by Amelia Jade
She gasped softly when she found it, unprepared for how good it felt, the wave of pleasurable sensation flowing out from between her legs, up her body, and into her mind. A soft moan escaped her lips as she continued to touch herself, trying desperately to satisfy her body's demands. Unbidden, she pictured Tanner mounted above her, the large cock she had seen outlined in his clothes now hanging free and positioned at her entrance. With a nod she encouraged him, at which point he plunged it within her until their hips ground together.
Alyssa's eyes flew open as she began to orgasm abruptly, the mental imagery pushing her over the top as her body shook and convulsed, splashing warm water around as pleasure took hold over her. Shockwaves ricocheted through her body, leaving every nerve ending tingling as she clamped down on her free hand, trying desperately not to cry. She succeeded in staying quiet, but it was a close thing as the afterglow settled over her, making her eyelids heavy.
It was a huge effort to get out of the tub and dry off. She didn't remember making her way to the bed, sleep claiming her before her head hit the pillow.
***
Alyssa's eyes flew open as she sat up.
Looking out the window, she noticed that the sun was already over the mountains to the east.
How long have I been asleep for?
Sleeping in was not a luxury that life had afforded her in recent years. Waking early and sleeping light were the trademarks she had come to live by. Yet, she had slept soundly the entire night through. That hadn't happened since before she left the village of her birth. After she had left Gerald behind, her entire life had changed.
The idea that she felt secure enough in Tanner's presence to let herself be so vulnerable scared Alyssa. She clutched the sheets to her chest tightly, terrified to her core. When nothing materialized now that she was awake, Alyssa slid off the mattress and put the robe on. Her clothes still lay scattered across the floor where she had left them, leaving her very little in the way of fabric to help conceal her modesty.
Her brain continued to whirl, trying to understand why she felt comfortable around someone she barely knew. Within her mind another part of her spoke through emotion and urgings. Her bear not only sensed what was going on, but seemed to agree with it, urging her to find comfort in his arms. She pictured herself brushing up against him, standing close as the large, muscular arms she had seen stretching the night before closed around her. Despite her larger size, she instinctively knew that they would fit together like two pieces of a puzzle.
A knock sounded at her door moments later.
"Are you up?" came the muffled voice of Tanner.
"I am now," she replied, surprised at the light tone of her own voice.
"Ready for some breakfast?"
Her stomach rumbled instantly in response. "I could eat," she said cautiously."Do you have any clothing besides this robe I could wear?"
"Let me find something for you," he replied, footsteps moving away from the door.
Now that she was waking up, the fugue of sleep fading and her brain ratcheting up to speed, Alyssa had questions. So many questions about what had happened.
Why had the wolves attacked last night? Had she walked into the middle of a shifter warzone?
She needed answers, and it seemed that Tanner was going to be her only source of information for the time being. Hopefully he could help enlighten her as to what was going on. Although there had been no plans to settle down in Bear Bluffs, she had hoped to be able to hang around for a few months before she had to move on. But if the shifters were at each other's throats out here, it might not be the best place for her.
Something was tugging at her mind on that thought, something about what she had witnessed or heard the night before. That's when she recalled Tanner telling her that Bear Bluffs was a peaceful place. So he had been as surprised as she at the attack. Which meant that they must have been coming to Bear Bluffs searching for something.
Or someone.
As soon as the thought entered her mind, she chopped off the train of thought that had led to it. Now was not the time or the place to entertain the frightening possibility that had come to mind. Besides, it seemed impossible that that could be the true reasoning. Likely they were from a village close by or something. Perhaps Tanner had been able to find something out by now.
Another knock came at her door, startling her out of her reverie.
"Try these on," Tanner said as she opened the door just enough to accept the handful of clothing.
"Thank you." The words were sincere, which seemed to catch him off-guard.
"No problem," he said after a moment's hesitation, turning to go. Before she closed the door, the smells of breakfast wafted under her nose, promoting her to drop the robe and dress quickly. She was starving, not having eaten since early the evening before.
The aromas only intensified as she walked down the hallway from the bedroom.
I could get used to this.
She walked into the kitchen after following the sounds of Tanner moving about to locate it, to see the table loaded with food. There was bacon, eggs, toast, sausage, some hash browns, a pitcher of juice and he was just flipping over a couple of small pancakes.
The noise from her stomach felt so loud it should have been audible as she stared in delight at the feast.
"Tanner, this is ridiculous. You should have asked me for some help. I can't believe you made this all yourself."
Part of her felt guilty for sleeping the entire morning away, but hunger overrode any hesitancy she may have had. Anytime a shifter was in their animal form, especially a bear, they required a great amount of food to support the energy of the change. Factor in the intense fighting that had happened the day before, and both she and Tanner were in serious need of a recharge.
Thankfully Tanner kept quiet through most of breakfast. Not only was she drained physically from the day before, but emotionally as well. Spending so much time around people, especially those who simply lent a hand and helped without asking was eye-opening. Her walls, carefully erected and tended to over years of solace and rejection had been sorely tested.
Several times she had come close to opening up to him, letting him in past her gruff exterior. Even now, as she sliced through some bacon and speared a piece of egg with the fork, enjoying the delicious mix of flavors, Alyssa found herself wanting to find out more about Tanner and who he was. It took everything she had to not start the conversation with him.
What is it about him? Why does he put me so at ease? I don't even know him!
The answer didn't materialize in front of her, as if her subconscious felt she should know the answer. It figured that her brain would let her down yet again. It was always getting her into trouble, either by thinking about things too much, or with the matchstick-short fuse of her temper.
Across from her, she saw Tanner frown as he chewed, his eyes unfocused as he stared at something only he could see. This time, her mouth opened before she could stop it.
"What's wrong?"
The noise seemed to startle him back into reality, his shoulders jumping a bit as he refocused upon her.
"Yesterday. The wolves, mainly. I'm trying to understand where they came from, and what they are doing in Bear Bluffs."
"Are?" she asked.
"It seems unlikely that their goal was simply to attack us, cause some injuries, and take several casualties of their own. I mean, none of us died, we'll all heal. Why would they go through such trouble simply to do that?"
"I guess," she said with a frown, not liking where his logic was going.
"So, it seems likely that they're still in the area, pursuing whatever their goals are. But what are they?"
"Could they be from a town over, some punks causing trouble?"
"No," he said with certainty, but not expanding on the point.
She raised her eyebrows at him questioningly. He had obviously forgotten she wasn't from around the area.
"Oh, sorry. There are no wolf clans in the area. T
his is bear territory. The closest known clan is several hundred miles to the north. There are several other bear towns between here and there. We would have heard rumor of them passing through if that were the case. Besides," he said, becoming more talkative as she became involved in the conversation, "Bear Bluffs is generally considered neutral territory. If something happens between any of the towns or other shifter clans, the leaders usually will meet here to resolve things peacefully. We haven't seen any shifter combat for as long as I've been here, and older folks say the last violence they remember was when we were outed."
Outed.
Shifters had not always been a known entity. For as long as the records went back, humanity had mostly lived in the dark regarding the half-human half-animal races. There had been numerous legends and myths that had arose over the centuries, but most of them had incorrect information.
Then had come the advent of the digital age. Everyone carried a phone, camera, or some sort of electronic device. Suddenly, the random reports of "Bigfoot" sightings had carried some weight to them, because people could record what they saw. The secret life of shifters hadn't stood too much of a chance after that. Security cameras and watchful eyes had caught them a number of times.
So, the elders of a number of the races—wolves, bears, lions, tigers, and a few others—had all decided to make it public knowledge, in an effort to educate humanity on the friends they had known all along.
The results had not always been pretty. Many had accepted it without pause, figuring that the legends had had to have some basis in reality. Others had been skeptical until shown in person. Many had simply wanted to study them, to see how it was done. Many shifters had been paid handsomely for blood and tissue samples.
Then there were the ones who thought they were demonspawn, sent by Satan to Earth, or that they were an abomination, a freak of nature who should never have existed in the first place. A thousand reasons popped up to justify why shifters should be eradicated. Violence had broken out in several places across the world, including the United States. As a result, many shifters had retreated from their city lives, choosing a more solitary lifestyle. Those who had already lived in the small villages around the country became more private and cautious around humans.
Eventually the two had learned to cohabitate. In many areas strong friendships had sprung up between shifters and humans. Many farming communities loved their presence, for they kept the true predators at bay, allowing a sense of calm when it came to their flocks and fields. It seemed like that relationship had continued to develop in Bear Bluffs.
Speaking of that...
"How are your friends? Umm, Danny, and...?" she fumbled, realizing she hadn't paid enough attention the night before to even learn the names of two of the men who had fought.
"Devon and Dylan," he said, grinding his teeth together as storm clouds gathered in his eyes. He wasn't angry at her though, but at what had happened to his friends. She shrunk back into her chair, feeling guilty for the whole situation.
If only they hadn't been following her, then none of them would be hurt.
Chapter Five
Tanner
Alyssa seemed to fold in on herself as his knuckles turned white from gripping the cutlery so hard. All he could see were his friends writhing in pain from a senseless attack. He took a deep breath, calming himself down. She probably felt horrific for all that had happened after they had stopped to help her. He needed to ensure she didn't feel guilty about causing any of it.
"Hey," he said sticking out a hand to her side of the table. "It's okay, I'm sorry. I'm not mad at you, I just want some answers, to understand why this happened. Right now they got seriously hurt, almost killed, and we have no idea why. I need to find out why. We also need to make sure that everyone in town is warned, and to be extra careful."
"Don't you have to work?"
He winced internally, knowing just how far behind all of this was going to put him, and how much money that was going to cost in the end. He did have money put away for rainy day savings. He didn't want to dip into that though, because he was still hoping to use it to put toward an addition on the house. He wanted to build a nursery for the cubs he hoped to have.
"I can't work. Not with both Dylan and Devon unable to help." It wasn't entirely the truth; he had a lot of paperwork he could be working on, but Tanner would much rather spend his day with Alyssa. This morning she seemed to be opening up to him. Not much, but she was at least having a conversation without tearing his head off at the start and finish of it. That in and of itself was an improvement of epic proportions. Perhaps if they spent some more time together, he might even get to know a bit about her.
"Also," he continued, "there's a town meeting scheduled in an hour. We should be there. The new mayor is going to let the others know what happened, and we may need to speak on his behalf."
He noticed the immediate look of distress that crossed her face when he mentioned the meeting. Was it the thought of crowds? He had picked up on the fact that she was a bit of a loner, like he was, preferring to keep to herself. Still, she had mentioned she was coming from King City. That had plenty of people in it, so it couldn't be crowds. Then it hit him.
Of course, she hates talking.
"Don't worry, I'll do the talking if it comes to it. You just stand there and nod, confirming what I say."
"Thanks," she said, visibly relaxing as her shoulders sagged a bit. Her eyes continued to stay focused on him, as they had all during breakfast. He wondered if she was feeling the same as him, or if she could pick up on how aroused he was. The table was blocking his crotch from her view, but part of him wanted to watch her reaction if she knew at that moment Tanner was harder than steel, his cock throbbing so much it hurt. He wanted nothing more than to set her on the table right then and there and have his way with her.
She hadn't given any clearly understandable sign, though he was convinced that the night before she had been watching him as he stripped off his shirt. Perhaps she was having some feelings, some stirring, something for him, and just didn't know how to deal with it.
Well, if it's time she wants, then I can give her time.
Tanner had been alone for long enough; keeping his feelings to himself was nothing new. It didn't make it easy when he knew that sitting across the table from him was the woman he wanted to be his mate, the one he was going to be with forever. His bear growled within him, urging him to speak up, to tell her how he felt.
Instead, he grabbed the empty plates from the table and stood up carefully, doing his best to conceal the bulge between his legs. The sharp intake of breath from across the table told him he hadn't entirely succeeded, though nothing further came of it, much to his disappointment. She did come up to help him wash the dishes, grabbing the towel from the stove and drying them as he passed the clean pans to her. The plates went into the dishwasher, which he turned on with a flick of the wrist.
"Okay, well with your help, I think we're pretty much ready to go," he said, turning to face her.
She was standing there wearing his baggy clothing, hands on her hips, looking better than he could have ever imagined. The clothing hung from her perfectly, the red and black plaid flannel buttonup hanging low enough to reveal the soft, silky skin of her chest and collarbone, while she had the sleeves rolled up along the arms. Her ample hips held the pants up with a minimum of effort, despite his own large stature.
He admired her for a long moment, until she cleared her throat. "I'm not going out like this."
"We have to go, we don't have time to wait for your clothes to dry. I'll have Kailee bring some of her clothes along. They should fit, you two are fairly close in size."
"Who's Kailee?" she asked suspiciously.
"Jet's mate. He was with us last night, but she's pregnant, so she won't need the clothes for awhile anyways."
"Ah," came the response. She clearly wasn't enthused about having to wear his clothing out in public, but she wasn't getting angry with him, which w
as another plus. He thought about making a light joke about what people might think with her wearing his clothes, but thought better of it.
They weren't quite at the point of being able to joke with each other. He hoped it didn't take too much longer before she began to trust him enough to know he was joking. Something had happened to her in the past, something that had made Alyssa reluctant to trust anyone. He had picked up that much from her attitude the night before.
Even now, as they got ready to go, he noticed how she never turned her back, always keeping him in sight. It was so natural, so ingrained in her process that he couldn't help but feel bad for her. Whatever it was, she had been dealing with it long enough to act more like prey than the predator she truly was. Not much could take down a full-blown bear shifter, especially a Kodiak like herself.
"Here you are," he said with a flourish, opening the door to his personal truck for her.
"Thank you," she said, a twinkle evident in her eye for just a moment, before it vanished as she built her walls up once again.
Progress.
The big GM truck roared to life, the V8 engine easily taking the two larger-than-life shifters for a smooth ride as he drove them in to town. Sensing that she was feeling cautious about him, he kept quiet, simply enjoying being in her presence.
***
"So everyone, please make sure that you stay in contact with one another at all times. Don't go out alone if you can avoid it, and if you see any new faces in town, please report them to me or the Sherriff."
Cole Bunne, the new mayor of Bear Bluffs, finished his announcement to a scattering of applause. He was well-liked among the residents, much better than the previous mayor. It helped that he was also a shifter, the first mayor of the type in a long time. When the election had been held to fill the vacancy after the last mayor, Tom, was run out of town, Kieran Gammage, proprietor of the grocery and general store in town had nominated Cole.
So far, Tanner had no regrets. He was, however, frustrated with some other people who had gathered, as they began to look suspiciously at Alyssa after the mayor's request to take note of new faces.
