"I love you, Cici," he said. “I never imagined I’d be lucky enough to have a woman like you. I love you so damn much.”
"I love you too, Thorian. I'm the luckiest woman in the world. I want you to put a baby inside me."
Just as she said it. Her body spasmed with another orgasm, teasing his cock and milking him to come inside her.
"Oh, I’ll put a cub inside you, all right," he said, thrusting harder against the flesh of her thighs.
“Make me like you, Thorian. I want to be a bear too. I want us all to be shifters.”
He looked at her with those glowing yellow eyes and growled. Pulling her wrists behind her head, he fondled her breasts with the other, kissing her deeply. His sharp teeth brushed over her lips and nearly punctured one as he nipped her bottom lip. He growled and moved his mouth to her neck, sucking tight over her jugular vein. He licked her flesh and his fangs brushed hard over her skin. He growled as he pumped into her, thrusting harder and harder until he groaned, his cock growing wider and more rigid in her channel. He bit down on her neck, cutting off her breath as his teeth gripped her flash.
His seed erupted inside her, hitting her cervix and making her orgasm again, while his teeth bit deep into her neck. The sensation of pleasure and pain mixed into a mind shattering explosion of need and its fulfillment.
It was as if the world was ripped apart all at once, just to be put back together anew. Their minds mingled, and she felt everything that was Thorian. He was her mate. Her one and only. A good, honest, and true man with so much life and humor and love to share.
She felt his bear reaching out to her over the vast reaches of space, like a constellation had dropped out of the sky and became a living thing. The power of her animal surged inside her, and a tiny growl sounded at the back of her brain. So small and immature, yet growing by the minute. Her bear. The animal inside that had been there all along.
In that moment, their love was pure perfection, and she didn't want to let it go. As the seconds ticked past, he released her neck and licked the wound to heal it. She gasped for breath as he moved away from her and lay on his back, pulling her against his chest. Her animal growled softly, deep inside her mind.
“I can hear it,” she whispered. “It’s coming to life.”
“Soon you’ll be able to shift like me. I’ll be here to help you every step of the way, my love.”
They snuggled together under the covers in the dim light of his room, not speaking, but sharing the depth of their new bond. A while later, Thorian leaned over and pulled something out of the bedside table. As he held it under the light, Cici could see it was a sparkling diamond ring.
“This ring belonged to my grandmother,” he said, slipping it on her finger. It fit just right. “Will you be my wife?"
"Oh yes, Thorian," she said, looking up at him. “I’d be honored to be your wife."
Chapter 11
Cici woke the next morning to the smell of coffee and bacon wafting up the stairs and through the open door of Thorian's bedroom. She took a deep breath through her nose as her eyes fluttered opened.
She sat up and stretched, groaning at the delicious scent. The immature growl of her bear had grown stronger overnight, and the beast was hungry. She couldn’t wait to let it out and run naked and free with her mate. Giggling, she slipped on Thorian’s oversized shirt and padded down the stairs to find him cooking in the kitchen.
He was wearing nothing but a Kiss the Chef apron over his boxer shorts. She walked up behind him and slid her arms around his waist, hugging him from behind. She pressed her cheek to his strong, muscled back. He gripped her hand and caressed it, turning around to kiss her on the mouth.
"You really are lovely this morning," he said.
"My hair is a mess, and I slept in my makeup," she said, wiping the eyeliner from under her eyes.
"You look perfect to me, and I love you in that shirt," he said, picking up her hand and twirling her around. "Breakfast will be done in a jiffy. The coffee is just finished brewing if you want a cup."
He handed her of big mug from the cabinet, and she poured herself a cup, filling it with cream and sugar just the way she liked. She padded over to the breakfast nook in his slippers and looked out the window onto the backyard and the lake beyond. There was a dock that stretched out onto the water that looked like it was in serious need of repair. A boat was moored at the end.
"Is that your fishing boat?" she asked.
"It belonged to my grandfather," he said. “Maybe after breakfast we can go for a ride. It’s warm in the cab.”
“That sounds fun,” she said. “I have to back to work tomorrow. I can’t believe vacation is already over. So much has happened.”
He finished the food and dished it up onto plates, bringing one over to Cici where she sat in the breakfast nook drinking her coffee. He sat across from her at the table and they gazed into each other's eyes, smiling as they dove into their breakfasts. He'd made scrambled eggs with cheddar, bacon, toast with jam and fresh squeezed orange juice.
"This is the best homemade breakfast I've had in a long time," she said. “Usually I just grab a muffin from the bakery and some coffee. I never put in the time to cook.”
"I’ll cook for you every day if you’ll let me.”
"I’ll count on it," she said with a wink.
"You can count on a good many other things. Now, what do you think we should do with this kitchen?" he asked.
"We should definitely get rid of the old wallpaper. I think the cabinetry is fine. Maybe a new coat of paint. But these floors have got to go."
He looked down at the bubbling old linoleum and nodded.
"I definitely agree with you on that.”
"And all new appliances and countertops."
"That was going to be the first thing I changed. I was considering putting in a master bathroom and taking a few square feet from one of the guest rooms. We could put in a big soaker tub."
"Oh my gosh, now you're talking my language," she said with a giggle.
“Soon, I’ll help you bring your bear out,” he said, changing the subject and looking into her ears. He held her hand across the table.
“When will I be ready?”
“It won’t be long. But I want to make sure you are prepared. The first shift can be a challenge for a newly turned human.”
“I know I’ll be okay with you by my side.”
After eating their breakfast, they bundled up in warm clothing and went out to the boat. It was strange how she felt less cold than she usually would at this temperature. But Thorian explained that it was her new bear keeping her warm.
She noticed how nice the boat was compared to the house. It seemed to Cici that Thorian's grandfather had definitely prioritized his boat over the last few years. It was really quite the machine.
They climbed in and Thorian drove over the lake while Cici poured them both cups of cocoa from the thermos he’d brought. Cruising around the lake for hours, they chatted about their lives and their futures, laughing and kissing the whole time. Being mated with Thorian was the most fantastic feeling she'd ever experienced.
She loved her family, her mother and father, and she loved her friends. But there had always been this deep sense of loneliness that had gnawed at her heart. It was like she knew there was someone perfect out there for her, and she just hadn't found him yet.
“That’s the Talbot’s house,” Thorian said, pointing to a big, modern mansion on the shore.
Cici picked up the binoculars from the dashboard and looked out over the water at the grounds. She saw a man walking out of the stables with a bundle in his arms.
"I wonder what the stablehand is doing," she said, handing him the binoculars.
Thorian took them and stared through the lens, his mouth turning down.
"He and Vicki were lovers, weren’t they?" Cici said.
"Let’s get a closer look.”
They drove closer to the Talbot estate and parked in a cove close by where they c
ouldn't be seen. The stablehand disappeared into the house and then come back without the bundle. A few moments later, Mr. Talbot's car arrived, and he got out of the driver’s seat. The door of the passenger seat swung open and Sally Mace from the Fate Valley Wives’ Club got out.
"I wonder what Sally Mace is doing with Mr. Talbot?"
She handed the binoculars to Thorian.
"That's the woman who was fawning all over him the first time I met the Talbots.”
"She seemed really angry that Vicki was cheating on her husband Ralph. Spiteful, in fact."
"Do you think she was jealous enough to kill?" Thorian lowered the binoculars.
"That's a possibility,” Cici said.
Thorian lifted the binoculars back to his eyes and continued watching the Talbot estate.
"They're all three talking now," Thorian said.
"You think they were all in on it together?" Cici asked.
"They were all at the New Year's Eve party,” Thorian said. "Maybe I'll drop by tomorrow and say that I am there to check up on the fuse."
"Then what?”
"I don’t know. I wish I could let this go, but I just can't. Somebody was messing with my fireworks and ruined our first date. I just can't let it slide. I need to get to the bottom of it."
Chapter 12
The next day, Thorian was on call at work. Cici was at the school with her students for the first day back to class. He’d promised to help her with her first shift, very soon, but today they had to get back to their regular lives.
He went to the hardware store and bought a bunch of supplies to start working on the kitchen. He planned to work on the cabinets first and then the floors. He had already ordered the appliances and the new countertops. He hoped to have it all complete by the time Cici moved in when her lease was up. During that time, he would fix up the house as much as possible, so it would be ready for her. Now that he knew he would have someone to spend his life with, he was far more motivated to do the work.
He finally finished cleaning out his grandfather's things later that morning. After throwing away the garbage, he put the rest into storage, so he could sort through it later. There were so many memories he wanted to keep, but he wasn't quite ready to process it all yet. There was so much other work to do on the house to get it ready for a family. He spent the morning tearing up the linoleum floor and repairing the subflooring, preparing to put down the new subway tile.
He had just finished with the subflooring when he got a text from his work. He had another call for the Talbot estate. He squinted at the text, wondering what could have gone wrong so soon. On his way over to the estate, he sent Cici a quick message, telling her where he was going. It all made him a little nervous. Especially since they had been snooping on the Talbots the day before.
He drove up to the front of the house and parked his truck, just a little after three. The only car in the driveway was the teenage son’s. Thorian grabbed his tools, making his way to the front door. He knocked, and the teenager opened the door.
"Boy, am I glad to see you," the young man said.
"Last time I was here, you told me that you were staying at your girlfriend's house," Thorian said, moving into the entry hall.
"Her parents got tired of having me in the guest room. The invitation was only for the holidays, so I had to come home.”
"How are you doing with your dad?" he asked.
"Honestly, he hasn’t been around very much. He's been spending a lot of time with Sally."
"Is that so," Thorian said.
He went down to the basement and shined his flashlight onto the fuse box. He tested a few things while the young man was at the top of the stairs.
“How is that?” Thorian called.
"Lights are still out," the teenager said.
"How about this?" Thorian said replacing the fuse yet again.
"Still nothing.”
Thorian took his flashlight and traced the electric cables back through the unfinished basement and came to the narrow opening of a crawlspace. He pushed aside the particleboard covering the entrance and peered inside. It was dusty and dark, but he could see the wires running behind the walls. He stooped and crawled inside, shining his light. He found the mainline connected the fuse box with the kitchen had been slice halfway apart. He quickly repaired the wire and when he was finished, he looked down at the ground under him and found a pearl earring, sitting on the floor. He picked it up and and put it in his pocket.
As he turned to leave the crawlspace, he noticed a box sitting in the corner. Out of pure curiosity, he flipped it open and found it full of fireworks. It surprised him so much, his heart skipped a beat. He emerged from the crawlspace and walked upstairs to the teenager.
“That fixed it,” the kid said.
"Where did all those fireworks in the crawlspace come from?" he asked the teenager.
"I don't know anything about any fireworks,” the kid said, turning green.
"They're exactly the type of explosives that were used to kill your mother.”
The kid dropped the juice bar he'd been eating, and it fell on to the immaculate floor.
“It was my dad, wasn’t it?" the kid said.
"Any idea where this came from?" he asked, holding up the earring.
"That looks familiar," the kid said, taking the earring. "You know whose this is?"
"Your mom's?"
"No, this belonged to her friend, Sally.”
Thorian then remembered she’d wearing only one earring the day he’d met her.
"She must have been tampering with the wires,” Thorian said.
Just then, the door opened. Mr. Talbot and Sally walked through the door. They were both laughing. She had a bright smile on her face as she hooked her arm in Mr. Talbot’s elbow.
"What are you doing here?" Mr. Talbot asked Thorian.
"I got a call from my work saying that you were having electrical problems.”
"What sort of electrical problems?"
"It looks like one of your wires was cut."
"Who would cut the wires in my house?"
“I don't know, but I found this pearl earring in the crawlspace."
"Is that your earring, Sally?" the teenager asked as Thorian held the earring up for everyone to see. She covered her mouth with her fingertips and gasped. Then she shook her head no.
"Are you sure? I've seen you wear a pair just like that. You've been asking where it was since Christmas Eve."
"I don't know what you're talking about," she said, looking at Mr. Talbot.
"We also found a stash of fireworks in the same crawlspace. The same exact type that were used to kill Victoria Talbot," Thorian said.
"What are you insinuating?" Mr. Talbot asked.
"Nothing. I just want to know who killed Vicki Talbot during my fireworks display, and ruined my first date with my mate, got me in trouble with the police, and destroyed the rest of my fireworks. I take that personally."
"I don't know anything about any fireworks." Mr. Talbot said.
"Why was your earring in the crawlspace?” Thorian asked Sally. "The wire was sawed halfway, and then finally shorted out. That’s what’s been causing the fuses to blow.”
"I didn't have anything to do with that," Sally said. "I don't know anything about wiring or fireworks."
“I want to know who killed my mother,” the kid demanded, rage growing in his voice. “Was it you, Dad?”
"How could you ever suspect me of killing your mother? I loved her more than life itself. I would've done anything for her."
"Why are you spending so much time with Sally now, then?" he spat out.
"We’re planning the funeral."
"I know that you've always been in love with my father," the teenager accused Sally. "How did you lose your earring in the basement if you didn’t sabotage the electrical wiring?"
"I have no idea,” she said.
"Your earring is evidence you were down there," Thorian agreed.
"Fine,
I did it. I cut the wire. I did it because I knew that there was a new handsome shifter electrician in town. I'd heard through a friend that you were exactly her type. I thought that if she found another boyfriend, then Ralph would finally leave her. Then we could be together. But I would never kill her.”
"What about you, Dad?" the teenager said. "You were so jealous of Mom. Maybe you thought that she was sleeping with Thorian and decided to blow her up." A tear slid down the kid’s face.
"I would never,” his father hissed.
A motor rumbled outside, and Thorian saw Jake’s truck pulling into the driveway.
“I think it’s time we ask Jake Martin a few questions,” Thorian said.
They all walked outside and approached Jake in the stable as he threw hay into the horse stalls.
“What’s everyone doing out here?” he asked as the group approached him.
"What were you doing at the Fate Valley Resort on New Year’s Eve?" Thorian asked him with the Talbots and Sally standing behind him.
"Working on the grounds crew. They always hire extra temp staff this time of year."
"How did the fireworks get in the crawlspace in the house?" Thorian asked.
"I have no idea what you’re talking about. You’re the pyrotechnician and the Talbot’s electrician. Sounds suspicious to me.”
"I had no reason to put fireworks in the basement," Thorian said.
"I know you were attracted to Vicki. Maybe you killed her in a fit of rage because you couldn't have her,” Jake suggested. “And then you were planning to murder to the rest of the family when you had enough saved up for a good explosion.”
“That’s an interesting scenario,” Thorian chuckled.