Page 22 of Cuddles for the Bear
“What the fuck? No!” Devon’s arms were out, waving in the air in front of him as he visually searched the ground, his heart beating hard enough to bounce out of his chest. He couldn’t see his mate, but Wren’s scent was as strong as ever.
“Look. He’s moving.” Flint sounded awed, and Devon strained to see what his friend was talking about. “Wren’s a chameleon. You can barely see him because he’s using the trees as camouflage. I can see a slight shimmer in the leaves. That is insanely clever. Absolutely insane!”
“Shimmer?” Devon looked up. Now Flint had mentioned it, he could see the faint outline of what looked like a huge lizard against the foliage behind him.Think Devon. Chameleon. Colors.“Wren, babe, can you show me the color of the clothes you wanted to wear? Show me who you are.”
Devon held his breath as the air in front of him seemed to move, showing a far more solid shape. A large lizard, about the size of the Komodo that Wren had shifted into earlier. But this lizard had a rounder body and a shorter tail that seemed to curl around itself like a coil. The eyes looked as though they were mini hills on each side of the triangular-shaped head.
But it was the colors over Wren’s skin that struck a chord in Devon’s heart. Hues of every shade of the rainbow rippled across the almost leathery-looking skin – bright yellows, pale blues, greens mixed with oranges, and flashes of red and pink. “You are truly beautiful.” Devon blinked rapidly. “Absolutely beautiful.”
“Not wanting to burst anyone’s bubble,” Levi said. “But I thought chameleons were little lizards, no bigger than a person’s hand or even smaller. I’ve seen a picture of one that’s barelybigger than the tip of a man’s finger. How come your Wren’s so big?”
“Because he wants to be and he’s special,” Devon said quickly. “Because he’s bright and unique, and wonderfully exceptional. A shifter who’s stayed hidden for probably ten years, waiting for a chance to be free. He can be as big as he damn well wants to be.”
“A really handy mate for an assassin.” Python slapped Devon on the shoulder. “Come on, guys. Let’s leave Devon to his groveling. He’s going to have to work fast to get back into Wren’s good books, or his bits are going to freeze up and fall off. You doing a barbecue tonight, Levi?”
Devon ignored his friends’ chatter as they left. He was focused on the one eye of Wren’s that he could see. “I meant what I said,” he said quietly. “You are truly amazing. I love those colors on you. I was such a fool – thinking that just because I do my best to blend into the background, you should do the same. When I see you in your bright colors and your gorgeous smile, it warms my heart every time. I will protect your right to dress any damn way you please. I promise.”
He shivered. Python wasn’t wrong about the chilly air, although his cock didn’t seem deterred by it. “I should’ve trusted you to tell me if there were things you weren’t ready for instead of making an assumption. Do you think we could go back to our house? I could get some clothes on, and you’ll need some too once you shift back. Then, if you want to, we can cuddle up together, and I’ll answer any questions you have about claiming, sex, or anything else you want to know.”
He didn’t realize he was holding his breath until Wren nodded. Pleased they had come to an agreement, Devon turned, indicating he was ready to walk back to the house, but apparently, Wren had other ideas.
Please don’t let my friends see this, or worse, get a picture,Devon thought as a furry arm came around his waist, and he was lifted off the ground as Wren started running. As a freaking orangutan. The orangey fur was tickling Devon’s ribs, and his legs were flailing in the air as he was being bounced along.
It was just as well Wren could move fast. Devon had never experienced motion sickness before, but he was decidedly queasy by the time they got back to the house. Pounding up the porch steps, Wren pushed through the door, heading straight for the bedroom. Devon braced himself for being thrown on the mattress, but Wren – still as an orangutan – placed him carefully so Devon could sit on the edge of the mattress. Then the furry beast, who was definitely cute in his own way, climbed up on the mattress, buried his head on Wren’s pillow, and within seconds, he was snoring.
Devon sighed, looking down at his still-hard dick.Back to waiting.He got up, heading over to his dresser for a pair of sweatpants.I’d better get some food organized. Wren is going to be starving when he wakes up.
Chapter Fifteen
Wren woke up with a groan. As he went to stretch, every muscle in his body ached. He opened his eyes, blearily registering that it was nighttime, or at least early evening, because the light in the room was dim. Someone had closed the curtains, likely Devon, because Wren definitely didn’t remember doing anything like that.
Devon. My Bear. Wren patted the bed beside him. The blankets were cool to the touch. Shocked, because Devon was nearly always within touching distance, he rolled over, groaning again as he pushed himself to sit up, resting his back against the pillows.I’m dressed.That was a positive. Someone had covered him in Flint’s pink sweatshirt that he’d left in the glade and a pair of matching pink sweatpants. As for his mate, Devon was sitting in a chair by the bed.
“How are you feeling?” Devon asked quietly. “You certainly made a bit of a show of your first shift. Are you feeling okay?”
“I... I...” Wren coughed, reaching up to stroke his throat that felt rough, noticing his mouth was dry.
“Here.” Devon reached over to the nightstand, picking up a glass of water complete with a straw. He stood up, leaning over the bed, holding the glass while Wren took a few sips from the straw. Oh, that coolness felt good going down.
“Does this happen every time a person shifts? The body aches and the dry mouth?” Wren asked as he flopped back on the pillows. Devon had sat back down in his chair.Why isn’t he sitting on the bed next to me?
“What do you remember from out in the glade?” Devon asked.
“Everything…I think.” Wren’s face felt suddenly flushed. His flight out of the kitchen, his numerous shifts, the sweetwords that Devon had said… His bear.Our mate.Wren could understand now. Through his chameleon, he could feel the intense need to be with his bear. “I didn’t realize shifting would feel this awful when it was done. It didn’t hurt when I shifted, but now…I ache.”
“Once you get used to shifting, it won’t cause you any problems at all,” Devon said firmly. “Honestly, you’ll be fine once you’ve had something to eat. Levi dropped over some of his pulled pork. If you want some, I made a pile of sandwiches for you. They’re in the fridge. Shall I grab them?”
“I thought you said we could talk.” Wren was trying to be fair, but just the suggestion of those sandwiches had his stomach rumbling.
Devon smiled. “The needs of your belly come first. I’ll get you some food. You can ask me your questions when you’ve eaten. For future reference, shifting takes a lot of physical energy. You will get used to it. But the first couple of times, you’re going to be tired, and you’re going to be extremely hungry. If you recall, your chameleon didn’t have a chance to eat when we got back, because he pretty much just flaked out on the mattress…as an orangutan. Which was not a sentence I thought I’d say when I woke up this morning.”
Wren nodded. “I remember. Sorry about that.” He could feel how hot his face was, and was sure his skin was bright red. “I’ll just pop in the bathroom while you’re getting the sandwiches, if that’s all right. Thank you.”
Without waiting for an answer, Wren scrambled off the bed and hurried into the adjoining bathroom. Apparently bladders didn’t miraculously empty when somebody shifted into their animal form. Wren had no idea how long he’d been sleeping, but it would’ve been more than a few hours.
Washing his hands after doing what he needed to, Wren looked at himself in the bathroom mirror. His reflection didn’t look any different. His hair was still a mess, and his facial features were the same ones he woke up with. But he felt different…inside. Settled. Which was an improvement on feeling as though something was trying to break out of his skin.
Spreading his arms, Wren tried a few stretches and then squatted, hoping it would ease the ache in his muscles. Looking into the mirror, Wren noticed a yellow flicker at the bottom of his eyes. His animal side was watching him. He didn’t know how he knew, he just did. It was his chameleon. “You were a show-off out there.” He pointed a finger at his reflection.
