Fae-ted to the Bear - Harmony Raines Page 0,42
can sense your excitement.” He grinned at her. “You look like Aiden when he scents a fresh hive of honey.”
She chuckled and rubbed her hands over her thighs. “It’s been a while since I’ve visited the wildwood for more than an hour or two.” She glanced up at the sky. “We have hours before we have to return to Wishing Moon Bay.”
“We have all night if that’s what you want.”
Elise swung her head around to study him. “You want to stay the night? What about work?”
“What about work? Aiden told me that a night in the wildwood is like no other night.” He glanced over his shoulder. “So, I packed a tent and some sleeping bags. And some pots and pans. I figured we could spend a couple of hours foraging for food and then you could cook something over a campfire.”
“Oh, you did, did you?” Elise’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
“I’ve made all the arrangements. Karros is not expecting you home.”
“You have been busy behind my back.” She clasped her hands together.
“You looked as if you needed cheering up last night.” He grinned. “Did I make your wish come true?”
“Wish?” Her eyes went wide. “You’re asking if that was the wish I made?”
“Yes.”
“No, I wished for something more.” Elise ducked her head, leaving Caleb guessing as to what exactly “more” meant to her.
And if it included him.
She could have wished for more of me, his bear said lightly.
Elise can’t want more of you, Caleb told him. Not when she hasn’t had any of you yet.
Ah, but she will when we get to the wildwood, and when she does, she’ll want more and more of me. How can she not when she sees my sleek fur, my massive paws, and my sharp claws? Not to mention my teeth. He bared his teeth to show off the whiteness.
Caleb chuckled. I’m sure she’ll find you adorable.
His bear gnashed his teeth. That’s not exactly the look I’m going for.
Why don’t we let your mate be the judge? Caleb snickered to himself, but when he saw the tall, ancient trees ahead, he quickly sobered.
“I told you it was magnificent,” Elise said.
“You did. I just never thought it would be this magnificent.” Caleb slowed the truck, taking in the scene before him, while also fighting for control of his bear who desperately wanted to break free and run beneath the dense trees with their overlapping branches.
“So you like it?” Elise asked with relief.
Tell her I love it, his bear prompted.
“I like it a lot, my bear says he loves it.”
“You can hear his voice in your head?” She jerked her head around, taking her eyes off the forest before them.
“Yes, we share some thoughts and can communicate whenever we want. But only one of us can ever be here in this world.” Caleb’s bear mentally nudged him. “He wants to meet you in person. Or person to bear.”
“Yes.” She shuffled forward in her seat. “If we’re going to camp, we need to follow this road for a couple of miles and then follow a rutted track deeper into the forest. It’s dry and your truck will handle it. The place I want to camp is about another mile into the forest. There we should have plenty of privacy.”
“Great.” Caleb drove on, impatient to begin this new adventure with his mate.
Chapter Fifteen – Elise
“So, this bear of yours.” Excitement pulsed through her veins, they had left Caleb’s truck and were hiking through the forest to the place they would camp.
The scent of the forest filled her senses, from the pungent damp earth to the sharp pine resin, to the subtle smell of herbs and shrubs that grew in among the trees. These smells always reminded her of her childhood, of blissful days spent at her grandma’s house.
“This bear of mine...” Caleb hitched the pack containing the camping gear onto his shoulder. “Do you want to meet him now or when we get to the camp?”
“If you shift now, will I have to carry all the gear?” There was no way she would be able to add Caleb’s pack to the weight of the pack already on her back.
“No, if I shift, the pack kind of stays with me.” He stopped walking, his eyes unfocused for a long moment before he said, “It’s hard to contain my bear. He’s been fighting to get free and meet you in person since we left the truck.”
“Oh.” Her brow furrowed. “Does that mean that once he’s free, you won’t be able