A Christmas to Bear (3 page)

The Hunter’s Head Pub was decked out for Christmas, ornaments hanging from its various bits of décor. Even the fake human head which was mounted on the wall, symbolic of shifters’ intolerance of the hunters who had once overrun the area, wore a flashing red light on its nose, reminiscent of Rudolph the Reindeer.

Various locals were gathered about, having a pint and chatting about their plans for family gatherings and for avoiding them. Aria sat alone at the bar, her eyes occasionally darting to the entrance. Somehow she hoped to see Lucian, though she felt quite certain that he’d meant it when he said that he never went into Wolf Rock.

The bartender, Cam, was one of the few norms around; it seemed that the pub catered mainly to shifters.

“So you were on the ski hill today,” he said to Aria, looking at the tag which was attached to her jacket’s zipper. “And how was it?”

“The skiing wasn’t great. But the rest was interesting,” she said, smiling. “I met someone up there, on the hill.”

Cam raised an eyebrow. “Oh? I suspect that he was the interesting part, yeah?”

“He was…strange. A shifter.”

“We have plenty of those around. They don’t usually ski, though. Most of them don’t like the constriction of the boots; hard to change into an animal in those things.”

“He wasn’t skiing. He seemed to live up in the mountains, in fact.”

“Lucian,” said the barkeep. His mouth sealed shut as though the very name refused to allow any other words to be uttered.

“Yes. You know him?”

“Everyone knows him. Except no one really does. He’s that sort. A recluse, a hermit, even.”

“He’s an awfully good–looking hermit.”

“Well, he’s a shifter,” laughed Cam. “Saying they’re good–looking is like saying the Pope’s Catholic, or that bears…”

“Don’t finish that sentence,” laughed Aria. “I don’t want the image of the lovely Lucian sullied by it.”

“Fair enough.”

“So what do you know about him?”

Cam cleaned a glass stein as he looked at Aria. “He has a history,” he said. “There’s a reason you don’t see him in town very often.”

Aria leaned forward, as though asking Cam to confide in her. He was a bartender, after all. Wasn’t that what they did?

“And? What’s the reason?”

“Shifters are difficult creatures. I mean, don’t get me wrong; I like them a lot. They’re my best friends, and I like them a hell of a lot better than most people. But don’t forget that they’re part animal. It’s not like with humans; we like to pretend that we have animalistic instincts, but we’re nothing compared to someone who’s part wild. And polar bears are some of the wildest animals there are.”

“He doesn’t seem out of control to me,” said Aria, recalling the gentle touch of the man’s hand on her leg.

“Well, you’re lucky, then. He’s lost his shit more than once in this town. Did you know that polar bears are our only natural predators? The only animal that’s ever been documented to hunt humans.”

Aria felt herself recoil slightly, her jaw tensing.

“That’s right,” continued Cam. “And it’s not exactly an instinct you can just shut off.”

“So he’s a human hunter?”

“Not ‘is.’ But ‘was,’ yeah. He’s been involved in some business over the years. Oh, never with anyone who didn’t deserve it, but we have a justice system here. Lucian had a habit of going rogue and taking on bad guys on his own. But the wolf alpha’s in charge of things in this town. There’s law to consider. Lucian, at least the bear in him, behaved like he was above the law, and it’s dangerous, to say the least. But he knew that, so he took off and left the town alone. Of course, that was when the old alpha was in power. He might be welcome now.”

“I don’t think he’s dangerous. He helped me when I was…lost,” said Aria, defending the man she barely knew.

“Listen, he’s a good man. He does what he needs to do to control what’s in him, and for the most part that means staying up in the hills. I respect him for that. It has to be a lonely life.”

“Yeah, it does,” said Aria. “It seems wrong for a man like that not to share his life with someone, when you consider all the people who are horrible and end up with partners. It’s funny, you know. I’ve always thought of shifting as a privilege. I guess it can be a curse.”

“Oh, it’s a privilege.” The voice was a man’s, but high and a little grating. Aria hadn’t noticed the stranger sitting several feet to her right, at the other end of the bar. She was certain, though, that he hadn’t been there when she arrived. “Hey, Cam,” said the man.

“Hey, Trevor.” The bartender rolled his eyes at Aria and turned his back. Clearly this wasn’t his favourite client.

“So you like shifters?” said the man, inviting himself into the conversation.

“Not all of them,” replied Aria. Something about the stranger, who was good–looking but a little too slick for her liking, didn’t sit well with her.

“Well,” he said, standing and approaching, “What do you think of foxes?”

“I think they’re parasites who kill housecats and spread rabies,” she replied.

Trevor laughed and sat on the stool next to hers. Something about his presumption made Aria want to punch him in the face.

“Tell me how you really feel,” he said, leaning in so that she could smell his breath. Oh, how nice. He’d no doubt started drinking before coming to the pub. From the smell of things, he’d also eaten a bucket of rotting fish. What a classy guy.

“I feel like you shouldn’t be sitting so close to me,” she said, standing. “And I feel like you smell like a brewery that specializes in beer flavoured like moldy cheese and rancid meat.”

“You’re a joker. I like that.”

“I’m not joking at all. And it’s men like you that give your gender a bad name.” With that, Aria turned to walk out of the bar. It was nearly midnight, and clearly Lucian wasn’t going to show. “See you, Cam,” she said.

The bartender flashed her a smile and said, “Keep on your toes, Aria.”

“I will.”

Aria zipped up her coat and secured her scarf around her neck. The walk to the inn wasn’t a long one; only a few blocks, but it was cold and blustery out, and something about the fox shifter Trevor had sent a shiver up her spine.

Wolf Rock went quiet at night, and Aria could only assume that around Christmas this was more true than usual. If there were nocturnal shifters about, they remained hidden, and for now she seemed to be the only person on the main drag. At the very least, it was a peaceful night, albeit a disappointing one.

When she’d walked a block she allowed her tensed muscles to relax and began again to think about Lucian. What had he done to her? In the moment when he’d touched her, she’d felt her entire body relax, as though he controlled each nerve and muscle inside her. The only thing she could liken it to was the sensation just after having an orgasm when your entire form wants to slump and sink into a bed, floor, or whatever you’re leaning on at the time. If Lucian could do that with a touch, she thought, what the hell would he be capable of in bed?

She stopped in front of a store’s window display, absentmindedly eyeing the assortment of Christmas decorations surrounding some gaudy holiday sweaters. She had no interest in the wares, but wanted to pause for a moment to ponder the naked man she’d seen only hours before. What was he thinking in this moment? Did he even remember her name? Maybe she’d merely been a temporary annoyance for him. But
she’d
felt something. She’d been clobbered by an immediate attraction to him, in spite of the pain, in spite of the unfortunate circumstance of their meeting.

She’d never felt that way in her life.

“Hey, baby. You’d look sexy in one of those.”

Aria jumped, taken out of her momentary reverie by the nasal voice of the fox shifter, who’d stealthily come up behind her.

“Jesus Christ,” she said, “You startled me.”

“I’m silent as the grave,” he said. He smiled, revealing teeth that were separated by unseemly gaps and stained a combination of yellow and brown. His breath smelled even worse than before, if that was possible.

“Good for you,” she said, resuming her walk towards the inn.

“Yeah, good for me,” said Trevor, who apparently thought he was welcome to accompany her. “Especially in bed. I can come without making a sound.”

“Your mother must be proud.” Aria quickened her pace. This guy was unreal.

“So, you want to try me out? I bet you’ve never been plugged by a shifter.”

Plugged. Really?

“No, I haven’t. And I think I’ll keep it that way. Thanks for the generous offer, though.”

Trevor stopped walking then.
Good
, thought Aria.
Stay, boy.

“You’re not understanding me,” he said to her back. “I’m going to fuck you.”

“No, you’re not,” she said, her eyes fixed on the lit–up sign of the inn straight ahead.

All of a sudden she felt something grasp her left arm and pull it backwards. The bastard had lunged at her, and now he was raising her forearm behind her, seeming to wrench it out of its socket. If nothing else, he was strong.

Aria cried out in pain, her voice catching in her throat. She wondered if she should let out a blood–curdling scream, or if she even could.

“You’re going to come to my place like a good girl,” he was muttering in her ear, his hot breath infiltrating the space between her scarf and her neck. “And you’re going to take off your clothes and I am going to do everything, and I do mean
everything,
to you.”

Aria stood still, trying to work out what to do next. It seemed like protesting might infuriate the man. But there was no way in hell that she was going anywhere with him.

“No,” she said simply.

“No?” he replied, his voice rising. “All right. I’ll take you right here.”

With that, he began to unzip her coat from behind, his rough hands grabbing at her. She sealed her eyes shut, waiting for an opportunity to wriggle out of his grasp. But he was so much stronger than he looked.

Just as she felt him reach for the front of her jeans Aria felt a blow, as though a giant gust of wind had shot by, and suddenly the hand that had been holding her and the one that had been undressing her were gone, peeled off by some great force.

Her eyes shot open and she turned to see a gigantic polar bear, his shoulder higher than her head, standing over Trevor. With his paw he swatted at the man’s face, leaving a series of deep gashes in his cheek.

“What the hell, man? Fuck off,” yelled the fox shifter, trying in vain to cover his head with his arms. “I was just getting some action.”

The bear grabbed the man by the jacket, taking its collar in his great mouth, and tossed him several feet towards the other side of the street. Trevor lay still, the dim lights shining down upon him.

Aria stared at the bear, who turned back to her now.

“Thank you,” she said, “Again.”

Lucian stood before her a moment later. He took her arms in his hands. “Are you hurt?” he asked. “I’ll kill him if you are.”

“I’m okay,” she said, warmth filling her. “Now that you’re here I’m fine.”

“What
is
it with you? How many times can you get yourself into trouble in one day?”

Aria went cold at his tone. Yes, she was an annoyance to this man. Well, to hell with him.

“It seems this place and I don’t agree,” she said. “But like I said, thanks so much for your help.” With that she turned and proceeded to walk away.

“No. Aria, wait,” said the shifter. “I’m sorry. I’m angry, but not at you. That fucker was going to violate you. I can’t stand the idea of it.”

“It’s okay. He’s a drunk and I’m a big girl.”

“His being drunk is not an excuse for…for touching you.”

“No, you’re right.” Aria’s voice softened as she turned back to face him. “I really do appreciate you helping.” She looked at the form in the street, whose side was heaving gently. “Do you think he’s all right?”

“He’ll sleep it off. We shifters are pretty hardy, in case you didn’t know.”

“I’ve heard. So tell me–what are you doing here? I thought you never came into Wolf Rock.”

Lucian straightened to his full height, stiffening in protest. “I don’t,” he said. Aria thought she detected a trace of dimple under the lights.

“Are you telling me you’re not actually here? Because if so, I’m about to call you a liar.”

“I’m here,” he said. “I was curious, I suppose. About you. And though curiosity kills cats, apparently it’s useful for polar bears.”

“What were you curious about?”

“I wanted to know what makes you tick. Like I said, you’re a strange girl. I suppose that sometimes I get a little bored and lonely up on that mountain. You offered a distraction.”

“So that’s what I am? A distraction?”

“You’re distrac
ting
.”

“And you’re a serious charmer with your smooth pickup lines.” Aria crossed her arms and let a coy smile form on her lips.

In response, Lucian grinned fully now, white teeth glinting in the faint glow of the street. “I’m not into pickup lines. I’m honest. It’s dull, I know. I’m not a clever seducer of women. I just tell it like I see it.”

“And what do you see now?” Aria asked.

“A woman who came flying into my life today. On one ski. A woman who should’ve stayed far away. I should never have met you. But I did, and now I can’t get you out of my head.”

Aria felt a surge of electricity then, a momentary flash of some energy she’d never encountered before. Was this simple flattery? No, flattery and compliments were superficial and shallow. This was something deeper. Since she’d first laid eyes on Lucian she’d wanted to find her way into his mind, and there she was, inside him as he’d found his way inside her.

“Would you…could you walk me to the inn, Lucian?” she asked, forgetting that he was naked.

“Yes. Give me a second, though.” With that, he walked across the street, passing the snoring Trevor, and grabbed a pack that had been sitting on the sidewalk. It didn’t take long for him to throw on the clothing that was concealed inside. Before returning to Aria, he paused and crouched down over the fox shifter, passing a hand above his face and body. Then he lifted the man gently and carried him to a storefront, leaning his unconscious body against it. Trevor now looked like a peacefully sleeping drunk, which was at least partly accurate.