Unreasonable Hospitality: The Bear Novels & Stories

I could tell the moment Bear fell asleep because the power barrier he held over the Pack House to protect me from myself dropped. I exhaled, freeing up all the pent-up energy from holding myself back from the competing Alpha energy inside my own home. I appreciated Bear’s efforts, even if it did rankle me at times. Sori came down to dinner after leaving Kali with one of the Wintermere women who had the patience of a saint. She was also almost deaf, so the screaming didn’t wear on her soul like it did ours.

I land inside the deep forest and shift back to human form and approach the small cottage slowly. I laugh inwardly as my body hits an invisible barrier of protection, one that I could easily break but don’t, not until I know my mate is in that cottage, let them think they are safe inside, I can wait right here. I walk around the front of the cottage and the bear is sitting on the front porch holding a beer and a sandwich, rocking in a chair. He sits the beer down and takes a bite of the sandwich, he looks directly at me and smiles, he swallows and shouts, “she’s not here and won’t come back as long as they sense you out here,” he takes another bite and chews. I shake my head, “I can wait.”

It's not that I was squeamish or shy, I just got tired of looking at the bare asses of martinets and listening to their greasy jokes day after day. - Now the "guests" of the inspectors are being let in here. And while there was no one, I lived. - The Bear said with some longing in his voice. I understand nostalgia. “Go take a shower,” Kitty snapped, breaking the idyll. - From you sperm carries a kilometer. - Pasha, is the room suitable? - asked the Bear, nodding in agreement to the girl, and pulled off his T-shirt before going to the shower. Mmm, what tempting cubes on his abs. That's not what I was thinking...

He frowns, and now he’s looking less like a generically grumpy bear and more like one resisting the urge to charge. Do bears charge? I remind myself not to go hiking until I’ve looked that up. “I’ll buy your coffee,” he says gruffly, not yielding his place in the line. “Or whatever pumpkin sweetened atrocity women like you drink.” Standing up for myself just got a whole lot easier. “How dare you?” “May I help the next customer?” the barista asks, like he’s trying to move the line along before me and the Suit break into an all-out war.

And it’s not like they made me any promises. Carp. Okay, then. I can play nice, for the duration of a wedding. Better we don’t make a scene. Or make a bigger scene than dowdy ole Evangeline showing up to her cousin’s wedding with not one, but two gorgeous dates. A pair of little old ladies pass Bear and rubber-neck, gawking at his giant frame. He looks out of place and larger than life, a bear at a tea party. I offer a small smile as truce. I’ve missed them so much. Maybe we can be friends.

Feigning concern, I stopped abruptly and warned, "We can't go any further. The bear is nursing her cubs up ahead. If we intrude, it'll see us as a threat and attack." Bonnie looked unconcerned, even excited. It was clear she lacked even basic wilderness knowledge. She scoffed. "Kate, you're too timid. What's there to be afraid of? This is a rare sight. Of course, we have to capture it on camera. Right, Damon?" Damon gave her a doting smile. "This is why we came, after all. We can't miss it." I forced myself to explain calmly, "Nursing animals are highly territorial. If provoked, they won't hesitate to attack. The consequences could be deadly."

The distant roar of the bear echoed through the corners of the forest, fueling my urgency to reach Hunter. When I arrived, I was met with the terrifying scene. The Brown Bear raised its imposing paw, ready to deliver the final blow to Hunter. Without hesitation, I jumped on the bear's back, surprising both the bear and Hunter. “Fierce, what are you doing?” he exclaimed, confused. “I came to help you,” I replied, wasting no time. My loyalty to him surpassed any test or ceremony. Hunter, surprised, ordered me, “Go away, Fierce. This is my test.”

I woke up the next day with the sun shining brightly, and my head hurt a little from the beer I had last night. Also, I couldn't fall asleep right away. I stayed awake thinking about that bear man who was initially rude to me, but also apologized when he came to my room himself. It was a nice gesture, and I'm happy that we're okay now. I don't want him to cut in while we're on the hiking tour.

I hadn't even finished a whole row yet. Some stuff is repeated but this book is by far my favorite. It's solely about bear shifters. Bear shifters are the most loyal type of shifter. They would lay down their lives for the ones they are to protect without a single thought. Thats terrifying. I don't want Dom to die because I might. Even though he would probably fight me on it.

My vampiric eyes are quite handy for such occasions. But still…the hall is a bit more than I expected. “Maybe this isn’t a good choice?“ I nervously pointed out to the bear. I look into his black eyes as if to hear a reply. He won’t give one of course. A part of me wishes he did though. ‘Don’t go there’. Or ‘Leave it alone’. Or something else to stop me. But because he is a plush bear, he will not speak. And I have to contend with myself as a judge.