To Bite A Bear (6 page)

Harris was solid. Nothing shook Harris mentally

or physically. The man made solid rocks appear

jittery and unstable compared to him. Rohan liked

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that about Harris. He enjoyed Harris’ calm. Harris

would be a great counterpart to Rohan’s more

volatile personality.

Harris paused a few steps from the bed.

“Did you change your mind?” Rohan asked

cautiously. As much as he enjoyed the thought of

biting Harris, he wouldn’t push if the shifter

changed his mind.

“No, but that is a damn big bed,” Harris said

admiringly.

Rohan laughed. “I’m now even happier I got

such a large one.”

He’d originally bought it because of his own

size. At six feet three, a lot of beds weren’t

comfortable. He ordered one from a local

craftsman who did amazing woodwork. Until

now, he hadn’t realized how many bears were

carved into the piece.

“Amazing workmanship,” Harris admired. “I’d

love to have a bed like this.”

Rohan growled. As if he’d let Harris sleep

alone. “You can use mine and make sure you like

its comfort level.” He resisted the urge to tell

Harris he couldn’t sleep with anyone, anywhere

except with him. Possessiveness fit him strangely

like a too-tight suit.

Harris turned around. “Where do you want

me?”

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To Bite a Bear

“Why don’t you lie on the bed?” He held back

the demand that Harris strip first. It wasn’t his

place to make that suggestion. Proceeding with

caution was his path of the night. Although they’d

already made love once before, biting someone

during sex added an entirely new dimension to

lovemaking.

“Do you want me to take off my shirt? Where

do you like to bite?” Harris asked. The eagerness

in the bear shifter’s voice had Rohan harden more

in anticipation.

His mind ran amuck with all the places he’d

like to suck blood from the bear shifter. Some

places he just wanted to suck.

“Yeah, shirt off would be good. I don’t want to

drip any blood on it.”

Some vampires weren’t tidy and spilled blood

after they drank. Rohan hadn’t done that in years.

However, he still wanted to see Harris without a

shirt again. Without a trace of shyness, Harris

stripped off his top, exposing hard muscles and a

thick, lightly furred chest. Vampires didn’t have

hair on their bodies except for their head.

Yum.

Rohan stripped off his own shirt and tossed it

on the floor. Harris’ admiring gaze didn’t help his

cock go down. He could practically feel the

shifter’s eyes tracking across his body.

“You don’t mind the hair?” Harris asked.

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For the first time, he sensed unease from Harris,

as if with the added pressure of a blood bond the

shifter had become unsure of himself.

“Oh no. I like the fact you are a bit of a bear in

both forms.” Rohan grinned.

Harris laughed. “Have a bear fetish, do you?”

“Absolutely.” He had never had one before, but

damn, if he hadn’t changed his mind. Vampires

were all about new experiences. “Thanks for

feeding me.”

Harris didn’t say anything, but he laid down

and put his arms to his sides, as if unsure what to

do with them. “It’s not a favor. If you are my

bonded, it’s my pleasure and my responsibility. I

don’t like the thought of you drinking from

someone else.”

“Just relax, love. I won’t hurt you.”

“I know,” Harris replied. “I trust you.”

Rohan scanned Harris with his psychic energy.

One of his unique skills as leader was his ability to

sense emotions. Harris smelled of lust, and waves

of affection poured off the bear shifter, wrapping

Rohan in a blanket of warm emotion.

Walking over to the bed, Rohan hesitated for a

moment. Harris wouldn’t be like the others he’d

fed from before. He’d never brought anyone else

to this bed or had this level of anxiety over a

donor. Something told him his life wouldn’t be the

same once he took Harris’ blood.

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To Bite a Bear

“Are you waiting for an invitation?” Harris

teased. “Because I’m inviting.”

Rohan couldn’t resist the sparkle in his bear

shifter’s eyes. Keeping his gaze locked on Harris’,

he climbed on the bed and crawled across Harris’

body until he straddled Harris’ waist.

“Oh, you are so warm!” The heat pouring off

Harris had Rohan giving up his teasing to curl up

on Harris’ chest, pressing his cheek against all that

warmth.

Harris laughed. “You remind me of Denton on

his heat rock.”

“Denton? Oh, your crocodile friend,” Rohan

remembered. “I have to admit, I do feel a bit like a

lizard sunning. Vampires naturally run a bit cooler

than other species. I don’t remember you being

this warm the other night.”

“I’m warmer right after I eat,” Harris explained.

When Harris stroked Rohan’s head, he almost

wished he were a cat shifter so he could purr.

Harris cherished Rohan as if he were truly

something precious instead of a means to an end.

Rohan could easily let the world fade away as he

lay cradled in Harris’ arms.

“I thought you were going to eat,” Harris’ voice

rumbled beneath Rohan’s ear.

“In a minute,” Rohan’s eyes drooped down.

He’d feed in a little bit, after he’d absorbed more

of Harris’ affection. The emotions drifting from

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Harris unknotted the tension he hadn’t realized

had built up over the past few weeks. If he could

keep Harris beneath him for days, he’d be

perfectly happy.

A knock at the door brought forth his ire.

Furious, he marched over to the door and

ripped it open. “Someone had better be dying,” he

growled.

“A cop is here. He wants to talk to the leader.”

Madeleine’s eyes were wide and panicked.

“I’ll be right there.” Rohan slammed the door.

He turned back to find Harris sliding his shirt

back on. “What are you doing?”

“I’m getting dressed. I’m not going to see the

police with my shirt off,” Harris explained as if

annoyed he had to point out the obvious.

“You aren’t going to see them at all. The cops

are nothing but troublemakers waiting to pin

things on my coven. They come every month or so

to try and get me to confess to something,” Rohan

argued. He wouldn’t let them get their hands on

his sweet bear.

“Here’s your shirt,” Harris said, calmly

handing over the garment.

Rohan put it on. “You aren’t talking to the

police.”

“Of course not; I’m going for moral support,”

Harris replied.

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Rohan dressed quickly and tried to ignore

Harris walking beside him when he left the room.

He’d have to watch out for the shifter.

“Officer Eales, how are you today?” Rohan

asked with pretend congeniality. The policeman

stood in his foyer, his hard eyes examining his

surroundings as if certain Rohan was carrying on

some nefarious plot that needed to be uncovered.

He’d lost count of the number of times someone

falsely accused him of something just to send him

to jail.

The cop narrowed his eyes at Rohan. “I don’t

suppose you’d like to confess and save me from

having to waste both of our time,” Eales sneered.

“Is there a problem, Jeff?” Harris’ deep voice

interrupted the cop’s rant.

The dramatic change in the policeman took

Rohan by surprise. The scowl vanished and the

disdain was a distant memory; instead, a warm

smile and a jolt of pure happiness poured from the

policeman. “Harris, my man, what are you doing

here?”

Harris stepped forward and shook Eales’ hand

like old friends. “I’m painting a mural for the

vampires. Want to see?”

The cop began to nod but caught himself.

“Sorry, man, maybe another time. I’m here on

official business. I have a complaint that Rohan

here attacked a tourist tonight between the hours

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of eight and ten.” He scowled at Rohan. “I’m

supposed to take him in for questioning.”

“It wasn’t him,” Harris said, stepping in front

of the vampire.

Eales stared at Harris. “And how would you

know?”

“Because we were at dinner earlier with plenty

of witnesses to corroborate our story. I had salmon

and honey ice cream.” Harris narrowed his eyes as

if daring the cop to argue with his statement.

Rohan stayed silent and waited to see what

Eales would do.

Eales closed his notebook. “Okay, if you vouch

for him, I’ll list it as a mistaken identity. I’d advise

you to keep track of your vampire friend.

Someone is gunning for him.”

“Thanks, Jeff.”

The cop gave Harris another handshake and a

slap on the back, flashed a glare at Rohan, then

left.

“That’s it? He’s not going to ask any more

questions,” Madeleine stared at Harris in shock.

Harris shrugged. “Jeff owes me a favor or two. I

saved his fool brother from a real bear attack a few

years ago.”

“Oh. Good thing we were together tonight,”

Rohan said. “Things could’ve gone a lot worse.”

“You might want to put some feelers out to find

out who accused you. That’s pretty specific. Most

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To Bite a Bear

humans don’t know one vampire from another,”

Harris said.

“True, that’s a good point.” Rohan’s stomach

growled. “Come on; now that you saved me from

potential jail, you can feed me and finish being my

personal hero.”

He didn’t want Harris to know he suspected

the sorcerers. They might have gone underground

for now, but like cockroaches, they would scuttle

out of the darkness soon.

Harris smiled. “I’d love to be your hero.”

Of course he would. Harris beamed joy like a

child on Christmas morning. Rohan couldn’t wait

to have that big body beneath him again.

Madeleine caught his arm as he walked past.

He hissed at her.

She dropped her hold. “Sorry, sire, I needed

direction. Do you want me to ask around like your

bear said?”

“The bear has a name. He is called Harris. Use

it when referring to him,” Rohan snapped.

Confusion filled Madeleine’s eyes. “But you

always said the name of our donors don’t matter.”

“Harris isn’t a donor. He’s my blood mate,”

Rohan snapped and immediately froze.

He hadn’t meant to announce it so soon to the

coven, but now that it was out, he knew

Madeleine would spread the word.

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His inner voice didn’t have any answers except

the truth. Harris belonged to Rohan.

Madeleine’s eyes went wide. “Congratulations,

sir.”

“Thank you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got

an appointment with a man about a bed.”

He found Harris sitting nervously at the end of

his bed, as if uncertain whether to stay or run. The

shifter’s emotions ping-ponged all over the place.

Excitement. Lust. Affection. All collided together

to swirl into a mass of scents that slammed into

Rohan’s head. He shook his head to clear it.

Forcing his mind to a new clarity, he examined the

situation. Drinking from his mate while excited

could lead to a bad experience.

Pulling off his shirt, Rohan tossed it on a chair

and climbed onto the bed. With care, he helped

Harris out of his clothing, then he stripped down,

all the while whispering words of encouragement.

“Ah, my sweet bear. Thank you for the save

tonight. I didn’t relish being thrown into a cold,

hard cell.”

Harris smiled at Rohan’s words. “You have a

beautiful voice.”

The fact Harris couldn’t be enchanted added to

Rohan’s pleasure. It wasn’t beguilement making

Harris willing to donate his blood but the mate

pull. The ease with which Harris offered himself

to Rohan calmed the tension in his chest. He’d

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To Bite a Bear

never had anyone give themselves so freely

before. Harris simply tilted his neck and gave up

everything purely because he knew Rohan needed

to feed.

“My mate needs, so I provide,” Harris said as if