Simply Bears: A Ten Book Paranormal Bear Shifter Romance Collection

by Simply Shifters

  “Are you alright?” Joe asked her, concerned.

  “I’m just sore.”

  “Oh.” A troubled expression crossed his face. “Did I hurt you?”

  Sierra laughed.

  “Sore from running for my life. And getting scratched and bruised up. And lost sleep. And having a desk collapse underneath me. Not from you, big boy. Unless I’m counting the desk as your fault.”

  Joe laughed with relief. “I think the desk was your fault.” he said. “You should have bought a stronger desk.”

  “You can blame the budget minions for the rickety desk.”

  Joe insisted on getting her some grapes from the garden, hoping the potassium would help her aching muscles. He went out and picked them himself. They may well have been the sweetest grapes Sierra had ever tasted.

  Joe’s cabin in Sleuth was a far cry from the Governor’s mansion. It was a tiny, studio home with a couple chairs, some books, a small eat-in kitchen, and a soft queen sized bed topped with a handmade quilt. There was a potbelly stove in the kitchen that kept the place cozy warm. The attached bath had an old fashioned claw footed tub and shower that really wasn’t sufficiently sized for two, though they had managed it somehow last night.

  Sierra jokingly asked him why there wasn’t an Alpha’s Mansion. Joe told her, quite sensibly, that he lived there alone, and only part of the time. It was simply a waste of town resources for him to take up any more space.

  After lunch, Sierra stepped out into the brisk November air and did yoga on the porch, trying to work the rest of the kinks out of her body. Joe watched her hungrily from the window, before finally scooping her up and carrying her back inside to the bed.

  They stayed in bed for hours. Joe broke out those photographs he had promised to show her. Sierra stared at them in fascination as Joe told her stories about the last hundred years of his life. Her favorite was a snapshot of Joe circa 1944, posed with some army buddies working their way through a few pitchers of beer at a French burlesque show.

  They finally emerged from bed in the evening to have dinner with the other towns people. Someone had voiced that Eric being banished, and the factions in Sleuth reuniting, was cause enough for celebration. After dozens of other people had taken up the call, an impromptu party was thrown together. Kitchen tables were hauled outside so everyone had somewhere to sit and eat. They roasted venison on a massive grill.

  Almost immediately upon stepping out the door someone thrust a jar of moonshine into Sierra’s hand. It was smoother than it had any right to be. Better than any liquor she could afford to buy in a store. It was cut with peach schnapps and had a whole peach sunk in the bottom of the jar. Sierra felt it going to her head after just a few sips.

  Men jostled to invite them to sit at their table.

  Joe smiled at their effort and whispered in her ear, “They’re campaigning.”

  “For what?”

  “To replace Eric as my second-in-command.”

  Chairs were pulled out for them, compliments were lavished on Sierra, and their drinks were never empty.

  They sat with a tall, striking man named Brian and his wife and son. Brian was a bit younger than Joe, but still old enough to remember drinking heavily as he watched the stock market crash in 1929. His son was a bright and talkative nine-year-old who wanted Sierra to tell him what it was like being a real reporter. Joe later confided in Sierra that he wanted to pick someone with children this time, in the hopes that it would make them more vested in the town’s well-being. And having someone with some financial savvy couldn’t hurt either.

  They ate venison tacos with grilled corn and tomatoes, washed down with more peach moonshine. Zeke stopped by their table to tell her proudly that he had killed this deer himself, and it took her a moment to realize he didn’t mean with a hunting rifle.

  After dinner, Sierra got a chance to watch the fights ringside this time. Joe declined several invitations to participate himself, preferring, this time, to watch. There were no shortage of men lining up for Joe to watch them fight.

  “Is this campaigning too?” Sierra asked him as they watched one bear fling another to the other side of the pit.

  “Most assuredly, yes.” Joe told her as he observed them with keen eyes.

  Sierra found herself quite pleasantly drunk by the time they headed back to Joe’s cabin. She stumbled through the door and into bed, nibbling on the last of the moonshine soaked peach. She nuzzled Joe’s chest as he climbed into bed with her. She found herself wishing it could be like this forever as she drifted off to sleep.

  *

  But they couldn’t stay in Sleuth forever. Both of them had jobs and responsibilities to attend to back in Olympia. So in the morning they climbed back in Joe’s Range Rover and headed into the city.

  Her return to the office was met with no small amount of enthusiasm. To celebrate her first front page story and surviving a bear attack her coworkers had gotten her a cake. The smart ass who picked the chocolate cake up had ordered a child’s 3D confection shaped like a teddy bear, that they had requested be done in white icing. Sierra laughed off the gag and ate a generous portion of the bear’s head.

  James too, was receiving no small amount of attention around the office. There was already talk of his photograph making Time Magazine’s best photographs of 2014. One of the girls in printing had it framed and hung up in the office, but only after Sierra assured her it would not bring on some kind of PTSD.

  No one asked about the broken desk. A new one had arrived for her while she had been out of town. This one was solid oak, three inches thick. Sometimes Sierra’s mind would wander at work and she’d catch herself staring at it and wishing Joe was there so they could put it to the test.

  Molly’s work situation was also going quite well. The Home Invasion show had not only netted her an obscene amount of money, but a fair bit of notoriety as well. She was selling paintings faster than she could paint them, and the money was burning a hole in her pocket. After buying all the overpriced paint and wine she could possibly want, she kidnapped Sierra for a girl’s weekend down in Las Vegas. At Joe’s insistence, Zeke had accompanied them on the trip. By the end of the weekend Zeke had developed a quite formidable schoolboy crush on a totally oblivious Molly.

  Camp Basnight opened its gates on the first of June, to much success. The opening fell conveniently just five months before Joe would be up for reelection, and the prediction was this feel-good project was sure to sway a few more voters to reelect Governor Joe. Sierra accompanied Joe to the grand opening, shaking hands with the donors, meeting the kids, and pretending she hadn’t met Brian’s wife, the camp accountant.

  Lately she accompanied Joe to most public functions. Often enough at least that after a few months the press had grown bored of taking her picture and trying to make a scandal out of the Governor’s new girlfriend. She mostly went to these things to serve as arm candy, but she didn’t mind. It meant she got to spend more time with Joe, wear really fabulous clothes, and had previously unparalleled access to the state’s politicians and local celebrities, who hadn’t quite wised up enough to stop talking to her yet.

  Sierra and Joe spent their nights together more often than not. They split them between her place and his and got away to Sleuth whenever they could. At her place they enjoyed the privacy of not having half a dozen staff milling around them (though Molly could sometimes be annoying). At his, they enjoyed Rose’s strawberry pancakes, which were as good as promised. But it was their time in Sleuth that was her favorite. Somehow that little house felt like theirs in a way neither of their separate places in the city did. She found herself fantasizing about moving in together and maybe getting married someday. Maybe even making room in their hectic lives for a baby. But even after seven months together neither of them had quite found themselves able to broach that subject just yet.

  Joe, much like Molly, also had a bit more money than he knew what to do with. So he sent her gifts a lot, especially when he was out of town and couldn
’t see her. He sent flowers, chocolates, handbags, and shoes she was sure his secretary was picking out. Sierra kept meaning to send her a thank you card, expressing her gratitude for her excellent taste in footwear.

  Sierra returned home one day to find Molly ripping open a package on the counter. Molly froze when Sierra walked in, knife poised halfway through the tape, and looked up at her guiltily.

  “It’s not what it looks like.” she insisted.

  “It looks a little like you opening my mail.”

  “Me? Never. That’s a federal offence. Wouldn’t dream of it. This just came by courier.”

  Sierra laughed.

  “Well what’s in it then?”

  Molly finished ripping the box open. Inside was a fancy box of chocolate and salted caramel truffles imported from Switzerland and a card. Molly snatched the card up.

  “Hey! Cool! I absolve myself of all guilt for opening this now,” she said as she handed Sierra the card.

  The card read,

  “Sierra and Molly,

  I’ll be in Seattle for the weekend. I know the two of you were planning a movie marathon and thought these might make a nice accompaniment.

  -Joe”

  Molly popped one eagerly into her mouth. Her eyes went wide.

  “Oh my god. They taste like love.”

  Sierra sampled one herself. Molly had not exaggerated.

  They settled into the couch with the chocolates and a bottle of raspberry dessert wine. The wine went to their heads faster than Sierra had thought possible, making them both giggle stupidly at the movie. Molly fell asleep on the couch next to her some time shortly after they killed the bottle.

  Pleasantly drunk and a little tired herself, Sierra stood up to get another bottle. The room spun and she sat back down again. She eyed the empty wine bottle as a foggy thought tried to make its way through her brain. That they’d shared just one bottle, two glasses of wine each, but she felt like she’d had at least eight. Still, that thought didn’t seem incredibly important because she was just so tired. She’d worry about it after she got some sleep. She’d been working way too hard lately.

  Sierra leaned against Molly’s shoulder and closed her eyes.

  *

  She woke slowly, stiff and cold. She was lying on rough carpet in a darkened and freezing room. Her head was pounding like the worst hangover she’d ever felt. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness she realized she was at the office, which was currently abandoned at this hour. When she tried to sit up a wave of nausea overtook her. She vomited onto the carpet, bringing the wine and chocolates back up; the chocolates she was increasingly sure were responsible for the state she was in.

  Eric was standing across the room. He was admiring the photograph of the two of them on the wall.

  “I think I might keep this.” he told her. “No one will mind, right?”

  Either the drugs or fear had dried out Sierra’s throat. She struggled to croak out a response.

  “Molly?”

  “Not to worry. I left Molly drooling on your new couch. This is between you and me.”

  His eyes smoldered, staring down at her as she forced herself to sit up. He contained more rage in that gaze than she would have thought possible.

  “You ruined my life, did you know that? I’m the one that was trying to look out for Sleuth. They kicked me out because of you. I was trying to keep everyone safe. All Joe cared about was protecting his little bitch.”

  “You disobeyed your Alpha.”

  “I SHOULD HAVE BEEN ALPHA!” he shouted at her. “Do you know how old I am, little girl? I’m 206 years old. They should have picked me. Joe’s just a better kiss ass and a better politician than I am. He’s better at making them feel like they’re safe, but I’m the one that could have kept them that way!”

  He punched the wall, his fist leaving a gaping hole in the plaster.

  “I don’t need them. I’ll make a new pack. But first, you’re going to die, Sierra. You know that, don’t you? I’m going to peel off your skin and then rip you into little pieces and scatter them for Joe to find.”

  Sierra lunged for her desk. She grabbed her pistol out of the top drawer and emptied the clip into Eric’s chest as he charged at her. The impact from the bullets stopped him. He swayed in place but did not fall. He spat out the blood welling up in his mouth and growled at her. Sierra watched in horror as his body pushed the bullets back out one by one.

  He began to shift slowly, his clothes ripping off to make room for his larger frame. Sierra turned and ran. Eric made no immediate effort to follow her. There was simply no chance he wouldn’t catch up to her. He finished shifting just as the last bullet pushed its way out and fell to the floor with a soft clink.

  Only then did he chase her.

  Sierra ran into her editor’s office and slammed the door. As fast as she could, she pushed his desk up against it, then pushed the bookshelves over on top. Hoping the barricade would hold, she ran to the other side of the room and smashed the glass out of the window. It was five stories down to the unyielding pavement, but maybe she could make it if she found something to hold on to.

  The door smashed inward in a torrent of splinters. The furniture piled in front of it did nothing more than slow him for a few seconds. He ripped her away from the window and tossed her back down the hall. Sierra landed face first in a crumpled heap on the floor. She felt her cheekbone shatter on impact and screamed.

  Eric padded back down the hall to where he had thrown her. With a roar he swiped her across her stomach with his claws. Sierra felt them rip deep into her. Much too deep. She felt her own hot blood pouring out of her. It had splashed on to Eric’s white fur. He raised up his paw to slash at her again.

  Joe caught the paw in midair and held back the blow. He had arrived out of nowhere in bear form, sneaking up behind Eric. He roared at Eric and threw him into Sierra’s desk, snapping it in half with a groan.

  The two bears circled each other now, snarling and snapping, before Eric lunged at Joe and sunk his teeth into Joe’s neck. Joe shook him off and swiped at Eric’s back, raking his claws across it. They reared up, swiping at each other. Eric lunged for Joe again, but this time Joe dodged, and knocked Eric to the ground.

  Eric tried to struggle up again, but Joe had him pinned for good this time. With one last roar Joe buried his muzzle in Eric’s neck, ripping his throat out with his teeth. Eric shuddered and then was still. His body shifted back to human form, naked and mangled.

  Joe padded over to Sierra. She looked at him with unfocused eyes and reached one hand up to stroke his soft muzzle.

  “You owe me another desk.” she mumbled to him in a dazed sort of way.

  There was so much blood. She felt cold all over. But Joe was warm. She pressed herself against him, letting his heat keep the chill at bay.

  “I love you,” she told him.

  Her vision was starting to go gray on the edges. She felt herself slipping away.

  “I love you so much.” she said faintly.

  Joe made a noise like he had been wounded.

  “It’ll be okay.” she told him. “I just need to sleep awhile. That’s all.”

  Joe lowered his muzzle down to her shoulder. She was starting to loose sensation. The feel of his fur against her was fading.

  Then with a sharp pain that snapped her out of the fog, Joe bit her on the shoulder. Sierra screamed. At first all she felt was pain from the bite. But then it was more than pain. It was energy. Like her blood was pulsing through her faster than it ever had before. The bite on her shoulder felt red hot as if there were lit coals under her skin. She began to shake.

  Joe shifted back into human form and held her. He whispered over and over that it was going to be all right and stroked her hair as she screamed again.

  With a curious itching sensation the wound on her stomach began to knit itself back together. Sierra felt the bones in her cheek melting together and hardening again. The icy feeling brought on by blood loss was long gone now. I
nstead she was sweating bullets, her body burning like a fever as it healed itself.

  Sierra ran one shaking hand over the now smooth skin on her stomach.

  Joe kissed her.

  “I’ll buy you another desk.” he promised.

  Epilogue

  Joe and Sierra watched the last fleeting rays of the sun set over the blue green lake at the edge of the wood. They stood together, naked and holding hands.

  “Are you ready for this?” he asked her.

  Sierra nodded.

  Together, they watched the full moon rise over the lake as her body began to shudder.