“What’s on here?” Bryce asks as he looks at me.

He’s sitting at my computer, trying to gain access to the USB files. They’re encrypted just like Abigail said they would be.

“Secret files,” I say as Kennedy walks into the room.

My body stiffens with her so close. I thought we were getting along great and that she was enjoying her time here—besides being hunted by Bledsoe, of course—but I guess I was wrong. She wants to leave.

Bryce tries to hide his laugh as he turns back to the screen, but I hear it. I hear everything.

“It’s not porn!” I say, frowning at him.

“Sure,” Bryce whispers under his breath as his shoulders shake.

“How long is it going to take?”

Bryce shrugs as his fingers fly across the keyboard. “It’s a pretty basic encryption, but it still has to run through the program I just installed. About five hours.”

It’s already late afternoon and that will bring us to late evening.

“Can you come back in five hours in case we need some technical help?” I ask.

“I don’t know,” Bryce says with a wince. “I was planning on hunting down some of the country’s most vicious criminals.”

“Oh, really?” I say, rolling my eyes.

Bryce grins. “Maybe I’m not there yet. But soon.”

“How is it going over there?” I ask. “Are those bounty hunters treating you well?”

Bryce lives on the ranch next-door with a bunch of bounty hunting lion shifters.

He shrugs, but he’s smiling. “It’s better than sleeping in a car, which I was doing before I met them.”

We talk for a few more minutes and then I kick the lion shifter out. I might only have a few more hours with Kennedy and I’m not about to waste them with anyone else.

She’s sitting at the kitchen counter, watching me as I close the front door.

“I guess now we have to wait,” I say, shifting awkwardly.

She glances down at the counter, rubbing a tiny circle with her fingertip.

“What do you want to do for the next couple of hours?” I ask.

She’s about to say something but she hesitates.

“Say it. We can do whatever you want.”

Her eyes dart up to mine. “I want to see Grizz.”

Her answer takes me by surprise. I wasn’t expecting that.

“You want to see my bear?”

She smiles and nods. “I’ve missed him.”

“But you already saw him today.”

“He was fighting. That doesn’t count.”

I take a deep breath, trying to hide my grin as I watch her. I never realized that she was so attached to my bear, but I guess it’s not too surprising. She was always bugging me to pull my bear out when we were younger. She loved to cuddle up to him and ride on his back through the forest.

“I think Grizz would like that,” I say, feeling a bit left out. I was hoping she would want to spend time with me as well.

She hops off the stool and walks to the door. “Then let’s go.”

“Right now?” I ask, standing there in shock.

She grins at me. “Right now.”

I follow her outside as she bounds down the stairs with a spring in her step. She’s smiling wide and can hardly contain her excitement.

“All right. Here he comes.”

She licks her lips as I take off my shirt and I can’t help but notice her eye roaming over my torso.

My inner grizzly is hovering close to the surface and eager to get out. It seems that he’s missed her as much as she’s missed him, although I already knew that. Grizz loves this girl to death.

I let him rush forward and feel the usual pull inside as he emerges from my skin. In the next second, I’m watching from the inside of a grizzly bear as Kennedy rushes forward with her arms open.

She collides into my bear and digs her hands and face into his thick soft fur. All I feel is happiness and content rushing through him. He doesn’t get happier than this.

“I missed you so much, Grizz,” she says, petting his cheek.

He grumbles in response, sniffing her scent like he can’t believe it’s actually her.

She lets out a beautiful high-pitched laugh as he licks the side of her cheek, and I can’t help but laugh as well. Seeing Kennedy so happy and carefree like she was in her youth is overwhelming me with emotion.

All I ever wanted was for her to be happy like this every day. I was worried she had lost her carefree spirit the day she got hurt, but I’m thrilled to see that it’s still there. It’s hidden deep, but it’s still there.

I spend the next two hours in my bear form with Kennedy on my back. She’s laughing and talking as we walk through the ranch and into the forest. She points out the colorful birds to my bear who listens and grumbles back, happy as ever to have her with him.

I just stay quiet inside, watching her whenever I can and enjoying the feeling of being bathed in my bear’s warm emotions. It’s been too long since I’ve felt like this.

My life has been overwhelmed with feelings of guilt, sadness, shame, anger, regret… all of the feelings that eat away at you until you’re nothing but an empty shell of your former self.

But seeing Kennedy like this with my bear brings me a bit of hope. Maybe we can get back to that place.

Maybe she can be this carefree with me and maybe I can be as content and happy as my bear is in this moment. We have a long way to get there, but maybe one day we’ll arrive at that beautiful place.

“Hey, Grizz,” she says when they’re relaxing on the crest of a hill, enjoying the view of the mountains in the distance. “Is Maximus still in there?”

My bear grumbles as he turns to her. I can feel the reluctance flowing through him. He doesn’t want to leave her just yet.

She nuzzles her cheek against his and smiles. “Can you bring him back out?” she whispers.

Luckily for me, my bear cannot resist this girl.

He licks her face one last time and then backs up as she wipes her face and giggles. I’m thrust to the surface as we start to phase. My body tightens and burns as I change back into my human form, then, in an instant, I’m back.

“Thank you for that,” Kennedy whispers as I sit beside her on the grass.

She tosses me her sweater and I use it to cover up.

“It looks like you two were having fun.”

She smiles as she looks up at the clouds. “I always loved, Grizz. A bear is a woman’s best friend.”

“Well, it was nice to see. I miss watching you like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like you’re seeing the world as wondrous and exciting instead of as a dark and scary place.”

She smiles sadly as she stares out at the horizon. “The world was always a wondrous and exciting place with you by my side, Maximus.”

Her words hang in the air as we stare at the view.

“You called me your future mate,” she says, turning to me. “Did you mean that?”

My heart starts pumping as she watches me, waiting for an answer.

“Of course,” I whisper. “You’re the only girl for me, Kennedy. I haven’t been with anyone or even looked at anyone since the moment I first saw you.”

“You haven’t?” She looks shocked, and I’m confused as to why. There’s nothing less shocking than that. How could I ever want anyone else when I know that she’s out there?

“No. Of course not.”

She takes a deep breath as the warm breeze flows over us. “Then why did you let me go? If you still loved me, why didn’t you come for me?”

All of the familiar guilt and shame comes rushing back to me. I turn away, but she’s waiting for an answer.

“I let you get hurt.” It feels like my heart is getting crushed inside of my chest as I release the words that I’ve held onto for so long. “I failed to protect you, Kennedy. I don’t deserve your love.”

“You don’t deserve my love?” she says, twisting her beautiful face up like she doesn’t understand. “Maximus it wasn’t your fault.”

“It was.”

“No, it wasn’t.” Her voice is firm as she stares at me with a serious face. “It was just a shitty thing that happened by a bunch of lunatics. You tried to help me. It’s not your fault.”

I want to believe her. I want to move past this. But I’ve been living with the guilt for so long.

She takes my hand in hers and turns to me with the softest look on her face. “You have to stop beating yourself up over this. I don’t blame you for what happened, and I don’t want you to blame yourself.”

I want to listen to her. I want her words to sink in and transform me. I want them to help me let myself off the hook, but I’m not there yet. Every time I look at her, I’m reminded of my failure. I’m reminded that I’m not good enough.

“I’m sorry I never came to find you after you left.” She pulls her hand back and drops her eye as I say it. “I shouldn’t have made that promise to your parents.”

Her eyes start to water as she stares into the distance. “I thought we were going to be together forever,” she whispers. “I was crushed and felt abandoned when you never came.”

“I’d give anything to go back to that time and change… everything. I let you down in so many ways.”

“We were young and stupid,” she says with a sad smile. “I was dumb enough to think that someone could still love me when I look like this.”

“I still love you.” The words just fly out of me. “I never stopped loving you.”

Her cheeks redden as she looks down at her lap. She doesn’t believe me.

“Kennedy, you are the most amazing person I have ever had the pleasure of meeting in my life.”

She’s still not looking at me, so I gently take her chin in my hand and tilt her head up until I’m looking into her gorgeous amber eye.

“I love you,” I whisper. She turns away, sliding her chin out of my hand. “But you don’t believe me.”

She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes, fighting back the tears that are trying to get out.

“I know you’re only saying that because you feel guilty.” Her words are like a dagger to the heart.

“I’m not,” I say, moving around her until we’re face to face. “I love you, Kennedy. It’s the truth. Your scars are beautiful. You’re beautiful.”

The tears that she was trying to fight back finally break free, rolling into the crevasses of her scars as they travel down her face.

She closes her eyes as I lean forward and lay gentle kisses on them. I start at her cheeks and kiss my way down to her lips that are parted as shallow breaths flow in and out.

“We’re soulmates, Kennedy,” I whisper as I hover my lips over hers. Her warm breath washes over my lips, making them tingle. “You and I will be mates one day. I can feel it. I always could.”

“Then what’s taking your bear so damn long?” she asks with a sad smile.

“I’ll ask him as soon as I finish what I’m dying to do.”

She’s holding her breath. “And what’s that?”

I answer with a deep kiss. She moans as our lips connect and I slide my tongue along hers. Her body melts into my embrace as I wrap my arms around her and pull her in close, right where she belongs.

I’m not sure how the sweater covering me gets moved, but suddenly it’s on the grass and she’s stroking my hard erection as we kiss.

Kissing Kennedy is intoxicating, but kissing her while she’s running her hand up and down my length is making me drunk with lust.

She moans into my mouth as I pull her onto me, straddling me with her sexy legs.

“Do you love me?” I ask as our mouths part. “Tell me the truth.”

Her hair falls onto my face as she looks down at me. She’s so goddamn sexy.

“Of course, I love you, Max. I never stopped. The feelings never went away.”

I pull her body to mine as I reach up and kiss her once again. Her sweet words are repeating in my ears over and over again as I slide my tongue along hers.

She still loves me.

After everything she’s been through because of me, she still loves me.

She starts rocking her hips along my hard length as I pull her shirt over her head, moaning into my ear as I unclasp her bra.

I watch with bated breath as she stands up and starts unbuttoning her shorts. My cock rages as she tucks her fingers into her waistband and slides it down, taking everything off.

“Hold on,” I say as I grab her hips before she can come back down. Her beautiful pussy is in front of my face, tempting me with its delicious scent.

She doesn’t resist as I pull her toward my face and give her pussy a slow soft lick. She’s already so wet and my tongue is making her even wetter.

“Oh, Max,” she moans as she runs her fingers through my hair, keeping my mouth just where she wants it.

She tastes so fucking good as she starts writhing against my mouth, moaning as she gets into it.

We’re out in the open on the top of a hill, but there’s no one around. Not like I could stop myself if there was.

I run my tongue along her soaking folds, groaning in delight as she gets wetter and wetter. Her curvy body lets out a little whimper as I flick my tongue across her clit. I do it again and again as I grip her ass cheeks with firm hands.

When her legs start shaking, I know she’s close to coming. It’s so intense for her that she tries to pull away, but I hold her in place with a firm grip, wanting to taste her coming on my tongue.

She throws her head back and cries out as her orgasm comes, sudden and fierce.

“Goddamn,” she grunts through gritted teeth as she nearly crumbles to the ground. I catch her and guide her onto me, spreading her legs on either side of mine.

She’s so consumed with pleasure that she doesn’t notice me guiding my cock to her pussy until I’m pushing in. “Oh, fuck,” she moans as I grab her hips and slide her down my length. “That’s so fucking good.”

I forgot how amazing she feels. She’s riding me deeper and deeper, taking me until I’m buried completely inside of her.

My hands slide from her hips to her ass, guiding her up and down as I stare at her bouncing tits in front of my face.

I want this to last forever. I never want to leave her pussy.

She grips my shoulders tighter as she rides my cock until we’re both about to come. I can feel the heat burning inside me, roaring through my veins like an inferno as it builds and builds.

It hits me suddenly. Intensely. I hold her tight as a wave of heat surges through me, swallowing me completely as I release my seed deep inside her.

The same wave of pleasured heat seems to be drowning her too. Her eyes are squeezed shut as her limbs tremble and her body shakes.

The sensation is so intense that it seizes my core, locking my whole body in place. At first, I think it’s the orgasm, but as the Montana scenery fades to blackness around us, I realize that it’s something else entirely.

Everything disappears into the darkness, except for Kennedy who is glowing in full spectacular color. All we can do is stare at each other in shock as our souls fuse together through the bonding process. Our souls have always felt like one, but it’s never been like this.

I am her and she is me. We are one. Just like we were always fated to be.

When the bonding is complete and the darkness slowly fades, she swallows hard as she studies my face.

“Maximus?” Her voice is barely above a whisper. “What was that?”

I hold her naked body close to mine as I stare at her beautiful face. “I think you know.”

“We’re mates now.” A statement, not a question. She can feel it too. She knows that everything has changed.

The corners of her lips curl up in a smile as she watches me. “Really?”

“Is that what you want?”

She smiles as she nods her head up and down. “That’s what I’ve always wanted.”

I smile back as I hold her tight. “Me too. I just wished it would have happened sooner.”

She runs her hand through my hair with a loving look on her face. “Let’s just not waste any more time.”

I nod my head. “I love you.”

She hugs my head, pressing my face into her breasts. “I love you too.”

This is the best place in the world. I’m inside Kennedy with my head on her chest, listening to the steady rhythm of her heart.

It feels too good to be true, and unfortunately, it is. All I want to do is savor the next few days with her, but I can’t.

Bledsoe can appear at any moment and we still have to move or we’ll have the pissed-off dragons to deal with.

I may have the opportunity sooner rather than later to prove to her, and myself, that I have what it takes to be her protector as well as her mate.

This time, I can’t fail.