Bears & Beauties - Complete (14 page)

I grabbed at the man’s throat, pressing my thumbs against his Adam’s apple. “You better explain. Now.” I snarled.

“Not until you get off.”

After a long moment, I climbed off the man, backing toward Megan’s still form, doing my best to get between her and the man. If he had anything planned, I wanted to be able to counter him before any damage could be done.

“You see,” the man started as he dusted himself off. “After our fight, after I regained consciousness, I started making some calls. Started calling in favors. It wasn’t long before I found out who you were… It was perfect, really. My company already had its sights set on yours. You were, after all, our most direct competitor. With some careful manipulation and some brilliant orchestration, if I do say so myself, I launched a hostile takeover.”

“Impossible,” I shot back. “Hammer Industries was behind the takeover.”

The man chuckled low and dark, “I
am
Hammer Industries. My name is Darrel Collin and
I
stole the reigns of the company from Chase Hammer. Just like I’m stealing them from you.”

“But why?” I questioned, a little more than curious. Even in the heat of everything that was going on, I still wanted to know how and why the company that I had struggled so defiantly for had been stolen right out from under my nose.

“Simple,” the man -
Darrel
- shrugged. “If I couldn’t take your spot as alpha, I wanted to take your company. I wanted to see you suffer and writhe as the world crashed down around you. Then, I was going to visit you at the office and offer you a rematch in exchange for your company. But then, for some reason, you didn’t show up at the office this morning. No one knew where you were. The last I knew, a couple security guards from the club had dumped you in an alleyway. So I went there first and started tracking you down. Which led me here…” He glanced around me at Megan. “Which led me to
her
.”

I stepped toward him then, squaring up in preparation for another assault.

Darrel waved me off. “I don’t want anything with your mate. I want what I came here for. That’s it.”

“A rematch? That’s all you want?” I questioned, skepticism laced in my voice.

“That’s it. A chance to prove myself as your alpha. You win, you get back your company. I win, and, well, you won’t be around to deserve it.”

I shook my head. “Death matches are forbidden, you know that.”

Darrel shrugged. “What I
know
is that you don’t have any other choice. I think the club will make an exception if you, their
alpha
, asks them to.”

I stared at the man long and hard, doing my best to run through my options. He was right, I didn’t have any. I could either go along with his plan, or risk losing everything. Judging by the glint of murder in Darrel’s eyes, that could very well include Megan. I didn’t have a choice. And, honestly, I didn’t know that I had a chance either. I’d need my bear’s strength to counter Darrel’s mountain lion.

“Fine,” I agreed finally. “We’ll do it your way.”

“Great!” Darrel shouted, a hint of glee in his voice. “Midnight tonight. Be there, or I come back here.” Then he started toward the open door. Just before he exited the apartment, however, he stopped in his tracks and turned toward me. “There is one more thing.”

I glared at him, not responding.

“Our beasts will be entirely legal during the fight.” He flashed me a sideways smile, then grabbed the door and slammed it shut behind him as he exited.

I stared after the man for a long moment, my mind reeling. What had I just gotten myself into?

And, more importantly, how was I going to get myself out of it?

Megan

“Megan…” the voice came, accompanied by hot breath against my cheek. “Megan, sweetie, wake up.”

My eyes fluttered open, revealing a familiar setting. I was lying on my couch, and facing the wall. A sharp pain emanated throughout my skull, thwarted somewhat by a cold surface being pressed against the back of my head. Why was I lying there…?

I shot up, the memories of what had happened returning to my mind. My vision swam as I fought off a wave of disorientation and I lurched back against the couch, away from the source of the voice.

“No, no, it’s okay. It’s me, Megan,” the voice whispered softly. “It’s me, Kal.”

I turned my head toward the source of the voice, seeing him for the first time. There he was, dark-haired with those same perfect orbs of green gazing into my soul. The dam broke then, and tears began streaming down my face. I dove into Kalvin’s waiting arms, letting him hold me as I sobbed against his shirt.

“A…man…he…was…here…” I managed between sobs.

“I know, I know,” Kalvin whispered, holding me tightly against his warm, solid frame. “He’s gone now. I’ve got you.”

I nuzzled against him as closely as I could, letting him occupy my entire world. Just the feel of his embrace was enough to comfort me and fight off my tears. I could hear his heart pounding against his chest, beating rapidly and, I realized, in time with my own.

Mine. All mine.
I thought to myself, not realizing where it was coming from. All I knew was that I wanted Kalvin. I
needed
Kalvin. All to myself. I didn’t want anything but to be with him.

Before I could convince myself otherwise or talk myself out of it, I looked up at him again, gazed briefly into his emerald eyes, then pulled his head down toward mine. I pressed my lips into his, expecting him to recoil away from me. Instead, he pulled me in closer, taking my lips into his. A powerful sensation of warmth and pleasure wreaked havoc on my inhibitions then, and I moved further into the kiss, opening my mouth and forcing my tongue into his. Kalvin returned the gesture, and our tongues danced for an eternal moment, tracing each other and exploring each other’s mouths. Hungrily, I wanted more.

As our passionate embrace continued, I began moving my hands over Kalvin’s body. His body was large and firm, a distinct complement to my own soft curves. Even over his clothes, I could feel the hard, rippling muscles that I so desperately wanted pressed against my skin.

Clearly, I wasn’t the only one with that idea.

Before I knew what was happening, Kalvin’s fingers hooked themselves around the zipper on the back of my dress, tugging downward until my luscious breasts spilled out. Kalvin pulled away from my kiss for a moment, examining my exposed breasts, then shook his head in exasperation.

“Oh my God, Megan,” he managed breathlessly. “You’re so beautiful.”

Smiling, I took one of his hands and brought it to my left breast. The warmth in his touch was enough to start a distinct wetness between my thighs, and I pressed his hand in further, letting him feel my heart pounding beneath my flesh.

“Yours,” I told him without thinking. “I’m yours.”

Kalvin leaned in and kissed me once. “I’d like that. I really would. But…” He looked away, despondent.

“What is it?” I managed.

Kalvin released me from his embrace and backed away, his hands clasped behind his head. He was looking for a way to explain something. But what?

“You’re a shifter,” I told him, trying to ease any obstacles. “I know that. I understand that. And I also know what that entails. I understand the concept of mates, of lifelong monogamy…”

“It’s not that,” he waved me off.

“Then
what
could it be?” I noticed that my breasts were still spilled out and moved to cover them again with my dress. Kalvin’s eyes shot to my hands, a look of desperation on his face.

“That man, the one who was here. He’s done a lot of damage, including what happened to me last night. And…” he paused, taking a breath. “He means to end it tonight. He means to
kill
me.”

I felt the color flee from my face then and that same wave of nausea returned.

Kill him?
I thought.
Why?!

“Remember the fight club I told you about?” Kalvin stammered.

I nodded.

“There’s…a sort of ranking system. I’m the alpha there, or I was. And in order for Darrel to claim that spot, he has to beat me. In this case, he’s going to the extreme. And that’s not all,” Kalvin told me. “He’s also managed to pretty much destroy my company overnight. And if I don’t go fight him tonight, it’s going to stay that way and then…” he trailed off.

“And then what?” I prodded.

“And then he’s going to come for you.”

“Oh,” I said flatly.

Kalvin only grunted.

“Well, if you’re the alpha, shouldn’t you be able to take him?”

Kalvin shook his head. “Normally, yes. But now… I don’t think so. Something has changed.”

“
What
has changed?” I shot at him, probably a little more harshly than I’d intended. “My life is apparently at stake here, Kalvin. You owe me an explanation at least.”

He took a deep breath as if mulling it over. Finally, he nodded, and sat down in front of me.

“My bear is gone,” he offered. “As in, I can’t sense him. Can’t feel him. Can’t tap into him. Can’t
shift
into him.”

“Wait,” I threw up a hand, trying to wrap my mind around what he was saying. “Your
bear
is gone? How is that even possible?”

Kalvin shook his head. “I don’t know. For as long as I can remember, he’s been there. A part of me. Inside my head, inside my feelings, breathing right alongside me. It’s…hard to explain.”

“And now he’s just gone? Poof?” I raised an eyebrow, doing my best to comprehend. I hadn’t had much experience with shifters, but I had treated a few during my clerkships. Shifters rarely took ill or needed hospitalization, but when they did, I’d always made an effort to be on their rotation. They were more than a little intriguing.

“Right,” Kalvin nodded. “I haven’t sensed or felt him ever since…” His eyes shot up, drilling into me. “Ever since I woke up in the alleyway. Ever since you treated me.”

I stared at him for a long moment, not taking his meaning.

“Did something happen while you were treating me? Anything unusual?”

I shook my head. “Nothing more unusual than watching your blood clot up without a humanly possible reason. I checked your vitals, cut up my sweater, then used it to bandage your wounds.”

He stared at me for a long moment. “Did you sanitize it first? The sweater?”

“Didn’t have any antiseptic. Are you seriously concerned about germs
now
?” I stared at him in disbelief.

“Shit,” Kalvin spat. “How much blood did you get on yourself?”

“I dunno? Not much. Enough that I had to wipe it off, but still…”

“That’s it then,” Kalvin said, a sudden grin forming on his face.

“
What
’s it?” I questioned, throwing my hands up, letting my breasts spill back out of my dress. Kalvin’s eyes immediately went to my breasts and a look of deep hunger and a primal need emerged on his face.

“That’s why Darrel thought we’d already mated. My blood was on you. You’d already been marked without technically being imprinted…”

By this point I was far past confused. Though, the memory of Darrel’s words echoed inside my head:
I can smell his scent all over you.

Kalvin must have noticed the confused look on my face. “There are two ways for a shifter to mark their mate. The first way is the most common, through sexual intercourse. Literal mating. There’s no stronger way to imprint on a mate than sex.”

“And the second?” I questioned.

“The second way, one that is significantly less widely used, is the exchange of blood. You were probably up to your elbows in my blood, and I’d be willing to bet that there were traces of yours in the bandages you made for me.”

I thought back to how I’d accidentally cut myself on the scissors, then absently wiped my own little trickle of blood off on the sweater. At the time, it had seemed like such a minor thing. I nodded, confirming Kalvin’s suspicions.

“There you go then,” he gestured toward me with his hand. “We exchanged blood. Technically, by the old laws, we’re mated. An exchange of blood - a blood oath - used to be a part of the old mating rituals. It’s very rarely used, though.”

“Okay,” I said, digesting everything he was saying. “So what does that have to do with your bear vanishing?”

Kalvin smiled. “That’s just it. He hasn’t vanished. He’s being repressed.”

“By what?”

“By you, actually.” Kalvin said flatly.

That one took me off guard. “Explain.”

“The blood oath was done when a shifter mated with a human. It was a show of compliance, done to protect the human until they’d been properly…er…claimed. Just because the human side of the shifter no longer follows the old laws, doesn’t mean the beast has forgotten them.”

“So basically,” I started, “Your bear is backing off until we have sex…in order to keep from hurting me during sex?”