A Flame To Bear (Fire Bear Shifters 4) Read online

  Bailey glanced at the overnight FedEx envelope sitting on the hotel desk. She still hadn’t opened it, but she already knew what it held. She stood, walked over to grab the envelope, and tore it open. She peered inside to confirm that it contained her passport and credit card. Bailey set her lips in a determined line, and grabbed her room key. She would go the hotel’s business center right now, and book the next available flight back to D.C. The idea that her life could change had been fun while it lasted, but it was time to get back to reality.

  Chapter Eleven

  Trevor ignored the strange looks he received from the front desk attendant as he walked through the hotel lobby with only a towel wrapped around his waist. He realized halfway to the front door that he'd forgotten his shoes, but no way in hell was he going back to get them. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt this angry about a girl. He couldn't believe the way that Bailey had reacted. The fact that his attempt to take her skydiving had turned out to be a resounding success had given him just the boost of confidence he needed to confess to her that he happened to be a bear shifter. With all of the decisions that Bailey had made in the last week to change her life, better herself, and overcome her fears, he truly thought that she would be able to see past the strangeness of him being a shifter.

  Oh, how wrong he'd been.

  As he slipped into the driver's seat of his SUV, the feelings of despair overtook him in waves. He put the car in drive and started heading back to base. He knew he was in for some good-natured ribbing once he got there, too. Walking around in the middle of February with nothing on but a towel would be a dead giveaway to the rest of his clan that he’d shifted and lost his clothes.

  For the entire drive, he continued to fume. He'd never before felt the way that he did about Bailey. After mating with her, he’d dared to hope that this amazing woman might actually be his fated lifemate. He'd felt connected to her, like the threads of their lives had somehow been interwoven since before they were born. But now, all he felt was emptiness. He pulled into base, and parked at the end of the parking lot closest to the bunkhouse. Maybe, just maybe, he would be lucky enough that he could sneak in and grab some clothes before anyone saw him.

  He should have known better. Luck was definitely not on his side tonight. When he opened the side door to the bunkhouse, he ran smack into Zach, who just so happened to be exiting the building at the same time. Zach took one look at Trevor, and gave him the biggest scowl Trevor had ever seen on Zach's face. Which was saying something, given how prone Zach was to scowling.

  “Please tell me we just installed a hot tub on base that I don't know about or something,” Zach said, narrowing his eyes. “Because if you're half naked for the reason that I think you are, then I'm going to be one angry bear.”

  “Shut up,” Trevor said, trying to push past Zach.

  Zach put out his arm to block Trevor's pathway. “I asked you a question, Trevor.”

  “And I answered you,” Trevor said. “Shut the hell up.”

  With an angry burst of strength, Trevor managed to force his way past Zach and into the bunkhouse. He knew he shouldn't be so disrespectful to the clan’s second in command. But, after the day he'd had, he couldn't be bothered to play nice with pricks like Zach. He grabbed some clothes, but before he could even get his shirt on, he felt tears starting to sting at the back of his eyelids.

  “Get it together, man,” he said to himself. “She's just a girl, just like any other girl. Nothing special about her.”

  But no matter how hard Trevor tried to convince himself that the little pep talk he’d just given himself was the truth, he couldn't quite make himself believe it. In a desperate attempt to keep anyone else from seeing him cry, he escaped into the shower.

  As soon as Trevor made it safely into the shower and turned on the water, the tears started streaming down his face. Once they started, he couldn't stop them. He kept telling himself to man up. After all, what business did a big, tough bear shifter have with hiding out in the shower and crying like a little girl? But the harder he tried to regain control, the more the flood of tears poured out. He felt like his heart was breaking into a million tiny pieces, which, for him, was a completely foreign feeling. He’d never really been in love before. Sure, he’d had girlfriends here and there—some more serious than others. But he’d never really loved any of them.

  Was that what this feeling was? Love? Nothing about this made sense to him. If Bailey wasn't his lifemate, then he shouldn’t feel as awful as he did right now. On the other hand, if she was his lifemate, shouldn't she have reacted a bit better to his confession of being a bear?

  Trevor stayed in the shower for the better part of an hour, trying to regain control of his emotions and figure out how the hell his life had turned upside down so quickly. When he finally managed to stem the flow of tears, he stepped out of the shower. After toweling off, he threw on the T-shirt and jeans he’d grabbed earlier. He headed back to his bunk, hoping that he could manage to slip into bed without seeing anyone. Although there were no private rooms in the bunkhouse, the building had been constructed with a group much larger than six in mind. Everyone on the crew had claimed a different bunk, spread out across the expansive structure, which usually meant you could have privacy in your own bunk if you wanted it. Trevor definitely wanted privacy tonight, but it looked like he wasn’t going to get it: when he arrived at his bunk, he found Ian sitting next to it. His alpha waited patiently, drumming his finger on the solid wooden bed frame.

  Trevor let out an exasperated sigh. No doubt, Zach had gone running to Ian, complaining that Trevor was shifting dangerously close to town. Ian generally led the clan with a very relaxed, laid-back attitude, but he took rogue shifting very seriously. Things could get messy if the wrong human saw one of the clan members shift and decide to report it to the police. Trevor felt a pang of guilt hit him right in the stomach. He shouldn’t have shifted in front of Bailey so soon. He barely knew her, and he had revealed his clan’s secrets to her. He had engaged in exactly the kind of reckless shifting that had brought about the demise of so many shifter clans.

  “Hi, boss,” Trevor said warily, trying to keep his voice neutral.

  “Hi, Trevor. Take a seat,” Ian said, wearing a serious expression on his face.

  Trevor sat down and resisted the urge to start trying to explain everything. He had learned long ago that talking too much when you felt like you were in trouble never helped the situation.

  “I hear you shifted,” Ian said. “Why? And did anyone see you?”

  “Only one person saw me,” Trevor said, then took a deep breath. “A girl.”

  Understanding dawned on Ian’s face, and he visibly relaxed. Then he started chuckling. “I take it she wasn’t too impressed with your bear, since you wound up back here wearing nothing but a towel.”

  “It’s not funny,” Trevor said, and his voice cracked with emotion despite his effort to remain calm. “I really liked her. I thought she might even be fated to be my lifemate, because I had a strong connection with her that I’ve never felt with anyone else before. But when I told her that I’m a bear shifter, she didn’t even know what a shifter was. So, I showed her. I shifted in the middle of her hotel room. She got really angry and kicked me out, telling me that I’d been hiding my true self from her.”

  Ian leaned back and stroked his chin. “Do you think she’ll tell anyone else what she saw?”

  Trevor shrugged. “Hell if I know, but my gut instinct says she won’t. She doesn’t seem like the type of person who would go running to the cops, and she doesn’t really have any family or friends.”

  Ian nodded, and continued stroking his chin. Trevor tried to keep his mouth shut and wait for his alpha to speak, but his nerves got the better of him and he started talking again.

  “I’m sorry, Ian. I wouldn’t have shifted if I thought she was going to react the way she did. I met her through a rescue I did for the Red Valley Fire Department. I’d spent a few days with her, and she
seemed to be everything I wanted in a girl. She’s beautiful, kind, and fun…and willing to step outside of her comfort zone. I mated with her, and felt so drawn to her that I’d thought we’d bonded as lifemates. I guess I was wrong,” Trevor said, and looked down at his hands. He could feel his eyes starting to well up again, and he desperately tried to calm his churning emotions. He couldn’t believe how vulnerable he felt right now.

  “Why are you so sure that she’s not your lifemate?” Ian asked.

  Trevor looked at Ian like he had lost his marbles. “Ian, have you been listening at all? She kicked me out of her hotel room, and she looked at me like I was a monster. If she was my lifemate, she wouldn’t have reacted like that. She would have been more understanding.”

  Ian chuckled again. “I hate to break it to you, buddy, but even the lifemate bond isn’t enough to overcome the initial shock humans often feel when they discover that a man they love is a bear shifter. What makes you think that just because she reacted that way that you’re not fated to be together? Being someone’s lifemate doesn’t mean that things are always going to be perfect. It just means that you can overcome the obstacles placed in your way if you’re committed to working together.”

  “I never thought about it that way,” Trevor said. “I always thought that when I found my lifemate, she would just accept me, bear and all.”

  “Buddy, you’ve got a lot to learn. Don’t you remember when Charlotte first found out about my being a bear shifter? I thought for a little while there that she was going to give up on me for good. She didn’t talk to me for days. But I tried to be understanding and give her time to process everything. That’s all you can do. I know shifting seems normal to you. But try to put yourself in a human’s shoes. Shifting can be hard to understand at first, especially for someone who’s never even heard of bear shifters.”

  “I guess that makes sense,” Trevor said. “But I’m not sure what to do now. She yelled at me and told me in no uncertain terms to get out, and I stormed off in a fit of anger.”

  “The only thing you can do is apologize and hope that once she’s had some time to think about it, that she’ll give you another chance to explain.”

  “I don’t think she’s going to give me another chance,” Trevor said. “When I left she was so angry that I’m surprised she didn’t have smoke literally coming out of her ears.”

  “Give her a chance,” Ian said. “If you shifted in front of her, then it’s no surprise that she had a strong reaction. But if you show her that you’re committed to her, and that you’re going to give her all the time and space that she needs, then I think you’ll be positively surprised by her response.”

  Trevor frowned. “I guess I’ll try,” he said. “Do you really think it’s possible that she’s my lifemate?”

  “That’s something that only you can truly know,” Ian said. “But I’d be willing to bet by the way you’re acting that she is. I think your gut is trying to tell you something. Listen to it. To be honest, I’ve never seen you act so emotional. I’d say that’s a dead giveaway that something’s going on there.”

  Trevor felt his cheeks turning red with the heat of embarrassment. “Yeah, I guess the whole situation has affected me quite strongly,” he said.

  “Hey, don’t be embarrassed,” Ian said. “It’s a common thing for a bear shifter to feel a flood of emotion when they meet their lifemate.”

  Trevor nodded and ran his fingers through his hair. “So, you’re not mad?” he asked.

  Ian smiled. “I’m not mad. As I’m sure you’ve realized, Zach came to me very upset. He said that you’d put the clan at risk by shifting. It’s always a risk when you shift in front of humans, and you know that I don’t like for anyone to ever take that risk. But, sometimes, life demands that we take chances. I understand that. And one of the most important chances you can ever take in this life is a chance on love. Who am I to deny that to anyone in the clan? Don’t let Zach’s grumpiness get to you. He’s got his own set of issues to deal with. You know that.”

  Ian stood and thumped Trevor’s shoulder. “I’m going to get some rest. Let me know what you decide to do about the girl.”

  “Thanks,” Trevor said. He felt relief rushing through him at his alpha’s words, and a strange stirring of hope as well. The despair of leaving Bailey behind in that hotel room had been the emptiest feeling he’d ever felt. But the thought that maybe it hadn’t been the end gave him a renewed sense of purpose. First thing tomorrow morning, he would go back to Bailey’s hotel room and lay his heart on the line for her. He would explain everything about shifters to her, including lifemates—and the fact that he believed she was fated to be his lifemate. Then the ball would be in her court. Maybe it would take some time, but, like Ian said—if they were meant to be together, then hopefully she would eventually accept who he was.

  All he could do was hope.

  Chapter Twelve

  Early the next morning, Trevor hopped into his SUV, and drove to the Red Valley Inn. Heart pounding with excitement, he made his way to Bailey's hotel room. When he arrived, he found the door wide open, with two of the hotel's housekeeping staff inside. They were preoccupied with their task of cleaning the room, and didn’t notice him at first.

  “Excuse me,” Trevor said. “Do you happen to know where the woman staying in this room went?”

  The housekeepers looked up and shrugged. “I don't know,” one of them said. “She checked out this morning.”

  “She checked out? She’s gone?” Trevor asked, suddenly starting to panic. For some reason, it had never occurred to him that Bailey might leave so quickly. He’d been so excited about his plan to come talk to her that he hadn’t considered what he would do if she left. It made perfect sense, though. Why would she stay? She’d lost a colleague here, and she felt like Trevor had duped her. All that remained for her in Red Valley would be bad memories.

  Trevor ran back out to the front desk. Breathless, he described Bailey and asked the woman behind the counter if she had any information on where Bailey might be.

  “Oh, yeah. I know that girl. She left about an hour ago. I called a cab to the San Francisco airport for her.”

  Trevor grabbed the counter to steady himself. He felt like the floor was falling out from under him. Why hadn’t he come back to the hotel earlier? He’d just assumed he still had time. As he felt the same desperate feeling from the night before washing over him again, Trevor knew with certainty: Bailey was his lifemate. He had to catch her.

  “Do you have any idea which airline she was flying?” Trevor asked.

  The front counter attendant shrugged. “I think I heard her mention Delta, but I’m not sure. And, I’m also not sure that I should be giving you all this information. How did you say you know her, again?” the attendant asked, narrowing her eyes.

  “Uh, she’s a good friend. She, uh, forgot something here and I want to return it,” Trevor lied, and then ran out the front entrance of the hotel. He jumped behind the driver’s seat and started his engine, peeling out of the parking lot before he’d even fastened his seatbelt. He didn’t know what he was going to say to Bailey if he managed to catch her, but he had some time to think about it—San Francisco’s airport was about a ninety minute drive, and Bailey had a significant head start on him.

  Trevor drove like he had a death wish. He weaved in and out of traffic at speeds nearly double the speed limit. He ignored the constant chorus of angry honks he left in his wake. The only thing his mind could focus on was catching Bailey. He arrived at the San Francisco airport in an hour and ten minutes, parking his car as close as he could to the terminal that had signs for Delta Airlines. He ran into the airport, and scanned the monitors with flight information. There was a flight to D.C. leaving in twenty minutes. Since the next flight wasn’t for three hours, Trevor knew that first flight must be the one Bailey was taking. Which meant she was probably already at the gate, about to board.

  Trevor didn’t stop to debate his next move. He ran to
Delta’s ticket counter, hopping back and forth impatiently on one foot while he waited for the older lady in front of him to finish speaking with the service agent. He probably only waited about three minutes, but it felt like forever. When his turn came, he ran up to the counter.

  “Do you have space on the flight to D.C. that leaves in fifteen minutes? I want to buy a ticket,” Trevor said.

  The service agent raised an eyebrow at him. “That flight is already boarding, sir. You might not make it through security in time. And it’s too late to check a bag. Checked baggage needs to be here an hour before the flight.”

  “I’m not checking a bag. I just need a ticket for that flight. Are there any available?”

  The agent hesitated, looking at him suspiciously. “I can check for you, but if you miss the flight there’s no guarantee that you’ll be able to get on the next one.”

  “I don’t care,” Trevor said. “I need a ticket for that flight.”

  “Okay, just a moment. Let me see what we have available.”

  Trevor fidgeted impatiently again for several moments as the agent searched on her computer.

  “Okay,” she said. “We have a seat left. But, this late, the ticket is going to be six hundred dollars.”

  Trevor didn’t even flinch. He threw down his credit card and driver’s license. “I’ll take it,” he said.

  Five minutes later, he was standing in the security line. “Come on, come on,” he said. “I’m going to miss her.”

  Although it felt like an eternity to him, the security line actually moved relatively quickly. He slipped off his tennis shoes and threw his wallet and car keys on the x-ray belt, cursing the slow moving machine as he waited for his stuff to come back through on the other side. As he stood there, he heard a voice on the loudspeaker announcing the final boarding call for his flight. He didn’t even bother to put his shoes back on—lacing them up would have wasted precious time. He just grabbed everything off the x-ray belt and started running for Gate B31. His stocking feet pounded as he ran, dodging sleepy-eyed travelers who looked at him with mild amusement as he sprinted past. Right before his gate there was a shop modeled after a farmer’s market stand that had displays of fresh fruit and flowers for sale. Trevor glanced at his watch and skidded to a stop. He pointed at one of the bouquets, a lovely arrangement of delicate blue, white, and yellow flowers.