Bear's Gold (Erotic Shifter Fairy Tales) (16 page)

At the booth, she ordered three
honeycombs from an older woman with short brown and silver curls, Lola Shardik.
The woman spoke to the boys as she leaned over the side of the booth and handed
them their powdered honeycombs wrapped in wax paper to keep their fingers from
getting sticky.

The boys wasted no time in biting
into the treats and Riley smiled at the dripping honey already coating their
chubby cheeks. The wax paper would be little protection.

“And three mini cookies covered with
chocolate and honeycomb chunks for you.” Lola passed her a napkin with her
bite-size treats.

“Thank you, Ms. Shardik.”

The woman waved her words off.
“Everyone calls me Lola.”

“I’m Ben,” called out the man
standing at the cutting board dipping cut pieces of combs into various
toppings.

“Nice to meet you both.” Smiling,
she moved the boys to the far side so others in line could get some. She didn’t
want to go far since Theo would come there first to look for them. Riley had
learned from him that the Shardik’s owned the largest honey bee farm in Den
which shipped to all areas of California, Nevada, and Oregon. 

The boys chatted happily about the
coming concert and log rolling race at the river later that day. Riley figured
she would be able to enjoy the concert by the various people in town that played
instruments and song, but doubted she’d see Theo compete in the log rolling.

“I don’t think we’ve been formally
introduced.”

Popping a chocolaty-honey treat into
her mouth, Riley turned and saw Gordon. The man who was the captain for the
kickball team they competed against yesterday.

The tall, wide, blond-haired man had
dark blue eyes. She knew that he and Theo had a rivalry between them for
something, but she didn’t want to be rude to the man.

“Hi, I’m Riley, as you know.” She
held her hand out. She’d become used to being sniffed by the men in town and
expected it.

Gordon claimed her hand, wrapping
his strong fingers around it, tugging her slightly. She held her ground as the
man bowed his thick blond head over it and inhaled.

His hold became tighter as the
‘sniffing’ seem to go on longer than most of the men. She didn’t know what the
respectable amount of time was for the custom but Gordon didn’t seem as if he’d
turn her loose anytime soon.

Rubbing her lips together nervously,
Riley glanced around hoping that no one else was watching the exchange. “Um…Gordon.”

He lifted his gaze to her, his
midnight blue eyes seemed to sparkle. “Riley,” he seemed to sigh her name.

Not wanting to investigate if there
was a metallic hue to his eyes, Riley snatched her hand away. “Yes, Riley. I’m
staying with the Kodiaks. They’ve been kind to put me up while my car is under
repair with Jack.” Rambling, she resisted the urge to wipe her hand against her
jeans.

“You know, Theo’s place isn’t the
only available place you could have stayed.”

“Really?” She frowned. Had Theo lied
to her? Was there some kind of bed and breakfast place in town?

Gordon stepped toward her, making
the distance between them too close for comfort. Not moving, she refused to
cower away.

His nostrils flared as he leaned
toward her and inhaled. “My place. I don’t have pesky little ones either.”

“I see.” Good Lord, no. She’d only been
around Gordon a couple of times but the man made her uncomfortable.

“Hey, Mr. Gordon, leave Ms. Riley
alone.” Bernie stepped into the small space between them.

“Yea, stay away from our Riley.”
Aubrey moved in beside his brother and shoved at Gordon’s thighs.

“Annoying cubs. Move your ass out of
my way.” Gordon pushed the boys away and caused the twins to fall in the dirt
as their honeycombs went flying.

Gordon didn’t even pause to assess
his damage.

“You burly bastard.” Something came
over her as her vision turned a haze of red and her body became so tight that
her teeth ached. Tossing down her own treats, she threw all her weight behind
her hands as she slammed her palms against his chest. “How dare you.”

The man stumbled back only a step
and smiled. “Ah, a sweet smelling feisty one.”

“I’ll show you what a feisty woman
acts like.” Riley was balling her fist and prepared to slug the overbearing
ass, when it seemed as if a mountain equal the man’s size blocked her
attack—Theo.

Theo punched the man, snapping
Gordon’s head to the side.

“You dare touch my boys. Touch
what’s
mine
.” Theo’s words came out like a growl.

Gordon sneered and wiped the blood
from the corner of his mouth. “Yours?” He roared with laughter. “Your scent is
nothing but a trace. I’ll mark her right.”

The other man launched himself at
Theo.

Kneeling down, Riley wrapped her
arms around the boys as a fight broke out between two larger than life men, and
stared at the two rivals.

A crowd circled them as fists were
thrown. Growls shattered the air.

When Sherriff Smokey plowed through
the crowd of onlookers and cheerers who were egging the fight on. Theo and
Gordon were locked together, neither man willing to give.

“That’s enough!” The Sherriff waved
over four men from the crowd, two for each man to help pry them apart.

Once Theo and Gordon were separated,
Theo’s shirt in tatters and Gordon’s face still bleeding, the Sherriff shook
his head and gave both men disapproving looks as they struggled against
restraining hands still trying to get at each other.

“Damn it, I said that’s enough. You
guys know every year tensions get this high between men in this town.”

“Kodiak here’s trying to lay claim on
what apparently he ain’t been bear enough to mark as his in a week,” Gordon
taunted.

“Kiss my ass, Shardik. I got nothing
to prove to you. You're still pissed that Cindy chose me that night. Fucking get
over it.”

Gordon made a noise that was representative
of a full-on roar of some kind of animal. Chills raced down her spine at the
sound.

Riley now understood. A woman had
stood between them then and Gordon was trying to use her to get back at Theo.

“You all can settle it tomorrow.
Riley will have her choice during the festival’s bear run.”

Theo broke away from the two men and
shook his head. “No, she won’t. She’s on her way out of town.”

Those words seemed to shock everyone
as the crowd mumbled.

Her time was up.

At the same moment Theo’s gaze
rested on her, void of emotions, Riley felt Aubrey’s tears against her shoulder
and Bernie trembling in her lap. Squeezing Aubrey, she glanced down to comfort
Bernie. However, instead of seeing a small boy on her, she noticed a chocolate
brown bear cub’s face looking back at her.

She froze. The world around her
faded away as her heartbeat filled her ears and drowned all other sounds out. Flashes
of memories she couldn’t piece together ran through her mind like a psychedelic
collage. She didn’t know if it was memory or fantasy.  A part of her wanted to
shove the bear cub away and run screaming. Another part of her mind kept
telling her this was Bernard Kodiak, a little boy she had grown fond of in the
last five days.

So many questions tumbled over and
over, things she’d experienced in Den County—customs, words, lifestyle. All
strange.
Different
.

Unsure what to believe or what to
do, she just tried to breathe. Something she had ceased doing at some point. Closing
her eyes, she tried to make everything go away.

“Riley…”

Someone called her name in the
distance, it sounded like Theo’s voice, but she was afraid to believe it. Nothing
else was as it should be; why would he be? Her body began to quiver
uncontrollably, she felt as if a glacier moved through her veins and her eyes
burned with unshed tears.

“Riley, look at me.”

A warm, strong hand touched her arm,
keeping the icy feeling at bay and drawing her out of the fog of confusion that
was smothering her. She focused on that gentle, but firm touch and willed her
eyes to open.

Her gaze, only slightly watery was
clearer than it had been as she stared into the face before hers; Theo. A
tanned face, thick dark hair, and darker eyes that held compassion and worry. Auberon
and Bernard, both now human boys, stood gazing over their father’s shoulder
observing her shyly as if they feared they had done something to hurt her.

Her heart yearned to comfort them,
but her mind wouldn’t allow it as it still attempted to make sense of all she’d
seen and heard.

“Theo?” she whispered, hating the
quivering in her own voice.

“It’s okay…I know it’s a lot to take
in.” Theo’s hand moved up and down her arm, comforting.

“I don’t understand. Am I imaging
things?” She clutched at his arm that touched her and leaned in to keep all of the
town’s people, who she was sure were now gathered around them, from hearing.
“Bernard…he…he, was a bear. A bear cub.”

Not breaking his gaze with hers,
Theo nodded. “I know.”

“How?”

Theo let out a heavy breath. “I
should have told you this before now. Days ago.”

Now she was really mystified. Theo
knew about his son’s ability to change into a bear? Was it some kind of medical
disorder? Did Aubrey have the same problem? “What’s going on?”

“We try to keep our lives a secret.
The reason we don’t have much contact with outsiders.” Theo gazed around at the
Den residents standing around them.

“Why? Because of your son’s
condition? How did it happen?”

He squeezed her arm. “How it came
about is a long story. However, it’s not only Bernard—”

“I figure it was Aubrey, too. But,
I’m sure there are specialists or something that can help…fix him.”

“Listen, Riley!”

His voice grabbed her attention. The
expression on his face was a look of determination not anger. She realized
whatever he was attempting to tell her, he needed her to be quiet so he could
get it out.

“I’m listening.”

Taking hold of her hand, he said, “It’s
not an illness or problem that needs to be fixed. It is not just my two sons,
it is the entire county. We are Bear-shifters and have been for hundreds of
years.”

“Bear-what?” This had to be a sick
joke. Stuff like this only happened in movies, a part of ancient folklore.
Shifters didn’t exist outside of Hollywood, California studios.

“Shifters. It is genetic. There are
other species in the world also. Those wolves that killed my wife.”  His dark
gaze was filled with sincerity and something that appeared to be a plea for her
to understand.

She wanted to understand. Her heart
urged her to understand, take his confession and not judge, but she couldn’t.
Somehow she’d landed in some alternate universe where everyone was mad. That
freezing cold feeling in her veins was back and this time there was nothing
that could warm her. Pulling her hand out of Theo’s, she rose to her feet,
backing up a step as she looked around at all the faces of the townspeople
around her. People she had begun to have fond feelings for because of their
kindness to her. Jack, Sherriff Smokey, Shayna, the Gobi’s, Natasha and Kaley… She
wouldn’t allow herself to think about the three most important people she’d
connected with, even when she’d attempted to keep her heart secured, her
emotions had still become engaged. Her shoulder and wrist began to throb; she
ignored it.

That was something she would have to
figure out later. Possibly see a doctor about the one on her shoulder.

At this moment, she could feel their
three gazes as she glanced at the others.

“Riley…please just listen…”

Out of her peripheral, she saw Theo
take a step toward her. Quickly, she turned to face him and held her hands up,
halting his movements. She couldn’t let him touch her. Right now she was
already confused and feeling his hands on her would just add to it.

“Look, Theo…” She licked her lips as
she struggled to find the right words. “This isn’t any of my business.”

“What?” His brows pulled center as
he stared at her.

Rubbing her hair, she fingered the
band at the back of her head holding her hair, fidgeting. She was unsettled.
Was it possible that if they thought she’d let their secret out they would
attack her, treat her like the wolves. Her heart began to start pounding with
fear. “I won’t tell anyone. I just want to get my keys and leave.”

She took another step away and
bumped into a tree—she was trapped. It wasn’t anything but her own internal
strength that kept her from running screaming. It was one thing when she just
thought one child had a condition that doctors could possibly fix, and then
discovering it was a whole pack or den with the same “genetic” ability.

Disregarding her earlier request,
Theo closed the gap between them and took hold of her shoulders. She bit down
on her lip in order not to flinch. This man could unsheathe claws and slice her
in two if he wanted.