Page 14 of Shared By the Werebears
“Maybe we ought to go get them, Ronan,” Finn said. “I mean, what have we got to lose? I’m really afraid the next time I Shift, I won’t be able to get back out of my Fur Form,” he added. “What can be worse than getting stuck as a Beast permanently like Thorne did?”
“Death would be worse,” Ronan snapped. It was clear he didn’t trust either Goody A or myself. He glared at us. “How do we know you’re not just tricking us?”
Goody A began to look angry.
“Now why would I try to trick you? I don’t evenknowyou two! It’s the middle of the night and I’mtryingto be helpful.”
“Maybe you’re just acting helpful so we’ll trust you and trust the Succubus too,” Ronan accused her. “That way she can get us alone and fuckingdrainus.”
I drew myself up and started to say something but Goody A beat me to it.
“I’ll have you know that Goldie is onlyhalf-Succubus and she’s very careful when she chooses a partnernotto drain him,” she snapped. “She’s an upstanding member of his community and she has been foryears.I would trust her with my life and I won’t hear you saying nasty, untrue things about her!”
Ronan looked taken aback and Finn looked embarrassed.
“We’re sorry, Goody Albright,” he said. “It’s just that Werebears are solitary creatures. We’re not very trusting of magic users.”
To my surprise, Ronan apologized too. He inclined his head to Goody Albright and said,
“If I have offended, then I am sorry.” He turned to me. “But youdidadmit to doing a lust spell to draw us in.”
“I was trying to draw one or twowillingmales who wouldn’t mind helping me feed my craving,” I pointed out. “I didn’t know the magical lust tea I drank would draw the two of youspecifically.”
“So youadmityou want to feed on us!” Ronan exclaimed triumphantly.
“I admit that I wanted to have sex with you—both of you,” I added, nodding at Finn as well—who went adorably beet red. “Not to drain you—just to recharge my batteries, so to speak. But now I may have changed my mind. If I wanted to sleep with a prickly, rude, ignorant man I could have just gone to the Human World to find one!”
This insult clearly stung—no magical Creature wants to be compared with a human.
“You’d better watch your mouth, Succubus,” Ronan growled at me.
Finn put a hand on his arm.
“Come on, Ronan—she’s right. You’re being an ass. Goldie might have called us here to, uh, help feed her cravings…” He turned red again as he talked, but kept going. “But she listened to our problem and now she’s trying to help us. You can’t distrusteveryoneor we’ll never get anywhere in breaking the curse.”
“Well…all right.” Ronan looked at me. “I’m sorry. I’ve just heard a lot of bad stories about Succubusses. Or Succubi. Or whatever.”
“As Goodie A pointed out I’m onlyhalf-Succubus. I can and do control myself,” I said firmly. “I’ve never drained a partner to the point of death in my life. Having sex with someone like me is like giving blood—you only give a pint to help the person in need—not every drop of blood in your body. And of course, the more people who give blood, the less they each have to give to the friend they’re helping.”
“Meaning you want us to, uh, share you?” Finn’s eyebrows shot up and his cheeks went red all over again.
Ronan frowned.
“We don’t do that. We’veneverdone that.”
“Well…” I shrugged. “There’s a first time for everything, boys.”
Goody A cleared her throat.
“I do believe we are getting off the subject here. If the three of you are going to go on this quest, I recommend you start at once.’
I frowned.
“What—like tonight?”
“Yes, tonight,” she said firmly. “When setting of on a magical venture, it’s best to follow through as soon as you make the intention. If you wait around too long, Madam Locasta may catch wind of your intent. Not because anyone would say anything,” she added quickly. “But because that’s just how magic works. Intentions become actions which lead to consequences.”
“So it’s better to get ahead of the consequences before they happen?” Finn asked.
