by V. Vaughn
“What?” he blinks at me, completely confused.
I laugh. “Oh boy. I’m beginning to see why you’re single. The bartender is totally into you. Pay attention.”
He blushes as he scans behind the bar to figure out who I’m talking about.
I say, “The blonde.”
“Oh.” He looks at me as something dawns on him. “Oooh. She’s--” He shakes his head and looks down.
“Nate.” I put my hand on his arm to get him to look at me. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I just--I’m not good with women.”
“Are you kidding me?” I lean back and wave my hands up and down my body. “I know I’m not in tight clothes, but I thought it was obvious I’m not a guy, and you haven’t had any trouble talking to me.”
“I’m aware,” Nate says with a scowl. “But I can talk to you because you’re human and my friend.”
“Wow. This is coming from the guy who is pretty wise about human relationships. What gives?”
“I’m a nerd. Okay? In high school, women went for the warrior types. And then I went to law school, where everyone was human, so I didn’t date much.”
“And when you got back home, you went to work for humans. You don’t get much werebear interaction, do you?”
“No.”
“Huh.” I give him a sly grin. “Well, lucky for you, I’m well versed in werebear. And...” I push at his arm. “It just so happens I’m your friend. I can help.”
He gives me a doubtful look. “You really think she’s into me?”
I chuckle. “Definitely.” I catch a glimpse of her and say, “She’s on her way over.” As she gets closer, I lean in and whisper in his ear, “Make eye contact!”
The girl sets our drinks down, and I say, “Thanks.” I glance at Nate, who looks like a deer in the headlights. He needs serious help, so I give it to him. “I’m Bella, and this is Nate.”
The girl smiles. “Bridget.” She looks at Nate. “You’re the one that went to law school, right?”
“I--” Nate’s voice comes out as a squeak, and he clears his throat to try again. “I did.”
Bridget smiles at him. “I think that’s so fascinating.” She lets out a breath of air. “I wanted to go to law school too, but I barely afforded college.”
“Oh,” he says, and both Bridget and I wait for him to say more.
When he doesn’t, I jump in. “Did you and Nate go to school together?”
She nods. “We were in the same class, but I was a band geek.” She looks at Nate, and I want to squeal at how cute she is when she blushes. “You probably didn’t know who I was.”
“I did,” says Nate.
“Hey!” says a guy as he shoves himself in between me and Nate. “Love the reunion and all, but any chance I can get a drink here?”
“Of course, Dirk,” says Bridget. “What’ll it be?”
“Hey, sugar,” says the guy as he leers at her, taking way too long to stare at her chest. “I’ll take whatever you’re offering.”
Nate lets out a low growl, and his bear flashes in his eyes. I tense up, ready to move out of the way in case a fight breaks out. The thing about werebear is you can’t depend on their human side to indicate what their bear is like when they feel as if their mate is threatened. Nate may be a mild-mannered guy, but from the way his chest is rumbling with his growl, I’m afraid his bear isn’t.
Bridget quickly says, “The house draft is on special.”
“I’ll take it,” says the guy. He glances at Nate before he returns his attention to Bridget and drawls out, “And then I’ll have you.”
Nate stands up and pushes his chest against the guy. In an instant, the two men shift, and Dirk’s movements shove me off my stool. I scramble to my feet and hop up to sit on the bar. Bridget tugs me back further and says, “Get back here with me.”
I jump down just as Nate slams his paw into the guy’s chest so hard that it makes him stagger. “Damn,” I say when Nate backhands him. “Nate’s a good fighter.”
“I know,” says Bridget, and I glance at her to find she’s smiling with pride. The way a true mate would.
Without thinking, I yell, “Go Nate!” I say to Bridget, “This is better than hockey any day.”
She chuckles. “You should work here.” We both let out a groan when the bully manages to get a good hit in on Nate.
“I’ve got a job, but this might be my new hangout,” I say as the bar shudders when Nate throws Dirk against it. “This really happens often?”
“Almost every weekend,” Bridget says.
“Yes!” I cry out when Nate kicks out and swipes Dirk off his feet.
Suddenly, a third bear joins in. He’s huge, and within seconds, he manages to slam Nate and the other guy to the floor. Another large bear comes to stand beside the victor, and Bridget says, “It’s all fun and games until the warriors show up.”
I let out a sigh as Nate and his opponent stand up, and as I watch the five men shift back to human form, I climb over the bar again. My jaw drops when I discover one of the warriors is Cade. The other warrior asks, “What’s this about?”
Dirk points at Bridget, who is standing behind me. “Her.” He scoffs. “Waste of time.”
Nate lets out a growl while Cade clenches his fists and begins to shift again as he moves toward Nate and his opponent. But his warrior friend steps in the way and gives Cade a slight shake of his head before he turns back to Nate and the other guy. “You two. Out.” He points toward the door. “Now!”
Nate glances at me and says, “Bella, I’ll call you.”
I don’t get a chance to reply because Cade is suddenly in my space. He’s so angry that his chest -- his gloriously naked, flexing chest -- is heaving before me. It’s hot as hell, and my breath catches in my throat. Before I realize what I’m doing, I reach out and touch him. Something zings through my arm, but then Cade growls and grabs me by the hips to throw me over his shoulder. He stomps out of the bar as I pound on his back. “Put me down!”
His truck is parked askew partially behind the bar, and he drops me to my feet by it. I’m steaming mad and about to yell at him when he slams his mouth against mine, effectively trapping me between a couple thousand pounds of truck and a couple hundred pounds of rock-solid, musk-scented male werebear that’s better than any drug ever created. His kiss bruises my lips, and it’s exactly what I want. It’s what we do, and damn, we do it well. I clutch at the flexing muscles of his naked butt as I try to devour him right back.
My insides are on fire with my desire, and I’m crazed for relief when I thrust my hips toward him. He presses his hard erection against my groin. Hands are everywhere, and when he breaks away from my mouth to work on my neck, I gasp for much-needed air. “Oh god.” This is my Cade. The man who invades my dreams. The man I can’t get enough of. The man--the memory of red-wine-stained jeans and a saccharine giggle pops up in my mind. Desiree. My passion becomes anger as I picture him doing this with her and her extra-ness. Or with any other female he lures into his bed. I pull up some of my power and push him away from me.
He stumbles back. “Bella?”
“Don’t,” I spit out and begin to walk toward the entrance of the bar.
Cade grabs my arm and turns me around to face him. “You are not going back in there.”
“Wanna bet?” Anger and magic are a dangerous cocktail because the power becomes intensified, so when I throw out some magic in an attempt to push him away from me, it turns into something a little more powerful. Cade is lifted off his feet and slams into his truck with a bone-crunching crash. Okay, so maybe it’s a lot more powerful, but I’m too pissed off to care, and I pound my way over to my Jeep. However, I do check to make sure Cade is okay. I watch him get up and shake off his pain as he walks toward the driver’s side of his truck. But this time, I’m the one who leaves him in the dust as I peal out of the parking lot toward home.
Chapter 7
Screams and laughter rise above the excited voices of
children as they play in Cheesie’s, a playground-slash-restaurant geared toward small kids. I’m with Tally and Dawn, the Veilleux clan witch. Dawn and I came up to Canada this morning for our weekly get-together. Tally usually gets a sitter so we can talk magic, but her girl had to cancel at the last minute. So here we are in child heaven. It’s not ideal for our usual playing around with spells, but at least Tally’s children are entertained for a while so we can talk. I just told the girls about my night at the Bear’s Den, and I lift up a floppy piece of pizza that tastes like salty cardboard and rip off a bite.
“You actually cheered Nate on?” asks Dawn, and Tally chuckles.
“Bella’s got a thing for men fighting over her.”
I swallow down the lump of food in my mouth. “They weren’t fighting over me.”
Dawn’s armful of silver bracelets jingles as she reaches for a piece of pizza. “Cade sounds so dreamy. It makes me want to meet him.” She quickly adds, “Since you keep saying you want nothing to do with him.”
Tally rolls her eyes. “Bella wants everything to do with him.”
“He’s not hot!” I say. “He’s a muscle-bound jerk who tried to make Nate fighting my fault.”
“And he wanted to take you home,” says Tally. “Maybe he thought Nate was fighting for you.”
I shake my head. “No. I’m pretty sure Nate and Bridget are true mates.” Tears burn in my eyes, and I blink them back. “Which means I’m out one more friend. This whole plan of mine isn’t working out so well.”
Dawn reaches her hand across the table to put it on mine. “Are you sure Cade knew they were fighting over Bridget?”
I sniff. “When Cade asked what caused the fight, Dirk pointed at Bridget.” Who was behind me. I gasp. “Oh my god. Bridget was behind me, and it could have looked like Dirk was pointing at me.” The tears I was fighting let loose. “Oh god,” I wail.
“Ma’am?” asks a concerned waitress as I sob, and Tally and Dawn both wave her off.
Tally says, “Poor Cade. You tell him you want nothing to do with him because he’s a werebear, and within days, he finds you in a clan bar with two of his kind fighting. And he believes it’s over you. He probably thinks you were out trolling for one.”
“And lying to him the whole time,” I say as I speak through tears. I hiccup as I grab a napkin and dab at my eyes. “I should call him.”
“Not yet,” says Tally. “There’s something I need to tell you first. It could change what you decide to do.” She looks at Dawn. “Listen up, because this concerns you too. Marcel told me that news of our cubs being able to shift as well as perform magic is causing a stir in your clans.”
“How so?” I ask.
“It seems your alphas realize that werebear with strong magical abilities are an asset they may want to cultivate.”
I think about how Tally’s Ouellette clan has a lot of strong magic now. Not only is Tally extremely talented, but her alpha’s wife is quite gifted too. Add all the children Tally will have, and it makes them a force to be reckoned with. The Ouellette clan is not technically part of the Northeast Kingdom, which is made up of three clans, including mine, Dawn’s, and one known as the LeRoux, but they are definitely allies. Even so, I can imagine the alphas of the Northeast Kingdom would want the same kind of strength in their own clans.
Dawn’s eyes widen. “You’re not suggesting--”
Dawn is new to her clan, and since they used to be known as ruthless, I understand her worry. But the Vellieux have been under a compassionate alpha for a few years now. I put my hand on her arm. “Tori doesn’t seem like the kind of alpha who would force a werebear on you.”
“No,” says Tally. “She’s not.”
“I’m not so sure this is a good idea,” says Dawn. “Don’t you think there was a reason werebear and magicals were never allowed to be together?” She looks at Tally. “Present company excluded of course.”
I say, “We used to think that about humans and werebear, and now you have an alpha who never knew she was half-werebear until a few years ago.”
“Good point,” says Dawn.
“More importantly...” says Tally. She gives us an evil smile. “This means that Bella could potentially have a serious relationship with Cade that her alpha would actually encourage.”
“Tally! I threw Cade against his truck so hard bones broke!”
Dawn bursts out laughing, and Tally joins her. It takes me a moment, but I smile too. Werebear healing abilities are legendary, and I suddenly see the humor in what I did to my clan’s fiercest warrior.
Tally says, “Dawn, if what Marcel said is true, you’re going to be like a kid in a candy store.” She lets out a sigh. “Imagine a whole clan at your fingertips and you get to pick the one that calls to your inner goddess.”
Dawn smiles, and I laugh with her. “Seems someone isn’t too afraid after all.”
“I--” Dawn blushes. “Well, there is something sexy about huge men with a lot of muscle. I could be tempted.”
Me too. By one hot warrior named Cade. Except that he makes me so crazy I break his bones. He has every right to still be mad at me. Especially if he hasn’t figured out that Nate wasn’t fighting over me yet. I let out a heavy sigh, because I’ve made a mess of things with him, and Cade has every right to never talk to me again.
Tally says, “Go call him, Bella. At least explain that Nate and Dirk weren’t fighting over you.”
“I’m not sure he’ll answer. He was pretty mad the last time I saw him.” I glance down to see I’ve shredded the piece of pizza in my hand into a gooey mess, and I shudder a little at the stickiness all over my fingers.
“Because he thought someone was after his mate,” says Tally. “Are you really so dense you can’t see this?”
“It’s not that, Tally. I know he’s very interested in me. It’s--” I flex my fingers and fight the compulsion to race to the bathroom to wash my hands. I grab my glass of water and dampen a napkin to clean up with instead.
“What if you’re wrong?” asks Dawn.
“Yes,” I say. “What if I’m the one who has strong feelings for him and Cade just wants to get what’s he’s been after all these years?”
“Wow,” says Tally. “You really believe you’re just a hot body, don’t you?”
“Of course not! But I’m very aware of my reputation, and that might be why Cade is trying so hard to get me. Finally bedding the witch who wouldn’t date a werebear might be a badge of honor for him.”
Dawn grabs my hand. “Honey. No. If this guy is someone you can’t stop thinking about and he’s way more than sex for you, I’m sure it’s the same for him. You are an incredible woman. Don’t sell yourself short.” She reaches for her canvas bag. “You know what? The cards are going to prove it to you.” A deck of tarot cards slaps on the table, and when I stare at it, Dawn says, “Go ahead. Pick them up and think about your question.”
My heart skips a beat, because I put a fair amount of faith in those cards too. “You know there are so many ways to interpret whatever I draw.”
“Maybe, but you know that sometimes we need to see what’s in our hearts and minds laid out on the table.” Dawn picks up the cards and puts them in my hands. “Shuffle.”
I take the cards and close my eyes as I let them slip through my fingers. I look deep within myself as I block out the noise around me. I may not have wanted to admit it before, but I’m in love with Cade, and the truth is I do want a future with him. If I can have it. I ask, “Do Cade and I belong together?” When I open my eyes again, I hand the deck over to Dawn.
She splays them out and says, “Pick one.”
I reach out and grab one, afraid to breathe. The Empress. Unconditional love and fertility.
Chapter 8
“And the mighty warrior Prince Adam and Princess Ava ruled the land,” I say as I finish my bedtime story for Tally’s kids. I didn’t get Cade on the phone earlier, so I left a message telling him that Nate and Dirk were fighting over Bridget and to p
lease call me so we could talk.
“Bella,” asks Ava.
“Yes, Princess?”
“Why don’t you have any kids?”
“Because I don’t have a good daddy for them yet.”
“Maybe Daddy can find you one,” says Adam. “He’s in charge of the warriors, and Mommy says they make good daddies.”
I chuckle and pat Ava’s smooth hair. I gaze at her round face and long for the day I’ll do this to my daughter. “She’s right,” I say. “They do.” I get up from my chair and lean down to kiss Ava’s forehead. “Now it’s time for you two to go to sleep.”
“Good night, Auntie Bella,” the twins say as I kiss Adam too.
“Good night, little treasures.” I step out into the hall and shut the door, leaving a crack of light for them, before I go downstairs.
I walk into the living room, where Marcel, Tally, and Dawn are. I smile and say, “Your kids just told me I need to find a warrior to be the daddy of my children. Did you put them up to it?”
My friends laugh, and Marcel says, “I hear all signs are pointing that way. I know Cade, and I approve, if that helps.”
“Don’t you think it’s crazy that all this time, we never had witches and werebear mixing, and now, just a couple years after you and Tally are allowed to be together, we find I might have a bond with one too?”
“No,” he says. “I think the bond is probably something that has always existed in clans, but it was so taboo nobody ever did anything about it.”
“That,” says Dawn, “or the universe has decided it is something we need.”
“Well,” says Tally, “that’s not a bad theory. It won’t be long before hunters will find a way to attack again. Perhaps we need the secret weapon of magical werebear to keep the clans alive.”
She’s referring to the fringe groups of people who are aware werebear exist and believe they should be wiped from the earth. At the moment, we’re not in much danger from the groups, but Tally’s right that they could be building their militia in preparation for attack.
