Enchanting the Bear

by Rayna Tyler

  “You’re not?” He widened his eyes and took a few hesitant steps toward me. “Me being able to transform into a bear doesn’t surprise you.” It was more a confused statement than a question.

  “It would if I didn’t already know shifters existed.” It tore at my heart to see his pained expression. Was he afraid I would reject him because of his animal side?

  I had a lot of questions, most of them revolving around the future of our relationship, but I wasn’t the type of person who ignored someone because they were different. If I could have run across the clearing and thrown myself into his arms to reassure him, I would have.

  “How did you find out... Who told you?” He sounded relieved and curious at the same time.

  “If you promise not to make me the main course in your next meal...” I teased with a nervous smile, then held out my hand.

  “No promises,” he said, taking a seat in the dirt next to me.

  Part bear or not, having him this close sent flutters dancing around in my belly and heat coursing through me. It reminded me he was sitting on the ground with nothing protecting his backside. Thinking about his shapely ass reminded me he was naked, which had me staring at his lap, or rather at his cock, which was twitching to life. I was freezing, but it warmed me to know even under such awful circumstances, I affected him. And greatly, judging by the size of his growing erection.

  I had to remind myself that now was not the time to be ogling the man, and forced my desirous thoughts, along with my gaze, back to his face. Flustered by his amused grin, I focused on his question.

  “I went along with Mitch on an emergency call to one of the nearby properties to assist with a horse. I learned about shifters the hard way when the couple’s youngest son transformed into a wolf cub in my lap.” A vivid memory that required quite a bit of explaining by my brother and two shots or more of whiskey.

  “That would do it.” His easy laugh drew me in, and I relaxed.

  My thoughts returned to the state of his body in the current elements, and I worried about his lack of clothing. “Aren’t you cold? Would you like to use my jacket... You know, to...” As big as he was, the material wouldn’t cover much.

  “I’m part bear, remember? I can tolerate the cold for an extended period of time.” He placed his hand over mine to keep me from slipping the sleeve from my arm.

  “Okay.” Good information to have. “How did you know where to look for me?”

  “Mitch found your note, got worried when he couldn’t find you, and called,” Bryson said.

  I read somewhere that animals tracked by scent. Was that how he’d found me? And if so, had he been able to smell Caleb as well? I wanted to ask but needed to explain about my past first, then hope he didn’t dump me at my brother’s place with an it-was-nice-knowing-you goodbye. “Aren’t you going to ask me what happened? How I ended up out here?”

  “We can talk about it later. Right now, I want to take care of you, get you somewhere safe and warm.”

  “I’m afraid we have a problem.” I pulled on the hem of my pants, exposing my swelled ankle. He swept his fingertips lightly across my skin and growled. Why was he growling? I braced myself for a lecture on the dangers of not paying attention when hiking.

  Instead, he pulled my pant leg down, then got to his feet and held out his hand. “Let’s go.”

  “Go where? I can’t walk, and unless your truck is parked nearby...”

  “I left everything at Mitch’s place,” he stated in a calm matter-of-fact tone.

  “How do you suggest we get back?” I slipped the backpack over my shoulder, then allowed him to help me off the ground. He kept his arm around my waist until I’d steadied myself on my good leg.

  “I’ll carry you.” He grinned, as if traipsing through the forest naked and carrying me back to my brother’s house wasn’t a big deal.

  “That’s a long way to go, and I’m not exactly light.” I smacked the rounded curve of my hip.

  “It will be faster if I change into my bear and have you ride on my back.” Concern etched his brow. “Unless it makes you uncomfortable.”

  Finding out that he could turn into a bear didn’t bother me nearly as much as seeing the doubt and worry in his eyes. “I’m fine with it if you are.”

  “Good. Can you stand on your own?”

  “I think I can manage.” I removed my hand from his arm and pressed it against the tree trunk for support.

  He put some distance between us. The air filled with snaps and crackles and the bare, muscled butt cheeks I’d been staring at shifted shape and were covered with a thick dark brown fur. Bryson’s bear was bigger than I remembered, and I had to admit I was a little intimidated when he lumbered toward me.

  I knew Bryson wouldn’t hurt me but I wasn’t sure about his animal. I hoped Mitch hadn’t been lying when he’d told me that a shifter’s human side remained in control unless their animal turned feral.

  He wasn’t growling or acting like he wanted to attack me, so I cautiously held out my hand. He slipped his head under my palm as if he were an overgrown dog and encouraged me to scratch him. “Such a nice bear,” I cooed, then giggled when he pressed his nose against my abdomen and snorted.

  When he pulled away and turned to the side, I assumed playtime was over and he was ready to leave. There was no easy way for me to climb on his back. The ridge along his spine was too high off the ground for me to reach. “I don’t suppose you know where we can get a stepping stool?”

  With a shake of his head and what I interpreted to be a low chastising rumble, he pressed his belly to the ground.

  “No need to get snippy. I was just asking.” I grabbed a handful of fur, hoisted myself up, then stretched my leg over his thick girth until I was straddling his back. Once I was situated, he rose on all fours and headed in a different direction from when he’d arrived. “Wait, where are you going? Isn’t Mitch’s place back the other way?”

  His bear’s huff was a typical Bryson response, letting me know that he was going to do whatever he wanted.

  I puffed out an exasperated breath. “Fine. Have it your way.” I knew arguing was pointless and decided to make myself comfortable by pressing my chest along the ridge of his back and sinking my hands into the soft, warm underlayers of fur next to his skin.

  BRYSON

  It had been hell taking things slow with Leah once I’d found her. When I’d seen the fabric wrapped around her hand, all I wanted to do was pull her into my lap and touch every inch of her body to ensure she wasn’t hurt anywhere else. I also had questions about Caleb, wanted the answers from her. After what Mitch told me, I knew pushing Leah was the wrong thing to do. I’d have to wait until she was ready to tell me.

  In the meantime, I wanted her out of the forest and safe. I was overjoyed when she accepted my proposal and climbed onto my bear’s back. It was an unexpected bonus, one I planned to utilize to my advantage. I ignored her when she tugged the fur on my neck, trying to get me to turn around and head toward Mitch’s house. Since I was in animal form, I couldn’t tell her I was taking her to my place. Not that I would have mentioned it in my human form either.

  This wasn’t the date I’d envisioned with Leah, but it didn’t mean I wasn’t going to move forward with my plan. I still needed to tell her she was my mate. Hopefully, with the shifter hurdle out of the way, telling her how much I cared about her and that I wanted to claim her would go a lot smoother. Although it had only been a couple of weeks, it hadn’t taken more than our first kiss for her to win over my heart.

  When I was younger, my father told me that once the bond was recognized, the emotional part for our human side followed considerably more quickly than it did for non-shifters. A human’s love-at-first-sight scenario didn’t always last a lifetime. Not so for our kind. Once we found our mate, we claimed and formed a permanent bond. A bond that nothing and no one could ever break. Now that I had Leah to myself, I’d take care of her in every way possible and prove to her that I’d make a good partn
er.

  I still needed to let Mitch and the others know she was safe, and planned to make it my second priority as soon as we reached my house. I’d also inform them that she’d be staying with me for the evening, preferably in my bed, though I’d be sure to omit that particular detail during our conversation.

  As much as I wanted to strip her naked and explore every inch of her glorious body, I was more concerned about her injury and wanted nothing more than to hold her in my arms all night if she’d let me.

  Even with my steady pace, the trip took a little longer than expected. I’d skirted certain areas to avoid traveling over uneven ground and jostling Leah’s injured ankle. My bear had no complaints. He was content to have her chest pressed against his back, her hands buried skin-deep in his fur.

  As soon as we arrived at my place, I padded up the porch, the movement activating an automatic sensor and covering us with light. I dropped to my belly and waited for Leah to slide off my back. Once she had a solid grip on the railing and the pressure off her foot, I returned to the ground below and let the shift wash through me.

  “Where are we?” Leah hopped so she could get a better view of the front of the house.

  “This is my place.” I refrained from saying “our home” as I joined her on the porch again. It was too soon to share that particular intention with her. I needed to make sure she accepted me as her mate and was comfortable with my animal side before talking about a future together.

  I reached for the handle on the front door and pushed it open. I lived in a secluded area and never had any uninvited visitors, so I’d never worried about locking the doors. That would change with Leah being here.

  Without giving her a chance to object, I scooped her into my arms.

  “Bryson, what the heck?” She squealed and wrapped her arms around my neck.

  “I told you I was going to take care of you.” I chuckled, then elbowed the door the remainder of the way open and carried her inside. My work schedule kept me busy, and I wasn’t always the neatest of people. I was glad I’d spent the previous evening cleaning and preparing for our date.

  After tapping the light switch, I headed into a large open room with the living room on one side and the kitchen on the other. Ceiling-high bookshelves, along with a set of drawn blinds that concealed sliding glass doors leading out onto a deck where I’d planned to barbecue our supper, adorned one wall. I stepped between a rectangular coffee table and a plush tan sofa, gently setting her sideways with her legs extended across the soft cushions, then perched on the table beside her. All my furniture was built to accommodate my large size, and her smaller frame barely covered one end.

  Leah looked around the room, her gaze stopping first on the stone fireplace, then smiled with appreciation at the center island and custom-crafted dark wood cabinets in the kitchen. “You’re place is impressive,” she said, returning her attention to me. My heart filled with pride at the admiration reflected in her gaze.

  “Thanks,” I said, then cupped her nape and tenderly covered her mouth with mine. She moaned against my lips, and I couldn’t help drawing out the kiss until we were both breathless.

  “I should call Mitch,” Leah said after I released her. “He’s probably going crazy wondering what happened to me.” She reached for the backpack dangling by its strap on her arm. She set it on her lap, then dug through the contents until she pulled out her cell. “Err, the battery’s dead.”

  “I’ll take care of it. I promised Berkley I’d check in once I found you.” Since I’d left my cell at Mitch’s place, along with my truck and clothes, I reached for the cordless phone sitting next to a lamp on a nearby end table. Most of the time, I used my cell. But every now and then, reception in the area was bad. I kept a landline more to appease my mother’s nagging than I did for emergencies. After hitting the autodial for Berkley’s cell, I waited for her to answer.

  “Bryson, did you find her?” she asked after one ring.

  “Yeah, tell Mitch she’s fine and I’ll bring her home tomorrow.” I hadn’t thought to ask Leah if staying overnight would be a problem and expected her to protest. She raised an inquiring brow but didn’t say anything. My bear rumbled his approval. Neither one of us wanted her to leave now that we finally had her in our home.

  “Can you have someone drop off my truck in the morning?”

  “Nick will take care of it. Mitch said to tell you he was right about the guy being Caleb.” Now was not the time to ask what Nick had done to the male, not with Leah listening intently to my side of the conversation. Berkley didn’t sound concerned, so I assumed her brother hadn’t lost control of his wolf and damaged Caleb in any way.

  “Thanks,” I said.

  “Sure. Do you need anything else?”

  I wasn’t in the mood to answer questions or receive any more unsolicited dating advice. I wanted to take care of Leah. “No,” I said, disconnecting the call.

  “Everything okay?” Leah shuddered and rubbed her arms.

  Since I didn’t have a fire going in the fireplace and kept the heat on a low setting during the day, the temperature inside the house wasn’t much higher than it was outside. “Fine,” I grumbled, irritated with myself for not taking care of her first. I grabbed the blanket draped across the back of the couch and wrapped it around her shoulders. “This should help keep you warm until I get a fire started.”

  Leah caught my arm to keep me from rising. “I didn’t get a chance to thank you before.” She cupped the side of my face, caressing my cheekbone with her thumb. “Thank you...for coming to get me.”

  “Leah, I will always come for you. You are my...” Mate. I swallowed the word, leaned forward, and placed a kiss on her forehead. “I’ll go put on some clothes, then we’ll take a look at your hand and ankle and see about getting you something to eat.”

  “Okay.” She pulled the ends of the blanket tighter to her chest, then settled farther into the cushions.

  “I’ll be right back.” I padded down the hall and into the bedroom to tug on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Not exactly an outfit for a date. She’d already seen me naked, hadn’t seemed unimpressed, so I was beyond worrying about my appearance. I was more concerned about how she’d view me as a caring mate.

  Once dressed, I snatched a pillow off the bed, then made a quick stop in the bathroom to grab the first aid kit. When I returned to the living room, Leah had her eyes closed and appeared to be dozing. After what she’d been through, getting a little sleep was the best thing for her. Moving as quietly as possible, I retrieved several pieces of chopped wood from the stack I kept outside on the deck. A few minutes later, I’d coaxed a fire to life inside the fireplace.

  I grabbed the plastic kit off the kitchen countertop where I’d left it. I sat on the end of the coffee table, content to watch Leah while she slumbered.

  “Hey.” She peered at me through half-lidded eyes. “Sorry I fell asleep.”

  “Not a problem. Now that you’re awake, I’d like to take a look at your hand and ankle.” I motioned for her to shift sideways, then gently lifted her leg so it draped across my lap.

  “Hand first.” I untied the makeshift knot and removed the scrap of material she’d used from her shirt. I tore open an antiseptic wipe and began cleaning her palm.

  Leah winced and jerked her hand.

  “Sorry, almost done.” I removed the last of the dried blood, glad to see the cut wasn’t deep. After covering it with a Band-Aid, I switched my attention to her foot. “I’ll try to be gentle, but this is going to hurt.”

  “Not the first time I’ve twisted my ankle... Go ahead,” she said.

  I untied her laces, slowly easing the boot off her foot and peeling off her sock. I touched the tender area, trying to assess if it was broken. I’d have Mitch X-ray her foot when I took her home to make sure.

  She groaned and gripped the armrest with her good hand. “How bad is it?”

  “Looks like a sprain.”

  “Guess I’ll be limping at work for a few da
ys. Mitch ought to love that.” Her attempt at humor didn’t change the distress reflected in her gaze.

  “Let’s put some ice on it and see if we can get the swelling to go down.” I lifted her leg, scooted out of the way, and set the pillow underneath her foot. I made a quick trip to the kitchen and filled a resealable bag with ice. After grabbing a hand towel and two bottles of water out of the refrigerator, I returned to the living room. “Thought you might be thirsty.” I twisted the cap off one bottle and handed it to her.

  “Thanks.” She took a long swig and rested the bottle in her lap.

  I returned to my seat on the table, then wrapped the bag of ice in the towel and placed it on her foot. I had plenty of questions but figured they could wait until after I’d fed Leah. “Is there anything else I can get you before I go out and throw some steaks on the grill?”

  “Food can wait.” She grabbed my hand to keep me from leaving. “We need to talk.”

  Hearing her say the words no male ever wanted to hear was worse than getting kicked in the gut.

  Chapter Eight

  LEAH

  I snuggled deeper into the blanket Bryson had wrapped around my shoulders and watched him disappear down a hallway in search of clothes. Up until recently, I hadn’t been sure what I was going to do with my life, whether or not I’d make Ashbury my permanent home. I’d been trying to put my past with Caleb behind me but realized all I’d been doing was hiding. I hadn’t been living, not until I’d met Bryson.

  I’d been musing through the troubling thoughts, my body exhausted from the day’s events. I’d closed my eyes only to open them a short time later to find Bryson watching me with the same intensity I’d seen in the eyes of his bear.

  At first, discovering he could transform into an animal had been a little unsettling. Okay, it had bordered on massively disturbing. But now that I’d had some time to process the information, I realized it didn’t change the way I felt about him. According to Mitch, there was an unspoken code that prevented shifters from sharing the details of their existence with humans. Maybe it was misplaced hope, but the fact that Bryson had come for me, risked exposing his animal to me, had to mean something, didn’t it? Only people they trusted were ever made aware of the truth.