by Eve Langlais
Except they didn’t have the driver.
A few minutes later—one of those minutes spent getting pants for the men who’d shifted—Stavros bellowed, “What the fuck do you mean he escaped?”
Damian, back in his human shape, shrugged. “What would you like me to say? When I wrenched the door open, the damned thing was empty inside.”
“He must have left a trail, though.” Even if the man wasn’t bleeding, Damian should have tracked him.
“The inside of that car smelled like new. If I’d not seen the damned guy behind the wheel, I’d have said it was driven by a ghost.” Because what else wouldn’t leave a scent?
Stavros sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “We’ll run the plates. See who it belongs to.”
“Wouldn’t that be her ex?”
Except from all signs, Vladimir was a moron, whereas this had been a pretty slick operation, foiled only by chance.
And me. His bear thumped his furry chest.
More like my sister.
His bear slumped in shame.
“What are you going to do now?” his cousin asked. “If they tried once, they might try again.”
And next time, they might bring more firepower.
There was only one thing to do.
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Stavros’s papa bear grumbled.
“Family Jamboree!”
CHAPTER 13
Becka woke in bed, which she found kind of surprising given the last thing she remembered was someone breaking through a window.
I was attacked!
She sat bolt upright in the bed, in the pink room she recalled, and she wasn’t alone. Stavros lay beside her, looking entirely too much at ease as he leaned his head on a crooked arm.
“Morning, sweetheart.”
“Don’t you ‘morning’ me. I was attacked. And drugged. I think. There might have been a bear.” She recalled a sensation of falling and then a big furry muzzle. But she might have dreamed that part, maybe dreamed it all, given she was still in her room, except for the fact that the window now sported a lovely expanse of cardboard with crawling babies extolling the virtues of diapers.
“Don’t get your panties in a twist unless you’re going to let me untangle them with my teeth.”
She slugged him, too shocked to even feel horrified by her actions. “Don’t joke. Your house was attacked. I told you this would happen.”
“And I told you not to worry. We sent them packing, and look, you’re here in one piece.”
She patted herself and didn’t notice any missing body parts or feel any new bruises. “So I didn’t fall off a roof?”
“You did. But I caught you.”
She flopped back onto the bed and closed her eyes. “How can you be so blasé about this? Someone could have been hurt.”
“Someone can get hurt walking across the room. My cousin Josephine is so clumsy she managed to break her own leg making her bed.”
“That’s an accident, though. What happened last night was a targeted attack against you and your family.”
“Actually, against you. Whoever came visiting last night wasn’t out to hurt anyone. We found two of my cousins sleeping off tranquilizers in the woods.”
“Vlad—”
“Fucktard.”
“—tranqed them? That doesn’t sound like him.”
“Because it’s not. We have a new player. The same one that came after you in the hotel, I’d wager.”
“Why do you sound so giddy?”
“It’s a guy thing you wouldn’t understand.”
Understatement. There was a lot she didn’t understand. The one thing she did know? Stavros was too damned cute in the morning, and way too dangerous in her bed. The man wore only track pants, nothing else, which meant that big, muscled chest of his was in plain sight. The hair on it only served to define his bulk and narrowed into an interesting V that disappeared below the waist.
“Keep looking at me like that and we won’t make it to breakfast.”
Funny how his threats didn’t frighten her, just like his proximity didn’t. She felt so safe with him, safe and sexy, which might be why she reached out to run a finger down the middle of his chest.
“Fuck breakfast,” he growled, drawing her close. “The bacon can wait,” he whispered against her lips.
“Bacon?” She wrenched herself free. “Really? I haven’t had bacon in … Damn, a long time. Fucktard was all about keeping my blood clean, so I wasn’t allowed fatty foods.”
She hopped out of bed, and she noted him staring at her, rather incredulously.
“Are you ditching a morning make-out session for food?”
“You did it for cookies. And I mean, we’re talking bacon.” When he didn’t show signs of understanding, she repeated it more slowly. “Baaaa-c-onnn.” Her tummy rumbled.
He sighed. “Do you have any idea how incredibly sexy you are when you get excited about food?”
“Tell me later, after my bacon.”
Except later didn’t come right away, as hordes of people descended on his home, family, he claimed. So much family that it was decided to pack them up and move things to the bigger family homestead owned by his grandparents, where Becka was absorbed by the army of aprons and barely allowed a glimpse of Stavros as they baked.
Well, the women baked; Becka mostly tasted and listened as they argued, good-naturedly. Something about dresses and which one would work best. She couldn’t follow it and, when she asked, was met with giggles and vague statements of, “You’ll see.”
What she saw was a bunch of lunatics with no regard for the danger. They treated the whole attack as an adventure. They were eagerly planning for more.
More! Maybe she’d fallen off the roof last night and cracked her head. Even now, she probably was in a hospital bed, heavily sedated, which meant this wasn’t real. None of it was real.
Which would be a shame, because she really liked Stavros. Like really, really liked. Speaking of whom, where had he gotten to?
Hearing some loud male cheering, she ventured outside to find the men shirtless and wrestling. A lot of skin showed, and she wasn’t the only woman to stop and stare.
“Cole is going to win,” remarked a strapping blonde.
“Please. Ark is totally going to twist him into a pretzel,” said a darker-skinned woman. “What about you? Who are you rooting for?”
“Me?” At their expectant stare, she ventured his name. “Stavros.”
Their eyes rounded, and one of them uttered, “Oooh. So you’re that girl.”
“About time the love bug caught him,” snickered the other.
“Excuse me? We’re not in love.”
“Yet. It will hit you soon enough, and you’ll realize there is no escape. But it’s not so bad. I’m Anja.” The big blond girl held out her hand. “And that’s Jade.
“And you must be Becka. Welcome to the family.”
Her hands waved, as did her head, as she replied, “I’m not family. Stavros is just a friend.”
Anja snickered. “Not for long.”
“She’s right,” Jade agreed. “There’s no fighting the mating instinct.”
“The what?”
“You know what he is?” At Becka’s blank look, Anja rolled her eyes. “The bear. You know he is a bear? So is my Cole.”
“And Ark. He’s the one who explained the mating instinct to me, once I stopped freaking out about the bear thing.”
“It was a bit of a shock,” Becka admitted.
“So he showed you the bear but didn’t explain why he refuses to leave your side.” Anja rolled her eyes. “Typical male.”
“He’s only been sticking close because there are some bad people after me.”
“That might be part of it, but I’ll bet the real reason is because he can’t help himself. The mating instinct makes it impossible for him to walk away from you.”
“I don’t understand.”
Jade’s turn to jump in to explain. “The
mating instinct is what happens when a shape-shifter encounters his fated mate. Think of it as love at first sight.”
“More like lust,” snickered Anja. “But accurate. Once they catch your scent”—she snapped her fingers—“it’s all over for them.”
“That seems awful. To not have a choice.” Becka shook her head. “What if the woman doesn’t want him?”
Anja uttered a derisive sound. “Seriously? Have you seen them?” The glistening male bodies still wrestled.
“Good looks and hot bodies aren’t the only thing that’s important.”
“How about the fact he’d chew off his own arm before he’d hurt you?” The pointed look at Becka’s fading bruises made her tuck her hands behind her back.
“Those had nothing to do with love.” But everything to do with why they were here, all of them gathered. A protective barrier between her and whoever wanted her. So many people who could now get hurt to protect one.
“Why the sad face?”
“I shouldn’t be here.”
“If you weren’t, then we wouldn’t have a cause for celebration.”
“Aren’t you worried? Hasn’t anyone explained to you that the guys after me are dangerous?”
“And?” Anja cocked her head.
Even Jade seemed unperturbed. “If they decide they’re going to help, it’s best to just go with the flow. Trust me when I say they don’t accept the word ‘no’ as an answer.”
“I’d prefer to have a choice.”
“That I can understand.” Anja’s gaze turned thoughtful. “So let me ask you, how do you feel about using yourself as bait?”
If it meant saving these people a world of trouble? “Tell me what I should do.”
CHAPTER 14
“No. Fuck no. Hell no.” It didn’t matter how many times he said it. It still happened. They were going to set a trap using Becka as bait.
Stavros hated the plan, even as he had to admit it was a good one. The bad part? It involved putting Becka in harm’s way, long enough to draw her enemies out of hiding so the sleuth could strike, because the fuckers were proving elusive.
He’d been so excited to have the SUV as a clue until a DMV search on the trashed vehicle showed it as stolen. No prints inside or out of it either. The first dead end.
As for the aerial rescue? Stavros still had people working on locating the helicopter, but without any kind of markings to identify it that was proving worse than looking for a needle in a haystack, dropped in a puddle of mud in the dark.
Whoever was behind the dudes in the black suits was good at hiding. So Stavros also turned his attention to his other problem, Fucktard, except he’d also disappeared. They’d yet to find any trace of him or his goons at any hotels.
While Stavros’s buddies on the force were more than happy to do some minor searches for him, they didn’t know enough about Fucktard to be able to put a trace on his credit cards. If he even had a credit card. He’d paid cash to the hotel.
Which left only two options to resolve the situation. Wait for the fuckers to show again, which would mean fun for everyone, but only if they did it soon. Keeping this many bears close by meant lots of food and chaos. They could do it for a few days, but if Becka’s enemies showed patience and waited weeks … things could get hairy. Not to mention, Becka would keep using it as an excuse to not let him get close.
Not acceptable.
She was his mate, and the sooner he could get her on board with that idea, the better for him, his bear, and a certain blue-balled pain centered in his groin.
Option two to fix the situation was to flush their prey. For that they needed the right kind of bait, aka Becka. Using her as bait, however, meant danger, and he didn’t like the idea of her being put in harm’s way. She’d suffered enough.
Of course she didn’t see it that way. She jumped all over that plan with no regard for herself or safety.
“I’ll do it.”
Wish she’d do me.
But in order for that to happen, he needed to kill Fucktard. So be it. Time for this bear to go from defensive to offensive, which meant planning, and for that he trusted only a few guys.
Stavros eyed his cousins—Cole, Ark, and Matthias—in the den, a real den with a desk and not a hole in a hill. Although the family did own a nice cavern in the Rockies. They spent a few family vacations there, swimming in the lake, eating the berries, scaring off tourists, and stealing their coolers. The ones with beer, not food.
Apart from his three cousins, he had a shitload more family on standby, all raring for a piece of the action. They could get some, given the brazenness thus far of the attacks.
“Okay, boys, given the fact someone showed up at my parents’ house, I’m going to assume the police investigation is compromised.” Because who else would have leaked his involvement? And even if his brothers in blue weren’t involved, he’d bet a certain lawyer he met outside the hotel was keeping close dibs. “Here’s the plan. I’ll drop Becka at the police station to give a deposition. She’ll ask for police protection, which means they’re going to put her in a motel with a few cop guards. I expect Fucktard or the other asshole will attack at night, only we’ll be ready for them.” Ready to fuck them up.
“About the guy we’re expecting. Are you sure you’re not shitting us about the whole vampire thing? ’Cause, if you are, I’m going to be massively disappointed.” Ark had loved the Blade movies as a cub and always wanted to fight the undead forces of darkness.
“Only you would be.” Stavros shook his head at Ark. Mating to Jade hadn’t tempered him one bit. Still a giant meathead. It was why Stavros loved the fucker so much.
“Let’s say buddy is a vampire. Did she mention which of the rumors are true? How do we take one out?” Cole, the family assassin, ever practical when it came to looking for ways to take down the enemy.
“She claims he avoids sunlight. His safe houses had metal shutters, and at the hotel he insisted they have the curtains closed even at night. But she doesn’t know for sure if sunlight will hurt him. Crosses and holy water don’t do shit. He can also eat garlic and pass as a human by eating and drinking like they do.”
“But he adds in a few pints of blood to wash it down.” Cole shook his head. “Fucking vampires. Who would have thought it.”
“I say we bring a few wooden and silver stakes,” which proved easier to acquire than expected. The internet was a wonderful thing, and a certain giant online store had same-day delivery for so many odd items, including a vampire-slaying kit.
“I’ll stick to using my hands. Ain’t too many things that will survive if you twist off their heads.” Ark cracked his knuckles. Given their size, not too many things would survive being crushed between them, period.
“Ready to do this?” There was no fear, no hesitation, in their enthusiastic “yes.” Bears feared nothing and no one.
The plan started off well, with Stavros driving Becka to the police station and his old partner Jenkins expecting her.
She seemed so cool and composed. “Seemed” being key. He could sense the trepidation trembling just beneath. “Are you sure you want to do this? I can turn around; we can try something else.”
“I have to do this.”
“You don’t have to do anything.” Except me. She should totally do me. Not the most appropriate thought given the situation but better than letting out a very beastly roar.
“If I don’t do something, then he’ll just keep coming after me.”
“No he won’t, because I’ll kill him.” Said perhaps a little more growly than he’d intended, yet oddly enough, it eased the sharp scent of fear emanating from her.
She placed her hand over his on the gearshift. It didn’t entirely soothe the beast. She should move it over a bit, say to the V of my thighs.
Bad bear.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course. Anything.”
“Some of the women mentioned something interesting to me. Something about a mating fever
. They seem to think you might be afflicted.”
He shot her a quick glance and noted her chewing her lower lip. “If you mean that from the moment I met you I was ready to lay down my life and give you my balls, then yes. I am a goner. You are destined to be my one and only.”
“And you’re okay with that?”
Not at first, but now … now he couldn’t imagine anything better. “How could I not be okay? Have you seen the awesome chick destiny paired me with?” He shot her a grin and loved that she didn’t duck her head at his frank words.
“But you barely know me.”
“I know enough. I know that, despite adversity, you showed enough strength to not only escape but bounce back. Or haven’t you noticed you’re no longer cringing every time someone touches you or looks at you?”
“It wasn’t strength but fear that had me escape. And I’m still scared of people, just not you.”
“Which is how it should be, and with time, you’ll learn to trust people around you again. That kind of experience doesn’t just evaporate. But you can get over it. You will get over it, because I’ll be there to help you.”
“I’m scared,” she admitted.
“So am I. Scared for you. But I’ve got a goal that I’m aiming for.”
“What is it?”
“You and me, naked in my bed fucking like bears.”
“Isn’t the expression ‘bunnies’?”
“They come too quick. Me, on the other hand…” He shot her a slow smile. “I can go for hours.”
“Oh.”
Yes, oh, and he couldn’t help but smile as her cheeks turned pink. The moment didn’t last. The police station drew into view, and he parked in the visitor lot. He gave her one last glance.
“Ready, sweetheart?”
She nodded her head.
“Showtime.”
CHAPTER 15
Showtime indeed. Becka couldn’t help but tremble inside at the realization of what she was about to do.
The police station loomed in front of her, a modern building with mirrored windows, concrete walls, and lots of men in uniforms with guns walking around. It should have made her feel safe, but from the moment she exited Stavros’s car nervousness assailed her.