Page 24 of Goldie and Her Bears (Dirty Paranormal Fairytale Haremlan 3)

Though it seemed unlikely for a human to do, it wasn’t for a witch. A small hair, a piece of skin, a thread of fabric from clothing would have been enough to use a location spell. Hell, I didn’t know what witches called the spell, but I knew it was a way to track and hunt down targets. People on the black market had used them for some time. Though I would never share how I got said knowledge, it was knowledge nonetheless, and it was proving useful.

For once.

While all the seemingly endless questions about Cassie’s motives rolled through my mind, I carefully raked my gaze along the area surrounding me, checking for more traps before slowly making my way forward. The girl was a distraction no matter what I did it seemed. More so when I was alone in the woods, far away from her. The realization only furthered my suspicions.

The blasted woman was nothing but bad news. I felt as much, gnawing at my nerves, deep inside my gut. There was also something more to her and her so-called getting “lost” in the woods. And I was going to find out what that was before my brothers were lost to me, falling under Cassie’s scheme. Because whatever she had planned for them, it wasn’t good, and I would be damned if I saw my brothers fall into a trap they couldn’t see coming when I had.

After about fifteen minutes of carefully walking through the woods, making sure to avoid any further traps, I stopped to sniff the air again. The stream was closer. My stomach growled in anticipation of the feast I had promised myself. With my mouth watering, I continued forward with more speed.

It wasn’t long before Cassie entered my thoughts again. I focused on the damage she had already done, and what I could do to prevent further damage from being done.

Jasper was already under the witch’s spell. As unfortunate as it was, I had to have faith he wasn’t too far gone to recover. Maybe if I acted quick enough, I could get Jasper to snap out of it and see the truth. I might even be able to save Chase from falling for her in the least, tiniest bit. That was if he hadn’t already started to fawn over her.

The girl was lying. To prove it, I needed to figure out the truth. I was going to save my brothers from the witch if it was the last thing I did.

My paw brushed against cold, hard steel barely covered by the debris which covered the forest floor. I sucked in a breath as dread washed through me. I almost didn’t react in time to keep my paw from becoming crushed in the trap.

The teeth snapped closed with a large metallic clap, launching from the ground a few inches with the force of the movement. As I stared at the thing, I let out the breath I was holding. The closed trap now lay on the forest floor. My heart hammered in my chest. My mind raced with what I would have done if I hadn’t reacted in time.

That was close. Too close.

I should have been able to spot the thing from a mile away. The fact that I hadn’t spoke volumes louder than anything else. And it was all because of Cassie. If she wasn’t here, she wouldn’t have been a distraction. I wouldn’t have been fighting to find a way to save my brothers. I wouldn’t have spent every ounce of my attention trying to find a way to prove she was a witch.

My near miss was her fault.

Stupid, fucking, lying, trespassing witch!I screamed the words in my head so loud, my bear groaned with them.

Everything that had gone wrong since she arrived had been her fault. Jasper’s running to the rescue, Chase and his extravagant extra meals… The stupid girl got herself caught in a trap, which I was sure was purposeful, just to weasel her way into our home even more. Never mind the simple fact I had no idea what possessed me to carry her all the way back to the cabin in the first place. I had no desire to touch the woman much less carry her. I supposed it was that enchantment I had been fighting off.

More and more, evidence was stacking up against her. I was finding more and more proof that she was a witch.

Minutes later, I made it to the stream without narrowly missing any more traps. My anger ended up giving me more focus than I gave it credit for.

I filled up on fish. Once I had my fill, I used the water to clean up. My mood had improved. I was willing to face the rest of the day with optimism.

That’s when a thought occurred to me.

Cassie loved to eat. That much was obvious, judging by her curves. People who loved food were typically happy and content when their bellies were full. Much like I was after my delicious feast.

Getting her to talk over food was a great way to find the answers. Fill her up, play nice for her, and then get my answers. Two could play her game, and she was about to lose.

I collected a decent number of fish. Much more than I normally would have, but I wanted the girl to be full. I hauled my collection back to the cabin in my human form, whistling on the way.

Once I entered the kitchen, I dropped the fish into the sink and faced Chase. “We’re going to have a feast.”

Chase sighed and leaned against the counter. “What are you really trying to do?”

“I’m wounded you think so little of me,” I said, brushing off his suspicions.

“I’m not doing a damn thing with any of that until you tell me what is going on,” Chase said.

“I just wanted to bring some fish home for dinner. What is so bad about that?” I asked, keeping my voice calm, and playing nice for the sake of my plan going off without a hitch.

“Kai,” Chase said. “I know you better than this. You don’t just decide to bring home fish and demand a feast… ever.”

I smiled and clapped Chase on the back of his shoulder. “Where is your sense of adventure?”

He arched an eyebrow. “Who are you and what have you done with Kai?”

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