Fated To Her Bear (Bear Bluff Clan Book 5)
Author: Raines, Harmony
Date: 2015-07-13
Keywords: General Fiction

Table of Contents

Copyright

Chapter One – Ciara

Chapter Two – Ryan

Chapter Three – Ciara

Chapter Four – Ryan

Chapter Five – Ciara

Chapter Six – Ryan

Chapter Seven – Ciara

Chapter Eight – Ryan

Chapter Nine – Ciara

Chapter Ten – Ryan

Chapter Eleven – Ciara

Chapter Twelve – Ryan

Chapter Thirteen – Ciara

Chapter Fourteen – Ryan

Chapter Fifteen – Ciara

Chapter Sixteen – Ryan

Chapter Seventeen – Ciara

Chapter Eighteen – Ryan

Chapter Nineteen – Ciara

Other Books By Harmony Raines

Fated To Her Bear

Bear Bluff Clan

(Book Five)

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Note from the author: My books are written, produced and edited in the UK where spellings and word usage can vary from U.S. English. The use of quotes in dialogue and other punctuation can also differ.

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All rights reserved. This book, or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner without the express written consent of the author or publisher.

This is a work of fiction and is intended for mature audiences only. All characters within are eighteen years of age or older. Names, places, businesses, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, actual events or places is purely coincidental.

© 2015 Harmony Raines

Silver Moon Erotica

Kindle Edition

Chapter One – Ciara

Ciara looked down at the directions scribbled on a piece of paper. She was sure this was the right road. However, as the road climbed higher over the lower slopes of the mountain, she was feeling unsure. Maybe she had missed a turning. The directions were clear, though, so she carried on. When she hit a dead end, she would turn around and retrace her steps.

In the meantime, she took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the mountain air. It had been a long time since she had been out in the open like this. The lower slopes of the mountain were similar to the wide-open plains where she grew up. She vividly remembered running wild and free across them.

Ciara shut off that train of thought. It was the very reason she had left, to escape the life laid out before her. If she hadn’t taken control of her own life, she would probably be surrounded by a couple of children by now, instead of enjoying a successful career as a vet. By working hard, she had assured that her destiny was her own—she would never be dictated to, never told what she could and couldn’t do.

“Ah, there it is,” she exclaimed, coming out of her daydream. She turned quickly, making the stones fly up from the road as her tires spun at the abrupt change of direction. Climbing higher, she took a moment to appreciate the position of the ranch house, nestled close to a small wood. In front of the house were meadows filled with cattle and horses. A picture of idyllic bliss.

She pushed those thoughts out of her head. She didn’t want to settle down. She had studied and trained hard to become a veterinarian; she wasn’t going to throw that all in to become a wife and mother. Not yet.

Parking her car in front of the house, she got out, shielding her eyes from the bright sun as she looked for any signs of the owner. No one around. Going to the trunk, she opened it up and took out her boots, swapping them for the comfortable shoes she preferred to drive in. Then she took out her bag and headed towards the house.

“Hello,” she called. No answer. Strange, the call said it was urgent. The office had sent her straight out here, but no one seemed to be home.

Blowing air out through her mouth, she went to the door and knocked. Still no answer. She tried again, knocking so hard her knuckles hurt. She was tempted to try the door handle, but decided against it. She wasn’t here for a house call; she was here to examine a sick horse.

Ciara headed back to her car, not sure what to do. Standing looking around, she spotted the barn, hidden away by the side of the wood. Going over and checking it out was the sensible thing to do, just in case there really was a horse in distress. With bag still in hand, she covered the short distance to the wooden barn, hearing the sound of horses moving around inside. And a voice.

Deep and very masculine, the sound sent shivers down her spine. It invited her in, not with words, but with the tone. It resonated deep in her soul. Ciara swallowed her desire to fling open the barn door and head straight in there. The pull was so strong, and it scared her to death. The very thing she had been running from was inside the barn, his voice calling to her like a siren’s song.

Flattening herself back against the side of the barn, she stood wild eyed and frightened. What was she supposed to do? She had spent the last few years supporting herself through vet school. Now, the very thing she wanted to escape was in the barn behind her.

Ciara fought with herself. She couldn’t leave; the reason she came up here had not changed. She was here to treat the man’s horse. Wasn’t that why she had become a vet in the first place—to help animals? But if she walked through that door, she would become something she had desperately tried to avoid. Damn, she had even left her hometown to dodge this. Her mate should be waiting back there for her, not in a barn on the side of a mountain in Bear Bluff.

“Steady, girl.” The voice spoke again, calm, soothing. Yet distressed.

Ciara closed her eyes, willing herself to have the courage to face the fate that was before her. She was a vet; there was no way she could simply walk away. If saving the horse in the barn meant meeting her destiny, then that was what she would do. Right now.

Rummaging in her bag, she took out a facemask. It would cover the lower part of her face, and maybe she could get away without him seeing what she was, who she was. If there was time, she would have run back to the car to fetch a cap to pull down over her eyes. Yet she knew she was out of time. The message had said it was an emergency, and she had to do her duty.

“Hello,” she called quietly, the sound muffled through the mask.

“Hi. In here.” Footsteps came her way; the barn door swung open, and he stood there in front of her. Six foot four inches of hard-toned muscle, with a handsome face to finish off the gorgeous effect. Much too good for her. She shielded her face.

“I’ve come to look at your horse,” she said, looking at his boots, which shuffled anxiously. Did he know already that she was his mate?

“Are you OK?” he asked. “I asked for a horse vet. Is that you? I’m Ryan, the person who called.”

“Yes, I’m the vet; want to show me where your horse is?” Ciara let her hair fall over her eyes, covering her face as she moved towards the open barn door. She did not want to introduce herself if she could possibly avoid it.

“This way,” he said, leading her back into the dim barn. She could feel his eyes on her, trying to figure out what lunatic was about to look at his horse.

“What seems to be the problem?” she asked, wanting to reassure him that she knew a lot about horses. A whole lot. In fact, there was probably no one in the area more qualified to examine his horse.

“She’s in foal; it’s not due for another couple of days, by my reckoning. But the mare’s not right.”

The mare: another man who just looked at horses as just a beast of burden. Typical that he would be like that, this man who held her future in his big, broad hands.

Don’t look at his hands, she told herself. Don’t imagine them on your body. Too late.

Her breath caught in her throat, and she felt faint. No matter how much she thought she could fight the mating bond between them, it wasn’t going to happen. Not when he was so close.

“Are you OK?” he asked, concerned.

“Perfectly,” she said, although her voice sounded strained.

“Do you want some water? You sound a little … peculiar.”

“No. No, I’m fine. Let me look at your mare.”

He went ahead of her, opening one of the stall doors to reveal a beautiful grey mare. She had dapples all over her, and her belly was swollen by the foal inside her. As he approached, she nickered to him, and he stroked her muzzle, crooning to her, telling her it would all be OK.

Ciara’s stomach fluttered. She would love him to stroke her skin like that, for him to say sweet things to her, make her feel as though she were safe in this world.

“Do you want to hold her while I examine her?” Ciara asked, stroking the mare’s neck.

“Sure, she likes being tickled under her neck too. Don’t you, Sapphire?” He stood talking to her, stroking her neck, while Ciara opened her bag and took out her stethoscope. Putting it to her ears, she listened to the mare’s breathing and heartbeat. Everything seemed perfectly normal, so she turned to examining the sounds in the mare’s belly.

“Everything sounds OK,” Ciara said, going to the back of the mare and taking her temperature. “Normal.”

She only wished her own temperature was normal, and she knew that if a doctor listened to her heart through a stethoscope, he would probably tell her she was having a heart attack. Still trying not to meet his eyes, she put her stethoscope and thermometer down and put her hands on Sapphire’s swollen belly. The foal moved against her hand, but she couldn’t tell if it was OK.

“What makes you think she’s not right?” Ciara asked.

“Just a feeling,” he said. “I know it sounds lame, but I’ve had Sapphire for about seven months. She was in a bad way, the foal came as a surprise, but I fed her up and nurtured her back to health. I’ve spent a lot of time with her. As I said, as a vet, you wouldn’t understand. But it’s a feeling I have.”

“So you have a strong bond with her?” Ciara could feel herself softening to him. That spelled danger.

“Yes. Very.” He rubbed Sapphire’s head and the mare rubbed him right back, as if comforted by his presence.

“Have you changed anything about her routine? Feed, friends, horses get very attached to others. You haven’t brought her in away from the herd she mixes with?”

“No.” He looked over his shoulder. “She’s friends with the old pony over there, Minty. He was here when I took on the farm. I put them together because he would be quiet and not bother her. They have become fine friends.”

Ciara stared at Sapphire for a few minutes. “I can examine her internally, but with nothing concrete to go on, it’s a hard call. I don’t want to hurt or upset her, or the foal.”

“Is there nothing you can give her? A pick-me-up?”

“I don’t want to treat her with the wrong thing.” Ciara moved around to the front of Sapphire, becoming very aware of the man’s presence, so close to her. “I just need to check her gums, see if she’s anaemic. The foal is taking a lot of goodness from her.”

He shifted one step to the side, still too close for her beating heart. And then he did something she hadn’t expected; he breathed in her scent. She closed her eyes, waiting for his reaction.

Chapter Two – Ryan

There was something about her, despite the ridiculous mask she wore over her face to stop him looking at her. It had started as a slight tingle along his spine, something he had never experienced before around a woman. It was deeper, more profound than pure sexual tension. He was sure of that; after all, she had a facemask on, and there was nothing remotely sexy or alluring about that, especially since she kept her face averted from his.

He had longed to take hold of her and make her face him, but he didn’t want to behave inappropriately towards her. She had come out here to treat Sapphire, a mare he had found tied up in a field of mud a few months back, beaten by her owner. He had paid well over her market value, just to be able to get her back to his ranch.

It had taken him some time to nurse her back to health, and then to regain her trust. But they had made tremendous progress together. He was about to start riding her, figuring she would be amazing to take up over the green mountain pastures to round up his cattle, when he discovered she was pregnant.

Now he knew there was something wrong with her; he simply needed this vet to quit messing around and take her job seriously. He knew he sounded crazy saying he just had a sense there was something wrong. But what else could he say? “I know these things because I have animal senses?”

He breathed her in, catching him by surprise. Maybe she would understand. Because her scent told him all he needed to know. It also made it clear why she had behaved so oddly. She was his mate, and she was avoiding letting him know that.

But why?

Chapter Three – Ciara

The pull of him was almost too much. He knew, she had no doubt about that. But what was he going to do about it? If she just carried on and didn’t mention it, maybe he wouldn’t either. She could treat his mare and then leave; no one would know. Would it really be that simple?

“She doesn’t appear to be anaemic,” Ciara said, lowering the mare’s head. She patted the horse on the neck, feeling the strong heartbeat as she ran her hand over her chest. Sapphire turned to her, an acknowledgement in her eyes. Ciara tried to shut her out. She was no use to Sapphire at this moment, except as a vet.

“What’s your name?” he asked, breaking through her trancelike state.

She ignored him. “I’m not sure I can help any more than I have. I’ll take some blood samples and do the work-up on them. I can get the results to you by tomorrow. Unless you want me to do an internal.”

“I asked what your name was.” His voice was forceful, not to be denied.

“Ciara.” What harm would it do? Telling him her name gave him no more of a hold over her than he already had.

“Pretty,” he said smoothly. “Take off the mask, Ciara.”

The sound of her name on his lips made an exquisite heat creep though her body. She had to remain strong. “No, it’s OK. I think I’ll take the blood from Sapphire and then leave.”

“You are not leaving,” he said, and she didn’t think he was joking. A tremor passed through her, but she moved away from him and, thankfully, he didn’t stop her.

Reaching her bag, she was in two minds what to do. Run, or complete her job. She allowed her senses to reach out to Sapphire, letting the horse give her some idea of whether there was something wrong. The feeling she got back was one of sorrow and loss. Mingled with a deep-seated fear. With nothing specific to work on, Ciara knew she had to finish her job and make it back to the lab with Sapphire’s blood.

“I’ll take the samples.” She stood by Sapphire’s neck, finding the vein and allowing the vial to fill. Then she put the stopper on while putting a small amount of pressure on Sapphire’s neck, waiting for the bleeding to stop. Satisfied, she walked back to her bag. “I’ll get the results to you in the morning.”

She moved to the door, expecting him to stop her. He didn’t; he simply took the halter off his horse, patted her, murmuring soothing words which she couldn’t catch, and then followed her out.

Ciara took the opportunity to walk swiftly away. All she had to do was leave the barn and get into her car, and then she would drive away from here and never come back. One of the other vets could call with the results. Maybe she had got away with this after all.

However, just as she was about to leave the barn, his hand reached up and dragged the door to, blocking her exit. “Take off the mask, Ciara.”

“Let me go,” she said, her voice muffled as it caught in the mask.

“Do you know who I am?” he asked.

She tried to pull the door open. When it wouldn’t budge, she said, “Yes. You are the man holding me prisoner.” Why did her body betray her? It thrilled at the thought of being held prisoner by him, of him bending her to his will. Damn! That was the very thing she didn’t want. She was her own woman, and she planned for it to stay that way.

“Before you walk out of this door, I want you to take off your mask and look at me. It’s simple enough.”

She knew it was; they both knew what she was hiding from, who she was hiding from. “Just let me go,” she pleaded.

“Why is it so hard? You understand what we are. I know you do.” He sniffed her again, letting her scent roll over his taste buds. “I can’t tell what you are. But I know you’re special.”

And then she snapped, all her hurt and confusion spilling out. “Special. Is that what you call it?” She pulled her mask down, looking at him straight in the eye. “Happy? Now what, you take me upstairs and tie me to your bed? No life, no career, my only job to breed you a farm full of kids?”

He reeled back from her, as if she had slapped him in the face. “No, I won’t make you do anything. But I also can’t let you deny what’s between us.”

“Nothing. There is nothing between us. We’re strangers.” But her body betrayed her; her body wanted to be touched by him, stroked by him, consumed by him.

“You plan to just walk away from this. As if it never happened?” His voice held his shock, he reached out to touch her, to pull her to him, but he stopped short, lowering his hand to his side.

She nodded. “Pretty much. I leave, we forget this ever happened.”

“OK.” He opened the door, allowing her to walk out. But it was the longest walk she had ever made. One foot after another, dragging herself from him. The other part of her, the part which had been hidden away for so long, reared up, stamping its foot in protest. She tried to walk away from him, but after only four paces, the pull was too great.

Turning back to him, she looked him square in the face, hoping her round curves and voluptuous breasts would put him off. She was not the kind of stick-thin woman men drooled over, and looking at him, he could have his pick of any woman. But she had underestimated the mating bond, and underestimated him.

He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close, she could feel the beat of his heart against her breasts as they pressed against him. Ciara wanted to pull away, to push him back and tell him to let her go. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into him, feeling his warm breath on her cheek. The voice in her head screamed to let him go, to get out of there and never look back, that this was not what she wanted.

But the animal in her, the part she had kept so tightly controlled she could sometimes forget it was there, was finally free and stampeding off with her will power. This man was her man. The bond between them was real, strong, and unbreakable. And it had power over her.

Licking her lips, she moistened them ready for the kiss that was to come. The soft warmth of his breath caressed her neck, he breathed in her scent once more, and then he kissed her. An ache began deep in her body, expanding out, filling her with such an intense need for him she had to hang onto his shirt to stop her knees from giving out.

But she didn’t resist him. Instead, she opened her mouth to allow him to slide his tongue along her lower lip, sending shockwaves through her body. This wasn’t her, she never acted like this, not with any man, and certainly not with a man she had only met half an hour ago.

But he’s your mate, her head kept screaming. She knew. With every fibre of her being, she knew, just as she knew this was not what she wanted, but the bond won.

Placing his hand on her bottom, he drew her to him until she felt the hard bulge of his cock against her thigh. A gasp tried to escape her lips, but he took it from her, as he took every ounce of her resistance. She was his, and he intended to leave her in no doubt about that.

Pushing his hand into her hair, he tilted her head back, kissing her with firm lips, which ignited sensations in her that had never seen life before. Her sex ached for him, a hollow ache, begging to be eased by this man. Her breasts swelled, her nipples pressing against his hard-toned chest. They melded together, the soft and the hard, warm bodies feeding off each other’s desire.

They were one, the bond pulling them together with such strength it would take a force of nature to pull them apart. He moved, propelling her backwards until her back rested against the wall. With his hands moving to her thighs, he lifted her, his body nestling between her legs.

Damn, he felt so good. Slowly he moved against her, his cock rubbing against her clit, making her arousal intensify. Ciara threaded her hands into his hair, her mouth open as she gasped in need. Slowly, with his eyes fixed on her face, he brought her to a shuddering climax. She buried her head in his chest as she cried out. He ground against her, his movements more frantic, more intense, and then he came too, the strain on his face as he let himself go, slumping forward against her.

She slipped to the ground, legs barely supporting her as her feet touched the stone floor of the barn. Embarrassed at allowing him in, allowing him to take her defences down and invade her intimate space, she turned away from him. Watching as he placed his hand on the wall and tried to regain his composure. Had it come as such a shock to him too? She could not believe that.

He had known exactly what he was doing. Trying to tempt her with his body, to cage her with his desire. She picked up her bag and left.

Chapter Four – Ryan

Dazed, he stood resting against the wall of the barn. She had taken so much out of him in this one encounter. But she had also given him a brief glimpse of how they should be together. Yet he knew he couldn’t force her to stay, no matter how much he wanted to.

Standing up, his eye caught on the lasso. It hung there, usually unused: he didn’t agree with roping and tying his cattle, he liked to be more subtle than that. The brief thought of catching her with it, stopping her escape, drifted out of his mind. He was too easygoing; he didn’t like any of his animals to be scared of him. He certainly didn’t want his mate to be scared of him.

He had been to places where animals were chained and beaten. Bears kept for their bile, caged all of their lives, no life, no hope. It was on his return from abroad that he had come across Sapphire and decided that he might not be able to save every bear, but he could save this mare.

“Damn,” he said, his fist impacting with the wall as he fought to keep control of his bear. It scraped at the corners of his mind, testing the edges for weakness. He couldn’t let it free, that was not how he wanted to claim his mate.

But his bear roared, tearing at his resolve, teeth and claws.

He pushed away from the wall, and headed outside. Too late, she was in her car, reversing, stones flicking up as she accelerated out of the farm and out of his life. Ryan stood breathless, for many minutes he watched her go. She only slowed when she was out onto the road; he could imagine her checking her rearview mirror, seeing if he was following, and easing off the gas in relief at the empty road behind her.

She would be back. He licked his lips, tasting her on his tongue. She wasn’t that strong. Was she? No, that kiss, the way she climaxed at his touch, it meant something to her. If it hadn’t, she wouldn’t have run so fast.

Going back into the barn he went to check Sapphire, still standing looking depressed.

“What is she, girl?” he asked. Ciara wasn’t like him, wasn’t a bear, he could tell. A deep feeling in his soul, she was different to him. And as he pictured her running from him, he had his first suspicions.

If she were a predator, she would have stood and faced him, but she had run. That narrowed it down. As he gave Sapphire some more hay, he pondered what his mate was, and what she would be like when he finally seduced her. He could picture her now, long black hair across his pillow as he took his time to make her cry out his name and beg him to never stop.

If there was one thing he was certain of, she would be his. Yes, he agreed with his bear. Whatever it took. She would be his.

Chapter Five – Ciara

Slowing her car, she tried to take in what had just happened, her body still buzzed from the climax he had dragged from her body. You didn’t exactly put up a fight, did you? She pushed that thought way to the back of her mind. He had used the mating bond to influence her, taken her at a time of weakness. Well, never again, she wouldn’t give him the chance.

Easing the car along the winding road, she took deep breaths, allowing normality to enter her life once more. That was it; she could just drive back to the veterinary practice and forget this had ever happened.

Yet the thought of Sapphire, so sad and depressed, made her realise that this was far from over. Yes, she could hand the case over to one of the other vets, but they weren’t like her, they were not so uniquely positioned to be able to work out what was wrong with the pregnant mare. Only Ciara had the special gift that might be needed to find the underlying cause of this.

The town of Bear Bluff came into view and she felt much better at reaching relative civilisation. So much that she pulled over and got out of the car, heading for the coffee shop. A shot of caffeine would do the trick. It would make her forget what had happened, wake her up from this stupid fairy-tale dream she had that he would sweep her off her feet and they would live happily ever after.

Ciara wanted her feet to stay completely and utterly unswept. They belonged on the ground underneath her. It was only the mating bond making her think she wanted a man. She was a career woman and, as far as she could tell from watching her mom as she grew up, the two didn’t mix.

Pushing the door open, she walked into the coffee shop, deciding that the cake looked delicious too. Why not treat herself? Caffeine and sugar, now that should perk her up nicely.

“Thank you,” she said, accepting the chocolate cake and espresso. Looking around, she went to a table next to the window and sat down.

The cake tasted as mouth-wateringly delicious as it looked: homemade, with thick gooey icing. While she ate, she looked at the view of the mountain rising over the town, not looming, more protective. Ciara wondered what it was like to live somewhere like this. And what type of shifters were sitting around her in the coffee shop.

She guessed bears, that the town had got its name from its shifter inhabitants, because otherwise—well, that would be weird. A session of people-watching ensued. She tried to guess those who were able to change into another animal, and those that couldn’t. She was out of practice with this, not having interacted with others like her for such a long time.

Slowly, she began to tune into the town’s inhabitants. Those who could change had different mannerisms. Not something you could point to and name, but it was there all the same. Could they see it in her? Ciara had never questioned herself before, never sought out what made her different from others. But it was there; she knew it.

Then something else struck her. There were five separate couples in the coffee shop. It became very obvious which were bonded. The way they moved around each other, like two dancers, touching, caressing with a rhythm of their own. As if music played for them, music no one else could hear.

Choking down her need to experience that with the rancher, Ryan, she swallowed her hot coffee and left the shop, heading back to her normal world and her real life. Yet she knew she had left part of herself behind at the ranch, and that she would never reclaim that part unless she went to him and stayed with him forever.

“Not happening,” she said as she got back into her car and headed out of Bear Bluff.

Each mile that went by was hard, the connection between them so stretched she thought that if she let go she would ping back towards him like a stretched elastic band. Maybe like that elastic band, there was a breaking point. A point where the bond was no more.

Could she find the strength to find that point? Pulling into the parking lot at the practice, she felt a little better, but maybe that was the coffee and cake talking.

“Ciara,” Anthony, another vet at the practice, said. “How did it go? I haven’t been to Bear Bluff for years. You didn’t get eaten alive by the bears, did you?”

“Obviously,” Ciara answered evenly. Anthony had this way of flirting with her. She found it flattering, although she had no intension of encouraging him. But it was nice, who wouldn’t like a man paying you attention, especially when it didn’t happen too often because you were too curvy? But he’s not your mate.

That reminder made her think. Maybe that was the answer; find another man to take her mind off Ryan. But when she looked at Anthony’s face, she had to acknowledge it wouldn’t be fair. There was no spark between them, no attraction.

“Did you solve the puzzle? He was a bit vague on the phone.”

“No,” she answered. “I have taken some blood though, so I am going to run some tests and see what it shows up.”

“Want coffee before you start work?” Anthony asked.

“No thanks, Anthony. I’m going to get this done now.” She noted his slight disappointment and nearly promised him a rain check, but she stopped herself and said, “I just had coffee on the way back. Thanks anyway.”

“No problem. Maybe another time?”

She just smiled and walked away, seeing the puzzled expression on his face. As she went to the small lab, she thought about Anthony and then realised that he might be different too. He had never said, but then why would he? But maybe he had an animal side, and if he did, maybe he knew her secret too.

But you have a mate, the same voice reminded her.

I know, but I don’t want one, she answered.

However, the voice didn’t want to go away, and all the time she worked, she kept imagining Ryan. The smell of him, the feel of him against her body. The way he had so easily brought her to climax. What would it be like to lie with him? To mate with him and to know he was hers?

A knock at the door made her jump. The machine had finished, and she looked at the results as she opened the door.

“Yes?” she asked Anthony.

“Phone call for you.” He winked as he handed her the phone. Then closed the door behind him.

“Hello,” she said, but she already knew who it was going to be. The threads that connected them reached down the phone and held her in his power.

“Ciara,” his voice said, dark and sexy. “I wanted to apologise for my actions.”

“There’s no need,” she said, trying to keep her voice even. So, that was his game, find an excuse to ring, and then what? She listened to his next words, wanting to know despite herself.

“No, really. I just wanted to ask you to do the tests, please. If you prefer to have someone else, call me with the results, or have a different vet come and look at her again. I’m happy with that.”

Are you?

“Look, Ryan, I’ve just finished the tests. If you stay on the phone, I’ll take a look.” She should have hung up, got someone else to talk to him. But she didn’t. What was wrong with her? Nothing, her other side replied. She quickly shut that voice up; this was going to be tougher than she imagined, because she was fighting with herself. Her animal side wanted this, wanted him.

She scanned the results. Nothing jumped out at her. Double-checking, she picked up the phone once more to speak to him.

“I can’t see anything out of the ordinary. The only couple of raised levels are still within normal parameters for a mare who is so heavily pregnant.”

“I see.” He sounded genuinely worried.

“Listen, let me think about it tonight and I’ll get back to you tomorrow.”

“Thank you,” he said simply and then added, “Once more, I apologise for earlier.”

“Already forgotten,” she said.

Liar, the voice in her head screamed, but if Ryan thought the same, he kept it firmly to himself.

Ciara placed the piece of paper with the results on down on the table. They showed nothing. Yet Ryan was genuinely concerned, and with his dual nature, he might be more attuned to the mare than a normal person would be.

Damn, he was certainly more in tune with this mare, too. Now her other side had been awoken, it just wouldn’t shut up. She took the results, put them in her pocket, and then headed out for her next call, hoping to give herself some distraction from the sensations flooding her body every time she thought of him.

Chapter Six – Ryan

“Ryan,” Taylor said, coming into the kitchen. Ryan was making coffee, having heard his brother’s car driving up the track.

“Yes,” Ryan said, handing a cup to his brother. It was nice to have company. His earlier encounter with Ciara was still ricocheting around his brain.

“Thanks,” Taylor said, taking the coffee and wrapping his hands around it. ”I have a favour to ask.”

“Yeah, Taylor.” Ryan sipped his coffee, watching his younger brother. Happier than he had ever been, Taylor glowed with contentment. He had found and married his mate. Now they were living in a converted barn next door to his mate, Melanie’s brother.

“It’s Melanie’s birthday next week and I wanted two cows.”

Ryan nearly sprayed his coffee all over the floor. Wiping his hand across his mouth, he said, “You want to give your new wife two cows for her birthday?”

“Yes. You know that farm of theirs has no animals. So I thought I would give two cows to Melanie.” Taylor didn’t see the funny side at all; in fact, he looked quite serious about the whole thing.

“OK. I’ll see what I can do. I have two that are pregnant. That would be a good start to a herd.”

“Thanks, Ryan. Knew I could count on you. I just want to make her happy. You wait until it’s your turn, then you’ll understand.” Taylor drank his coffee, looking relieved that Melanie’s slightly strange birthday present was taken care of. However, when he looked at Ryan, he saw something different in his brother’s face and his mug left his mouth. “Oh.”

“Oh, what?” Ryan asked, trying to cover up whatever feelings he had been displaying so openly.

“You found her?”

“What? Why would you think that?”

“Because you have that look on your face. The one that says you have trouble. And unless it’s cattle rustlers, you never have trouble. So, spill.”

Ryan finished his coffee and went to the sink to wash the cup. “It’s complicated.”

“It always is. Come on, Ryan. I swear this will go no further. I won’t even tell Melanie. Although she’ll be so pleased that the number of females in the family is going up. She’s desperately hoping we are going to have a girl to break the family curse.”

There were six brothers in the Munroe family. And Rob, the only other brother who had found his mate and settled down with a family, already had two sons. No daughters had been born for generations.

Compelled to share his news, Ryan said, “She was here earlier. But she ran off.”

Taylor opened his mouth to make a comment and then closed it again. This was too important to joke over. “I’m sorry. Did you speak to her? Does she know?”

“Oh, yes, she knows. Yes, we spoke. But for some reason she doesn’t want to have anything to do with me.”

“Then go after her.”

“Like I said, it’s complicated.”

“Nothing is too complicated that it can’t be resolved.” Taylor thought for a moment. “So if she knows, does that mean she is one of us?”

“Yes and no.” Ryan turned to look at Taylor, wishing that he could look as happy as his brother did. “She isn’t a bear. But she’s something; she felt the connection. She knows about the bond, but she ran away scared. And I don’t know why. All I know is, if I push her too hard too fast, I might just lose her forever.”

“And that would be a disaster,” said Taylor.

“Exactly,” said Ryan.

Chapter Seven – Ciara

Ciara finished her calls, went back to the practice to finish her paperwork, and then headed home. A hot bath would be the answer, then a movie, sitting on the sofa with some junk food. She’d earned it. Although she conveniently forgot about the large piece of chocolate cake, she had earned earlier.

Undressing, she grabbed her robe and headed to the shower, her mind filled with thoughts of how Ryan’s hands had felt on her body, and how much better they would feel on her naked body. The hot water had to wash those thoughts away, or else she would go insane. All day she had been unable to get him out of her head. And she needed to be able to concentrate on her work, or an animal’s life might be at risk.

Washing her hair, she let the tangy lemon scent awake her senses and she tried to steer her thoughts towards Sapphire. If she had to keep reliving this morning, then at least she could make use of it by trying to figure out what was wrong with the pregnant mare.

As far as she could tell, the foal was in no danger. Its heartbeat had been strong and healthy, so what was wrong with Sapphire? It was like a puzzle she couldn’t put together. Over and over, she went through the results and the physical examination, but still came up with nothing.

After she had washed and dried her hair, she put the movie on. However, as she sat and watched it, her mind zoned out. Had she missed something? Had the presence of Ryan made her miss something obvious? Something that might cost Sapphire or her foal its life? But she couldn’t go back and face Ryan tomorrow for a re-examination.

Because if she did, she knew that Sapphire wouldn’t be the only thing having a re-examination. Her feelings towards Ryan would be amplified and she would be even more likely to give in to the feelings he evoked in her.

What was she supposed to do? She would never forgive herself if she let the mare or foal die. That left one choice.

Going to her bedroom, she pulled on some warm clothes. The only way she could deal with this was to go back, but not in the day. No, she would go tonight. Sneak into the barn and speak to Sapphire. Ask her what was wrong. It was the only way to know for sure.

She ran down to her car. Sliding in, she started the engine and drove over to Bear Bluff. Instead of going to the farm, she parked her car at the bottom of the mountain, and began to climb the path, which was worn into the dirt. It was used a lot, and she didn’t think by hikers. No, she was sure that the inhabitants of Bear Bluff used this path to walk out of sight of the town before they changed.

Which was exactly what Ciara intended to do.

Wishing she had brought a flashlight with her, she slowly climbed up the steep path to the small copse of trees. There she ducked under a branch and found herself in a clearing. Trying to calm herself down, she tried not to panic about changing. It had been so many years since she had let her other side run free. The excitement she could feel at the prospect was threatening to make her concentration slip.

Ciara placed her hand on the cool tree trunk. Letting her mind concentrate on the bark under her hands, the rough ridges hard and unmoving against her fingers. Trees, old and wise, how many times had they watched someone like her come to this spot and change into something else, something completely different? How many horses had they seen? She might very well be the first. The rest of her kind herded together, mixing and mating in a large expanse of meadows and forests. Beautiful and quiet, with no prying eyes. A place she had left. A life she had shunned.

Feeling confident, she allowed herself to move away from the tree. Ciara pictured her horse in her mind. Pictured the long limbs and flowing mane of her other self. She imagined her horse, with its jet-black coat, which would keep her hidden, as she galloped over the mountain meadows. A thrill of excitement coursed through her, but she pushed it aside, needing to keep calm and concentrate.

There! She fixed the image in her head and then let her body flow into it. A tremor of sheer power passed through her as she shimmered out of this world for an instant, only to come back to herself with hooves, a mane, and a tail. Tossing her head, she pawed the ground, feeling the need for speed.

Exiting the trees carefully, nearly forgetting she was much wider and taller now, she took off up the steep path, strong muscles working to propel her higher. The rocks bruised her feet, but she didn’t worry; she was heading for the soft green meadows of the mountain where she could gallop, her mane flying in the breeze.

Her heartbeat quickened as she reached the meadow and galloped across the wide expanse of springy grass. The darkness should have scared her, but she was lost to the exhilaration of being a horse once more. The joy of powering over the ground at breakneck speed, with night all around her, cloaking her. Above her head, the stars twinkled, glittering in the sky as they watched the creature who had been shut away for so long take its long, deep breath of freedom.

Ciara was filled with wonder, having forgotten how good it felt to be like this. It was an immense feeling of liberty she had never encountered anywhere else in her life. She had forgotten this and shut it away, hoping to be able to control the other facets of this gift by ignoring the one she loved the most. Being a horse, with four feet that propelled her along so fast, the air made her eyes stream.

A sadness crept in; she had shunned her horse for nothing. Because she had still found her mate. The thing she had hoped to avoid by moving away from her family and her herd.

With laboured breathing, she dropped back to a canter and then slowed to a trot. It was time to go down the mountain towards the ranch. She had it all planned in her head. She would follow the track down to the ranch, stopping before she came into earshot. Her hooves would make a louder noise than her human feet, and she needed to factor this in. Changing would be quick and then she could sneak down to the barn, go inside, and then change once more into her horse and talk to Sapphire.

When she reached the spot where she knew she had to change, she encountered a problem. Her horse didn’t want to let go. She had to assure it she would never shut it away again, never deprive either of them of the freedom they had just experienced. Only then, was she able to change back into her human form. A scary moment, for sure. What if she had been unable to change back? She needed to get in as much practice as possible, until she could change in a split second, as she used to be able to when she was younger.

With no time to lose, she jogged down the track. The night was at its darkest, she imagined it must be around midnight and only hoped Ryan would be asleep by now. He was a rancher; he must get up early, so he must go to bed early. Mustn’t he?

Too late now, she was committed to her plan. The only worry she had was the light tingling sensation down her neck. As if she were being watched. Stopping, she listened to the darkness; it was silent, and nothing stirred except the leaves in the wood behind the barn. It must be her imagination, or perhaps it was just the closeness of Ryan, all snuggled up unsuspecting in his bed.

She sighed inwardly at that thought. She longed to knock on the door of the ranch and be invited in. Taken by the hand and led to his bedroom, where she would lie on the bed while he undressed her.

“Sapphire,” she reminded herself and headed out across the open area that stood between her and the barn. She would be safe. No one would see her. Unless they happened to be looking out of the window at that exact same time.

Which, of course, Ryan was...

Chapter Eight – Ryan

Usually he slept soundly through the night, but not tonight. He had tossed and turned for more than an hour. First hot and then cold. The only thing he could blame it on was his encounter with Ciara earlier in the day. If he was honest, it had upset him more than he thought. All day he had been consumed with a need to track her down. Tonight he had been forced to mentally chain his bear up, because it wanted to go out there and find her.

He knew he couldn’t force her to do anything. No matter how much the bear wanted to bend her to his will, that would never work with a woman like Ciara. But he did want to get to know her, find out why she ran from him. Most females embraced the mating bond. Usually they had been searching for it their whole lives, in the same way he had. But for some reason, not Ciara.

With his temper rising, his anger directed at himself, not Ciara, he got up out of bed. If it was anyone’s fault, it must be his. Maybe she didn’t like the thought of living on a ranch like this. It was a hard life, especially in the winter. As he splashed water on his face, he wondered if he would give it up for her. Could he live any other kind of life?

The more he thought about it, the more he perhaps understood why she might have run. If his way of life didn’t appeal top her, she would no doubt be angry about having to move here with him. So the question again had to be, would he give up the farm and all of his animals for her?

The more he thought of her, the stronger the sense of her invaded his mind. He could feel her, as if she was close by. His thoughts turned to the moment this afternoon when he had watched her come, climaxing with pleasure as he rubbed her clit. Damn, he wanted to fill her sex with his cock and make her come around him.

There was nothing better in this world. The bear agreed, roaring and pawing the ground. Testing its boundaries once more. Maybe that was the thing to do. If he couldn’t sleep, he could go out onto the mountain and release some of the pent-up tension in his body.

Not quite in the way he would have liked. But exercise had a way of clearing his head. Going to the window, he looked out to see what the night was like and once more was struck by the thought of her.

Rubbing his neck, he was just about to let the drape fall back across the window when a movement caught his eye. There was someone out there. His first instinct was to go outside and chase them off; maybe his bear would get some exercise. It must be rustlers, and he would be damned if they were going to get away with his cattle.

Yet then he let his eyes adjust and his other sense kick in. No, not rustlers, this was something else. Someone else. She was here. His mate had come back. But what the hell was she doing, sneaking over to his barn?

Sapphire. He grabbed his clothes, dressing on the way down the stairs. Pulling on his boots, he was outside and across the short distance to the barn before he had given any thought as to what he was going to say to her.

But when he pulled open the barn door, he was surprised to see a horse, black as night, in the barn, its head over the stall wall, talking to Sapphire.

Chapter Nine – Ciara

It had all gone so easily. The barn door had swung open quietly and she had slipped in, closing it behind her. Standing with her back to the wooden door, looking into the murky, dim light of the barn, she had given herself a moment to adjust to her new surroundings, trying to picture where everything was from when she was here earlier.

Slowly, the shapes emerged from the gloom, and she felt more confident in being able to walk to Sapphire’s stall without bumping into anything. With hands outstretched, she made her way forward, edging very slowly towards the sound of horses munching hay. It was such a quiet soothing sound, so rhythmical and calming.

When she reached Sapphire’s stall, she talked quietly, soothing her. The mare turned and whickered in answer, and turned her head to smell Ciara’s hand.

“That’s right, girl. I’m here to help you. Shh, good girl. Now this might freak you out a little, but I am a friend.”

Ciara stood back, hoping she had given herself enough room. Then she pictured her horse and calmly walked into it. The air shimmered, and everything blinked out of existence for a moment before she came back to the world. Everything looked so different from her horse’s perspective, but she was glad to know she was safely in one piece. Sapphire was just gazing at her in something akin to shock.

Ciara put her head over the stall door and blew down her nose to Sapphire. The mare leaned forward, sticking her head out but not moving. Ciara inched further forward, reaching out as far as she could, her chest pressed against the door.

Carefully, she tried to read what was going on in Sapphire’s head. Not easy when they could only talk by body language and soft snorts and neighs. But from this, she got everything she needed to gain an accurate assessment of what was wrong with Sapphire.

The black horse turned to look at Sapphire’s old field companion and felt a surge of sadness. Now it was easy to empathise with Sapphire, she was only glad there was nothing wrong with the mare herself, or the foal.

A noise made her start. The barn door opened and a man, Ryan, stood in the doorway. She had been found. There was no way to run past him, not without knocking him over. And she didn’t want to hurt him. All she could do was stand her ground and see if she could make a getaway when he moved away from the door.

Ryan stretched out his hand; he started to walk towards her, crooning as he had earlier when he had tried to comfort Sapphire.

“Shh, girl, easy, Ciara, I won’t hurt you.” He came closer, his eyes looking away from her face so as not to spook her.

All she could think was that there was no escape; he knew it was her, he knew what she was. The simplest thing would be to change back into her human form and talk to him. But she didn’t always do simple, and her horse wanted to feel the touch of his hand on her hide. Wanted him to stroke her soft horsehair and run his hand along her flank.

With an outstretched hand, he was nearly alongside her. If she wanted to, she could barge him out of the way and be out of the barn before he knew what hit him. Her horse planted four hooves firmly on the ground. That was not going to happen.

Ciara smelled his hand, blowing air over it to caress his palm. She saw him shiver, and saw something else flicker across his eyes. Whatever animal he was, it was fighting for release. But Ryan kept firm control of it.

The first touch of his hand made her shudder, her skin moving under his fingertips. He ran them firmly over her shoulder, and along her back. “My, aren’t you a beauty,” he said, in that same sing-song reassuring voice. “I have never seen anything quite so majestical.”

She could listen to him all day, and then she realised that was what he was doing, persuading her to stay. What would he do next, stick a saddle on her and attempt to ride her? The human Ciara snapped back into control and, in an instant, had transformed.

“Good evening, Ciara,” he said, smiling at her.

“I think it’s probably good morning, to be precise.”

“You might be right. And so I have to ask you, what you are doing here in my barn at this time in the morning?”

“I came to see Sapphire.”

“And?”

“I wanted to find out what was wrong with her. The bloodwork told me nothing. And you were so concerned, I wanted to check she was OK.”

“You can talk to other horses?” he asked.

“Yes, sort of. It’s all body language. I’m not telepathic or anything.”

“What a pity.” His eyes flashed in the dark and there was that animal again, lurking just under the surface. She longed to touch him, to make him bring his own beast out of hiding, but he scared her. This man was not a horse; he was a predator, through and through. And oh, how she wanted him to devour her.

“I should be going,” she said, feeling hot, so very hot for him.

He moved to stand in front of her, blocking her way. “You came all of this way to see Sapphire. Over the mountain.” He leaned forward and sniffed the air around her, sending thrills though her body. “I can smell the earth and trees on you.”

“I thought it was the safest way.”

“You could have just knocked on my door; I would have been very welcoming.”

“It was late.”

“For you, it’s never too late.” He breathed in her scent again and there was a slight groan under his breath. She wondered how much self-control he was using not to take her in his arms and make love to her right now.

“I’ll call you in the morning, we’ll talk then.” She made to walk past him, but he didn’t move. This was the thing she had feared. That he would trap her here, and make her do his bidding. The predator and his prey. She had been stupid to come tonight, she knew that now.

And then he moved, standing to the side to allow her to pass. She took a step forward, and he whispered, “Don’t go, Ciara. Stay. One night. Just one night in my bed and then if you want to leave, I won’t stop you.”

“I can’t.”

“Why? Do I scare you?”

She looked at him, just making out his features in the dim light. She was so close to him, she could feel the heat from his body, and she wondered if she touched him, whether she would be able to read his body language and interpret his desires. Then she let her imagination wander and realised she didn’t need to touch him, she could read his thoughts from here.

Sex, marriage, and children. It’s what all men wanted once they found their mate. No thought to what their female wanted. Her career would be over and she didn’t want that. She had worked too hard for it. Made a success for herself in her own right.

“No, you don’t scare me. I just don’t want this … this whole mating thing. It’s not what I’m cut out for. I have a career, I don’t want to just fall at your feet and then be ‘wham bam, you’re pregnant, ma’am.’”

He laughed. Really laughed, aloud, which made her mad.

“See, you do not take me seriously. It’s why I left my hometown. I didn’t want to be just another brood mare. I didn’t want to end up like my mother.” She shut her mouth tight, knowing she had said too much, revealed too much of herself. But it was the truth. Watching her mom bring up four children, whilst all the time pining for the job as a research scientist she had given up. The role of mom had kept her busy enough and perhaps fulfilled, but when they had bolted from the stable, she had been left with nothing.

Ciara had watched her, and seen her mourn for the lost years. Years where she could have been out in the world making a difference. She did not want that life for herself. However, the pull of the bond was too intense now he was so close to her. One moment of weakness and she would be lost.

“Ciara, that’s not what I expect you to do. I would never make you give up your career.”

“What about children?”

“Of course I want children. But I would look after them; the farm is a great place for kids.”

She felt herself swaying towards him, as if the thread linking them was drawing them closer together. Reeling her in, the hook so firmly attached there was no way to get off the line. “You say that now. But once I’m pregnant and the child comes, then it will change.”

“I give you my word, Ciara.” He reached out, pushing her hair back from her face. Then he leaned in and touched his lips to hers. Lightly at first, not touching any other part of her, leaving her free to bolt for the door if that was what she really wanted.

Yet in that one touch, he had won; there was no way she could run from him. Not now, and probably not ever.

Chapter Ten – Ryan

She trembled at his touch, whether from excitement or fear he didn’t know. He could sense the thrill of her body, but it was laced with a resignation. That if he took her to bed her life, as she knew it, would end. He didn’t want that. She was wild and free, and he wanted her to stay that way. He would never pen her in. And he certainly didn’t want to break her.

As she opened her mouth to allow his tongue to slide along her lower lip, he stroked her cheek with his fingertips and then fisted her hair. His lips grew firmer, his arousal stronger. If she said no now, he might have a fight on his hands. A certain bear knew he had won. Or, at least, hoped.

However, when she wrapped her arms around his neck, he began to relax. Maybe she wanted this too, or at least didn’t want to fight it anymore. It must be as hard for her as it was for him. The feeling of being split in two when she had walked away earlier had left him incomplete. He had spent the rest of the day, after she left, feeling that some part of him was missing. Only now, with her in his arms, did he feel complete again.

Desperately, he wanted to take her over to his house, but he was afraid if they left the barn she would just run. No doubt her horse ran faster than a big old bear, so he didn’t want to take the risk. He had let her go once; he was damn sure he wasn’t going to do that again. But he didn’t want a fight.

Picturing the inside of the barn in his head, he remembered the clean stall towards the end of the barn. It was filled with hay; he would take her there. Gently guiding her backwards, hoping she wouldn’t resist, he moved towards the stall. When they reached the door, he groped for the latch, not wanting to let go of his hold on her. His lips still pressed against hers, stirring up all kinds of wonderful sensations in his pants, which now felt far too tight across his cock.

Thankfully, the latch opened with ease and they were inside, heading for the hay before she had pause to think. In a bid to keep things that way, he slipped his hand up and cupped her breast, rubbing his thumb over her nipple. The little bud hardened under her clothes, and he longed to strip her, to taste her skin. But one slow step at a time.

Lowering her down, he couldn’t make out her features in the dark, but he let his instincts take over. His mouth nipped at her neck, while his hand now slid down to the ache she must be feeling between her thighs. He could smell her arousal, now he wanted to feel the heat contained there.

With his thumb pressed against her clit, he moved his hand along the length of her slit, pleased when she eased her thighs wider open for him. If anything told him she wanted more, that did. A sigh escaped her lips and he turned to kiss her, while his finger pressed against her opening.

She was so wet he was sure it was seeping through her jeans, and he longed to remove every stitch of her clothing and make her come once more. Deciding to act, his fingers closed around her zipper and eased it down. For a moment, she tensed, but then she helped him, pushing her jeans down over her thighs.

Deep inside his head, a certain bear thought all of his Christmases and birthdays had come at once. He was leaping for joy, and Ryan’s heart jumped with him.

Chapter Eleven – Ciara

A voice in Ciara’s head screamed at her. What was she doing? Throwing away everything she had worked for. But it didn’t matter, nothing else mattered other than Ryan and his hands on her body. Oh, he was working to undo her zip. This was it. She either gave herself to him now, or pushed him off and ran away forever.

Her hand closed over his, indecision still paramount, but his lips moved to hers and she was lost. As his tongue flicked in and out of her mouth, she helped him remove her jeans, lifting her hips to allow him to ease them down over her thighs.

For a moment, he broke away from her, pushing her jeans off her feet, and then he slid his hand up the inside of her thigh and pressed them wider apart. She complied. His fingers slid her panties to one side and pushed inside her sex, working in and out, the evidence of her arousal blatantly obvious in the wet, slick noises that met her ears.

She wanted to curl up in embarrassment, but she couldn’t . This was what she wanted. Really wanted. His fingers, pushing inside her and then drawing up to stimulate her clit. Ciara curled her fingers around his hand, feeling him push in and out of her, until she knew she was going to explode.

Her breathing became laboured. While her brain seemed to switch off, the only part that worked was the pleasure receptors and they seemed to be set to overload. She turned her face into his chest, trying to handle what he was doing to her. The intensity almost blew her mind. And then her body tensed one final time before she came, a release that took her beyond anything she could imagine.

Crying out, she buried her face deeper into his chest. As wave after wave of pleasure swept over her, she found herself sobbing, the sensations too much. When she eventually calmed down, instead of trying to penetrate her while she was lost to any reason, he held her close. She breathed in the comforting scent of him, sweet hay and horse, and rested her head on his chest while he told her everything was OK.

But he didn’t know her world had shifted on its axis. The next step was pivotal in the way her life would be from this moment on.

In the dark, he reached up and smoothed the hair back from her face, somehow finding her lips and kissing her gently. For an instant she froze, and then she kissed him back, with all the passion she could summon. This was something she didn’t want to run from. Which was what she had been doing for the last few years of her life. He had to be right. They could make this work. She shouldn’t have to choose between a career and her mate.

“Promise me we’ll work this out. That you won’t make me do anything I don’t want to, just because we’re mates.”

“I promise. I’d promise you the moon if I could reach it and pluck it from the sky. But I can’t so let’s just stick to what I can promise you. Is that OK?” His voice was quiet, filled with emotion and hope.

She lifted her face to his and kissed him again, her hand slipping down between their bodies to stroke his cock. Already hard, he stiffened further as she stroked him, feeling brave as her hand slid up and down his hard length. He groaned and pressed forward into her hand, encouraging her.

Then he placed his hand on hers and stopped her. “I want to be inside you, Ciara. I want to feel you warm and tight around me.”

She swallowed her panic. This was the right thing to do, she kept telling herself; she wanted this. But the more she told herself this, the more she wondered if it was just her horse trying to persuade her to be with her mate, for purely carnal reasons, than because it was the right thing for her. But he had promised.

Taking control, she undid his zipper and then his button to push his jeans off his thighs. Her hand brushed his hardness and panic threatened her. But she swallowed it down, this was right; she knew if she ran away now she would always be wondering what if.

Once he was naked from the waist down, he sat up and pulled his shirt off, discarding it to one side. With fingers that she was sure trembled as they worked, he undid the buttons of her shirt. Pushing it back from her shoulders to reveal her breasts, swollen with arousal, threatening to spill out of her bra. But of course, he couldn’t see, so instead he used another sense.

Touch. His fingers traced along the edge of her bra, sending tendrils of desire flaring out across her skin. Then he leaned forward and pressed his lips to the soft flesh that swelled over the top of the cups, and her skin felt as though it rose to meet him, wanting to be in contact with his mouth as he left butterfly kisses along her breasts. All the time his finger inched towards the clasp that contained her soft curves. Then he undid it, and she spilled forward, her nipple caught immediately in his hungry mouth.

Jolts of pleasure coursed through her. All signals shooting down to the place where her thighs joined, the place where her clit throbbed. Ryan rolled his tongue over the taut bud, and then sucked it in sharply. Ciara drew her knees up in response, wanting to find comfort from the onslaught of pleasure he was unleashing on her.

But he placed his thigh over hers and instead pushed his fingers back inside her sex, massaging her inner walls, bringing her arousal back to fever pitch. Then he made his move, slipping between her thighs, his cock pressing against her thigh, and then he guided himself towards her sex, the head pressing against her outer lips.

She opened for him, although she wanted to close up, to stop him from taking her. Would it hurt, would he be rough with her, controlling? With her fingertips, she reached out and touched his face, feeling the roughness of the evening stubble on his chin. She caressed his lips, her thumbs brushing them, following their contour and wondering at the fullness of them.

He leaned forward and kissed her lips, while he pushed inside her. She gasped against him, but he pushed deeper, filling her for the first time. Slowly she yielded for him, her sex feeling stretched, as if he was too big. Pulling back, he thrust forward again. This time she felt pain, a stinging sensation that made her cry out. Ryan stopped moving for a moment, and then he turned his head and took her nipple in his mouth, sucking it hard, grazing his teeth over the hard little bud, while he began to move inside her again.

The two sensations mingled together, and the pain and discomfort in her sex melted away as the erotic pain of his mouth on her breasts took over. He pushed deeper, almost filling her before pulling back to thrust hard one last time. Too much: she tensed but tried to breathe through it, her senses overloaded. However, when he slid back out of her again, his solid cock stroking her inner walls, it felt so much better.

Gradually she relaxed, and his movements took her higher. In and out, he moved, her arousal rising a notch with each stroke of his cock inside her. If she stared at the roof of the barn she was sure she could see the stars that glistened outside, it was as though they were watching over her, shining down on her, and she rose to fly with them through the night sky.

Her orgasm hit her hard. A cry escaped Ciara, the intensity surprising, making her call out his name as wave after wave of pleasure washed over her. Then he came, his voice mingling with hers as he ground out his orgasm. A roar, loud in her ear, telling the world he had claimed his mate. If anything, his voice made her orgasm peak higher; the sense of being owned by him was both delicious and very unnerving. As he jerked deep inside her, perhaps already making a child, the fears she had returned.

Would he stick to his word? This man who made her feel complete, made her feel alive on a level she had never experienced, could he keep his promise? Would they work things out so they could both be happy?

As he slumped forward, down onto her, his breathing laboured, she hoped so. Kissing his neck, she once more breathed in his manly scent and let it tingle her nose. There was no doubt of their bond, and the bond was always right. As she wrapped her hands around his neck and held him close, feeling the heat of his body, she hoped this would work out.

Chapter Twelve – Ryan

He carried her to his house and laid her in his bed. There was a feeling of triumph in his heart, but he kept that from her. She didn’t need to hear the bear inside his head as he roared in defiance. He had claimed his mate, and she was his; she would breed his cubs and live in his den.

Yes. The bear would stay cooped up for now, until he could be trusted not to frighten Ciara away. “Can I get you anything?” he asked, looking down at her black hair as, just in his dreams, it spilled across his pillow.

He reached down and touched it, letting the silky tendrils slip through his fingers. Leaning down, he kissed her lips. “Anything?”

“No, thank you. I just want to sleep.”

“Do you mind if I lie with you?” he asked.

She turned and half smiled. “It’s your bed.”

“I know. But I don’t want to force myself … my company on you.”

She moved over and then lifted the covers for him. “Hold me.”

He didn’t wait to be asked twice. Sliding in next to her, he pulled her close, his arms wrapped around her, never wanting to let her go. Listening to her breathing, he knew the exact moment she drifted off to sleep, but he couldn’t bear to leave the real world for the world of dreams. What if he woke up and she was no longer there? What if all this had been a dream?

He lifted his hand to stroke her hair, allowing the soft strands to tangle with his fingers, making sure they were real and she wasn’t some fantasy he had conjured up from his deep need to be with her. The scent of her hair was like coming home, rich citrus mixed with the smell of the mountain where her hair had tangled with the trees. He loved it, in the same way as he loved everything about her.

Slowly, he let himself settle. His eyes were heavy; he fought them, but at last they closed and he slept. A sleep where she was always in front of him, out of reach. The beautiful jet-black mare, galloping free. His bear couldn’t catch her, couldn’t keep up with her. But when he called her she came back to him, out of choice, her eyes shining with the joy and freedom life had given her. He knew in that moment he could never go back on his word, or else that mare would be gone, replaced by a beast of burden.

***

He woke. It was late, he could tell by the angle of the sun on his bedroom window. For a moment he had to gather his thoughts, think about what had happened. Ciara. He lifted himself up on one elbow, expecting to see her gone. He was right; she was no longer in his bed.

Cursing himself for sleeping so late, he swung his legs out of bed and was up and heading for the door, when it opened in his face. He took a step back. There she was looking all sleep-tousled and sexy. His cock immediately hardened.

“Hi,” she said shyly.

“Hi,” he said, pulling her back onto his arms and kissing her in an attempt to break the awkwardness between them.

“Nice,” she said, “But I have to go. I have rounds to do.”

“You couldn’t call in sick?” he asked hopefully.

“Sorry. Anyway, my car is parked along the mountain road. I have to go and collect it or there will be a search party out looking for me.”

He shrugged on some clothes. “I’ll give you a ride.”

Yes, he did want to make sure she was safe, but he also wanted to spend every last second of time with her that he could.

Chapter Thirteen – Ciara

“Thank you,” she said, getting into his truck.

“No problem.” He touched her thigh briefly, sending shockwaves through her body; she had to learn to control her reactions when he was close. “Nothing is a problem. OK?”

“OK,” she said, feeling a strange lump of emotion welling up in her throat. “If you drop me at my car, I’ll do my rounds and then call back.”

“That would be amazing. I wasn’t going to ask, didn’t want to pressure you.”

“Oh, I wasn’t coming back to see you,” she said mischievously, watching the change in his face. “No, really. I am coming back for Minty.”

“Minty?” Ryan looked confused. “Why are you coming back to look at the old pony?”

“Because that is why Sapphire is upset. He’s ill. His stomach hurts and she doesn’t know why.”

“But he eats everything, seems fine.”

“That is just what she told me, so I am going to come back with my bag and then we’ll see if we can help him.”

“Does that mean I’ll get to see you as a horse again? You looked magnificent; I would love to see you in the daylight.”

She smiled wickedly, feeling more alive than she had ever felt. “Only if you show me what you are.”

“What I am?” He was pulling over next to her car. “What do you think I am?”

“A bear. Well, that’s what I’m guessing. Bear Bluff, stands to reason that you are mainly bears here. Or was someone having a joke and you’re all squirrels?”

He laughed and she liked it. “Bears. I will show you later, when you come back.”

He got out of the truck and he met her round the front. There she pulled him to her. “I will come back, Ryan.”

She kissed him, her lips firm against his mouth. Damn if she didn’t want him to take her now. Lift her onto the hood of his truck and fuck her out here in the open. Ciara pulled back from him, telling her mare to calm down. There was time for that later, although maybe not the outdoors bit. First, she had to get her act together and make up for lost time.

“What time shall I expect you?” he asked, watching her unlock her car. He moved to rest his hand on it while she got in.

“I’m not sure. Late afternoon. Maybe five?”

“Five would be great. I’ll make dinner.”

“You cook too?”

“I am a man of many talents,” he said, leaning forward and kissing her cheek. “Which I am going to share with you every day for the rest of our lives.”

She looked up at him, seeing the joy and hope in his eyes. Could she fulfil the dreams he had, the image of domestic bliss he was dangling in front of her? She could hear her mother’s words now. “If he can cook, scoop him up quick. Sometimes I would be happy if I never cooked another meal in my life.”

“I’ll settle for your culinary talents tonight. I’m going to have to skip lunch to catch up.”

“See you later,” he said, closing her door. As she backed up the car and then turned it around, she looked out of her rearview mirror. Was it only yesterday she had run away from him? Now she wished he would follow her, follow her and never let her out of his sight.

“Work,” she said aloud and headed for her house to check for messages and shower. On the drive home, she passed through Bear Bluff, avoiding the coffee shop, although her body screamed for coffee. It was a nice town, not unlike the one she grew up in. Small, people knew each other and helped each other out.

It had been a long time since Ciara had pined for her hometown, but right now, she did. And when she got home, instead of going straight to the shower she did something she hadn’t done for too long. Ignoring the flashing light that signalled she had messages, she picked up the phone and dialled the number that was ingrained in her head.

“Hi Mom,” she said.

“Hi, Ciara, is everything OK?” Of course her mom would jump to that conclusion, why else would Ciara phone?

“Yes. I’m sorry to bother you. Only I wanted to hear your voice.”

“Now I am worried,” her mom said lightly, but Ciara knew by the hitch in her voice that she was concerned.

“No, really, everything is fine. I just … well, wanted to know if you are OK.”

“Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?” She paused. “Want to tell me what the problem is, sweetie? I could always tell when there was something on your mind.”

“Can I ask you something, Mom?” Ciara decided she had to know what it was like to have a mate. A mate, like her dad, who asked you to give up everything.

“Sure, anything you want. You know I’ll always try to help you.”

“How did you feel about giving up your career for Dad?” The questioned just kind of poured out of her mouth. It had been sitting in her head for so long, burning a hole there; now she had asked it, a great weight had been lifted.

Her mom paused and for a second, Ciara thought she was going to avoid it. But then her mom said quietly, “I didn’t give up my career because he asked me to. I gave it up because I wanted to raise you and your brothers. Having you all was the best thing that ever happened in my life.”

“But you had a career.”

“And then I had children. To me, that was the most important job I would ever have.” She laughed, “The hours and the pay is lousy, but it is still the best thing I ever did.”

Ciara gave herself some time to think of what her mom had said. “But why did you seem so sad? When we left school. I always got the feeling you wished you had carried on with your job.”

“No,” her mom laughed. “I was sad because all of a sudden I had four grown-up children who wanted to move out, move on, and leave me behind. And that scared me, because for so many wonderful years I had been a part of everything you did. I wasn’t missing my career, I was missing you kids.”

“I always thought Dad made you give up work. When you got pregnant.”

“Ciara, it was always most definitely my choice. Your dad would have supported me whatever I had chosen. We would have made it work. And he did support me, when I chose to be a full-time mom. He took on extra work and made sure we never lacked for anything.”

Ciara felt her eyes welling up. She had misjudged her mom and dad and, with that misjudgement, had built her life on a lie. But did it change the way she felt about her own life and career?

“I never knew. You always told us about your career; you were so proud. You always told me to go out and make a life for myself. I thought you regretted your life.” She sobbed now down the phone, and she heard the way her mom gasped.

“Ciara, I only wanted you to have choices. And to make a life for yourself, so that if your mate never came along, you would still have a fulfilling life. You saw the women here that wasted their lives waiting for the right man. There is never any guarantee. You know that. I’m sorry if I messed up.” Now her mom was sobbing too.

“No. No, Mom, I am so pleased you gave me ambition and drive. And now it’s a little clearer. I can see it differently. Thank you.”

“Why don’t you come home for a few days, sweetie?”

“I can’t, Mom; I have things to do here.”

“Can’t they manage without you for a couple of days?”

“Work could.” She hesitated. This was the first time she was actually going to admit that she had a mate. There was no one better to be the first to know than her mom. “I met someone.” Wow, that was lame.

But her mom didn’t need any further explanation. She knew Ciara would never tell her that if it wasn’t her true mate. “Oh, Ciara. I am so pleased for you. Well, if you can’t get home, we might have to come and visit. When things have settled down a little. I know how … intense the first couple of weeks are.”

“I’d like that, Mom. I would really like to see you and Dad. Or perhaps I can drag Ryan up to see you. Although I don’t know what the herds will quite make of a bear in their midst.”

“Oh, my! A bear. You lucky girl. I hear they have a lot of stamina.”

“Mom!” But she laughed down the phone, feeling happier and lighter. “Thank you, Mom.”

“I want you to know how proud I am of you, Ciara.” Then her mom’s voice turned sad. “Is that the reason you left? Because you didn’t want to end up like me?”

“No,” Ciara replied. “No. It just seemed the right thing to do.” So it was a little white lie. But her mom wasn’t to blame. Ciara had just interpreted the message wrong, as young adults are allowed to do. “I think fate just pulled me this way,” she finished.

“I love you, Ciara.”

“Love you too, Mom.”

Chapter Fourteen – Ryan

Ryan stood in front of his house, waiting for her. He had heard her car from over a mile away, as if his hearing was attuned to everything about her. The bear inside him yearned to escape, to run and meet her, but it wasn’t safe to be seen in daylight, not so close to the road.

Instead, he waited, watching the roof of her small blue car as it made its way up the track that led to his ranch. Behind him, he could hear his cattle, their deep voices a constant background noise up here, interspersed with the neigh or whinny of his small herd of horses.

He wondered what Ciara sounded like when she was a horse. Maybe after dinner, they could go up onto the mountain and find out about each other’s animal. Or maybe they should stay in for a while. His bed had looked inviting when he had gone to change out of his dirty work clothes. Now he stood, fresh and clean, waiting for his mate.

And here she was.

Trying not to appear too eager, but who was he kidding, he went to the door and opened it. “Hi, Ciara. How has your day been?” Smooth. Real smooth. Why was he suddenly so nervous around her?

“Good, thanks, Ryan.” She got out and stood in front of him, neither of them knowing what to do, or how to behave.

Deciding to break the tension, he leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. “It’s good to see you. I’ve made dinner, but perhaps you want to go in and see Minty first.”

“Yes. I would. I’ll get my bag.” She went to her trunk and pulled out her bag. He wanted to offer to carry it for her. But that might set the wrong tone. She was a strong, independent woman; she could carry her own bag. Yet the traditional male side of him struggled not to offer all the same.

“I had a good look at him earlier. I can’t see anything wrong, and he’s eating just fine.”

“It’s strange, but Sapphire is definitely concerned. I’ll give him a thorough check-over and then if I can’t find anything, I can always speak to him. I never had a chance to yesterday.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry I interrupted you.” She looked over to him and smiled. Something about her was different, softer, and yet he was sure she had been crying. But this was not the time to ask. He still worried that she might take flight at any moment if he said the wrong thing. He needed to relax.

Opening the barn door, he followed her in. Minty was in his stall across from Sapphire. Ciara went to him, stroking his nose and letting the old pony sniff her. “Hi there, Minty. Can I have a look at you?”

The pony blew gently down his nose. Ciara smiled and then went inside.

Ryan watched her work. Slowly, methodically, she examined Minty. He allowed her to work, saving his questions until later. But he fell in love with her more and more with each stroke of her hands across the pony’s back, with each word she said in comfort. He was so lucky to have a woman who would understand his way of life, and would happily live here with his animals.

If that was what she wanted, he reminded himself.

Chapter Fifteen – Ciara

Although she worked professionally, her awareness of Ryan was intense. Every time she moved near him, the pull of his body became harder to resist. But she wanted to get this right, she had to get this right. For Sapphire’s sake, and for Minty. Who gave off surprisingly good vibes.

“He seems fine. Without doing a complete blood work-up, I’m not sure what to tell you. For an old pony he seems in remarkably good shape.” She put her stethoscope around her neck and stood back, hands on hips, to observe Minty.

She was acutely aware of Ryan watching her. Every fibre of her being was drawn to him as if was a giant magnet. However, she wasn’t done with Minty. There was one more thing she could try.

“You going to go horse?” His question hit her sideways.

“I might ask you to leave while I do,” she said, feeling self-conscious about changing in front of him. Yesterday she had managed to change easily, but the way he made her feel upset her balance. Her mind didn’t concentrate in the same way.

“Why? I would love to watch you. It’s the most amazing thing.”

“I’m a little out of practice.” She hadn’t explained everything to him, but was now the right time? “Before yesterday, I had been running from who I am. What we are.”

He moved towards her and she let him, needing his comfort, his nearness. “It’s OK.”

“I left my home because I was afraid. Afraid of turning out like my mom, only today I found out that she was happy. I had simply misread her feelings. She always told me to go and get a career. I thought it was because she missed hers and regretted giving it up.”

“Hey, we all make mistakes.” He stroked her back with his large, warm hand. “I am one of six brothers. My childhood, and some of my adulthood, was, and probably still is, if I think about it, made up of trying to understand what people are trying to tell you. But they don’t always come out and say it.”

“I feel like such a fool. As though I built my life on a lie.” She burrowed her face into his chest.

“Let it go, Ciara. What you are is what you are. There is no going back, only moving forward. Take some time to reassess your opinions. There’s no rush. Not anymore. I’m not going anywhere.”

“And this is where I belong?”

“If you want it to be. If you want me to move in with you, I’ll sell the ranch. You are the most important thing in my life. I hope one day you will feel it too. Maybe it’s different for bears.”

“No. No, it’s not. And I don’t want you to sell. This would be a perfect place to raise our kids.” She took a deep breath and pulled away from him. “You might want to stand back.”

As if he read her mind, he took a step back, putting himself in the corner. As a precaution, he took Minty with him. She smiled; he was thoughtful towards horses, at least. Then her nerves kicked in and she had to calm herself down. Patiently, she brought the picture of her horse into her mind. Long mane, beautiful black coat, and a tail that flicked impatiently. Taking an imaginary step forward, she entered the image, her world changing as she flickered out of it for an instant.

Growing taller, her body expanding, she came back to this world, waiting whilst everything came together. Then she stood, tall and proud, her black coat gleaming. Swishing her tail, she flicked her head, the sense of power threading through her veins. The thrill of being her other self, here in front of him, was immense; he looked at her with something akin to awe, and she liked that. She liked it a lot. But she had work to do.

Calling softly to a stunned Minty, she lowered her head to smell him. Working her way along his body, she eventually encouraged him to talk to her. Snuffles and whinnies, he turned and nuzzled her and she felt his pain. Sapphire was right, he was poorly; she spent some time grooming with him and he turned and returned the favour, the two horses licking and nuzzling each other. She had always enjoyed this part of being with the herd; it had always made them closer to each other, more understanding.

When Minty had had enough, she blew softly at him, and once again tried to ascertain the problem. The feedback was the same, and she had to take it that was what was wrong with Minty. Luckily, she thought she could treat him.

Saying goodbye to him, she pictured her human form and then stepped into it, feeling the familiar buzz of electricity all around her. Quickly, she changed, and was standing looking thoughtfully at Minty within a few seconds.

“Anything?” he asked, concerned.

“Yes.” She reached for her bag. “I’ll give him some anti-inflammatory drugs for now. Then tomorrow I’ll bring out the drugs he needs.”

“So he’s treatable?” Ryan asked.

“Yes, in the short term. In his old home, he ate something he shouldn’t have. It made him feel ill, but it went unnoticed. It has never really left his system.” She filled a syringe with the drug. Minty stood still while she injected him. Afterwards, he turned and nuzzled her. “Oh, yes. He wanted to thank you for looking after him. And for rescuing Sapphire.” She smiled, but said nothing else.

“What?” Ryan asked, sensing the hidden joke.

“Nothing. They just … they think you are very kind. And that even for a bear you would make a good mate.” She smiled again. “Minty and Sapphire agree you make good breeding stock.”

“Great. I am being assessed by two horses.”

“Three,” she said grinning, feeling a whole lot better about everything.

“And how do you judge me, Ciara?”

“You’ll do,” she said, putting everything away and then closing her bag. Standing up, she smiled once more. “Let’s go and eat. Your cooking might just be the deal-clincher.”

He rolled his eyes. “Right, so my performance in other areas wasn’t enough!”

She went to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him. “I think if we have a replay, then I might be persuaded.”

“Fuck, Ciara. Can we skip the food and go straight to bed?”

“No,” she said, kissing him. “I need some food or I won’t be able to keep up with you. My mom thinks I’m lucky because bears have quite the reputation in bed. Plenty of stamina, she said.”

“Great. So, sex and food.” However, she saw the twinkle in his eye; he looked relieved that everything seemed to be working out for the best.

“What else is there that a man has to be good at?” she asked lightly.

“Nothing,” he said. Then he stopped and turned to her. “Except loyalty and understanding, Ciara.”

“Ah, and those are by far the best qualities.” She slipped her hand into his, patted Minty, who was busily munching his hay, and walked with him back to his house.

“I made lasagna, because it would keep while we went to see Minty. I hope you like it?” He kissed the back of her hand as they entered the ranch house, sending shivers down her spine, threatening to make her change her mind about food. But her stomach rumbled, and she knew she had to eat. Today had been long and emotionally draining. Food would perk her up and give her the energy for what she hoped lay ahead.

“It smells delicious,” she said, following him into the warm kitchen. There was a range, this was where the smell was emanating from, and on top of it sat a cat. “You are a proper Doctor Dolittle, aren’t you?”

He stroked the cat and made it get down off the range. “They just seem to turn up. But I can’t talk to them like you do.”

He began to clatter around, pulling out plates and knives and forks and setting them on the scrubbed kitchen table. Ciara made her way around the kitchen looking at the photographs, horses, dogs, people, all jumbled up. She smiled at the photographs of six little boys up a tree.

“Your brothers?” she asked, taking it down and looking at it closely. It was old, a lot older than Ryan looked, so bears aged slower too. She hadn’t thought of that before, but now she was glad. It would have been hell to live with him for a short normal human lifetime. Now she was happy to be looking forward to many decades with him.

“Yes. It was from before we moved to Bear Bluff. We were always getting into scrapes; eventually my mom and dad decided they needed to find somewhere where six boys could run free. Although we were older by the time they found Bear Bluff. But we all still like to run free.”

“Do your brothers still live here?” She placed the photograph back on the shelf and then moved towards the table, lured by the smell.

“All except two. Taylor is in Bear Creek; he lives with his mate over there. And Logan, he moved back to the city, but he comes back here for his fix of mountain air every weekend. He went into finance, so it makes sense, but I don’t know how he does it. And he will always be a Bear Bluff bear.”

“That looks wonderful. Is there anything you need me to do?”

“Sit down and eat,” he said, pulling out a chair for her. “Wine?”

“I’m driving.”

“One glass. Or more, I assumed you would be staying the night.”

“One glass. I wasn’t sure about staying, because we’ve only just met. I mean, isn’t it strange that we’re suddenly expected to like each other without getting to know each other?”

“The whole thing is strange, Ciara. But I don’t think we’ll ever really get to know each other unless we spend lots of time together.” He poured the wine and then sat down opposite her. “I hope you enjoy your meal and that I at least pass this part of the test.”

She forked some of the food into her mouth. “Mmmm, I think you might. This is wonderful.”

“Oh, almost forgot. Garlic bread.” He opened the door of the oven; she hadn’t thought her mouth could water any more than it already was, but she was wrong.

“Homemade. Impressive.” She took a piece when he offered her some. Biting into it, she thought she was in heaven. And when she looked up and caught his eyes watching her, she was certain he was thinking the same thing.

“So you think you can fix Minty?” he asked, starting to eat too.

“I’m not sure if fix is the right word, but I can prolong his life for a while.”

“That bad?” he asked, pausing, fork halfway to his mouth.

“The damage is done. But if we can get rid of the toxins, he should live to a ripe old age. We’re just going to have to keep a special eye on him.”

It was her turn to pause; in that one sentence, she was committing herself to a life with him, here on his ranch. Whether that meant she gave up her career like her mom did or not, remained to be seen.

She lifted her glass. “To a new future. A new life.”

He touched her glass with his own and smiled, not one filled with joy and happiness, although that was there too. Instead, he looked relieved, his shoulders lifting and his eyes a little misty. Ciara’s heart swelled; she could see how much he had grown to love her, even in the short space of time they had known each other. As he cleared his throat, she had no further doubts about her rancher.

“To us,” he said. “Thank you, Ciara.”

“For what?” she asked. “I would have treated Sapphire and Minty no matter what.”

“I know. And I wasn’t talking about that. I was talking about you. Giving us a chance.”

“It’s not entirely without selfishness.” She took another bite of the garlic bread and then said, “I think you would make the perfect househusband.”

He laughed. “If that’s how it has to be. Then I will embrace it fully.”

Ciara hurried to finish her food. She couldn’t wait for him to embrace her fully, in a more physical way. And as she ate, she realised that the weight had gone from her too. The heavy feeling in her chest that has seemed to suffocate her at times was gone. Replaced by a sense of belonging. For whatever reasons, she had left her old home, but now she had found a new one. A place where she could be happy, and fulfilled. In whatever guise that was. She didn’t have to make the choice now. All she had to do was be open to herself and her needs. But also, to what they needed as bonded mates.

Chapter Sixteen – Ryan

They had eaten the meal he had cooked, and now they were doing the dishes together. An easiness had settled over them, as if they had been together forever. It was hard to stop himself grinning when he thought of how she had accepted him and the bond between them despite all her reservations.

Now he wanted to get everything tidy and take her to bed. Hell, he wouldn’t have minded skipping the dishes and taking her to bed right now. But he tried to play down the strength of his feelings; he was still scared he might send her running for the hills. Now, that was something he might want to see. His mate, a solid black horse, galloping in the moonlight. His bear stirred.

Later.

Yes, maybe later they could head up the mountain, horse and bear. What a strange sight that would be.

“I think we are finished.” She stood looking at him, her eyes shining with happiness.

“So what do you want to do now? I could show you around the ranch.” Why did he suddenly feel nervous?

“I think there is only one room I really want to see right now. And it’s the only one I’ve already been in.” She took the dishcloth from him, and took his hand in hers. Then she stood on tiptoes and kissed him.

With a groan, he leaned down and scooped her up, kissing her as he carried her up the narrow stairs to his bedroom. Before he had set her on the bed, her hands were undoing the buttons of his shirt, and then he was helping her, dragging it over his head and throwing it aside. While her hands stroked his chest, he began to remove her clothes as quickly as he possibly could. He wanted her under him; he wanted to be inside her.

Giggling as he wrestled her jeans off, she lay back on his bed and let him pull them down over her feet. It was the most amazing sight to him, her jet-black hair strewn across his sheets, her pale skin slowly revealed as he removed her clothes. He loved her curves, and right now, as he unclasped her bra, he was going to enjoy her wonderful, voluptuous breasts.

He hovered over her naked body, lightly kissing her, making her squirm in anticipation. He kissed her soft belly, and worked his way higher until he claimed the taut bud of her nipple, the tip of his tongue tracing around it and then his warm mouth sucking it in. Rolling his tongue over the hard bud, he felt her tremble beneath him.

If this made her tremble, what would happen if he tasted her more intimately? He wanted to find out. He also wanted the taste of his mate on his tongue. And so, he moved lower. Kissing her stomach, down across her thighs, using his hands to part her legs. He breathed in the scent of her arousal. His bear roaring in appreciation.

Then he dipped his head and pressed his tongue into her moist hot sex, hearing her whimper in need, and he thought he would explode with desire.

Drawing his tongue up over her clit, he played with her, teasing her. Making her writhe beneath the onslaught, the sensation too much for her. But he placed his hands on her knees, and wouldn’t let her clamp her legs shut. Not until he had had his fill and she had reached a climax she would never forget.

In and out, he pressed his tongue, then he drew it up to flick her clit. A steady rhythm brought her higher and higher. She cried out, a wounded animal beneath him. But he knew he would never hurt her and it was pure pleasure that made her plead with him. She needed to come, needed the release. And he gave it to her, her warm juices flowing, tasting sweeter than honey on his tongue.

Chapter Seventeen – Ciara

She fisted his hair, trying to drag him away and keep him in place all at the same time. The room spun around her and she thought she was floating with the stars as her orgasm finally hit her. The force of it took her breath away, leaving her sobbing with relief. Ryan never let up, taking everything she had, even when she begged him to stop. He could read her body, and kept the pressure on until her orgasm reached its shuddering climax and then left her.

When it had passed, she was left exhausted and drained. Ryan gave her time to recover, kissing her thighs, down to her knees, finding that place behind them which made her desire unfurl once more. How could she want him so soon? But she did.

“Make love to me,” she said, when he moved to lie next to her.

“With pleasure,” he said, smiling and kissing her as he moved between her thighs.

There, he guided himself inside her. Pressing against her outer lips and then thrusting hard to enter her. She gasped as he filled her, one long lunge to fill her completely. He lay still, letting her adjust to his wide girth, his mouth on hers as he kissed her passionately. Then he pulled back, thrusting his hips forward once more, in and out, empty and full. He took her.

Ciara’s hands roamed his body, stroking his back, and then along his arms. Down over his butt, she felt the strong muscles of his thighs bunch and then relax as he impaled her on his cock. So full, the friction of his skin along her inner walls almost too much as her next orgasm hovered in front of her eyes.

She placed her hands back on his butt, digging her nails into his toned flesh, encouraging him to push deeper and harder. Lifting her knees, she angled her body so that each thrust brushed her clit, her orgasm ever closer. Ryan straining to thrust deeper and deeper, his breathing laboured as his own climax over took him.

Deep inside her, he spurted his seed, her body joining him as he took her over the edge into the abyss. If her orgasm before had been earth-shattering, this shattered her universe. They were joined as one, as close to him now as she was to the horse that was the other piece of her. They made each other whole on a different level. A level she never completely understood was possible until now.

With Ryan still jerking deep inside her, her sex gripped him, pulsing as his essence brought the possibility of new life into her. Now she wasn’t afraid. Only happy that when they did have a child, it would know it was loved and that it had two parents who would always be there for him or her, just as her parents had been. And she would try to guide her daughter in the same way her mom had tried to guide her.

With one final strain of his body, the tension left Ryan. His body went slack and he rested his weight on his arms, his cock still buried inside her while he kissed her neck and over her shoulders. Ciara stroked his back, wanting to keep the connection between them forever.

If only they could stay like this, with no decisions to make. But that wasn’t life, at least not the life she was used to. And now she had come to one more decision.

“Come on,” she said, moving from under him.

“I was comfortable there,” he said, pulling her back to him and kissing her mouth. For a moment or two she allowed him to fill her senses once more, but then she pushed him playfully away.

“Get dressed,” she said, slipping out of bed, trying not to feel embarrassed by her naked body, which normally she kept well covered. Grabbing her clothes, she pulled them on quickly, knowing if he pulled her back into bed, she might easily change her mind. But there was something she wanted to do. She only hoped he wouldn’t object.

“What’s going on?” he asked, pulling on his jeans. She watched him as he reached for his shirt and covered his toned chest, and wondered if she really was crazy.

“I want to go out. To the mountain. You’ve seen me. Now I want to see you.” She waited for him to object, but instead he reached for her sweater and pulled it on over his head.

“Now I feel nervous. A great lumbering bear next to a horse that can run so swiftly.” He shook his head.

Ciara stood up. “That’s how I feel next to you. All toned muscles and fit. If this bond didn’t exist, you wouldn’t look twice at me. So I should be grateful about that.” Her face dropped. “Now I feel as though I’m cheating you.”

He came to her, moving frighteningly fast, pulling her into his arms. “Don’t ever say that. I love every inch of you, from the swell of your breasts to the softness of your skin. You are the most attractive, beautiful woman I could ever want. Never forget that.”

He kissed her hungrily, and she clung to him until his passion made her believe every word.

Chapter Eighteen – Ryan

“OK. Here goes.” He felt an unusual feeling of butterflies in his stomach. He shouldn’t be nervous, but he was.

“I can’t wait.” She didn’t take her eyes off of him. “And if I change after, so we can go up over the mountain, you won’t eat me, right?”

He grinned, but didn’t say what was on his mind. Her words had conjured up the thought of her taste on his tongue, of the moist heat between her thighs, and the way she sighed so contentedly when he plunged his tongue deep into her. “No. I won’t eat you.”

“Then go!” she said, as she stood back amongst the trees, waiting for him to release his bear.

“No pressure,” he laughed nervously.

“None at all.”

He could feel her excitement and he tried to grab ahold of that and let it help him overcome his fears. What if after everything, she didn’t like this side of him. You’re a bear, he reminded himself. A great, big, powerful bear. What’s not to like?

Ryan was about to find out.

He let his mind relax and then filled it with the image of his bear. And there his nerves kicked in again. Big bulking body, shaggy coat, usually dirty form rolling in mud and sitting in the river that flowed down the side of the mountain. Teeth that were sharp and a short snout, which usually could be found sniffing out interesting things in the dirt. Yep. What’s not to like?

Yet he stepped into the image anyway. Because no matter what, he could not give up this side of himself. The ranch, yes, his freedom, yes. But never his bear. And she would know this. Hadn’t she said she regretted keeping her horse in check for so long?

His body flowed out of this world, the atoms becoming unstuck from each other only to return as something else. Low to the ground, all four paws leaving their prints in the ground, his bear made its first appearance in front of their mate. And he did not lack confidence.

One solid paw moved forward at a time as he lumbered up to Ciara. He reached out with his snout and sniffed her, pleased with her scent. She reached out and he stuck his nose into the palm of her hand, snuffling contentedly as she stroked him.

Running her fingers through his coat made him squirm. He wondered if she wanted to scratch his back right where he needed it but decided he would look too much like a dog. He would find a tree later. Puffing himself up, he tried to look as impressive as possible while he allowed her to explore his body with her fingers. Even like this, her touch was magical.

Then she moved away. He could sense the shift in the air, and she shimmered out of existence for one moment before returning as the black mare he had seen earlier. She snorted at him, blowing air in his face, and then she turned and took off, out of the trees, heading up the side of the mountain.

He knew he could never catch her, but he wasn’t going to let her go. Not ever, so he followed all the same. Maybe that bear stamina she had mentioned might be needed elsewhere than in the bedroom.

Chapter Nineteen – Ciara

The thrill of the chase. In any other place, she would be the prey trying to outrun a predator. Horse against bear. This was different; she didn’t want to lose him, she wanted to run with him, wild and free on the mountain.

The higher she climbed, the more alive she felt. The wind swept over the mountain, making her mane fly in the wind. She tossed her head and snorted, pausing for a moment while he caught up with her. Rearing up on her hind legs, she neighed her joy to the world before she took off again, the scents of the meadows filling her nostrils. How long it had been since her horse had munched on fresh grass and rolled in the mud!

Wild and free she ran, the weight of her human life so much less now she had found her mate. When she reached the high meadow she galloped headlong away, only to wheel around and charge back to where the big bear was entering the meadow. She stopped, only two feet in front of him, sliding, stones flicking up, only to turn on a dime and gallop away.

Back and away, she ran, until he eventually sat down and watched her. If a bear could smile, she was sure he was smiling, his short snout on the air, sniffing it, enjoying the mountain breeze. When at last her legs began to tire, she went to him. But before she sat down, she changed back to her human form, wanting to share this moment with him on another level.

Ryan changed too, pulling her into his arms as soon as they had changed from being bear legs. “You are something else to watch,” he said.

“You’re not so bad yourself. I should compliment you on your thick coat.”

“The secret is mud. Lots of it, worked down into the roots and then washed off in the river.”

“That I would like to see. And do.”

“Tomorrow. We’ll come up here when you finish work and I’ll show you all my favourite places.”

“I can’t wait,” she said, tilting her head and resting it on his shoulder.

They sat together, looking down over the twinkling lights of Bear Bluff, while above them the stars shone brightly. The moon moved across the sky, its mysterious glow lighting the meadow, giving them moonlight shadows. No words were needed. All that mattered was that they were here, the two of them together. Until at last he stood and offered her his hand.

“Come on, it’s late and I guess you have to work tomorrow. Let’s go and get some sleep.”

As he pulled her up, she went into his arms and he kissed her. Her insides turned to liquid fire. She wanted him, wanted to make love to him here in the meadow, but that would have to wait for another day. He was right; she had work, she had an early call in the morning. The practice would let her off being late one day, but two in a row might cause trouble she didn’t need, and that the practice didn’t deserve.

So they both changed, and made their way more sedately down the mountain, Ryan leading the way. Her exhilaration now passed, replaced by contentment and being here with him. The dark night was all around them, cocooning them in their own world. They worked their way down off the mountain, a light breeze ruffling her mane, whilst the occasional squawk of a startled bird broke the quiet night.

When at last they entered the trees where they were going to change, she took one last breath of the mountain air. This was to be her new home, and she wanted to spend the rest of her life exploring the mountain and the surrounding forests so that she knew it as well as she had known the meadows where her herd roamed. She would run here, with their children, whatever they were to be. Horse or bear, it didn’t matter.

“I think we could have one more glass of wine before bed, don’t you?” she asked as they walked down the rest of the way to the farm, hand in hand.

“Does that mean you aren’t driving home tonight?” he asked hopefully.

“No, Ryan, I’m not. This is my home now.”

He didn’t answer, just squeezed her hand and led her down to his house. But before they went inside she stopped.

“What’s the matter?” he asked, and the tone of his voice signalled he thought she had changed her mind.

“This way,” she said and led him to the barn. Opening the door quietly, she went inside. “Do you have a flashlight?”

“I can put the main light on.”

“No. We don’t want to disturb them.”

“Who?” he asked, grabbing the flashlight just as she had asked.

“You’ll see.”

They crept along the barn to the stall where Sapphire was. Across from her, Minty whinnied quietly. As they looked into Sapphire’s stall, they were just in time to see the newborn foal trying to climb to his wobbly feet.

“You knew?” he whispered.

“It’s a horse thing,” she said quietly.

Watching Sapphire with her foal, the attention she lavished on it as she encouraged it to stand and then drink her milk, Ciara began to understand the treasure that children were. She could feel the pride and love this mare had for the new life next to her. Ciara knew that one day she would feel that same love and pride. And by her side would be her man, her bear.

“I love you, Ryan,” she said for the first time. As she laid her head on his shoulder, she meant it. She might have started out running away from her mate, but now she would never run again. This was where she belonged, here with Ryan, her mate.

“Let’s go to bed,” he said after they made sure everything was OK.

“Whatever you say,” she answered. Because she knew he would never ask anything of her she didn’t want to do. They were bonded, true to one another. It wasn’t a one-sided deal. It might have taken her a long time to understand that, but now that she did, she would never forget.

The End

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***UK Harmony Raines Author Page On Kindle***

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The Escort Box Set

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The Escort Series

The Escort (The Escort Series Part One)(Free in some regions)

The Escort (The Escort Series Part Two)

The Escort (The Escort Series Part Three)

A Curvy Christmas: Robin's Romance (BBW Romance)

Helen’s story:

His Secretary (Her Second Chance Book One)

Books In Kindle Unlimited

Chosen by the Karal

Deceit (Book One)

Love (Book Two)

The Dualis

(Mate of the Cave Bear)

Found (Book One)

Lost (Book Two)

Return (Book Three)

Bear Creek Clan

(can be read as a standalone)

Rescued by the Bear (Bear Creek Clan Book One)

Finding Her Bear (Bear Creek Clan Book Two)

Tamed by the Bear (Bear Creek Clan Book Three)

Snowbound With The Bear (Bear Creek Clan Book Four)

Biker Bear Billionaire (Bear Creek Clan Book Five)

A Bride for the Bear (Bear Creek Clan Book Six)

Bear Bluff Clan Series

Bound To Her Bear (Bear Bluff Clan Book One)

Doctor Bear (Bear Bluff Clan Book Two)

Stranded With Her Bear (Bear Bluff Book Three)

Home Or Her Bear (Bear Bluff Book Four)

Her Dragon's Bane Serial

Soul Of The Dragon

Blood of the Dragon

Heart Of The Dragon

Love Of The Dragon

Fate Of The Minotaur

Bound To The Flame - A Virgin For The Dragon

When the dragon egg hatches for Trinity she becomes the Dragon Princess and must remain pure until the dragon comes back to claim her as his mate on her twenty first birthday.

An Heir For The Flame (Dragon Fantasy Romance)

The elder dragons have predicted that Trinity will conceive the new dragon child tonight. So she mates with ShanRohit under the full moon.

Waiting For Curves (Curves For Her Wolf) (BBW Erotic Romance)

Curves For Her Wolf Doctor (The Greystone Wolves - BBW Paranormal Erotic Romance)

Mistaken Curves (Her First Time With A Wolf) (BBW Erotic Romance)

Sold To The Wolf (Auctioned Curves For The Werewolf) (BBW Erotic Romance)

Curves For The Lone Wolf (BBW Erotic Romance)

An Auction Of Curves (BBW Erotic Romance)

Anna (Curves in the Family (BBW Erotic Romance))

Heated Curves (Curves For Her Firefighter) (BBW Erotic Romance)

Words Unwritten (Curves For Her Soldier) (BBW Erotic Romance)

Christmas Curves (BBW Erotic Romance)

Winning Her Curves (previously titled Virgin Curves)

Returning For His First Love

For The Love Of The Wolf (Erotic Romance Fairy Tales)

Marianne : Unmarked (His) (Paranormal Shifter Romance)

Bred By The Unicorn (Virgin Paranormal Erotic Romance)

Captured By The

Hannoth Barbarians

Captured By The Barbarian: Cilla Part One

Claimed By The Barbarians: Cilla Part Two

Taken By The Barbarians: Dinah

Tilda - Captured By The Hannoth Barbarians

Thandor - Captured By The Hannoth Barbarians

Princess Yolanda - Captured By The Hannoth Barbarians

Bound By The Barbarian: Tirim

Bound To The Barbarian: Tirim Part 2 (Reluctant Gay Sex)

Captured By The Barbarians: Scarla

Tamed By The Barbarian: Shona Part One

Hunted By The Barbarian: Shona Part 2

Teaching The Barbarian: Petra

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Pastor Booth

The Corruption Of Pastor Booth (Rough And Reluctant Virgin Erotica) (Pastor Booth's Flock)

Stretched While She Sleeps (Pastor Booth's Flock)

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Saved By The Pack

Alice

Sarah

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And writing as Liliana Hunt

Teach Me (Mr Peterson Book One) (Older Man/Younger Woman)

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Not In Kindle Unlimited

Shifters Of Spellholm - The Bears

Her First Time With A Bear (Book 1)

Too Much To Bear (Book 2)

Bear With Me (Book 3)

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Curves

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Curves For Her Bears (BBW Shifter Erotic Romance)

Saving You, Saving Me (Bad Boys Love Big Girls (BBW Erotic Romance))

Rachel (Curves in the Family Part One (BBW Erotic Romance))

Snowbound Curves (Curves For Her Brother's Best Friend BBW Erotic Romance)

BBW - Curves For Her Soldier

Longing For Her Soldier (Curves For Her Brother's Best Friend BBW Erotic Romance)

Return To Sender (Curves For Her Soldier) (BBW Erotic Romance)

BBW - Greystone Wolves

A Virgin For The Wolf (Curves For Her Werewolf Boss) (BBW Erotic Romance)

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Curves For Her Cowboy (BBW Billionaire Cowboy Erotic Romance)

Betrayed Curves

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By The Billionaire

Saved: By The Billionaire

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A Virgin For The Billionaire

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Behind Closed Doors

Stories filled with lust, sex and, of course, love.

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Continue reading What Katy Did First (First Time Virgin Sex)

What Katy Did Next (Oral sex, Domination)

What Katy Did Then (BDSM, Sex In The Car)

What Katy Did With Her Billionaire Boss (Billionaire Erotic Romance)

Crystal and Roxie, Rockstar Sex (Ménage Threesome First Time Anal Sex)

Jamie, Cowboy Lust (First Time Gay Sex)

Jamie, Cowboy Love (Whipping Gay Cowboy Erotica)

Jamie, Cowboy Gangbang (The Initiation Of Jamie)

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Sex And Marriage

Awakenings

Spank Me Professor(Spanking Role Play)