Ursa Major (15 page)

“What do you think?” His voice rumbled just inches from her ear.

The room matched the man. Rustic, untamed, making you think of times long ago and far away, it was, she realized, exactly how she expected Liam’s sanctuary to look. And it was completely neat. Fastidiously neat. Not one blanket, not one fold in the curtains was out of place. Completely different to her chaos of makeup, shoes and power suits that was her bedroom back in her DC apartment.

She turned in his arms. “I think it’s perfect.”

“Good.” Liam cupped her rear and lifted her against him. Sarah found herself twining her legs around his slim hips, her arms wrapped around his broad torso. Beneath her hands his muscles bunched. He dipped his lips to her, capturing her mouth, and with bold strides carried her across the room. When he reached the edge of the bed, he gently laid her down on the down comforter. He followed her down, stretching out alongside.

She expected a kiss, desired to feel the press of his body against hers. Instead, he lay there, his fingers toying lazily with the strands of her hair. His gentle seduction made it all the more difficult for her to think of this as just a fling. Turning toward him, she flattened her palm against his chest. A gentle shove sent him rolling onto his back and before he could slow things down again, she sprawled across him.

Cupping his cheeks, she kissed him. No more gentleness, not now when she had to leave in a week. His stubble-rough skin contrasted with her smooth, typist’s hands with their manicured nails. The hint of beard growth rasped against her lips and cheeks, and she yearned for it. His woodsy smell surrounded her. Though they each had several layers of clothing, she felt him as intimately as if they’d both been nude. He tugged at her sweater, slipping his hands beneath the hem. His palms burned her with their heat, his fingers searching across the elastic of her bra, finding the front clasp, and freeing it.

She moaned against his mouth as he cupped her breast. His deft fingers caressed her flesh, rolling her nipple against his palm, and she cried out from the pure pleasure of it. Needing to be closer, she pulled away long enough to sweep her sweater over her head. She tossed aside her bra, and topless, sprawled against him.

Liam cupped her breast. His eyes darkened, his attention focused on them as he drew one tight bead into his mouth. The hot, wet suction of his mouth contrasted with the cold, snowy weather outside. And although they were comfortable on his down comforter and king-sized bed, she flashed back to the tent and the sleeping bags with the hard ground beneath her.

Liam flipped her onto her back. Her legs automatically wrapped around his waist, a need to burrow closer to him driving in her blood. She struggled with the bulk of his shirt, finally baring his chest. It took a bit of maneuvering, but soon, his torso was as bare as hers.

Sarah could only stare. From the whorls of hair between his pectorals, arrowing beneath the waistband of his jeans, Liam looked every inch the strong, vibrant man he was. His tanned skin, even in winter, testified to spending time outdoors. He was everything Walt wasn’t, and her body knew it.

She tangled her fingers in his hair, drawing him close. This wasn’t like what she had with Walt, the staid, easy relationship. With him it was supposed to be. Her, working for a lobbyist firm, him an up and coming lawyer. In the fairy tale world of politics, it was the proverbial match made in heaven. Except she wanted more. Like the man kissing her breasts and caressing her with his hands.

She cried out as his teeth grazed her sensitive flesh. Her hands roamed over every area of exposed skin and some that wasn’t. Her hips moved restlessly against his. His weight pressed her to the mattress, covering her, protecting her. Like in the tent with the snow blowing around them, she trusted that he’d take care of her then, and now, with his lips travelling across her abdomen, she trusted that he’d take care of her now.

Quick motions of his fingers released her jeans. He tugged them and her panties down to her knees, then nuzzled the soft flesh just above her curls. His hot breath teased her. The tender way he cupped her inner thighs and widened them as much as the tangle of denim would allow rocking her to her core. Barely able to reach him, she clutched fistfuls of the comforter and lifted her hips toward his oh-so-perfect mouth. One swipe of his tongue undid her.

He worshipped her inner thighs with his mouth. Working lower, he freed her knees, then her calves, pausing to lave the sensitive place behind her knee with his tongue. He nipped and nuzzled her flesh, finally unlacing her boots and peeling her socks from her feet. Dropping the last of her clothing beside the bed, he paused and looked over her naked body.

The intensity of his gaze burned over her skin. She sat up, letting her knees widen and giving him a complete view. With anyone else she might have already dove under the covers. Not with Liam. In a week she’d be gone, and she wanted to give him as many memories as she was taking with her. She had a feeling when she left, she’d be leaving her heart behind.

Liam crawled over her body, shedding his jeans as he did so. She had a glimpse of his naked form, before he swooped down and kissed her. He might be able to turn into a bear, but from what she’d seen he was all man.

There was no more time for foreplay, for gentle teasing and the savoring of the moment. The impatient nudging of his arousal against her slick folds had her willing him deeper. Curling her fingers into his shoulders, she returned his kiss with a hungry fervor. She willed her emotions into him, hoped that he knew what she felt and what it would cost her to leave.

His mouth roamed over her neck, her chest, her shoulders. He was devouring her from the inside out, tearing apart the logical restraint that had worked for her so well. She cried out as he nipped her, soothing the mark with his tongue. His teeth and lips branded her, though she knew that for as long as she lived she’d never belong to anyone else but him.

And then, he was there, filling her. She lost herself in the pure wildness that was Liam. Each stroke, each nibble, each kiss, from the low moans tumbling from his lips to the mewls of need as her body tightened around him, the whole of her existence narrowed down to this moment, this precise instant in time. Her throat tightened. Pure bliss rocketed through her veins. Every inch of her body so ultra-sensitive to his touch. His hair roughened thighs slid along hers. The muscles flexing in his back and buttocks jumped at the touch of her fingers.

She flew like a hawk above the mountains, finding the thermals of his touch that took her higher. He kissed her hard and hungry, his tongue plunging into her mouth to mirror his body’s actions. His possession shook her, tore everything away until it was just her soul and his merging.

Her rational mind stopped working. She tried to think about it, to try and put what she was feeling into words. She couldn’t. Not when he consumed her, driving her to the brink of rapture and beyond. Liam’s name erupted from Sarah’s lips in a keening wail as her release whisked her away to where time and space held no meaning. Only the pulsing of her body, the strong, sure thrusts of Liam as he urged her even higher.

And then, when he finally found satisfaction, he took her with him again, a tangle of limbs and sweaty skin. Her heart pounded so fiercely in her chest she feared it might explode, and Liam was there, his breath skimming along her skin. He rolled to his side and tucked her against him. They lay there together, too sated to move. Right now, Sarah couldn’t think of anywhere else she’d rather be.

Long moments passed between them with only the pounding of Liam’s heart against her ear for music and the rise and falling of their breaths. His hand leisurely swept the length of her side. His legs tangled with hers. “No regrets?” he asked.

She nestled closer to him, only now just realizing that they hadn’t used any protection. She was on the pill, so it didn’t matter, and she trusted him. In Washington D.C. such behavior would be inconceivable, but out here, she trusted him. “No. No regrets.”

“Good,” he said, and she let the beating of his heart lull her into a false sense of security. After all, nothing could harm her. Liam could turn into a bear. A ghost of a smile crossed her lips. A lot could happen in a week and maybe, just maybe, those plane tickets wouldn’t arrive.

On the scale of the stupidest things he could have done, Liam figured making love to Sarah after revealing his secret had to rank among the highest. Not that he regretted it. Far from it, with her nestled beside him and her body warm against his, he couldn’t think of a better place that he’d like to be. She dozed, more than slept, rousing occasionally when he caressed her sides or stroked her hair. And when he needed her once more, she woke and embraced him with open arms.

The colors of dusk shone through the partially open curtains. The full moon rose and his bear called him to go outside and complete the ritual. He wanted Sarah there beside him as he lifted the offering to the Great Mother in the sky. Outside, the night called to him.

Swinging his legs over the edge of the bed he rose and moved toward the window like a man possessed. The warm body of the woman in the bed didn’t keep him there as much as it should have, and he wondered, if Sarah really understood the wildness that lived deep inside him. If she didn’t, after watching the full moon ritual she would. If she did, he feared she’d return to Washington D.C. with the image of him standing naked in the woods on a cold winter night, the hot blood of freshly killed prey pouring over his hands and arms. If she saw that, he feared it would scare her back to her comfortable apartment probably overlooking the Potomac. And maybe, just maybe, that was how things were supposed to be.

Her slender arms wrapped around his waist, her breasts flattened against his back, she peered around his arm into the night. He smiled at her, then followed his gaze, wondering how she saw his world. The moon’s ball hung in a pitch black cloudless sky. The evergreens reached toward it, the lunar glow making them appear almost silver. A fresh layer of snow reflected the light back, and outside it was nearly as bright as day. He didn’t see any wildlife, though he knew that birds roosted in the trees, and in dens and warrens, countless other small creatures awaited dawn’s return.

“It’s beautiful,” she said. “Makes me want to be out in it. Almost like the moon’s glow is magical.”

Reaching around, he pulled her into his side. “Do you want to be out there? My people have a full moon ritual. I’ll keep you safe and you can watch.”

“I…don’t want to intrude.” She stumbled over the words, and he sensed that she wasn’t sure she should be out there with him.

“You wouldn’t be. I’d be honored to share it with you and to have you witness it before you go back to Washington.”

“All right then. What do I need to do?” She inched away from him.

“Go put on some warm clothes. I’ll meet you downstairs in about twenty minutes. Okay?”

“Thank you,” she whispered before ducking away so he couldn’t see her face. He watched her go, knowing what Cameron would have said if he knew. Liam didn’t care.

Twenty minutes later he led her outdoors to a fire ring he’d built in the back yard specifically for this purpose. Building a large bonfire to keep Sarah warm, he told her to wait. Moving several yards away, he shed his clothes and shifted.

Sarah gasped when before her stood a large, male grizzly bear. He lumbered toward her, the awe and reverence in her eyes telling him that he’d done exactly the right thing. He sensed no fear, only an intense feeling of humbleness, and when she stroked his fur and buried her ungloved fingers in his ruff, a rumble of pleasure vibrated through his body. He stepped away and gestured with his muzzle back to the fire circle. She sat, and turning on his hind leg, he was gone.

Once he disappeared into the woods, he let the bear take over. Tonight’s ritual was for the
ursine
part of his soul. The Great Mother demanded this of his people, a sacrifice, a way to prove that they were still one with their inner soul. Wherever Cameron had gone, he, too, would need to perform the ritual. All over the world
Homo interans
paused in their lives to honor the different part of themselves, that part that made them not human.

He picked up the scent of an arctic hare. The creature would be perfect for the ritual. Shifting into a lope, he moved through the underbrush if not exactly silently, then far more quietly than a creature of his size ought to. He flushed the hare just past the edge of a group of trees. Startled, it whirled, but with a pounce, he caught it. His teeth tore into flesh, blood flowing hot and eager into his mouth. As bear he had to catch his sacrifice, and as bear he had it bring it back to the fire. Hurrying, wanting to preserve some of the crimson liquid, he rushed back to the circle to find Sarah still sitting there.

He stopped just beyond the trees, half afraid she’d see him with the bloody carcass in his mouth and run back to the house. He wouldn’t blame her. Tasting the coppery elixir of life on his lips, feeling the last futile poundings of the creature’s heart, he knew the kind of wild, untamed creature he was. He didn’t belong in Sarah’s world any more than she belonged in his.

He stepped cautiously forward, putting one massive paw in front of the other until he halted just beyond the edge of the fire ring. He dropped the rabbit on a slab of stone designed specifically for that purpose. The creature’s blood mingled with the rust-colored stains of countless other tiny animals, all of whom had given their life in the service of the Great Mother. He lowered his muzzle to the slab and drew the scent of blood into his nostrils. Then, lifting his muzzle, he rose onto his hind legs and shifted once more into his human form.

~* * *~

Watching Liam transform back into a man stole Sarah’s breath away. Having him shift into a bear, then back into human form right in front of her was a far cry from simply believing that he could turn into a grizzly bear. Liam stood before her, blood dripping over his chest and across his hands. The crimson liquid absorbed the light, looking like a dark stain against his skin.

He strode forward. Halting at the rock he raised his bloody hands overhead. The motion caused the blood to run over his forearms.

It was like watching a movie. Though the rough bark of the log on which she sat pressed through her jeans, and the chilly air raised gooseflesh on her arms, she didn’t feel as if she were really there. No, this couldn’t be happening within a few feet of her.

Liam reached for the moon. Eyes closed, head tilted back, the ambient light silhouetting his broad chest and powerful thighs. He looked like someone from another time and place, a fierce and proud warrior. And with her report, her people would be taking this away from him.

The low rumble of words reached her ears. Liam chanted in some kind of foreign language. She didn’t recognize it. She knew enough Spanish to get by, even had a smattering of German. Whatever language Liam spoke, it didn’t sound like anything she’d heard in any of her travels and she’d been to some pretty remote locations. Sarah closed her eyes. She let the words wash over her, as cleansing as a fresh spring rain. Though she had no idea what Liam said, it sounded as if he gave praise and thanks.

To the moon? Liam had spoken about a ritual. Cultures all over the world revered the sun and the moon. She supposed Liam’s wouldn’t be any different. And yet, it seemed that while he reached for the moon the invocation he spoke went beyond it, encompassed something far larger than a chunk of rock hanging in outer space. Sarah knew about moon rituals. As a pagan, she’d done a few of them herself.

She wished she knew what he was saying. The urge to move, maybe kneel at Liam’s feet next to the altar rock overcame her. Before she realized what she was doing, she dropped to her knees in front of the log. She bent her head. Liam kept his attention focused on the sky. She doubted he’d seen her move.

Oh great earth goddess, mother to us all, bless us on this full moon night. Bathe me with your light. Fill me with your strength. And guide us to do what is right.
The words of her ritual incantation filled her mind. Warmth and love radiated down to her from the moon, a presence filling her so powerful it stole the breath from her lungs. In one of the rare times during ritual, she felt connected. To the Earth, to Liam, to the sky, to everything.

Liam had dropped to his knees. He stared across the fire circle at her, taking in her position on the ground. He held out his hand.

Sarah stared at it. Did he really want her to join him? His ritual seemed so personal, so private. She hated to intrude even if he did invite her out here. She rose hesitantly to her feet. Circling the rocks marking the fire pit, she stopped beside him.

Liam patted the ground beside him.

She knelt.

Reaching out, he grabbed her hand, holding onto it, as he bent his head once more and started his chant.

The musical notes rolled over her, wrapping her up in a world different from any she’d ever known. When he stood, he took her with him, tucking her in by his side. One arm wrapped around her waist, holding her close by his side. In spite of the cool temperatures and his nudity, warmth seeped from his body into hers. This close to him, she smelled the tang of the rabbit’s blood in the air.

He bent and lifted the carcass from the ground. He said something in his strange language. “This is blood. This is life. I offer this to the Great Mother who gives us life. She gives us blood. What she gives, she can also take. Through joy and through strife, she gives us our life, and it is up to us what we make,” he said, presumably repeating what he’d just spoken.

The words chilled her with their simplicity.

“I am man. I am bear. I am
Homo interans ursa
and it is my kind who guard the great mother and rule them all. I offer this creature so that you may know I do not take my position in vain. I am one of the exalted ones. I watch over my people and I watch over the humans.” Liam released her.

He moved in front of her, the rabbit dangling from one hand. Dipping his fingers in its blood, he drew a line down the center of her forehead. His fingers slid over the bridge of her nose, caressing her lips that he’d kissed.

A shiver wound down her spine.

“I anoint you, human. You walk the Earth unknowing what secrets she holds. People different move among you, and yet, you do not know. You came into my domain and you made it your own. Now, I protect you from your people’s actions and I make you whole.”

Sarah gasped. Surely he couldn’t be talking about her report and her job. On a grander scale, she supposed humans needed saving from themselves. It made sense. It wasn’t like they made the best of decisions sometime.

He had said he made her whole.

Her stomach fell. No! When she went back to Washington D.C., she’d go alone. She’d arrive back in that town as she’d left it: a woman on her own mission.

Lost in her thoughts, she realized that she’d missed what Liam had said. Streaks of red now covered the tops of his thighs and slashed across both biceps. The rabbit carcass lay on the rock like an offering on an altar and she wondered what he’d do with it once the ritual ended.

Liam reached for her hand. He stood, bringing her with him, and took a step away from the altar. He released her hand.

She stood there, feeling adrift as he dropped to his knees, then to all fours. His head hanging down, he looked almost like someone performing the yoga cat pose. Except, he was a bear.

She saw it in watching him, the strong lines of his thighs and buttocks. He swiveled his head back and forth, almost like the grizzly did as it sniffed the air. Liam opened his mouth. Drawing a deep breath of air, he let loose a roar from the depths of his chest.

Sarah squeaked and jumped back.

His primal cry erupted from his throat, rumbling through the air and hitting her like a ton of bricks. She listened to it, chills snaking up and down her arms, and she knew she was in the presence of a wild beast.

Her nipples hardened. Her sex tingled, the wild cry coming from him a reminder of the passion they’d shared.

She sensed a second presence in the clearing.

Sarah turned to see Cameron standing a short distance away. Unlike his brother, he wore a pair of jeans and hiking boots, though blood still stained his chest.

She stumbled, looking from one brother to another. She sank onto the log with the realization that both brothers were shifters.
Homo interans ursa
, Liam had called them. The humans who transitioned into bear form.

Her mouth went dry.

Cameron strode across the clearing, a scowl marring his features. His hands hung in fists by his side, his angry strides making the heels of his boots pull grass from the lawn. He stopped beside the log. “What are you doing here?” he growled.

Liam’s cry ended abruptly. He rose to his feet and snarled at his brother. The wordless noise sounded like two males fighting over their mate. Sarah wanted to stand between the two men, her arms outstretched, and tell them to stop acting like Neanderthals. Except, Liam’s revelation meant that he didn’t operate by human rules. In fact, she didn’t know if their sleeping together meant anything beyond two adults acting on mutual attraction.

No matter how this might turn out, she’d return to Washington D.C. and he’d be staying here.

Liam took a deep breath and stood. He stared at his brother for a long moment. “I didn’t expect you back so soon,” he said.

“I can tell,” Cameron replied in a dry voice. None of the teasing banter was evident. “It’s a chilly night to be out without any clothes on.” He gave a pointed stare to the folded clothing on the ground.