Read Heart Of The Bear (Appalachian Shifters #1) Online

Authors: Alanis Knight

Tags: #BBW, #Bear, #Werebear, #Erotic Romance Fiction, #Alpha, #Adult, #Romance

Heart Of The Bear (Appalachian Shifters #1) (6 page)

BOOK: Heart Of The Bear (Appalachian Shifters #1)
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“Trust me,” Ivy said. “I’ve seen much worse.”

As I looked at the wide lacerations that were seeping blood into his sheets, I was skeptical. It seemed impossible to think of anyone recovering from such angry-looking wounds.

“Shouldn’t we… I don’t know… stick him up or something? At least put some Neosporin on his wounds?” I asked.

Ivy laughed and said, “I don’t think any of that will be interested. Look.”

She nodded toward Caleb and I looked back toward him. Astonishingly, his wounds already appeared to be closing up a bit.

“I’ll be damned,” I murmured.

He was sweating profusely and panting, and he kept rolling his head from side to side and mumbling. I sat on the edge of the bed and stroked his blood-caked hair away from his forehead.

“Caleb?” I said gently. “Can you hear me?”

He continued to mutter incoherently, and I looked at Ivy.

“He’ll be fine,” she promised me. “I’m going to go check on some things. If you need me, I’m in the cabin at the end of the lane.”

“Thank you,” I told her.

She patted my shoulder and left the room, and I turned to watch Caleb as he continued to mumble fitfully and writhe around on the bed.

“Penny…”

I perked up. Did he really say my name?

“Caleb, I’m here,” I told him, taking his hand and squeezing it between my own.

“Penny…”

“I’m here,” I told him. “I’m right here.”

“Don’t go…”

“I’m not going anywhere,” I told him. I pressed my lips to his forehead. “I’m here and I’m not leaving.”

“Penny…”

I was helpless. There was nothing I could do for him but sit by his side and hold his hand. It’s a terrible feeling to care about someone so much and be unable to help them in a time of great need.

He continued to call for me, and I continued to hold his hand, stroke his hair, kiss his forehead, and talk to him.

After a couple of hours of this, he sat straight up in bed, his eyes wide as though he were frightened.

“Penny!” he shouted.

“I’m here!”

His eyes immediately turned to me, and he took me into his arms and squeezed me so tightly I heard my bones crunch slightly.

“Ouch,” I muttered, and he eased his grip slightly.

“I thought you were gone!” he said.

“I’m right here,” I said, stroking his back as I held him. “I never left.”

“I thought you didn’t want me,” he said. I could have sworn it sounded like he was about to cry.

“Caleb, I never said I didn’t want you,” I told him. “I was just confused, that’s all.”

He buried his face into the hair that fell over my shoulder and I felt his teeth nibbling at the delicate flesh there. Chills erupted across my skin, and I moaned slightly.

“I need you, Penny,” he said quietly.

My insides were bathed in warmth at this revelation, and I suddenly realized that this Alpha who seemed so strong might actually be quiet vulnerable.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I said.

He nuzzled my neck with his nose, and then touched his lips against my shoulder. His lips trailed up my neck, and then he kissed my jawline, my chin, my cheek, my nose. His hands closed around my neck and pulled me closer to him, his thumbs brushing across my jaw as he pressed his lips against mine.

His hands slid down my throat and around to my back. He gripped the back of my shirt at the bottom hem and pulled it upward. I lifted my arms and allowed him to pull my shirt off. He threw it aside and dipped his head, running his tongue into the depression at the base of my throat between my collarbones.

He fumbled with the hooks of my bra and tore it away from my skin, tossing it across the room. He cupped my breasts in his hands and seemed to marvel at their sight before lowering his head further to suck my nipple between his lips.

My hands gripped his shoulders and he winced and sucked in a breath. I quickly took my hands away from his body, but he grabbed them and put them onto his chest.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” I murmured.

“You
not
touching me is the only thing that can hurt me,” he said.

I was gentle as I slid my hands carefully over his wounded body, and I could see him shiver with pleasure. My eyes raked downward to his erection, and I remembered that I hadn’t been able to suck him during our last encounter. I took him in my hands and bent my head, taking him between my lips. He moaned and leaned back against the stack of pillows at the head of the bed.

His precum tasted salty and slightly bitter. I swirled my tongue around the head of his cock before taking him deeper into my mouth. I had to stretch my jaw to take his full girth.

“God, yes, baby,” he groaned. “That feels so good.”

I cupped his balls with my palm and softly massaged them as I sucked him. He started to thrust slowly in and out of my mouth, and I found myself wanting to swallow his cum. I’d never done that before. I’d always found the very thought of it disgusting. But somehow it was something I wanted very much when it came to Caleb.

“Stop,” he whispered hoarsely, putting his hand on the top of my head. “Stop, stop! I don’t want to cum, yet.”

I moaned with disappointment and forced myself to stop sucking him. I wanted to please him fully, but he wasn’t ready.

“I want inside you,” he said.

He pushed me back onto the bed and tugged at my pants. I allowed him to take them off, and he tossed them, along with my panties, into the floor.

I could tell he was desperate to take me. He wasted no time sliding between my legs and pushing the head of his cock against me. I was so wet from sucking his cock that he slipped easily inside, and he began to thrust quickly.

“Oh, wow,” I moaned. “Oh, my god!”

The first time he’d penetrated me was amazing, but this was somehow transcendent. I guess it was the fear that I might lose him, but I’d grown exponentially more attached to him ever since his encounter with the panther. Now the sex was out of this world. The harder and faster he thrust, the closer I got to cumming.

“Your breasts are magnificent,” he said as my breasts bounced with each hard thrust

“You are magnificent,” I told him, my hands gently fingering the ridges of the muscles in his arms and shoulders.

He began biting his lip, and I could tell he was struggling to contain himself. The knowledge that he was nearing orgasm drove me over the edge, and I felt myself clenching around his thick shaft.

“I’m cumming!” I cried.

“Cum, baby!” he groaned through gritted teeth. “Cum all over my cock!”

With that, he growled long and low as he squirted deep inside me. With each erratic thrust, he growled again, and his eyes were wide with lust as my orgasm flooded across my body and threw me into a state of perfect rapture.

His body weight lowered onto me, and he rolled to the side and collapsed on his back, panting. I was too weak to move, and my legs were trembling from the exertion.

“That was… incredible,” I whispered.

He rolled over and put his hand on my cheek.

“Stay with me tonight,” he said.

I nodded, and he slid his arm under my neck and pulled me against his chest. I snuggled against him and listened to the sound of his breathing and felt the slowing rise and fall of his chest. Soon, I was lulled to sleep.

Chapter Seven

 

By morning, Caleb’s wounds had healed, leaving no trace of scar tissue. I had to wonder what had caused such traumatic injuries that a shifter would never be able to heal them completely.

“Cal, are you ever going to tell me how you got your scars?” I asked, tracing my fingers along their thick, white ridges.

“Someday,” he said.

“Why not now?” I pressed.

He sighed heavily and rolled over, pulling himself into a sitting position with his feet slung over the side of the bed. He rested his face in his hands as though he were hiding.

“I’m just not ready to talk about it,” he said. “I left all that behind me a long time ago. Or at least I thought I did.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, putting my hand on his bare back. “I won’t ask anymore. You can tell me whenever you’re ready.”

He turned to face me and slid his finger along the base of my chin. I could see the pain in his eyes, but where once there had been only darkness, I now saw the flicker of light.

The door burst open, and I quickly pulled the sheets over my naked body. A young man, his face ashen with fear, turned his head upon seeing my modesty.

“I’m so sorry, Caleb,” the young man said. “But it’s urgent. The panthers are here.”

“What? I thought he was a loner!” Caleb said, springing to his feet with his assets dangling freely.

“Caleb…”

He ignored me and said, “Brock, get Ivy. Now!”

The young man dashed off without another word, and Caleb turned to me and said, “I have to get you out of there. Things are about to get crazy.”

“What? No!” I shrieked. “I’m not going anywhere!”

Caleb kneeled on the bed and took my hands. His eyes held a look of grave concern, and he hung his head with sorrow.

“If there was any other way, believe me, there’s no way I’d want to be away from you,” he told me. “But you have no idea how dangerous this is about to become. I can’t put you in harm’s way like that. You’re a human. You’re too fragile.”

“Then turn me,” I said.

“You don’t understand what that entails,” he argued. “The pain alone might…”

“Do it,” I said flatly.

“Penny, you might not survive the transition.”

A lump swelled in my throat at the mere mention of this, but I was determined. I wasn’t about to leave when Caleb was in danger.

“Do it.”

He shook his head and said, “I can’t.”

“You can’t, or you wont?”

“I won’t.”

“Why not? Don’t you think I’m strong enough?” I demanded.

“I won’t take that risk.”

“Then I’ll get someone else to do it.”

I jumped up and started tossing on some clothing. I started to barge past Caleb, but he grabbed my elbow and whirled me around to face him.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he snarled.

“To find someone who will change me!” I snapped.

“Oh no you are not!” he shouted.

I tried to yank my arm away from him, but he only tightened his grip and I yelped in pain.

“Caleb, you’re hurting me!”

He instantly eased his grip slightly.

“You can’t get someone else to change you,” he said quietly, his face just inches from mine.

“Why not?”

“Because whoever changes you will become your mate.”

My face flooded with heat, and the tension in my body relaxed.

“Oh,” I muttered.

“Penny, I won’t risk losing you,” he said. “I can’t. Please don’t ask that of me.”

“I’m not leaving, Caleb. You can either change me and risk losing me that way, or you can keep me here as a human and risk losing me that way. But I will not leave you.”

I couldn’t decipher the look that spread across his face at that moment. I’d never seen anything like it. I couldn’t tell if it was confusion, shock, fear, or perhaps pride. He paused for several moments, staring at me silently. I was just about to cut the uncomfortable silence when he threw his arms around me, drawing me tightly against his body.

“No one has ever been willing to risk themselves for me before,” he breathed into my neck.

It was then that the gravity of the situation truly hit me. He’d never had anyone who cared about him. Ever. I still didn’t know his situation. I didn’t know where he’d come from or what happened to bring him here. All I knew was he had been alone his whole life, and had never had anyone who truly cared for him. No wonder he was so desperate to keep me alive.

“I trust you,” I told him as he clung to me.

He pulled away slightly and looked into my eyes.

“Do you?” he asked.

I nodded.

“Then let me take you somewhere safe,” he said. “Please. I need to get you far away from here before the panthers find out you’re here and what you mean to me. If they get wind… they’ll try to use you against me.”

“I understand,” I told him.

Caleb quickly threw on some clothes and then he grabbed my hand and pulled me along. Once outside, we headed around to the back of his house where a small white truck emblazoned with the forest service logo sat underneath a huge oak tree.

“Get in,” he ordered me.

The door creaked loudly as I opened it, and I jumped into the passenger’s seat and slammed the door behind me. Caleb hopped into the driver’s seat and pulled down the sun visor, spilling a set of keys into his hand. He thrust the keys into the ignition and turned them, and the truck roared and sputtered.

“Damn it!” he cursed, slamming his palm against the steering wheel.

He turned the keys again and pumped the gas pedal, but the old truck sputtered and died. Several more times he tried, but the old truck simply would not start.

He looked at me with pure terror in his eyes. His brows were knitted together, and he shook his head.

“I can’t believe this,” he said.

He yanked open his door and got out, dashing around to my side of the truck and pulling open my door.

“Come on,” he said.

I jumped out, and he took my hand and pulled me down the path toward the branch. It was hard to keep up with him, and I kept stumbling over roots and stones. I could tell he was deliberately slowing himself down, but his urgency to get me to safety was pushing him to run faster and faster.

“Caleb!” I shouted, barely able to breathe. “I can’t… keep up!”

“You have to!” he yelled back at me.

We splashed across the branch and made it to the edge of a steep drop-off. He came to an abrupt halt and grabbed the back of my shirt to keep me from slipping off the precipice.

“We’re going to have to slide from here,” he said.

“Slide… down there?” I asked, my eyes wide. I looked down at the impossibly steep angle and shook my head. “No way.”

“It’s our only chance,” Caleb said. “We have to get you down to Gatlinburg where you can blend in with the tourists. There’s no other way.”

With that, he ripped off his shirt and laid it out flat on the ground. Then he grabbed my hand and pulled me down onto the ground. He straddled me from behind, his legs on either side of me, and he pushed himself off, wrapping his arms protectively around my body as we started to slide.

As we slid, we picked up speed. Before long, everything around us was a mere blur. Caleb somehow managed to steer us around every tree and rock as we slid, but my heart was pounding so hard my head began to ache. I have no idea how we made it down that mountain alive, but somehow we did, coming to a skidding stop just outside town.

“Follow the road that way,” he said. “There’s a little motel in town with a big black bear statue out front. I can’t remember the name. Just ask for Mary Jane. She’s a friend and she’ll give you a room. I can pay her later.”

“What if the panthers find me there?” I asked.

“We’ll have to hope they don’t,” he said. “I’ll send Ivy to protect you as soon as I find her.”

“So you’re just going to leave me?” I asked. I know my voice was begging him to stay.

“I have to,” he said. “I’m Alpha.”

He turned to leave, but quickly turned back and took me into his arms. He squeezed me tightly, breathing in the scent of my hair before taking my face in his hands and planting a firm kiss on my lips.

“Get to the motel and stay there,” he said.

He turned to dash away, but I called after him, “Caleb!” He froze and turned to me. “I love you!” I shouted after him.

He said nothing for a moment, but then a smile flickered across his lips.

“I love you, too,” he said.

With that, he turned and fled back up the steep mountain.

I watched after him for a little while, and as soon as he disappeared from sight I jogged toward town to find the motel.

My stomach was twisted into a knot that threatened to explode at any moment. What if he got killed? I couldn’t bear to think of it.

But I needed to find that motel. If the panthers found me, they could use me against Caleb and he’d be vulnerable. I couldn’t let that happen.

I never thought that I’d be happy I’d been in a plane crash that nearly killed me. I never imagined that such a freak event could lead me to meeting the man of my dreams. And I certainly never would have believed that I’d fall in love so deeply or so fast.

But one thing was true… I loved him. And the only thing I could do to help him at that moment was to keep myself safe. And that’s exactly what I planned to do.

BOOK: Heart Of The Bear (Appalachian Shifters #1)
4.74Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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