Page 38 of Bearly Yours
I turned to him. “Are you opposed to using them in your house, or in my house for that matter?” Because I needed this one of the Scottish Highlands covered in heather, and there were a few of Italy that were absolutely gorgeous. His work reminded me very much of Thomas Kincaide, the Painter of Light. Roarke used a similar style, and his paintings were so full of light and joy that it practically radiated off the canvas.
“I’m not opposed, no. They’re one of my hoards, but I also just love to paint. I’d be happy if you took some home.”
I nodded, setting a few aside. I didn’t want to be greedy, so I reluctantly left a few that I really liked in favor of the ones that I couldn’t live without. “Are these all painted from memory?”
“Yes.”
I whistled. “And to think. I’ve never even been outside of Moonhaven. I feel suddenly lacking in culture compared to you.”
Roarke hugged me from behind, and I felt his silent steady reassurance that he liked me just the way I was.
The mate thing was messing with my head. When Roarke was just my best friend, I’d never felt inadequate in our relationship, but now suddenly with the mate thing I was feeling all kinds of inadequate, and I was not a fan.
Roarke hummed and I felt an instant release of tension. Dragon hums were powerful anti-depressant and anti-anxiety tools. They induced instant relaxation into whoever was in their proximity. They could, and had in the past, literally make a battlefield fall silent. It was a trick they used when their presence otherwise created mortal terror, as it could de-escalate a situation almost immediately. But I’d had no idea they could use it in their human form! That was really cool, and very helpful to a girl crippled with anxieties.
“You’re better than Xanax,” I purred, and I could feel his body spasm with his silent laughter again.
He set the paintings I’d picked out in the hall and leaned them against the wall, then he pulled me outside again to another building in the back. “More animals?” I asked.
He shook his head, and continued towing me gently to the building. When we stepped inside, I gasped. “Holy honey that’s a lot of books.” I walked wonderingly through the aisles as I ran my fingers over the spines of the books I passed. It was a whole house. Full of books.Hehad his own library!Umm, call me Belle because I wanted to live here now. Or, somehow have all of this moved onto my Clan’s property. I never wanted to leave.
The library was massive, climate controlled, and completely dust free. I could tell he took care of his hoard meticulously. “Have you read them all?”
“Most of them.”
I knew then that I was looking at seven hundred years or so of accumulated books. It was staggering what one could read in seven hundred years. It made me suddenly and fervently wish that I could extend my own lifespan. And then I stopped so suddenly that Roarke ran into the back of me, then righted me with a steady hand. If Roarke really was my mate, that meant my lifespan would expand to fit his.
I could read all of these books!
I spun around and hugged him tightly to me, and he didn’t hesitate or protest, he just hugged me back.
Chapter 9
Emrie
Iwas at an emergency Clan meeting. My core group of bears were sitting close to me, but the full Clan had made its way here as well, with a few left on sentry duty for the day to be relieved by others from the meeting once it broke up.
Mathan didn’t mess around when it came to Clan security, and I sensed that he was taking full blame for the intruder in my house yesterday. I patted his leg, but didn’t say anything. Mathan always felt things deeply. A few words from me before the meeting wouldn’t change what he was feeling. I’d try to catch up with him later and talk with him.
Riggs was in front of the huge stone fireplace, facing the Clan. I could tell he was listening internally to a few last minute reports before he started the meeting. Meetings always went like this. Not that we’d had a lot of emergency meetings, but general meetings went a lot like this, and we’d had plenty of those.
Conversations, both out loud and telepathic, were thick in the room, and the meeting wouldn’t start until Alpha Riggs had every last report and could then articulate what was needed to his Clan.
Mateo sat on the other side of me on the couch. Akeno, Taco, Zin, and Drew sat on another couch, while Alastair had scoredone of the recliners, and he sat there with his laptop on his lap, ready to take the minutes of the meeting.
Our alpha cleared his throat and everyone went instantly silent. “I’ve called this meeting because we have a petition from a paranormal to live on Clan property. My word on the matter will be the deciding vote, but I’d like to hear your input as well.” His gaze found mine, and he nodded at me.
I gulped.
Fear of public speaking, even among your own Clan—check.
I reluctantly stood, and waved awkwardly to the rest of the Clan. “Hey, everyone.” I noted the mates were also here, but in the seating further back, with their bear shifter mate standing near them. The children were in another part of the house having play time, or chill time for the older teens, with an enforcer or two looking after them.
I clasped my hands together in front of me and made myself keep them still by sheer willpower alone. “As some of you might have heard already, a male broke into my house yesterday. He was obviously looking for something. We don’t know what. When Roarke and I got to the house, he was still there. He jumped me and took the locket that I’ve worn since I was a small cub, when my parents were still alive. There is some speculation about the reasons the necklace was taken, but I won’t get into that. Suffice it to say, that once the locket came off, it unblocked my scent, and Roarke, who could detect my scent for the first time, discovered that I’m his mate.”
One of the female mates spoke up in the back. I think she was a fox shifter. “Can you tell that he’s your mate as well?”
I shook my head. “No. We’re not certain why. It could be that the locket damaged something, or my parents could have paid for further spell-casting on me, we’re just not sure. But I trust Roarke. I also trust Alpha Riggs, who could tell as soon as he walked in my door that Roarke and I are mates.” I looked aroundat those I was closest to in the Clan, and then the bears and mates that I didn’t know as well. “Most of you can probably tell as well?”
