A Date For The Bear: BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance (Bear Brides Book 2) by Natalie Kristen

camaraderie
touched her deeply. This was a clan she was proud and glad to be a
part of. They were warm and fun and supportive. Terri glanced round
the circle of smiling faces and saw Amanda. Amanda's silver hair
whipped around her face in the wind, and she seemed to stand taller
and straighter even though she was buck naked. She had even left her
cane at home.
    Amanda winked at her and
said, “This is how you do it, dear.”
    With that, the little
great-grandmother shifted smoothly into a growling bear and bared her
fangs at Terri.
    Terri stumbled back but Tony
caught her securely and held her. “Amanda is showing you that
your bear is a powerful, lethal predator, not a fuzzy, cuddly,
toothless ball of fur,” he whispered into her hair. “Your
bear is a deadly killer. It can rip your enemies to shreds, and it
can claw your insides to a bloody pulp if you let it. You have to
control your beast. Don't be afraid, but don't be complacent
either.”
    Terri gave a shaky nod. “Got
it.”
    Tony released her gently.
“Watch,” he said. “See what you can learn from
each of them.”
    Terri nodded again. Amanda
was off chasing a rabbit, and Terri watched with wonder as the
sprightly old bear gamboled across the field and vanished into the
woods.
    “Amanda...”
Terri pointed.
    “Don't worry about her.
She's having the time of her life,” someone laughed. “We
don't let her eat too many rabbits. Bad for her cholesterol.”
Terri turned to see two handsome young men grinning at her. They had
Amanda's stunning green eyes, and her winsome smile.
    “We're her
great-grandsons,” one of them said. “He's Curtis. I'm
Connor, the more handsome twin.”
    Terri grinned back. “Your
great-grandma is a tough act to follow.”
    Curtis and Connor swept their
hands up and bowed dramatically. “We'll try our best.”
    Terri watched the twins shift
simultaneously. Their shift was even faster than Amanda's, and in a
blink, two imposing, hulking bears stood before her.
    They nodded at her, then
turned and went after their great-grandmother. Probably to stop her
from gorging on rabbits.
    One by one, the Nightfire
bears shifted in front of her. Terri saw some bears emerge more
slowly, while other burst from their human skins in a flurry of fangs
and claws. She saw all of them take a deep, calming breath before
their shift and their eyes narrowed in intense concentration.
Shifting may look effortless, but she could tell it wasn't. These
shifters had trained and practiced calling forth their bears
countless times. Some dropped to their hands and knees for the
shift, while others remained standing. They did what felt
comfortable to them. There was no one way to shift. Everyone did it
their own way.
    Terri turned to Tony. Only
the two of them were left. The others were still around, but they
didn't want to crowd her. They moved some distance away to give her
some space. They milled around at the edge of the woods and busied
themselves among the trees and the insects. This being her first
shift, they understood that she might feel shy or awkward shifting in
front of them.
    “Take your time,”
Tony told her. “Do you want me to go first?”
    “Y-yes, please.”
    “Okay. Relax yourself
as much as you can, take a deep breath if you must and let your bear
come to the surface. You'll feel it. Don't be scared of your beast.
It's a part of you. Its animal instincts and senses are sharper
than your human ones. It will protect you and warn you of danger.
Trust your bear. But control it.”
    “I'm not sure...”
she began.
    “You can do it, Terri.
I know you can.” His smile seemed to boost her confidence. He
really did believe in her. The pride and faith shone in his eyes.
He was proud of her, even though she hadn't even done anything.
    Tony leaned forward and
kissed the side of her mouth. Then he backed away, keeping his gaze
locked on her and shifted. His brown eyes never left hers throughout
his shift. Terri found herself staring into