Red's Bear (Erotic Shifter Fairy Tales)

by Hines, Yvette

  “Yes, lions, wolves, panthers, tigers…in India there is even a breed of Elephant shifters.”

  That was news to Rena. She felt as if she had been living in a sheltered vacuum. “I never knew. No one ever talks about it…on the news or magazines. Not in reality outside of movies and shows that dramatize everything.” She’d been a part of making some of those local fictional shows for kids. What a fool I had been.

  “That’s how it should be. It can be unsafe for us when we remain for long periods of time away from our own communities.”

  “I’m sure humans would like to put us in labs to experiment on us and freak shows for entertainment.” Rena mumbled, out of sorts by what she was discovering.

  “Very true, unfortunately. FYI, just so you know, a lot of those television and Hollywood productions are written and created by a San Fernando Valley bobcat shifter. He does it purposely to make our species of people seem so outlandish that humans will think we are nothing but myth and fantasy.”

  “Good cover. Hide in plain sight.”

  “Yes, it is.” Her grandmother eyed her, her wise gaze steady. Stepping to the coffee table, she poured an extra cup of tea and handed it to Rena.

  Rena didn’t want any tea, until she smelled the warm steam—honey notes. She took it from her grandmother and drank it.

  Resuming her seat, Genma sat in the rocker. “Lastly, it is not a thing. It is a bear. Your bear, our bears, are a part of our makeup and soul.”

  Duly admonished, Rena felt as if she should apologize to her bear for her derogatory remark. However, the voice rested inside of her, in peace. Rena figured it must have understood she was just trying to sort things out in her head.

  Taking another drink of the tea, Rena said, “The sweetener in cured tea and muffins was always honey.”

  “Yes,” Genma lifted her own cup and calmly brought it to her mouth. “For us Were-bears, it is always the honey.”

  “Wouldn’t it just have been easier to tell me?” she accused.

  Lifting a brow at her, Genma issued a question of her own. “What would you have said if I’d have brought one of my jars of honey out and handed you a drizzler dripping and said here, Rena, have some.”

  “I would have said no thank you and turned it down.” It was how her mother had trained her.

  ‘Be polite Rena, but don’t ever consume it. It will make you sick.’ Lillian’s voice echoed in her head.

  “Exactly. Do you know how hard it was those times in the summer when your mother would bring you for a week at a time and order me not to give certain things to yo-u-u?” Her grandmother’s voice broke, and tears welled up in her eyes. It was only the second time in her life she’d seen her grandmother cry.

  The first was when her mother dragged her out of her grandmother’s house when Rena was thirteen.

  “Why did she do it, Grandma? Keep such a secret from me?” Rena stared down into her golden tea, cupping her hand around it to let the warmth seep into her body.

  “That story is not mine to tell. She is your mother and even when I don’t agree with her I have to respect her decision.” Emotions under control again, Genma drank her tea.

  Raising her gaze to her, Rena said, “Yet, you brought me here and fed me not only honey but salmon against her wishes.”

  The corner of her grandmother’s mouth twitched with the beginnings of a smile. “Figured out the broth for my vegetable stew did you?”

  “Oh, boy did I.” A small giggle slipped out of her mouth as she recalled practically licking the bowl at the diner.

  “Well, to answer your question. I had to.”

  Draining her cup, Rena set it on the table. “Why now? You could have done it any time after I left my mother’s house.”

  Her grandmother’s dark gaze held hers. “Because not having it was starting to kill you. I couldn’t have that.”

  Rena gasped at hearing the weighted words. Her mind flashed back through the last year, the pain and weakness. The maddening cravings, her bear had been attempting to save its life, save Rena’s life. “The illness.”

  “The illness.” Her grandmother declared.

  Emotions bombarded her heart and swelled inside her until Rena felt as if she couldn’t breathe. Popping up from the couch, she raced to the patio doors. After opening them, she rushed out. Standing at the rail she took in large gulps of air.

  Quietly, her grandmother came up beside her and placed a hand at the center of her back.

  Staring beyond the woods to the path that led to the lake, Rena said, “Do you think that my mother knew not giving me the honey would kill me?”

  “It is doubtful.” After giving her back a pat, Genma pulled her hand away. “Lillian is a full Were-bear. She was raised to understand the power of the honey. Its specific antioxidants we need like most human’s need vitamin A, B, C, D and iron. Honey for us does all of those things. I think she believed your human side would just take over fully and if she didn’t give you the one thing your bear needed, you would never shift.”

  Leaning her hips against the rail, she looked at her grandmother. “Grandma, that just doesn’t make any sense. Being here in Den I haven’t seen anything that would be a deterrent that would make my mom not want me to embrace my shifter side.”

  Shaking her head, Genma exhaled loud and said, “Your mother is fighting her own ghosts.”

  Rena felt as if they were getting to the true heart of the matter. “What happened the last time we were here?”

  Turning, her grandmother stared at her. “What do you remember?”

  Inhaling, Rena thought about all the memories that had unfolded in her mind form the time she had awakened. It was as if everything that had been trapped behind a wall of confusion and uncertainties had been freed. “Everything. But I still don’t know why my mother became angry with you, with Den.”

  Nodding, her grandmother grabbed the railing and hoisted herself over and to the ground.

  Even though Rena now knew that her grandmother’s strength and agility came from her bear, it would still take her a while not to be shocked by it. Following suit, Rena landed two feet away.

  With a twinkle in her eye, her grandmother started down the path toward the lake. “Let me tell you a story.”

  Keeping pace with her, Rena listened.

  “Attraction and love have a way of blossoming naturally in the smallest amount of time. However, for Weres we are drawn in by scents, markings of other shifters. There was once a little girl who came for short visits to see her grandmother. This girl enjoyed her time in the woods and water, under her mother’s protection only. Soon the girl made friends and one year met with them at the lake and played for hours. However, every time this child came back she was a little older. The final time she visited her grandmother she was beginning to mature and her scent was now a draw to the boys.”

  Rena didn’t have difficulty following her grandmother’s words. She knew Genma was painting a picture of her life. That last summer.

  “Weres may be attracted to others of the opposite gender, but only one can be their true mate.”

  During the days Rena had been in Den County she’d come to realize several things, one being the golden eye color that happened when someone’s desire was engaged. She and Genma now stood at the end of the dock overlooking the water. “Cord kissed me that day.”

  “Greater than that. I don’t think she would have taken you away if it wasn’t for the fact that his eyes had become golden.”

  Her brow drew tight as she looked at her grandmother. “But, that’s just desire.”

  “No that is the mating lust. It is only shown for one’s life mate.”

  The full understanding of what her mother had done when she took her away was a stab into Rena’s heart. The knowledge angered her. She wanted to scream, kick and claw at something or someone. Her bear was roaring inside of her. Rena’s body was tight. “I think it’s time you take me to town, Grandma.”

  “I sure will.”

 
; They turned back to the house.

  “That painting you did for Cord, could you add two bears on the dock?”

  Hugging her waist, her grandmother said, “I thought you’d never ask.”

  ~YH~

  “Hello, Cord.”

  He lay on one of the loungers outside on his stone porch. The same spot he’d been in since getting home yesterday. Looking over at the statuesque blonde woman walking toward him, he said, “Nana.”

  “How are you?” Coming to him, she placed a kiss on the top of his head as she had done since he was small.

  “How’s Rena?” he countered. He had not just discovered that his whole life was a lie. If his grandmother was here, what did that mean?

  She sat on the second lounger. “When I left she had finally awakened. She looked healthy, restored but the strains of uncertainty were evident in her features.”

  Nodding, Cord sat up and swung his body to the side so he was facing her directly. “That’s good to hear. Will Genma tell her the truth?”

  “The parts that are hers to tell, she will.” Reaching out, his grandmother laid her hand on his knee.

  Looking at the woman who’d been a constant strength for him in his life, he had a few questions for her. He was starting to realize that maybe she had not been forthright with him. “Where have you been these last few days? This mystery trip you and Genma had to take.”

  Crossing her legs, she linked hands around the top of her knee. “Right here in Den.”

  He frowned. “Where? Someone would have said if they’d seen you and Genma.”

  “We were at the old starter home. A few miles through the woods beyond Genma’s cabin.”

  For a moment, Cord wasn’t sure what place his grandmother was referring too. But, then he recalled that as a young Were, he and his friends would venture deep into the forest. They located the only residence still standing from the time when his great-grandfather had led them here and established a society, a way of life that would protect them. He and his friends used the rundown place as a fort. “That place isn’t safe, Nana. How did you two last days in it?”

  “Oh, dear, Genma and I have been planning this for months. We contracted Theo to do some work on it, restore it for our stay. We just didn’t know when we would use it.”

  “What?” He eyed the beautiful, secretive woman before him. “I think it’s time you really tell me what is going on.”

  “That’s why I’m here.”

  “Can I assume that whatever you have to say has to do a lot with why Rena was brought here, now?”

  “That as well as why Genma contracted you to do the yard work during the no work time in Den.”

  “Why?” Then something Marcella said to him came to mind. “You wanted us alone at the cabin?”

  “Away from distraction is how we thought about it.”

  He rubbed a hand across his chin, covered with two day’s growth of stubble. “All the subterfuge, Nana.” He got up from the chair, stalked to the edge of the flagstone patio and stared down at the grass one step away. “Why?”

  The chair creaked behind him, moments before his grandmother placed a hand on his shoulder.

  “I was there, Cord. The day Lillian took Rena away.”

  That memory still brought a knot to his stomach. He stood silent.

  “Genma radioed me that night after they were gone. My best friend was hurt by her daughter’s actions. I rushed over, but Genma didn’t want me there for her.”

  He glanced into the caring eyes of his grandmother, then he had to look away knowing that she could see the pain in his soul.

  “When she took me to the dock, I saw you, my Cordy-bear. You were curled up into a tight ball. You had shifted and just sat there, unresponsive to anyone. Your friends or Genma.”

  “But you,” he whispered. Even now the ache of that day, his bear knowing that his life mate had been located and had been ripped away without care or explanation.

  She leaned her head onto his shoulder. “Only because I had the idea to shift and got your bear to follow my lead back to your parents’ cabin. But, you didn’t shift back for almost a week and you refused to eat or drink anything.”

  Wrapping an arm around his grandmother, he pulled her along his side. “And still you stayed right there with me.”

  Stretching up on her toes, she kissed his cheek. “I’m Nana, where was I supposed to be.”

  He smiled.

  She returned his smile then her expression became serious as she said, “Taking Rena away wasn’t Lillian’s only crime. Genma and I brought Rena here because not acknowledging her bear was killing her. We had to do something.”

  Dropping his head, Cord struggled to breathe. It had been worse than he suspected. “How could this happen?”

  “Lillian told Rena that Den was a horrible place, warned her off from coming here. She’d been lying to Rena since she was a baby that she was allergic to honey and fish…particularly salmon. She raised her child as a vegan. Genma had lost her own daughter and didn’t want to cause conflict between Rena and Lillian. When Rena’s father passed away the next year, it just got more complicated.”

  Cord shook his head. That was the most bizarre thing he had ever heard. A bear staying away from things they needed most. “Lillian wouldn’t have been able to keep herself away from honey or she’d be dead.”

  “Very true.” His grandmother stepped away and moved back to her lounger. “We couldn’t do anything about Lillian. But, when Rena’s illness was getting worse we knew we had to do something for her. For me there was my grandson to consider.”

  Facing her, he wondered how he played a factor in trying to heal Rena. “What about me?”

  “I’ve watched you over the years. Present but not really here in heart. I know the pressure your father has you under with the mayor position having to be filled soon.”

  “No worries there, Nana, I’m taking it.” Cord sat again.

  “Oh, sweetheart, I know you are. Besides I heard about that match with Tim from your grandfather.” She growled and pretended to make jabs in the air.

  Laughter erupted out of him. “It was wrestling, Nana, not boxing.”

  Lowering her hands, she placed them on her hips. “I know that, but I didn’t think you wanted me to get up and throw you to the ground as an example. I was saving your male pride from being lost in the dirt like your cousin’s.” She winked at him.

  He chuckled. “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome.” Sobering she said, “Your great-grandfather, your grandfather and your father have all been blessed with having their true mate at their side as they led this town. I wasn’t going to have my grandson doing it with less. If I had anything to do with it. Especially not with that hot-furred Marcella.”

  Reaching across the space, he took hold of her hand. “What would I do without you?”

  “Thank the Great Spirit I’m a Were-bear so it will be many years before you have to find out.”

  Squeezing her hand, he asked, “What should I do now? I’m torn.”

  Patting the back of his hand, still holding hers, she said, “You wait. You’ve had patience all these years. A little more time will not make much of a difference. Let Rena come to you.”

  That was the opposite of what he wanted to do. He’d be fighting, getting in his truck and driving to Genma’s and carrying Rena out of there to his house. Their home. That’s what his bear wanted him to do and he was of the same heart and mind.

  Staring down at their hands then, he raised his eyes to meet hers. “What if she decides all this is too much and she heads back to her life.

  “We’ll sort that out when and if the need arises. If we have to hog tie her to a chair, we will.” She slapped her thigh.

  He knew this feisty old woman and her cohort would. “I’m sure you would.”

  “Whatever it takes to make sure she gets her last two marks and can’t leave you.” She pulled her hand away and stood. “Don’t think I didn’t smell your scent all over
her. Now, how about you make your Nana some lunch.”

  Cord stood as well and led the way into his house. “By the way, there’s just the final mark.” He pulled the door open.

  Pausing she looked at him. “I only saw the one on her shoulder. Do I want to ask where the other one is?”

  Holding up his hand, he showed her the healed cut on his finger. “She marked me.”

  “That’s one smart sow.” She wagged her finger at him as she went by into the kitchen.

  He agreed with his grandmother’s assessment of his mate. He wondered if Rena’s intelligence would lead her to choose him.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Hello, mom.” Rena held the phone to her ear. Her grandmother was waiting in the front office talking to Sheriff Smokey.

  “Rena? Dear, where have you been? I’ve been trying to reach you for days now.” Her mother said.

  “I’m in Den County. I thought you would have recognized the only number in town.” Rena paced the floor around the table the phone sat on in the corner. The radio, the main communication method, crackled with conversation going on around the county.

  “What are you doing there?” Her mother’s voice was tight as if she were speaking through clenched teeth.

  Rena could believe her mother was gritting her teeth, because Lillian Hoodman didn’t take disobedience well. “No disrespect, but I’m the one who needs questions answered.”

  “Come home then. When you get to my house I’ll explain anything you want to know.”

  “I have one better for you, mom. You have until this evening to get here or I’ll tell Grandma you said she can tell me the truth,” she countered.

  “Why would you believe someone else’s lies?” Her mother ranted. “Don’t believe them. Don’t eat anything.”

  “This evening.” Rena tuned out Lillian’s dogged attempt to still cover her tracks. “At the sheriff’s office,” she demanded.

  “Rena, liste—”

  Rena did something she’d never done before, hung up on her mother. Taking a moment, she inhaled a deep breath. She wasn’t sure if she’d done the right thing. Even though she wanted answers maybe she should have flown to Adams Town and confronted her mother there.