Goldie Lox And Her Trio Of Bears (Goldie Lox Prophecy Book 1)

by Amy Star

  “G’ morning.” Conner sat up, rubbing the goosebumps on his arms. “When did I shift back?”

  “I’m not sure.” Jillian tossed him his jeans.

  “You look worried about something.” He stood up and put his pants on. “What were you thinking about just now?”

  “The first full moon of winter.” She looked down at her feet. “December twenty-ninth.”

  “The Cold Moon.” Conner pulled his hoodie on.

  “Two months to choose a mate.” She rubbed her temples. “I can’t even get my head around it.”

  “Look how much has happened in the last week.” He stretched his back “You can learn a lot about the three of us in two months. When the time comes, you’ll know what you want.”

  “What I want…” She stood up. “Before I came out here, what I wanted for myself didn’t even enter my mind. I feel like I’ve lived my whole life trying to make everyone else happy, and now that I have to figure myself out, I’m lost.”

  “Nah.” He wrinkled his nose.

  “What does that even mean?” She stood up.

  “You are so much stronger than you think you are.” Conner squinted at the overcast sky. “If you ever see yourself the way I see you, you’re going to be fucking unstoppable.”

  “You barely know me.” She followed him as he continued trekking through the leaves.

  “I know enough.” He walked on.

  It took three more hours of hiking before Jillian recognized the landscape, and it was another hour after that when they found the log bridge that Vincent had made for her the day before. By the time they reached the cabin, the smell of roasted venison had both their mouths watering. Vincent and Finn looked up from the fire pit as they came out of the trees.

  Finn’s eyes lit up as he smiled, running to meet them half-way. He threw his arms around Jillian, and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he lifted her off the ground.

  “I was starting to wonder if you guys were ever coming back.” Vincent handed them each a plate of food as they reached the firepit.

  “Thank you so much.” She looked over all the different things on the plate, barely able to contain her excitement. She licked her lips as her eyes darted between the venison, mashed potatoes with brown gravy, a fresh roll, and some canned cranberry sauce with a side of green beans.

  “What took you guys so long?” Finn picked up his plate and sat down.

  “Let’s see…” Jillian stuffed a bite of deer meat into her mouth, savoring the smokey flavor as she tried to think of the fastest way to sum up the last two days. “My father tried to have me institutionalized, and we had to break into his office. Then we had to break out of his office and run because his security guards were after us…” She sat down on one of the four stumps that were arranged in a circle around the fire. “Then I had to blackmail him into keeping DuPont out of here, so we had to hide out in a strip club, and then we took a taxi and had to hike back in which took forever.”

  “Sounds like you’ve had an adventure.” Vincent held out a cup of water, and her eyes lit up.

  There was a time when Jillian would have turned her nose up to a simple meal like this. Her hands and feet were blistered, and her muscles ached. After the journey behind her, this seemed like a meal fit for royalty. They ate their fill while they discussed plans to add another story onto the cabin.

  Vincent mentioned three rooms or maybe four so that when the baby came, there would be a nursery and also a couple of extra bedrooms for any new shifters that showed up and wanted to join their den.

  Jillian squirmed in her seat at the mention of a nursery. Was she going to raise a baby out in the middle of the woods? If so, that raised a lot more questions that she hadn’t stopped to consider. Would they get vaccinations? Go to school? What about the actual birth? Was she supposed to do it old school with no epidural? And that’s not even considering if there might be complications. She looked at the width of Vincent’s shoulders and wondered how big he was as a baby. What if she needed a C-section?

  All the thoughts racing through her mind didn’t cause her nearly as much anxiety as the most obvious one. Who would be the father of this baby? Who would be the mate that she bound herself to for the rest of this life?

  Lying in bed that night, she tossed and turned. When she stood up and looked out the window, just as before, Vincent was standing outside, staring up at the stars. Her strappy night-gown flowed down around her ankles, and she rubbed the chill off her arms as she went out to stand beside him.

  “What are you looking at when you come out here?” She lifted her eyes heavenward, once again taken in by the kaleidoscope universe looming overhead.

  “My grandmother used to spend hours looking up at the night sky, and I would ask her the same question.” Vincent took off his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders. “I thought maybe it was where she got the answers to all her questions.”

  “What did she say when you asked her?” Jillian’s skin was delighted by the residual body heat lingering on the inner lining of the coat.

  “That sometimes being responsible for everyone makes you forget how small you are in the grand scheme of things. Nothing keeps you humble, like looking at how magnificent the cosmos is.” He smiled. “I’m happy that you came back.”

  “Of course, I came back.” Jillian frowned. “I gave the spirit my word.”

  “That you would choose a mate and be a vessel.” He smiled. “I can tell that you and Conner have taken a liking to one another.”

  “I gave my word…” Jillian leveled her gaze at him. “That I would be the oracle and a vessel to this tribe.”

  “Hmm.” Vincent tilted his head.

  “I wouldn’t just abandon you and Finn after everything.” She looked back up. “Conner wouldn’t, either.”

  “So, you’ve made your choice then?” Vincent hung his head.

  “Not hardly.” She let out an exasperated breath. “Vincent, I should tell you, something did happen with Conner.”

  “Stop.” He shook his head. “I can tell that you feel guilty. You don’t have to.”

  “But I do.” She hugged herself. “I care about you, and I would never want to…”

  “Listen to me.” He turned to face her, placing his hands on her shoulders. “You don’t belong to me. You don’t belong to anyone. If your mind, body, and soul all agree on something, you’re not violating some sacred pact if you give in to what feels right. Those feelings of guilt and shame you’re feeling… those are leftover baggage from your old life.”

  “I feel like I betrayed your trust.” She looked down, eyes clouding with tears. “I’ve never been the type of girl to string along multiple guys. It’s selfish.”

  “You came back, Jillian.” He lifted her chin, drawing her gaze to meet his. “You didn’t betray anything. The only thing that I ask is that once you figure out what it is you want from each of us, you spell it out plainly so that everyone knows their role in your life.”

  “I’m sorry I’ve been so indecisive.” She groaned. It’s not fair to keep you all in suspense like this.”

  “One or all of us could father a child with you, and there would be nothing wrong with that,” Vincent assured her. “No one gets to judge you for that.”

  “I wish so much that someone like you had raised me.” As the words left her mouth, she hoped he didn’t misunderstand her feelings for him. “I was taught from an early age that strength and kindness couldn’t coexist, but I look at you and…”

  “Love and kindness are close cousins.” Vincent’s smile was warm. “And love is the strongest force on this Earth.”

  “No, it’s not.” She turned away. “Don’t get me wrong; I think it’s a lovely sentiment. But, I’ve spent my entire life around the most powerful men in the world. Fear… fear is so much stronger than love. It’s what I used to manipulate my father.”

  “Are you having second thoughts about what we’re doing out here?” He leaned closer.

  “I kno
w I was forcing him to do the right thing.” She shook her head, looking away. “I hate myself for being like him. It’s like he was born missing some crucial parts of his psyche.”

  “I think that’s your fear talking.” He rubbed her arm. “Your fear doesn’t control you anymore.”

  “What if I’m not capable of loving someone.” She looked up with wide restless eyes.

  “Hey.” He closed his arms around her, and she listened to his heart beat against the side of her face as she pressed her cheek to his chest. “In time, you will come to see that is not true. I promise you.”

  The next day, the four of them spent the day finding trees that were in good positions to be cut down and used to build on the second story. It was strenuous, back-breaking work, but with all of them working together, they managed to get a decent amount of wood to use without thinning out the forest too much.

  In the afternoon, the boys bathed, and Jillian opted to wait until they were all done before she took her turn. Now she had her backpack in which she had packed tiny bottles of shampoo and conditioner. She would need to learn how to make soap and other household items from home.

  Washed and shaved, she returned her razor to her backpack, seeing the thumb drive rolling around the bottom of the bag. It was encased in its waterproof capsule, but it still seemed irresponsible to leave it there.

  She could bury it, but the thought of needing it and not being able to find it was too scary to consider. She could keep it in the cellar, somewhere. But what if there was a fire or something? She needed to think of a place to hide it away where it would never get lost, damaged, or stolen.

  Separating a lock of hair from the right side of the nape of her neck, she started braiding it. About two inches down, she placed the thumb drive between the three sections of hair and incorporated it into the braid. Pulling on her swishy hippy dress from a music festival she attended the previous Summer. Kneeling beside the creek, she used the glassy water as a mirror as she swept her long blond waves up into a messy bun so that only the small braid at the bottom hung down.

  Vincent’s shirtless reflection appeared beside hers, and she smiled, pivoting as she stood up to face him. His eyes moved over her skin, and he ran his fingers down the length of her braid.

  The thin crevices dividing his abs made her wonder if what it would feel like to be naked against him. The man looked like something from the cover of a magazine, except for the scarification tattoos that covered his torso.

  “I thought these marks were only on your arms.” She smirked.

  He didn’t speak as his gaze trailed down the length of her body.

  The tips of her fingers couldn’t resist running over the raised pink lines. Her palms strayed over his sinuous pectoral muscles, lightly grazing his skin. Bending his head, he touched his lips to her cheek and waited, gauging her response before pressing them to the supple corner of her mouth. His beard brushing against her face teased her senses, and any previous hesitation she felt about kissing a bearded man was forgotten. Her hands moved from his chest, winding their way around the nape of his neck.

  She wet her bottom lip and touched it against his. He lunged forward, taking her face in his hands, and she opened her mouth, granting him entrance as his tongue swept over hers like high tide. He reached down, cupping her backside, and her depths quaked against him. She pulled back from the kiss as she backed against the smooth trunk of an aspen tree.

  There was no doubt, with the throbbing in her chest, what her body wanted. She searched her mind and couldn’t imagine a better father for her future children. Her heart was the only thing she couldn’t help but question. Every day spent with him; she found her soul more entangled with his, but her feelings for Conner made her hesitate.

  “Tell me what you’re thinking right now.” His eyes burned into her slowly, and she distanced herself from the question, studying the details of his eyes. Gold and emerald shards were scattered through the amber irises, like shattered stained glass. His pupils dilated as he waited for her response.

  “I’m thinking about having a baby with you.” Her breath heaved in her chest as she slipped off one strap and then the other, letting the top of her dress fall, clinging to her hips.

  THE FINAL CHAPTER

  The cool air gusted softly over her, causing her nipples to harden. He advanced, halting so close to her she could feel the heat radiating off of his body.

  His fingers encompassed the back of her neck as he traced his thumb down the center of her throat. The roughness on his fingertips excited her skin as his hands found their way down to her waist. As he pulled the bottom of her dress up, her thighs tickled at the sensation of the airy fabric.

  Her breath hitched as he pressed her back against the tree, molding his body against hers. The bark bit into the delicate area between her shoulder blades, but she didn’t care. His mouth left a warm trail from her jaw to her collarbone, and she hummed at the sensation, imagining all the sweet pleasures to come. She pressed her back harder against the trunk, leveraging her weight against it, and her feet came off the ground. As he cradled her thighs, she opened her hips to rest the crooks of her knees on the top of his upper legs.

  She reached down, unzipping his pants and taking the girth of his shaft into her hand, stroking upward. Her heart drummed against the inside of her ribcage, and she gasped. The size of him shouldn’t have come as a shock since he was such a large man in every aspect of the word. But she found herself nervous about whether or not her body could accommodate his.

  “Are you sure?” His voice growled softly as her hips made a slow circular motion. “I need you to tell me that this is really what you want.”

  Her cheeks reddened as she parted her lips. “I don’t know what you want me to say.” She bit her lip. “I’ve never really been good at talking about this stuff.”

  “Say out loud that it’s not just your body that wants me.” He put his forehead against hers. “Tell me that I’m not a damn fool for believing that you feel what I’m feeling right now.”

  “Every part of me wants you.” She ran her hands through the length of his hair. “I’m sure.”

  He tilted his head, gliding the length of his tongue over hers, and her body blossomed against him, silky and dripping, beckoning him inside. She ached at the edges as he eased through her opening, stopping as her thighs clenched around him.

  “Relax.” He breathed against her lips. “We can go slow.”

  This was obviously not the first time he’d been with someone who wasn’t used to his size.

  “I’m okay.” She nodded, kissing his lips softly as she angled herself toward him.

  He returned to her lips, his mouth worshiping hers as he delved deeper into her depths. She moaned into his kiss, rolling her tongue over the roof of his mouth. Her arms slid around his shoulders. Her womb swayed against him as the well of her core opened, swallowing the length of his rod, undulating around him until his pelvis was flush against hers.

  The breath caught in her chest as her entrance stretched to accept him. The pain was sharp, but the pleasure coursed through her foundation. A wave of bliss radiated outward to the tips of her fingers and toes, accentuating every movement and making her hyper-aware of every inch of him.

  He thrusted against her as his fingers pressed into the soft flesh of her thighs. As he fell into a rhythm, their bodies grew slippery with sweat, and she clung to him. She didn’t realize that her back was getting rubbed raw against the tree behind her. As he worked her into a frenzy, she ran her fingernails down his spine, which only encouraged him to go harder and faster.

  Love is wild… it’s hungry. Vincent’s words lingered in her mind, repeating over and over again. Even if she refused to admit it to herself, she was waking to the fact that her soul was ravenous and had been all her life. Only now was that hunger being satiated, and she didn’t want it to end.

  He exhaled a husky breath against the crook of her neck as he flexed inside her, throbbing and surging, sending
sparks from her core down outward through her limbs. She let out a soft cry as she bit down on his shoulder. Their essences gushed together as she shuddered in his arms, and his hips slowed to a stop.

  He withdrew, leaving her legs trembling as he set her down.

  “Well, it looks like I beat the deadline on that portion of the agreement.” She panted, smoothing her dress back down over her legs as he buttoned his pants. Stroking her cheek, he lowered his lips to hers. Her body reacted immediately, reawakening at his touch. The sound of Finn clearing his throat almost made her jump out of her skin. She pulled the straps of her dress up onto her shoulders.

  “S-sorry to interrupt.” Finn’s face was white as a sheet, and Jillian’s heart sank. “Vince, there’s something you guys need to see.”

  Finn, Vincent, and Jillian crept along, as voices in the distance made them aware that they were not alone. Finn crouched, gesturing for them to get low, and they all dropped down to crawl on their bellies. Approaching a hill, they crawled to the edge of a steep drop-off to look over the ridge. A group of campers puttered around a half-finished campsite below. Vincent took a long inhale through his nose, and he and Finn exchanged a knowing look. Jillian didn’t ask questions but looked down, trying to glean what she could with her own senses. She counted three men and two women. Their clothes and hair were unkempt and worn. Holes perforated the frayed garments, and their faces and arms were smudged with dirt.

  “What the fuck is this?” A tall, thin man with wild auburn hair and mutton chops yelled in a thick Southern accent, kicking over the pile of sticks. “You guys are fucking braindead if you think we’re going to stay warm with this shit.”

  “Do we not need kindling, Zeke?” A fit redheaded woman wearing a black tank top and camo-print cargo pants threw a bundle of sticks down, adding to the pile.