by Terra Wolf
“Please don't stop,” she called out, urging him on. He continued to ravage her, pushing her to her edge. She felt the orgasm’s slow build begin to flow through her body once again; this time, she knew she wouldn’t be able to stop it. He had taken her too far. She heard him growl with pleasure as he emptied her seed into her. She reached up behind him and pulled him down onto her. She was glad she wasn’t the only one struggling for breath. She lowered her leg back to the side, and as he removed himself from her, he continued to kiss and nibble at her skin.
“You're so damn beautiful, you know that?”
She smiled up at him. “You're the only one I ever want to hear that from.”
He kissed her softly on the cheek and whispered in her ear. “And don't ever leave me. I'll tell you how beautiful you are every day, a thousand times a day, if you stay with me.”
She thought about it for a moment. She had already committed to a year here, a year with Jasper. Suddenly, all of her reservations from just the day before seemed to not matter anymore. She loved him, so why wouldn't she stay?
“I guess I'm not getting an apartment.”
He shook his head while a smile played on his lips. “Can’t have my mate staying anywhere but with me. The cat situation we’re going to have to figure out though.”
She laughed. “I think you and Ice will get along just fine. Just don't eat him or anything.”
“Don't worry, Kitty and I will keep our distance.”
He pushed a strand of hair out of her face. “I have to go do something.”
“Do what?” Why did he want to leave? She was ready for round two.
“I have to find this bear. It’s my duty.”
Her head snapped up. “What does that mean?”
He put on his T-shirt and found his boxers on the floor.
He sighed heavily. “I have a feeling that I know who’s roaming around the woods. I caught a scent yesterday when I was running—well, my bear caught it—and it wasn’t familiar. But after thinking about it all last night and listening to you talk about your parents and your grandmother, I realized I have smelled it before.”
Twila found her hoodie and tossed it over her naked body, “You’re not telling me…”
“The bear who killed your parents is a shifter. And he’s back.”
Twila sucked in a deep breath and held it in her chest for a moment before letting the air escape her lungs. Her head was swimming, but she had to be strong. “Then what the hell are we going to do about it?”
7
Jasper
Jasper was impressed by her fierceness. He knew he had chosen the right mate. She was everything that he wanted. “Well, first we’re going to meet with Lauren because she’ll be here any minute. And then I’m going up into the woods to see if I can catch the scent again. Maybe I’ll make my way over to the clan on the other side of the ridge.”
“Where the ranger is going?”
He nodded. “Yeah, maybe the other bears will help with the search. Especially when I tell them that there’s a murderous lunatic on the loose. But I need you to promise me something.”
“Anything.”
“You have to stay safe. You’re right, some shifters are dangerous. Just as dangerous as some people are, and I can’t worry about you when I’m out there. Instinctively, I already will be concerned about your well-being, but I can’t have you going out and trying to face this on your own. Let me do that. It’s in my nature.”
“To protect me?”
He cupped his hands around her face and pulled her closer to him, laying a sweet kiss on her pouty lips. “Of course. I would do anything to keep you safe.”
When he kissed her again, he felt like she was falling into him. He could feel her trust. She truly loved him, after all this time. He saw his own reflection there, the side of him that she knew, but his bear was just underneath the surface. Grace had made him promise not to tell anyone because she feared for his safety. But Twila was different. She needed to know the truth and he was glad he had finally told her. Now they could truly be together. No more secrets.
His bear rumbled in his chest just lightly, the sign of contentment. She was finally his.
8
Twila
When they arrived at the front desk, Lauren was already there waiting for them. Twila hoped that she didn’t look as disheveled as she felt. Her heart still exploding in her chest with every movement for so many reasons: the sex with Jasper (which was mind blowing), the fact that a shifter had definitely killed her parents and was possibly back, and the fact that someone had been stealing from Gram. In less than five days, her life had been completely turned upside down, but she was handling it.
Talking to Lauren would be the first step in finding a solution to the thief problem. Deep down, though, Twila worried that Lauren was already in on the project. She had admitted herself that she had worked with her grandmother closely in executing her will and taking care of the business. Twila wanted to see the best in people, so she prayed that Lauren didn’t have anything to do with the issue. And when they showed Lauren the books in her grandmother’s office, she was relieved to see complete and utter shock written all over Lauren’s face.
“Where did you find these? These aren’t books your grandmother ever showed me. I mean, is this even her handwriting? The checks?”
Twila shrugged. “We were hoping that you would be able to tell us. I thought maybe that you had helped hire the accountant she was using, or maybe at least know him or her?”
Lauren shook her head. “No, I’m sorry. I’ve seen her computer files, as she gave me access to everything when I helped her with her taxes last year. But… wait, if she had an accountant why did she need my help?”
Jasper’s eyes narrowed. “Grace said that she trusted you. I remember that now, that she wanted you to help her specifically. I’m not that great with this stuff, or I would’ve offered to help her myself, and I guess I have to learn now that we own this business. But maybe she suspected something was up.”
We: it was the first time he said it like he and Twila were truly a team. Twila smiled at the thought. Maybe her grandmother had done this purposefully, but not so they wouldn’t sell the business but so they could be together. This felt like her blessing.
“I mean, I offered to help. She just seemed so overwhelmed last spring. I think she had six weddings in only four weeks. It was crazy! She said that her regular accountant didn’t have a lot of time because they were working on the books with all the weddings and the caterers, and I just didn’t think about it. I just helped. But she never claimed any of this money. I wonder if she even knew it existed.”
“Well, someone’s been messing around in her affairs, and we have to find out who it is. We can’t run this business with someone stealing from us,” said Twila.
“You’re right,” Jasper said, looking exhausted. “But that’s going to take some digging, which takes time. This person will reveal themselves, I’m sure of it. They’re bound to slip up now, especially with the ownership change.”
Lauren shook her head. “I disagree. I think that they’ll just take the money and run. They can’t think that they’re going to continue this now that the two of you are here.”
Twila sucked on her lower lip for a moment. “Do you think they’re actually here? Like on the premises? Or a citizen of Bear Lake? If I was this person, I would’ve set all this up and ran for it years ago. I mean, this is an offshore bank account, right? They could be anywhere!”
Lauren nodded. “Then the first thing we need to do is to get this bank account shut down. I think you need to notify the authorities of what’s going on, and we need to freeze all of your grandmother’s assets until we figure this out.”
Twila put her finger up. “Wait, doesn’t that mean we’ll have no money to run this business? I don’t have anything in savings to take care of a business this big. I don’t even think I could carry the salary requirements for a day.”
Lauren sig
hed heavily. “I’m sorry, Twila. I think that’s our only option right now. If you continue to use some of these funds, who knows what kind of trouble we could get wrapped up in. I’m so sorry. I’ll call one of the local cops I know. Just don’t touch anything until they get here. We’ll figure this out as quickly as possible. But I’m afraid you might have to close down until we can get this sorted.”
Twila’s heart sunk in her chest. She had just accepted that she would be the new owner of the Bear Lake Lodge, and now, she was stuck picking up the pieces of what had become a broken business. This certainly was not honoring her grandmother’s memory. If anything, it was diminishing it. Lauren left the room, and Twila sat down at her grandmother’s chair while Jasper rubbed her back softly.
“We’ll get this figured out, Twila, don’t worry. I’m sure it’s all just a big misunderstanding.”
“Somehow, I don’t think that it is.”
9
Twila
Twila continued to shuffle through some papers that were left in the office while Lauren was making a call. Jasper stood clutching his own phone, looking through text messages.
“Can you handle this? I mean on your own?”
Twila looked at him, confused. “There’s not really anything to handle until the police get here. Why, what’s going on?”
“I know Ranger Mills said that she wouldn’t have service, but she usually texts me right before she gets to what we call the point of no return. It’s very close to the other clan and where you lose signal. But she hasn’t sent me anything. I just feel like I need to go check on her. In case something has happened. I also want to check in on Liam, see if he knows anything.”
“Who’s that?”
“Another shifter, a friend that lives near the lake. I don’t know, something’s not right.”
“What would happen to her? You said yourself that some shifters are completely crazy, like the one who killed my parents, and you said that others are totally normal. Do you think something is going on with the clan?”
He shook his head. “No, it’s not that. I’m sure things with the clan are fine. I’m worried she got in a car accident or something. There are a couple sharp turns up on that side of the mountain. I just feel like I need to follow her.”
Twila admired his protective nature. “Of course, go. I’m fine. But call me. I want to know that you’re okay.”
He kissed her gently on the forehead before lifting her chin up and laying a kiss on her lips. “You know I will be. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
He flew out the door, and Twila continued to collect the papers, putting them back in their original folders on the shelf. She knew her fingerprints would be all over everything, but it just made her feel better to make everything look the way it did when she first entered the office and discovered all the legal paperwork. Lauren came back in just a couple moments later.
“Where’s Jasper going?”
Twila looked up. “He wants to go check on Ranger Mills. I guess she didn’t check in like she usually does. He’s worried about her.”
“Oh.” Lauren sat down in one of the chairs across from the desk. She looked exhausted.
“Is everything okay?”
Lauren exhaled. “I’m not sure. This guy I used to date is back in town, and we didn’t really end on the best terms. He’s not a good guy. And he called me last night, talking about how I had to help him and that if anybody found out… I don’t know. He wasn’t making sense.”
“Help him with what? Is this something to do with you being a lawyer? Does he need to get out of jail?”
Lauren shrugged. “I’m not really sure. I mean, he didn’t go into a lot of detail, and he wasn’t making any sense. He kept talking in circles like he was on drugs or something. It was the strangest thing.”
“When was the last time you saw him?” Twila asked, sitting down at the desk herself.
“About three years ago? He got into some trouble with the law then, and I ended it. He struggles a lot with his other half, and it makes it hard for him to manage some situations, I guess.”
“His other half?”
Lauren nodded. “Yeah, he’s a shifter. I know that weirds some people out.”
Twila set her lips into a thin line, thinking for a moment. Did Lauren know about Jasper? She wasn’t going to be the one to out his secret if she didn’t. “I don’t know. I mean, when you love someone, does it really matter what they’re made of? As long as they take care of you, though it doesn’t sound like this guy did that.”
Lauren twirled her hair around her finger nervously.
“Did he hurt you, Lauren?”
She put her hand out in protest. “No, nothing like that. He just was a little crazy. And I don’t have any kind of space in my life for illegal activity, run-ins with the law, or any kind of crazy. I’ve enough of my own to deal with. And shifter crazy? That’s a whole new level.”
Twila sat back in her chair for a moment. “It sounds like you need a clear cut from this guy. Next time he calls, why don’t you just not answer?”
“I wouldn’t have! It was an unknown number, and he called my office. I thought it was a potential client. But as soon as I heard the tremors in his voice, I knew that he was on something again. Or maybe he hasn’t shifted in a while; that can make shifters crazy too. I don’t know, I just hope he stays away from me. I can’t deal with any more stress right now.”
Her phone started ringing. “I have to take this. I left a message for a detective friend of mine about your situation.” Twila excused herself from the office and walked out into the main lobby. There was a family playing a board game at a table and staff bustling around cleaning and preparing for the day. It was midmorning and she really didn’t have anything to do. She stayed behind the front desk and asked one of the concierge if they needed any help.
“Is there anything I can do? I mean wash dishes, whatever. I’m here to help.”
The woman smiled at her sweetly. “No miss, everything is under control. It’s a beautiful day, so maybe you should take a walk. You look tired, and the mountain air can clear that right up.”
Tired was an understatement. Between having a restless sleep last night, mind blowing sex with Jasper this morning, and all the stress that had fallen onto her in the past day, maybe a walk in the woods would do her some good.
“Do I need to worry about the bears?”
The woman smiled again. “Definitely not. They won’t bother you if you don’t bother them. And if you see one, just carefully walk away. But I doubt you’ll see any.”
“Can you tell Lauren to call me if she needs me? We’re waiting on someone.”
“Of course, miss.”
Twila nodded as the woman went back to her work. There was only one bear she wanted to see right now, and he was in his truck driving halfway across the county. She walked out of the front doors of the lodge and descended a stone staircase onto a path. The trail split into about a dozen different ways, a couple leading around back toward Jasper’s cabin, another to the parking lot, and one to the lake. A few more split off into the woods. She decided that the lake sounded like a safer option and began traipsing down the path toward the open water.
It was only about a twenty minute hike down to the lake’s edge, and when she arrived, she finally understood why the lodge was built overlooking the water. It was majestic. Small ripples washed up onto the pebble filled shore. There was very little sand, mostly smooth rocks underneath her sneakers. She pulled her hoodie a little bit tighter around her neck; there was a cool breeze coming off the water that sent a chill down her spine. She found a rock to sit on and contemplated everything that had happened over the past week. Between her grandmother dying and taking over the business, things had been anything but the normal she was used to. She was moving to Bear Lake, a tiny town in New England that at one point had had hardly anything to offer her. But now she had a job and Jasper. She finally felt like she was a part of something. He had been the piec
e that had been missing from her for so long. And just being away from him now, it felt like there were cracks growing in her heart. It was physically painful, just from being away from him. She needed him close to her; it was the only way she felt safe.
“Hey there.”
Twila spun around to see a man walking out of the woods only a few feet from her rock. He was in dark jeans and a dark brown jacket. He didn’t look like a hiker but more like he walked out of a catalog. Probably just a tourist, maybe even someone staying at her lodge.
“Hi, are you lost?”
He laughed in a way that made her a little uncomfortable. “I’m not. Are you?”
“I just walked down the trail. Not lost. Just enjoying some alone time.” She hoped he would take the hint and walk back into the woods or follow the trail back up the lodge by himself. She wasn’t in the mood to have a chat with a stranger.
“Do you remember me?”
“I’m sorry?” She didn’t recognize his face. Was he a guest?
“I said, do you remember me?”
She shook her head. “No, I’m sorry, I don’t. I should be going. My boyfriend’s waiting for me.” Now she was feeling unsafe. She got up off of her rock and started to back away from him toward the lodge.
He smiled, but it dripped with venom. “You and I both know he’s not up there. He’s going to check on Ranger Mills, and with good reason. Her truck isn’t working. Sad.”
“What you know about Ranger Mills?” Her mind was filling with panic. Who was this man? “What did you do to her truck?”
“I think you should sit down. I have so much to tell you.”
“I’m not staying here. Like I said, my boyfriend is up at the lodge.” She turned on her heel and began to sprint off, but she wasn’t a very good runner. She never had been. He quickly caught up with her and grabbed her by the arm, pushing her down onto the rocks. He stood over her, looking fierce with the light of the sun behind him.
