Anna Claire wasn’t able to leave the house for more than a few minutes to check on the garden right behind the house. Thankfully, it was within feet of the back door, but Gunnar was always there with a shotgun at the ready should someone attempt to get to her. She felt safer than she ever had, and even though the hacker had given a kill date of June first, she knew they were going to be okay.
“Let me water them, and we can go back inside,” she said to Gunnar, who was watching every open area around the little secluded spot they’d turned into the garden.
“We’ve been out here long enough as it is,” he growled, his eyes glowing with the presence of his bear. The male’s canines were thick in his mouth, and while she loved it when he partially shifted, seeing him on edge broke her heart.
She watered the garden and gathered the basket of vegetables she’d been able to pick that day and stood with a groan.
“You okay?” he asked. Gunnar worried over her, but she was perfectly fine. The panther’s healer had been by two days ago to give her a checkup. Her bloodwork came back normal, and they were able to hear the cub’s heartbeat on the little monitor Harold had brought to the house. In a few months, they would get to make the decision to know the sex of the cub. They were still unsure if they wanted to know. The bears usually lived by the old ways; the males delivered their own cubs during the winter, and they waited until that time to know the sex.
“I’m fine,” she promised and waited for Gunnar to open the door. He followed her into the kitchen after leaving the shotgun on a rack above the backdoor. With Aria walking now, they had to keep the guns out of her tiny reach.
“Want some lunch?” he offered as his body relaxed and his eyes returned to their normal brown color.
“I do,” she nodded and washed her hands. “Maybe after lunch, we can have some alone time in our quarters?”
“I’d like that very much,” he replied as his eyes darkened.
With everything happening, and the increased security, Gunnar had spent a lot of time in the woods behind their home, searching for the human males. The plan was for them to shift and take turns scenting for them and hiding in the darkened areas of the land in the hope that Harvey and his buddies would attempt to return for information.
So far, there had been no sign of them.
“Gaia will be over sometime this evening,” she reminded him.
“So will the sheriff,” he added, serving her a bowl of his delicious beef stew.
They ate in silence as they shared a meal. Gunnar sat to her right and kept his free hand on top of her knee. The connection was welcomed, and even though she knew his reasoning, she felt more at ease when they touched.
Rex and Ada entered not long after and grabbed themselves a bowl before joining them. They were quiet, and the tension in the air was thick. Everyone was on edge, unsure of what the next several days would bring.
“We are going to retire to our room for the afternoon,” Gunnar announced as he took her empty bowl. Anna Claire covered a yawn with the back of her hand and stood from her seat.
Ada and Rex gave them a nod and resumed eating as they walked away. Gunnar took her hand and the mating connection swirled around them. The magic caused a shiver to roll up her arm, and his mating scent sent a wetness between her legs.
By the time they reached their quarters, Gunnar had picked her up and carried her over the threshold with his tongue deep in her mouth and his strong hands gripping her ass.
“We have seven days until the first, but I want to go at them sooner,” Harvey stated, sitting on his old, worn couch. It’d been two days since Skipper Jones had arrived with his son, Don. They’d brought their own weapons and were as anxious as Harvey to get rid of the bear shifters.
“I’m ready when you are,” Don said with excitement. The kid was barely into his mid-twenties and so eager, it sent a thrill through Harvey. It was about time the younger generation fought for something other than free healthcare and higher pay. Those abominations would rule the world if they spread their species with the humans. All it would take was for them to start knocking up females and the world would be full of them. It was time to take a stand now before things got out of hand.
“I want to know, why didn’t they come out with the panthers?” Skipper asked as he rubbed his chin. “There’s something fishy about that.”
“Whatever the reason is, we won’t have to worry about it for long,” Harvey stated. “As of the first of June, they’ll all be dead.”
The two other males made noises that sounded like agreement and headed for their room. Harvey had sent his daughter to her mother’s house for the next two weeks, saying he was going to be out of town. He didn’t want her anywhere near those bears.
“Get some sleep and we will head out around three in the morning to get more information on those bears,” Harvey ordered. “I know how to access their land from the back.”
Anna Claire gritted her teeth as Gunnar used his tongue between her legs. The sensations of his hot tongue on her core and his soft hair on the inside of her legs was too much. “Gunnar…oh, Gunnar.”
He moaned as he made another pass with his tongue, making her legs vibrate from the love making he was doing down there. Holy shit did it feel amazing. Anna Claire didn’t know sex with her mate would be this…intense.
“I can’t…” Anna Claire’s voice was gone. She couldn’t speak coherent words when he was coaxing a release from her body. Her mate had been insatiable ever since that first night, and if she was being completely honest, so was she. “I need you inside me, Gunnar.”
“But I like this,” he mumbled as he released her. “I like it when you squirm.”
A blush painted her cheeks as his golden eyes caught hers as he watched her over the top of her mound. “I like you…inside me.”
She’d been very vocal since their first time. He liked it when she stated what she wanted, and he told her that every chance he got. The whispered words while they worked together in the kitchen were the best. Gunnar liked to get her worked up while her hands were full of ingredients for a meal.
“How bad do you want it?” he teased as he climbed over her body.
She’d never tire of touching him. Every time they connected, the mating touch would spark against her skin, sending goosebumps all over her flesh. His hair, his short beard that she’d asked him to keep, and the strength in his touch caused her to melt in his hands…or under his tongue in most cases.
His cock touched her opening, and Anna Claire raised her hips enough for him to slide inside her. As he seated himself, she felt the stirrings of release, but she didn’t want it to end so soon. Clamping down on her desire, she rotated her hips to feel him deep in her core.
“Come here, honey,” he breathed as he slid his arm under her body, sitting up so she was upright with him. They were face to face as he lifted her, slowly moving her small body up and down on his cock. “I want to watch you fall apart in my arms.”
“Keep doing that,” she hummed. “But I don’t want it to end.”
“You holding out on me?” he smirked. Anna Claire knew he was accepting her challenge by the growl and flash of fang he gave her.
“Never,” she lied and eyed the mating mark on his neck. She leaned forward and brushed his hair off his neck. He cursed loudly as she ran her tongue ever so slowly over the mark.
“You’re killing me.”
“I’m killing you?” she asked with wide eyes and a roll of her hips. “You’re making it very hard for me to make this last.”
“Oh, honey, I can last all night for you,” he teased and leaned forward, pushing her back to the mattress. His thrust once…twice, then held himself deep. “This is just round one.”
The male of her dreams sent her over the edge within the next thirty seconds, making her attempt at lasting longer look weak. He didn’t find his release, but thankfully, she was up for another romp beneath the sheets.
Flipping her over, he placed his hand over h
er belly where their cub rested in her womb. With his other hand, he pulled on her hips, putting her in the position of their mating. The moment he entered, Anna Claire felt another release brewing.
It was going to be a long night.
Chapter 10
Gunnar released his mate as soon as her climax subsided, but his hands weren’t off her long. Her scent was all over the room, and his beast approved with a nudge inside his mind. Anna Claire stilled as her breathing slowed. He rearranged them so he could snuggle up behind his mate.
“What did you say about lasting longer?” he teased.
“You proved me wrong,” she laughed, looking over at the clock. “It’s been three hours.”
“Not long enough, if you ask me,” he replied as he buried his face in her long, blonde hair. Gods, her body was addictive. His beast rumbled inside as they both relaxed. The scent of sex mingled in the air with her pregnancy scent, and the freak in Gunnar wanted to wallow all over her to keep that on his skin. He wanted her mark and scent to be noticed by every female he ever crossed paths with, because he wanted everyone to know he belonged to Anna Claire.
They showered and eventually made their way back to the main house where Ada and Tessa were in the front living room, sitting on the floor with their cubs. Thane wasn’t quite old enough to play with his cousin, Aria, but Ada had him laid out on a blanket next to the older child. Aria played with a stuffed toy while Thane practiced rolling over to his little belly.
Gunnar released Anna Claire and was about to ask where his brothers were when he saw them standing outside on the front porch with rifles in hand. He excused himself to head out the door, coming to Drake’s side.
“Any news?” Gunnar used his bear’s heightened senses to listen for anything out of the ordinary. With his vision, he scanned the front yard, thankful most of the trees that dotted the front part of their land worked to keep the house shielded from any gunfire. The only spot they had to be wary of was the driveway and barn. If those hunters set up in the same location again, they would easily be able to take out any of the clan if they were working on equipment.
With that revelation, the Morgan brothers had moved all of their plows and farming equipment to an old storage building that sat at the back of one of their fields. It was used by their father, and it wasn’t sturdy enough to be safe, but at the moment, it was all they had.
“Nothing,” Drake growled. “The sheriff is bringing the healer over today. I’m hoping that lawman is coming with more news.”
“Gaia is coming, too,” Rex added, causing Gunnar to raise a brow in his middle brother’s direction.
“So, she’s been hanging around Garrett a lot,” he observed. He’d never seen Gaia with a male, and he wasn’t so sure he felt comfortable with their mother’s friend getting mixed up with that angel.
“He better not lay a hand on her,” Drake growled. The protectiveness to his words caused a rumble to go through Rex and Gunnar as well.
“They’re here,” Gunnar interrupted. “Let’s take care of these hunters first. After that, we can run off the sheriff before he gets too close to Gaia.”
The brothers nodded in agreement. He’d watch that sheriff and make sure he wasn’t showing any feelings toward Gaia. Hell, Gunnar wasn’t even sure the lawman could take a mate. He knew Gaia was made entirely different than the shifters. She was in human form, and after the shooting at her diner, they knew she couldn’t heal like them. He didn’t know if Sheriff Lynch had touched her or if she would be like the shifters and know when she touched her forever mate.
Did Mother Nature even have the ability to take on a mate?
Shaking his head, he decided to leave that question alone. Although Gaia wasn’t connected to the gods, she had her own reasons for coming to Earth to care for her creations, and Gunnar doubted her job here had anything to do with finding a mate.
The brothers stepped off the porch the moment Garrett stopped his patrol car. The wind picked up his scent as the angel stepped out of his car. There was a hint of something sweet coming from Gaia as she exited the passenger side. An old pickup truck pulled in a few seconds later, and Gunnar relaxed when he recognized the panther’s healer behind the wheel.
“Sheriff…Healer,” Drake nodded to the males before turning for their friend. Drake frowned as he addressed Gaia. “Gaia.”
“Drake,” she replied, but his name sounded more like a question than a greeting when it rolled off her tongue.
“Let’s go inside so we can make a plan,” Rex offered.
“I’m here to check on Anna Claire,” Harold began. “I will take my leave as soon as we are done.”
“That would be wise,” Drake rumbled as he turned for the door.
Gunnar waited for everyone to go ahead of him, stepping to the healer’s side as he approached. “Sorry, it’s been stressful around here.”
“I know your clan doesn’t like to ask for help, but we are always a call away should you need a little backup.” Harold wasn’t a threat to the Morgan clan, and even though they were weary of anyone who wasn’t a part of their tight family, Gunnar felt at ease when the panther was there. It could’ve been simply because the male was a doctor and had offered his services to the females when they were with young and never caused problems when he was there. The male treated their females with great respect, and Gunnar found he liked the cat a little more each time they interacted.
“How about that cup of coffee Anna Claire offered you the last time you came by?” Gunnar noticed how his mate enjoyed talking to the healer, and he would try to keep his paranoia to himself when he was visiting for her checkups.
But if the male did anything to harm his mate or anyone on their lands, the healer wouldn’t be alive long enough to give himself aide.
Anna Claire sat up straighter when the door to their quarters opened to reveal her mate and the panther’s healer. Harold smiled warmly as he entered, setting his black bag on the table by the door.
“How are you feeling, Anna Claire?”
“Much better,” she promised, pointing to the recliner to her left. “Have a seat, healer. May I get you anything?”
“Your mate has offered me a cup of coffee,” he announced with a smile. Gunnar was at the small kitchenette, pouring water into the coffee pot. When she cut her gaze toward the healer, the male just shrugged and pulled a stethoscope out of the pocket of his white coat. “Are you ready for your checkup? We can chat over coffee after we check on your cub.”
“Sure,” she beamed.
“Are you still nauseous?” he asked.
“No,” she replied. She felt heat on her cheeks as she remembered Gunnar hand feeding her crackers that first week. “My mate is a very good cook, and he’s kept me well fed.”
“That’s good.” Harold nodded as he made notes on a small spiral book he’d produced from his other pocket. “I’d like to listen to your cub’s heartbeat.”
“We can do that in the bedroom,” she offered and stood. So far, the visits were all the same. He’d ask her questions and listen to the heartbeat while she lay on the bed. After he measured her growing belly, he would excuse himself and leave with a promise to come by in a month.
Gunnar followed them and stood protectively on the other side of the bed as she raised her shirt, tucking the ends in the elastic of her bra. The healer handed over a rag to cover her leggings. “This gel might be a little cool. I’m sorry.”
“It’s not that bad,” she laughed as he squeezed the tube, making a spot of goo about the size of a half-dollar beside her belly button. The little hand-held wand touched her skin, and he moved it around until the whooshing sound of their cub’s heart came from the speaker on a box he held in his other hand.
The healer did a few more measurements and tucked away his belongings in his worn medical bag. “Everything sounds great. I would like to schedule a time for you to come by the pride to do an ultrasound in about a month.”
A rumble built in Gunnar’s throat, and Anna C
laire narrowed her eyes on him. “I think that would be fine. You can put us down on your books for the twenty-fifth at ten in the morning.”
“Sounds great,” Harold replied, ignoring the glare from her mate.
“How about that cup of coffee?” she asked as she righted her clothes and came to her feet.
Harold looked a little weary with Gunnar following them quietly, but Anna Claire liked the panther. He was one of the kindest, most gentle males she’d ever met. Despite the Morgans’ adversity to anyone not in their inner circle, she knew he wouldn’t bring harm to the clan.
“How do you take your coffee?” she asked as she poured three cups.
“Black is fine,” Harold said with a shake of his head. Gunnar finally relaxed as he took a seat on the couch. She handed over his coffee and set the healer’s down on the side table for the male to pick up on his own since he’d already discarded the gloves he’d used when working with mated females.
Gunnar’s eyes were the brown of his human side, and she breathed a sigh of relief when there was no presence of his beast. “How are you and your mate?”
“We have been quite busy, but I have an intern now. He’s going to assist me and take some of the weight off my back.” Harold paused to take a sip of coffee. “I guess you’ve heard the Guardians are working with the human government?”
“What?” Gunnar asked, his eyes narrowing again. “We haven’t heard anything.”
“The FBI has hired the Guardians to help police the species.” He frowned. “There are rogue shifters being controlled by some really bad alphas, and they’ve taken to terrorizing the humans.”
“Oh, my gods,” Anna Claire gasped, covering her mouth from the news. “We have been in hibernation for the past few months.”
“They are staying up in the Memphis area,” he confirmed. “So far, they’ve captured several wolf shifters and sent them to a pride in Colorado to be reformed, I guess you could say. It’s nothing for your species to worry about, though. With the grizzly’s differences, you have nothing to worry about.”
Mating Fever (Morgan Clan Bears, Book 3) Page 8
