Desired by the Bear - Book 1: BBW Werebear Shifter Romance Page 8

  This is more than I had in mind, and I say, “C’mon, Tally, we’ve got work to do.” I grab her arm to pull her away.

  She whispers even though she knows every werebear in the place can hear her, “Was that the wrong thing to say? I mean, brick houses are solid. He took it as a compliment, right?”

  I glare at her as she blushes. I think she knows I can see through her game. I’ve played a few of those myself. I bring her over to the mats, and a jump rope is slick in my hand when I take it from the shelf. I’d toss it to her, but I saw how she fumbled her coat, so I hand it to her instead. I grab one for myself and tell her to start jumping.

  While I realize Tally doesn’t exercise, I thought jump roping was easy. Apparently not, because she keeps tripping. And I clearly underestimated the level of her fitness when I notice she’s out of breath in less than thirty seconds. One of the first things a trainer learns is to make sure your client can do the tasks you give them. Since I’ve never worked with an out-of-shape human before, I realize I have to step back. I say, “Not bad. Let’s go over to the elliptical and try that now.”

  I set her up on the machine for twenty minutes at a pace she can handle. But more importantly, I make sure she has a good view of the sparring ring. Judging by the way she licks her lips and sighs watching nearly naked men sweating and punching each other, I’m sure this is Tally’s idea of a good time. As she works out I go to the office to find her a water bottle and sweat towel.

  René is at the desk, and he glances up at me with a grin. “Taking on human clients now. You must be bored.”

  “No. I’m worried. Tally is in danger with hunters being around, and I’m trying to give her every chance possible to defend herself.”

  “But can’t she just throw magic at anything that gets in her way?”

  “Yes, and that’s the first thing a hunter would try to disable. They may not get werebear completely, but everyone understands witches.”

  René nods at me. “Smart.” He glances past me at Tally moving along at a leisurely pace. She’s smoothing out her hair and preening as if she’s trying to decide which man she’ll take home. René chuckles before he says, “I hope you have months to train her.”

  I sigh. “Yeah.” An idea comes to me, and I ask, “Hey, don’t you teach a self-defense class?”

  “I do,” says René. “Would you like me to work with Tally for you?”

  “Yes. I hate to say it, but I’m not sure she’ll ever achieve the strength and finesse to fight off a hunter.”

  “Don’t you worry. I have a few tricks up my sleeve for women like Tally. It’s not all about muscle, you know.”

  I smile at René. He, like every other member of the Ouellette clan, knows Tally, and I’m sure he’ll get my joke when I say, “It is for her.”

  René stands and waggles his eyebrows at me as he flexes his arms. “Let’s go give your friend what she wants.”

  I roll my eyes at him before I lead the way over to Tally. When we get there I say, “Time’s up. René’s going to teach us some moves.”

  Tally’s face is red from exertion, and she sucks hard on the water bottle I hand her. She fans herself as she scans René with her gaze. “What have you got for me?” she asks in a tone that makes it clear she’s not too tired to flirt.

  René flirts right back. “Come on over here, and I’ll show you.”

  I mumble to myself, “Me and my great ideas.”

  Fortunately René showing Tally self-defense moves is a good idea. By the end of their hour together Tally has a few maneuvers she can use to escape a strong hunter, as long as he doesn’t fight back. My friend has a long way to go, but René does such a good job with her I suggest she book him for more sessions. While it wasn’t my plan to hand off Tally’s training to someone else, I think I’m the wrong person for this job. Tally clearly has a weakness for werebear men, and any good warrior knows one should use things like that to their advantage.

  After our workout is done I take her to the doughnut shop as promised. The bell on the door jingles when we step out onto the street with a bag of baked goods. “You know,” Tally says with a mouthful of pastry, “you and I should probably train with magic today too. I’ve heard rumors the hunters are working with witches now.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me. Have you told Jean-Luc?”

  “I mentioned it. But he didn’t seem as concerned as he should be.”

  Considering what I saw today she might be right, and I make a note to talk to Jean Luc about her vulnerability. I say, “That’s because he knows you’re the best.” Sugary jelly oozes into my mouth as I bite into a doughnut.

  “I am one of the best.” Her tone is serious when she adds, “But even I don’t know everything.”

  My car door clicks open as I gaze at my friend. She’s scowling, and I wonder what’s troubling her. I ask, “What’s wrong?”

  She sighs. “I was thinking about the piece of sea glass. Last night I cast an origin spell on it, and it gave me a strange message. One I can’t figure out.”

  My seat belt snaps shut, and I ask, “Want to tell me about it?”

  “I was a girl on a boat. I’d guess I went back to the late 1800s based on the heavy clothing I was wearing.” Tally sips on her coffee before she says, “The signal lantern Grace told us about had broken on the deck. There was a storm, and the boat was in trouble. When it violently tilted to the side I was thrown into the ocean, and I drowned.”

  Tally shudders, and I flash back to the fateful day I would have drowned if Jean Luc hadn’t saved me. I say, “That’s awful. You have no idea what it means?”

  “Not a clue. No, that’s not true. I also saw a girl...” Tally reaches into the paper bag and pulls out another treat. “I hate when I can’t figure something out, because I haven’t got anyone who knows more about these things than I do.”

  I know Tally has a group of witch friends she gets together with, and if she doesn’t think they can help her with this problem, then I’m troubled too. I say, “I guess being the best can be a burden.”

  Tally gives me her cocky smile, but it appears strained as she reaches over and puts her tiny hand on top of mine. “We all have our cross to bear, Izzy. How is your mood today?”

  It’s just like my friend to push her problems away and worry about me instead. “Can I have another doughnut?” I ask. “So far it’s been a great day. Your tea relaxed me enough I had a decent night’s sleep.” It’s true. I didn’t wake up once with worry over my mental health.

  “That’s good to hear, but I’m sure I didn’t cure you, so don’t start keeping things from me.”

  “I won’t.” As the road hums under the tires and sugar rushes to my bloodstream I think about my mental state. While I’m fine right now, I can’t predict if something might set me off. I recall how yesterday I dropped a glass, and when it shattered I let out a roar of anger that took me by surprise. I wanted to rip the rack out of the dishwasher and heave it across the kitchen. I managed to talk myself down, but I wonder if the day I can’t maintain control is going to return. I shoot Tally a smile. “Let’s go back to your house and practice some magic.”

  17

  Izzy

  After Tally and I worked our bodies at the gym we returned to her house, where she’ll work my mind, or more specifically, my magic. One of the things I’ve been struggling with in my mystical training is learning to throw powerful bursts of energy that can stun or disable an attacker. Because the bursts crackle and emit flashes of light, I’ve nicknamed them fireballs. I’m not sure why, but I can’t seem to focus my magic to make them bigger than a pebble. And the intensity of the zap barely makes someone flinch.

  Tally takes me out to her backyard, which resembles the beginning of a jungle. She claims it’s her herb garden, and I don’t argue with her. She says, “Since you’re at your strongest right now, let start off with the fireballs.”

  I groan, because I think this is payback for making her sweat. I say, “Hey, do you think I
need to be careful because of the babies?”

  Tally shakes her head. “They’re safe for a while longer. Once you start to show, though, we’ll need to be cautious.”

  I close my eyes to focus my mind. Tally tells me I need to get in tune with nature, so I sniff the air and think about the wind on my face, and I imagine drawing power up from the ground through my feet. When I open my eyes I throw out my hand and extend my fingers to shoot the energy forward. A tiny zap sounds as a grape-sized ball lobs forward. “Pathetic,” I say.

  “Something’s blocking you, Izzy, because you have the strength to blast cannonballs,” says Tally.

  I hate not being good at something when I’m trying my hardest, and I huff. “Nothing is blocking me. I don’t believe I have the ability.”

  Tally moves to stand in front of me. “Don’t be such a wimp.” She extends her pinky finger and shoots a ball at me.

  It’s small, but the zing when it hits me feels as if she threw a dart in my chest. “Ouch! What did you do that for?”

  Tally’s face is hard lines as her eyes flash, and she backs up. “You’re not trying. Hit me.”

  The rumble of my bear vibrates in my chest, and I throw a fireball at her. This time it’s bigger than before, but it hasn’t got enough velocity and falls at her feet.

  “You’re right. You are pathetic,” says Tally. Her tone is taunting.

  “When did you become a mean girl?”

  She mimics me in a high voice, and now I growl. Bitch. I let my anger build, and this time my zap has some punch to it.

  Tally blocks my power easily with an invisible shield that makes it ricochet back and land on the ground halfway between us before it rolls to a stop. I smile. “Better, right?”

  My friend isn’t impressed, and she raises an eyebrow at me. “No.” She barks out. “Try again!” She zaps me in the thigh and it makes me stagger back from the impact.

  Wow, I’m not sure what’s gotten into her, because she’s starting to piss me off. “Fine.” I grunt as I give my burst all I’ve got.

  It’s not any more powerful than the last one, and Tally begins to laugh. She shakes her head and says, “I give up. You don’t have the mental strength to get this.” Tally turns her back to me and begins to walk away.

  Did she just call me stupid? I know what my friend is doing, but it still works. Red seeps into my vision as my skin prickles with my bear. My growl gets loud, and I jerk my arm out to throw a fireball. Electricity crackles as it leaves my hand, and this time it’s the size of a softball and has a kick.

  Tally turns quickly and blocks my fireball to send it up in the air. Before I can gloat, she throws a hard one my way. I didn’t expect retaliation, and I manage to avoid it in the nick of time. It I hadn’t, it would have knocked me over. I ask, “What the hell?”

  My friend’s face is glowing with her power now, and she ignores my question as she stalks toward me. I’ve never seen this side of her, and it’s unnerving. Tally surprises me as she begins to let loose rapid-fire power. I move quickly to set up my shield, and her fireballs sizzle and crack as they hit it at a relentless pace. Crap. I don’t know this version of Tally. My heart pounds against my chest as I scramble to hold my barrier. My panic turns to anger, and my warrior side takes over. I let the adrenaline surge fuel me and manage to release my shield quickly enough to throw my own power back as I dodge hers.

  Yes! My fireballs are gaining in speed and intensity, and Tally has to slow down to field them between her shots. Suddenly her shield shimmers with a silver cast, and she emits a high-pitched scream that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. A fireball the size of a small car flies at me, and I dive to avoid it. It hits my shoulder and makes me stumble back. I land on my butt so hard the impact rattles my teeth, and it turns my anger into rage. I let out a roar as I scramble to my feet and charge her with both barrels blasting.

  My power is strong, and I don’t stop shooting or running until I’m a foot from her blockade. It hums before me as I pummel it with my bursts. I’m so mad I want to hurt her. I waver, and my shots stutter. This is Tally. When I stop she screams. “Bring it, bitch!” Since my previous attempts didn’t scratch the surface of her protective wall I realize I can’t hurt her, so I channel my rage at her. I can’t maintain my assault for long, though. And as my energy begins to ebb so does my anger. I sink to my knees as my powerballs shrink to pebble-sized bursts, and finally I sit in exhaustion.

  The buzzing of Tally’s shield ceases, and she runs over to me and slaps my back. “Now that’s what I’m talking about!”

  Lifting my gaze to her takes effort, and I ask, “What?”

  Tally morphs from evil witch to goofy friend as she begins to wave her arms. “First you were like -- eh.” She throws a series of punches. “And then you were all -- ooof.” Tally bounces on her feet as she executes a few karate chops. “And then you were--” She swings her leg in a roundhouse kick that has enough force she looses her balance, and Tally stumbles as she says, “frigging awesome!”

  I chuckle. “And you were mean.”

  “No.” Tally sinks down to the ground to sit cross-legged in front of me. She says, “I was effective.”

  “You knocked me over.”

  “Poor baby.” Her tiny hand pats my leg. “Maybe it knocked some sense into you, because when you get mad you’re amazing.”

  I smile, because I finally did it. “I was pretty awesome, wasn’t I?”

  “And something else just happened.” I frown at her as she crosses her arms and gloats. “You lost your temper, but it didn’t consume you.”

  I think about how I focused my anger on fighting. “I did want to hurt you.” But I stopped. Oh my god. I was in the middle of a rage, and I managed to stop. The old Isabelle in danger of losing her mind wouldn’t have been able to do that, because my temper tantrums used to make me completely unhinged. Maybe the curse really is broken.

  “Yeah?” asks Tally. “Well I did hurt you, so that’s fair.”

  I shake my head. “But you’re human. If I actually hit you--” I think about what would happen if Tally were to suffer a severe injury. With my werebear powers I can recover from almost anything, but Tally can’t. Suddenly my lungs feel empty, and I gasp for air. One swipe across her chest from a werebear, and my best friend would die. While I’ve always understood the weakness of being human, I realize now I actually care what happens to one of them.

  I stop my negative thoughts. Tally is a kick-ass witch, and she has the ability to create a protective shield and hold it for hours. She does have a chance against werebear with her magic. A chill runs down my spine. But what about other witches? What if a group of them gang up on her? My stomach clenches with fear for my friend. I trap her hand between mine and squeeze tight.

  “Ouch. Izzy, that hurts.”

  “Tally, tell me more about the rumors that the hunters have witches. And more importantly, what I need to learn to help you fight them.”

  18

  Nadia

  When we get in the SUV that came to pick up Darin and me, it takes me about five minutes to fall asleep. After a long day of fighting the bad guys I’m exhausted enough to sleep hard, and I don’t wake until we get to our destination, Orono, Maine. We’re at the alpha’s compound, where a dormitory was built to accommodate the arrival of the De Rozier clan when we first arrived.

  I blink to clear my vision as I gaze out at the buildings lit up in the darkness, and before I can open my door, someone does it for me. “Thank god you’re okay,” says Annie, Tristan’s wife and the prima of my clan. She’s a black bear from the Le Roux clan, who saved us, and she tugs me out of the car and into an embrace. “I’ve been worried sick about you. Come on into the house, and let’s feed you.”

  Annie is the kind of woman who wants to take care of everyone, and right now I’m happy to let her. She hugs Darin and then leads us toward the back entrance of her house. In the car I kicked off the too-small flip-flops I was wearing, and grass is wet u
nder my feet as I walk. The aroma of coffee and bacon fills my nose, and I almost groan in appreciation. We enter a mudroom area that has hooks on the wall for werebear to put their clothes when they want to shift and run. Annie grabs a pair of shorts and tosses them to Darin without a word.

  I keep walking into Annie’s kitchen. The pale-yellow walls glow with warmth in the light, and I spy platters of bacon and sausage on the table. Darin joins me as I sit, and Annie gives us coffee before she begins to make us omelets. Eggs crack as she says, “Tristan will be right down, and then you can tell us everything.”

  I glance up to my alpha as he enters the room. Tristan’s tall and very attractive, with pale polar bear coloring, but he’s also got an intimidating presence that keeps women from flirting with him if he doesn’t want it. He walks over and kisses Annie on the cheek before he turns to us. “What do you know?”

  The coffee pot clatters as Annie grabs it to pour a cup for Tristan, and he takes it before he sits to listen to Darin and me relay information. When we finish the story Tristan says to me, “There’s a press conference tomorrow where you’ll step down as the Ice Queen. You’ve had a family emergency that requires you to stay close to home. We’ve leaked that your mother is dying.”

  I lost my parents over a decade ago, and I nod as sadness for the end of my career washes over me. I was sure this was going to happen, but the finality of it hurts. While the fame I had was stifling in ways, being a model was also the best job I’ve ever had. I’m going to miss being loved by complete strangers, coveted by men I’ve never met, and treated like royalty wherever I go. I clear my throat and say, “I’d like to be a warrior again if I can.”

  Tristan rolls his coffee mug in his hands as if he’s considering what to say. I have no doubt he’s got a plan for me, and my hands get clammy as I wait for him to tell me what it is. “You are a good fighter, Nadia, but I fear you’re too easy to recognize.”