Bearly Dated (The Enigma Shifters) Read online

  I really do.

  "Honestly, I already feel the mating bond forming inside me and it's been reaching out for you since the first time I kissed you. That took my breath away, by the way." He placed a chaste kiss on her forehead that made little butterflies erupt in her stomach. "I hope you know that I would do anything to get you back. Even piss you off." His lips traveled down the side of her face, the line of her jaw and then to the soft curve of her neck, stopping just above her collarbone. "In your condition, I have no idea if you can hear anything I say, or feel anything I do, but I should warn you that under these circumstances this could hurt. Normally, this is done during sex. I've been told if I bite you when you come, the pain doesn't even register." His soft lips pressed to hers and she wanted to scream for more. The ache inside her almost too much to bear.

  Do it. Please.

  As if he'd heard her, he whispered in her ear, "Your wish is my command. Embrace me as I have embraced you. Let my heart become yours, and understand that this bond I offer will never be broken." One second his mouth was at her ear and the next it was latched onto her throat as his teeth sliced deep into her flesh.

  Yes

  This time, when his arms tightened around her and he moaned in ecstasy, she was certain he’d heard her voice.

  Oh. My. God. The wild need of him and his bear tore through her. The force of heat. It burned through every cell in her body...

  14

  "Why isn't she waking up? I thought completing the bond would free her from whatever this was."

  Jax shrugged. "There is never an exact science to this kind of thing. Maybe it didn't work, or maybe it didn't work yet. We're supposed to be patient or some shit like that."

  Carter snorted. "Or some shit. Patience is something neither of us have."

  "Speak for yourself. I have the fortitude of Jobe. I can wait it out, as long as no one else tries to interfere." He lifted the bottle of beer he'd been toying with and drank deep.

  "Yeah, about that. What exactly happened? Should we be preparing for retaliation?"

  He closed his eyes and eased his head against the back of the chair he sat in. "Probably. They were scared shitless when they picked up their wounded and left. But if I were them? Yeah, there would be retaliation, and we need to keep it under consideration."

  "What about the other clans? Are we facing sanctions over this?"

  "I doubt it. They took the first swing with that shit they pulled on Violet. But I'm not sure how involved the other clans will get. We've gone out of our way over the years to remain separated from them all while lending support, the rare times they asked. Besides that, they seem fine with leaving us to our own devices."

  He blew out a hard breath as he tried to settle the tapping of his foot in a nervous fidget. He hated waiting. He hated feeling helpless even more.

  The bond between them seemed complete. It certainly was on his part. He'd felt clearly that moment when those magical strings from her heart to his had fused together. He'd also felt her pain and it had been excruciating. Nothing had prepared him for that.

  "So what do we do next?" He found it unbearable to sit here and do nothing. He needed to fix something. That thought made him think of Violet's cabin. There were likely weeks of work out there before it would be complete. Possibly longer, if he needed to pull permits and source any supplies not available locally.

  But he couldn't leave her behind.

  "I know what you're thinking," his brother said. "You need to do something."

  He nodded. "I suck at doing nothing. But I can't leave her."

  "Then wake her up."

  He scrunched up his face. "How the hell am I supposed to do that? Do you know something I don't?"

  "Nope. But half the time we don't understand the magic that makes us what we are. That's never stopped us from pulling off miracles in the past. If the bond is true, she will hear you, and you will hear her. So go wake her up."

  His brother made no damned sense. But he wasn't wrong about the weirdness of their lives. He pushed off the balcony railing where he'd been perched ever since Violet's sisters had insisted on some alone time with her. Something had told him not to go far and that feeling still remained.

  He walked back into the bedroom and found Jami and Savannah on the bed next to Violet, all three of them asleep. She looked as peaceful as her sisters, but an energy he couldn't explain buzzed in his mind, and warned him not everything was as it appeared.

  He stood at the end of the bed, unsure if he should wake them up so he could be alone with her again.

  "If you would wake up, I think all of us would really appreciate it."

  “Don't you think if I could, I would?”

  His body went solid at the voice in his head. It had sounded exactly like—

  "Violet?"

  "Can you hear me?"

  He stared at her sleeping form. “Uh, yeah, and it's kind of freaking me out."

  "Me too. I've been listening to you forever, but I didn't think you could hear me."

  "I couldn't before. But the bond..." Fuck. How was he going to explain this?

  "I know. I was trapped, but I heard everything. I don't know what that asshole did to me, but I couldn't wake up."

  "You're still not awake, babe. But you need to. A telepathic connection isn't unheard of, but it's kind of freaky. Can you wake up for me?"

  "I'm trying."

  "Try harder."

  "I can't."

  He raised his voice. "Yes, you can. Wake the hell up, Violet."

  Savannah and Jami bolted upright. "What's going on?"

  At the same time, Violet's eyes blinked open, and he ran to the side of the bed. "Finally, you're awake."

  "Thanks to you."

  He shook his head. "I can't take the credit for this one, babe, this is all you. I just pushed you to do what I knew you could." He reached down and cupped her cheeks, before bending to take her mouth with his. She opened for him and he delved deep, claiming, taking, drinking her down. So thankful that she had returned to him.

  "Jesus. It's like we're not even in the room."

  They broke apart at the sound of Savannah's voice. "Can you blame me?" he asked.

  "Sorry," Violet said. "Well, not really. But I am happy to see all of you again. I felt like I was locked in some sort of hell where I could hear everything but couldn't see or move."

  "Really?" Jami asked, "Because you looked like you were in a freaking coma or something. It scared us all half to death, you brat."

  "I can only imagine. If I had not been aware of everything you said, I would have been terrified. But knowing you were all here, doing everything you could to get me out of this, somehow kept me calm."

  "I'm just glad it's over," Savannah said. "Can we not do that again?"

  "That's my vote too," Jami said, standing up from the bed after giving Violet's arm a tight squeeze. "I better go check on Maxim. He's been threatening to burn our father's clan to the ground for hours now. Maybe if I tell him you're awake, we can get him to stand down."

  "I wouldn't count on that," he said. Dragons went to the ends of the earth to protect their treasure, and a mate was the ultimate treasure. If Drago thought that clan posed a risk, he wasn't going to let anything go. Not that Carter was going to say any of that out loud. Jami would figure it out eventually, and he wasn't against a revenge plot as long as he could participate.

  "I have to try," she said over her shoulder as she strode from the room with Savannah trailing right behind her.

  "I don't have a mate to calm, thank God, but I do need to get out of here. You two need to get a room or something."

  "Savannah!" Violet blushed hot and red and she shook her head at her sister.

  "Are you still mad at me?" He couldn't wait any longer to ask. If he had an uphill battle to deal with, he wanted to start the climb immediately.

  "I don't know what I am exactly. Grateful that you did what it took to get me out of that prison. Annoyed that I didn't get to participate fu
lly. And I guess still a little cross about how our relationship started. Although in the grand scheme of things, that feels pretty petty.”

  He brushed her hair out of her eyes, and rubbed his thumb across her kiss swollen lips. “I know you want me to be sorry for that, but I can’t. I don’t regret a minute of that time we spent together and I think we needed that before the rest of this complicated everything.”

  “Speaking of…Is this over? Can I get back to work on my cabin?”

  “Good God woman, you basically just came out of a supernaturally induced coma and all you can think about is getting back to work?”

  “I think I’ve laid here enough. I mean, don't get me wrong. I'm very aware how real and dangerous this situation has been. It was a mistake to ignore Jami and Drago's warnings. But we're mated now. Doesn't that end the conflict with that other clan?

  "It should. By our own laws, a mating, especially one like ours, supersedes any and all other claims. But their clan tried to circumvent those laws by rendering you unable to consent to our mating. I guess they were gambling that your sisters were too human to actually give consent on your behalf. Technically they were wrong, and at the risk of really pissing you off right now, which I don't want to do, I was going through with it no matter what."

  "I know," she whispered. "I heard every word you said to me. Including the part where you said you couldn't live without me. Is that true?”

  For an answer he pulled her back into his arms and kissed her hard.

  God, he tasted so good. When he licked her lips, she decided she could definitely get used to this. By the time he pulled away, she was primed and ready for him.

  "That's not really an answer," she whispered, her lips still tingling from his touch.

  "Isn't it?" he teased, his rough thumb rubbing across her lips again. "You should know that I don't ever say anything I don't mean."

  She gave him a slight side eye with absolutely no heat behind it. Life was too short to hold onto anger or grudges. She disliked the concept of revenge or payback, choosing instead to put the past behind her, move on, and forgive and forget. Even that asshole from that psychotic clan wasn't going to bring her down. Not when she had a career she loved with a project that she felt had incredible potential. And now a new--

  "What did you mean when you said a mating like ours?"

  "Most shifters call the bond that is between us a true mating or a fated mated. It's hard to explain, but it's a stronger connection than can be explained by just two people falling in love. I guess, in its simplest form it means we were made for each other. And it's a bond usually only broken by death, so it takes your human marriage vows of until death do us part quite literally."

  "Love at first sight."

  "I guess you could call it that, but I think it's more intense for shifters than it is for humans."

  She smiled sheepishly. "I'm not a shifter, and I am pretty sure I felt it when I met you the first time. Which is why finding out you had not been totally honest was so hard on me."

  "Can I blame the bear and plead the fifth?"

  "Is the bear separate from you somehow?"

  "No. I like to refer to the animal side as if it is separate sometimes, but it's as much a part of me as my heart, my soul, or anything else. I just don't always agree with the bear instincts, or I find them inappropriate at times, so I often have to fight it."

  "I guess I have a lot to learn."

  "I'll be right here with you. Any time you have questions, just ask. Otherwise, we'll deal with whatever we have to as it comes up, deal?"

  "Deal," she laughed, “but if you try to shake on it…”

  "Shake?" He looked at her in horror. "Hell no. I have something totally else in mind on how to seal this deal,” he said, slipping his hand between her legs.

  She scooted away from him. "Oh heck no. I am not having sex with you while my sisters are right outside that door. You want sex, then I know somewhere much more private we can go."

  He laughed. "The cabin?"

  She bit back her smile. "How'd you figure it out?"

  "Lucky, I guess." He winked and lifted her to her feet. "If you're really up for it, then I'm game. But last one out the door is the first one on her knees."

  He darted for the door and she chased after him. "That's totally not fair. You know I won't get out of here--"

  "Where in the hell do you think you're going?" Both Savannah and Jami stood just outside the door with their hands on their hips and glared at Violet exactly like a mother did when one of her children was in trouble.

  Carter snickered and slipped out of the door to wait for her outside as he imagined her racking her brain for not only a way to get away from her sisters quickly, and for how she might want to repay him for leaving her to deal with her sisters.

  He had plenty of ideas for that too.

  15

  Carter pushed the door open to The Buttered Biscuit and waved for her to precede him. The last couple of days had been filled with little gentlemanly moments like that, and she secretly loved the hell out of them. There'd also been some pretty intense, no holds barred, freaky monkey sex between them too.

  She had the sore muscles to prove it.

  From the big corner booth at the far corner of the room Jami waived them over. They'd been summoned to the town diner to meet up with her family and discuss their situation.

  "You ready for this?" she asked him.

  "Why not?" he said. "I already got what I want." He palmed her backside at that, and a moment later he lightly spanked it, making her yelp.

  "Carterrrr," she warned.

  "Violllet," he mocked her, reminding her that he basically did what he wanted, when he wanted. Something she secretly loved about him.

  "You are incorrigible sometimes and a perfect gentleman at others. I seriously can't figure you out."

  He smirked, and she felt that look all the way to my toes. "Good. Keeping you on your toes is part of my job. Well, that and keeping you satisfied."

  She shook her head and tried to ignore the lascivious thoughts his words caused to run through her mind. He was as much a dirty talker as he was a sweet talker and she pretty much loved every minute of it.

  "Glad you could finally make it," Jax snarled, but the words had little heat behind them. In his defense, they were late. Which could be a regular problem if she didn't find a way to resist Carter's hot looks and even hotter body. The man was an A++ distraction.

  "Sorry," she said, taking one of the last two seats in the booth. "I underestimated how long it would take us to get here."

  "I thought it was only a twenty-minute drive from the cabin you're renovating," Jami asked, handing her a menu.

  "It is." She didn't know what else to say without getting into any details she really didn't want to share with a group.

  "Oh my God. Can you really not see why she was late? Between the red flush on her cheeks and the fact she walked in here glowing, it screams I just had a mind blowing orgasm and you didn't."

  "Savannah!" Jami shouted.

  "What, mom," she shot back. "Don't act like you can't see it."

  "That doesn't mean we all want to talk about it, especially in mixed company."

  Savi snorted. "Oh please. They all knew. Everyone knows. We're all adults, get over it."

  "We're not the ones making a big deal about it," Jami interjected, pointing out the obvious.

  "Why don't we talk about something else," she offered. "I've never eaten here. What should I get?"

  "Good idea." Carter opened his menu and buried his face in between the pages, but it did little to hide his laughter.

  Jax had a scowl on his face, but she got the impression he too was hiding laughter. Whatever, she wasn't going to let it get to her. Things were looking up at the cabin since they fixed the plumbing and demo'd the spare bedroom. After breakfast they were going to a home improvement store in a nearby town to pick up the tile she'd ordered for the bathroom and kitchen and see about cabinets and counter
tops.

  "I'm going to assume they make good biscuits."

  "They're melt in your mouth soft," offered Jax. "And you don't want to miss the chorizo scramble. Although honestly, you can't go wrong with anything here."

  "Thank you." She was glad to see that at least one person was willing to help her change the subject.

  "Anytime," he answered, gruffly before casting his eyes back to his menu.

  She didn't understand what was going on, but there was some tension happening at the table she didn't quite understand. While the waitress took their orders, she surveyed everyone in the group. Jami and Drago were close, their body language speaking volumes about how connected they were to each other. It wasn't altogether different from the way Carter had woven his legs around hers under the table since they sat across from each other.

  Savi didn't look happy, and she'd gone out of her way to embarrass them. However, it wasn't unlike her to point out anything she saw, whether it was inappropriate or not. She didn't have the best filter. Jax, who she knew the least, rounded out their small group. He also didn't look happy, but she didn't know him well enough to know if that was a typical look for him. He still had a faint bruise on his cheek, although it looked days and days old, instead of hours. Probably a shifter thing that she'd confirm with Carter later.

  Once the waitress had finished, rounded up their menus and wandered towards the kitchen she decided it was time to break the tension. "Did something happen?"

  All eyes turned to her, except Savi. She flinched, but kept her gaze averted.

  "That's why we're here, right?"

  "Is that a guess? Or did you see something?" Jax had turned his full attention on her and his intensity kind of left her unsettled. Something Carter must have sensed, since he reached across the table and squeezed her hand in reassurance.