Sara froze, drink halfway to her mouth. Tara choked on hers.
“What?” Alex asked, confused, absently patting Tara’s back. “Better she picks on him than on me.”
“Um,” Tara said, ignoring Sara’s warning glare. “Your mother wants to set your brother up with Sara.”
Alex turned to stare at her. “I am so sorry.”
Sara shrugged. “I can handle it.” Her polar bear growled at her inside her mind. She reminded it that they’d have to deal with Alex’s mother. The bear shut up.
The conversation carried on with discussions of dresses and mothers. Sara tuned it out. She loved her sister and was happy that she’d found her true mate. Still, part of her was a little jealous and could only take so much wedding talk. Particularly when she had her own problems to deal with. Besides, they all knew that it was just talk and that they’d eventually do what Mrs Russell told them.
“You okay?”
She looked up to see Katie watching her. The beautiful lioness seemed concerned.
“I’m okay,” she answered. “Just thinking about things I shouldn’t think about.” Dwelling on it didn’t help.
Katie nodded. “My offer still stands. I can totally eat your mate.”
“Not if I get to him first,” Ethan chipped in. “Dana promised I could eat the next creepy stalker.”
“Dana!” Katie exclaimed. “You said I could have your next stalker.”
Dana shrugged. “I’m hoping there won’t be one. If there is, work it out between the two of you. Besides, this one isn’t my stalker, so you’ll have to speak to Sara.”
Everyone’s eyes turned on her.
“I call dibs!” Katie yelled, raising her hand in the air.
Ethan spluttered. “You don’t get to call dibs on a kill, woman. Sara gets to choose.” He turned to her, giving her his best puppy dog eyes.
Katie snorted. “You’re just saying that because I called it first.”
The bickering continued as they argued over who was the best at hunting and maiming. Normally, Sara would be joining in, but her polar bear stubbornly refused to let her kill her own mate. Idiot.
A tantalising scent drifted by her, dragging her attention away from the slap fight that had broken out between Katie and Ethan. The smell grew stronger. Inside her mind, her polar bear sat up straighter, taking an interest in something for the first time in ages.
Sara scanned the room, her eyes coming to rest on a man walking toward their table. Her mouth dropped open a little, and it took her a second to remember to close it. The man was gorgeous. He was big and muscled, filling out his jeans and T-shirt perfectly. His lightly tanned skin suggested that he enjoyed spending time in the sun. His amber coloured eyes locked on hers and he smiled. Her eyes flickered away to his hair. Wow. That was perfect hair. It was long and thick, gentle waves cascading down his back. A warm, honey-blonde shade, it had darker strands weaving through it, and it looked so soft that she itched to run her fingers through it. Tearing her eyes away from his fabulous hair, she re-established eye contact, noting his wide grin. She took a delicate sniff and breathed in the rich, warm aroma of male and lion. A lion shifter? That certainly explained the hair.
There was more though. His scent was the most glorious thing she’d ever experienced, telling her one very important thing. He was her mate. Her true mate. Her polar bear recognised him as such, but remained sulking in the back of her mind, confused and upset.
“Sara?” Katie poked her in the side, and Sara span on her, snarling. Katie merely narrowed her eyes at her. The lioness didn’t intimidate easily. Still, Sara’s grip on her control was sliding fast, unable to cope with the arrival of her true mate and her polar bear’s inability to understand what was happening. Her bear was pulled in two different directions and Sara lacked the control to guide it.
Katie’s eyes travelled over Sara’s shoulder to the newcomer. “Hey, Felix. You know everyone, right?”
“Everyone else, but not this lady.” The man’s voice was pure temptation. Dammit.
“Oh, this is Sara. She’s Tara’s sister,” Katie supplied. “Sara, this is my brother, Felix.”
“Nice to meet you,” Felix said, offering his hand.
Sara stared at it, unmoving. She had no idea how to deal with this situation.
“You’re supposed to shake it,” Felix said, smiling and continuing to hold out his hand.
Finally, she reached over and took it, giving it a weak shake. Numbness invaded her body and her brain had wandered off somewhere. Was this shock? What was she supposed to do with this? Her polar bear was no help. Confused and angry, it recognised that Felix was her mate, but refused to accept it.
She let go of Felix’s hand and he grabbed a chair, pulling it next to hers and sitting down. Doing her best to ignore him, she listened to the conversation around her. He wasn’t easy to ignore. She was aware of him on every level. She could smell his wonderful scent, almost feel the heat radiating from his body. It was irritating, but also intoxicating. Dammit.
“So, are we going to talk about it?” he asked her, his voice bathing her in warmth.
She turned to look at him. “Talk about what?” Maybe she was wrong. Perhaps the man was just really attractive.
He raised an eyebrow. “About us being mates,” he said.
She narrowed her eyes at him. Could she deny it? There didn’t seem much point. He would know as well as she did that they were mates.
He frowned a little at her hesitance. “You don’t want a mate?” he asked.
She shrugged. “I can’t have one right now. My life is a little complicated.” Complicated didn’t even begin to cover it.
“But we’re true mates,” Felix said, his eyes locked on hers.
“Wait. What?” Katie’s excited squeal broke into the conversation. She looked between them. “You two are mates?”
Silence suddenly surrounded them, as everyone turned around to look. The attention made her bear antsy, and she squirmed in her chair.
“Sara?” her sister asked. Her expression was hopeful.
Sara shook her head sadly. She knew what was going through Tara’s mind. Finding a true mate was one of the few ways to break Ryan’s hold on her. It had sounded good in theory, but faced with the reality, she realised that it would not be so simple. Her polar bear was not ready to give up on Ryan. Stupid bear.
“Yes, we’re mates,” Felix announced with a shrug. The look he gave her was partly confused and partly hurt. She felt horrible. This should have been a happy day for her, but instead she just felt confused and miserable. One more problem to pile on top of the others.
“I can’t,” she said quietly.
“But Sara,” her sister objected. “This is what you need to-”
“No,” Sara said firmly. “My polar bear is giving me issues. It’s confused and I can’t reason with it right now.”
Tara nodded. “I understand, but you can’t give up on this.”
Unshed tears burned her eyes. Would she ever be normal? She was so tired of dealing with her temperamental bear.
“Hey,” Felix said softly. “I have no idea what’s going on, but I can help.” He reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. Her bear snapped.
She burst out of her seat, shoving hard at Felix, knocking him from his chair. Her polar bear couldn’t stand Felix touching her. Snarling, she turned and ran from the bar.
***
Felix watched his mate run from him. What on earth was happening?
“She’s running away,” he announced unnecessarily. “Should I follow?”
“No,” Tara said. “Give her some space.” She paused for a moment. “Sara is going through some stuff. It’s not my story to tell, but she’s going to need time to work it out.”
He shrugged. “I can wait.” For his true mate, he absolutely would. She was perfect, the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Small and curvy, but with an air of strength. Perfect. He’d
always thought Tara was a babe, and her sister was very similar. Still, there were differences, and he much preferred his mate.
“Can you at least get off the floor?” Katie asked him.
He pulled himself to his feet and reclaimed his chair. “Better?”
His sister snorted at him. “You’re an idiot.”
He grinned at her. “But I’m a cute idiot with perfect hair. She won’t be able to resist me for long.”
He hoped.
Chapter 3
“She’s avoiding me, isn’t she?”
Felix lay draped on Katie’s couch, one arm slung over his face. It had been days and he hadn’t managed to catch even a glimpse of his mate.
“Probably,” Katie said, unconcerned.
He moved his arm to glare at her. “And no one will tell me why,” he pointed out. He looked up at her hopefully, giving her his best sad little kitty eyes.
“That only works on mum,” Katie said, continuing to flick through her magazine. “If you want to know about Sara, you’ll have to ask Sara.”
“I would,” he pointed out, “if she wasn’t avoiding me.”
Katie sighed. “I’m not telling tales. I like Sara.”
“So do I,” he said. “Or at least, I would if I knew her. And it’s obvious I’m adorable, so she’ll love me.”
Katie snorted.
“Please, Katie,” he asked, batting his eyelashes. “Tell me what to do.”
She stared at him. “Those are not words I often hear. Especially in this family.”
“I’m desperate,” Felix told her. He really was. Sara was his mate and his lion was demanding that they stalk her and claim her. “She’s my true mate.”
His sister watched him thoughtfully. “Okay,” she said, nodding. “I’m not telling any secrets though. You need to spend time with her.” She held up a hand when he would have interrupted. “I know. She’s avoiding you. I can help with that. Once you’re around her, you have to hang on in there. It won’t be easy, Felix. Her bear has a nasty temper and it’s not happy about everything right now. She’s going to push you away, possibly get violent. If you’re serious about her, you’ll have to hang around anyway.”
“I can do that,” Felix said. “You push me around all the time and I still hang around you.” It was true. You didn’t grow up with lion siblings without getting used to a spot of casual violence.
“Then I’ll let you know where she is,” Katie said. “I’m sure some of the others will help too.”
“You wouldn’t happen to be aware of where she is right now?” he asked hopefully.
“Will it get you off my couch?” she asked. “If it will make you stop moping around here, I will draw you a map.”
He sat up, grinning at her. “Where is she?”
“Right now? No idea,” Katie said. She checked her watch. “In about an hour’s time, I’ll be heading off to Tara’s house to do wedding things. Sara will be there too.”
“I can do wedding things,” he volunteered. “Take me with you.” Honestly, he had no idea what Katie was talking about, but he’d do anything at this point.
“Um, it’s generally a girl thing,” she said.
“That is so sexist,” he complained. “You don’t want to be sexist, do you?”
She shrugged. “Fine. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
***
“You want me to what?” Sara stared at Anna.
“Don’t look at me, dear,” Anna Russell said. “This one was your sister’s idea. I’ll admit that it does sound lovely though.”
Sara turned to stare at Tara.
Her sister shrugged. “I just thought it would be nice to have napkins folded into animal shapes for the wedding. Everyone could have a napkin folded in the shape of their own animal.”
“You want me to fold this napkin into a polar bear shape?” she asked. “Do you even know how to do that?”
“I downloaded instructions from the internet,” Tara said, handing her a piece of paper. “I thought we could practice today.”
Grumbling, Sara took the paper and a napkin, sitting down at the table to try it. The doorbell rang and Tara jumped up to answer the door.
Sara concentrated on following the instructions, folding her napkin over and over. It wasn’t looking much like a polar bear. Or any other animal. It looked like a scrunched up napkin.
The tantalising scent of her mate hit her and she lifted her head, looking toward the door. He wouldn’t, would he? Surely he wouldn’t crash a girlie wedding thing to see her?
As she watched, he strode through the door, his eyes immediately searching her out, a big dopey grin spreading over his face.
“Fancy seeing you here,” he purred, seating himself next to her at the table. Her polar bear watched him suspiciously from a corner of her mind.
“You mean here in the house where I live?” Sara asked, unable to control the sarcasm. “At a gathering for my sister’s wedding?”
He shrugged, unrepentant. “Yeah.”
She sighed and went back to folding her napkin.
“Why are you torturing that thing?” he asked, leaning in closer to look at her napkin.
“I’m folding it into a polar bear,” she explained. At his confused expression, she added, “Don’t ask me. It was Tara’s idea.”
“Ooh, can I try?” he asked, reaching for a napkin.
“Here,” Tara said, handing him a sheet of instructions. “You need to make a lion.”
“Isn’t this supposed to be a girl thing?” Dana asked, frowning as she folded. Her moose napkin looked more like a deformed duck. Still, it looked like an animal, so she was a step ahead of Sara.
“Apparently that’s sexist,” Katie said calmly. Traitor.
Glancing up, Sara saw several thoughtful looks directed at her and the overgrown kitty sitting beside her. Her bear grumbled, clearly unhappy but not yet pushing for control. Sara sighed to herself. Normally she would leave, but this meant a lot to her sister and she couldn’t hurt Tara by disappearing. Not until after the wedding anyway. After that, it would probably be best if she moved on, away from the confusing lion that made her heart beat faster and her teeth clench at the same time. He knocked her off balance and she had no idea what to do with him.
She eyed the door longingly. No. She couldn’t run out on Tara. Dammit. Turning back, she made eye contact with Anna. The woman raised an eyebrow at her and Sara bent her head, getting back to her napkin. No way could she make it to the door before Anna caught her. She wasn’t brave enough, or suicidal enough, to try.
Studiously ignoring the man next to her, she worked on the napkin. The instructions made no sense whatsoever. She followed the first few steps and then had no idea what it was trying to make her do. Improvising didn’t seem to help.
A sigh came from next to her. She turned to look at Felix who was pouting at his little miniature lion, complete with mane.
“How did…?” she gaped at him.
“I know,” he said, frowning. “I just can’t get his hair fabulous enough. Maybe I need a bigger napkin.”
“But it looks like a lion!” she exclaimed.
He gave her a funny look. “Yeah, because I’m a lion. I thought that was the point.”
She held up her twisted napkin. “And I’m a polar bear. This, however, is not. How did you do that?”
“I read the instructions,” he said, waving them at her.
Anna clapped her hands. “Oh, a man who actually reads the instructions,” she said, delighted. “He’s a catch, dear. Don’t let him get away.”
“I’m not… we’re not…” she spluttered.
“Not going anywhere, ma’am,” Felix said brightly, beaming at Anna.
Sara glared at him. He’d have to give up eventually. Her polar bear was just not ready to deal with it.
“I think Felix should be in charge of napkin folding,” she said, smirking at him. Let’s see how he liked that
.
“Sure,” he said. “It was fun.” He grinned at her. The same goofy smile that made her insides melt, even as she wanted to punch him. This was the problem, she realised. Her reaction to him was extreme and divided. She desperately wanted to jump the man and mate with him, but she also wanted to push him away and run. Not knowing how to react, which response to go with, she was frozen, paralysed with indecision.
“So, now we’ve settled that,” she said, staring at him. “I think we should get to the nail painting.” Surely he’d object to that.
“Awesome,” he said.
Was he serious? Sara looked at him. Perhaps he was trying to psych her out. She picked up a bottle of hot pink nail polish and grabbed his hand, trying to ignore how warm and soft his skin was.
Felix didn’t even blink. Simply wiggled his fingers at her. “Are we doing them all the same, or trying out different colours?” he asked.
“Is there a colour you don’t like?” she asked. If there was, she’d choose that one.
“No, I like them all,” he said. “That’s a nice shade of pink there.”
Scowling at him, she put the bottle down and picked up a pale pink one instead. She let go of him long enough to open the bottle, annoyed at herself for missing the contact, even as her polar bear sighed in relief. Enough. Any moment now, he’d stop her and then she’d have won.
He didn’t stop her. She painted one nail pink, her hands shaking a little. She picked up a bottle of lime green polish and used it on the next nail.
“You’re really not going to stop me?” she asked.
He shrugged, careful not to move his hand. “Why would I? I’m a prime specimen of male. I’m not afraid of coloured nails.”
That was so sexy. Dammit. She’d always been attracted to men who were secure enough to not care about constantly enforcing a masculine image. He was right. No one would ever mistake Felix for anything but the strong, virile male that he was. No matter what he did.
She continued to paint his nails, unwilling to admit that she’d only been doing it to annoy him.
“Give it up,” Katie said, from her other side. “He’s Felix. If he got any more easy-going, he’d be permanently asleep. Trust me, I’ve been trying to annoy him my whole life, and he just doesn’t react.”
Polar Opposites Page 2
