Bear with Me (Half-breed Shifter Series) Page 2

  “You’re half right. I do work undercover for the Hunters. I go in and try to foil their plans without getting caught. But I’m one hundred percent human.”

  “But your wife...?”

  “Yes. My wife’s half jaguar. Our three children are a fourth shifter. They’re about your age, actually.”

  Brick nodded, but shivered because the thought of wives and children—family—only made him feel more abandoned. Rubbing his arms, he stared out the front window at the lonely stretch of road ahead of them. “Are you taking me there, then? To your family?”

  The man shook his head. “No. Not quite. We live in a half-breed community, however. Don’t worry, you won’t have to learn to sleep in caves or chew on tree bark for dinner, unless you just want to. It’s exactly like the human town you left...but occasionally people will turn a little furrier. There’s an old widow there named Fern who agreed to take you in and let you live with her.”

  Again, the teen nodded, soaking this in. He was relieved someone was willing to accept him. But knowing it was a complete stranger, and not his mother—the woman who’d given birth to him and promised to love and shelter him always, who’d read him bedtime stories and fed him chicken noodle soup when he was sick—didn’t really make him feel all that optimistic.

  “So, what do I call you?” he asked the man.

  “Shaw,” the man answered. “My name is Shaw Griffin.”

  Chapter One

  Nineteen Years Later

  Rhea Griffin trembled as she paced the length of her old childhood bedroom. Sticking her pinkie nail between her teeth, she began to chew with a nervous habit she’d never been able to break. But her mating heat was coming. If there was ever a time to be nervous, it was now.

  She was only a fourth shape-shifter, so she’d been hopeful the mating heat trait would pass right over her, and she’d never have to deal with it. It had hit her mother—a half shifter—when her mother was in her early twenties. And both Rhea and her twin sister Brynn had passed by the twenties with nary a sweat due to the legendary mating heat.

  But now, now...her new brother-in-law had told her it was coming. Soon. Rhea had to say, she didn’t feel any different. She didn’t look any different. If Gannon’s instincts weren’t so animalistic and spot-on, she would’ve dismissed his claim out right. But Gannon was from the absolute pure-blood Mulhikari wolf pack, and they could sense things—things like a female shifter’s mating heat—way before a normal shifter could, much less a half-breed like her.

  Still. It didn’t seem possible that this was going to happen to her. Female shifters under the mating heat were supposed to want sex constantly, like lots of it and in all different positions, with all different partners, and not necessarily one at a time.

  And Rhea just...no. She wasn’t exactly a sexual fiend. Sure, she’d always wanted to meet a strong, handsome guy to come in and sweep her off her feet and carry her off into the sunset. But kinky, hard-core lust had never afflicted her before.

  Apparently, it was about to, though. And the idea that it would totally freaked her out.

  Good news was that technology had turned all badass since the days when her mother and all the female generations before her had gone through the same thing. Now, if a female wanted to bypass her heat, she could take a couple injections and just chill for a few weeks until the time for her heat to pass was over. Or if a female preferred to get freaky and spend that time fucking the brains out of any male willing to have her, she could do that too. It was all about free will in this day and age; and God bless it.

  Since Rhea currently didn’t have a special someone to share her heat with, and she wasn’t into free-love orgies, she’d chosen to take the path of less sex and more injections. She hated needles, but the idea of fucking a line of strangers for two weeks in a row scared the hell out of her.

  Still...knowing a mating heat was coming did not sit well, even if she was going to drug up and numb herself out through the whole ordeal. To her, it was like having minor surgery. And she wanted her best friend by her side as she went through it.

  Actually, to be honest, her best friend was her sister Brynn. But since Brynn was also about to go through her heat and she had Gannon the super wolf to fuck through it, Brynn had taken the path of more sex.

  So had Dane, Brynn and Rhea’s brother, who happened to be Rhea’s second choice of person to hold her hand while she lived through this era. But, alas, Dane’s mate, Ari, was also going through her mating heat.

  It was like a mating heat-palooza out there, which sucked for Rhea since it took her two best friends out of the equation for the next couple weeks. And so she had only one true friend left she knew she could always count on.

  She swiped up her phone and dialed a number she knew by heart. When an answer came within three rings, her heart thumped hard in her chest. It was really going to happen. She was really about to experience her first mating heat. And she was scared out of her mind.

  “I need you,” she said. “Can you come?”

  ***

  Brick parked his piece of junk Ford Explorer at the curb in front of Shaw and Riley Griffin’s home. His hand shook slightly as he pulled his key from the ignition, which made absolutely no sense to him. Why was he so nervous? Rhea had only called him over for moral support, friendly companionship, and all around boredom killer. Since he was an awesome conversationalist, if he did say so himself, he didn’t blame her for that. Not at all.

  But when she’d told him her heat was coming, for a brief second there he’d thought...hoped...dreamed...maybe she wanted him for...physical reasons. Fucking Rhea Griffin through her mating heat would’ve been—yep, he had to shiver too hard from longing to even complete that delicious thought. That honor was just too unheard of, which was probably why it wasn’t happening, and he was only here in the capacity of BFF. And nothing else.

  Sadly, it had never been like that between them. Sure, he’d been in love with her since about thirty seconds after he’d met her. Shaw had just driven him into Locks Hollow and his family was there to welcome him home. Brick’s life had been the lowest of lows at that point. He’d been shunned by his mother, mocked by his peers, and almost killed by Hunters.

  But then Shaw had introduced Brick to his triplet children—Brynn, Dane, and Rhea—and somehow Rhea had seen all the pain and fear and loneliness inside him. She’d stepped forward and pulled him into a sympathetic hug, telling him everything was going to be better now.

  He’d drawn in her evergreen scent and fallen flat in love with her. She’d been his best friend ever since. If she had ever hinted that she’d wanted anything more from him, he would’ve been all over that. He would’ve claimed her, mated her and had half a dozen little baby shifters with her by now. But Rhea just didn’t think of him that way.

  So, when she’d asked him to bring his Xbox over and keep him company for the next couple of weeks, he hadn’t been surprised. Just a tad disappointed.

  Still flattered that she’d even contacted him and no one else, he whistled as he strolled up the front walk, with his Xbox and half a dozen cables and wires stuffed in a box under his arm.

  After ringing the bell, he turned to eye the Griffin’s immaculate lawn, remembering how many times he’d come over here in his teen years to hang out with the triplets. It seemed like so long ago, and here he’d heard both Dane and Brynn were mated off these days.

  Behind him, the door came open. He turned, expecting Rhea but found her father instead, giving him an odd glance.

  He and Shaw had always had a strange relationship. Brick would be forever grateful to the human for saving his life that fateful day years ago, but Shaw had never seemed to like Brick in return. It was as if he knew exactly what Brick wanted to do to his baby girl. And he most definitely did want to do it. A lot. And in all different positions and places and—

  Then again, Brick had also gotten off on aggravating the poor man for some reason. He just couldn’t help himself. It was so easy for him to p
iss Shaw Griffin off, and since Shaw was such a stoic, unemotional guy, that felt sort of like an honor to Brick.

  “Hello, Mr. Griffin, sir.” Brick respectfully pulled his arms behind his back and treated Shaw to a tight, formal nod, to which Shaw scowled back.

  “Lowery,” he groused. “What’re you doing here?”

  Flashing the brightest grin he could manage, Brick answered, “Rhea called.”

  Face draining of color, Shaw stared out at him a good twenty seconds before croaking. “She did? I thought...I thought...She said she was going to do the injections.”

  With a lazy shrug, Brick said, “Meh. She must’ve changed her mind then, because I’m here to fuck your daughter senseless for the next two weeks straight in your basement. So...if you wouldn’t mind stepping aside, sir...” He tipped his head, motioning for the older man to get out of his way.

  Shaw just stared at him, his jaw going hard, and eyes flint silver like daggers. “Over my dead body,” he uttered in a deadly soft voice.

  Unable to prolong the joke, Brick threw back his head and laughed. “Oh, my God. Relax, old man. And get your pervy head out of the gutter.” He pulled his gaming system out from behind his back. “I’m here to keep her company while she goes through her confinement.”

  “You are such a little shit,” Shaw muttered, his jaw still taut though his shoulders had relaxed with relief.

  Brick flashed him a flirtatious grin. “And yet you haven’t killed me yet; so somewhere in there, you must love me, anyway.”

  “I wouldn’t count on it, kid. I may kill you yet.”

  “Dad?” the most beautiful voice in the world called from inside the house, interrupting their conversation. The tenor made something inside Brick stir, and his bear lifted its head, its ears perked and anxious to hear her again. “Is that Brick I heard?”

  “Yes,” Brick answered for her dad, learning past Shaw to holler into the house. “I’m here for you, baby.”

  Shaw scowled at Brick and shoved on his shoulder, trying to push the bear back onto the porch. But Rhea appeared in the foyer behind him, and everything in Brick focused on her. He didn’t even hear her father’s low warning growl.

  Seriously, for a human, Shaw Griffin had some freaky animalist qualities.

  “Oh, Lord. Daddy, let him in already. I invited him here.”

  “Him?” Shaw turned to arch her an incredulous glance. “You could’ve had anyone come stay with you during the next few weeks, and you chose him?”

  “Hell, yes she did.” Brick nudged Shaw out of the way and stepped into the foyer. “Because the lady’s got taste.” Sweeping her up with one arm, he pulled Rhea off her feet and hugged her close, making her amazing tits smash against his hard chest, as he spun her in a circle. Her familiar evergreen scent enveloped him, and he grew a little stiffer in his pants, just as he always did when she was near.

  “Hey there, sexy kitten.” Sniffing at her neck as he set her back on the ground, he took a deep breath and shook his head. “I don’t smell any funky pheromones yet. Are you really about to begin your heat, or did you just want me to come over and...play?”

  When he sent her a lascivious wink, she rolled her eyes and slapped his arm, even though she grinned the whole time. She loved it when he flirted and over exaggerated his affection for her, but she never took it seriously. “Oh, behave. Dad really does know how to dispose of a body.”

  As she hooked her arm though his and pulled him away, deeper into the house, Shaw growled after him. “I’d listen to the girl, Lowery. She knows what the hell she’s talking about. Just ask her first boyfriend...if you ever find him. Which you won’t.”

  Brick merely glanced at the human over his shoulder and blew the older man a kiss before a chuckling Rhea yanked him around a corner and down a hall. “You just can’t help egging him on, can you?”

  “What?” Brick asked innocently. “He loves it.”

  “God. You’re thirty-two years old, Brick Lowery. When are you ever going to grow up?”

  “Whenever you admit you’re madly in love with me,” he answered and accentuated exactly how immature he was when he smacked her tight ass as he followed her down a staircase into the basement den.

  “Keep on dreaming, big boy.” She laughed some more as she turned around to punch him lightly in the chest. “And hands to yourself.”

  “Hey, my fingers slipped.” He lifted his hand in surrender only to reach out and tickle her with his free arm that wasn’t holding his Xbox. When she screamed out yet another laugh and tried to wiggle free, he captured her under his elbow and refused to stop tickling her...anything to keep his hands on her. “Oh, sorry,” he kept saying. “They slipped again.”

  “Brick,” she shouted and finally elbowed him in the gut to break free. Breathing hard from her struggles, she shoved her messy hair out of her face and sent him a feral glare. “You really are too much sometimes.”

  He grinned and shrugged, slipping his hand into his pockets. “But you still love me.”

  “I don’t know why.” Turning away, she strolled to the television and turned it on as if ready to set up his gaming system that second.

  But hearing her admit that she did love him—in any capacity, even just as a friend—stirred up his bear. It didn’t help when she bent over, messing with the wiring in back of the entertainment system, and showed him just how nicely the back of her blue jeans stretched over her perfect ass.

  His cock hardened, and he shifted his weight from one leg to another to readjust himself. As she straightened and turned around, he dropped his hand from his crotch, sending her an innocent smile.

  “Ready to set this baby up already?” he asked. “I guess now I know exactly why you called me over. You just wanted me for my toys.”

  Chapter Two

  Sometimes Brick could act the part of the annoying pest a little too strongly, but at least Rhea knew she wouldn’t be bored for the next couple of weeks. She was already glad she’d chosen him. Her nerves had dissipated the moment he’d hugged her upstairs. His embrace had been warm and safe. Comforting. And his company would be full of entertainment.

  “Just bring that Xbox over here already?” she demanded, motioning him forward.

  “Yes, ma’am,” he murmured in his flirty voice, but instead of making her want to roll her eyes, the sound stirred something deep in the pit of her stomach.

  He sauntered forward, his large muscle-packed body surprisingly graceful for a bear. Brick had always been attractive. After he’d grown into some of his body parts, he’d probably become the best-looking boy in their class. But his looks had never made her want to reach out and just stroke his skin before...not like they did now.

  An intense tingling spread up the insides of her legs as he drew close and knelt beside her, setting his gaming system between them.

  With his head bent slightly and his attention in the cardboard box as he fished around for the right cables he needed, she studied the side of his face, suddenly wanting to just...lick him.

  “Okay, we need to plug this one in first, into the...” His words drifted off as he lifted his face. Nostrils flaring, he gazed at her for a moment before his eyes fell to her lips.

  When heat flooded her from head to toe, her sex cramped and went moist. He dropped his attention even lower to her breasts where they strained against her shirt, the nipples poking out the front of the pale cotton.

  A hoarse groan left his throat. Lifting his hand slowly, he reached out a single digit and barely brushed the back of his index finger over the thin material. If he’d have licked her bare, straining nipple and then bitten it, Rhea didn’t think she would’ve felt the impact of his touch any more intensely than she did now.

  With a moan, she threw back her head and squeezed her eyes shut. Heat pulsed between her legs. She wanted him there. Right now. Inside her. Deep, so deep inside her.

  As if reading her mind, Brick asked, “Have you ever wondered what my cock would feel like buried in your pussy?” His voi
ce was low and raspy. It shot another sizzling current of electricity through her.

  Meeting his gaze, she opened her mouth to tell him—beg, demand, whatever it took—to take off his clothes and get inside of her that very instant. But her mother’s voice at the top of the stairs made her jolt and wrench herself away from him.

  He stepped back too and glanced away guiltily, just as Riley Griffin popped her head out of the stairwell and joined them in the den. “Rhea, dinner’s ready if you’re—oh! Brick, you’re already here. Good. You’re welcome to dinner too, dear.”

  He cleared his throat and bowed his head. “Thanks, Mrs. G. I’d love some. Can’t feed a bear like me enough, you know.”

  “Well, both of you come on up.”

  When Brick moved to follow her as Rhea’s mother started back up the stairs, Rhea hesitated, glancing at Brick’s perfect form. Now that he was all the way across the room, she didn’t want him quite as badly.

  And it struck her what had just happened. Shit. Her mating heat really was starting.

  “Mom?” she called, her voice trembling slightly. “I think...I think I should have my first injection now.”

  Brick tensed and paused, but he didn’t turn to look at her.

  Eyes wide with surprise, her mother did turn around, though. “Oh! Really? Damn, I wish females could smell another female’s heat. I would’ve already known that. I’m sorry, honey. Let’s get you taken care of, then.” As she came back down the steps, she glanced at Brick.

  He refused to meet her gaze as he shrugged. “I must be too diluted of a shifter to notice it yet.”

  Rhea knew he was lying; he’d definitely felt something. He’d been just as ready to get kinky as she’d been. She waited a second before her mother entered the back room before meeting Brick’s dark gaze and mouthing the word, “Liar.”