Boreas Reborn_Dragon Shifter Romance

by Ariana Hawkes

  “You know the worst part?” Her tone hardened again. “I felt like you understood my body. You seemed to know exactly which buttons to press. I thought it was some amazing instinct you had. Now I know it’s because you’ve probably been with hundreds of women.”

  The server arrived, and he ordered two scoops of salted caramel pretzel. Lauren looked at him suspiciously. “Did I ever tell you that was my favorite flavor?”

  “Maybe. Lauren, I haven’t been with hundreds of women. I haven’t been with any.”

  She blinked. “You’re saying you haven’t been with any humans?”

  “I’m saying I haven’t been with anyone at all.”

  Her mouth fell open. “Not even one-night stands?”

  His bear gave a soft growl. “Especially not one-night stands. That’s not my thing. I don’t want to take the risk of hurting any woman.”

  “You’re making it very hard to hate you, you know that?”

  The server placed Lauren’s ice cream in the center of the table, and Connor pushed it toward her. Then he watched transfixed as she scooped up a spoonful and tasted it with evident enjoyment. She looked up and caught him watching her. “Go ahead.” She handed him the spoon. “Try it.”

  He took it, dug it into the ice cream. It was really good.

  “Give that back,” she said playfully, snatching the spoon from him.

  They ended up sharing the entire dish, passing the spoon between them.

  “How are things going with Ryzard?” she asked suddenly.

  He frowned. “Why d’you ask?”

  She cupped her chin in her hand and regarded him with curiosity. “I don’t know. There’s something about you today. A kind of sadness…”

  He sighed. “Ryzard left this morning. He’s realized he’s not ready to be a part of the clan yet, and he’s going to go it alone again. Despite all our recent issues, I’m sorry he’s gone.”

  “It hurts to lose someone you’ve cared for, doesn’t it?” she replied, those huge black eyes so full of understanding that it touched his soul.

  He nodded. “It does.”

  “But he’ll be back. It hurt when all the little ones grew up and left home, but I knew they had their own lives to lead.”

  “Have they found their mates?”

  She suppressed a smile. “They have a husband and wives, yes. And I’m very happy for them.”

  She finished the last mouthful of the ice cream, and he was sorry. He’d enjoyed licking the spoon that had been in her mouth.

  He felt bad for her, bringing up those kids and not finding her own mate. “I hope you understand why I can’t be with you or anyone else. And I hope I can make this up to you one day,” he said.

  Her face closed down again, and he realized his mistake. “Seeing you just makes it worse, actually,” she said. “It’s probably best if you stay away from me. I should go.” She got to her feet and put some money down on the table. “Bye, Connor.”

  When she strode off without a backward glance, deep inside him, his bear howled.

  Chapter 11

  The next day, an unfamiliar red SUV bumped along the dirt track to the cabin. Connor shaded his eyes, watching it approach, and as soon as it pulled up outside the cabins, he went to meet it. A human couple got out.

  “Hello there!” the lady said, pushing her brown frizzy hair from her face and smoothing her clothes down. “Me and Dirk are just stopping by to offer you boys our support. We think it’s terrible what’s been happening.” Her eyes darted toward the cabins, full of greedy curiosity.

  “Thank you, ma’am,” Connor said, the tension in his jaw easing a couple of notches. She bent down and rummaged in the car for something. “We were worried you weren’t getting enough sustenance since you’ve all been locked out of your rightful homes, so I baked you some bread.”

  He took it from her, thanking her graciously, before falling silent.

  The lady hung around, eyes expectantly bright, but when he didn’t offer anything else, she said, “Well, that’s all. We’ll be on our way now.”

  And they were off, the lady’s eyes never leaving his face until she was out of sight.

  He groaned. Visitors. Just what he needed right now, when all he wanted was to shift and hibernate for a few days.

  Logan burst out of his cabin and rushed toward him. “What’s going on?”

  “Oh, a well-wisher slash looky-loo swung by.”

  Logan’s nostrils worked hard. “She bring that bread? Smells good.”

  “Yup. You can have it.” Connor passed it to him with a sigh of resignation, hoping that was the last of it.

  But it was only the beginning.

  Things got very hectic very fast. A whole stream of humans came by, taking photos, offering messages of support. Old ladies brought around Tupperware containers of home-cooked food. Younger women offered beds for “you poor, brave homeless men” to sleep on.

  As the day wore on, the knot in Connor’s gut wound tighter and tighter. The whole reason he’d looked for a home in the wilderness was so his clan would be free to be themselves, far from prying eyes. But right now, they might as well have been in a cage in the zoo.

  He did his best to be gracious, meeting all the strangers who arrived, while Logan kept the clan away from the public eye. They knew how to behave when they were in human spaces, but in the forest, it was a different matter, and the last thing they needed was someone catching Olsen shifting or Niall appearing with a bunch of rabbits he’d hunted.

  The next day was the same. He started to regret the article. He should’ve known this would be the consequence. All it was bringing them was a whole lot of exposure, but nothing had changed. In the evening, his patience breaking, he messaged Lauren through Shiftr, asking what was happening. There was no reply for hours. Then, just as he was falling asleep with Timo snoring on the bed beside him and Dalton and Ryder stretched out in their bear forms on the floor, the alert on his phone sounded.

  I don’t have any information. I’ll keep you updated if anything changes, she texted.

  He huffed out a long breath. Abrupt. But what did he expect anyway? He’d messed up everything with her. Suddenly, he felt lonelier than ever.

  Lauren was on her way to the cabins again, reluctance sitting low in her stomach. “We’ve decided that it’s, ah, for the best if the boards and the yellow tape are removed from the cabins for now. It’s a sensitive situation,” Lauren’s boss had told her an hour earlier.

  “You mean they reveal to the whole world what an asshole you are,” she muttered to herself. She knew she ought to be happy she’d been sent to supervise the removal, but the thought of seeing Connor again made her feel physically sick. Sunday had hurt. It had felt so natural hanging out together, sharing their food, experiences, emotions. It was a beautiful mirage of how good things could be between them. If they were living in a parallel universe.

  And on top of everything, Errol had just given her the news that her position was being “relocated” to the next town, an hour and half’s drive away. So he doesn’t have to look at me every day and be reminded of what an asshole he is, she thought grimly. She’d asked him for a week to decide whether to relocate or quit.

  “Hey, Lauren!” Logan called, bounding over to meet her, a huge grin lighting his face. “Is this a social call?” But as two green, industrial trucks pulled up behind her, his smile dropped fast.

  “Don’t worry. It’s not bad news,” she said, getting out of the car. “My boss has sent me to have all the barriers taken down.”

  “That’s great. Does this mean it’s over?”

  She puffed out her cheeks. “It’s a positive step. But we’re not done yet.” We’re, she thought, with a kind of twinge. She was so firmly on the side of the bears it was ridiculous. “Where’s Connor?”

  Logan gestured at the forest. “He’s taking a little time out by himself. The last couple of days have been tough on him. All the people coming by, taking photos.”

  Lauren gro
aned. “I should’ve guessed that would be the consequence of the article.”

  “It’s been crazy. All those ladies wanting to have their picture taken with him.”

  Lauren’s stomach knotted. As if she needed another reminder she’d gotten entangled with a guy who wasn’t going to settle down with one woman.

  “I kind of feel bad for them, knowing he’s only got eyes for you,” Logan continued in his good-natured way.

  “He has?” she said, too shocked to hide her reaction.

  Logan planted his hands on his hips and tilted his head to the side. “You know he has. I’ve never seen him like this before. So caught up. Distracted. Half the time I’m talking to him, I know he’s not really listening, and his mind’s on other things. You know what I think his problem is? He doesn’t think he’s good enough for a great female like yourself.”

  Lauren swallowed hard. “Really?” she croaked, her head spinning. “Well, I’d better get these guys organized.” She indicated the bunch of workmen who’d climbed out of the truck and were now leaning against the boundary fence, awaiting her instructions.

  The workmen didn’t have an easy time prizing the steel plates off the doors and windows, and Olsen stood by the whole time, yelling at them, making sure they didn’t do any damage to the structure of the cabins. Before long, the bears snatched their tools and completed the job for them, and soon, the cabins were restored to their former beauty.

  “That looks so much better,” Lauren said, standing beside Logan.

  “Sure does! Come have a beer with us, Lauren. Think we deserve a celebration.”

  She cast a doubtful glance at her team. She ought to go back to the office. But it was already five-thirty, and she was officially off the clock. “Okay, I’ll join you for one,” she said. She turned to the contractors. “Thanks, guys. You’re good to go now.”

  She and Logan went to the rear of the cabins, and the rest of the bears came together. She felt a flicker of tension as they surrounded her. They were such big guys, and she was aware she was still employed by their arch enemy.

  “Guys, in case you didn’t know already, this is Lauren, who we’ve got to thank for getting us back into our homes,” Logan said. They all nodded to her respectfully, and her heartbeat stopped pounding.

  Logan handed her a beer from a bucket of cold water. “Lauren, meet reclusive bear, AKA Leigh,” he said, pointing to the biggest and most-rugged looking of all the guys. Leigh stuck out his hand and she shook it, struck by how shy he looked despite his huge bulk. “This is Timo, the nice one,” Logan continued. “Niall the tidy one; Dalton, the big green giant who can’t wait to set up his own veggie garden out here; Olsen who doesn’t say much, but he’s got a good heart; and Ryder, who we call Mr. Hollywood on account of how much he likes looking in the mirror.”

  The bears laughed and shoved one another as Logan picked out their character traits, and Lauren joined in, enjoying their camaraderie.

  “We all come from different places, but Connor’s done a great job of pulling us together, keeping the peace,” Logan said.

  “Connor’s a great guy,” Timo agreed, and Lauren experienced another twinge of regret deep inside.

  The bears went to the cabins and returned with an assortment of makeshift seats.

  “We haven’t got as far as making our own chairs yet,” Logan apologized.

  “But you get the throne,” Leigh rumbled, placing a thick slice of tree trunk beside her. The upper surface was varnished and had been smoothed into ergonomic contours that made it amazingly comfortable to sit on.

  “To Lauren!” Logan said, raising his beer once they were all sitting in a circle, and all seven of them clinked bottles.

  “So you met Connor through the dating site?” Niall asked her.

  “I did,” she replied, wishing she didn’t get a bolt of lightning in her brain every time his name came up. “My friend created the app, and I was helping her to test it.”

  The bears started mumbling to each other in rumbling voices she couldn’t understand.

  “You saying I smell or something?” she interrupted when the conversation continued.

  Timo gave a strangled laugh. “We were wondering—kind of hoping you could give us some dating advice,” he mumbled, fidgeting on his seat.

  Lauren tipped her head back and cackled. “You’re asking the wrong person, I’m afraid!”

  All the bears fidgeted now.

  “We just want to know how to attract human females,” Timo muttered.

  “Some of them don’t reply to my messages,” Ryder said.

  “Oh, uh, I guess I can take a look at your profiles if you want.”

  Immediately, a bunch of phones were thrust into her lap.

  When she saw Ryder’s profile, she burst out laughing. “Oh, Ryder, honey, I don’t think it’s your messages that are the problem.”

  He scowled. “What is it?”

  “Your photos just look…kind of posed.” She bit down hard on her lip while she swiped from one photo to another. In the close-up, he was kind of pouting and raising one eyebrow. In the full body shot, he was posing with an axe casually slung over his shoulder.

  He snatched the phone back. “I was just trying to look sexy.”

  “Meanwhile, Timo, dear, you look like a rabbit caught in headlights,” she said.

  “More like caught in Olsen’s jaws,” someone quipped, and she suppressed a shudder.

  “I think casual works best. All of you, you’re not really showing yourselves in your best light. How about I take some photos for you?”

  They nodded eagerly, and the next thing she knew, she was standing in the woods with them, instructing them to take off their shirts and how to stand. They were all hot guys, she thought as she snapped away. Guys that all the curvy girls she knew would love. But none of them could hold a torch to Connor. That silky skin. Those rippling muscles. Maybe one day she’d be able to recall their sexual encounter with pleasure instead of pain.

  She was in the middle of trying to encourage Leigh to join in when a deep, rumbling voice said from behind her, “I hope you guys realize how lucky you are.” She spun around, heart pounding.

  “How long have you been here?” She startled when she met Connor’s eyes. She hadn’t imagined they could look so soft and dreamy.

  He tilted his head to the side. “A while. You’re so kind to help the guys out like this.”

  “Ah, it’s nothing,” she said, waving her hand self-consciously.

  “Have you seen the cabins, Connor? They’ve taken the boards off them,” Logan cut in.

  Connor looked at Lauren questioningly, and she nodded.

  “My boss ordered it. It’s a positive step,” she said.

  “Great.” He clapped his hands together, and she saw something shift in his face, as if a little of the tension was easing off him. “Let’s cook some food to celebrate. Can you join us, Lauren?”

  “Ah…” She looked at the bears and back at him.

  “Please. We want to thank you.”

  “Okay. Yes, I’ll stay.” She flashed him a smile.

  As one, the guys got to their feet and disappeared into the forest, leaving her and Connor alone. She cocked an eyebrow questioningly.

  “Gathering tonight’s food,” he said.

  “Oh.” She fell silent, then laughed. “I guess this is all still a little new to me.”

  “Are you disgusted that we hunt our own food?” He looked adorably concerned.

  “No. Of course not. It’s pretty cool actually. I’m just your typical first-world consumer, used to my meat coming wrapped in plastic.”

  “It tastes a lot better when it’s fresh-caught, you’ll see.”

  She nodded. “I’m sure. Anything I can do to help?”

  “Well, I’ve got to gather wood for the grill, and I was thinking it’d be nice to get a fire going.”

  “Great!” she said. She used to love making campfires when the kids were young. It was a way of getting them t
o all hang out together. They’d toast marshmallows and tell ghost stories.

  She and Connor worked together collecting the wood. Connor held an impossibly big stack in his massive arms while she kept adding to it. Soon, the fire was set up and they piled more wood into a big metal trough before laying a grill on top.

  Shouting and joking, the guys came back with a bunch of rabbits. “You guys gonna go inside and prepare them?” Logan said, shooting Lauren a look.

  “Sure thing,” Logan said, taking the hint that Lauren probably didn’t want to watch them being skinned and gutted. He’s so considerate, Lauren thought, stealing a glance at Connor while his attention was distracted. More caring than I knew was possible for a guy to be.

  Less than an hour later, the smell of roasting meat filled the air. Dalton had cooked up some potatoes and greens, and she had a nice buzz going on as she sipped her third beer. She tried to help serve the food, but the bears wouldn’t let her, insisting on doing everything themselves. Connor sat her beside him in the circle, and Timo and Ryder served up the food on a bunch of chipped, mismatched plates. “We’re gonna get some better ones just as soon as we’re more settled,” Connor said.

  “They’re great. Everything’s great,” she replied, a warmth spreading through her. It was fully dark now, a clear, starry night with the moon just a sliver in the sky, and it felt cozy being with the guys in the warmth of the fire.

  As they tucked into the delicious food, the bears asked her a hundred questions about herself with an adorable lack of tact. She told them how she’d lost her parents, then brought up her younger brothers and sister and she felt the sympathy in their glances and words. They’d all suffered in some way, just as she had. For once she didn’t feel like the odd one out; she wasn’t embarrassed that she hadn’t had time for relationships.

  “Enough now, guys,” Connor said, as the latest question pinged her way. “Let’s just relax now.” He pulled Lauren’s seat toward him, a little way from the others, and they took the cue, immediately jumping into an intense discussion on who was going to get their cabin decked out the best.