Darren busied himself in the house that night while Kelly slept. He wanted to make her feel welcome. Even though they had been intimate together that night, she had gone into her room and shut herself in there for a long time. Darren couldn’t help but worry about her. It was strange for her to disappear like that, even when they were going through tough patches. She mostly lingered downstairs, waiting for things to clear over. At least that’s what he liked to assume she was doing.
Either way, it was a bit of a rejection when he found her heading upstairs to be alone once they had returned home. He was cooking dinner. Now that he knew she had some shifter blood in her, he was going to do everything in his power to help awaken her to her full potential.
Shifter-human hybrids were often not very powerful, but what powers they did have, far surpassed whatever petty human limitations were placed upon them by birth. When they were able to tap into their shifter powers, there were certain things that were easier for them. Like reading people’s true intent and tapping into the powers that provided them with an assertive stance, no matter what the situation. Self-preservation was a mantra among the bear shifter colonies and everybody was eager to be able to assert themselves over their own territory and stay there. They would keep it that way as long as they could. Shifters, bear shifters, in particular, were adverse to change in their environments.
Perhaps that was why the adjustment period for Kelly moving in had been so difficult, for both of them. It was in their natures to reject anything so sudden and difficult. They may have thought it was a good idea before actually meeting, but now that they had come together in this way, it was really difficult for both of them to accept and consider the immense challenges they were facing.
Well, if that was the only true obstacle, then the solution would be more time. Time for them to get used to each other and believe that they would be able to become close, even though it seemed that one or the other of them was always irritated over something stupid and insignificant. No, they would have to stop looking for reasons to be unhappy because the change was difficult and uncertain, and would have to begin to face their challenges head on. That’s what mature people did. People who were willing to compromise and make the changes that needed made so they could live and love others. Have a family. Darren really wanted a family.
He pulled the two armchairs away from the fireplace quietly and sat them at different areas in the house. He replaced them with a small, comfortable loveseat that had been gifted to him by his great aunt. It was one of the only relics left of his childhood home. Before the dragons had burnt it to a crisp, to prove their lineage wasn’t going to be an issue.
Darren sighed as he worked, locking his jaw in concentration so the memories wouldn’t cloud him over. He was depressed any time his family situation was brought up. But soon, he began to see it as a personal challenge. He had been the last man standing with his genepool. And it was a special one at that. His family had been warriors, bred through and through, and he was no exception. He had fought valiantly against the dragon shifters as they attempted to take over the valley, and now the gully, where Matthew had been killed because of his foolhardiness.
Since then, he had tried to stay out of such matters. It seemed only to get him into trouble. Thank God for Jared. Jared had seen him in the slump he was in and had done everything he could to make sure his friend was taken care of, right down to getting him set up with a job and somebody to help him tend to his land.
And now, Jared had even, somehow, managed to contribute to his ability to finding somebody to settle down with and consider creating a family with. He was a good man. If he ever did end up having cubs, he might make him their godfather.
Once the timer went off in the kitchen, Darren wandered over to it and took the meal out of the oven. He let it sit for a while and went back into the living room to finish his task. He wanted to make sure that everything was set up before the human came down the next time. He wanted to make this place look like somewhere he could spend time with somebody else; not just a sanctuary for a lonely, aging man.
With the final touches complete, Darren was satisfied and went upstairs to knock on Kelly’s door. She took a few moments to answer, but when she did, her eyes were shining with tears.
“Oh no,” Darren said, pushing into the bedroom, and gaping at her. “Are you sick? You aren’t going to leave, are you? We don’t have to do what we did again. Stay…”
Kelly stared at him, her expression going from wary and sad to surprised and mildly amused. “I’m not planning to go anywhere. At least not yet,” she informed him. “I just had a few things on my mind, that’s all.”
Darren frowned. “What kinds of things? Are they really that serious?”
“I guess to the right person they could be very serious. But I know how cut off shifters are from human emotion, so I won’t try to ask you to understand.”
“Just because we do not share customs does not mean we are emotionless,” Darren reminded her. ‘We are just expressive in different ways.”
“I know,” Kelly said quietly. “I guess I just feel a bit overwhelmed about all of this. There are so many things I don’t know, and it turns out a lot of them are things I don’t even know about myself.”
Darren sighed. “It stands to reason that you would be concerned. I have been concerned as well. It takes our kind longer than typical of humans to adjust to these types of major changes. We need time to process and reflect and consider the next course of action carefully. It is not good for anybody to be overly reckless in the way they conduct themselves. It is not in the nature of a bear shifter. But perhaps we have both been feeling reckless and it has changed the way we treat one another.”
Kelly mulled the words over quietly and then looked up at Darren with a small smile. “I think that makes sense whether you are a bear shifter or not. A lot of people are bad with changes.”
“Well, that is true, but it is particularly challenging for me and I apologize. Now, please come down and enjoy the meal I have prepared for you. I think you will be pleased.”
Kelly nodded and followed Darren downstairs, her eyebrow arching in surprise at the sudden change to the man’s living arrangements.
“What happened down here?” she asked quietly, moving toward the small sofa, and looking up at him inquisitively. “It’s different.”
“Well, I figured since we have a lot of changes going on, maybe it is time to make home a little more comfortable for both of us. I know it is just more change, but this one will hopefully be good. What do you think?”
“I like it,” Kelly said decidedly. “What smells so good?”
“I made you something I think you will like.”
Darren led Kelly to the table and had her sit down.
“Okay, thank you,” Kelly said. Darren slid the bowl over to her and she began to eat quietly, her body warmed by the earthy textures and tastes of the meal. Her mind once again drifted to the portal in the sky and the lump in her throat returned. She looked to Darren with a small light in her eyes.
“It’s really good,” she said softly. “It tastes so different, but so familiar.”
Darren smiled. “That’s because it is helping to awaken you to your true self. I will enjoy the meal with you. It is usually a ceremonial dish, but since it tastes so good, sometimes we just make it as a meal. When you are done digesting it, you are going to feel stronger. More alert. More yourself. And you will understand what it truly means to walk among the shifters.”
Darren smiled at the woman, his broad chest warmed by her gentle features. He needed this chance to calm down and claim his mate. It was good to rest from his painful position as alpha and focus on something that required a little more finesse. It wasn’t his strong suit, necessarily, but he was enjoying learning.
She continued eating, considering his words. What was going to happen to her body from eating this food? She couldn’t be sure. She was both nervous and excited about it. She wanted to be able to be the strongest version of herself she could possibly be, and somehow, she sensed that the bear within her was urging her forward to follow Darren’s gentle guidance. He would help her to come into herself. A part of her that she hadn’t even known she was missing out on. That set her apart.
“Come outside with me,” Darren said suddenly, once he had cleared her plate and dropped it into the sink. “We should sit outside for this next part.”
Kelly followed Darren out the back, surprised to find a huge, beautiful yard. They were in a clearing, where the sky above them was very visible. There were several glittering stars in the sky and soft glowing lights came from torches that were stuck in the ground surrounding the yard. Around the yard was a large mass of trees, but where they stood, Kelly was able to look up into the night sky and gaze upon the moon. Her eyes automatically went into the direction of the top of the mountain, where she had seen the portal for the first time that night. A strange stirring began in her chest, as she became minorly aware of the power that filled the air around them.
“I live near a shrine,” Darren said softly. “Can you feel that ancient magic as it comes through the air? That’s because it is a part of me. It is our birthright. It is something for us to utilize and protect. We cannot let anybody change it, or try to claim it as their own. We have to protect this place, and we have to make sure that the dragon shifters know their boundaries and limitations here. Otherwise, everything would be chaos.”
Kelly was quiet as she listened to him speak. She had been able to sense exactly what he had spoken of, and knew that everything he said was true. Even though she was much distanced from her shifter ancestry, there was still something deep within her that resonated with his words. Not only that, but she had seen for herself the power of this place. She had seen something strange in the sky, something that reflected her in a deeper way than she could even comprehend. She knew the truth of the shifter magic was within her. And she wasn’t going to rest until she was able to understand it for herself.
“I never really understood why I felt this way,” Kelly said quietly. “I guess I always assumed it meant I was just too different. And that I didn’t fit in anywhere. I didn’t realize there was a part of me that literally belonged in another world.”
Darren nodded. “There is. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Even just one drop of shifter blood is enough to make it count. Of course, there is a choice. You can choose to walk and talk as a human, or you can slowly begin to embrace yourself as you truly are.”
Kelly considered this. It seemed like such an odd truth. And yet, sometimes, she had begun to realize that truth was far stranger than fiction. There was a part of her that was seeking something more, and that something was out there, somewhere in the universe, calling her to come home.
She suddenly understood the plight of the shifters far more deeply now. All of them had this strange lure toward the portal. They all knew there was a land where everything they felt, their impulses and their instincts, made sense. Somewhere it was far more natural for them to walk and talk and exist amongst themselves than it was to try to fit into the limitations and confines of human society. To a full-blooded shifter, the entire planet was just as small and confining as the little town she had grown up in. And she felt a sudden desperate need for air.
Fortunately, they were outside, and the cool night breeze filled her lungs just as she needed it the most. Darren seemed to sense the strange shift in her mood, and walked forward to put a hand on her shoulder comfortingly.
“It is powerful, isn’t it?” he said quietly. “It is powerful to be drawn so deeply to a land where you have never even been before. A place we have never seen. It only exists within us, these memories. There is a collective reality somewhere in our minds where we are able to look back on our ancestral memories and understand that there is a place that is far better suited to our needs than Earth.”
“How did this happen? How did we come to be here?” Kelly asked, realizing, suddenly, that she was now speaking about herself as if she were a full-blooded shifter too. She felt embarrassed by it, but Darren seemed pleased and nodded encouragingly.
“There are many stories and accounts about what happened, but there is one, in particular, that relates to the bear shifters. However, that is something the elders have kept secret from us for many generations, and I doubt I will ever be able to know the full story myself. My understanding, so far, is that there was a drastic mistake. Somebody was trying to attempt something far too powerful and it backfired horribly. Several shifters were launched through time and space and found themselves here, trapped on this planet with one another, terrified, lost, and alone. I am very glad I was not one of those shifters. I feel like it would be far more excruciating to know the reality of our true world and to be cut off from it for the rest of your life than it is to long for home again without quite knowing what that’s like.”
Something about Darren’s words resonated within Kelly. She had always had a similar feeling. But she had assumed it was because she didn’t know her true family and had always wanted to understand more about her lineage. “I do know what that’s like, and I always have. I just assumed it was mainly because I was adopted.”
“I believe it could be an indication of many different things,” Darren said, nodding sadly. “But I do believe that the most telling revelation is one that indicates your shifter blood is alive and well within you. We all seek something greater than this place. There is something far better suited to the reality of our makeup. And that place is our home. Even if we live here, this is not our home. We will never feel like we belong.”
“Oak Mountain feels different,” Kelly said quietly. It feels like there is a piece of home here with us. I know it’s not a big piece, but it’s something worth fighting for. I can feel it now.”
She closed her eyes, the full effects of the meal intoxicating her with an un-repressed search of her own power. She looked to Darren, a fire and sadness in her eyes. “I want to know that we are doing everything we can to fix this feeling. I’ve had it my whole life, and I just realized what it truly meant. What are we doing? How are we helping?”
Darren smiled at her soothingly. “We are doing everything we can to fix it. We are fighting a secret battle to maintain our hold on Oak Mountain until we can begin to open the portal and find our way back. It’s possible. We know it is possible. It has happened before, but only briefly. Now, we need to hold tightly to our defenses as the elders work toward understanding the magics that have kept us trapped here. We will fight our way out. And we will survive and become victorious in the long run. As soon as one shifter succeeds, we all succeed. Whether we live to see it or not. It is a great battle, and it is one we will probably die fighting. But it is worth it.”
Kelly nodded, and Darren led her to a wooden swing. They sat down together in it, and it rocked gently as they gazed quietly into the night sky. Kelly leaned her head against Darren’s shoulder, and he quickly enveloped her in a soothing hug. They were silent as they took in the sights and sounds of the night air. Kelly had never felt more alive in her life, and that feeling was only enhanced by the gentle strength of the man beside her. He was strong and powerful, and could probably take the mountain over for himself if he truly wanted to. And yet, there was something about him that made her feel entirely safe. No matter how dangerous the bear within him happened to be.
After a while, Darren finally turned to her. “How do you feel?” he asked.
“I’m not sure I could even begin to tell you just how alive I feel right now. It is unlike anything I have ever experienced before.”
Darren smiled. “I’m really glad to hear you say that,” he said quietly, lacing his fingers through hers. They were quiet for a few moments. Finally, he spoke again. “Are you sure you are okay?” he asked. “I saw that you were crying. I just want to know whether or not you truly do want to be here. It is okay if you don’t. I know things are difficult. They haven’t been easy for either one of us since this whole thing started. I don’t blame you if you would like to try and make your way in the world alone.”
Kelly set up suddenly to look at Darren, her heart tight. “That isn’t really what I want,” she said. “I think I just need more time to get to know you. I trust you, completely, but there are some things that are still difficult for me, and I know you can understand. I just don’t know if you will still want to be with me if I am having these kinds of doubts.”
“It is natural to have these kinds of doubts,” Darren said, smiling against Kelly’s forehead as he pressed into a gentle kiss. “I have claimed you for my own, and I know that this is not the conventional way humans do things. I know you are mostly human. I know this is what has to be done so I can call you my own for the rest of our lives. And that is what I want to do. That is what I have wanted to do since the first moment I laid eyes on you. I hope that you believe that.”
“I do,” Kelly said with a small nod. “It just scares me a little bit.”
“What about it scares you? I would never do anything to hurt you.”
“Everything about this is just so different.”
Kelly looked down at her hands furtively and then back into Darren’s eyes. “I want to know that I can trust you with this, I just don’t know how, when I don’t even trust myself. I don’t know anything about my heritage. I don’t know what any of this really means. It’s just all kind of sudden and overwhelming. I want to trust it and to believe that it will be great. I’m just not used to having these kinds of things happen to me, I guess.”
Darren chuckled. “Well, with me around, you are going to get used to having great things happening to you at all times. I am going to see to it that you are taken care of. No matter what happens.”
Kelly smiled at the thought. “That sounds like a nice way to live,” she said quietly, nuzzling against him.
She felt safe with him, and Darren seemed to be able to sense this. They sat outside for a few moments longer before Darren cleared his throat and spoke again.
“Were you okay? Out by the skyline?”
He looked down at her meaningfully, hoping she would understand this question without having to go into detail about it.
“Yes, it was wonderful,” Kelly said quietly. “I’ve never felt anything like that before.”
Darren smiled. “Good, me either.”
For some reason, Kelly was surprised to hear this, and smiled. “I know you said a lot of people haven’t been able to be compatible with you, but you seem like the kind of guy who could attract a woman, despite all that.”
“I have had a few relationships in my time,” Darren admitted with a small chuckle. “But nothing quite as powerful as this. Nothing ever awoke the bear. You are the first and the only that has ever been able to profoundly affect me in this way.”
Kelly pulled away, and they looked at each other intently. A sudden and extreme burst of arousal exploded through Kelly’s body, and they gazed at each other. It was clear that Darren knew exactly how she was feeling. It was likely that he could sense it because of the bear and her heightened level of awareness. Suddenly, she became acutely aware of all of his strength and power. She saw him in the same way another shifter might see him. Strong, intimidating, and in charge. This was a powerful man in front of her, and she was very overwhelmed by the sudden revelation.
Unlike earlier in the day, she was not afraid of this power. Not anymore. She understood its darkness, and knew it came from a place of great self-control and good intention. It wasn’t something he was going to misuse and hurt her with. It was something he was going to be able to channel and control into something powerful and life-altering, should he choose to do so.
“I want this,” she said suddenly. “I want you.”
Darren didn’t need to ask to understand exactly what she meant by these words. His lips were suddenly pressing against her in a hot, needful kiss that left her breathless. She cried out in surprise when he pulled her on top of his lap, his hands suddenly around her waist as they sampled each other’s taste. She loved kissing him; he was an incredible kisser.
Not only that but the bear within her responded to the bear in him. Soon, both of them were working toward one common goal. They wanted each other, and badly. They wanted to be close to one another, the beasts within them recognizing each other intimately.
“Stay with me, Kelly,” Darren murmured, pressing his lips passionately against hers. She gasped in pleasure and surprise as she was consumed by another pressing need. She closed her eyes, overwhelmed by the sensation of Darren’s tongue.
When they pulled away, Darren’s eyes were flashing and dark.
“Come with me,” he demanded.
Kelly followed Darren back inside, climbing the staircase. Darren led her into his bedroom and held the door open for her. She stepped inside, her eyes adjusting easily to the darkness of the room. Darren shut the door behind them.