Gathering Darkness: A Paranormal Romance Collection

by Anna Zaires

  Torben chuckled, “Mihail and the others have gone back to discuss that. I believe Mihail wants to do some sort of recon before we bust into the place.”

  She sniffed, “I guess I can live with that.”

  Cupping her face, he kissed her forehead, “Feeling better?”

  “A little,” she admitted.

  “Are you ready to head back?”

  She nodded, “Yeah, I guess so.”

  Torben stood and held out his hand to help her up. Once she was standing, he brought her hand to his lips, “I know you don’t feel it now, Aspen, but there is a connection between us. As your mate, it’s my responsibility to keep you safe and happy. So, please, lean on me if you need to. Don’t try to carry this or any burden on your own.”

  She smiled up at him, “You are a good man, Torben. I’ll admit to feeling something for you, but I’m not sure what that is just yet. Would I love to be in a relationship with you? Absolutely. But part of me still wishes that we’d have met under very different circumstances.”

  He nodded his understanding, “I know, and I’m sorry that things are as they are, but we can make this work if we really want to.”

  “I know,” she replied softly. “Just give me a little more time, ok?”

  He hugged her to him, “Take all the time you need, Aspen, I’m not going anywhere.”

  CHAPTER 12

  Torben sat on the side of the bed staring at a sleeping Aspen. She was a petite beauty, and he couldn’t wait to share his world with her. He brushed a finger gently down her cheek before nudging her gently, “Aspen… It’s time to wake up.”

  She rolled over and burrowed deeper into the blankets, “Five more minutes.”

  He chuckled, “If you don’t wake up, I will take you out in whatever it is you have on.”

  She cracked her eyes open, “Where are we going?”

  “I thought I’d take you to the den today. Let you get a feel for the place and meet some of the other bear shifters and their families.”

  She stretched, and Torben’s eyes were instantly drawn to the nipples poking out from beneath the shirt she slept in. Unable to resist the temptation, Torben leaned down and sucked the pebbled peak into his mouth and soaking the front of her shirt.

  Aspen moaned, not sure whether she wanted to push him away or pull him towards her. “Torben,” she groaned, lacing her hands in his hair.

  Lifting his head, he grinned, “Sorry, couldn’t help myself.”

  Pushing up on her elbow, she kissed him softly then quickly rolled out of bed, “Give me a few minutes to get cleaned up and changed, ok?”

  “Need some help?” he grinned, flexing his brow.

  She laughed, “I think I can handle this, but thanks.”

  Fifteen minutes later, they were walking out the door and climbing into Torben’s black Jeep. The drive was pleasant, and Aspen was surprised at how close they really were to the den.

  Torben parked the Jeep and turned off the engine, “Come on. We’ll walk the rest of the way.”

  Aspen followed Torben through the woods and didn’t even think twice about it when she reached for his hand. Only five days in and she was already completely comfortable with him.

  They reached the den, and what she saw was not what she was expecting. Not that she was really sure what to expect.

  The den was situated at the base of a mountain. There was a giant cave opening with heavy foot traffic – both coming and going. Seated in front of the opening were several small shops. Some were little cabins, and others were just booths. There were even cabins like Torben’s set up randomly around the shops.

  “Oh, Torben… it’s amazing!”

  He grinned, “I thought you’d like it.”

  “I love it! It’s so quaint and homey and… oh my god… are those baby bears?” she squealed.

  “Yep.”

  She tugged on his arm, “Let’s go see them, please!”

  Torben chuckled, “Alright, but let me do introductions before you pick one of them up.”

  Aspen was practically bouncing on her feet, “Ok!”

  They approached the couple seated on the ground playing with their two cubs. “Good morning, Morgan, Tripp.”

  Tripp looked up and smiled, “Hey, Torben. How’s it going, man?”

  “Not bad. How’s the new family?”

  “Keeping us very busy,” Morgan said tiredly. “But I wouldn’t change a thing.”

  Torben placed his hand on the small of Aspen’s back and guided her forward, “I’d like you guys to meet Aspen, my mate.”

  “Hello!”

  “Hi,” Morgan said with a wave.

  “You bonded?” Tripp asked surprised.

  Torben shook his head, “Not yet. We’ve only just met, but we will eventually.”

  “Congrats.”

  “Thanks.”

  Aspen looked up at Torben chewing on her bottom lip. She reminded him of a kid in a candy store, and the sight made him want to burst out laughing. “Would you guys mind if Aspen held one of the cubs? She’s newly changed. She hasn’t ever seen a bear cub before.”

  “Not at all,” Morgan said, patting the ground next to her. “It might give me a whole five seconds to rest.”

  Aspen sat next to Morgan, “Thank you so much. I promise I’ll be gentle.”

  Morgan laughed, “I’m more worried about what they will do to you.” She called to the cubs, “Boys, come over and meet Aspen.”

  The two bear cubs waddled over and immediately began crawling on Aspen making her giggle joyously. “They’re adorable.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Are they born this way or in human form?” she asked.

  “They are born human, but for some reason our little guys prefer to stay bears rather than babies.”

  “They don’t change back at all?” Aspen asked surprised.

  “Oh sure, when they get hungry, but during playtime – it’s bear time.”

  Aspen ran her hands through their fur; it was soft and thick. As she ran her hands over them, one of the cubs crawled up into her arms like the baby he was and literally cooed when she rubbed his belly. For a brief moment, she wondered what it would be like to have a cub of her own… Torben’s cub.

  Looking up, she caught the same look on Torben’s face, and it made heat rise up into her cheeks. Deciding now might be a good time to move onto something else, Aspen handed the now sleepy cub back to its mother, “Thank you so much for that.”

  Morgan winked at her, “Anytime.”

  Tripp stood to shake hands with Torben, “You guys should come by the cave one day. We’d love to have you.”

  “We’ll do that.”

  They moved away from the happy family towards the center of the den, “Are you hungry?”

  “Yes.”

  He pulled her towards a cabin that was a little larger than most, “Come on, you’re about to have the best breakfast you’ve ever eaten.”

  After eating breakfast, which was delicious, and mingling with more members of the den, Torben led Aspen out of the restaurant. “So, I was thinking…”

  “Torben!”

  Torben and Aspen looked up as a young, petite redhead waved him down from a booth across the way. Torben grinned, “Hey, Red.”

  She glared at him, “My name is not Red.”

  He laughed, “I know, but I just love ruffling your feathers.” He looked at Aspen, “This is Red, AKA, Brenda. Red, this is my mate, Aspen.”

  Brenda smiled, “Welcome!”

  “Thanks.”

  “I didn’t mean to interrupt your day, but I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind watching the stand. I just got a call from mom, and she needs some help. I shouldn’t be gone longer than ten minutes.”

  “Yeah, sure,” Torben replied. “Tell your mom hey for me.”

  “Will do,” she yelled over her shoulder as she ran towards the cave.

  “They get cell reception in the cave?”

  “You’d be surprised by what they get i
n the cave. We’ll take a tour as soon as Brenda gets back.”

  They rounded the small stand filled with varying sizes of honey jars, “So, what do we do?”

  Torben sat down in a folding chair, “We wait for a customer.”

  It didn’t take long before a few people approached the stand. Since Aspen had no idea how much everything was, she simply helped the customers pick out what they wanted then let Torben ring them up. It was a system that seemed to work well.

  “Scuse me?”

  Aspen looked down to find a little girl with big, blonde, bouncy curls and eyes the color of honey. She couldn’t have been more than three or four years old. “Hi, sweetheart. What can I get you?”

  She smiled shyly, “I want some honey please.”

  Aspen leaned over the booth, “And what kind of honey do you want?”

  The little girl gripped the side of the stand and stood on her toes to peer around at her options. “Can I have a teddy bear honey?”

  “Of course, you can. Do you know what color you want?”

  She nodded and pointed to the darker colored honey.

  “Good choice,” Aspen winked.

  Handing the jar to Torben, she said, “Torben will help you from here, ok?”

  The little girl’s head bobbed up and down, “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, sweetheart.”

  “And how are you today, Miss Courtney?” Torben asked.

  “Fine.”

  “What’s the honey for? Are you making honey cakes with your mama today?”

  She shook her head, “Today’s mommy’s ‘birfday’ and I wanna ‘supwise’ her.” She placed a handful of coins on the counter, no doubt from her own piggy bank.

  Torben smiled, “You know what? You’re in luck today. Do you know why?” She shook her head no. “Because this particular jar of honey is free today!”

  Courtney’s face lit up, “Really?”

  “You bet,” Torben said, wrapping it up in a bag. “So you go put your money back in your little bank and save it for next year.”

  Courtney took the package and grinned like it was Christmas, “Thank you, Mr. Torben.”

  “You’re welcome, sweetheart.”

  Courtney spun and ran back to the cave.

  Once she was out of sight, he pulled out his wallet and put a few bills in the register, completely stunning Aspen.

  She touched his arm gently and he turned to her. She stood up on her toes to kiss him and was glad when he leaned down to meet her, “You are a very sweet man, Torben Ashford.”

  “I only did what I thought was right,” he admitted.

  “Most people don’t think like you do.”

  He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, “I know, but had she been our daughter…”

  Aspen nodded, “I understand.”

  He leaned down and kissed her again, “I love you, Aspen.”

  She gasped.

  “I don’t expect you to return the sentiment, but I wanted you to know.”

  She reached up and cupped his face. Part of her wanting to admit the same, but her human side refused screaming that it was still too soon for love. So instead, she cupped his face and kissed him again. The kiss was deep, thorough and passionate, yet still sweet and loving at the same time.

  “You know, there’s a time and place for things like that,” Brenda commented.

  Aspen pulled away with a blush staining her cheeks. Torben simply chuckled, “Any time and place is a great time and place.”

  Brenda rolled her eyes, “Of course, you would think that.”

  Torben ruffled her hair. “Hey!”

  “You good now?” Torben asked.

  “Yep, you’re free to go. Thanks for taking care of things for me.”

  “You’re welcome, Red. Catch ya later.”

  Lacing his fingers through Aspen’s, Torben led her to the cave. They approached the mouth of the cave, and Aspen squinted into the darkness, “It’s awfully dark in there.”

  “You would think so, but it’s really not.” He stepped into the cave with Aspen at his side. She gaped when the entire cave lit up with soft light. “Motion sensors,” he explained.

  “Wow… that’s… brilliant!”

  “Come on.”

  They walked down a long hallway until it spilled out into a giant cavern that was made up to look like a giant sitting room. There were sofas and loveseats, oversized chairs and ottomans. Area rugs were scattered throughout, as were coffee tables of varying shapes and sizes. The cavern was completely lit up by the use of recessed lighting. There were even giant flat screens mounted to two of the walls.

  Aspen’s jaw dropped open, “I never expected all this.”

  “We may be bears, but that doesn’t mean we have to live like them.” He swept his arm across the room, “This is the communal living room. It’s primarily used for get-togethers and parties, and if the weather is really bad, some of the bears will come stay here instead of their own cabins.” He pointed out different openings in the walls, “Those lead to a series of intricate tunnels that branch off into individual living quarters. Would you like to see what one looks like?”

  “I’d love to, but I don’t want to intrude.”

  He grinned, “We’ll just drop in on my parents. They won’t mind.”

  “Oh…”

  “What?”

  “I don’t know that your parents would want to see me.”

  “Why would you think that?” he asked.

  “I didn’t really make the best first impression.”

  He hugged her to him and kissed the top of her head, “Well, if it makes you feel better, we can start over.”

  She snorted, “If only.”

  “Come on. Everything’ll be fine, you’ll see.”

  Aspen followed Torben into the tunnels, and after several twists and turns, they came upon an entrance that was covered by a bright red curtain. Pushing it aside, Torben called, “Mom, Dad, you home?”

  “Of course, baby! Come in, come in!” His mother greeted. “I just put a fresh pot of coffee on.” She hugged Torben and kissed him on the cheek before turning to Aspen and doing the same thing. “Are you kids hungry? I could whip up something to eat.”

  “No thanks, mom, we just ate not too long ago.”

  “Well come on in,” she gestured.

  Aspen was in awe at what she saw. The interior of the cave looked no different from a home you’d find anywhere else in the world. Even the walls had been painted. “It’s beautiful,” Aspen whispered.

  Gemma smiled brightly, “Thank you. It may be a cave, but it doesn’t have to look like one.”

  “Where’s dad?”

  “He’s out working on some new plans for the Staley’s new cabin. I don’t suspect he’ll be home anytime soon.”

  “Mrs. Ashford?”

  Gemma smiled at Aspen, “Call me Gemma, sweetheart.”

  She nodded, “Gemma… I want to apologize for our first introduction. It’s not how I imagined meeting you for the first time.”

  Sadness flickered behind her eyes for a moment before fading away, “It’s alright, dear. I’m just glad that there was one happy thing to come out of this situation. So, when do you kids plan to have your bonding ceremony?”

  Aspen nearly dropped her coffee cup on the floor. She turned to Torben for help, but based on the smug look on his face, it was obvious she wasn’t getting any help from him. “Well… I don’t know. I mean… things have happened so fast, and I’m still trying to get used to my new… lifestyle.”

  “You know, finding a mate is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I’m really surprised that Torben hasn’t brought it up yet.”

  Aspen blushed, “He actually has… a few times.”

  Gemma’s eyes rounded, “Oh?”

  Aspen stared at Torben helplessly pleading with her eyes for him to jump in and say something… anything.

  Finally, he said, “Aspen and I have discussed it, mom, and we have decided that she
can have as much time as she needs to get acclimated. I don’t want to rush her into something she’s not ready for.”

  “But don’t you feel the undeniable pull to be with your mate?” she persisted.

  “Of course, I do,” she blurted out. “But I don’t want to be tied to someone for all eternity because my bear wants it. I want to be with him because the woman wants it.”

  Gemma smiled, “One day you’ll find that the bear is smarter than the woman.”

  CHAPTER 13

  “Well, that wasn’t awkward at all,” Aspen muttered as they walked back to the Jeep with her arms folded across her chest.

  Torben chuckled, “It shouldn’t surprise you since that’s what mothers do. They mettle.”

  “You could have defended me.”

  “I tried.”

  “You should have tried harder.”

  They reached the Jeep, and Torben spun Aspen around lifting her by the waist and setting her on the hood of his Jeep. He stepped in between her thighs pulling her close till their groins were touching. “I’m not going to apologize for not making excuses, Aspen. I want you… all of you. And I know you want me too, even if you’re denying it to yourself.”

  She stared into his copper-colored eyes, running her fingers over the day’s growth on his jaw. She did want him, damn it, so why was she finding it so hard to admit that? Sighing, she dropped her head onto his chest, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten upset with you. It’s not your fault I’m a chicken.”

  He chuckled, lifting her chin with his finger, “I will happily wait for you, Aspen, though I can’t say that my mother won’t continuously harp on us.”

  “Guess I don’t really have a choice in the matter.”

  He pressed a “barely there” kiss to her lips, “Am I really so hard to love?”

  “No,” she whispered, as his kisses moved to her jaw.

  “Do you find me unattractive?” he asked, nibbling at the skin between her neck and shoulder.

  Aspen shivered in pleasure, “No.”

  He ran his hands up and over her breasts, “Do you not like the feel of my hands on your body?”

  She closed her eyes arching her body forward. Her response turned into a groan as he slid his tongue up her neck.

  “I want you,” he growled next to her ear. “I want to pin you beneath me and mark you as mine for all eternity as I plunge my cock into your little body.”