Chapter 6

Chapter

Six

T here was something sexy about a man at a grill, especially when that man was a six-foot eight grizzly shifter who laughed and joked with his family. This was a totally new side to Saul, though the whole day had been a different perspective on him, one she found incredibly sexy and attractive. He was funny, attentive, and easy to talk to, even when he was calling her mouse, which now sounded like a term of endearment rather than an insult.

Maeve wasn’t sure how Saul convinced her to join him for his Sunday dinner with his family. She had often wondered what a family dinner would be like and, since she wasn’t quite ready to end the day and go home to a mostly empty house, this seemed like a good time to find out. Her father would be in his lab working, and her aunt would be out with her friends playing Dominion, some weird-ass board game where the bloodthirsty octogenarians of Grimm Mawr decided how to take over the world. Frankly, the one time they played at her house, it was terrifying, and Maeve vowed if her aunt ever got a hold of any kind of weapon, she would use a memory-wiping charm to make her aunt forget everything and save the world. No jury would convict her, right?

Though this was not the family dinner she’d expected. She had often pictured something along the lines of a Norman Rockwell painting, though, with bear shifters she should have known it would be different. No one had lives like that anymore, if they ever did. This gathering was pure chaos. His parents, his sister and her mate and their cub were just the beginning. Older women gathered in a cluster around several tables, heavily ladened with food that seemed like it would feed a small town, but this was a gathering of bear shifters so Maeve wondered if it would be enough. Men of all ages were in smaller groups throughout the yard, some tackling each other with sickening crunches. Others were climbing trees to see how high they could go. A group of small children ran by, some in cub form roaring, and others in human form tumbling into each other in some kind of hunting game. It was pure chaos.

Saul manned the grill, which was more like a series of long cement blocks with grills over them to cook an ungodly amount of meat. A couple of men stood by, with beers in their hands, mostly shooting the shit and not doing anything else, though they were laughing. Every once in a while, Saul would glance over to check on her and give her a heated look, heavy with promise.

So, she found herself relaxing in a wooden Adirondack chair, sipping a Strawberry Ale. Saul’s pregnant sister lowered herself into the chair next to her, rubbing her belly as she settled and watching her mate at the grill with Saul.

“Are you protecting me or acting as a barrier for me?” Maeve asked.

Sacha gave a sheepish smile. “Is it that obvious?”

Maeve shrugged, trying to hide the hurt she felt at being seen as needing protection. “I figured you would normally be with the other young women or your mate, rather than with me. I can take care of myself. I’ve been doing it a long time.”

Sacha cocked her head. “What makes you think I don’t want to talk to you? I like you. Sure, my brother asked me to check on you, but I could walk away any time.”

Maeve sipped her drink and watched Felicia Borges wrap her claws around Saul’s arm and basically braid herself around him like a human pretzel. To his credit, Saul neatly extricated himself, but Felicia was like poison ivy, with a profusion of bristly shoots, twisting herself around Saul and not letting him escape. Maeve hadn’t realized she had made a sound when Sacha gave a low growl next to her.

“That Felicia. She should have been a cat shifter, for how determined she is to make Saul hers. Don’t worry. He isn’t interested in her and has never given her any encouragement. He’s completely focused on you.” The last was said with a sly, sideways glance at Maeve, who blushed furiously and choked on her ale.

“I don’t know if it’s anything…”

Sacha patted her on the arm, easing her discomfort. “It’s fine. I think it’s wonderful. We all do. Saul has been alone for too long, waiting for his mate. And you got under his skin. It’s been funny to watch, truthfully. He’s usually so in control.”

“He’s usually mad around me, yelling about something,” Maeve said.

“Not at you. At the Dupree sisters who honestly have almost blown up the block on several occasions,” Sacha pointed out.

“He calls me mouse,” Maeve retorted.

Sacha burst out laughing. “Okay, that’s not nice. Make him pay. He’ll respect you more. He’s an alpha bear shifter. He needs a mate who will put him in his place.”

Mate? She hadn’t considered that idea. She had only thought they were spending time together. There was no way that they were mates, were they? She wasn’t a shifter, so she wouldn’t feel the connection like Saul would and besides, would he even want someone like her as a mate, someone he called mouse and yelled at all the time?

“You should go over there and claim him in front of everyone. Or, at the very least, rescue him from that bitch, Felicia. I don’t even know how she got invited today.”

The more Maeve watched Felicia assault Saul, and the more he tried to evade her, the madder she got. Saul was hers, at least for today. Felicia was being rude and intruding where she wasn’t wanted. Maeve casually flicked her wrist and muttered something under her breath. Sacha shot her a quizzical look, and Maeve looked innocent. She had forgotten about the superior hearing of shifters.

“Oh my goddess!” Felicia started scratching at her arms, then torso, and legs. Boils erupted on her face. Dark green masses that deformed her perfect features. She grabbed a metal platter and peered into it and screamed.

People backed away in horror and the cubs stood in a semi-circle, alternating between laughing and saying things like, “Gross,”, “Cool,” and “Wicked”.

Sacha glanced at Maeve with a smirk. “Coincidence or a well-placed hex?”

Maeve gave her an innocent look. “No, but I might know a potion that could help. In three to five days. It might taste a bit foul, too.”

Sacha burst out laughing. “Mouse indeed.”

Maeve got up and sauntered over. Saul tugged her to him, tucking her into his side. “Felicia, you look awful. Is it an allergic reaction to something?”

Felicia snarled at her. “You little witch. You did this?”

Saul glanced at Maeve, then back at Felicia. “I highly doubt that, but Maeve is a genius at potions. I’m sure she could whip up something to help you.”

Maeve pasted a smile on her face that didn’t quite reach her eyes. Felicia’s gaze narrowed, seeing the challenge for what it was. “No, thank you. I don’t need a weak, wannabe witch who couldn’t get any other job than one with the Dupree sisters.”

“Then maybe you should run along before you disturb the cubs,” Maeve said sweetly. “You’re welcome to stop by the shoppe tomorrow if you want something for your problem.”

Felicia growled then stomped away, pushing through the crowd, though most tried to avoid her. Saul chuckled next to her. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

Maeve only smiled as Sacha joined them to lean into her mate. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

But she sensed Felicia wasn’t done with her or Saul.

Saul leaned back against the log and pulled Maeve against his chest as they enjoyed the bonfire. Most of the cubs had snuggled with their parents, in human or cub form, and fallen asleep after the s’mores, and the adults were slowly drifting away. But he was enjoying his time with Maeve. She fit him perfectly, a pocket-sized mate who belonged with him. He hadn’t been sure how she would enjoy his family, or if she would settle around them. A clan of bear shifters wasn’t exactly a quiet group of people. But they adored her, seeing her as a perfect mate for him. His mother even told him that he’d better treat Maeve right or he’d answer to her.

He wanted to treat her like a queen, if he could ever get some time alone with her. But the day was ending, and he wasn’t sure how to convince her to stay with him. She made a contented sound and snuggled further against him, her nose pressing against his chest before settling. Scent was important for shifter mates, but Maeve was a witch, not a bear. Was she as affected by him as he was by her?

It had been pure torture sitting with her all evening. His cock had been an iron bar in his jeans and he’d had to employ some creative means to cover the evidence of his desire from the rest of his family, though they saw through his act easily enough, being able to scent his arousal. He knew she was attracted to him, had even scented her arousal, but was she ready to be his mate?

But the fire was dying, and everyone was headed out. He had to take her home, which was the last thing he wanted to do. He wanted to take her to his cabin, strip her, and taste her all over, make her come, screaming his name, then claim her so everyone knew who she belonged to. But she was human, not a shifter. If she was a shifter, they’d already be in his cabin, halfway to mating.

How to convince her to be his?

Maeve stirred in his arms. “Is it time to go home?”

“Yes, everyone is leaving.”

She struggled out of his arms to a standing position. “I should say goodbye to your parents and Sacha. They were all so kind to me today.”

He got to his feet and bopped her on the nose. “They loved you. And my parents are already gone.”

He pointed to the older couple who were already halfway across the field to a cabin in the distance, walking arm in arm. Maeve sighed. “They’re still in love, aren’t they?”

“They’re mated. They will always be in love. It’s a bond that can’t be broken.”

She cocked her head at him. “I don’t understand what mating means. Isn’t it like marriage for shifters?”

He shook his head. “It’s much deeper.” He pointed to Sacha and Blaize, who were embracing just beyond the fire, a look of such tenderness on the male’s face as he cupped Sacha’s belly. “Mating is a bond between two people that connects them, heart to heart, soul to soul. They sense each other’s emotions. They feel each other’s thoughts. They are halves to each other. It’s a bond that cannot be broken.”

He looked at her, seeing the longing in her eyes, and realized that she was thinking of her own family, of her parents and the marriage she had described. A lonely, almost business-like arrangement.

“It’s sounds lovely,” she breathed.

He stared down at her, feeling the bond already reaching for her. “It is.”

She looked up at him. “Can anyone feel it? Non-shifters?”

He shrugged. “Some shifters have mated with non-shifters and they say they have felt it. It takes a little more convincing, however.”

She turned back to Sacha and Blaize, watching them for another moment, clearly lost in thought.

“Uncle Saul! Maeve!”

A small boy barreled across the backyard, bee-lining directly for them. Before he could tackle Maeve, who had frozen in shock, Saul snatched him out of mid-stride by the back of his neck and swung him up into his arms. “What did we say about tackling guests?”

“That we should always sneak up on them and practice our attacks to protect our den?” The hopeful look on the boy’s face made Maeve choke a laugh.

The corners of Saul’s lips quirked, but he controlled the smile. “Not pretty women.”

The small boy lunged for her, but Saul kept a tight hold on the boy. He took a dramatic sniff. “She smells like you, Uncle Saul.”

Saul hauled him back up. “I know, but it’s a secret.”

He flipped the boy over his shoulder upside down and took Maeve’s hand and strode over to his sister and her mate. She scrambled to keep up, taking three steps for his every one. She tugged at his hand and he stopped, eying her quizzically.

“Shouldn’t you let him up?”

“Why? He’s fine. And why are you out of breath?”

She glared at him. “Because I’m running to keep up with you, you big tree.”

He roared with laughter. He flipped the small boy back and held him to his chest. “This is Brady, Sacha’s boy. I wasn’t sure if you’ve met him today.”

The boy smiled and disappeared in a series of sparks, reappearing as a small brown bear. He swatted at Saul and roared. Saul held him by the fur at the back of his neck. “Oh my goddess. He’s so cute!”

Saul hauled her close, his arm draped around her shoulder, and spoke into her ear. “Don’t tell him that. He thinks he’s a fierce grizzly.” He raised his voice. “Hey you two lovebirds. Come get your demon spawn before I sell him to some peddlers.”

Sacha and Blaize came over, with Blaize taking Brady from him, deftly avoiding the claws still swatting. “Thanks. Maeve, do you have any more healing salve? Genius here has almost run out.”

Maeve smiled. “Already? You just bought two jars last week.”

Sacha smiled, her eyes dancing with mischief, her hand resting on her rounded belly. “Saul tends to forget that even a big tough grizzly can’t just take trays out of the hot oven. That salve is amazing.”

Saul grunted. “I can’t believe the Duprees make it.” He turned to her, eyes widening. “You make it, don’t you Maeve?”

She shifted on her feet, not meeting his gaze. “It’s my mom’s recipe, though I added Calendula to minimize scarring. I’m glad to see it helps.”

“Why do you let the Duprees take credit for it?”

She shrugged. “I don’t. They sell all kinds of potions for me. I get to test my potions and make a little extra money. I couldn’t sell them in Botanica Magica. I couldn’t even get a job there when I applied. The Duprees were kind enough to give me a job and sell my potions.”

Saul scowled. “Maybe they’re not so bad after all.” But he didn’t look completely convinced. “Why don’t you open your own shop and sell your potions directly?”

“It’s a lot of work and the town already has two potions’ shops. They can’t really support three.”

Sacha yawned, and Brady laid his head on his father’s shoulder. “And that’s my cue to get my family home. Nice meeting you, Maeve. I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of you. Have a great evening.”

The family headed off in a different direction from Saul’s parents and were quickly out of sight. “Does your whole family live in this area?”

Saul shrugged. “Kind of. We’re a clan. We all own this land and build a cabin when we’re ready to live on our own.”

“Are you going to show me your cabin, big guy?”