Tempted by the Bear - Complete (7 page)

I
sabelle - My brother
found his true mate and I’ve been replaced, so it’s time to replace him. Luke Robichaux is the perfect distraction, and love isn’t the only goal we share in common.

T
ori
- I finally met the man in my dreams, but Keith seems to think he’s too old for me. I’ll just have to show him he’s wrong.

I
sabelle

I
start
to run before the shift happens. Fabric shreds as I explode out of my clothing, and the sound is satisfying. Hell, I didn’t even take off my shoes. I’m sure the carnage I create will appall Annie’s sensibilities. But I don’t care, because she’s not my favorite person right now. My legs surge with energy as my large feet pound in a frantic cadence. The memories of Tristan and Annie calling out each other’s names in the throes of passion echo in my head, and my blood boils over.

When I get to the trees, I smash my shoulder into a pine. Wood splinters, but the tree doesn’t fall, so I stop. I’m beyond furious right now. A loud crack sounds as I smash the tree again, and it crashes into a few more. Plowing through the woods, I swing my front legs out to either side as if I’m blazing a trail. Branches fall like rain. Birds take flight. A startled deer races across my path. I snarl at it.
That’s right, Bambi, be afraid. Be very afraid.
Everyone and everything better get out of my way.

“Isabelle!”
Tristan’s trying to communicate with me telepathically, and I thought I’d blocked him out. But because he’s the alpha of my clan, he can get through anyway. He’s also the main reason I’m so enraged. Fucking true mates; it ruins everything.

My lips curl up as I growl. He better not alpha order me. He said Annie being his true mate wouldn’t be a problem. He said he could handle it. He said he wasn’t going to seal the true mate bond by biting Annie.
Fucking liar!
I scream across the telepathic airwaves.

I’m panting, and the damage I’ve done to my body has caught up with me as I limp in a slow walk. I glance down to discover red streaks of blood staining my fur. My legs are tired, and I slow down some more. I slap at a tree, but it barely moves as my anger lessens and my muscles weaken with exhaustion.

My brother bit Annie, his true mate, and now they’re bonded for life. They’ll want to live and breathe each other. While that’s good for the first stage of our plan, he’s never going to be able to betray her for the second part. The part where we take over the Le Roux kingdom for our own.

I turn and thud to the ground to inspect my injuries. Glancing at the wreckage I created, I notice more than blood splatters on the snow. I’m gushing it.

I gaze at my front paws to find they’re shredded. Further inspection makes me notice a large gash in my belly where the blood is coagulating. I’ll live. A stick is stuck in my back leg, and I yank it out.
Bloody hell!
It hurts like a mother, but my pun makes me chuckle. I am a bloody mess. My body shakes as my laughter becomes uncontrollable. I’m so screwed now that Tristan has abandoned me. Tears begin to flow freely from my eyes.

Pain radiates through my injuries as I flop onto my back and stare up at the sky. It’s overcast again, and I wonder why we came here. All it does is snow, and I long for the crystal blue skies and blinding sun of the Arctic. My brother has found the love of his life, and no matter what he says, I’ve lost him.
To a freaking wimpy black bear.
Our mother will be furious when she finds out. Not that she can do anything about it now that Tristan is our alpha, but technically she’s still the prima.

I snort with force, and snot sprays over me as I imagine my mother’s reaction to losing prima status to Annie. I laugh again, because the evil bitch is finally going to be powerless. It’s about time.

“Izzy. I can smell you. I’m on my way.”

My brother, the savior. He’s always been there to pick up the pieces from our abusive parents. And myself. The steady cadence of his feet tells me he’s not far away. I lie and wait.

Polar bears are regular bears to the tenth power. Our bodies are bigger, our sense of smell is so great we can detect a seal more than twenty miles away, and we can communicate for almost a thousand miles instead of fifty or so. We also heal faster than other bear, and by the time Tristan is hovering over me, blocking out the sky, my paws are almost normal.

“Izzy, you scared me.”

I swipe my claws across his face, and he stumbles back as I sit up. Blood drips down his snout as he asks,
“Feel better?”

“Not really. But I am over the urge to kill you.”

“It’s not what you think.”

I huff.
“Is that like some male DNA thing to pull out those words whenever you want someone to brush aside the facts?”

“No. But—”

“I heard you. Everyone heard you. You bit Annie and sealed your bond. What am I supposed to think?”

“That I’d never leave you. And that I know what I’m doing.”

“You’re lying to yourself if you believe that. I knew the day would come when I’d lose you to a mate.”
The scratches I gave him have healed, and I know most of my cuts have, too, so I stand. I pick up some snow and rub at the blood stains on my fur. But what I need is the river.

“Izzy, it won’t be like that. Annie and I want you to live with us.”

“I need to swim. Go back and be with Annie.”

He places a paw on my shoulder, and I shrug it off.
I trudge through the snow toward the river.

Tristan follows behind me, but I take a little satisfaction in his guilt.

When we get to the water, I dive in and let the coolness soothe my achy body. Tristan sits on the bank to watch. I duck under and swim along the bottom. I’m used to depths so vast that blackness is usually underneath me, and my heart aches as I miss my homeland. It hits me that now I’ve got nothing. The one true thing in my life no longer belongs to me; Tristan belongs to Annie.

When I get out and shake, Tristan approaches me and nuzzles my neck. I glance over at the magnificent bear he is. In human form, he’s got pale blond hair and icy blue eyes, just like me. But right now his fur has a faint orange cast that comes from his obsession with sweet potatoes. Nobody has told him. I used to think it worked for his cover story, but now his cover’s blown. Annie will see who he really is, because it can’t be helped. I say,
“You’re eating too much carotene, and your fur is orange. They laugh at you for it.”

He glances down and lets out an annoyed growl as I lead the way home.

T
ori

T
he pawprint tattoo
on the fleshy part of me that covers my hip is throbbing, and I squirm in my chair to alleviate the pressure of my jeans on it. My mind has been flooded with the images of the hot guy I dream about. Which wouldn’t be a bad thing if I weren’t supposed to be focused on a calculus lecture.

I force myself to hear the professor’s words and follow along with his calculations projected on a big screen for all the students to see. It’s no use. The image of my dream guy’s perfectly formed pecs and the dusting of hair on them flashes before me, blocking out numbers, letters, and lines.

When I shift again in my seat, my roommate Lucy pokes me with her pen. I glance at her, and she shoots an angry look back. She’s depending on me to get her through this class, but that’s not going to go so well for us if I’m on the verge of failing, too. I pull out my phone and break Professor Gum’s no-texting rule, which he announced less than ten minutes ago to send one to Lucy.
Don’t worry, I can do this in my sleep.

“Miss Text-a-lot!”

I look up in horror as people in the class turn to figure out who he’s looking at. The professor glares at me. “Out.”

“But—”

“No excuses. Go.”

Shame burns my ears, and I grab my things to leave. When Lucy catches my eye I think she might cry. I mouth. “Sorry.” But the truth is I’m not. Because this means I can go find the guy that’s causing my distraction.

On our way to class, we walked by a dorm renovation, and my tattoo was pulsing like mad as if it’s some kind of hot-guy detector. And when I glanced over at the men working, the one who got out of a Jeep looked suspiciously like the guy I dream about. Leaving the lecture early means I might be able to find him again.

My footsteps echo in the stairway as I jog down and shove the metal door open to leave the building. It slams shut behind me as cold wind whips my hair around my face. I didn’t take the time to put my coat on before I got outside, and I should do it now. But I’m afraid I might miss the man in my dreams, so I continue to run instead.

My backpack’s contents rattle as it bounces on my back, and I head toward the dorm. When I get around the corner, I see the Jeep.
He’s still here.
I slow to a walk, and icy air burns in my lungs, making me wonder why I’m so compelled that I’ve become frantic. Sweat is damp on my skin, and the wind sends a chill through me. When I reach the car, I stop to remove my pack and retrieve my jacket.

There is an image on the door of the vehicle, and I memorize the pine-tree logo that reads Bear Mountain Tree Farm. My zipper hums as I tug it up to my chin, and I bend down to pick up my pack again. When I stand, I notice a man coming my way. He’s huge, with broad shoulders and narrow hips. The temperature is cold with the wind chill today, but apparently he’s warm enough to keep his flannel-lined jean jacket open.

As he gets closer, there’s no doubt he’s the man in my dreams. He frowns as he approaches me, and I realize I’m staring at him with my mouth open as if I’m mesmerized. I kind of am, because the things this guy does in my imagination are pretty amazing. I recover my wits and say, “Hi.”

“Is there something I can help you with?”

He has no idea who I am. I guess the dreams are a one-way thing. “This is going to sound really weird, but I think I know you.”

The guy shakes his head as his brow remains furrowed. “I don’t think so.”

My body hums in his proximity, and I step closer. I take a deep breath to inhale the scent of pine mixed with his faint musk, and I almost moan at the pleasure it brings. I step even closer so that I’m in his personal bubble. He crosses his arms as if they’re a barrier, and I gaze up at him to say, “I’m Tori.”

He’s not amused and steps back as he asks, “Is this some kind of sorority initiation thing?”

The need to touch him overwhelms me, and I reach out. But he retreats as if I have a communicable disease. “No. I’ve—”
You’ve what, Tori?
You can’t tell him you have sex dreams about him. He’ll think you’re a fruit loop.
“I’m sorry. I really thought I knew you. But I guess not.”

“We’ve never met. Now if you’d be so kind as to move out of my way, I need to leave.”

I take a few steps away from the Jeep. I don’t want him to go, and I grasp at a straw to deter him. “So you must be the boss.”

The door of the car opens with a groan, and he leans an arm on it as he glances over at me. “Something like that.”

Desperation sets in, and words I haven’t formed into coherency tumble out of my mouth. “Sweet. You should use me as an intern. I’m a super-smart engineering student and need to line something up for the summer. I’ve got references, and everyone will tell you I’m...” I stop, because his eyes are crinkled up as if he’s about to laugh at me.

Heat rises to my cheeks, and I shake my head. “I’m so sorry.” I start to walk backward. “I’m just going to—” I step into a pothole and stumble before I fall on my butt. Sharp pain shoots up my spine. “Ouch!”

The man towers over me. “Are you okay?”

I gaze into the blue eyes I recall from my dreams. “I think so.”

He reaches out a hand, and I grab on as he hoists me up with enough strength that he might as well have lifted me. The heat of his fingers burns my chilled skin, and I grip him tight so he won’t let go yet. The oddest sensation surges through me, and I whisper, “Do you feel that?”

The guy yanks his hand back. “You’re a strange girl.”

I gasp as our connection breaks and stare down at my palm. I glance back up at him. His eyes are hard as if he’s angry, and adrenaline spikes in me. Like he’s the one that has a right to be mad. I blurt out, “Look. You’re the one invading my dreams like a creeper. So why don’t you just stop and then you’ll never have to see me again? Okay?”

He tilts his head and squints at me as he bends down to retrieve the backpack I dropped. “Dreams, huh?”

I yank the bag from him. “Yes, dreams. And those stupid dreams made me get a tattoo.
Me.
The girl who cries when she gets a splinter got a tattoo. Do you know what that means?”

“So why aren’t you crying now? That fall had to have hurt more than a splinter.”

I huff. “Unbelievable. I’m exaggerating. The point is you’re making me crazy, and you think I’m the one who’s strange. Geeze.” I cross my arms and glare at him.

His face breaks into a smile. “I’m teasing you.”

“Oh.” I take a deep breath. “So do you know who I am?”

“No. But I do have an idea what’s going on.”

Relief washes over me, and I let out a big sigh. “Thank god.”

He slides into his car, and I actually stomp my foot because I think he’s going to drive off without telling me a thing. “Don’t you dare drive off on me.”

He pops his head back out of the Jeep with a slip of paper and a pen. He’s smiling when he hands it to me. “Give me your number, and I’ll let you know when I get this all sorted out.”

I frown. “What, you don’t own a phone?”

He taunts me. “What, you don’t know how to write?”

I roll my eyes and scribble my name and number down. “You’re kind of annoying, you know that?”

Now he smiles. “It’s part of my charm. But don’t worry. You’ll be rid of me soon.”

My hands are freezing, and after I hand him the note, I shove them in my jacket pockets. “Thanks.”

The man reaches for his door handle and says, “Goodbye, Tori.”

“Bye.”

The Jeep door slams shut, and the engine roars as he turns it on. I step back and watch him back out before turning to walk to my dorm. Sadness wraps around me as if I just said goodbye to a boyfriend who broke up with me. I turn to watch the Jeep as he drives away. When it turns the corner and is no longer visible, I sigh, because he was so much better in my dreams.