Love at First Roar (BBW Paranormal Shapeshifter Werebear Romance) (Grayslake Book 4) (22 page)

He supposed, for Kira, they were.

But, wait… she’d only been hit an hour ago…

“Almost done?” He rolled the vehicle to a stop at a red light and turned toward her. “How is she almost done? It takes hours…”

Kira shrugged. “We’ve had a lot of practice over the years. I may not look like much, I’m pretty vulnerable and weak to most people, but when it comes to healing.” Another shrug. “My mole and I got this.”

They got this.

“How close to done?”

“It’s still a little yellow-green, but that’ll be gone in fifteen minutes or so. She gets lazy at the end. But it doesn’t hurt anymore.”

Knowing she was nearly healed didn’t appease the bear. No, if anything, it angered the beast even more. She wouldn’t have to be so adept at healing if she were kept safe. Now she was forced to use those hard won abilities to recover from a wound taken while she was in
his
presence and under
his
protection.

Dammit.

He reminded himself that she was fine now. Almost healed.
Fine
.

“Okay. I’m gonna drop you at Keen’s house and then I’ll be back in an hour or so.” Or several hours. At the moment, his bear wanted to shift and hunt the driver of the forklift. Which… he wasn’t allowed to do. Ty, as his Itan and not his brother, forbade him from hunting the driver. They didn’t have much, just a lingering scent and store video, but Isaac figured it was enough for the bear to chase.

It needed
something
to do. It was hunt or fuck.

Since he wasn’t about to maul his wounded mate—a mate who he hadn’t actually mated—going for a run was the answer.

He’d go to clan lands, shift, get his fur on and then return for Kira.

There, he had a plan.

“Keen’s? Why are you taking me to Keen’s? What’s wrong with my house?” Confusion filled her tone and he couldn’t blame her.

That didn’t mean he changed his mind. “I’m on edge, Kira. It wasn’t an accident and we don’t know who tried to hurt you.”

“They did hurt me,” she grinned. “They didn’t kill me. I’m harder to murder than that.”

Isaac closed his eyes and prayed for control. “You think that’s funny?”

“I can laugh or I can cry. I am
not
a pretty crier.”

Yeah, the bear was about to bust free at any moment. She must have sensed it because then she was there, leaning toward him as she stroked his skin. “Hey, I’m good. Remember that. It was scary as hell, and I know you don’t want to hear this, but I mean it when I say I’m harder to kill than that. We both know this.”

He did know. He did. That didn’t make the fury lessen.

“My point is, the bear is angry and I need to go for a run. It can’t do that if it’s worried about you. Out of my brothers, the entire clan, Keen is the strongest. Just… stay back if he goes furry. He won’t hurt you directly, but if body parts go flying…”

“You’re not serious?”

Isaac shrugged. “I haven’t seen it myself but—”

“Not about him tearing people apart. I mean you think I’ll actually let you leave me? When you’re like this, you think I’ll happily go to Keen’s while you ride off into the fur-lined sunset?” She shook her head. “Not happening. If you want to run, I’ll go with you.”

“Kira, he wants to run, but he won’t leave you.”

“So,” she shrugged. “Take me with you.”

“Take you with me.” He stared at her dumbfounded.

“Yeah, I’ve ridden Zoey’s back before. It’s hard to balance on her shoulders, but you’re wider.” She shrugged.

“You rode a wolf? I know they’re strong but I didn’t think they carried humans.”

“Oh,” she shook her head. “I was shifted at the time.”

Oh. Of course. Because that made so much more sense.

This made so much more sense when they were in the car. Conceptually… Shift, crawl onto bear’s back, go for run.

Reality was: oh my fuck, that’s a big bear.

Also, how the hell was she gonna climb onto his back after she shifted?

Because… big.

Big bear.

Hot guy, then big bear.

Hot guy… had she mentioned she hated being a little bit of a lot of a bit blind.

She’d stared, hell, he’d invited the staring, but she just got big swaths of tanned skin filling her vision. He’d also invited touching, but she held off. She sensed his bear truly riding the line of control and he needed to vent his rage before they got to naked touching. They hadn’t yet and their first time didn’t need to be when he was ready to murder someone.

So, no naked touching.

Then he’d become the Big Bear of Doom.

“Uh, Isaac?” she called out to the massive furry ball of brown.

The bear looked toward her, swinging his large head around until he stared at Kira.

“I’m not sure how this is gonna work. You see, with Zoey…” She eyed the distance between the ground and his shoulders. Hell, even if he lay down, it’d be a climb for her mole.

Isaac snorted—as much as a bear could snort—and padded toward her. He filled her vision, just as his scent washed over her. She was surrounded by him, his power and strength, and a sense of soothing peace draped her shoulders.

A large, wet nose nudged her arm, wiggling until her elbow rested on his snout. He kept going, nudging her until she got the idea. Sorta.

“You want me to pet you?” At least, that’s what Ebenezer did when he wanted pets. A nose wiggle, a head butt, and then she found her hand on his back and scratching between his shoulders. “Now, you want pets?”

Isaac huffed and glared.

“Okay, got it. Not the point.” She nodded and he rumbled, but didn’t stop with the nudging and pushing until she stood at his side.

He lowered to his stomach, lumbering to the ground and then he stared at her, black eyes locked on her blue orbs.

“Great. What am I supposed to do now?”

He nudged her more.

“Fine, we’ll play twenty questions.” She dropped her head back and rolled her shoulders. “Animal, mineral, or vegetable?”

Isaac growled.

“Pain in my ass. Look,” she sighed, “I can’t do this as a mole, so if I’m coming with you, the only option left is me staying human and riding you like a pony. And I know some shifters are very particular about that. Especially ponies.”

Isaac rolled his eyes and then glared at his back.

“Oh. Well. Why didn’t you say so?” She sniffed and stared at his back. After a few minutes, he grumbled, she glared some more. “What? I gotta figure out how to do this. It’s not like I—” Isaac rolled toward her and it became a game of over or under. She could crawl atop him or get squished.

She chose crawling.

It took a few grunts from both of them and then she was atop her mate.

Her mate.

Her mate.

She was slowly easing toward that truth, both her human half and mole accepting the situation. He was her mate. There was still so much pain and problems to work through, but their relationship couldn’t be denied.

She just hadn’t worked up the nerve to say the words aloud. Though Isaac had no problem telling one and all that she belonged to him. She once offered to tattoo his name on her forehead.

He didn’t say no and she had no doubt that he knew of shifter-friendly tattoo ink.

Isaac padded toward the forest, the trees seeming to welcome them into their home. He slowly increased his speed, dodging obstacles as he raced farther. The scents of earth combined with the crisp edge of growing life sank into her bones. Kira’s mole chittered and whined, aching to be set free, but it also knew they couldn’t keep pace with Isaac in his shifted form.

So, they’d wait until they were home in their little patch of land. Well, two patches. Ever since Vanessa’s attack, Isaac tore down the fence that separated their yards and quickly dug up any underground obstacles that would have kept Kira away.

Her mate thought of everything.

The wind whipped her hair, Isaac going faster and faster. Trees became a blur—more of a blur—the deeper they went.

She enjoyed the rocking motion of his racing strides, moving with him, swaying in time with his galloping strides. It lulled and excited her in equal measures, soothing and yet thrilling to have such a powerful male caring for her. The mole reveled in the attention and affection that came from Isaac.

Kira wasn’t going to consider that it might be more than affection. Not today. Not yet.

Eventually their dashing pace slowed, Isaac lessening from a headlong rush to a gentle lope and finally a slow walk. His chest heaved, lungs and ribs expanding with each inhale. It didn’t take long to realize why he’d slowed and it lay spread before her in its wondrous glory.

A lake, large and placid and bigger than she’d ever seen. The soothing presence of water crept into her, the crisp scent infusing her with a new calm and some of Isaac’s tension eased as well.

He carefully lowered himself and she slid from his back, but didn’t step away. She needed to remain connected to him, needed his continued touch. The frantic race to this secluded spot had her aching for the feel of his skin on hers, but she’d settle for his furred body for now.

Only now didn’t last that long. No, beneath her hand, his body trembled and the first snap of bone stung her ears. It was followed by another, and then another still. Kira’s transformation was different, she went from big to small, fighting to shorten muscle and bone into a tiny mole-shape. Isaac went from comparatively small to massive. He’d stretched to become the bear and now it was time for the metaphorical rubber band to snap back into place.

The shift wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t sexy or gorgeous or arousing. It just… was. And times like now, when she couldn’t see the stretch of skin over bone or the way Isaac’s face returned to its human shape, she was thankful for her semi-blindness.

The details were lost to her and she wasn’t sad about that fact.

Then he was human shaped. Human shaped and
naked
.

She was back to hating her blurred vision. Dammit.

Isaac stretched his arms above him, groaning with the pull, and then let them drop to his side. “That felt good. You okay?”

If she could touch all that bare skin, she’d be wonderful. Instead of saying what she felt, she merely cleared her throat. “Yeah. Fine. It was fun.”

He held out his hand, beckoning for her.

She wondered if he forgot he was naked.

“C’mere. The bear was thrilled you came along. Even if it took you
forever
to get the point.” He grinned, his pure happiness coating Kira in its warmth.

“I’ll give you
forever
,” she grumbled. “You realize you’re naked, right? I mean, the naked with the nakedness?”

More joy struck her in the chest. “I was hoping you wouldn’t notice and I’d get to hold you. If it makes you uncomfortable…”

Unease filled his voice and he dropped his arm, taking a small step back.

Oh, hell no. She could deal with a lot of things, but letting her mate feel like she didn’t want him was not one of them.

“If you’re good, so am I.” She padded forward, too intent on him to notice the uneven ground and then down she went like a tree. She had half a mind to yell “timber” but she was too busy attempting to fall gracefully.

It didn’t work. She was sure she looked like a flailing, spastic idiot as she waved her arms and yelled. The ground raced up to meet her and she squeezed her eyes against her impending doom.

But Isaac snatched her mid-air, arms encircling her waist and then a quick toss had her cradled in his arms and he had an apology on his lips. “I’m sorry. I completely spaced. Are you okay? I shouldn’t have stopped here, I should have—”

“For a strong, dominant bear you sure do apologize a lot.”

That had him freezing in place. “What?”

“I said—”

“I heard what you said.”

She felt his glare, but pushed on. “I like you, a lot, Isaac.”
Holy shit, a lot
. “But you can’t spend your life tripping over yourself for me. I’m gonna fall. That’s life.” She shrugged. “I’d prefer not to, but you can’t be responsible for everything. The sun and moon do not rise and fall outta your asshole. Life goes on no matter how many times you catch me or how many times I fall.” She reached up and traced his scar. He’d gotten better the more time they spent together. He no longer flinched and jerked away from her touch. “You can’t live and die for everyone else, Isaac. You are not responsible for anyone else’s happiness. Sometimes you gotta worry about you and not everyone else.”

His face tensed, the area around his eyes tightening.

“You’re glaring at me, aren’t you?”

“Yes, because what started as a ‘don’t worry about me’ turned into an after school special about my scars and how I need to heal.”

Kira winced. “Dammit, I was being subtle.”

“No, you really weren’t.”

She stuck out her tongue and blew a raspberry. “Pft. Bite me, furball.”

“Like you’re not a little furry, and just point out the place, baby. I’m all about biting you.” His voice dropped, all seductive and sexy, and biting was at the forefront of her thoughts.

All over her mind. The whole thing was coated in a big blanket of biting and tasting and claiming.

Isaac breathed deeply and released a bear-ish purr. Yeah, bears didn’t purr. That sound belonged cats, but she wasn’t about to tell his animal that. “You like that idea?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Because we discussed this. This is going fast.”

“Three weeks is fast?” he countered, sex filling every syllable and Kira’s pink bits were getting very interested. Very.

Okay, it had been three weeks. Really only one though since the first couple were spent apart. But still, if she counted them, then it didn’t sound
as
bad.

And since it didn’t sound
as
bad, she didn’t feel any bit of bad about being aroused by him. By his scent, the feel of his skin and the sound of his voice.

Though, at the moment, skin was winning out in the “what’s causing arousal” department. Like, by a lot.

She let her touch wander, stroking his cheeks, his neck, and his shoulders. Specifically where his neck and shoulder met. Her bite wouldn’t be as blatant as Isaac’s on her flesh, but it would be unmistakable.