Bearing It All (Grizzly Affairs Book 1) (3 page)

Protect.
His inner bear demanded.

She wouldn’t survive out here in the cold if he didn't get her back to the warmth of his cabin soon. But how could he move her without waking her? He doubted she’d react calmly if she awoke to a naked man or even a thousand pound grizzly near her. Without seeing another option, he grinded his sharp canines together, silently steeled himself for the cold two mile hike ahead of him.

Taking a breath, Doyle shifted into his human form. The cold air hitting his back caused him to bite down on his inner cheek. Crouching down near his sleeping mate, he reached his hand to her face. She seemed so still, almost as though she were a carved piece of art than flesh and blood. Brushing her hair from her face, he was hoping to feel its soft, silky texture. Instead her golden-white hair was hard and encrusted with ice.

Bending down, Doyle slipped his arms under her limp form. When she didn't awaken while being moved, he felt intense concern for her deep unconsciousness and her blue tinted face. His sharp eyes spotted a blood stain on her side as he moved her, causing his arms to tighten around her fragile form. He just hoped he didn't find her too late. Wasting no more time, he exited from the cave with his mate wrapped in his secure embrace. It was time to get his mate home and claimed, before any other discovered his prize.

All shifters had only one true mate; a mate for not just their human half but their animal as well. Once the claiming of a true mate was complete it caused a shifters spirit to fully emerge and bonds to the human one. Already without claiming her, he could feel his bear’s thoughts and his desires blending amongst his own. He had to get his mate out of the open until he could claim her as his. Other shifters weren’t above stealing another shifter’s recently acquired mate if she was a worthy prize. Though it didn’t happen often, it wasn’t unheard of. This was why he had to move quickly. She was his and he and his bear would kill anyone that thought otherwise. Hopefully when she awoke in a warm cozy bed, she’d be more willing to give him some answers on who she was and maybe much more.

* ~ * ~ *

Tap…Tap…Tap…

Helen Malca looked down at the files laid out across her desk smirking with pride. The pictures among all the files, showed all of Aria's progress. Her results from her latest biological test were remarkable, and showed great promise! For the first time in years the serum works! This was just what she needed to further her funding and bring her brilliance out of the shadows. Now the evidence of her greatest success was missing?

Clenching her bony fingers around her tapping pencil, the thin wood snapped with a loud sound in the dark confines of her office. Where was she? With a look of disgust, Helen threw the split pieces of the pencil across the room. She was the only one that had the genius to create the perfect killing machine and with one mistake, Aria was gone. The other projects were a success, but Aria was different and all more dangerous since her ability was just surfacing.

The shrill ringing of her cell broke through the silence as her smart phone spun in a circle against the desk. Snatching the thin device up, she glared down at the number that was flashing across the lit up screen. With a sneer she placed the phone to her ear.

“You better be calling to inform me that you have Aria in custody.” She sneered into the phone.

“Just checking in, we picked up her trail in the woods, she won’t get far.” A raspy voice answered drolly.

“I don’t want to hear about how you have her trail. What I want is to hear that you have her; tranquilized, caged and on the way back here. I don’t want to hear from you until then!” she snapped. These idiot guards were going to make a mess of everything if she didn't have Aria in her custody soon.

“Maybe we’d be able to catch your property quicker if you would allow the use of more force.”

“No. I was clear; she is not to be harmed.” She insisted forcefully.

“If you’re concerned about this girl spilling your secrets, it may be smarter to just let us take care of the problem.”

“Are you hard of hearing? I gave you specific orders and I chose the both of you because you claimed to know how to handle delicate situations. She is the secret. Furthermore; if she isn’t recovered, in one piece; it will not just be my head on the chopping block, but yours as well.” Taking a deep breath, she rose from her chair to pace in front of her cluttered desk.

“Understood,”

“You have until dawn. If I don’t have her here by that time, I will have to consider other options.”

“We’ll get her. Don’t worry.” Without another word, the call was disconnected.

Unable to control her anger, Helen threw her phone across the room. The sound of the thin plastic shattering as it struck the concrete wall barely gave her any satisfaction. It was clearly a mistake sending two of her mediocre guards to hunt one of her wayward experiments.

  Walking back to her desk, swiping her new security badge, she quickly exited her office. Waving the badge over the locking screen beside the door, she turned down the florescent lit hall. Her heels clicked against the polished floor as she made her way down the secure unit.

Armed guards were stationed at every lab, exit and entrance since Aria’s escape. They nodded in acknowledgment as she passed by, but kept a blank expression on their face. To others; she was a woman to be feared; just the way she wanted it.

Striding down a steel staircase; she came to a halt in front of a locked door leading to the containment cells. Quickly waving her badge in front of the screen, the low beeping signaled as the door unlocked. Jerking the door open, she quickened along the row of glass plated cells. The cells hummed with electricity reminding her to not step outside of the painted lines on the floor, a foot away from all electric guarded chambers.

Stopping before cell 57, Helen glared down at the two men sitting on the floor with their backs against the sides of the cell. Each one had steal manacles around each wrist, chaining them both to the wall behind them. Neither of the pair looked up at her. Project 50T and 53R were one of many projects that were cloned. Both had short cropped black hair with the body of a career soldier. Enhanced in every way, they were only one of Malca’s previous successes.

“I have a job for you.” both of their heads turned towards her, revealing their void black eyes. “Both of you.” she added with a small smile. Aria wouldn’t be able to hide forever. Soon she’d be back where she belonged and anyone that thought differently wouldn’t stand in her way.

* ~ * ~ *

Meanwhile, back in the woods….

Striding out of the dense forest with his mate secure in his arms, Doyle couldn’t help but grin as his cabin came into view over the next hill. Determined to get his mate inside his warm home, he began racing forward. His mate groaned softly as her limp head bounced against his chest with his quick movements. His eyes glowed with a yellow hue as his bear rose close to the surface, offering more strength to Doyle’s racing body.

Stepping onto the wooden walkway that wrapped along the front of his cabin leading onto the porch, his steps slowed. Kicking the door open, he didn't stop until he reached the bedroom. Slowly lowering his unconscious mate to the quilt covered mattress. Ignoring his current need for clothes, he slowly lowered his large frame to sit on the bed next to her.

Reaching into the bedside table, pulling out a lighter he preceded to light the oil lamp that sat on top. The soft light caused the pale, the bright color of her hair to glow in the dim light. Dark circles shown against her pale skin like bruises. However her wrists and ankles held actual bruises, which she seemed to have sustained over and over again. What had she been through? He made a silent vow to discover who had mistreated her and he planned on shredding them into small bloody confetti.

After removing and tossing her soaked pants aside, his trembling hands settled against the blood stained shirt that covered her upper half. After baring her body to his eyes he forced himself to only look to assess her for wounds. His eyes quickly zeroed on the wound along her ribs. Dried blood covered the wound now and showed no sign of bleeding. It wasn’t deep and judging by the lighter skin around the wound, it was already practically healed. As quickly as it appeared to be healing it wounded even need to be bandaged.

It was then that he allowed his hungry eyes to take in the appreciating sight her and creating to the need for him to check for drool. She was beautiful. But as his bear actually did drool at the sight of his naked mate, his sharp eyes took in her alabaster skin. Her voluptuous figure made his bear want to rub all over her. Bears never had much of a taste of bony women. Sex was sex, no matter the form of a pretty female. But bears were ravenous for curves and lots of meat on a woman. Her breasts; which he was trying to deny their existence, were perfect and causing havoc on his good intentions.

Just one taste...?

The thought wasn’t his; but this bear’s. A surprised gasp left his lips as for the first time; he was connected to his animal. They were no longer two separate beings, but practically one being and it was all because he’d found her, his mate. His eyes fell on her rosy nipples.
Just
one taste
? Shaking his head quickly back and forth he stopped that thought before he could finish it.

His bear silently pouted that he wouldn’t get to get a taste of their mate tonight as they’d hoped. Chuckling to himself, Doyle headed into the connecting bathroom. After gathering some antiseptic, he returned to her side. It was then that he noticed the strange twin metal bracelets that tightly circled each wrist. The skin beneath them; that he could see, was painfully raw. His bear wanted to snap the thin metal bangles off, but nothing could be done about them while his mate was asleep.

Carefully; he cleaned the wound at her side; pausing every time her body flinched in pain from his touch. Now he knew he defiantly was going to let his bear loose on whoever had hurt his mate. Placing the items on the floor, he carefully pulled the quilt out from under her nearly frozen form. After covering her soft skin up to her neck, he collected the disregarded clothes before leaving his bedroom.

Upon entering the wide living room, he crouched down before the fire place. Tossing the destroyed items over the fresh logs, he began reaching for the box of matches when the howling wind increased outside. He would have to be sure to keep a fire going through the night for his human mate. Unlike humans; shifters could regulate their body temperatures, which meant he rarely used his stone covered hearth. After tonight it would finally get some real use out of it. How strange it was to go out hunting and come back with his true mate. On the other hand, what bear questioned when a bounty of honey drops into their lap?

Honey...? I want honey!
  His bear cuffed out, eagerly.  Though normal grizzly didn’t eat honey like the typical bear, he and his bear had developed a taste for it over the years. Licking his lips Doyle closed his eyes as he imagined what his mate’s honey would taste like. Hopefully he’d find out soon.

One thing that kept prickling at the back of his mind was why she had even been out there tonight? How had she ended up out in a blizzard in only thin clothes and worn boots as protection? Was she running from someone? Was she was lost? And most of puzzling of all, why didn’t she carry the scent of a human? Whatever the answers may be, his mate was going to have some explaining to do. At least he didn’t have to worry about her sneaking off when she had no suitable clothes.

Smirking, he watched as flames began licking at the discarded items before completely consuming them.  The idea of his mate without the barrier of clothes sounded like a good idea to him. Plus with the impending storm ahead, it may call for some cuddling— naked cuddling
.
With a dangerous smile, he headed back to his sleeping mate, fighting not to rush to her side. As her mate, it was only right that he provide her with the warmth of his body as long as she needed it.

The things I will suffer through for my mate…

Squinting at the bright sunlight shining on her face, Aria opened and closed her eyes against the unfamiliar sight. Was she dead? Stretching her arms along her sides, causing her to wince as her ribs burned with pain.

No, not dead yet. The thought had her smirking that she’d survived evading her captors. Suddenly events from the previous night began filtering behind her closed eyes. The last thing she remembered was shivering in a dank cave in the woods and judging from the warm mattress she was presently lying upon. She wasn’t still in that cave.

Without opening her eyes, she tried to calm her racing heart as she took in as much as she could about her surroundings. At the labs, it was essential to know all you could before giving yourself away by opening your eyes. The room smelled of cedar and sandalwood, a pleasant change from the smell of disinfectant that she was accustomed to.  The sound of snow slipping off the roof sounded close and told her there was a window nearby, a likely escape route if needed.

The mattress she was on suddenly shifted and dipped to her left, startling her. Opening her eyes slowly, she was greeted by a pair of lips coming straight for her.
Reacting in self defense she brought up a tightly clenched fist, smashing into one of the blissfully closed eyes of her attacker.

* ~ * ~ *

Our mate’s awake!
  Doyle’s bear cuffed out in excitement.

He’d never survive wooing his mate at this rate. It was very difficult to be honorable when his bear was as horny as a sailor after a year at sea. Not that he was much different. During the night, he’d crawled under the quilt, holding his mate’s naked form against his equally naked one.

All through the night while holding her everything inside him urged him to claim her before she slipped away. Tempting as the thought of sliding between those snow white thighs and claiming the most intimate part of his mate was. He reminded himself that she may not be as friendly later if he was to push her. This was defiantly a test of patience from the creator. Already he’d fantasized about his mate several times since waking up. Turning on his side, he gazed down at her closed eyes. Why wouldn’t she open them if she was awake? Maybe this princess needed awaking in another way.

Not stopping to think of the intelligence of his actions, he leaned down. His lips hovered barely an inch above her slightly parted ones. Closing his eyes he moved in on his prey and was seconds away from tasting nirvana. Next thing he knew, pain exploded as a small fist smashed into his left eye. Falling onto his back, he cupped his eye in pain.

As her attacker fell away, Aria rolled out of the bed and onto the floor. Struggling onto her weak legs, she glared at the obviously naked man that had been seconds away from attacking her.

Alright, maybe attacker was a bit strong…
But that didn't mean she wanted to be molested by some handsome stranger.

Handsome didn't even cover the definition of him as her eyes adjusted to the morning light. His arms and chest was powerfully built, not from the benefit of a bow-flex but more than likely from hard work every day. His skin had a dark tan that made her feel much paler than she actually was. After rubbing at his offended eye, his hand reached up to run through his shaggy mane of dark hair that fell to his nape.

One thing was for sure, his mate was easily startled. No telling what other parts of his anatomy would have been in danger, if she had the opportunity. Her hit wouldn’t leave a mark on him, but it would urge him to be more careful when approaching her. Her eyes were like a deer in headlights, frozen in fear. Staring at him, she seemed to be studying him as she waited for his first move.

Smirking at her close examination, his chest seemed to puff out more as the rust colored quilt slid further down his stomach as he shifted his legs. “Morning.” his voice seemed to rumble as he spoke. “You are a sight that I can only pray I get to see every day.”

Glancing down, Aria blushed furiously as she took in her nakedness. Reaching out to snag the pillow she’d been using, she held it in front of her as a shield against his eyes.

“Who are you? Where am I? And why am I naked?”

"I'm Doyle McKenzie. You're at my cabin. What little of clothes you did have on, were wet so I removed them." Sitting up, Doyle's playful expression morphed into a serious one. "By the way; what were you doing out in the middle of a blizzard, anyway?"

"That's none of your business." Jerking her chin up, she glared down at him from her advantaged height. The less he knew about her trek in the woods, the better for them both.

"It is my business. I am your mate. That means you belong to me." He growled out.

Great, I've been rescued from an insane doctor by a delusional mountain man.

Narrowing her eyes in anger, Aria took a step back from the bed. "Listen here; I don't care how crazy you are. But I most certainly don't belong to anyone, least of all you. While I am grateful for your help, I’ll be going as soon as you give me back my things." She stated unconcerned as her hosts face tightened in frustration.

Tossing the quilt aside, the bed frame groaned under his weight as he rose to his full height. Uncaring about his naked body, he walked slowly around the bed, coming closer and closer to his mate. Aria felt her face heat up as her eyes landed on his impressive body. Had this man no shame? Keeping the large pillow pressed against her front, she forced her eyes elsewhere as he now stood in front of her.

"First off, I am not crazy. Secondly, you can’t have your things back because I burned them last night." he mentioned casually and a bit too arrogantly.

Outraged, her eyes jerked to his, nearly causing her to almost drop her pillow as she pointed a finger in his naked chest. "You had no right!"

Shrugging his shoulders, he smirked down at her. "I have every right."

Huffing out in exasperation, she blew at stray strand hair that slid in front of her eyes. “Put some clothes on, will you?” she bit out, her glare meeting his cheeky grin.

He wasn’t at all put off by his mate’s flexing her claws at him like a hissing kitten; however it was so exasperating walking circles around his mate. It was a struggle to tolerate with not only his bear's frustration, but his own. This explained so much why the pack elders tried to discourage mating with humans. Where shifters instantly knew their mate by scent and the bonding with their beasts, humans had nothing to tell them,
"This is the one for me."
If he pushed her too hard, she would become more resistant and he would never hope to seal their mating bond.

Walking to his dresser, he withdrew a pair of blue jeans and quickly pulled them on. He hoped with more clothes on it would put his mate at ease. Turning back around while pulling up his zipper he took in the suspicious and almost fearful gaze of his mate. Releasing a deep breath, Doyle held his hands out in front of her as non-threatening as he could. Seeing his mate was near a breaking point or at the point of breaking him, he took a friendly step closer which only seemed to frazzle her more.

"Look, there is a lot we should discuss and that conversation would be better with food in both our bellies. Take any clothes you need out of my stuff." He offered pointing at the five drawer dresser by the connecting bathroom.

As he took another step toward her, Aria took a step back for ever step he took. She came to an abrupt halt when her back hit the wall. Her eyes flashed up at Doyle’s unyielding ones. Her head nearly touched her back as she looked up at his towering 7 foot frame.

Resting one forearm above her head, Doyle leaned closer to her. A dark brown lock slipped over his forehead, giving him a rakish look. Raising his free hand, he gently gripped her chin. His eyes boring into hers, immovable and no matter how much she wanted to pull away, she couldn’t find the will. He smelled of spice and earth; causing ever cell in her body to focus solely on him.

“Who are you running from?” he asked with concern as her eyes flashed with surprise.

“No one,” She whispered, looking away from his piercing eyes. He didn't believe her for a moment and she knew it. The sooner she got rid of him, the sooner she could keep running.

Pulling away, he rubbed a tired hand over his eyes. This wasn’t going the way he planned at all. Allowing his hand to drop to his side, he gave the most pleading look he could muster.

“Give me just a little bit of time, to get know you and I will help you anyway I can. But know this; I refuse to back down once I have caught something in my sight that I want.” Closing the space between them once more, he cupped her cheek tenderly. “And I want you, my hissing little kitten.”

His declaration was as modest as this big lug could probably manage. His possessive words made her heart leap in a way that confused her. But she didn't just escape from one prison to end up in another. Placing her hands on his scorching chest, she pushed as much space between them that he would allow. Looking up at him with the defiance that she clung to, she lifted her chin.

“The only thing I want you to do is to get as far away from me as possible.” As soon as the words left her mouth, Aria felt a shift deep within herself. All the pressure inside her head quickly lessened, as though someone had opened the flood gates to let a river flow free.

Without warning, his body jerked away from her abruptly as if he’d been struck by lightning. Looking her in a confused daze, he abruptly turned and strode from the room. Moments later she heard what she guessed was the front door closing behind him. Maybe she finally got through that thick skull of his. Whatever just happened, she wasn’t about to waste what time she’d been given.

Pushing aside the relief that coursed through her, Aria marched up to the dresser and began sift through each of the drawers contents. She quickly settled on a long, blue sleeved sweater and a pair of matching drawstring sweats. Tossing the large pillow aside, she quickly pulled on the borrowed items. Both were impossibly large on her, but she refused to trudge through the snow in nothing but her own skin. Furthermore; she wasn’t taking the chance he’d come back and continue to press his absurd claim—with her naked no less.

* ~ * ~ *

The snow flattened under his pounding bare feet as his powerful body began picking up speed. Doyle had no idea where he was headed, but like a moth drawn to a flame, an unknown force compelled his legs to maintain their powerful strides. Weaving around icy crusted trees and over snow banks, the further he got the more the haze over him began to diminish.

After what seemed like crawling out of a deep desecrated grave, his bear surfaced with a vengeance. An ear shattering roar ripped out of his chest like an explosion. His chest felt on fire, throwing him to his knees. Gripping the solid earth under the heavy laden snow while lethal claws ripped through his fingertips as his bear nearly emerged.

Our mate is unprotected!
His bear raged.
Must protect mate!

Shaking his head, he fought to clear his mind as his bear raged at the idea of their mate being left alone. Staring down at the pallid power beneath is folded knees; he struggled to remember how he got miles from his cabin in the first place. The last thing he remembered was his mate’s chilling words at echoed off every corner of his mind.

“The only thing I want you to do is to get as far away from me as possible.”

As the words had left her lips, he remembered feeling transfixed as his mate’s sky blue eyes began to glow brightly. In that moment, he felt like his will was not his own. He would have jumped off a cliff if she’d demanded. What dark power did she command? What manner of creature was she?  What creature could control and manipulate the mind of a shifter? The only thing for certain was that she somehow compelled him to leave the warmth of his cabin, effectively abandoning his mate to her wishes.

Rising to his feet, Doyle turned to face the direction leading to his home. Glancing down at his long, black claws, he willed them to retract. He clenched his normal looking hands into tight fists.

He was alpha of his territory and he’d just been kicked out of his own home by a slip of a woman.  Letting out a groan of embarrassment he rubbed a tired hand over his face. His family would never let him live this down if they found out. First thing he planned to do was to clear up who was the boss around here to his mate. Actually—that maybe the second thing, the first thing he planned to do was have himself a taste of his rebellious mate. If his mate didn't want to fight fair then neither would he. A baleful grin formed on his hard lips. He hadn’t had a female fight against him; much less use such an intriguing ability on him before. This would be interesting.

Rushing forward, he raced back to his evasive mate. He was very fervent to see what other secrets his mate was hiding. Each mile he covered made his bear pant in anticipation. As they neared the cabin, his mate’s warm honey scent floated on the wind. Reaching the upper crest that over looked the front yard of his cabin, he watched with quiet fascination as his front door opened.

His mate stepped unsteadily onto his wooden porch wearing some of his borrowed clothes and his heavy leather boots. The boots seemed to give her trouble as she attempted to walk in them without her small feet flying out them with every step. He watched as the wind gathered her flaxen locks, floating through the air like pale lace through water. The urge to wrap those long, silky tresses around his fist was as addictive as any drug.