Purrfect for Me

by Bolryder, Terry

  For a second, she’d thought she was just seeing a mirage, borne out by sheer paranoia. But then her eyes had adjusted and it had been so solid, so very real.

  So focused on her.

  She’d stepped back with a scream, dropping the dish she’d been washing. By the time the other women had stepped away from the range and walked over to the window, the beast had disappeared back into the trees.

  Making her look utterly crazy.

  Now she was locked in her room, heart nearly seizing, wondering how to explain any of this to the people around her who didn’t deserve to be thrown into this mess.

  How had it followed her this far? How could it possibly have known where she was?

  It was just a fucking bear! Nothing was right about this at all. She began to pace again, furiously, even as she could hear the women talking worriedly outside.

  Luckily, they wouldn’t be going outdoors where they would be in danger. Then again, would anyone really be in danger other than her?

  She almost wished she could just say she was crazy. That she was imagining it all; thus, it wasn’t actually a danger to anyone around.

  But even Bradley had seen it. And run.

  She was pacing for a while before she heard male voices, along with Hunter’s, as the men must have entered the house.

  Of course Dawn and April would have called their guys back. Kelly’s face burned with embarrassment at the thought of the trouble she’d caused.

  But she’d been so happy, even been able to open up to someone romantically, and it just sucked to have all of that fade away with one sighting of the bear.

  Now everyone was going to think she was crazy, and when she told them what was going on, she was going to lose her new friends.

  “Kelly? Kelly, let me in.”

  That was Hunter, and she couldn’t help the spark of relief entering her heart at the sound of his voice.

  Even if she knew what was coming next would be anything but comforting.

  “I can’t. I don’t…” She had no idea what to say. A part of her had hoped she would never have to tell him about the nightmare she’d endured.

  Something that made no sense for any human to go through.

  “Please let me in,” he said urgently.

  She sighed, knowing there was no way of holding him off. He would just keep trying to get to her. After what they’d shared last night, she couldn’t just shut him out.

  She opened the door reluctantly, and he charged forward, enveloping her tightly in his strong arms, holding her against his large, reassuring chest as he murmured soft words of comfort.

  “I… but I know everyone thinks I’m crazy.”

  “I think they know you’re scared,” he said quietly. “I think after last night, you have every right to be.” He pulled back, looking her over carefully, and relaxed slightly when he saw she was okay. “I think it’s probably time you told me everything.”

  “I know,” she said reluctantly.

  He took her hand and pulled her over to the bed, sitting down with her on the edge of it, keeping her hand in his. “You know you can tell me anything. I’m not going to judge.”

  She took a deep breath. “I shouldn’t have brought anyone else into this. I really thought he wouldn’t follow me this far.”

  “Your ex?”

  His tone was so understanding she didn’t want to see him look at her with alarm for her mental state, like everyone did when she tried to tell them what was going on.

  She let out a small noise of exasperation. “No. It’s… it’s too crazy to say.”

  “Trust me.” He tucked a stray curl behind her ear affectionately. “I might be more familiar with crazy than you think.”

  For some reason, her mind wandered to the scratches on his back. The way he worked so quickly. Then she shook those thoughts away because they seemed irrelevant. “No one believes me. Well, except one who finally did when they saw it, but…”

  “What happened?”

  Her throat felt tight, and she tried to keep herself from crying. “He ran.”

  It had been such a betrayal, particularly because she’d had such hope. Bradley had seemed to understand her, and even though he was skeptical about the bear at first, she’d thought if he did see it, he would understand.

  Not so much.

  She looked down at her hands, which were folded carefully in her lap. “So I get it if you want to run as well. You haven’t known me long, and you weren’t signing up for—”

  Hunter simply gave her hand a warm squeeze. “You haven’t even told me what I’m facing. Why don’t you let me decide what I want to sign up for?”

  She sighed. What choice did she have? Her only other option was just to run away, and he didn’t deserve that. He deserved to know what he was trying to get himself into.

  “Here.” She pulled out her phone and opened the most hated bookmark on her browser. “Maybe it’s better if I just show you this.”

  She handed her phone to him, knowing nothing would be the same after this moment. She sort of felt as if she were leaving her body, and she waited for him to give a response.

  But she also tried to reassure herself that this had all happened before and she had survived it. She would hopefully survive it once again, no matter how much it hurt.

  He scrolled through the article, reading intently, and she waited for strained laughter or cursing or yelling in shock.

  Instead, he just seemed to look a little angrier, his eyes narrowing as he picked up pace, scrolling down with terse little motions as his eyes widened slightly in shock.

  “I can’t believe this,” he said, handing the phone back to her. He let out a long, deep breath, then ran a hand through his hair.

  Her heart fell like someone kicked her off an airplane midflight. Of course he wasn’t going to believe her. Of course—

  He leaned forward with his hands on his knees, then straightened, looking straight into her eyes. “Look, I don’t think you’re crazy. If you say there’s a bear following you, there is. Now we just have to deal with him.”

  Of all the things she’d expected, that was the last of them. She felt suspended midfall. No one had ever reacted like this before. “What?”

  Hunter let out a sigh and flopped back on the bed heavily. “Man, when I got that phone call about you, my heart stopped. I was ready for you to tell me anything. Just a bear? We can deal with that.”

  She felt like the blood had left her brain, leaving her bereft of rational thought. “But… Did you read the article? He’s followed me everywhere. For months.”

  Hunter stayed where he was on the bed but nodded. “I read everything, but tell me whatever you can.”

  “But you said you couldn’t believe it.”

  “I couldn’t believe the shit the article was saying about someone who’s clearly a victim here.”

  “Oh.” As she slowly realized he was actually accepting her, her heart began to fill with warmth. She lay back on the bed next to Hunter, finally ready to tell him what had gone on.

  “He first showed up when I was on my deck in Wyoming, painting. I thought he was kind of pretty. But then he came around more, and there was something in his eyes. He started showing up when I was trying to leave the house. He never attacked me, but…”

  Hunter put a hand over hers. “But you were worried about it, obviously. Since being followed by a bear would terrify anyone.”

  Why did he make it sound so reasonable to believe her when no one else had?

  “Right. I carried bear spray, and I tried to just go about my business. He’d stay away for a good amount of time, but the weird thing is…”

  “What?”

  She flushed. “Oh God, I can’t say it.”

  “Say it. I believe you.” He turned his head to look into her eyes.

  “He doesn’t like when I’m… dating.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “That always made him come out.”

  “Oh. I think the articl
e mentioned you saying that.” He looked back at the ceiling, considering it thoughtfully.

  “My dates wouldn’t believe me,” she said, rattling it all out so she could just be done. “I’d see him outside, and when they got to the window, he wouldn’t be there. Like what just happened in the kitchen. I know my exes all thought I was crazy when I didn’t want to go outside or for them to go outside because of a bear.”

  “Was anyone attacked?”

  “No. Not yet. But even though it sounds crazy, I can sense that he would, if pushed far enough. I don’t know why. I just sense it. Whenever someone breaks up with me, he goes away for a while. I know that sounds insane.”

  “No, I don’t think so.”

  She bit her lower lip, surprised every time by his kindness. “That’s why I flew all the way out here. I thought there was no way a bear could follow my scent when I was on a plane, but I was wrong.”

  “But you say one man actually saw it?”

  “I think so. He came to the window when I asked, and he actually saw the bear. But he was like, ‘Fuck this. You have a bear stalking you. I’m not about to become bear food.’”

  “Asshole,” Hunter muttered. “A man like that isn’t even good enough to be bear food.”

  She couldn’t help letting out a giggle.

  Hunter rolled onto his side, propping himself up on his elbow. “So how did this article come about?”

  “One of my exes was drunk at a bar and thought the story was funny. This isn’t the one who saw the bear, obviously.”

  “Obviously,” Hunter said. “They tried to make you sound insane. But I know you’re not.”

  “How?” She turned on her side to face him as well.

  “I know you,” he said, brushing her cheek lightly. “If you say something, I believe you, okay?”

  She swallowed. “Okay.”

  “Now we just have to figure out how to get him,” Hunter said thoughtfully.

  She shook her head mournfully. “I’ve tried everything. I’ve hired bounty hunters, regular hunters. Depleted my savings. I don’t know why he’s doing this, but I do know he doesn’t want me to date. He wants me to be alone, and I have a feeling that at some point, he’s hoping to get me alone with him.” She flopped on her stomach on the covers. “But what a stupid bear could want from me, I just don’t know.”

  Chapter 12

  Hunter knew exactly what the fucking bear probably wanted, if his suspicions were right and it was a rogue shifter who’d gotten the idea that Kelly was his mate.

  Hunter wasn’t having it.

  His cougar was pacing, ready for the kill, ready to end the stupid, foul creature that had caused her so much turmoil.

  But Hunter knew he had to handle this carefully. She and the rest of the human world that was mocking her clearly thought this was a regular bear. So it made no sense that he was stalking so intently, even when she would move across the country by plane.

  Knowing it was a bear that could shift to a human and just catch a flight with her made Hunter’s blood run cold.

  He looked deep into Kelly’s eyes, wanting to reassure her, but not knowing how much more he could say.

  Their connection had solidified the feeling that she was his mate, but his worry over her fear and his need to get back to her had carved it in granite.

  She was his, and he would protect her. But how to let her know that everything would be okay?

  It sucked sometimes that humans weren’t allowed to know about shifters, because it left them in potentially terrible situations when things like this happened to them.

  How could a human woman make sense of it when a shifter decided to come into her life?

  Not knowing that shifters even existed made it so people like Kelly had to be alone in their odd struggle, unable to even seek the right help.

  Well, she had it now. She had a cougar, a bear, and a wolf who would all help if needed. Plus, a nearby wolf pack that owed him a favor.

  Hunter’s lip curled distastefully. Surely one bear wouldn’t be that hard to take down. He’d fought bears before. His agility was definitely a bonus. Then again, that bear hadn’t smelled normal.

  No matter what he was, Hunter would end him before he let him near his mate.

  What a disgusting coward that shifter was, terrifying and stalking a woman who couldn’t even make sense of what he was.

  He sat up and shook his head to clear it, already planning to talk to the guys about what he’d found out. When he stood, he felt her hand softly grasp his wrist, pulling him back.

  He looked down at her curiously. “Yes?”

  “You’re going to leave, aren’t you? You were acting nice, but you think I’m crazy.” She was sitting upright now, and her eyes looked desperate and scared.

  He crouched in front of her, holding the sides of her face as he shook his head. “Absolutely not. I just need to let the guys know what is going on and make plans to catch this stupid bear.”

  Her hand remained on his, clutching it tightly. “They’ll think I’m crazy.”

  “I promise they won’t.” He couldn’t tell her why they wouldn’t, but he knew he was telling the truth.

  She shook her head, and he pulled her against his shoulder, stroking her hair as he felt tears wet the collar of his shirt. “I’m glad you believe me, but it still feels like this is all impossible. He only shows up when he wants to. Only one other person has even seen him.” She shook her head. “I just don’t even know what to do.”

  “You do nothing,” he said softly. “Except depend on me to catch him. Me and my friends. You have friends now, Kelly. And we aren’t going to let you down.”

  She pulled back, wiping her eyes and beginning to steel herself. He could feel that she was starting to calm down, and it did his heart good. “But you don’t understand. I’ve hired so many people. So many hunters. No one has been able to catch him.”

  He leaned in, kissing her lips, tasting her tears and swearing he would end this so she didn’t have to shed any more of them.

  When he pulled back, he wiped the last of the moisture away, then stroked his thumb over her lips. “Yeah, well, maybe the right Hunter hasn’t tried.”

  Her lips parted in surprise, and he kissed her again, loving the way she melted into him and hoping his confidence was finally catching on.

  Because he was going to kill this stupid bastard, and he was going to enjoy ripping his body apart with his claws when he was done.

  * * *

  Once Kelly was calm and resting, sipping some tea with Dawn and April in her room, Hunter took the chance to talk to Garrett and Grayson in the living room down the hall.

  “Damn, dude,” Garrett said, finishing the article with Grayson reading over his shoulder. “Shit. Grizzlies are notorious assholes when it comes to claiming mates. Even the regular ol’ bears will stalk their females for miles just to wear them down.”

  “Shit,” Grayson said. “Gross.”

  Garrett gave him a sidelong glance. “I’d like to think shifters are better, but I’m sure there are some that are a little more in touch with their… animal side.”

  “Like a feral?” Hunter asked.

  “Yes,” Garrett said.

  Grayson took a seat on the couch, looking pensive. “I can only imagine what she’s been through. Trying to tell people and having them think she’s crazy. Meanwhile, she’s been scared to death.”

  Hunter sent his friend an appreciative glance. Grayson could be oddly empathetic at times.

  “I’ll get the word out to the pack to watch for a rogue bear. Maybe even send out some hunters,” Grayson said.

  Garrett shook his head nervously. “No offense, but the pack isn’t really… strong enough probably. I mean, you alone can take on handfuls of them. I think it’ll have to be us that take this thing on.”

  “Me,” Hunter said stoically, cracking his knuckles.

  Grayson eyed him. “So I guess there is something that makes you get serious.”

  “
When my mate is in danger? Hell yeah.”

  Garrett couldn’t help grinning at him. “Told you.”

  “You did no such thing, you dumb bear. You just think everyone is always finding their mate,” Hunter retorted.

  Garrett took a seat in his La-Z-Boy, putting his hands behind his head. “Been right so far.”

  Grayson narrowed his eyes. “I’ll just have the pack watch, then, not engage with it if they find it.”

  “Right,” Garrett said. “I guess unless it’s in human form. Then it could be harder to track.”

  “Would be weird to be in human form much and be that feral,” Grayson said.

  “Not if he’s just been using his human form as manipulation. As a tool. I mean, he must have at least taken a plane to get to her. There must be that much human of him at least.”

  “Doesn’t take much,” Garrett said. “He probably has a house and a stash that he could access. Though, my guess is he left everything behind in his final approach.”

  “What I don’t get is how no one has ever seen him,” Grayson said.

  “Wouldn’t be hard to hide in the woods,” Hunter explained. “Climb up a tree as a bear, shift back. As long as you don’t mind pine needles in your man bits, you could do it.”

  Grayson winced at that, and Garrett joined him.

  “Yeah, well, bears have gone through much worse to claim the female they want,” Garrett said, eyeing Hunter. “You may be in for a fight.”

  Hunter just shrugged, still feeling hard and cold on the inside. “She’s my mate. I would kill for her.”

  “Still seems like it happened really fast,” Grayson said, lowering his eyebrows.

  “You were right. It happens quickly,” Hunter said. “Now I just want to keep her safe.”

  “Right,” Garrett said.

  Hunter took a deep breath. “But I also understand if you don’t want you or your mates to be in danger. I can take her somewhere else if need be.”

  “No,” Garrett and Grayson said emphatically.

  “You’re safest here,” Garrett said. “You and I can keep an eye on both our mates. Grayson, you’ll be fine at the trailer with the pack.”

  Grayson nodded. “I ain’t afraid of no stupid bear. I’ll be there whenever you need me.”