Page 43

8

Goldie

“ Y ou’ll need all the strength you can get for what your three mates have planned.”

The biggest creature’s words played through my head on repeat, and as much as I should have been terrified, I felt wave after wave of warmth move through me.

To say it was awkward eating in front of three massive beasts who were solely focused on me was an understatement.I felt as if they were consumed with the very idea that I was getting enough nutrition. Making sure I chewed and swallowed each bite, offering me second and third helpings.

It came to the point where my frustration mounted, and I had to sternly shake my head as I stared into each one of their glowing eyes to make my point known. I could’ve sworn I heard harsh chuckles leave them, but it seemed so misplaced, given the fact these weren’t humans in any sense of the word.

And that had been hours ago. After that, they ushered me in front of the fire, laid out an extra fur, and gently gestured for me to sit.

I’d learned their names, their voices harsh and strangely accented. Bear was the biggest. Bruin the middle. And the “littlest,” if you could call a nearly seven-foot-tall beast that, was named Ursid.

Bear had given me several books, and I pretended to read, although I was intently listening to their conversation. They didn’t really speak in the way humans did. They gave harsh two- or three-worded responses, growls, and rumbles that made no sense to me but that they understood clearly between each other.

It was fascinating and peculiar. And the logical side of me said I should try to escape. It didn’t matter that doing so would be so damn foolish because of the weather.

The storm was becoming fiercer by the second. I should’ve been willing to risk anything to get away from creatures who could snap my body in half with one clench of their jaws and sharp teeth.Or open me up from belly to breastbone with those sharp and long black claws.

But they’ve taken care of me and tended to me.

If I didn’t know they were the same creatures who saved me so long ago, the same ones I felt watching me throughout the years, I would have feared for my life. But I knew differently. I felt differently.

Although they stayed hidden, they proved themselves to me.

They could’ve killed me at any given opportunity. Instead, they seemed very obsessed with taking care of me. And I hadn’t had that in so long it was a foreign concept.

That is what frightened me the most.

Because I liked it.

I yearned for it.

And it felt right.

I closed the book and sat there for a moment, staring at the fire, feeling its warmth. I looked out the window, the night making everything too dark for me to see anything behind the pane of glass, but I heard the raging weather outside.

There was no indication that it was letting up any time soon.

I felt the brush of air behind me and turned, a startled gasp leaving me when I saw Ursid standing right there. His paw was so large that the bandages he held looked like a minuscule piece of tissue paper.

I didn’t move as he crouched in front of me, feeling his body heat, breathing in the scent of wilderness that surrounded him.

My body relaxed further as I inhaled deeply. I could feel Bear and Bruin watching us, but my focus was on Ursid as he reached out slowly, almost hesitantly, toward my ankle.

When I woke up earlier, I noticed the wraps around my ankles and wrists, and I hadn’t bothered taking them off to see if there was any real damage. Although they ached, I was able to move them easily, which told me the bandages were probably more to keep things stable, so no further injuries would happen.

When I didn’t flinch as he curled that big paw around my leg, I felt him smooth a digit along my bare skin. Goose bumps formed along my arms and legs, and I shivered. We held eye contact for several moments, and I felt sweat bloom along my brow and between my breasts. My body heat rose until I started to pant.

It had nothing to do with the fire behind me and everything to do with the three bear-beasts surrounding me.

He went to work meticulously unwrapping the bandages, then gently feeling around my toes, the heel of my foot, and the arch before making his way to my ankle. His touch was tender, but I showed no reaction as I gazed into his face. These creatures were strange but oh-so beautiful. Their dark fur looked lush and silky. And their scent was the most arousing thing I’d ever experienced.

It was musky, a little wild, as if they’d been traveling at night, collecting the wind and the scent from the pine needles in their fur.

I watched as his rounded ears twitched back-and-forth, as if he were picking up every little sound in the cottage. His nose tweaked, the shape round and dark, reminiscent of a bear’s nose. In fact, they looked so much like the creatures it was almost startling.

They were built so big, walking on two legs, their bodies formed similarly to human males in structure and stature but more feral and wild.

Before I could stop myself, I was reaching out and tunneling my fingers into the fur of his chest. I felt his pectoral muscles flex and gasped slightly at how pleasurable that sensation was.

Ursid’s claws curled slightly around my ankle, his body tightening under my hand.It was very clear I took him off guard by touching him. He lifted those golden eyes at me, another purr rumbling out of his chest. I felt the vibrations move along my arm, slide through my palm, and settle right on my breasts, tightening my nipples.

He lifted his head, and we held gazes. Another purr left him, this one stronger than the last. I felt him stroke his clawed thumb over my ankle bone.

Back and forth.

Gently.

And then I was acutely aware of Bear and Bruin making deep noises.

I pulled my hand back, and faster than I expected, Ursid used his other paw to grip my wrist, gently pulling it back to his chest and placing it right over his heart.

“Be our good girl and don’t fight.”

For long moments, we just stayed like that, staring into each other’s eyes. The fact that he wasn’t human had been very clear to me, but as the time passed, it became less unusual and more fascinating.

I could feel his heart steadily beating beneath my palm, and I found my own trying to match the rhythm. But he was so much bigger that his heartbeat was slow.

After a moment, he started working on my ankle, taking the wrap off and putting a new one on. He did this with my wrist too, his touch so gentle it was a strange contrast to the strength that poured off him.

I relaxed, sinking farther into the furs beneath me and letting his touch weave its way through me. Before I knew what I was doing, my eyes closed, and a soft sigh left me as goose bumps covered my arms and legs.

I was vaguely aware of the shift in the air and a moment later felt a light touch on my shoulder, then a furry digit smoothed down my cheek.

I opened my eyes to see both Bear and Bruin touching me—all three bear-creatures having this physical connection with me at the same time.

It felt… right.

“So soft,” Bear said.

“So pretty,” Bruin growled.

Another soft sound left me, and I relaxed even more as Ursid finished bandaging me. “Our sweet, little female,” he said and leaned in.

I held my breath as I stared at him with what felt like wide eyes. I knew what he was going to do before he did it, but I found no need to stop it. I didn’t want to.

And when Ursid dragged that long, pink tongue over my mouth, humming in pleasure, I felt my body ignite, becoming wet in the most intimate places.

A silent shiver wracked through me, and I moaned, unable to keep the sound in.

God, this isn’t right… is it?

Feeling these things shouldn’t have made such an impact on me.

I shouldn’t have hard nipples and a wet pussy. But as Ursid kept licking my lips, I let the feelings consume me. And then Bruin dragged that slightly roughened tongue along the side of my neck.

I shivered when Bear tangled his enormous paw in my hair and tipped my head to the side, giving better access to his brother who was now licking my nape.

With my thighs clenched, my nipples rubbing against the bodice of my top, and every nerve ending in my body on high alert, I wanted nothing more than to give in.

But reality slowly crashed in like a soft wave to the shore. I made another sound, which had all three bears growling in clear pleasure.

With my hand still on Ursid’s chest, I gently pushed him back. Surprisingly, he retreated instantly. And then Bruin and Bear followed suit.

I was left sitting there gasping for air, trying to catch my breath but feeling like I couldn’t regain my composure.

When I stood and stumbled back, I reached for the edge of the chair to steady myself, my breathing suddenly so erratic, my nipples hard, and the most intimate part of me so wet my inner thighs were slick.

“I—I need time to myself.” My words were a broken mess as I turned and headed for the last room. It seemed like the most logical thing to do at the moment. As if a few feet would stop my arousal from growing… or keep them away.

When I was in the room with the door shut, I leaned against it and sucked in a great lungful of air. My eyes were closed, but flashes of what just happened moments before played right in front of me. It did nothing to alleviate my need. I clenched my thighs tightly as a fresh wave of moisture left my pussy.

“Female.” The deep voice came from the other side of the door, and I already recognized it was Bruin’s. “Open for us.”

I bit my lip to hold in my moan and shook my head, even though no one could see me.

“You know us,” Bear said.

“I have to go home.” My words were soft, maybe too soft for them to even hear.

“This is your home now,” Ursid was the last one to speak. “But we only want you to be happy, so if you want to go back, we’ll all go back. We’ll all be together.”

I turned and faced the still closed door, my heart racing as I reached for the handle.

“And you know why we’ll all be together?” Bear was turning the handle and pushing the door open before I could respond. I took a step back as all three bears pushed their way through the oversized doorway and came into the room. “We’ll all be together,” he growled, “no matter where you’re at.”

They came closer.

“Because you’re ours, and we won’t let you go.”