Bear: A Dark Shifter Romance

by Delta James

“What’s the matter, Just Cal? Is the only way you can get a girl if you have the goon squad with you?” taunted Halley.

  “Why, you bitch,” he said as he slapped her across the face.

  It occurred to Halley that their first attempt to intimidate her might prove to be the only one. She heard a great bellow from just beyond the shadows as a massive grizzly bounded through the porch railing. The bear quickly dispatched two of the men closest to it with a swipe of its paw across their midsections, disemboweling them. They died screaming as they tried to stop their intestines from falling to the ground. The third man had his skull crushed as the bear grabbed him by the head and tossed him off the porch. The fourth man, the one who had threatened rape, ran, leaving his companions behind. The bear quickly caught him around the waist and threw him against the large oak tree in the front yard. Halley could hear his spine snap from the impact. The bear advanced on him and looked down into the paralyzed man’s face. He took a single claw and neatly slit the man’s throat. The bear left him gurgling in his own blood.

  That left Just Cal, who was frozen by fear. He gripped the railing and glanced from the corpses to the bear, to Halley and back again. The bear walked up onto the porch and stood next to her. She was a taller than most women and the bear’s back was past her shoulders. Halley had watched the carnage in fascinated horror. She knew she should be afraid and were it any other bear she would have been. But she knew as well as she knew her own name that the bear standing beside her was the same one who had saved her once before.

  The bear reached up and casually ran one of his razor-sharp claws down the side of Just Cal’s face, leaving an open trail of blood. It wasn’t enough to kill him, but it would leave a nasty scar.

  Halley found her voice. She surprised herself by how calm she sounded. “Tell your people what happened here tonight. Tell them they have awakened the Spirit of the Bear. He’s been the guardian of this place long before you or I ever walked this earth.”

  Just Cal had peed on himself and lost no time in running back to the Mercedes that they had used to come out to Halley’s place.

  Halley watched him speed down the driveway. She turned to the bear. There was something about it that wasn’t quite right. It was as though she could sense two entirely different species dwelling within the same body. One was obviously the enormous four-legged creature standing before her. The other, she thought, taking a leap of faith, had to be human.

  “Are you hurt?” she asked, reaching out to stroke its head.

  * * *

  Cade recoiled from her touch. The Spirit of the Bear receded to the background as his humanity returned. His body morphed through the transformation from bear to man. He watched Halley’s face as she saw him change. There was shock that quickly turned to wonder, but no fear.

  “I knew it was you,” she whispered. “Everyone but my grandmother and Kaye told me I had lost so much blood that I was delusional. But I wasn’t, was I? Of course I wasn’t. I just watched you shift again. Wow! I mean, I always knew, but...” Her words had stopped as she stared at him.

  He stood up proud and nude. His eyes raked her up and down. The sight of her naked legs made his cock harden even more than the fight; he knew from the past what she looked like without the sweater. Blood lust was running rampant through his veins. Combined with his long passion and need to dominate and feel her writhing beneath him, the bear in him demanded he claim her. He growled low and pulled her to him.

  “What the hell?” she cried.

  Bear stripped her of the sweater and palmed her breast, pinching her nipple as he did so. It did not go unnoticed that it was beaded and in need of attention. He sniffed the air and smelled her arousal, his predatory need to have her clouded all reason. Bear grabbed her arm and threw her over the railing, roughly plunging two fingers into her wet cunt. He smiled as he heard her moan with desire. He scented the air and a feral smile spread across his face—her need for this was as great as his.

  * * *

  Without saying a word, the beast grasped her hips and kicked her legs apart as he stepped between them. Halley felt as though she should say something... do anything but allow this to happen. But she couldn’t deny the adrenaline that shot through her system fueling her arousal.

  What was happening to her? Her nipples were hard and beaded and ached for him to use them. Halley understood that she didn’t want gentle kisses or delicate fondling. She wanted strength and power. She wanted—no, needed—to be used hard by the creature that had saved her life and destroyed the men who had wanted to harm her.

  The railing bit into her hips, the rough wood digging in uncomfortably. But that wasn’t the physical sensation that assailed her being; that feeling was lust in its most primitive form. She could feel the wet heat gathering in her pussy as it throbbed in anticipation of what she knew would come next. Halley longed to feel his enormous cock impale her, scraping along her interior walls.

  His hands dug into her hips and his body pinned her against the rail as he spread her legs and mounted her in one powerful thrust. There was nothing refined or loving about his possession. It was brutal and primal, his need inflaming hers. His body demanded hers in surrender and hers answered in a language old as time.

  “Oh, God,” she cried as she climaxed around him.

  The bear began to stroke her with long, hard, frenzied strokes. Halley felt that as much as he had transformed into a human, she had morphed into some kind of creature that wanted this as much as he did. The animal between her legs, pounding her pussy was in complete control as he fucked her.

  She offered him no resistance. She responded to his rough treatment with repetitive orgasms, each more intense than the last. She could barely breathe and had to gasp for breath as his cock hammered her cunt relentlessly. Her desperate need to have him complete her in some primal way stifled any misgivings she might have had about being taken like this. He grunted and groaned as he rammed into her pussy repeatedly until, at last, she felt his release was imminent. Halley felt his cum began to spill into her as his cock jerked within her and the pulsing from her last climax caressed his cock.

  * * *

  The ease of the ache in his loins caused reason to come back to the fore. He wanted to feel bad, or at least guilty, for having claimed her amidst the carnage and without ever speaking a word to her. He smiled as he recalled she had responded to him in a way that no woman ever had. He knew that this had been no mere coupling to satisfy the lust that often accompanied a kill. It had been his declaration that she was his and would surrender to his dominance and need to possess her.

  “Would you have some clothing I can borrow? I’m afraid that when I shift if I don’t take the time to strip, my clothes are torn asunder,” he managed to say in a nonthreatening, neutral voice.

  “Asunder? Really?” she said, standing and pulling on her sweater. “You come in here, kill people who were most likely planning to kill me, and then toss me over the railing and fuck me. And you want to know if I have clothes to replace those that were torn asunder?” She shook her head. “I think my grandmother kept some of my grandfather’s things. He was a big man. Maybe not as big as you, but I can probably find some sweats or something. You’re not hurt though, are you?”

  Cade smiled. “No, Halley. I’m fine. If you could get me something to wear, we can start cleaning up this mess.”

  “How do you know my name? Shouldn’t we call the authorities?”

  “And tell them what? That a two-hundred-year-old boogey man tore these guys apart after you fired a shotgun at them? And that before you called them, that same creature tossed you over the railing and laid claim to you? I’m not sure that’s a conversation either of us wants to have. You can bet that the one I let live will report back to those he answers to, but no one official is going to come looking for these men. Get a move on, Halley, we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

  She found a pair of sweatpants and an oversized sweater that seemed to fit him. He got a shovel to start dig
ging a mass grave. He wasn’t surprised when Halley couldn’t deal with the slaughter and moved away. He turned to start digging when he heard a motor that didn’t belong to her truck. He whirled around to assess the threat and smiled. Halley was driving a small tractor with a blade meant for digging trenches out of the barn.

  She drove past him to a place back toward the edge of the mowed lawn. “Much more practical,” she said nonchalantly as she passed him.

  He followed her and together they dug a deep trench that would hold the four bodies. He watched as she opened a small trash can she had kept between her feet, donned a pair of work gloves, and brought out a scoop filled with what smelled to be lime.

  “If we line the pit with the lime then cover the bodies with it and some rocks, before we refill the hole, I doubt anything will dig them up. Once we have them covered over, I can drive back and forth to flatten down the area. We can get some wildflower seeds or something that can tolerate the lime and let it grow over them.”

  “Should I be concerned that you seem very practiced at this?”

  She laughed nervously. “Too many crime novels late at night. We’d better keep moving, because at some point, I’m pretty damn sure I’m going to have a breakdown.”

  He laid his hand on her and was surprised when she didn’t flinch. “You aren’t afraid of me, are you?”

  “Why should I be? If you wanted me dead, you could have let the cougar have me or done nothing when these guys wanted to intimidate me. But both times, you saved me. So no, I’m not afraid of you. Not quite sure how I feel about what happened afterwards or my response to you when it was happening, but I’m not afraid of you.”

  “I’ll get the bodies...”

  “No, we’ll take the tractor back and switch out the blade for the scoop. We can scoop them up, dump them in the pit, and then cover them over. That way there shouldn’t be any evidence linking either of us to them if they’re ever found. We should probably clean the bucket with one of those oxygen-producing detergents so that there’s no traces of blood left behind.”

  Cade was impressed both by her presence of mind and her knowledge of what needed to be done. They worked together for the next several hours, finishing just as the sun was coming up. Once she could see in the early morning light, she meticulously drove the tractor back and forth over the gravesite, pressing down the earth. He had to admit that unless you were looking for it, the grave would be hard to find and he was certain within the month no trace at all would be left.

  He walked back up to the house with her as she put the tractor away. They located the detergent and worked together to scrub down the porch and railings until they couldn’t see any remaining blood spatter.

  “Can I offer you some coffee or make you breakfast?” she asked.

  “No, you need to pack your things, and then we need to leave.”

  “Leave? I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Those men won’t be the last they send to visit you. I might not be here the next time.”

  “I can take care of myself,” she challenged him angrily.

  “I could see that last night when they were getting ready to rape and murder you. These men are dangerous and I promised your grandmother I’d keep you safe.”

  “You knew my grandmother?” she asked incredulously.

  He nodded. “That’s a discussion better left for another time. Get moving, Halley, I want to be well away from here before the sun gets much higher.”

  “Then go,” she said, pointing to the woods. “No one’s stopping you.”

  “You’d best get used to doing as you’re told. Get dressed, get some things together, and let’s be away from here.”

  “Who the fuck do you think you are?”

  Cade was shocked. He knew the world had changed, but women from his time did not use such language.

  “I’m the man who is going to keep you safe whether you like it or not. I’m the one who gives the orders and you’re the one who follows them.”

  “Like hell I do! Look, I really appreciate you stepping in last night and helping me out but I’m not going anywhere. I have a job to do. Someone needs to stand up to these bastards. It isn’t in my nature to walk away from a fight.”

  “Your grandmother said the same thing,” he said with a sigh. “So, you’re refusing to do as you’re told?”

  “I am.”

  “Then, little girl, I’m afraid you’re about to get your first lesson in obedience.”

  Cade was mindful that if a shotgun blast had not alerted the authorities that there was something wrong, a scream from her shortly afterwards probably wouldn’t either. He doubted that the shot or any noise from Halley could be heard across the valley, but he didn’t need anyone interrupting while he administered her first spanking. He fisted a handful of her dark brown mane and took her inside. He walked her through the kitchen while she twisted, turned, and tried to hit him.

  He stopped at the staircase. “Last chance, Halley. Either you settle down and go get your things or I’m going to give you a long overdue spanking.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” she screeched at him.

  Cade shook his head. He had never been more resolved about anything in his life than he was in teaching Halley just which one of them was dominant. He marched her to the couch and bent her over the back of it. Quickly he flipped the sweater up over her back, revealing her naked buttocks. His cock began to harden at the memory of the last time he had seen them. He fought down the need to mount her again and prove his dominance in that fashion as well.

  One strong arm held her in place as he swung his hand down and landed a resounding blow to her backside. Feeling the firm flesh respond to the impact of his hand was deeply satisfying and arousing at the same time. He could feel his cock throbbing in rhythm to the spanking with its need to be back inside her. Halley screamed from both pain and outrage. Cade meant to spank the outrage out of her and ensure the only sobbing she was doing was from the punishment he meant to administer.

  “You bastard!” she shrieked.

  Cade proceeded to cover her rump with hard swats. He could see the color blooming all across her backside as he paddled her. He suppressed a smile. He very much doubted Halley had ever been spanked before. If she had been, it hadn’t been by someone who knew what he was doing.

  “And you, little girl, are going to learn that ladies don’t use that kind of language.”

  He punctuated each word with a hard swat to her now completely red behind.

  “I’m not a lady, you motherfucker. I’m a doctor and a highly respected wildlife biologist.”

  “You are whatever I tell you that you are.”

  * * *

  Halley couldn’t believe this was happening to her. Her ass was absolutely on fire; it hurt. And the Spirit of the Bear or whatever he wanted to call himself seemed in no hurry to stop.

  Repeatedly he struck her bottom, causing her to yowl in response. She twisted and turned but could not get away from him. He held her in place bent over the back of the couch, and calmly lectured her on her language while he continued to wallop her behind.

  The worst part was as much as it hurt, she could feel her nipples forming stiff peaks and was quite certain if he didn’t stop, her pussy was going to start dripping all over the furniture. She was dismayed at her response to his treatment of her. First without any discussion or foreplay, he had fucked her on her front porch; now he was spanking her. She had the distinct impression that in both instances, he felt his actions were justified. The feelings of discomfort and arousal continued to increase and warred within her.

  The strikes against her backside compounded to increase the level of heat and pain she was suffering. She wanted to tell herself that whatever it was that had driven his need to claim her sexually and now to spank her was out of his control. But it wasn’t. He seemed completely in control of himself. Halley bit her lip to keep from crying out. Finally, she could endure no more. She began to cry, which quickly became great
heaving sobs.

  “Please stop. Please. I’ll do whatever you want. Just don’t hit me anymore.”

  Cade’s hand came down and rested on her sore posterior. She continued to cry but prayed he wasn’t just taking a break.

  “Do you think you can obey me and go upstairs and get your things?”

  “Yes,” she sniffled.

  “Fine. Then we can call this done. But I’ll accompany you upstairs. This had better not be some kind of trick. It’s been a while since I had to discipline a woman and I’d forgotten that it often results in a man’s hand hurting. And when the woman’s ass is as fine as yours it makes him consider other things he’d rather be doing with her.”

  “You don’t really expect me to have any sympathy for you, do you?” she said, standing up, trying to muster as much dignity as she could.

  “I expect you to speak to me in a more pleasant tone, unless you’d like me to find a good strap to use on your backside to give my hand a rest.”

  She searched his face and found no mercy there. She dropped her eyes and saw the enormous bulge tenting the sweatpants. At least he’d gotten as aroused as she was; there was some satisfaction in that. She looked up to see him watching her.

  “Don’t think that will mitigate your punishment now or in the future. You will learn to mind me and act like a lady. Go get your things.”

  He stepped out of the way to allow her to precede him up the stairs.

  “I can do this by myself,” she said sullenly.

  His response was preceded by a sharp swat to her derriere. “If I were you, little girl, I’d be grateful that I was convinced you could behave and didn’t finish your spanking. If you aren’t careful, I’ll put you over my knee to ensure you’re going to behave. Do I need to do that, Halley?”

  “No... what the hell is your name?”

  He grabbed her by the waist, bent her over one hard thigh, and delivered three more stinging slaps to her rump.

  “That is enough, Halley. If you use one more curse word, I will wash your mouth out with soap before putting you over my knee for another spanking. Am I clear?”