For Bear Or For Worse (Pure Blood 1)

by Meredith Clarke

  “Zoey, you’ve been here before, right?”

  “Of course! It’s the hottest place to be these days.”

  I nodded and took another sip of my drink. I must have heard the other people wrong. What else could this place be besides a nightclub? Zoey noticed I had gone silent and she stopped walking to face me.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “I guess I just feel a bit out of place here.”

  Zoey smiled reassuringly “Quit feeling that way. You belong here because I brought you in. So let’s go have some fun!” I laughed nervously as I watched her turn and shimmy her way into the crowd of people.

  As much as I tried, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I didn’t belong here. Something in my gut was telling me to leave, however, Zoey’s enthusiasm was making me want to stay and try and fit in.

  Zoey pulled me back up to the bar and ordered us another round. Maybe I just needed to relax and get a little drunk. I could just be imagining the whole ambiance of the room. Suddenly the hairs stood up at the back of my neck and I had the strange feeling that I was being watched. I turned suddenly to see who it was and there was no one. I searched the room, looking for the person who had been boring into my back. I couldn't see anyone and yet the feeling had been so strong. Maybe I was losing my mind. The whole evening had been strange, and I feared that I was just letting all of my nerves get to me.

  I took another hesitant sip of my drink and felt the eyes on me again. I shivered a bit and felt as though I had an imaginary target on my back. I spun around again and all I saw was the packed dance floor.

  What the hell was going on?

  Chapter Four

  Cole

  I watched the two girls as they sidled up to the bar. One of them was Zoey, but the other one I had never seen before. The dance crowd ahead of me continuously kept blocking my view of the new girl, which I found increasingly frustrating. I could only see glimpses of her at best and only from behind.

  Zoey and I had known each other since we were kids. It was rare for her to bring an unknown person into the club. Was there something special about the girl? Zoey wasn't one to go about mingling with new people. She liked to only associate with the shifter crowd, and I knew that she herself was searching for a mate too. She rarely spent time with humans, she just bored of them too quickly. She liked a challenge and she never found humans to be very difficult, so I knew there was no way the girl she was with was human. If I saw her with any, they were typically work friends and it was all just a front. She was never genuinely friends with a human. It was just really hard to be that close to someone without having them discover your secret. I studied them both as I wondered where she’d found this shifter.

  Zoey was known as one of the higher ranks of our sleuth, because of her bloodline. Not only was her family strong, but she was a shifter that many feared. You didn't mess with Zoey unless you wanted to get bit. It had occurred to me on more than one occasion that Zoey would be a great match for me to mate for life with, since we had known each other for so long. We had a natural chemistry and she was the kind of woman I could possibly see myself with. That was the kind of mate I wanted: strong, smart, fearless and sexy as hell. That was Zoey to a tee, and she would make a good mate. I wasn't one to rush into things, however. I wanted to be sure of what I was doing. Some men were stupid enough to just go for looks when it came to a mate, then they were stuck with a girl that made them want to rip out her throat every night. No thank you. I was being very careful in my selection process and I was very aware that the female population was anxious to be the mate to the alpha. Female shifters all over were chomping at the bit to get into my bed with the hopes that I would keep them around.

  Zoey as my mate was an interesting thought, though. Maybe I could try her out tonight just to see if the fit made sense. I knew she would be up for it given the seductive glares she had given me as she walked across the room. The thoughts of Zoey disappeared from my mind when another female walked by catching my eye. She was a gorgeous redhead that had the body of a goddess. She took my look as an open invitation and I watched as she sauntered over to me. She looked like sex on a stick and she made her motives known immediately. She would let me have my way with her, in fact she would allow me to do whatever I wanted with her. That was the sort of one-night stand I enjoyed. I liked women who were adventurous and who allowed me to use my animal instincts during sex. This little redhead would be a lot of fun to romp around with for the evening. I could definitely take out my pent-up frustrations on her. She would love every minute of it too, I could just tell.

  I chuckled to myself as I watched her approach me.

  “Need some company?” she seductively asked.

  I looked up and down her body. She would do for tonight, and I nodded, allowing her to sit next to me in my booth. She sat down and got right to work by rubbing my inner thigh. That was the problem with some of these women, the part that made them so boring sometimes was they were so easy. I could snap a finger and she would be mine forever, it was just that easy. A large part of the female population were just so easy to get that it took out all the fun of the hunt. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't complaining. It made for a satisfying evening as bear women were always great lays, but that was about all they were good for. There was just no excitement to any of them any more, they were often very predictable. That was probably why I kept putting off finding a mate. I needed a woman that could spark more than a boner from me. I needed a challenge, someone who would keep me on my toes. Make my daily life exciting, not just the bedroom action. Was there such a woman out there?

  I glanced back at Zoey and considered her once again; she would be the more obvious choice for me. She was the kind of challenge I wanted. Given her feistiness I doubt I would bore with her as a life partner. I should probably just make the choice and choose Zoey. She was the perfect person for me and it would please the elders to get on with things.

  The dance floor crowd parted, and I could see Zoey and her friend more clearly. When the girl turned around I sucked in a breath harshly. The redhead mistook my reaction for her touch and moved her body closer to mine.

  “You like that?” she asked. I nodded quickly to get her to shut up. I couldn’t take my eyes off Zoey’s friend. She had blonde hair that ran down her back and was wearing a black dress that showed off all her curves. I could tell from across the room what perfume she was wearing and it was intoxicating.

  My mouth grew dry immediately and I felt as if there was a magnet between us pulling me toward her. I watched as her and Zoey walked over to a nearby table and sat down. I couldn't explain why, but I just felt naturally drawn to her. I felt my pants tighten as she leaned over to adjust her shoes. God, what I wouldn't do to get that girl alone.

  She was stunning; she had the most perfect curves and they were in all the right places. The shine of her blonde hair caught my eye. She put the redhead next to me in shame, and I longed to touch her hair and lick her lips. I would do much more to her than that if she would allow it.

  Shaking my head, I was unsure of what had come over me. The girl practically had me in a trance. I had never reacted that way towards a woman before, and yet that mystery girl had my thoughts all tangled up. What was it about her that made her so special? Could she be the one? My mate. It had never occurred to me that there could be a connection that would make a mate known to me. No, I had never heard anything about such a thing. This was just some girl that had caught my eye. There was no need to read any more into it. I was getting caught up in the moment, I knew I had to find a mate and that connection was confusing to me. I had to deal with the mate situation logically and not let fantasy aspects get into my head. I had no idea who the girl was, I couldn't allow a spark of interest to cloud my thoughts. But it seemed to be more than just a spark, oh yes, it seemed as if she had possession of my body and refused to let it go. I had no choice but to see her, possibly touch her and see where the connection came from.

  I moved
my body to the side to see more of the girl but the redheaded shifter was currently latched onto my neck with her hand on my cock. The redhead would have mounted me right there if I had allowed her to. Did she really think I would make her my mate after this? This wasn't the kind of girl that would be my Queen, no... she would only be for fun. She was causing a stir in me but not one that was stronger than the pull Zoey’s friend had on me.

  I pried the redhead off me and saw a sullen look come across her face. “What's wrong? Don't you like it? We can go back to my place if you want some privacy.”

  I smiled, “Sorry love, I have some business to attend to. I will make it up to you next time, I promise.” I probably wouldn't, but it was the only way to get her off me. In fact, I didn't really care if I ever saw her again.

  She sulked and walked away slowly. I watched her for a moment wondering what it would have been like to sink my teeth into her. She stopped and stood up against the wall pouting. She intended on watching where I would go and she would see that my interest lay somewhere else. I ignored her stares and made my way over to Zoey and her friend.

  I approached the table where both girls looked up at me. Zoey smiled while her friend looked at me curiously. “Well, hello there Cole.” Although she smiled I could see that my arrival had surprised Zoey. She looked pleased, however, that I had come to see her. Little did she know...

  “Zoey, you are looking great tonight. But you always look good, don't you?”

  “Why, thank you. You look pretty handsome yourself there.”

  “Thank you. Are you ladies having a good time?”

  “Of course, it's a busy night,” she said with a laugh.

  “That's good to hear. Who’s your friend?” I motioned towards the girl next to her.

  Zoey arched an eyebrow and rolled her eyes slightly. “Sure, Cole. This is Avery, we work together. Avery, this is Cole, he's a friend of mine.”

  Avery nodded and smiled up at me. She had a beautiful smile. “Oh, it's nice to meet you, Cole.”

  I moved in close to Avery, ignoring Zoey, and gently grasped her chin. I looked deeply in her eyes and watched them widen in surprise. “I could not keep my eyes off you from across the room, Avery. It’s nice to meet you.”

  She blushed immediately and giggled, looking down into her drink. “Oh wow, thank you. I borrowed the dress from Zoey, actually. It was a last-minute decision to come here.” She looked at Zoey and smiled. Zoey didn't smile back. I could feel the tension rippling off of her.

  “Oh was it now? Well you look incredible, that color suits you perfectly.”

  Avery blushed, obviously surprised and unaccustomed to such attention. I had to admit that I loved how Avery would blush and giggle from my compliments, she was so unlike any of the other girls I ran into. Most girls, especially shifters, were ready to mount me on sight, they didn't even need the compliments, they were all ready to go. This one, however, she basked in the glow of my compliments and it made me want to smother her in them. She was indeed very special, where had she come from?

  Zoey looked annoyed by our conversation and it made me wonder if she had considered being my mate as well. It hadn't occurred to me, however, that Zoey had plans of her own to be my mate. Was I complicating things by talking to Avery?

  “Hey Cole, why don't you buy us ladies a drink if you're just gonna stand there and offer up compliments?”

  She had a glint in her eyes and I knew she wanted me to either back off from the table or at least back off from Avery. By the look in her eyes, she was practically growling at me. It was actually kind of a turn-on, her aggressiveness. She wasn't about to scare me away, I was the alpha after all.

  “Maybe later, Zoey.”

  “Come on, Cole, this is a ladies’ night. I was taking my friend out for a good time.”

  I was starting to become increasingly frustrated by Zoey and almost silenced her with a growl. I didn't care about ordering drinks or making mundane conversation with either of them. All I wanted was to figure out how to get Avery alone and get her legs wrapped around my waist.

  Chapter Five

  Avery

  The moment that Cole had approached our table I had a hard time breathing. There was just something about him that possessed me the moment he was near. When he had cupped my chin I thought my heart would burst out of my chest. I had never been touched that way before, so seductive and sensual. Where had this guy come from? It was a little overwhelming and yet addictive all at the same time. I had been immediately attracted to Cole, I mean who wouldn't be? The guy was insanely hot, and when he put all of his attention on you it was hard to not get excited around him. I couldn't believe that Zoey had friends like that. I didn't know anyone that seemed so aggressive and male as Cole was. He was one of those men you could imagine beating something to death with a club and bringing it home for dinner. There was just something wild and free about him and it made me want to be near to him. My life was nothing like that, and I felt it would be refreshing to be around someone who truly knew how to live. I rarely got such a reaction out of guys. I dated often, no doubt, but I had never been around a guy that smothered with his closeness as if he would die if he weren’t near me. I liked the feeling, that there might be someone out there that needed me more than anything. Was that just a romantic notion of mine, or was that really possible? Cole made me feel that way. I liked having him near me; he made me feel like I was the only woman in the room, which was shocking since there were beautiful women everywhere.

  Looking into his eyes when he had cupped my chin I had seen so much in them. An old soul, something dark but also someone who yearned for something more. I got lost in his brown eyes. It was obvious he was a strong man, mentally and physically. A true leader. Everything about him screamed manliness, from his strong chin stubble to his strong, broad shoulders. I imagined he could keep anyone safe if he wanted to. Maybe that was why I felt the way I did around him; he made me feel safe. But he also made me feel unsafe, as if he could pounce on me at any moment and sink his teeth into me. I chuckled to myself. Where had that come from? Maybe I was starting to lose it. Though I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to feel his teeth against my skin. Nibbling...nipping while I moaned with pleasure. There was something very primal about Cole and I was very much into it.

  When he was close to me I felt a heat encircle my entire body, wrapping me up in its warmth. I longed to be close to him and I couldn't understand why I was having such a strong reaction to a man I had just met. I didn't know a thing about him and it almost seemed like there was something between him and Zoey. I couldn't quite keep up with their bickering. It was like they were an old married couple. She had introduced him as just a friend, but there was definitely something there between them. Or was it just Zoey? Did she like Cole? Or worse, was she in love with him? I couldn't read the two of them very well, and the way they were talking between each other made me think that something was just not right. They definitely had a history, maybe it was just because they had been friends for so long, but I wasn't even sure if that made sense. There seemed to be something deeper there, intimate between them.

  Oddly enough it made me jealous thinking about Cole and Zoey together. Deep down I hoped that there hadn’t nor would there ever be anything between them. I connected so easily with Cole that the thought of him being with someone else, especially Zoey, caused me some pain. I couldn't explain why, because he certainly wasn't mine, but I knew that I would be heartbroken if I saw him with someone else. Cole's voice, every time he spoke pulled me in and turned me on. I couldn't even believe I was thinking it, but it was true. The man's voice turned me on so much that I longed to taste his body. I could easily say that no man had ever brought out such a reaction as that in me. Sure, I had attractions to men that often led to sex, but nothing like being in the presence of Cole. I wasn't sure if he was genuinely interested in me or whether he was just flirting with me for the sake of flirting with anyone in a club. I hoped his interest in me was ge
nuine, but it was certainly too soon to tell.

  The one thing that kept pulling me out of my turned-on trance with Cole was the mounting tension that seemed to be brewing between Cole and Zoey. I didn't know what was going on between them, but I quickly understood the tension was only going to get worse and more uncomfortable for all of us.

  When Cole and Zoey started to stare each other down, I coughed uncomfortably.

  “I’m going to go use the restroom. Be back in a sec.”

  I quickly jumped up from my seat and hoped some privacy to work out whatever issues they had between them would help. A part of me didn’t really want to leave Cole’s side, but I knew giving them some space was a good idea. It would solve the awkwardness and allow for them to figure things out together. I just hoped the bickering would be over when I returned.

  They both turned to me and Zoey asked, “Do you want me to come with you?”

  I thought it a little odd for her to want to come with me to the bathroom instead of being with Cole. “Oh, no, you guys hang out and...talk. I'll be right back.”

  “Alright, no rush,” Zoey called out.

  Cole was looking at me intensely. He didn't look very happy about the fact that I was leaving, but I wasn't the one that brought the tension to the table. The two of them clearly needed to talk, and I didn't want to be around when they did it. Maybe he would get the hint and cool it for a while.

  As I moved around Cole I caught a whiff of his cologne and my eyes fluttered closed. God, he smelled good. I kept on moving until I was away from the table and the smell of his cologne. I made my way to the bathroom feeling the absence of his presence immediately and disliking it. I was saddened by the fact that I had to excuse myself to allow them to talk. They clearly had some kind of history together, and that probably cancelled me out of the equation. It was becoming pretty obvious that the two of them must have had some form of a fling in the past, it was the only explanation for their behavior. That kind of tension only meant one thing: one or both of them still had feelings for the other.