Page 32 of Having the Bear's Baby

The past week had been so carefree. Their biggest problem had been choosing what to have for dinner. He felt like they had been violently ripped from their happy bubble and thrust back into the real world. The world of threats and responsibilities. The world where he worried about Emma all the time.

Emma sat next to him. She handed him a bottle of beer. “It looked like you needed one,” she said.

He took it gratefully. Her presence shook him from his morosity. They clinked bottles and sat shoulder-to-shoulder in silence for a while.

“You know I’ll always protect you,” he said at last. He wanted to add because you’re my mate. Because I love you. Because we are destined to be together. But he said none of it. He feared this latest shock would drive her away and give her second thoughts. What if she thought having a shifter baby was more trouble than it was worth?

“I think I’m starting to understand that,” she replied. “I was scared when I found that letter. I thought someone was in the cabin with me,” she told him. “But then you were there by my side, and I felt better. And when you shifted into bear form, I felt completely safe. I knew I would be fine. You were so big and strong and reassuringly real. I wasn’t afraid anymore.”

Her words were a comfort. She always seemed to know the right thing to say. He gazed over the expanse of wilderness.

“Look,” he said. “Do you see that hawk over there?”

She looked at where he was pointing. “Yes, I see him,” she said. “He’s just hovering.”

“That’s because he’s seen something on the ground,” Liam replied. Just then, the hawk plummeted headfirst out of the clear blue sky and disappeared among the trees.

“Wow,” she breathed next to him. “He dove so fast.”

He smiled at her enthusiasm. A moment later, the bird rose again. In its talons, tightly gripped, was a writhing snake. “Look at that,” he said in awe. “That’s a good sign if ever I saw one.”

“You think it means we’re going to catch our snake, too?” she asked.

“I have no doubt of it,” he replied, putting his arm around her shoulder and pulling her close. They just had to hunt him down.

The sun dipped low on the horizon when they finally moved. Emma broke their companionable silence first. “I’m going to take a shower,” she said, rising from the bench.

“Okay,” he nodded. “I might chop some wood. We’ve been using a lot.”

It wasn’t so much that he wanted to replenish their stores. It was more that chopping wood helped him think. It kept his body busy with hard physical labor and allowed his thoughts to percolate to the surface.

By the time Emma called him in for dinner, he had a massive pile of logs neatly split, and he knew, one way or another, he had to eliminate this threat. Things had changed for him so much. Having Emma in his life and the prospect of a child on the way had put everything into a new perspective. He could show no mercy to these devils who harassed his borders.

They would stay here a few more days, but now he was itching to get back and make plans with Alex and the other senior council members. The time of sitting back and being pushed around by these sons of bitches had passed. It was time for action. They had to prepare a counterstrike and shut them down swiftly, just like the hawk. There was no other way.

But first, just a few more days of tranquility with my mate, he thought as he washed up for dinner. The smell of nut roast and crispy bacon filled his nostrils. He was so happy here with Emma that he could not bear to break the spell just yet.

THIRTEEN

EMMA

Liam stood on the back porch, eyes wide and glossy in deep reverie. Emma could feel the turning wheels of his mind as he mulled over who could have possibly slipped the note she found yesterday into her bag without his awareness. The lake surrounding them echoed their shared stillness, a single loon flying overhead with a mournful call.

Her fingers began to wring together with worry. She wondered if having her around was causing more trouble than it was remedying. He really wanted the baby, there was no doubt about that … but she considered, standing there in the bright sunlight, whether or not he could find someone else who didn’t bring as many problems.

She watched him closely, those blue eyes as vivid and poignant as the lake beyond. She approached him slowly, cautious to wake him from his thoughtful slumber.

Touching his wrist, she murmured low. “What are you thinking?”

Liam responded with a staccato rhythm. “I’m wondering if it’s someone from my own clan.”

It was palpable how disturbed by this thought Liam was, so Emma brought a hand to his lower back to soothe him. She could feel the hard surface of the muscles through his T-shirt.

It made her shiver, even in the circumstances.

“Is that even possible?” she wondered.

Liam shook his head. “I would have thought not. But now, I’m not so sure.”

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