“Would you mind if we shifted? We could make a circle of sorts with our bears, and you would be more comfortable.
“We’re kind of like big pillows.” Saber took her hand while he spoke.
She let him. “I’ve never seen people shift into bears. Only the wolves I was around.”
“First time for everything,” Judah said, winking. “We promise to be gentle.”
She sucked in a breath, and her blush deepened. The sweet scent of her arousal filled the air between us. At least we knew the attraction and desire wasn’t one-sided. “I would like that.”
Part of shifting into our animals meant taking off our clothes first and, while we were used to it, and she claimed to be also, her eyes widened as she took in our naked forms. If we were in a different place in our relationship, I might’ve suggested mating her right then and there. Under the stars.
Once we were in our bear forms, she stood and approached each one of us. “You’re so big.”
She was in awe. Not a hint of fear in her scent.
She explored our bear bodies. Running her hands through our fur. Touching our mouths and noses, our ears.
“I’m getting tired.” Posy let out a yawn and, instinctively, we made a nest for her out of our bodies, and she climbed into the middle, settling in. Her legs curled up on Judah’s stomach. Her head lay on Saber’s stomach. One of her arms around my neck.
I’d seen and been to most of the countries on this planet. Spoke different languages. Tasted food with flavors that made me feel alive.
But there was nowhere on this earth that I would rather be than here, in my bear form, lying on the ground with my mate’s hand in my fur. It topped everything I’d ever done and maybe I would ever do.
Chapter Fifteen
Posy
I’d never spent such a warm, comfortable night in the forest. Or anywhere.
Lying with one arm thrown over my face, I savored the furry warmth around me. Getting up held little appeal, but my position made it evident that my tramping around in the woods left me less fragrant than I wanted to be.
To put succinctly, I stank.
Bad.
Sure, the bears had a scent, but I didn’t want my perspiration to overtake the smell of three huge animals. Or for them to think their potential mate reeked to high heaven. They traveled all the time, and if all anyone they met remembered was their smelly mate, how would that go over?
No, I usually didn’t stink, but they might make an assumption based on this moment. I couldn’t tell them apart, at this moment, only having met the bears in the dark of night, but I was currently on top of one of them, his furry bulk protecting me from the hard, cold ground. The other two curled toward me on either side, creating together a self-heating fur sleeping bag no queen could buy.
Maybe I could sneak away and clean up in the stream I’d followed not far back along the trail. From the even breaths and occasional snores, they were completely out, so I eased my way down and to the side then tiptoed away. If I hurried, I’d be back before they noticed I was gone.
The air was still cold, but my pride made me want to be fresh and clean for them when they woke. Perhaps I couldn’t look the way I’d like to, but at least I wouldn’t be covered in dirt with twigs in my hair. I thought I remembered where the stream was,but it was a bit farther than I remembered. Still, I kept a careful eye on my progress, making sure I wasn’t going to miss a turn and get lost again. The bears had taken it pretty well, better than I deserved.
Not that I couldn’t have hiked by myself, but I should have not only let them know with a note or by actually speaking to them, but I hadn’t even taken the time to see where I was going. There were trail maps available at the campground as well as rangers who could have given me information. Had I thought about it.
Which I hadn’t.
As I eased down the hill toward the stream, I wondered how they had even found me. I hadn’t taken the same trail they did, nor had I told a soul where I was going. Had they been able to track me somehow? Sitting down to untie my hiking boots, I had a fleeting thought that there might be a tracking device in something I wore, but why would they do that?
No, there was only one reason I could come up with as to how they tracked me down. By scent. And from my understanding, that would make me their mate.
Wouldn’t it?
My hoodie, tank, and shorts didn’t provide much protection, but when I took them off, I missed them. Dipping a toe in the stream, staying stinky sounded pretty good. Maybe mates weren’t offended by the smell of their significant other?
But I’d come this far. The birds were waking, small animals rustling in the leaves, and I’d never suffered from cowardice. So I stepped in and sank down to let the water rush over me. Icy, fresh from the upper slopes where the last of the snow hadn’t melted, it smelled so fresh. Squatting, I dipped my hands into the flow, lifted them, and let water stream through my fingers. Cold, refreshing, and clear.
Shivering and covered in goose bumps, I hurried to rub my skin as clean as possible without any kind of soap or cloth. Deciding I’d done all I could, I prepared to get out when I heard a twig snap. Another animal? I looked around, but I didn’t see anyone. This far up the mountain, I didn’t expect to see another person, but that didn’t mean that some evil doer couldn’t have stumbled upon me. Heck. I’d been lost. Maybe there were a lot of people who hiked through here every day and I’d managed to miss all of them.
