Chapter 16
TRAVIS CARRIED PHOENIX into his apartment and settled into his armchair with her still cuddled against him.
Once they were settled, he carefully lifted one paw and examined it. Her claws might be small, but they were thick and wicked looking. Probably good for climbing things like the bar or trees in the wild.
Her paws were padded and each had five distinct digits, three together and two off to the side.
“So you have two thumbs, eh?” He tucked her paw back against his chest and continued his explorations, stroking one hand up and down her back gently.
Her fur was thick and and fluffy, not as soft as he expected, but more textured, reminding him of a sheep’s wool.
Her ears were about the cutest things he’d ever seen. He could only access one at the moment because the other was resting against his chest, but she had little tufts of white sticking out, going every which way. He gently stroked a finger along the curve of her ear and chuckled when she made a small yipping sound and pulled away from his chest to stare up at him.
“Hey there, my sweet love.” He leaned over and kissed her on her forehead, right above her leathery nose.
She blinked sleepily at him, then carefully walked herself down his shirt until she sat on his lap.
She looked around, then climbed off his lap, swung herself around so her hind legs dangled off the couch and walked herself down to the floor.
“Where are you going, darlin’?”
She looked up at him, then turned and ran across the room.
Travis couldn’t believe how adorable she was.
She ran on all fours, kind of lunging forward with each step, her bottom doing this cute little wobble as she moved. At the door to the hallway, she stopped and looked back at him.
He grinned and stood. “Shall I follow you, yeah?”
She turned and ran down the hall and darted into his bedroom.
By the time Travis reached his doorway, she’d managed to climb onto the bed and sat in the middle, watching him and waiting.
“Ready for a nap, aren’t you?” He stripped off his clothes and debated whether to shift. “What do you think, darlin’? Bear or human form?”
She just watched him expectantly, so he went ahead and shifted, landing on all four paws and freezing there, waiting to see if she would freak out.
Phoenix hopped to the end of the bed and stared at him for a long moment. She then hopped back to the middle, glancing back at him as if in invitation.
Travis huffed in pure joy and climbed onto the bed.
The moment he stretched out on his belly, Phoenix pulled herself up onto his back and settled there, back legs tucked under her, front legs sprawled across his massive shoulders, face settled into the hollow of his neck.
Travis’ bear had never felt so settled or content in his life.
* * *
Phoenix was dreaming just like always.
The soft beat of a drum echoed and she stretched, moving slowly from one dream space – dark, safe and quiet – to another, still shaded, but lighter, with the scent of woods and of home all around her.
She was cradled in the soft embrace of a tree, right in the nook where branches and trunk met.
She looked up and saw her mate stretched on a limb high above.
He dropped one of his arms toward her and she reached for it.
He was too far away, so she climbed the trunk a ways, then reached again.
She caught hold of his paw, and he lifted her enough so she could grasp his shoulder and climb onto his back. She curled into his warm body, pressed her ear to his fur and listened as the beat of his heart lulled her back to sleep.
* * *
Travis woke from the most restful sleep he’d ever had. As he took stock, he realized he was back in his human form, as was Phoenix, who was still sprawled on top of him.
He rolled to the side while carefully sliding her around so that she tipped off his back into his arms.
She curled into him, as adorably cuddly in human form as she’d been in her koala one.
“You were in my dreams,” she murmured.
He smiled. “You were in mine too.”
She stretched and opened her eyes to stare into his. “No one’s ever been in my dream space before. Not ever. I’ve always been alone there. Lately though I kept dreaming there was something just out of reach, something I was longing for but couldn’t quite get to. I never knew what it was, but then, today I did. It was you.”
“It’s like I told you, darlin’. We’re mates. True mates.” Just saying the words made his throat tighten in gratitude and his bear rumble joyfully, Ours.
“I shifted, didn’t I?” Phoenix asked abruptly.
Travis smiled tenderly at her. “You certainly did.”
“I was really small. A lot smaller than you.”
“It stands to reason. You’re a lot smaller than me in human form too.”
Phoenix nodded. “Did I understand you right? I’m a koala?”
He nodded. “A freaking unbelievably adorable koala. Seriously. I’ve never seen anything cuter in my life.”
* * *
Phoenix relaxed at his statement. “You don’t mind that I’m not a black bear like you?”
“I can’t imagine you as anything other than the sweet koala you are.” He leaned over and kissed her, gently at first, but then with greater passion as he swept his tongue inside and stole every thought she had.
Heat unfurled between them and she pressed closer, so completely enamored of this man, this black bear, who’d so unexpectedly come into her life, who was everything she’d never known she wanted.