by V. Vaughn
“I can’t remember the last time I got mad. Annoyed? Yes. But mad?” I shrug. “Nope.”
“So what about in high school? Didn’t you fight with your sisters over clothes or boys or something?”
I grin. “Yeah, my sister Nessa and I had some good ones. Okay.” I close my eyes and recall how judgmental Nessa could be. I think about the wild boyfriend I had who was so not appropriate for me in my sister’s eyes. My brow furrows at the memory as a low rumble begins in my chest. A presence in my body makes itself known, and I imagine a hole opening up for my bear to climb out. The ache of yesterday flares up, and a thud sounds as the shock of impact radiates through my arms.
I open my eyes and glance down at my massive feet. All four of them. I communicate with Keith. “I did it!”
“Yes, you did. Ready to run?”
“Let’s go.”
The earth below my feet seems to shudder a little as I move. While I’m definitely larger, I think it’s more from the sheer power I have in bear form. Keith and I run at speeds much greater than I could ever accomplish as a human. When each foot falls, my powerful muscles propel me into the next step as Keith and I run along a trail. My skin is loose on my body, and it’s like wearing comfortable clothing as it ripples along with my strides.
The trail opens up to a rock ledge, where we stop at the edge to peer down into a river. Water rushes, and I flash to a scene in an old movie I watched once where the two cowboys jump from a cliff into a rushing river too. Keith says, “Ready to jump in?”
It looks high to me, but I trust my mate, and when he goes, I follow him. I might have peed a little before we hit the water though, because it felt like we were in the air for a long time. The sensation of being in the river is odd. It takes a moment for my fur to saturate before the cool temperature hits my skin. But once I start to swim, I feel as if I were born for this.
Keith leads me to an area where rocks poke up above the rushing current. He climbs onto one, and my nails scrape on the hard surface as I scramble up to sit next to him. The stone is warm from the sun, and I lie down to absorb the heat. I ask, “So this is what you do when you shift? Goof off?”
“Sometimes, but not always.” He pauses for a moment, and I wonder what he’s not telling me before he adds, “Hopefully that’s all you’ll ever do.”
I don’t want to dwell on the potential dangers of being a werebear, so I ask, “Will you show me where you fish? I’m hungry.”
Keith rises and dives into the water. I follow him as he heads toward a shallow section. When he stands up, I go to his side, and he communicates with me, “All you have to do is watch for them.” Water splashes as he swipes his paw through it and lifts out a squirming fish he speared with a claw.
“Wow.” The dank odor of river fish is strong and strangely attractive as my stomach growls in response. I stare into the river, and when I notice a silver flash, I reach in and pierce my own snack. I’m so excited that I got one on my first try, I toss it into the air to catch it in my mouth. Its slightly sweet flavor is delicious, and I gobble it down.
After we have our fill of trout, Keith and I head home. I shift back easily by imagining my human skin swallowing up my bear.
I gaze over at the man across from me as I grin. “That was freaking amazing.”
He smiles back. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. It would really suck if you didn’t.”
“What sucks right now is I’m so exhausted I can hardly stand.” I glance down at his long, thick cock at full mast. “But there’s a naked man who seems to have other ideas.”
Keith grabs my arms lightly as he pulls me against his body. “Being with you is always on my mind.”
I wrap my arms around him, and the warmth of his skin is comforting. The scent of his arousal wakes up my sexual urges. Apparently he’s not the only one with sex on their mind. I ask, “Maybe a nap before dinner?”
Keith’s strong arm slides under my thighs as he scoops me up. “Now we’re talking.”
I lean against him as he carries me into the house. His scent has become so intoxicating to me, it’s like a drug, and even though I should rest, all I can think about is him filling me. The true mate connection we have is the strongest of our kind, and with it comes the knowledge that neither of us will ever fall out of love. We’re together for life, and that appeals to me so much, a silly grin covers my face.
Keith’s bare feet thud softly over the wood floor as he approaches the stairs. I glance over at the window that takes up an entire wall and notice the lounge chair where we first made love. I recall how incredible I thought the experience was. I had no idea how much more incredible it would be as a werebear.
When we get to the bedroom, Keith lays me down on the bed gently. The mattress is like a cloud underneath me as I sink in. The man I love lies down next to me, and the hair on his legs is coarse on my skin as he entwines his limbs with mine. I sigh, “I love you. Can you believe we’re going to grow old together?”
“Does that overwhelm you?”
I shake my head. “I suppose it should, but no. It makes me happy.” A lock of his hair slips through my fingers as I move it away from his face. “You’re my forever, and that’s how I want it. I can’t believe I’m so lucky.”
“What we have, Tori, isn’t luck. It’s destiny.” He brushes my lips with his, and when he pulls away, the muscles in his neck flex under my hand as I tug him back for more. My heart is so full, it might burst. And to think, so much more is in our future.
Chapter 5
Isabelle
When we get to the police station in the small Canadian town, the first things I notice are the flower beds. They appear to be freshly planted, judging by the empty plastic containers and dirt strewn across the walkway to the front door. When my mother pops up from behind a bush, she waves to us. I shake my head as I say, “Looks like they found a way to burn off her excess energy. I don’t even want to know how she managed to arrange this.”
Tristan sighs before he gets out of the car. Helga comes toward us with open arms. “My lovely children.” She turns to a man I assume is her guard. “Marcus, meet my darlings.”
I notice a heavy black cuff around her ankle. I wonder if she’d be shocked if she left the grounds, and fight my smile as I picture it. While the last thing I want to do is hug my mother, I also know better than to irritate her in this state, so I give her a light embrace, and her bony hands grasp at my back as if she’s glad to have me within her clutches. I work with the crazy-old-lady excuse we’ve got happening here. “Mother, we were quite worried about you.”
Tristan plays along too and says, “I’m glad you’re okay.”
Marcus says to us, “I’ve heard so much about you two. Helga is quite proud of your accomplishments.”
I fight the urge to roll my eyes as I imagine what they think Tristan and I do. My brother’s probably a brain surgeon while I’m an actress or maybe something more scandalous, like a stripper, because Marcus makes no attempt to hide his perusal of my body. He says, “Let’s all go inside and get this sorted out.”
Helga pouts. “Oh, no. Can’t I stay out here and keep planting?”
“I can watch her,” I say.
When Marcus looks at me, I cut my gaze to my mother’s ankle, and he nods. “Sure.” He turns to Helga. “You keep up the good work, and we’ll come get you when it’s almost time to go. The guys are going to want to say goodbye.”
You’d think she was here on holiday. But I keep my snide comments to myself as I follow Helga to where she was planting. The aroma of rich earth floats around us, and I crouch down to dig as instructed. The woman chatters on nonstop, and I couldn’t follow her conversation if I tried. Helga’s exhausting like this, but the situation could be so much worse, so I grin and bear it.
When Marcus returns, I stand and slap the dirt off my knees. He says, “Helga, our grounds have never looked so good. We may have to get you to come back and take care of these every year.”
She giggles
like a schoolgirl and takes the arm he offers. “You flatter an old lady, Marcus.”
He winks at her, and I want to gag. He says, “Come with me, and we’ll get you headed on your way.”
I follow them into the police station. Tristan is in the lobby, chatting with a man in the lobby, and I wonder how much this adventure cost him. A click sounds as Marcus removes Helga’s ankle cuff, and he hands it to a portly woman who has come out from behind the counter. She hugs my mother as if they’re best friends, and I swear there are tears in Helga’s eyes. I nearly choke on the snide comments I want to make as she says her goodbyes with the men as if they’re close relatives. I bet if they knew what she did to their colleagues years ago, they wouldn’t be so willing to humor her.
Tristan’s patience is running thin, and he finally takes Helga by the arm and says, “We really need to get going, Mother.” He turns to Marcus and his men. “Thank you all for being so accepting of this. We appreciate it.”
Marcus says, “No problem. Your mother is lucky to have you.”
I offer him my best smile and lie through my teeth. “We’re lucky to have her too. Thank you for your kindness.”
We parked out back next to Annie’s Hummer, the vehicle Helga took for her adventure. Birds chirp in the trees as a light breeze blows around us while we walk. Tristan says, “Brady and Ashton are meeting us at the gas station.” We need someone to drive Annie’s car once we get back to mine. He hands me the keys to his vehicle. “Mother, you can ride with me.”
I flash him a grateful smile and climb into his Hummer. The black leather has soaked up heat from the sun, and it’s stifling when I shut the door. I crank the AC and unroll the windows. I glance at the gardens in front of the police station as we drive away. They are beautiful and are a testament to the kind person my mother can be. If only it could last.
I spend the forty-five-minute ride singing to music. I block out the bad memories of my mother and focus on the good times. I’m in such a good mood by the time I get to the gas station that I offer to take Helga into the convenience store for the bathroom and a snack while we wait for Brady and Ashton.
The restroom is in the back of the store, and I open the door to scan it quickly. A faint scent of urine wafts toward me as I notice the room is without windows. I sigh in relief as I step out of the way to let Helga in. She glares at me. “I’m not going anywhere, Izzy.”
Uh-oh, her mood has flattened out to the no-filter stage. I need to get her out of here. “I know, Mom. I was just checking to make sure there’s toilet paper for you.”
I keep a careful eye on the bathroom door, and packages of sweets rustle in my hands as I grab a variety for Helga. When she emerges, I ask, “What would you like to drink?”
“Strawberry milk.” Her voice is monotone, and if I thought I could just walk her out of here without a scene, I would.
Bottles rattle in the refrigerator as she searches. She turns to snap at me. “They don’t have any. What kind of place doesn’t have strawberry milk?”
“I don’t know.” I grip her arm firmly as I lead her to the checkout counter. “We can try at the next stop.”
As we walk, she grabs a package of chips, and the bag tears when she opens it. I hope the distraction of eating the salty snack will keep her occupied while I pay. The man with the bad teeth is behind the counter, and I dump the treats on the surface. While he bags them up, I let go of my mother to pull out two twenties. I say, “We really need to go. You can keep the change.”
He frowns at me in confusion as I grab the bag and take Helga’s arm again, but she shakes me off and asks the man, “Do you know you don’t have any strawberry milk?”
I tense and say, “Tristan really needs us to hurry.”
I grab her arm forcefully as the guy says, “Yeah. We don’t carry it.”
“Mother,” I say.
She lets out a low growl, and I tug at her, sure this isn’t going to end well. Helga digs her heels in and says, “You’re hurting me.” She turns to the man and says, “My kids are always hurting me.”
He’s confused by what’s happening, and his gaze darts from my mother to me. My mother’s claws poke out, and desperation makes me yank her so we can get out before the man notices. She stumbles at the sudden force, and the man yells, “Hey!” as he steps out from behind the counter.
I move between him and Helga and say, “Don’t.”
But it doesn’t stop him from grabbing my arm to try to get me away from her.
Now Helga growls loudly, and the man’s eyes widen in shock. In a flash, she swipes out her hand and slices his cheek as she says, “You really should have strawberry milk.”
Oh shit. I call for help. “Tristan!”
Blood gushes from the man as he reaches up to touch his face. He’s got to be in shock, because he just stares at the blood as he asks in confusion, “What the hell?”
I grab Helga’s hand and pull with all my might as I say, “Time to go.”
But she manages to lash out once more, and her claws shred his neck. The squeak of the door telling me Tristan has just entered is faint compared to the thud of the man’s body. Blood squirts up from an artery as Helga says, “That’s for not brushing your teeth like your mother told you.”
Tristan’s voice is low and all alpha when he says, “Mother, get in my Hummer. Now.” I stare down at the man lying in a pool of blood. Not again. The arterial push is gone, which tells me his heart has stopped. He’s dead. The weight of Tristan’s hand on my shoulder makes me jump, and I force myself to gain control before he says to me, “Restrain her. Get me Brady and Ashton.”
Even though Helga would like to shift and run off, she can’t because Tristan gave her a direct order, although I only have about a minute before her free will returns, so I shove her out the door as I force her arms behind her back and hold on with a death grip. Brady and Ashton are approaching the building, and I fight a wave of nausea as I say, “Tristan needs you.”
I glance around the parking lot as we make our way to the Hummer. I’m thankful nobody else is around. While the need to act has adrenaline rushing through my bloodstream, a greater fear fills my heart. “God damn it, Helga.”
The door to Tristan’s Hummer groans open, and my mother scrambles into the backseat as I push her. Metal is cold in my fingers when I handcuff her to the panic handle. She struggles with me, but Helga’s human form is no match for mine, and I shackle her ankles too. If she tried to shift, the metal would cut into her flesh. But to be sure, the restraints are made of an iron alloy that even a polar bear can’t bend. I’ve seen them sever a paw during an uncontrolled shift. I know I’m safe enough to drive.
My mother screams obscenities at me, but I ignore them as I communicate with Tristan. “I’m getting her out of here. We’ll take an indirect route to avoid attention.” Gravel spits up from the tires of the Hummer as I peel out onto the road. The vision of the man’s blood spraying like a fountain makes bile rise up in my throat. My mother stops screaming, and the passenger seat shudders as she kicks at it instead, like a child having a temper tantrum. I ask, “Why the hell did you have to go and kill that man, Mother?” Pain radiates through my arm as I slam the steering wheel hard enough it splinters with the impact, and I have to use the inner portion of it to steer.
I glance in the rearview mirror and connect with the hate in my mother’s eyes as she glares at me. Tristan thinks I’m taking her home, and I really wish I were. But I’m not. It’s time to put an end to Helga’s reign of terror.
Chapter 6
Lucy
Poor Annie is beside herself, wondering what’s going on with Tristan and Helga. Tristan contacted her earlier to say Helga was in jail and that he and Isabelle were going to bail her out. But that was hours ago.
The plastic of an outlet cover is slick on my fingers as I screw it into the wall. The house for the incoming De Roziers is in the finishing stages, and I’m in awe of how quickly it’s come together. Annie’s voice carries to me. �
�No, no, no. Seriously? This room was supposed to have the blue carpet, not brown.” I glance over to where she’s talking to the installers, and when she throws up her hands to walk away, I decide she might need some assistance.
My tool thuds when I set it down, and I stand up to go over to Annie. She turns to me, and her brow is knit as she says, “Nothing is going right.”
“I know. Let’s take a walk.”
“Good idea. I need to get out of here before I say something I’ll regret.” A drill whirls as we move past a room, and the distinct odor of paint fills the air. When we get outside, Annie takes a deep breath.
I ask, “Any word from Tristan?”
“No. And it’s making me crazy. I don’t want to be the clingy mate begging for an update, but a little contact would be nice.”
“I know it’s got to be hard, and I’m preaching to the choir here, but he’s probably too busy to think about the things he knows are fine.” The trickle of a fountain is soothing as we get closer to the center of Annie’s courtyard.
She bumps her body against mine as we step onto the flagstone path. “You’re right. Some days I wish I were the alpha who could talk to anyone whenever I wanted.”
“I used to hope to be the alpha too,” I say. Luke and I are the twin children of the Robichaux clan’s alpha, my mother, Marion. I recall the arguments we’d have as children about who would eventually be the leader of our clan. I wanted to be alpha so I’d get to order him around. The joke was on us though, because it turns out we had an older sister who would end our fight once and for all. Too bad we didn’t know about Carly back then.
I add, “Watching what goes on firsthand, I’m really glad I’m not the leader. I don’t think I’d be cut out for having all that stress in my life.”
“True.” Annie stoops to deadhead a flower. “Besides, I’ve got my own stress. Half of the De Rozier clan will be here tomorrow, and the single-women’s wing has brown carpet.”
