by T. S. Joyce
The trail was littered with people headed home for the day. Pairs and trios talked in quiet animation and she waved at anyone who looked in her direction. She found herself wondering what their animals looked like. Were they big and overpowering like Riker’s bear? Or were they smaller and more graceful like Jenny’s? This felt like a dream. People turned into giant bears, and she was freaking out a little.
Jenny answered the door just as Hannah lifted her hand to knock. She jumped and swallowed a yelp.
“You okay?” Jenny asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just having dinner with a werebear, but yeah. I’m great.”
Hooking an arm around her neck, Jenny laughed as she dragged her inside. “You’ll get used to us. And we usually go by bear shifters.”
Jenny’s cabin was open, with nods to the cabins of the old frontier days but with a modern twist. The front door led to the kitchen with its natural wood counters and white washed cupboards. The living room was dominated by a couch in front of a big screen television and a non-matching, but perfectly coordinating, coffee and end table. Fresh cut wild flowers made an exotic bouquet for the dining table and the air smelled richly of fried chicken and black pepper gravy.
A man stood over a stovetop with his back to her.
“Blaine,” Jenny called. “This is Benson’s mate, Hannah. Hannah, my husband, Blaine.”
He wiped his hands on a dishcloth slung over his shoulder. Young, maybe just a few years older than her, he had reddish brown hair and dimples when he smiled. His clear blue eyes lit up as he offered her a hand. “It’s nice to have another human hanging around the compound.”
His easy smile settled her and she shook his hand. “Compound, huh? I knew it.”
Jenny rolled her eyes and draped her hands on her hips. “That’s what he always calls this place.”
“I’m not actually Riker’s mate,” she admitted, not wanting to meet someone under false pretenses.
“Do you want to be?” he asked.
His direct question left her feeling off balance and she stuttered. “Uhh. I-I think so. I like him a lot and maybe in time I’ll be able to get used to this place. He’s nice to me and I like sleeping beside him.” Blaine’s arched eyebrows only made her keep rambling. “We had a fight but worked it out and he makes me feel safe. I should shut up.”
Jenny’s face was lit up with the biggest grin and mortified, Hannah slumped into a kitchen chair while her cheeks felt like someone had taken a blowtorch to them.
“I’d say that’s a yes,” Blaine said, chuckling.
“He said he chooses me,” she breathed, eyes on the toes of Blaine’s work boots.
“What?” Jenny nearly yelled. “Did he say those words?”
Sure her throat wouldn’t work other than to make embarrassing frog croaks, Hannah nodded.
Grabbing her shoulders, Jenny shook her slowly and pulled her to her feet, crushed Hannah to her chest until her injuries burned. “Well, that’s just about the best news I’ve ever heard.”
She sniffled and Hannah slowly lifted her hands to Jenny’s back and squeezed. “Don’t cry. I’m more trouble than I’m worth.”
“No, Hannah. You don’t see what I see. I haven’t seen my brother smile this much since we were kids. You’re better for him than you even know.” Easing back, she smiled as a single tear tracked down her cheek.
Hannah thumbed it off, the way she used to do with Marian’s happy tears. “Quit your crying, you sappy bear.”
Blaine had wandered back to the stove and Jenny gave her a quick tour of their small home. By the time dinner was ready, Riker still wasn’t here.
With a shrug, Jenny said a quick grace and passed Hannah a giant bowl of green beans.
“When did you find out about the bear half of this little adventure?” Blaine asked, scooping mashed potatoes onto his plate.
“Today, actually.”
“Whoa, and she’s still standing, ladies and gentlemen. When I found out, I bolted for three days.”
Jenny flipped open her napkin and set it in her lap. “He wouldn’t answer my calls or anything. Just shut down completely.”
“I’ve had several freak out moments. Mostly when Riker isn’t around and I really think about it. It’s crazy. Not something I ever expected to see in my life. Strange as it sounds, I feel like I’ve known him, and this place, for much longer than what I have. He feels…familiar.”
“Yep,” Blaine said around a bite. “He’s your bear. It works different than out there in the human world.”
“I’ve just never been that sappy girl who believes in love at first sight or instant love, or even sleeping with a man on a first date, and now look at me. I’m a wanton bear chaser.”
Jenny snorted and covered her smile with her knuckles. “Wanton? No. Sex is natural, Hannah. At least you aren’t throwing yourself at a man you don’t care about.” She muttered something Hannah couldn’t quite hear, but she was pretty sure it ended with Merit.
A knock on the door had Blaine leaning back into his creaking chair. “Come in.”
Riker pushed through the door, then closed it behind him. Clad in a thin gray t-shirt, jeans that fit his slim waist just right, with his muscles rippling against the fabric of his clothing as he moved. Her mouth was hanging open at the glorious sight. That crooked smile he seemed to share only with her graced his too-sensual lips. Damn, he looked better than a tall glass of iced tea in a southern summer.
“Sorry, I’m late.”
“We didn’t wait,” Jenny said unnecessarily.
Leaning down, he pressed his lips against Hannah’s hairline and sank into the seat beside her. “Glad you didn’t. I was trying to rush the meeting but you know how the council is. Dragging their feet on every damned issue.”
“What was the meeting about?” Hannah asked, passing him the plate of fried chicken.
“Uhhh.” A frown took his dark eyebrows and he cast a questioning glance to her. “You really want to know?”
“I probably should start figuring out how things work around here if I’m going to wrap my head around all of this.”
“Yeah,” he agreed. “Bralan is banished for a month.”
Jenny drew air through her front teeth. “That sucks, but it’s deserved.”
“Bralan is the one who tried to attack me today?” Hannah asked.
Blaine’s eyes went wide. “Why did he do that?”
“One,” Jenny explained, “he’s a psychopath. And two, Merit is probably sobbing her eyeballs out that she won’t be an alpha’s mate and he’s so tired of her drama, his animal got the best of him and came up with a solution. He’d not the brightest bear in the bunch.”
“Banishment is a fitting punishment?” Hannah asked.
Riker’s fingertips brushed her backbone before settling onto her shoulders for a comforting squeeze. “Banishment is a huge shame here. That and it’s really hard for us to live outside of this place without messing up. The punishment for any bear who gives away what we are is death.”
That actually sounded really hard. How had Jeremy lived alongside her in the human world for so long without revealing what he was? She’d lived with the man and hadn’t ever suspected such a thing. Relief washed over her at the idea that Bralan wouldn’t be around for at least a month to try to assassinate her. He’d have to take a number like everyone else.
Riker’s hand found hers on the table, and Jenny couldn’t seem to stop staring at their intertwined fingers with the biggest grin. And Hannah had to admit, the twisting sensation in her stomach was caused by a mixture of his powerful nearness and his willingness to flaunt his affection for her in mixed company. How did he do that? Make her feel like the most important person in his universe, when he clearly had the weight of the entire clan upon his shoulders.
The noise of tableware and forks clinking against ceramic plates dotted the silence, but Riker overpowered the space with his presence. Even quiet, he seemed loud. He and Blaine joked about someone named Ray and ho
w he was the laziest worker they’d ever met, then moved on to an often interrupted conversation about the crops and rain. Hannah marveled at how comfortable this was. Jenny ran her fingers through Blaine’s hair, and his face was alight with animation over a story about some rookie he had pranked in his department. And the rich, deep chuckle that bubbled forth from Riker as Blaine spoke? She breathed for that sound.
So enamored was she in watching the familiarity of her dinner mates, she’d only finished half her food by the time Riker carried his empty plate to the sink.
Upon his returned, he leaned down and whispered, “Eat, woman. You’ll need your energy tonight.”
The potent sexual promise in his voice brought a shiver to her spine. When he nibbled lightly on her lobe, she just about melted into a puddle on the dining room floor. One thing about Benson Riker, he was going to keep her happily and thoroughly bedroom satisfied. Heart thumping erratically against her sternum, she stood and stacked dishes, then brought them to Jenny at the sink. Every time she looked back, Riker’s hungry gaze clung to her curves. She didn’t have to dress up for this man, or pile on makeup, or spend hours ironing her unruly hair straight. He wasn’t mad that she had nothing better than a pair of ripped jeans and a too tight threadbare shirt and battered sneakers to wear to dinner with his family. The expression on his face said he liked her just the way she was and there was something empowering in that she could attract the attention of such a powerful creature with nothing more than the raw basics of who she was.
“I’ll dry,” she offered as soon as she could rip her gaze from Riker’s.
Jenny handed her the first rinsed plate and Hannah pulled a worn green dishtowel from the rack.
The men moved into the living room and Hannah whispered, “Riker found the scar.”
“About that.” The dark haired woman hit the tap and rinsed a pan. “I’m sorry I pushed you into the ring. It was a split-second decision, but it felt important that you were there. The timing was too coincidental, you know?”
“I guess. I don’t know if I believe in destiny and fate and all that. I was mad at you. Really mad at you at first, but I understand why you did it. If I thought I had a shot at giving my sister happiness, I’d do anything.”
“Where is your sister?”
“She passed away last year. You would’ve liked her. Everyone did. I was always quieter, okay spending time alone, but Marian…she was the sun. She brightened up every life she touched.”
“I’m sorry you lost her. Sounds like you were really close. Riker drives me bat guano crazy most of the time and I can’t even imagine losing him.”
Tossing a look over her shoulder, Hannah caught Riker watching her with a worried look on his face. I’m okay, she mouthed. She’d never get used to his inhuman hearing. She wouldn’t burden Jenny with how Marian’s death had stripped her to nothing or how she’d given up on her dreams and goals in order to focus solely on surviving the disaster that started the night Lance had brought trouble to her sister’s door. That kind of weight was only one she’d share with Riker, whom she knew was strong enough to handle it without pitying her.
The door flew open and slammed against the wall so loud, Hannah yelped and dropped the dish in her hands. It shattered across the floor, pieces of broken plate landing as far as the pointed toes of Merit’s eye scorching red heals.
And the fuming woman wasn’t alone.
Chapter Ten
Three men stood behind Merit with somber expressions, and one of them Hannah recognized as the man with the clipboard from yesterday.
Jenny had crouched beside her, and Riker stood to his full height with churning angry eyes focused on the intrusive woman.
“You said tonight is my night, and you’re disrespecting my time, Benson,” Merit said primly. “I waited for you to come to me all day and when you didn’t, I tracked down Cameron and some of the other council members. You’re breaking laws denying me. I’m claiming my night now.”
Riker’s nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply and exhaled just as slowly. “Cameron.”
Mr. Clipboard stepped into the room.
“What is the meaning of this? I have until the summer solstice.”
“Sorry, sir, but Merit has a point. She says you told her tonight was her night.” The slender man shrugged as if uncomfortable under the scrutiny.
“Riker,” Hannah said, heart dipping to her knees with the idea of him leaving for Merit’s bed. “It’s okay.”
He tore his eyes away from Cameron, chest heaving with emotion. Rage flashed in his eyes and she swallowed the pathetic sob lodged in her throat. Today had been almost perfect.
Oh, she wanted to tell them he’d already chosen her. She wanted to scream that Merit was chasing something that would never be hers and spit the words Riker had told her as ammunition against the horrid woman. But this wasn’t the society she knew, and she was helpless to ride the tide of rules she didn’t understand. What if she made everything worse for him?
“Wait outside,” Riker ordered quietly.
Merit braced her legs and crossed her arms. One dark and perfectly groomed eyebrow arched as she glared at him. “She’s already cut into my time with you enough.”
“Wait. The fuck. Outside, Merit. That’s an order and if you question me again, your punishment will be swift.”
With a huff, Merit spun and slammed the door behind her, rattling the picture frames on the walls. Cameron stood in the entryway like he wished he was anywhere else on the planet and Jenny melted into Blaine’s arms in the living room.
Riker stalked Hannah, and the dangerous glint in his eyes had her backing up until her tailbone hit the counter. His mouth crashed onto hers with the fury of the Bering Sea, and his hands tangled in her hair, pulling at her scalp until she whimpered under his anger.
“Fuck,” he growled against her swollen lips. “I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to fucking do this.” His words tapered into a snarl and he dropped his forehead against hers.
“I don’t want you to either.” Stupid traitorous tears burned her eyes. She wanted to stab them with tiny daggers for giving away her misery. Her roiling emotions would only make this harder on him. “But you have to if you want to keep your clan. People do this all the time. They start dating but they aren’t exclusive yet and they are still seeing other people. It’ll be fine.”
“Don’t.” His head rocked back until the thick tendons of his throat tightened. “Don’t pretend we’re less than we are to justify any of this. You don’t deserve that.”
“I thought sex meant something different to you than me. Something more casual. I’m just trying to make this easier.”
He slid a slate gray stare at the door and sighed. “Yeah well, I wish I still felt that way.”
“Just get it over with.” Geez, why was she encouraging this? His profile was tense, rigid, ready for a fight, and a muscle danced in his jaw. Why? Because she’d never felt this way about a man. Because he was fighting a raging war within himself to spare her feelings after knowing her such a short time. And because he was changing the way he thought and looked at the world because of what she’d said. More than hearing her words, he listened to them. She cared about him enough to want the best for him, and if a night with Merit paved the way for him to keep alpha, which obviously meant the world to him, then she could put her possessiveness aside and abide by the rules that governed him and the rest of his clan.
“Do me a favor?” His hands clamped onto her shoulders and he held her gaze with his, wouldn’t release her. “Don’t think about what’s happening. Just stay here with Jenny, stay busy, and I’ll be back as soon as I can get away.”
“Okay.” Empty promises. She was already immersed in imaginings.
“I’m sorry.” His voice was strained, tortured, and he turned for the door. His shoes made hollow sounds against the floor boards, and the quiet snap of the door closing echoed an utterly lonely sound.
****
Bending, Riker p
ulled a limb from the trail and chucked it into the woods. If he had to watch Merit’s skinny ankles roll one more damned time in those stupid shoes, he was going to rip them from her feet and throw them into the dark with the branch.
“You can go now,” he said, dismissing Cameron, Rod, and Mitch, who trailed behind them.
Cameron shook his head apologetically. “Merit’s asked us to witness.”
He stopped walking and stared in horror at the approaching man. “Stop fucking with me, Cameron, and leave.”
“She’s concerned you won’t follow through, and she says she doesn’t feel safe.”
His frown of utter frustration was so deep, it hurt his facial muscles. Rubbing a hand over the stubble on his jaw, he laughed, a cold sound that echoed through the trees. “Merit, please tell me they’re joking.”
“No joke,” she called over her shoulder. “I want witnesses.” Her ankle hit another ninety degree angle over a root and she righted herself, then continued to stab the earth with her spiked heels.
With a growl, he scooped her up and stomped toward her house.
“Oh, Riker,” she breathed, slipping her hands around his neck.
Twisting his head at the clammy feeling the touch of her hands caused, he growled, “You and I both know this is just a formality, Merit. My bear has chosen and it isn’t you.”
Her eyes, blue and glowing in the moonlight sparked with challenge. “We’ll see about that, Benson.”
Her house was on the edge of the clearing nearest the cattle fences. Much too close to his home by a lot and the driving reason he didn’t want Hannah going home until he was finished with the one minute technicality fuck he was going to give Merit.
Dammit, he didn’t want to do this. Even the stink of her perfume was giving him a headache. Setting her upright on her porch, he shoved through the front door and muttered, “I need a minute.”
And that minute was spent glaring at himself in the bathroom mirror and hating himself for how bad he was about to hurt his bear and his mate. Fucking clan laws. As soon as he got through this, he’d push the council to revisit ancient laws, and beg them to reconsider the ones that kept bear shifters in the dark ages.