Edmund

I knew she had the right to know what’s going on, now even more than ever. I had an obligation to lay my cards open to her, as well as to my Clan. I just didn’t know exactly how to explain the part where she was part shifter and part witch. Throughout the existence of our kind, hybrids only existed between shifters and vampires. And the worst part was that hybrids were shunned from both sides. Neither bear nor Vampire wanted a half breed in their midst. I wasn’t quite sure what the outcome would be in this case.

“Sit down at least, I can’t have you falling and getting hurt.”

“I’m not made of porcelain, if you haven’t noticed. I’ve managed to survive out there for the past decade without your help.”

I patted the bed beside me, and despite her stubbornness she sat down, surprisingly not moving away from me. I had to shift my focus to the situation at hand to prevent my inner beast from coming to the forefront. Her scent was simply intoxicating, and the tiny wound on her neck expelled a fresh scent of her blood. I took a deep steady breath and rubbed my hand over my face to relieve some of the tension.

“After the decimation of the planet, and the fall of man, Lucifer’s Hordes went on a rampage, killing most if not all humans. This you already know. What you may not have realised was that with their food source almost depleted, their attention turned to our kind.”

I glanced over at her, she simply sat with her hands folded in her lap and her eyes focused no me. Her unyielding stare as making me anxious again, so I blundered on.

“At first it was difficult for us to detect them. Their physical composition is not easily detectible by our species, as it is in detecting humans. Those bastards are walking corpses.”

I felt her shift and when I looked at her I could see the small crease on her forehead.

“Long story short, we started to call in the help of witches like you to cloak our Clans and also cast locator spells in order for us to find them before they find us.”

“The binding spell, how would that have helped you?”

She was as sharp as a dagger, nothing slipped past her.

“Well the witch before you, Maura, cast the binding spell out of spite or call it revenge. It’s a long story…”

“It’s not like I’m going anywhere,” she said and her voice was laced with sarcasm.

“Maura was in love, and because her love was unrequited…”

“She was in love with you?” she asked, this time looking straight at me.

Instead of answering her questions, I continued, “her personal feelings of hurt and rejection finally drove her insane, and before she plummeted to her death, she cast this binding spell. It didn’t only affect magic, but also our ability to fully shift into our bear forms which left us vulnerable.”

The mattress shifted and she stood up, “Wait, so you’re not a werewolf?”

I chuckled and shook my head, “No, we’re a Clan of bear shifters, generally at peace with all living creatures unless threatened. Contrary to the belief that we’re carnivorous hunters and savage beasts, we much more prefer what nature provides.”

“So that’s why you have an entire greenhouse where you grow hydroponic vegetables. But why did you, you know?” she pointed to her neck.

Here was the tricky part, and I had no idea how to explain it to her other than to put it out there for the dogs to rip apart. I stood up and as I stepped closer it looked as if she wanted to move away, but she didn’t.

“Maura was in love with me, but it was a one sided love,” grasping for straws I tried to find the right words to explain the situation.

“Well the feeling wasn’t mutual, because she was not a shifter. All her attempts to seduce me failed, and with each passing moment she became more desperate, but my bear was silent.”

She tilted her head to the side and frowned, I knew the cogs in her head were turning like there was no tomorrow and I couldn’t help but smile. She was clever, and I was sure that the puzzle pieces will soon start falling into place.

She folded one hand under her arm, then ran her tongue over her lips and then sucked it into her mouth. That action was enough to make my cock stand at attention.

“So then, but, I don’t understand, if you can only share mutual feelings with another bear shifter, what happened between…oh my god! You’ve got to be kidding me,” and so the chips fell. She finally realized exactly what was going on, now it was up to her to make sense of this.

“It’s not possible, I cannot possibly be a shifter,” she protested, “Do you have any idea what they do to hybrids out there?”

I nodded solemnly, but I also knew she was no ordinary shifter, or witch for that matter. Very few witches can unbind a spell of a dead witch, especially one of Maura’s skill. It takes more than just mediocre magic.

“I was just as surprised as you were. Trust me, when I kissed you and my bear growled with pleasure, I had to see it for myself. The only way I was able to ascertain the fact that you are part shifter, was to taste your blood.”

“I need a drink, a strong drink,” she flopped back down on the bed and lay back stretching her arms out on either side of her and my blood rushed south.