Her Reluctant Bear: A Hot Paranormal Fantasy Saga with Witches, Werewolves, and Werebears (Weres and Witches of Silver Lake Book 5) (12 page)

Work the next
day was harder than usual since it took all of Brian’s efforts to pay attention to what any of the customers asked him. Everything Jillian told him was bouncing around his head like a steel cylinder in a pinball machine, making it hard to concentrate. He couldn’t take his mind off the concept that shifters existed. What was he going to tell Elana?
By the way, people can turn into animals, and worse, Jillian thinks I’m one. How about them apples, sister?

Elana would probably suggest he return to Ohio and check in with Dr. Patterson, but Brian wasn’t sure what his therapist could do. It wasn’t like he could erase Brian’s memory.

As the day progressed, Brian became more anxious. More images from the past flickered through his memory, but he never remembered seeing an animal, other than a dog or cat, anywhere near the house. His parents couldn’t have been shifters.

From experience, he knew the best way to calm down was to get this off his chest. He needed to speak with Elana and tell her the truth: Jillian, a newcomer to town, wasn’t who his sister thought her to be. That was a shame, since Elana really seemed to have bonded with her.

At five, he clocked out and went to the grocery store to pick up some oatmeal raisin cookies. Elana had briefly mentioned those were her favorite. Perhaps with some sweets in hand, she might find comfort after he spilled the beans about this alternate life form. Because he hadn’t found the right time to take her the cradle, he carefully placed it in the front seat of his truck and headed over.

If he thought it would do any good, he’d pop one more anxiety pill.

Suck it up, Brian. Be a man.

His little pep talk didn’t help. Ten minutes later, he pulled in front of his sister’s house. He eased out and walked up the front walk, thankful the snow had melted. He rang the bell.

Kalan opened up. “Brian, come in.”

Why didn’t he sound surprised? That set him further on edge. “Is my sister here?”

“Hon?” Kalan called. “Brian’s here.”

He set the bag of cookies on the coffee table and placed the cradle next to the sofa. A minute later, Elana came out with the baby in her arms, breastfeeding Aiden. He should look away, but it was a rather beautiful sight. His sister looked so happy.

“I made you a baby gift.” He picked up the cradle to show her. The sides he’d left varnished, but the two ends had the Murdoch tartan colors of green and blue.

“Oh, Brian, it’s amazing. When did you make this?”

“After work. I thought you’d figure it out since I was making so much noise that day.”

“Is that what you were doing?” she asked. He loved how her eyes shone with such joy.

“Yes.”

“I’d give you a hug, but my arms are full. I hope you don’t mind if I feed Aiden while we talk.”

“Not at all.” He put the cradle down then nodded to the bag on the coffee table. “I thought you might like some cookies. They’re oatmeal raisin, your favorite, right?”

She smiled, just as he’d hoped. “They are, thank you.”

While he’d rehearsed what he wanted to say, he wasn’t sure now where to begin. His therapist said to just start talking. “Jillian stopped by my apartment last night.”

“We know,” Elana said. “She felt terrible about shifting in front of you.”

Of all the things he expected her to say, that wasn’t it. “She told you?”

“Yes.”

“Weren’t you shocked that she shifted in front of me?”

“Totally.” Elana glanced up at Kalan. “Can you join us?”

“Sure.” Kalan slid next to Elana, and the threesome warmed his heart. This was a family the way it should be.

“Brian, there is so much that we need to explain to you.”

“What more could you tell me other than Jillian is a white tiger shifter?”

“Kalan and I are bear shifters.”

“What the fuck?” His vision blurred, and he stuck his hand in his pocket hoping to find something to take, but he came up empty. A band tightened about his chest. When his hands began to shake, he fisted them.

Kalan jumped up. “Can I get you a beer or a whiskey?”

He shouldn’t drink given how many pills he’d taken, but he needed something to take the edge off. “Whiskey would be great.” He returned his gaze to his sister.

“I’ll explain.” She told him how Kalan, who’d been assigned to protect her after their parents were murdered, had turned out to be a bear shifter. Yes, she’d been shocked, but she had known about shifters from her friend Izzy. After she and Kalan agreed to be with each other, he bit her neck as a way to ensure a lasting bond between them. That action allowed her to inherit, if that was the right word, his abilities.

“So, you’re saying a human can become a shifter if another shifter bites that person in the neck?”

“I guess you could put it that way, but it’s way more than that. Love is involved.”

Those details weren’t important at the moment. “Does that mean you can shift like Jillian?” She nodded. “I can tell you this, I’ve never been bitten, so I know I’m not a freak. Crap. I didn’t mean that I thought you were or anything.”

“I understand.”

Kalan stood. “You need to see what Elana found this evening. It might change your mind.” He walked down the hallway and returned a minute later.

Brian recognized the box from the ones he’d removed from the attic. “You looked through Mom’s things?”

“Yes.” She adjusted Aiden so that he was feeding on the other side. “After Jillian came and said you were a shifter too, I was in a bit of denial, but her logic was sound.”

“Are you saying Mom and Dad were shifters?”

“No. That’s why I was human.” She pulled out what looked like a diary.

“Why would Mom keep a log of her life, especially if there was something as revolutionary as shifters in it.”

Elana held up a hand. “Just listen.
Dear Diary, I’m not sure if I should even be writing this. In fact, it’s taken me days to have the courage to put my thoughts on paper, but I have to get this off my chest. While Richard is a wonderful man, he doesn’t thrill me like he used to. However, that’s no excuse for my actions. I didn’t plan it. It just happened.

Richard and I were in Bangkok buying artifacts, and he was spending an inordinate amount of time with our suppliers. Usually, he invites me along, but this time he thought it was safer if I stayed in the hotel.

One night, while having a drink in the restaurant, this tall, handsome man approached me. He looked at me as if I was the most beautiful woman in the world. Until then, I hadn’t realized how much I missed having a man look at me like that. Now, I can see that he was merely using me, but at the time, I was desperate for affection.
”

“That doesn’t sound like the mother who raised me. She was bitter and unaffectionate,” Brian said.

“This might explain why she changed.” Elana flipped to the next page. “
Darren, that was his name, was so sweet and charming. When Richard called to say he had to travel to a neighboring town to look at some merchandise, and that he wouldn’t be returning until morning, I gave into Darren’s charms
.”

“So she had an affair with him?” The thought of his mother having sex sickened him.

Elana closed the book. “Yes. I won’t read the rest since you don’t need to hear the sordid details, but the bottom line is that you were the result of that dalliance.”

“Did Richard know?” He could no longer call him Dad.

Elana shook her head. “No! Mom was too ashamed of her behavior to tell him. Apparently, Darren left in the middle of the night, but only after stealing all her money and some of her jewelry. The affair was bad enough, but she couldn’t tell Dad that she’d been robbed.”

Her priorities were so messed up. “This just gets better and better.” Brian chugged half his scotch, and boy did he need that. “I’m not sure which is worse: being raised by an unfeeling asshole or having a thief for a father.”

Kalan leaned forward. “This has nothing to do with you, Brian. Be thankful you didn’t know your real father.”

He doubted the thief could have been less affectionate than the dad he did have. “If you say so.”

Elana readjusted herself before lifting Aiden over her shoulder to burp him. “The diary goes on to say that when she was pregnant she debated abortion, but Dad found out and was furious. He thought you were his child.”

It wasn’t because he wanted to be a father. “I wish she had terminated me.”

“Don’t say that,” Elana said. “I don’t think it’s healthy for you to read her journal entries until you feel stronger and can handle everything. Basically, every time she looked at you, she saw her own mistake.”

He didn’t know whether to be happy that her wrongdoing had such dire consequences, or be angrier with the man who tried to take advantage of her. Could he have a more fucked up life or what?

Water under the bridge, as his therapist used to say. If Dr. Patterson were here, he’d tell Brian to spend some time absorbing the news and then move on. The past shouldn’t define the future. Bullshit. He’d like to see how his therapist reacted if he learned all this about his heritage.

“Brian, I wouldn’t be surprised,” Kalan said, “to find that your mom told Elana’s dad, and maybe even your therapist, some fabricated things you supposedly had done, but never actually committed, just to get you out of her life.”

His hatred for his mother flared, causing him to run his palms down his legs, trying to block the images. “Does she say if my real dad was a shifter?”

“No, but it doesn’t mean he wasn’t. I doubt he’d break that news to her on their first and only date.”

“True.”

A knock sounded on the door and Kalan stood. “I’ll get it.”

That was bad timing. Brian hoped it wasn’t Jillian. His head was spinning enough, and he sure as hell wasn’t in the right state of mind to talk to her this soon after the stunt she’d pulled.

Kalan opened the door, and a blonde woman with a purple streak in her hair came in and hugged him. Brian had met her before at Elana’s baby shower, but he couldn’t remember her name.

“Brian, this is Ainsley. She’s mated to my brother Jackson.”

“Hi,” he said, but he wasn’t in the mood for someone else to learn about him.

She waved a hand. “I don’t want to interrupt.”

“No. We could use your expertise on something.” He turned to Brian. “Ainsley is part wolf shifter and part witch, or what we call a Wendayan.”

Witches? Mixed breeds? He wasn’t sure he could absorb anymore. “Okay.”

“She has a special gift. Tell him, Ainsley,” Kalan demanded.

“You mean how I can become invisible?”

Invisible?
He’d definitely been transported to another world.

“No, I mean about your ability to detect a person’s shifter type.”

“Oh that. Sure.”

His stomach dropped. Brian didn’t really want to know what he was—assuming he was a shifter. Right now, being all human seemed the best option. On the other hand, if he wanted to be part of the family, he’d fit in better if he were a shifter. God, how had his life become so messed up in such a short period of time?

‡

A
insley glanced at
Kalan who nodded. “When I first met you, I didn’t say anything to anyone because your signature was very weak, but I could tell you were a bear shifter, like your sister.”

If he had to be a freak, being a bear was a good choice. “Better than an otter shifter.”

They all laughed, and suddenly Brian felt like he was actually part of a group who accepted others, whether they were human, witch, or part animal.

“Are you okay with that?” Kalan asked.

Brian appreciated his concern. Kalan had probably asked because Brian had just let out a long breath and his leg was bouncing wildly. “I guess, though I don’t see that I have much of a choice.”

“You do in a way. You can always decide not to shift, though I know it can happen spontaneously if a person is angry enough.”

Wonderful
. “I guess I’ll be making sure to take those anxiety pills regularly.”

Elana didn’t smile and that hurt. He suspected she wanted him to be comfortable enough with his thoughts not to have to use the medication.

Kalan shook his head. “I gotta hand it to you. I don’t know how you’ve gone thirty-eight years and never shifted. It would have driven me bonkers. What with all those shifter hormones, I wouldn’t know which way was up and which way was down.”

He wondered if those hormones were what created the imbalance in his brain in the first place. “I didn’t know I could shift. Rest assured, I’ve certainly been angry enough to induce it.”

Ainsley piped up. “It’s easiest on the white moon. You should try then.”

White moon? That must be more fantasy mumbo jumbo. “Why would a white moon make a difference? If I believed the lore about wolves, I could understand it, but is it the same for bears?”

She looked to Kalan who shrugged. “It is, but I don’t know the science behind it. I suspect only Naliana or James really know,” she said. “The Changelings are different. They need a red moon. Then and only then can they touch someone and transform into that person for a few days.”

“Jesus. Are you making this shit up just to scare me?”