Page 31 of The Bear's Forever Mat
It felt as if he was trying to share everything that was important to him and the words kept spilling out.
Amber didn’t want to interrupt, so she held on tight and listened and simply soaked it all in. She fell asleep with his voice in her ears, Cooper murmuring softly about love and family and choices.
A cold wind greeted them in the morning as they prepared for the next stage of the journey, beginning with saying goodbye.
Kaylee gave her a hug. “Stay safe and get in touch when you can. I hope you find Mason soon.”
“Thanks. And you run fast on the way home. You don’t want to get frostbite.”
Lara gave Amber a tackle squeeze before ruffling her hair then pulling her toque back on. “We’ll be fine. We have big polar bears to cuddle with if it gets too cold.”
“My cute furry baby is like the world’s biggest hot water bottle.” Kaylee glanced at Amber. “Remember that. If the weather gets too cold, tell Cooper to shift and use him as your own personal heating device.”
“It’s easier than slicing open a tauntaun,” Lara agreed.
“And they smell much better,” Amber and Kaylee said at the same time before bursting into laughter.
Cooper was saying goodbye to his brothers where they waited beside the wolf pack. He stood patiently while Dixon got in an overzealous hug, then Cooper shook Alex’s hand in a strangely solemn manner.
With a final thanks to the village and the chief, Amber and Cooper were off, skidoos gliding over the shimmering whiteness that stretched as far as the eye could see.
The sun played peekaboo behind the clouds. When it snuck out, Amber was grateful for the sun goggles protecting her from the brilliant glare reflecting off the surfaces all around her. It was like being inside a shiny bowl and having slivers of light shooting at her from every direction.
Shortly after noon they found the first refueling station, filling their machines then taking a break a little further down the trail. A wide stretch of river wove back and forth, completely covered by ice. On the inner corner, though, a number of holes had been opened in the frozen surface, and it was clear someone had been ice fishing recently.
Cooper eyed the frozen river with what was definitely a wistful expression.
Amber laughed. “You’re so transparent sometimes. Did you want to stop for a while?”
He jerked upright in surprise. “I don’t have to. It would slow us down too much.”
She shrugged. “I don’t know that we’re in a race against time. Either Mason will be around when we get there, or he won’t. There’s nothing to say we can’t travel at a pace that works for us. Which means why don’t you fish? It’ll save some of our food supplies for another day.”
Cooper nodded slowly. “I don’t think we should dawdle too much, but you’re right. It would save us food.” He glanced at her. “I’ll have to shift.”
Here they went. Ever since he’d surprised her back at the cabin, Amber had been waiting for an opportunity to make this point.
She went straight into his personal space, planted her fists on her hips and stared him in the eye. “I assumed you would shift because I don’t think you’re any better at catching them with your human hands than I am, and I don’t remember us packing fishing gear.”
He slowly shrugged out of his coat, laying it over the seat of the sled. “I don’t want to make things tougher for you. That’s all.”
“Maybe part of the reason why your bear and I are a little uncomfortable around each other is because we’ve never had the chance togetcomfortable. Have you ever thought about that?”
He went absolutely still. Opened his mouth. Closed it.
He tilted his head, and suddenly it was his bear examining her as his eyes changed slightly to reveal the wilder part of him.
She lifted a hand to his face, the roughness of his beard already beginning to appear. “I’m not scared of you.” She spoke softly but clearly. “I’m cautious, and that’s not the same thing as scared. Maybe if we spend more time together, that caution will go away.”
Amber helped strip off Cooper’s shirt, and this time it wasn’t with some sexual haze but a determination to learn more about both sides of this amazing man she wanted in her life.
Although how shifters could stand in an icy wind with bare feet on the snow was beyond her.
She stepped back slightly, but kept her gaze fixed as Cooper met her eyes directly one more time. He nodded as if agreeing and then—
It was indescribable. That moment of transitioning between human and animal. His magic seemed to blur the forms so at the same time he was Cooper the man and Cooper the bear, and yet neither.
When the magic settled, a massive polar bear with blue eyes rested on his haunches only a few feet away from her, sitting very, very still.
