Page 12 of Shared by the Werebears (Hidden Hollow #5)

FINN

T he woods around Hidden Hollow can be treacherous at night—especially if you don’t have magical vision.

Ronan and I were fine—even out of our Fur Forms, we had enhanced Were eyesight.

But it was clear that Goldie didn’t have the same powers we did.

After she stumbled and tripped a few times, I put my arm through hers to lead her through the dark woods.

A faint snapping sound drifted through the air.

Ahead of us, Ronan came instantly alert.

His hand shot out to bar our progress, and he slid forward, crouched, eyes darting.

Goldie tensed against my arm, her breath catching.

Clearly, she could sense the mood shift, even if she couldn’t see through the blackness like we could.

“What is it?” she breathed in my ear.

I strained, heart pounding, but all I sensed was the wind whispering through dry leaves.

For a moment, it felt like we were alone in the world, the three of us floating in a black bubble of night, suspended above the forest floor.

Then it came again—a shuffling, scraping sound, maybe twenty feet ahead.

Ronan gestured for silence, then motioned for me to hang back with Goldie. He slipped ahead, his boots nearly silent on the rotting pine needles. I drew Goldie to my side, smelling the scent of her fear.

“It’s all right,” I murmured, keeping my voice low. “Whatever it is, we won’t let it hurt you.”

“Thanks.” She gave me a grateful look and I felt a swell of protectiveness. I didn’t know her very well, but I wanted to keep her safe. She was important to me already.

Ronan vanished into a pocket of darkness where the moonlight didn’t quite reach, and for a few seconds, I lost track of him.

The woods had grown so silent, even our own breathing sounded too loud.

Then, from up ahead, I caught the faintest grunt—Ronan’s “come here” sound.

I squeezed Goldie’s arm and we crept forward, careful not to snap any twigs or stumble over roots.

He was crouched in a shallow depression, one hand raised for us to slow down.

At first, I couldn’t see what had alarmed him, but then Goldie let out a soft, relieved gasp.

Nestled between a cluster of boulders and a mess of fallen branches, a young deer struggled in the grip of a snarl of brambles and thorned vines.

Its flanks quivered in terror, eyes wide and rolling, but it made almost no sound—just a desperate, shuddering panting.

Ronan motioned for me to come forward, but Goldie surprised me by taking the lead.

“Here—let me. The poor thing is scared to death.”

She knelt beside the struggling deer and put a hand on its heaving flanks. A soft, crooning sound came from her throat and I could feel a calmness flowing from her and into the deer. It was flowing into me, too—and to judge from the way Ronan’s tense shoulders had relaxed, he was feeling it too.

Was this part of her Succubus power? But there didn’t seem to be anything sexual about it—the emotions coming from her were just sweet and warm and comforting. It was like being wrapped in a soft quilt while you sipped a cup of hot cocoa.

“It’s all right, baby. You’re going to be okay,” Goldie murmured to the deer. It calmed down and nuzzled her hand. She stroked its head and it made a soft sound of contentment. “All right,” she said, looking back at Ronan and me. “He’s calm—we can untangle him now.”

Goldie’s hand moved slowly, stroking the deer’s neck while her other hand gently freed its legs one at a time.

Thorns raked her skin but she didn’t flinch.

In fact, I’d never seen anyone move so gently—with such care for a wild animal.

The tangle of vines seemed almost to loosen under her touch, as if the forest itself wanted to help her. I wanted to help her too.

I knelt beside her on the cold forest floor. I half expected the deer to recognize my Were nature and the Bear I keep inside me and shy away, but Goldie’s crooning kept it calm. Together, we worked to get it free as Ronan kept watch.

At last, it struggled to its feet. It pressed the top of its head to Goldie’s midsection—a thank you, I think—and I heard her say,

“Oh…you’re welcome, baby.”

Then it ran away, into the forest. The last thing I saw was the flick of its short, white tail waving as it disappeared into the shadows between the trees.

“All right.” Ronan’s voice broke the silence. “It’s time we got moving again.”

We kept walking. The woods closed around us again, darker now, and somehow quieter—as if Goldie’s act of kindness had brought peace to the forest.

I was kind of in awe of her, honestly. She was so warm and sweet and kind…

nothing like the temptress I would have expected her to be since she was half Succubus.

But then I remembered the way she’d let me stroke her…

the way she’d given herself to my touch in the diner and my cock was suddenly hard at the thought.

God, I wanted to do that again! I wanted to cup her breasts and stroke her soft pussy and hear her moan in pleasure.

But I knew Ronan wouldn’t approve and with Thorne, gone, he was in charge.

Goldie walked between us, her boots crunching softly on frost- bitten leaves. Her body brushed mine every now and then, and I could feel how much colder she was getting. I felt the tremble in her limbs. Her breath came out in small puffs, white and misty in the moonlight.

“You’re shaking,” I said quietly, ducking my head toward her.

“I’m fine,” she insisted, though her voice was tight with effort. “Just…a little chilly, that’s all.”

Ronan shot me a glance from her other side.

He didn’t say anything, but I saw the stiffness in his shoulders again.

Even after the encounter with the deer he was suspicious—watching her too closely.

I wished I could reason with him—make him see she didn’t want to harm us. But now wasn’t the time to argue.

“Let’s stop here for the night,” I said, slowing to a halt when we came to a clearing in the woods. “It’s not safe to keep pushing.” I looked at Goldie. “You’re freezing.”

“I c-can k-keep going,” Goldie started to protest, but Ronan cut her off.

“Finn’s right,” he growled. “Your teeth are chattering. Last thing we need is you passing out from cold and freezing to death.”

That earned him a glare from her, but she reached into her jacket pocket anyway and pulled out something small and round—the tent her friend, Goody Albright had given her. It didn’t look like much, but I could sense the magic humming in it.

“All right, let’s see if that thing really does have everything we need in it,” Ronan remarked.

Goldie frowned at him.

“I’m sure it’s good—Goody A’s magic is always top-notch.”

She placed the tiny tent in the center of the clearing and we all stepped back, giving it room to grow. Then Goldie looked at the piece of paper that had come with the tent, took a deep breath, and recited two soft, sing-song lines.

“Cozy dome and candlelight,

Keep us safe this forest night. ”

With a ripple of soundless motion, the tent began to grow.

We all stepped back again, instinctively as the spell took hold.

In seconds, a low, rounded dome of canvas and gold-stitched velvet stood in its place, like a toadstool that had sprouted from nothing.

The flap opened with a little sigh, revealing warm light spilling out from inside.

“Well, damn,” Ronan muttered. “I’ll give the old witch this—she knows her craft.”

Goldie turned to us, a little triumphant spark in her eyes, though her hands were still trembling.

“Told you Goody A’s magic is top notch. And don’t call her an ‘old witch.’ She’s a respected magic user.”

“Yeah, well…” Ronan looked like he wanted to argue.

“Let’s get inside,” I said, interrupting their argument.

I put a hand to Goldie’s lower back to guide her forward.

Her body was cold through the light jacket she was wearing.

Too cold. It made something tight and urgent twist in my chest. Even though we barely knew her, I was worried—I wanted to keep her safe and warm.

Goldie resisted for a moment, her eyes clashing with Ronan’s. Then she let me guide her into the tent and Ronan followed us.

The inside of the tent was cozy and inviting.

There were no visible heat sources, but the air was a bit warmer than outside—at least our breath didn’t come out in white puffs.

A trio of flickering globe-lights hovered at the top of the dome, casting a soft, golden glow.

In the center of the tent, thick blankets and cushioned bedrolls had already arranged themselves in a row, leaving space to one side for boots and gear.

Goldie slipped off her shoes and jacket and sank down onto the middle blanket, hugging her knees to her chest. Her cheeks were flushed now—maybe from the temperature shift or maybe because she was still irritated with Ronan—and a strand of blonde hair drifted across her eyes.

She blew it out of the way with a soft puff of air.

I crouched beside her, wanting to be close in case she needed me. She still looked cold .

“You okay?” I murmured.

She nodded.

“Just… really glad we stopped. Thanks, Finn—this was a good call.”

Ronan remained standing just inside the tent’s entrance, his arms crossed tight over his chest. He hadn’t said a word since we stepped inside, but he was watching her.

The way his eyes tracked her movements made me want to growl.

Was I feeling jealous? Possessive? I had never felt that way before around Ronan—he was my Clan mate.

But I could see the heat in his gaze when he looked at Goldie—a heat I was feeling too.

“Are you going to sit down or stand there and glare all night?” I asked, sharper than I meant to.

His jaw clenched.

“Just keeping an eye on things.”

Goldie glanced between us and gave a little half-smile.

“It’s all right, boys. I know I make you both…nervous.”

Right—if “nervous” was the word for it. Tell that to my cock, which was getting hard just from being near her and breathing in her sweet, feminine scent. God, why did she have to smell so good?

Also, now that her jacket was off, I could see the cleavage her fluffy black sweater showed off so perfectly. It made me remember how she looked topless and my cock surged again in my jeans.

“You don’t make me nervous,” I said, before Ronan could get a word in. “You just keep surprising me. That’s all.” I was thinking of the trapped deer—how she’d been so gentle with it.

Her smile grew.

“Is that a good thing, Finn?”

“Ask me again in the morning,” I said.

Her laughter was soft, but it wrapped around something deep in my chest and squeezed.

I wanted her to stay warm. I wanted her to feel safe.

But more than that, I wanted her to keep smiling like that.

Like maybe Ronan and I weren’t just a couple of Weres under a curse. Like maybe she could really see us .

Ronan finally sat on the blanket to Goldie’s other side, putting her in the middle of us. He had one knee bent, hands resting on his thighs.

“We’ll take shifts,” he said gruffly. “I’ll keep first watch.”

“You don’t think the tent’s protective magic is enough?” Goldie asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

“I don’t trust magic I didn’t cast myself,” Ronan growled shortly.

Goldie shrugged.

“Suit yourself. If you want to stay up half the night, that’s your business. I’m going to get some rest.”

“Sleep tight, princess.” There was heavy sarcasm in Ronan’s deep voice but if he was trying to bait her, it didn’t work.

Goldie didn’t answer. Instead, she snuggled under her blanket with a small sigh, curling in on herself as though trying to trap what little warmth she had left. Her arms wrapped around her middle, and even in the golden light, I saw the fine tremble still running through her body.

I frowned—clearly the tent wasn’t warm enough. She was freezing.

Without thinking, I slipped under my own blanket and lay down beside her, careful and slow.

I pressed my body close, wrapping an arm around her waist and tucking her in against me.

She made a soft, startled sound, but didn’t pull away.

Instead, she leaned back against me, seeking the heat. Still, her shivering didn’t stop.

“She’s still too cold,” I murmured, looking across her body to where Ronan sat, rigid as stone.

He met my gaze and frowned.

“So what?”

“So help me warm her up,” I said, my voice low. “You know it’ll work better with both of us. You want her sick?”

Ronan hesitated—just for a moment—and then he exhaled through his nose.

There was something rough and reluctant in the sound but I could tell he wanted to touch Goldie as much as I did.

At last, he lowered himself to the other side of her, his broad chest brushing her full breasts as he stretched out beside her.

She gasped softly as his body heat met hers, and I felt the ripple of it move through her.

Nobody makes heat like a Were—we’re like walking furnaces.

Having one of us on either side of her would get her warm in no time.

Between us now, Goldie went still. Then slowly, the tension in her limbs began to melt. Her breathing deepened. The shivering faded.

And, as though the tent was responding to her, the globe lights above us dimmed until we were mostly in the dark.

“This isn’t right,” Ronan muttered in the dimness. “We’re too fucking close.”

But I noticed he didn’t move away.

Neither did I.

Goldie lay between us like the sweetest thing we’d never meant to share—soft and trusting, her body slowly warming between ours.

Her scent curled around me like sugar and spice and something wild underneath, something that made my Bear stir in my chest, like he wanted her as much as I did.

I let my hand settle lightly on her hip, and I felt, more than heard, the soft exhale she gave in response.

She didn’t speak. Neither did we.

But the silence between us was thick with heat, and I knew we’d all feel it in our dreams…if we could get any sleep, that was.