Bearly Sweet(8)
Author: Loni Ree
Mabel
I put on one outfit then change my mind and try another outfit three times before I tell myself to stop making such a fuss. After hanging my fancy dress back in the closet, I pull on my favorite jeans and concert t-shirt. If Thorne is serious about us having a relationship, he’ll have to take me as I am.
There’s a loud knock on the front door a few seconds before I hear Cora telling Thorne she’ll get me. I take a second to gather my thoughts before I head out to the living room.
Thorne turns when I walk into the room, and his eyes follow my every movement as I step close to him. “Hi.” I’m suddenly very shy.
“Hi, sweet girl.” His kiss drives all the shyness from my mind. “Are you ready?”
His question ping-pongs around my mind as I try to pull myself together. “Ready for what, Bossy Bear?” I can’t believe I just asked that.
“We can discuss all the options later.” He takes my hand and turns to address my sisters. “Have a good evening.”
“You too.” Bethany follows us to the door while Cora rolls her eyes in the background.
After what seems like forever, we finally turn onto a long tree-lined driveway. Thorne has driven down so many long and windy roads that I have no idea where we are anymore.
When Thorne stops in the circular drive in front of a massive log cabin, I gasp in shock. “It’s beautiful.” The word beautiful doesn’t even start to describe the two-story structure.
“I’m glad you think so.” Thorne helps me from his black SUV and takes my hand. “I spent five years designing it to make sure I got the perfect home.”
Wow. He did a great job. As he leads me in the front door, I look around in awe at the rustic yet homey interior. “This looks like the home a bear shifter would have.”
“Have you known many bear shifters?” He wraps his arm around my waist and leads me to the right.
“A few back home.” Then I explain how we ended up in the mostly shifter community. “On a family vacation years ago, we drove through Honey Pot Hollow, and something about the town called to me and my sisters. We swore we’d move here one day.”
“I’m grateful to whatever force brought you here to me.”
We walk into a stunning living room, and I turn to take it all in. The entire room is widows, even the ceiling. “Holy moly.”
“It’s my sanctuary. My bear feels like he’s in the woods. I had that sofa made so I could sleep here when my bear has the urge to hibernate.” I continue looking around the massive room. Stained wood beams run in a lattice formation over the windows, I’m guessing for strength.
“Do you hibernate for months at a time?” I realize I know very little about bear shifters, or any other shifters for that matter.
“Have a seat and I’ll explain everything you want to know.” Thorne sits next to me on the u-shaped brown leather sofa. “First of all, while I have an inner bear, I don’t have all the same characteristics as bears. My inner bear likes to take long naps in the wintertime, around twelve to fourteen hours at a time.” That’s not too bad. I freaking love my sleep. Anything less than ten hours leaves me feeling sleep-deprived.
“Do you shift with the full moon or something?” I need to make sure I’m not going to end up with a house full of bears every time there’s a change in the moon cycle.
“I shift on demand.” Thorne smiles at me. “I have full control of my bear and he listens to my commands. He doesn’t always agree with me, but he knows I’m the boss.” I snuggle against his side, mentally filing this all away.
“I read online that bears are solitary creatures.” So, I’ve been doing some research on bears and bear shifters. While Google has all the information on bears, their shifter cousins are another thing altogether. Some sites claim they’re an abomination created to bring about the apocalypse while other sites describe shifters of all types as just another species on earth.
“Bear shifters are a combination of bear and human genes. We have the tendency to avoid large crowds and gatherings, but most shifters live in a community of their own kind. We blend well with humans and, most times, humans can’t even tell when shifters are around.”
Oh, man. Each time he answers one question, a ton more pop up. I don’t even know what to ask next. “Is it normal for shifters to mate with humans?” I choose the most important one.
“It’s fairly common.” Thorne runs his nose along my cheek, causing my mind to go blank. I have to concentrate hard to understand the rest. “When shifters mate, the bite secures their bond. Whether our mate is human or shifter, we combine our destinies with a bite. The tiny mark at the base of your throat shows the entire world that you’re taken. It also connects our life forces so we will leave this world and move on to the next life together.”
“So, you aren’t immortal?” There are so many different answers to this question online.
“Not at all. We’re stronger than humans, and our inner animals protect us from harm so we tend to have a little longer lifetime than humans, but we will die one day.”
“Together.” I want to be clear on where my life is headed. My heart already belongs to the bear shifter. Now, I need some idea of what to expect.
“And we could have children? Will they be shifters?” Questions continue to pop up in my mind.
“Our children will be human during their infancy and toddler years. The first change usually comes around age five or six. Don’t worry, I remember it happening with my brothers, and I’ll make sure you’re prepared when the time comes.”
“When did you realize I’m your mate?” I have one last question.
“The second I walked into Honey Buns. Your honey sweet scent hit my nose, and my bear woke up and shouted mine. Then I saw you and thanked the universe for giving me the perfect mate.”
“Do we have a wedding ceremony, too?” I’m running out of questions.
“If you’d like.” Thorne smiles down at me. “Once I seal our bond, you’re my eternal mate, but we can have a human ceremony, too, if you want one. My parents actually had one when they got drunk in Vegas a few months before I was born.”
That’s definitely a story I want to hear one day. “And your parents won’t be upset with you mating a human?”