Bear Naked Read Online Free PDF

called. Could he even understand me when he was shifted? I could understand English just fine when I was in my bear form, but I also hadn’t spent sixteen straight years in that form.
    But to my relief, Leif appeared - human Leif - a few minutes later. He looked uncertain, lurking around the edges of the camp as if afraid to come closer. His eyes watched me warily, and they were the eyes of a feral predator once more, almost all humanity gone from them.
    I patted the sleeping bag next to me in invitation. I spread it out like a picnic blanket and then put the thermos of chocolate-sweetened coffee down on the center of it, and unscrewed the lid so he could catch the smell. I’d had to dump nearly a full bar of chocolate to sweeten the drink properly, but the scent that wafted up was rich and thick.
    He hesitated only a moment, and then moved to sit on the blanket, wrapping his hands around the thermos. He sipped it, then closed his eyes in pleasure. “Nikolina,” he groaned.
    I was startled to hear my name said like that. I supposed that was his way of saying thank you, but it was…odd. Pleasing, but odd. “You’re welcome,” I told him, and then shifted to pull the blanket around his shoulders to protect him from the biting wind. It was bitterly cold despite the sunshine and I was wearing several layers of clothing. Seeing Leif naked like that made me concerned for frostbite, despite his were-bear nature. “Do you want something to eat?”
    He studied my face for a long moment, and then nodded. “If you…if you have it to spare.”
    “I do.” I’d brought plenty of protein bars with me. They weren’t exciting food, but they were compact and I was able to bring a lot of them. I unwrapped a chocolate-flavored one and offered it to him, since he seemed to have a sweet tooth.
    Leif took it and ate it quickly, wolfing it down. It concerned me to see him scarf the food, and I wondered if it had more to do with starvation than a lack of manners. He said he didn’t like penguin, but there wasn’t much more on this island than penguins. Maybe that was why he was so lean. “Do you want another?”
    At his nod, I gave him another and watched him eat. When he was done, he returned to sipping his coffee, his gaze on me.
    I didn’t move. Simply watched him and smiled encouragingly.
    After a long moment, he reached out and touched my cheek with one dirty finger, caressing me. “I’m sorry.”
    About the scratch there? It was almost gone. “Don’t’ worry about it,” I told him. “It’s healing up. And you weren’t in your right mind.”
    I knew what that was like. Going in heat was more than a little alarming, because my body was so…hungry for it. I feared what I’d be acting like in another two weeks or so when the heat truly hit me. As shifter females, we had a fairly long lead time up to our heat. I supposed it was so we could make the proper preparations, but it also meant there was a lot of time to worry and anticipate.
    Leif’s fingers continued to caress the curve of my cheek, the pads cool and rough on my skin. His gaze seemed to darken with intensity. “Nikolina,” he whispered again.
    I shivered at the way he said my name. It sounded so…intense. Emotional. “Can I show you something?” I asked him.
    He nodded.
    Even though it pained me to pull away from his gentle touch, I stood and moved to my tent, digging out the small wooden carving I’d brought with me. I sat back down next to him and held it out.
    It was a small wooden carving of a female bear with a tutu on her waist, balancing on a ball.
    He took it from me, and wonder flashed across his face. A smile broke out. “I remember this.”
    My breath caught. “You do?”
    “I do…” He thought for a long moment, and then looked at me. “I remember a girl with pigtails and a pink tutu. She was pouting because her cousins could shift into bear form and she couldn’t yet.”
    I swallowed hard, my heart aching at the memory. “And you