My Hero Bear (3 page)

Dylan searched for a response, but he was too taken aback by her sudden appearance at his home. Noah had told him to wait for something to happen, but in a million years, Dylan never would have guessed Aurora would tumble back into his life.

She looked up at him with her long, dark eyelashes framing even darker eyes. Those eyes looked black in the moonlight, like shimmering pools of night sky. He knew that during the day they were a dark chocolate brown that was equally as enticing.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, barely able to think clearly.

“I didn’t know where else to go.”

“I thought you never wanted to see me again.”

She barked out a short bitter laugh. “You were the one who said we couldn’t be together.”

“Aurora, please—”

She held up her hand to interrupt him. “Save it. I’m not here to have that fight again. I’m in trouble.”

Aurora swayed on her feet. She looked exhausted, like she could barely stand.

“Bishop?” Dylan asked. “What’s he got to do with this?”

She rubbed at her eyes. “I’ll explain everything. I promise. I just need a place to rest for now. Just for a bit while I figure out what to do next.”

Dylan nodded. He didn’t like being kept in the dark, but he wasn’t going to press her just then. “Follow me.”

Aurora took a step towards him and her knees buckled. Dylan reached out and caught her before she fell. His arms encircled her waist and she leaned wearily against his chest.

Dylan gritted his teeth at the feelings surging inside him. It had been a long time since he’d held her in his arms. He’d never forgotten how good it felt, but the memory paled in comparison to the real thing.

Aurora was soft and curvy in all the right places. Her soft breasts pressed against his body, and he stiffened at the feeling. After everything that had happened, he had no right to feel this way. He knew it was wrong, but his instincts roared at him, telling him it was right.

His hunger for her overwhelmed him, eclipsing rational thought. He wanted to pull her even closer, to plant his lips over hers, and to take total control over her body. The feeling was instinctual, primal, and savage. His body trembled with barely suppressed desire.

He grasped her shoulders and gently pushed her body away from his. It was one of the hardest things he’d ever had to do. It was almost as difficult as when he’d told her they couldn’t be together four years ago.

He looked down into her dark eyes, searching for any sign that she’d noticed his reaction. He couldn’t let her know the effect she had on him. Not if he was going to keep things from getting complicated again. It was a painful lie for Dylan, but he was convinced the truth would hurt her. He’d take the pain for both of them if it would spare her.

No matter what had happened between them, he would always do whatever it took to protect her. Even if it meant keeping her safe from Dylan, himself.

She looked up at him, a flicker of annoyance dancing in her eyes. “So I’m not even allowed to touch you now?”

Dylan looked away. “I never said that.”

“You didn’t have to say it. I heard you loud and clear. Let’s just go, all right.”

Frustration welled inside him. How the hell could she drive him crazy so easily? It was a skill only she possessed. No one else could get under his skin but her. He searched his brain for some kind of response, but he didn’t have the words.

He gestured for her to follow him. He led her to the dirt road that wound like a snake through the fallen trees. Aurora lagged behind him so he slowed his pace, falling back to walk beside her.

Despite how tired and worn out she looked, he could still see the gorgeous woman he’d been in love with since they’d first met when they were kids. His chest ached when he looked at her, like there was a hollow place in his heart from when he’d told her they could never be together. That empty spot felt the pain of her absence. Even though she walked next to him, they were clearly miles apart.

Aurora looked at the devastation surrounding them.

“What happened here?” she asked, her words almost slurring from exhaustion.

“Nothing,” he said.

“Oh, come on. Clearly something happened here. Something ugly.”

Dylan didn’t feel like explaining it to her. It wasn’t something he wanted to share with anyone, particularly her.

“Just drop it, all right?” he said more harshly than he intended.

“Sorry I asked,” she said, looking away, offended.

He hadn’t meant to snap at her, but just having her near him had his thoughts all tangled up. This was exactly the reason he liked being alone. Things got complicated when other people were around. Life was simpler being alone. No one could get hurt that way.

They walked in silence until they reached his house. Dylan opened the door and gestured for her to go inside.

She shuffled gratefully through the door with her shoulders slumped and her eyelids drooping.

Aurora stretched out in a yawn. Dylan couldn’t help but stare at her as she extended her arms above her head. Her tattered blouse pulled tight against her ample breasts, outlining them in a very distracting way.

Feelings he thought dormant came to life when he looked at her. Old, disturbing feelings like ghosts coming back to haunt him. No matter how hard he fought, he couldn’t stop himself from thinking all kinds of inappropriate thoughts when he looked at her.

He cleared his throat. “Aurora, tell me what’s going on.”

She looked at him and frowned. Lines of disapproval darkened her face, but Dylan thought it made her look pretty anyway. He would have preferred a smile, but that was probably asking too much after everything that had happened between them.

“Dylan, I promise I’ll tell you everything. But later. Please, I just need to rest my eyes for a moment.”

Before Dylan could say anything, Aurora pushed past him into the living room. She curled up on the couch and closed her eyes. The air inside his house carried the chill from the autumn night. Dylan knelt to start a fire in the fireplace.

By the time the flames began to flicker and catch, Aurora was sound asleep.

She looked so small huddled on his couch. So delicate despite her ample curves. He felt that old overwhelming urge to protect her. The one he’d always felt when he looked at her. It was a primal, instinctive feeling. Just like the raging desire that awoke in him when she was around.

Aurora always balked at the idea of needing protection. Even tonight, he had seen her stand up to defend herself against Bishop’s men. Had Dylan not shown up when he did, she would have surely lost. But that didn’t stop her from standing her ground, fierce and brave in the moonlight.

Affection swelled inside him. It was one of the reasons Dylan had fallen in love with her in the first place. Aurora was no shrinking violet, no damsel in distress. She had a warrior’s heart just like he did. Just like her brother, Hunter.

Guilt pricked at his heart like thorns at the thought of Hunter. He and Dylan had been best friends since they were kids. And when they were called to war, they’d served in the same special forces unit.

They’d been members of an all-shifter squad called the Sin Eaters.

Certain government officials in high-level positions knew about the existence of shifters. It was a well-kept secret to all but the most powerful men in charge of the country.

Before the Society was formed and way before Dylan was even born, people from the government met up with leaders from the shifter world and offered them a deal.

The government promised to keep the existence of shifters a secret and to keep the government out of shifter affairs. In exchange, different groups from the shifter world had to provide soldiers for elite special forces units.

Shifters make particularly good soldiers. They have sharper senses, quicker reflexes, and their rapid healing abilities make them extremely hard to kill.

The various clans, packs, and tribes of the shifter world accepted the deal gladly. Even though it was essentially like being drafted, no shifters had ever been forced to join up. In fact, it was something of an honor to be able to serve on these elite units.

Many shifters volunteered to be a part of the deal, including Dylan and Hunter. They spent five years fighting for their country and keeping their people safe.

Dylan came back. Hunter didn’t.

Hunter was the reason Dylan had distanced himself from Aurora when he returned from the military. She was his best friend’s sister. It was wrong to want her. It was wrong to love her.

He’d known that growing up, and his fears had been confirmed later when Hunter confronted him about it. Dylan tried not to think about it. Those memories were still too painful.

He sank down in a chair beside the window. He looked hard out across the field of broken trees, making sure no one else showed up looking for Aurora.

But his eyes kept drifting back to the woman sleeping on his couch.

He felt torn. Clearly, she needed help. Dylan would do anything to keep her safe, no matter what trouble she had gotten herself into. That wasn’t the problem.

The problem was that he was afraid of spending time with her. Just being around her drove him crazy. Aurora made him feel things that no other woman made him feel. She always had.

Hell, she’d only been back in his life for an hour or so, and he could already feel his resolve fracturing. Every time he looked at her, another crack formed.

It didn’t matter that he promised himself he would never be with her. It didn’t matter that he promised himself to stay away from her. All those promises were hollow and meaningless when she was around. The smartest thing he could do was send her away.

But how could he protect her if he sent her away? He was strong enough to fight anything that might threaten her, except his own love for her. When it came to resisting her, he was weaker than a kitten. But he knew he had to resist his feelings after what he’d done.

Aurora twitched in her sleep and groaned like she was having bad dreams. Those were something Dylan knew a lot about. He could put the past behind him when he was awake, but at night, things were different. At night, all the bad memories haunted him and there was no running away.

He felt the urge to take her in his arms and comfort her. Maybe he could soothe her troubled sleep. His strong arms could protect her from any shifter threat. Perhaps they could keep her safe from her nightmares, as well.

He shook his head, banishing the fantasy. There was no way he could do it. Just the sight of her felt like torture. The feeling of her in his arms would be too much. It would be impossible for him to keep his promise to stay away. Especially when he didn’t want to keep that promise.

For now, he would simply keep her safe from any physical threats. It had to be enough. He couldn’t trust himself with more.

He kept watch over her the rest of the night, wrestling with thoughts and feelings he wished he didn’t have.

***

Rory’s eyes blinked open to see Dylan sitting across the room from her, staring out the window at the brightening dawn. He had stayed up all night making sure she was safe. It made her heart melt to know he was still willing to protect her like that.

Dylan always made her feel safe, ever since they’d met when they were children.

Dylan’s family sent him to stay with Rory’s family during the summers. Their fathers had both grown up in the Stone Bear Clan before Dylan’s father moved away to marry into the Bear Haven Clan. The men had been best friends, and Rory guessed their parents wanted to keep that friendship between the families alive.

Dylan had always treated her kindly when he was around, kind of like a little sister. But Rory never thought of him as an older brother. Even when he was younger, he had been way too handsome for that. It had started as a childish crush, but over the years, it turned into something deeper. Something real.

It wasn’t just that Dylan was big and strong. Although, those were certainly some of his better qualities. He was also protective and thoughtful. Dylan always knew how to make her smile, no matter what else was going on.

But that was the old Dylan. The Dylan she’d known growing up. He changed when he came back from his military service. He was darker somehow. The light inside him had dimmed.