Time to wake up.
Looks like Alis is back. I yawn, noticing I've got an arm around something warm.
That's your mate. Did you have fun last night?
I blush. We did indeed. At some point, we left the living room and its hard floor and moved to the guest bedroom. Luckily the other guys weren't there so we had our privacy. I smile in bemusement as I remember that I was almost disappointed that it was only us two. I must have been extremely horny.
I should be sore, but all I can sense is warmth. Torben's temperature has returned to normal, and mine has stayed at the high level I gained when I became… what exactly? A half-shifter?
I sit up with a start and Torben yawns beside me.
"Can I shift now?" I ask eagerly and he chuckles.
"Perhaps? Where does this sudden enthusiasm come from?"
I won't tell him that I dreamed of running through the snow with him last night. Of our paws leaving large prints on the ground as we were flying through the air, chasing each other. Even now I can still sense an echo of the elation I felt. Maybe being a bear shifter isn't all that bad.
Instead of an answer, I roll over and kiss him on the lips. He laughs against my kiss and responds, pulling me all the way on top of him. I think I may be ready to have sex with him again. And again.
A growl comes from the other side of the door. With a sigh, Torben gives me a final kiss on my forehead.
"They want to meet you."
"Who?"
"Their bears want to meet their alpha's, new mate."
I frown. "They've known me for a while now. Surely they haven't forgotten that?"
He smiles. "No, but before you were a friend. Now you are someone different. As my mate, you're automatically above them in the hierarchy. They want to show you their respect." He chuckles. "And smell you."
"Please don't tell me I'm going to be sniffed again?"
He laughs and ignores my protests as he gets up, leaving me alone on the bed. I pull the duvet around my naked body. They can sniff that, but I'm not getting naked in front of them. Again.
He opens the door and three bears pour in. Ràn and Húnn have trouble squeezing through the door frame; this house isn't made for bears to live in. Finn is lucky that he's a bit smaller. Still big, but not compared to the two giant brown bears.
Finn jumps on the bed and I shriek, scrambling back so I won't be squashed to death. In the process, the duvet slips down and my boobs are out in the open. Oh well, let's pretend it didn't happen.
The honey-coloured bear looks at me curiously, then puts his snout between my breasts and sniffs. Seriously? Does he even know that it isn't appropriate in the least?
"Get off!" I tell him sternly and to my surprise, he backs off with a whimper, retreating to the end of the bed. "It's bad to sniff a woman's… body. Even a bear should know that."
Torben is laughing so hard he's gripping the door frame to steady himself.
I growl at him. "Don't you teach them discipline?"
He shrugs and continues to laugh. "Bears don't much care where they touch and sniff a female. All he wants is for you to recognise him and know that he exists."
He grows a little more serious. "Did you know that in the wild, female bears take several mates? There's a lot of competition for males, so they may show you much attention in the next few days. It's instinct, they'll have a hard time fighting it. They've not been around a female bear shifter for a long time."
He grins and comes back to me and sits on the bed. "And neither have I. If I could, I'd lock you into this room and wouldn't let you out for days until my bear is convinced you're his."
I stare at him and fight against the urge to take him here and now. Maybe I've turned into a bunny shifter rather than a bear? My sex drive certainly supports that conclusion.
Finn lies down and puts his large head on my lap. I gently stroke his soft fur. He growls which I interpret as a beary purr. The two brown bears have held back until now, but when they see me petting Finn, they approach me from both sides. Húnn gets up on his hind legs as if to present himself, then puts his front paws on the bed which creaks dangerously. Pretty sure it wasn't made to hold the weight of two humans and three bears.
I stretch out a hand to Húnn and he licks it without warning.
"You were supposed to sniff it, not lick it," I complain and wipe my hand on the duvet. Yucky.
Torben starts laughing again and I elbow him in the ribs.
"Not helping. Can we take this outside? I don't think Bertrand and Arnold will be very happy if we break their bed."
He sighs, then nods. And smiles wolfishly. "You should probably get dressed for that, but I think your clothes are still in the living room."
Bastard. He wants me to walk naked around the house? No way. If it was just us two, maybe. Even then my sense of modesty would fight me with every step. But with the other bears, and our hosts… no chance.
Then I remember the wardrobe. When they brought me here yesterday, they gave me some of the clothes we had found in that other house down in the village. Torben is messing with me.
I smile at him sweetly. "Torben, darling, would you mind getting some clothes from the wardrobe over there? I'd be ever so grateful." I lick my lips in a way that I hope looks vaguely seductive. I need to learn how to use my womanly charms if I possess them at all.
I'll teach you.
Thanks Alis, but I was thinking of my human assets. You can handle the bear side of things. If I can actually shift.
You can. I won't give you a choice.
I can sense her determination and worry creeps up on me.
"Torben, does shifting hurt?"
He hands me some clothes and nods. "Yeah, the first time it does. It's more of a mental pain though, while your human mind gets used to the idea of suddenly being in the wrong body. It helps if you let your bear take over. She knows what to do."
"Maybe I'm not so keen on it now," I mumble and he takes my hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
"I'll be there with you. We all will be."
It takes ages for me to shoo the bears out of the room so I can get changed. It takes even longer for me to persuade myself to go outside and stop kissing Torben. Not sure if I can blame it on the bond or just my desire for him. If I could, I'd take him up on the offer of staying locked in this room for the next few days. But somehow, I can feel the other bears' excitement and don't want to disappoint them. If Torben says it's important for them to get to know the new me, then so be it.
They're waiting for us outside the front door. Torben puts a coat around my shoulders, and while I'm tempted to remind him that I'm feeling very warm even without it, I'm touched by his gentlemanly behaviour. He really cares for me. How could I doubt that?
As before, Finn pounces towards us, circling me playfully. To me, nothing has changed; I've been around them in their bear shapes a lot. I rode on all of them on our journey to Inchbrach. But for them, the change must have been immense. Finn stops behind me and starts to sniff my feet, then works his way up. When his snout reaches my bum, I take a step forward.
"You don't smell a lady's bum," I tell him and he pretends to look slightly guilty. When he's done, Ràn steps forward and does the same. I feel awkward, standing there being sniffed by bears. If I didn't know them, I'd assume they were figuring out what part of me was going to be the tastiest. Not that I was going to make a very big meal – growing up on an island with limited resources meant that I was skinnier than I'd like to be. My hips formed a curve that would have looked good had there been some meat on my bones. Maybe now that we seemed to have found a home where they had cake and baked beans would I be able to gain some weight?
Húnn is the last to do the sniffing. I'm relieved when he steps back. All three bears look satisfied. Torben puts an arm around my shoulders and looks at me proudly. As one, the bears bow their head slightly.
"They recognise you as my mate," he says and pulls me closer. "They'll protect you with their lives."
"I wouldn't want them to do that," I reply and he smiles.
"And that is exactly why you fit into our little family so well. Now, do you want to try and shift?"
"Do I have to take off my clothes?" Please say no. Please say no.
"I'm afraid so. It will make it easier. Once you're used to the shift, you can do it with your clothes on – although of course, they'll be unusable after."
He takes the coat from my shoulders as an encouragement. "Guys, give her some space. She's not used to nudity yet."
And I don't think I ever will be.
With a gentle bump against my legs, the bears run away and disappear behind the house. I'm alone with Torben and he's looking at me expectantly. With a sigh, I start to take off my clothes. Why did I put them on in the first place? What a waste of time.
I'm tempted to cover myself, but it's not like Torben hasn't seen me naked before. Last time he saw a lot of me, and from all sorts of angles.
"Now you need to let your bear come to the surface. You'll have to let her take over. I now it's hard to give up control, but she knows what to do. The more you disappear into the background, the less it will hurt."
Why did he have to remind me of the pain? That's just evil. I had pushed that from my mind on purpose.
Alis, are you ready?
I've been ready all my life.
What does that even mean? Did you exist before Torben and me… you know?
Oh yes. I've been watching you for a long time, knowing that I was destined to join with you.
That sounds a bit… over the top? Dramatic?
Oh sweetie, you have so much to learn. I've got a job to do and as my host, you'll be responsible to help me do it.
What job?
Save the world, of course.
And with that dramatic statement, I'm suddenly pushed. A black haze descends over my vision and a tingling races through my muscles. I fight it out of instinct, gripping onto the hold I have on my body.
Let go, Alis hisses. Don't fight it.
A sharp pain builds behind my eyes and I can feel my knees go in. That's a good sign. As long as I still feel things, I exist.
The more you fight, the more it hurts.
She's not going to take over.
My body.
Pain.
Me.
Isla.
Alis.