by Sable Sylvan
“I know you can,” said Jasper. “But I need somebody to carry in the trash from breakfast, and I can’t reach below the console that easily...so if you wouldn’t mind...”
“Say no more,” said Artemis, rolling up her sleeves and lying belly-down on the seat as she picked up the various napkins they’d dropped on the car’s floor mats as Jasper opened the trunk to get out his own duffel. He slammed the trunk with one hand as he watched Artemis pick up the stuff out of the bottom of the car.
The slam of the trunk door rocked the car and sent Artemis’s curves jiggling...and the back of her shirt rode up as her pants slipped a bit, revealing a slice of bright pink lace underwear.
Jasper couldn’t help watching, almost hypnotized, as the oblivious Artemis cleaned out the car like a model in a car washing commercial. Pink panties were his weakness, and he never would have thought that Artemis would’ve been the kind of girl to have that sort of soft, feminine side...and just who did she think was going to see those pink panties anyways?
Artemis got the last piece of trash out and as she got up, realized her pants were a half-inch lower than they should be, and her shirt had ridden up. She put the bag of trash down on the seat and pulled her clothes into place...
...and looked up, right into Jasper’s eyes. His arms were filled with the duffel bags, and there was something else that got her attention, something lower and distracted that she glanced down to quickly, and then, again, for longer.
“No...frikkin’...way,” hissed Artemis. “You frikkin’ perv. Who do you think you are, to stare at a lady like that?”
“Hey, you got your stares in too,” said Jasper smugly. “I didn’t see much, trust me.”
“Neither did I,” sassed Artemis, following Jasper to the door. Artemis looked over Jasper: he’d gotten an eyeful of her so it only seemed fair she got even. Jasper’s body was broadest at the shoulders, a big tell that he was a bear shifter, as the various physiologies of shifters gave away their species even out of their shifts. Jasper had a muscled back, and his own butt was tight and firm, his hips wider than her own but firmer. The jeans he was wearing didn’t show off much but they showed off enough to make Artemis feel warm and wet.
Jasper opened the door to the house. “I’ll give you a quick tour,” said Jasper, carrying the duffle bags up a wooden staircase. The house was surprisingly cozy but a bit impersonal. It had been recently cleaned and still smelled of lemon cleaning fluid. Artemis walked up the wooden stairs behind Jasper. The top floor had about ten rooms. The house was a lot bigger on the inside than it had looked from the outside.
“Up here is your bedroom,” said Jasper. He opened a guest bedroom door and revealed a room done up in dark green with a crisp white cotton summer set of sheets and a light and fluffy duvet cover on a queen sized bed. There was a plain wooden dresser and a nice black and green cover over the hardwood floors. The room had a window that opened up onto the woods. “Your bathroom is attached, there’s a side door over there.” Jasper pointed to a wooden door on the side of the room opposite from the bed.
Jasper put Artemis’s bag down gently by the side of the bed and walked out the room, to a room across the hall. “This is the room I’m going to be staying in,” said Jasper, opening his bedroom. It was dark and maroon with more personal touches than Artemis expected. However, there wasn’t a bearskin rug, rumpled or unrumpled. “Each of the Asher-Dixons has their own room, and the room you’re in is for visitors.” The bed in this room was king size. Jasper put his bag on the bed, which also had white summer sheets, in a warm yellowish ivory rather than a cool white, and led Artemis back down the stairs.
Artemis followed Jasper into a kitchen that had been cleaned from top to bottom. Jasper opened the fridge and cabinets: they were all full of food. “I guess the maid got here earlier than I expected,” said Jasper. “You can help yourself to whatever you want, and if you have cravings for anything else, we can have it delivered or go into town.”
Jasper walked out of the kitchen to the living room. “Obviously, this is the living room,” said Jasper. He opened a door next to the living room. “And this is the downstairs bathroom.” He shut the door to the small blue tiled room.
Jasper walked on, past the living room, to a set of double doors. “And this is where we’ll be spending most of our time,” he said. The room was large, the largest in the house, with two desks, as well as a large table, and shelves full of big, expensive, boring looking legal books. Each of the desks was paired with a stuffed leather office chair. “Do you wanna get started on work while I make dinner?”
“You’re gonna make dinner?” asked Artemis, incredulous. There was no way that Jasper had cooked a meal in his life.
“We haven’t eaten since breakfast, and I don’t know about you, but I’m famished,” said Jasper, walking back into the kitchen. “Any allergies? Dietary restrictions?”
“Not a one,” said Artemis as Jasper looked through the fridge.
“Damn it,” said Jasper. “The maid didn’t get the one ingredient I asked for...I’ll be back in an hour to start dinner.”
“You sure you don’t want me to just make something with what we’ve got?” asked Artemis.
“Knock yourself out, but I have a hankering I can’t kick with just meat and potatoes,” said Jasper, unbuttoning his flannel shirt and revealing his white undershirt.
“Then you haven’t had my mashed potatoes,” said Artemis, going through the cupboards to find the ingredients she’d need. She didn’t notice that Jasper was taking off more than just his shirt until he brushed against her on accident on his way out the kitchen.
Before Artemis could say anything, she was struck by the sight of Jasper, absolutely nude, walking across the kitchen, his taut buns swaying back and forth as he made his way across the living room floor barefoot...and between Jasper’s legs, Artemis saw his twig and berries swinging, just the tip and the metaphorical berries, but it was enough. Artemis couldn’t stop watching as it swung back and forth. Jasper opened the sliding glass door that led to the porch and took a big bucket from the porch before he made his way down the hill, not turning back to look at the woman he knew was looking at him.
Artemis turned away. Who was she to tell Jasper how to pick berries or herbs or whatever he was after? Artemis put on a pot of water while she found the rest of her ingredients. She found the potatoes and washed them off, peeled them, and quartered them before sticking them in the boiling water. She mixed the rest of the ingredients she’d need in the mixing bowl. There were fresh chives in the fridge, as well as some local Port Jameson butter and cheese, and she put that into the bowl, along with some dill, her secret ingredient. There was a formal dining room in the house, but that seemed overly fancy for a casual meal, so she set a place at the table overlooking the woods outside the house while she waited for the potatoes to soften for mashing.
That’s when Artemis saw it: a big bear, in the water, swiping at the water. A shiver ran down Artemis’s back: she knew they were in bear country but wherever shifters were found, their animal species was also found. Lion shifters were at home on the savannah, along with other lions. Tiger shifters were often found in places with tigers. And bear shifters...they were found in bear country.
Artemis looked around: did the house have a gun? This was the biggest bear she’d ever seen in her life. She looked back at the river: she spotted the silver bucket that Jasper had taken down to the river, and the bear turned to Artemis, got on its hind legs...and instead of charging, it waved, before going back to swiping at the river, catching fish.
“Are you frikkin’ serious?” Artemis muttered. “What kind of a frikkin’ moron shifts without warning?” At least the mystery of what Jasper was looking for had been solved, as well as why Jasper had stripped down nude. Shifters had to strip before shifting or else they’d ruin their clothes, unless their shift was small, like a mouse or a snake.
Artemis went back to the kitchen and lowered the heat on the potatoes, whic
h had almost boiled over. She used a ladle to remove one chunk of potato. She poked it with a fork and the potato crumbled. It wasn’t soupy but it wasn’t hard either, so she pulled out a colander and put it in the sink before draining the potatoes and adding the potatoes to the mixing bowl. The heat of the potatoes melted the butter and the cheese, and she folded the rest of the ingredients into the potato mix until the potatoes were thoroughly mixed. The potatoes were a bit soupy but they’d condense as they cooled while Jasper cooked whatever fish he’d been able to catch.
Artemis found a pitcher and filled it with water and ice from the fridge and put that on the table too, before opening the sliding door and heading down the hill to the river.
“Hey!” called Artemis.
The bear turned: he hadn’t expected Artemis to come down the rough trail at all. Artemis’s feet weren’t as strong and thick as a bear’s, but she’d still managed the climb down. The bear waved and motioned to the big bucket. On the bottom of the bucket there were fish flopping around. The fish were about twice the length of Artemis’s palm and covered in small grey scales, with green and black shades towards the tale and top of the fish. The fish had very small fins.
Artemis sat down on a rock as she watched Jasper fish. His big bear arms were strong and his claws were made for catching fish...but catching fish without his mouth was hard. If Jasper caught the fish with his mouth, he’d have to be gentle, not bite into the fish at all, and wash them off more thoroughly later. For a solo meal, it was fine. He’d eat the fish raw if he could, but it was impolite to do so around humans without warning, as a lot of humans often forgot that shifters had both the diets of their human form and of their shift. The fish were too small for his paws to catch comfortably, so often, the fish would slip right out.
Jasper’s muscles were thick and powerful, even underneath the layer of fur. The muscles of both man and bear were on display, as the bulking season for the winter hibernation hadn’t started yet. It would start in a few weeks, but until then, both of Jasper’s forms had very little fat. Both Jasper’s human and bear forms were larger than the average of their species, but Jasper wasn’t a clutzy, clumsy bear, like the average city bear who shifted once or twice a year. As a shifter who made regular trips out to nature, to let his bear run free, he was able to control his body better than most city bears out there, which had given him an edge in the business world, as it allowed him a clearer head than many of the people he competed with professionally.
Jasper reached for a fish, and the fish slipped out of his hands, going back into the river, to live at least another day. Jasper growled as he turned to Artemis, who was laughing.
Artemis had to clutch her sides as she laughed, and she nearly fell off the rock. “Pass me the fish,” said Artemis between laughs, bringing the bucket closer to her. She held the bucket in her lap.
Jasper smiled. Artemis was the most sassy woman he’d ever met, but there was something about her intellect and way of seeing the world that made his heart warm. Jasper put those thoughts aside: Artemis was an intern. He couldn’t let her know how he felt, at least, until her internship was over, and then, who knew how long he’d have to wait to see if she liked him back? He might lose his chance entirely after the end of the summer...
Jasper shut himself up. The thoughts would get him nowhere, and his bear reminded him he was still hungry, and there were fish to catch. Jasper clawed at a salmon with his left paw, sending it flying through the air towards Artemis, who caught it with the bucket. “You should’ve gone pro,” teased Artemis.
Jasper let out a small roar and a shake of the head as he looked for the next fast fish to catch. It was hard to catch fish in the running river as the fish blended in with the rocks, but finally, he spotted another. He clawed at it, flipping it up into the air. Artemis caught it with the bucket, but almost spilled the rest of the fish, and so she put the bucket down. “Just toss them into my lap,” said Artemis.
Jasper nodded. He was wary: how many women would really want a slimy fish in their lap? Well, Artemis had asked for it...he found another fish, a wily looking one, and he flipped it up into the air, and Artemis caught it...in her long sleeved shirt, keeping the shirt extended to form a makeshift basket. She slipped the fish into the bucket and got ready to catch another fish.
Jasper had to admit he was impressed...but why did he have to meet Artemis now, after all these years of searching, and why did she have to be practically one of his employees? Jasper flipped another fish over to Artemis, who caught it deftly, and slipped it into the bucket. “We’ve got about ten fish, is that enough?” asked Artemis.
Jasper nodded. Artemis got up and took the bucket with her up the trail...but going down the trail had been easier than going up. Jasper, soaking wet in his bear form, followed after Artemis, and nudged her. “I can’t go any further,” said Artemis. “Is there another way around?”
Jasper crouched...and slipped through Artemis’s legs, spreading them as he put her on his back. “Whoa,” said Artemis, gripping onto Jasper’s back with her legs and with one arm as the other was carrying the bucket of fish. Jasper took the bucket of fish in his mouth and kept Artemis on his back so she could ride him up the short but steep path to the house.
Artemis gripped Jasper’s fur. The grizzly had thick brown fur that felt amazing under her hands...and it did feel a bit rumpled, as the bears had extra skin and fur ready to accommodate the extra fat they’d put on for the winter. Was this the ‘rumpled bear skin’ of office gossip legend? Jasper plodded up the trail with ease and once they reached the short lawn outside the house, Artemis dismounted, and took the fish from Jasper.
Jasper leaned back and then forward before standing up, having stretched himself all out so his shift would be comfortable. Jasper let out a roar on his back paws as he turned back into a human, shrinking a bit but still ending up taller than Artemis. His fur receded and his muscles and bones reformed into those of a human male...but he was left stark naked in front of Artemis, and covered in dirt, twigs, and leaves, with a large body part prominently featured just below his core.
Chapter Three
As Jasper had shifted, he’d kept his paw (later hand) over his heart, so his mate mark was still hidden from Artemis.
Artemis turned away. “I forgot shifters are naked after they shift back,” said Artemis, blushing.
“I’m fine like this,” teased Jasper. “But if you want, I’ll get changed. Grab me a pair of basketball shorts and a shirt from my duffel and I’ll get changed.”
“You’re also filthy...do you want me to grab you a towel?” asked Artemis, looking back at Jasper. His hand was still over his heart, hiding the mate mark.
“No...but if you really want to grab something...” started Jasper.
“Nope, nope nope nope, no way, nope,” said Artemis, putting the bucket of fish down on the porch. She headed upstairs to Jasper’s room, opened his duffel quickly, and grabbed a pair of basketball shorts and a white shirt. She opened the window that overlooked the yard and tossed the shorts and shirt out onto the yard. Jasper went to grab them and slipped them on before Artemis was back outside.
“So now what?” asked Artemis.
“Well, now, I’m going to prepare the fish, so I can fry it up,” explained Jasper. “It’s sort of gross, so I understand if you’d rather go do something else.”
“No, it’s fine,” said Artemis. “I’ve never prepared...what kind of fish is that again?”
“Oh, this? It’s Chinook salmon,” said Jasper. “It’s pretty easy to prepare, and what we usually do is just put the remains into the compost pile over there.” Jasper pointed to a discreet dark green bin with a lid on the side of the house that could have easily been mistaken for a trashcan.
“So what do we do?” asked Artemis.
“Well, first, we’re gonna need two knives,” said Jasper. “And a platter.”
“No problem,” said Artemis. She grabbed the items from the kitchen and came back out to the porch t
able. Jasper had hosed off the table, and added some more water to the bucket containing the fish which were still flopping around. Artemis gulped. “They’re still alive?”
“It’s not humane to asphyxiate them,” said Jasper. “I can kill them if you want, and you can come back out to learn to gut them if you want. Give me five minutes.”
Artemis paled. It would only take Jasper five minutes to kill all those fish? “Yeah, I think that’d be best,” she said apologetically. She went inside and got into clothes she wouldn’t mind having mucked up by fish guts and headed back outside, where Jasper had a pail of dead fish.
“Ready to go?” said Jasper, holding up a small fish.
“More now than I’ll ever be,” said Artemis.
“You know, you don’t have to do this if it makes you feel uncomfortable,” said Jasper.
“Jasper, I didn’t come to the West Coast to do what’s familiar,” said Artemis, taking the fish from Jasper. The fish was really dead. There was a small slit on the head. “How do you kill them anyway?”
“I use the spiking method,” explained Jasper, pointing to the hole on his own fish’s head. “It seems violent, but it’s quick and fast and they don’t feel pain for more than a few seconds. It probably shocked them more to be out of the water.”
“That makes sense, actually,” said Artemis. “Now what do we do?”
“Well, do you know fish anatomy?” asked Jasper.
“There’s a head on this side, and a tail on the other,” said Artemis, pointing to the tail.
