the fire tonight. I need a better sleep so I can hunt properly tomorrow."
He yanked the nearest blanket off the clothesline and stalked into the bedroom, closing it with a solid thump. Mary stood in the smoky room, the chill of winter slowly replacing the warmth of the fire. She hurried to the door and closed it before she sagged against the wall. A trembling hand pressed to her lips, her head light and dizzy.
What happened?
Chapter Five
Even if she had the softest mattress in the world, Mary would not have slept well that night. It wasn't the ewe, that seemed to take forever to settle down, or the little lamb, who woke Mary up every few hours butting her in the head. It wasn't the hard floor biting into her hips and leaving her shoulders stiff and achy. It wasn't even the lingering smoke, which made her end up coughing for several hours before it dissipated.
It was the kiss.
She had been kissed before. When she was sixteen, she had been courted by a human from town. He had pressed his mouth to hers before he and his family moved away. But that kiss, though he had held her in his arms and tentatively ran his tongue over her lips, had none of the fire, none of the spark, which was in the kiss she had shared with Andre the previous night.
The way her blood surged and her wolf sung… She knew what that meant.
"I hope you were warm enough," she said the next morning when he emerged from his room.
"I was fine. Were you comfortable?"
"Comfortable enough." Her lips pressed closed. She knew what she wanted to say, but didn't know how to say it. "So you're going to hunt?"
The fake cheerfulness in her voice was enough to make her wince. Andre graciously pretended not to notice anything untoward, however. He muttered something that sounded like a confirmation and walked over to the ewe. Mary watched him pet the sheep's head as she filled a bowl with cream-of-wheat cereal.
He was gentle with the little lamb as he checked it over. His giant hands could have crushed the tiny thing in an instant, but instead, they ran lightly over its back and along its legs. It cried as he picked it up, kicking slightly, and Andre chuckled, murmuring comforting words. The ewe looked unconcerned.
"A fine little ram," Andre announced. He smiled broadly, making the bass clef scar on his cheek pinch together like a second smile. "But what possessed you to bring them into the house?"
Heat flared in her face. "It was so cold out there."
"Then you should have turned up the heat."
Mary rolled her eyes at that. "Yes, I'll just dial up the sun."
"There is an electric heater in the barn."
"Oh." She hadn't seen any electric heater. But then, she didn't look for one. "I didn't know."
"It's fine. I think the little guy is pretty happy in here. I'll help you clean up after I've got them settled out there."
"Have some breakfast first," Mary said quickly, pushing the bowl of hot cereal towards him. She had to say this quickly, or she was going to lose her nerve! But how to start? "Do Bears mate for life?"
His head jerked towards her, and something flashed in his black eyes, as though she had said something wrong. She stared back, holding her breath. Andre studied her for a moment and moved to the table. He sat with a grunt and stared into his bowl.
"We are as monogamous as humans. Different Bears have different ways of displaying their affection. Some of us find only one mate and stay with them for life, some find new mates if theirs die or leave them, others never do."
"But do you have soulmates?" Mary pressed, clutching the back of a chair.
"Soulmates?"
"Wolves have soulmates. My grandmother told me when I was a child. For every Wolf, there is one partner, one mate that completes their soul. When they meet, their souls knit together. They are never whole without one another."
Andre's face was blank, and then his lips curved upwards. "That sounds very fantastical to me."
"But it's true," Mary insisted. Her heart pounded in her ears, and the
He yanked the nearest blanket off the clothesline and stalked into the bedroom, closing it with a solid thump. Mary stood in the smoky room, the chill of winter slowly replacing the warmth of the fire. She hurried to the door and closed it before she sagged against the wall. A trembling hand pressed to her lips, her head light and dizzy.
What happened?
Chapter Five
Even if she had the softest mattress in the world, Mary would not have slept well that night. It wasn't the ewe, that seemed to take forever to settle down, or the little lamb, who woke Mary up every few hours butting her in the head. It wasn't the hard floor biting into her hips and leaving her shoulders stiff and achy. It wasn't even the lingering smoke, which made her end up coughing for several hours before it dissipated.
It was the kiss.
She had been kissed before. When she was sixteen, she had been courted by a human from town. He had pressed his mouth to hers before he and his family moved away. But that kiss, though he had held her in his arms and tentatively ran his tongue over her lips, had none of the fire, none of the spark, which was in the kiss she had shared with Andre the previous night.
The way her blood surged and her wolf sung… She knew what that meant.
"I hope you were warm enough," she said the next morning when he emerged from his room.
"I was fine. Were you comfortable?"
"Comfortable enough." Her lips pressed closed. She knew what she wanted to say, but didn't know how to say it. "So you're going to hunt?"
The fake cheerfulness in her voice was enough to make her wince. Andre graciously pretended not to notice anything untoward, however. He muttered something that sounded like a confirmation and walked over to the ewe. Mary watched him pet the sheep's head as she filled a bowl with cream-of-wheat cereal.
He was gentle with the little lamb as he checked it over. His giant hands could have crushed the tiny thing in an instant, but instead, they ran lightly over its back and along its legs. It cried as he picked it up, kicking slightly, and Andre chuckled, murmuring comforting words. The ewe looked unconcerned.
"A fine little ram," Andre announced. He smiled broadly, making the bass clef scar on his cheek pinch together like a second smile. "But what possessed you to bring them into the house?"
Heat flared in her face. "It was so cold out there."
"Then you should have turned up the heat."
Mary rolled her eyes at that. "Yes, I'll just dial up the sun."
"There is an electric heater in the barn."
"Oh." She hadn't seen any electric heater. But then, she didn't look for one. "I didn't know."
"It's fine. I think the little guy is pretty happy in here. I'll help you clean up after I've got them settled out there."
"Have some breakfast first," Mary said quickly, pushing the bowl of hot cereal towards him. She had to say this quickly, or she was going to lose her nerve! But how to start? "Do Bears mate for life?"
His head jerked towards her, and something flashed in his black eyes, as though she had said something wrong. She stared back, holding her breath. Andre studied her for a moment and moved to the table. He sat with a grunt and stared into his bowl.
"We are as monogamous as humans. Different Bears have different ways of displaying their affection. Some of us find only one mate and stay with them for life, some find new mates if theirs die or leave them, others never do."
"But do you have soulmates?" Mary pressed, clutching the back of a chair.
"Soulmates?"
"Wolves have soulmates. My grandmother told me when I was a child. For every Wolf, there is one partner, one mate that completes their soul. When they meet, their souls knit together. They are never whole without one another."
Andre's face was blank, and then his lips curved upwards. "That sounds very fantastical to me."
"But it's true," Mary insisted. Her heart pounded in her ears, and the
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