Page 28 of The Right to Bear Claws
"That if I don't honor that bargain by Halloween night, he'll make everyone I care about pay the price."
"That’s not going to happen."
The growl that accompanied his words made Kaia turn to look at him directly. "That's exactly what I'm afraid of. He specifically mentioned you, Elias. Said he knows what you are, what you mean to me. He's going to use you to get to me."
"Let him try."
"You don't understand. This thing is ancient, powerful. It feeds on fear and nightmares, and it's been planning this for years. What can we possibly do against something like that?"
"We fight," Elias said simply. "Together."
"Together." Kaia's laugh held no humor. "You keep saying that, but I don't think you understand what you're up against. This isn't some normal threat you can punch or intimidate into backing down."
"I know exactly what I'm up against." He reached for her hand, covering her cold fingers with his warm ones. "And I know that you belong here, Kaia. In Hollow Oak, with people who care about you. Whatever bargain you made as a scared child doesn't change that."
"But what if?—"
"No what-ifs." His grip tightened gently. "You're part of this community now. Part of my life. And I'll be damned if I let some dream parasite take that away."
Kaia stared at their joined hands, conflict written across her features. "Tobias said you were a bear shifter. Others have hinted at it too. I've heard of shifters before, but..."
"But you want to hear it from me."
"Yeah."
Elias was quiet for a moment, considering how to explain something that had been part of his identity since birth. "My family are grizzly bear shifters. Have been for generations. It means I can take the form of a bear, that I have enhanced strength and senses even in human form, and that my bear consciousness shares space in my head with my human thoughts."
"That's why you found me so easily that first night. Enhanced senses."
"Among other things." He studied her face, looking for signs of fear or revulsion. "Does it bother you? Knowing what I am?"
"No," she said immediately. "It explains a lot, actually. The way you move, the protective instincts, that growl you do when you're angry." A small smile tugged at her lips. "I kind of figuredsomething was different about you. And everyone else in town, for that matter."
"Hollow Oak is a sanctuary for supernatural beings. Shifters, witches, fae, gifted humans like yourself. We're all refugees from the normal world in one way or another."
"Which brings me to something else I need to ask you about." Kaia's expression grew serious again. "When I was talking to Lucien at the bookstore, he mentioned something about mate bonds. Said they could provide protection against dream entities. But when I asked what he meant, he got all weird and evasive, like he'd said something he shouldn't have."
Elias felt his stomach clench. This wasn't how he'd planned to have this conversation, but Lucien's slip had forced the issue.
"Mate bonds are... it's complicated," he said carefully.
"Try me."
"In shifter culture, we have destined mates. One person who completes us on every level—emotional, physical, spiritual. When we find that person, there's an immediate recognition, a supernatural connection that's deeper than normal attraction or love."
Kaia was very still beside him. "And you think I'm...?"
"I know you are." The words came out rough with honesty. "I knew it the moment I touched you that first night. My bear recognized you instantly."
"Your bear."
"The animal part of my consciousness. He's been going crazy since you got here, wanting to claim you, protect you, make sure everyone knows you're mine." Elias rubbed the back of his neck, feeling heat creep up from his collar. "I've been trying to give you time, space to get comfortable with the idea. But yeah, you're my mate, Kaia. Whether you accept that bond or not is entirely up to you."
She absorbed this information in silence, violet eyes searching his face. "Is that why you've been so... attentive? The coffee, the wind chimes, always being nearby when I need you?"
"I've been courting you, yes. But not because I feel obligated to. Because I can't imagine my life without you in it."
"And the mate bond Lucien mentioned? It could really protect me from Tobias?"
