12. SHOW AND TAIL

JULIET, SHOW AND TAIL

That’s a bear.

That is a really big, really tall, massive brown bear.

No – a grizzly.

Holy. Shit.

Luke is a grizzly bear.

He wasn’t kidding when he said he was a shifter; he was telling me the truth. How is this even possible? How is this real? Even more importantly – how have I lived twenty-four years on this planet with no idea such amazing… creatures? Hybrids? Whatever they are – they’re spectacular and they’ve been here all along and I had no idea.

Incredible.

Standing, I walk toward the bear formerly known as Luke. I’d guess his shoulders are twice my height, if not higher – that’s how big he is. There is no way I’d be able to wrap my arms around his neck, the circumference is too big – he is a large bear and as I brazenly reach out… shockingly soft as well. Bear Luke settles down on his belly and makes a contented growling sound as I reach up and scratch him behind his ear.

Luke is a bear. No – correction – Luke is a human shifter who can turn into a bear, which is utterly amazing. What a gift! After a few minutes, I stop petting Luke the bear and go back to where I was sitting. Taking this as the hint it is, Bear Luke turns his backside to me then shifts back into his human form with a series of crunching bones and other sounds of horror I’ll hear in my nightmares for weeks to come, I’m sure. At first, I am wondering why he turned his back to me but once he’s back as Luke, I understand why – he’s naked. I scamper and hand him my hoodie which he wraps around himself, since his clothes are now in pieces around him – something I hadn’t noticed until now.

I must have been distracted by the giant bear.

“You’re a bear shifter,” I astutely observe and needlessly state. Luke hesitantly approaches me, unsure if I’m ready to talk more or looking to run away. I smile to reassure him with confidence I’m not sure I feel yet I don’t feel afraid – if anything, I’m in awe.

“I wanted to tell you, Juliet because things between us…” he trails off, unsure how or if he should proceed. In a moment of clarity, everything snaps into place for me. Luke felt he had to tell me about him being a shifter because our relationship has been progressing well and something like ‘this’ is kind of a big secret to keep from a partner, especially if we were to ever have children – I’m assuming it’s hereditary.

Taking his one available hand in mine – his other is holding the blanket closed – I squeeze it hard. I smile but I doubt it is as confident as I want it to be so I hope my words do better.

“Thank you for trusting me, Luke. I’m not frightened off and if anything – this makes you more interesting,” I tease him with a smirk. He laughs accordingly but gives me an eye roll and shoulder shrug.

“Please don’t say that, my bear – ‘Chase’, doesn’t need the ego boost,” he jokes back. He proceeds to tell me more about his other half and does his best to explain their relationship. I try my hardest to understand but the whole concept is nearly beyond my realm of reality, despite seeing it with my own two eyes. Things only get more interesting when Luke starts talking about bond mates.

“A shifter’s soul is said to be split at creation and placed into two different beings. Only when the two find one another are they ever genuinely happy and fulfilled in their lives – for shifters, a mate is everything. When you find your mate, there will never be another person for you – no one else in your heart or your bed – the very thought will repulse you. There is no divorce with shifters and when one dies, the other usually follows shortly after simply of a broken heart, unless there are children or other reasons to keep that shifter going.” The more he explains, the more romantic the whole concept sounds to me. True love till death do you part – true love, not the kind you say you will commit to but the actual, real kind where the very thought of touching someone else makes you sick.

I’m not a shifter but I had true love once – with Markus. I never looked elsewhere – I never had reason to and after he died, if it weren’t for the babies… honestly, I can say there were days I wouldn’t have functioned at all if I didn’t have them to make me get up and moving. True love – so it is possible to find it as a human, if you’re really lucky and work at it.

Is it possible to be blessed twice in a lifetime?

“You’re my bond mate, Juliet,” he states, finally stunning me into silence. Dumbfounded, I look into his eyes to see if he’s joking or not and see nothing but seriousness and adoration greeting me back. Needing to sit again, I stumble backwards with Luke’s assistance until my ass finds its perch on the rock. Luke stands quietly in front of me, waiting for me to say something.

“Well, that is unexpected.”

LUKE, TAILSPIN

“By showing me this side of you and telling me this, Luke – you’re risking…” her words fade away as the gravity of the situation impacts her. The fact that I’m still naked under her hoodie is not lost on me.

“I’m risking everything, Juliet. Exposure of shifters everywhere,” she nods then hastens to reassure me she’d never say a word to anyone. I’m not worried – I wouldn’t have revealed myself if I were. “I’m also risking my heart, Juliet,” I confess, deciding to go for it.

“Go big or go home!” ‘Chase’ pipes in, reminding me needlessly that there are three hearts on the line right now. Shit – five, I can’t forget the girls – every decision their mother makes impacts them as well.

Juliet stands again and walks to me, stopping in front. She reaches up for me so I lean down toward her and she wraps her arms around my neck. She pulls me in aggressively.

“We’re worth the risk,” she whispers before laying her lips against mine. This time her tongue licks at my bottom lip, seeking entry and I immediately open, my tongue conjoining with hers. The closeness of her body along with the noises of contentment she’s making soon has little Luke rising to the occasion, despite neither of us being ready for him to arrive. I know she can feel it so instead of making an amazing moment awkward, I tenderly pull away, kissing her on the forehead as I go. She smiles gently, knowing why I’m doing what I’m doing and steps back to give me the space I need to settle down again.

After this, there’ll be no stopping us.