Page 46 of On Tap for the Bear
"I know."
"Shapeshifters and magic and destiny—none of this should be real."
He doesn't let go of my hand.
"But I can taste your food." The words tumble out. "For the first time in over a week, I can taste. Here at the tavern, at the Inn—only in Redwood Rise." Tears prick my eyes. "Do you have any idea what that means to me?"
His hand tightens on mine. "I do."
"And the land—you said it called me here. That it recognized me."
"The land knows who belongs. Who needs what we can offer."
"Safety," I whisper. "Healing. Home."
He nods.
I look around the clearing, at the moss still glowing faintly silver-green, at the ancient trees standing witness. Feel the ley line pulse beneath us like a heartbeat. Steady. Sure. Welcoming.
Then I look back at Eli—human now, but still carrying that wildness in his eyes. Still mine in a way I don't fully understand but can't deny.
"Okay," I say.
He blinks. "Okay?"
"I'm not running. I'm...” I take a shaky breath. "I'm choosing this. You. All of it. I'm staying."
His shoulders drop. His eyes close briefly, and when they open again, they're wet. "You're sure?"
"No. Not even a little bit. This is completely insane and I'm probably making a huge mistake and I still have about a thousand questions." I squeeze his hand. "But yeah. I'm sure."
Eli pulls me into his arms, and I go willingly, burying my face against his chest. He smells like cedar and smoke and forest and magic, and somehow it all makes sense.
"Thank you," he breathes against my hair. "Thank you for not running. For staying. For choosing...”
"Us," I finish. "I'm choosing us."
He pulls back just enough to kiss me, and I taste everything—hope and relief and promise and that wild edge that's purely him. When we break apart, we're both smiling.
"So," I say, trying for normal even though nothing will ever be normal again. "I'm dating a bear."
"Technically you're dating a bear shifter. There's a difference."
"Is there?"
"Bears can't cook omelets."
I laugh, surprised the sound comes so easily after everything. "Fair point. Though I have to say, the bear was pretty cute. In a massive, terrifying, could-definitely-kill-me sort of way."
"My bear thinks you're perfect," Eli says seriously. "Has since the moment you walked into the tavern. Wanted to keep you. Protect you. Make you ours."
"Possessive much?"
"It's a bear thing." He grins, and there's an edge of wildness in it that makes my pulse jump. "You'll get used to it."
"Will I?" I raise an eyebrow. "That sounds pretty presumptuous."
"You're right. Let me rephrase: I hope you'll get used to it. If you decide to stay. To really stay, not just for two weeks."
