Bear Naked Truth (Southern Shifters Book 7) (10 page)

Shane moved so fast she barely saw him move. His hand grabbed hers and yanked her forward until she crashed into him.

"You seem to forget who is the predator here, you stupid bitch." His low toned growl struck her with a flood of fear. "Whatever I want, whatever I say is what is going to happen and you don't get a fucking say in that. Do you understand?"

"Shane," Luke interrupted. "She's useless to us. Toying with her isn't going to change that."

"Shut up!" Shane yelled, making her wince. "If I want to interrogate her, I'm going to interrogate her. If I want to fuck her, then I'm going to fuck her. And if I want to put her in the ground, then I'm going to fucking kill her."

"
W
here the hell is
, Jessa?" Calder tried to stay calm, but his instincts were screaming he had a problem. "Your text said you'd both be waiting here, but her car ain't in the parking lot."

"Relax, dude." Niki whispered. "She went to her cabin to retrieve the bag I left there. We need that damned sloth you got my baby addicted to and she volunteered to get it. She's due back any minute."

"You let her go by herself? Are you crazy?"

She rolled her eyes at him as he was about to put a fist through the kitchen wall at Dark Moon. "Of course I didn't. I sent Bo to watch over her."

Calder pulled out his phone and typed out a quick text to Jessa.
I'm back at the Dark Moon, babe. Where are u?

He paced across the room waiting for a response. What a fucking day. He'd hauled ass back here so he could take his mate away from this madness for a night so they could talk.

Yeah, talk. As much as they needed to talk he simply needed to be with her. The bear had been driving him crazy since the moment they left her behind and apparently nothing would assuage the beast except her in his arms.

"She's not answering."

"She's probably driving. Everything's fine." Niki touched his shoulder, something that usually calmed him. Not tonight.

He pulled up Bo's number on his phone and texted him.
You headed back with, Jessa?

He paced the floor again right along with the bear in his head. This was fucking ridiculous. The minutes ticked by and his unease grew.

"Something is wrong," Niki said. "I just checked my phone and it's been almost an hour since Bo checked in. He's got orders to text me every thirty minutes.

"Let's ride," Bhric said, walking toward the door. Dean, Calder and Gage right behind him.

"Wait. There's more," Niki said.

They all stopped and turned. His gut told him this situation was about to turn sideways on them.

"I shouldn't be the one telling you this, but you need to find her knowing what's in her head. It's messing her up bad."

"What? What the fuck? If it's that important why were you withholding?"

She glared right back at him, not giving an inch. "Simon told her she can't have babies."

"So?"

"So..." She looked at him with an expression that said she couldn't believe he wasn't getting this. "She saw you with Hannah this morning and it's all she can think about. I spent the whole day talking her down and blocking her from running. She is going to refuse your mate claim because of it."

Calder's blood boiled at the thought of his mate suffering even a little over something like this. This should have never happened.

He whipped around and faced Bhric. "This shit is on you. Your fucking political posturing and lies. Goddamn it. If anything happens to her..."

He didn't finish his sentence as he walked out the door and hopped on his bike. Before he got out of the parking lot the bear was ripping out of his skin and he was forced to stop and abandon the bike.

His bones popped as fur pushed through his skin. He dropped to all fours and began to run through the remaining shift.

As the bear his senses sharpened, which would make it easier for him to sense any impending trouble. He lumbered through the woods and up the hill towards his mate. About a quarter mile out from her cabin he picked up Bo's scent and it was heavily layered with the coppery scent of fresh blood.

Calder followed the scent and found Bo unconscious behind some brush not far from the road. He quickly shifted and crouched down to feel for a pulse. To his relief, he found a steady beat. He grabbed the man's shoulders and shook him awake. "C'mon, Bo. Wake up and tell me what is going on. Where is Jessa?"

His friend moaned. "Calder?" he asked.

"Yeah, Dude. What happened? What happened to my mate?"

"I—I was following her no problem until she turned in her driveway. I was all set to follow her in and an animal hit me. Wolf I think."

"Shit."

He pulled Bo to a sitting position and propped him against a tree. "You okay to sit here for a bit while I go neuter some wolves?"

Bo nodded. "Yeah, Calder. I'm good."

Calder sniffed the air and tried to sift through all the different smells assaulting his sense. His mate was close. He could see her driveway through the bushes, but the cabin was too far away from the road for him to see anything. He'd also have to circle through the woods and come in from behind the house if he wanted to go in unseen.

"What about back up?" Bo asked.

"They're right behind me, but I'm not waiting. Can't risk being any later than I already am." Calder turned and headed back into the woods.

Shifting back to bear, Calder moved directly to the back of the house. He picked up their stench from almost the moment he reentered the woods near Bo. There were at least two of them for him to take down and maybe more. The odds appeared to be in his favor.

At the back of the house he stopped and listened. Their voices carried to him on the wind and he figured they were around front, leaving the back of the house free and clear for him to move around.

At the back door, he shifted again and shimmied the door open as quietly possible. He slipped into the bedroom and grabbed a shirt, pants and boots. He checked for her gun under the bed and cursed to find the entire safe gone.

The moment he got near the door all hell broke loose. Back up had arrived and they surged toward the front porch. Bhric got a hold of Luke but not before Shane grabbed Jessa around the neck and pulled her in front of him as a shield.

The bear roared to the surface and took over in a flash. He stood on hind legs and crashed through the door, catching both Shane and Jessa off guard.

In the chaos that followed, Jessa was thrown to the ground and Shane dove into the shadows of the porch only to emerge a moment later with a shot gun in hand.

"That's far enough you son of a bitch," Shane warned.

Except he seemed to forget he wasn't talking to the man anymore. The bear was in charge and nothing would stop him. He charged forward, barely noticing the shotgun that fired a bullet into his shoulder.

He batted the gun from Shane's hand like a toy and roared at his prey, surging forward with his jaws opened wide.

"Calder no!"

His mate's desperate cry penetrated the red haze of his anger enough to distract him, giving Shane another opportunity to fight back.

He braced for impact and turned his head back to Shane. A loud crack filled the air a split second before a bullet ran through Shane's skull.

For a fleeting moment, the man looked alive and aware of what had just happened before he crumpled to a heap on the porch floor.

With Shane down, Calder turned toward the fear filled face of his mate. She cringed when he took a few steps toward her, forcing him to stop and begin his shift back to human.

With the bullet wound to the shoulder it took a couple of minutes more to complete the transition. Out of breath, he took a moment to slow his pulse and allow maximum air in and out of his lungs.

With Shane lying dead only a few feet away and the woman he loved crying silent tears on the front lawn, memories of his past forced their way into the forefront of his mind. The image of his beautiful little sister lying limp with more broken bones than unbroken ones crystallized in his brain. His mother's utter devastation at the loss of her only daughter and his father's unrelenting fury followed close behind.

This death might not have been at his hands, but only because Niki beat him to it. As she now crossed the lawn headed in his direction he shook his head no and silently pleaded with her to go to Jessa.

She stopped at his mate as asked and he listened to Niki quiz her on whether or not she was hurt. To his relief, other than a few bruises already showing on her arms, she'd escaped unscathed.

Together Niki and Jessa made their way over to him and while Niki began dealing with his wound, Jessa wrapped her arms around his neck, taking care not to aggravate his shoulder and burrowed in his lap.

"I'm so sorry I didn't get here sooner." He gently kissed her bruised skin in an effort to soothe them both.

"I should have been more careful."

She should have and they'd have that talk eventually, but not today with her sweetness in his arms. Right now he just wanted to listen to hear heart beat strongly against his chest and soak in her scent so deep he'd never get it out of his head.

He'd just given her another reason to reject his mate claim and he was beginning to think maybe she wouldn't be safe with him after all. Not only had he failed to protect her from harm, he'd lost complete control of the bear in front of her and nearly mauled a man to death with her watching from a few feet away.

Her faith had to be shaken.

"I'm sorry I scared you. My bear kind of has a mind of his own when it comes to protecting its mate."

At the word mate she stiffened and he pulled her free from around his neck and forced her to look at him.

"Niki can we get a minute?"

She stopped messing with his shoulder and walked away without a word.

"You do have the right to reject me as your mate." He said on a heavy sigh. "However, if you do, I plan to make it my personal mission to change your mind. I won't give up on us. It's too important."

"Can we go inside where it's more private? Are you okay to move now?" She gingerly touched the outer edge of his bandage. "I just don't want to have this conversation in front of a crowd."

"Sure, babe. Just so long as you give me a kiss first."

A tight smile crossed her face, making his gut clench again. Still, she leaned forward and pressed her incredible soft lips against his and he greedily sucked her bottom lip into his mouth.

"I don't think I could ever not want to kiss you," she said.

A low rumble resembling a laugh sounded in Calder's chest. "Sure you will. Everyone does." He boosted her from his lap and she held out her hand as if she wanted to help pull him up.

"I could give you my hand and you could try to help me up." He leaned closer and whispered in her ear. "But that's only going to land you in my lap again and that might work out differently the second time around." He pulled back and winked at her.

Her body turned steamy as she mashed her lips together to keep her mouth shut. God, she was fucking adorable.

Together, they entered the house and closed the rest of the world out behind them. There were more than enough people out there to handle this mess.

He had a mate to claim once and for all.

S
he made
a beeline for the bedroom to get as far away from everyone else as she could.

"How much does your shoulder hurt? Do you need a doctor?" she asked.

"No, babe. I definitely do not need a doctor. In the shifter world that was barely a scratch and is already healing. Now you said you wanted to talk, so let's talk.

Jessa launched herself at him, locking them together in a kiss she wanted to get lost in.

He broke the kiss. "Babe."

"No, Calder. Please. I don't want to talk yet. Just be with me." Before I ruin everything.

He stared down at her for a few seconds before grabbing her around the waist and pulling her back in for another mind melting kiss. He buried one hand in her hair and planted the other at the middle of her back, effectively locking her to him.

She fell deep and fast barely noticing when he grabbed the lapels of her shirt and ripped the buttons open before sliding it from her shoulders to fall at the ground.

Teeth, tongue and lips went everywhere as he devoured her with a fierce need she felt deep in her chest. When he pushed her backward onto the bed, she reached forward, grabbed his shirt and lifted it over his head. It went flying somewhere, but she didn't care.

Nothing mattered more than getting her hands and mouth on her mate. All the fear and turmoil of the day collided with need so fierce she could hardly breath. She equally frantically grabbed at the waistband of his jeans and clawed the buttons open. Grateful to find him once again commando.

God that was fucking sexy.

The minute his jeans were clear of his feet he came down on top of her and kissed her deep into the bed. His hands where everywhere. Under her bra, at her hip, along her legs. The rough feel of his hands lit up all the nerve endings he could find.

He broke the kiss and buried his face between her breasts while she held onto his head, panting for air. When he returned to her mouth he growled as she wrapped her legs around him. Her lips tingled from the onslaught and she slid her eyes closed and reveled in the riot of sensations he created.

The bottom had dropped out and she was free falling into the abyss of pleasure. One minute they were kissing and the next he'd rid her of her panties and slid inside her.

Jessa moaned, unable to contain the exquisite bliss of him filling her.

"I can't lose you, babe. You're mine."

Her heart clenched as he moved their bodies in perfect rhythm. He was one hundred percent correct in that fact that she belonged to him. Heart and soul. The thought of leaving him had nearly broken her.

He stilled above her. "Open your eyes, Jessa."

She slowly complied focusing on his beautiful eyes that mesmerized her.

He brushed the hair out of her face, his finger trailing down along her neck. "Having a baby is not more important than having you. Nothing is more important than you. Do you understand that yet?"

She nodded, too choked up to answer.

"Truly? Because I don't ever want to be this scared again."

"Me either," she whispered before pressing her mouth to the hair on his chin.

For a long time after that they simply stared at each other. She wanted to memorize every facet of this moment and she hoped he did too.

When she lifted her leg and placed her foot on the mattress so she could nudge him with a jerk of her hipped he finally spoke.

"What do you want, beautiful?" He smiled down at her, a grin more mischievous than any she'd seen before.

"Everything," she gasped when he slid forward and bumped her clit. "Roll over," she panted, barely able to compose her words.

His grin spread wider. "Mmmm," he groaned, rolling over without releasing her.

She settled on top and began to move. At first slow and sweet that drew out agonized pleasure from them both before she melded into the frenzied need of a mate. Her body erupted and she screamed, still pumping her hips.

His hands dug into her waist and slammed her down on him again and again until he'd drawn from her every ounce of pleasure to be found. Only then did he lock her to him and bellow out his release.

For a long while she simply laid on top of him, listening to his heart beat. So much had happened in such a short amount of time. It gave her the excuse she needed to tell herself this wasn't meant to be. Calder was meant for someone who could give him babies.

He needed that.

"You okay, babe?" he asked, rolling them to the side as he eased from her body.

She stared into his beautiful, vibrant eyes, knowing this might be the last time she ever got the chance. She wanted to memorize every last shade, expression and moment. They'd stay locked in her heart forever and just maybe, one day, the pain would ease enough for her to pull those memories back out and remember them with an open heart.

That plan sounded great, until it didn't and she burst out crying.

Calder sat up and pulled her into his lap. That was turning out to be one of her favorite places to be. He held her face to his chest and waited for the tears to dry.

"We really have to talk now, Jessa. I'm not one hundred percent positive I know what's going on in your head, but I think I do. And we have to clear a few things up.

He pulled her straight and lifted her chin. "If the Gods and Goddesses went to all this trouble to bring you to me, do you really think I would cast you aside if you couldn't have a baby?"

She gulped, shocked to hear him say that. "How did you know?"

"How doesn't matter. What matters is that you truly understand that my mate would never be cast aside for something like that. If the time comes and you don't get pregnant then we'll adopt. Or maybe we'll just make the world's greatest aunt and uncle anyone has ever seen."

"But that's just it," she said. "It's already a done deal. The facts are out there in black and white. I can't have a baby." She looked down at her hands. "I can't give you a baby and that's something I can't live with."

"Stop this. Stop torturing yourself over something that isn't even true. We don't know what the future holds. No one ever does. My family has been having generations of baby bears for a millennial. We've got good strong sperm."

She tried to smile, she really did, but he wasn't getting it. "I don't think your sperm is the problem. Apparently I'm the one with the flaws. I couldn't fulfill my end of the Blackwood contract because there's something wrong with me."

Calder nearly jackknifed off the bed, his face turning red. "Goddamn, Bhric. He's going to be lucky if I don't kill him for this shit."

She scrunched up her face in total confusion. What the hell was he talking about and what in the world did Bhric have to do with it?

"They lied to you, baby. You not getting pregnant has nothing to do with you. Those fuckers in the Blackwood pack are screwing around with genetics and apparently Simon was sabotaging their research as they made progress."

"What?" She pulled the covers over her body and scooted to the far edge of the bed. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying you are probably perfectly capable of getting pregnant. Simon made sure you didn't though. It was too dangerous."

Jessa gaped at him. Her mind was moving a mile a minute with this new information and she didn't know where to put it. "Why would they do that to me? I've been torturing myself." She stood and hunted for her clothes. "I was going to run away and leave you over this. Oh my God."

He smiled. "I would have found you. Bears are excellent trackers."

"This is not funny. Not even a little. First I felt guilty for not being able to fulfill a contract that I wanted to use to save my parents from their shitty life. Then I feared for my life because Simon strongly suggested the Blackwood Pack would kill me as soon as they were done with me."

"He wasn't wrong. They are taking a huge risk recruiting humans for the warrior project."

"What's that?" she asked, unsure if she even cared.

"That would be a much longer story. In a nutshell, the project was born decades ago and was used to breed different shifter qualities in an attempt to make the perfect soldier. It's how Niki was born."

"Jesus, Calder. Niki explained some of her history to me. That's horrible." She finished dressing and searched for a pair of shoes. "But what does that have to do with me? Are they using human DNA too?"

"Not exactly." He paused a few beats before he continued. "God. This sucks. I swear I knew nothing about any of this."

Oh great, that sounded like a ball of joy was headed her way any second.

He sighed. "They are using you as a carrier. Simon has to get proof to his alpha without alerting the Blackwoods or anyone else and opted to use you as the perfect vessel."

She dropped onto the bed, her legs unable to hold her up anymore. Talk about overload. "What exactly am I carrying?" Her voice rose as did her blood pressure. "Am I going to sprout wings or fangs or something?"

"No, believe me I asked. You've got some genetic material in your blood that holds the proof of what they're doing. When we extract Simon he'll simply remove it from you."

A shiver worked up her spine as a carousel of weird images played through her mind. She watched Sci Fi movies and this kind of crazy crap never ended well for someone like her.

"I need to get out of here."

"Okay. Where do you want to go? I'll take you there."

She backed farther away from him. "No. I need to be alone. I need time to process."

Calder looked down at the floor and she heard him rumble. She guessed this nightmare story wasn't over.

"What else? There's more isn't there."

"Unfortunately. We killed Shane. That means there's going to be a power struggle for the role of Alpha and it could get ugly. If they know or think they know anything about you or Simon, shit is going to go down. That means you have to go on lock down at Dark Moon until this is resolved."