by Selena Kitt
“Well, what’s your bear telling you to do? Fuck her like there’s no tomorrow, again and again, then bite and make her yours?”
“How did you know?” Ryan whispered.
“That’s the mating and claiming ritual, you dumbass. You can’t escape it now. The thing is, if you connect with the animal inside you and change as often as possible, then she has a chance to make it out of it alive.”
Ryan couldn’t believe what he had just heard. “What happened with Joana wasn’t on me. You know that. I have no clue how to deal with this woman. Things are just so different from last time. Does that mean I might kill her?”
“Yeah, you might. The animal usually gets restless if he is apart from his mate and then is reunited all of a sudden. Your connection to her is quite new probably so the bear hasn’t got the hang of what’s happening yet. If you keep close to her, even something as simple as a light touch can calm him down, so your relationship can have a slow progress.”
“I see, then I’m glad I called you, instead of someone else. Keep in touch.”
“Night, Ryan,” and the line went flat.
Chapter 2
A splitting headache made Celine’s skull feel like it had taken way too many hits. It took her a moment to realize that she was in her bed and it was already light. A lot of light. So much it hurt her eyes and she didn’t understand why she was awake. Was she supposed to go to work? She didn’t think so. It felt like too little time had passed since her birthday. It couldn’t be Monday, but this specific day of the week had an inhuman ability to sneak up on her and maybe on half the population of the world, just so it could annoying the life out of the poor souls who regarded the weekend as their most cherished time of the month. Things were a bit too fuzzy in her brain. Must be all those glasses of wine she had last night. Her question still didn’t have an answer. Was it Monday? Did her alarm wake her up?
She was definitely not a morning person. She had been thinking of changing her job for years. Her parents thought she should get a real job anyway. She never understood their deal. She was a secretary. She helped someone. Her presence or absence mattered in the IT company she worked for. She could barely get a day off without destroying the fragile balance of the company. She swore she had to do something about these early mornings. They were sucking the life out of her.
There was this horrible smell around her. What could it possibly be? Hell! It was her hair, it smelled like cigarettes. Damn club! She made a mental note to avoid this kind of places forever. As if she could. Keep dreaming, Celine!
She got out of bed to check her phone. Her room was bathed in warm, soft orangey light. She had to admit it was a great morning. She hadn’t woken up this early in the morning for quite some time now. She started work at nine and as it didn’t take more than twenty minutes on foot to get to the office, she could afford the luxury of getting up at seven thirty. It must be around six. The second she grabbed her phone from the table next to the window she usually put it on, it rang. The vibrations of her phone startled her so badly that she almost dropped it. She looked at the number, but it didn’t look familiar. Who was dumb enough to call her of all people at six in the morning? Someone with a death sentence probably.
“Yeah? What is it?” she snapped. That would teach them a lesson.
“Celine?” a man’s awfully familiar voice answered. Who was that? No sooner had she asked herself this question, than she remembered. It was the dangerously-sexy guy in the club. The realization made her lick her lips. Wow. A great way to start the day.
“Oh, it’s you. Sorry about that. I’m not a morning person,” she explained as she went into the kitchen in search of coffee. “You do know how to get a girls attention. You call her at – she took a look at the apple-shaped clock on her kitchen wall – almost six thirty in the morning on what I hope is a weekend. What’s up?”
“Yeah, sorry about that, but you’ll like my excuse. I’m sure. I have a surprise for you,” his voice clearly that of a very excited person.
As cheerful as she was about getting a surprise, she couldn’t help but be a little suspicious about this man. How did he get her number? What was it with the sudden interest? Was he not right in the head? Guys that looked like him didn’t help girls like her even if they asked.
“What’s the catch? I don’t get it. It’s too early and I’m in no mood for games. Are you drunk or high or something?” she questioned him, secretly hoping he was interested in her for real.
She could almost hear the smile on his handsome face “No game, no catch. Look outside. I know you’re in the kitchen, sugar.”
How the fuck did he know that? She did as instructed and to her amazement, there he was. Leaning on the door of his SUV. He looked like a model in the middle of a photo shoot. He was wearing dark sunglasses but she could swear she saw the hungry look in his eyes.
“Celine? Are you still there?” he asked, obvious worry marring his dark, defined brows. “Breathe, woman. Don’t have a panic attack now.”
“Ooo-okay, this is creepy. How did you…?”
“Are you going to invite me in or are we going to have this conversation over the phone with me on the side of the road and you behind your kitchen window?”
“I’m not sure why you’re stalking me. What’s in it for you? I don’t even know your name for crying out loud!” she exploded, feeling bad the instant the words left her lips. That’s what he gets for waking me up practically in the middle of the night.
“Fair enough. I’m Ryan, sugar. And do you really want to know the many ways I can make good use of how turned on you are by this conversation? Trust me. You want to invite me in.”
How did he know she was turned on? She wasn’t even aware she was until now. But she was. She really was. Just like the night before when they had talked. Probably he can make you come just telling you dirty things over the phone, Celine!
“Okay. You win, big guy!”
She went back to her room and put her silky dark purple robe on, wrapping it around her waist. When she returned to the living area that was on the left side of the room, she saw him leaning on her door.
“Nice,” he added, looking her up and down, licking his lips. She could now see his eyes now that he didn’t have the sunglasses on anymore and they were deep-lake-green. Who even had eyes that intense? Maybe she wasn’t fully awake. Maybe he was high. Perhaps he was a psycho. There was this aura of danger around him, but she felt warmth slowly coiling around her, drawing her to him. She understood there were many reasons she should be afraid of this guy who could probably snap her head faster than she could process her own death, but there was a certain feeling of safety she felt around him. Like he could protect her from anything out to harm her. He was after all the sturdiest, biggest man she’d ever seen this close.
Clearing her throat, she asks again, determined to find out more. “What brings you here at this hour of the night?” she asked with clear sarcasm in her voice.
“Nice try, birthday girl. I’ve got a birthday present that I’m sure you’ll like. Pack a few things. We’re going on a trip for a few days.”
Her shocked look told Ryan she was going to need some convincing. “We’re doing what? Are you insane? I don’t even know you and you definitely don’t know me,” she shouted.
He straightened his back and pushed the door shut with a relaxed fluid movement. She noticed he was standing just in front of her when he finally stopped his advance. She was so stiff she couldn’t even move. His right hand grazed her cheek. “I’m no danger to you, baby. I want to give you a birthday present you will never forget. That’s if you’ll let me. It’ll be worth your time. I promise.”
She was lost for words. What could she say to an invitation like that? All she could do was stare into his green eyes and ask “So it’s not a joke, is it?”
The woman was testing his patience and he wasn’t known to have that much anyway. Still, he could try. Why was she so reluctant to believe his intentions were more t
han honorable? He knew just the thing to make his way to her heart. He reached for her waist and coiled his arm around her, pulling her into an embrace that clearly said “you are mine”. His lips crashed on hers and he was surprised how soft her lips were.
Ryan could barely tear himself apart from her before he undressed her and lost control on his already stronger bear. He chose to seduce his way into her life instead. “Do you want to go on an adventure with me, baby?” he whispered in her ear.
She couldn’t believe her luck. Being kissed and held in his embrace felt like the most natural thing she’d ever done. It was like they’d been doing this for years now. It was too good to last so she decided to take a plunge into the abyss, hoping he would still be there to catch her after he’d achieved whatever twisted goal he’d set.
“If I get another kiss like that, I might consider it,” she teased. What she didn’t realize was that the guy was dead serious on making her wishes come true, so she was a bit taken by surprise when her back hit the wall and the kiss sent the active parts of her brain on holiday.
He released her and whispered to her in the most sensual voice he was capable of to get warm clothes as it was colder where they were going.
“In the mountains?” she asked, visibly shaken by the information she had just found out. “You’re taking me to the mountains?”
By the look on her face it was clear that things weren’t going the way he had planned them. “Well, it was supposed to be a surprise, but yes, we’re going to the mountains. Why?”
“I… I c-can’t go up there,” she said, voice trembling and head shaking. She looked just like a scared child who had just seen something terrible. More than that actually. She looked like a different person had taken over her body. This was bad. Had something happened to her up there in the mountains or what? “There are… animals there,” she whispered. “I can’t be up there. They’ll kill me.”
“What’s wrong, baby?”he asked as he took her in his arms again. “Did something happen to you?” he tried to get more information from her to assess the situation better and take a decision about his next step.
She started crying uncontrollably as if she had been keeping it all inside for way too long and now the door to that secret chamber in her heart that was kept locked had burst open and couldn’t be shut again. How the hell did he manage to do exactly that? His bear seemed content about the discovery, but restless because of her state.
“I can’t stand this anymore,” she whispered “I want to change things and be my own person but I need their approval. Why? Why?” she shouted as she clutched his t-shirt in her tiny hands. This new found safety in his arms made her confess her worst secret. She was twenty-eight. A grown woman with a job, a life, a house, but she still needed her parents to tell her if she was doing things right. She was afraid of trusting herself. She’d always relied on them. On their experience. That it would keep her safe.
He guided her to the dark-forest-green sofa in the living room. She went willingly. She trusted him and his bear was growing bolder because of her closeness, her touch. “Do you want to tell me about it?” he murmured in her ear as she rested her head on his shoulder.
“Yes, no… not really. I don’t even know you, yet here I am, pouring my heart out to you. I’m such a loser. I can’t believe I’m actually doing this. If you really knew me, you’d be running for the hills right now. You still have time to go,” she said with resignation.
“Go where, sugar?” he asked confused.
“Leave, find yourself some sane woman to stalk. Someone who appreciates your gifts, not like me.”
He positioned himself on the sofa better, putting one leg under the other and slightly rotating his impressive body to face her. He caressed her cheeks. “Baby, I’m here to stay. We all have issues with our parents. You’re not the only one. We all want to be accepted by our families. It’s one hell of a fight to keep doing it every day, yes, but it’s worth it. We’re only people, we all make mistakes. Nobody is perfect. Now tell me, why are you afraid of the mountains?”
She couldn’t tell him the truth about her experience, so she chose the safe alternative.“I am terrified of animals. I can’t even be in the same room as a cat. I panic and it’s not pretty, so I avoid it as much as possible. Even if my psychotherapist says I should take baby steps and try it, I can’t go. I’m sorry.”
Ryan didn’t know if he should panic or not. He was part animal after all. How would she react to finding out? Would she freak out and reject him? Pushing the subject of going up to the mountains was out of the question now. His bear was recovering from years of being pushed aside in favor of human instincts, woken up by this woman’s presence and touch. He hadn’t realized it until his bear flashed the image in front of his eyes, but she was absent-mindedly caressing her legs in what seemed to be a soothing old habit and the back of her hand touched his knees. She didn’t look that well and her eyes were cold, as if the owner had vacated the body, leaving only a shell behind. She looked so small. He had to do something. Touching her had a positive effect on both of them so he tried that.
He placed his hands under her legs and around her neck and scooped her up. His woman. She was suffering. His gorgeous woman needed him. His plan was to take her back to her room and just cuddle with her. He didn’t know what to do with a person this traumatized. A woman in particular. He sensed the trust she placed in him as she didn’t protest to being picked up and carried across the room, through the hall and into what looked like a bedroom.
As he entered her room, he was greeted by a comfy double bed with big white pillows and light blue sheets. The furniture was different shades of brown and it all looked warm and cozy, just like her. Damn, the woman had taste. The guilt he felt for invading her space didn’t last long. It was replaced by curiosity and arousal. Her room was kind of messy in a way that did things to his groin. Next to the three-door earth-yellow and burgundy wardrobe near the window was a coat rack. Nothing out of the ordinary about that at first glance, but he was a shifter, he could distinguish sounds and sense aromas that regular humans couldn’t. All the room was encased in her fragrance, that soft lily aroma that had caught his attention in SI and dragged him out of his corner in the men’s playroom to find her. What really got his attention were the matching pairs of bras and panties lined up and down the rack. He stopped and smiled. What to wear for her birthday party must have been a tough decision by the looks of it. It made him wonder what she had worn under the burgundy flowery dress after all.
He couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to her. What got her in this state? He hoped he could do something to help. In a few seconds they were both lying down. She moved to be closer to him and she now rested her head on his shoulder. Her right hand was placed on his heart. Did she do that on purpose? They just stayed like that for quite some time. Ryan didn’t know how long it had passed, but he was happy. His bear purred even. What the hell? What was the reason? Maybe the bear was communicating with his brother’s bear. What the fuck? He checked on his brother and all he felt back was calm and warmth. Both their bears were tame for now. He was definitely with a woman. One who made his nightmares disappear.
His woman had fallen asleep, but as she drifted further to sleep, her right leg draped his. Ryan couldn’t sleep now even if he tried. He hadn’t been this hard for so long in years. Actually, this had only happened to him when he was a teenager and he couldn’t control his emotions, his hormones or his bear. It hadn’t been this bad even with Joana. Celine made him so hard he only wanted to rip her clothes off and possess her body and soul. The lovely, attractive woman in his arms. He was at her mercy. He hoped she would notice that.
“You stayed,” she whispered so softly he barely heard her. Was she talking in her sleep? No, from the sound of her breathing, he knew she wasn’t sleeping. She gently moved her hand over his chest and his nipples reacted to her touch. “I like you,” she confessed.
“I like you too much,” he whispered. �
�I want to get to know you, baby. Animal phobia and all. How are you feeling?”
“Warm, which is just crazy considering it’s the peak of summer, but warm in a reassuring way. It’s like I’m wrapped in a protective bubble. My brain is still fuzzy, though,” she said as she started playing with his long hair, quite absent-mindedly.
The reason for the calm was that Ryan’s bear was using his magic on her. The protective bubble she felt was every bit as real as her bed or her house. It was a bear’s way of bonding and healing. Ryan had always perceived it as warmth when his bear used it to calm his brother.
“I’ve been wondering what it’s like to run my fingers through your sexy long hair ever since I saw you in the darts room. Never thought I would actually get the chance.”
He was a bit surprised that she had admired his hair when he wasn’t watching. He could only hope she liked what she saw because the only thoughts that kept playing in his mind on and on were the ones he had mentioned to Dylan. Balls deep in her. In any position possible. He thought he was going crazy. Only he wasn’t. His sensitive nose sensed a change in the lily aroma surrounding him. It was calling to him. His already painful dick went full commando mode when he didn’t even think it could be worse than that.
