by V. Vaughn
“I am.” Now Keith slides over close enough to touch my leg. The heat of him practically sears my thigh as my body welcomes it. He says, “But I’m not worried. I know you care about me and Lucy. I don’t think you’d do anything to endanger us.”
I lean toward the coffee table to set down my drink, and when I sit back, I shift toward Keith. We’re now only inches apart. “But how did you know I wouldn’t run screaming?”
“I didn’t.” Keith combs my hair away from my face with his fingers, and the contact starts a low hum of lust in my belly. “But you have werebear in you, and I think the spirit of the bear gives you courage.”
I snort. “Courageous, I’m not.” I reach up and hold on to his hand, which has now lowered to cup the side of my face.
Keith moves toward me, and our lips are practically touching when he says, “You wouldn’t still be here if you weren’t.” He kisses me, and it’s like electricity zings through my body, because every part of me feels alive with my desire. I move from his mouth to kiss my way down his neck. His scent floods my senses as I taste his skin. Keith grabs my shoulders and pushes me away to stand up.
He steps back from the couch and takes a deep breath as he closes his eyes. I ask, “What’s wrong?”
His gaze is intense when he opens his eyes to answer, “As badly as I want to be with you, I don’t think we should move too quickly. I think you need time to process what being with me means.”
Great. He’s letting good sense be a cock block. “You mean there’s more than the fact that you’re a werebear?”
“Yes. Once we have sex, you aren’t going to be able to resist me.”
I don’t hide my skepticism, and Keith gives me what must be the mirror image of my smirk before he says, “I don’t think I’m that amazing. What I mean is that our bond will make you think I am. And things will get difficult.”
I’m about rip off his clothes in my own version of shifting, and he thinks it could get worse? “You realize telling me something like this only makes me want sex with you more, right?” I step toward him, and the cotton of his T-shirt is warm in my hand when I clutch it. “I have ways to convince you.”
He grins as he grabs my hand and pulls it off his chest. “You don’t need any tricks. But I’m serious. You need to have time to figure out if being with me is what you really want.”
“Keith, you can shift into a bear when you want. The idea that you can protect me from just about anything is pretty sexy. What else is there to process?”
His face falls for a second, and when his smile comes back, it appears strained. “Right. And now I’m going to protect you from yourself.” He waggles his eyebrows at me. “If you think you can keep from jumping me, we can watch a movie. Or I can take you home.”
I recall that Lucy invited Sven over and wanted privacy. At least she’s getting frisky. I sigh. “I’ll be good. But popcorn better be involved.”
“That can be arranged.” Keith tosses the remote at me, and I catch it without breaking our gaze as he says, “You find us a movie, and I’ll go make our snacks.”
The TV snaps on when I push a button, and I glance down at my hand on the remote. I imagine claws coming out of my fingers like I witnessed on Keith earlier tonight. An involuntary shudder runs through me. My real father is a werebear. Oh my god. He might even live around here. Keith’s right. I have a lot to process.
Chapter 3
Isabelle
I hate to say it, but Annie’s going to be a great prima. Hammers are tapping, and a saw whines loudly as a voice rises above the din to give an order. I glance around at all the werebears she managed to get to help build the De Rozier clan’s temporary housing. Once she saw Sven’s physical condition and the emaciated state of Tristan’s girls, she wasn’t having any part of making a single De Rozier wait to come here. She’s rallied the troops to get their dorm built as soon as possible.
And it’s not just Le Roux working. She wrangled Luke and some of his frat boys who come from both the Robichaux and Veilleux clans. A couple of them are also warriors I train for the Robichaux, and I’m trying my best to avoid them. No need for awkward moments that could reveal I’m sharing all the Le Roux warrior secrets with another clan. So while I’d much rather be doing physical labor, I’m in the kitchen, helping Annie prepare to feed them.
A light breeze blows through the open windows. With all the foot traffic going in and out, Annie turned off the air conditioning, and I’m in the least amount of clothing I can get away with to counteract my overheated body.
Sweat trickles down between my breasts as I smear mayonnaise on a piece of bread, and an evil thought about Luke’s tongue crosses my mind. Annie pulls me from my fantasy when she says, “As soon as you run out of the turkey, you can start on the ham.”
A pile of sandwich meat slaps on the counter next to me as I say, “Got it.”
“When you get a chance, you must thank Luke for me.” Annie is by the window and watching the men.
Most aren’t wearing shirts, and I can’t help but tease her. “They do offer quite the view, don’t they?”
She turns to me and takes it like a champ. “Yes, they sure do. Tristan’s lucky he’s got the true mate bond going for him.”
“Annie!” I chuckle. “I didn’t know you had it in you.” I let out a cat-like growl. “Does my brother know you’ve got a cougar thing?”
She gives me a stern look. “I don’t think jealousy would become him. Do you?”
“No. Most definitely not.” I know she’s bantering back, but I suspect she’s half serious, so I wink. “Your secret is safe with me.”
“Thanks.” She glances out at the work site again and says, “What’s most amazing is seeing Veilleux on Le Roux land.” Annie turns back and makes her way to the oven. The door opens with a light click as she checks on the pies.
I know that the two clans have a long-standing rivalry, and Luke told me he was surprised when a couple of his Veilleux frat brothers offered to help. I wonder if they did it out of curiosity. I also know Annie dreams of peace in the kingdom, so I say, “I think it’s great.”
She says, “You know, I’d never wish for a clan to lose their alpha, or any member for that matter, but maybe without a strong leader, they’re not as inundated with the hatred our clans harbor against each other.”
I recall discussions with Luke about our takeover plan, and he told me he had Lily Veilleux, their prima, in his back pocket. “I thought Lily was their alpha.”
“No, she’s just the acting leader until one of her step-children is old enough to become alpha.”
No Veilleux alpha. No wonder Luke says they’ll be no trouble for us. That clan is extremely vulnerable, and we should be able to sway them to our side with a few well-placed spells. A smile forms on my face as I imagine being prima of an entire kingdom. People following my every command...
“Isabelle?”
I shake my head and realize I’m holding my knife midair as I fantasize. “Oh. Sorry.” I shrug at Annie. “Just imagining what the kingdom might be like once we have peace.”
Annie taps my arm as she walks by. “Pretty wonderful dream, isn’t it?” She pours dressing over a bowl of pasta and sliced vegetables.
To be in charge of my own life and destiny? You have no idea. “Yeah.”
My happy place is quickly shattered when I hear the maniacal laugh of Helga. She’s outside with the triplets and a couple of girls I don’t know. We’re days away from the summer solstice, and my mother’s got to be barely contained. I glance over at Annie when the swishing of her spoon stops, and I find concern etched on her face. I ask, “How’s it going with Helga?”
She sighs. “Your brother told me about her condition.”
Condition? That’s one way of describing it.
Annie continues as she resumes tossing the noodles. “So we got her a guard. Only we told Helga we needed another nanny for the girls.” She glances up from the bowl to ask, “Do you think she’s okay around the g
irls? I mean, she’s so happy that it can’t be bad, can it?”
I recall my summers as a child with my mother. It was the reprieve that made you question if the past winter had really happened. Sure, she had us do some crazy things, but it was fun. “As long as there’s supervision to keep her from getting them to jump off the roof, it’s fine.”
“Okay.” Annie begins to rearrange the sandwiches I’ve been making, even though they don’t need it. She asks, “Isabelle?”
I think she wants to talk about my childhood, and I shut her down quickly. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to use the bathroom.” The textured kitchen towel is rough on my skin as I wipe my hands before I leave. She may think she can save Tristan, but if my train is on a crash course, then nobody can stop it.
As I approach the bathroom, I hear the groans of two werebears going at it. And when they reach their crescendo, I know I’ve managed to catch the tail end of it. I shake my head as I walk down the hall, but when a girl giggles, I realize the couple is in the bathroom I was going to use. I knock to let them know to hurry it along.
I’m surprised to see Lucy come out and even more shocked when Sven follows her. I squint at Lucy. “I trust you cleaned up after yourself.”
She offers me a sweet smile that can only be the afterglow of her recent activity. “Of course.” Sven nods at me as she drags him along.
The door clicks shut behind me after I enter, and my teeth gleam in the reflection of the mirror as I lick my lips. I send a telepathic message to Luke. “Lucy isn’t going to be a problem either.”
Chapter 4
Isabelle
I hate to say it, but Annie’s going to be a great prima. Hammers are tapping, and a saw whines loudly as a voice rises above the din to give an order. I glance around at all the werebears she managed to get to help build the De Rozier clan’s temporary housing. Once she saw Sven’s physical condition and the emaciated state of Tristan’s girls, she wasn’t having any part of making a single De Rozier wait to come here. She’s rallied the troops to get their dorm built as soon as possible.
And it’s not just Le Roux working. She wrangled Luke and some of his frat boys who come from both the Robichaux and Veilleux clans. A couple of them are also warriors I train for the Robichaux, and I’m trying my best to avoid them. No need for awkward moments that could reveal I’m sharing all the Le Roux warrior secrets with another clan. So while I’d much rather be doing physical labor, I’m in the kitchen, helping Annie prepare to feed them.
A light breeze blows through the open windows. With all the foot traffic going in and out, Annie turned off the air conditioning, and I’m in the least amount of clothing I can get away with to counteract my overheated body.
Sweat trickles down between my breasts as I smear mayonnaise on a piece of bread, and an evil thought about Luke’s tongue crosses my mind. Annie pulls me from my fantasy when she says, “As soon as you run out of the turkey, you can start on the ham.”
A pile of sandwich meat slaps on the counter next to me as I say, “Got it.”
“When you get a chance, you must thank Luke for me.” Annie is by the window and watching the men.
Most aren’t wearing shirts, and I can’t help but tease her. “They do offer quite the view, don’t they?”
She turns to me and takes it like a champ. “Yes, they sure do. Tristan’s lucky he’s got the true mate bond going for him.”
“Annie!” I chuckle. “I didn’t know you had it in you.” I let out a cat-like growl. “Does my brother know you’ve got a cougar thing?”
She gives me a stern look. “I don’t think jealousy would become him. Do you?”
“No. Most definitely not.” I know she’s bantering back, but I suspect she’s half serious, so I wink. “Your secret is safe with me.”
“Thanks.” She glances out at the work site again and says, “What’s most amazing is seeing Veilleux on Le Roux land.” Annie turns back and makes her way to the oven. The door opens with a light click as she checks on the pies.
I know that the two clans have a long-standing rivalry, and Luke told me he was surprised when a couple of his Veilleux frat brothers offered to help. I wonder if they did it out of curiosity. I also know Annie dreams of peace in the kingdom, so I say, “I think it’s great.”
She says, “You know, I’d never wish for a clan to lose their alpha, or any member for that matter, but maybe without a strong leader, they’re not as inundated with the hatred our clans harbor against each other.”
I recall discussions with Luke about our takeover plan, and he told me he had Lily Veilleux, their prima, in his back pocket. “I thought Lily was their alpha.”
“No, she’s just the acting leader until one of her step-children is old enough to become alpha.”
No Veilleux alpha. No wonder Luke says they’ll be no trouble for us. That clan is extremely vulnerable, and we should be able to sway them to our side with a few well-placed spells. A smile forms on my face as I imagine being prima of an entire kingdom. People following my every command...
“Isabelle?”
I shake my head and realize I’m holding my knife midair as I fantasize. “Oh. Sorry.” I shrug at Annie. “Just imagining what the kingdom might be like once we have peace.”
Annie taps my arm as she walks by. “Pretty wonderful dream, isn’t it?” She pours dressing over a bowl of pasta and sliced vegetables.
To be in charge of my own life and destiny? You have no idea. “Yeah.”
My happy place is quickly shattered when I hear the maniacal laugh of Helga. She’s outside with the triplets and a couple of girls I don’t know. We’re days away from the summer solstice, and my mother’s got to be barely contained. I glance over at Annie when the swishing of her spoon stops, and I find concern etched on her face. I ask, “How’s it going with Helga?”
She sighs. “Your brother told me about her condition.”
Condition? That’s one way of describing it.
Annie continues as she resumes tossing the noodles. “So we got her a guard. Only we told Helga we needed another nanny for the girls.” She glances up from the bowl to ask, “Do you think she’s okay around the girls? I mean, she’s so happy that it can’t be bad, can it?”
I recall my summers as a child with my mother. It was the reprieve that made you question if the past winter had really happened. Sure, she had us do some crazy things, but it was fun. “As long as there’s supervision to keep her from getting them to jump off the roof, it’s fine.”
“Okay.” Annie begins to rearrange the sandwiches I’ve been making, even though they don’t need it. She asks, “Isabelle?”
I think she wants to talk about my childhood, and I shut her down quickly. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to use the bathroom.” The textured kitchen towel is rough on my skin as I wipe my hands before I leave. She may think she can save Tristan, but if my train is on a crash course, then nobody can stop it.
As I approach the bathroom, I hear the groans of two werebears going at it. And when they reach their crescendo, I know I’ve managed to catch the tail end of it. I shake my head as I walk down the hall, but when a girl giggles, I realize the couple is in the bathroom I was going to use. I knock to let them know to hurry it along.
I’m surprised to see Lucy come out and even more shocked when Sven follows her. I squint at Lucy. “I trust you cleaned up after yourself.”
She offers me a sweet smile that can only be the afterglow of her recent activity. “Of course.” Sven nods at me as she drags him along.
The door clicks shut behind me after I enter, and my teeth gleam in the reflection of the mirror as I lick my lips. I send a telepathic message to Luke. “Lucy isn’t going to be a problem either.”
Chapter 5
Lucy
What a bitch. Isabelle’s probably had sex on every surface she can think of, and she’s worried about me cleaning up after myself? I shake it off as I lean into Sven. He wraps his arm around my waist, and the warmth melts away
my annoyance as he asks, “Ready to learn about trusses?”
“That’s for the roof, right?”
Sven raises his eyebrows.
I smile at his surprise. He doesn’t know about the power of search engines yet. I gave myself a crash course on house construction to get ready for today. I think the sooner Sven has his clan here, the more comfortable he’ll become. I imagine moving to a climate different from what you grew up in has to be difficult, and being without any friends can’t be much easier. At least Sven has me.
His shirt is damp with sweat, and I move away from him as I pluck at it. “You might want to take this off like the other guys have.”
Sven gazes down at me. “Do you want to show me off?”
I roll my eyes at him. “Yes. That’s it. How did you know?”
The loud bang of lumber being dropped carries over to us as he chuckles and then says, “I’m trying to get used to your weather and customs. If I take my shirt off now, what will I do in July?”
I reach behind him to squeeze his butt. “Take off your pants too?”
He lets out a low growl. “You really shouldn’t make those kinds of suggestions. You know how I hate clothes.” He reaches behind his head with one hand to remove his T-shirt. I doubt he has any idea how sexy that move is, and I take a moment to appreciate his rippling muscles.
I say, “If you keep undressing like that, I won’t stop asking.”
He cuts me a sideways glance instead of responding, because one of the guys is approaching us. A blond man I guess is a Le Roux asks, “Can you come take a look at something?”
“Yeah,” says Sven.
I’m about to follow him when I notice Tori with Keith. What’s she doing here? I say, “Hey, I’ll catch up with you later.”
Sven nods in acknowledgement, and I walk over to Tori. I don’t know what Keith is thinking, because there are a lot of Veilleux here, and we can’t be sure Patricia didn’t send in someone dangerous.
