Page 29 of Bear to be Wild
The more I searched, the more the anticipation grew. I had to find him.
I continued wandering the decks. Peeked into the casino. The theater. When the mermaid Naiya sang a few verses of a song in her beautiful voice, it enchanted me enough that I stopped to listen. But I couldn’t stay.
Continuing my search, I headed outdoors onto the pool deck. Nothing. I ventured into the Celestial Lounge, where a Motown tribute was underway. The band played The Temptations’ “Get Ready,” a great song, and I tapped my foot as I scanned the audience. A frosted-tipped shifter with too much swagger sauntered up to me.
Oh no…
“Ma-ri-belle,” he said, dragging out the syllables of my name. “What a good surprise.”
“Jackson,” I greeted him with all the enthusiasm of scheduling a colonoscopy.
“Let’s dance,” he said, moving awkwardly in front of me with his cumbersome frame. He curled his finger at me as he sang along to the chorus, an apparent attempt to sound sensual.
I suppressed a gag.Don’t ruin this song for me.
I’d rather schedule a colonoscopy. “No, thanks.”
“Come on,” he pressed, his voice liquid ooze. “Be social. Let’s have some fun tonight.”
I pressed my lips together and resumed searching the room. “Can’t. I’m looking for someone.”
“Who?” he demanded, stepping closer, invading my space with the overpowering scent of body spray.
I stepped back, recoiling.
“Me,” a deep voice rumbled.
My heart leapt. That voice—that deep, booming voice that had once grated on me but now filled me with such relief and happiness.
“Roan.” My breath caught as I said his name.
His gaze flicked to me, warm and full of longing. I ached to be alone with him, to tell him?—
The frosted buffoon beside me snarled. “We were just about to dance.” Jackson grabbed my forearm and I snatched it back.
Roan growled, his amber eyes flashing with a fierce golden light, and his fingers sharpened with claws. On the verge of shifting, he looked devastatingly feral. I’d never seen this cinnamon roll shifter look so dangerous, a predator on the verge of tearing into the tiger.
“Maribelle said no,” Roan growled. “And I will do whatever it takes to protect her. To make her happy.” His voice echoed with such power that Jackson recoiled and backed down.
My heart pounded and breath came quick. The crowd, the music, even the swaggering tiger melted away. All I saw was my bear.
In his eyes, I found sincerity, devotion, and a sense of belonging that I’d been so afraid to believe in.
I released a low, breathless sigh as my heart opened wide. “My mate.”
CHAPTER 16
ROAN
“My mate.”
When I heard those two words coming from Maribelle’s lips, I thought I’d slipped into another fantasy about her. Yet there she stood, eyes locked on mine, looking so vulnerable. Something cracked inside my chest.
My bear growled inside, reminding me of the threat.
I turned my focus back on the posturing tiger shifter, but he’d sunk into himself, like he’d deflated his overly developed muscles. His bravado ghosted away and he vanished through the crowd.
Good. My bear had been on the verge of tearing into him until Maribelle calmed me with her declaration.
