Red's Bear (Erotic Shifter Fairy Tales)

by Hines, Yvette

  “Congrats, Gordon.” Greta told him then yelled a greeting in the direction of the stands.

  Rena spotted a pretty dark-skinned black woman in the stands appearing to be in the middle stages of pregnancy holding her hand up and giving a finger wave.

  “You all have room for one more?” Greta asked. “This is Rena, Genma’s granddaughter. She’s staying there for a little while. Rena this is Kaley, Natasha, Blake, Gordon, Stephen, Lacey, Marcella, John, Chris, Rand and Tim Bjorn, Cord’s cousin.” Greta ticked off each person in the large group.

  Rena could see the family resemblance in Tim’s features even though his hair was dark and Cord’s was wheat blonde. The women gave her a friendly nod, but each of the men came to her and took her hand, she thought they would shake it, but instead they all seemed to bow their heads slightly and sniff it. She wasn’t even going to attempt to decipher the odd custom.

  “I don’t mind at all if she joins in,” Rand, a café au lait complexioned black man, announced still holding her hand.

  With a tug, Rena pulled it away and took a small step back. Realizing that Greta was referring to her as the extra, Rena chimed in, “Uh, that’s not necessary. Seems like you all already have an equal number with Greta, I can sit on the bench.”

  “Come on, Rena, you will have fun.”

  Shaking her head, Rena began, “I’ll be fin—”

  “If you don’t play, Rena, then I’ll have to sit out.”

  Cold chills of shock ran up her spine that turned into hot sparks as the sensation spread into the rest of her body. Rena didn’t have to turn around to see that the deep, husky voice belonged to Cord. The man she thought she’d escaped hours ago.

  “Cord!” The petite Asian woman named Marcella’s eyes became extremely bright and the smile on her face almost made it from one ear to the other as she turned and saw him.

  Rena almost expected the woman to start clapping and jumping up and down in a cheer of Cord’s unexpected presence. The heat that previously was radiating through Rena’s body settled in her stomach and seemed to cause her blood to boil at the woman’s response. Disregarding both the girl and her own odd emotions, Rena slowly turned and faced Cord.

  The man looked amazing in a navy blue shirt and light colored denim jeans, different from what he’d been wearing earlier when she’d left him leaning against his hoe—another white shirt and dark gray jeans.

  “I thought you were working?” Rena tried to keep her tone matter of fact, neutral as if she didn’t care where Cord was or what he was doing with his time.

  His dark gaze was fixed on her, the look he gave her was so direct and intense she would have sworn everyone else around them had disappeared.

  She had to swallow and inhale several times to keep her heart in check as it started to speed up. However, she wished she hadn’t because she picked up the woodsy combination of White Fir and nutmeg—nature’s erotic bouquet. It amazed her how Cord’s distinct earthy spice scent could be detected by her among all the other people.

  “Then it’s all settled. Cord you can be on Gordon’s team and I will take Rena on mine.” Tim spoke up before Rena could voice further objections.

  Not wanting to appear like a killjoy, Rena said, “Okay.” And hoped her strength held. Passing out before everyone would be an embarrassment she could do without.

  Everyone began to disperse, filing out to either one of the two benches behind home plate or to the field to take positions. However, Cord didn’t go either way, instead he took a few steps toward her making the gap between them smaller. His scent enveloped her, making her mind hazy and her body tighten.

  Studying her for a moment, he asked, “Are you sure you’re okay…with playing?”

  The assessing look he gave her was making her uncomfortable, he could possibly see too much. Personal things about herself she didn’t want to reveal. Her illness had already caused one man to walk out of her life and Cord wasn’t even hers. Nor do I want him to be. She told herself.

  “Of course, why wouldn’t I be?” Lifting an eyebrow she dared him to question her decision. This man didn’t know her. No matter how strong her body seemed to respond to him. “It’s just a simple community game of softball.”

  With a short shake of his head, he said, “Yes, but it can be intense to say the least. Not to mention Den residents are extremely competitive.”

  Never really into sports before, she considered changing her mind at his words. Last thing she wanted to do was to cost her team the game and have to worry about disappointing the new associates she had made. Proof she was the weakest link. Nervous, she licked her lips.

  Cord must have picked up on her reaction to his words, because he placed a wide, strong hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. You’ll do fine.”

  “Hey, Cord, you going to let her play ball or mark her?” Gordon called out from first base.

  Mark me?

  With a lopsided smile he winked at her then started walking away, but not before she heard him say, “Maybe both.”

  With a puckered brow, Rena walked to the bench where most of her teammates were waiting to bat. Marcella was in position at home plate waiting for the slow-pitch from Kaley, who occupied the mound. As soon as Cord took up the outfield position, the game was underway with a round of clapping from the people in the stands.

  Chapter Seven

  Almost two hours later, Cord received slaps on his back from his teammates for the grand slam he hit that took his ball well beyond the boundaries of Fur Field’s fencing, lost in the Redwood forest behind it. It had brought in three other players giving his team the lead and the win. His run in was just gravy on top giving them a two point lead at the end. As the two teams filed into separate lines and shook hands as they walked past each other with the ‘good game’ dictum, he was glad to see that Rena, even with her earlier reluctance, had gotten into the spirit of the game.

  Before the game got started, he’d sensed something with her. The concern she was feeling for whatever reason had almost been palpable. He doubted that anyone else picked up on it, she had been doing a damn good job of covering it up. However, he was too attuned to her to be fooled.

  Soon, she had shaken off whatever it had been and he’d watched as she laughed and chatted with her team, making friends with everyone, excepted one person. Marcella.

  Before he could make his way along the people of his cousin’s team to Rena, Marcella grabbed his arm and pulled him to the side. “So, Genma’s relative is staying at her house?”

  Cord looked down at the white chalk line in the dirt then up at the sky and to the trees, any place but at Marcella. He didn’t want to encourage her. “Yup.”

  “Aren’t you doing some work out there…while Genma is away?”

  Glancing toward the stands, he witnessed Gordon lifting his wife off the bench and kissing her. He envied the honey farmer having a life mate. Even though he’d heard that Gordon hadn’t realized Shayna was his until he tracked down her scent during last year’s Bear Run.

  “Yup,” he replied, almost positive where this conversation was going. Unable to stop himself, Cord’s gaze was drawn to Rena where she stood talking to Greta and Natasha, Sheriff Smokey’s receptionist. The three tall black women, striking in different ways, looked as if they should be modeling an African American fashion magazine.

  “So, that leaves you and…Rena…a lot of time alone.”

  He didn’t have to be genius or psychic to pick up on the jealous tone of Marcella’s words.

  Finally, pinning his ex-girlfriend with a stare. Now that his mate was here, the last thing he wanted was any confusion between him and Marcella that would cause more obstacles between him and Rena. He had tried to be as gentle with Marcella as possible, but, he could clearly see now he needed to be blunt. “Look, Marcella, I’m not trying to—”

  “So, you’re decent at softball…a girl’s game.” Tim, his cousin’s voice broke Cord off from his let down of Marcella.

  Turning
, Cord faced the man stalking toward him, still carrying his bat and baseball glove.

  Arching a slow brow at Tim, Cord folded his arms across his chest wondering what his cousin was getting at. “But we won, beat your team and that was good enough for me, I don’t care if we were playing jacks,” Cord taunted the cocky Were-bear before him.

  Tim clenched his jaw, evident in the flexing of muscles in his face.

  Cord couldn’t care less if his ribbing aggravated Tim. The other male had approached him. His cousin was an ass when he wanted to be and too arrogant for any one Were.

  “That’s no proof that you can run this town. Guide and control the people.”

  Cord shook his head and rolled his eyes. He should have figured everything with his cousin had to do with the mayoral seat. When would Tim learn to let it go? Cord had no plans to release his position to the man, no matter what anyone thought. His taking over after his father departed the office was a matter of pride and honor and Cord wouldn’t see that mantle passed to anyone. Especially the supercilious ass bear shifter before him.

  They were starting to draw a crowd, Cord noticed. Weres could smell two males in a pissing contest from five counties over.

  “Watch me,” Cord bit out.

  With squinted eyes, Tim stared at him.

  Cord locked gazes with him. He wasn’t intimidated by his cousin. No fucking way. It was best that Time recognized that fact now.

  The first to break the eye contact, Tim glanced around him, seeing the faces of males and females gathered waiting to discover where all of this exchange was leading to. A sly smile appeared on Tim’s face seconds before he said, “How about we put your Alpha-claims to the test. In a more masculine way?”

  Tilting his head, he stared at Tim. “Such as?”

  Holding out his hand with his baseball glove in it, Tim let the leather mitt drop.

  Cord looked down at the item that had created a small dust cloud around his feet when it hit the dirt. Glancing back up to his cousin, he asked, “What the fuck is the purpose of such damn dramatics?”

  Shit. No one had to tell Cord what was coming. Den County had few customs that took place in such a manner, but one.

  “I challenge you to a grappling match,” Tim declared loudly ensuring that anyone at Fur Field heard him issue the challenge clearly. “If you’re man enough.”

  Cord knew that his cousin was betting on the fact that having his life mate and children would provide Tim with the strength to get the best of Cord, show him up before a captivated audience, witnesses. Cord was sure that if Tim won he’d immediately demand Cord relinquish the official seat. Cord would be damned if he let that happen.

  “Cord?”

  It was Rena’s voice that broke into his thoughts. He wasn’t sure when she’d come up on the opposite side of him than Marcella was still standing. However, he could not spare Rena the time to answer any questions she may have about the proceedings.

  Instead, Cord grabbed a fistful of his shirt and yanked it over his head. Staring boldly at his cousin, he tossed the shirt to his left, where Rena stood and said, “Draw the fucking circle, Tim. Let’s get to it.”

  His bear roared and scratched inside of him. Cord knew that his animal side wanted the opportunity to go for his cousin. But, if he allowed his bear out, Cord could guess it would shock the hell out of Rena. Not to mention he’d have to keep his bear from going for Tim’s throat. This wasn’t a challenge to the death, just one of dominance.

  Tim gave him a sharp nod then lifted his hand high and waved his wife, who was sitting with their children in the stands, over to him. When Nita, a short, pregnant, Hispanic female got to Tim’s side, his cousin handed her his bat and then removed his shirt and handed that to his life mate as well.

  Collecting the bat from her, Tim ushered all the bystanders back then used the top of the bat to drag a wide circle around him and Cord. After chucking the bat toward Stephen, his cousin’s good friend, Tim stepped before Cord.

  With arms wide, and one foot before the other, Cord assumed the stance and demanded, “Call it, Gordon.”

  ~YH~

  Rena could not believe her eyes. Two larger than life, handsome, bare-chested men were before her in a makeshift circle locked together. She wasn’t sure whether Cord had Tim, or Tim had Cord.

  Their feet were planted wide in the dirt, they leaned forward toward each other. Both men’s heads were buried against each other’s shoulder with a thick arm secured around each neck as their other hands were gripping a wrist.

  Tim squatted low then sprung upward using his knees and flipped Cord over his head bringing both men to the dirt on their backs. Rena swore the ground shook beneath the feet of all the observers by the force.

  The crowd gathered around them became bigger as word of the wrestling men must have spread through the fairgrounds. She would have anticipated that someone would step in and stop them. Especially when Sheriff Smokey showed up. However, the bystanders just cheered them on.

  Cord and Tim became a tangle of fast-moving arms and legs. Rena wasn’t sure how she followed the blurred movement and fierce actions. When Tim attempted to swing his body over Cord and pin him to the ground, Cord must have anticipated the position because he snapped his legs up and hooked his ankles around Tim’s neck. With a grunt, Cord forced him off him, slamming Tim back to the dirt.

  She wasn’t sure how Tim found the strength to bring his feet up to Cord’s chest and kick him off. Both men scrambled to their feet back to the starting stance. The men were oblivious to anything else around them as their heels skirted the perimeter as they circled each other.

  Like Titans, the brawny men clashed again. Amidst growls and roars, they tussled and wrestled with each other, Cord and Tim attempting to show their dominance.

  Tense moments passed for Rena as she watched, feeling helpless to do anything. She couldn’t help but concentrate all of her energy, all her inner strength to Cord. Even though she knew there was little possibility of her compelling her life force into Cord and making him stronger. However, it didn’t stop her from allowing the voice that had once been small inside of her to roar Cord’s name, a devout chant.

  Cord. Cord. Cord.

  At one with the voice within, Rena whispered, “You can do this.”

  “Come on, Tim. This is your time. The position is yours to take.” Nita shrieked, rubbing her small protruding belly as if it was a talisman of strength for Tim.

  Never one to shy away from competition, the more Nita shouted the harder Rena concentrated. Focusing in on the one man that had somehow come to mean more to her than a simple unwanted flirtation, her desire—Cord.

  When Tim had Cord’s shoulders pinned, bearing down on him with all of his weight, looking as if he’d bested Cord, things shifted, changed. With a sound coming from the pile of torsos and limbs that sounded practically inhuman, a roar boomed around them.

  Rena realized it was Cord who had released the sound as he gripped Tim around the waist in some sort of bear hug. As if discovering a hidden well of strength, Cord began fighting with more vigor. Cord arched his back from the dirt, lifting Tim up with him.

  Tim, struggling to retain his purchase on Cord, found himself rapidly rolled right and buried shoulders-deep in the dusty ground. Cord had a firm grasp around Tim’s throat, Cord broad arm and full weight was pressing Tim down.

  Rena had never been one to enjoy a wrestling match or boxing in the past, but as she watched these two burly men tussle around in the dirt, she found that her body was vibrating with excitement at the male display. She wanted to fan herself.

  Unable to look away, she continued to watch.

  No matter how Tim grunted, bucked, or twisted left to right, he could not break Cord’s hold.

  “Submit Tim, Cord is the victor.” Sheriff Smokey pronounced in a deep, rumbling voice.

  Reluctantly, Tim dropped his arms to the ground showing his submission.

  Finally, having his cousin recognize his dominance, Cord r
eleased the other man. Taking a moment to consume a few deep breaths, he steadied himself. Soon he shoved up from the ground, rising to his feet, his stance wide, steady as he stared down at the beaten man.

  “This is done. Over,” Cord declared to Tim who was now sitting up, heaving in great gulps of air.

  “Oh…Great Spirit…Cord you were…amazing.” Marcella rushed to Cord’s side, chest heaving as she attempted to pant her words out.

  It wasn’t the neediness in the other woman’s voice or Marcella’s apparent display of wantonness that made Rena feels as if she’d swallowed a cactus and its needles were digging in her stomach, but the hand. Yes, the single hand the woman lay on Cord as if she was trying to put some claim on him by her flagrant touch.

  Cord glanced away from his cousin who was pushing himself up off the ground and dropped his gaze to his bicep where Marcella’s hand was. Rena wasn’t sure what the past or present relationship between Cord and the petite, brown-haired, Asian woman might be, nor did she wait to see how Cord responded. In an instant, before she knew what was happening Rena reacted.

  Taking one, maybe two big steps forward, brought her close to Marcella. A sound started in her core, quaked up through her body and came out sounding like what Rena’s ears could only describe as a growl. A low roar of warning to the other woman.

  Rena couldn’t figure out where or how the sound had come out of her, but it did. Her focus had tunneled and narrowed in on the other woman in a red haze. In seconds, if Marcella wasn’t smart enough to heed her blatant threat, Rena was confident she’d rip the woman apart, starting with tearing the arm off that clasped Cord. A part of her wanted the Asian beauty to try her, challenge her.

  Still holding Cord, Marcella’s head snapped to the side and pinned Rena with a stare, and her lips curled up in a snarl.

  Is she baring teeth at me?

  Rena wondered, not an ounce of fear had travelled through her hot veins. She growled again and advanced closer.

  “Marcella, take your hand off me.” Cord didn’t ask, he demanded. His voice was graveled and full of tension, and something else. This man had just proven to all who watched that he was leader of this town. He was the strongest person and ready to take on whoever was foolish enough to challenge him or stand in the way of what he wanted.