Hope stirred again, and this time the movement made her book fall to the ground with a thud. She woke with a start, looking around in momentary confusion from being abruptly dragged out of whatever dream she’d been having. After a few moments, her eyes focused on Drew. She rubbed them in disbelief and then jumped up and ran across the room, attacking him with a giant hug.
“Drew!” she screeched out. “You’re alive! And you’re sitting up! How do you feel?”
Drew winced from the rough hug, and Hope pulled back. “Oh, sorry,” she said. “You’re probably achy and sore. But how do you feel? It feels like your fever is gone.”
Hope put her hand on Drew’s forehead to double check, then nodded happily.
“All gone,” she said. “And you don’t look so pale anymore. I think it actually worked. I think you’re going to get better!”
“Whoa, Hope, slow down,” Drew managed to say. His voice was raspy and still a little weak, but even he could tell that it sounded much healthier than it had the last time he tried to talk.
“Sorry,” Hope said. “I guess I’m talking a hundred miles an hour right now. I’m just so happy that it worked! I almost can’t believe it! I feel like I have you back from the dead.”
Hope tackled Drew with another big hug, and he winced again, but returned the hug. It felt so good to be able to lift his arms again to put them around her. She was so beautiful. So soft and warm. She felt like home. He felt a few splashes of water on his bare shoulder, and he looked up to see that Hope was crying.
“Hey, hey. It’s okay. I think you’re right. I think I’m going to be okay. I’m not sure what happened. Maybe it wasn’t bear flu, after all. I was sure it was, since that guy in the woods looked exactly like the people I’ve seen on the news who are sick. But maybe it was just something similar.”
Hope shook her head. “No, it was bear flu. You don’t remember Jack treating you?”
Drew’s heart dropped again. “I remember they came in here. Why did they do that? Are they okay? Has it been twenty-four hours yet since they were in here?”
Hope stared at Drew as if he had lost his mind. “You really don’t remember?” she asked.
Drew sighed and pushed a loose strand of hair back from Hope’s face. “I guess I don’t,” he said. “I only remember them coming in here and me telling them to leave. Everything gets kind of fuzzy after that.”
Drew racked his brain trying to make himself remember something else, but he drew a blank.
“Wow, okay,” Hope said. “Well, it’s good you’re sitting down because I have some pretty big news to tell you.”
“Okay…” Drew said, drawing out the word in confusion. Moments later his stomach growled loudly, and Hope laughed with delight.
“Are you hungry?” she asked. “You haven’t had anything to eat in days.”
Drew realized for the first time that he was hungry. He hadn’t felt hunger since he’d come down with the flu, and it felt good to actually have hunger pangs. It made him feel alive.
“Yeah, I guess I am hungry,” he said.
Hope grinned. “Okay, hang on. I’m gonna go get you some food and water. I’ll be right back.”
She bounced out of the room, the sound of her whistling trailing behind her as she happily headed to find him something to eat. He rubbed his forehead, confused but overjoyed at how much better he felt. With every moment that passed he was feeling stronger. He stood, and walked on wobbly legs, pacing back and forth across the room a few times. After a few passes, the wobble was almost gone. He went to the window and looked out over the meadow. The fire pit sat empty, but he was still overjoyed just to see it. He had spent so much time sitting out there with his friends, laughing and enjoying life. He had come so close to losing his life and losing any future opportunities to do that. But here he stood, miraculously healed.
The sound of Hope’s footsteps coming up the stairs drew his attention back to the room. She showed up in the doorway again, holding a plate with a giant sandwich and a huge side of potato chips. Drew’s stomach growled again. The food looked so good. Hope handed the food and a large glass of water to Drew, who took the plate and sat in the rocking chair to begin wolfing the sandwich down. He closed his eyes and moaned in delight as the first bite hit his tongue. There was nothing quite as satisfying as getting your appetite back after a long sickness.
“So,” he said, after he’d swallowed his first mouthful of food. “Want to fill me in on how I’m not dead right now.”
Hope nodded. “Okay, so, this whole saga started when I went to tell everyone that I was apparently not sick, but that you were dying. Obviously, they were happy to hear that I was alright, but they were devastated that you were not. Bash got so upset that he ran into the house, storming up to the room before anyone could stop him. Silver freaked out because she didn’t want to see her brother get sick and die, so she chased after him. They both ended up in here, exposed to you and the bear flu. So, we quarantined them and were basically waiting for them to start showing signs of the illness, too. We figured there was no way we’d be lucky enough that both of them—or even one of them—would be immune to the flu, too. But then more than a day passed and neither one of them got sick either.”
Hope paused, and Drew furrowed his brow. “But, the odds of that are virtually impossible,” he said, his voice confused and uncertain. “There were no confirmed cases of anyone surviving, let alone being immune. This must not have been bear flu.”
Hope shook her head. “No, Drew, it was bear flu. All of the symptoms you had were exactly what would have happened with a bear flu infection. The reason that you got sick and no one else in the clan did is that shifters are apparently immune to the virus.”
Hope paused to let this news sink in. Drew chewed his sandwich slowly as he processed what Hope had just told him. “But how would no one have realized this yet?” he asked.
“Think about it, Drew,” Hope said.
And Drew did think about it. It made perfect sense. There weren’t many shifters left walking around freely. Hundreds of them had been dumped into makeshift jails, so they were pretty well isolated from the rest of the population. And even more were hiding out themselves, staying as far away as they could from civilization in an attempt to escape the war on shifters. So when bear flu broke out, there weren’t large numbers of them around to make it obvious that they were immune. If a few had been exposed, everyone had been too panicked in all the worldwide chaos to even realize it.
“Wow,” Drew said. “You’re right. It wouldn’t have been obvious. Are you sure, though?”
Hope nodded. “We’ve all been in here to see you now. All nine shifters, and not one of us has gotten the flu.”
Drew was shocked. This was huge news. It meant that, even if the rest of the population died off, the shifters would remain. What an ironic twist of fate, since all the major governments were in the middle of trying to kill off shifters completely. Drew took in a deep breath and let it out, relishing the feeling of breathing normally without pain. Now that he had food in his stomach, he was feeling almost completely back to normal.
“Okay,” he said. “So, shifters are immune. I understand that part. But I’m not a shifter, and I was definitely infected with the flu. Why am I still alive? And recovering, no less.”
“Jack and Juno hypothesized that the white blood cells in shifter blood were somehow specially equipped to flight against this particular flu virus. Jack knew from his medical studies about a state of the art treatment that involves flooding the veins of a sick person with the blood of someone who is already immune to whatever disease that sick person is fighting. I don’t understand all the science behind it—I’m just a graphic artist after all. But essentially the blood becomes like an infusion of medicine that helps the person become better. Jack said the medical community had used this method to treat other major flu viruses, and he thought it might save your life if we injected you with shifter blood. It was risky, because we weren’t sure
if your body would reject the blood and shut down completely. You were already so weak. But we figured you were dying anyway. It was a last ditch effort to save you.”
Drew blinked slowly, staring at Hope in disbelief. “So you guys put shifter blood in me and I was cured. Simple as that?”
Hope nodded.
“Whose blood did you use?”
“Mine,” Hope said.
Drew smiled. “So I’ve got your shifter blood running through my veins now.”
Hope smiled too. “Yeah, I guess so. I mean Jack said blood replaces itself so eventually all my blood in your veins will be replaced. But for the moment you have shifter blood in you.”
Drew’s eyes filled with tears as he looked over at Hope. “I’m sorry. I know it’s not very manly to cry, but…damn. I would have died if not for you. Thank you.”
Hope smiled. “I think in this circumstance you can be forgiven for shedding a few tears. And you should really thank Jack and Juno. They’re the scientists. Without them we never would have known how to do this, much less that it was even possible.”
Drew wiped at his eyes and smiled. “I’ll be sure to thank them. But thank you, too. You all saved my life. I have to admit I’m a little bit in shock that something like that was even possible. Wait—if I have shifter blood does that mean I can shift?”
Hope laughed. “Nope, sorry. It would be cool if that were the case, but you have to have shifter DNA in all your cells to be able to shift, not just in the blood cells.”
“Damn. That’s a bummer,” Drew said. “I’ve always dreamed of being able to shift.”
“It’s a great skill to have,” Hope said. “Although, as you’ve seen lately not everyone appreciates it. But I love you just the way you are. Even if you’re not technically a shifter, you’re as big as a bear. And you have the heart of one, too.”
Drew smiled. “Come here, you,” he said. “It’s been too long since I kissed you properly.
Hope did as she was told, and Drew set aside his now-empty plate and pulled her into his lap. She squealed as he squeezed her tight and put his lips over hers. His heart filled with warmth and joy as he held her. It felt good to be back to normal, and to have his woman in his arms again.
“Wait, where are the others?” he asked, pulling back from the kiss.
“Out hiking,” Hope said. “They were all going a little stir crazy sitting around here waiting to see what was going to happen to you.”
Drew grinned, then stood up and lifted Hope up with him. He was surprised at how easy it was, considering how weak his arms had felt just an hour before. He was rapidly getting to a place where he felt completely back to normal.
“Good,” he said, heading toward the bed with Hope in his arms. “Then we can be as loud as we want.”
Chapter Twelve
Hope squealed as Drew dropped her down onto the bed. He dropped her from high enough that she bounced a bit, causing her to break out into laughter. She was overcome with a deep feeling of gratitude for the second chance at life he had been given, and she was still in a little bit of shock that he had actually managed to pull through.
After Jack and Juno injected her blood into Drew’s veins, she had alternated between feeling wildly hopeful and telling herself to be realistic and realize that there was a good chance that the treatment wouldn’t work. When she had woken up to find him sitting up and looking healthy once again, she’d had to pinch herself to really believe it was true. Now, here she was, playfully wrestling with him on the bed in the fading sunlight. The whole situation felt so surreal.
Drew snuggled next to her and tickled her stomach, causing her to giggle uncontrollably. She did her best to tickle him back, but he was too quick and too strong. He grabbed her wrists and flipped her onto her back, pinning her hands above her head.
“Nope, nope, nope,” he said, grinning. “I’m the only one who gets to hand out tickles around here.”
Hope squealed again, her heart filling with delight as she realized that Drew had almost all of his strength back. He smiled down at her, and she bit back tears of joy. He was alive! He was still with her, and he was going to be okay.
Drew let go of one of her wrists so that he could reach to wipe away one of the tears that managed to escape. “Hey,” he said softly. “It’s alright. I’m alright now.”
“I know,” Hope said. “That’s why I’m crying. I can’t believe how close I came to losing you.”
Drew leaned down to kiss her lips softly. “I love you, Hope.”
“I love you, too,” Hope said, reaching her free hand up to stroke his cheek.
Drew bent down to kiss her. His movements were slow and purposeful. He was relishing every moment, and so was Hope. After coming so close to losing him, she wasn’t going to take him for granted.
He slipped his tongue past her lips, letting it glide over the roof of her mouth before using it to dance with her own tongue. He felt so warm, and full of life, and Hope’s own body started heating up with the warmth of passion as Drew continued to kiss her.
She put her arms around him, holding the back of his head with both hands and relishing the feeling of his thick hair in her palms. She marveled at how strong he still was, even after fighting a deadly flu for the last several days. He was a bear of a man, regardless of whether he could actually turn into a bear or not. His body was strong, and his heart was fierce and loyal.
Drew broke their kiss off to reach down and pull off Hope’s shirt.
“Come on,” he said, his voice low and husky. “Let’s get this shirt off of you.”
He pulled her shirt off and tossed it aside, then reached behind her back to unclasp her bra so that he could pull that off, too. Then he slid down so his face was over her breasts, and he moved to pull her left nipple into his mouth. He ran his tongue back and forth over the hard nub, sending shivers of delight through Hope’s body. While he used his tongue on the left nipple, he moved his hand up to massage her right breast, taking that nipple between his thumb and pointer finger, rubbing it with intense force.
The tingles of pleasure running up and down Hope’s spine were relentless now. She felt the heat in her body continue to increase as Drew switched his mouth back and forth between her two nipples, always using his hand to massage the breast that wasn’t in his mouth. Every nerve ending in her body felt like it was on fire, and the familiar pressure of ecstasy started building up in her core. She savored the feeling of Drew’s bare skin against her bare skin, and she let out a little moan of approval as he started using his teeth to nibble on her nipples. He used a fierce, almost primal force as he bit down on her, letting her know that she was his. He was claiming his woman with every purposeful pass across her breasts.
After several minutes of this, Hope felt like she was going to explode from the passion building within her. She was burning up, and the liquid of desire was oozing from between her legs. She still had clothes on the lower end of her body, and she could feel them getting soaked as her body grew more and more impatient. She wanted more of him.
Drew was in no hurry, though. He pulled his head back for a moment, and used his hands to push Hope’s breasts together firmly, so they were squished against each other and the nipples were as close as they could be. Then he ran his tongue back and forth from one to the other in a rapid, continuous motion, so that each nipple was being constantly stimulated. The effect was intoxicating. The tingling in Hope’s body was out of control, and she let out a series of moans as her body became hotter and wetter with each second. Just when she thought she might truly explode, Drew stopped and pulled back again.
He looked at her and grinned, his face as sweaty and flushed as Hope’s was. “I’ve missed this,” he said.
“Me too,” Hope said, but she could barely get the words out. Her voice turned into a moan as Drew shimmied down the bed to unbutton her jeans, and then pull them off. He grabbed the hem of her panties with his teeth, and used his mouth to pull them off her legs. The movement left a wet
trail of Hope’s own juices down her legs, and Drew moved back up her legs slowly, using his tongue to lick up the juices. When he reached her pelvis, he didn’t pause or slow down. He kept his tongue going until it had slipped inside of her, reaching deeply and running across her inner walls.
Hope moaned constantly as Drew pulled his tongue back to run it back and forth across her clit, while at the same time reaching his arms up so that his hands could grab a hold of each one of her breasts. With his fingers, he rubbed her nipples, and with his tongue he continued to make her feel like her insides were on fire.
She thrashed about, writhing underneath him as the feeling grew more intense. She tried to fight it, wanting to hold off as long as she could. But eventually the heat was too much, and she gave in. With a loud, long cry, she let the waves of passion overtake her. Her body exploded into a fresh wave of heat, tingling, and spasms. Her inner muscles clenched around Drew’s tongue over and over, and her heart beat wildly as she let the tremors spread through her whole body.
When her body finally started to calm down, and her heart rate slowed slightly, Drew pulled back and let out a low, husky grunt of approval.
“You taste damn good, woman,” he said. “I hope you’re ready for more, because I’m not even close to done with you yet.”
He slid off the bed for a moment so that he could pull off his sweatpants and briefs, letting his thick, stiff erection spring free. Hope’s breath caught in her throat at the sight of it. Even though she’d made love with Drew dozens of times now, the sight of his strong, massive dick never failed to take her breath away. He was unbelievably large, and he was all hers. How did she get so lucky?
Hope didn’t have much time to contemplate, because in the next moment, Drew had slid back onto the bed and positioned himself over her. His body looked so healthy and strong now, and Hope marveled at the fact that he had been at death’s door just hours before. He might not be able to literally turn into a bear, but it was obvious he had shifter blood running through his veins. He was recovering rapidly, and, luckily for her, he wanted to use his newfound strength to make love to her.
Mischief in a Fur Coat Page 9
