Mated to Four Werebears_A Paranormal Reverse Harem Romance

by T. S. Ryder

  "I will not see my home destroyed by a filthy werewolf!"

  "I have no intention of—"

  With a feral shriek that sent shivers of terror down Kayla's spine, the newcomer leaped forward. Claws sprouted from his fingertips as he slashed at Eric.

  Kayla pressed her hands to her mouth. Her body screamed at her to go get Quin as Eric had told her, but she found herself unable to move – unable to tear her eyes from what was happening before her.

  Chapter Four – Eric

  Claws ripped open his shirt as Eric stumbled back, reeling from the first blow that had landed. The vampire was stronger than his thin frame suggested.

  Eric struck aside another fist that flew at his stomach, then blocked the third blow. The vampire spun in closer to him, aiming an elbow at his face. It connected with a crunching sound. Eric stumbled back, pain shooting from his nose. He growled, letting his teeth sharpen in his mouth while his Wolf struggled to come out and defend him. But he couldn't Shift, not indoors like this. He wouldn't have room to maneuver.

  "For the coven!" the vampire screeched, rushing him again.

  He leaped on the vampire, crushing the creature under his weight. The vampire toppled to the floor, writhing and spitting like a feral cat. Long claws slashed across the Alpha's arms and he bit back a howl of pain.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kayla still standing behind the couch, her eyes wide, her hands pressed to her mouth.

  "Get Quin!" he yelled before focusing in on the vampire again.

  "Filthy beast," the vampire spat. His teeth snapped inches from Eric's throat. "You will not take our home from us again!"

  Eric didn't waste his time trying to reason with the vampire. He wrapped his arm around the vampire's throat and squeezed hard. Maybe after the creature was subdued he would be able to get through to him.

  Blinding pain shot through his abdomen. Eric yelled, releasing the vampire instinctively. His enemy whirled on the floor, pulling its needle-like claws from the Alpha's stomach. The vampire's hands shot out again. The claws pierced his shoulders, and the vampire threw himself forward, fangs flashing as they aimed for the Alpha's throat.

  The Alpha grunted and ripped himself from the vampire's grasp. Both leaped to their feet, circling one another warily. The vampire jumped forwards, a screech tearing from his throat. Eric stepped into the creature's path. He swung, punching the vampire hard in the stomach. The creature stumbled back, pallid face turning green as it doubled over.

  Eric panted, watching his enemy. "I don't wish to hurt you or your fellow vampires. We can resolve this peacefully."

  The vampire's face twisted. He spat at the Alpha and dashed towards the door. Eric stumbled after him, the wounds in his abdomen screaming with pain. By the time the Alpha got to the door, the vampire had disappeared in the pouring rain.

  "Eric!"

  The Alpha turned to see his brother rush into the room. It only hit him then how quickly everything had happened. Adrenaline still pumped through his veins, but all the vampire's stabbings were beginning to take a toll. He shut the door and stumbled back to the hideous yellow couch. He was going to stain it with blood, but he'd buy a new one for Kayla.

  Actually, he'd replace all of the furniture in her house.

  "Make sure Kayla and Mikayla are safe," he grunted. "There might be more in the house."

  Quin nodded, understanding him, and jogged out of the room. Moments later Kayla came back in, carrying Mikayla. The little girl's nose was twitching, her teeth bared in a snarl. Kayla's face was white as a sheet. When she saw Eric, covered in blood, she gasped and swayed on the spot.

  "I'm fine," Eric said. "It was just a vampire."

  "Vampire?" Kayla's eyes widened. "What do you mean a vampire? They're not real, are they?"

  "As real as you and me," Quin said grimly. "I take it that this means our attempts at negotiating with them are over?"

  Eric shook his head. The wounds inflicted by the vampire would take longer than normal to heal, given their similar paranormal roots. Even so, he'd be alright in a few minutes. "This wasn't an aggressive attack."

  "Looks aggressive to me."

  "It was based on fear. But I don't want any Wolves to go near those grain elevators alone. Groups no smaller than five."

  "Grain elevators." Kayla slumped into the chair, her arms tight around Mikayla. The little girl's green eyes latched onto the blood still pouring from Eric's side, and her olive complexion paled. "There are vampires in the grain elevators."

  "Yes," Quin said. "And the good news is that they seem to be the kind that can live off animal blood. The bad news is that they're truly undead, and can only procreate by turning humans into vampires. They tend to be more unreasonable than their more human-like counterparts."

  Eric frowned at his brother. "They are still able to be reasoned with. In the meantime, I don't want you or Mikayla to stay here by yourselves. You can come live at the hotel with me and the other werewolves."

  "I can't afford—"

  "I'll pay for it." Eric wasn't going to accept any arguments. Not in this situation, at least. He sat up, checking the blood flow in his abdomen. It had slowed to a trickle – enough for now. "Let's go."

  ***

  Eric upgraded his room at the hotel to a condo-style apartment with two bedrooms on a higher floor. He also paid to install silver-infused steel bars over all the windows and promised the proprietor that he would pay to fix the damage afterward as well. If it were up to him, Kayla and Mikayla would both be on their way to the heart of the packlands, away from these vampires. Maybe he'd insist on it later, but right now he didn't want to assume the worst.

  Besides, he sent Quin to talk with the vampires again, and hopefully this time they would see reason. He didn't want to turn this into an all-out battle. But if the vampires were going to attack him and his people, they would get no mercy from him. He protected his own.

  That night, he had just finished up a phone call with Quin – the vampires had blockaded the grain elevators and refused to speak with him – when Kayla exited her room.

  "How is Mikayla?"

  "Sleeping, finally." Kayla sank onto the couch and shivered. "I never knew vampires were real."

  Eric shrugged. "They tend to keep to themselves. The relationship between vampires and humans is worse than between Shifters and humans. Shifters and vampires have quite a bloody history between us as well. I don't blame them for wanting to stay a secret."

  "What will happen now?"

  "I'll handle it. You don't have to be afraid." He smiled softly, but it faded quickly. "Kayla, I want to apologize for kissing you like I did earlier."

  Kayla ducked her head. "I kissed you back."

  "Yes. But I shouldn't have started it."

  "It's okay. That time, I mean. We can't go around kissing all the time. We've got our own lives, and getting thrown back together like this… Mikayla needs stability. And jumping at each other like that isn't stable."

  "I understand."

  How many boyfriends had she had since him? A girl as beautiful and intelligent as Kayla couldn't help but draw attention. Any man who didn't want to marry her on sight was a blind idiot. Eric wanted to be jealous and angry, but all he could do was hope they treated her properly.

  "Where are we now?" Kayla asked.

  It took a moment for Eric to understand what she was asking. Where were they in their relationship? He shook his head and raised his hands, indicating that he didn't know. Everything was so confusing. They hadn't even seen each other for three years, and suddenly they had a child together. That itself ought to put a block between them.

  After all, he had had a daughter for three years and Kayla never told him. That wasn't okay. And maybe he could understand why she hadn't told him, especially considering the number his parents had done on him, but it still left him in a strange position that he didn't know how to deal with.

  "I don't know where we go from here," he told her. "But in any case, I am going to
be part of Mikayla's life. As her father. Not just as the man who comes to visit occasionally and gives her cards on her birthday. I want to be a big part of her life."

  Kayla nodded. "Of course."

  "And that means that she is going to spend time with me and the rest of the pack. This is her home, I don't want to uproot her, but she is going to get to know her own people."

  "Yes. Yes, of course. I want that, too. Maybe summers? She loves the outdoors and camping, and I'm no good at that sort of thing."

  "Summers are good," Eric agreed. "But I'm going to want more. We can figure out the specifics at another time."

  "She stays here for Christmas. The other holidays aren't so important to me, but I want her to be with me for Christmas. But you can come join us if you want to."

  She shifted so her knee brushed his. A spark of electricity jumped between them. Eric swallowed heavily, trying to force himself to move away. But he couldn’t make himself do it because he didn't want to. But it wouldn't go further. He would make sure that Kayla was comfortable with him. He couldn't just go around kissing her all the time.

  "We can discuss it later. But as far as our significant others—"

  "Yes." Kayla ducked her head. "You must have a mate by now."

  "No."

  She looked up at him, eyes wide.

  "I don't have a mate. I don't even have any prospects." Eric swallowed again. "I haven't even dated since you."

  A red flush rose in her cheeks. She chewed on her lip, a gesture that always drove him crazy. "I haven't either."

  "I still love you."

  Kayla gasped audibly. Her eyes widened. And before he could stop himself, Eric had grabbed her around the waist. He pulled her tight against his body, kissing her fiercely.

  She was even more receptive than she had been earlier that day. Her fingers tangled in his hair. She straddled him, pushing herself against him. Eric groaned, moving to her neck. He wanted to see if she still made that little chipmunk noise when he nipped at her collarbone.

  She did, her body shuddering under his attentions. Eric grinned as he continued.

  Chapter Five – Kayla

  She always liked it when he concentrated on her neck. Kayla let her head fall to the side, giving Eric better access to where she was most sensitive. Shivers tingled in her skin wherever his lips touched. Fireworks exploded in her head and throughout her body. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew she shouldn't be doing this, that it was only going to end up being a great big mess, but at the moment she just couldn't work up the energy to care.

  It just felt so good to be in Eric's arms again, to feel that familiar build of heat inside her. Eric pulled her shirt up, his hands seeking out her breasts. She leaned into his touch with a gasp. God, she'd missed this. If she could have, she would have gladly stayed here forever, her body burning under Eric's ministrations, until everything became too much…

  The sound of the hotel door opening interrupted them. Kayla shrieked, yanking herself away from Eric. She almost tumbled to the floor, except Eric caught her. Twisting away from the door, she hastened to cover herself, embarrassment burning her cheeks.

  "Oops!" It was Quin's voice.

  Eric quickly helped Kayla before he stood. His muscles bunched, hands clenched. "You better have a good reason for just bursting into here. I gave you a key for emergencies, not to just waltz in whenever you wanted to!"

  "Yeah… I didn't know you'd be—"

  "Why are you here?"

  Properly covered again, Kayla turned. Quin was in the doorway, his olive tones taking on a red flush, but a wide grin over his face as he looked between the two of them. She really wasn't in the mood to smile back. Although it was probably a good idea that she and Eric had been stopped, she didn't want to be stopped!

  "Donna is here. She's down in the lobby, and she's angry. You didn't answer your phone, so I thought I'd just come up and see if Kayla could talk her down.

  Kayla sighed. "Bring her up. She won't go away until she's gotten what she wants."

  "I'll go get her, then," Quin smirked and opened his mouth again. Apparently, he changed his mind about what he was going to say, though, because he closed it again and disappeared.

  Kayla smoothed her shirt, making sure that it wasn't obvious what she and Eric had been doing. She didn't want Donna to know what was happening and bombard her with questions, after all. Especially in front of Eric!

  Her hand shook, and she wasn't sure what she should do about all this. Her heart pounded and she wanted to go back to Eric. But she couldn’t! This intensity was why she had left the first time. She couldn't just jump in blind.

  Get your head on straight, girl. Before it's too late.

  It wasn't much longer before the door unlocked again and Donna charged in. She ignored Kayla, marching right up to Eric. Kayla repressed a groan as she saw how much her friend's eyes were blazing. This wasn't going to be a pleasant experience.

  "Just who do you think you are?" Donna shouted, poking Eric in the chest. "Kidnapping Kayla away from her home and taking her to this fancy-dancy hotel. If you think that you're going to just seduce her and not face any consequences, you've got another thing coming!"

  "Donna!" Kayla gasped.

  "Don't try to defend him. I'm not going to let him come in with his gobs of money and his killer abs and just sweep you away without you knowing exactly what you're—"

  "Donna, stop." Kayla jumped to her feet. "We were attacked by a vampire. That's why we're here. He didn't kidnap me and he's not trying to seduce me—" Was he? "—so you have nothing to be angry about."

  Donna stared at her. A slight flush rose in her cheeks. "A vampire?"

  Quin put his hand on Donna's shoulder, bringing her attention back to him. "There is a coven near the town. They have taken issue with Eric's plans for the community garden, and one of them came after him."

  "Oh. Vampires!" Donna twirled her unmanageable black hair around her fingers, a grin coming to her face. "There was a vampire in my high school. Great kisser. Why haven't I heard of these guys?"

  Kayla stared at her friend in shock. She was taking the news well! More surprising was the fact that she wasn't surprised that vampires existed. How could she have gone to school with one while Kayla hadn't even known they were real?

  Quin growled in his throat, looking angry. "The presence of vampires is not something to be taken lightly."

  "They're hot. At least the one that I knew—"

  "I don't think you understand." Quin stepped a little closer, his gaze fixed on Donna's face.

  Did he look a little jealous? No, he couldn't… During the time Kayla had known Quin, he never showed any interest in anybody. The idea that he was jealous of a kiss Donna had gotten in high school was ridiculous. It was probably just that he didn't like the flippant attitude towards the vampires that she was displaying.

  "I think I understand just fine," Donna replied.

  Quin shook his head. "There has long been a great deal of hostility between Shifters and vampires. Our people have been slaughtered by their kind. Some variations of vampires are more dangerous than others, yes, but all of them have tried to wipe Shifters out at one point or another. These vampires here have already attacked Eric, Kayla and their daughter once. Who is to say that they won't do it again?"

  Donna pressed her hands to her mouth, a look of horror dawning on her face.

  "They aren't interested in human dalliances. They want to—"

  "Keep their home," Eric interrupted. He frowned at his brother. "There has always been hostility between vampires and Shifters, yes, but there has also always been hostility between Shifters and humans. I'm not going to let past violence dictate only violence for the future."

  "Did they really attack you?' Donna asked Kayla, eyes wide.

  Kayla hesitated. Eric answered for her. "One attacked me, yes. But I am convinced that he only attacked out of fear. My plan for the community garden is right next to their home, and, given the history betwe
en our species, it isn't unrealistic for them to think we might be trying to destroy their home."

  Quin bowed his head. "I know. It just makes me angry…"

  "Do I need to put someone else in charge of negotiations?"

  "No. I can handle it. I'm sorry."

  A low whimper interrupted them. The door to the bedroom Kayla and Mikayla were sharing nudged open, and a little Wolf pup slipped out. Mikayla's pajamas hung loosely around her small body, and she tripped over them as she padded over to Kayla.

  "Did you have a bad dream?" Kayla picked her daughter up and hugged her close. She stroked her small head, glancing at the others. "I'll just take her back to bed."

  "Wait," Eric said. He sat beside them and scratched behind Mikayla's ears. He made a low noise in his throat, almost like a whimper or a whine. Mikayla's ears perked up. Her tail started to wag and she yipped. Eric leaned his face in to hers and made the noise again.

  "What are you doing?" Kayla's brow pinched.

  Eric let Mikayla lick his face, grinning. "When children this young Shift, they often leave behind some of their human reasoning skills. Right now you're holding your daughter, but you're also holding a Wolf pup. She won't understand us as well in this form as she would in her human form. I'm just reassuring her."

  "Aw," Donna said, smiling with her hands to her heart.

  "Donna, since you know what's happening, maybe you can go now," Kayla was quick to suggest.

  "But—"

  Quin put an arm around Donna's waist. "You and I can discuss this further. But I think that Kayla and Eric are wanting some privacy."

  Kayla couldn't help but smirk at the grin that blossomed over Donna's face at that. She leaned into his side and batted her eyes at him. "Well, I would love to hear all about that. And maybe I can tell you about the vampire I knew during high school… it might be useful."

  "Maybe," Quin grunted. "We'll see."

  They left, and Kayla felt her tense muscles relaxing. Eric continued to reassure Mikayla, and she crawled into his lap. She curled up and put her head on his arm as her eyes drifted shut. He continued to scratch behind her ears, the way she liked. Kayla remembered how Eric liked that as well. Her fingers itched to bury themselves in his soft fur.