by Amy Star
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I do. That man has been exploiting your powers for his own gain for years. It’s time someone paid you for everything you do.” He took his eyes off the road for a second and looked at her in the darkness. “Deal?”
“Deal,” Coral said.
She watched his face as he drove, wishing that he’d been the one that she’d met and married so young, instead of the monster who had hidden behind a winning smile.
But she couldn’t go back, even as powerful as she was. She just had to make do with what she had and thank her lucky stars that her baby was alright.
They drove down the dirt road for quite some time before it angled upward, and they took the road that would one day be the well-maintained fire road Clara used to get to the cabin. Sam pulled up to the little house, putting the car in park and carrying Coral’s things inside while she walked in with the still sleeping baby.
“I’ll make a fire for you, and I’ll check on you every day if you want me to.”
“That’s sweet, but you don’t have to.”
“I want to, Coral. I can’t help thinking that you wouldn’t be in this miss if we had just—”
“And I wouldn’t have Caroline,” Coral interrupted him, cupping his cheek in her hand.
He closed his eyes and sighed.
“You deserved better, but I was too busy amassing a fortune to realize how wonderful you were until it was too late.”
“It’s never too late.” Coral leaned in, kissing him gently before she stepped back and smiled shyly. “I’ll work on that spell, and I’ll let you know when it takes.”
“Alright,” he said, looking like he didn’t know what to do. “I guess I’ll check on you in a couple days. There’s a week’s worth of dry food in the pantry, and some fresh food in the refrigerator. I bought into these solar panel things, and they work pretty well. I wouldn’t trust the freezer, but as they get more efficient, I’ll upgrade the system.”
“You don’t have to,” she said, but he waved her off.
“Please, Coral. Let me help.”
She nodded.
“Okay,” she said, looking down at Caroline, who was starting to awaken. “I’ll see you soon?”
“In a week or less, promise.”
He smiled when he dug in his pocket.
“Here’s a check for you. I thought about opening an account for you in your name, but I knew you would want to do that yourself.”
She looked at the check, shocked.
“This is too much,” she said, but he ignored her offer to return it.
“I’ll be back soon,” he said again, heading for the door. “Work on that spell, Coral, and I’ll see you soon.”
She nodded, fresh tears springing to her eyes when he kissed her again and left before she could talk him into staying. Coral watched the headlights disappear then closed the door and used her magic to lock it tight.
“Only a witch will be able to open this door,” she said to Caroline, who cooed and blew bubbles excitedly. “And I’m going to cast a spell that will protect us all for the rest of time.”
Clara’s eyes flew open, and she sucked in a deep breath of air like a woman who had nearly drowned.
“It’s okay, I’m here,” Taralyn said, still holding Clara’s hand tightly. “What did you see?”
Clara looked around, surprised to see that Mason, Amos, and the children were there, too.
“You couldn’t see it, Taralyn?”
“The vision was only for you. I was just a conduit to help you get there.”
“I saw my grandmother,” she said. “She’s the one that cast the spell.”
“How do we break it?” Mason asked.
“We don’t. The spell won’t break until the laws change. We’re not the problem but protecting us was the only solution. If a witch or a shifter knows they can’t have a child with a human, they will seek out their own kind.”
She explained what she had seen, going into great detail so they could envision what she was describing.
“Wait, did you say Sam?” Mason said.
“I did, why?”
“Did he come back?”
“No,” Clara said, shaking her head. “I don’t know how I know that, but it was the last time she ever saw him.”
“I know why.”
They all turned and looked at Mason, waiting for him to explain.
“Sam Jones was my grandfather. My grandmother was a human woman, and when she realized that raising a werebear child, even one that was half human, could be so difficult, she walked away and never looked back. So, my grandfather hired a nanny. When my father was seven, he left late one night, and he never came home.
He got in a car accident, but my father said the nanny always believed it wasn’t an accident. It wasn’t long after his sister, Lillian, was killed by her own husband. There’s no way that’s a coincidence. Now that I know what you’ve told me, I’m sure that Coral’s ex-husband had something to do with it.”
“My grandmother was in love with your grandfather, but they never went beyond a kiss. Her heart was broken when he didn’t come back, and she almost ripped up the check, but she needed it to survive.”
“And the spell?”
“At your grandfather’s request, and like I said, it isn’t going to break until the world changes.”
“Clara, are you okay?” Amos said, sounding a little unnerved.
“I’m fine, why?”
Taralyn looked at her then, her eyes growing wide when she looked at the floor.
“What?” Clara asked again.
“Clara, your water just broke.”
*
Doctor Adams breezed into the living room of the small cabin, looking around and smiling. He was older, at least seventy-five.
“I’ve been here before,” he said, settling in by the bed in the master bedroom. “You’re pretty far into your labor, so there’s not going to be time for any pain management.”
“Just get the baby out,” she said through gritted teeth, while Taralyn wiped her face with a cool cloth and Mason held her hand.
“Will do,” the doctor said with a chuckle.
Clara closed her eyes, trying to block out the pain and focus on her breathing. When Doctor Adams told her to push, she did as he asked, Mason cheering her on and Taralyn trying to keep her comfortable.
“One more big one,” the doctor said, smiling at her from his spot at the end of the bed.
She almost yelled at him for being too cheery, but the urge to push was too much, and with a loud, warrior cry, she pushed one last time, and then there was silence.
Clara held her breath, so tense that she was sitting partially upright. When there was a tiny whimper, followed by a loud wail, she fell back against the bed, exhausted and crying tears of joy.
Taralyn left her then, helping the doctor clean the baby and bringing the tiny bundle back to her wrapped in a thin blanket.
She handed the baby to Clara, who looked down into the sweet face and cried even harder, laughing as the joy overwhelmed her. She looked to the doctor, and he smiled.
“You did a great job,” he said. “You really didn’t even need me.” He smiled at Taralyn. “You did an amazing job getting everything ready in such a short time.”
“I used to want to be a midwife,” she said shyly.
“Well, I’m not getting any younger,” he said. “And if I understand Mason’s plans here on this mountain, they’re going to need a midwife on-hand. How would you feel about shadowing me and learning?”
Taralyn looked at Mason and Clara, her face a mix of disbelief and childlike awe at the opportunity.
“Say yes,” Clara said, shaking her head and laughing. “I couldn’t have lasted this long without you.”
“Should I?”
“Yes,” the three of them said in unison.
“Alright, I’ll do it.”
“Good, because I could use some help while these two get to know thei
r new little girl.”
The doctor and Taralyn left the room after gathering everything up, closing the door quietly behind them.
“You were amazing,” Mason said, kissing the top of Clara’s head then kissing the baby.
“You were my rock.”
“I can’t believe how perfect she is, though she doesn’t have your red hair.” He laughed. “I hope she has her mother’s charm and her knack for spells.”
“That sounds more like a curse,” Clara laughed.
“If she’s just like you, I’ll be happy.”
“And if she’s her own little person?”
“I’ll be ecstatic.” He was quiet for a moment, and Clara could feel him carefully choosing his words before he spoke. “We didn’t talk about names,” he said.
“I’m glad we didn’t,” she said.
“Do you have something in mind?”
“Now, I do. I was thinking about Samantha, after your grandfather. He’s the only reason that my grandmother survived, and he’s the reason that my family lives here. Without him, I wouldn’t have met you, and she wouldn’t be here.”
Mason tried to speak, but he had to stop and compose himself.
“What about a middle name?”
“I haven’t gotten that far.”
“What about Coralynn? A mix of your grandmother’s and your mother’s names?”
“I love it. And I love that our child will honor our grandparents, who never got to know the love they shared. She’s brought me hope, and I think she would’ve done the same for them, had they lived.”
“Our grandparents would be so proud,” Mason said, kissing Samantha on top of her soft head again and taking her when Clara handed her over.
“You know what?” Clara said, closing her eyes and seeing them both very clearly. “I think they already are.
* *
Hey sexy. Thanks for reading, you are the best!
This book is from the “Bears With Money” series and all the other available books are listed below.
BOOK 1 – THE BEAR'S FAKE BRIDE
BOOK 2 – THE BEARS SECRET SURROGATE
BOOK 3 – THE BEAR'S NANNY
BOOK 4 – THE BEARS TRIPLETS
BOOK 5 – HER HERO WAS A BEAR..
BOOK 6 – THE BEAR'S HOUSE GUEST
Go grab a bear with money right now and collect them all!
You are a star!
Amy x
*
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