Page 534 of Love Bites

"Brady? I think I can talk to you now without clawing your eyes out."

"Hey, how do you feel?" He takes my hand and gently holds it between his. The moment he does, my love for him surges. How can I be mad at him for something he didn't try to do?

"Like I was roughed up. Can we try vanilla sex next time? Because I didn't bargain for this." I tear up again.

His eyes crinkle in a quick smile. "I'm so sorry, love." He leans down and kisses away my tears. His touch soothes me.

"I know. I wasn't really mad at you. It's just kind of hard to go from a regular girl tattooing dicks in California to a werebear in less than a week, you know?"

"You were never regular." He places a hand on my cheek, and I lean into it. "You're the most amazing woman I've ever laid eyes on."

His words tug at my heart. He really loves me, and I know I love him too. "How do I look in fur and claws?"

He leans over me and whispers in my ear. "Sexy as hell."

A jolt of desire races through me, and I whisper back. "You'll have to shift for me sometime. I might have a new fantasy."Whoa, did I just admit I want to have animal sex for real? I let out small growl that makes him grin.

I ask, "So what happens now? I assume I have to learn to control shifting, right?"

"Yes. And Annie is probably the best one to teach you. Women have different triggers."

I nod. Sierra and Keith come over to talk to us. Sierra says, "We're going to go now that you're okay. You should probably sleep. But I'll be back to see you in the morning."

She leans down and kisses me on the cheek. I say, "Thanks."

When they've left I swing my legs around to get off the bed. Annie asks, "Want any help?"

"No, I think I've got it." I stand, and while sore, I feel strong enough to walk. The thick carpet in Brady's room wraps around my toes as I make my way to the bathroom.

When I get to the tile, it seems unusually cold under my feet, and I wonder if maybe I have a higher internal temperature now. Sitting down to pee, I'm struck by how high the toilet is, and it makes me think I'm going to like living in a giant-sized house. The enormousness of that hits me.I live here.

Water splashes in the sink as I wash my hands. Dried blood is under my nails, but my hands look perfectly normal, and nobody would ever know by looking at them that claws can slip out at a moment's notice.

I look down at my bare legs and see red welts and bits of caked blood. I could use a bath. I wander back into the bedroom to Annie chastising Brady. I overhear something about making sure the others know before more women show up.

She stops talking when they see me. I should mind, but I'm too tired to care. "I’d like to take a bath. Should I do it here?"

Brady answers, "Yes. Let me run it for you." He gets up and walks by me, touching my arm as he does.

Annie says, "I've got lovely bath salts you can use. I'll go get them. Can I get you some tea, too?"

I shake my head, "No, I'll come down to the kitchen for something later."

Before she turns to leave I ask, "Annie?"

"Yes?"

"Is being a werebear hard?"

"Oh, Carly, no. For us it's just something that happens, and we're prepared." She bites her lip in thought. "Do you remember going through puberty and your emotions were all over the place? And when you got your period you were sure women were cursed and it wasn't fair?"

I smile, "Yeah. I was pretty pissed off that I had to get cramps and bleed."

"This is kind of the same thing. You'll get better at it and then forget what it was like to not be one." She smiles as if she's remembered something. "Tomorrow we'll go into the woods together. I think you're going to like being a bear."

I frown at the thought, and she says, "I'll be right back with those bath salts."

I wander to the bathroom and ponder her words. Right now being a werebear doesn't seem like anything I'll ever like. Tears come again, and I don't bother to stop them.

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