He clenched his molars. He'd figure out that new shitpile of emotion once they got back into town.
Out of the corner of his eye, Marci shivered. He had nothing to give her, except himself. He tried to get closer to her without her noticing and without hitting her with Evelyn's feet.
"Caleb dear? Put me down. I think I can walk now.
A brow lifted as he glared. "No. I don't think so."
She smiled. She raised her hand, and Caleb winced, expecting a slap for telling her no. Instead, she patted his cheek. "I will be fine. Put me down and warm that girl."
He hesitated and then laughed as Evelyn started to wiggle.
"Alright. But stay close. No wandering off."
She wrapped Marci's coat tight around her. "I didn't wander off. I am highly capable of maneuvering these woods."
Marci hadn't said anything for the last few minutes. He remained close to her, the expected heat she'd give off dull. Her scent had changed, chilled like the air.
"Marci? You okay?"
The chattering of her teeth suddenly overshadowed the crunching of the underbrush as they walked.
"I ...th-think ... th-the ...temperature dropped," she said between stutters.
Caleb didn't have a clue what he was supposed to. There wasn't anything around them that would help her.
"Hey. Everyone stop. If I shift, I can carry you both back much quicker than this slow pace."
Marci nodded. Evelyn giggled as he grabbed the waist of his pants and pulled them off.
He fell behind a few steps as he let his bear out and caught up within a few strides, his pants in his mouth. He nudged Marci first laying down enough for her to climb on him. Her icy fingers nearly froze the skin she grazed while gripping his fur.
Once he was sure she wouldn't fall off, he nudged Evelyn who seemed to have a much less hard time getting on.
Interesting.
Not interesting enough to stop. Marci needed him.
11
The chattering of her teeth nearly shook her brain loose. Evelyn sat behind her and tried to wrap the coat around the two of them. It was kind, but the air grew colder and colder; not much seemed to help. She leaned forward and tried to let the heat of Caleb's body warm her.
Focusing on something other than the shaking in her body, she inhaled him, loving the woodsy scent of his fur. Her fingers struggled to feel anything, but it didn't stop her from running her fingers over his back, gripping the hair the best her stiff hands could. The coarse-softness of his coat comforted her.
She shuddered as the tingles of pain reached through her skin with the bite of the wind.
"Marci dear? Talk to me. We should be back to town any minute. You hang on."
Marci sat as straight as she could while Caleb's muscles flexed and released with each movement. She held on, and Evelyn's arms wrapped around her.
"S-sure." She could talk. If only her lips would listen. "In the forest C-Caleb c-couldn't get your scent. D-do you know why?"
"Oh, that. I would have thought Caleb knew by now. I'm part Fae. I don't have the same kind of scent as a human, or so I've been told by a shifter or two. My great-grandfather was, or I suppose is a faerie. He went back years ago."
Marci blinked away the wind stinging her eyes.
She shivered again. Distraction. Focus on something. Think of Caleb. He had to be able to warm her up. Good God, had he brought about some new feelings when he'd shifted back into human form. Seeing him in all his glory by the river should be able to warm her in seconds.
The shaking seemed to have stopped for a moment; now she wished she'd have taken a longer peek at him. Using her imagination, she tried to picture his arms as she ran her hands over the tight skin of his biceps.
"See now? You seem to be shivering less," Evelyn said.
The thoughts of Caleb blew away on the wind. Dang, it.
It took all her effort to continue the conversation. Where were they?
"So you aren't all human. H-how does that affect your scent?"
Evelyn gripped her tighter, and Marci tightened her grip on Caleb. He seemed to be going faster, or maybe she just hoped he was.
"Oh. That. I smell like the forest. Very hard to tell the difference. And honestly, getting that close to the forest was my fault. I always hope my grandfather will come back and care about his human family. After my dear gran died though, he left. Not an overly affectionate people, those Fae. I still stay here though, because it's what my gran would have wanted. So, here I stay."
The forest darkened as the sun set beneath the trees. In the distance, lights from the town appeared and she tried to smile, only to choke on a gust of icy air.
"Caleb?" asked Evelyn.
The bear grunted.
"Take me home. I'll make sure to call Annie and have her come by. My Ed will take care of me."
He growled.
"Don't you dare tell me what to do, young man. Take me home. This girl needs to get warm and fast. Perhaps take her to your place. That old drafty Inn won't warm fast enough, and with her being out here, well, you take care of her."
Marci wanted to protest, but her lips didn't move. Heat of any kind sounded nice right now. A hot bath maybe. Snuggling up against the warm body of this bear, or the man inside the bear.
Pressing her cheek to his body, she could hear the rhythm of his heart. Tingles of a foreign heat trailed along her belly pinpointing a deserted part of her. What would it be like to have this
