Love at First Roar (BBW Paranormal Shapeshifter Werebear Romance) (Grayslake Book 4)
Page 25
“I’m sorry, baby.”
“I hoped, you know. That maybe they’d love me. That they’d suddenly be better, but they weren’t. So he became my promise. I promised to find a place where he could have fun and play and he really is the shittiest guide dog ever, but he’s mine and even though I stopped hoping my father and brother would change, I still hunt for happiness with him.” She shrugged. “I know his name isn’t Ebenezer Pifflewaffle or Hufflesnuffle, but they make me laugh. I missed that the most. I have hope and laughter with Ebie, but for the first time I have something else.”
“What?” He couldn’t stop himself from asking.
“A future. Love. Happiness. Everything.”
“That’s more than one thing.” He needed to get the words out while he let her statement run through his mind.
A future. Love. Happiness. Everything.
“Doesn’t make it less true.”
“No, it doesn’t.” He licked his lips, mouth suddenly dry. “It’s true for me as well.”
Smooth Isaac. Real smooth.
Isaac tried again. “Just before you moved in, I told my brother I was leaving town.” He ran a finger down his scar. “I didn’t think I’d find a mate here. And as I held my niece, he told me I’d miss her, that I’d miss the clan and my family. Then I said I wouldn’t have any of my own if I stayed.” He cupped her cheek and wiped away her tears with his thumb. “But then I met you and I’m… I’m glad I was wrong.”
Chapter Nineteen
Isaac watched Kira sleep, her body curled toward him, her hair fanned across the pristine white of his pillows. She was beautiful, luscious, and his.
All his.
He couldn’t believe his luck, but he’d keep her just the same.
Sounds of the house’s occupants stirring drew his attention, his bear straining to listen to the murmurs and clang of pots and pans. The higher-pitched voices belonged to his brothers’ mates while their deep baritone offset the ladies.
He hadn’t been able to keep them all away. They didn’t give a damn about danger. Someone in their family was threatened and they circled the wagons. Isaac just wished they’d circle them outside.
Kira whimpered and wiggled closer to him and he readily gathered her near. Those sweet curves molded to him, cushioning his hardness. Dammit. If he could have convinced his family to stay outside his home, he might have gotten laid last night. Instead, he woke with blue balls. Well, went to sleep with them and simply awoke in the same state.
She rubbed her nose against his chest, nuzzling and snuffling until she finally settled in. Her breathing never slowed into an even rhythm and he knew she’d woken.
He leaned his head toward her and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “G’morning.”
Kira harrumphed. “No, it’s really not.”
“Why not?”
“Because,” a reverberating clang floated from the first floor. “They’re all here. I love them, I really do, but they are hell on my ears. And nose. And my organizational skills.”
She practically wailed the last part of her sentence and he figured that’s what upset her the most. They’d settled into a routine, a way of living, that kept Kira safe and feeling confident in his home.
His family was currently tearing that hard won peace to shreds.
“As soon as Reid takes care of your father and brother, they’ll leave.”
“Promise?” she grumped.
“I promise. They worry about us.” He tugged her closer. “They’re just hanging around because they love us too. Even if they don’t know how to be quiet to save their lives.”
Another clang followed by a low “dammit” and then Mia’s ever-present chastising “language.”
“At least they left the cubs at home.”
Isaac chuckled, remembering his conversation from last night. “It was a near thing. Parker tried to smuggle Sophia and him in a suitcase. Never mind that no one brought anything larger than a duffle bag. Parker thought it’d be a good idea to see how grown up bears dealt with problems.” He shook his head. “Mia told him grown up bears went to bed without dessert.”
The light sound of his mother’s footsteps reached him and Isaac groaned.
“What?” Kira’s voice was muffled.
“My mother.” The second the word left his mouth, a knock reached them.
“No hanky-panky this morning. We’ve got things to cuss and discuss.”
Now Kira groaned.
His mother still lingered near the door and he called out to her. “Yes, Mom. We’ll be down in a second.”
Isaac waited until Mom fully retreated and then he whispered to Kira. “We probably have time for a quickie.”
“You do not have time for a quickie, young man!”
He huffed. “I have just been cock-blocked by my mother.”
Annoyed, he rolled from the bed and helped Kira from the depths of the blankets and mattress. He stared at her curved form, wishing he could trace her bare curves with his tongue. Unfortunately, his family was making as much noise as possible, which wasn’t conducive to lovemaking.
“C’mon, baby. I can at least wash your back,” he murmured.
“Nothing more?” Teasing sparkled in her gorgeous eyes.
“Not if I don’t want my mother walking in on us.”
Kira gasped. “She wouldn’t.”
“Are you two coming?” Mom’s voice echoed up the stairs.
“Yes, she really would.”
That had his mate rolling her eyes and sighing before tromping into the bathroom. Isaac was right on her heels, gaze on the sway of her hips and the bounce of her ass. He knew a quickie was out of the question, but his cock still hadn’t gotten the memo. He was hard in an instant, more than ready to slide into her wet heat.
Instead, he got to the shower before her. A twist of a knob had the water flowing and he stepped beneath the spray before allowing the liquid to warm. Sometimes a bear had to do what a bear had to do.
Once the water heated and Kira joined him, he fought to keep his touch casual and not arousing. They had to hurry. He needed to think of non-sexy things like his parents having sex.
Isaac glanced at his now soft cock. Yup, that did it.
Before long, they were clean, dry, and dressed. He strode ahead of Kira, eyes scanning their surroundings as he hunted for anything out of place. When he came to an errant end table, he nudged it back. The discarded pillow was tossed onto the couch and he rearranged the coffee table as well.
By the time he made it to the kitchen, he was fuming on Kira’s behalf.
He lowered himself into an empty chair and tugged Kira onto his lap, entwining his fingers with hers. Holding hands like this, he was able to feel the unevenness of her digits and the fact that things were out of place enraged him further.
His mother placed a heaping plate of food before him and he felt Kira’s twitch of interest. They’d get to eating in a second. First…
“Isaac, you remember how you had me research Zoey? Well, I also looked at—”
Isaac held up a hand for silence. “I love you all, but I’m getting damned tired of repeating myself. And as an FYI, I threw a wolf out of Kira’s window for this. Don’t think I won’t take it out on one of you.” He leveled his angry glare on his family.
In all honesty, he knew the women loved Kira, his mother in particular. So it probably wasn’t them who’d disregarded his mate’s safety. He wouldn’t put it past his oblivious brothers though. Men.
“I know Mom and Dad taught us to put things back where we found them, but that seems beyond someone in this house. So here it is: if you move furniture, put it back. If you move a pillow, put it back. If you put anything on the floor or out of its original place. Put it the fuck back.” Mia didn’t chastise him for his cursing and neither did his parents. They must have either realized the depth of his anger or felt the same. When he noticed the glare Mom leveled on Ty, Van, and Keen, he figured it was a bit of both.
Isaac untwin
“Isaac…” Kira murmured, a rebuke in her tone.
“No.” He shook his head. “I promised not to treat you like an invalid, like you can’t take care of yourself, and I won’t. But making sure you’re safe in our home is another story.”
He stared at his family, gazed on his brothers, and he noted the sheepish expression on their faces. Low “sorrys” reached them, but it was Mia’s tear-filled gaze that snared his attention.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry. I didn’t even realize… I didn’t mean…”
Kira didn’t give him a chance to say a word. No, his mate wiggled from his lap and padded around their small gathering, weaving between chairs before she stood before Mia. His mate drew the Itana into a tight hug. “It’s okay. You didn’t know and I’m fine. I promise.”
Mia sniffled and nodded against Kira’s shoulder. “I just…”
“Hush. I’m all healed. That’s no reason to get upset.”
“But it’s crooked.” Mia practically wailed and Isaac shot a panicked look at Ty. The man looked just as panicked as his brother.
“So? The only one who’d care is Isaac and he doesn’t seem to mind. Besides, he doesn’t have room to talk in the ‘what’s uglier’ department. Have you seen his face? I think I should get hazard pay or something.”
Dead silence reigned and his mate flashed him an impish grin while everyone else in the family stared at Kira and then him.
They worried over his reaction and what they didn’t realized was that he no longer gave a flying fuck about anyone else’s opinion. Only Kira’s. And her teasing proved she didn’t care either.
Which just gave him another reason to love her.
And chase her through the house.
With a teasing growl, one that was answered by her wide smile, he leapt from his seat and bolted around his brothers, reaching for his mate.
Giggling, Kira released Mia and dashed away, racing past his parents, and their chuckles followed them to the stairs. She retraced their path and he had no doubt she wouldn’t have trouble gaining the stairs. She obviously trusted him as well. She depended on him to put things in order as they made their way to the kitchen.
Kira rounded the banister, eyes shining and smile wide.
Isaac released another snarl, causing her to giggle once again. “I’m gonna get you.”
“Isaac! We really need to talk about this!” Keen’s voice reached him, but he only cared about the woman currently running from him.
“Later.”
“But, it’s import—”
The bear thought ripping Keen’s head was a good idea. “Later.”
Isaac stomped up the stairs, following the patter of Kira’s lighter steps. He knew where she’d end up, he just had to pounce once he got there.
Except as he climbed the last few steps he watched Kira slide through the bedroom doorway, bare feet slipping on the smooth wood. Yes, he saw her slide in, then heard a fearful squeak followed by her trying to scramble back into the hallway.
Her panicked gaze met his, her near sightless eyes focusing on him.
He should have listened to his gut and not let her sweet-talk him into staying in his home instead of on clan land. Because there were only two things that would make his fearless Kira panic and tremble.
Her father and her brother.
Isaac vaulted over the last few steps, running over the ground that separated him from Kira. He stopped short when an armed male filled the doorway, his hand buried in his mate’s hair.
The man wasn’t old enough to be Kira’s father, no gray hairs and definitely not enough wrinkles, which meant he faced off with her brother Mitchell.
A brother who looked just like the male who’d driven past his home mere days ago. The male encouraged Vanessa to attack, tortured Zoey, and then tried to end Kira’s life at the home improvement store. It’d been a half-assed attempt at best. The man was desperate.
Desperate men, wolves, were dangerous.
The wolf brandished a gun, waving it toward Isaac which had him re-evaluating his next step. He couldn’t just rush the male. He didn’t just clutch a gun. No, his free hand was buried in his mate’s hair. It’d take hardly any effort to point the weapon at Kira or himself and end their lives. He had to play this out. At least, for a little while.
Then later, after the asshole was dead and gone and Isaac’s heart began beating again, he’d kick his own ass for being stupid.
“Who are you and what are you doing with my mate?” Isaac tried to keep his voice even, but the words came out with a snarl.
The man tightened his grip on Kira’s hair, tugging a moan from her chest. The male did it again, smiling wider and wider with each sound. If he had the patience, he’d pluck every hair from the male’s body. That’d be fun. Hair, nails, teeth…
The man, Mitchell, was nearly Isaac’s height, but nowhere near his bulk. Thin and wiry like most wolves. Definitely not an alpha then. Those guys were always massive and mean as hell.
His red hair looked like fire and the deep green eyes sparked with fury. Even his skin was pale and pasty white. Nothing like Kira.
If he’d seen the male on the street, a mere glance would have had him disregarding Mitchell as a threat.
He wasn’t disregarding the fucker now.
“She’s not your mate. She’s nothing but a meal ticket and she went and fucked it all up.” The man snarled and yanked, dragging Kira into the master bedroom by her hair. “Get in here. Now. We’re gonna do this and then I’ll get what I want and you bears can go fuck yourselves.”
“Mitchell,” Kira hissed. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Mitchell released Kira and she tensed. Isaac thought she was preparing to fight or run, but no, she was preparing for the strike. The strike of bone on skin that sent her rocking backward.
Isaac’s bear roared in displeasure. Someone had hurt their mate. Thiers.
He would die. Slowly as long as he got to the male before his brothers did.
Kira straightened and wiped at the corner of her mouth, gathering the droplet of blood that’d pooled on her flesh. “You still hit like a girl.”
What the fuck was she doing?
*
What the fuck am I doing?
Staring at Mitchell’s tight fist and then the gun he clutched tightly, she wasn’t sure. She did know that she needed his attention away from Isaac and on herself. Kira could survive just about anything. Hell, she had over the years. She didn’t think she could survive losing her mate.
No. She knew she couldn’t survive losing her mate.
“You stupid bitch.” Another strike, this one nearing her eye, but colliding with her cheek. The crunch told her he’d broken something. The pain… well, it didn’t give her any sort of clues. I fucking hurt everywhere, dumbass, wasn’t very informative.
“Yeah, you say that and yet I’m still breathing. Kinda hard to believe you.”
Mitchell kicked her, missing her chest and merely colliding with her shoulder. Pain seared her, but nothing broke.
Score one for Kira.
“Why wouldn’t you just die? I don’t understand. Why?” He almost sounded interested and she was half-ready to tell him.
Then she remembered he really wanted her dead so answering probably wasn’t a good idea.
“It seemed like a good idea at the time.” Oh yes, Kira, antagonizing the crazy is so much better.
“Damn you!” Another punch, this one colliding with her jaw.
Hey, still nothing broken. She was doing okay so far.
Isaac eased closer, stepping onto the landing and moving forward until ten feet separated them. Of course, that’s when Mitchell noticed her mate’s approach.
“Back off!” Mitchell waved the gun around. “You stay back. I have something to do and I’m gonna do it right this time.” Her brother cocked the gun, some revolver that actually had a hammer to tug back. Huh. “I know what I have to do.”
Mitchell steadied the weapon and trained it on Isaac. Hell no.
“What do you have to do, Mitch?” She rushed the words past her swollen lips. It came out muffled and slurred, but the man focused on her.
“You want me to tell you? Hell no. I’m not that stupid.”
Yes, he really was, she just had to keep him going until… something. God, in a house of bears, someone had to realize a wolf had invaded. Right? Then again, there was a massive oak near the house whose branches were long and sturdy and… Dammit. And no one’s super-sniffers seemed to be working. Even she hadn’t scented him. She breathed deep, hunting for the scent that identified him and found… nothing.
“Of course you’re not stupid enough to tell me.” Another handful of disjointed words. “Hey, how come I didn’t sniff you?”
The wolf chuckled. “I did something right when it came to this, at least.” Mitchell lowered to a squat, his gaze intent on her. “I tested that on you, too.”
He ran the muzzle of the gun along her cheek and rubbed it along the column of her neck. He kept going, toying with the neck of her top and tugging on the material with the metal.
Isaac growled and suddenly the cool gun was gone, once again pointed at her mate. Dammit, why couldn’t the man shut the hell up already?
“What’d you test on me?” She spared a glance for Isaac and fought to ignore the man’s glare. He could kick her ass later. Like, after he gutted Mitchell and tore him into tiny pieces.
“Carve was just the beginning.” Mitchell looked to her once again. “Doupan, Douse, came next. Can’t really get them with Carve if you can’t get close, yeah? Doesn’t have the same effect if it’s just an injectable. Gotta get in there.” Her brother leaned close, running his nose over her skin, breathing deeply, and she fought the shudder that threatened to overtake her. “We know that, though. Don’t we?”
-->