True North (The Bears of Blackrock Book 4)

by Michaela Wright

  Still, he watched her there, listening to Maynard and Karen tell stories of when Theron was young. She smiled wide at each one, shooting Theron smiles and winks when the conversation allowed.

  Finally, Darrell managed to get Karen to show him into his bedroom, and Maynard settled in to watch television. The lull of energy in the house brought Theron to Sinead’s side. They sat there in the corner of that cozy living room, watching senseless reruns of crime dramas, and held each other’s hand.

  Despite the warmth of the afternoon, Theron noticed Sinead staring off at the windows from time to time. She seemed to be lost in distant thought, as though she was escaping the cozy place and friendly welcome. He felt a pang at the sight.

  Was she not happy with him there?

  Was she still sad?

  She couldn’t be blamed for the sadness that followed her. She’d nearly died in that cold world, and everything that happened in the two years prior was no picnic either. Still, he wanted to see her happy, and he’d do just about anything to make it happen.

  “Sweetheart?”

  Sinead took a moment, as though she hadn’t heard him. She didn’t speak when she looked at him. She just smiled.

  “Are you alright, baby?”

  Sinead pressed her lips between her teeth, then took a deep breath. “I don’t know.”

  Theron was on his feet, helping her to hers in an instant. There was a heaviness to her tone that he couldn’t ignore.

  Had he been mistaken? Had he felt something between them that she simply didn’t feel in return? Had he seen his life mate in the eyes of a woman who didn’t love him back, then brought her all this way only to have her long to get away?

  He shook his head as he helped her walk to the back door and out onto the deck. Theron glanced inside, listening to Darrell try desperately to assure Karen he didn’t need her to make him another sandwich. Theron shut the door and turned back to Sinead. Despite his suggestion, Sinead hobbled down the steps and off toward the water. He cringed to see her struggle, but he didn’t protest. The autumn air was crisp, blowing through in a light breeze. It was beautiful outside, the trees all turning the colors of a bonfire in the distance.

  Theron held his arm out to her as she slumped down onto a flat stone by the water.

  Theron settled down on the rocks where he often ventured to get away from the world. This was his preferred spot for shifting. It was his preferred spot for everything.

  He’d grown so fond of the water as a kid. The ocean temperature in that part of Maine never rose above fifty or so degrees, even in the dead of summer. It was enough to knock the wind out of most people, but to him it was perfect. When he grew old enough to learn more about what being a Holden meant, he understood.

  Theron hated summer in Boston. The air would grow thick and humid, and he’d spend most of his time sprawled out on his bed, naked, with the A/C blasting. All his friends teased him for it, trying to get him to hit Revere Beach, or better yet, tempting him up to Old Orchard in Maine. He always refused. There was nothing Theron liked less than roasting in the sun.

  Give him a blizzard and six foot snow drifts, any day.

  Theron sat on the rocks along the coast listening to gulls cry overhead. He wondered if they recognized him even in this form. He certainly left them a good few scraps as a bear from time to time.

  He crouched down at her side, taking her hand in his.

  She glanced down at his hand and turned away.

  Shit, he thought. Shit, shit, shit. I’m about to have my heart broken. Why did she come all this way with me if she didn’t want me as bad as I want her?

  He waited a long moment. When she didn’t speak, he let his frustration play in his tone. “What is it, Shin? Just say it, what is it?”

  She shot him a sad glance and frowned. “I’m afraid to tell you.”

  Theron exhaled, staring off toward the water. It was high tide.

  “Theron,” she said.

  Theron stared off at the brilliant trees and waited.

  “I don’t want to lose you, but -”

  She paused. Theron leaned forward, watching the side of her face.

  “- I have to go back.”

  Theron stared at her for a moment as her words registered. “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t feel quite right. I haven’t felt quite right since we got to Halifax.”

  “That’s to be expected -”

  “No,” she said, and the tone was clear. She needed him to listen now, not assuage. “When I went to the reserve to teach years ago, I thought I was going to help them. I thought I was going to be doing them some great service – some well-educated white woman coming to teach their children. But something about those families – those kids. I can’t just go back to my old life now. I know them too well. I want to see them grow up. I want to teach Buniq about trees and leaf structure, and – I don’t know.”

  She went quiet for a long moment, staring at her hands.

  “I thought once I got home, I’d feel such relief, but I didn’t. I don’t, Ther. I don’t feel at home down here anymore. And then Darrell walked in and the feeling of homesickness almost knocked me over.”

  “What are you saying? You want to go back north?”

  Sinead met his gaze and her eyes welled up. “I have to. I’m sorry.”

  Theron shook his head. “Why are you sorry?”

  “Because,” she said, and her voice cracked as she spoke. “I saw the heartbreak in my parents’ faces when I told them. I can only imagine what you must be feeling. I want to have you in my life. I want to be with you, Theron, but I just – I don’t think I can be happy if I don’t go back. At least for a while longer.”

  Theron slumped down onto the rock beside her. “Alright. Then we go back.”

  It was the simplest decision he’d ever made. He could be in the cold. He could live forever in the cold. What he couldn’t do was live without her.

  Sinead’s breath caught in her throat. He caught a look of shock and relief – elation on her face.

  “What? Did you think I was gonna say, ‘have a nice trip’?” I go where you go, baby.”

  “Are you serious?” She said, and with that, she broke into full sobs.

  “Of course, I am. Hell, I have my engineering degree. Would they let me teach?”

  Sinead began to laugh and cry in the same breath, her face contorting as she covered her face with her hands.

  Theron wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his lap as he cooed to her, softly. He stroked her wild hair, feeling her body shudder in his arms. She pressed her face into the crook of his neck.

  Theron sat there feeling the warmth of her breath on his neck, and silently planned the conversation that was to come.

  He knew they’d understand – his family, his friends. They’d have to. The north often called to those of his kind. The north and the cold felt like home in a way nothing else could.

  Well, except for her, he thought.

  He’d go anywhere for her. He’d go to hell and back for her.

  Hell, he’d go to Boca Raton, Florida for her.

  He laughed at his own joke, and she shifted in his arms to look at him. “What?”

  Theron smiled, brushing her hair out of her face. “I can’t wait to tell Darrell I’m leaving him to fend off my mother, alone.”

  Sinead smiled and returned to her perch, her breath moving across his jaw in a comfortable rhythm.

  Theron squeezed her tight, pulling her as close as he could, and let the heat of him keep her warm.

  THE END

  About the Authors

  Alana Hart is an American romance writer who decided that writing with friends is better than writing alone. Hartfelt Books brings together a huge group of sweet and steamy romance authors, collaborating on a new line of books that will have your heart pounding. When she’s not skyping and sharing her latest collaboration on googledocs, she’s typing away in her local coffee shop with a hot chocolate, complete with
marshmallows and extra whipped cream, on hand. She claims it makes her happy ever afters that much sweeter!

  Michaela Wright is an American author with a 'bordering on unhealthy' relationship with Deep Fried Mars Bars, Scottish Accents, Iced Caramel Lattes, and commas. Her long standing love of history and ghost stories (and a staunch belief in soul mates) has resulted in many a randy love story, often told over the backdrop of some of the darkest moments in history. These interests have resulted in a Google search history that has most likely resulted in the FBI opening a dossier on her, but that's neither here nor there.

  Michaela lives in Chelmsford, Massachusetts with her daughter and a brood of animals, including cats named Omen and Chapter. When she isn't writing, she's performing aerial silks in her backyard or hula hooping, and on some occasions, sipping a Cider with friends until her own fake Scottish Accent comes out.

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  Also from Michaela Wright

  CATCH MY FALL - Thirty-something failed cartoonist, Faye Jensen, finally has her sh*t together -- or does she? With a sudden layoff leaving her unemployed and evicted, she finds herself back in her home town and living with her topless-yoga loving mom. To top it all off, Faye discovers that her loyal boyfriend has pictures of another girl's hoohah on his phone.

  So much for having your sh*t together.

  Faye decides to take it like a champ -- by wallowing in self-loathing and revenge fantasies. Still, coming home has its perks.

  Meet Stellan Odegard; a 6'4 MIT dropout and ninjitsu instructor who isn't too keen on Faye's pity party. As Faye's oldest friend, Stellan drags her out of her funk with pizza, Billy Idol, and an intriguing project that forces Faye to pick up her sketchbook for the first time in a decade. But as the spirit of art heals Faye's soul, she finds herself dreaming of her old buddy in a new and unexpected way. If only Stellan felt the same way about her.

  CATCH MY FALL is a part laugh-out-loud, part heart-wrenching tale of eccentric billionaires, cartoon monkeys, and the art of Cyndi Lauper hairstyles. It reminds us to always follow what makes the heart sing and that it's never too late to decide what you want to be when you grow up.

  WRITING MR RIGHT - What would you do if every word you wrote came true?

  That's Georgia's blessing - or curse. Ever since she was little, if Georgia Kilduff wrote a wish on paper, that wish would come true.

  Except for one - Georgia can't seem to write her Happily Ever After.

  Now a successful romance novelist, Georgia travels the world signing copies of her novels for avid fans of her main character - 'the perfect man,' Douglas MacCready.

  Get in line, ladies. Georgia loves him too. If only he really existed.

  When she meets Garrett MacCauley - a charming book store owner in Inverness - Georgia is startled by some striking similarities, from his middle name to a scar on his right hand. Hell, he even shags like him!

  But Douglas MacCready can't be real. He's just a character in her book, right?

  Or has Georgia carried him with her all along?

  A story of love and destiny, WRITING MR. RIGHT shows the magic of true love, the mischief of fate, and reminds us all that when two people are meant to be together, nothing can keep them apart.

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  THE NAMESAKEN Series –

  WILLING – Street savvy Constance is a prostitute that has survived the Ripper's reign of terror by working her trade in the safety of her room at the Keg and Barrel - but is any girl truly safe in Whitechapel? When the enigmatic Lord Alisdair requests her services at his estate, Constance discovers the occult underworld of London's elite - and finds herself at its center.

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  A growing threat far greater than forbidden love

  As Dr. Lennox's patients begin to go missing, his colleague, Dr. Knox, draws crowds in the hundreds to his dissection classes. Soon the ghostly crowd in the Lennox household expands to include the prostitutes that had served as Dr. Lennox's volunteer subjects. Liv begins to suspect that these missing women have met an ill fate, but can she convince Dr. Lennox in time to stop the darkness spreading through Edinburgh’s streets, or will she be the next one to find herself on Dr. Knox's slab?

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  The West is no place for a woman.

  Tell that to Cadence Mayweather. Cadence isn't afraid of anything. She's seen handsy drunks and barroom brawls, and handled it all fearlessly. The Red Onion is her greatest pride, and much to her stepfather's chagrin, it's her name on the deed. A woman has to be tough when she's running the best saloon in town.

  As a new nightmare comes to Cheyenne ...

  When a stranger brings carnage to her door, Cadence witnesses the brutal murders of her kin. Despite her innocence, the town's suspicion quickly turns her way. As a mob cries for her blood, it's a mysterious native man named Joseph who helps her escape.

  The man who fires her deepest desires may be her only hope.

  Joseph is unlike any man she's known before; tall and lean, with a long black mane and a mischievous grin always peering from beneath the brim of his hat. His dark gaze is enough to steal the air from a room. Cadence soon discovers he knows a great deal about the monster that murdered her friends - the man he calls a Wendigo. As they track the murderer through the plains, Cadence is dr
awn to Joseph in a way she's never felt before. Despite the danger of their quest, his touch soon proves irresistible.

  Joseph will do anything to find this monster and help clear her name. But can he keep her alive long enough to prove her innocence? And will he still believe in her when he discovers what she's done?

  And from the Hartfelt Books Collaboration with Alana Hart

  SAVING HER BEAR –

  Never go home again.

  That's what Mom said - and stay away from that Fenn boy!

  How could Catherine Calhoun listen when that 'Fenn boy' has haunted her mind - and heart - for ten years? When Catherine finds herself in trouble, it's not the town of Blackrock or the family she left behind so long ago that calls her back.

  It's him. It's that Fenn boy.

  The boy whose kisses are her happiest memory.

  Yet, John Fenn has secrets - the kind that come with sharp claws and teeth.

  Even a bit of fur couldn't lessen the magic of his kisses, but there is darkness in Blackrock - the very thing that once tore her away from her true love. Will her return be enough to save John from becoming that darkness' next victim?

  BEARLY BURNING –

  She'd die before she'd let him have her.

  Josephine Dalton drove into blinding snow, the most precious thing in the world sleeping in the backseat when the whole world shattered around her, sending her car careening off the edge of the world and almost taking her life.

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