Free Bear the Burden: McMahon Clan 3 (Fated Mates Book 6) by Rochelle Paige Page B

scared to death,” I admitted softly.
    “You’re my mate and there was nothing I could do for you!” he roared.
    I held my hand out to him. When his was clasped in mine, I yanked him onto the bed with me. “I beg to differ. I’m snuggled in your bed because you put me here. I’ve slept undisturbed this whole time while you watched over me. And if I had to guess, I’d bet the bottle of water and ibuprofen on the bedside table is for me and was put there by you so I’d have them as soon as I woke up.”
    “It isn’t enough,” he grumbled, reaching over to grab the items from the table and handing them to me.
    I popped a couple of the pills into my mouth and chased them down with the water. “It was everything I needed while I was out of it.” My stomach growled loudly. “Unfortunately, there was no way for you to feed me while I slept. Now, I’m starving.”
    “Selene,” he groaned, rubbing his hands over his face, “you scared years off my life last night and now all you’re worried about is food.”
    “And a shower,” I added. “Because I feel gross.”
    “This better not be a regular occurrence with you. If it is, I’m going to have to put my foot down about you using your magic,” he threatened.
    He’d been accepting of my powers up until now, and I had to hope he was only speaking out of fear. Either way, I needed to put a stop to this. “If you asked me—and you’ll notice my use of the word ‘ask’ instead of ‘tell’, because it’s my decision, not yours—to stop using my magic, it would be the same as me trying to tell you that you couldn’t shift into your bear anymore.”
    “I wouldn’t be able to do it. Not even for you.”
    “That’s precisely my point, Camden. Shifters shift and witches cast spells,” I explained. “My being a witch is part of who I am, just as you being a bear is part of who you are. I wouldn’t be able to change for you, even if I wanted to. Which I don’t.”
    “Shit, I’m fucking this up.” He rearranged us on the mattress so his back was against the headboard and I was on his lap. “I’m proud as hell you were able to save my dad from whatever the dark practitioners had in store for him. I know I have your magic to thank for that. You’re my mate and you’re a witch. I wouldn’t change either thing about you, but it was hard as fuck to see what it did to you afterwards. If I’d been able, I would have switched places with you in a heartbeat.”
    “It looked worse than it really was,” I tried to reassure him. “I wasn’t in any pain while I slept.”
    “How about when you woke up? The first thing you did was take the pain killers I put out for you.”
    “I’d put it at hangover level. Now that I’ve slept it off, I swear all I need is some food and a shower.” My stomach growled again, adding an exclamation point to my statement.
    “If food and a shower are what you need, then that’s exactly what you’ll get.” He lifted me off the bed and carried me into the bathroom, not leaving until he’d started the water and pulled fresh towels out for me. By the time I stepped out of the shower, I almost felt like new again. And the meal Camden made me almost finished the job. I was still a little tired, but I rested my eyes on the ride over to Carrick’s house.
    When we arrived, I was back to one-hundred percent and ready to work on some protective wards for the house and Camden’s family. Without their own magic, they were the most at risk when the dark practitioners attacked. They had no way to fight against their wicked spells. Last night’s attack had been focused on Carrick, but there was no guarantee they wouldn’t strike out at other members of the clan since they’d failed. Considering Channing’s first strike had been against Annora and her baby, we had to assume nobody was safe from the spells they’d lob our way in the future.
    “Selene,” my mom called out as she rushed toward Camden’s truck. “Are you