“If you become Puma or Wolf, you’ll lose your life.”
He sounded so certain, Tabby couldn’t doubt him. “Cyn, you should wait.”
She nodded. “I’m not an idiot.” She turned back to Julian. “Give me reasons why you want things from me. I’m a lot more likely to listen to that than some bullshit about not being ready. Got it?”
He nodded again.
“I will deal with you later.” He opened his mouth to speak, but Cyn held up her hand, stopping him. Tabby could tell she was still furious, that Latina temper still riled. “I have to go clean my shop. Tabby, do me a favor. Make sure he gets home. He looks half-dead.”
“We can drop you off first.”
Cyn smiled. “I could use the walk.” She headed for the door, making sure to avoid touching Julian on her way out. “Bye, Emma. Bye, Becky.”
The women echoed her goodbye and watched her through the plate glass window. Julian kept his back to the door, his expression blank. Tabby knew he was hurt by Cyn’s rejection.
“Well. That was fun. Not.” Emma shook her head, her hands on her hips. “Someone needs to give her a time-out. Maybe a nap.”
Tabby started to laugh. Julian rolled his eyes. “I’ll take care of her, don’t worry.”
“Whether she likes it or not?”
Tabby jumped to her friend’s defense. “She doesn’t think she needs taking care of. She’s got reasons for why she’s acting the way she is. I know some of them, but not all of them. Emma, remember what you told me about Rick, that I should be honest with him and tell him everything? Julian, that’s what you need to do with Cyn. She sort of had a mushroom childhood.”
“A what?”
“She was plunked down in the dark and fed a lot of bullshit.”
“Oh. Yeah, that would do it.” Emma waved. “Listen, I have inventory to sort out. I’ll talk to all of you later. And Tabby? Be available when Rick gets here, okay?” Before Tabby could protest, Emma was back through the curtain, effectively cutting her off.
“Nice exit.” Tabby turned back to Julian. He was smiling. More of his hair was its natural black. Very little could keep Julian down for long, not even rejection from his mate. Tabby bet he was already figuring out ways to get around Cyn’s temper.
“She’s good at those.” Becky settled back down on the couch. “Crisis over?”
“For now,” Julian said. He gave Tabby a long look. “We need to talk.”
“Ugh. More talking? I’m all talked out. How about hunting?”
Julian’s expression blanked. “Hunting?”
“No lunch. The pizza’s probably long cold by now and Alex already ate without me.”
“He wouldn’t want you out there by yourself.”
She grinned. “I won’t be. You’ll be with me.” She reached up and patted his cheek. “Couldn’t you go for a nice warm rabbit right about now?”
“Fine, but you’re letting him know where we are.”
“Can do. C’mon, let’s go. I’m dying for a good run.”
“Amen.” Julian shuddered all over. “I’d love to get into my fur.”
“Then it’s a done deal.” She knew just the place to take him, too. Far enough away from the college that Gary couldn’t give her grief without disobeying the local Alpha, yet close enough that she wouldn’t have to drive into the next town over just to avoid the college. She waved bye to Becky and dragged Julian out of the store. “C’mon, the car’s this way.”
Julian’s smile turned grim. “Of course it is.”
She stopped. “Uh-oh. Why do I have the feeling this is one of those I-know-something-you-don’t-know moments?”
Julian stopped. “You’re taking me into the woods northeast of Halle, the ones farthest from the college. We’ll change, run, and Gary will be there. We’ll fight. I’m pretty sure you’ll survive.”
Tabby blinked. “How the fuck does Gary know we’re going running? We just decided that!”
“He doesn’t. He’s deliberately ignoring Max’s direct order to stay on the college campus. Why, I have no idea, but there it is.”
Shit. “Okay, maybe Burger King for lunch.” Or maybe they could go in a completely different direction, like right behind the campus?
He shook his head and grabbed her arm. “If we don’t do this now, people will die.”
Well, shit. “Where’s Alex?”
Julian shook his head. “I don’t know. I don’t know anything after…”
Oh. Oh shit.
After he’s dead.
She pulled out her cell phone and handed it to Julian. “Start dialing.”
He looked startled, but only for a moment. He began to punch in numbers, his face tight. “Bunny? Meet Tabby and me in the woods northeast of Halle. We’re going hunting.” He winced and pulled the phone from his ear. Tabby could hear Alex roaring on the other end. “Listen to me! It’s important.” The commanding tone was back in Julian’s voice. On the other end of the line, Alex stopped roaring. “I had a vision. You need to meet us there. Got it?”
“Got it,” she heard Alex rumble. She unlocked the doors of the Jeep and settled in, buckling her seat belt. Julian joined her and she started the engine. “Keep her safe, Julian.”
“I’ll do my best.”
She took off with a squeal of tires, heading for the outskirts of Halle.
“Do better.”
She felt a grim smile flirting around her mouth. Her big, overprotective Bear was having a fit that he wasn’t the one there to protect her.
“We’ll be in those woods in about twenty minutes. Get there as fast as you can.” Julian hung up the phone and placed it on her console.
She blinked. “That’s it? Alex is our only reinforcement?”
Julian smiled, one of those enigmatic expressions she was beginning to realize meant he knew more than he was willing to share. “Everyone else will come when needed. I know that much.”
“Okay.” She wasn’t certain a few well-placed phone calls wouldn’t be better, but she had to trust that Julian knew what he was doing.
“Ryan, we gotta go.”
“No.” Ryan’s eyes hadn’t left Glory once. They’d remained a deep chocolate brown the entire time. “You go. I need to stay and protect my mate.”
“I don’t need protection!” Glory gritted through clenched teeth.
Bunny agreed. “She’s right. Julian had a vision. He and Tabby are headed into the woods, and I think they’re going after Gary. They need us. Glory doesn’t.”
Glory’s eyes narrowed. “And you are not leaving me behind while my friend is in danger.”
“You want to come?”
She opened her mouth to answer and saw the smirk on Ryan’s face. “I want to go with you. Asshole.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “You aren’t going anywhere.”
“Says who?”
“Says me. Gary might have more friends we don’t know about. I’m not leaving you unprotected.”
Glory’s pixie face turned grim. “Your cousin’s mate is in danger. You could solve your problem by putting me on the back of your bike and taking me with you, thus protecting both of us. You’ll know where I am even while you fight.” She suddenly glared up at him. “And if you think you can keep me locked up in here while Tabby’s in trouble, you’re sorely mistaken. I will figure out a way out of here and when I do I will make your life a living hell.” She reached up and yanked on his shirt, bringing the much larger man down to her. Bunny knew Ryan allowed it, if he’d wanted she’d have a better chance of lifting herself off the floor that way than dragging him down. “Do we understand one another?”
Ryan pretended to think about it. “Define living hell.”
She snarled at him. “Have you ever had Icy Hot smeared inside your jock strap?”
His expression blanked. “Um. Yes. That would be a version of hell.”
They didn’t have time for this. “We have to go now, people.”
Ryan sighed. “You stay where I
put you, Glory.” When she went to argue, he covered her mouth with his hand, a hand that took up almost half her face. “I mean it. You aren’t in any way ready to get into a shifter battle. I can’t fight and protect you at the same time. Got it?”
She nodded.
“Get the keys to the shop and start locking up.”
She ran into the back room.
“You always meant to take her.” Bunny was sure of it. His stubborn cousin had given in way too easily.
Ryan shrugged. “I need her to start trusting me. If giving her this helps, then fine. But understand, she’s my first priority. Any sign she’s in trouble or distress and I’m done.”
Bunny nodded. He understood. He felt the same way about Tabby.
“Let’s go.” Glory somehow managed to both stomp and drift out of the room. It was amazing. Bunny figured it had something to do with the wispy, gypsy-like clothes she favored.
“You heard the woman. Let’s go.” Ryan followed Glory out the door, Bunny leading the way.
He hoped the Pumas understood how badly he wanted to end this thing with Gary. If the Wolf laid one paw on Tabby, he was going to wind up a rug.
Tabby got out of the Jeep and began undressing. You couldn’t change in clothes; you’d get tangled up in them. Rumor had it that Emma’s first change had happened that way, although the details were sketchy and she tended to yowl whenever her mate brought it up. She folded her clothes neatly and laid them on the passenger seat.
“Here.”
She turned to take Julian’s clothing and faced him naked for the first time.
Dayum. The boy was fine. She eyed him up and down, wolf-whistling at him. Smooth skin glided over defined muscle. Well-defined pecs without a trace of hair drifted down to a washboard stomach and a cock that, even with her limited experience (and his limited interest), still managed to look impressive. His legs were long and lean. Hell, even the man’s feet were sexy. Julian had the build of a runner, strong and sleek. Alex was built more like a body builder or wrestler. She could very easily see Cyn totally losing it when she finally got Julian naked.
He waggled his eyebrows, a cheeky grin crossing his face. “You’re not bad yourself.”
She eyed him appreciatively. “Cyn is in a hell of a lot of trouble.”
Some of the amusement left his face. “Yeah. If I get out of this.”
She could sense his nerves and his determination. Whatever was going to go down was inevitable now. She would do everything she could to see that Julian came out of this alive. “Let’s change.”
He nodded, and began to shift.
Watching another person shift shape was incredible. There was no blinding flash of light and bam, you had a bear. Nor was there the sound of crunching, grinding bones and sizzling agony seen in horror films. It was more like watching water flow through the person, moving them, bending them, blending them with their animal in a liquid haze of a dream until the man was gone and only Bear remained. She knew if she’d touched him during his shift all she would have felt was warmth, the comforting presence of man and beast flowing through her fingers. Anyone looking on from the outside would assume the feeling would be wet or slimy, but it wasn’t. It was airy and tingled in her palms. It was sensual and innocent in a way a non-shifter could never understand.
When Julian was done shifting, she got her first good look at a Kermode Bear. He was almost pure white, with a smattering of light gold fur at his shoulders and along his back. He had a thick, stubby tail and a long snout with a black nose. He had the general shape of a black bear with his rounded ears and sleek body, unlike Alex’s more blunted face, heavy ruff and humped, muscled back. He was easily a few feet shorter than Alex’s Bear. Make his fur black instead of white and he’d look right at home in these woods.
Julian grumbled at her. He wanted her to call her Wolf. With a smile, she allowed the change, pulling her Wolf to the front, more than ready to run on four paws. She lifted her nose to the breeze, catching the faint scent of rabbit, mouse, and the occasional deer.
No sign of Gary or his friends. Not yet, anyway.
The big white Bear sat back and began rolling on the ground, a strange sound coming from him. If she didn’t know better, she’d swear he was laughing at her. She yipped at him, dancing around him, eager to get him moving.
Julian got up and shook his head, swiping his tongue along her ear. He made that strange sound one more time before settling his weight on all fours, waiting for her to lead the way.
With a flick of her muzzle she pointed toward the north. Julian nodded his great white head and followed her. She kept the pace easy for him, unsure how much energy he would need in the coming battle.
And, from the prickling of her ears, the battle was almost upon them, with or without Gary’s scent.
He saw her Jeep, but not her. Damn it. She should have waited for him before heading off on her own. God knew what kind of trouble she’d get into before he found her. Fuck the fact that Julian was with her, he needed to be the one protecting her.
Bunny tried his best to still his growing anxiety. He didn’t know if she’d run into Gary yet or not, but from here on out they were moving silently, leaving the bikes behind. The sound of their Harleys would alert Gary to their presence, and they definitely didn’t want to do that. If they were lucky, they’d catch up to Gary before he did any damage. If they could get him to the Alpha and prove he’d disobeyed a direct command from the local authorities, he’d be banished from Halle, possibly even disciplined by his own Pack Alpha. Bunny could only hope so.
He parked the bike next to Tabby’s SUV and stopped the engine. “Ready?”
Ryan pulled off his helmet and dismounted. “Just a minute.” He held out his hand for Glory’s helmet. Her pale blue hair tumbled down to her waist. From the dazed expression on her face he’d say she’d never ridden a motorcycle before. Either that or she’d always remained on tarmac. The drive through the woods had been rough. “You okay?”
“I think my tailbone is broken.” She got off with a wince, shaking out her filmy skirts. “Well, damn. You broke my ass.”
Ryan stopped her. “You stay where I put you, right?”
She glared at Ryan and slammed the helmet into his stomach. He coughed out a surprised breath. “Let’s go, Teddy.”
Before they could start off, another motorcycle pulled up next to them. Bunny grinned. He recognized the bike. “Hey, Dad.”
Ryan waved. “Hey, Uncle Will.”
“Boys.” His father got off the bike, his hazel eyes somber, his dark hair ruffled by the breeze. “I understand you might need some…help?” He frowned at Glory for a moment before a big grin crossed his face. Bunny bet it was the powder blue curls.
“Julian called you?”
William shrugged, his attention diverted from Ryan’s mate. “Not sure you could call it that, exactly. Let’s just say I was sleeping and I had a dream that I should head over this way. So here I am.”
“Bear is looking out for us,” Ryan said solemnly. Bunny nodded, agreeing. Only Bear himself could have sent his father that vision.
“Anyone want to fill me in?”
“Gary is somewhere in these woods. So are Tabby and Julian.”
William growled, the sound low and fierce. “He’s going after my daughter-in-law?”
“They’re not married.”
All three Bears turned and stared at Glory.
She crossed her arms defiantly over her chest. “They’re not.”
“She’s right. We’re mated. That’s much more permanent than marriage.” Though, if Tabby wanted to go through a ceremony, he’d be proud to stand up in church and recite his vows. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more he considered insisting on it. It would be one more way to make it known she belonged to him.
Ryan rolled his eyes. “C’mon, Glory. Let’s go.” He took hold of her arm, ignoring her attempt to pull away from him. Bunny was pretty sure the attempt was automatic at this point. “They went
that way.”
“Mm-hmm.” He looked into the Jeep and saw two piles of clothes. “And they shifted.” His eyes darkened. He did not like the thought of his Tabby seeing any male but him naked. He didn’t care that in the Packs and Prides nudity meant nothing during a shift. It meant something to him, dammit. His father never allowed his mother to run around naked, that was for sure.
Of course, she laughed at his growls and did what she damn well pleased, but his father didn’t exactly allow it.
“Follow me.” Ryan led the way, Glory stomping in her delicate looking boots right by his side.
Bunny hid a smile. Something told him she’d give his cousin hell, but in the end she’d be just what he needed.
Tabby growled. The son of a bitch had stayed downwind. He was still in human form, but he was naked and ready to shift at any moment.
“Wow, what a coincidence. Here I am, out for a leisurely run, and who do I run into but the fucking Outcast and her baby polar Bear.”
Tabby rolled her eyes. Julian was going to kick his ass just for the polar Bear comment.
She couldn’t attack, not yet. Not until he made a threatening move. She wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize her new place in the Pride, and kicking Gary’s ass without cause would definitely make problems for her.
The two idiots Gary took everywhere laughed. Hell, after six months in Halle, she still didn’t know their names. They’d moved to flank Gary, protecting their precious wannabe Alpha. Tabby snorted. Right. He’s an Alpha. And I’m a Teletubby.
Gary looked over her shoulder at Julian. “I have no quarrel with you, Bear. Back away and you won’t get hurt.”
Julian’s answer was the deep, throbbing roar of a black bear, echoing through the woods to be heard miles away.
Gary smiled. “So be it. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to fight a Bear.”
Gary and his buddies began to shift.
Bunny’s head lifted at the sound of the other Bear’s roar. “They’re farther than I thought.”
“They must have shifted.” William began tugging off his clothes. “You two go on ahead; I’ll guard my soon-to-be niece.”
Bear Necessities Page 20