Chapter Twenty-Four
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Cold Creek, North Cascades Territory – last quarter moon
Human “Mother’s Day”
Claws safely sheathed, Ryder slapped Emma’s hind leg with a paw and launched himself into the undergrowth.
Blustering with mock annoyance, the bear spun—faster than he’d expected—but he’d already dropped, letting the salal and huckleberries hide him. Safely hidden, he watched for his next opportunity. The tip of his tail twitched.
Such a pretty bear.
Although Emma was in the “black bear” species, her thick, shaggy fur was as honey-colored as her hair—and shone with health. Darker over her head, her fur lightened to pale gold on her Roman-bear-style nose. She turned her head, back and forth, trying to locate him. Some stray berries on the bushes caught her attention, and she stopped to nibble before continuing to search.
As Ryder watched her, the sun filtered through the tall plants and bushes, warming his shoulders. He’d forgotten how much fun it was to play in animal form.
This outing was a form of rejoicing that Genevieve was gone. Yesterday, Ben’d told her that she’d get no money from them. Last night, Ryder’d visited the tavern for news. The young male Genevieve had stayed with was drinking and mourning that the pretty female had packed her bags and returned to the Deschutes Territory. Ryder had barely refrained from telling the lad what a narrow escape he’d had.
Minette’s mother had given up. So, on the Sunday that the humans called Mother’s Day, their small family was celebrating. Ben had decided they all needed four-legged time, so they’d packed food and clothing.
In the forest behind the house, when Emma had trawsfurred to bear, Ryder’d suddenly had a terrified cub clinging to his neck. By the God. Who would have thought Minette’d never seen shifters take animal form.
She had now.
Fuck, he had a brave little cub. As she watched, they’d taken turns shifting. Soon she was clapping her hands in delight.
He and Ben had started her off on top of Emma—and she’d been thrilled—then had taken turns being her “horse.” Because of his size and long, shaggy fur, Ben became her favorite, which was why he and Emma were playing games. The Griz had a tendency to mosey.
But he was here now. Ryder’s ears swiveled at the sound of Ben coming up the trail. There was still time to score one more point off of Emma.
Nose in the air, the honey bear was working her way closer to him. Bears definitely had the best sniffers in the woods.
Wait…wait…
He stilled his twitching tail to prevent the salal from any telltale swaying.
From the forest, Ben lumbered out into the marshy area. Bouncing happily on his back, Minette had her tiny fingers clenched in his fur.
Emma turned to look.
Now. Ryder’s haunches tensed. He bounded forward out of the salal bed and sprang right over Emma’s back.
Mouth open in a laugh, Minette bounced on Ben’s back.
Not slowing, Ryder charged Ben. As he leaped over, he snatched the pack with their clothing from Minette’s lap. With the bag in his jaws, he trotted toward a thick stand of trees. Although shifters didn’t notice nudity, especially after they themselves started trawsfurring, the cub didn’t need to be stressed further. They’d get dressed privately.
When he reappeared, wearing a thin T-shirt, jeans, and moccasins, Minette was seated on a log, watching Emma tussle with Ben. Needless to say, the massive grizzly was in no danger of losing.
Ryder picked Minette up and nuzzled her soft hair. “Pretty kitten.”
When she lifted her face and kissed his chin, his heart felt as if his rib cage was too small to contain it.
At a low grumbling noise, he turned. Emma was up on her hind legs, undoubtedly wondering where he’d left their clothes.
He pointed to where heavy undergrowth concealed a small clearing. “Pack’s hanging from a dead limb.”
She dropped to all fours and loped away. Damn, but it was nice to see her moving without pain.
Ben watched her, waited a calculated amount of time—probably until she trawsfurred and was naked—and followed. Canny male.
Ryder smiled in approval as he remembered her softness and sweetness as they’d mated. Having slept alone last night, his brother undoubtedly wanted to collect a kiss or two now.
Having her alternating beds wouldn’t last long. As soon as the little bear was comfortable, he and Ben would enjoy her together, and then would sleep with her between them.
*
After stopping to rub her shoulder against a cedar to eliminate an annoying itch, Emma found the pack where Ryder had indicated. She shifted to human and pulled the small nylon bag off the branch.
As she rummaged through the clothing for her own, she realized she was…happy.
She’d never had a chance to play with other shifters in animal form. Grinning, she pulled her jeans from the pack. Cougars were definitely sneaky. And, even though he’d been in cat form, Ryder had definitely been laughing whenever he took her by surprise.
Ryder liked stealth.
Ben liked to tussle—and the grizzly made her feel positively tiny. She might mass a couple of hundred pounds, but he had to be three to four times her weight. Yet his care not to hurt her was sexy as anything.
She realized she was hugging her shirt.
“Now, there’s a fine sight on a summer day.” Ben’s appreciative rumble had her spinning in place.
Ryder wasn’t the only sneaky brother, was he?
The warmth of a blush started at her breasts and swept up into her face.
Appreciative blue eyes watched the progress. Watched her nipples tighten.
Not knowing what to do or say, she started to pull on her shirt.
“Oh, not just yet,” he murmured. With a cahir’s strength, he pulled her against him, bare skin against bare skin, and tossed the shirt to one side.
She felt as if she’d waited an eternity to feel his hands on her body again. His arm around her waist felt like an iron bar as he fondled her breast with skillful fingers.
Heat streaked up her center, and her toes curled into the soft pine needles beneath her feet.
“Oh yeah.” He flattened a hand on her ass and pressed her pelvis against his erection. His nip on the curve of her shoulder made her gasp. “Unfortunately, with Minette here, we can’t play the game I’d enjoy right now.”
“Oh.” Her voice was hoarse. “That’s a shame.”
“Yeah.” He kissed her, long and slow and deep. “For teasing me, honey bear, you owe a forfeit. I expect you in my bed tonight.”
Her mouth dropped open. “But—” She stopped the protest, because the forfeit of a night in Ben’s bed sounded…just fine. The scent of his desire filled the air. “Uh, I’m so sorry.” She smiled and used Ryder’s nickname. “I’ll pay up, Griz. Of course.”
The sun lines fanning from the corners of his eyes deepened when he grinned. “I do so enjoy honorable bears.” He kissed her lightly and stepped away.
As she pulled on her clothes, he took his jeans from the pack. But didn’t put them on.
“What’s wrong?” she asked as she slipped on her mocs.
He glanced down at himself ruefully. “You’d best join Ryder and the cub. I’ll be out as soon as my jeans fit again.”
Her gaze dropped. His cock was almost the girth of her forearm and…beautiful. She swallowed, as her core pulsed with the need to be filled. “Right. I’ll just be—” She waved a vague hand toward the others, turned, and walked into a tree.
He caught her before she’d staggered back one step and gave her a guiding push between the trees with an amused snort.
As she strolled to the stream, she shook her head, still feeling her body humming with lust. By the Mother, the male was potent. And tonight… Mmmm. Stop. Think of glacier-topped mountains. And ice and snow.
By the time she’d crossed to where Ryder sat with Minette on a log, she’d managed to recover. Or so she thought.
Ryder lifted his head, sniffed the air, and his rare smile flashed. “I see Ben found you.”
From the glint in his black eyes, she knew her face was turning red. “He did. He’s getting dressed,” she said stiffly and accepted the cup of water he handed her.
“Relax, little bear,” Ryder said as he opened a sandwich for Minette. “So, you’re joining him tonight?”
She choked on the water.
He gave a masculine chuckle. “Poor bear,” he told Minette. “She needs to learn to swallow instead of breathing the water, right?”
Minette nodded solemnly.
“You did that deliberately,” Emma muttered. Had she really thought the male had no sense of humor?
“Aye.” Ryder took her hand and kissed her fingers before curling them around a sandwich. The heat in his midnight-dark eyes sent a frisson of awareness through her. “I’d be pleased if you…joined…me the next night.”
Oh. Oooh. Her toes curled in her soft shoes. He wanted her. Wanted her after having spent another night with her. Wanted her after seeing her as a bear. “Yes,” she agreed, almost breathless.
“Yes is the right answer,” he said agreeably. He rubbed his shoulder against hers before turning back to Minette.
The cub was watching a scrub jay flit from branch to branch in the fir trees. At the bird’s ripping-metal screech, Minette startled and spilled her water on the ground.
Scrunching her shoulders to make herself smaller, she looked anxiously from Emma to Ryder.
“Minet—” Emma started to say.
“Oops,” Ryder broke in lightly. “You spilled.” He grinned and swept dirt over the wet spot. “All gone. Want to go get some more from the stream? I need some, too.” He rolled to his feet with a powerful grace and held out his hand.
Minette hesitated, as if waiting for him to react the way she’d expected. When he simply waited, she took his hand to be pulled to her feet.
Adoration filled her eyes.
As the two of them walked to the stream, Ryder holding his cub’s hand and talking about catching fish, Emma felt a tugging warmth deep in her chest as her heart expanded to add another love.
Minette was already there. The kitten had set up residence within the first week.
Ben had been there since the night of the hellhound.
Now there was Ryder. Oh yes, she loved that terse, loner cat with his covert humor, devastating smile, and surprisingly tender side.
Ben walked out of the forest. He sat on the ground, his back against the log, his shoulder against her knees. “You’re smiling like you found sweet berries in the weeds.”
“Something like that.” She looked him over. A half-erect cock bulged under his jeans, and exercise-pumped muscles strained against his worn T-shirt. She wanted to touch and stroke and taste. And she wanted to play with his brown hair that was the same color as his fur. Could she talk him into wearing his hair longer? Feeling quite daring, she tangled her fingers in the thick, soft strands.
Rather than objecting, he moved closer and closed his eyes in open appreciation. Someone enjoyed being petted. She could pet this male all day long.
After clearing her throat, she asked, “You keep your hair shorter than most shifters. Is there a reason?”
“Construction. Too easy to catch hair in those fancy-assed human machines.” He held his hands out, fingers spread. “For the same reason, Ryder and I don’t wear rings.”
“Ah.” His big hands had scars on the back and the knuckles.
She leaned forward and ran her fingers over the reminders of pain. He had other scars scattered over his body. From construction. From hellhounds. From fighting. Tonight, she’d find them all. Kiss them.
When a crease appeared in his cheek, she realized her scent had gone all lustful again.
The log settled in the dirt as Ryder sat down on her other side. Minette walked carefully to Ben to offer him a tin cup of water.
“That’s just what I needed, kitten,” he said. “I was thirsty. Thank you.”
The cub smiled proudly as he drank the water down, his head tipping back, his Adam’s apple moving up and down in his strong neck.
Emma wanted to fan herself—and then felt mortified. What was wrong with her? This was—
Ryder wrapped an arm around her, his dark voice a low whisper in her ear. “Little bear, no matter what your idiot mama taught you, desire is a gift from the gods. Nothing to hide or be ashamed of.”
She met his serious eyes. “Right.”
“If it helps, Ben and I feel exactly the same way about you.” His gaze took her in, appreciation plain, his scent deepening with lust.
Now she really did need to fan herself. But… “It does help. Thank you.”
When Minette yawned, Ben glanced at the early afternoon sun and pulled her down next to him. “I think it’s nap time for kittens. Settle here, cub, while the old ones talk.”
The cubling leaned into him, looking pixie-sized against his huge body. Before Emma had finished her sandwich, the little girl was sound asleep.
Ryder smiled at his daughter before looking at his brother and Emma. “I’m glad we had a chance for a four-legged day. Thank fuck we found out that Minette hadn’t been around shifters in animal form.” He scowled. “I should have anticipated it. Genevieve never shifted until she had to.”
“It won’t be a problem, bro. Minette has got a decade before her first trawsfur.” Ben touched the cub’s cheek gently. “We’ll make sure she’s comfortable with what happens long before that time.”
Thinking back to her own first trawsfur, Emma watched the cub sleeping…until the silence registered. Both males were looking at her. “What?”
“I get the feeling your first trawsfur sucked.” Ben pulled her clenched fingers out of his hair. He stroked her fingers over his cheek in the same way Minette played with her braid. “Now, mine started well enough. My pa took me out, and we both shifted. The door to the wild was nice and clear. Smooth as an eagle’s dive.”
Ryder frowned. “ ‘Started well enough’ sounds ominous.”
Sensing a story, Emma leaned forward. “Did something go wrong?”
“Yep. You see,” Ben said, “my father figured he’d sired me. When I shifted into a grizzly, he knew I wasn’t from his genes. And he blamed my size for my mother’s death in labor. After shifting and yelling at me, he stormed off.”
“The fucking insane bastard,” Ryder muttered. “He left you to figure out how to get back to human by yourself, didn’t he?”
“He did.” Ben’s voice was easy, but the fingers holding her hand tensed. “Took me a while.”
Oh, sweet Mother.
Appalled, Emma could only stare at him. A new shifter could easily lose the “door” in their mind—especially if they were upset or afraid. And the longer it took, the less likely it was that they’d see it.
He could have died that day. Her fingers tightened around his. He’d been just a boy. The thought of his fear that day hurt her deep inside.
“So, little bard, did your first trawsfur go as badly?” Ryder took her free hand, rescuing her from the bleak thoughts.
“Not as bad as Ben’s. But, like Minette, I’d not been around shifters in animal form.” She lightly touched the sleeping cub’s cheek. “Mother hated picnics and dirt, and trees and the mountains. I didn’t go on excursions with anyone else since she didn’t let me have friends. No one was good enough for a Cavanaugh.” An unexpected anger filled her. How selfish her mother had been. Emma had been no more than another status-enhancing possession—and had received the same emotional care as the expensive statuary in the foyer.
“What happened?” Ben asked.
“She hired a shifter to serve as my first trawsfur mentor when she…eventually…realized I was the right age.” After the maid had reported that Emma had soiled the bed with her menstrual blood. Thank goodness for the school’s education classes that explained menses. “I was shocked when I first shifted, but…I loved it.”
Ben gave her a keen glance. “Loved it almost too much?” His words held a world of understanding.
“Yes. I knew where the door back to human was. I just didn’t want to use it.”
“Glad you came back, little bear.” Ryder squeezed her hand. “Well, compared to you two, I had a nice, normal first trawsfur. And a hell of a better childhood.”
“Yeah, sure you did. Sorry, bro. If we’re sharing traumatic childhood stories, you won’t escape.” Ben lifted his thick eyebrows. “Remember when we downed a bottle of Jack Daniels to see what drunk felt like? You babbled worse than a flooding brook.”
Oh fuck. Ryder did remember. Wished he didn’t. “I don’t babble.” Because he never consumed that much alcohol again.
“You did. You said your pa was a good male.”
Ryder nodded, relieved. “Yeah. That’s right.”
“But he went through females faster than wildfire through the east range, and none liked his skinny, silent cub.”
Ryder turned his head away. Also true. During his father’s frequent absences, whoever the current female was would send him to his room. To get him out of sight. He’d learned early how shallow and unloving females were.
He realized he was holding Emma’s hand and started to pull away.
Her fingers tightened to the point of pain as her soft brown eyes revealed a compassion he didn’t want to accept.
“Got a grip on you, little bear,” he said roughly.
She didn’t let go. “I hang on to what I lo…” She broke off, leaving him staring. To what I love? Did she…
She finished, “…to what I want to hang on to. So, your father’s females didn’t like having another’s cub underfoot?”
“Nope.” Shallow, uncaring, mercenary, and—
She snorted. “Between them and Genevieve, it’s no wonder you don’t like females.”
Her statement slid like a blade between his ribs.
“My pa said your father adored our mother,” Ben noted. “The new females probably didn’t want you around reminding them—and him—of someone he really did love.”
Ryder’s brows pulled together. “You…might have a point.”
Ben grinned at Emma. “Then the ugly cub grew up, turned studly, and now has females flocking to him. Even his sire’s females were hanging all over him, and only because of his appearance. He hasn’t changed otherwise.”
“Asshole.” If he punched his brother, chances were good that he’d wake the cub. Ben’s summary was fucking accurate. When they were younger, it’d burned Ryder’s ass that females wanted to mate for the sole reason that they liked the way he looked. As a cahir, Ben got the same treatment.
A muffled sound made him glance down.
Emma had her hand over her mouth to smother her laughter.
“What?” he growled.
“Oh, your face.” She pointed at him. “Such utter disgust that some female might want you because you’re gorgeous.”
Well… His lips curved up as much of his bitterness receded. “Gorgeous, huh?”
She was so pretty when she turned pink. “Um. We should head back. I have to sing this evening,” she muttered, releasing his hand.
“True enough.” Ben rose, lifting Minette up with him. He reached back to yank Ryder to his feet.
Ryder gave Emma a hand and moved closer to run a finger down her flushed cheek. Her brown eyes were beautiful, big and wide and vulnerable.
Had she almost said she loved him? By the God, he wanted to hear that more than he wanted his next breath. But…he wouldn’t push. This little bear was too easily spooked. Might flee rather than share.
And somehow, somewhen, he needed to let her know he’d already taken that leap.