Rebel Bears MC: (A Bear Shifter Romance Collection) Read online

  “Do you guys stay away from humans? You talk about them like you don't care for them very much.”

  She shrugged like she hadn't really thought about it. “We usually don't mix with them. That's how it's always been here, but since Jake came along and took over, things have certainly changed. Donovan actually married a human. It was a big deal since it is against the ancients’ rules.”

  “Ancients?”

  She waved him off like there was no explanation required. “Trust me, that is a conversation for another day. Right now, though, why don't we go for a run? Whenever I'm up in the middle of the night and I can't sleep, I always go running. It seems to help.”

  Scott wanted to ask her what had her unable to sleep. He would have if she wouldn't have shifted in front of him and took off like a light. She hadn't said anything, but Scott knew he was supposed to follow her. It was the one thing that he was sure of at the moment.

  Chapter Eight

  Jessica couldn't sleep because her life was complicated. She was set to be married in a couple of days, and everything had been planned for her. Jessica had always known that she would have to get married. When she came to a certain age, all women usually were married. Her adoptive parents had pushed and pushed for her to find someone suitable. Jessica had done that.

  She had dated Jerry for almost two years now. While he was a decent man and did everything right, there was something missing. He probably loved her, but Jessica found herself not feeling the same way. As the wedding got closer, she was finding it harder and harder to get any sleep. She knew she was still trying to work out an escape, but she was losing hope in having one. It was coming down to the wire, and no other options were present.

  Running in the woods was the only time she felt normal. She didn't have to worry about expectations or plans she desperately wanted to break. There was nothing but the moon above and the solid ground underneath her feet.

  Tonight, it was a little different because Jessica could hear the clumsy sounds of her companion. These runs were usually pretty solitary. The fact that she was with anyone else was damaging the peace she usually got.

  Jerry had drunk a little too much earlier, and he had pressured her again to be with him romantically. It was getting harder and harder to put him off. He had already made it clear that he had certain expectations for after they were married. She wasn't going to be able to put him off much longer. His visit to her room a little while before had guaranteed her need to run. She had barely got him out without having to get into an altercation with him.

  Jessica knew that she was expected to marry Jerry and make herself more presentable, but she hated the idea. Seeing Jerry in another light, the kind that pushed his body on hers and held her down for a few moments, was making marriage to him seem far worse than the shame of who she was.

  She finally slowed down when it was hard to take air into her lungs. Jessica was used to the feeling because she had done it almost nightly for the last few weeks. Scott had been able to keep up but he was breathing hard next to her when he finally stopped.

  “You run like the very devil is chasing you.”

  She kind of laughed, but it was close to the truth. While Jerry was certainly no devil, he was going to make her life hell, nonetheless. Jessica was still looking for more even as everyone told her she was being silly. There had been a lot of love lately in the clubhouse. That's what she wanted.

  “Do you feel better?”

  He agreed that it did make him feel better. Even as Jessica struggled to catch her breath, she felt relief go over her.

  “Are you going to tell me why you’re out here running like this?”

  “Let's just say that you're not the only one that has had their life completely changed. Mine hasn't changed quite as much as yours, but it's definitely going in a direction I'm not happy with.”

  He was waiting for her to say more, but she didn't. Jessica wasn’t ready to put it all into words. It wasn't like there was anything he could do to help her anyway.

  “I wish I could do something to help you, as you have helped me.”

  She waved him off with the words. “All I wanted to do was show you that this can be a good thing. You now have some crazy awesome abilities, Scott, and you shouldn’t waste them. You could do anything you want with them.”

  Scott smiled.

  “Whatever it is that has you upset; I hope that it comes to a conclusion that makes you happy. You're too good a person, and too beautiful, to look so sad.”

  It wasn't like Jessica had not looked at him romantically. Scott, like the rest of his brothers, was very attractive and certainly someone that all the women there would have their eyes on. The rest of the brothers had found women outside of the gang, but it did not mean that it would be the same for Scott. He had not come with one.

  She wondered for a moment what her life would be like with someone like him. Strong, handsome, in charge, and so different than Jerry. Jessica didn’t even know Scott but she felt like he would have been a better husband. She was almost to the point where she felt like anyone would be than the choice her parents had made.

  “You’re sweet, Scott.”

  It made her smile, but Jessica didn’t take it seriously. He didn’t even really know her, nor her him, but it was a nice thought.

  Chapter Nine

  While Jessica was being nice about it, Scott felt like she was blowing him off. He’d told her that she shouldn’t be treated in a way that made her upset. He meant it. She was special; it was obvious to him immediately.

  Jessica didn’t want to talk about it, though. She had a lot on her mind and wasn’t in the mood to share. He wanted to know more about her, ask questions, but she was shifting and running again. All Scott could do was try to keep up. It was no small feat, either. The woman really did run like a demon was chasing her.

  For the first time in his life, Scott was having to work hard to keep up. He was surprised that it was a woman giving him a run for his money. But he knew that it wasn’t just any woman. Jessica was special; he was sure of it.

  “Why are you asking about her?”

  It was the next morning, and Jake was making coffee. Scott had slept well when he got back from his run. Since Jessica wasn’t very open, Scott thought that maybe he would ask Jake about it. The reaction he was getting made him question his choice.

  “Well, I met her last night, and she helped me out. I couldn’t sleep.”

  “You didn’t have sex with her, did you?”

  There was alarm in his voice and in his expression. That sinking feeling was back, and Scott asked him why he was saying it like that.

  “Just answer the question. It’s very important.”

  Scott said that he hadn’t. “I wouldn’t say I didn’t think about it, but it was nothing like that. I met her in the hall, and she helped me get outside. This damn place is huge.”

  He was getting defensive, and Scott tried to rein that back in. It wasn’t going to do him any good.

  “So, then, what?”

  Jake wanted to know; his attention was fully on Scott.

  “Then we ran until I could barely walk and I was able to go to sleep.”

  Jake seemed relieved, but that just made him wonder what was going on even more. It seemed like he was way too worried about it. What was the big deal?

  “Good.”

  “Why is that good?”

  “Because you don’t want to go there, Scott; trust me.”

  Jake turned back around and went back to what he was doing. He was acting like the conversation was over, but it wasn’t for Scott. He had more questions than before and he wanted to know what was so good about him not getting involved with her. Why wouldn’t he want to?

  “What if I do?”

  Jake turned back around, yet he wasn’t smiling good-naturedly like before.

  “She is already spoken for, Scott, so you will just be wasting your time. I am pretty sure she is getting married in a few days, a week tops. It just
wouldn’t be good, and you should look elsewhere. There are plenty of women that would be perfect for you, someone in your position.”

  “What position is that?”

  “You’re one of us. We’re the leaders, so we have a certain higher status.”

  Scott didn’t care what supposed status he had now. All he was worried about was the idea that she was getting married in a couple of days. Why didn’t she say anything to him? Scott wanted answers, but he wanted to know more about who she was marrying.

  “Well, I mean, it isn’t like she has to marry someone else, right?”

  “They’ve been dating for a couple of years now. I don’t think she can put him off any longer. The whole gang talks about it. He finally got her to agree to marry him. That means something around here, Scott.”

  Scott didn’t like the sound of that. He also didn’t care for the way his brother was talking about it, like it was written in the stars or something. Why hadn’t she said anything about it to him? Granted, she hadn’t said much of anything.

  “Why are you asking about her? She didn’t get to you, did she? If I would have known that you were going to meet Jessica, I would have warned you about her. It’s not your fault, brother; trust me. She has that way about her. I can’t tell you how many men have fallen for her. They have tried to pull her from Jerry, but it never works. I don’t want to see you go down the same path.”

  Scott refused to believe any of what his brother said. He didn’t doubt that she was the type of woman that men found it easy to fall in love with, but he didn’t like the rest of it. He wanted the moments they had shared, the electricity between them, to be something that was just the two of them. Scott didn’t want to be another schlep, not when she had made him feel special and like he belonged, if only for only a few minutes.

  “Nothing like that, Jake. I was just wondering; that’s all.”

  “You are not a very good liar, Scott.”

  Scott chuckled. “No, I never have been that good at lying. Always figured I was big enough that I didn't have to lie. I would just be able to tell the truth.”

  “So, what is the truth, then?”

  Scott hadn't really thought it through. He certainly didn't want to tell him now. Jake wouldn't understand because even he didn't understand it. He had met her once, ran with her for a couple of hours, but they had barely even spoken. Just being with her had been enough.

  “There is just something about Jessica, I guess. I had never felt anything like it before and being around her last night changed something in me. She made me thankful for all of this.”

  Jake whistled through his teeth and then shook his head in disappointment. “I had a feeling you were going to say that.”

  Of course, the one woman that would turn his head was practically married. She was promised to somebody else, and she wasn't for him.

  “Anyway, Jake, what are we doing today? Are we going to go talk to your witch friend?”

  “Yes, but I wouldn’t call Evelyn a friend. She is technically family now that Charlie married her niece, but don’t take your eyes off of her. She is not to be trusted.”

  “I will keep that in mind. Do we really need to go to her? I mean, she doesn’t sound like the best help.”

  Jake sighed. “She is, though. Besides, we don’t have time to look for someone else. We've got seven people sick, and two have already died. We really need to get to Evelyn so she can break the curse.”

  “Yeah, funny thing, last night while I was running through the woods, I think I was bit by a snake. Nature has always been rather fond of me, but not last night. I would have stopped and looked at it, but I had a woman to chase that ran like the wind. Have you ever seen her run?”

  Jake agreed that he had and then asked to see Scott’s bite. He knew that there were snakes around there that shouldn’t be messed with. Considering they were all under a curse, he had a bad feeling.

  Scott was a little worried when he looked down at the red holes in his leg that were quickly looking angrier and angrier.

  “You're not healing. Or not properly, anyway. I bet if you were human, you be dead by now. That's a nasty snakebite.”

  Scott was starting to freak out and he said something about going to the hospital, but Jake reminded him that it would be better to go to the witch.

  “Once the curse is gone, you'll be able to heal right up.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Jake shrugged his shoulders and said he wasn't sure about any of it.

  “We don't really mess with witches all that much. Their kind of magic is already complicated enough. We like it simple.”

  “You're not giving me too much in the way of confidence, Jake.”

  Jake apologized like there wasn't anything he could do or say.

  “Let's just get everybody together and we'll go over to Evelyn's. She'll be able to help us out.”

  “Do we trust the witch?”

  Jake shrugged again. “There has been a lot of questioning if we should believe her or not, but we don’t have a choice. She is all we have right now.”

  “That doesn’t make me feel better.”

  “I don't trust any witch fully, but her niece is your sister-in-law. Celeste. You remember meeting her, right?”

  Scott agreed. “I think so. Really pretty?”

  Jake nodded in agreement. No one could deny that Celeste was beautiful.

  “Well, Celeste kind of keeps her aunt in line. I trust Celeste. Evelyn, though, not so much. Like I said, just keep an eye on her.”

  Scott was solemn and nodded his head silently. He told himself that he would remember that because he did not want to get on the wrong side of a witch. Scott did not know much about the new world that he was in, but everybody had heard the stories of the wicked witch. There was one in every fairy tale.

  Jake must have seen that he was nervous and clapped him on the back, telling him it was going to be okay.

  “I promise you that all of this will seem normal at some point.”

  While Scott was thankful that Jake was trying to make him feel better, it wasn't helping very much. Scott didn't imagine he would ever think any of this was normal. How could it be? And would he even want that?

  Chapter Ten

  “Where were you last night, Jessica?”

  Jerry had come in to see his bride-to-be and he was propelled forward because of gossip he had heard. Jessica could see it written on his face when he walked through the front door, and she tried her best to hide her expression. He didn't need to know how she felt about Scott.

  “I just went for a run. Like I do every night.”

  “When you should be in bed with me.”

  He tried to go in for a kiss, but she skirted away from him and left him with a smile.

  “You know we will be married in a few days. There is no sense in rushing in now. We have already waited so long. I want it to be perfect.”

  He scoffed, and Jessica looked away. It had been a touchy subject for about a year and a half of their two-year relationship. She had been holding out, for what, she wasn't even sure, but Jessica knew that she wasn't going to be able to do it much longer. That's why she probably ran longer and harder at night, trying to forget it all. There was no forgetting all of it, though. It was a mess, and she knew it.

  “I am just happy that you won't be able to put me off much longer.”

  Again, he tried for a kiss, and again, she sidestepped him. Jessica was not prepared for him, and he pushed his way into the room. The fact that he was so determined to have her was still a bother. Jerry was never going to let her go. The closer they got to the wedding, the more possessive he became. The more nervous she became.

  “Do you really think that's what I've been doing all this time?”

  “It is. If I had known you hadn't put everybody off before, I probably would have let it bother me more than it does. I yearn for you, Jessica. I want you to know that. I want you very badly. I can't stop thinking about you.”

&nbs
p; That time, when he went in for a kiss, she wasn't expecting it, and he got her full on the lips. She pushed him away after a moment and tried to pull herself together. Here she was thinking about another man and her fiancé was taking advantage of it.

  Her hands were on his chest. “Really, Jerry, this is not the time.”

  “You know, soon, you're going to have to listen to me, Jessica. You know that, right?”

  She was never going to listen to anyone. Jessica didn't think that it was in her, quite frankly, and if it was, she certainly wasn't going to push it ahead.

  The more she got to know Jerry, the more certain she was that he was not right for her. For one reason or another, he and her adopted parents had made a decision about it, but it was Jessica's life. She was still trying to find the courage to refuse it but she wasn't quite there yet. Almost.

  Jessica made sure to put some space between her and Jerry. He had a couple of questions about their coming up mating, and she was willing to talk about anything, even if it meant that she would have to talk about a wedding she didn’t want.

  He was asking questions about colors and the wedding cake, things that she should have been doing. But she couldn't be bothered. Instead, he had taken on most of the duties that would usually fall to her. Jessica didn't care what the color of the flowers were or what type of wedding cake it was. It was something she was forced into and just accepted as part of her story. She had known that there wasn't much love between the two of them, but it hadn't mattered because it wasn't like there was anything else to look forward to.

  It was all the same as far as she was concerned, but then, of course, she met a guy that made her wonder if it could be different. She certainly felt more when she was with Scott than she felt with anyone else. That just told Jessica what she already knew; she wasn’t supposed to be marrying Jerry.