Unbearable Desire (Paranormal Bear Shifter Romance) (Bear Valley Clan Book 1) by Serena Nox
Authors: Serena Nox
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out the infection," she spoke. "Let me go get them."
"Go," Kai grunted in a strangled whisper.
She took two steps away from us and suddenly dropped to all fours. She bounded forward as a bear, disappearing into the night.
Kai sagged against me. "You need to rest," I told him. "You need to sleep."
"I will do this," he moaned.
The man he called Faron came forward and slung his arm underneath Kai, supporting his other side. "He sleeps over here," he told me, his voice tight and formal. Together we half dragged, half carried Kai to a raised area in the cave. It was strewn with pelts and woven cloth, and Kai collapsed into the makeshift bed.
I stood back up again. "You are human?" Faron asked me, not looking me in the eye.
I bristled. "Is that a problem?"
"I do not know yet," he whispered and turned on his heel, stalking away from me.
"Noelle," Kai's voice was barely above a whisper, but I could still hear him as loudly as if his voice were my own thoughts.
"I'm here."
"Lie with me?"
I bent down, careful not to jar him, and he folded his arms around me. The heat wafting off of his body was so intense it was almost scalding, but at the same time, I felt it soothe and penetrate the chill in my body. I tried to relax against him, certain that I would be kept awake in this strange and alien place, but within a few breaths I had fallen asleep.
The world swam into focus slowly. The first thing I understood was that I was cold. Kai's arms had slipped from me in the night. The second I noticed was that it was light outside the cave. And the third thing I saw was the figures of seven bears standing just outside of the entrance.
I swallowed back my fear and stepped forward. "Did you help him? I asked, turning to the smaller female.
She grunted and tossed her head. I looked back at where Kai was sleeping and saw that his wound had been skillfully bandaged. "Thank you," I breathed and the female grunted again, turning her head away.
"Okay, well that's good then. I need to be getting back up to my sister now," I said. The way they were looking at me made me nervous.
The air shimmered slightly and Faron stepped forward. "You may not leave." The strange formality in his voice was even more pronounce that Kai's.
At his words a chill went up my spine. "Why not?"
Another bear shifted and the man that stepped forward was stooped over, his belly ringed in bandages and his face scabbed over with fresh claw marks that ringed from his ear up to his cheek. "It is taboo for a human to know the location of our den," the second bear said.
"Wait..."
"What is the meaning of this?" Kai had appeared at my side somehow. When he stepped forward, all the assembled bears and humans bent their heads. All except the one with the bandages, who only sneered.
"Tell me the penalty for revealing oneself to a human, Kai," the sneering bear spoke, raising his voice for all to hear. A bear in the back let out a low, panicked whine.
"Dov, you have no right...,"
"Tell me the penalty!"
"She is my mate," Kai protested.
"It is taboo." Dov turned to face the assembled bears, his raspy voice gaining strength. "It is forbidden. And the penalty for breaking the taboo is death."
"Stop this!"
The familiar voice rooted me to the spot. I couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't even blink my eyes. Above me, Kai turned and called behind him, "Gray this is none of your concern."
"It is," the familiar voice replied. I heard footfalls on the stone and I shook myself from my trance and turned to face the man who approached.
"Pa."
Everything about my grandfather was different except for his fierce gray eyes. The stooped, broken man in front of me in no way resembled the iron strength of the grandfather I remembered. But his voice was the same and his eyes knew me.
"Noelle," he whispered in a choked voice. "Elliebelle."
"What is the meaning of this, father?" Dov snarled.
"Dov, there were no taboos broken
"Go," Kai grunted in a strangled whisper.
She took two steps away from us and suddenly dropped to all fours. She bounded forward as a bear, disappearing into the night.
Kai sagged against me. "You need to rest," I told him. "You need to sleep."
"I will do this," he moaned.
The man he called Faron came forward and slung his arm underneath Kai, supporting his other side. "He sleeps over here," he told me, his voice tight and formal. Together we half dragged, half carried Kai to a raised area in the cave. It was strewn with pelts and woven cloth, and Kai collapsed into the makeshift bed.
I stood back up again. "You are human?" Faron asked me, not looking me in the eye.
I bristled. "Is that a problem?"
"I do not know yet," he whispered and turned on his heel, stalking away from me.
"Noelle," Kai's voice was barely above a whisper, but I could still hear him as loudly as if his voice were my own thoughts.
"I'm here."
"Lie with me?"
I bent down, careful not to jar him, and he folded his arms around me. The heat wafting off of his body was so intense it was almost scalding, but at the same time, I felt it soothe and penetrate the chill in my body. I tried to relax against him, certain that I would be kept awake in this strange and alien place, but within a few breaths I had fallen asleep.
The world swam into focus slowly. The first thing I understood was that I was cold. Kai's arms had slipped from me in the night. The second I noticed was that it was light outside the cave. And the third thing I saw was the figures of seven bears standing just outside of the entrance.
I swallowed back my fear and stepped forward. "Did you help him? I asked, turning to the smaller female.
She grunted and tossed her head. I looked back at where Kai was sleeping and saw that his wound had been skillfully bandaged. "Thank you," I breathed and the female grunted again, turning her head away.
"Okay, well that's good then. I need to be getting back up to my sister now," I said. The way they were looking at me made me nervous.
The air shimmered slightly and Faron stepped forward. "You may not leave." The strange formality in his voice was even more pronounce that Kai's.
At his words a chill went up my spine. "Why not?"
Another bear shifted and the man that stepped forward was stooped over, his belly ringed in bandages and his face scabbed over with fresh claw marks that ringed from his ear up to his cheek. "It is taboo for a human to know the location of our den," the second bear said.
"Wait..."
"What is the meaning of this?" Kai had appeared at my side somehow. When he stepped forward, all the assembled bears and humans bent their heads. All except the one with the bandages, who only sneered.
"Tell me the penalty for revealing oneself to a human, Kai," the sneering bear spoke, raising his voice for all to hear. A bear in the back let out a low, panicked whine.
"Dov, you have no right...,"
"Tell me the penalty!"
"She is my mate," Kai protested.
"It is taboo." Dov turned to face the assembled bears, his raspy voice gaining strength. "It is forbidden. And the penalty for breaking the taboo is death."
"Stop this!"
The familiar voice rooted me to the spot. I couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't even blink my eyes. Above me, Kai turned and called behind him, "Gray this is none of your concern."
"It is," the familiar voice replied. I heard footfalls on the stone and I shook myself from my trance and turned to face the man who approached.
"Pa."
Everything about my grandfather was different except for his fierce gray eyes. The stooped, broken man in front of me in no way resembled the iron strength of the grandfather I remembered. But his voice was the same and his eyes knew me.
"Noelle," he whispered in a choked voice. "Elliebelle."
"What is the meaning of this, father?" Dov snarled.
"Dov, there were no taboos broken
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