by Celia Kyle
Before long, Ty’s now-familiar tread signaled his approach and then he was there, squatting beside them. “Mia? You should hand him over before he hurts…” Parker whimpered and burrowed closer, drawing a sigh from Ty.
“He’s fine. Bloody, but fine. I think.”
“Parker.” The cub whimpered. “Parker, look at me right now.” The child sniffled, but finally pulled his head away from Mia. “We’re going to talk about this. I don’t know what your parents taught you,” Parker whined, and Ty kept going, “but we don’t bite people for no reason.”
“Ty, I’m sure…” She wasn’t sure what she was sure of, precisely, but she couldn’t imagine the kid doing something like that without cause. Ty shook his head, and Mia turned her attention to the cub in her arms, soulful eyes met her gaze and she snuggled the child even closer. “Look, he’s sorry. I’ll ground him and—”
“No.”
“But—”
Ty placed two fingers over her lips. “He’s a bear cub, Mia. Sarah will be healed in half an hour. A full hour, tops. What if he did that to you?” She turned her attention to the whimpering bundle in her arms and sighed. “His uncle gets out today.”
Mia immediately jerked away from his touch and opened her mouth to reply, only to have him cut her off. “But he’s not going back to Griss until facts are straightened out, and a call is put in to child services. There are several werebear foster families in Grayslake. I want everything in the system.”
The “in case I need to take Parker away from Griss” went unsaid.
“You have two choices. You can get cleaned up, help me grab his handful of things, and go to the clan’s den. Or you can help me pack his things, and I’ll take him to the clan’s den without you.”
Mia knew she was beaten, but figured she’d give it a shot anyway. Pushing out her lower lip the tiniest bit, she sniffled and drooped her shoulders.
“Nope.” Ty shook his head. “Not buying it this time. You’re not gonna get me with those sad sexy—” He coughed. “It’s not gonna work. Pick your poison because my car is leaving in thirty minutes.”
Chapter Four
Ty tried to look at the trip to the clan’s den through Mia’s eyes. Yeah, the road was rutted. He should probably get his brother Keen on that. As the youngest, Keen tended to get the crap jobs. The fence was a little run down, wooden posts leaning and in some cases, resting on the ground. And the grass was a little—okay, a lot—high. If they had cows, they could set them free. Let them graze. Unfortunately cows never did do well with bears, so Keen was gonna have to work on that, as well.
His truck creaked and protested as he turned into the driveway. Damn, he needed to get that fixed up, too. At least the final approach to the house was fairly smooth. The gravel was level, and the clan’s members had finally learned about organized parking. It’d been a free-for-all when his father was the Itan, but Ty had beaten the clan into organizational submission.
He spared a glance for the still quiet Mia. She grumbled after his pronouncement, but quickly jumped on board with the program. Between the two of them, Parker had been washed and dressed. Not that he’d stayed clothed for long. The minute Mia disappeared to change and freshen up, the boy shifted back into a bear and destroyed the last of his clean clothes.
But at least they got on their way within his thirty minute timeline.
Ty gripped the truck’s door handle and gave Mia a long look. Damn, the woman was fine. All curves and sweetness with pale skin. He imagined it tasted like ripe peaches. He’d always liked peaches.
“You two ready?” His bear made the words rough and deep. Hell, he hadn’t realized that part of him had pushed so close.
Instead of commenting on it, her attention turned to the cub occupying her lap. It didn’t seem to matter to her that she held a fifty pound bear. Nope, to her sweet heart, it was a child.
And didn’t that pull at his heart and make him wonder. How would she be with cubs of her own? Could she have cubs of her own? That was something that had been bounced around more than once, mumblings about whether a human and werebear could produce shifting offspring.
Some old codgers said yes. Other said no. Eli Baker had stood firmly in the “yes” column. His son had been a shifter, even if he was only a half-blood. Eli believed it was the fact that he and his woman had been what he called “fated mates.” Out of respect, Ty had bitten his tongue and didn’t remind the old man that bears didn’t mate for life.
“You ready, Parker?” Her voice was soft and lilting, none of the unease and panic he’d sensed before tingeing her words. At the cub’s nod, she turned to him, a blinding yet brittle smile on her lips. “Okay, we’re ready.”
With that, she swung the truck’s door open wide. Parker was fast to tumble from the vehicle, the spray of gravel testifying to the fact that the cub moved faster than his paws could carry him.
Mia was a bit slower, sliding from her seat as Ty rounded the front of the truck. The breeze teased his skin, reminding him of his half-shift and lack of control where she was concerned. Something was wrong—or right—inside him when it came to tempting Mia Baker.
Ty gripped her right arm to steady her, the gravel making her wobble the tiniest bit. The free hand that clutched the handle was a lot less red than hours before, and he inwardly winced at seeing her use it to shove the door closed.
It wasn’t until she was fully exposed that he felt her thrumming tension. It pulsed and pounded through her blood like a physical being and his bear reacted to her unease. He immediately pulled her close while his fangs slid out an inch. His human mouth didn’t have room for his animal’s extended teeth, but the beast wanted to be ready to banish whatever caused her fear.
“You okay, sweetheart?” He leaned down and murmured against her ear, taking pleasure in the tiny shiver that overtook her.
“Fine, there’s just so many…”
Ty glanced around and found at least a dozen clan members lingering on the front porch and littering the lawn. “It’s the clan den. I live here, but so do a lot of others. A few single bears, and my brothers who are also my inner-circle. Plus anyone in the clan can stop by whenever they want.”
“Whenev…” She gulped. “I see. I just never… It’s always been me, my father, and Granddad when I visited. They didn’t take me around others. Even when I came to Grayslake for a visit, I stayed in the house or the backyard by myself.”
“Uh-huh.” He eased her forward. “Well, most of us are sweet as pie.” She shot him a glare. Yeah, well, he’d said “most” hadn’t he? “Come meet my brothers. You’ll like them.” Only not too much because then he’d have to kill them.
And they couldn’t like her too much or then he’d have to kill them. Damn, his bear was really freaking possessive of this little woman.
Arm wrapped around her waist and hand resting on her hip, he guided her to the front steps. His bears waved and smiled as he passed, and he returned the greetings, all the while continuing his travels. He wasn’t about to get stopped. Not when he was feet away from having Mia in his den. His bear had been demanding this very thing from the moment he’d first seen her, and now his goal was within reach.
Ty grasped the front door’s knob, intent on leading his woman—my woman?—into his home only to have the opportunity snatched from him. The door swung wide to reveal a smiling Van.
His brother needed a few teeth knocked out.
“Hello, big brother. Did you bring me home a snack?” Van leaned forward and winked. “Let me tell you that this brother,” he pointed at himself, “is just right.”
Ty sensed confusion from Mia and he grinned. “He’s making a bad Goldilocks joke. Ignore him.”
Not waiting for Van to deliver a comeback, he shifted his hold and snared her hand, twining their fingers together. One tug had her following him deeper into his home.
It was nice. A little sparse, but nice if he did say so himself. Considering it was filled with bachelors, he thought it looked damned good. Y
eah, there were a few pizza boxes on the coffee table, but the table itself was sturdy. The couches were high-end leather and comfy.
“Where’s Parker?”
Ty glanced back and smiled. “Probably the kitchen. Every cub knows the way to the kitchen.” He tugged. “C’mon.”
The house was massive, but the common areas were cozy, which meant the walk to the kitchen didn’t take long. And that’s where they found the cub of the hour.
Gigi, the den house’s cook had a now human-shaped Parker plopped onto a stool, paper in front of him and both hands holding crayons. Somehow the resourceful woman had hunted up clothing for the small boy. Well, hunted up someone’s tank top more like.
Parker had been easily dressed, but the boy had just as easily shifted as soon as they had turned their back which ripped his clothing to shreds. Considering he’d only grabbed a single change of clothes, he was glad Gigi had found the boy something to wear now that Parker was on two legs. With thin straps and gaping armholes, Ty was able to see the cub clearly. Rage, familiar and hot, burst through him at the sight of the boy’s condition.
A threatening growl tore from his chest, pushing through his heart and bursting into the room. Gigi was the first to react, kneeling and focusing on the bit of floor before her. Other nearby bears, his brother Van included, did the same. Each of them fought to soothe his temper through submission. Hell, even little Parker, who didn’t understand, whined and laid his head on the table.
The only one still standing by the time he cut off the sound was Mia. No, she wasn’t just standing. She was leaning against him, her injured hand flat against his chest and fingers tracing his muscles. It was then he noticed her murmuring.
“Shh… You can gut him later. With a dull knife. Won’t that be fun? You can bathe in his blood and drag his body down the street. Entrails everywhere…”
A woman after his own heart.
Ty leaned into her, resting his cheek on the top of her head, and he took solace in her presence. His bear immediately calmed with her touch, receding and silencing the threatening growl that still lurked inside him. He took a deep breath and his bear perked up once again, only this time it was the pleasure of Mia’s scent. It was pure, unadulterated sweetness and sex with a hint of home. He didn’t want to bathe in blood; he wanted to bathe in her.
“Itan?” The trembling voice yanked him from Mia and back to the present.
Ty looked toward Parker and noticed his trembling lower lip. A glance around the room revealed that the other clan members present were still kneeling on the ground though they had raised their heads to look at him. He huffed and ran a hand through his hair.
“Sorry. It’s been a rough day.” He glanced at his watch. “And it’s only ten.” He went with levity, grimacing when it fell flat.
Mia tried to pull away, so he tightened his hold and covered her hand gently with his. He didn’t want to lose her touch. It was the only thing keeping him grounded and his beast at bay. Every look at Parker yanked at his bear, but each soothing stroke from Mia pushed it back again.
A heavy thump against his back signaled the arrival of one of his brothers. He drew in a deep breath. Youth, knowledge, power, strength.
“Isaac.” He eased Mia over, giving his brother room to pass.
“Hey.” Isaac grinned at him and then that smile grew sexual as he gazed at Mia. “And hello. Who’s this?”
“No one.” Ty curled his lip and let a little more of his bear out to play as he pushed his brother into the kitchen. His, damn it. His. Those thoughts had his heart freezing and then stuttering as it resumed its beat. Bears didn’t form attachments. Not really. And a human would want a forever kind of love, like her grandparents and parents. But he wasn’t built that way and…
Mia nudged him. “Who’s Isaac?”
Now her voice was filled with a threatening grumble and he followed her line of sight. His brother teased and cajoled little Parker through an exam, the gentle, massive werebear treating the cub as they were meant to be treated: with care and love. Based on the look she gave him, she saw too, but obviously didn’t trust his brother’s actions.
He knew as soon as he told her, she’d be half in love with the man in a second; women loved doctors. With a grimace, he answered her. “Our clan healer, and my brother.”
Her expression changed, features softening while Isaac did his doctor thing.
No, no, no. He sounded like a child claiming a toy, but Mia was his.
Ty tightened his hold on Mia’s waist, intent on dragging her from the kitchen and somewhere brother-less when yet another of his brothers popped in. Why did his mother have to have so many kids? She should have stopped with one: him.
Van bumped his shoulder and tilted his head to the side. “You got a minute?”
“Yeah,” he sighed. At least he’d already warned this one off. Couldn’t he stand quietly for a moment with a gorgeous woman in his arms without being interrupted?
Keeping his arm around Mia, he tugged her along as they followed Van, his brother glancing back now and again with a frown on his features. They traveled down a side hallway. One mostly unused since it led to his private study and even more private bedroom.
Van paused at the threshold of the room, and his gaze bounced between him and Mia. “This is, uh, police and clan business. Should she…”
Ty curled his lip and released a growl similar to what he’d pulled in the house’s common area minutes before. “Yes.”
Mia tugged against his grip. “Ty, I can go back to Parker and—”
He turned to her, the woman who’d come to mean more than she should in such a short time. Simply looking at her calmed him. “Mia can hear what you have to say. Especially since it probably has to do with Griss. Am I right?”
“Yeah,” Van grumbled. Ty sensed the weight of Van’s gaze, but he couldn’t tear himself from Mia. “Okay then, the human stays.”
The bear bristled at his brother’s statement. She was only partly human, but she was also so much more.
His brother left them with a shake of his head and Ty grinned. “C’mon. You need to hear this, too.”
“But Parker…” She waved behind her.
“Is fine with Isaac and Gigi who will filet anyone who tries to hurt him. She never had cubs so she’ll adopt the boy as if he were her own.”
He knew he had her when her shoulders slumped. He fought the widening smile. Then his thoughts shifted direction. If it took this much cajoling for her to do something as simple as leaving the cub for five minutes, what would he have to do to keep her at his side?
*
Mia followed Ty into a decidedly masculine room and definitely did not stare at his ass. Or the way his hips shifted as he walked. Or the way his exposed muscles flexed when he stalked his way around the desk. Ty’s bear coming out to play had scared her, but staring at all that yummy flesh exposed, she had to thank the beast for the lovely view.
Distantly, she noted walls lined with bookshelves; each shelf packed high with books that ranged from new and crisp to faded and old. A massive desk dominated the center, two overstuffed chairs facing it while a single leather chair occupied the seat of honor. The room screamed “male.”
She tugged, intent on freeing herself of Ty’s hold, but he wasn’t having it. He kept his grip firm but gentle as he walked around the end of the desk and settled in the comfortable looking chair. She stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do, but the decision was stolen from her. He easily pulled her closer, and one final heave had her collapsing onto him. Mia released a totally girly squeak followed by another when he repositioned her to sit sideways across his lap.
“Ty,” she struggled against him, but he merely squeezed her.
“Hush, Van has something to tell us.” The man’s grin was way too sexy. And cocky. She had to remember the cockiness when she yelled at him later for his high-handed behavior.
Ty’s brother merely quirked a brow but didn’t comment on their embrace. “Griss i
s probably getting out around four today.”
“Four!” She bolted upright, heedless of Ty’s embrace. “Did you see what he did? He—”
Van held up a hand, cutting her off. “I understand. But that’s going to be handled in-house.”
Mia narrowed her eyes. “How?”
“It’s a bear matter.” Haughty condescension filled every word.
She struggled against Ty again. “I’ll show you a ‘bear matter.’”
“Easy.” The bear holding her brushed his lips along the shell of her ear, and she immediately stilled. Her body reacted to his closeness and the whisper-like caress. Sharp teeth nipped her earlobe then he lapped at that delicious spot below her ear. “Be easy.”
Oh, this man was so much trouble.
“Van?” Ty’s voice vibrated against her sensitive skin.
“Yeah?” His brother sounded bored. Good, the man could be bored somewhere else, anywhere else.
“I need you to do some research for me…”
Mia kinda stopped listening. Especially when those fangs scratched along the column of her neck. She was pretty sure she heard something about custody and deaths and… Oh, he sucked on her shoulder. That was very, very nice.
“Does that sound good, Mia?”
She shook her head and fought through her lust-filled fog. “Wait, what?” Except Ty nipped her again. Ooh, evil man. He was distracting her with sexy-times so she couldn’t object to anything. “No, nothing sounds good.” He slid his hand along her hip and gripped her thigh with his free hand. She slapped at him and pushed away his touch. “No, stop that. Bad furball.”
A deep growl, not as foreboding as Ty’s but still scary, floated to her from Van. Of course that was countered by another, quieting Van immediately and she turned her head to glare at Ty.
“What?” His expression was all innocence.
“Don’t ‘what’ me. Now, what did you two just decide?” She crossed her arms to emphasize her annoyance but rethought the move when the ache in her hand returned. So, she settled for glaring.