Catching Her Bear (20 page)

He glanced over at Rye, who was grinning. “Totally.”

‡

A
fter Kalan dropped
Rye off at his house, he hurried back to Elana, wanting, or rather needing to celebrate with her. His biggest hurdle now would be to convince his dad to go home. Having his father hang out and talk shop would only make his desire to be alone with his mate that much stronger.

Hank Melton had admitted that Chris had murdered Elana’s parents, so the hard court press to insulate her from all the danger was now gone. He couldn’t dismiss the fact that someone had killed Darden, however. Not that Kalan gave a shit about the Changeling’s death, but he wished he understood whether this new killer was still focused on finding the sardonyx. If so, would he believe Elana had it, and would she therefore still be in danger?

None of the crime scene investigators had reported finding a large sum of money at the Stanley home, so it appeared the killers hadn’t paid for the goods yet—unless the Changelings had set up something in advance, and Elana’s parents had tried to double-cross them.

Despite being able to provide some closure for Elana, Kalan wasn’t looking forward to telling her that her parents probably hadn’t given her that stone because it reminded them of her good heart. Instead, they’d given her the so-called gift so they could honestly tell Darden and Melton they didn’t have it on them. The fact the killers tore up the Stanley mansion, Elana’s apartment, and Brian’s hotel room implied the men weren’t going to stop until they located it. He could only hope those two who’d trashed Elana’s apartment and Brian’s room were now dead or in custody.

Kalan pulled into his driveway, his mind suddenly jolted by the most obvious fact of all. Why would these men have gone to Brian’s hotel room? They wouldn’t have known the Stanleys even had a son unless they’d met him.
Fuck
. Brian might be involved after all. Until he figured out how, he wouldn’t tell Elana about his concern.

What he needed right now was to forget his troubles by delving into Elana’s sweetness. He’d deal with those unanswered questions later.

As soon as he eased out of his Jeep, his senses shot to high alert. The number of family shifter signatures overwhelmed him, as did the noise coming from the backyard. What the hell was going on? Elana’s laugh floated toward him, creating more confusion.

Because it was faster to go through the house to reach them than by going around to the back, he charged toward the front door. Kalan stepped inside and stopped, not believing his eyes. Everyone was sitting on the porch, jammed together at the table filled with snacks of all kinds. His dad, mom, and Blair, as well as two members from Rye’s family, Finn and Chelsea were there. He’d asked his father to watch Elana for a few hours, not invite his whole damn family to a party.

Kalan was about to barge in and demand answers when his dad stood and lifted a red Solo cup, as if he was about to toast something. At that moment, Kalan wished he had the ability to become invisible.

“To Kalan’s mate!” His dad smiled down on Elana.

His mate? He told her? Holy crap. If it wouldn’t upset his mother, he’d kill his father right now. Yes, Elana was his mate, but he’d wanted to take his time to establish a long and trusting relationship before he told her.

“Thank you,” she said with the sweetest of smiles.

Thank you?
It was only last night that she’d learned werebears even existed, yet she was okay with being a mate? Most likely Izzy had filled her in on what happened in the process, but that didn’t excuse his father’s comment.

His dad sat down. “Has he bitten you yet?” he asked.

That was it. The man would die a slow and painful death for asking.

“Where? On my ass?”

His siblings laughed at her sassy response.

This was becoming worse by the minute, but Kalan could barely breathe, let alone move. It was as if some witch had put a curse on him. He rubbed the back of his neck and stretched it from side to side, trying to relief the tension that had seeped in.

His mother placed a hand on Elana’s arm.
Shit
. He’d seen that look when he was young, and she’d had to explain the facts of life to him. “No, dear. On the neck.”

Elana’s chin tucked under. “Why would he bite me on the neck? I wouldn’t want him to do that. It would hurt.”

Izzy must not have provided all the ins and outs of being mated to a shifter.

“It doesn’t really hurt, not when you’re in the throes of passion.” His mother glanced over at Dad and smiled.
Oh you have got to be kidding me. Just kill me now.

Kalan groaned, but apparently the whole tribe was so engrossed in the discussion that they hadn’t even sensed he was there.

“But why?” she asked.

Mom, please just lie
.

“You and Kalan are destined for one another. Once he bites you, should you choose to stay with him, your fate will be sealed,” his mom explained. “You will be together forever.”

“Not to mention you’ll be able to shift once the white moon appears,” Finn added with way too much enthusiasm.

Kalan pressed his back against the front door, not sure what he should do. It didn’t matter that he wanted Elana more than life itself. It was his responsibility to tell her what would happen when they mated. Now, she’d expect him to bite her right away.

He was about to stop this nonsense until he heard Elana squeal in delight. “Are you saying I’ll be able to turn into a bear?”

Okay, it was time to put an end to this. He strode out to the large wooden deck.

“Hey, there he is,” his dad said. “How did everything go?”

Stay calm and don’t kill anyone. To his surprise, being close to Elana allowed him to remain civil. “We found the two men who killed Elana’s parents.”

She jumped up and threw herself in his arms. “Thank you.”

Her hug was so strong he never wanted to move. Over her shoulder, he gave his father the evil eye. It was times like this that he wished he could communicate telepathically with his family and tell them to get the hell out of his home because he had some loving to do—after he put a hurt on every one of the conspirators.

“That’s great, son. Who was it?”

“Two men who live in the hills.” That should clue him in they were Changelings. Hopefully, his dad had enough sense not to ask questions in front of a human.

“Nice.” His dad stood as if to leave. “I gotta tell you, you have an awesome young lady here.”

If Kalan said it was too soon to celebrate any kind of mating, it would hurt Elana’s feelings. “I know.”

His sister pushed back her chair and came over to them. “It’s so nice to be around someone who’s open to learning new ways of doing things.”

Kalan didn’t even want to ask what that meant. “Listen, Elana and I have some things to discuss. I appreciate you all keeping her company though.”

His mother smiled. “We get the hint. We’re leaving. Make sure you bring Elana around soon.” Mom hugged both of them.

It seemed to take the group forever to clean up and leave. When he and Elana were finally alone, his aggravation had amped up his desire. As soon as he shut the door, he faced Elana, ready for a million questions. He never expected the huge grin on her face.

“Oh my God. You are the luckiest person alive,” she said. “What I would have given to have such an awesome family. Don’t get me wrong, Izzy is like a sister to me, as is Missy, but her parents, especially her dad, can be rather straight-laced.”

So could his parents, but he wouldn’t mention that now. He stepped toward her and she backed up. “I’m glad you liked them.”

Now that they were alone, his bear was tired of being pent up and made it very clear that Kalan needed to make love with her. As in now.

“I more than liked them,” she said. “Your sister suggested some exercises I could do when my back starts hurting. She even said I could come into her physical therapy clinic—for free.”

He tried to close the gap, but Elana took a step back. Why, he didn’t know. “Blair is nice like that.”

“And Finn was a hoot.” Her back hit the front door.

Keep going. She’s only stalling, but she wants you
, his bear informed him.

His family had their strengths and weaknesses, but he had other things on his mind than talking about them. “I need to discuss something with you.”

Her eyes lit up. “About this mating stuff? Your mom explained some or most of it to me. Finn said that I could learn to shift too. I can’t wait until I can run around like a bear.”

Her intense excitement was so cute. He bracketed his hands around her head and leaned in close. “Actually, our women shift into muskrats.”

Kalan had no idea why he told her that, but he was curious how open minded she really was. When her brows pinched and her lip curled, he worked hard not to laugh.

“A muskrat? My super power will be to turn into a wet, furry rodent?”

He could see the sparkle in her eyes and the crease at the edge of her mouth where she was trying not to smile. She was playing him, the little minx. Goddess how he loved that she gave as good as she got. They would have so much fun together. So, with that thought, he looked her dead in the eyes. “Absolutely. You’ll look so cute too. I will just have to make sure not to accidentally sit on you when we’ve shifted.”

“Oh, you will pay for that, Mister.” With a laugh, Elana shoved his chest, but her force was so weak, he didn’t even move.

Kalan was grinning like a fool. “That all you got, tough girl?” So as not to crowd her, he stepped back and held up his hands pretending to box.

He was thankful she didn’t focus on the questionable mating part. He didn’t need to be explaining that if they mated right now their attraction would intensify. Until this case concluded, he didn’t dare become more distracted than he already was.

“I’ll show you tough. Drop your pants and we’ll see how strong you are.” She nodded to his groin.

Where had this feistiness come from? Was it his family telling her how great she was that had caused it, or the fact her parents’ murderers had been caught? Regardless of the origin, he liked her new attitude. A lot.

Not one to turn down a dare, he shucked off his shoes and kicked them aside. “I hope you’re ready for the consequences of your actions.”

She lifted her chin and this time moved toward him. “Consequences? As in you’ll stop me in about thirty seconds once I start sucking on your cock and then lick me until I scream your name?”

Man, did she knew how to turn him on or what? “If you aren’t careful, I might shift on you.”

“I dare you.”

The woman had a good comeback for everything. “How about you do a little strip tease for me and see if you can excite me enough to force a shift?”
Fuck me, if she does that I will be in her so fast it will be over before it starts.
“No, wait. I want to strip
you
first.”

“You think your bear can control himself?” She slipped under his arm and then turned to face him.

Shit, she was right, but either way, he was going to have her. “No, but it sure is going to be fun trying.”

She backed up and stepped into the hallway. As he approached her, he unbuttoned his jeans and took them off. Thinking he might need to shift when he headed into Changeling territory, he’d worn as little as possible, which meant he’d gone commando.

Her eyes widened. “Whoa. You do move fast.”

“Forgot my briefs.”

She glanced to his jeans on the floor. “So I see.” Elana edged closer. “Is that stubble new growth?” She dragged a hand down his cheek and his inner bear growled, begging for freedom.

“Could be. If you really want to turn me on, let me take a better look at what you have to offer.” He lifted the T-shirt over her head, and the moment he spotted the pink bra, his dick turned harder than the Oak in the backyard. “You’re a real temptation.”

“So what are you going to do about it?”

He couldn’t remember a woman who seemed so at ease with her sexuality, though if anyone had asked if it was possible coming from Elana, he’d have said no. She had implied she hadn’t had a full love life. Had their lovemaking caused the change, or had one of Izzy’s witch friends put a spell on his woman? It didn’t matter. He liked this new version of Elana Stanley.

She’d asked a question.
“This.”

He cupped her tits and devoured her mouth. When she latched onto his shoulders and invited him in, all thoughts of his parents invading his home disappeared. All he wanted to do was possess her. He explored the roof of her mouth, bumping into her tongue doing the same thing to him. They were tentative at first, but as their breaths entwined, their speed increased.

He finally had to pull away. If he hadn’t, he might have done something both of them would have regretted. Elana slipped her hands under his shirt and took it off. Her delicate touch had his senses reeling. The final straw was when she licked her lips, he could no longer resist her.

Kalan backed her up deep into the hallway to make sure no one could see them through the front window. He dropped to his knees and undid the top of her pants then tugged them down. She then toed off her sandals, and as soon as she stepped out of her jeans, he pressed his face against her silky panties. Her womanly scent made it hard to concentrate, especially when he clutched her ass, squeezing her full, round butt. “You turn me on like no one ever has.”