Southern Shifters: Bear Sentry (Kindle Worlds Novella) (The Enforcers Book 2) (5 page)

Tobias narrowed his eyes and sat in the chair beside the couch.

“Okay, fill me in, and don’t leave anything out.”

Violet glanced at him apologetically and then told her brother everything that happened since she’d first encountered Jase in the coffee shop, including her attempt to kiss him minutes before.

The men shared a knowing glance when she glossed over some of the details of her attack, but neither one of them pressed her for more information. They had the basics, and he guessed her brother would find out more on his own.

Eventually, the conversation turned to other things, and an hour later Violet rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. He glanced at her and brushed her hair out of her face, suddenly aware of Tobias’ stare.

“Why didn’t you kiss her earlier?” Tobias asked.

“Because I wasn’t sure I could stop,” he answered honestly.

“She’s your mate, isn’t she?”

“I thought so,” he said, “but no, she’s not.”

“What makes you say that?”

Vi stirred, but she didn’t wake.

“I have no effect on her at all,” Jase said.

“Well, I’m not sure that’s true,” Tobias said, looking at his sister. “What’s stopping you from telling her the truth?”

“I’m damaged,” he said. “I can’t trust my senses, and even if I could, I can’t protect her.”

Those words opened the flood gates, and for the first time since the attack, he felt like talking. He didn’t know if it was because of his connection with Vi, or because they worked in similar employment, but Tobias felt safe. The man listened without judgement, condemnation or pity, and when it was over, he nodded and offered some sage reminders.

“Losing a partner is difficult, especially with so many unanswered questions,” Tobias said. “I know you’re going through a difficult time, it’s one of the reasons I only work alone now, and even that takes its toll in a different way, but you can always count on your animal. You’re a good man, Jase, and there’s nothing wrong with your senses.”

“I didn’t sense your arrival,” Jase protested.

“I’m trained to mask my scent and come and go without making a sound. If your bear says Vi is your mate, then she is. You’ve protected her twice tonight, once from a maniac and once from the broken glass, so whether or not you can protect her isn’t an issue. The question is, do you want to?”

“Yes, but—”

“That’s all you need to know,” he said, standing. “Vi, wake up.”

Vi opened her eyes and blinked, looking up at her brother.

“Where are you going?” she asked, semi-panicked.

“Nowhere far,” he said. “I’m going to take Jase’s room for the night and he’s going to stay here. You guys need to talk, and I need to check in at the Dark Moon.”

“Okay,” she said nervously, looking back and forth between them both.

“You can trust him, Vi,” Tobias said, giving her a pointed look. “He’s a good man.”

She shook her head, her confusion evident, but her brother didn’t waiver.

“I’d say let’s do breakfast, but I have a feeling you guys won’t be ready to come up for air until lunch,” he said laughing.

“Tobias!” Vi screeched, but the older sibling remained unfazed.

“Text me when you guys get hungry, and I’ll bring food and a new lock for the door.”

Jase handed over his room key and watched Tobias leave as quietly as he’d arrived.

His bear moved inside him, restless and ready to claim its mate.

***

You can trust him, he’s a good man.

Violet watched her brother leave and then fiddled with the hem of her sweatshirt. Warmth covered her face from Tobias’ teasing, and though they still sat side by side on the couch, she couldn’t look at Jase. What happened while she was sleeping? Could she really trust the bear? Should she?

“I have something to tell you,” Jase said.

“Okay,” she said, forcing her head up.

He stared straight ahead, his jaw tight. His dark blond hair was mussed, and as much as she wanted to see his light blue crystal eyes, he didn’t look at her. She studied his perfectly sculpted profile, and though the moment was serious, she longed to feel his mouth on hers.

She remembered how he pushed her away when she’d tried to kiss him earlier, and she wondered at her brother’s advice. Jase obviously wasn’t attracted to her, so why should she trust him? Had her brother convinced him to grant her a pity fuck?

She moved to distance herself from him, but Jase laced his fingers with hers and held her hand firmly.

“Until about a month ago, I was an Enforcer for my clan,” Jase started. “My partner and I were assigned to watch a prisoner, and we’d just finished lunch. One minute we were joking and laughing together, and the next everything went black. When another Enforcer came to relieve us, I woke with a splitting headache and a missing partner. An hour later, I was being interrogated for the death of my friend.”

“Oh, Jase,” she said, squeezing his hand. She wanted to comfort him more, but she didn’t know if her touch would be welcome.

“My innocence was proven, but the damage was done. Nearly everyone had believed my involvement, and when I was cleared to return to work, my confidence had suffered severely. I’d lost the ability to do my job effectively, so after two weeks of degrading assignments, I resigned and decided to take an extended vacation until I figured out what to do with the rest of my life. I’d been on the road for two weeks when I found Deals Gap. When I walked into the coffee shop yesterday, I knew I’d found home.”

“I don’t understand,” she whispered, too afraid to hope.

“I’m damaged,” he said. “I still have scars from the attack, both physical and mental, but you’re my mate, Violet. If you’ll have me, I’d like to stay with you forever.”

She’d waited years for someone to say the words, but her joy was quickly extinguished by a hefty dose of reality.

“I can’t be your mate, Jase.”

She finally understood why her brother told her to trust him.

“Why not?”

“I’m not normal.” When he tried to interrupt, she held up her hand and continued. “Most shifters’ DNA is made up of all the strong animal traits and very few of the human weak ones. I’m the opposite. I possess all of the weak human traits and none of the shifter ones. Changing forms is the only thing I can do.”

His wide smile caught her off guard and shame swamped her. Tobias had said to trust him, but he thought she was a freak just like everyone else.

“I think you should leave,” she said.

“The reason you didn’t jump me in the coffee shop is because you have no shifter senses,” he said, smiling. “That’s also the reason you didn’t look at me in the bar. You didn’t even know I was there.”

“No,” she said, leaping from the couch, “I didn’t know you were there. I didn’t even know you were a shifter until Dean and Gage confronted you in
Sweet Retreat
. Have you ever seen a fat shifter before? Don’t answer that because I already know the answer is no. I have no shifter metabolism, no shifter senses and no shifter strength to protect myself against assholes like that guy who attacked me tonight. I’m just a human who can shift into a wolf. A freak in a town of hybrids. You want to laugh at me? Please leave me alone and do it on your own time.”

She ran to her room and slammed the door as tears filled her eyes. She still didn’t know why her brother had said to trust him, but Jase’s smug smile had burned a hole in her heart. He’d been the first man she’d ever felt close to, and he’d turned out to be like everyone else.

She threw herself on the bed and hugged her pillow as she fought to hold in the tears. She didn’t want Jase to hear her crying again, so she strained her ears and listened for his departure. 

Instead, he entered her room.

“Warm sweet apples and honey.”

“What?” she said, propping herself up on one elbow.

“It’s my favorite sweet treat, and it’s what you smell like to me.”

“Jase—”

“You’re not a freak,” he said, stepping closer to the bed, “you’re just different. Others may see you as fat, but I love your curvy body. My dick gets hard just thinking about your soft curves and I can’t wait to touch you and mark you as mine. I don’t give a fuck what other people think, and I certainly don’t care that you can’t hear someone open a soda can on the other side of the room. As far as that asshole from earlier, you shouldn’t have to worry about fighting guys like that off. That’s my responsibility. It’s my job to protect my mate.”

“Jase, I…,” she believed him, but would he still feel the same when he found out her last secret? She couldn’t bear to look at him as she whispered the truth. “What I have to say next might change your mind.”

“Nothing will change my mind.”

“I’m a virgin.”

Silence filled the room and wrapped around her, confirming her fears. Despite his earlier admission, he finally saw her as everyone else did. She closed her eyes and prayed he didn’t tell the whole town her secret before he rode off to find his
real
mate.

The bed dipped, and suddenly she was flat on her back. Jase covered her with his big body and laced his fingers with hers, pinning her hands on both sides of her head. She instinctually opened her legs and cradled him between her knees, and she could feel his hard cock pressing against her pussy. In that moment, she cursed the layers of clothes separating them. The look on his face was more intense than before, but she could still see the hunger in his eyes.

He wanted her.

“I hate the fact that the jerks in this town never opened their eyes to your beauty, but I’m not going to lie. Knowing you’re untouched is driving me crazy. You’re my mate, Vi, and I want to mark you, claim you, and make sure I’m the only man who ever gets to bring you pleasure.”

Holy hell! Yes!

His admission brought on more tears and she nodded her agreement.

“You have to say the words, sweetheart,” he said, his lips hovering just above her own. “Will you be my mate and stay with me forever?”

“Yes,” she whispered, blinking the tears away. “Mark me, Jase. Make me yours.”

He ground his cock against her core and kissed her.

When his soft lips met hers, a bolt of electricity seemed to crackle between them. She gasped and Jase growled as he plunged his tongue inside her mouth, seizing the opportunity to explore. She met him with her own, stroke for stroke, and liquid heat dampened her panties. His kiss set her on fire, and she wanted more. She locked her legs around his lower back and pulled her hands free from his grasp. She smoothed her hands over his shoulders, back and abs, marveling at the way his smooth, taut skin felt under her fingertips.

Jase broke the kiss and left a trail down her neck. He growled again when he reached the fabric of her sweatshirt.

“You’re wearing too many clothes,” he said.

“Help me take them off.”

He grabbed the sweatshirt by the neck and ripped the fabric down the middle. More liquid heat gushed from her pussy and he inhaled deep. She hadn’t worn a bra, and the look on his face was primal. He sucked one of her nipples into his mouth, and she ground her pussy against his hard length. She had nothing to compare it to, but his cock felt huge through his jeans and she briefly wondered if she’d made a mistake. Something that big couldn’t feel good inside of her…could it?

“Stay with me,” he said, blowing on her hard, wet nipple. “I promise it will only hurt this time, and only for a little bit.”

He licked her other nipple and sucked it into his mouth. She arched her back as his tongue swirled around her areola and his teeth scraped the hard pebble. She cried out, desperate for more.

He let go of her nipple and kissed a trail down to her belly button. Her stomach jiggled between them, but she couldn’t bring herself to care about anything except his mouth and where he would put it next.

He hooked his thumbs in her pajama bottoms and pulled them off. Her face heated when she remembered the boring white cotton panties she’d put on after she’d shed his t-shirt.

“I like these,” he said, gripping the cotton surrounding her hips in both hands.

“They’re not se—”

“I like them,” he said firmly.

She nodded and he leaned forward and kissed her cotton covered mound.

“You know what else I liked?”

“The mini skirt?”

“You looked sexy as hell in that skirt, but I preferred the way your jeans hugged your round ass,” he said, ripping the cotton and throwing the scraps across the room.

He stared at her shaved pussy and groaned, and her exposed, wet pussy fluttered, craving his touch.

“You’re so wet for me, baby. I can’t wait to sink my cock inside you.”

He slid one finger inside her channel and she grabbed onto his forearms and arched off the bed. Her pussy clenched around his digit, but it wasn’t enough. Jase added a second finger and leaned forward to lick her clit.

The pleasure combination caused her to explode.

The orgasm ripped through her body, and she screamed his name. In that moment, nothing else mattered except Jase. His touch stole her breath and sent her flying.