“I’m so tired,” she admitted, following her statement up with a yawn. “Thank you.”
“You are welcome, Ada,” he replied and pointed to the bedroom. “Climb in. I’ll be out here if you need anything.”
“Goodnight, Rex,” she whispered while she avoided any eye contact.
As she climbed into the bed, pulling the covers over her body, she didn’t even have time to think about the male in the other room or what was going to come the next day or the day after that before her eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep.
It could’ve been an hour or four days, but as soon as Ada opened her eyes, she screamed when she saw a male sitting in a chair across the room. Rex stood up and held his hands out in front of himself.
“Ada, it’s just me,” he spoke calmly.
“What are you doing?” she panted.
“You were crying in your sleep, sweetheart,” he said, returning to the chair. The only light was from a nightlight in the bathroom, and a glance at the clock told her it was just after midnight.
“I’m sorry,” she sighed. “I don’t even know why I was doing that.”
“I came in here about an hour ago when I heard you,” he explained. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“I am,” she replied and sat up in the bed. “I can’t thank you enough for letting me stay here. I have nowhere else to go.”
“Right now, we need to worry about getting you healthy,” he said, relaxing more in the chair. Ada watched as he crossed his ankle over the top of his knee, leaning his left arm on the armrest of the chair. The long hair that all bear shifter males sported fell to one side when he used his other hand to run his fingers through the strands. It only took a few seconds for his scent to reach her nose.
“Oh, god,” she whispered, inhaling. “It’s your mating scent.”
Males carried a mating scent that would become more and more prevalent when they were around their mates. With Ada having been so tired and hungry, she was affected by the scent, but she didn’t even realize how strong Rex’s scent really was until that moment.
“Roses,” Rex breathed, inhaling deep. “I scented them when I found you, but I was in too much shock to realize what was going on.”
Ada wanted to reach out to him, but she wasn’t ready. She couldn’t even sit up long enough to eat a meal let alone consummate a mating. “Rex, I can’t.”
“I know,” he said, giving a short nod. “You are in no shape.”
“I’m not even appealing right now,” she said in disgust, looking down at her tiny body. “I think I’ve lost thirty pounds over the winter.”
“You’re beautiful the way you are,” he replied, and stood from his seat. His brows pushed forward with concern. “Don’t ever think you’re not appealing, Ada Carlisle.”
“Thank you, Rex,” she whispered.
“I would never touch a female to force a mating,” he began, then sat on the edge of the bed. The closer he got, the more she could scent him. “I can wait for you.”
“I appreciate that,” she said, a soft blush making her cheeks warm. “Not all males are like you and your brothers.”
“Why don’t you get some more sleep?” he suggested. “I’ll go back to the couch. If you need me, just call out and I’ll come back in.”
Ada nodded and pulled the covers over her body. She watched as he left the room but didn’t close the door. She felt bad, because the couch couldn’t be very comfortable for a man his size, but he would probably argue with her if she even thought about trading with him.
Chapter 3
Rex couldn’t sleep. By the time the sun came over the horizon, he was dragging ass as he poured a cup of coffee. After Ada had fallen asleep the first time, he’d gotten comfortable on his couch and closed his eyes for about an hour before a noise from his room had woke him.
Ada was whimpering and shivering in her sleep, and he was helpless to do anything to console her. He stood over her for a moment and whispered soft words to her. She settled after ten minutes, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave the room. When she woke an hour later, his mating scent was strong enough to trigger her own.
There was no way he would have touched her last night. As much as his bear pushed at him to climb in that bed, Rex had fought the mating instinct and kept his ass in the chair. When she voiced her opinion on how she looked, he finally gave in and moved closer, but that was as close as he would get. Mostly, he had moved closer to appease his bear. Ada’s worry over her appearance was unwarranted. It didn’t matter her size…she was beautiful.
“How’s Ada?” Tessa asked as she entered the kitchen.
“She had a rough night of sleep,” he answered, taking a healthy sip of hot coffee.
“Looks like you did, too,” she replied, nodding toward his face. “Did you sleep at all?”
“No,” he huffed.
“She’s going to be okay, but it’s going to take a while,” Tessa assured him.
“I want to kill her clan leader,” he admitted out loud. “I don’t understand how one of our own kind could do that to a female.”
“Just like the humans who killed your parents, there are evil ones in every species,” Tessa stated, pulling a bottle of juice from the refrigerator so she could pour a large glass for herself. “I remember telling your brother that once.”
“I guess you’re right,” he scowled.
“You already care for her?” Tessa asked, throwing him a knowing look.
“She’s my mate, but I haven’t touched her.”
“It took you long enough to figure that out,” she teased, dramatically rolling her eyes. “I saw the way you looked at her yesterday. You may not have noticed it, but we all did.”
“I’m an idiot,” he chuckled.
“Well, why don’t you make her something to eat?” Tessa suggested. “I’m going to my room to feed Aria.”
“Good idea,” he mumbled.
“Oh, and Rex?” She paused before leaving the room.
“Yeah?”
“Take her shopping,” she urged. “Ada needs clothes that fit her and is something she can call her own.”
After Tessa left, Rex called Drake to check on him and Gunnar as they finished up prepping the field he had worked on the day before. They still had several more plots of land to work on over the next three weeks. Rain was expected later that day and into the next, and they needed to work while they could.
He worked quickly to get food ready for Ada. He didn’t want her to have to lift a finger today, and feeding her was going to be a top priority. He made himself a plate and took both to the kitchen table.
Rex felt her presence as she entered the living room. When he turned around, she was there with sleepy eyes and her hair was a little messy around her head. She used her fingers to comb out the tangles and glanced at the food.
“Sit, and I’ll make you some coffee,” Rex directed.
“Thank you,” she said. He smiled as he watched her fold her tiny legs underneath herself as she picked up her fork.
They sat in silence while they ate. He tried his best not to stare at her, but it was hard because he was sitting next to his potential mate. He wanted to know everything about her, but he worried asking about her life was going to be hard for her to relive.
“You’re staring at me,” she said, pausing as she lifted the fork to her mouth.
“I’m sorry,” he said, leaning back in the chair. “I have so many questions.”
“Like?” she pressed.
“Were you mistreated growing up?” he blurted. That wasn’t the most eloquently put question, but he needed to know.
“It wasn’t a terrible life,” she replied. Rex didn’t urge her to continue. He could see her mind working as she paused. There was a sadness in her brown eyes that he wanted to wash away. “Robert O’Kelly was an unloving male and didn’t have much to do with me when I was in my early teens. It wasn’t until my twentieth birthday when he started acting like he cared
for me.”
“Did he ever hurt you?”
“No,” she sighed. “I know my life could’ve been worse, and there were some days, when he started bringing males around the house, I was fearful of what was going to happen. Each and every time they would touch me and there wasn’t a mating, I would go to my room and cry because I was so happy I wasn’t going to be going home with any of them.”
“How many males were in your clan?” Rex needed to know how many of those motherfuckers he was going to need to kill.
“Seven males and three females,” she answered. “Two of the males and females are mated. The mated females watched out for me most of the time, but Robert kept close tabs on me. The other female recently turned twenty, so I fear for her.”
“What’s her name?”
“Anna Claire O’Kelly, and she’s his daughter,” Ada replied. “I don’t know what’s going to happen to her, Rex. She’s just a kid, and her mother is dead. I think Robert killed her after he killed my parents.”
“Why did he kill your parents?”
“I really don’t know,” she said, tears building in her eyes.
“Please don’t cry, sweetheart,” Rex begged. “I can’t touch you to give you comfort, and right now, I just want to carry you back to my room so you can grieve in my arms.”
“I’m sorry,” she sniffled, wiping away tears. “I haven’t cried since they died, and I should be stronger than this, but look at me.”
“I am looking at you, Ada,” he whispered and scooted back from the table. “You are strong, and you will continue to get stronger over the next few weeks. After that, we will go to your old clan and serve justice. No clan should be run by an evil man such as Robert O’Kelly.”
“I just want to make sure Anna Claire is okay,” she worried, looking up at him with tears in her eyes. “If she’s not, we have to do something, Rex.”
“We will take care of everything,” he promised, making a note to call in to the sheriff. Maybe Garrett Lynch could help them bring down Robert O’Kelly.
Gaia sat in her office at the diner with her eyes closed. She’d willed warmer weather the day before so the female in the woods behind the Morgan’s home would be found. Rex’s mate was out there, and it was now his turn to produce another cub for the Morgan line.
She didn’t want him to have to find Ada this way, but there had to be a balance in the world. It was Gaia’s way. Things always happened for a reason, and this one was going to be a hard lesson for the good of the earth.
Regardless of her powers, she couldn’t control evil. She couldn’t stop the bad ones from disrupting the balance with nature. All shifters were born pure, but over time, ones like Robert O’Kelly turned into monsters because of greed and the need for power over their territories.
With the dawn of a new day, she had ordered rain to come in for a day and a half. It was imperative Rex and Ada not spend anytime away from each other. Their bond would be unbreakable, but the female bear needed time to heal.
There was a fight coming, and all of the Morgan clan would need to be ready. She couldn’t interfere, but she could make sure their lands were protected and their crops were bountiful for the fall harvest. It was the least she could do for the sons of her friend and the sister of her heart.
Oh, how she missed her. If there had been a way to save them the night the human males came to rob them at their business, Gaia would’ve rained hellfire down on them, but she didn’t know the future for them. She couldn’t disrupt the balance. All she could do now was care for the bears in her own way, thanking them for their love of the land and earth by helping them find their mates.
Ada was fed up with resting. She and Rex had watched two movies while a spring storm raged outside. Not that she heard much of it from his private living room underground. She loved his space, and she wished she’d had something like it growing up.
Her clan kept to their homes, locking all the doors and windows during the winter. There was food, but it was limited. By the time they would emerge in the spring, Ada would have to hunt with the others to bring home meat for their spring feast.
The O’Kelly clan was poor, extremely so. What little they had, they divided amongst themselves, but Robert always took more because of his status. She hated him for it. The other clan members scraped together what they could from the small salaries they earned working at a warehouse twenty miles from the clan’s land. Of course, Robert took part of their paychecks, as well.
He never cared for them, and Ada had always wished one of the other males would overthrow him, but they never challenged him. She didn’t understand why, either.
Tessa knocked on the door and brought Ada out of her thoughts. The female was holding her infant against her chest as she patted the cub’s back. “Drake is back with the truck.”
“Oh, okay, thanks,” Rex said, reaching for the remote. Tessa smiled at Ada and left as quickly as she had come.
“What’s that all about?”
“You need clothes, so I’m going to take you shopping,” he said, standing from his seat in the recliner sitting next to the couch. He’d given her the couch to stretch out on while they watched television.
“I can’t ask you to spend money on me.” She paused. How else was she going to find clothes? She didn’t have any money, nor did she have a job.
“You can’t wear the same thing every day, Ada,” he huffed. “Let’s run into town, and I’ll take care of everything.”
“I’ll pay you back,” she insisted.
He just smiled and stepped into his bedroom to grab his wallet. She didn’t have anything to change into, so they were out the door in no time.
The ride into Olive Branch took about twenty minutes. When they arrived at the department store, she promised herself she’d only get three days’ worth of clothes and underwear. She didn’t want to spend a lot of Rex’s money, and she could always change up her outfits if she bought jeans with different colored tops.
Ada thumbed through the racks while Rex hovered nearby. He kept an eye out on anyone who came within ten feet of her, and she wasn’t upset. Knowing he was possibly her mate made what he was doing okay in her book.
Males were supposed to protect their females. They wouldn’t let another male get close for fear of the pain a female would experience should she be touched. Hell, she and Rex still hadn’t touched each other, but his actions were that of a mated male.
“Is that all you’re going to get?” he asked, frowning at the two pairs of jeans and three shirts she had folded over her left arm. He held a shoebox with a pair of sneakers inside.
“I need some undergarments,” she blushed.
“Right this way,” he instructed, then winked and held his hand out for her to go ahead of him. She didn’t ask him to stay in the aisle while she shopped for her bras and panties, but she was thankful he was giving her a little privacy to look for the things she needed.
She didn’t want to grab anything too sexy, and she surely didn’t want to pick anything too plain. In the end, she settled on something practical, but with a little bit of lace, and shoved it between a blue top and a pair of jeans. It didn’t matter that she hid it, because when they got to the register, the human female checking them out picked up the items and scanned them individually while Rex stood there silently with his credit card.
“Thank you,” she said as they left the store.
“You’re welcome,” he answered with a bright smile on his face. “Do you want to grab something to eat?”
“Not dressed like this.” She frowned and tugged on the old sweatshirt she wore. “If I can change in your truck, I’d like to eat somewhere that has hamburgers.”
“You want a hamburger?” he asked, but frowned. “Wait, you want to change in the parking lot?” There was a look of shock on his face that made her laugh.
“I’m not changing out here, silly,” she joked. “I’m going to change in the backseat of your truck.” His windows were darkly tinted, and she
could totally change without being seen.
“If you’re serious,” he scowled. “But if a human male sees you, I will gouge out his eyes with my claws.”
“No one is going to see me,” she replied, rolling her eyes.
Ada hopped into the backseat, laughing when Rex stood in front of his truck with his back to her. His arms were folded over his chest and he spread his legs shoulder width apart to make it look like he was a big, badass bodyguard or something.
“Done!” she yelled as she climbed into the front seat. She tossed the old shoes Tessa had given her to the floor and slipped on her new ones as he climbed into the driver’s seat.
“You look lovely,” he commented and started the truck. “So, burgers?”
“Please?” she begged, smiling for the first time in months.
Chapter 4
Rex wouldn’t tell Ada, but he was nervous as hell having her out in public. She was on the run from her old clan, and someone could be looking for her at that very moment. Her clan was located an hour and a half from Olive Branch, and that short of a distance didn’t put enough room between her and the O’Kelly clan. As far as Rex was concerned, being on the same planet as Robert O’Kelly was too close to Ada.
The problem was…he couldn’t deny her a meal out. She’d been so happy once she had put on her new clothes and shoes, and when he reaffirmed her request of a simple burger, her eyes had lit up like he was handing her the world.
They entered the diner and took a seat in the back booth. Even though he was going to take her out in public, Rex knew better than to go into a heavily populated area. The diner out on the old highway leading to Memphis was going to have to do. Plus, it was the place where Tessa had been working when she’d met Drake, and their old family friend, Gaia, owned it.
“Hey, Rex,” Gaia greeted as she approached the table. Her green eyes sparkled when they landed on Ada. “Who do we have here?”
“Gaia, this is Ada,” he introduced. “Ada, this is Gaia. She was close friends with my mother.”
Mating Instinct (Morgan Clan Bears, Book 2) Page 3
