by Amanda Jones
Chapter Eight: Coming Home
The faint hiss of the machines was the first sound she heard upon waking, the second was Holden's voice. Emily raised up on the pillows and asked how long she'd been there.
"A few days." He answered as he snaked his hand through the bed rails to hold her hand.
"How did you know I was here?" she asked him; confused and a bit disoriented.
"They called the last person on your call list which was me. I came as soon as they called."
"So you've been here three days?" She couldn't believe that was true. She hadn't even spoken to him since that night in the tattoo shop, nor gave him chance to explain.
"Yes, I wanted to be here when you woke up. Why didn't you tell me, Emily?"
Why? How do I tell you that? 'Hello, I'm dying, would love a hook-up, ok thanks bye'.
"Why haven't you told me why you bolted from me like you were on fire?" she asked, turning the tables.
"You've not let me." He whispered; his head down.
"Ok, so, tell me."
Holden tried to explain how he used to be; how the endless hookups had grown tiring and that he was swearing off sex in the hopes of kindling a real relationship. He spoke of true loves and fated mates.
"So you can't have sex?"
"Oh I can, I just vowed not to."
"Until when?"
"Mid December."
She did the math, realizing that she'd probably not make it that long.
"And there's another thing I haven't told you." He looked away when he spoke. He knew this may be the one thing that made him lose her.
"Yes?" He's married, oh god, he's married I knew it.
"I'm a bear shifter."
"You're a what?" she leaned in, sure she didn't hear him correctly.
"I'm a bear shifter, Emily"
The room was quiet for a while as she processed it. What would this mean, exactly? Was she strong enough to accept this?
"You know, one of my online friends is married to a wolf shifter."
And that was it. No questions, no answers, just that. She laid there and rested as he held her hand. Soon she'd be strong enough to leave the hospital, and when she was he'd be taking her home to live with him. No questions, no answers, just that. For as long as they had.
Chapter Nine: Two Check Offs
It had been a few weeks since they returned from the hospital. Emily was growing stronger under Holden's 24/7 care. He'd shifted a few times in her presence, and where he'd always felt ashamed and less of a man for it, she laughed and loved it - making him stronger than ever.
That night, while curled up together in bed, Emily's hand went to his inner thigh. Softly stroking upwards, he felt his cock grow hard.
"Emily, baby, I don't think we should. It'd take all your strength."
"How about we make a deal.'
Interesting, what does she want to bargain?
"What deal?"
"One tremendously powerful night of sex, and then I promise we will be good for the rest of the time I'm here." Neither of them counted days or weeks anymore, they knew it was going to happen and didn't want to be reminded of how close it was. "I'll knock 'one time fling' off my list and be able to scratch off 'find true love' as well."
"Are you sure?" he didn't want to do anything to hurt her or lessen the time he had, but he knew it was just as important to her as it was to him.
"Completely. I want you and your bear to know everything about me, every gasp and sigh, every curve and feature."
Holden buried his face in her neck, not needing to be told twice. His lips found hers and parted her lips to kiss her deeply. His hands went under her, finding her wetness and teased her clit. She sighed deeply in his ear as her hands worked to graze his cock with her fingernails.
"Don't you dare hold back, promise me that." She murmured into his bare flesh.
"I won't, I promise, hold on." He growled as he tossed her back onto the bed. He had the strength of ten men as he picked her up effortlessly and slid her onto his lap. He teased her gently at first, easing just an inch or so inside her wet folds. Just barely easing it in and out, making her crazed with longing. His teeth nibbled at her nipples, bringing his tongue to lick at the corners of her breasts.
"Oh you're driving me crazy, Holden." She gasped.
"Really, let me speed that up then. Buckle up." He roared as he plunged her fully onto his erect cock. He twitched and grew inside of her as he felt her inner walls contract and expand around him. Her essence oozed all around him and her muscles milked his cock of every drop of pre-cum. Over and over again he drove himself deep within her, stretching her as he continued to grow. Long and hard, he pounded her as he ground her clit over his pelvis, causing her to shudder.
Her breath was ragged, her pulse raced, and he could sense her blood pressure rise. She had never experience raw lust and the animalistic force that was driving him to fuck her as hard as he was. She kept finding herself at the brink of orgasm only to have him slow down and wait for it to subside before drilling back into her.
She was right on the edge, breath coming in spurts, when he threw her up off of him and dangled her above his mouth. Tongue out, he pulled her down on to it and licked her as if she was the last water spot in the desert. Sucking and biting her thighs, she came violently on his face, gasping and moaning his name over and over again.
That was all he needed to bring himself right to where he needed to be as he pushed her back onto the bed and dove back inside her with a force of nature. His cock darted in and out of her before exploding inside. She could feel it hit, sending spurt after spurt of his hot cum deep within her.
Tired, worn, and thoroughly spent, they curled around each other.
"Did you mean what you said earlier?" he asked her as she played with the little tufts of fur that poked up from time to time.
"Which part?" she wondered.
"When you said that about being able to cross off true love." He knew he loved her, but he wanted to hear that she loved him too. Needed that.
"Yes, completely. I love you Holden, you have to know that by now."
"I love you too." He smiled, wrapping her up in his strong arms, vowing to care for her all of her days. He'd protect her from anything that could harm her. He'd be the man she needed him to be; the man he'd always wanted to be.
Chapter Ten: Holden, Holding On
"You can have the shop, Jason" Holden said before he even was seated. He agreed to meet up with Jason to talk about what had been going on, and about him overseeing the shop for a while.
"Whoa dude, slow down, just talk to me."
Holden spilled everything about what was going on. How he had already had sex and was going to spend the rest of Emily's days with her. He had the savings to last a few months and he didn't want to waste moments he could be making memories with her. The shop would be there next year, Emily however wouldn't.
"Holden, you seriously think I'd take the shop over that?"
"I was hoping you'd manage it while I was gone, actually"
Jason looked at his friend, saw the pain in his eyes that peeked through the beaming happiness that radiated in his face. He knew it would be the happiest and the saddest time of his life already, he needed someone to keep his life running while he stopped. Jason knew he'd be that someone.
"Of course man, of course. Now, tell me all about Emily"
Two hours later, Holden was walking down the sidewalk in the misting rain. He stopped at the flower stand and picked up some flowers and made his way to his lonely apartment, made not so lonely by the new presence of Emily.
My girlfriend, Emily.
It was then he realized what he wanted to do, what he'd always wanted to do.
"Emily, I'm home honey." He called as soon as he got to the doorway.
"In here" she called back from the far bedroom.
He walked in, smiled, and stood in the arch separating the bedroom from the hall.
"What?" she quizzed him, ha
lf smirking.
"You know I love you right?"
"Of course I do, why? What's wrong?" she was starting to get alarmed which set off fits of coughing.
Holden rushed to her side and held her as the coughs subsided.
"I just wanted to know if you'd be my wife?" he asked as he pulled out a small diamond ring and placed it in her hand.
"There's no future with me, Holden"
"Oh baby, that's where you're wrong. There's no future without you."
Preview of Bearly Hanging On: Book Two
A man who took a vow of celibacy meets a woman with nothing to lose. Sparks fly for these fated mates, but to what end?
Holden couldn't believe he finally met his one true love after vowing to withhold from sex and women. His goal of taking it slow and building something that would last a lifetime was firmly in the cross-hairs.
Emily had nothing to lose. With only months left to live, there is no slow and there is no more lifetime left for her. She's the fast-track that Holden wasn't prepared to meet.
Can a miracle keep these two together and give them their happily ever after?
Get it FREE on Kindle Unlimited or only 99cents to Buy on AMAZON
About the Author
Wednesday Raven is the quiet one in the group. A southern born child of the dark night, she is more at home in graveyards than a night club. Growing up on the myth and lore of New Orleans and Savannah, she is passionate about creating a thriving community of ravens that hunt by day and seek out their mates by night.
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Rogue Bear
By Amelia Jade
Rogue Bear
Calan
Warm air thick with water billowed through the lowered windows of his truck as he meandered through the mountain road. A quick sniff of the air told him it was going to rain shortly, although he already knew that. The dark, ominous clouds in the distance told him the same story, even as he continued to head towards them.
His destination lay that way, and Calan Winters was not interested in a detour or setback. Like Pacific Ocean salmon, he was returning home, set on finding a mate. A smile tugged at his lips as he thought about what happened next to the fish. Although it wouldn't be the first time someone had attempted to end his life, Calan was hoping that the mate he sought wouldn't be so quick to shoot.
Cresting a small rise, the town of Bear Bluffs came into his view. With his goal in sight, his foot nudged the gas pedal slightly closer to the floor. He wondered if the Bear-Bluff's Quencher was still in business. Until he had left town over a decade and a half earlier, the Quencher was the only bar in town.
The building was still standing, as was the old, hand painted sign across the top. There were only several cars outside at this time of day, which was unsurprising. Pushing his way through the swinging door, he took a deep whiff of the interior, memories washing over him.
The sweet, stickly smell of wood cleaner was mixed heavily with that of peanuts, beer and things best left labeled as 'other'. The few patrons that were in there looked over at him, assessing the intruder amongst their mix. Bear shifters were larger than normal humans, but even for them Calan was massive, reaching five inches over six feet in height, his massive tattooed arms bulging as he picked his way between two tables, headed for the long, faded wood of the bar.
"Gimme your finest house ale," he rumbled, the hardwood chair groaning under his weight as he sat down. The small, comely waitress gave him a big smile, her pupils dilating slightly as she took him in.
Calan was used to those looks, having had his share of women over the years because of it. The over-makeuped, low-cut shirt and short skirt look of the skinny brunette just wasn't his style anymore. He wanted something more, someone with some meat on her bones that he wasn't going to break when he had his way with her.
What Calan really wanted was a mate.
"You're sitting in my chair." The strong female voice sounded from behind him just as the bartender delivered his beer. He glanced quickly at the bartender, looking for his reaction. There was no worry, anger, or any other emotion there, simply the face of a man doing his job. Taking that into consideration, Calan took his time reacting.
Taking a long, slow sip of the delicious draught, the taste of barley, malt and hops swimming around his tongue, Calan turned around, his eyes hooded. Although he had lived a rough life, one thing he had always prided himself on was manners. Whenever someone was rude to him, he didn't like it.
The sun was shining through several streaky stained-glass windows, forcing him to wait a moment as his eyes focused on the icy blue orbs staring back at him. His dick hardened to the point of pain as she came into focus, giving him the best glare she could muster. The heat of it washed over him, barely affecting the thoughts going through his head.
She was tall, likely falling just shy of six feet he told himself as he took her in fully. The plain white t-shirt she wore accentuated her large, round breasts, and soft, pleasant belly. The long, beautiful blonde hair that fell down past her shoulders may have been the only thing about her that screamed feminine, but she was all woman, and all his.
What the fuck?!
The last thought startled him at first, but Calan Winters realized he had found his mate. The thought itself was crazy, for he knew fated mate's were just a myth, not something that existed. Still, he could not deny the way his body reacted to this woman. She caused a reaction within him simply from standing there that most women couldn't get without using their full skillset.
His first instinct was to surge to his feet, bend her over the bar and have his way with her. He couldn't though, despite the throbbing cock contained within his jeans. He tightened his fingers on the bottle of beer and gripped his chair with the other to keep him inert. The roaring of his bear was so loud he could have sworn it was audible to the others in the room.
"I said, you're sitting in my chair," she replied after a moment, though her voice had lost some of its gusto after their eyes met.
"My apologies," he replied politely, gracefully swinging himself out of the seat and down into the one next to it, never once breaking eye contact with this mysterious woman. His cock was straining towards her, drawn like a powerful magnet.
With a sniff of derision at his lack of willingness to leave, she took the seat and gestured to the bartender. The look did not go unnoticed by Calan, who understood that she was a regular here, enough that whoever was behind the bar knew what she wanted when she came in at this time of day.
"Excuse me..." he left it open, hoping to get her name and strike up a conversation.
"Yes?" she replied brusquely, not looking over at him.
"Could you be so kind as to point out to me where on the chair I missed that it was yours?" If she wanted to play games that was fine with Calan. He was a master at playing games. There was an attraction between them, he had felt it immediately, there was no way she had not. Now all he had to do was get her to admit to it. The first step was eye contact.
Rolling her eyes in disdain, the mystery woman turned to look at him briefly, giving him an 'are you for real?' type of look, before turning back to her now ready drink. Still, he had caught another glimpse of those beautiful topaz eyes, enough to set his body on edge as he fought down his bear.
Taking his time, he tested the air discretely, trying to get a better feel for her. The faint scent of smoke, along with something beneath it that bespoke of her natural aroma wafted over to him. It was enough to let him know she was a shifter too, a bear like him. It explained her size relative to most, as bear shifters were large.
The smoke threw him off, forcing Calan to take another sniff to identify it. It wasn't tobacco smoke he realized, but something closer to that of burnt wood, charred trees or something similar. It was
faint, but not something he would ever forget smelling after being trapped in a burning building several years back.
"I never did get your name, Miss," he started again, doing his best to get her to talk.
"No, you didn't," she replied gruffly. To his well-travelled ear, it sounded forced, almost as if she was trying to make him think she was angry when she wasn't.
"So, how's things going today Harley?" The bartender spoke up nonchalantly as he came back over, wiping the counter clean of whatever imaginary dust only he could see.
"Not bad Jeb, not bad. Heading in to the station soon, see what's going on today. Hopefully those idiot's at the campgrounds can keep things in check today."
"I hope so, for their sake and yours," he replied before moving away to wipe down an already clean section of the bar again.
It might have been his imagination, but Calan got the feeling that the bartender had asked her that on purpose, to help him out. He was studiously cleaning the wood until it gleamed, not meeting either of the two gazes currently trained on him.
