by C. D. Gorri
Him? Hot? Dimples thinks this douche is hot! His Bear growled at the reminder.
It took one second of observation for Taylor to begrudgingly acknowledge the man was not unattractive with his tanned skin, dark eyes, and brooding expression.
Of course, he was the opposite of golden-blonde, green-eyed Taylor. Stocky where Taylor was lithe. Serious-faced where, Taylor was always smiling. He was charming dammit, not broody like this guy. Fuck. And Dimples was attracted to him?! That did it.
“What the motherfucking fuck is this fucker doing here?!” Taylor exploded into the room.
A single, raised hand from his brother, his Alpha, stopped him in his tracks. Motherfucking shit.
Taylor growled. The dick had Krissy’s scent all over him. Jasmine and vanilla mixed with the stranger’s own smoky ursine fragrance. He wanted to rip the fucker’s head clear off his neck. Grinning bastard!
“Stop. Now. Sit down, Taylor, you too, Danny.”
Daniel took the seat to Marcus’ left and Taylor slid into the one on the right. The air in the room was thick with tension.
He noted Danny had adopted his no-nonsense Enforcer face. Good. He hoped the fucker sweated under that gaze. You have no idea, pal. Having been on the receiving end of said stare, Taylor knew just how ruthless Daniel could be.
“Daniel, Taylor. I know you’ve met our mystery guest here earlier, but let me introduce you officially to Nate Cordoza,” Marcus rarely used his controlled Alpha voice when it was just them in the Den.
Taylor reckoned it had more to do with the man sitting at the end of their kitchen table than anything else. He took no offense. An Alpha’s job was to control potentially dangerous situations for the well-being of the entire Clan. His brother was a good Alpha.
He watched as Marcus’ gaze never left the strange Bear Shifter, wondering at his brother’s odd behavior. Then he knew, because two words left Marcus’ mouth that Taylor would have never guessed in a million years
“Our brother.”
Disbelief and fury warred within Taylor, but before he had a chance to speak Daniel leapt across the table and had the newcomer by the throat.
“What the fuck did you say?”
“Daniel!” Taylor yelled.
“Let him go!” Marcus’ voice rang with power.
For some reason, Taylor found himself with his arms wrapped around Daniel’s waist, hoisting him off the man who claimed to be their brother. They left him on the floor while Taylor backed Daniel into the far corner.
Nate gasped and rolled to his knees, sucking oxygen in greedily. Daniel, Marcus, and Taylor were breathing heavily as well. Bits of broken chair crunched under his shoes as he went to the sink to run some water over his mostly healed face.
“It’s true. We share the same blood,” Nate stood up and eyed the three men wearily.
“Alright, alright! Sit the fuck down and you two stay calm. We need to hear what he has to say!” Marcus barked the order out and Taylor stiffened. Shit. He was right though. They needed to hash this shit out.
With one chair down, they still had enough for them all to sit. Clary, their housekeeper was gonna be pissed as hell though.
The Barvale Clan Den had seen its fair share of rumbles, but never in the kitchen. That was Clary’s domain. The older woman was widowed at an early age, but she helped raise the Devlin brothers and still took care of them to this day.
Yeah, Taylor mused, she was going to be pissed. But he wasn’t going to let any errant thoughts distract him. This was serious. He donned his Keeper persona and focused on the stranger.
“I’ve scented you behind the bakery. You’ve been watching us.”
It was a statement not a question, but Taylor noted the surprise in Nate’s eyes before the other man nodded.
He inhaled and frowned. It was all so clear now, that intangible thing that had bothered him since he’d walked those woods hours before. He’d failed to understand the significance earlier that night, but now he knew.
The strange Bear’s scent that he’d sniffed out early that evening had riled his Bear because of the familiar, or rather, familial notes in it. His Bear had recognized family even as his human half shuddered to think what that meant.
“Please. Start from the beginning,” Marcus said and sat back with his face an impassive mask.
Taylor felt pride swell inside his chest. His brother was already exercising the kind of leadership skills it took his father years to learn, according to his Keeper’s journals.
Taylor sat back and trusted in Marcus’ judgement. He stilled his racing heart and did his best to remain calm. He was his Alpha’s Keeper and it was his job to listen and record the events of the night.
“Let me begin by saying, I come from a small Clan in eastern Texas. We’re no more than fifty Bears. There’s a lot of land there, not like here so we aren’t close-knit.”
“Fuck, just fifty of you?” Daniel asked.
“Well, now they’re down to forty-nine. I was sort of kicked out. Too much trouble,” Nate raised his eyebrow as if waiting for them to argue the point.
He continued his tale, speaking frankly and openly to the three virtual strangers who were his half-brothers, if he was to be believed. Hmm. Another brother?
Yes, his Bear answered. Taylor reluctantly appreciated the truth in Nate’s statements. He had a third brother. One who kissed Dimples. Grrr.
He shook his head to rid himself of the image. That was for another time. Nate was talking about his Alpha now. There was no obvious disrespect, but Taylor could tell he did not like the man. He repeated how his mother had refused to leave the area and the Clan she grew up in.
“Are you a full Black Bear?” Marcus asked, his animal glowing through his dark eyes. The tension rose in the room, but quickly dissipated.
Marcus was a strong Alpha, his natural dominance bringing the other Shifters present to heel, so to speak. Not a bad thing actually, Taylor reluctantly admitted to himself as he rolled his shoulders to calm his agitated animal.
“Half Black Bear, half Grizzly. I’m a tad furrier than the average Black Bear Shifter and larger too. There were some in my old Clan that had an issue with me being a mixed breed. I had to prove myself many times during my life in Texas,” Nate grunted the answer.
“Well, you’re in my Clan now and we don’t fuck around with any prejudice here. Anyone who shows themselves to be a bigot or all-around asshole usually answers to Daniel here. He’s our head Enforcer. Taylor’s our Clan Keeper. And as you know, I am the Alpha.”
Nate grunted in reply. He kept his eyes carefully trained to the side of Marcus’ face. Not meeting the Alpha’s gaze was a wise choice. Well fuck, he’s smart too, Taylor thought.
“Are you here to challenge me, Nate?” Marcus’ timber was deep with his rising Bear.
A show of dominance now and again was not uncommon amongst Shifters, but Taylor was still somewhat shocked.
“No. That’s not why I am here. I’ve just lost my mother, my old Clan hates me, figured I’d leave before they kicked me out anyway. I headed up North on a whim to see if I could find out who I really am,” he scowled self-deprecatingly.
Taylor felt a tug of sympathy for the guy. As Keeper, he had inside knowledge of the inner workings of Bear Clans. He knew that what Nate was saying was true.
The Black Bear Grizzly Shifter was seen as a threat by his old Clan. Their sorry excuse for an Alpha didn’t want to take on Nate and lose so he’d allowed their bigotry to push him out. Dishonorable fuck.
“Look. You know I’m not lying about this. My mom passed away. I never knew my father. I found this letter among her papers when I was cleaning out the house after it was suggested to me that I move on,” he reached into his pocket.
Everyone tensed. Daniel went deceptively still, ever ready as an Enforcer should be. They all relaxed when Nate pulled out a faded envelope creased with wrinkles.
It looked old and worn, as if it had been read multiple times over the years. He handed th
e envelope to Marcus, but Taylor read the return address before his brother flipped it over to take the letter out. The postage stamp was from Barvale, New Jersey. Fuck.
“I’m going to read aloud,” Marcus grumbled, “‘Dear Rosita, I wanted to write you to try and express my feelings about our weekend together. You gave me peace when I thought I’d lost all hope. You are the most generous woman I have ever met, and I will cherish the memory of you always. It was your sweetness and kindness that made me see I have to try and work things out with my wife. I will never forget you. Please call me if you ever need anything. Always, Iggy D.’”
“Shit,” said Daniel.
“So, Iggy is your father, right? Well, is Daddy home then?” Nate rapped his knuckles on the table and looked at his three half-brothers with a rueful grin on his face.
“Uh, no. Dad is travelling in his retirement. Look, this letter is hardly proof-” Daniel started, but Taylor interrupted him.
“He’s telling the truth,” Taylor gritted his teeth. He hated the thought, but he knew Nate was telling them the truth based on the journals he’d been reading.
“Dad’s old Keeper has a record of his early travels. He spent a lot of time in the West, after Daniel was born. You’re from the Flint Clan?”
“Yes. I mean, I was, I am sort of Clan-less at the moment.”
“Fuck that. Don’t you recognize his scent? It’s ours, mixed with his grizzly side. He’s our brother, Marcus, he belongs here,” Taylor addressed his oldest brother.
“Wait a second. Now you want him here? You just tried to kill him outside of The Thirsty Dog!”
“I didn’t try to kill him,” Taylor growled, embarrassed.
Nate stared back and forth between the men as if they’d gone nuts. The tension still remained in the air, but it eased with every breath. He was a dominant Bear, but not even close to Marcus. Yes. This was an Alpha he could respect.
“Look, I’m not trying to start anything here. Just thought I’d meet the man that sired me, and I don’t know, maybe see if I could fit in. I’m not some teenager looking for a home. But I am a Bear Shifter, and you know I would be better, my Bear would be better, more cooperative, if I had a home with a Clan,” his face burned bright red and Taylor scented his discomfort.
An unfamiliar urge to protect the Bear that he’d wanted to kick the shit out of only an hour ago filled him. WTF?
“Yes. That is true, Nate, and until we can reach our father and come to a decision, you are welcome to remain here. We will call it a trial period. If there are no problems and you want to stay after that, we will have an induction ceremony, does that work for you?”
“Really?”
“Yes. We need to wait for Dad to confirm your identity, but I believe, based on what our Bears are all telling us here, that you are indeed our half-brother.”
“Uh,” Nate started, but Marcus continued, ignoring the interruption.
“We will help settle your Bear either way, Nate. Now, welcome. This is our Clan Den, but it is also our family home. Visiting Bears stay here sometimes. The Devlin’s live here. My mate and I live here. There are currently several empty bedrooms.”
“Uh, it’s nice?”
“You’ll stay here in Barvale.”
“Okay. Thanks,” Nate moved to stand, but Marcus levelled a look that sent him back to his chair.
“I mean, here. As in, you are staying in the Den, little brother.”
Taylor laughed at the baffled look on Nate’s face and the pissed off one on Daniel’s. Hmm. Another brother. Well, well. He didn’t really know why he trusted the Bear all of a sudden, but his beast was telling him to. Taylor decided he’d ignored the animal’s instincts for too long now. He was going to listen from now on.
“Look, there’s a private entrance to this room, over here. Thought you might prefer that for now. There are some smaller cabins on the property as well, but they aren’t furnished,” Taylor talked as he showed Nate to one of the huge bedrooms in the basement floor of the Den.
The strange Bear was a little tense, as if he didn’t know what to expect of the three Devlin brothers. Nate Cordoza. Taylor rolled the name around his head.
His Bear had no ill feelings towards the man, if anything the animal was glad to have found family. Especially since he believed his new brother would not go after his mate now that he knew they were related.
“Look, Taylor, the woman from the bar-”
“Dimples? What about her?” Taylor tensed.
“Yeah man, my bad. She didn’t smell mated or I would never have hit on her like that,” Nate ran a hand through his long, dark hair. He looked about ten years younger. Unsure and abashed.
“Um, we’re not mated. That is, uh, fuck. It’s complicated,” Taylor opened a drawer underneath the bed and pulled out clean sheets and pillows, he and Nate proceeded to make up the bed and he continued.
“We’ve known each other for a long time, me and Dimples, you know? Like since we were in high school. Suddenly, I don’t know-”
“Dimples?” Nate asked and Taylor growled. My Dimples. Mine. Nate raised his hands in surrender.
“Nah, man, I get it. You just realized she’s your fated mate, bro, and the Bear went a little crazy. Shit’s totally normal. I’ve seen it happen a time or two.”
“Uh, yeah. I guess. I mean fated mates? I don’t know, I never believed in that kind of thing until Marcus brought his girl home. Anyway, she’s pissed as hell at me right now.”
“I bet,” Nate grinned.
“Look, did your mom ever say anything about my dad to you?”
“No. when I asked her who my father was, she’d say shit like he was the sweetest man she’d ever met, but he had responsibilities. She never told him about me.”
“Damn man, I am sorry. It might have been fun though, having another older brother growing up.”
“How do you know I’m older?”
“Age?”
“Twenty-seven.”
“Ha! I’m twenty-six! Besides I read the journals. I know what years Dad was visiting the Flint Clan.”
“Makes sense.”
“Yeah. See you tomorrow, old man,” Taylor nodded and left him there to settle in.
A mate and a new brother in one night. Holy shit.
Chapter 8
“What a day,” Krissy groaned as she hurried to grab a few of her reusable grocery bags from sliding off the front seat of her pickup while she turned onto her street.
She’d expected a phone call or something the day after the incident at The Thirsty Dog, but surprisingly not one person had reached out to her after the debacle. The second day after the incident, she’d been kind of antsy, but she busied herself with some much-needed household chores.
Predictably, she thought of Taylor while she’d worked. He’d seemed intent on speaking with her the night of the fight, but he hadn’t made one move towards her the day after. As it turned out, he did not attempt to reach out the second day either.
She broke down and texted Marie, the older woman who ran things at the Barvale store to see how everything was going. To her utter shock, Marie texted her that Taylor was filling in for her during her stay-cation.
Krissy had balked at the idea. Taylor couldn’t be trusted to remember half of the things she normally did. But Marie insisted that he was there, and he was doing a bang-up job. She’d shrugged and put down the phone.
That was a while ago. In total, she’d been gone from Bear Claw for five days. And they hadn’t even cared. Business carried on without her. They didn’t need her.
Oh no! She missed her job. Krissy actually loved the bakery. The smells and sounds, and the routine. She dealt with vendors and all sorts of staff all day long. It had been unsettling, the quiet of being home alone.
Her chest felt tight as panic set in. Did she blow the only job she’d ever had? Maybe the brothers realized they didn’t need her now? OMG. Was she actually fired?
She didn’t even want to go down that road. Instead,
she headed to the Barvale Pharmacy and Convenient Store and picked up her mother’s prescription.
She also bought a few feminine necessities. Nothing like a steady menstrual cycle to remind a girl she was unmated and never having babies.
Ugh. Her Bear roared in her mind’s eye. We have a mate. A good, handsome mate. Our body is good, healthy, getting ready for cubs. Claim him. Make cubs.
Krissy shushed her beast. She always had to keep a firm leash on her Bear. Especially when Taylor was around. The silly animal insisted he was her one and only, but she knew he didn’t reciprocate her feelings.
Regardless of how much his behavior the other night resembled jealousy. Yes. He was protective. He is a good mate. Mine.
NO! Shh. Easy girl! It’s just period hormones. We’ll settle in with some of this brownie batter ice cream and that new Gosling flick, in another day or so we’ll be good as new.
Her Bear chuffed at the shameless use of her favorite treat to dissuade her from thinking about Taylor. And cubs. Mostly Taylor. Ice cream always did the trick!
Krissy hummed to herself as she drove down the quiet, oak lined street that led to the small Victorian she grew up in. Her maternal grandparents left the place to her mom when Krissy was just a little girl.
Thank goodness! Who knew where her mother would have wound up after her husband abandoned her and their two daughters? He’d left just a few weeks after she’d first been diagnosed with cancer. The rat!
Krissy admired her mother’s grit and strength. Cancer was a mean son-of-a-bitch and it didn’t discriminate.
Patricia Sposa had been given more than her fair share of woes, and yet through it all she’d remained kind and supportive. Not to mention grateful for all of Krissy’s hard work.
Well, she didn’t want her mother’s gratitude, she just wanted her to be well. She said a silent prayer in her head for the mother who’d raised her.
Briefly distracted, Krissy slammed on the brakes when she saw a familiar Range Rover in her driveway. Grrr. Now? He’s here now? Ugh. What the heck did he want?