by Fel Fern
The kiss was all heat and bite, reeling his mind back to reality. Oh God. So good. Craig practically melted against Rick. Tongues tangled and teeth clashed. More, he silently willed, but Rick pulled away, licked his lips as if he tasted something sweet. He blushed.
“You didn’t answer my question. Someone hurt you,” Rick said, phrasing it more like a statement than a question.
Rick actually sounded angry—not at him, Craig realized, but for him.
Embarrassed Rick saw him like that, his mind wandering, he ran his fingers through his hair. “Not a werebear, just another shifter. It was a long time ago, and I’m not prejudiced or anything like that. Some childhood scars stick, you know?”
“I know,” Rick said, looking distant.
Craig wondered if the werebear battled his own inner demons. He found himself growing more curious about the werebear. Craig couldn’t remember the last time he’d been attracted to anyone, either, least of all a shifter.
Rick furrowed his brows, frown on his lips. Thankfully, the werebear didn’t push him further about his past.
“I’m going back to bed,” Rick muttered, yanking the comforter and slipping back in. “Unless you want to join me, get the hell out of my room.”
Since he knew Rick a little better now, he didn’t take the comment so hard. He exited the room, then lingered by the doorway, heart racing. He was tempted to touch his kiss-swollen lips but stopped himself just in time. “Just so you know, I’m staying for a little while longer. Danny’s also invited me to dinner with you guys later.”
Smiling at Rick’s snarl, he gently closed the door behind him.
Chapter Four
“Boss?” Brendan said at the bar.
Rick blinked, realizing where he was, in the middle of a staff meeting. Shit. He never blanked off like that, but then again, he hadn’t been used to having an intriguing human living under his roof, either.
“I’ll knock off at eight,” he told his two staff members. “Connor will be coming in to check on things. Call me if anything happens.”
Despite how busy Friday nights could get, he took time out of his schedule to sit down and have dinner with his brothers. Well, they usually fired up the grill. Family was important, that was one of the last lessons his father taught him before passing away.
“Don’t worry about a thing,” Alicia told him.
Both Alicia and Brendan were college students and had been working for him for a few weeks now. The new school term would be starting soon though, so Rick mentally reminded himself to put up an online ad sometime this week.
“I’ll leave the Honey Bear in your hands then,” he said.
A few minutes before eight, Rick got into his truck, still running numbers in his head and gauging whether he needed to restock. Taking deep breaths, he steered his car back home. What was he doing? Mac accused him of working too much, despite no longer needing to. Both his brothers were grown and happily mated. Mac and Connor ran O’Riley Cabins smoothly, and more and more guests rented the cabins. Business was good.
The only thing missing, a voice inside in him said, was having someone to share his life with.
His thoughts went back to Craig that morning, how scrumptious the human looked, confused that he’d fallen into Rick’s bed by accident. That kiss. Fuck, Rick had never tasted anything sweeter. Craig was even better than honey.
For a werebear, that was a huge thing. Rick didn’t miss the arousal in the air, either. He couldn’t deny he’d been tempted to yank Rick to him, give the little human a taste of what it would be like being with a real man.
Then he recalled Rick’s words about being hurt by a shifter before. That made him mad. What kind of psycho shifter would hurt a gorgeous, fiery human like Craig? It took guts for Craig to put a pause button on his busy job and drive all the way to the Red Mountains to confront werebears. True, it might be a little funny Craig thought Connor held Danny against his will, but if he were in Craig’s shoes, he might have been worried, too.
Should he apologize to Craig for this morning? For what? The kiss? For being grumpy?
Hold on a second. The human had been the one to unceremoniously sleep on his damn bed. Craig didn’t look ready to flee, either. Besides, there was no reason for Rick to say sorry, when clearly, both of them had a nice, deep sleep.
He’d been thinking about how to handle Craig when he arrived at the cabins. Parking his car, he got out. The scent of grilled meat hit his nose. His stomach rumbled. Perfect. He was hungry as hell. Rick made a quick stop to his kitchen to grab a six-pack, then proceeded to Mac’s place.
Mac and Connor’s cabins used to be part of the rental cabins, but both of his brothers turned them into their homes. It only seemed logical, seeing as renters and tourists could easily approach either of them if they needed something.
Rick found their little group in the back of Mac’s place. As usual, Connor manned the grill. Scattered around two picnic tables were Mac, his mate Pat, Danny, and an awkward looking Craig.
“You’re early,” Connor remarked, seeing him.
“I decided Alicia and Brenden could run the Honey Bear without me for a few hours. You’re stopping by to check on things later, right?”
Connor grunted. “Of course. Plus, you deserve a little break. Huh.”
A contemplative look appeared on Connor’s face, making him snarl softly.
“Huh, what?” he demanded.
“It seems Mac and I can’t persuade you to relax a little, but it seems one human is capable of that.” To make his point, Connor nodded to Craig.
“Mind your own damn business,” he said with a growl. “And you’re burning those sausages. Let me.”
“You just want to take over the grill to avoid socializing. The grill’s mine. I want to cook before heading to the bar. Besides, your little human looks like he needs saving. Mac can be a little much, too.”
Rick knew what Connor met. Of the three of them, Mac had always been the joker. Sometimes though, Mac teased other people too much. His bear agreed with Connor’s suggestion. Rick grabbed the cooked burgers on the side, along with some buns, before venturing over to the picnic tables.
Mac and Pat sat on one table, Danny and Craig on the other. Craig seemed to be glaring daggers at Pat for some reason.
“Hey, bro. You’re early,” Mac said as he set down the food. “You bring any beer?”
“By the grill,” he said. “Get me one, too.”
“How about you guys?” Mac asked the other three men. “Babe?”
“Yes,” Pat told his mate with a smile.
“Me too,” Danny answered.
“Do you have any light beer?” Craig asked.
“Need to keep that figure, right?” Mac winked at Craig, who looked at his hands.
“You guys think I’m ridiculous, don’t you?” Craig suddenly blurted, brown eyes flashing with anger. Craig rose to his feet. Mac began to open his mouth, but Rick gripped his arm, shaking his head. Mac raised an eyebrow. Rick didn’t explain, but he had a feeling whatever Mac said next, Craig would only take badly.
Okay. It was clear Rick walked in the middle of some kind of argument, or, knowing Mac, his brother might have gone too far. He knew his brother though. Mac wasn’t cruel, just too much for outsiders who didn’t know him that well.
“Wait, Craig. No one thinks that,” Danny interrupted. “Please sit down.”
“What he said,” Pat added. “Mac just likes to make jokes.”
“It’s fine. Enjoy your dinner with your new best friend, Danny,” Craig said, then looked at Mac and Rick. Craig’s jaw twitched, then he spun on his heel and began walking toward the woods. None of them said anything for a moment.
“What the hell happened here?” Rick demanded, looking at his brother. It wasn’t safe for a human to walk into those woods alone. Sure, the woods surrounding them belonged to the three of them, but it was dark. Craig didn’t look like a great outdoorsman, either. Before stalking the human, he needed to know how to
fix this first.
“Don’t look at me,” Mac said, running a hand through his hair. “Okay, maybe I went overboard. Craig’s so uptight, I thought it would be good for him to loosen up.”
“Sometimes other people don’t get your brand of humor, baby,” Pat told Mac.
“I’ll go after him,” Danny began, but Rick placed a hand on his shoulder.
“No, let me,” Rick said. Seeing as Danny was about to protest, he interrupted the human. “Look, I’m the neutral party here, and he’s not mad at me. I’ll make sure he returns here safely.”
Danny looked relieved. “Are you sure?”
Rick said the words which would fully convince Danny to let him go. “Connor will get mad if you go out there and get injured.”
“Hey, I’ve done a few nature hikes with Connor, but I get your point.”
Rick nodded and walked up to the trees leading deeper into the forest. He knew these lands like the back of his hand. Craig couldn’t have gotten far, but he wanted to catch up to the human as soon as possible. He stripped down, balled his clothes and belongings together, then reached for his bear.
Fur covered his chest and shoulders. Bones broke and organs shifted. The bear in him had been eager to get out, so the change was smooth and fast. Once on all four paws, he sprinted toward the woods. Most people assumed bears might be big but lacked the speed of wolves or other predatory cats. They were wrong. He quickly caught Craig’s scent in the air.
It wasn’t hard. Bears had the best sense of smell among all the shifter groups. Besides. Rick knew the smell of the pine trees, moss, and soil around their property. Growing up, his father had taken Connor and Mac here to learn how to handle their bears.
He twitched his nose as the scent of copper hit his nose. Craig had somehow injured himself. Not good. Craig clearly didn’t think about his situation, merely left in a fit of anger. Rick had a mind to remind the little human to take care of himself better, to make logical decisions instead of running away.
Rick would have huffed if he were in human form. Hearing the howl of a wolf in the distance, all the fur on his back rose. It couldn’t be a werewolf. The shifters in town respected each other’s space and territory, but rogue wolves sometimes roamed these woods. These animals mostly kept away, knowing three werebears lived in the area, but sometimes, they crossed boundaries, especially when hunger rode them.
Another howl followed the first, telling him there might be more wolves.
What the hell?
Only a month ago, Pat had been attacked in these woods by three hired vampires. The land he and his brothers owned was huge. With just the three of them, they couldn’t cover the entire territory on their own, but fuck. When had the woods become such an unsafe place?
No, Rick realized. It wasn’t like their home had become unsafe.
It had been much easier when it had just been the three of them. Rick knew Mac and Connor could handle themselves, but both of his brothers chose humans for mates. Back then, before he met Craig, he didn’t understand why Connor and Mac wouldn’t pick a shifter mate instead. Shifters were built stronger, but then he realized his brothers knew from the start that Pat and Danny had been the ones for them.
A shifter didn’t choose their mates. Their mates had been destined to be theirs from the beginning.
A human scream pierced his ears. A wave of possessive anger struck Rick as he ran faster, digging his claws into the dirt. Red haze filled his head. Rick didn’t know why, but hearing Craig hurting didn’t sit well with him.
He offered his den to Craig. Hell, Craig and he slept together last night. Rick’s bear considered it his responsibility to make sure the little human didn’t get himself in trouble. Blood boiling, he searched the source of the sound. He opened his jaws and rattled out a battle roar.
Rick barged in, ready to rip anything in his line of sight.
Chapter Five
Craig didn’t know where he was going. He only had one thing on his mind—make a dramatic exit, because he had it with this place and these werebears. Most of all, he’d been pissed at Danny. He certainly didn’t get it. Danny had a good thing going for him back in the city, a career most models would envy.
Throughout dinner, he’d been miserable, listening to Mac joke and Pat. God. He didn’t know what it was about Pat that grated on his nerves. Maybe it was the knowledge that Danny changed his entire life around his mate and, in the process, found a new best friend to hang out with. Craig was nothing like them and knew he would never fit in. Heck, even Mac thought his life was something to laugh at.
Craig nearly stumbled over a branch but righted himself right in time by clutching at the nearest tree. He breathed hard, looking around. Fear settled inside his belly. Dark silhouettes of huge trees looked back at him. Craig couldn’t see anything—the only source of light came from the full moon above him and a few scattered stars.
He hated the dark, always did, and for a good reason. Murky memories of the past lingered in his mind, but he held them back. Craig couldn’t go into a panic attack now of all times.
He distinctively remembered circling that boulder a few minutes ago, or had it been an hour ago? Craig couldn’t tell. He planned on returning to the cabin by the time dinner was over and Rick was in bed. He’d silently pack his stuff, drag it to his car, and leave without a goodbye. That would certainly make him a bastard, but he didn’t care.
Danny would never change his mind about going back to full-time modeling. Danny was content, modeling for local department stores now. When Craig brought up all those amazing shoots they worked, like Paris fashion week, Danny clammed up, told him softly that it had been a long time ago, that he was happier now.
Bullshit. Danny had been at the top of his game, even had the ability to choose which designers to work with, and his best friend threw all that for this? A life in the middle of nowhere with three burly werebears and his new best friend, Pat?
Craig had gotten so fired up, he’d forgotten he came to dinner to get to know a certain attractive and grumpy werebear. He really thought Rick would be there early. At least he could have used Rick as a buffer. Among the werebear brothers, he only got along with Rick. Sure, Rick snarled and growled at him yesterday, but this morning?
This morning had been kind of a game changer.
Craig cursed as branches scratched his arm. The cut stung. He tried looking at the wound but couldn’t really tell with it being so dark.
“Shit,” he muttered under his breath. There was no denying it. Craig was lost.
His foot hit something hard. Yelping, Craig toppled over, only to taste dirt and leaves. He spat the leaves out, pissed, and damn it. Scared. Craig never took to outdoor activities growing up. His exercise regime consisted of running around the city block or hitting the gym.
These creepy woods added to the growing list of why he’d never think about moving here. Sure, the forest looked rustic when he drank coffee in Rick’s kitchen, but that had been during daylight hours. He felt foolish for walking off and into these woods no less. Why couldn’t he decide to take his car and drive into town? Oh, right. Because to head to his car, he needed to walk past everyone else.
Damn it. If Craig did that, he could have even found some stud in a bar and unwound a little.
Who was he kidding? The paparazzi always made up dirt on him about who he dated, but in reality? Craig never had time for a personal life. Besides, Craig didn’t want to meet some stranger. Not after he met Rick.
That werebear gave him a hell of a kiss that morning, something he couldn’t forget easily. It had been the kind of kiss that he once thought only existed in the gay romance novels he loved to read during his free time. Rick looked like he wanted to do more dirty things to him but didn’t push it, probably because he mentioned his past.
Craig came to the barbecue because he wanted to get to know Rick better, and then what? Where would that lead? A tumble in bed? Part of him hoped and wanted for more. No, Craig didn’t know what the hell he
wanted anymore. The truth was, maybe he admired Danny for choosing to leave his old life and start a new one.
He didn’t have the guts to do something like that.
He had more work waiting for him back home—except he didn’t relish going back to his lonely lifestyle, either.
A howl reached his ears, and he shuddered. Feeling cold, Craig wrapped his arms around his waist. He should have put on a jacket. Who knew nights got this cold? The sound came again, followed by another. That sounded suspiciously too near for his liking.
A pair of yellow eyes appeared to his line of sight. Craig cried out when a mangy, mottled gray wolf came out. He stumbled, landed on his ass. Blood dripped down from the cut on his arm, and he held it close to his body, nearly emptying his bladder when two other wolves came out.
To make things worse, he heard another roar from somewhere close. It didn’t sound like a wolf. A larger predator then? A chill went down his spine. He maneuvered backward until his back hit a tree. He groaned. Damn it. Was Craig destined to die here, in the middle of nowhere, mauled by wolves?
Oh, the press would definitely have a field day with that.
Memories of the past clouded his brain. His twelve-year-old self hadn’t been in the woods, but the dark of his family’s apartment. He remembered the heavy breathing and those yellow eyes shining in the dark. Even ten years later, he couldn’t forget the acid on his tongue and that oily voice, telling him to come close.
No, he couldn’t think about that now. Craig had been a kid then, but he was a grown ass adult now. He refused to go down without a fight.
Rising to his feet, Craig grabbed the closest fallen branch he could find, weighed it in his hands. A hefty weapon, but it would do shit to the three wolves eying him like a prime piece of meat.
“You want a piece of me suckers? Go ahead,” he said, lifting his chin.
