26

Bethany rolled over in the bed, trying to force herself to climb out and get dressed. Cedric had already climbed out of bed and headed out to the barn to see the animals, with a kiss and a promise to return to bed as soon as he was done, but Bethany normally joined him for the chores. It was a part of their routine, something she enjoyed taking part in each day, but that morning, when Cedric had kissed her awake then climbed from underneath the blankets, she had stayed behind.

He hadn"t commented on it, nor even given a second glance over his shoulder to check on her, which told her that he wasn"t expecting her to climb out of bed and follow him, but she hadn"t a clue why. What did he know that she didn"t? What had happened this morning that was different from the others?

Eventually, the need to pee, and maybe throw up as well, forced her out of the warm nest she had burrowed herself into, and she made her way downstairs, feeling like her feet were clubs that stomped on every single step. The bathroom light felt too bright for some reason, giving her a headache, and when she finally sat down on the toilet, her body felt heavier and stiff.

What the hell was wrong with her? Why was she feeling so off today?

She tried to think it through, counting the days on her fingers, remembering it had been seven days since they were at Cordelia and Owen"s cabin, and before that it had been six days, and then the first three days, and...

Numbers were never her gift, but that went doubly so when she wanted to puke and her back was killing her and her head was throbbing, and she needed caffeine.

How many... it had been...

Like a lightbulb going off in her brain, one which made her close her eyes and flinch a little, she realized with an absurd amount of clarity why she felt like she had been run over by a snowmobile. Her period was coming. In fact, when she eventually found the energy to stand and wipe, she was pretty sure she would find it had already begun.

Yeah, it was time for a shower, so she could try and relax, and prepare herself for the hell she was about to endure.

A period was never fun to begin with, even with her hormones stabilized and knowing it was coming, but she hadn"t enjoyed a period off of birth control in over a decade. Maybe her body had changed over the past twelve or so years since she had discovered the magical pill that made her period only last a few days and kept the cysts at bay, but from what she could remember of an unmedicated cycle, she was in for a week of severe cramps, nausea, back aches, heavy bleeding, and an intense amount of rage.

Cedric had promised her, time and again, that he was in it for the long haul, good and bad. She was about to put that to the test, whether he was ready for it or not.

If they could survive a week of her lying in bed and on the couch, lashing out at him and occasionally crying for no good reason, they could survive anything.

There was no way in hell being pregnant could be any worse than being on her period...

Bethany didn"t rush in the shower, taking the time to let the hot water hit her from all angles for more than ten minutes before she even reached for the soap. She wanted to feel as relaxed as possible before she had to go digging around for a heating pad she wasn"t sure she had packed, and then she would have to explain what a period was to a bear who had never lived with a woman before, and...

Pads. She was going to have to dig around and find her pads. Normally, she stuck to using a cup, but since this was a period off birth control, she knew her flow would be too heavy for that. Pads were normally reserved only for sleeping in or on her heaviest day, but she wasn"t risking an overflow or a spill while living with a man. The idea of a man seeing her period stains was... she was too old to be embarrassed, but men never did well with blood.

She was just about done washing her body when she heard the front door open, telling her Cedric had returned from the barn. If he stayed to his normal routine, he would have coffee going soon, and the allure of caffeine to soothe her headache was too much to resist. Worst case, she could always return to the shower if she couldn"t find something warm to soothe her cramps, and would stay in the house rather than bundling up and heading outside, where the cold would likely make her body ache even more.

It was a good thing she hadn"t gone to the barn that morning, because starting her period with all of those layers on? No thanks.

She hadn"t planned ahead and brought a change of clothes with her to the bathroom, but there was a few pair of underwear in the dryer thankfully, so she had that at least. She grabbed a pair, then dug around underneath the bathroom sink to where she had shoved her bathroom supplies on arrival. It only took a few seconds to find one, thankfully, and before she could start dripping anywhere, she had a pad in her underwear and her underwear up on her hips.

With the bath sheet wrapped around her body, Bethany opened the bathroom door, but froze almost immediately. Cedric was standing in the kitchen, only half dressed, and she was suddenly very hungry. He was making something beyond just coffee, but that wasn"t what she wanted to eat. With no shirt on and his pants sitting low on his hips, she knew that holding off on their normally copious rounds of sex would be a struggle. Maybe there really was something in his bear pheromones than always had her engine revving, because being around him made her horny without him even having to try to put her in the mood. In fact, she seemed to be the instigator more often than not.

A week of no sex. She could do this. She could wait.

"We can"t have sex," she announced loudly, trying to be assertive in her tone.

Cedric only glanced over his shoulder at her before turning back to whatever he was cooking on the stovetop, and gave a shrug. "Okay, we don"t have to have sex, but why?"

She couldn"t believe he even had to ask that question. Wasn"t he a bear? Didn"t he have the ability to sense this sort of thing? "Can"t you smell it? I"m on my period."

Cedric somewhat froze where he was, then slowly turned to stare at her from the kitchen. His mouth was half open, like he was too shocked to speak, and then...

His laughter boomed from across the cabin, so loud and hard, she was afraid he would give himself a heart attack. He kept laughing, even as she stormed over to the kitchen, still clinging to the towel. What was so funny about her being on her period? Was he about to tell her something about her own body again? Was this one of those stupid bear things? Honestly, if he tried to mansplain a period to her, she would reconsider her feelings on shooting a bear.

Cedric left the kitchen, after removing the pan from the stove top, and headed her way to wrap an arm around her middle while tugging her close. He was still laughing, although it was more of a chuckle now, and he shook his head before pressing a kiss to her forehead, and then her lips.

She could taste his laughter and smile, and she wanted to smile with him, but she still had no idea what was so funny, or what he would say next.

"Okay, what is it?" she asked as she pulled away, shaking her head a little as she looked up at him. "Why are you laughing?"

"Bethany, Sunshine, do you think your period is going to bother me?" he asked with a grin. "I"m a bear. I eat meat raw, both in bear and human form. I"m not scared of a little blood."

"You eat raw meat?" she questioned, the only thing her not caffeinated brain could process. The rest of it, well... it wasn"t like she was expecting him to get down in there, but most men were grossed out at the very mention of period blood.

Then again, Cedric was unlike any man she had ever been with before.

"I do," he chuckled, then pressed another kiss to her forehead, not yet letting go as he continued to hold her close. She felt very small in his arms, wearing only a towel and he not wearing a shirt. Something about it was intimate in a way that wasn"t sexual, and she wanted to soak him in, even knowing he was gross from the barn and she was freshly cleaned from the shower. "If you don"t want to have sex while you"re bleeding, that"s understandable. I don"t know much about it, beyond it can make you hurt something awful, but don"t think I"m going to shy away from blood."

Did it hurt while she was on her period? Yes, in fact, her lower body was cramping pretty badly at that very moment, but she also tended to get pretty horny as the days went on. Normally, she would throw a towel on the bed and pull out a favorite toy that she always washed afterwards regardless of whether or not she was bleeding, but if he wasn"t afraid of blood...

"Oh, so you like the sound of that, don"t you," he chuckled again, his voice now huskier than before. "All you have to do is say yes, Sunshine. Don"t think I could resist you even if I tried."

"If I wasn"t cramping right now, I would take you up on that," she promised, and tilted her head back to look up at him again. "Right now, I just want coffee and comfortable clothes."

"How about a hot water bottle, if you"re hurting?" he offered. She hadn"t even considered he would have one, but she nodded her head immediately, excited to have heated relief. "Go get some clothes on—mine, if you wouldn"t mind. I like seeing you in my clothes, and they should be loose and comfortable."

She smiled at his request and nodded her head again, now feeling too tired to speak. He bent down and pressed another kiss to her forehead, and she pulled away to head to his closet and dresser, intent on finding a button up and a pair of sweatpants to pull on.

By the time she was wearing his clothes and had her hair half dry and in a messy bun on the top of her head, Cedric had a hot water bottle waiting for her on the couch and a cup of coffee on the counter. She gladly took the cup and enjoyed a few sips before pulling a blanket over herself and settling the bottle over her middle. Even with the caffeine in her, her head ached too much to even try and keep her eyes open, so she didn"t try. After a short while, she felt him join her on the couch, near her feet, and he lifted them up and slid underneath them so her legs were lifted slightly. The shifting on her hips actually felt good, and she smiled to herself without opening her eyes, trying not to think too hard about how perfect he was.

If she started thinking about that, her brain would only hurt more, and she wouldn"t be able to rest, and...

When Bethany opened her eyes again, the wind was howling and it was growing dark outside. Either she had slept the day away or they were in the middle of another snow storm. Either way, she had nowhere she needed to be and no requirement to keep herself to any set schedule. She could understand why Cordelia hadn"t been too concerned about days and time and keeping to a schedule. It didn"t really matter during the long winter when daylight hours were few and there was no need to do anything beyond care for the animals outside. She knew Cedric wouldn"t let the animals go ignored, so her only duty was to rest and relax.

After her nap, she felt a lot better, but she knew she needed to get up and clean herself up, and probably drink some water. The few sips of coffee from earlier didn"t count for staying hydrated.

Cedric was dozing off on the couch, her feet still in his lap and his hands wrapped around them. Had he been massaging her feet while she slept? He really was too perfect.

He was a good man. A good partner. He would make a good father as well.

If she had to put a label to him, he was husband material. The sort of man a younger, stupider Bethany would have dreamed of.

And it scared her. Scared her that she was falling for him. Scared her that she might love him, only to lose him.

Was that why she wouldn"t let her guard down? Why she was still trying to ignore the hope that was starting to consume her? A fear of losing him?

Or a fear of him letting her down, just like every other man in her life had.

She knew, by now, that she couldn"t compare him to other men, but she couldn"t stop herself. He was so different, so kind, so gentle, so... dependable.

What would happen to her, if she grew dependent on him, and he changed his mind? What would happen if she had the baby and he failed her in the end? What would happen to the baby if something happened to her, and he refused to step up and do his duty?

The very thought had her nauseous again, although that very well could be her period, so she forced the thoughts from her mind and threw the blanket aside, heading towards the bathroom. Cedric made a noise from the couch as he woke up, and she paused to reassure him of where she was going. "Heading to the bathroom. I"ll be right back."

He mumbled a response, but she didn"t hear it as she closed the bathroom door and set about cleaning herself up. Her headache was now gone, thankfully, and the cramps lessened, and she was relieved to see that, while it was heavy, it certainly wasn"t the worst flow she had endured. With a fresh pad on and feeling refreshed, she looked at herself in the mirror, considering what he had said earlier.

Blood didn"t bother him. They could have sex, if she wanted to.

Actually, she did want to. She very much wanted to.

Bethany opened the bathroom door, only to see Cedric heading up the stairs with a few towels from the closet in his hands. She didn"t know exactly what he was doing with those, but she could hazard a guess. Particularly given his sense of smell...

"Taking towels upstairs?" she called out, smirking to herself as he froze as though caught.

"Uh, yeah. Just in case. Figured I would be prepared," he answered, sounding very bashful and not moving from the step he was on.

"You"re very domestic, you know," she commented as she approached the bottom step, intent on following him up.

"I know how to take care of myself and my place," he corrected, now turning and watching her. "Never thought I would share my life with a woman."

Share his life with...

She could see he was now fumbling to correct himself, and shook her head slightly. There was no need for him to correct himself. He was sharing his life with a woman.

And he didn"t expect or need her to clean up after him. Had no expectations of her to do the domestic things, even though she often did some of them while he was doing other things she couldn"t do, because he was a bear and could brave the weather better than she could.

He didn"t need or want someone to mother or care for him.

But he could do with a partner. Someone to share the load.

And now, she was very fucking horny.

Bethany climbed the steps quickly, grinning when Cedric shifted the towels to one arm and wrapped the other around her middle. She was even shorter, now, as she was on a lower step, but he pulled her up to the same level as him then turned and took a step down, setting them to more even levels. Her arms wrapped around his neck as he held her close, and she kissed him, long and slow, letting her body relax against his.

Maybe there was something to the whole bear pheromone thing, because being in his clothes and being near him did certainly relax her and her body.

"Say the word, and I"ll peel my clothes off of you," he groaned against her mouth.

Bethany giggled as she nodded, even though she knew he would want vocal confirmation. "Yes. If a little blood won"t bother you, fuck yes."

Together, they stumbled up the rest of the steps until they were at the foot of the bed, and he had to pull away to open up one of the towels and throw it on the bed. It was thoughtful of him to even think ahead, as while the blood didn"t bother her either, she didn"t want to sleep in a puddle of it, and she unbuttoned the shirt she was wearing while she watched him. He was still shirtless from earlier, and she thought about tugging his pants down before she pulled down her own, but before she could continue undressing, he had her by her hips and was turning her to stand at the foot of the bed, then tugging her pants down.

Bethany shivered as he nudged her onto the bed, now naked save for the long socks she often wore to keep her feet warm, but kept her legs together, almost embarrassed, while waiting for him to undress. The look in his eyes was almost wild, and she wondered if there was such a thing as blood craze, because the way he was acting was like her blood was urging him on.

She knew the scent of blood could draw in predators, but he was human even while in his bear form.

Cedric went onto one knee before kissing her, and she groaned into his mouth as he spread her knees with his hands, not allowing her to keep herself covered. What was he doing? His pants were still on. Why was he—

It seemed as though he had no intention of taking his pants off at all, as he shifted down onto both knees, and threw her legs over his shoulders before diving in, face first, to the very place she had been trying to hide from him.

A little blood didn"t bother him, he had said. He ate raw meat, likely bloody, in both bear and human form, he had said. Her period didn"t bother him, he had said.

It seemed as though he was more than determined to make sure she knew just how true that was.

It was shocking, at first, to feel his tongue and fingers pressing against her cunt, which were wet for more than one reason, but then his tongue was on her clit, and she forgot to feel embarrassed or care. He had no qualms about it, so why should she? In fact, his tongue licking and sucking on her swollen clit felt better than any toy she had ever used while on her period, and she gave up on trying to use her core muscles to stay upright, and laid back on the bed, letting him feast.

Bethany knew her body well enough to know that oral and being fucked felt different depending on where she was in her cycle. Some days she was tighter, some days she was dryer, and some days she wanted to be fucked so hard and deep that she was left screaming and crying from pleasure, but this was different than anything else she had ever felt. She was freer, soaking wet and open for him, and his fingers wasted no time in curling inside of her, finger fucking her while his tongue explored her. He didn"t pull back, didn"t hesitate, and she stopped caring about the blood and the mess when she felt her abdomen start to cramp but in a good way.

Her fingers curled in his hair and she tugged on it, trying to bring him closer and deeper, but he was set on his own path, not slowing his fingers or tongue until she felt an orgasm rush through her, warming her entire body. It was deeper, like it was radiating even into her belly and making her whole body contract, and she shuddered again when another wave of pleasure rolled over her.

She couldn"t even make a noise, save for breathing, as the pleasure kept flowing while his fingers continued their steady pressure. His mouth was replaced by his thumb, continuing the rhythm, and she felt another wave roll over her as she tugged harder on his hair. His mouth went to the inside of her leg, and he bit down on her inner thigh, not hard enough to break skin, but certainly hard enough to leave a mark.

Now she was moaning, low and deep like his growls, and when another orgasm rolled over her, she writhed underneath him, choking on air as she tried to vocalize something. Normally, she would say his name, or tell him she was close, or tell him how good it felt, but all she could manage was noises as her body tightened around his fingers again, her cunt throbbing and aching for more.

It was unlike any sex they had ever had before, and while she couldn"t rank them in any way, everything now felt different. Different on how she would feel in bed with him. Different on how she felt with him.

It was good. So good. So fucking good, she couldn"t even think about anything other than how good he was, both for her and to her. He was a good man, a good partner, would be a good father, a good husband. He was good, so good, would only ever fill her life with good, whether it be comforting her while she didn"t feel well or while in the shower together or while cleaning up an injury or while even just making dinner, and—

She needed him. Needed to be closer to him. Immediately.

She tugged on his hair again, needing his body pressed against hers, but he took his time, slowly pulling his fingers from inside of her, and then messing around with the towel underneath her. She couldn"t lift her head to look down and see what he was doing, but an educated guess told her he was likely cleaning himself up some. Her eyes opened, though, as he let go of her legs and pushed himself up to stand, and she watched as he pushed his pants off and crawled on top of her, his hard cock pressing against her slick cunt as he lowered himself onto his forearms.

Even after cleaning himself, she could see the dried blood on his lips and chin, and for a brief second, she considered whether or not to kiss him. It would taste metallic, probably, and it was from inside of her. She didn"t even know why she hesitated, because if it was her finger and she had pricked it, she would easily stick her finger in her mouth, not thinking about the blood.

He was a bear. A bear who ate raw meat. A bear who hadn"t shuddered at the thought of diving between her thighs while she was on her period, and who had just brought her to two orgasms with his fingers and tongue.

And now that she thought about it, she actually didn"t care. Screw anyone who would call it gross—kissing him was as natural as breathing, her blood on his face or no.

The taste was metallic, as she had assumed, and her arms wrapped around his shoulders as he lifted one of her legs high around his waist. His cock easily slipped inside of her, the extra liquid helping him to slide in, and she groaned against his mouth as the fullness made her clench down. It felt so good, she wanted to cry, and as he began rocking his hips, she could feel tears prickling in the corners.

He was in no rush, unlike how he had been with his fingers and tongue, and he kissed away each of her tears before kissing her again. She clung to him, her fingers alternating between digging into his shoulders and gripping the back of his neck, and when she felt a third orgasm roll over her with the help of his fingers on her clit, she moaned into his mouth before biting down on his lip, hard enough that she made it bleed. Her tongue smoothed over the wound as he picked up his pace, and he growled as he came, not stopping until he finally slipped out of her.

They were a mess, and both in desperate need of a shower, but she didn"t let go of him, her arms and legs still wrapped around his body. He made no indication of needing to move at first, but then he was groaning while sitting up on his knees, and pulling her with him.

She made a noise in protest, but he silenced her with a soft kiss, before pointing out the obvious. "We"re in need of a shower, Sunshine."

She knew that, obviously, but rather than answering him, she could only giggle.

"Mmm, yeah, doubt you can walk right now either," he agreed, while shifting himself off the bed and leaving her sitting on the towel. "Good thing I can carry you."

Bethany wrapped her arms around his neck as he carried her, and the towel, downstairs to the bathroom, and once they were in the shower, she melted under the hot water with Cedric holding her upright, keeping her from melting entirely. He was so good to her, taking the time to make sure all the blood was washed from her body, and carefully dried her after she pulled on a clean pair of underwear and grabbed another pad.

He was such a good man. A good partner. And he deserved to have a good partner.

The only question was, would she let herself love him enough to be that partner for him?