To Bite A Bear

Sometimes you need a grand gesture to prove
your love, and sometimes a bear hug will do.

Harris  Bender  had  a  crush  on  vampire  leader
Rohan,  so  when  the  alpha  male  requests  him  to
paint a mural, he can only say yes. However, after
a  passionate  encounter,  Harris  discovered  Rohan
is  his  mate.  Is  the  carefree  artist  ready  to  settle
down with one man even if he’s extremely hot?

Rohan had been looking for his blood bonded

for centuries. One taste of the bear shifter’s blood
and he knows he’s found the one. However,
outside forces threaten to tear the couple apart. It
will take more than a flash of fang to put them in
their place.

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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters,
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imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance
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entirely coincidental.

To Bite A Bear

ISBN: 978-1-77111-598-8

Cover art by Angela Waters

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To Bite A Bear

Banded Brothers Book Four

Amber Kell

Prologue

ohan walked with his friend through the
small art gallery. Large numbers of people

had turned out for the First Thursday Art Walk to
see  local  artists  displaying  their  wares.  Paintings,
sculptures and art covered the walls and perched
on pedestals throughout the building. Some of the
art Rohan didn’t understand, no matter how many
years were under his belt. A few artists stretched
the definition of art so far, it no longer resembled
anything  Rohan  wanted  to  put  in  his  house.
Rohan  preferred  the  purity  of  the  classics.  He
didn’t  get  abstract  art;  he  preferred  good  lines,  a
delicate  touch  and  a  defined  subject  matter.  The
rest, he considered junk. Some might think him a
snob,  but  at  five  hundred  years  old,  Rohan  had
long stopped caring what others thought.

“Look at that one,” Vick said. Rohan had

already known he didn’t share his friend’s artistic
taste,  but  tonight,  it  was  confirmed.  The  vampire
liked  anything  with  bright  colors  and  oohed  and
ahhed  his  way  through  six  galleries.  Some  of  the

Amber Kell

pieces Vick excitedly pointed out were beyond
horrible.

However, in this one case, Vick was right at

least about the artist.

Rohan froze mid-step. It took concentrated

effort  to  continue  his  walk.  The  painting,  a
brilliant display of bold colors and fine lines, took
up most of the wall. The striking art piece called to
Rohan almost as much as the man standing beside
it. Big shoulders, strong hands and an animalistic
power  rolled  off  the  dark-haired  artist,  who
waved  his  hands  expressively  as  he  talked  to  his
golden-haired  companion.  If  it  wouldn’t  have
caused  a  scene,  Rohan  would’ve  grabbed  the
gorgeous  shifter  and  dragged  him  home.
However,  with  this  being  an  art  show,  the  artist
might complain. The sign above the painting read
Harris Bender.

Rohan’s gums tingled with anticipation. He

fought back the urge to march across the room
and plunge his fangs into the delicious shifter’s
jugular.

“The artist is yummy,” Vick purred. “I bet he

tastes delicious.”

Irritation flickered through Rohan. He didn’t

want anyone else coveting the man who would be
his.

“Yes, he is indeed,” Rohan agreed, struggling to

keep his temper. “I think the coven might need

To Bite a Bear

some artwork done. Maybe the entire coven
mansion.”

“I can’t say I blame you.”
Rohan and Vick continued to examine the artist,

neither of them moving from their spot despite
impeding the flow of traffic. “I’m guessing bear
shifter,” Vick said.

“I concur.” Rohan turned and headed toward

the exit.

“Aren’t you going to talk to him?” Vick asked.
“No. Not now. I’ll talk to him one day soon, but

it  won’t  be  with  all these  people  around.”  Rohan
left the gallery, knowing  he’d be getting to know
the  gorgeous  bear  shifter  very  well  in  the  near
future. From the aura around him, Rohan had just
met his blood bonded. No way would he make his
first contact surrounded by distractions. He’d call
the  gallery  tomorrow.  They’d  know  how  to  get
hold of Harris. Soon to be Rohan’s Harris.

Amber Kell

Chapter One

arris Bender watched as the vampire leader,
Rohan, lit the caskets on fire. Vampires

didn’t  bury  their  dead,  they  freed  their  souls  by
burning their bodies in a tradition as old as time.
The  flames  cast  shadows  on  Rohan’s  face,  giving
his  handsome  face  harsh  angles  beneath  sharp
cheekbones. To Harris, Rohan appeared beautiful
at  any  angle.  His  fingers  itched  for  a  pencil  to
sketch out the scene.

The heavy weight of silence coated the

proceedings  as  if  surrounded  by  an  invisible
shield. No one fidgeted or rustled. No birds sang
in  the  distance.  Even  the  bugs  held  their  chirps
and buzzes until Rohan finished his eulogy for the
vampires  who  had  passed.  Rohan’s  sorrow
pierced  Harris’  heart,  as  if  he  had  personally
experienced  their  loss  when,  in  fact,  he’d  barely
met them.

Poisoned blood from human donors had killed

three vampires, compliments of the sorcerers.

To Bite a Bear

Eaton had saved the rest of them  by warning the
vampires  of  the  problem  but  not  soon  enough  to
save  this  trio.  Unfortunately,  the  sorcerers  had
gone underground where no one could find them,
so the vampires weren’t able to retaliate.

Harris didn’t have to be there. He didn’t belong

to  the  coven  and  wasn’t  a  vampire.  However,  he
couldn’t  let  Rohan  mourn  alone.  The  few  weeks
he’d worked for the master vampire had forged an
odd  friendship  between  the  two  men.  A
relationship  Harris  planned  to  take  to  the  next
level  soon.  Rohan  called  Harris  his  beloved  but
hadn’t  made  any  further  moves  despite  the
longing  looks  and  possessive  behavior.  After
Rohan  had  a  chance  to  mourn  his  friends,  Harris
would  show  the  vampire  he  didn’t  have  to  be
alone.

Rohan had come to Harris’ aid when Eaton had

been  kidnapped,  and  although  Rohan  didn’t  end
up  having  to  do  anything,  having  the  vampire
leader  there  had  given  Harris  the  emotional
support  he  needed.  Harris  wanted  to  return  the
favor.

When the vampire turned around, he

immediately  searched  the  crowd.  Harris  saw  the
vampire  relax  when  Rohan  caught  sight  of  him.
After whispering something to the people milling
to  his  right,  Rohan  walked  over  to  join  Harris.
Without ceremony, Rohan wrapped a proprietary

Amber Kell

arm around Harris and scooted him to one side,
putting Rohan’s body between Harris and the
other vampires. Rohan didn’t like other people too
close to Harris. For some reason, ever since Harris
started working for him, Rohan had watched over
him like a dog with his bone.

“You doing all right?” Harris whispered. He

fought  against the urge to hug Rohan closer. The
vampire  leader  probably  wouldn’t  appreciate
coddling  in  front  of  his  people.  The  way  they
stood now, Rohan could’ve been offering support
to Harris. Harris knew Rohan was absorbing some
of  his  calm.  The  vampire  had  said  before  that
Harris zen-like peace soothed Rohan deep inside.
Apparently, the closer the proximity, the better the
calming took.

Ignoring everyone else, Harris scooted closer to

offer his presence if not his clumsy words of
sympathy. He’d always been more of a person of
action, not verbal expression.

Rohan had taken his vampires’ deaths hard

since he hadn’t been able to prevent the poisoning.
Sorcerers and vampires were mortal enemies, but
from what Harris had heard, they’d been in a
semi-truce for years. Until sorcerers had poisoned
the humans the vampires used for food, they had
no idea the sorcerers were going to attack.

Rohan didn’t speak, but he slid a hand down

from Harris’ shoulder as he stepped away and

To Bite a Bear

tangled their fingers together instead. “Thanks for
being here,” he murmured in Harris’ ear, a soft,
intimate sound. His breath brushed across the soft
hairs of Harris’ ear lobe. Harris fought back both a
shiver and the urge to turn his head for a kiss.

Before Harris could give in to any of his urges

and after a quick squeeze of Harris’ fingers, Rohan
released him and stepped away. Harris
immediately missed the vampire’s presence. His
inner animal yearned for contact with Rohan as if
Harris couldn’t be complete without being close.

“You’re welcome. I’d do a lot more for you…”

Harris  confessed.  He  turned  bright  red.  When
would he learn not to say everything in his head?
With  his  friends,  his  tendency  to  blurt  things  out
was mildly embarrassing. With Rohan, it reached
a  more  humiliating  level.  He  might  as  well  strip
naked and throw himself at Rohan’s feet.

Rohan turned to give Harris his full attention.

He cupped Harris’ cheek with one elegant hand.
“I’d love to hear about what you might be willing
to do. Later,” Rohan said.

Rubbing his cheek against the vampire leader’s

palm, Harris lost track of his thoughts. There was
little he wasn’t willing to do to have Rohan touch
Harris as if he cared. His inner beast fought to
come out and play.

“Easy, beloved,” Rohan said. “Keep the calm I

love so much.”

Amber Kell

Love?
Harris wondered how Rohan could toss such

words around. Beloved. Love. Did the vampire
not understand the power of words? That a foolish
bear’s heart might patter a bit faster when
presented with even casually tossed affection.

Harris took long, slow breaths to pull his bear

back  under  his  control.  Years  of  meditation  had
kept  Harris  mellow  in  the  face  of  true
emergencies. Aden had sent him to a monk years
before  to  gain  the  skills  needed  to  find  his  inner
calm  and  keep  his  bear  subdued  unless  needed.
Unfortunately, whenever Rohan touched someone
else, Harris had to wrestle back his inner beast. No
one  should  touch  Rohan  or  speak  to  him
unnecessarily or look in his direction. Yeah, maybe I

do have a bit of an obsession going.

He worried over his reaction to Rohan. When

shifters became possessive, it usually meant they’d
found  their  mate.  Harris  didn’t  know  if  he  was
ready  for  that  level  of  commitment.  He  liked
Rohan, but vampires  were different than shifters.
Really different.

“Come on, let’s get you to bed. You’ve had a

long day. This is the part of the ceremony where
people go to mourn alone,” Rohan said. He took
Harris’ arm and led him back into the house, then
up the stairs.

To Bite a Bear

Harris dug in his heels at the top. What is going

on?

“Did I move in here?” Harris asked, confused.

He’d  come  to  support  Rohan  during  the  funeral,
but  he’d  had  every  intention  of  returning  home
afterward. He had already spent his day sketching
out  his  concept  on  the  wall  by  the  foyer.  Harris
didn’t need to live there.

“I like you close by,” Rohan said, his words

final, as if he’d closed the subject. Nothing showed
on the vampire’s face. No teasing smile. No
forbidding scowl. He acted as if Harris was the
one acting strange.

Harris tried to object. He opened his mouth to

complain,  to  voice  a  negative  response.  He
couldn’t.  Every  atom  in  his  body  responded  to
Rohan.  Harris  tamely  let  the  vampire  lead  him
down the hall to an empty bedroom. A large bed
filled most of the space along with a wardrobe, a
side table and little else. Harris spotted two more
doors in the room. “Where do those go?”

Rohan pointed to the left. “Bathroom.” He

pointed to the right. “My room.”

“Your room?” Harris tried to hide his surprise.

He’d initially hoped Rohan might be taking him to
the vampire’s bedroom. The fact Rohan gave him
a choice raised his estimation in Harris’ eyes no
matter how stupid his supposition.

“Something wrong?” Rohan asked.

Amber Kell

“Um, no. Nothing wrong.” Harris tried to

shove his desires to the darkest corner of his mind.
Rohan didn’t need him drooling over him while
he was still wrapped in sorrow over the death of
his coven mates.

Rohan cupped Harris’ face between his palms.

“You would tell me if you had a problem, right?
The only reason I want you to stay is because it’s
late and you’re tired. If you want to sleep in your
own bed tomorrow, you can.”

“What if I want to stay in your bed?” Damn, his

runaway mouth had taken over again. Of course,
there were always the benefits of healing sex.

Rohan frowned. “I don’t think you’re ready to

be in my bed, Harris. As much as I’d like you
there, I don’t want you to feel pressured.”

A tingle of yearning sizzled between them.

Need pulled at Harris like a physical force. “You
want me. I know you do.”

Rohan dipped his head, placing his lips next to

Harris’ ear. He spoke in his whiskey-smooth
voice, “I want you so much, I would give up blood
to have you.”

Harris jerked back. “I thought you couldn’t

have sex without biting.”

“For you, I would.” Rohan’s sincerity couldn’t

be faked.

To Bite a Bear

Harris licked his lips. “Kiss me.” If nothing else,

he’d get at least one kiss before being sent to bed
like a child.

Rohan didn’t bother to ask Harris if he was

certain before he wrapped his fingers around
Harris’ head and held him still. Pressing his lips
against Harris’ mouth, he sucked and licked until
he gained entrance.

Harris moaned and relaxed against Rohan,

letting the vampire’s superior strength take his
weight.

Rohan slid his tongue across Harris’ in a duel

for dominance Harris had no intention of winning.
In a test of strength between them, they were
probably evenly matched, but Harris preferred to
be a lover over a fighter. Molding his body to
Rohan’s, he let the vampire take control.

He’d fantasized about Rohan touching him.

Since  their  first  meeting,  Harris  had  dreamed  of
being  wrapped  in  Rohan’s  hard  embrace.  The
vampire  didn’t  have  an  ounce  of  fat  on  his  large
frame;  whether  from  his  diet  of  blood  or  an
excellent  workout  regimen,  Harris  didn’t  know.
Either  way,  he  appreciated  the  man’s  physique
and planned to explore it closer and with a great
deal of attention.

Unable to resist, Harris slipped his fingers

beneath Rohan’s shirt and caressed the strip of
bare skin he’d uncovered. Rohan’s skin, slightly

Amber Kell

cooler than Harris’, had a smoother, silkier quality
than other lover’s Harris had had in the past.
Harris hummed in contentment.

Rohan jerked back, breaking their connection.

“Don’t think of other people while you’re
touching me.”

“How do you know what I’m thinking? Can

you  read  my  mind?”  Harris  stepped  back  and
away  from  Rohan’s  tempting  skin.  His  fingers
itched  as  if  protesting  the  separation.  He  needed
to  solve  the  puzzle  that  was  the  vampire  leader
before they jumped in the sack.

Rohan only allowed Harris to retreat a few

steps  before  he  grabbed  Harris’  wrist.  “Don’t  go
anywhere,  beloved.  I  can  only  read  shadows  of
your  mind,  things  you  project  and  only  when
we’re  touching.  It’s  the  way  vampires  beguile
their prey. We hear what our prey wants, and we
make  them  think  they  are  getting  it.  I  heard  you
comparing me to others. I don’t want anyone but
me  in  your  mind  while  we  make  love,”  Rohan
explained.

The wistful gleam in Rohan’s eyes melted the

last tiny bit of resistance Harris had over making
love with a vampire. He didn’t know where this
might lead, but he planned to enjoy the sex while
Rohan still wanted him.

Harris tilted his head as he examined his

potential lover. “Why do you call me beloved? We

To Bite a Bear

barely know each other.” He might be willing to
have sex with the delicious vamp, but he wouldn’t
be calling it love anytime soon. Obsession maybe,
definitely lust but not love. Not yet.

“I call you beloved because I know you belong

to me. For a vampire calling someone their
beloved marks them to other vampires. No one is
going to touch you or try to beguile you to their
side if they know you belong to me,” Rohan said.

“Do I?” Harris asked. “Do I belong to you? I

don’t remember signing up for that.”

Bossy, possessive vampire.
Harris hoped he hid his grin as Rohan laid

down the law—as if Harris would want anyone
else touching him. Although he’d had lovers in the
past, none of them had ever made Harris crave
them to the level Rohan did by just walking in the
room.

“Make no mistake, Harris, while you’re here,

you  belong  to  me.  I  won’t  have  another  vamp
touching  you.  If  you  can’t  follow  those  rules,
you’re  better  off  back  at  home.”  Rohan’s  eyes
glowed with the fervor of his statement.

“I didn’t know there were rules when I signed

up to paint a mural,” Harris objected.

“You can paint a mural for anyone but don’t go

into anyone else’s bed. You were mine the first
time I saw you at that gallery. You just didn’t
know it yet,” Rohan said.

Amber Kell

“Which gallery?” Harris had recently showed

his work at several galleries in the area and hadn’t
seen Rohan there once.

“The Thornton-Brown Gallery. I saw you there

at First Thursday a month ago. You were talking
to Eaton. I thought you were the most beautiful
thing I’ve ever seen.”

Harris laughed uncomfortably at Rohan’s

words. “I’m not beautiful. Eaton is beautiful. I’m
not ugly, but I’m not as pretty as the others
either.”

Harris didn’t have a confidence issue, but he

lived with three completely stunning men. He
knew where he sat on the beautiful-man chart.

“There are different kinds of beauty, my

stunning bear,” Rohan scolded. “To me, you are
like the finest blood wine. A person to be savored
and appreciated over time.”

A blush burned Harris’ cheeks. Aden and

Carey  would  roll  their  eyes  at  his  susceptibility,
but Rohan was like Harris’ personal gravitational
field and Harris a hapless moon revolving around
him. He knew Rohan had centuries to perfect his
smooth  lines,  and  Harris  shouldn’t  take  them
seriously,  but  the  vampire’s  delivery  rang  with
sincerity and twisted Harris in heart-shaped knots.

Harris didn’t object when Rohan pulled him

back into the vampire’s arms. He sighed at the
rightness of Rohan wrapped around him. “I like

To Bite a Bear

you, too, Rohan. I don’t know where this might
lead, but I like you.” He’d also like to explore the
vampire’s body in close detail, like he planned to
sculpt Rohan and needed to map out his skin.

“Good. I was hoping you’d say that,” Rohan

murmured. He dipped down and breathed in
Harris’ scent. “You smell delicious.” A groan
rumbled through the vampire.

Harris froze.
“Like food?” He couldn’t help the tremor that

worked its way through his body. Had his naivety
led to him being a vampire munchie? Carey
would never forgive him.

“No, babe. You smell like mine. Even the

humans we feed on, we don’t treat like food. They
are valuable members of our family. My coven
isn’t the type to snack and go. Many of our human
feeders have been with us for years, which made
their poisoning cut that much deeper.

Harris had learned that the poisoned humans

were  returned  to  their  families  for  burial.  Once
dead,  the  vampires  lost  all  rights  to  their  human
partner.  Since  vampires  were  still  considered  the
figment  of  authors’  fertile  imaginations,  they
weren’t granted partner rights even if they’d been
with the human for a number of years.

“Too much talking.” Harris grabbed Rohan’s

shirt and yanked him closer. This time, he took the
more dominant role, knowing it would trigger

Amber Kell

Rohan’s hunter instincts. He nipped Rohan’s
bottom lip and tugged at it with his teeth.

Rohan growled; the feral sound had the hair

rising on Harris’ body.

“You don’t need to feel like mine, you need to

know it deep in your bones.” Rohan pushed
Harris over onto the mattress. Harris hadn’t even
noticed they’d been moving in that direction until
he landed on the soft surface, bouncing slightly.

“Oh dear, what are you going to do with me

now?” Harris asked. He couldn’t stop the
ridiculous smile he knew spread across his face.
Belong to Rohan? Definitely. At least for the night.

The vampire stood above him and unbuttoned

his shirt. Before Harris’ avid attention, Rohan
kicked off his dress shoes and stripped down the
rest of the way to his black briefs.

“Nice.” Harris was mildly surprised Rohan

didn’t go commando, but he wasn’t going to
complain. The sexy vampire could’ve made long
white boxers and tube socks look good.

“Now, let’s see what you’ve been hiding from

me,” Rohan said, his voice rough like a cat’s purr.

Harris laughed. “I wasn’t hiding. I was keeping

my sense of mystique.”

“Well, you don’t need it anymore. Now, I want

to unwrap my present.” Rohan stripped off
Harris’ loafers and tossed them aside. “As much

To Bite a Bear

as I appreciate you dressing up for the funeral, I
think I prefer my scruffy artist.”

“Scruffy?” Harris pretended to take offense.

“I’m not scruffy, I’m artistic.”

Rohan smiled, the first time that evening Harris

had seen that expression cross his face. “Well, I
prefer you in your artistic mode. Though, you do
clean up nice.”

Before Harris could think up a proper retort,

Rohan unzipped his slacks and pulled them down
quickly, followed by his socks.

Harris’ cock bobbed up to greet him.
“I see someone doesn’t like underwear,” Rohan

said, his eyes dark with lust.

“Too confining,” Harris admitted. He didn’t

like to be bound. “If I could I’d do all of my art
naked…”

“That I’d love to see,” Rohan said.
“Mmm, if you pose naked for me, I’ll draw

naked for you,” Harris promised.

“I’ll take you up on that.”
Before Harris could come up with a witty

comeback, Rohan sucked the tip of his cock, and
all thought out of his head. “Oh, fuck.”

“Not yet but soon, my beloved,” Rohan

promised. “I want you ready.”

“Then, make me ready.” Harris ripped off his

shirt and tossed it off the bed. “Back or hands and
knees?”

Amber Kell

“Oh, on your back. I want to see your face. I

need you to know who’s fucking you,” Rohan
insisted.

“I don’t need to see you to know who’s

screwing me. I’m not that much of a slut,” Harris
argued.

“Shush, you’re just looking for a fight now,”

Rohan said. He kissed Harris hard, determined to
leave an impression. Rohan reached down for his
pants on the floor and pulled a tube out of the
pocket.

“I guess we know who’s the slut,” Harris

teased. “I don’t carry lube around.”

Rohan grinned and tossed the tube to Harris. “I

didn’t  know  when  you’d  give  in.  I’ve  been
carrying  this  in  my  pocket  for  two  weeks.  We
might  not  need  condoms,  but  we  definitely  need
lube. Get yourself ready; I want to watch.”

He knew it shouldn’t make him so hard, but

Rohan’s commanding  voice tripped all his sexual
wires. Barely taking his gaze off of Rohan, Harris
flipped  the  top  of  the  lube  open  and  wet  his
fingers. His eyes widened when he saw the size of
Rohan’s  erection.  Damn,  maybe  he  should’ve
investigated sex with vampires before.

“Only sex with me, beloved,” Rohan scolded.

“You are my only, and I will have the same. Don’t
make me kill some hapless man for daring to
touch what is mine.”

To Bite a Bear

“No. I wouldn’t want you to have to do that.”

Harris  pushed  one  finger  into  his  hole,  relishing
the burn. Before Rohan’s hot gaze, he continued to
add  fingers  and  lube  until  he  was  confident  the
well-hung  vampire  could  enter  him  without
causing injury.

“Now, get me ready,” Rohan stepped close

enough for Harris to wrap a lube-coated hand
around his shaft. “Make sure you use plenty. I
don’t want to hurt you.”

The consideration from a man many thought of

as  cold  and  vicious  warmed  Harris’  heart.  He
knew  Carey  had  reservations  over  Harris’
obsession  with  Rohan,  but  he  also  knew  his
friends  wouldn’t  interfere  as  long  as  he  was
happy.

He rubbed lube across Rohan’s cock, making

sure  to  coat  it  thoroughly  until  the  vampire
moaned  and  pushed  into  Harris’  fist.  “Keep  that
up  and  it  will  be  the  shortest  fuck  in  history,”
Rohan groaned.

Harris released him.
“Grab your knees,” Rohan ordered, his rough

voice adding to Harris’ excitement.

Lust raging through him, Harris quickly

complied. A moan poured from him as Rohan
pushed inside.

“You are so fucking tight,” Rohan growled.

“When’s the last time you had sex?”

Amber Kell

Harris opened his mouth.
“Never mind. Don’t tell me. I’d have to snap

the fucker’s neck. No one should have this ass but
me.” Rohan proceeded to show Harris the
wonderful reasons he was right.

Inside, Harris’ bear let out a low growl of

approval.  The  beast  liked  the  man,  this  vampire
who  fucked  like  a  king  and  smelled  like  home.
Harris  had  the  sinking  suspicion  that  he’d  found
his  mate,  and  for  a  man  who  didn’t  like
boundaries, this was the harshest one of all.

Rohan leaned forward and kissed Harris while

he plunged deep inside. His fangs scraped Harris’
mouth and sliced through his bottom lip. The
slight sting caught Harris by surprise.

“Sorry, beloved,” Rohan said. “I didn’t mean to

cut you.”

“Taste me.” The thought of Rohan taking

nourishment from Harris had him on the verge of
coming apart.

Rohan didn’t wait for a second invitation; he

clamped his mouth against Harris’ and sucked at
the wound. Heat surged through Harris, and he
came with a whimper. The only thing that saved
his dignity was Rohan came soon after.

The vampire lifted his mouth and licked his

lips. A new possessiveness glowed in his eyes.
“Oh yes, beloved, you are most definitely mine.”

To Bite a Bear

Chapter Two

arris examined his sketch with a careful eye.
Snatching up his eraser, he glared at the too

thick  line.  No,  that  won’t  work.  A  heavy-handed
aardvark  could  do  a  better  job.  He  growled  in
frustration. Ever since he spent a night in Rohan’s
bed,  he’d  had  difficulty  focusing.  The  vampire
filled  his  thoughts  day  and  night.  Two  days  had
passed  since  their  lovemaking,  and  Harris  had
successfully avoided the vampire ever since.

His concentration was shot, and his usual calm

took a vacation out of town. Growling, he
scrubbed at the line with the rubber square.

“It is fine. Let it be,” a silky-smooth voice came

from behind him.

Manfully, Harris fought back the shiver from

Rohan’s tone. No matter what the vampire said,
Harris’ cock always interpreted Rohan’s words as
an attempted seduction, even when the sexy vamp
wasn’t trying.

Amber Kell

Harris turned and raised an eyebrow at Rohan.

“Did you become an artist overnight?”

Rohan grinned, flashing his fangs. “Don’t be

touchy, beloved, erase your little mark if you
must.”

Harris flashed fangs of his own, causing Rohan

to laugh. “I don’t think you want to get into an
incisor contest with a bear,” he taunted.

“Now, I’ve been put in my place, haven’t I? Are

you at a point where you can stop?” Rohan asked.

“Why?” Harris didn’t know what to do about

the  vampire.  His  inner  animal  whispered  that
Rohan  was  his  mate,  but  Harris  wasn’t  ready  for
anything permanent. As much as he loved the fact
his friends found their other halves, he had years
before  he  was  ready  to  settle  down.  Still,  he
couldn’t resist Rohan standing so close. His scent
alone had Harris hard and leaking.

Hot vampires with come-fuck-me eyes easily

distracted Harris. At this rate, he’d be a gray-
muzzled bear before he finished his initial sketch
for the mural.

“I’d like to take you out to dinner,” Rohan said.
Harris tilted his head as he examined the

vampire. “I thought you didn’t eat real food.”

“I can eat it. I just don’t usually bother,” Rohan

replied. “Copper River Salmon just came in.”

To Bite a Bear

“And what will you be eating?” Harris tried a

more forthright approach. What does a vampire

consume beside blood?

“Don’t worry. It’s a vampire restaurant; they

feed all kinds,” Rohan reassured Harris. “You
won’t be required to feed me.”

Harris didn’t know if he considered that a good

or bad thing.  Although the initial idea of being a
vampire’s meal didn’t appeal to him, the image in
his head of Rohan biting him had starred in more
than  one  jerk-off  fantasy.  Rohan  had  Harris  all
wrapped  up  in  nerves  and  need,  putting  into
jeopardy his reputation as a laid-back bear shifter.
So  far,  Rohan  hadn’t  bitten  Harris,  and  he  still
didn’t know if that was a good thing or not.

“What do you say?” Rohan’s dark eyes

twinkled as if daring Harris to come play.

Sighing, Harris gave in. He couldn’t resist

Rohan when growly and commanding. How
could he resist him in a playful mood? “I’d love
to.”

Good thing vampires were immortal. It might

be a few centuries before Harris finished their
damn mural.

“Don’t worry so much, beloved. You will finish

when you finish. There is no rush,” Rohan said.
“I’ll come get you in two hours.”

His mind still on the vampire, Harris went back

to his work. Whenever life became too

Amber Kell

complicated, he could always depend on his art to
take him away from his troubles. Except now,
even with the distraction of a huge mural to finish,
thoughts of Rohan swept through his mind.

Harris hummed as he successfully finished off a

flower. He wondered how Denton was doing with
the  landscape  business.  Harris  was  supposed  to
help the crocodile shifter, but Denton had told him
to  stick  with  his  mural.  Apparently,  Marty  had
loaned  Denton  some  of  his  hawks  to  keep  them
occupied. Without being on the road all the time,
the hawks were restless. Marty worked them hard
to keep them out of trouble.

The hawks’ help had proved a boon for Denton

and Harris’ landscape business, since it freed
Harris to focus on his art. He still did design work
for Denton when needed, but most of his current
energy went toward the vampire mural.

“Still here, I see,” a cold voice interrupted

Harris’ musing.

He turned his head to find one of Rohan’s

vampires watching him with cool green eyes.
“Hello, Vick.”

For some reason, Vick disliked Harris. The

vamp had made it a point to wander by whenever
Rohan  wasn’t  around  to  bother  Harris.  He  never
did  anything  overt,  but  it  was  enough  of  a
distraction that  Harris knew the vampire held an
intense dislike for him, and he didn’t know why.

To Bite a Bear

He’d started out friendly enough, but the closer
Rohan grew to Harris, the less friendly Vick
became. Harris suspected Vick might have a crush
on the head vamp.

“I hope this is going to improve. We wouldn’t

want some piece of amateurish crap decorating
our house,” Vick sneered and flipped back his
blond hair.

“Feel free to share your opinion with Rohan,”

Harris said. He wouldn’t be bullied. He stood by
his art. Not everyone liked what he did, but Harris
had a solid understanding of his artistic
viewpoint, and anyone who didn’t like it could go
fuck themselves.

Vick faltered for a moment but rebounded fast.

“I don’t want to bother him with domestic issues.
Besides, he’s too infatuated with you to
understand your art is crap.”

Harris didn’t remember moving, but after the

flush  of  anger  passed,  he  found  Vick  dangling
from his claws and loud roars pouring from him.
He  slammed  the  vampire  against  the  wall
repeatedly  until  a  familiar  deep  voice  broke
through his rage.

“Harris, beloved, put Vick down.”
Harris snarled. He didn’t want to set down the

vampire. He shook the smaller man a few more
times until he turned a delightful red.

“Now, Harris!” Rohan commanded.

Amber Kell

The disapproval in the vampire’s tone had

Harris tossing Vick across the room. The vampire
had gotten him into trouble. Bad vampire!

Harris snarled his displeasure as two other

vampires rushed forward to drag the bad vampire
out of the room.

Rohan stepped forward.
Harris snorted his displeasure.
“Now, don’t be that way. You would’ve felt

horrible after you killed him,” Rohan said.

Harris sincerely doubted it. That vampire

needed a good killing. He couldn’t remember
why, but he was certain of it. The bear snorted his
disapproval of Rohan’s assessment.

“Shift back, beloved,” Rohan said.
The handsome vampire didn’t attack or order.

He merely waited on Harris. With his anger gone,
Harris allowed the change to overtake him.
Gasping, he reached out to grab the wall but,
instead, found warm flesh.

Rohan wrapped his arms around Harris. “What

happened?”

“I’m not sure. It’s been a long time since I lost

control like that.” He thought back to before the
change. “Vick came here to say rude things, like
usual—”

“What do you mean like usual,” Rohan

interrupted.

To Bite a Bear

Harris shrugged. “He always comes in here and

pokes fun at my work or says something snide.
Usually, I ignore him, but for some reason, it
really bugged me today.”

The vampire hadn’t let up since Harris started

work. He didn’t know what Vick’s problem, was
but hopefully, smacking him against the wall a
few times knocked some sense into him.

“I will talk to him. He won’t come near you

again,” Rohan promised.

Guilt struck Harris. “I don’t usually attack

people.” He didn’t want Rohan to think he was an
out-of-control shifter. Generally, he had excellent
control. A combination of a snarky vampire and
sexual tension had led to his temper snapping like
a dry twig in the summertime.

Rohan cupped Harris’ face and forced him to

face the vampire. “You have the right to not be
bullied in my house. Defending yourself is not a
crime.”

The kiss froze Harris with shock. He hadn’t

expected Rohan to go from nothing  to an intense
lip  lock.  Harris  rubbed  against  the  vampire.  His
clothes had ripped during the change and dangled
like  rags  across  his  skin.  The  sensation  of  rough
fabric  against  naked  flesh  made  the  entire
situation  far  more  erotic  than  a  mere  kiss.  Harris
leaned  into  the  embrace,  more  than  willing  to
follow wherever Rohan wished to lead.

Amber Kell

When Rohan broke away, Harris growled his

displeasure.

“Don’t be that way, beloved. I plan to take you

out to dinner first, then we’ll see where it leads.
Go to your room and get dressed,” Rohan
instructed.

Harris kissed Rohan’s cheek, making sure to

slide  their  faces  together  and  rub  off  some  of  his
scent on the vampire. “Are you sure you want to
eat? I  can think  of something else to do  with our
time.”  All  his  silent  vows  to  stay  away  from  the
vampire’s  bed  vanished  when  the  chance  to  be
with  Rohan  appeared  again.  Maybe  he  should
move  to  a  new  country.  He  doubted  there  was
another way he’d be able to resist Rohan.

His cock, ready and eager for action, rose

happily between them.

Rohan wrapped his cool fist around Harris’

erection. “As much as I want to take you up on
your offer…” He tightened his hold.

Harris gasped. Rohan’s grip didn’t have quite

enough pressure to bring him off but enough to
keep him interested. His hips convulsed on their
own. “I want to feed you first, so later, I can take
your blood.”

Harris nodded, not really listening to the

vampire’s words. “Take me,” he groaned.

“Oh, I will, my beloved, but only after I have

you fed. I don’t want you passing out because I’ve

To Bite a Bear

taken too much blood from you,” Rohan’s
wonderful touch disappeared.

Harris growled. It was either snarl or cry. “You

didn’t have to stop. You could’ve gotten me off
then bought me dinner.” He was flexible like that.

“No. I want you to anticipate how it will be

when I have you back in my bed.” Rohan scraped
one fang across Harris’ neck.

Shivers racked his body.
“First, I will feed you, then you will feed me.

After  that,  I  will  fuck  you  until  you’ve  forgotten
anyone  who’s  come  before  me  and  refuse  to
acknowledge  anyone  who  wants  to  come  after.
You  will  be  mine,  beloved.  Everyone  will  know
not  to  touch  you—ever.”  Satisfaction  poured  off
the  vampire  in  waves  as  if  he  were  already
anticipating that magical moment.

When Rohan released him, Harris stepped

back.  His  mind  fought  with  equal  urges  to  wrap
himself  around  Rohan  and  flee.  Harris  knew  he
had to put some distance between them before he
agreed  to  whatever  Rohan  wanted  no  matter  his
views on the subject. “I’ll go to get dressed.”

Unable to face the vampire any more, Harris

fled  to  his  room.  Over  the  past  few  days,  he’d
collected enough of his wardrobe to fill the closet
of  the  room  adjacent  to  Rohan’s.  The  vampire
allowed  Harris  his  temporary  independence,  but
Harris knew his time was limited.

Amber Kell

The vampire pushed all of Harris’ buttons,

handsome,  kind  and  really  supportive  of  Harris’
art.  Rohan  would  make  the  perfect  mate.
However,  Harris  wasn’t  ready  for  perfection.  He
planned  on  keeping  his  flawed  life  a  little  bit
longer. Maybe he should take a few days off to go
to the cabin. Rohan had said the mural didn’t need
to be done right away.

Harris’ greatest fear was that he’d finally

commit  to  Rohan  only  to  have  the  vampire  toss
him aside when he was done with him. Vampires
didn’t mate and keep their other half for the rest of
their lives. Sorrow tried to grab onto Harris like a
bear  trap,  but  he  shook  it  off.  He  didn’t  tend  to
dwell  on  things  he  couldn’t  change.  He’d  enjoy
Rohan while he could. If things worked out, he’d
stick around until the vampire tired of him. Harris
might be a dreamy artist, but he wasn’t a fool. He
wouldn’t beg for the crumbs of Rohan’s affection.
As  soon  as  the  vampire  began  to  tire  of  Harris,
he’d  head  back  home.  Harris  might  be
heartbroken in the end, but he was a person who
enjoyed what he had while he had it.

Smiling, Harris dug through his clothing and

found a relatively nice pair of slacks and a button-
up shirt. He wasn’t a dress-up kind of guy, so he
hoped Rohan didn’t plan to take him any place
fancy.

To Bite a Bear

The restaurant smelled divine. Rohan had taken

Harris to a steak and seafood restaurant
overlooking the water. Harris had heard of this
place before but had never eaten there. A discreet
sign posted Copper River salmon had just arrived.

Harris loved salmon. His inner bear gave a

happy growl.

“I see I chose well,” Rohan commented.
Harris nodded. “Yes.” He could smell the chef

cooking the fish in the back. Delicious.

Rohan slid his fingers through Harris’, clasping

hands as he led him to the server podium. “The
coven recently hired a new chef here. Let’s see if
he lives up to your standards.”

“Good evening, Master Rohan. Welcome,” the

maître de said smoothly.

It figured that a vampire-run restaurant would

know the vampire leader by sight.

“Thank you. Table for two,” Rohan ordered.
“Oh yes, of course, sir.” The maître de waved a

hand and beckoned a server forward.

The waitress wore a black sheath dress and

high heels.

Harris bet her feet killed her at the end of the

day.

“This way please,” she turned and led them

between rows of white cloth-covered tables.

Harris released Rohan’s hand to walk behind

him, enjoying the view. The water was nice, too.

Amber Kell

“Here you go, gentlemen,” the waitress waved

them toward a beautiful spot overlooking the
sound.

“Thank you,” Rohan said. He brushed the

waitress aside to seat Harris himself. The
vampire’s possessive touch calmed Harris’ bear.
His inner animal relished Rohan’s attention. If he
were a cat shifter, he’d be purring. Foolish bear.

Rohan sat himself across from Harris, a pleased

smile crossing his face as if everything was now
right in his world.

“I’ve heard they have the best salmon in town,”

Rohan declared.

Harris laughed. “You can stop selling, I’m

already here.”

“Sorry. It’s been a while since I took someone

out to dinner,” Rohan said.

Harris suspected that Rohan’s dates were

usually  dinner.  A  waiter  appeared  by  their  table.
Dressed  in  black  pants.  a  white  shirt  and  tie,  he
matched  the  restaurant  for  elegance.  “Hello,
gentlemen.  I’m  John.  I’ll  be  your  server  tonight.
Can  I  get  you  something  to  drink?”  The  waiter’s
gaze  slid  across  Harris  with  an  appreciative
glance,  but  he  carefully  turned  his  attention  to
Rohan when the vampire growled.

“I’ll take a glass of AB positive, and my

companion here will try…”

To Bite a Bear

“Water, I’ll have some water,” Harris

interrupted.

“He’ll have water,” Rohan finished.
“Excellent.” John nodded and left.
“Afraid I’ll take advantage of you?” Rohan

asked.

“No. I want to remember if you take advantage.

I’m not much of a drinker.” Harris had never been
able to handle his alcohol. Even with his larger
body mass, something about liquor affected his
brain poorly.

“I’ll remember that.”
“So, how long has this been vampire owned?”

It  made  sense  for  the  vampires  to  buy  their  own
restaurant.  Not  many  places  offered  choice  of
blood  off  the  menu,  even  in  Seattle  where  the
population had a more liberal slant.

Rohan nodded. “Two years. A few of our

members run it. The wait staff are human but
most of the managers are vamps.”

“Huh.” Glancing around, Harris could tell the

restaurant did pretty well. Most of the tables were
full, and the wait staff rushed about. “Is that how
you knew about the salmon?”

It didn’t occur to him that, until now, that

Rohan probably didn’t usually track food trends.

“Yes, beloved, that’s how I knew about the

salmon.” Rohan propped his chin on his hand.
“You fascinate me.”

Amber Kell

“Why? I imagine you’ve met a lot of people

over  the  years.  I  can’t  be  very  different.”  Harris
needed  reassurance  that  he  wasn’t  simply  one
more  person  to  warm  Rohan’s  bed.  Strange,  he
wasn’t  usually  so  needy,  especially  after  his  pep
talk about taking things as they came.

Rohan shook his head. “You are more special

than you know. You are my blood bond. I’ve
waited for you all these years, and now, you are
mine.”

The waiter returned with their drinks and

interrupted them. “Are you ready to order?”

Harris’ mouth dropped open. He still couldn’t

find any words when he turned to face the waiter.

“He’ll have the salmon special. I’ll be fine with

just the drink,” Rohan replied.

“Very good, sir. Would you like rice or potatoes

with that?” John stood attentively waiting for
Harris’ response.

“Um, potatoes, please.” Harris clung to that

answer  as  if  it  were  the  last  solid  truth  in  the
universe.  How  am  I  supposed  to  respond  to  Rohan’s
statement?  His  idea  of  not  being  tied  down  and
taking  things  as  they  came  faded  under  Rohan’s
insistence that he was the only one for him.

Harris’ mind was still spinning when the waiter

gave an approving nod and walked off to put in
his order. Shaking his head, he tried to find out
more information. Maybe they were talking about

To Bite a Bear

different levels of commitment. Harris had never
heard of vampires sticking with one person
before.

“Is that like a mate?” Harris hated to admit how

little he knew about vampires.

“Sort of. As I understand it, for a mate, you

crave each other but can be apart. Is that right?”
Rohan asked.

“Yes. It’s uncomfortable to be away from your

mate, but as long as your mate is alive and well,
then you are fine,” Harris said.

Rohan took a sip of his glass of blood before he

responded. “A blood bond means once we mate, I
will never be parted from you. You’ll be the entire
source of my blood. I won’t be able to drink from
anyone else ever again.”

Fear struck Harris. “I thought vampires didn’t

have permanent mates.” Everything he’d heard
and read about vamps stated they didn’t do
forever bonds.

“It’s rare,” Rohan agreed. “Most vampires

never find the one meant to be theirs. I’ve never
even met a vampire who has. Blood bonds are the
objects of fiction in a vampire world, but I found
mine. I found you.” Triumph sparkled in the
vampire’s gaze.

Harris gulped his water, hoping his panic

didn’t show.

Amber Kell

Rohan sighed. “Now, I’ve made you

uncomfortable. I’m sorry, beloved. What about
you? Do you think we’re mates? I can’t imagine
you are everything for me and I’m not your mate.
You can’t be bonded to another. I won’t stand for
it.”

Harris’ heart pounded in his chest, pulsing in

time to the blood vessel throbbing in his forehead.

How had a simple meal turned into a lifetime
commitment? However, he couldn’t lie.

“You haven’t had more than a drop of my

blood. How can you tell that I’m the one for you?”
Harris grasped at the straw clinging to that one
truth.

Rohan smiled. “I can tell. You smell like mine.”
Harris didn’t know what to say. He’d hoped

the vampire would notice him. He’d gotten his
wish.

“Tell me. I know you can identify your mate

after sex,” Rohan said. The vampire wasn’t going
to let it go. Harris could tell.

Thankfully, the waiter arrived. “Here’s your

salmon.” John set down the plate before Harris.
“Can I get you anything else?”

Desperate to focus his attention on anything

other than the vampire across from him, Harris
stared at his meal. “Um, no, this looks good.”

He shoved a bite into his mouth. If he was

eating, he couldn’t say something stupid.

To Bite a Bear

Rohan took Harris’ left hand and sandwiched it

between his own. “Don’t panic, beloved.
Everything will work out. I know we are meant to
be together.”

“You think so?” Harris desperately needed to

talk to Carey or Denton; hell, he’d even take
Eaton’s advice at this moment. A friendly voice
would go a long way to settling his nerves.

“When we get back home, you can call your

friends,” Rohan assured him as if reading his
mind. They were touching. For all Harris knew,
Rohan did just read his thoughts.

Harris blushed. “Thank you. I will.”
“I hope you will look to me in the future to

provide guidance.” Rohan released his grip on
Harris’ hand and took a drink out of his glass.

“What’s it like?” Harris asked curiously.
“What?”
“Drinking blood out of a cup versus a person. Is

it different? Disgusting?” Harris needed to know
all the little things that made Rohan tick. He
couldn’t help it. Whether he chose to acknowledge
it or not, Rohan was his mate.

Rohan shrugged. “It’s not my favorite. I prefer

the feel of warm flesh against my lips and the
pulse of a heart beneath my tongue. But, when
nothing else is available, it will do.”

“You ordered AB blood. Is that your favorite?”

Harris asked.

Amber Kell

Rohan shrugged. “I generally like it better in a

glass than the others. Most blood tastes better
from the source.”

Harris swallowed back his nervousness.

Despite its quality, he could’ve been eating ash for
as much as he tasted the food.

“You worry too much, beloved. There is no

rush. We can take things one day at a time,”
Rohan reassured Harris.

“But, if I am your blood bond, then we will

have to stay together.” Harris’ hand shook. He set
down his fork.

“I’m confused,” Rohan frowned. “I thought all

you shifters hoped to find your other half, and yet,
here I am and you are almost frightened I might
be the one.”

Harris picked up his fork and toyed with his

food. “I know. It’s silly, but the idea of a mate and
the reality of one are very different. I like the idea
of someone meant to be mine someday. I guess
I’m not ready, and to find out you’ll be completely
dependent on me for sustenance is unnerving.”

Rohan smiled. “How about I won’t bite you

until you’re certain I’m your mate.”

Harris took another bite of salmon before

admitting the truth. “I appreciate you trying to
break me in gently, but I’m almost positive we’re
mates.”

To Bite a Bear

“Then, eat your salmon, my sweet bear, and

we’ll head home afterward. I want to taste you
completely as I make you mine again.”

“Okay,” Harris choked out. He finished his

meal  while  listening  to  Rohan’s  light  banter.  The
vampire  was  going  out  of  his  way  to  make  sure
Harris  wasn’t  uncomfortable.  At  least  Rohan
planned to take his blood virginity gently.

Amber Kell

Chapter Three

ohan tried to be patient while Harris finished
his meal. He concentrated on making his

mate more comfortable with their relationship. He
didn’t want his bonded to be worried about their
connection. Being the mate of a vampire was
different than with another shifter. Shifters
became obsessive over their bonded but not to the
level of vampires. Rohan almost felt sorry for his
adorable bear shifter.

He’d make sure Harris never lacked for

anything  and  was  able  to  focus  on  his  art  while
Rohan ran the coven. He saw no reason for Harris
to  change  his  ways.  Surely,  they  could  find  all
kinds  of  projects  to  keep  the  creative  man
occupied. He had a feeling  if Harris wasn’t busy,
trouble would follow.

Now, with the sorcerers still on the loose and

potentially after anyone Rohan might care for,
Harris had a big target on his broad chest. Rohan
would have to talk to Carey and make sure the

To Bite a Bear

hawks were watching Harris whenever he went
out of vampire territory.

“Hey,” Harris nudged his foot. “What are you

thinking about?”

“Your safety,” Rohan confessed.
Harris tilted his head. “I’m fine. I can take care

of myself, you know.”

Rohan remembered how confidently the bear

shifter had handled the big gun when they went to
rescue Eaton and nodded. “That’s true. However,
sorcerers are tricky and might bewitch you
somehow.

“Nope.”
Rohan frowned. “What do you mean nope?”
“Aden had us inoculated. I can’t be charmed.”

Harris shrugged as if of course he’d had the anti-
charm shot.

“I’ve heard they pulled that shot.”
“Not until after we got it. Aden made sure we

were inoculated. He was, too. None of us can be
charmed.” Harris’ engaging grin had Rohan
smiling back.

“I can’t tell you how happy that makes me.”

Not  only  would  Harris  be  safe  from  sorcerer
enchantment,  but  also  from  unscrupulous
vampires  trying  to  bespell  him.  Some  vampires
could control minds, Rohan included. The more he
heard  about  this  Aden,  the  more  he  wanted  to
meet him.

Amber Kell

Harris took another bite of salmon. The waiter

had brought an extra-large portion as if he knew
the bear shifter needed more food than most.

“How is your mural coming along?” Rohan

asked.  He’d  given  the  artist  the  job  to  keep  him
close,  but  he  couldn’t  deny  Harris  had  a  brilliant
talent.  His vampires were always going on about
the beauty of Harris’ work.

“All right. I’m still working out all the details.”

Harris shrugged off any interest over talking
about himself. “Mind if I ask you something?”

Rohan wondered if he’d regret his answer. “No,

of course not.”

“How old are you?” A blush burst across

Harris’ cheeks like a flower blooming beneath the
sun.

“It’s not considered polite to ask a man his

age,” Rohan scolded. “Let’s just say I’ve been
around the block a couple hundred times.”

Harris laughed. “So you’re much older than

me.”

“Yes. Is that a problem?” Rohan had never

thought about the age gap between them. After
all, both shifters and vampires had long lives.

“No,” Harris denied. “I was just curious.”
“You are a rather curious fellow, aren’t you?”

After spending years with vampires who had seen
and experienced everything, Harris’ interest in his
surroundings was a refreshing change.

To Bite a Bear

Harris grinned. “I am. I’m very curious about

your bedroom right now.”

The waiter coughed as he approached the table.

“Is there anything else I can get you? Dessert?”

“Have you ever had sex with a vampire?”

Harris asked innocently.

“Yes, sir.”
Harris propped is chin on his palm. “And how

was it?”

The waiter grinned. “It was good.”
“Did you go back for seconds?” Harris asked.
“Leave the poor man alone,” Rohan scolded.
“No, that’s all right, I don’t mind answering.

Vampires tend to have several lovers. I was just a
one-night stand; we weren’t emotionally attached
or anything.” The waiter waved between them.
“Not like you two.”

Rohan nodded his approval.
“Except, of course, you get a vampire all to

yourself.”

Harris laughed delighted.
“Our special tonight is honey ice cream with a

honeycomb crisp,” the waiter offered, a knowing
smile cured his lips.

Harris’ eyes glowed as he turned a brilliant grin

on Rohan. “You planned this!”

“Yes, I did. Would you like ice cream?”
“I would.” Harris nodded vigorously.

Amber Kell

Rohan had known it would be worthwhile to

twist the chef’s arm. He’d insisted the man come
up with a dessert worthy of a bear. If Harris didn’t
love it, the restaurant would need a new pastry
chef.

John went off to put in their order.
A short time later, a man in a white chef

uniform stomped toward their table. “You the
bear shifter?” he asked Harris.

“Yes, is that my dessert?” Harris clapped his

hands together with joy.

A long sigh left the chef as his bad temper

dissolved before Harris’ obvious happiness.

“Harris, beloved, this is Chef Tibor Park; he’s in

charge of the kitchens here.”

“Nice to meet you. The food is amazing here!”
Tibor’s usual scowl faded to a faint smile that

Rohan had never seen the chef give anyone.

“Well, I hope you enjoy your ice cream.” Tibor

set the bowl down before Harris and waited with
arms crossed.

Rohan narrowed his eyes at the chef. If Tibor

said one rude thing to Harris, he would snap his
neck.

“Oh damn, this is good,” Harris’ ecstatic noises

had  Rohan’s  cock  hardening.  No  one  should  get
that  much  joy  out  of  ice  cream.  Rohan  watched
with  increasing  lust  as  Harris  licked  and  sucked
on his spoon in an obscene show of enjoyment.

To Bite a Bear

“I’ve got more in the back,” Tibor mentioned,

licking his lips.

“Have the driver collect it before I go,” Rohan

said, dismissing the chef with a wave of his hand.
He’d have a small freezer placed near Harris’
work area and give him daily ice cream breaks if it
got him more of those sounds. Tibor didn’t need
to be there to hear them.

“Will do. It was nice meeting you, Harris,”

Tibor said the words with a taunting look at
Rohan. “Looks like you have your hands full.”

“I hope so,” Rohan said.

* * * *

The  flight  of  stairs  had  never  stretched  so  long
before.  Rohan  rushed  Harris  upstairs,  his  fangs
dropping  again  in  anticipation.  He  hadn’t  ever
yearned  to  taste  someone  this  badly  before.  That
brief  drop  he’d  tasted  the  night  before  had  been
only  a  prelude  to  the  delicious  taste  of  his  blood
bonded. He couldn’t wait for more.

Slamming open his bedroom door, he almost

shoved Harris inside in his rush to get the shifter
into his bed. If he were anyone else, Rohan’s push
would’ve  landed  him  across  the  room.  However,
Harris  was  solid.  Nothing  shook  Harris  mentally
or  physically.  The  man  made  solid  rocks  appear
jittery and unstable compared to him. Rohan liked

Amber Kell

that about Harris. He enjoyed Harris’ calm. Harris
would be a great counterpart to Rohan’s more
volatile personality.

Harris paused a few steps from the bed.
“Did you change your mind?” Rohan asked

cautiously. As much as he enjoyed the thought of
biting Harris, he wouldn’t push if the shifter
changed his mind.

“No, but that is a damn big bed,” Harris said

admiringly.

Rohan laughed. “I’m now even happier I got

such a large one.”

He’d originally bought it because of his own

size.  At  six  feet  three,  a  lot  of  beds  weren’t
comfortable.  He  ordered  one  from  a  local
craftsman  who  did  amazing  woodwork.  Until
now,  he  hadn’t  realized  how  many  bears  were
carved into the piece.

“Amazing workmanship,” Harris admired. “I’d

love to have a bed like this.”

Rohan growled. As if he’d let Harris sleep

alone. “You can use mine and make sure you like
its  comfort  level.”  He  resisted  the  urge  to  tell
Harris  he  couldn’t  sleep  with  anyone,  anywhere
except with him.  Possessiveness  fit him  strangely
like a too-tight suit.

Harris turned around. “Where do you want

me?”

To Bite a Bear

“Why don’t you lie on the bed?” He held back

the  demand  that  Harris  strip  first.  It  wasn’t  his
place  to  make  that  suggestion.  Proceeding  with
caution was his path of the night. Although they’d
already  made  love  once  before,  biting  someone
during  sex  added  an  entirely  new  dimension  to
lovemaking.

“Do you want me to take off my shirt? Where

do you like to bite?” Harris asked. The eagerness
in the bear shifter’s voice had Rohan harden more
in anticipation.

His mind ran amuck with all the places he’d

like to suck blood from the bear shifter. Some
places he just wanted to suck.

“Yeah, shirt off would be good. I don’t want to

drip any blood on it.”

Some vampires weren’t tidy and spilled blood

after they drank. Rohan hadn’t done that in years.
However,  he  still  wanted  to  see  Harris  without  a
shirt  again.  Without  a  trace  of  shyness,  Harris
stripped off his top, exposing hard muscles and a
thick,  lightly  furred  chest.  Vampires  didn’t  have
hair on their bodies except for their head.

Yum.
Rohan stripped off his own shirt and tossed it

on the floor. Harris’ admiring gaze didn’t help his
cock go down. He could practically feel the
shifter’s eyes tracking across his body.

“You don’t mind the hair?” Harris asked.

Amber Kell

For the first time, he sensed unease from Harris,

as if with the added pressure of a blood bond the
shifter had become unsure of himself.

“Oh no. I like the fact you are a bit of a bear in

both forms.” Rohan grinned.

Harris laughed. “Have a bear fetish, do you?”
“Absolutely.” He had never had one before, but

damn, if he hadn’t changed his mind. Vampires
were all about new experiences. “Thanks for
feeding me.”

Harris didn’t say anything, but he laid down

and put his arms to his sides, as if unsure what to
do with them. “It’s not a favor. If you are my
bonded, it’s my pleasure and my responsibility. I
don’t like the thought of you drinking from
someone else.”

“Just relax, love. I won’t hurt you.”
“I know,” Harris replied. “I trust you.”
Rohan scanned Harris with his psychic energy.

One of his unique skills as leader was his ability to
sense emotions. Harris smelled of lust, and waves
of affection poured off the bear shifter, wrapping
Rohan in a blanket of warm emotion.

Walking over to the bed, Rohan hesitated for a

moment.  Harris  wouldn’t  be  like  the  others  he’d
fed  from  before.  He’d  never  brought  anyone  else
to  this  bed  or  had  this  level  of  anxiety  over  a
donor. Something told him his life wouldn’t be the
same once he took Harris’ blood.

To Bite a Bear

“Are you waiting for an invitation?” Harris

teased. “Because I’m inviting.”

Rohan couldn’t resist the sparkle in his bear

shifter’s eyes. Keeping his gaze locked on Harris’,
he climbed on the bed and crawled across Harris’
body until he straddled Harris’ waist.

“Oh, you are so warm!” The heat pouring off

Harris had Rohan giving up his teasing to curl up
on Harris’ chest, pressing his cheek against all that
warmth.

Harris laughed. “You remind me of Denton on

his heat rock.”

“Denton? Oh, your crocodile friend,” Rohan

remembered. “I have to admit, I do feel a bit like a
lizard sunning. Vampires naturally run a bit cooler
than other species. I don’t remember you being
this warm the other night.”

“I’m warmer right after I eat,” Harris explained.
When Harris stroked Rohan’s head, he almost

wished he were a cat shifter so he could purr.
Harris cherished Rohan as if he were truly
something precious instead of a means to an end.
Rohan could easily let the world fade away as he
lay cradled in Harris’ arms.

“I thought you were going to eat,” Harris’ voice

rumbled beneath Rohan’s ear.

“In a minute,” Rohan’s eyes drooped down.

He’d feed in a little bit, after he’d absorbed more
of Harris’ affection. The emotions drifting from

Amber Kell

Harris unknotted the tension he hadn’t realized
had built up over the past few weeks. If he could
keep Harris beneath him for days, he’d be
perfectly happy.

A knock at the door brought forth his ire.
Furious, he marched over to the door and

ripped it open. “Someone had better be dying,” he
growled.

“A cop is here. He wants to talk to the leader.”

Madeleine’s eyes were wide and panicked.

“I’ll be right there.” Rohan slammed the door.

He turned back to find Harris sliding his shirt
back on. “What are you doing?”

“I’m getting dressed. I’m not going to see the

police with my shirt off,” Harris explained as if
annoyed he had to point out the obvious.

“You aren’t going to see them at all. The cops

are nothing but troublemakers waiting to pin
things on my coven. They come every month or so
to try and get me to confess to something,” Rohan
argued. He wouldn’t let them get their hands on
his sweet bear.

“Here’s your shirt,” Harris said, calmly

handing over the garment.

Rohan put it on. “You aren’t talking to the

police.”

“Of course not; I’m going for moral support,”

Harris replied.

To Bite a Bear

Rohan dressed quickly and tried to ignore

Harris walking beside him when he left the room.
He’d have to watch out for the shifter.

“Officer Eales, how are you today?” Rohan

asked  with  pretend  congeniality.  The  policeman
stood  in  his  foyer,  his  hard  eyes  examining  his
surroundings as if certain Rohan was carrying on
some nefarious plot that needed to be uncovered.
He’d  lost  count  of  the  number  of  times  someone
falsely accused him of something just to send him
to jail.

The cop narrowed his eyes at Rohan. “I don’t

suppose you’d like to confess and save me from
having to waste both of our time,” Eales sneered.

“Is there a problem, Jeff?” Harris’ deep voice

interrupted the cop’s rant.

The dramatic change in the policeman took

Rohan by surprise. The scowl vanished and the
disdain was a distant memory; instead, a warm
smile and a jolt of pure happiness poured from the
policeman. “Harris, my man, what are you doing
here?”

Harris stepped forward and shook Eales’ hand

like old friends. “I’m painting a mural for the
vampires. Want to see?”

The cop began to nod but caught himself.

“Sorry, man, maybe another time. I’m here on
official business. I have a complaint that Rohan
here attacked a tourist tonight between the hours

Amber Kell

of eight and ten.” He scowled at Rohan. “I’m
supposed to take him in for questioning.”

“It wasn’t him,” Harris said, stepping in front

of the vampire.

Eales stared at Harris. “And how would you

know?”

“Because we were at dinner earlier with plenty

of witnesses to corroborate our story. I had salmon
and honey ice cream.” Harris narrowed his eyes as
if daring the cop to argue with his statement.

Rohan stayed silent and waited to see what

Eales would do.

Eales closed his notebook. “Okay, if you vouch

for him, I’ll list it as a mistaken identity. I’d advise
you to keep track of your vampire friend.
Someone is gunning for him.”

“Thanks, Jeff.”
The cop gave Harris another handshake and a

slap on the back, flashed a glare at Rohan, then
left.

“That’s it? He’s not going to ask any more

questions,” Madeleine stared at Harris in shock.

Harris shrugged. “Jeff owes me a favor or two. I

saved his fool brother from a real bear attack a few
years ago.”

“Oh. Good thing we were together tonight,”

Rohan said. “Things could’ve gone a lot worse.”

“You might want to put some feelers out to find

out who accused you. That’s pretty specific. Most

To Bite a Bear

humans don’t know one vampire from another,”
Harris said.

“True, that’s a good point.” Rohan’s stomach

growled. “Come on; now that you saved me from
potential jail, you can feed me and finish being my
personal hero.”

He didn’t want Harris to know he suspected

the sorcerers. They might have gone underground
for now, but like cockroaches, they would scuttle
out of the darkness soon.

Harris smiled. “I’d love to be your hero.”
Of course he would. Harris beamed joy like a

child on Christmas morning. Rohan couldn’t wait
to have that big body beneath him again.

Madeleine caught his arm as he walked past.

He hissed at her.

She dropped her hold. “Sorry, sire, I needed

direction. Do you want me to ask around like your
bear said?”

“The bear has a name. He is called Harris. Use

it when referring to him,” Rohan snapped.

Confusion filled Madeleine’s eyes. “But you

always said the name of our donors don’t matter.”

“Harris isn’t a donor. He’s my blood mate,”

Rohan snapped and immediately froze.

He hadn’t meant to announce it so soon to the

coven, but now that it was out, he knew
Madeleine would spread the word.

Amber Kell

His inner voice didn’t have any answers except

the truth. Harris belonged to Rohan.

Madeleine’s eyes went wide. “Congratulations,

sir.”

“Thank you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got

an appointment with a man about a bed.”

He found Harris sitting nervously at the end of

his bed, as if uncertain whether to stay or run. The
shifter’s emotions ping-ponged all over the place.
Excitement.  Lust.  Affection.  All  collided  together
to  swirl  into  a  mass  of  scents  that  slammed  into
Rohan’s  head.  He  shook  his  head  to  clear  it.
Forcing his mind to a new clarity, he examined the
situation.  Drinking  from  his  mate  while  excited
could lead to a bad experience.

Pulling off his shirt, Rohan tossed it on a chair

and climbed onto the bed. With care, he helped
Harris out of his clothing, then he stripped down,
all the while whispering words of encouragement.

“Ah, my sweet bear. Thank you for the save

tonight. I didn’t relish being thrown into a cold,
hard cell.”

Harris smiled at Rohan’s words. “You have a

beautiful voice.”

The fact Harris couldn’t be enchanted added to

Rohan’s  pleasure.  It  wasn’t  beguilement  making
Harris  willing  to  donate  his  blood  but  the  mate
pull.  The  ease  with  which  Harris  offered  himself
to  Rohan  calmed  the  tension  in  his  chest.  He’d

To Bite a Bear

never had anyone give themselves so freely
before. Harris simply tilted his neck and gave up
everything purely because he knew Rohan needed
to feed.

“My mate needs, so I provide,” Harris said as if

understanding Rohan’s confusion.

“If only everything in life was so simple,”

Rohan said. At least this power between them, this
connection didn’t have to be overly complicated.
Rohan knew Harris had reservations about being
a permanent mate to a vampire, but Rohan didn’t
think it was anything they couldn’t overcome.

Rohan rolled them until he lay splayed across

Harris’ chest. The shifter’s heat poured across him
in a soothing warmth he could wallow in for days.

“I think I’m going to make you my new bed,”

Rohan said dreamily.

Harris laughed. “I thought I was your meal.”
“I like to eat in bed,” Rohan replied.
Harris stroked Rohan’s head. “Bite me,” he

demanded. “You need to eat.”

Rohan nodded. He did need to eat, but

strangely,  the  comfort  he  received  from  cuddling
with  Harris  took  over  his  usually  overpowering
impulse to feed. Maybe it was the mate bond, but
Rohan  knew  he  didn’t  need  to  hunt  down  this
prey.  Harris  wasn’t  a  feral  human  or  a  partier
looking  for  a  cheap  thrill.  No,  Harris  was  like  a
bear in his den ready to snuggle for a long winter

Amber Kell

nap. Whatever Rohan needed, he was confident
his mate would provide.

“I’m enjoying the moment,” Rohan said. He

lifted his head to place kisses on Harris’ neck.

“You aren’t eating,” Harris pointed out.
“I’ve never met anyone so eager to be bitten,”

Rohan complained.

Harris gave up. “Fine, don’t bite me then.”
Rohan bit deep. Rich, lush and delicious, Harris

blood poured across Rohan’s tongue like paradise.
The small drop he’d had the previous evening
hadn’t done Harris justice. Tonight, curled up
with his mate, Rohan would swear he could taste
Harris’ affection for him in his blood.

It took him a moment to realize Harris was

starting to fade. He reluctantly pulled out his
fangs and lapped the hole closed.

“Harris, beloved, are you all right?”
Harris blinked his eyes open. “Yeah, why

wouldn’t I be?” He cleared his throat a few times
since his voice sounded rough and scratchy.

“Here’s some water,” Rohan snatched up the

glass someone had provided for them. He handed
it over to his mate.

“Thanks.” Harris took a few drinks, never

taking his eyes off his Rohan. He handed it back
empty.

Rohan took it without comment and put it back

on the table.

To Bite a Bear

“What’s up?” Harris asked.
“I almost drained you,” Rohan said. “I

understand if you might want to leave me after
that.” Remorse hit him with sharp fangs. He
could’ve seriously injured Harris. He knew better.
He should’ve shown more restraint.

Harris smiled. “I don’t know what you did or

didn’t do, but I feel fine.”

“Good.” Relief made him weak. Good thing he

was  already  lying  down.  He  rested  his  head  on
Harris’  shoulder.  Once  they  rested,  he’d  pleasure
Harris until he never wanted to leave Rohan’s bed
again.  Rohan  stroked  Harris’  head.  “Go  to  sleep,
love. Thanks for feeding me.”

“You are always welcome,” Harris replied.

Amber Kell

Chapter Four

e found him wandering outside.” Two of
Rohan’s vampire guards led in an

unannounced visitor. Rohan found himself under
examination by a handsome human man in his
early forties who resembled Harris’ friend Carey
too much for it to be a coincidence.

He froze at the chill in the human’s expression.

Rohan had met ancient vampires who couldn’t
project the amount of coldness the human before
him did with his icy blue eyes.

Vampires surrounding him didn’t appear to

intimidate the human. Rohan didn’t sense even a
smidgen of unease. A pool of calm emitted from
the man similar to Harris’ zen-like peace, as if he
had no concerns about being able to handle the
situation. From what he’d heard, Rohan knew this
could only be one person.

“You must be Aden Gale, Carey’s father,”

Rohan said. He knew he had to proceed with
caution, even though the human was the

“W

To Bite a Bear

trespasser. Harris considered Aden a father figure,
and he respected the human’s opinion. Rohan’s
usual approach of tossing out anyone who
annoyed him wouldn’t work in this case.

“And you’re Rohan,” Aden replied. “Could we

talk privately for a moment?”

Rohan nodded. “Please, leave us,” he told the

guards.

“Your highness,” protested Madeleine. “How

do you know we can trust him?”

Rohan raised an eyebrow at her. “You think I

can’t handle one human?”

“No, sire, sorry. Let me know if you need

anything,” Madeleine said.

“I will. Go see if Harris needs a snack.” His

artist often became famished while working on his
mural.

“Yes, sire,” Madeleine bowed and vanished out

the door with the other guards.

“You should let Harris prepare stuff himself.

He enjoys cooking. It helps his creative process,”
Aden offered his advice.

“Thank you for the tip,” Rohan said, reluctantly

appreciative. He certainly needed all the help he
could get in making a positive environment for his
bear shifter. He’d never had to create a home for
someone before, and he doubted he was up to the
challenge. “What can I do for you?”

Amber Kell

“You can make sure I don’t have to kill you and

upset Harris,” Aden said as if he were answering a
question about the weather.

Rohan tensed. Apparently, the stories he’d

heard about Aden weren’t exaggerated. “You
walked in here to threaten me?” He let his voice
turn deep and reveal his annoyance.

“I did ask you to dismiss your people first so

you wouldn’t feel compelled to embarrass
yourself by trying to kill me,” Aden offered as if
he had genuinely done Rohan a favor.

Laughter bubbled up in Rohan’s chest. “What

would you know about killing a vampire?”

“Quite a bit actually,” Aden replied with

frightening calm. “I’ve had to take a few out in my
time. I admit I’m getting a little slower with age
and it might take me more than the ten minutes it
used to, but I still know how to shoot an iron
arrow true.”

Rohan froze. It was a well-guarded secret that

iron killed vampires faster than any other metals.
The knowledge in the hands of a hard-core fighter
didn’t ease Rohan’s anxiety at all. “How did you
learn that?”

Aden’s feral grin didn’t reassure Rohan. “Let’s

just say I’ve had to deal with a few in my time.
Harris really likes you. Don’t break his heart, or
you won’t be alive to regret it.”

To Bite a Bear

Before he could respond to the threat, Aden

turned around and headed for the door. As he
approached it, the door swung open and Harris
wandered through.

“Rohan, do you mind if I paint around the

mantel, too?” Harris asked, his attention on the
paper he was sketching on.

“Harris, you can do whatever you’d like,”

Rohan said, a smile curving his mouth. Whenever
he saw his blood bonded, the bear shifter lifted his
spirits.

Harris glanced up and caught sight of the

maniac. “Aden!”

The joy in Harris’ voice had Rohan grinding his

teeth. Harris shouldn’t be that happy to see
anyone but him. He barely resisted the urge to
snatch Harris out of Aden’s arms as the two men
embraced.

“What are you doing here?” Harris asked after

pounding Aden’s back enthusiastically. Rohan
reluctantly gave the human points for not falling
over from Harris’ exuberance.

“I’ve come to threaten your lover,” Aden said

casually.

“Oh!” Harris looked from one man to the other

with interest. “How did that go?”

Aden nodded. “Pretty well, I think. I didn’t

completely scare him away.”

Amber Kell

“Well, that’s good.” Harris glanced at Rohan

through his lashes as if checking his status. “No
injuries?”

Aden patted Harris on the back. “Not yet. Call

me if you need anything.”

“Always,” Harris said.
With one last manly hug, Aden left.
Harris let out a long sigh. “Well, you wanted to

meet Aden,” he offered cheerfully.

“That is true.” Rohan tried to remember why he

thought  that  was important.  He’d definitely have
the  human  investigated.  Find  out  if  Aden  truly
had  killed  a  vampire  before.  Somehow,  he
doubted Aden ever lied about his conquests. The
man  had  an  air  of  frightening  efficiency.  He
refocused his attention on Harris. “Did you come
to find me for some reason?”

Harris shuffled his feet for a bit and looked

down at his shoes. “I was hoping you might be
available to go to the theater with me tomorrow
night.”

“I didn’t know you enjoyed plays,” Rohan said,

pleased  at  Harris’  initiative.  So  far,  he’d  been  the
one to make all the moves. To have Harris ask him
out  gave  him  hope  for  their  future.  Not  that  he
planned  on  letting  the  shifter  leave  him  in  this
lifetime, but it was nice to think they’d at least get
along.

To Bite a Bear

“There’s a new play opening tomorrow. I did

some volunteer work on the set design for the
theater, and they sent me a nice set of tickets as a
thank you,” Harris rushed his words together as
he spoke, conveying his nerves over the invitation.

“I’d love to go with you,” Rohan replied.
The bear shifter’s smile couldn’t get any

brighter if he tried.

* * * *

Harris  smiled  as  he  examined  the  theater.  The
Chinese  theme  spread  from  the  foo  lions  in  the
lobby to the dragons and phoenixes decorating the
ceiling and walls. An enormous imperial five-toed
dragon emerged from the ceiling above, carrying a
light  in  its  mouth  that  represented  the  pearl  of
wisdom.  Harris  loved  both  this  theater  and
musicals.

“You didn’t tell me it was a musical,” Rohan

growled.

Harris patted Rohan on the leg. “Hush, you’ll

enjoy it.”

The groan he received made him smile more. It

was sexier that Rohan might not enjoy the play
but was willing to sit through it anyway to make
Harris happy.

As soon as the lights went down, Rohan set his

hand on Harris’ thigh and left it there throughout

Amber Kell

the first act. Harris didn’t argue since Rohan’s
fingers didn’t wander. Harris enjoyed the simple
evening of going out to dinner and a play with his
man.

Could he call a vampire his boyfriend? Or did

he need to use the more formal blood bonded
designation? Maybe partner would work for
human friends who didn’t know about vampires.

He waited until the intermission when they

were standing back in the upper-story lobby to
broach the subject. “So, how do I introduce you to
people? Are you my boyfriend? My partner?”

Rohan narrowed his eyes at Harris. “I don’t

care what you call me as long as you call me yours
and everyone understands we’re together.”

He held out his arm for Harris to take and

escorted him into the foyer to get a drink. “How
about a soda?”

“No. But I’ll take a cookie.”
Harris happily waited beside Rohan as he

ordered Harris’ dessert.

“Vampire, you must die!” a man screamed

from the crowd. Before Harris could react, a thin,
dark-haired  man  lunged  at  Rohan  with  a  knife.
Rohan ducked, but the edge of the knife caught his
arm.  Furious  at  the  sight  of  his  mate  injured,
Harris  swiped  at  the  attacker,  throwing  him  off
the balcony with the force of his hit.

Rohan laughed. “My hero!”

To Bite a Bear

Harris caught sight of blood dripping down

Rohan’s arm. He quickly grabbed some napkins
and pressed them to the wound. “Are you all
right?”

“Just a little nick, I’m going to go rinse off. I’ll

be right back. Wait here and behave.” Rohan
kissed Harris’ cheek.

“I don’t make any promises,” Harris grumbled.

He  didn’t  know  what  was  wrong  with  that  kid
who attacked Rohan, but he’d put an end to him if
he came after Rohan again. The last worries as to
whether  Rohan  would  be  a  good  mate  or  not
vanished.  Harris  wouldn’t  feel  this  protective  of
just anyone. Rohan was the one. The other half of
his soul.

He watched Rohan touch one of the stone foo

lions as he walked down the hall leaving a slight
trace of blood in his wake. Harris hoped the
cleaners noticed that and wiped it down. For a
moment, he thought the statue moved, but maybe
the stress of the night was getting to him.

“Are you okay, Harris?” A man dressed in a

suit with a name badge approached Harris. He
recognized him as Duncan, the theater general
manager. “I heard you were attacked by that guy
with a knife. He’s being held by security, and we
called the police. Were you hurt?”

“No, I’m fine. My friend was the one attacked,

and he only has a scratch.” Harris peeked over

Amber Kell

Duncan’s shoulder to see if Rohan was returning
yet.

“I’m sure the police will want to speak to you

when they arrive,” Duncan said knowingly.

Harris nodded. “Let us know when they get

here.”  He  looked  nervously  around  at  all  the
people  staring.  He  didn’t  like  being  the  focus  of
the employees’ attention. He just wanted to leave.
He  didn’t  like  Rohan  being  apart  from  him.
“Excuse me; I’m going to check on my friend.”

“Oh, of course. Let us know if there is anything

else we can get for you.”

Harris made some non-committal sound before

rushing after his vampire.

Rohan was emerging from the bathroom when

he approached. “Hello, beloved.”

“Are you okay?” Harris asked.
Rohan nodded. “I’m almost all healed.” He

held up his arm to show Harris the slight scratch
now barely a visible line.

The lights dimmed, letting them know it was

time  to  return  for  the  second  half  of  the  play.
“How  about  we  go  home,”  Harris  said.
Immediately,  he  tried to  bite  back  his  words,  but
they were already there like the giant elephant in
the  room.  He  now  considered  Rohan’s  mansion
his home. When had that happened?

Rohan slid his uninjured hand around Harris’

and tugged him toward the stairs. “Let’s go,

To Bite a Bear

beloved. I’ll need to make some calls and see if can
learn more about this attack.”

Harris reviewed the encounter in his mind. “I

don’t think it was random. The guy’s eyes weren’t
right,  and  he  knew  you  were  a  vampire.  I’m
thinking  a  sorcerer  put  him  up  to  it,”  Guilt
churned  Harris’  stomach  for  tossing  the  guy.  For
all he knew, the human had been enchanted with
no control over his actions.

“Hey, don’t beat yourself up about it. You

didn’t know. You were protecting your mate,”
Rohan soothed.

As they reached the bottom floor, they spotted

Rohan’s  attacker.  He  stood  in  handcuffs,
apparently  none  the  worse  for  wear  except  for  a
bruise  on  one  cheek  from  where  Harris  had  hit
him.

“I’m sorry, man,” the brown-haired man said.

“I don’t know what happened. I don’t even own a
knife.”

“Uh huh,” the arresting officer flicked a gaze

over  Rohan  and  Harris.  “I’m  taking  him  to  the
downtown  station.  Come  by  and  fill  out  a  report
tonight.  You  have  enough  witnesses  to
corroborate your story.”

“I’m really sorry,” Rohan’s attacker shouted as

they hauled him out of the lobby.

“I think you’re right. I think he was used,”

Rohan said.

Amber Kell

Harris scanned the crowd. The theatergoers

were  beginning  to  thin  now  that  the  excitement
had faded and the lights were flickering for them
to return to their seats. One minor attack with no
injuries  wouldn’t  stop  them  from  their  play,
especially  when  the  attacker  had  been  captured.
The  incident  would  merely  give  them  something
to whisper about over late-night coffee.

“I’ll have one of my vamps go spring him. I’ll

send Madeleine; she can wipe the arresting
officers’ minds so they don’t remember the arrest.
We can then interrogate him for answers.”

“No.” Harris shook his head. “What if the point

is  to  bring  him  in  the  middle  of  the  vampire
enclave?  I’ll  ask  Carey  to  pick  him  up.  You  can
still  send  vamps  to  do  the  mind  wipe,  but  my
friends can interrogate him and let us know what
they learn.”

“You trust them to find out the truth?” Rohan

opened the outer door to let Harris through.

“Yes.” Harris stepped outside then scanned the

area  around  them,  searching  the  night  for  any
hidden  dangers.  “Carey  will  find  out  what  the
attacker knows if he knows anything.”

Harris sniffed. The whiff of something unusual,

something that didn’t belong, reached him.

“Something wrong?” Rohan asked.
“I thought I smelled ash.”

To Bite a Bear

“Could be a wood-burning stove or someone’s

hibachi,” Rohan said. “I called for our driver while
I was cleaning up. He should be here soon.”

“Good.” A quick scan of the buildings around

them didn’t reveal any balconies where a barbecue
could be placed. Instead, a sea of office buildings
met his gaze.

“I don’t see anything,” Rohan replied, but

Harris noticed the vampire continued to examine
the surrounding area as they waited for their
driver.

“Something’s coming.” Harris didn’t bother to

mention what. He didn’t know, but it tickled at
the edge of his mind as if trying to gain entrance.
“Crap, I think it’s a sorcerer.”

Rohan’s frowned. “How do you know?”
“I can smell him,” Harris said. “I think he’s

trying to spell me.”

The tingling sensation of someone trying to

access his brain went from light to more heavy-
handed, still a useless endeavor but more
uncomfortable.

“He can’t be that far away if he’s trying to

control you, but I don’t see anything,” Rohan said.

“I thought they’d gone away?” Harris had

hoped they were gone for now.

“No.” Rohan shook his head. “It would take

more than burning down their home to make
them leave. They hate vampires. They want our

Amber Kell

territory, and I’m sure now that their hideout has
been discovered, they will want our land more
than ever.”

“I don’t know why you guys can’t get along. If

you overlook their evil mind-wiping tendencies
and soul-sucking control, sorcerers aren’t that
bad,” Harris teased.

“We’ve been fighting for hundreds of years.

Just because there are more humans here now
doesn’t mean we’ll give up our fighting ways,”
Rohan explained.

“I know, but there is enough room for

everyone. Why does there have to be a fight? Why
are sorcerers so determined to wipe everyone
out?”

To Bite a Bear

Chapter Five

ohan raised his right eyebrow at Harris.
“Aren’t you one of the people who almost

eliminated  a  werewolf  pack?”  He’d  heard  some
wild  stories  about  the  four  men  who  lived  in  the
Queen  Anne  mansion  even  before  he’d  met
Harris.  He’d  wondered  how  many  of  them  were
true until he’d been part of a party to rescue Eaton
from  the  sorcerers.  The  four  men  didn’t  take  any
prisoners. If Eaton hadn’t walked out on his own,
they  would’ve  razed  the  building  to  the  ground
and  possibly  salted  the  earth  afterward  for  good
measure.

Harris’ bashful smile spiked Rohan’s desire.

The  bear  shifter  was  a  tempting  combination  of
sweet shyness and bravery. However, Rohan had
learned  over  the  past  few  weeks  that  Harris’
boldness faded when it came to personal matters.
He  comfortably  shouldered  a  large  weapon  and
handled  a  brush  with  ease;  however,  having  him

Amber Kell

share his emotions ended up in stumbling words
and wistful smiles.

If Rohan couldn’t smell the need pouring off of

Harris whenever Rohan was near, he’d swear the
bear  shifter  didn’t  need  him  as  badly  as  Rohan
craved Harris. Mindful of the possibility of being
watched, Rohan slipped his hand around the back
of  Harris’  neck,  relishing  the  feel  of  warm  flesh
beneath  his  fingers.  Harris  shuddered  from  the
touch.

The limo stopped in front of them. Not waiting

for the driver, Rohan opened the door and all but
shoved Harris inside. He didn’t want  his mate to
be  a  large  target  for  any  attack.  He  didn’t  know
what  the  sorcerers  were  up  to,  but  an  encounter
with them had never resulted in anything positive.

Harris didn’t speak as they headed back to

Rohan’s house. “You’ll be safe in my house,”
Rohan reassured him.

“I’d be safe at my house, too,” Harris

countered.

“No!” Rohan didn’t trust anyone else to watch

over Harris. “I need you by me. I won’t be certain
you’re safe unless I can see you.” He didn’t try to
hide the panic piercing his chest.

Harris touched Rohan’s knee. “Hey, I’m fine.

You were the one under attack.”

“I was, but if they know how I feel…”
Harris frowned. “How do you feel?”

To Bite a Bear

Rohan cupped Harris’ face. “If you were

injured,  I’d  never  forgive  myself.”  He  held  back
the words he yearned to say. Harris wasn’t ready
to  hear  about  Rohan’s  dedication.  The  rest  of  the
coven  was  going  to  have  to get  used  to  having  a
bear in their midst, because Rohan planned to be
around for a long time. They were doubly bound
by  vampire  and  shifter  bonds,  they  couldn’t  be
parted.

“I’m a bit tougher than you seem to think. I’ve

trained with Aden. Unless it’s a Special Forces
soldier trying to take me out, I’m pretty safe. I’m
not exactly a fluffy kitten, you know.”

Rohan realized he needed to do damage

control. “It isn’t that I don’t think you can protect
yourself. It’s just that I worry. You are precious to
me.”

Harris lunged. His hard mouth pressed against

Rohan in a soul-searing kiss. For the first time in
centuries, Rohan let another person take the lead.
Harris wasn’t like the others; he had nothing to
gain. The shifter only wanted Rohan. The vampire
could feel the need pouring off his mate in waves
of hunger like a feral beast. Harris licked, nipped
and held Rohan still while he feasted on Rohan’s
mouth.

“I need you,” Harris moaned.
Not close to what Rohan was hoping for, but

maybe, one day Harris would change need to love.

Amber Kell

Rohan relaxed beneath Harris. “How do you want
me?”

“Right there,” Harris slid to the floor of the

limo, then deftly unzipped Rohan’s pants. “I’m
going to suck you down, and when we get back to
your place, you can fuck me into the mattress.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Rohan hardened even

more after hearing about the details.

“It does, doesn’t it?” Harris said agreeably. He

slid down Rohan’s underwear, exposing his cock.
Wrapping a big hand around Rohan’s erection,
Harris lapped at the tip. “You taste delicious.”

“I’m glad you think so.” He’d never seen

anyone that invested in sucking him before.

“Like honey,” Harris flashed Rohan a teasing

smile through his dark lashes.

“No biting,” Rohan warned. “That’s my thing.”
“Not even a nibble?”
“No.” Rohan tried to keep his voice firm while

Harris  did  obscene  things  with  his  mouth.  For  a
sweet-natured  man,  he  knew  his  way  around  a
man’s  cock.  Rohan  firmly  pushed  away  how
Harris became experienced. If he met a single one
of Harris’ ex-lover’s, he’d snap their neck. No one
should know the joy of Harris’ touch except him.

Rohan slid his fingers through Harris’ hair,

touching the soft strands with forced gentleness.
He really wanted to grab Harris’ head and fuck his
mouth, but he couldn’t treat his mate as harshly as

To Bite a Bear

he might have treated a one-night stand in the
past. Harris would be his forever. His mate
needed a softer touch.

Harris swallowed Rohan’s cock, making

Rohan’s eyes roll back into his head with pleasure.
“Oh, beloved, you are so good at that,” he
whispered. Unable to resist Harris’ mouth, Rohan
gave himself up to his lover’s touch. Harris
swallowed Rohan’s cum with little difficulty, then
sat back on his heels with a wide smile.

“Like honey.”
Rohan laughed. “Come back up here.”
Harris zipped and tidied Rohan back up before

joining him on the seat.

Rohan opened his arms for Harris to snuggle

closer. If anyone accused Rohan of being a
cuddler, he’d deny it to their last breath, which
would quickly follow their statement.

“Kiss me,” Rohan demanded.
“Bossy!” Harris scolded.
“Yes, I am,” Rohan agreed.
An explosion rocked the limo. “What was

that?” Harris jerked his head around to look out
the limo window.

“Sorcerers,” Rohan peered out the window.

“Fuckers.”

Harris pulled out his phone and started dialed

frantically.

“What are you doing?” Rohan asked.

Amber Kell

“Getting help.” Someone picked up the phone,

but Rohan didn’t know who until Harris called
him by name. “Carey, help! Sorcerers are attacking
our limo. We’re downtown by the courthouse.”

He must’ve received a positive response,

because he disconnected the line and peered out
the window again.

“This car is bomb proof,” Rohan said. He

couldn’t hide his irritation over having Harris
depend on someone else.

“But, is it sorcerer proof?” Harris asked. “Some

of them can shoot some pretty bad stuff.”

“How do you know?” Rohan asked. “When we

went to the sorcerer’s last time, they didn’t put up
too much of a fight.”

“I did some research after that encounter,”

Harris admitted. He ran his fingers through his
hair, ruffling the parts Rohan had smoothed over.
For a brief second, Rohan saw the beast beneath
the surface.

“What did you learn?”
“That they must be up to something bigger,

since they let us go so easily. They probably have
plans  we  know  nothing  about.  After  trying  to
poison  you  and  succeeding  with  some  of  your
people,  they’ve  gone  underground  to  plan  and
plot.  I  don’t  trust  them.  They  are  inherently  evil.
Their leader froze his own son,” Harris reminded
him.

To Bite a Bear

“Whatever happened to Gallen?” The last he’d

seen of the young man was at Carey’s house.

“I put him in the garden,” Harris admitted.
“What do you mean you put him in the garden?”

His visions of a crystal coffin displayed among the
roses drifted in his mind. An idea not dismissed
by Harris’ next words.

“Well, he’s like Snow White without the

dwarves. He can’t wake up until he’s kissed by his
prince. I wanted to do this huge glass coffin thing,
but Aden thought it would attract the cops, so I
made him a metal filigree one. You can’t even
really see him unless you know he’s there.” Harris
said, warming to his topic.

“Doesn’t he get rained on?” Rohan asked

reluctantly fascinated.

Harris shook his head. Aden knew a witch who

owed him a favor. The witch put a spell on it, so
Gallen doesn’t get drenched. It was the only way
Carey would agree to the garden thing.

“Surely, there’s a way to free him.” Amusement

curled Rohan’s mouth. He doubted he’d ever be
bored with Harris by his side.

“Carey’s been calling around to see if anyone

knows how to break the curse, but so far, they’ve
all said we need to find Gallen’s mate. That’s the
only way to break the spell. According to the last
wizard, Gallen’s mate will feel the pull toward
him. It’s a matter of waiting,” Harris explained.

Amber Kell

Another explosion rocked the limo.
Harris tensed.
“We’ll be fine,” Rohan said. He stroked Harris’

arm. “The driver knows what he’s doing. We’ll get
home safely.” Even as he said the words, he
vowed to wipe out every sorcerer he came across
for causing that moment of fear in Harris’ eyes.

A loud piercing screech and the scrape of claws

across the top of the limo alerted Rohan to a new
presence.

“Eaton’s here,” Harris said.
The explosions ended. Rohan didn’t like being

the one to cower in the vehicle while others fought
his battles. However, Rohan didn’t dare open the
door and expose Harris to a potential enemy.

“I should go help him,” Harris declared.
“No!” Rohan shouted. No way would he let his

bear put himself in danger, not while Rohan still
could protect him.

“Why not?” The confusion in Harris’ eyes

settled Rohan’s conviction.

“Because you might be able to hide the fact that

a huge eagle has entered downtown but a bear
could get tranqued.”

“True, but if they come after you, all bets are

off.” A flash of fang revealed Harris’ bear had
risen to the surface.

To Bite a Bear

“Easy, love. Let’s get home in one piece before

we worry about anything else. We’ll be safe here,”
Rohan assured him.

“Are you certain about that?” While they were

talking,  the  divider  between  driver  and  the
passengers  slid  down.  Vick  grinned  at  them
through  the  opening  in  the  reflected  mirror.  Not
an expression Rohan saw often on his lips.

“What are you doing here?” Vick never drove

the limo. Rohan didn’t even know if Vick had a
proper license.

“I came to make sure the sorcerers didn’t miss,”

Vick replied. “They have a tendency to fail in their
attacks.”

“You’re working for the sorcerers?” Rohan

couldn’t hide his surprise. Vick had been a
valuable member of the coven for six years.
“Why?”

“Because they promised me I could lead once

you were gone,” Vick said, his eyes wild.

“You could lead now if you weren’t such a

gullible idiot,” Rohan said. “You think they’re
going to leave anyone alive to be in charge of
anything? They’ll kill all of us, and you first, since
they’ll know they can’t trust you.”

Vick snorted. “They said you would try and get

me to turn on them, but once I kill your pet, you’ll
be docile.”

Amber Kell

“You kill my blood bonded and I’ll rip out your

throat,” Rohan said, putting as much conviction in
his voice as he could. He couldn’t lose Harris. If
anything happened to the bear shifter, he’d never
forgive himself.

Another explosion went off, and Vick pulled

the limo over to the side. “That’s my signal.”

Rohan peered through the tinted glass. He

could see people milling about outside, but he
didn’t know enough of the hawks to figure out
which side the people were on.

“It doesn’t matter who wins here. I’ve got what

I need.” Vick pointed a gun at Harris. “I know you
wouldn’t want to endanger your pretty bear.”

“Aww, you think I’m pretty?” Harris batted his

eyes at the vampire.

“I think you are the reason we are failing as a

species. Too much interspecies mingling,” Vick
said in a disgusted voice.

“You do know that as a gay man, I wasn’t going

to reproduce anyway, right?” Rohan asked, dryly.

“Don’t be a smart ass, Rohan. You could’ve

been the best ruler ever, but instead, you dull our
fangs and restrict our hunting. We could run this
city, but you have us hiding in the shadows, afraid
of humans hunting us. I say, let them come, we’ll
use them for food.” Vick giggled.

“Which sorcerer is yours?” Harris asked

unexpectedly.

To Bite a Bear

“What?” Vick asked.
“You’re obviously under a sorcerer’s control.

Which one?” Harris persisted.

Rohan peeked outside. “Vampires can’t be

controlled by sorcerers, Harris.” There, that was
definitely Eaton punching out a sorcerer.

“He doesn’t control me,” Vick said. “He loves

me.”

Rohan’s head snapped back around. “You fell

in love with a sorcerer?”

Harris and Rohan exchanged knowing glances.

A sorcerer could influence a vampire if the
vampire was stupid enough to drink his blood.

“I’m not in love,” Vick sneered. “We are

partners. I don’t touch men.”

“Are you the one who poisoned the humans?”

That was one thing Rohan hadn’t been able to
figure out. How the humans had become
poisoned. He foolishly hadn’t believed a member
of his coven could’ve done such a thing.

“You are a bit slow, aren’t you? Didn’t think

any of your people could turn on you?”

Rohan owed Madeleine an apology. Privately,

he’d thought she might be the source of the
problem.

“I guess I hoped the people I’ve cared for over

the past few centuries had some loyalty,” Rohan
admitted. The betrayal hurt more than he thought
possible.

Amber Kell

“You know how it goes. It’s all about what

you’ve done for us lately,” Vick mocked.

Without warning, he fired his pistol. Harris

jerked back. A blossom of blood spread across his
chest.

“No!” Rohan screamed. Horror took over his

good sense as Harris blinked up at him with pain-
filled eyes.

Another weapon fired. The sound had him

snapping around in time to see a hole appear in
Vick’s head before the vampire tumbled over onto
the seat. The limo door swept open and Aden
appeared in the opening.

“Harris has been shot!” Rohan shouted. He

couldn’t  think.  Panic  overwhelmed  his  mind  like
white  noise.  With  shaking  hands  he  tried  to  stop
the flow of blood pouring from his mate.  For the
first time, he didn’t want the life-giving liquid, not
if it meant the death of his beloved.

“Keep it together, boy!” Aden snapped. With

quick,  efficient  movements,  Aden  stripped  off
Harris  shirt  and  turned  him  to  examine  the
wound.  A  hole  pierced  Harris’  back.  “It  went
through.  We  need  to  get  him  back  to  the
mansion.”

“M-my house is closer,” Rohan stuttered out.
“We don’t know who in your coven to trust.

This guy might not have been the only one.” Aden

To Bite a Bear

pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket. “Keep
pressure on his wound.”

Before he could respond by more than taking

control of the cloth, Aden stepped back and
slammed the door behind him.

“I can do this. Stick with me, beloved. I need

you  by  my  side.”  Words  of  love  and  adoration
tumbled  from  Rohan’s  lips.  He  couldn’t  stop
spilling  every  thought  and  secret  to  Harris.
Throughout  the  drive,  Harris  said  little  and  his
labored  breathing  frightened  Rohan.  “Please,
beloved, don’t leave me.”

If Harris were a human, Rohan could’ve saved

him with a bite and converted him to a vampire.
Shifters didn’t work like that. Once a shifter,
always a shifter. Rohan could bite Harris until the
end of his days and he’d never become a vamp.

“I-I’m not going anywhere,” Harris whispered.

Heavy lids covered his usually vibrant eyes, and
he lost consciousness.

Rohan chilled as he imagined the emptiness of

his years without Harris.

There was at least one thing he could do to save

his mate. Being a vampire master came with a few
extra  abilities.  Focusing  on  his  lover,  Rohan
poured  energy  across  their  psychic  link  until
Harris’ forehead relaxed from some of the tension.
“Stay with me, and together, we’ll hunt down the
fuckers who did this to you,” Rohan vowed.

Amber Kell

Chapter Six

arris floated on a sea of peace. A fluffy cloud
surrounded him on all sides as he drifted

peacefully, his mind empty and calm.

Come back to me, beloved.
A man’s insistent voice interrupted his serenity.

Harris  frowned.  He  recognized  that  tone.
Demanding.  Determined.  Shaking  it  off,  Harris
returned  to  his  nothingness.  Maybe  his  friends
were right, he did overcomplicate things. This was
where he belonged.

Don’t you even think about leaving me!
Damn, the intruder of his dreams was quite

insistent. Why does he keep interrupting my quiet?

Wake the fuck up, boy!
Aden.
Harris jolted awake, gasping. He blinked

rapidly to bring the room into focus. He was back
at the mansion on Queen Anne. It took him a
moment to realize Aden and Rohan stood over his
bed, glaring at him.

To Bite a Bear

“About time you woke; you were just being

lazy,” Aden scolded, but Harris could see the
relief in Aden’s hard features. Years of exposure to
the stern man had made reading Aden come
down to an art form.

“Sorry,” he replied.
Aden nodded to show Harris was forgiven. “I’ll

leave you here with your mate. You’ve worried
him enough.”

Harris smiled as Aden turned and left the room

without another word.

“He really loves you,” Rohan said as if trying to

explain Aden’s cold behavior.

Harris laughed. “I know.” He examined

Rohan’s expression and saw stress around his eyes
and the scent of worry pouring off of him. “What
happened?” He unconsciously rubbed a sore spot
on his chest.

“Vick shot you,” Rohan explained.
“Oh right.” He didn’t know how to soothe the

pain in Rohan’s voice. Harris didn’t think they
had a greeting card for their situation. “But I’m
fine now, right?”

Rohan nodded. “Yeah, your fine.”
Tears filled the vampire’s eyes. Harris scooted

over on the bed. “Come here.”

Without argument, Rohan crawled up on the

bed beside him. “I thought I’d lost you. I
should’ve snapped the bastard’s neck. I was so

Amber Kell

shocked that I had no clue this entire time. I guess
I’m not as smart as I thought.”

“Hey.” Harris wouldn’t let anyone insult his

mate, even Rohan. “There’s nothing wrong with
trusting the people who are supposed to have
your back.”

Rohan laughed, a sad, forlorn sound.

“Supposed to is the operative phrase. What if he
wasn’t the only one? What if more of my coven is
involved? I never thought Vick would turn on me.
We were together in the coven for six years and
friends for a lot longer.”

The pain in Rohan’s voice tore Harris apart.

“Hey, you have me. Together, we will figure this
thing out. If we have to, we’ll have Aden strap
them all to lie detector tests and force them to
answer.”

Rohan laughed; this time, real amusement filled

the sound. “I never thought a human could be so
intimidating.”

“When I was young, I used to imagine he was

part robot like in those Terminator movies.”

“The last one where the guy looks human?”

Rohan asked.

Harris nodded. “Yeah.”
“I could see that,” Rohan agreed. “I haven’t

been a very good mate.”

Rohan’s voice, low and confiding as if he was

sharing a painful secret, tore away the last of

To Bite a Bear

Harris’ dream. “You are an excellent mate. It’s not
your fault you didn’t know Vick was a traitor.”

He could smell the guilt and shame pouring off

of  Rohan.  “Hey.”  He  cuddled  his  vampire  close
and stroked his hair. It amused him a bit to play
the  part  of  caretaker.  Rohan  generally  wasn’t  the
type  to  want  to  be  coddled.  Harris  knew  he  was
one of the privileged few who would ever see the
vampire so vulnerable. “It’ll be all right.”

“It will.” Rohan said, his words gaining some of

their former confidence. “Rumors have spread
over your death. I’m sorry to say, beloved, but you
didn’t survive the bullet.”

“That is sad,” Harris agreed. “I’ll miss me.”
Rohan laughed. “I am going to return to my

coven today and test them to figure out who also
might be responsible. I doubt Vick acted alone. He
wasn’t exactly a mastermind, and even with clear
direction from a sorcerer, he wouldn’t have been
able to pull it off.”

“I see you’ve given this a lot of thought,” Harris

said. His heart sped up as he imagined Rohan
confronting his people.

“Relax, I’ll be fine,” Rohan said. “I can hear

your heart racing, and I know you are worrying. If
I run into any trouble, I’ll call you.”

“But, what if they kill you? How are you going

to call me then? I doubt they’ll have cell phones in
hell!” Harris snapped.

Amber Kell

Rohan smiled. “So certain I’m going to dance

with the devil, my love?”

“Don’t toy with me, Rohan, I don’t like this at

all,” Harris warned.

“Will it make you feel better to know your

scary Aden is wiretapping me and waiting outside
the coven house to intercede if necessary,” Rohan
said.

“Yes. Is he going to do that?” Relief swept

through  Harris.  Aden  wouldn’t  let  Rohan  be
injured.  Not  that  he  didn’t  think  his  powerful
vampire  couldn’t  handle  himself,  but  he  would
feel better if Rohan had backup.”

“He mentioned it as a possibility,” Rohan said.
“Take him up on it. I’ll worry a lot less if I know

Aden is there.”

“You trust him that much?”
Harris knew Rohan didn’t understand Harris’

unwavering  devotion  to  Aden.  “When  I  was
younger,  I’d  been  captured  by  a  hunter.  He’d
killed  my  parents,  and  for  his  own  sick
amusement,  he locked me in a  cage and kept me
in his backyard. Carey ran across me when he was
vacationing with his father. When Carey realized I
was  a  shifter,  he  went  and  fetched  Aden.  Aden
killed my captor in front  of me so I  would  never
have  to  look  behind  my  shoulder  for  the  rest  of
my  life.  Then,  he  took  me  home  and  raised  me.

To Bite a Bear

There’s nothing Aden Gale could ever do that
would shake my faith in him,” Harris vowed.

“I had no idea,” Rohan said. “I must remember

to thank your Aden for killing the man who caged
you.”

“No need,” Harris said. “I said my thanks years

ago. Aden knows I’m grateful.”

Rohan nodded. “I begin to see why you have so

much faith in your friends.”

Harris smiled. “I want to come with you to the

coven. How they react to seeing me alive might be
even more telling. I’ll be able to scent who is
deceptive.”

“You didn’t with Vick,” Rohan pointed out.
“I did, but I figured I just hated him because

he’d been in your bed,” Harris confessed.

“He’s never been in my bed.”
“I know that now. He’d implied it before.”
“Why didn’t you just come ask me?”
“Because, I didn’t want to come off as a needy

idiot who couldn’t cope with his older lover
having sex before him. I was trying to be
sophisticated,” Harris grinned.

Rohan kissed Harris on the cheek. “Next time,

just ask.

Harris nodded. “Will do.”
He’d been foolish by trying to be worldlier. His

mate didn’t care if Harris had a bit of innocence

Amber Kell

around him; anyone would be more naïve than a
centuries-old vampire.

“Let’s get you some food, beloved. After you’ve

eaten, we’ll go see who in my coven needs to be
burned to meet their gods.”

Harris nodded. They were done messing

around. Whoever thought it was a good idea to
mess with the coven leader had just made their
last mistake.

Rohan entered the coven mansion, Harris at his

back. He knew Aden was listening in through the
small  microphone  mounted  on  Rohan’s  shirt  in
place  of  one  of  his  buttons.  He  felt  like  a  secret
agent.  Unfortunately,  he  probably  resembled  one
of  those  bumbling,  clueless  spies  they  had  in
comedies instead of James Bond.

Harris squeezed his shoulder, laying his nerves

to rest with one touch. He’d been lucky to find his
bear shifter. When he thought he’d lost Harris, his
grief had almost been unbearable. Rohan knew if
Harris  had  died,  he  would’ve  happily  gone  too.
Now,  he  figured  someone  else  in  his  coven  had
figured  out  the  same  thing.  Get  rid  of  the
companion and the vampire would follow.

The first person he saw through the doors was

Madeleine. She barely paused in her walk across
the foyer. “There you are.” Her gaze flashed to his

To Bite a Bear

office and back. He would’ve missed the action if
he hadn’t been looking for it.

“Oh, Maddie,” Rohan said softly. “How could

you?”

Madeleine didn’t even pretend to not

understand. “Because he would make me his wife.
To you, I’ll always only be a soldier.”

She pulled out a pistol.
“It doesn’t have to be this way,” Rohan

objected. “You can still get out of it.”

His lieutenant’s twisted smile told him she had

no intention of doing any such thing. “You always
were blind, Rohan. I just never knew you were
stupid, too.”

She disengaged the safety, pointed it at Rohan,

then fell to the ground—a bullet through her
forehead.

“Nice shot, love,” Rohan said.
“I thought so.”
He’d been shocked when Aden had suggested

they  arm  Harris,  but  now,  he  was  glad  they  did.
No one would suspect Harris of hiding a weapon.
The  sweet  artist  had  a  more  ruthless  side  Rohan
was  just  now  beginning  to  appreciate.  The  man
who  comfortably  handled  a  firearm  to  rescue  his
friend turned out to be an expert in most weapons.

“Who do you think is hiding in your office?”

Harris asked.

Amber Kell

“I don’t know, but I don’t like the fact that the

only person we ran across so far is Maddie.” This
time of day, the mansion was usually filled with
people. Humans, vampires, visitors ran in and out
of the mansion to take care of things for most of
the day. To see no one around worried Rohan.

“The hawks are circling outside. We can call

them in if we need to,” Harris reminded him.

Rohan took a deep breath. He didn’t know

what  he  was  up  against,  but  he  knew  standing
outside  the  doors  wasn’t  going  to  find  him  the
answer  he  needed.  Had  he  been  fooling  himself
this  entire  time?  Did  his  people  not  truly  respect
him  and  only  followed  him  until  someone  better
came  along?  This  newfound  insecurity  grated  at
his nerves. I’m a good leader, dammit!

Harris squeezed his shoulder. “Let’s go, mate.”
The glow from Harris’ support was only

surpassed  by  the  mate  designation.  He  doubted
Harris  even  realized  what  he  said,  but  it  still
caused  a  happy  warmth  to  flow  from  Rohan’s
chest.

With a nod to his lover, he pushed the den door

and swept it open.

A sorcerer sat in Rohan’s chair behind the large

wooden desk. Two more henchmen sat opposite
him, obviously bodyguards.

To Bite a Bear

The sorcerer glanced up, and Rohan recognized

him. Theos, the leader of the sorcerer’s, gave him a
smug, slimy smile.

“Oh, you survived, that’s too bad,” Theos said

in a tsk-tsking tone as if Rohan had disappointed
him by his lack of dying.

“I hate disappointing you, but I plan on taking

back my coven,” Rohan said as he tried to figure
out a plan. “Where are they, by the way?”

“Who?” Theos asked. Rohan wasn’t the least bit

fooled by his fake innocence.

“My coven. Where are they?”
“I wouldn’t worry so much about your coven as

I  would  yourself,”  Theo  countered.  He  flipped  a
paper over on the desk. “I have a document here I
need  you  to  sign,  so  I  supposed  it  is  good  that
you’ve  survived.  It  amazes  me  that  none  of  your
foolish  coven  members  realized  the  building  and
land  revert  to  the  state  in  case  of  your  death.
Putting  your  people  out  in  the  street,  shame  on
you.”

Theos shook his head sadly as if he were truly

concerned with the plight of the displaced.

“It’s to discourage people from trying to

assassinate the coven leader,” Rohan explained.

“Finding that effective, are you?” Theos

mocked.

“Not particularly. The way I see it, there are

two of us and three of you. I like those odds,”

Amber Kell

Rohan said. Secretly, he hoped Theos didn’t have
a dozen more henchmen nearby at his beck and
call.

“Kill me and you’ll never find out where I hid

your coven,” Theos warned.

“Who said I wanted them back; they’ve only

caused me trouble,” Rohan bluffed.

Theos grinned. “Nice try, but it took us so long

to infiltrate your coven because most of your
people are ridiculously loyal. Now, if you sign this
paper giving us all rights to your land and
property, I’ll let your people go.”

“And if I don’t?”
“I’ll make your bear kill himself,” Theos said

confidently.

Rohan thought over the possibilities of where a

handful  of  sorcerers  could  take  a  vampire  coven
and came up with a limited number of options. He
had no doubt they were down in the basement. He
flashed  a  look  at  Harris,  who  nodded.  He  hoped
they  were  both  on  the  same  page.  It  took  a  few
months of bonding before a vampire couple could
read each other’s’ minds; until then, they were at
the mercy of guessing.

“Go ahead,” Rohan said.
“I warned you,” Theos said. Rohan felt the

prickle of magic rush across him on its way to
Harris.

To Bite a Bear

Harris pulled out his pistol and pointed it to his

head.

“One last chance,” Theos said.
Has the inoculation worn off? Maybe Harris

hadn’t really been given the shot. Doubts crowded
through Rohan’s head, but he did the one thing
Harris always claimed he could, he trusted Harris’
friends.

“Go ahead,” he dared.
Theos narrowed his eyes. Harris shot both of

the  henchmen  before  turning  his  gun  toward  the
head  sorcerer.  Rohan  had  taken  his  gaze  off  the
sorcerer  when  Harris  began  shooting.  He  gasped
when he turned back. Theos was gone.

“He’ll be back,” Aden said. He human slid

through an open window as he spoke. “Sorcerers
are like cockroaches. The only time they’re truly
dead is when you have to scrape them off the
bottom of your shoe.”

Rohan wondered if the human had had a bad

experience with sorcerers in his past, but he didn’t
feel like he knew Aden well enough to ask.
“Thanks for your help.”

Aden nodded at Rohan with a bit of old-world

charm. “Always happy to help family. Your
vampires are in the basement. I suspect that most
if not all of them are innocent.”

“Thanks.” Rohan watched the human until

Aden had gone through the doors and completely

Amber Kell

vanished from sight. His father had always taught
him to not to take his eyes off the biggest predator
in the room.

“What do you say, love? Shall we go and rescue

your people?” Harris asked.

“They’re our people,” Rohan said. “And yes,

let’s go rescue them.”

Rohan took the arm Harris held out to him and

headed  down  the  stairs  where  they  did,  indeed,
find  all  the  vampires  and  humans  alike.  Rohan
couldn’t  stop  smiling.  It  had  been  a  good  day  in
the end.

To Bite a Bear

Epilogue

den approached the filigreed casket. Gallen
lay there still as death. He didn’t know why

he felt compelled to visit the sorcerer’s casket, but
he couldn’t help himself. A compulsion hit him
every time he came to visit Carey.

He couldn’t pass by the garden without

checking  on  the  sorcerer  lying  there.  He  almost
felt sorry for the kid. After his stay in a sorcerer’s
dungeon,  Aden  harbored  a  deep  hatred  of  the
species,  but  this  sorcerer  wasn’t  like  the  others.
The kid was as much a victim as much as any of
their  prisoners  before,  his  life  on  hold  while  the
enchantment stayed in place.

“Hang tight, kid, I’ll see if I can find your

mate,” Aden whispered. For some reason, he
didn’t like the idea of anyone kissing Gallen. Not
that he was homophobic or anything. Hell, he was
bisexual himself but generally abstained from sex
of any kind. Sex led to relationships, which took

Amber Kell

away from his focus of watching over his boys and
taking special projects for the government.

He thought Gallen might become another kid

under his protection, but he didn’t feel paternal
toward this one. Instead, he wondered if Gallen’s
lips were as soft as they looked and if he was
breathing properly.

Aden sighed. He had another trip out of town

in the morning, his last one for a while. “I’m
getting too old.”

He knew soon he’d have to retire. He might still

be faster than most of the men his age but that
didn’t make him quicker than everyone else. Time
for Aden Gale to be put out to pasture before
someone buried him under one.

“See you later, kid,” Aden said. Impulsively, he

reached through the metalwork to stroke Gallen’s
cheek. “Fuck, I’m definitely too old for this.”

He turned and walked away, determined to

erase the image burning in his mind of a young
man, the age of his own son, and the odd, almost
overwhelming, need to kiss him.

About the Author

Amber Kell lives in Seattle, WA with her husband,
two sons, three cats and one extremely stupid dog.
She loves to hear from her fans at
amberkellwrites@gmail.com

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