Fealty of the Bear

by T. S. Joyce

  At least the sound of glass shattering in the bottom of the metal can seemed to pull Logan from the furious stare-down he was having with Bron. “I want to know what that is. Is he the one who forced you into a pairing?”

  “No!” She inhaled deeply. She really never planned on explaining this to anyone and now she was doing it in front of her ex and God! Could this get any more awkward? “Bron was my mate, but he didn’t force it. Our alphas did. He didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “What are you?” Bron asked in a soft, eerie voice. His head was canted and arms crossed, like he was trying to solve a puzzle.

  Logan’s eyes couldn’t pass for human at all anymore and were basically glowing.

  “What’s going on?” Samantha asked from the mouth of the hallway. “Who are you?”

  “This is Logan,” Muriel explained. “He stayed with me last night…well, not stayed with me last night. Just slept with me. Shit. Slept at my house, on my couch, and I’m about to give him a ride to his bike as soon as I’m finished here, and why the fuck do you still have these awful pictures, Bron?” She was panicking and rambling and Bron was staring at her like he’d just realized she was even here.

  “I haven’t taken them down yet. I’ve been a little busy, what with the funeral and all.”

  “Bullshit. We were separated for years before Trent died. They should’ve been trashed a long time ago.”

  “I honestly didn’t think about them, Muriel!” Bron was scary when he yelled. “They’ve been up on the wall since we bought this house and I don’t notice them anymore. I’ve had other shit on my mind.”

  A long warning snarl filled Logan’s throat. “Don’t yell at her.”

  Samantha retreated to the hallway with an arm slung around her hurt stomach. Slowly, she began removing the pictures from the wall. With a disgusted click of her teeth, Muriel strode in there and helped.

  The men were talking too low for her to hear, but they sounded pissed, so maybe it was better this way.

  “Is he yours?” Samantha whispered.

  “No,” Muriel said, yanking another picture off the wall. “He doesn’t want me.”

  “That’s bullshit,” Logan called from the living room. “I do and I told you as much.”

  Muriel’s eyes flew wide and a slow grin took Samantha’s face. He’s fucking hot, she mouthed.

  Yeah, and he was also the most confusing creature on the planet. He was fine with announcing he wanted her in front of mixed company, and he was an eager beaver to get into her panties last night, but he wouldn’t kiss her today, and she was utterly lost on how to decipher male communication.

  By the time she and Samantha chucked all the pictures into the office trashcan and made their way back down the hall, both Bron and Logan were seated on couches across from each other.

  Seeing Logan made her heart stutter. He’d as much as claimed her without actually claiming her in front of her friends, and now he was sitting on the sofa rubbing his hands vigorously through his hair in a gesture that seemed more agitation than habit.

  “I can’t offer you sanctuary now,” Bron said low. “I’ve just taken alpha and my clan is trying to overthrow me. Even if I declared you as an honorary member, you wouldn’t receive any help on my word alone. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s fine,” Logan rumbled. “I didn’t think you could help, I’m just running out of places to go.”

  “Who’s after you?” Bron asked.

  Logan shook his head. “It doesn’t matter if you can’t grant me sanctuary here. The less you know, the better.”

  Muriel perched on the arm of the couch beside him—a favorite place of hers when she’d lived here. In the last few seconds, she’d learned more about Logan’s reasons for being here than she’d been able to pry from him in the last day. So he was here seeking sanctuary from whomever caused those horrific injuries to him, and he didn’t want any of them knowing who he was running from. But he was running from someone. The thought of someone after him made her bear growl her discontent inside of her.

  Logan sighed and slid his big palm over the top of her thigh in a gesture so familiar and comfortable, she sucked her lips into her mouth and froze.

  Bron couldn’t seem to tear his gaze away from the affection Logan was showing, and he cracked his knuckles loudly. “You mean something to Muriel, or she wouldn’t let you touch her like that. Do I need to worry about the danger you’re putting her in?”

  Logan’s nostril’s flared as he inhaled slowly. “I won’t let anything happen to her. I owe her my life.”

  Muriel’s heart stuttered with what he was really saying. He was going to leave soon. Whatever was happening in his life was something he didn’t want to burden her with, and she was going to ache with what-could-have-beens when he rode his bike out of town.

  Samantha sank into the cushion next to her mate, and Bron dragged her tightly into her side and kissed her forehead. “Muriel, I didn’t only ask you to come for Samantha. I wanted to talk to you about something else.”

  “Trent?” she asked. She didn’t know how she knew, but she did.

  “Yes,” Bron confirmed. “I can’t get close enough to Marsden to ask him outright. I know you aren’t close to your dad, but what are your feelings on him as a suspect?”

  Muriel stared at the pines swaying in the breeze out the window. “I don’t know. I keep trying to imagine him killing Trent, or ordering one of his people to do it, but I can’t see it. I went to confront him yesterday to make sure my instincts are right, but I didn’t make it to camp.” She twitched her head at Logan. “Met him on my way and haven’t had a chance to get back out there again. I will though. I want to find Trent’s murderer too.”

  Sadness washed over Bron’s face and he nodded once. “I’d appreciate it if you could rule him and his clan out. I have to start narrowing our suspects down. The son of a bitch who did this can’t be allowed to get away with it.”

  “I heard about your brother’s death. I’m sorry for your loss,” Logan said. His eyes couldn’t pass for human yet, but at least he was trying. “I’m a good tracker, and from what I’ve heard, his death was recent. I can take a look at where it happened and try and see if I can pick up anything new if you want.”

  Bron’s eyes tightened, but he nodded. “Do you have time now?”

  Logan looked to Muriel, like she was supposed to grant permission or something. “Fine with me,” she said with a shrug.

  Bron’s truck was a two-seater and it was probably best if two dominant bear shifters weren’t shoved into the cab together.

  She wasn’t in any hurry to see where Trent had died, but if it would help Bron get any closer to finding out what really happened to his brother, she would play chauffeur.

  Chapter Seven

  Yellow police tape kept them from riding straight up to the old sawmill where Trent had been locked in and burned.

  Logan exited the jeep as soon as Muriel cut the engine, and she followed him as he held up a yellow strand of caution tape for her. Bron and Samantha trailed close behind and in silence, they picked their way toward the burned building.

  “Can you stand over here?” Logan asked, pointing to a grove of trees. “I need you two downwind. Bron, your scent is already all over here. Can you come with me to answer questions?”

  Bron followed Logan, and Muriel huddled close to Samantha. Bron had built the sawmill up on a hill at the back of his property, and it was much windier here. The chill bit through Muriel’s thin jacket, and she was grateful she’d decided to wear her snow boots today.

  Samantha was staring at the pile of rubble and ash with a horrified look on her face. This is where Trent had died, and the woods suddenly felt haunted. The hair rose on Muriel’s neck and she swatted it to rid herself of that watched feeling. Her skin burned where Logan had bit her last night. She thought he hadn’t broken the skin, but perhaps she’d been wrong.

  Logan tracked slowly up to the rubble, then took a wide and winding loop through the wo
ods around it. It had rained since Trent’s death, which would’ve wiped out any strong trails, but when half an hour passed and Logan was still asking infinite questions to Bron as they sifted through the edges of the rubble, Muriel leaned against an old Alder tree beside Samantha.

  “It’s weird being here,” Samantha said.

  “Yeah, tell me about it. I haven’t been up here since Trent passed.”

  “What was he like? I mean, as an adult? I only knew Trent until he was seventeen. I hate to bring him up to Bron because he’s struggling so much with everything, but I miss him, you know? He was one of my best friends growing up, and I missed his last six years.”

  Muriel swallowed the hard lump in her throat and squeezed her eyes tightly shut. “That was my fault. If I had been strong enough to say no to the arrangement our alphas put Bron and I into, you wouldn’t have had to leave.”

  “No, Muriel. I hope you don’t really think that. Bron said people from his clan were after me, even after his dad died. I am alive today because of what happened.” She slung her arm around Muriel’s shoulders and leaned her head against her. “Everything happened the way it was supposed to happen. And even if it was awful and painful, our destinies will right themselves. You’ll see.”

  She wished she could see things the way Samantha did. Her optimistic spirit made her appreciate Bron’s new mate even more. “Do you think it’s weird to be around me?”

  “Why would it be?” Samantha asked.

  “Because I was married to your mate. Because I was the reason he had to leave you. Geez, because I had carnal knowledge of Bron. This just has the potential to be really awkward.”

  “Maybe it would be strange if you’d loved him. Did you?”

  “No. I had someone else, like he had you in high school. Being with Bron felt like cheating on the boy I’d loved. And I couldn’t bring myself to love a man who belonged entirely to another woman.”

  “Well, I don’t know how this stuff would work for other people, but I like you and I don’t care about all of the mess we got caught up in. You gave me my bear and gave me Bron. I don’t feel awkward. You and Reese are the only girl friends I have here. I’m not losing half of that just because of some silly notion about how I’m supposed to feel.”

  Muriel smiled and leaned her head against the top of Samantha’s. “Trent was a wild man. And funny, oh God, he could have us in stitches no matter how dire things looked. He was so quick, I felt like I had to be on top of my game when he was around and be ready to respond to whatever wise-crack was going to come from his mouth. He didn’t like me too much though.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because he was always loud about his preference for you. He was always busting Bron’s balls for choosing wrong. It was hard, because I liked Trent and I wanted him to accept me, but I understood. I was a poor stand-in for you.”

  Samantha shook her head slowly. “You weren’t a poor substitution for me, Muriel. We were just put in a position we shouldn’t have been. Besides, if we didn’t go through the trials we did, you wouldn’t have been able to fully appreciate that fine specimen of a man right there. He’s a good one to be helping Bron find someone he has no beef with.”

  Logan was good. Muriel could feel it when she was with him, but he’d be gone soon and every minute she spent with him now, she bonded more tightly to him. Separating from him was going to hurt.

  Logan bent down and dragged something from beneath a charred log. From here, it looked like a small square of burned fabric, and he and Bron talked over it and passed it between them as they studied it.

  “What is it?” Muriel called, when the suspense became too much.

  Logan twitched his head in invitation, and she helped Samantha to her feet.

  Gravel crunched under her boots as she approached, and Logan handed her a half burned book of matches. “You know that logo?” he asked.

  No writing had survived the fire, only a green colored looping design.

  “I don’t know it. Is this what the murderer used?”

  “We think so,” Bron said. “We didn’t bring matches of any kind up to the sawmill because of all the dry lumber. This isn’t ours.”

  Logan took the marred matchbook from her hands and frowned at the partial logo. “The scents have all been washed out but Bron’s, probably because of the rain. I think they drove up to where we are parked and hoofed it the rest of the way so your brother wouldn’t hear them coming. Tire tracks wouldn’t have survived the rain either, but if we can figure out where this came from, we can work outward from there.”

  Bron offered his hand to shake and Logan grasped it. “Thanks, man,” Bron said gruffly. “You going to be in town for a while? Dillon and I could use someone not close to the clan to help us out with our search.”

  “Actually, I’m headed out as soon as I get my bike back. I do wish you luck in finding whoever did this though. Wish I could be there when you string ’em up.”

  “Well, if you change your mind, I have some temporary work for you on my construction crew. Trent used to run the lumber side of things, but we do remodeling and repairs, and one of my boys betrayed my mate. I’m down a man. The job is yours if you want it.”

  “I appreciate the offer, man.” The smile Logan gave Bron was a sad one, and Muriel swallowed her disappointment down.

  “I can’t give you the safety of my clan,” Bron said as they ambled back to the waiting vehicles. “But you seem to have won Muriel’s respect and that says something about your character. If you find yourself in a tight spot, please come to me.”

  The wind shifted and it lifted Muriel’s hair. She shivered and imagined claws reaching across her neck.

  “What happened here?” Samantha asked, lifting her hair completely.

  Muriel ducked away, but Bron was staring at her with a baffled look on his face. God, this was mortifying. She’d just been love bite busted by her ex-husband and his new mate.

  A slow smile spread across Bron’s face and he dragged his gaze to Logan, who looked nothing shy of obnoxiously proud. A knowing look passed from Bron to Logan and her ex shook his head and muttered, “You should probably tell her, man.”

  “Tell me what?” Muriel asked, irritated by their little secret code conversation.

  “Nothing you need to worry about,” Logan said.

  She wanted to kick them both in the shins for whatever stupid game they were playing.

  Muriel looked at Samantha for explanation, but she was frowning in confusion at her mate and likely didn’t have any more answers than she did.

  All of the tension seemed to have dissipated between the two dominant males who were now sporting the most agitating pair of grins.

  “Whatever,” she muttered as she barely avoided the urge to stomp to the jeep. Ghost Trent was probably laughing his ass off in the woods beside them at what an idiot she looked like.

  “Don’t be mad,” Logan said, lifting her into his arms so fast her breath caught.

  “You’ll tear your stitches, and I’m not redoing them,” she gritted out.

  “The stitches feel fine. Hey,” he said, setting her down on the passenger’s seat. “How about I’ll make it up to you and buy you breakfast in town on the way to pick up my bike?”

  Well, that did make her perk up a little. She was hungry and he was offering her more time with him.

  “Are you asking me on a date?” she said saucily.

  “If I did, would you say yes?”

  Biting her lip to stifle the grin there, she shrugged.

  Logan locked his elbows on either side of her hips and leaned forward to sip her lips in a tender kiss. “Muriel Marsden, will you go on one date with me before I skip out of town?”

  She pretended to think about it. “Only one date though. I can’t have you falling in love with me.”

  The smile fell from his face and his gaze dipped to her mouth. “Okay.”

  His tone was so serious, she frowned and touched the corner of his eye. “What di
d I say wrong?”

  “Bye!” Samantha called from the open window of Bron’s truck. Gravel crunched and pinged against the undercarriage as they made their way down the hill. Logan waved in a manly, two-fingered gesture.

  “I don’t want to go,” Logan murmured, returning his attention to her. He leaned down until the top of his head rested against Muriel’s chest.

  She inhaled deeply and ran her fingers through his dark hair. “So don’t.”

  “You’re the reason I can’t stay,” he said. “My being around you puts you in their path.”

  “Whose path?”

  His back strained against his jacket with a sigh and she stared at the woods over his shoulders. He was closing down, and she wanted so badly to hold onto this peaceful moment a little while longer.

  “There are things I can’t tell you. I can’t tell anyone, but for the first time, I wish I could share it with somebody.” He straightened and splayed his legs so he was closer to eye level with her. He gripped the hair behind her ears gently. “I wish I could tell you everything.”

  “Me too.”

  “You could’ve warned me that I was walking into your ex-mate’s house, Muriel.”

  “But it was so fun watching you find out,” she said with a giggle.

  He leaned forward and nibbled her ear. “That’s a dangerous game to play, woman.”

  “Were you jealous?”

  “Did you want me to be?” Logan kissed her jaw line and she practically purred under his affection.

  “You can’t just answer a question, can you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Yes, you can answer a question?”

  “Yes, I was jealous. Seeing that picture of you two all dressed up and posed…” He shook his head. “After last night, my feelings for you are different. I don’t want to compete for you today. I want you for myself.”

  “Just for pretend?”

  “Not for pretend. I want you to be mine for today, because that’s all I can have without putting you in danger. I’m going to take you out for breakfast, and then when we get my bike, we’re going to say goodbye like I’ll be back. That’s what I want.”