I turn around in Alex’s hold and wrap my arms around his neck, allowing my head to rest on his chest as we wait for everyone to be in position. He lays his head on mine, neither of us wanting to make any sounds in case the shifter is unknowingly using magic to increase her hearing. A plan... What I did with the wolves around the castle seemed to work. Although, we’re talking about a momma bear, whose shift was set off by the need to protect her child. Fuck it, I’m going to wing it.
After a couple of minutes, Alex tilts my head up and I raise an eyebrow in question. His mischievous sparkle is missing from his golden eyes, telling me he’s being serious right now. He rests his forehead against mine and closes his eyes. Breathing in the same air, I get the sense he just wants to be close right now, to feel a connection. My teasing little devil has a way of touching me everywhere, without actually doing it.
He rests his face against mine, lips millimeters away from touching. He cups my face, our bodies lined up touching from chest to knees, hand on my neck. It’s so intimate, standing here sharing one heartbeat and breathing each other’s air. Now is the perfect moment for our first kiss, I want it right this second. I don’t want to wait any longer for his lips to be on mine, to know the taste of him. A small whimper escapes, and I clutch his shirt in my hands.
Right as I move in, Alex pulls back and his gaze is vacant for a moment. After a nod, he peers down at the pout of my bottom lip. He was probably listening to one of the guys, and that’s why he pulled away from me. Doesn’t stop the disappointment of not being able to kiss him, though. He’s right, it’s overdue at this point.
His hand on my neck gently pulls me toward him as his eyes stare into mine, and his other hand grips my hip. His thumb instantly finds the gap between my shorts and my top. How does he always do that? He gives me a sweet smile, the glint still missing from his eyes. Slowly, he closes the space between us, amping up my expectations.
Finally, after an eternity, his lips touch mine. It’s a closed mouth kiss, lips gently pressing together, but somehow this kiss sends a zing of desire throughout my whole body. I feel it all the way to the tips of my toes, making them curl. Our eyes stay locked through the entire kiss, even when my lips slightly part and his top lip slides into the crevice, allowing him to give the smallest suck to my bottom lip. His touch is so gentle it makes me emotional for absolutely no reason at all.
The kiss feels like it lasts a whole lifetime, while ending way too quickly at the same time. It was the most simple of kisses... and yet... it wasn’t. How did he do that? He sighs breezily and runs his nose along mine before putting his lips to my ear. Barely putting forth any sound, he whispers, “Still not our first kiss.”
A light blush tinges my cheeks, and I feel like a giddy school girl with her first crush. How the fuck is my dirty, pervy Alex the one who makes me feel like I’m doing somersaults? He takes a step back, and I follow without thought. The resulting smile on his face sends a flair of brightness in my soul and I can actually detect our bond getting stronger.
Once again, one of my guys is able to make me lose myself in the moment like we’re the only two people in the world. I’m ripped away from my dazed giddy thoughts when Derrick pops back into my mind.“We’re all in position, ready for any commands you send us.”I shake my head to clear some of the lust so I can get my thoughts back on track.
Now Alex has a smug expression on his face and his twinkle has been restored too. Thank goodness. I’m not sure how I would be able to get anything done if he was looking at me with his serious face on. Closing my eyes, I take a few deep breaths. Alex gives me a quick peck on the cheek before walking away to give me some much-needed space.He’s absolutely intoxicating!
Okay, game face on, stop thinking about shoving Alex against a tree and dry humping him. All because of one simple, incredibly sweet kiss.Stupid crush. Boys are dangerous. Bear shifter. I need to help her. Mind out of gutter, annndd go. Thank Fates he can’t feel what I’m feeling down the bond yet.
The woods here have a significantly different landscape from other areas we’ve been through. The trees grow closely together, which would make it hard to navigate if they were the only hindrance. There’s also the problem of all the fallen trees around us. In some places, they’re stacked on top of each other in four layers, sticking out in different directions. Almost like a game of pickup sticks.
As I try to walk in the direction Derrick pointed out, my fingertips graze the fallen logs within reach. Each one I touch, my magic seeks its core, causing a silent acceleration of decomposition. Within seconds of my magic entering the trunks, they turn into compost, falling to the ground below in a small puff.
My progress is slow and I question how a bear navigated itself into the area, up until the trees begin to thin out and I reach an open area. A huge waterfall is flowing down from a cliffside a short distance away, the water winding through the earth providing the most picturesque scene.
I still haven’t been able to locate the bear. Walking over to the water, I find a huge log I can use to cross to the other side, not wanting to get my clothes wet by wading through the river. Alex is right behind me, and holds my hips to make sure I keep my balance in a sweet gesture. Probably just him wanting to take advantage of the situation and have an excuse to touch me.
The water sparkles in the sunlight and small fish mingled with tadpoles can be seen swimming about. The land on either side of the river is lush and green. If I was a freaked out shifter who didn’t know what the fuck just happened to me, this is where I would want to be too. Surrounded by beauty and access to necessities.
A child’s whimper is my first hint the bear shifter is close. Knowing she shifted to protect her child, it isn’t much of a surprise it’s here with her, although I had hopes the poor thing wouldn’t have to go through this experience. Following the sounds of crying, I finally spot the child huddled up against yet another log.
As soon as the young boy sees me, his crying wavers and he shouts out to me, “Help me! Please!” He has to be about seven or eight, bags under his red puffy eyes like he hasn’t slept in days. Brown hair is plastered to his head with dried sweat and mud. He tries to scramble to his feet to come to me, but his foot slips in the mud from the river bank. We should’ve made this our priority. This boy’s terror is all my fault.
I want to run to the boy and scoop him up in my arms, but the sounds of her son’s voice alerts the momma bear to our presence, and she comes barreling over to stand between us and her child. She lets out a thunderous roar, mouth wide open, sharp teeth on display, and the child lets out a heart wrenching screech in reply. The momma bear lets out another noise, not realizing she’s the cause of her child’s distress, a vicious cycle to be sure.
Alex can’t help but try to nudge himself in front of me. “Alex, can you keep her distracted? Just try to calmly talk to her,” I whisper to him.
He nods and immediately works on trying to calm down the bear. “It’s okay. Shh... we’re here to help you.” He continues with soothing words trying to break through her fear and the need to protect. She shifts her weight from foot-to-foot swaying back and forth to intimidate him into leaving.
As he talks to her, I put a bubble of protection around myself and reflect it around my surroundings so I’m invisible to her sight. Tiptoeing, I slowly make my way to the child who’s now curled in the fetal position with his head covered. When I make it to his side, I make sure he’s the only one who can hear me and place my hand gently on his shoulder. “Hey there, sweetheart.” With my unexpected soft voice, he slightly jumps, and I quickly continue, “I need you to stay quiet, okay? If your mom hears you, she’ll get even more worried.”
He sniffles and holds a single finger to his lips telling me he’ll be quiet. I could hide the sound of his voice, but I don’t want his mom to glance over and see his lips moving and realize something is off. Allowing him to see me, relief is evident in his eyes. Rubbing his back in small circles, I try to continue to calm him down. “I bet it’s been really scary since you saw your mom turn into a bear, huh? Well, we’re here to help you both. I just need you to be brave for a little while longer.”
Much to my displeasure, Alex hasn’t been able to calm the bear down. In fact, she has become even more frantic to get him away from her and her child.“Derrick, I need you guys to come here. When you get close to being in the open, I want you to pause so I can put a bubble of invisibility around you.”
“We’re already here, Precious. Look straight up and toward your left just a tad.”His answer is immediate in my mind. Peering up, I see them where he indicated, and I immediately snap the bubbles around them. Once they know the magic has settled around them, all three of them make their way over to us. I need them to stay here with the boy so I can help his mother. I can’t help her until I know he’s taken care of though. My men make it over to us in no time at all.
“Okay, sweetheart, there are three strong men here who are going to protect you while I help your mom. I want you to stay here and be quiet, all of this will be over soon.” I allow him to see Derrick, Marcus, and Klaus now that he knows to expect them next to him. With a reassuring smile, I leave them to join Alex again.
I don’t think she noticed when I left, but she sure notices my reappearance. Placing a hand on Alex’s shoulder, I smile at him to show my gratitude for his efforts. Before I even open my mouth, I know she’s way too agitated to listen to any reason. I really don’t want to do things through force, but with no other options, my magic sends out a shimmering dust over the shifter. Its effects are immediate, and she becomes groggy and drops to the ground in a slumber.
There’s a collective exhale of relief from my men with the calm returning to the peaceful area. The gurgles of the river can be heard again, along with the sound of the waterfall crashing into the pool of water below it, in the distance. The boy runs to his mom, now that she’s asleep and no longer frightening him. His small arms spread out over her, too short to actually wrap around her, and his sobs can be heard once again. “Mommy! What did you do to my mommy?”
“It’s okay, sweetheart, she’s only sleeping so I can help her. Can you tell me your name?” He peers up at me, eyes filled with tears and snot running from his nose until he wipes it with the back of his hand.
He takes in a shuddering breath before saying, “Johnny.”
