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19. April

NINETEEN

APRIL

There was no way I could go back to the park. Too much had happened, too much to think about. Not only was the guy I loved a magical creature, but magical creatures were fucking real. Like really real. This was world-altering information. Shifters, witches, magic curses? How did you go about your daily life after finding out about something like that?

I'd gone back over to my house because I needed some time away from Steff to decompress. The four walls of my place weren't usually so comforting. Tonight, it was exactly what I needed. Being with Steff was great, but I needed this alone time. I pulled out my phone and shot Kellan a text:

I know everything.

Less than a minute later, my phone rang. It was my brother. "April? By everything, do you mean…"

"Yes, Kellan, everything. Magic and all that," I said, trying not to roll my eyes.

"Oh, shit. Well… how are you? Like, are you okay? It's pretty earth-shattering news, right?"

"That's the understatement of the year. I'm a little overwhelmed. Knowing my whole life has been put on a path all because the man I loved was… not human? It's crazy."

"It was the same for me. Maybe not at the level you're at, but my mind was blown. Still, after he explained it, everything sort of fell into place. It made sense, you know?"

I sighed. "I guess you're right. When are you going to tell Kris? He's got to know. This isn't a secret you and Steff should keep for long."

"Working on it. He's ready to forgive Steff. I need him to be 100 percent before we spring that on him. I think it'll be soon, though."

"It's nice to have someone to talk to about this." Even as I said it, I remembered Harley giving me her number earlier. If anyone understood this, she would. "Thanks for talking, Kellan. I need to get some rest. I'll call you again tomorrow. Love you."

"Love you, sis. Talk to you tomorrow."

As soon as I hung up, I sent Harley a text asking if it was too late to talk. Just like my brother, she called me within seconds. "It's Harley, I was hoping you'd call. I thought it would be soon, but I wasn't sure. Steff called Tate a few minutes ago and let us know he broke the news to you. How are you, sweetie?"

I took a breath and sighed. This was the final nail in the coffin of a normal life. It meant that everything Steff had told me and Kellan was true. Tate was one of these shifters, too, and Harley knew. Jesus, if what Steff said was accurate, she was a dragon shifter. I didn't even know how to fathom that.

"Can you…" I wasn't sure what to ask. "Can you start from the beginning? Tell me everything? Unless that's too personal."

"No, not at all. I'd have given my left arm to have someone tell me what I was in for. Basically, it began in New York City…"

We talked for hours. There was a ton of stuff to talk through. A lot of it was scary, a lot was amazing, most was like something out of a dream. She told me about meeting Tate, moving across the country and having the curse somehow place her across the street from him. Was that why I'd wanted to come home so bad? Had the curse pulled me toward Steff? That was something that made the hairs on my arm stand up.

Harley went on to explain the ways shifters were different, the claiming and mating bond. There were things about witches and hunters. That was the most disturbing thing of all. The idea that people were out there actively trying to kill people like Steff and Tate, and their friends.

Finishing her story, Harley said, "The last time we saw them was out in my backyard. The one who was doing all the talking pulled out a gun and shot me."

I gasped. "Shot you? Actually tried to murder you?"

"Yes. If I hadn't been wearing Emily's necklace, I'd be dead, and my baby along with me. April, the guy who shot me was the same guy you went on a date with. Ryland. I think that's his name."

Ryland? He was a hunter? The guy I'd thought was nice and easygoing had tried to murder a woman and her unborn child? The thought sent a chill up my spine. All the time I'd spent alone with him on that one date, I'd been feet, inches, from a cold-blooded killer. The horror of that revelation was almost more terrifying than finding out about Steff.

"I can't believe it. Harley, I was alone with him, and I never would have thought he could do something like that."

"It's scary, I know. Especially since the danger isn't gone. With Ryland around, the hunters are still stalking us. But one thing you need to know is that over and over, I still choose Tate. Always and forever. Curse or no curse, there's not a man on Earth who would love me and my children the way he does. I'll be forever grateful that the spell brought us together. I hope you'll end up feeling the same way."

It was past midnight when I finally got off the phone with Harley. After talking to her for so long and getting to know her a bit, I really liked her. I hoped I'd made a new friend. Having a friend I could share this secret with would make the heavy weight on my shoulders more bearable. I could tell my brothers a lot, but there were some things only women could talk about.

Sleep would have been a welcome reprieve from all the things I'd learned, but that proved elusive. I tossed and turned for hours. My brain wasn't able to turn off. I lifted my phone and saw it was almost three thirty in the morning. There was one thing I had to see, and my mind wasn't going to let me go to sleep until I did.

With a heavy sigh, I rolled out of bed and pulled on my robe. I put on flip-flops and headed out the door. The cool summer night air raised gooseflesh on my arms. Colorado Julys weren't the same as Los Angeles Julys. It was refreshing and invigorating.

I marched across the yard and walked up the steps to Steff's house. Before I could raise my hand to knock, he opened the door. I flinched, startled by the fact that he was awake. I'd prepared myself to have to knock five or six times before he got up and came to the door.

We stared at each other for a few seconds before I finally worked up the courage to ask what I'd come to ask. "I want to see your bear."

Steff grinned and a glint appeared in his eye that I'd never seen before. "My bear would love to meet you." He looked me up and down and raised an eyebrow. "Go get dressed. Real shoes and stuff. Meet me around back in ten minutes."

I jogged back home and pulled on a T-shirt, a pair of shorts, and sneakers. I was back in his yard as quickly as I could manage. Moonlight shone off Steff's hair, making him look like a prince out of a fairytale. He held his hand out to me. I took it and let him lead me through the woods. The light of the moon illuminated our path. After a brisk five-minute walk, we came to a small clearing in the forest. He released my hand and stepped out into the opening, then turned to look at me.

"You're safe. Don't be afraid. My bear loves you as much as I do."

His confession of love made my breath hitch, but soon I was gasping. Steff was changing. His body morphed and bulged into furry muscle. His hands expanded and thickened into heavy brown paws. His face disappeared under a mountain of fur. In seconds, a massive grizzly bear stood in front of me.

The creature was huge. If I'd encountered this in the woods a day ago, I would have never stood a chance. It was awe-inspiring. I pinched myself, right below my wrist, to make sure I wasn't dreaming. The reality of it hit me, and my knees buckled. I caught myself before I slumped to the grass.

"Oh my god."

The bear didn't move. It stood there, eyes locked on mine. My moment of freaking out was over, and I was able to really take in what I was seeing. The creature sat on its haunches and waited patiently for me. Knowing I was safe didn't make the steps I took any less nerve-wracking. As I approached, the bear tilted its head and watched me. Its eyes were like an animal, but there was an intelligence in them I'd never seen anywhere but in another human.

"Steff, are you still in there?"

The massive head nodded, and I let out a hysterical giggle. I slapped my hand across my mouth, scared of how crazy I sounded. I must have looked like a deer in headlights. Swallowing my fear, I extended a hand and ran it through his fur. The bear made a pleasant rumbling sound that reminded me of a cat purring, and I smiled. The fur was exquisitely soft, not wiry or rough like I'd thought it would be.

After petting him, I stepped back and looked him over again. "Does it hurt? When you change, I mean?"

The big shaggy head swung side to side—no. Even after looking at him, touching him, and watching the change happen, it was still amazing and a little unbelievable.

"This is amazing. You're amazing," I whispered.

With a deep breath, the bear reared on its hind legs and in less than a few seconds, he was Steff again. The transformation into the bear had been shockingly fast, but the transition back to human form was even quicker. I wanted to say something, but my mind was still reeling. All I could do was look at him, my mouth hanging slightly open.

"Are you afraid of me?"

The question caught me off guard. Not because of what he was asking, but the way he was asking it. Steff's voice trembled, and in his face I could see a fear so palpable I could almost taste it. He was beyond terrified that I would run into the forest screaming for help, or worse, call him a monster and walk away. I'd never seen him look so scared. It made my heart hurt seeing that look on his face.

Without hesitation, I stepped forward and wrapped him in a hug. His arms encircled me and pulled me close. "I'm overwhelmed, yes. Scared? No, never. Not of you." I tilted my head back and looked up at him. "Thank you for doing this for me. For showing me."

"I'd do anything for you."

The conviction in his voice told me all I needed to know. He really would. I could feel the truth in his words all the way down to my bones. He kissed me then, and it was unlike any kiss I'd ever experienced. He slid his fingers into my hair, holding me in the kiss, claiming me as his own. The kiss was carnal and animalistic, like the bear was still there, hovering right below the surface.

He pulled away, gasping, and ran a finger across my lips. "I need you to tell me now. Are you rejecting me? I have to hear it out of your mouth. I'm having a hard time controlling myself. The desire to claim you is almost too much, but I promise I won't do that until you're ready. If you do accept me, I'm taking you home and fucking you until neither of us can see straight."

A pulsing heat spread through my core, and I was wet in an instant. I shifted, feeling his hardness throbbing against me. He growled and pulled me flush against his chest.

I splayed my hand on his chest and looked deep into his eyes. "I accept you. All that you are, and all that you will be."

He swept me into his arms and carried me out of the forest. I seemed to weigh nothing to him, and his strength sent my already raging hormones into overdrive. I kissed him as he walked, running my fingers through his hair. The fire of lust was almost too much for me to stand. It took everything in me not to tell him to put me down and fuck me right there on the forest floor.

Before I could tell him to do just that, we stepped out into his backyard. In five quick strides, we were at his back door. I had no memory of going in through the door and up the stairs. All that mattered was this. His hands, his lips, the cock desperately trying to tear out of his pants.

Steff ran his hands down my chest, across my breasts, circling my nipples through my shirt. My lips parted as the electric tingle spread from my nipples into my stomach to my pussy. My hand found its way to his crotch, and I caressed his hard length. Steff groaned and pressed his lips against my forehead.

This would be our first time together. Everything had been building to this moment. The horniness of teenage love, the longing of time and distance in the years since, the fiery passion of truth and love now that we were reunited. It made us almost crazy with desire. So many years, and now, finally, we would have each other. It made me shiver with need and expectation.

Frantically, I pulled my shirt over my head. As soon as the shirt cleared my head, Steff's hands found my naked breasts. I looked into his eyes as he gently tugged and pinched my nipples between his fingers. I didn't break eye contact as I undid his belt, button, and zipper. I slid his pants down, easing myself to my knees.

The massive cock was eye level when I finished, and I didn't hesitate. I cupped his balls gently in one hand and fisted the base of his cock with my other hand as I slid him into my mouth. Steff gasped and cursed under his breath. The thick, almost muscular feel of him in my mouth made me even hornier. I moved back and forth, sliding my lips and tongue across the full length. Steff's hips jerked forward, and I could tell he was keeping himself from thrusting into my mouth. I didn't want him to hold back. I wanted all of him, and I was going to give him all of me. I wanted every bit of it.

I pulled my mouth away and looked up at him, "Let go, Steff. Don't hold back."

Putting my mouth back around him, his hips moved faster. His cock slid deep into my mouth and then back out. I didn't think I could get hornier, but the sensation of him fucking my mouth was almost too much that I didn't dare slide a hand between my legs. I would come in an instant if I so much as brushed my clit.

Steff pulled his cock from my mouth and lifted me onto the bed. He nearly ripped my shorts as he yanked them off me. He nestled his head between my legs and slipped two fingers into me as he wrapped his lips around my clit. My back arched, and I dug my fingers into the sheets as he sucked and slipped his fingers in and out of me. I caressed his head as he brought me closer to orgasm. The orgasm was a tsunami that built inside me. The simmering warmth within in me was starting to radiate outward.

Sensing how close I was, Steff sat up, and in one swift movement slammed himself into me, filling me completely and thoroughly. In that instant, I had what I'd always wanted. Steff was mine, fully and completely. The knowledge of that, along with the ecstasy of what he was doing to me, sent me over the edge. The orgasm hit me hard, like wave after wave crashing over me and pulling me under. I grunted and shook as pleasure coursed through my stomach, chest, and limbs.

Instead of stopping, Steff picked up the pace. When I glanced up and saw the sweat beading up on his forehead, he kissed me again as he fucked me. I wrapped my hands around his neck and thrust my hips up. Pressure built inside me, ready to explode again.

"Come, Steff. Come inside me. Please, baby, I want you to."

"Oh, fuck!" Steff threw his back as his hips jerked and thrust into me.

The second orgasm nearly split me in two. I screamed and gasped for breath as Steff collapsed against me, riding the last spasms of his own orgasm. After I came back to my senses, I ran a hand through Steff's hair. To wait so long for something made it all the sweeter when it finally happened. We both passed out where we lay into a deep, satisfying sleep.

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