The Bear and the Heir: BBW Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance ((Arcane Affairs Agency))

by Leslie Chase

  The basket turned out to be full of well-packed food, sandwiches and bowls of fruit mostly, and Cole unwrapped each to offer it to her.

  "Did you make all this?" she asked as she picked up the first sandwich. "When did you find the time?"

  "I wanted to do something nice for you," he said with a little laugh. "I like making good food. If I had a kitchen I'd show you how much I enjoy cooking, but this will have to do."

  Taking out a bottle of freshly-pressed orange juice, he poured for them both and then offered her a glass apologetically. "I'd rather toast you with wine, Fiona, but with you at work today I didn't think that would be appropriate. Maybe tonight?"

  She shivered deliciously at that, nodding. "Tonight," she agreed.

  Janet's right, for once I ought to try and enjoy myself, she thought, biting into a sandwich and enjoying the crisp flavor of the cheese. It's going to be hard to wait for this evening, though. Damn it, why do I have to be at work?

  The thought of what they might do here if she didn't have to get back made her pulse race and she had to look away from the all too attractive Cole. He was simply too tempting, and the urge to jump him grew. Is he going to make a move?

  Fiona didn't know what she wanted the answer to that question to be, and when he took her hand again she felt herself shake, torn between nerves and desire. Looking up at him, she smiled, enjoying the tension between them as much as it frustrated her.

  She looks so beautiful, Cole thought as he leaned in. He'd not intended to do anything other than eat, but she looked far too tempting for him to resist now that they were alone. And Fiona was eager too, raising her face to meet his. The tension between them was electric, filling the clearing with a feeling of need and desire.

  He could feel the heat of her breath, the force of her desire for him, and paused to savor the moment. Fiona moaned softly, face inches from his, and that little noise was too much for Cole to resist. He pulled her to him, their lips meeting in a kiss that sent a pulse of joy through him.

  Hearing himself growl, Cole realized how close to the surface his bear was. His animal soul wanted to forget everything else and take her, claim her here and now. It didn't help things that Fiona responded to the growl by holding him tighter, kissing him more passionately.

  I have to tell her who I am before this goes too far, he reminded himself, forcing down the urge to tear off both of their clothes. Fiona's hand tugged at his shirt, pulling it free of his pants, and he growled again louder. Damn it, this isn't fair.

  The meal forgotten, he pushed her down onto the blanket, pinning her under him. He was rewarded with a little gasp, a sound of joy and need and desire from Fiona. Kissing her firmly, he pulled her arm away from him and pinned it to the grass.

  "You don't fight fair," she protested, squirming in his grip. He chuckled.

  "Nope. And neither do you. If I let you have your way, you'll be late back to work."

  If she pushes me much more, she won't be going back to work, he admitted to himself. She was far, far too tempting to resist.

  Her laugh was a mixture of embarrassment and desire, and when she met his gaze, the force of hers was enough to rock him backward. He felt her tremble in his grip, trying to pull herself up against him, and he grinned, shaking his head.

  "I promised you I wouldn't get in the way of your work," he reminded her. "What would you think of me if I broke my promise? So behave."

  Fiona let out a frustrated groan and relaxed, lying back. "Fine, but I'm going to get you for this later."

  "I'll hold you to that," he said with a chuckle and let her go.

  Lightning-fast, she pulled herself up and launched herself at him. Caught by surprise, Cole tumbled backward onto the grass next to the picnic blanket, and Fiona laughed, pressing a kiss to his lips.

  "Now you're not being fair," he said as their lips parted. His voice was low and ragged from the effort of controlling himself, and he could feel her heart racing. Short of breath, she shook her head vigorously.

  "Turnabout is fair play," she said, pulling herself to her feet. It took all his willpower for Cole not to grab her and keep her close, but he resisted the urge with a groan.

  "Now it's time for me to go back to work, I guess," she said, laughing. Cole growled, and the sound sent a shiver through Fiona, visible, and enticing.

  "Tease," he said, smiling.

  "You started it," she replied with a defiant toss of her head. Both laughed, and Cole could hear the aching need in her voice, just as strong as that in his own. He ran his fingers through her hair, gently caressing her.

  "I'd better get you back," he said. "If we don't go now, I swear I won't be able to let you go."

  "You might be able to tempt me, you know," she said with a little grin. He could see that she wasn't entirely serious, but damn that thought was appetizing.

  Something white drifted past on the wind, and he frowned. Snow? Damn it, maybe I have to get back to work too. Another flake, and then another, and now Fiona was looking up in surprise too. She held out a hand and one of the snowflakes drifted onto it, settling on her palm.

  "That's weird," she said, watching the snow melt and shaking her head.

  The wind was building too, and Cole looked up to see heavy gray clouds sweeping in. The snow fell heavier by the second. Fiona looked up with wide-eyed wonder as the snow started to cover the clearing.

  "I really had better get you back inside," Cole said. He was looking around too, but not at the snow. He was looking for someone who might be causing it, but there was no one to be seen. What the hell are these fae playing at? Couldn't they wait until I'm not busy with my mate?

  The word 'mate' hung in his mind after he thought it, and Cole blinked with a sudden realization. He wanted to slap himself for being so blind. How did I not see that before?

  His bear had known from his first look at her, of course, but he'd been too mixed up to listen. Fiona was his mate, that was why he couldn't keep his mind off her. Or his eyes. Or his hands, except with great effort. Cole felt his heart race, and he smiled broadly. The one woman for him, and he might not have met her if Eric hadn't sent him on what he'd thought was a pointless mission. That was fate, all right.

  Fiona nodded reluctantly, and they set off back to the mall hand in hand. Her hand felt hot in his, like a little furnace, and he promised himself that whatever the fae wanted from her, he would keep her safe from them. No one was going to harm his mate while he was around.

  8

  The snow fell heavily around them as they returned to the mall, and Fiona was glad that the cold had never bothered her. It had been such a nice day that she hadn't even brought her jacket out. Cole put his arm around her, sheltering her as best he could, but the wind-blown flakes swirled around them and he couldn't keep them all off.

  She didn't mind. It was a good excuse to snuggle into him, as frustrating as it was to be so close to him and know that they were about to say goodbye.

  It'll only be a few hours, she told herself sternly. It's not like Cole's going to vanish away forever while I'm at work. I've waited so long for a man I want to be with, I can wait another afternoon.

  Telling herself that didn't help, though. She didn't want to be parted from him, not for a minute let alone for hours. It was hard to even think of him letting go of her hand.

  When they got to the entrance to the mall, there was a small crowd waiting. People stranded by the unexpected snowstorm, looking out at the white flakes with a mixture of awe, confusion, and annoyance. Fiona stopped inside the doors, brushing the flakes off her skin and hair. Turning to Cole, she started to smile and then froze.

  Over his shoulder, watching them, was one of the men who'd been with Meallan the day before. He was unmistakable in the small crowd, tall and beautiful in a way that stood out even if he was trying to blend in. But the way he stared at her would have given him away anyway. His eyes were dark and full of menace.

  Cole turned to look at what she'd seen, and she felt him tense. Dro
pping the picnic basket, he snarled at the watcher and gripped Fiona's hand tight. It felt like the whole world was slowing down around them, as though no one else was moving at all as Cole stared down the man.

  The moment seemed to last forever, but it couldn't have been more than a second before the tall slender man broke eye contact and turned away. Cole took a step towards him and then stopped, looking back at Fiona, obviously torn. He had to choose between chasing the man and staying with her, and while he was making up his mind, the tall man vanished into the mall.

  "What's going on?" she asked, fear washing over her. She'd assumed that she was safe from whoever those people were now, that Cole had seen them off. But if they were watching her, was she in danger? Were they after her for some reason?

  Or was it Cole they were watching? She didn't know if that would be any better.

  "Don't worry about them," Cole growled back, his eyes flicking over the crowd. "They won't bother you. They know they'll answer to me if they do."

  "But who are they?" Fiona asked. His assurances helped a little, but they only raised more questions. "Why would they bother me at all?"

  "I'll tell you later," he said, taking her hand and walking with her. There was frustration in his voice, as though he wanted to tell her now. Something was holding him back. "I promise I'll explain but I can't do it now."

  Fiona shivered, fear chilling her more than the cold had managed to. "That's really not helping me feel safe, Cole."

  "I know." Cole sighed, and Fiona could feel the tension in him. The desire to explain warring with something else. "Look, all I can tell you is that it has to do with my job and that I'll keep you safe no matter what. I need to find out some more about what's going on before I can explain the rest, okay?"

  "How would that be okay? I don't even know what your job is," Fiona said. "And they came to the shop before."

  Cole paused, looking down at her, and she could see pain in his big blue eyes. He was trying his best, she could see that, but he didn't know how to make her feel safe. After a moment, he continued onward, leading her to the bookshop. She unlocked the door with trembling fingers, and Cole stepped in close behind her, wrapping his arms around her.

  The hug was tight, powerful, enveloping. It reassured her far more than words ever could, and when he leaned down to plant a kiss on the top of her head, Fiona sighed, letting go of most of her fear. She pushed herself back against him, his warm solid body making her feel safe.

  "There are things I can't talk about yet," he whispered. "But I will tell you everything. I promise. And I will keep you safe from those people whatever they want from you. You have my word, Fiona, and I don't break my promises."

  She turned in his arms, looking up at him. His face was deadly serious, and there was no doubting the sincerity of his words. After a moment, she nodded.

  "I'll trust you, then," she said. "Please don't disappoint me."

  Cole stalked away from the bookshop, looking this way and that. No fae were watching as far as he could see, and that was probably a good thing. In the mood he was in right now, if he had seen one he didn't know what he'd do.

  Probably something violent.

  Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he took out his phone to report in.

  "How's the assignment going?" Eric didn't waste any time on small talk when he answered.

  "Some complications," Cole said, trying to get a handle on his frustration. "I've talked to some of the local fae, and they're behind the odd weather. Which makes some sense, since they're the Court of Storms. That's the good news. Bad news is that they won't tell me why. They don't accept that the Agency has an interest here, and told me to keep out."

  Eric sighed, and Cole could feel his frustration. "Okay, well, that's not their call. As long as they're risking humans discovering them, that's Agency business."

  "Yeah, and if I have to bust some heads to make sure they know it, that's what I'll do. I've boxed some ears, but they don't seem to be listening. In fact, I think they're trying to warn me off or something. I just got a snowstorm dropped on my head: if they weren't doing that to piss me off, I don't know what they had in mind."

  Eric snorted laughter. "Okay, well, if they're picking a fight, I've got your back. Let me see if I can reach out to any of the other fae courts and find out what the hell's going on that they're trying to keep you out of. Do you need someone to come give you a hand?"

  "No, I've got this," Cole said in a low growl. "I know you didn't expect me to find anything out here, but I can handle an investigation."

  "Don't take it personally, I'd offer help to any agent out on his own," Eric said, sounding a little peeved. "I know you can handle yourself, okay? But if you do need help, it's here."

  "All right," Cole said, shaking his head. Now for the tougher part of the conversation. "There is one thing I do need help with."

  "What is it?" Eric asked after a pause.

  "I've met my mate," Cole said, running a hand through his hair. "Remember the girl I told you was being abducted by the fae? So I'm going to need to tell her what's going on."

  The line was silent for a few seconds. At least I said something to shut him up.

  "You know the rules, Cole. You can't tell a human about the supernatural, that's the whole damned reason you're out there. You'll have to wait until you can bring her in and get her to sign the bewitched papers."

  Cole growled at that. He knew the reasons for it, but that didn't mean he had to like it. His cell phone creaked in his hand as he tensed. "That will take too damned long, Eric. I'll make sure she doesn't tell anyone, okay? But she deserves to know. The Storm Court have already tried to kidnap her once. I don't know why they're after her, she doesn't know, and she's my damned mate. I'm going to do what's needed to keep her safe."

  "You will not tell her anything until you can get her to sign the paperwork, Cole. That's an order." Eric's voice was cold and hard, brooking no dispute. "Damn it, Cole, I feel for you, I really do, but we’re the Arcane Affairs Agency. We can't bend these rules and then expect everyone else to keep them. Look, I can get the papers sent out to you, that'll speed things up a bit. Okay?"

  Cole couldn't think of a good argument against that, apart from the fact that he didn't want to follow the rules this time. It would take time to get the magical paperwork out here, but Eric was right. Once she'd signed it, she wouldn't be able to tell anyone about the paranormal world who didn't already know about it. That was the rule when a shifter found a human mate, and it was there for a reason.

  "If you'd told me about her yesterday, I'd already have the papers on their way," Eric continued. "But I'll get them out as soon as I can. And I'll see if I can find out why the Storm Court has an interest in her, though I don't hold out much hope there. Anything else?"

  "No, that covers it," Cole ground out. He wasn't happy with his supervisor's decisions, but he could understand them. That was the worst part — if he hadn't, then he might have been able to talk himself into disobeying the directives. He sighed. "I'll keep working on the Court and I'll let you know when I find something."

  Hanging up, he tried to think about what to do next. Looking outside the mall, he saw that the snow had passed as quickly as it had started. Just another odd storm. What the Hell are these idiots up to? Cole couldn't think of a single reason why a fae court would want to draw attention like this, or what they thought hitting him with a snowstorm would accomplish.

  Maybe they think that because I'm a bear shifter I'll hibernate if it gets too cold. He snorted at the idea, but at least it was a theory, even if he didn't really think they'd be that stupid.

  They must have been keeping an eye on him, though. How else would they have known he was in the area of the storm? And that meant that there might be a trail to follow. He'd seen at least one of them inside the mall after all, and the others had made their attack on Fiona outside the mall. Possibly their court was nearby.

  It was something to work on at least, and it would keep him
close enough to Fiona to keep her safe. Cole stalked out into the parking lot, looking around. The fae lord had vanished away from there, after all. Fae courts were notoriously hard to find unless you knew the trick to it, and Cole had never had the opportunity to see that up close. Maybe, he thought, he could follow a trail onto the fairy paths that led to their hidden court.

  But whatever trail the fae might have left was too faint for him to follow. At least in his human form, and the mall was far too public for him to shift and take advantage of the heightened senses of his bear form. That would be a great way to get himself shot, but a pretty poor way to investigate.

  I'll have to head back to the silver mine to talk to them, he decided. But that can wait. I'm not abandoning Fiona here.

  The thought of her made him smile again, and relax slightly. As long as she was safe and sound, the investigation taking longer wasn't exactly a bad thing. He just had to keep her out of danger, and as long as he was nearby he could protect her.

  And if someone did attack her, Cole promised himself that he'd leave enough of them intact to interrogate afterward.

  9

  Fiona was glad to see Mr. Jackson turning up at the end of the day. After the long tense afternoon of waiting, she was looking forward to leaving. And she was happier still when she found Cole waiting by the doors. She looked at him, wondering what he had been up to since he'd left. His mysterious job? Or planning another surprise?

  "Let's get you home," he said, grinning down at her and sweeping her up into an embrace that made her heart race and her breath catch. The feel of his body against hers reignited the desire that she'd been keeping under control since lunchtime, and she was suddenly aware of the frustration that had filled her since then.

  Blushing, she nodded, not trusting herself to speak. The little growl that Cole answered with was enough to make her shiver in his arms, and together they made their way to the parking lot and his car. Distant thunder rumbled, and for a moment Cole looked up with a frown. But when she took his hand, he lost interest in the unusual weather, looking back at her with his scarily intense eyes.