Shifter Nation- East Coast Bears Collection

by Meg Ripley

  I looked at him with my reptilian eyes and playfully snapped my jaw. He ran his hand over the ridges of my spine, then along my underbelly, feeling the smooth scales of my skin. “You’re magnificent, even as a crocodile.”

  I waved my tail and shifted back, then sat on his lap, facing him. “We really are two vicious beasts.”

  “Indeed. Two, about to become one.”

  “Forever.”

  19

  Grace

  I walked down the aisle slowly, my long, white lace train trailing behind me. Mason met my eyes. He beamed and my smile grew wider.

  Everything had turned out perfect. The flowers were beautiful in their purples and blues. The aisle had been scattered with purple petals just moments ago by Owen’s boys and Conner’s niece, son, and daughter. There were quite a few kids on the bear side of things, and I hoped we’d be adding to them soon. We’d just found out on the night of our bachelor and bachelorette parties that Ezra and Britt would be welcoming a little cub—or panther—of their own in a few months.

  That day felt like the moment that everything was finally coming together. My side of the church was filled with crocs. My family was there, my mom teary eyed, of course, holding onto my father. Bears took up most of the seating on Mason’s side, and I knew of at least one panther or two as well. There were a few humans scattered here and there, too; all close enough to our clans to be trusted to know the truth.

  The first meeting of the Everglades Chapter of the Conclave had met, with the representative elections having been held just weeks before. With Mason as the rep for the bears, me as the rep for the crocs, Britt for the panthers, and a man named John for the wolves, I was confident we’d all be able to keep the peace. We were family on more than one level, and as long as we kept each other in the front of our minds, we couldn’t go wrong.

  Even our wedding party was a fine mix of species. My maid of honor was Sophie, who’d been my best friend in the clan since we were croc kids trampling through the swamps together. She was finally back from grad school after being gone for ages. Behind her stood Addie, a bear; then Britt, a panther; Tori, a bear; and finally Jessie, a human. With Mason was Owen as his best man, then Ezra, Conner and Noah, and finally, my brother Tyler.

  I felt proud of our mix. We had four species in strong representation and had even invited John and his wife as a good faith measure, which sprinkled in just enough wolf to bring the count to five species. They were all sitting together, smiling, happy for a croc and bear to be getting married. The happy part was a feat in itself, but after the meeting and our very public engagement, interspecies relations in the area had slowly been getting better.

  When I reached Mason, I handed my nosegay of lavender roses and blue delphinium to Sophie and the ceremony began. Toward the end, after we’d said our vows and exchanged rings, we had another special part planned.

  We brought a small table to the center of the aisle, in the middle of everyone there, where a clear glass bowl had been placed, filled with stones that we’d collected from the park. Mason lightly cut my palm and I returned the gesture, then we dripped our blood over the stones, symbolizing the coming together of the crocs and bears forever.

  We had our first married kiss and bounced down the aisle hand in hand, alight with joy, and next, it was time to party. At the start of the reception, after we’d had our first dance, we’d asked Owen and Adam to give a toast.

  Owen went first. “I know it hasn’t been an easy path for you two, but you worked together to overcome everything against you and found a way to be with each other. You refused to give up and even managed to end a feud between two species in order to make this day possible.” He paused to look around for effect. “Nothing you’ll come across in married life will be as difficult as that, so I think you’re pretty much set.” The guests laughed. “I wish you both all the happiness in the world and I look forward to many long years of peace with the two of you representing our clans.”

  Owen handed the mic to Adam and they shook hands as they did. “Well.” Adam sighed. “He pretty much took my speech, so I’m not sure what to say now…” Everyone laughed again. “I’ll just say that any couple who can triumph over what Mason and Grace have can triumph over anything. And I will go ahead and start the pool right now. I put my money on the first baby being a croc.” He took a twenty from his pocket and slapped it down on a nearby table. “To Mason and Grace and the eternal peace between the bears and crocs.”

  I saw that while he was giving his toast, he kept looking across the room at a certain bear shifter in Mason’s clan. Hailey was her name. I made a mental note of it as the night went on, and we ate and resumed dancing. Sure enough, over the hours, I caught Adam dancing with Hailey several times.

  “I think there might be a competition for cutest bear/croc couple,” I said to Mason as he held me close and we danced.

  He looked to where I nodded. “Huh. Well look at that. I never thought Adam, of all people, would be next.”

  “Well, you know how it is. When fate leads you to the person you’re supposed to be with, you don’t have much of a choice.”

  He returned his gaze to mine and kissed me. “Thankfully, fate led me to you.”

  20

  Grace

  Epilogue - One Year Later

  The pain was becoming too much for me. I knew it was going to hurt; I’d talked to all our friends who’d had babies and they’d each given me their birthing stories, so I thought I was prepared. But this was insane. It felt like my whole torso might implode at any moment.

  I gripped Mason’s hand so tightly, it was leaving a mark. “You’re doing great, honey. I love you.”

  He kissed me and I wished it helped.

  “Okay, Grace, I think you should change.” Addie had said it, and Britt, Jessie, and Sophie agreed.

  I’d always known what a group effort shifter births were; when my mom had me, she had four or five friends there with her to help. I thought it was a good way to go. They had been so supportive and helpful that I was grateful for their presence.

  I shifted into croc form, and now I needed Sophie more than anyone. She shifted, too, as we’d planned; that way, I’d have an easy mental link to communicate. Mason also shifted. Though he and I could communicate telepathically since we were husband and wife, it was still easier to default to my own clan’s link. And this way, I’d have him and still have Sophie. If the bear ladies had shifted, I’d have no way to talk to them at all. Mason would have to pass messages, which was just pointless. It was better for them to be humans for this part anyhow.

  We had gotten a baby pool, knowing that at some point, I would probably get in it. But, being a mixed species couple, we had an added complication. If Mason was a croc, this baby would be a croc, no doubt. But there was only a 50% chance he or she would end up as a croc. Our child could just as easily have been a bear. Shifters often gave birth in their animal form because they found it easier, and if they did, that meant their baby would be born in animal form, too. Too bad that I couldn’t have just laid an egg like a pure croc, though; it seemed like it would’ve been so much easier than delivering the baby, head, limbs and all.

  Being a croc shifter, I had to try to predict which way things would go based on signals from my body. Britt had been helpful for this part. She and Ezra ended up having a bear child, and she said that when she was in panther form, she could tell something wasn’t right. As soon as she shifted back to human, the baby was born with no problems and they had to assume he was a bear until he had his first shift. He smelled like a bear, though, we all agreed.

  Because we were a mixed-species couple, I had the same challenge: I had to feel it out and see if things felt right or not. But that was my first baby, and I had no idea what was right and what wasn’t. It hurt like hell; that’s all I knew for certain. I did have the notion, though, that once I shifted into my croc form, if the baby was a croc, I should be able to feel whether or not the baby changed through my belly. Britt h
ad tried, but a panther had too many similar parts to a human for it to be telling. That’s one benefit in being so very different from a bear: there would be no denying a long croc tail and short, little legs.

  When I shifted, I said to Mason, Feel and see if you can tell.

  We’d had this discussion beforehand of course, and my croc doctor thought there was a good chance it would work. As he felt my stomach with his paws, though, he made a confused face.

  I think Addie or a human should try, he said. I can’t tell with my paws. I think there’s a tail?

  Sophie came over, too, and tried to figure it out. No idea; sorry, hun.

  Britt seemed to pick up on what we were doing. I’d talked to her about the whole interspecies thing many times. “Want me to see if I can tell?”

  I nodded my croc head and she felt my swollen belly with her human hands. “Um…” She made the same confused face. “Well, I do feel a tail. But I also feel an arm, I’m pretty sure.”

  Can a baby partially shift inside its mother? I asked Sophie and Mason mentally.

  Neither of them seemed to know. But if there was a tail, then it had to be a croc. I slithered into the pool, and when the contractions were stronger and Addie told me to push, I did.

  It took some time, but before long, a tiny baby croc floated into the pool and Mason scooped it up with his massive bear paws.

  He cuddled the baby and told me, Girl!

  I felt the surge of joy, but something else was happening. Something felt very wrong inside me. The pain was still there. That shouldn’t be happening after I’d already given birth, should it? I let out a hiss and caught everyone’s attention. What was going on?

  I shifted back to human form and reached out for Addie. “Something’s wrong.”

  “What are you feeling?”

  Mason had shifted back and held our baby in his muscular arms, who was already starting to shift to her human form. When she’d come of age, she’d begin her routine shifting. That was normal, they’d all said, for a baby born in animal form to shift back quickly if he or she were to be surrounded by humans.

  Mason was at my side, though, looking extremely concerned. I wanted to hold the baby, but I couldn’t bear the overwhelming pain that racked my body.

  “It hurts,” I cried.

  “Delivering the placenta shouldn’t be too painful,” Jessie said.

  “Unless there’s a problem,” Britt added.

  “What sort of problem?” Mason asked. “Do we need to get to a hospital?”

  “Wait.” I felt another contraction. A strong one. The instinct to push was there, so I did. If there was a problem with the placenta, it would be better to get it out, right?

  “Oh my god!” Tori shouted. She crouched in the catching position and I felt her hands touching me. “Push again!”

  I did and heard something splash into the water.

  Mason let out a cry of shock. “Twins!”

  “What?” I asked. There was no way we’d just had two babies.

  He laughed and tears streamed down his face. “It’s a girl! Again!”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  But then Tori placed a wet baby girl on my chest. The pain had subsided and was replaced by minor contractions, which I had expected.

  “We have twins?” I blinked through my tears at Mason. “How did we not know that?”

  He laughed again. “I don’t know.”

  We switched babies and I gazed adoringly at both of my daughters.

  Mason closed his eyes, taking a long sniff of our second daughter and gave me a mischievous smile. “She’s a bear.”

  Mason positioned both babies on my chest and stood back to gaze at us. “My ladies. I love you all so much.”

  He bent down to hug and kiss each of us. “Guess Adam won the pool, since our croc girl was first.”

  I chuckled. “He’ll be thrilled.”

  I thought about what our babies meant for a moment. Twin girls. One croc and one bear. These interspecies siblings were the first of their kind.

  We had truly brought the clans together forever; first, through our love, and now, through our family.

  We were finally one.

  * * *

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  Shifter Nation: Werebears Of Big Bend

  1

  Madelyn

  I looked up at the hotel standing tall before me as I turned into the parking lot. What they say is true: everything is bigger in Texas. I pulled my rental car up to the entrance and grabbed several bags from the trunk. A man came to help me and loaded them onto a cart. I’d never traveled with so much luggage before, but I wasn’t on a short-term trip. I would be there, in Big Bend, Texas, for an entire semester.

  I headed into the hotel’s lobby and took off my cardigan while I waited. Even in January, the temperature was warm enough for t-shirts—nothing like the Januarys back home in New Hampshire, where the high was only 18 degrees that day. It was hard to imagine snow in this arid climate where the sun shone so brightly. But soon enough, I would be back home, with a fresh degree in paleontology from Harvard in my hand.

  After I checked in and got my key card, I followed my luggage up to my room. I was pleasantly surprised; Harvard had said the accommodations would be first-class, and they certainly were. The room was actually a suite with a bedroom and bathroom on one side and a small kitchen on the other. A living room was nestled in the center, where a large TV hung over an electric fireplace.

  The bellhop finished unloading my luggage, and after I handed him a tip, he thanked me and padded off. I was alone, and for a moment, I felt overwhelmed. Not only was I far from home and my family, I was also far from school and my classmates. I hoped my new partner, whoever she was, would be pleasant and that we’d become friends. It’d be nice to have at least one person to hang out with while in town.

  As I unpacked my things, I thought about what this semester would be like. Long days in the extreme heat, digging in the dirt, hoping to unearth bones or fossils. I needed to find something in order to write my master’s thesis and graduate. That final semester, where everything I’d learned so far would come into play in a real-live dig site inside Big Bend National Park, was going to provide part of the research needed for my paper.

  I pictured the hot days, the cool showers and air conditioning afterward, and my evenings spent writing or seeing the town. A few months of that and then I’d be moving back home. I’d likely live with my parents for a few months while I found a job and a place of my own. Then, I’d be on my way into a new career—and a new chapter in my life. It was so close, I could taste it.

  It would be great to be near family again. The two years it’d taken to complete my coursework had flown by, but felt long at the same time. What made it worse was that my niece was born just a month after I’d left. I’d never been able to spend a lot of time with Allison, and was looking forward to getting to know her while making up for lost time with the rest of my family. Alli’s angelic little face popped into my mind and I smiled.

  Someone knocked on my door and I was unsure of who it might be. But when I opened it, a man stood there—a rather good-looking man. He wore a sport jacket, hanging open to show off his button-down shirt. He looked like he had money and dressed accordingly. His short, dark hair was so glossy and sharp that it looked untouchable. He was stylish, no doubt. But I had no idea who he was or why he was there.

  “Can I help you?” I asked.

  He looked confused. “Room 521?”

  “Yes?”

  “Are you a Harvard student?”

  My confusion mounted. “Yes…”

  “Here on a dig at Big Bend National Park?”

  “Yes…”

  “And there are still only two students coming this semester?” he asked.

  “As far as I know.”

  “Then it seems that there’s
been a mistake. I’m your partner.”

  How could that be? We were supposed to have partners of the same sex, not co-ed. I would be spending a lot of time with my partner and we’d be working together closely. Neither I nor the department head wanted any distractions in the way of romance.

  “We’d better check our paperwork,” I said.

  He held up his hand with his papers in it.

  “Come in.” I stepped back to let him in and then went to find my own papers. According to my information, my partner was to be in room 520, across the hall.

  “Are you in room 520?” I asked him as I pointed to the room number on the sheet.

  “I am. But I think I’ve found the problem.” With his index finger, he traced a circle around his name. “I’m Julian Kensington, the fourth.” He held his hand out proudly and I shook it. “Not Julia.”

  “Julia-n. Oh. Seems there was some sort of mistake.”

  “One little letter makes a world difference.”

  “You’d think they would have given more information than just a name.” I’d have to make some phone calls to get this straightened out.

  “It’s no big deal, really.” He grinned and stuck his hands in his pockets. “Besides, I sure wouldn’t mind looking at you for the next few months.”

  My mouth went dry and I swallowed hard. “Thanks…I…really am here to focus on my schoolwork, though. I have a thesis to write.”

  “Don’t we all? We can work together, you know? Help each other out.”

  I didn’t need help from a fellow student, but it would be too rude to say that. “I’m sure as we work together, we’ll help each other plenty.”

  “I look forward to it. You have a good night.”

  “You, too.”

  I felt relieved when I closed the door and locked the chain. What a nightmare it could have been if he’d turned out to be one of those people who just hung around all the time and didn’t get the hint when you wanted to be left alone. Maybe it’ll all work out. Hmm…he is quite good-looking…