Authors: Harmony Raines
Tags: #General Fiction
“I guessed that, since I had no idea.” She frowned. “So why did you tell me? We could have dated, lived our lives, and I would have had not needed to know.”
“Is that what you would have preferred, that I live a secret life?”
“No. But I still want to know why you told me now. I could go and tell the whole world about you.”
“Because I hoped it would explain why you can trust me never to leave.”
“What does that have to do with you being a bear? Or do you mean now you’ve told me you are in some way stuck with me? Or am I a captive of yours and you are going to stop me telling?”
He laughed. “It’s more the other way around. You have captured me, and my heart and my soul is your prisoner.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“It does if you know more about how this works.”
“You mean the bear thing.”
“Yes.” He had led her to a small park on the outskirts of town. With kids in school, the place was deserted apart from one mom pushing her little girl on a swing.
“So explain it to me.”
He took a deep breath, and held it before he began. “I can change into a bear. Some people can change into other animals. We are all different, but all have one thing in common.”
“Which is? And please don’t say you have to eat human flesh or drink human blood!”
He laughed. “No. We eat and drink like normal people. But what we do differently, is we know when we meet our mate.”
“Your mate? You mean wife?” she asked. She was beginning to get an idea of where this was going. All she had to do was decide if she believed him.
“Yes. You are my mate, Carla.” He turned to face her, his eyes deep pools of longing, and she struggled to pull her gaze away. “We are meant to be together forever. I know that. Your name is written on to my soul. Life without you would be unbearable.”
“I see.” She sat back and thought about it for a moment. “And when do you know this? Is it like love at first sight?”
“Yes. When a shifter sets eyes on their mate, they know. It’s like the world stands still, and there are only the two of you in it. I wish you were like me, so that you could know it in the same way.”
“So do I, Liam.” She steeled herself for what she had to say next, because she wanted nothing more than to take what he said and believe it. However, first, she needed the answer to one question. “But I need to know one thing. Who exactly was Louisa?”
He hadn’t expected Carla to ask about Louisa. This was one part of the conversation he had not rehearsed in his head, because as time passed, she had begun to fade away. Not completely, she was still there, usually at night, when Liam was trying to get to sleep, and he was caught between this world and the darkness of his subconscious. However, in his waking hours, she was a ghost, a wisp of thought, nothing more.
“Louisa was a woman I worked with. I told you that,” he began, but knew their relationship could not be built on lies. “She was also my first mate.”
“First mate,” Carla repeated. “So this isn’t a one-shot thing like you want me to believe.”
“It is. Usually.”
“Please don’t mess me around, Liam. It’s hard enough trying to get my head around your change, without having to put up with anymore of your secrets.”
He leaned forward and put his head in his hands. “It’s complicated. It’s not supposed to be. But it is.”
“Then explain it in small words,” she said firmly.
He gave a short laugh. “Small words. OK. Louisa was my mate; she was like me. There was a drug called Niq It, and we were trying to crack the dealer, get it off the streets. It did things to people’s minds, made them perceive things differently. It stole their memories, and their emotions.”
“And you worked the case.”
He nodded. “Louisa was undercover. Joel and I transferred to the squad to help take them down. As soon as I met Louisa, we both knew what we were to each other.”
“Mates.”
He nodded again, struggling to talk about it, but she had to know the truth. “We kept it secret, so neither of us would get moved off the case, we knew it was important to stop this drug. It stole people’s lives.”
“And that’s how she died?”
“Yes. She was given it. It works differently on shifters; it makes them imprint on the first person they see once they take it.”
“Imprint. Oh…”
“The guy she was trying to infiltrate gave her some. He knew somehow she was a shifter. But it didn’t work.”
“Why?”
“Because she already had a mate. Because of me. After they got the information from her, found why it didn’t work, they killed her.”
“Liam. I’m so sorry.” She reached out and touched him, her fingers sending warmth and a sense of calm though his body. “I didn’t know.”
“You are like my second chance. I never thought I’d get a happy ever after. But there you were.”
“But it wasn’t love at first sight, or whatever it was that you shifters call it. It was after you had that dr…” She put her hand over her mouth. “You took the drug!”
She had jumped to the right conclusion, but he needed to explain the facts. “I didn’t know. Joel put it in the drink.”
“He asked me to stay, to make sure you drank it. He knew what would happen!”
“Yes.”
“It was such a risk. What if I had been married, or in love, or a lesbian?!”
He laughed bitterly. “It would have finished me off, but I was gone anyway. The case, catching those responsible for Niq It and breaking the supply chain, it kept me going. I was contemplating killing the guy who killed Louisa, and then taking my own life.”
“Liam, that’s terrible!” She moved closer to him. “Are you sure I’m the right one for your second chance?”
He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her, wanting to chase away any doubts she might have. She pressed her body against hers, and he wanted to hold her, to make love to her, but this was not the time or the place. He pulled away from her. “I want to believe that fate made Joel put the drug in my drink, that fate chose you, just as it chose Louisa.”
“Do you still miss her terribly?” Carla asked, and his heart broke to see the pain and doubt in her face.
“That’s the worst thing,” he said, his breath shuddering in his chest as he spoke. “The deeper I fall in love with you, the less I miss her.”
“But you said Niq It didn’t work on those with mates.”
“I didn’t have a mate. She was gone. Maybe that was the reason, or maybe in the two years since Louisa died, they refined Niq It.” He looked at her, willing her to understand. “Whatever the reason, and no matter how much I hate the drug, I am thankful. For you, Carla, and the life we can have together. That’s why I changed departments, because I know this is where my future is, with you, and I want you to know how committed I am to making you happy.”
“I’m going to need some time to wrap my head around all this,” she said, and his heart felt lighter, the relief brought on by her words sudden and swift.
“But you’ll give me a chance?” he said. “Bear and all.”
“I think the bear is cute. You, on the other hand, are going to have to work at it.”
He stood up, and pulled her to her feet, holding her in his arms. “Whatever it takes. I’ve lost one mate. I don’t intend to let that happen again.”
“You aren’t the only one who is going to have to work at it. I don’t want to take this mating bond thing for granted. Our relationship has to be based on more than that.”
“Well, the sex was OK too,” he whispered in her ear, before he swallowed her retort with a kiss.
“Thank you so much for looking after Sophia,” Tammy said, picking her daughter up and kissing her on the cheek.
“No problem at all. Liam is very good with her,” Carla responded in a hushed voice. Liam was now doing the other thing he did best, mending the closet in her bedroom.
“That man would make a wonderful husband, and father,” Tammy said with a wink. “You are sleeping together, aren’t you?”
Carla blushed. “Once. When we first met.”
“Why not since? He looks as if he knows exactly how to satisfy a woman.” Tammy laughed as Carla blushed. “I’m right, then.”
“Maybe.”
“So why aren’t you sleeping together now?” Tammy asked.
“We wanted to get to know each other more. You know, it all happened so fast.”
“And we’re here cramping your style.” Tammy smiled. “I want you to promise me that as soon we leave, you are going to drag that man off to bed.”
“I don’t want to rush things. We could have gone to his place, but … well.”
“Don’t hold out too long. You don’t want him running off and finding another woman.”
“He won’t,” Carla reassured her.
“Take my advice, tie him to the bed and…” She put her hands over Sophia’s ears and whispered, “Fuck his brains out.”
Carla blushed and then giggled, then placed her hand on her stomach, she felt the now-familiar feeling of nausea sweep over her. For the last week she had been battling a stomach bug. It had gotten so bad that even the beer at work was making her want to run for the bathroom.
“You OK, Carla?” Tammy asked, her face creasing in concern.
“Yes. It will pass,” Carla said, breathing in through her nose and then letting it go through her mouth. “I may have to go and see the doctor. I’ve felt like this for a few days. Can’t be anything I’ve eaten; it would have passed by now.”
Tammy stood staring at her. “I know you are Mike’s big sister. So I know you would have taken precautions when you had your one night of passion with that man banging around in your bedroom.”
Carla went pale. “Oh.”
Tammy burst out laughing. “Welcome to the mommy club. You had better go and get a test quick. Damn, Carla, you know you are supposed to have plenty of practice in bed before you get pregnant.”
“I don’t seem able to do anything conventionally.”
“And everyone thought Mike and I were irresponsible when I got pregnant so young. At least we had been together for years,” Tammy said, and then stopped laughing as she took in Carla’s shocked face.
Putting Sophia in her high chair, she went back to Carla and hugged her. “Listen. He’s a good man, you said it yourself he won’t leave. And if he does, you have me and Mike to help you out. You will not be alone.”
“How am I supposed to tell him?”
“First you need to find out for sure.”
“I never thought. I missed my period, I figured it was all the stress of … never mind.” She couldn’t finish the sentence: the stress of finding out Liam was a bear.
“Of having us here?” Tammy asked.
“No. I’ve loved every minute.”
“Right, well, this is me returning the favor. Watch Sophia, I’m going to run to the drug store.”
“No,” Carla hissed.
“Yes.” Tammy grabbed her purse and was out the door, leaving Carla with a very anxious wait.
Please don’t come down here
, she thought as she heard a lull in hammering, then intense relief flooded her as Liam set to work again.
An endless ten minutes later, Tammy rushed through the door. “Here. You can use it anytime, so go do it now.” She grinned. “People will be talking. Old Mrs. Holland gave me this look, and I swear she tutted. Whole town will think I’m pregnant again. Mike will have a shock if he hears.”
“Not as big a shock as he’ll get if I’m pregnant.” She stood holding the packet, staring at it.
“Go. Go. Pee on it now.” Tammy shoved her out of the kitchen, and out into the hallway.
With shaking hands, Carla went to the bathroom, and opened the box. Five minutes later, she was sitting on the toilet seat, staring at the wand in her hand that told her life as she knew it was about to change forever.
“So?” Tammy asked, after knocking on the door quietly.
Carla could still hear Liam working just down the hallway. Getting up on shaky legs, she opened the door. She didn’t have to say a word to Tammy, who was holding Sophia on one hip, jiggling her to keep her happy.
“Listen. I’ll text Mike and get him to meet me at my parents’ house. You two need some time alone.” Tammy sounded so grownup and sensible. She gave Carla a quick hug and then made her way downstairs, texting with one hand while holding Sophia tightly.
Carla wanted to go back into the bathroom and lock the door. The queasiness in her stomach gave her an excuse for that, right?
No, this couldn’t wait
. Liam needed to know. Turning, she went to the sink and ran the cold tap, splashing water on her face before wiping it dry and looking at herself in the mirror.
She was pregnant
. Wasn’t she supposed to glow? Instead a pale face stared back at her, blue eyes almost gray, as if the color had been leached out.
“Right,” she said, and then walked resolutely out of the sanctuary of the bathroom and into the bedroom where Liam was standing back and admiring his handiwork. He had completely remodeled the closet, rather than simply fixing the door.
“What do you think?” he asked.
“Wow, I never knew you were so handy around the house. It looks great,” she said.
“So you think I might be a keeper? Since I’m good with a hamm … er. What’s wrong?” he asked, coming to her, and holding her tight. “If you don’t like it, I can always fix it back the way it was.”
“No. I love it.” She nodded, looking at the closet, and then turning to look at Liam. “I wanted to talk to you. It’s about something important.”
“What’s happened?” he asked. “Has something happened to your brother, or Sophia?”
“No.” She shook her head again.
“Then what’s wrong, sweetheart?” he asked.
“There’s nothing
wrong
. Not exactly.”
“But something
has
happened,” he stated.
“Something happened a few weeks ago.” She nodded.
“What?” he frowned.
“We had sex.” She looked into his eyes, wanting to see his reaction, to be able to read it and know if he was pleased, or upset. He was still getting over the loss of his first mate, and finding another, and now Carla was about to throw this at him.
“We did.” He put his hands on her arms, rubbing them comfortingly. “Is that what this is about? I’ve been holding back because I don’t want rush things. We have the rest of our lives. And our lives are going to be long, and filled with love.”