Fated Shifter Mates Page 2

  “Bastard,” Drew muttered as he pulled his phone out.

  "And this," said Cole loudly, "is the Sheriff's and Town Clerk's office." The office door swung open once more, and I swear every pair of eyes fell on Ellie Harper.

  Ellie stared at us as if she’d never seen four men in the same room together.

  “Well,” said Marcus, “who is this?”

  “This is our newest guest, Ellie Harper,” said Cole, narrowing his eyes at Marcus. “Ellie, this is our local game warden, Marcus Clark.”

  “Another Clark man in uniform,” she mused.

  “At your service.”

  “I suppose you are another cousin?”

  “Guilty. Now I see why smoke rose from the chimney of the Moose cottage this morning.”

  “Moose cottage?” said Ellie. “There’s not a moose head hanging on the wall, is there? I couldn’t stay in a cottage with a dead thing staring at me.”

  “Sure, there is,” said Drew brightly. Cole gave him a cutting glance that would have shut up any smart person.

  "We'll make sure," I said, "that we'll take it down for the duration. It's our nicest cottage, and we wouldn't want you to miss that. Marcus, on your way out to patrol, can you stop by and take the moose head down?"

  “Sure, Zain, no problem.” He gave Cole a smug smile that said ‘Hey, I’m scoring points with the lady.’ Cole, standing behind Ellie, bared his teeth.

  “Thank you, Marcus,” I said. “That will be helpful. Cole, do you need help with the supplies?”

  “No,” he said. “I’m good.”

  “I’ll give you a hand anyway. Drew, print out the new most-wanteds and post them. I’m going to check out Marcus’ concern on the trail.”

  “I’ll go with,” said Drew. “I’ve sat in the office too long.”

  “No. I’m fine. Someone has to man the office while Mrs. Ahern is out. And tell the sheriff of Dunlop County that you’ll go help them out.”

  “Wait? What’s the catch?”

  “No catch. We’re just showing solidarity for our brothers in law enforcement.” I pulled my trooper hat off the hat rack. “Call me if anything happens.”

  “Yeah,” said Marcus. “Let us know about your new high score on Warcraft.”

  “You wish you could do as well at Warcraft.”

  “Bye, Drew,” I said.

  “So,” said Ellie as we walked the hallway to the front of the store. “All of you are cousins? And you live together?”

  “The lodge,” said Cole, “is part of the family trust. Clarks have lived on the land for one hundred and twenty-five years.”

  “That’s impressive. I haven’t lived anywhere—well never mind. The pictures on your website are gorgeous. I can’t wait to see it.”

  “I look forward to showing you around,” said Cole.

  Damn, Mr. Charm had zeroed in on her already. For reasons beyond my understanding, this time I mind. This is not like me at all. And then me sending Drew off to the motorcycle rally? Why the hell would I do that?

  “Cole,” I said, “how are the repairs going on the cabins?”

  “Fine, Zain. We have weeks before Memorial Day.”

  “Is that when your usual season starts?” asks Ellie.

  "Our summer season. We have the hunting season and ski season and keep busy in various parts of the year. The middle of January and February is when we get snowed in, and the cabins need a little TLC after they've been vacant during the winter."

  “Yeah,” chuckled Marcus. “We have to de-critter them.”

  “De-critter?”

  "Deep woods version of decluttering," said Cole. "Don't worry. Your cabin is cleaned and ready."

  We all hauled boxes of groceries to the truck. I couldn't help but watch Ellie-- her smile, how her body moved, and the bear inside me rumbled his approval of this woman. This was not the right time for my animal self to rouse from his winter hibernation and take notice. I'm the Alpha, the leader of the clan, but I always was calmest during winter hibernation when my beast slept and waited for spring. But Ellie roused him in a way other women hadn't.

  I was in big trouble.

  Marcus

  “I’m chasing a fawn,” I said, “to get her out of Mr. Russo’s pasture, and she runs me up one side and down the other. She refused to exit the fence hole she came in.”

  “So, what did you do?” said Ellie. I’m impressed a city girl is interested in stories of my mundane profession. Most days the most interesting thing I do is move a turtle across the road or write tickets for illegal hunting or fishing.

  “Mr. Russo and I made a corral with leftover fencing. Between us and his dog, we urged the fawn out of the pasture.”

  “And I’m sure old man Russo was very grateful,” said Cole sarcastically. Mr. Russo was a known curmudgeon.

  “Gee,” said Drew, “and no blackberries in season as a reward.”

  My cousins guffawed, and I shook my head. Last year, a similar thing happened but, in the summer, when Russo’s blackberry bushes had fruit, and I plucked a few. I was idiot enough to mention it to my so called “friends” here. and Drew crafted it into a standing joke.

  “So, what’s your line of work?” I asked Ellie, trying to turn the conversation away from me. In truth, this charming creature with her brown eyes and her blonde hair had me captivated, and I wanted Ellie for myself. My cousins felt like third, fourth and fifth wheels.

  “Ghostwriter. I write books for other authors.”

  “You mean celebrities?”

  She shook her head.

  “Fiction. The publishing industry has evolved so quickly, the modern high-volume author can’t put out enough books to satisfy demand, so that’s where I come in.”

  “How?” said Drew.

  She broke apart her roll and buttered it, one side then the other, weighing her words.

  "An author contracts me to write a book to a certain length on a certain theme. Either she gives me an outline, or I write one and submit it for approval. Then I write the book.”

  “But your name isn’t on the cover?”

  “In most cases, no.”

  “That not right,” said Drew. “Another person takes credit for your work.”

  “Writing the draft is the first step. The author who buys it will edit for tone and style. Rewrites sometimes take as much work as writing the book. Then they’ll send it to an editor for another round of edits. If they are indie publishing it, they contract a cover and pay for marketing and spend time promoting the book. The post-writing process can take as many or more hours than the actual writing. And you still haven’t seen a single dime of book sales, except an advance which they probably paid to me. Me? I take my money and move onto my next story.”

  She bit into the roll and her eyes closed, and she sighed. “Delicious.”

  “But,” said Drew, like a dog with a bone. “No one knows it’s you who wrote it. Don’t you want that?”

  Her face turned sad, and I could kick Drew for poking her in places she didn’t want to go.

  “No. I don’t need fame. I enjoy writing, and,” her face brightened, “I’m one of the lucky few that can say that I make a living at it. So there.” She waved one-half of her roll in the air as if making a point, which she did.

  “Here,” said Drew, ladling another helping of stew into her bowl.

  “No, thank you. I’m not used to eating so much.”

  “How’s the cabin?” I asked. Zain shot me a glance, but yes, I took Bullwinkle from the wall and stuck it in the equipment shed.

  "Oh, but you must have room for dessert," said Cole. "I made an apple cobbler."

  I've watched how Cole has been watching Ellie, and I dislike it. He gets plenty of action from other guests. It's time for him to share the wealth.

  “You know what would help,” I said. “A nice walk by the lake to walk off dinner. Might make room for dessert.”

  My cousins gave me hard stares, but I can’t help it if they didn’t think about a moonlight s
troll first.

  “That sounds good,” she agreed.

  Fortunately, it was a warm night, or at least not cold enough to drive us inside. We walked at the water’s edge where the shimmering water lapped at the constructed sand beach. An earlier generation of Clarks built it, and the successive ones maintained it by bringing in a dump truck or two of sand each season.

  The moon was three-quarters full, but it was high in the sky and did not block out the Milky Way. Here, miles away from the light pollutions of the city, the purplish ribbon snakes through the velvet curtain of night. Constellations—the light show of the ages--spread above us in all its majesty. It does a bear shifter’s heart good to walk in such glorious, raw nature.

  “Wow,” said Ellie. “It’s gorgeous here.”

  She stood close enough that I catch the scent of her hair and our arms brush against each other. My bear urges me to put my arm around her, but I don't know how'll she'll respond.

  “What’s that dark spot in the middle of the lake?” she asked.

  “That’s Bear Island.”

  “Oh, doesn’t anyone live there?”

  “Oh yeah. Lions and tigers and bears,” I said.

  She shook her head. “None of you can give a straight answer. It’s always a joke with you.”

  “You got me on the lions and tigers, but I assure you that bears do live there from time to time. Females find the seclusion helpful in raising their cubs until they get old enough to swim to shore."

  “Bears swim?”

  “Like champs. The cubs take to the water quickly, and the calm waters of the lake are the perfect place for them.”

  “Obviously, my city life has left me undereducated in the ways of the wild.”

  “Don’t worry. You have a native guide right here.”

  “Thanks.” Our footsteps crunched in the sand, and then she stopped and gazed toward the water.

  “This is such a peaceful place. I hope I can stay here a while.”

  “You’re welcome to stay as long as you like.”

  “That’s not what I mean, but I appreciate the thought. Say, your cousin is a good cook.”

  “Yeah, we tease him about sending him to Paris to culinary school, but he tells us he can’t bear the thought of us wasting away into skin and bones.”

  “How considerate,” she said drolly.

  “Besides, his girlfriends would miss him too much.”

  The words fell out of my mouth on their own accord like I didn’t have the brain power to stop them.

  “Girlfriends, as in more than one?”

  But if that was bad, my next words just sealed the coffin of being the worst cousin ever.bbbbb

  "I misspoke. Not girlfriends. Rather friends with extreme benefits.”

  Oh, holy hell. Can I make it sound any worse? Cole's girlfriends were all lovely ladies, and I'm making him sound like a man whore. The ladies would come to visit him regularly, but it was pretty apparent that aside from sharing some good times, neither he nor they had much in common.

  I watched Ellie’s emotions tumble on her face, from disappointment to resignation, and I kick my ursine self for poisoning Cole’s well.

  Shouldn’t she know? said a traitorous part of me. With a shock, I realized that these thoughts were coming from my bear, or rather the animal side of me that is in hot competition for this sizzling woman.

  Quiet you, I muttered as if this part of my dualistic nature was separate and apart from my human self. It’s not, but it is a shock when the bear asserts itself, especially after a long, quiet winter.

  “Pardon?” said Ellie.

  “I shouldn’t have said that. About Cole, I mean.”

  Now I’m digging a deeper grave to fall into. Although we lead quiet lives, the bear part of us is promiscuous. As bears are in the wild, we are also, which accounts for our frequent trips to Bangor. So, I have no business calling out Cole’s behavior.

  "Hey," she said gently. "I'm just here to work in a quiet place where I can blot out distractions. I've two books to write and close deadlines, and I won't have time for much else.

  My bear does not like her words and my ursine self seems to grow and command more of my thoughts than I would wish.

  "Are you sure?" I said as I edged closer to her. There is a hairsbreadth between us now, and I stood over her and bent my head to gaze into the chocolate depths of her eyes. The thinking part of my brain took a hike in the woods as I leaned and brushed my lips to hers. Her soft, welcoming lips drew me like a bee to nectar, delicious and captivating.

  I slid my arms around her waist and pulled her close. Her breasts and hips pressed flushed with mine, and the flutter of her heart pounded an urgent rhythm older than time. My tongue swept into her mouth, and hers danced with mine in smoldering desire. My inner bear rumbled his approval.

  Mate.

  I'm too busy to listen to the import of my bear's word, but I second the emotion to get closer to this captivating woman. Our kiss becomes hungry and demanding, and my hands slid to the delicious globes of her ass, giving them a slight squeeze.

  But she pulled away quickly, and I stared at her, aroused and confused about what is happening.

  “What’s that?”

  I shake my head since words seem to have taken a hike along with my thinking brain.

  “That sound. Something snapped.”

  Again, it is my bear that responded to Ellie's alarm, and I turn my head to the direction she pointed, Crinkling my nose, I do catch an unfamiliar scent. It’s human. I have no idea who is spying on us, and I toy with going after him or taking Ellie to safety.

  Safety first.

  “I’ll walk you to your cabin,” I said.

  Drew

  I can’t believe how Cole and Marcus fall over Ellie. Sure. She is gorgeous. Long lashes frame liquid brown eyes set in a heart-shaped face with perfect pink bow lips. Ellie’s blonde mid-length hair touched her graceful shoulders. topping a lean and willowy body. And she’s smart. A writer. You’ve got to admire that.

  It’s difficult to craft stories. I’ve tried but often lose my focus and motivation. That she writes and earns a living from it shows how determined and disciplined Ellie is. The more I learn about her, the more I like her, but my cousins don’t give me an in.

  Right now, Marcus is walking with her by the lake. I suppose I’m glad it’s not Cole because that shifter scores more often than LeBron James. But Stumpy comes a close second. Our Beta is just like any other bear shifter—never met a lady he doesn’t like. Of all of us, he follows his true bear nature most closely. That he doesn’t have a trail of broken hearts in our neck of the woods is due to our reputation as players. The local ladies smile at us indulgently but send us on our way, looking for less feckless hearts on which to hang their star.

  Which was why I asked to go to the Motorbike Festival. In places like that, there were plenty of women who don’t mind getting up close and personal for a night or two. Sure, I’d be on the clock but not twenty-four seven. And when Zain told me to go, I thought it was great until I realized he cut me out of the running for Ellie. Sure, bears are competitive about females, but this was the first time I’d seen Zain’s beast act this territorial over a woman.

  “Who’s supposed to be on patrol here?” he demanded. Instantly, all our heads jerked from what we were doing which revolved around cleaning up after dinner.

  “What’s going on?” rumbled Zain.

  Marcus’ muscles bunched under his shirt as if he was ready to fight, shift or both. Before he could answer, the lodge landline rang, and Cole picked up the phone.

  “There is a trespasser on our land. He was near the lake where Ellie and I walked.”

  “Is Ellie okay?” asked Zain.

  “Yes, I protected her.” Marcus glared at Zain for daring to question him.

  “Well, who’s with her now?” said Zain staring back.

  “She locked her door.”

  “Fine. Drew, you patrol her cabin; you and me, Marcus will che
ck out this intruder.”

  Marcus huffed a rumble from his chest, but he turned and stripped, and Zain and I did the same. In the background, Cole booked another guest, but Zain would have him stay behind. Someone had to secure the lodge especially if an intruder walked our territory.

  We stepped into the night morphing into our bears, our bodies lengthening and expanding, fur bristling from our skin, and claws growing from our nail beds. In our ursine form, our sharp hearing and olfactory senses become razor sharp and we are faster on four legs than two. If someone trespassed on our property, we’d find him.

  Or rather, Zain and Marcus would find them. Those two were fearsome hunters in any shape, man or beast, and they’d sort this out. Me? I’m on guard duty.

  But I don’t mind. It brings me closer to Ellie, and I’m glad to keep an eye on her.

  I paced the perimeter of the cabin snuffling the ground and froze when I picked up an unfamiliar scent. The odor jacks my alert level to high, and I considered calling Zain and Marcus. But I’m more than a match for a single human, and the scent faded anyway. Whoever stood here staring at Ellie’s cabin left hours ago.

  The light in the cabin flickered and spilled onto the front porch. A few minutes later, a teapot whistled. She must be exhausted, wanting to sleep and yet too keyed up to relax and close her eyes. My bear wants very much to enter that cabin and reassure her everything would be fine, but that wouldn’t work. I barely know her.

  Still, I’m concerned and move closer to the window to make sure she is okay, and that was my mistake. Ellie’s glance flicked to the window, and she shrieked.

  She must have seen me. Idiot me. I ran to the lodge and shifted then skidded into the great room and gathered my clothes.

  Cole poked his head out of the kitchen.

  “What’s going on?"

  “Nothing,” I said

  “Did Zain and Marcus find anything?”

  “No,” I said as I pulled taut the ties on my sneakers. I ran out and headed directly to Ellie’s cabin, hoping that Zain and Marcus were too far away to reach it before me. Surely, they had heard her scream and would come running.

  Breathlessly, I knocked on her door.