by Cecilia Lane
“Okay,” Everly conceded with a warding of her hands. “I’ll see what I can do. No promises!”
Her last two words were lost in a tiny cheer. Almost every face in the clan turned relieved. Becca looked smug.
The party continued on with more food and idle chatter. She tracked Sawyer everywhere he went. It was hard to tear her eyes away from the man. The panther in her middle could point to him even if she was turned the other way, the draw was so powerful.
And one she needed to resist.
The scent of a brewing storm caught her nose right before Sawyer slipped around her side and took the empty seat next to her. He didn’t say a word.
Everly fidgeted in the silence. She wanted to know what was on his mind as he watched the rest of his clan give her gifts and ply her with ideas to occupy her time. Wouldn’t he be worried she’d slip away during the day?
“This isn’t what I expected,” she said instead.
Were those her first unprompted words of actual conversation? She thought so. He didn’t ask a question, and she didn’t talk about what she’d done for him.
Her cat purred happily and curled in on herself. Content. Everly couldn’t remember the last time the cat didn’t pace or watch with alertness.
“Good or bad?”
She inclined her head. “Different.”
“Live by the word. Sometimes it’s good to challenge how you were raised.”
There was pain in his words and he looked away.
Damn him. She fought the urge to ask what he meant and how he sounded so sure of that fact.
Sawyer turned back to her, and the dark pools of his eyes flecked with gold. He tilted his head again, showing her his neck. His submission was for show. She could feel the power radiating under his skin.
“You don’t have to fight whatever is between us. You don’t need to do what’s expected of you.”
“What do you want?” Blood pounded in her ears. She wasn’t sure how or why she choked out the words.
“You. I thought that much was clear.”
The words flowed over her and sent a shiver down her spine. Her cat tried to roll over and flash her belly. The traitorous beast was happy to submit to the man from the first inhale of his scent.
“This… whatever you want to call it, doesn’t need to be awkward.” He caught her hand in his, palms aligning and fingers twining together. His thumb stroked over her knuckle and forefinger. And all the while, he watched her with dark, hungry eyes. “Sure, you’ll do things for me. I’ll do things for you, too. Because we want to make each other happy. Not out of duty.”
She wanted to believe him. She was right on the cusp of it. But Leah’s words were fresh in her mind. Be gentle with him. She didn’t know what she wanted or what she could give the man who took her from her pride.
She didn’t know if she could trust him. They all seemed to expect her to just switch off her way of life and know how they lived. She couldn’t. It was too much. Too overwhelming.
Everly still expected the other shoe to drop at any moment.
Chapter 9
“And this is it,” Rylee ended with a flourish. “Main Street isn’t that big. What do you think?”
Everly loved it. To kill time before the firefighters ended their shift, Rylee took her on a grand tour of Bearden. She didn’t think the walk lasted more than fifteen minutes. In that time she counted a handful of stores, met a trio of elderly boar shifters with too many questions on their lips, and became enamored with the brick fronts and wide open windows of all the buildings.
The main drag was like something out of an idyllic television show. Rosy glows of lights clashed with the setting sun. A big square held more than a handful of couples with picnic baskets enjoying a cheap date. Large trees and big trucks lined the streets around the square. Humans weren’t the only ones to walk around, either. A bear or three put heavy paws against the sidewalks.
The place felt like home, or at least what she imagined home would feel like. There was no need to hide her other nature. Roots as strong as the ones that held the trees upright could be set in the town.
But what she liked about the enclave was exactly why the place was a danger. Bearden had already been attacked and targeted specifically for the people it housed. It was only a matter of time before they were hit again. Safety in numbers sounded appealing until those numbers put a target on their backs.
Everly held her tongue. Rylee looked so hopeful, and she didn’t want to crush her spirit. The human had been kind to her all day. “It’s lovely,” she said instead.
“It takes some getting used to. The nearest town with anything to do is an hour away. That’s the biggest complaint with my team. But I kind of like being tucked out of the way.”
Everly had nearly walked out of the clinic at the edge of town when she realized most of the people inside were human. Rylee headed a research team dedicated to understanding supernatural magic and genetics. Everly expected to be the focus of their attention, but apart from a few greetings, they ignored her. Still, being around that many humans was nerve-wracking.
They made for cramped quarters, too. Shifters rarely got sick, so most those in the clinic were human scientists. Rylee muttered after a few sidesteps and pauses in the crowded hallways about her lab and all the occupants moving to a new office as soon as it was built.
That would leave Everly alone with an enclave doctor already wanting for patients. She doubted there would be much love between her and the distant Dr. Wilmer Reed.
She tamped down on the flash of disappointment. That emotion required a future where she stayed. She would be free of her pride and her husband soon enough.
She automatically silenced her cat’s objection.
“Come on. Let’s wait inside,” Rylee nodded to the firehouse.
“Do you want to grab a coffee instead?” Everly asked.
She delayed heading into the building where Sawyer worked. After the surprise party, he once again took up his spot on the couch without complaint. He’d also disappeared that morning without disturbing her, and left her another note. Good luck.
She didn’t know why, but she stacked both notes together at the bottom of her new clothes pile.
“You can if you want,” Rylee frowned. “My feet are killing me, though. I’m going to head inside.”
Faced with visiting a new shop with more new people or following Rylee into the firehouse, Everly picked the firehouse. She had her fill of names lobbed in her direction for one day.
They crossed the street separating them from the firehouse and passed by one of the big red engines. The clan packed away gear into numerous cubbies but paused their work when they spotted the new arrivals.
Cole grabbed Rylee around the waist and spun her in a circle before setting her back on her feet. He leaned down and sipped at her lips, then set her glasses straight. Red flushed Rylee’s cheeks, and a slow smile spread across her face.
Everly felt a pang of jealousy and even more curiosity. The bear didn’t seem to mind a need to be gentle with his human mate, and she wasn’t turned away by his animalistic side. The pairing didn’t fit in Everly’s worldview, but they were obviously enamored with each other.
She didn’t need to turn to know Sawyer had moved only a few feet from her. The fine hairs all over her body stood on end, and her cat nuzzled against her mind.
What did she say to a man who was blatant in his desire for her? Who wanted her strongly enough to take her to his cabin in the woods and marry her when she needed an escape? She was still trying to figure it out.
He wanted her. Not her cat. Not her ovaries. Simply and utterly her.
He took the problem out of her hands. “How did it go today?”
“Well, I think.” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I don’t think the doctor’s happy to give up his duties. He spent most of the day quizzing me before Becca barged in and demanded to see me.”
He flashed a smile. “Not much can withstand that force
of nature.”
“Is she always like that?”
Everly admired her. All of the mates, really. They didn’t back down or cower. Rylee was the most timid of them, but even she had an iron will when pushed. Everly overheard her strongly correcting one of her underlings in a way that didn’t tear the man down or allow for any repeat mistakes.
“Pretty much. I honestly think being pregnant has calmed her down.” He ducked his face, but not before she caught another quick hitch of his lips.
He obviously cared about his clan a great deal. Everly found herself right on the edge of wanting to experience it for herself. She imagined she stood in a doorway. One step forward or backward would change her life forever, but she stayed frozen in place.
Rylee and Cole brought their heads together and murmured quick questions. Cole pulled apart and rubbed a hand over his head. “Do you two want to get dinner with us at Hogshead after the vamps come up?”
She looked a question to Sawyer. He shrugged. Okay, then, she was making the final decision.
Before she had a chance to confirm she wanted to try some of the famous barbecue, Sawyer slipped his arms around her waist and dragged her against all his rock hard muscles and into the scent of his personal storm.
She stiffened in his arms. “What—?”
He skimmed his nose up her neck and breathed into her ear. “Cats behind you.”
Everly whimpered. Damn him, and damn them. She didn’t like how her panther wanted to twine her tail around his neck or how her body reacted to his touch. It wasn’t right. He wasn’t her mate.
But he swore to act as her husband in public, and that was necessary with her pride stirring trouble right behind her.
“Excuse me, young lady,” her father growled.
With a reluctance she didn’t want to acknowledge, she pried herself from Sawyer’s arms and turned to find not just her father, but her mother and sister, too.
“So it’s true. You turned your back on your pride,” her father continued.
Her mother glanced up, shook her head with disappointment, then stared away. “Everly, how could you?”
Once again, Sawyer saved her from finding the first words. “She found her mate. Shouldn’t that be celebrated?” He held out his hand. “Sawyer Strickland.”
Her father stared at the offered hand with disgust. “Father,” Everly hissed and refused to duck her eyes at his glare. She turned to Sawyer. “Arthur and Maggie, my parents. Emery, my sister.”
Arthur sauntered around Sawyer, peering one way then the other and taking in all the details of the engine bay. He didn’t make it more than a few steps in any direction without one of the other firefighters blocking his path. “Her mate is back at our camp. Her mate has already been selected. She doesn’t want a repeat of Wichita.”
Tension whipped through Everly. The city buzzed off the lips of the entire enclave after news of another bombing spread. But it wasn’t the bombing that had her back up. Her mind grasped at anything but the memories of seeing her mentor bleed out for questioning Wade. It’d been her fault, her decision, and Aileen claimed it as her own when Wade demanded to know who sent a woman to a hospital instead of letting her die in the camp.
It was hard not to ignore the scene playing out behind her eyelids. Wade struck quickly, and Aileen fell to her knees. Then he shouted at the gathered pride about not trusting outsiders and the loss of a female was on him. He trusted Aileen, and she’d betrayed them all.
The threat was clear. Fall in line or face the same punishment.
Her cat clawed and hissed. The beast wouldn’t let Wade or her father rule her again. They’d chosen, and there was no leaving Sawyer.
Sawyer stepped behind her and drew her close. His arm wrapped around her waist and his hand splayed possessively across her stomach.
She thought she would hate the move and betray their arrangement. Nearly all the anxiety coursing through her disappeared in an instant.
He had her cat wrapped around his finger and her body, too. Her mind was the only objector.
Everly found her voice and lifted her eyes to her father’s. “I’m sorry you feel that way, but it doesn’t change what’s happened. I picked Sawyer. I married Sawyer. And he’s going to claim me. Wade already has a mate, and it isn’t me.”
“You can’t just abandon your people,” her mother implored. “Think of those babies you practically helped raise. Susie needs you right now. Others will need you in the future.”
“I’m going to need you, Ev. Who will deliver my baby?” Emery asked in a small voice.
She didn’t want to accuse her sister of lying, but it was awfully convenient for her to realize she carried a child right after Wade’s unsuccessful mission to retrieve Everly. The whole point of him selecting Everly was because Em hadn’t given him an heir.
She inhaled and tried to scent the lie. There was a clever mincing of words, though. Emery never quite said she was pregnant.
Everly frowned and leaned into Sawyer. He was honest, if a bit crazy. The beginnings of a headache pinched behind her eyes. She didn’t want to deal with her family, but they were hers by blood. She didn’t get to choose.
“There it is. Your sister needs you and your mate is calling. Come to your senses, Everly.”
“I think she has, Arthur,” Sawyer said in a tight voice. The muscles in his forearm flexed with his clenched fists.
Her father glared in her direction and red colored his neck. His eyes flashed gold. Those were the looks that always sent her ducking. Even her mother and sister edged away from him. “I always knew you’d be a disappointment,” he snarled. “Now here you are, cavorting with these mixed bloods—”
Sawyer released her, then stepped right in front of her. The other bears closed in by a single step. They let him take the lead, but declared themselves ready to throw down and brawl all the same.
Everly cringed and waited for the fight to begin.
Sawyer kept his hands locked at his side. She couldn’t see his eyes, but she’d bet they were as bright as her father’s. Only he didn’t snarl. His tone stayed even, strong, and commanding. “There’s nothing wrong with mixing blood or making your own way. If you truly feel that way, your place isn’t in our town. We tend to judge others by their words, and yours are offensive to everyone here.”
Her father took a step closer, and the bear clan simultaneously growled. Her mother and sister stared at their feet. They would be no help in a fight.
Arthur leaned around Sawyer and directed a final glare in her direction. “You will return to the pride.”
Everly slumped as soon as her family rounded the corner. The rest of the clan suddenly found somewhere else to be, leaving her and Sawyer alone.
He tucked a finger under her chin and raised her eyes. “Don’t listen to that asshole.”
She looked away and put a step between them, then turned away. “He’s my family. Don’t talk like that.”
“Fuck that. Families can suck. Pick your own and you’ll be better off.”
He didn’t give her any options, either. She wasn’t allowed to choose him when he forced her into his truck. He was more similar to her father than he probably wanted to be.
Family bonds lasted a lifetime. Chosen ones could be broken at any point. Where was the loyalty in that?
“What happened in Wichita?”
Guilt flooded her senses. “Aileen, the pride doctor before me, was punished for disobeying Wade. But it wasn’t her. I made the decision, and she suffered for it.” Words stuck in the back of her throat. Her fault. Aileen had given her some purpose and direction in a life that didn’t fit. She had taught her everything she knew. Aileen was dead because of her.
Sawyer sighed behind her. She felt the ripple of air as he stepped closer. The scuff of his boots sounded loud in her ears. She took another step away just so he wouldn’t wrap her in his arms again. She couldn’t think straight when he touched her.
Everly crossed her arms over her chest and looked
out the open engine bay. “I should check on Emery. Somehow.”
“I don’t think you should go near them.”
She looked at him sharply. “What?”
“I don’t want them around you. I don’t like the way they talk to you or the demands they made. I bet they’d cart you back off to your pride without hesitation.”
“They don’t know any better.” Her shoulders slumped. They were her family. She wanted to defend them. Even if they were wrong. Sawyer didn’t know them and shouldn’t make judgments.
“They do. Don’t ever mistake that. They know exactly the sort of assholes they are.” He rolled his shoulders and let go of a harsh breath. The hand he shoved into his hair was more like batting the strands out of the way than brushing them back.
Her cat wanted her to reach out and touch him. Calm him. Just like they’d done when he started to shift in his truck.
Everly shoved her hands into her pockets.
He stayed quiet for a long moment, just watching her with a blank expression. “Dinner?” he asked finally.
“I think I just want to go back to the cabin.”
A muscle in his jaw ticked. She thought he would order her out anyway or say something else about her family. He surprised her again with a single nod and turning on his heel to leave her alone.
She wished she didn’t feel so empty without him near.
Chapter 10
Sawyer glanced at the clock and prayed for something to happen. A call, preferably. He could throw himself into his turnout gear and work a fire without all the tangled thoughts in his head. Hell, even fighting down a cat in a tree would be better than staring at the ticking hands and waiting for lunch to arrive.
His bear growled in his head. There was only one cat the beast wanted sticking them with her claws, and she’d gone silent on him again.
He thought they were getting somewhere. The surprise party the mates cooked up went well. Everly thawed a little. Let him talk to her and touch her. She’d even been ready for an outing before her folks showed up and sent her scurrying back into herself.