Taking hold of Rena’s hand, he tugged her behind him as he started toward his truck.
Two steps later he felt her resistance. Facing her, he frowned. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
“Nothing, I am perfectly fine.” She still had not started forward.
“Then let’s get out of here. I just want to get you home and make love to you.” Leaning in, he kissed her lightly on her mouth, he knew if he did any more than that he wouldn’t be able to stop.
“I want that too, Cord, but…”
He stared into her eyes, he could see in the color of them that her mating lust was just as elevated as his. “But?”
“I’m going to the Bear Run and I’d like you to join me there.”
He chuckled at her naivety. “There’s no need. I already know who my mate is. Hell, we both have a mark to prove it.” He held his finger up to her.
She smiled and her eyes darkened as she stared at the healed scar. “Yes, but we are going to do this right this time,” she declared. “No more accidental bites or ignorance on my behalf. I know who I am, Cord. In the last two days I’ve become very comfortable with all my changes and connected with my bear.” Untangling her fingers from his, she took a step back.
That single action caused an ache in him. His bear whined at the absence of her touch.
“If you want to put that final mark on me, you’re going to have to find me to do it.” Winking at him, she started to turn but he called out stopping her.
“If this is what you want, Red, I’m willing go. However, I’m going to find you. Make no mistake of that. When I do, you better be ready because I’m going to mark you as mine forever, then I don’t plan to stop fucking my life mate until the sun comes up.”
He saw the shiver course through her body and the metallic and ruby gaze that met his. She nodded, then without another word headed back down the street the way she had come.
Cord stood rooted to the spot as he watched her walk to her car. There weren’t any concerns in Den of safety, but she was his mate and protecting was always top priority.
“That’s one bold, she-bear you have there, my cousin.” Tim came up beside him.
Not taking his gaze off Rena, Cord said, “Yes she is, just how I like her. Perfect.”
“Then if you plan to make sure she’s yours, I wouldn’t let her get too far ahead of you, Mr. Soon-To-Be Mayor,” Tim teased.
Seeing Rena get in her car, Cord faced his cousin who stood with his arm around Nita, his wife. Now that they had battled and Cord’s dominance had been proven they were on excellent terms, it was the way of the Were. All hatchets got buried for the good of the community.
“Trust me, I won’t.” Waving goodbye, Cord hustled toward his truck.
Once he was behind the wheel, he made haste to the clearing. His mate was headed to the woods with the full-body of her mating pheromones pouring out of her pores. There wasn’t any damn way he was going to give another bear a chance to even get a whiff of her. It was true that since he had already marked her and they could share visions during the peak of ecstasy and other males would scent him on her. It was still possible for a male to bite her three times in a row and remove his and Rena’s connection. Their creator had made them that way in case a mate was lost. So, two marks between mates didn’t ensure anything.
The drive seemed the longest of his life. Three miles down the rocky road outside of town along the path of the river and Cord finally arrived at the designated place. As he pulled into the area he saw cars, people and clothes all over the area. Everyone was preparing to start the run. Generally the males were courteous enough to give the females a head start. But Cord had already seen a couple she-bears take off into the trees and almost instantly be followed by a handful of males.
Finding Rena, happy she made it safely, he parked his truck along-side her grandmother’s wagon. When she spotted him, she gave him a delicate finger wave as she stood in only a white pair of lacy thongs, captivating against the deep sienna skin tone. Her beautiful breasts were bare and made his mouth water to lick and taste them all over again. All her other clothing was piled up on top of her car hood.
“Thought maybe you changed your mind,” she taunted him, as she hooked her thumbs inside the band of her panties.
“No fucking way. You know we can end this right here?”
“No fucking way.” She laughed as she repeating his words. Removing her underwear she sling shot them to him and called out, “See you in the woods, Mr. Bjorn. Catch me if you can.”
He caught them, chuckling at her seductive antics. He didn’t need her panties to capture her scent, it never left his mind. Flashing her his teeth, incisors and canines lowered in place, he winked at her.
Her eyes flashed with heat as she inhaled, nostrils flaring. She turned toward the forest and he watched her pause for only a moment, as he assumed she was picturing her bear. A few shimmers later she was vaulting through the trees and out of sight.
Shit. Snatching his t-shirt over his head at the same time he was toeing his shoes off, he didn’t care if anything was torn or ruined. The only thing he wanted was to get to his mate. Yanking his jeans open, he heard the sounds of the teeth to his zipper strain and snap a second before he had them dropped to the ground. He raced forward, shifting in a tenth of a second. Paws pounding on the ground, he dug into the soil.
Sniffing and running, he eliminated one scent after the other: trees, vegetation, small woodland animals and the other females. Then he isolated on one scent, stronger to him than all the others and he knew he’d locked onto his mate. Rena’s scent, as alluring as warm honey.
Her bear called to his, beckoned him to find and claim her. His bear answered the call. Letting out a roar, he knew that wherever she was in the forest she would hear it, sense him. Know he was coming to her, for her.
Cord wasn’t concerned that he hadn’t spotted her yet. He knew the woods better than she did. As a new bear, she was going more off sight. He was using straight instinct and her scent. Following that heady trail would clue him into what path she was taking, and where she would end up.
Moving faster, he crashed his big body through bushes on hot pursuit of her. Her smell was so strong now his bear could practically taste it. She was headed to the river. If she made it there and into the water before he caught up with her it would dilute her scent. He wasn’t going to let that happen. Taking the straight route to her instead of the winding trail Rena had been following allowed him to cut her off.
Rounding the base of a large redwood, he sprang into the clearing before her.
Rena’s bear, unprepared for his appearance before her, slammed in to him. The impact of her animal hitting his in full force caused him to pitch backwards. They toppled over each other once…twice…three times before they landed in a mass of human limbs, both of them having shifted at some point.
Once their bodies were no longer in motion, Cord immediately rolled Rena onto her back. He pressed his body onto hers as he grabbed hold of her hands and pulled them above her head. Laying his mouth on hers, he kissed her. One that wasn’t gentle or kind, but demanding of her submission and pleasure. Her breasts were crushed beneath his chest, her tight nipples piercing him. He could feel her heartbeat synchronized perfectly to his.
He slipped his legs in between hers, working them further apart until he could situate himself against her. Never stopping the kiss, he ground his hard, throbbing cock along her sex. Her wet heat coated his shaft.
She moaned.
Yes, he needed to mark her, but he needed to be inside of her just once first.
Of one accord with him, she opened her legs further, allowing him more access as she wrapped her long, toned limbs around his hips.
Pulling his mouth away, he stared into the unique eyes of his woman. The dual blend was something that was special only to Rena, his half-blood bear shifter, and he loved it. It had started raining while he had been chasing her. The water beaded up on her skin and made her scen
t earthier. He growled, enjoying the mix to her fragrance. “I need you.”
“Yes.” She licked his bottom lip. “It’s been too long, come inside me, love me.”
No further encouragement was needed. He released one of her hands and slipped his between their bodies and taking hold of his shaft, he guided himself to her opening. Once there he thrust forward, not stopping until he was seated deep in her core. He made no apologizes for his forcefulness. His need for her was too great for him to be gentle.
Responding to his demand, she buried her heels into the muscles of his ass while she pressed her pussy against him. Her labia surrounding the base of his cock, she took him deeper.
“Don’t stop, Cord.” She was planting kisses along his nose, jaw and lips as she whimpered. “Please.”
Wrapping one arm under her shoulders and the other below her ass, he lifted her higher. Positioning her so that she could receive the full impact of his thrusts, he began to move. Lowering his head, he licked the watery rivers flowing over her skin. He pistoned his hips forward and enjoyed feeling her meeting him each time. She accepted all of him as she called out his name.
Hearing his name on her lips egged him on. He pounded harder into her. Her whimpers and moans of pleasure became a symphony to him.
He needed to feel her come. This wasn’t for him. He wanted to take her beyond herself and then feel her unfold beneath him and shower him with her pleasure.
“Come on, babe, I want to taste all that sweet cream. Give it to me, Red.” Pushing her hard, he ground his pelvis and brushed along the slick warm walls of her sex.
In response to his actions, she dug her nails deep in his back pulling them along his spine as the wall of her pussy tightened around him and squeezed along his shaft.
“Fuck, that’s it, sweetheart. Let go.” Arching his back, he brought his head down and nipped at the sensitive tip of a breast.
Crying out, she came. Her body quaked under his, thrashing and bucking. His name became a song on her lips, his heart rejoiced.
Waiting on his own completion, he unwound her legs from around him. Even as her body still quivered, he rose on his knees. With the tips of his fingers, he dragged them slowly down her body and felt her warmth through the sweat and water.
Sighing, she gazed up at him understanding of what was to come evident in her relaxed features. He smiled down at her as he took her breasts in his hands.
Whimpering, she rolled her bottom lip between her teeth and bit down.
Massaging the twin peaks, he loved her instant response to him.
His bear was urging him on with forceful demands to claim her.
The rain had stopped and the First Frost Moon was out now and full, shining brightly between the high tops of the trees.
Grabbing her behind the knees, he pulled her legs high and wide to see all of her. The moonlight beamed down on her sex and illuminated the wetness coating her folds. He growled, wanting to taste every furrow and plain, then suckle her clit.
Before going to the place he desired most, he bent down and placed a kiss on her birthmark. He then dragged his tongue over the crease of her hip joint and followed it down to her pussy. Once there he inhaled deeply and took in the rich ambrosia of her scent—honeyed asters.
His cock throbbed. He wanted to bury it inside her again, but this time that came second to his need to claim her completely. Using the tip of his tongue, he created a path up her slit and around her clit collecting her spicy, sweet essence.
Rena’s hands clutched at his shoulders as she lifted and gyrated her hips, chasing after the movements of his tongue.
He understood where she wanted him. His greedy mate was seeking another orgasm. It was apparent in her strong grasp, the arch of her hips and the soft pleading she whispered.
Not distracted from his mission, he caressed the side of her clit, circled it and drew it into his mouth. Flicking it, he brought her to the edge of erotic insanity.
Moving away from her bud of desire, he slipped his tongue inside her, tasting her nectar and drinking deeply of her.
“Cord…Cord, I need—”
Her words broke away as he thrust in and out of her. Grabbing her hips he lifted her from the ground and held her to his mouth.
Moaning she tried again. “Please… Cord, I need to com—”
Removing his tongue from her delectable pussy, he turned his head to the side mere millimeters away. Letting his bears teeth drop, he sank them into the supple flesh of her inner thigh. Claiming his mate and uniting them for life.
Rena came, palming the back of his head, holding him to her as her body thrashed and bucked against his mouth.
As she was still in the throes of her orgasm, he licked her final mark and healed it. He rose above her. “You are mine, mate.”
Laying her hands on his cheeks, she smiled and responded, “Always and forever.”
“I love you, Red.” he growled as he kept his gaze on hers and slid his cock into her sex.
“As I love you, my mate.” Pulling his mouth down to hers, she kissed him as he made love to her.
Epilogue
Rena stood in the center of the fairgrounds on the platform beside Cord, her life mate and husband, before the crowd. It had been a month since the Bear Run and now she was blessed to stand beside him as he took his rightful place in the community.
“Thank you, everyone, for being here today. This has been a moment, long overdue.” Jasper, Cord’s father, spoke to the residents of Den as he linked his fingers with his wife, Charlotte’s, while in his other hand he held the key to the County.
During the month, Cord had traveled to North Carolina with her to end her lease on her apartment and clear out her things. Most of her things went to charity shops that would donate the money for her furniture to battered women’s shelters. She was now completely moved into their cabin and happy.
As she listened to the current mayor explain the responsibility of the office, she allowed her gaze to travel over the people gathered. Her heart lifted when she saw her mother, Lillian snuggled under the thick arm of the sheriff, looking pleased as a bear in a river during salmon season.
She and Cord had finally emerged from the woods in the morning with the other mated couples and had dressed then drove back into town for the mass joining ceremony. Her surprise was seeing her mother and David as one of the assembled couples. Sherriff David Smokey had made good on his promise then promptly flew with her mother to her house and moved her to Den, for good. It warmed Rena’s heart to know that her mother had shaken off all her ghosts of the past and allowed herself to be loved.
Rena even smiled when her gaze skimmed past Marcella, the sow who had been spreading her scent all around Cord in an attempt to have him mark her. The petite Asian beauty was currently snuggled in closed to her life mate Rand, the new head manager at Digging Deep Landscaping.
Moving from one face to the next, Rena’s gaze paused at her new friend, Greta. Her grandmother’s neighbor stood beside her parents. Rena had expected to see Greta emerge from the woods claimed by a male Were, but her friend was nowhere to be found. Apparently, Greta had chosen not to participate. That realization had plagued Rena, but with everything going on, Rena didn’t have time to talk with her friend. However, it was on her list to do soon.
“Cord, please come forward.” His father called him over to stand beside him.
Rena received the quick kiss Cord gave her before he stepped away. Standing before his father, she admired the bear shifter that was her mate. He was not only tall, imposing and generous both emotionally and physically, he was a strong leader. She had no doubt that he was the perfect person for the job.
“Corduroy Bjorn, my son, I am honored to pass the County Key to you.” Jasper held the large wooden key toward Cord. Once Cord took hold of it with two hands, one on each side of his father’s, Jasper continued, “The responsibility of Den County and its residents and our way of life was started by your great-grandfather. It passed to his first
son, your grandfather, who then passed it to me. Now I give it to you with hopes that at the right time you will hand it to your own first son.”
Rena’s throat became tight. The emotions of the day were building on her, as well as hearing her father- in-law’s words. She and Cord already discovered while they were away last week that she was pregnant. However, they had decided to wait until after the ceremony before sharing the news with anyone. Their secret for now.
“Thanks, Dad. I will use all of the wisdom the Great Spirit gives to lead and govern with truth, honor and fairness. As my strength abounds through the claiming of my mate and any offspring we are blessed to have, I will protect the shifter under my authority.”
“I know you will, Son.” Jasper let go of the key and pulled Cord into a strong bear-hug.
When the men parted, Cord kissed his mother on her cheek then turned to Rena.
Her heart leaped at the love she saw reflected in his dark gaze.
“Come here, Red.” He waved her over to his side. When she was there, he unashamedly kissed her before the crowd.
Everyone applauded, as they shouted their approval.
When Cord ended the kiss and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, she snuggled close to his side and smiled at everyone gathered.
The moment Cord held the County Key high above his head, the cheers from the sleuth of bear shifters became a roar of excitement. As she observed the pleasure on the faces surrounding them, her gaze landed on Genma and Octavia, their grandmothers.
It took her a moment to figure out what the cohorts were doing, when finally she realized they were rubbing hands over their bellies as they grinned broadly at her and Cord.
As Rena stood there stunned, her life mate pressed his lips to her ear. “I think they know.”
“They do. I don’t even want to know how they found out,” she whispered back.
“It doesn’t matter, now. They’ve probably already orchestrated the design of the baby’s room.”
Rena laughed at the truth of his words. Her heart was full and she was more than content in her world. She’d come to Den County sick, tired and unsure of what direction her life was going to take next. Now she was stronger than ever, one with her bear, her family was whole and she had more love and support around her than she could’ve dreamed possible.
Red's Bear (Erotic Shifter Fairy Tales) Page 16
