Captivation: Shifters Forever Worlds (Shifters Forever After Book 4) Read Free Page A

a chair for her.
    “What topic is it that concerns you?”
    “Well, I guess I heard you had a run-in with my brother.”
    Her eyes flashed an indigo color. The blue hue flared, then subsided. He knew what that was. Her elemental coming to the surface.
    Mae nodded. “You heard correctly.”
    “I suppose first, I want to apologize for that, and then do you mind telling me about it?”
    A look of sadness crossed Mae's face.
    “We don't have to.” Now Bain felt bad for bringing it up.
    Although the sadness had left Mae's face, the smile she gave him still carried a tinge of melancholy. “One day, when I was in the forest here in Bear Canyon Valley, I came across a polar bear. I guess I wasn't really paying attention for him to catch me off guard like that. I'll be honest with you, his roar scared the heck out of me.”
    Bain nodded. He was used to his brother's scare tactics.
    “I was afraid he was going to kill me. My elemental was not going to stand by and watch that. I didn't want her to hurt him. I asked him to shift so we could speak. But it looked like he was more into playing intimidation games.” The blue swirl flared in her eyes again.
    He felt bad for putting her through this, knowing the pain was bringing her elemental forward, knowing her elemental might even try to protect her from the pain of her emotions.
    “We can drop it.” Again he tried to veer away from the topic to minimize her discomfort.
    “No. You need to know. He shifted while he was behind a tree, because he came out as a man. Your brother was a very large man. Very scary. That long blond hair of his, those dark blue eyes, he looked like Thor of Norwegian lore.”
    Bain knew. “We got that a lot.” Bain didn't so much anymore, not since he cut his hair.
    “He said his name was Vey and asked mine. He said he was looking for someone like him. I knew, somehow, instinctively perhaps, that he was looking for another polar bear shifter. And the only one I knew was little Dominic.
    “It didn't take me long to realize little Dominic favored him. And Vey kept coming closer and closer.” She tucked a stray curled back. “I told him this wasn't a polar bear community, because I didn't want to lie, but I wasn't about to tell him where Dominic was.
    “Then he shifted and rushed me. So my elemental attacked.” She covered her eyes with her hands. “I'm ashamed to admit I blacked out. That was my experience with your brother.”
    Bain reached across the table and took her hands in his. “I'm sorry you had to go through that, then and now. I had no right to make you relive it.”
    Mae reached around the table and gave him a hug. “I'm so glad Dominic has you in his life.” Tears glistened in her dark eyes, and the blue flame had become a ring that surrounded her black irises, glowing and indigo color.
    A knock at the door interrupted him before he could express his appreciation.

    * * *
    T anner sopped up the last of Mae's stew with her homemade bread. “You missed your calling. You should have opened a restaurant instead of a hair salon.”
    Mae laughed. “We saying I can't do hair?”
    Tanner, Teague, and Bain joined in the laughter.
    “No,” Tanner said. “I'm saying you do food mighty damn fine.”
    “Sure do. Thanks for dinner,” Teague said.
    Bain nodded his appreciation. He'd had dinner with the two brothers and Mae. The dinner had not been uneasy, but Bain's mind had been. He couldn't get his head to push away the fact he needed to talk to these brothers. That he wanted to know about Vey's last moments. He wanted to know what happened.
    “So,” began Teague, “knowing you, Mae, there is always an agenda. So what's the plan?”
    “Moi?” Mae wore an innocent expression on her face.
    “Yes, you.” Tanner softened his words with a smile.
    “I know Bain has questions. And you are the only ones who can tell him the answers.”
    Bain nodded. “About that day…”
    “That day…” Teague began.
    “Let me tell it,” Tanner