Bruins Peak Bears Box Set (Volume III)

by Sarah J. Stone

  He shook his head. “I’m sorry to see you go. I only ever wanted what’s best for you and the rest of the Midnight. If being with him is right for you, then I can go along with it.”

  “I won’t say I’m not surprised,” Onyx replied. “I thought you would try to stop us.”

  “Yeah, well…” He turned to go.

  Onyx started to say something more but stopped herself. Hunter drifted away. He didn’t continue whatever he was about to say, and he didn’t look back. He drifted across the street and vanished between two buildings.

  Abel’s fingers tightened around her hand. “You okay?”

  Onyx shook herself. “I never thought I’d see him like that. He’s so unhappy.”

  Abel didn’t reply. Onyx peered at him. “I understand you’re still mad at Hunter, but I can’t stop caring about him. He’s still a person, even if he’s done some terrible things.”

  “I’m not mad at him,” Abel replied. “I’m just not sorry to see the back of him. I’m glad we won’t be around to have anything more to do with him.”

  Onyx nodded, but sadness still weighed her down. “I’m not sorry to see the back of him, either. He would make our lives difficult if we stayed, even if only because of the time I spent with him.”

  “So…are you ready to go now?”

  She put her arm around his waist. “Yeah. I’m ready.”

  They crossed to the bus station and got their tickets. They boarded the bus, and Onyx took the window seat. She held Abel’s hand while the bus rolled down the highway.

  “You’ll miss this place, won’t you?” he asked.

  She turned around to smile at him. “I was just thinking about Hunter.”

  He raised one eyebrow. “What were you thinking about him?”

  “I was thinking maybe it’s a good thing he’s not so happy. If he wants to find a mate for life, maybe he’ll be too busy to bother the NightShade anymore.”

  Abel laughed. “We can only hope.”

  “If Hunter Faulkner can find a mate, there must be hope for peace after all.”

  He drew her against his chest. “I’m glad to be getting out of here, especially now that I’ve got you. I don’t want to get mixed up in this business anymore. If the Midnight and the NightShade fight or make peace, they can do it far away from us.”

  38. Chapter 18

  Abel and Onyx stepped out of the Hadison bus station. The late afternoon summer sun shone into their eyes. Abel squinted and Onyx shaded her eyes with her hand. “So where are you supposed to meet Azer?”

  Abel fished a map out of his pocket. “I’ve got directions to his place.”

  “And where’s this apartment he says we can rent?”

  “That I don’t know. I couldn’t tell him exactly when I would get here, so I’m just supposed to meet him at his house and take it from there.”

  “All right. Let’s get going. Night’s coming on. If we don’t find his house, we’ll have to get a room somewhere.”

  Abel grabbed her around the waist and pulled her against him. “Let’s do that. Let’s get a room for our first night. Azer doesn’t have to know we’re in town until tomorrow.”

  Onyx laughed and swatted him away. “Cut it out. I don’t want to stay in some sleazy motel with you.”

  Abel squared his shoulders. “You don’t have to say it like that. I was just making a suggestion.”

  Onyx shot him a wicked grin. “’Suggestion’ is right.”

  “Hey, you two,” someone called out.

  Onyx turned around to see a big, shaggy guy crossing the street toward them. Abel stiffened, but Onyx stuck out her hand. “Cyrus! What are you doing stalking the streets?”

  “I’m on the hunt for fresh meat, of course,” he replied. “I didn’t think I’d see you back here so soon. Who’s your friend?”

  “This is my mate, Abel Black.” She touched Abel’s arm. “This is Cyrus Cochran, the guy I told you about.”

  Abel dipped his chin once. “Good to meet you.”

  Cyrus laughed in his face. “Don’t sound so pleased about it. Where are you guys staying tonight? I know a place you can stay, and it’s a lot nicer than that motel across the street.”

  “Thanks, Cyrus,” Onyx replied, “but Azer Mackenzie invited us to stay with him. He says he knows an apartment for rent.”

  A shadow crossed Cyrus’s face. “Azer Mackenzie, huh?”

  “Do you know him?”

  “Everybody knows Azer. Unless I miss my guess, the apartment he means is the same one I planned to show you. If he invited you to his place, you should definitely go there. He can take care of you a lot better than I can.”

  “Why is that?”

  “He’s something like a tycoon in this town. He’s got irons in every fire, and he banks huge profits every month. Don’t ask me how he does it. Him and that mate of his pretty much run this town.”

  “That’s odd,” Abel remarked. “He didn’t seem like much of a tycoon when I met him.”

  “Oh, you’d never know,” Cyrus replied. “He keeps a low profile, but he employs almost everybody in this town. He owns half a dozen businesses, and he’s always in the process of starting up a few more. He’s a mover and a shaker, that one.”

  “I know his mate,” Onyx replied. “She’s Midnight, just like me. We used to be friends before she ran off with Azer.”

  Cyrus turned away. “Then you’ll be all set with them. Look me up if you need anything at all.”

  Abel frowned at Cyrus’s retreating back. “Something doesn’t make sense.”

  “What?”

  “I can’t believe Azer is any kind of business shark. You should have seen him in the bar. He looked like any normal guy.”

  “Well, let’s get to his house. We can find out everything there.”

  Abel studied the paper in his pocket and found his way to a big apartment complex down Fitzroy Street from the Pioneer Hall. Onyx stared longer than she should have at every man, woman, and child passing on the street. Could they all be shifters like her? She would have to learn Cyrus’s technique of identifying who was what and what was whom. She couldn’t tell anybody from anything now.

  Abel rang the bell at the front entrance. An iron grate swung open, and a young girl opened it. “Can I help you?”

  “We’re here to see Azer Mackenzie,” Abel replied.

  The girl frowned. “Do you have an appointment?”

  Abel fidgeted from one foot to the other. “Well, not exactly. He told us to come and see him here.”

  “I’ll have to tell him who’s calling.”

  “It’s Abel Black.”

  The girl vanished. Onyx whispered to Abel. “Maybe Cyrus was right. I feel like we’re about to meet the Godfather or something.”

  Just then footsteps rang down a concrete passage deep inside the building. The grate swung open again, and Azer stuck his head out. “Come in! Come in! Sorry about the misunderstanding. I had no idea you were coming.”

  “Sorry we couldn’t give you any more advanced warning,” Abel replied. “We just got on the bus and came. We didn’t know we were coming ourselves until a few hours ago.”

  “Forget it, man.” Azer held the door open for them. “Come inside. Don’t stand around on the doorstep. You won’t get a bed out there.”

  The main entranced fed into the passage. Abel and Onyx followed Azer through a door nearby. Dozens of apartments opened into a central courtyard inside four block towers surrounding it. The door communicated to a large apartment with three bedrooms connected to the living room.

  Azer waved his hand. “Take a seat. Raven’s not here at the moment, but you won’t stay here long. I just have to fill out some paperwork, and I’ll show you to your apartment.”

  Abel stared at him. “So it’s all true, isn’t it? Cyrus told us you were some kind of leader around here. What are you—the mayor or something?”

  Azer snorted. “I’m not a leader and I’m not the mayor. He teases me about running this town, or wha
tever it is he says. I don’t. I’m the apartment manager of this building—nothing more. That’s how I’m able to get you in so fast. We have an empty unit. You might as well take it until you get your lives ironed out. Just take my advice and be prepared for it to take a while. It always takes some adjustment when new people move here.”

  Onyx muttered under her breath, “I can believe it.”

  “It took me and Raven a long time. Most people give up everything to come here. They have to. They leave their families and friends behind. Sometimes they come from closed communities. They have to learn a whole new way of life.”

  “That’s me,” Abel replied.

  “It’s hard,” Azer told him. “People like Cyrus who were born here have it easy. Hadison is their world. It’s normal to them.”

  Onyx came to Abel’s side. “We’ll be all right. We’ll learn, and we’ll make new friends.”

  Azer finished writing something at his desk in the corner. “I’m sure Raven will want to see you when she finds out you’re here. She’ll be happy to have another Midnight around.”

  “I don’t suppose you have any NightShade here,” Abel murmured. “I’m the first to leave our people in centuries.”

  “You might be surprised,” Azer replied. “You might find some others have left, too. Maybe your people only told you that to stop people leaving.”

  Abel stared at him. “You know, I never thought of that. Of course!”

  “I’m not saying there are NightShade here, but you never know.” Azer threw the door open. “Come on. I’ll show you to your apartment.”

  He climbed a long flight of concrete steps to the very top floor. People called through their windows to others in the courtyard. Women hung laundry on lines between the blocks. Children shouted and played on the walkways.

  Azer stepped around them. He greeted everyone by name and even rumpled the children’s hair. Whatever he said about his role here, he was so much more than the apartment manager. He knew everyone in every apartment. Onyx could believe he really did control half the town.

  Azer fished a wad of jangly keys out of his pocket and unlocked an apartment. He strode into it and swept his arm wide. “Well, this is it. It’s just the basics, but it will get you started. You’ll find all the pots and pans in the cupboards, but you’ll have to do your own grocery shopping. The supermarket is down the block and a righthand turn. You can’t miss it. I turned the power on yesterday, so the fridge and the hot water heater are working. The bedding is minimal, but it will keep you comfortable until you can work out your own thing.”

  Onyx surveyed the apartment. Everywhere she looked, the place appeared clean and well-furnished, with everything maintained, all ready for a new couple to move in. “Thank you, Azer. This is great.”

  “Great is what it’s not,” he returned, “but it’s a roof over your head for now. You let me know if you need anything, or if anything breaks, or….well, anything. By the way, there’s a social downstairs in the courtyard tonight. There will be ice cream and pizza and lots and lots of talk. If you want to meet new people, you can’t do any better than that.”

  Abel and Onyx glanced at each other.

  “Then again,” Azer went on, “you probably want to settle in here first. If you don’t show up, no one will miss you. Plenty of time for that later.” He set the keys on the kitchen counter and headed for the door. “See you around.”

  39. Chapter 19

  Azer shut the door behind him and left Abel and Onyx standing in their new living room. They looked all around them. Then they stared at each other. Neither moved until Onyx sank onto the couch. “Well, here we are.”

  Abel sat down next to her. “Yeah. Do you feel like pizza and ice cream and lots and lots of talk tonight?”

  “With a bunch of strangers? Not really.”

  He sighed. “Me, neither.”

  Onyx couldn’t stop looking around the apartment. “This place is amazing. I hope we can afford it.”

  “I’ll start looking for a job in the morning. Cyrus says everybody works for Azer. I’m sure he can find something for me to do.”

  “You be careful around Azer,” Onyx told him. “You don’t know him like I do.”

  “What do you mean? He’s one of the nicest, most generous people I’ve ever met. We wouldn’t be sitting here now if it wasn’t for him.”

  “You haven’t seen him rampaging through Midnight Moraine,” Onyx replied. “You haven’t seen him slashing and killing right and left.”

  Abel put his arms around her. “I’ve seen you slashing and killing right and left, and I still love you.”

  Onyx pushed him away. “I’m serious, Abel. You haven’t been away from Renegade Ridge before. Just because Azer was nice to you and generous to us doesn’t mean he’ll be that way forever. If he’s as powerful as Cyrus seems to think, he could have an ulterior motive.”

  Abel leaned back to get a better view of her face. “You saw him rampaging through Midnight Moraine when he saved Hazel. Isn’t that what you mean?”

  Onyx turned away.

  “I don’t care what you say. I trust Azer Mackenzie with my life. He gave us this apartment, and I’m going to ask him to help me find a job. I’ll accept any help he wants to give me, and I expect you to give him the benefit of the doubt. Unless and until he shows us that he’s some kind of power hungry sleaze-bag with an ulterior motive, we’ll both keep treating him like a kind and generous friend. Is that understood?”

  Onyx’s hand flew to her heart. “What is this I’m hearing? Since when did you turn into such a domineering husband?”

  He laughed and held her close. “I’m serious, baby. Give him a chance. Not everyone is Hunter Faulkner.”

  “I never said he was. I’m just saying not everyone is Ash Dunlap and Jordan Faulkner, either.”

  “I understand that,” Abel replied. “I’m sure we both have a lot to learn about adjusting to life on the outside.”

  “So, if we’re not having pizza and ice cream for dinner, what are we having?”

  He cocked his head to one side. “Dinner?”

  “Yes, dinner. We’ll get hungry pretty soon, so what are we going to eat?”

  Abel’s eyes flew open. “Oh! You mean supper. What are we having for supper.”

  Onyx scowled. “Are you making fun of me?”

  “I wouldn’t do that, baby. What do you want to have?”

  She wandered over to the kitchen and opened the empty refrigerator. “Well, I don’t know. We’ll have to go grocery shopping.”

  Abel stared out the window. Onyx observed the back of his head. He didn’t respond.

  She waited some more. “Baby?”

  He pretended to glance over his shoulder. “You’ll have to handle that. I’ve never shopped at a grocery store. I’ve never even seen one.”

  Onyx teetered on her heels. Never seen a grocery store? “I don’t even want to know how your people get their food.”

  “No, you don’t.”

  She marched around the kitchen counter and came to a stop in front of him. “Well, there’s no time like the present to learn. You’ll just have to come with me, and I’ll show you what to do. We won’t be eating anything until we get some groceries.”

  He didn’t raise his eyes to her face. He put out one arm and took hold of her hand. “Not yet. Come and sit down again first.”

  He towed her down next to him, and they wrapped their arms around each other. Abel explored her mouth in tender kisses. Onyx gravitated toward him and fell into his warm presence. Nothing could go wrong, now that they were together in their safe nest.

  Abel’s kiss grew more insistent. His arms cinched around her ribs. Onyx’s pulse quickened when she realized what he meant. She promised they would fool around when they got to their destination. Now they were here. Nothing could stop them. They had a locking door with the keys on the inside.

  He bent forward. His heavy bulk tilted her back on the couch. She caught her breath, and her nostrils flar
ed. Like this? On their own couch? Why not? Why not here and on the floor and on the kitchen counter and on top of the washing machine? Why not anywhere and everywhere—everywhere they wanted to, as often as they wanted to? They were married, weren’t they? They were mated for life.

  All at once, he heaved her off the couch. He sat her on his lap and positioned her legs around his waist. Instead of lying back to let her ride him, he lunged off the couch. His mighty hands supported her around the ass, and he set off down the hall toward the bedroom.

  Onyx screamed in delight. She clung on for dear life. Her heart skipped a beat. This man was dragging her off to his lair. He was taking her to his boudoir—or whatever big strapping guys like him did with their maiden conquests.

  She couldn’t stop laughing and kissing him. “What are you doing?”

  “You’re mine, all mine, girl,” he rumbled. “You can never get away.”

  She screamed louder than ever. “No! What are you doing to me?”

  He let out a ghoulish laugh, and his hot tongue burrowed into her mouth. She gasped and moaned. He excited her beyond measure. She loved him and wanted him, even when he plotted her demise.

  He strode into the bedroom and bumped his knees against the mattress. He leaned over, but she held on with all four limbs. He tumbled onto the bed and landed on top of her. Both of them grunted, and the mattress bounced.

  Abel got up on his hands and knees, but she wouldn’t let go. He flexed all his muscles and bounced the bed higher than ever. He bounced it until Onyx screamed with laughter. He laughed between kisses. “Hey? What do you think of that?”

  She relaxed under his weight falling on top of her. “I think you’re a monster. I think you’ve been hiding this fiendish side of yourself so I would think you were a mild-mannered country boy when you’re really Vlad the Impaler.”

  He exploded in laughter. “Vlad the Impaler! Now that’s a reputation I could live up to.”

  She wriggled away. She flipped over and tried to crawl out from under him. “Get me out of here! Get me away from him!”

  He roared out loud. “I’ve got you now! Moooahaha!” He growled through his teeth. “Come here, girl! I’m going to suck your blood. Moooaahahaa!”