Fae-ted to the Bear - Harmony Raines Page 0,44
collected.” She leaned down and sniffed at the mushrooms. “Then maybe I won’t pick these today. But if your bear wants them...”
“Are they safe for him to eat?” Caleb asked.
She chuckled. “That depends on if your bear likes getting drunk.”
“Those mushrooms make you drunk?” Caleb hunkered down next to them. “That’s weird.”
“The sweet smell is caused by something similar to fermentation,” she explained. “My grandma used to use them to make a kind of mushroom bread.”
“Mushroom bread, that sounds…delicious.” He screwed up his face.
“It is. When we go visit her, I’ll ask her to make some for you.” She nudged him in the ribs. “Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.”
“Sorry, it just sounds kind of weird.” He inhaled again. “Although my bear disagrees, he thinks these mushrooms smell wonderful.”
“Come on, let’s go. If your bear gets free and eats too many of them, he’ll be drunk.” She stood up. “They ferment more in your stomach.” She moved her hand around and around over her belly. “So you don’t feel the effects for a couple of hours.”
“That sounds fun.” He chuckled. “But a drunken bear would not help win you over. My bear has to prove to you that bears aren’t scary.”
“Oh, and please don’t mention the bear episode to anyone. I never told anyone, not even Karros.”
“You didn’t?” Caleb was shocked. “When you got back to your grandma’s house, you never told her?”
“No.” Elise stood up and turned to face him. “If I had, I doubt I’d have been allowed out into the forest on my own. And I wasn’t ready to give up my independence.”
“Ah, now I understand.” Caleb slipped his arms around her and pulled her close. “You don’t have to worry about bears or anything else while I’m here. I can sense any living creature for a mile or more.”
“I envy you.” She tilted her head back and cupped his face in her right hand. “It must be incredible to sense so much around you. I’m good at reading nature, I can tell if it’s going to rain and what direction is north. I can forage for food and I know how to find water. But you see so much more.”
“When I’m with you, I see only one thing.” His nervous smile took her breath away. “Too much?”
“No, not at all.” She stood on tiptoes and pressed her lips to his, running her tongue along his lower lip. He shuddered and tightened his arms around her as their kiss deepened. With Caleb, nothing could ever be too much.
He groaned and pulled away from her. “We should continue on. We need to set up camp and find something to eat.”
“You’re more interested in your stomach than kissing me?” Elise’s hands slid to her sides as she let him go.
“No, I’d stay here and kiss you all day and all night, but in the morning, you’ll have regrets and I’ll feel to blame.”
“Regrets?” she asked.
“Yes, we came here to gather ingredients so that you can impress Ivan. That’s not going to happen if our lips are locked together for hours.” He touched his lips as if savoring their kiss.
“You’re right,” she replied huskily. With a small self-conscious cough, Elise headed back to the trail and continued on in the direction of the place she planned to set up camp. “So, are we far enough away from the mushrooms for you to shift?”
Caleb chuckled, they had been walking for ten minutes and she suspected his bear would easily find his way back to the mushroom patch if he wanted to. “If you keep walking, my bear will choose you over a few fermented mushrooms.”
“Glad to hear it.” She half-turned to look at him. “Well?”
“You want to meet him now?” Caleb looked around.
“Is there anyone else around?” she asked.
“No. We’re alone. There’s no one else around for as far as my senses stretch. Unless you count the squirrels in that tree.” He pointed at a large sycombre tree.
Elise turned around and stared into the tree. “I can’t see or hear them.”
“They’re in their nest. It’s up there.” He placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it lightly as he guided her attention to the higher branches where two squirrels were nibbling nuts.
“I’d never have known they were there,” she whispered. “You are a man of hidden talents.”
“I’m willing to let you see all of my talents.” He kissed her cheek, his breath caressing her skin. “Let’s start with my most impressive talent.”
“Okay.” She smiled shyly. “I promise not to