Shifter Nation- East Coast Bears Collection

by Meg Ripley

  Trent looked at Knox, who was silent for a moment, but finally nodded. When Trent unlocked the cell, I rushed in to hold Kathleen, who had started to cry, but she pushed me off.

  “Listen, I want to help. Let me help you prepare the park for the fire; it’s the least I can do.” There was determination in her eyes, and if she hadn’t been crying, I might have found myself turned on.

  “Well, there is no time to lose. Everyone go home and get your rest,” Knox advised. “Tomorrow, the execution of the plan resumes.”

  Everyone nodded, and Knox and Trent headed out of the office.

  I turned to Kathleen, “Do you want me to take you to the hotel?”

  “Can I stay with you?” Her eyes were pleading, but she looked away quickly. “You know, since I’m going to come help out tomorrow. You live right here, so it just makes sense…”

  I gave her a quick squeeze and helped her to her feet. “Of course, you can stay with me.”

  * * *

  The next few days were a blur.

  The sand bags were set. The trenches had been dug. The water tanks and hoses were mounted and put into place. Everyone in the clan was aware of their assigned areas. One hundred people were needed to execute this plan, and it was a good thing that there were at least that many members in the clan.

  It was Saturday night, and I was driving home after setting up the hoses. The following day would be the last day I had before everyone assumed their positions and the fire was supposed to strike. I had spent the entire day driving around Acadia, making sure everyone had completed their jobs and that each area was prepared. Thankfully, everyone had finished their tasks a day early, so I was able to double-check our work for good measure.

  I felt confident and prepared. My plan was fool-proof; I couldn’t foresee any possible failures. Kathleen was still worried, but I kept reassuring her.

  “Everything will be fine. Maybe you just need something to take your mind off it, huh?” I snickered, pulling into my driveway. She had been staying at my cabin all week to help with the setup, but we hadn’t really had much energy for sex. Lifting sand bags and digging trenches made for a hard day’s work, and by the time we had gotten home each day, we had passed out almost immediately upon reaching the bedroom.

  Well, I had different plans that night.

  “What I need is a shower.” Kathleen rolled her eyes at me, but I caught a playful smile spreading across her lips.

  “What for? So I can get you all hot and sweaty again?” I asked, leaning toward the passenger seat, cupping her face. She parted her lips as I drew closer and I lightly kissed them, suckling her bottom lip. She kissed me back eagerly and, to my surprise, grabbed the firm bulge forming at the front of my pants.

  “Race you to the door…” She whispered with a grin. Next thing I knew, we were both running full force toward the steps.

  “That wasn’t fair; you had a head start because you thought of it. And you were kissing me! I was still in kissing mode. I needed at least ten seconds to switch to running mode,” I teased, catching my breath on the porch. She had beat me to the door, no surprise, but I had the key, so she had to wait for me to unlock the door. She just stood there grinning, hardly out of breath, bouncing up and down.

  “Come on, slowpoke! Open the door!” she implored, and I chuckled. She seemed awfully excited and I wondered why. As I opened the door, she rushed inside, running up the stairs. I heard the shower start and laughed to myself.

  “Beat you!” she yelled down to me and I heard the bathroom door close.

  “I thought the race was only to the door!”

  Cheater.

  I thought about going in to join her, but I decided that I’d rather have a moment to relax and gather the strength I’d be needing in a few minutes; my body was exhausted. I walked over to the living room and plopped down on the couch, sinking into its softness—which was more than welcomed after the labor-intensive week I’d had.

  I closed my eyes and let my thoughts drift. I was so happy that everything had fallen into place the way I had hoped. I only wished we had more of an idea about how the fire would start so I could better plan for it, but no matter what, I was certain my strategy would work, and Acadia would be saved. I was sure of it.

  I felt delicate hands glide over my shoulders, massaging me as I slumped in gratification.

  “Mmmm…That was a quick shower,” I murmured through my daze. Her hands were deliberate in their motions as they worked through my muscles, kneading out my tension. I sighed and fought to keep my eyes open. Her heavenly hands left my shoulders and I groaned.

  I opened one eye to see her walking around the couch and she straddled me, completely naked.

  “Well, what do we have here? What did I do to deserve this treat?” My eyes widened as I drank in her gorgeous curves. Her hourglass figure was perfect to me and her ginger hair was slightly damp, cascading down her chest and back, hiding her nipples from my view.

  “You lost, which means I won. Which also means I get whatever I want for winning.” Kathleen smirked and ran her hands up and down the tired muscles of my arms.

  “I don’t remember agreeing to that,” I teased with my eyebrow raised. It was a little hard to concentrate with her light touches brushing my skin and her naked warm body on my lap.

  “Losers don’t have a choice,” she said, leaning in to kiss me. Her lips were soft and wet, just like the rest of her body, which I wrapped my arms around. Her bottom was slightly lifted, and I took advantage by cupping her cheeks and squeezing, making her moan against my lips. I pulled away slightly, just enough for our lips to separate, and we were both panting.

  “Let me go shower first. I’ve been sweating all day and I probably smell terrible.”

  “And you’re covered in dirt,” she giggled.

  “Exactly. You got a chance to get cleaned up, so let me do the same. I’ll only be a couple of minutes,” I assured her.

  “Nope. I’m not going to let you.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I think it’s…kind of hot. I’ve been watching you all week. Your muscles rippling every time you picked up the shovel or a sand bag, you wiping the sweat from your forehead with that rag…I watched it all, and it got me so wet…I’m getting turned on just thinking about it.”

  And I could tell. One sniff of the air and my bear was ravenous. He could smell her arousal, and I could read her face. She wanted me, badly.

  “Maybe you should feel for yourself.” She took one of my hands and brought it to her folds, and that was all it took for my rod to fully engorge. It strained against my jeans once again as my fingers explored her dripping cave. She was most definitely ready, a moaning mess in my arms.

  My two thick fingers slipped inside her easily, and I growled as her walls tightened around them. Throwing her head back, she began to grind against my hand, and I wrapped my free arm around her waist and pushed against her, ramming my fingers into her. I enjoyed how she held onto me, digging her nails into my shoulders as we found a steady, hard rhythm.

  My cock was becoming increasing uncomfortable as it tried to force its way out of my jeans, and I couldn’t hold out any longer, releasing it from its prison, allowing it to bounce out at full attention. In one fell swoop, I slipped my fingers out and slid my length inside Kathleen, plunging straight in. She gripped me tightly and moaned with her lips right against my ear, the sound rippling through me, making my hair stand on end. She had the sexiest moans I had ever heard in my life.

  I grabbed her hips and started slamming her down onto my throbbing shaft. She gripped the couch behind me as the sound of our bodies colliding together and the screams of my length reaching deep inside her echoed throughout the room. I could feel her moving with me, even though I controlled her hips. Her moans were getting louder, and a tingling sensation rose from deep within my core, reaching my head, my fingertips and my toes. It shot straight to my body, searching for release.

  “Oh god, Drew!” Kathleen screamed
my name in the sexiest way possible, her legs trembling on my lap, and I lost it. My seed erupted into her as her velvety walls tightened around me, milking my seed and stretching my orgasm until she finally slumped against me, her slight shivers still vibrating through her. My head fell back against the couch and hers nestled into my neck as we both tried to calm our heavy breathing. When I had finally caught my breath, Kathleen’s had become even and steady.

  “Kathleen?”

  She didn’t reply, and her breathing stayed the same.

  She fell asleep, I chuckled to myself and tried my best to slide out of her without waking her. She groaned and whimpered as I pulled myself from her body, quickly placing my member back in my jeans and then wrapping her arms around my neck; I decided to bring her upstairs and place her in my bed while I went to shower.

  When I started carrying her up the stairs, I heard her whisper something.

  “Do you think…I’ll ever get to meet…your bear?”

  “Only when you’re ready.” I smiled.

  Once I had set her down to sleep and felt the water running down my skin, serious thoughts about Kathleen flooded my head.

  If we survive these next two days, I need to convince her to stay with me a while longer…

  8

  Kathleen

  I can’t believe I fell asleep on him! Leave it to me… At least Drew had been nice about it.

  Drew was driving Knox’s Jeep around the park, checking to make sure that everything was set for everyone to take action the following day. His crew was stationed at their positions because Knox wanted to initiate a drill once Drew had finished checking on all the areas. I had told Drew that I would walk around, following the sand bags, making sure I was within safe parameters. He had tried to get someone to come along with me, but I assured him I would be fine.

  Besides, the attack is tomorrow, not today. I followed the sand bags through the trees, checking to make sure that there were no breaks in the wall. I passed many members of the clan stationed at their areas who waved to greet me, and I smiled in return.

  The NCPD-CID had been utterly wrong about these people. They were by no means monsters; in fact, they were friendlier than most of the people I had ever met. They welcomed me with open arms, even after I betrayed their trust. Knox had spread the news I had gathered and mentioned how I’d decided to help them fight against the government. I wasn’t sure if it was the Alpha authority or the majority effect, but everyone had gone back to being pleasant with me, as if nothing happened.

  I mean, I wasn’t complaining; it just seemed weird. Kind of cultish, but I didn’t want my impression to warp my idea of bear shifters, especially after it was so warped to begin with. I hadn’t seen a single bear since I’d set foot in Acadia, and other than the initial anger of the clan when I’d delivered the government’s message, everyone had been so amicable.

  And Acadia was beautiful. I had never seen such gorgeous scenery. Before I visited, I had assumed Acadia was mostly made up of woodlands, but I had been pleasantly surprised by its varied landscape. The more I thought about Acadia, the more I realized there was so much more I wanted to experience. I wanted to climb all of its mountains; to lay on the rocky shore, breathing in the crisp, salty air. If trees were damaged during this operation, I wanted to help plant new ones. But more importantly, I wanted to watch them grow.

  I wanted to stay.

  And, if everything worked out between Drew and I, I’d love to ask to stay with him, at least long enough for me to rack up enough hacking income so I could lock down my own place, anyway.

  I haven’t even talked with Drew about how he feels about my hacking. Of course, he didn’t say anything about it when I was doing it to help him and his clan, but what if he has an issue with it because it’s illegal? I mean, I’m not even sure if I still want to do that anyway; it’s not like I’m looking forward to dodging the law for the foreseeable future or getting arrested again.

  But hacking was all I knew. What else could I do?

  I had wandered off without taking in my surroundings, so I’d lost track of my whereabouts. I was on a gravel trail and I could see a granite bridge in the distance; there were lots of birds around the area, and they all looked the same: a mix of ducks, hawks and falcons.

  Wait, are these peregrine falcons? I wasn’t sure how I knew, but they just seemed so familiar. I decided I must have come across a picture of them sometime. What are so many of them doing in Acadia?

  I thought about calling Drew to ask him, but I figured I should save the worry for something a little more serious than a bunch of birds. As I walked down the narrow gravel path, I could see little indentations.

  Are these their nests? I looked around in shock; most parks would close off the areas where birds were nesting. I wasn’t sure if peregrine falcons were something the world was in short supply of, but I surmised as much.

  Suddenly, I heard movement among the trees. At first, I was fully ready to pass it off as one of the birds, and then a man stepped out from behind the brush. I gasped, covered my mouth, and ran behind the nearest tree.

  Just then, my phone decided it would be a great time to ring. I grabbed it quickly, hoping I could get to the call before the man noticed me hiding. The caller ID read ‘Unknown.’

  Oh god, it’s Hanson again. Probably calling to get the final answer before he decides to attack…

  I thought about ignoring the call, but I figured that if I didn’t answer then, Hanson would keep calling to try and get ahold of me.

  “Hello?” I whispered, hoping I didn’t need to be louder.

  “I see you’ve met my friend.”

  My eyes widened and I looked around; I noticed the guy was lugging around a jug of some sort. “What are you talking about?”

  “You’re looking at him right now. It looks like your little boyfriend forgot to set up his supplies around the peregrine falcon nesting area.” Hanson’s voice was menacing, and made my skin crawl. But he was right: while there were sand bags, no water tanks or hoses were nearby. “Did you forget that we were already watching them via satellite surveillance? We saw all the preparations being done and it was easy to pinpoint the flaw in their plan.”

  Oh no, I have to call Drew right now! But if I hang up on Hanson, he’ll probably initiate the attack! What do I do? I was inwardly freaking out.

  “To be honest, it is you who will be Acadia’s downfall today. You can blame yourself for their eradication now.”

  “What? How? All I’ve done is help them!”

  “And that’s how you will cause its demise. We know about the hack. Ever since your previous stunt, I hired a computer technician to monitor the security systems around the clock. We ensured that if someone were to try and hack us again, an alarm would go off, prompting the technician to alert us and figure out how to best take action on the matter. It took merely seconds for him to find out it was coming from Acadia, so I immediately knew it was you. We pretended to stick to the old plan and feed you false information. We had already pinpointed this spot to start the fire, and you just happened to waltz right into it.” Hanson laughed and my hair stood on end, making me shiver in a terrifying way.

  False information? I looked up at the man I had spotted, who had a clean-shaven face and square glasses with a lean build. He was smoking a cigarette and pouring some liquid onto the sand bags in the perimeter. What the hell is he doing?

  “We’re not attacking Acadia tomorrow, Kathleen. Acadia will go down in flames today. Right now, in fact.”

  My eyes flit up to the man again in panic, my heart racing.

  Right now? How? The man was looking directly at me, his cigarette dangling from his lips as he gave me a wry smile. I was in complete shock; all I could do was stand there, trembling.

  “Goodbye, Kathleen.” With that, Hanson ended the call and I brought the phone down from my ear. The man took one last pull from his cigarette and dropped it onto the sand bags that had become saturated with a chartreuse-colored liquid.


  Flames erupted immediately in front of me and I watched the arsonist bolt in the opposite direction. The flames spread quickly, igniting all of the sand bags from the surrounding areas. I thought about chasing the burning trail, but it was too fast.

  Before I knew it, I was trapped in a ring of fire.

  I looked in every direction, searching for a way out. The flames were too high to jump over and there were no trenches to slow it down. The flames had spread so quickly, there were no gaps in the fire between the sand bags.

  And the flames were closing in. Trees were catching fire and the peregrine falcons were screeching as they flew into the air and fled the fiery scene.

  Call Drew! What are you waiting for?

  In my panic, I had forgotten to contact the one person who could help me. I was hyperventilating and tried to calm my breathing, but it was useless.

  “Hello?”

  “Drew? There’s fire! I’m trapped!”

  “What? What are you talking about? Where?”

  “The nesting area for the peregrine falcons. I’m the only one here and there’s no water tanks or hoses and the flames are closing in fast!”

  The smoke was already so thick that I was coughing. I tried to move to the center of the area to be the furthest away from the flames as possible.

  “Fuck! A tank couldn’t fit there without disturbing the nesting area, so we didn’t set one up. I never thought they would stoop so low as to start the fire there! Shit!” I released another round of coughs. “I’ve already sent out a message for everyone in the surrounding area to pull all of their hoses in that direction. Everyone else is heading nearby to help. I’m on my way, but I need you to stay on the phone with me. Take off your shirt and use it as an air filter over your mouth.”