Aimée and the Bear: A BBW Bear-Shifter Romance (Fairy Tales with a Shift) Read Online Free PDF Page B

small, insignificant lives on Earth?”
    “As small and insignificant as their lives are, at least they get to live them.”
    My hand stopped rubbing his shoulder. I reached for the glass of wine with the other one, and took a small sip.
    “Aimée…”
    “Yes?”
    “Thank you for being here with me.”
    I looked up into his black eyes and I couldn’t help but smile at the kindness and gratitude I saw there.
    “I like being here with you.”
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

CHAPTER FOUR
     
    After that evening spent in the garden, under the starry night, the bear had become even more gentle and attentive towards me. We spent a lot of time together. I had long given up searching the mansion for Gabriel, the mysterious and oh-so-deliciously-sexy man in my dreams. Wherever he was trapped, it was not in the dungeons. I even paid close attention to Corinne and the other servants to see if any of them was taking food someplace other than the dining room or the garden, where I usually had my meals. No one did anything suspicious, and sometimes this was driving me insane. My friendship with the beast was comfortable now, but who knew how long this would last? Time was running out and I had no plan. Maybe I could escape if I set my mind to it, but I wasn’t leaving anywhere without Gabriel.
    I missed father, Cécile and Diane. I missed them so much. I started telling the bear about them, about my mother, and about the misfortune that had hit us a year before. He saw how much I cared about them and how much I suffered at the thought that my father had no clue where I was, not even if I was dead or alive. That was how my honesty earned me more than my carefully devised plans. One morning, the beast simply told me I was free to go home if I wanted, on the condition that I shouldn’t spend more than a night away from the mansion.
    “Are you serious? You’re really letting me visit my family?”
    “Yes.”
    “But… but why? I thought I was…”
    “My prisoner? You’re not my prisoner, Aimée. You never were. If anything, I am your prisoner.”
    I stared at him dumbfounded, trying to make sense of his words. He was my prisoner? How?
    “I don’t understand.” I studied his face and eyes with caution, trying to see if this was a joke or some weird game he was playing. Maybe he was testing me? Maybe I was supposed to say that I didn’t want to see my family? That I never wanted to leave his side?
    “I’m sorry I made you feel this way. You see… I’ve been so lonely for so many years that when you turned up at my doorstep, your arms full of roses you could barely carry, I couldn’t let you leave. I just… I knew you were the one, Aimée. I felt it. But I also knew you’d never accept to stay here with me.”
    I didn’t know what to say or do and I decided it was best to let him finish. It was the first time he was giving me any sort of explanation. He walked to my side of the table and bent his thick neck forward to reach my level.
    “But I am letting you go now. I care too much about you to keep you away from the people you love. All I ask is that you come back the next day. Then, you can visit your father and sisters anytime you want. As long as you come back to me, you are free to leave the house and the grounds, even go to town if you want.”
    “How can you be so sure that I will come back?” My voice was barely a whisper. My intention was neither to threaten him, nor to prepare him for something I was really going to do. I was just curious. Curious and confused.
    “I trust you. You said you needed time to fall in love with me, and I can see you’re doing your best. We’re friends now. I haven’t had a friend in such a long time that I can’t even remember anymore. People… they usually prefer to stay away from me.”
    There was real sadness in his “voice”. Because he was sending his thoughts straight to my mind, I felt it so strongly that I almost thought it was mine.
    “I know that if