach you all about mice, and where to find sweet water, and how the sunlight shifts.

  Yes, Carrie whispered back, exhausted but still filled with that giddiness that had overcome her at this first experience of being who she really was.

  Could I live here? I can’t imagine anything I want more... but I’ve got a job, a home, payments on my car. Maybe this is all just a beautiful dream...

  Then Darrell nearly barreled into her, his jaw open a little as he panted. The sunlight drew golden shimmers on his beautiful, black fur. His eyes were shining at her, and right then, right there, Carrie knew that she’d never felt happier in her life.

  And she’d never been more in love.

  It was as if something else had taken over. She couldn’t consciously remember shifting back—but from one moment to the next, that lightness came streaming through her once more, little bubbles of happiness and excitement bursting all beneath her skin.

  And then, just like that, she was human once more.

  Darrell had shifted back at the same moment. He was gloriously naked, as was Carrie, and with the sunlight warm on her skin, wrapping her arms around him seemed like the most natural thing in the world all of a sudden.

  Darrell groaned. His skin was hot. His eyes were still filled with the strange light that had drawn her to him right from the start. He was damp with sweat from their run, so Carrie reached up and gently stroked her thumb along his brow.

  His breath came in little pants against her hand. For a moment, neither of them moved. Heat was rushing through Carrie, a hot jolt of electricity racing through her veins, from her fingertips right to the core of her.

  Her belly clenched with sudden, urgent need. She couldn’t look away from his eyes.

  And then he rolled them around, and his mouth was on hers.

  The kiss was overwhelming. Blindly, Carrie found herself clutching at Darrell’s strong shoulders. She couldn’t think of anything but how good he felt. No one had ever kissed her like this. His lips were hot on hers. Her entire body was on fire. Against her thigh, she could feel his arousal—and she wanted more. She needed more, with every fiber of her being.

  What did it matter if it was just a fling? What she had right now was real—and it was probably the best thing that had ever happened to her. She didn’t care if it wouldn’t last.

  Right now, Darrell wanted her, and she wanted him too, more than anything. For this afternoon, that was all that mattered.

  With a groan, Darrell propped himself up on one elbow. His eyes were so dark and wide with lust they seemed nearly black.

  “Do you want—” he began.

  “Yes,” Carrie breathed, smoothing her hand in awe down the strong, corded muscles of his back. She’d never felt so much tightly controlled power before. “God, yes. I want you. All of you.”

  He swallowed. Fascinated, she watched the muscles of his throat move. A drop of moisture slid down his damp skin, glistening in the sun, and she found herself fighting the sudden urge to lean forward and lap it away.

  “I’ve got nothing on me,” he said then. “We’d have to go back—”

  “I’m on birth control,” Carrie said, suddenly gleefully happy she’d gone for that IUD last year.

  At the time, she hadn’t thought of how one day, she might end up in an accident, and stranded in a forest with a gorgeous, sexy, charismatic stranger who could turn into a bear—but now she was glad that some part of her had apparently had that foresight.

  Darrell’s eyes darkened even more at her words. Against her thigh, she could feel him pulse with need for her.

  The wild part inside of her that had felt so light and free before was all heavy and warm now. She was wet with arousal, her entire body throbbing, as though she'd waited her whole life to be touched by a man like him.

  "Please," she breathed, looking up into those gorgeous, golden-brown eyes.

  And then, at her words, he groaned and leaned down. His mouth covered hers, just as his body pushed her into the grass.

  His hips moved against her. The iron-hard length of his erection slid against her wet folds. She gasped at the touch, barely able to wait anymore. Instinctively, her hips rose. She clutched at his shoulders again, moaning at his scent, which overwhelmed her, like a cloud of pure desire
.

  And then he was inside her.

  The sensation made her cry out. She'd never been loud before, but this time she couldn’t hold back. Her heart was racing so fast in her chest she thought it would burst. She needed him so badly that it was a physical ache. And he felt so good inside her, filling her so perfectly that all she could do was hold on to him as he began claiming her with thrust after thrust.

  Every motion sent a wave of pleasure through her. It was like being a ship being rocked by a storm, desire and pleasure overwhelming her like an irresistible force of nature.

  They'd been meant to come together like this. Somehow, someway, she'd always been supposed to find him, to touch him. She was meant to be claimed by this man who could made her entire body sing with an ecstasy unlike anything she'd ever known—and who could make desire throb thick and sweet between them with just a single look or touch.

  Sunlight was still shining down on them. The clearing smelled of flowers and warm grass. And beneath it all, there was the thick, warm scent of male desire that drove her wild.

  With every thrust of his hips, pleasure pulsed through her, bright and sweet. She gasped for air as she threw back her head, looking up at him as her thighs clenched around his hips, hoping he'd stay inside her like this forever, hoping it would go on and on and on...

  And then the pleasure crested and broke, and she cried out again.

  Her orgasm rolled through her, making her clench around him as she buried her hands in his hair with a little sob.

  She could feel his teeth against her throat, his groan vibrating against her skin as he throbbed inside her with the force of his own climax. Every muscle of his incredible body had tensed. For one sweet, long moment, they were flying together, the pleasure vibrating between them like a ribbon or a chain, something strong that bound them together and couldn't be cut by anyone or anything.

  At last, he slid out of her with another groan. He raised a hand to brush a strand of hair out of her face. His eyes were golden, filled with warmth as he looked down at her.

  "That was incredible," she said, still out of breath.

  Had she really just had sex with a stranger, out in the open, in the middle of the forest?

  But he's a bear, and I'm a cat. That's as weird as it gets. Sex with a hot stranger doesn't even come close on the scale of day-to-day weirdness.

  He's not a stranger, the soft voice inside her whispered once more. He's ours.

  Can I hear you even when I'm not a cat?

  Her inner animal sent a wave of amusement her way.

  Okay, stupid question. Clearly I can.

  Carrie found herself smiling at the thought. Maybe it was weird... but at the same time, it wasn't at all like sharing a body with a stranger. It was more like finally finding out that a part of her that had been there all along had a name.

  He is ours, she then thought in agreement as she followed the line a drop of sweat had taken with the tip of her finger.

  Darrell's skin was hot. And now, it smelled of her, too. Her scent was all over his skin. And her scent was all over his.

  Why is that so hot?

  It was hot. She wanted to wrap herself in that deep, earthy, spicy scent that said Darrell. She wanted to wear it like a blanket and roll around in it. Even now, although she was still exhausted from the most incredible sex she'd ever had, it made her stomach tighten and her clit pulse again.

  Incredible, she thought again, awed and exhausted, and then simply rested her head on his shoulder, content to doze in his embrace for a while.

  Chapter Eight: Darrell

  “Any news about that wolf yet?” Darrell asked into the phone.

  “Nothing.” Chris sounded tired.

  For how long had they searched for tracks and further clues last night?

  “There’s someone in the lab who owes me a favor,” Chris continued. “He promised me details on the car tomorrow.”

  Annoyed, Darrell frowned at the window in front of him. Just how long did these things take?

  “Forget the car,” Chris said, as if he’d read his thoughts. “Concentrate on the wolf. We’re shifters. There are things we don’t need a lab for. Let me do the police part—and you and the rest of the clan all keep an eye open for that werewolf.”

  “Sure thing,” Darrell said. It wasn’t like he’d let his mate out of his sight anyway. Not now, not when he’d just found her, and when someone had nearly killed her. “What about her boss? And that case she mentioned?”

  “Now that’s promising.” Chris sounded a little distracted, and there was the faint sound of typing. “Nothing in the official files, of course, but there’s someone I know—a shifter. She’s got friends in that department and promised me to ask around for anything unusual.”

  “Like werewolves.”

  “Like werewolves,” Chris replied seriously. “What about Carrie, did she remember any further details? Any trouble with shifters in her own past?”

  Darrell made an annoyed sound. “She didn’t even know she was a shifter. Can you believe that? And she forgot most things about the accident. She just remembers the oncoming lights—and then running through the forest as a cat. She thought it was all a nightmare.”

  “She didn’t know?” Even through the phone, Darrell could hear Chris’s shock. “Is she okay now?”

  “I think so.” Heat rose in Darrell once more when he thought of the way they’d run through the forest together, playfully chasing each other—until they’d found that secluded clearing, and he’d finally found out what it was to make love to his mate.

  “We talked. I taught her how to shift. She’s taking it well now, after the shock wore off. At first, I think she thought I was insane—some sort of weirdo living in the forest who believes in monsters and fairy tales.”

  Chris’s amused snort came loud and clear through the phone. “You, of all people! I think she came to just the right person. You’re a good worker, Darrell. Good with wood. And good with the cubs. The clan’s proud to have you. I couldn’t think of a better teacher for her.”

  Darrell hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke the words he’d been wanting to say. “Also, she’s my mate.”

  For a moment, there was stunned silence.

  “Seriously? Congratulations!” Chris said, excitement in his voice. “And it’s about time you found someone!”

  “Now we just need to figure out what the hell was going on with that wolf and the accident,” Darrell said, satisfaction flooding through him at Chris’s praise.

  The sheriff was a good alpha, and a good husband and father, from what Darrell had seen. And if Chris could help an entire clan of bear shifters to settle peacefully in the small town of Linden Creek, then surely the least Darrell could do was to properly woo his mate.

  “Keep an eye out when you’re out in the forest,” Chris repeated. “And keep an eye on her. It’s too much of a coincidence.”

  “And the werewolf came after us,” Darrell agreed. “He has to be connected to the accident.”

  “If we could only find that car,” Chris murmured. Once more there was the faint sound of clicking. “Hold on, Darrell—I just got a lead. Lab results aren’t here yet, but a few counties over, they just found an abandoned truck in a forest, close to the road. And it’s all banged up in a conspicuous way—as though it rammed someone head-on. I’m going to head out there right away. Forget the lab, I want to take a sniff around that car. And if I smell wolf—”

  “Then we know we’ve got him,” Darrell muttered. “Take care, boss.”

  “Will do. And you keep her out of trouble, understood? At the first sign of danger, you get the clan. And don’t let her move into that cabin by the lake, at least not without setting a watch over it.”

  Again heat pooled in Darrell’s belly. “I think I can make her stay where it’s safe,” he said.

  There was nothing and no one that could tear him away from his mate, werewolf or no.

  Chris laughed. “Good. I’ll call you as so
on as I know more.”

  Darrell stretched when Chris ended the call. He was sitting in the lounge of the bed and breakfast once more.

  Carrie had gone to shower and change after their wild run. He’d promised to take her to the sheriff’s office again, and then explore the town some more—but with Chris on his way to the suspicious wreck in the forest, that left them all day to spend however they liked.

  “Everything okay?” Carrie asked when she finally came down the stairs. Angela was off in the kitchen, after having supplied them with sandwiches and a pitcher of lemonade.

  Darrell smiled at her, appreciating the way her curves filled her shirt as she moved closer. “The sheriff thinks he got a lead on the car that might have hit you. He’s out of town to check up on it. Apparently waiting for lab results would take a few more days.”

  “It’s kind of him to do that,” Carrie said. “I’m really not used to people being so generous. Everyone here has been so lovely. Angela’s delicious food, the clothes from the sheriff’s wife, and... well. And you, of course.”

  Darrell laughed, his voice low as he pulled her into his arms. “I promise you, what I feel for you isn’t kindness,” he murmured.

  She shivered as he pressed a kiss to her throat. A new wave of desire hit him together with her scent wafting up—it smelled sweet and thick and utterly delicious, like wild honey hidden in the forest, or cool cream.

  And deeper than the sharp, physical desire that made him harden with sudden need once more, something else called out for him. Something true and deep that seemed to vibrate between them, like an invisible field of energy. Like a bond that connected them, and which drew him towards her with a force that was impossible to resist.

  “I’m going to keep watch over you, if that’s alright with you,” he murmured thickly, trying to think through the haze of desire. “Sheriff asked me to keep an eye on you while he’s gone. Just in case that werewolf shows his face again.”

  “The sheriff trusts you a lot,” Carrie murmured, pressing her copious curves against him.