Authors: Leela Ash
“Lisa? Don’t!” Raven pleaded desperately as she thrust her clothes into a suitcase half-sobbing.
“You were the … bear thingy that attacked me in the woods all those years ago! You damn near mauled me to death! I have been having nightmares for years no thanks to you.”
“I didn’t attack you. I was drawn to you because you are my mate. Admit it, there is this pull between us.”
“No there isn’t. Just stay the hell away from me and stay the hell away from my kids!”
“Lisa I would never hurt you! I invited you on this trip to get you away from those men who wanted to hurt you.”
“What men?” she asked, slowing now to stare at him.
“Other werebears. That day in the woods I marked you as my mate for life and only werebears can see the mark. They have been after you since that day I rescued you from that guy in the park.”
“Was h
e
”
“Yes. Definitely. He’s a werebear too.”
“Why would they want to hurt me?”
“Because I chose a human and because I have chosen not to live with the rest of the pack.”
“Why?”
“They were hurting humans and they didn’t have to. We can eat food unlike vampires and werewolves, but they sometimes prefer to just grab and hurt humans for the heck of it.”
“And now suddenly they can’t hurt me anymore?”
“We mated. That makes you one of us in a manner of speaking. They won’t be able to so much as come near you,” he assured.
“And for that I’m supposed to thank you?” she spat. “By your explanation you brought this on me!” she yelled, deliberately ignoring his reference to their lovemaking as ‘mating’.
Raven stared at her a beat, then he sighed.
“I don’t know what to say. I couldn’t stay away from you to save myself and I have tried! For three years I just watched over you from a distance.”
Silence reigned as she slowly sank onto the bed, feeling her emotions scattering all over the place.
He knelt in front of her, his hands holding hers as he said, “I love you Lisa. You are the only woman in the world for me and being around you is absolutely terrifying for me because it sets me free and it controls me.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” she told him. She could feel the fear ebbing as he held her; an unbreakable connection forging between them.
She slowly raised a hand and stroked the side of his face as she repeated, “That doesn’t make sense.”
“Around you, I can control my impulses. Ordinarily I change into a werebear when I lose control, like during orgasm, but with you it’s different. You are the only woman in the world for me, literally. Once a werebear meets its mate, it’s forever.”
Lisa looked down at him, her heart constricting in her chest. She was almost afraid to breathe. His silver eyes with flecks of gold stared back earnestly at her, open and filled with so much love she couldn’t bear to look away.
The words trembled on her lips. She held them back with a question. “I should probably shed some weight.”
He stared at her, his eyes looking so intensely into her soul as he said softly, “Honey you are a beautiful big girl. I love you just the way you are. The first time I saw you, I almost creamed my pants just staring at your cleavage.”
“When was that?”
“When you were jogging the woods three years ago?”
Lisa chuckled as he rose to sit beside her on the bed and gathered her into his arms.
“You weren’t wearing any pants. You were a naked werebear and then a naked man.”
“What were you going to tell me before you made the crack about losing weight?”
Her eyes met his, held. “I love you.”
Raven bowed his head as though in prayer as the sweet words washed over him. Then he said, his voice throbbing with emotion, “I have waited all my life to hear those words. I love you too.”
“I want to see you in your other form,” she said decisively, the last fear fading as she instinctively knew the exact thing to say.
Slowly, without so much as a noise, he morphed into the same brown bear that had accosted her three years ago with grey eyes and gold flecks in them.
He was her love, he was her future.
THE END
Jennifer wished that she didn’t have to be there at all. But there she stood in a hideous pink bridesmaid dress, standing next to her mother while she married the man of her dreams. She was having every girl’s fantasy wedding. Her fiancée had told her that money was no object, and by the attention to detail and the spare-no-expense feel of this affair, it was clear he hadn’t been lying. Jennifer hated his constant show of wealth, but her mother Darla apparently was looking for the financial reassurance of stability over the spiritual connection of emotional attachment and chemistry. At the same time, Jennifer had to admit that the chocolate fondue fountain her mom had planned would be pretty awesome. The light show would be cool too, for that matter. Still, she would have rather stayed home.
Her mother’s new husband Ryan was a bit older than she was, maybe by ten years. Jennifer was never privy to their exact age difference, but everyone with eyes could tell when the couple was out together. To be fair that was really not a big deal. If she had really liked the guy she wouldn’t have thought twice about it. But Jennifer never really did warm up to him during the whirlwind three month courtship. She kept that to herself as best as she could though, because her mother just seemed so happy. She couldn’t bear to be the one to rain on the woman’s parade, so she just kept her mouth shut and tried as best as she could to be supportive.
Jennifer was happy to see that the ritual ceremony was over and people were getting up to head to the reception. She went to congratulate her mother one last time before leaving them to go change and get to the other venue.
“Congrats mom, you look so adorable.”
Jennifer was being honest, as her mother was radiating a glow that was hard to surpass. She looked as close to radiant as she ever got and the dress was just beautiful. That dress probably cost more than Jennifer would make in a year, and it showed. All of the detail and embroidery really made it stand out.
“Thank you baby. Stick around Jenny, so you can meet your new brothers.”
Jennifer looked confused since she had never heard of Ryan having any children. She envisioned a couple of teens that he had from a previous marriage.
“I didn’t know I was getting new brothers out of this deal, mom. No one ever tells me anything. I go off to school fifty miles away and ….oh, never mind. I will see you at the reception and meet them then, okay?”
The blonde tried to smile, hiding her true feelings from her mother. As always her mother was distracted and didn’t seem to notice her daughter’s annoyance. She walked away as she heard her mom gushing to her oldest friend, Ruth. Jennifer pulled her hair out of the fancy up-do which had taken an hour to create. Shaking her hair out, she slid into her old Mazda, which had been parked in front of the church, and headed down to the country club where the reception was to be held. Well, at least she wouldn’t have trouble finding her car in that parking lot later. Being almost 10 years old, it would certainly stand out, she thought, shaking her head.
Jennifer sat in her car for a few minutes after she pulled in. She hunted for her party dress and pulled it on after taking off the pink fluffy nightmare dress that her mom made her wear. It was now the tackiest, most expensive dress she owned and she hoped to hock it on Ebay as soon as she got back to school. Maybe someone would buy it, or at least she hoped so. She figured it would at least pay for a few books if nothing else.
Jennifer fluffed her hair and re-applied some light pink lipstick. She lit and took a few quick drags on a cigarette before stubbing it out and going inside, blowing smoke out of her lips as she went. She knew almost no one there and Jennifer found herself walking towards the bar. The buffet would be her second stop.
“Do you have an I.D. miss?”
“Oh come on, I’m the daughter of the bride. If I have to be here, the least you can do is give me a couple of shots.”
“I’m sorry miss, but no card, no drinks.”
Jennifer was about to say something else when a tall, dark-haired man came up behind her.
“I need….”
The man looked over at Jennifer and waited for her to answer.
“Double vodka.”
The bartender looked between the two, and rather than protest, did as the man, who also seemed to be his employer, bade. Jennifer thanked the attractive stranger and then headed towards the buffet table with drink in hand. She didn’t care for weddings in general, and especially not for this one in particular. Probably as a direct result, her cup was empty by the time she got back to the table. Jennifer looked around for the handsome stranger for a moment and when she didn’t see him, she decided to try her luck for another drink on her own.
The young, tuxedo clad bartender already had another one poured and ready for her when she got back. Pleasantly surprised, she thanked him.
“I told him to keep ‘em coming for you all night, as many as you wish…as long as don’t get too wasted.”
The change of tone was welcomed, as well as suspicious. She took the drink and walked toward the closest available table. For the moment she ignored decorum and the standard prearranged seating. She just wasn’t in the mood. Jennifer had just picked a random seat when her new tall, dark and handsome friend joined her, taking a seat on her left.
“Hi.”
Jennifer looked over at the man and said hello back. He was ruggedly handsome and he was dressed impeccably. Jennifer didn’t know that much about custom tailored suits, but she suspected that was what he was wearing. He reeked of money, as most of the people around her did. Some of those at the reception seemed to make a show of every bit of jewelry, and took every opportunity to mention their connections, but he carried it all off effortlessly, as if he might as well have been wearing a pair of old overalls. His brown eyes held hers captivated for a moment, before she looked down at her plate.
“So um, thanks back there. I really needed a drink.”
“That bad?”
“Yes.”
She didn’t elaborate and he didn’t press. She ate a few bites and then looked over at him. Jennifer could feel the man’s dark eyes on her and she waited for him to say something.
“Are you here for the bride or groom?”
“Bride, ugh, definitely the bride.”
“You don’t like the groom?”
“He makes her happy. That’s what’s important.”
“So what you really mean is that he’s a pompous jerk,” he laughed.
“Are you here for the groom?”
The man chuckled and nodded.
“That I am. My name is Charles, yours?”
“Jennifer, nice to meet you.”
Jennifer finished her drink and looked over at the bar, debating if she wanted to leave to get yet another one. She found herself attracted to the tall, handsome man and he seemed to be interested in her as well. Before she had time to act first, he excused himself and headed to the bar. Walking back with the drink in each hand, he looked devastatingly gorgeous. He placed her drink in front of her nonchalantly. His hair was a bit longer than was the fashion at the moment, ending at the collar. It had a slight wave to it and was almost pitch black. His skin had an olive tone and his eyes, when focused on a person, were hard to hold a gaze with. They were just so intense.
“Thank you. I think I should slow down, I am starting to feel a bit of a reckless smile on my face.”
“There is a smile on there, and it is beautiful. If you were mine, I would make sure you smiled like that every day.”
Charles leaned in close, but instead of going for a kiss, he just asked her if she wanted to dance. His face was beside hers, his words whispered gently into her ear. She tingled with the non-touch, his hot breath playing with her sensitive earlobe.
“Sure,” she said, trying to play it cool, while a wave of heat washed over her entire body.
Jennifer took another gulp and set her glass down. They had long since abandoned their hijacked seating in favor of a more subtle bench of to the side of the venue where they could enjoy some light conversation. The liquid courage helped her hands shake less as he led her out onto the dance floor once again. The quick beat they had risen to was almost immediately replaced with a slow and steady love song that pulled all the couples, including them, in closer. His hand grabbed her around the waist and pulled her near. She gasped as his hands settled just below her hips and her front was pushed against his hard, and apparently very athletic, body.
He moved her around slowly, but she was already breathing quickly from his touch. Her hands encircled his neck and she looked up at him with clouding green eyes. Jennifer could feel her body heating up, both from the vodka, as well as from her carnal reaction to his proximity. There was just something about the way he held her and looked at her that made Jennifer almost swoon. She couldn’t be sure, but she sensed it was more than just the alcohol. The song was over too quickly and she disengaged her arms almost reluctantly as he led them off the dance floor.
She moved back towards the table and decided she needed to sit down anyhow. Her knees were a little wobbly, though she blamed it on booze. Her mother was coming out about the same time and waved to her as Charles sat back down next to her. His chair seemed closer and he was definitely leaning towards her just a little more than was usual.
“So what are your plans Jennifer?”
“Stay here as long as I have to and then get some studying done. What about you?”
“Studying? So you are in college?”
“Yeah, upstate.”
“What are you studying?”
“Law. I plan to work pro-bono.”
“Why?”
“Because I would rather help people than make money.”
Charles did not see a need for a distinction, but he nodded empathetically nonetheless.
“Well, I guess we all have to ‘follow our bliss’, as they say.”
Jennifer looked down at her plate, unsure of how to take his comment, and feeling the effects of the alcohol more strongly than ever. She gaped when she saw her sister on a small stage about to give a speech. She had completely forgotten that she was supposed to give one as well. There was no way she was going to get up there in front of all of those people at this point and give a slurred speech though. She ducked her head slightly and looked around to be sure no one else had located her. Spotting her mother and seeing that she wasn’t looking, Jennifer got up quickly. Walking towards the front of the building, she checked around and then pushed open the door to the coat room and stealthily slipped inside. She figured this would be a safe place to ride out the speech portion of the party.
Breathing out a sigh after a moment, she looked around at the rows of coats, numbered tags stuck to most of them. Hearing the door open behind her, she was pleasantly surprised to see Charles when she turned around.
“Why did you run off?”
“I am supposed to make a speech and I really don’t think I am in any condition for it at the moment. Trust me. It’s better for all of us if I sit this one out.”
“You don’t seem that drunk to me.”
“I am not drunk, just really really really tipsy,” she laughed.
“Ah, so I shouldn’t get try for a kiss then huh?”
“I am really just a little tipsy,” she quickly amended.
Charles came closer, closing the door behind him as he advanced. Jennifer took a step back and found her back against the wall. The man may have asked, but he sure didn’t wait for an answer as he bent down to touch her lips with his. Jennifer was surprised by his boldness, but her lips instantly responded to his. As they kissed, he pulled her in close like he had when they were dancing. The flush over her body was no longer tied to anything other than him.
Against any objections that may have lingered in the back of her mind, her body pressed hard against his. She molded her soft curves around his taut, muscled chest. His hands went gently to either side of her head and pressed her against the wall. The move pinned her in front of him as his every move seemed to telegraph the electric attraction he also had running through his system.
Jennifer was lost to this man who seemed to engulf her with his strength as he stood against her. She whimpered and could feel herself responding in her own ways, both above and below the belt. She could hear applause in the other room and it reminded her that she was at her mother’s wedding, making out with some random rich guy in the coat room. Her hand pushed against his hard chest and he reluctantly yielded when she repeated the motion.
“Stop, I’ve got to go.”
“The reception just started Jennifer…”
Her hand was firmer on his chest, even as one of his started to cup her small breast. Jennifer wanted to stay right there, but she did need to go. His lips captured hers once more and silenced her protest. The hard knot in his pants pressed against her quim and she instantly felt a surge of fluid inside her, readying her love tunnel for his penetration. Her body was running on autopilot and demanding more. Jennifer wanted the man right then and there. She was ready to give it to him as his hand started to ascend one of her thighs under her dress, but thankfully someone came in the small room and disrupted the strangers from doing something they may have regretted.
“Hey bro, it’s time to get out there. Dad wants you.”
Samuel looked at his brother a little strangely as he finally caught a glimpse of the woman his body had been hiding. His older brother was a bit of a horn dog and whenever he disappeared, he could almost always be found in the company of a stunning woman.
“Come on, that can wait.”
“Alright, I will be right out. Go.”
Samuel snorted, sounding like he was laughing as he walked back out. The mood was completely killed and Jennifer touched her lips as the man asked her to stay.
“Please, stay right there. I will be right back.”
Jennifer had no intentions of doing that and slid out of the country club’s back door the first chance she got. She was just focused on getting out of there without being seen. Suddenly she didn’t want to deal with any of it. She didn’t want to be around at the wedding and she definitely did not want to be banging some random guy in a coat room. The whole thing was just not like her and she wanted to get back to her mom’s house to relax and let her head clear.
Her mother was going to be moving in with her new husband soon and there were still a few things that Jennifer needed to get out of that old house. There were a lot of memories in her childhood home, but she could understand why her mother had to sell. It was just going to be hard for Jennifer to let it all go. Everything was changing so much and now her emotions were being messed with by the appearance of this mysterious rich guy.