Page 15 of Mated to Four Bears

She nodded slowly. “Yeah, well, I have to. I need to rely on myself, you know? I don’t have anyone else. Not since my parents died. I just…” Oh God, she was getting all emotional. I didn’t want that to happen, I just wanted to know more about her, that was all. “I need something solid, you know? And that has to be me.”

She met my eyes, and the tears there broke my heart. I couldn’t keep my distance any longer, and I didn’t feel like she wanted me to. I crossed the room and enveloped her in a big bear hug. I held her close to my chest as she broke down a little bit.

So, she had been through a lot. And now she had this asshole ex-boyfriend to deal with. I was going to make sure she was cared for and felt safe. It seemed like Samantha hadn’t had that for a very long time. The more she leaned into me, the better Ifelt. All I wanted to do was keep her here in my arms until she could breathe a little bit easier.

“Are you ready?” Henry’s voice broke the silence, shattering the magic of the moment. “Because William and Thomas are waiting for us.”

“Do I need to change out of my pajamas?” Samantha asked pitifully, glancing up at me through her eyelashes. “Because I really don’t want to.”

“Hell no!” I chuckled. “You look hot in those pj’s. I think you should wear them all the time. Plus, at this time of night, I don’t think anyone is going to see you.”

It seemed like finally she was loosening up to me a little, to all of us, which was great because it brought us that much closer. We needed that closeness because it was definitely going to be really important moving forward.

10

SAMANTHA

Istill wasn’t totally sure that I could trust my judgements, especially when it came to the Osborne men. Yet I found myself agreeing to go to their home because I was so freaked out by the man turning up unexpectedly to harass me like that. To ask me for money in my home.

Knowing that Antonio knew where I was, and could send magical people into my home, and knowing that he wanted to hit me up for money again when I really didn’t have anything was just too much. I was so freaking scared, I could hardly breathe. Antonio was coming after me for money I didn’t have.

I wasn’t sure what convinced me that the Osborne brothers weren’t with Antonio in the end, but I the bear shifter information made me understand them a whole lot better. But more than that, my uninvited guest didn’t know who they were, and they freaked him out. He left almost instantly.

That made me see that maybe they were just trying to protect me, which was exactly what I needed. Plus, I had to admit, the offer of somewhere to stay so I could get my life back on track was a very welcome one. I would make sure I didn’tbecome a burden to them, though, that was a great fear of mine considering everything that I’d been through in my life.

Finally, when I was all packed up, we headed outside. Henry took the bags out of my hand to carry them for me, which I thought was really sweet. Then, within a heartbeat, Henry was no longer in his human form. He had shuddered his way to a big brown bear.

He looked really cool as a bear. Intimidating, especially to someone like Antonio, but sweet as well. I could see the lovely man underneath. The man I was slowly getting to know, and surprisingly without the fog of magic. I was pretty sure now that I’d been overly paranoid. They didn’t cast any spell on me at all. They couldn’t, as shifters. That wasn’t something they would ever be able to do.

Richard did the same thing, becoming his big brown bear also. I was in awe, seeing creatures I’d only ever come across in books come to life in front of me. Not the way that I thought this night would end. My life had gotten wild.

Richard indicated for me to climb onto his back. NowthatI really wasn’t expecting. I didn’t even know if I could get up there. My confusion must have been really obvious, because Richard gave me a nose up.

“Whoa,” I whispered as I looked out from this new vantage point. “This is crazy.”

It was a little terrifying when Richard started moving, but it was pretty cool. I hadn’t ridden a bear before, and it wasn’t something I thought I was ever going to do in my life. Adrenaline coursed through my veins; the anticipation turning into excitement.

I couldn’t stop myself from giggling when he picked up the pace a little.This was wonderful.

After a big period of sadness and fear, having a bit of fun was exhilarating. By the time we got back to the Osborne home I was so desperate to escape earlier this evening, I was elated.

I didn’t want to climb off. I knew that I had to, but I didn’t want to. I wondered what the chances were of Richard taking me out for another ride like that again. Perhaps it was just a one-time thing to get us back here quickly, but maybe there was a chance that he enjoyed it as well. I certainly hoped so, because that was a blast.

“Ready to go in?” Henry asked me. He’d gotten back faster and had already shifted back. I got to watch Richard change, though, and it was fascinating.

Getting to spend time with animal shifters would be another benefit of spending more time with the Osbornes. Plus, I could work out my feelings for these men. Was there one of them in particular that really caught my attention? Was it just a passing crush on all of them? Since I now knew I wasn’t under a spell, I had to face this head on.

It had been a long time since I’d liked anyone. I hadn’t allowed myself to fall for anyone since Antonio because I didn’t want to leave myself vulnerable again, so there was a chance this wasn’t real. Perhaps my pulse just pounded a little harder because they were all so good looking and I was mistaking that for real feelings. Because I was a real fool.

The less confusion I had in my life, the better. It was getting harder and harder to cope with all that had been piled on my plate. How could Ipossiblyget my life back on track?

“You’re back.” Thomas grabbed me and pulled me into an intense hug the moment I walked through the door. I’d been so busy trying to get away from these men that I didn’t feel the warmth Thomas had for me. He almost had a glow about him, which caught me off guard. This was exactly the sort of feelingI needed to experience to help me figure things out. “Thank goodness. We missed you.”

I caught sight of William over Thomas’s shoulder. He didn’t look too happy to see me, probably annoyed that I’d run off on him. I mouthed, “Sorry,” sensing that he needed to know I was in a better head space now, and willing to stay.

“Glad you’re back,” he finally growled back. “I got your bedroom ready.”

I couldn’t believe I had a bedroom in this gorgeous mansion. I didn’t think a home like this would ever even open its door to me. Especially since I’d smashed a window to get out. But then again, no plans for my life were exactly panning out. Nothing had gone like I wanted it to, so I guess it was better to just go with the flow and to see where it took me. Especially if it was here.

---