February 2, 2016
Colt held his breath as he knocked on the door of a beautiful Antebellum home in the garden district. It had taken him swallowing all of his pride to ask Fang for Acheron's phone number so he could find out where Roxie was staying. He didn't want to cause any problems, so he thought that coming during the day when Kell would not be out would be the best move possible. But, he was sure that Roxie was still asleep. He would just drop off the her bag and leave.
The door was opened by Kyrian Hunter. The former Dark Hunter stood a few inches taller than Colt with blond hair and green eyes. He looked Colt over from head to toe with a frown on his face.
Colt shrugged in his coat as the rain fell. The winter storm had brought rain after Roxie left Sanctuary, it only added to Colt's own look of dark depression that was etched on his face.
"So, you are the bear that scared Roxie?" He finally spoke.
Colt stiffened. "She left her bag at the bar. I thought she would want her things. They seemed important to her." He handed the bag over.
"Did you come all this way just for a bag?"
Colt frowned. "She is scared of me. I do not wish to scare her more. That is why I came early, hoping everyone was still asleep."
Kyrian tilted his head and contemplated the bear in front of him. "So, you are not going to try to persuade her to finish the mating ritual?"
The bear shook his head. "It is all in her hands. If she chooses to finish it, but still fears me, then I am celibate anyway. Either outcome leads to the same fate. I have accepted that. I just want her to be happy." Then he turned to leave.
Kyrian shut the door, but let a small smile pull at his lips. He walked up stairs to Roxie's room and knocked.
"Come in!" She called.
Kyrian opened the door and leaned on the door frame. "Are you about ready to go back?" He asked.
Roxie looked flustered. "I can't find my bag. It has my stuff in it. And,... no, I am not ready. How do I face him again? I ran out on him, caused a huge scene, got him attacked by Kell, and I still don't know what I want to do." She sighed.
Kyrian smiled and held up her bag.
"Where did you find it?" She asked.
He hugged Roxie. "A very brave bear wanted to make sure you had your books, even if you did not want to see him again."
Her heart shattered. Colt came here? To make sure that she got her bag?
"Really?"
Kyrian nodded. "He looks to be about as broken up about everything as you have been. My advice is to go to him first and see if you can't talk about all of this."
Kyrian dropped her off at Sanctuary once again. He had done that every time she came here, just so they didn't have to worry about leaving a car out when the inevitable call came that Kell was taking her home or Kell needed her to drive him home. And since she could not leave until Kell needed her anyway, what was the point? So, no car for Roxie.
Roxie took a deep breath as she walked up to the door in the rain. It was almost 4:00pm. Otto said that he would be there to make sure that she showed up.
This time, it was not Dev standing at the door. But, another brother. Aimee had pointed most of them out the last time she was there, but there was so much going on that night, she could not remember who this one was. And he made her nervous.
The bear growled at her. "Why are you back?"
"I have been ordered back." She rolled her eyes. "But, I was hoping to talk to Colt."
"Haven't you cause enough trouble? It's bad enough that Colt is refusing to play with the band now because of you. Just in time for our busiest week. We don't need more problems within our house."
Did she hear him right? Colt is refusing to play because of her? Why?
She took another breath. "I am not trying to cause problems." Oh to hell with it. "Look, I just want to talk to Colt. Please. Or are you going to keep me away from him for three weeks and leave him celibate because you are scared of a very confused, emotional girl?"
"What is going on Serre?" Dev walked up to the door.
Serre looked down at Roxie. "The princess here wants to talk to Colt."
Dev hit his brother. "Come on Roxie. I will walk you back." Serre glared at Dev in return. "There is a reason why I am usually the one at the door. Most of my brothers have no manners or charm."
She scoffed. "Neither do you."
Dev looked askance at her with a grin. "Ah cher, who's the pot trying to call the kettle black?"
She growled at him.
"My point exactly." He laughed.
Otto nodded from the bar as Dev lead her through the kitchen, passed another brother who watched the door to the house, and into the lovely home that they all lived in. It was more like a mansion with all of the rooms that they opened up to the family and others that stayed there.
As they walked through the entryway of the house, there was a jaguar lounging in a small bit of sunshine that peaked through the shutters. As soon as he saw Roxie, he changed to human form. He was one of The Howlers, the band that Colt played with. He had dark hair and hazel eyes.
"Careful Slash." Dev growled.
Teddy looked a little childish as he looked down. "I am sorry Roxie. We did not know that you were so new to everything or that you seeing a bear would freak you out so much. Seriously. We were just teasing because he is the first one in the group to show a mating mark. It caught us all off guard. I am Teddy by the way, or Slash, or asshole, whatever you want to call me."
"Thank you." She said. Unsure of what else to say.
"For what it's worth. Colt is a really good guy. And he seems to really care for you. You shouldn't reject him because of us." Then he returned to his jaguar form and laid back down.
Tears started to pool in her eyes.
Dev continued to lead her to Colt's room, then he left her there. Alone.
She took a moment to gather her strength and reached up to knock on the door. But, before she could knock, the door opened. Both Colt and Roxie looked at each other in stunned silence. Colt looked like he had not slept since she last saw him. His eyes showed so much relief to see her again, but then quickly narrowed in concern as he looked her over.
Then they both tried to talk quickly right over each other. Until they both stopped and laughed awkwardly.
Finally, Colt got to talk "Would you like to come in?" Roxie nodded.
He opened the door wider to let her in.
This was awkward. "Thank you for my bag, by the way." Roxie finally said. She didn't know where else to start.
Colt shut the door and moved to lock it after the last fiasco. "Just so you can see. I am locking the door, but you can unlock it to leave. I just don't want anyone else barging in on us."
"That is fine."
"Roxie, I am sorry about the other night. I didn't mean to turn into a bear in front of you. They just pissed me off so much because of how disrespectful they were being toward you."
Roxie was surprised that he was so protective of her. "Why? You barely know me. Why would it matter if your friends were being jerks? And why are you refusing to play in the band now?"
Colt grinned and ran his hand through his hair. It was a look that took Roxie's breath away. He really was a gorgeous man.
"Whether you choose me or not, you are my mate. Of course, I would defend you. And, I don't know you, yet, but I would like to."
He was rather sweet. Ugh! Why did he make everything so difficult to decide? It would be a hell of a lot easier if he was a jerk. Then she could just walk away from the whole thing. But, he wasn't, and she was still so drawn to him. Just walking into Sanctuary, she could feel it. She is still cycling and she wants sex. But, no one affects her the way he does. Not Serre, not Dev, or Slash. Just Colt. Her skin is practically crawling, desperate to touch him again.
"And about the band?" She prompted as she crossed her arms tightly over her chest to keep her hands from reaching out for him.
He sighed as he watched her movements. She was withdrawing from him. And it hurt. "I am still pissed off at them. Roxie, I am not always like this. Normally, I am a pretty easy going guy until people push me too far. They pushed me way too far. And this whole thing is really emotional. There are significant decisions about my life being made. I won't calm down for a while. At least not enough to be in a room with them."
She nodded. Then she settled her nerves for what she needed to ask next.
"Would you turn into a bear again?"
"What? Why? I, I- I really don't want to scare you again Roxie." He was stunned by the question that came out of the blue.
She looked down, unable to see his reaction. "I know that my mother's family were bears, really looked like bears, when they killed my parents. I wasn't there when they died, but the night of the attack, I had a vision in my dreams. Colt, I saw it all."
She looked up at him. Her voice was trembling. "And seeing you the other night was the first time I have seen a Were-bear in bear form, for real. So, since then, I have been having nightmares of you killing my parents."
Tears were running down her cheeks. "I know that it was not you. Really, I do. And when I wake up, all I want is for you to be there, to help me calm down and tell me it will be alright. But, it has me all screwed up. I just don't know how to feel, or what to do. None of it is fair to you."
Colt closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her. She leaned in and opened her arms to hug him back. He took a deep breath. At least she was not rejecting him yet. That was at least a start. He tucked her head under his chin and allowed himself to absorb her heat, her hesitant acceptance, the scent of her.
"Roxie. I will live. Don't worry about what is fair to me. You are the one that I am worried about. I really wish that I could take all of your pain away."
"See! That right there. How can you be so damn sweet?"
He chuckled. "No one has called me sweet before."
"But, you are. Through all of this, you have been trying to do the right thing. You asked me if I was sure, before you let things continue. You realized just how confused I was and took me to someone who could help. You have been angry at your friends over a girl you don't know, just to protect my feelings. You even brought my bag back. And now you are more concerned with my pain than making a decision that seriously affects the rest of your life."
She pulled back to look at him. "This is why I want to see you as a bear again. I want you to help me not be so scared of that side. Because, if I am going to consider this whole mating thing, I need to come to terms with both sides. I have really only seen this one. I don't know if I should be scared of the other." He couldn't believe what she was saying. She was seriously considering completing the mating ritual with him?
He smiled. "Roxie, you don't even really know this side of me. We haven't had enough time yet without interruptions." He paused. "But, to answer the questions in your head. It is still me, in bear form. My mind. My heart. My soul. Just in a different body."
"Really? So, you don't go all feral like the queen was doing in that Disney movie, forgetting her own daughter?"
That succeeded in getting a real laugh out of him. How did Disney become the comparison for his life? "No, more like the queen when she first becomes bear. Same person, just different form."
Colt smiled at her innocence. She was adorable. And the way that she looked at him. He knew deep down that he would do just about anything to keep her there forever, looking at him with hope. With trust.
"You are wrong you know." She mumbled into his chest.
"How so?"
She looked back up at him. "I do know this side of you. I don't know why. But, deep down, instinctively, I know you. Maybe not what you like for dinner. But, I know that you soothe me. That every time I get upset or angry, I want to run to you. I do trust you. I know that despite all of the reasons to fear you and hate you for being a bear, I just can't seem to really force myself. Because somehow, I know that I am supposed to be on this crazy, fucked up, roller coaster ride with you. If I am ever going to face the bear, it would only be with you."
He sighed. Damn, he was scared that this was a mistake. But, she really managed to climb inside is heart. And, he just could not say no to her. "Alright, I will change, but why don't you go stand by the door so you can leave if you get too scared."
She nodded and then did as he suggested. Then, he changed into his brown bear form.
He was nearly 7'6" in length, or height when standing on his back legs and weighed around 900 lbs in this form. So, he took up most of the room.
Roxie's eyes widened and she took a step back. The bear lowered his head sadly.
"You are really in there?" She asked. And the bear nodded his head.
"And we can talk with each other in animal form, through mental projection." He said in her head. She gasped.
Colt laid down on the floor to appear less intimidating. And to his surprise, Roxie moved closer.
"You really are there." And tears started to roll down her cheeks as she tentatively reached out to touch his face. His fur was so soft.
Over the course of the next couple of hours, she moved to sit next to him, running her fingers through his fur and even pulled his head into her lap. They continued to talk about bear life and the politics of the Omegrion. She was really opening up to him and started to smile as she talked. He nuzzled into her as he let her explore. Her touch was so soothing.
"What is it like as a bear?" She asked.
"Well, it takes concentration. So, anything that breaks the concentration, such as being seriously injured, electrical currents, or sleep will revert you to your natural form. Since you and I are Arcadian, that is human. Other than that, it is just a larger, more cumbersome body, that has its strengths when you need it." She smiled.
"You should let yourself turn bear."
Roxie quickly shook her head "I don't even know if I could."
Colt changed back to his human form so that he could look at her with his face. "Roxie, you can, you just haven't tried." Then he paused. He remember that she could not get her clothes back the night before. "Do you use any of your magic at all?"
She shook her head.
"Well, then, we should probably start there, otherwise, after turning bear, you will be bare assed naked when you become human again. It is our powers that let us get dressed fast."
She blushed at the idea.
"Thank you for thinking of that before asking me to turn into a bear."
Colt got a wicked grin. "But, I have already seen you naked, and you are sexy as hell." Without thinking, he kissed her lips and stood up. Then he realized what he did. He blushed. And offered his hand to her. "I didn't mean to cross any lines Roxie."
She blushed as well. "I like that you are getting comfortable with me." Then she dropped her eyes out of embarrassment.
Colt stepped forward to cup her face and tilt it up to look in her eyes. His thumb caressed the apple of her cheek. "I meant what I said. I really do want to get to know you. There is something about you that touches my heart."
She smiled, and then cleared her throat and stepped back. "Yeah, well, I am still fighting this whole cycling thing. So, let's put some distance between us, shall we?"
He laughed. "Fair enough. Why don't we go down to the bar and get something to eat? Then we can come back and try to teach you some magic."
She looked at him. "Alright, but only if you tell me about you while we eat. You are spending all of your time teaching me about being a bear, but nothing personal about you."
Colt broke out into a wide smile. "I would be honored."
Roxie started to turn toward the door, then stopped. "Oh hell." Then she turned around and grabbed Colt for a deep and passionate kiss.
Colt reveled in the feel of her lips, the taste of her. His hands slid down to pull her closer. But, then he realized what they were doing and he pulled back.
"Roxie. I know you are still struggling to control your urges. But, I am not just a sex toy. Well, to be honest, if you do agree to finish the mating, I certainly wouldn't mind being your sex toy. You are amazing. Damn, I can't believe that I am saying this… But, for now, lets try to get to know one another."
She whimpered, but nodded. How could he be so understanding and charming? Even when her body and mind were all over the place.