Santa Soldier Bear - Meg Ripley Page 0,32

hadn’t been sure it was real. After all, he hadn’t experienced that with Elizabeth. Roman had spent a lot of time convincing himself that it was little more than a fairy tale. Just as humans fantasized about romantic stories they saw on television or in the movies, shifters got caught up on some arcane notion of a particularly special bond. It was ridiculous.

Until he’d felt it coming from Melody. Roman stomped up the stairs toward his room, wishing he hadn’t felt it. It was only just the softest prompt from her mind to his, something as quiet as a whisper. He’d brushed it off, choosing instead to focus on playing with the children. They were just having a good time out in the sunshine, and Roman had to be imagining things. That signal suddenly became stronger, poking a little deeper into his mind and demanding to be noticed. That was when Roman knew he had to stop it right away.

“What’s eating you?” Amar asked.

Roman had hoped to avoid running into anyone else, but Amar was standing at one of the large windows that overlooked the backyard. “Why do you think anything’s eating me?”

One corner of Amar’s mouth lifted in a smile. “You don’t really think you can fool me, do you? I’ve known you for too long, and I’ve been around shifters for too long. I doubt you fooled Melody, either, storming off in a huff like that.”

“I’m not in a huff,” Roman countered, though simply saying it only made him sound all the more like he was. “And why are you spying on us, anyway?”

“Me?” Amar asked innocently. “I was on my way to contact that other clan and hopefully locate Ruby’s parents, and I simply stopped to watch some of my household having one heck of a good time in the backyard. That is, until you put the kibosh on it.” He folded his arms in front of his chest and watched Roman expectantly.

Looking out into the yard, Roman watched as the cubs toddled after a late-season butterfly. Melody moved along behind them, stealthy and serene, with only an occasional flick of her tail. “I couldn’t lead her on any longer. I allowed myself to just get lost in what was happening. It’s so natural when I’m around her. But then I felt her start to get into my head. If I let that happen, then it’s going to be a lot harder to turn around and head back to Wyoming when the holiday is over.”

“I see,” Amar said, one eyebrow raised. “I can understand, to a degree. The telepathic link is a big step, but it’s also quite the confirmation of just what the two of you have going on. If you ask me—what the hell?”

He’d been looking out the window, and Roman turned to see what had caught his attention. Two large streaks of fur were bolting into the back yard, right toward Melody and the kids. Roman’s inner polar bear let out a mighty roar at the mere thought of his mate and these children being in danger. It was his job—whether he wanted to admit it or not—to keep them safe, and he’d abandoned his post.

“Let’s go!” Amar flew down the stairs, transforming as he moved. His deep umber skin broke apart into pieces, flipping and resettling on his body in the form of onyx scales. His spine elongated into a tail, and it whipped angrily against the floor. His face completely changed into his dragon’s, complete with piercing teeth and a row of spikes on top of his head, and smoke curled from his snout. He saved his wings until he got out the door, the obsidian absorbing the sunlight. It was a sight Roman had only seen once or twice, given how much of their time in the military had to be spent as humans.

Roman was on his heels, back into his bear form as soon as his paws touched the concrete of the back patio. Adrenaline raced through his system and his lungs opened, allowing him to take in and assess even the faintest of scents in the air. He sensed the same one he’d noted before, both at the zoo and when he and Amar had gone to talk to Mr. Morefield. The bastards were back, and they were after Ruby. The only difference was that they felt safe enough to shift within the confines of the backyard, and that meant they were a far more formidable enemy than they’d