Now she did give me a clear, genuine-seeming little smile. But I couldn't return it. I was suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. I didn't want this woman to smile at me. I didn't want to have brunch with her, Grant, Adrian, Samuel, and the rest of their bear shifter family. I wanted to run out of the room. I wanted to run right out of Sun Creek.
After a moment or two of me remaining silent and unsmiling, studying the grain of the polished wooden bar, Mil made the softest of little scoffing noises that made me lift my gaze.
She looked at me with her smile not entirely gone, but somehow with a hint of sternness or disappointment present in her expression as well. "You don't speak?"
I instantly felt stupid. Rude. More than a bit embarrassed. Yet, at the same time, more than a bit angry.
But before I could respond, before I could even think of a response, Mil spoke again. "You've resolved not to speak. And that's fine. For now. But just so you know, this is a family that communicates, and you're going to be a part of it. So be aware, we won't be content with your silence forever."
I was going to have to be careful. I had a feeling that if I didn't give this woman a bit more civility and courtesy, she could make my new life a living hell. Yet, at the same time, I suddenly kind of liked her. I didn't even know why. Maybe it was because I had a feeling that she was a woman who wasn't able to help speaking exactly what was on her mind at times, like me.
Before she could speak any more of her mind to me, Grant, who was standing to my left, cleared his throat, his gaze on Mil. "We'll go round up the boys and let you two ladies get better acquainted."
He, Adrian, and Samuel immediately left, leaving me alone with Mil. She told me to have a seat on one of the bar stools, so I did. Then, she fixed me with a piercing gaze. When she spoke, her words were firm and matter-of-fact.
"You'll rest today, and then you'll share a bed with both Grant and Adrian tonight, immediately. Unless you can answer me one simple question."
CHAPTER THREE
I just about fell off my bar stool. I couldn't believe what Mil had just said. But I knew I hadn't misheard her. She'd pretty clearly said I'd be sharing a bed with both Grant and Adrian that night unless I could answer one simple question.
"What is it? What's the question?"
So curious was I to know, the words had tumbled right out of my mouth. I was very interested in answering any question that would delay me having to share a bed with a bear shifter that might have taken part in the killing of Gray and Estelle. And actually, not a bear shifter, but two.
Aunt Mil began pouring a bottle of tomato juice in the glass pitcher, smiling a little. "Thought that would get you to talk. Though I didn't say it just for shock value. You'll be expected to share a bed with both Grant and Adrian tonight unless you can answer one simple question right now."
"So, what is it?"
She set the now-empty bottle of tomato juice on the bar and looked at me. "It's this. Which brother would you like to be mated to for life? Would you rather marry Grant or Adrian? I can tell just from little micro-glances they were both giving you that they both find you very attractive.
“No big surprise with your lovely chestnut hair, your beautiful eyes, and that curvy little body of yours. I'm not sure what man wouldn't be attracted to you. I'm not sure what man wouldn't want to claim you for his own. As I'm sure both Grant and Adrian would like to do.
“However, even though Grant is our chief, and really, he should be able to claim you as his mate for life if he wants to, we all decided before they even left to fetch you that it might be best for you to make the decision. So, it's up to you who you'd like to be your husband. Grant or Adrian."
Mil paused, as if awaiting my response, but I sat speechless. Dumbfounded. I couldn't fathom how she expected me to choose which of two men, two men I'd just met, I wanted to be my husband, just like that.
Seeming to read my mind, Mil continued. "Yes, I'm aware I'm asking you to decide between two men you just met. But, you see, when a new young woman comes to Sun Creek, we like these decisions to be made quickly. This is in part because we, as a people and a community, generally believe that first impressions in matters of the heart are most often correct impressions.
“The man a woman at first believes she's meant for, is usually the correct choice. We also require a quick decision because, as I'm sure you're aware, healthy young women are a minority in this post-Freeze world, and frankly, there are too many single men in this community to have single young women remaining single for long. It causes problems.
“So, when a family in our community purchases a young woman at auction, and when there are multiple single men in that family, we require that one of those men immediately claim her, or that young woman immediately makes a choice about what man she wants. Which is what we're requiring of you."
I didn't want to make a choice. I wasn't ready. I had no intention of marrying either Grant or Adrian. I had no desire for either of them to be my "mate for life."
Sure, I knew I'd have to pick one of them eventually. I'd been purchased; this was my new life, and I knew there was no way out of it. However, asking me to choose between Grant and Adrian was too much right then. I found them both almost unbearably attractive; there was no doubt about that.
But that was irrelevant. I didn't intend to enjoy being mated to one of them, so that didn't even matter. What I needed to make a decision was more information. I needed to find out for sure if one of them, neither of them, or both of them had been directly involved in the attack on Gray and Estelle. Because, of course, if one of them hadn't been, he would be the man I'd choose.
If both of them had been involved, I wouldn't care who became my husband; I'd be sickened either way. I didn't even bother contemplating what I'd do if neither Grant or Adrian were involved in the attack. They were bear shifters, and I knew bear shifters were murderers. Neither of them being involved seemed like quite a stretch.
I needed more time. I wouldn't directly ask which of them had been involved in the attack; I wouldn't even bring it up. For some reason, I felt as if it was a matter of pride to never reveal that Gray and Estelle had been my adoptive parents and that I'd been deeply hurt by them being killed.
I knew it was possible that the bears might already know, though I had no idea what Malachi had told them about me. All I knew about Malachi was that he was better suited to be a snake shifter than a wolf shifter, the way he'd willingly sold a young woman from his community to the bears mere weeks after the bears had killed two of his people in cold blood. He was a snake to have any dealings with the bears at all, no matter how desperate for money he was.
I also wouldn't bring up the murder of Gray and Estelle to the bears, or question them about the subject in any way, for a different reason. I simply didn't believe they'd tell me the truth. I didn't trust them an inch. People so savage as to kill two people out for a canoe ride weren't people who could be expected to tell the truth about anything. I was sure they'd lie if it suited them. Like, for example, if they maybe had slight regret about what they'd done and wanted to cover things up.
Even as betrayed as I felt by them, I probably trusted Malachi and the rest of the wolves more than I trusted the bears at that point. Yes, the wolves had killed my birth parents. They'd never denied it. But one of them, Gray, had also saved my life that same night. He and Estelle had continued to save my life by taking me in and raising me as their own. And the wolf shifter community had been my community for so long.
After several moments spent thinking while Mil added vodka to the tomato juice in the pitcher, I made a decision. I wasn't going to choose either Grant or Adrian to be my husband at that point. I was going to refuse to make a choice. Even if I couldn't get information or proof about who had directly taken part in the attack, I could maybe still get a feel for who had. Maybe I could get some clues. Maybe I would even overhear a few things. I just needed a week or two, or three, at most, I thought. Then I'd know which brother to choose. If I felt as
if both of them had been involved, at least then I would know to resign myself, and I'd pick the one who I felt would be least likely to commit such an attack again.
While she stirred the liquid in the pitcher with a wooden spoon, I sat up a little straighter on my bar stool, my gaze on her face. "I refuse. I refuse to decide immediately who I want to be my husband. It's unfair. And I demand more time to think."
Smiling a little, she stopped stirring and looked up from the pitcher. "I knew you'd be one to be difficult just for the sake of being difficult. Knew it the moment I set eyes on you. Strong-willed that young lady is going to be, I said to myself. And that's fine. If I were purchased like you were today, I might get the urge to dig in my heels a little myself. I might get the urge to assert my autonomy a little as well. However...." She tapped the spoon on the side of the pitcher, set it on a dishtowel on the bar, and then looked me square in the eyes.
"Strong-willed young women aren't entirely unusual to us here in Sun Creek. We've had a few over the years. And so, if a young woman is offered a choice between two brothers, and she refuses to make one, we've found a way to force her to choose right away. We've found that giving a choice between picking one or sharing a bed with both until she does is awfully effective. That's why I told you you'll be sharing a bed with both Grant and Adrian tonight unless you choose."
I'd somehow completely forgotten all about that part.
Mil pushed the pitcher of Bloody Mary to the side and placed both of her slim fingered-hands on the bar. "You see, we realize sharing a bed might be a fantasy for many women, but very few women are willing to actually indulge that fantasy in real life. It's too intimidating. Particularly for younger women. So, most of the young women that come here make a choice between the two brothers or family members very quickly, rather than have a fantasy they're not quite certain they want in real life become a reality that's thrust upon them. Double entendre heartily intended."
A laugh burst out of my mouth before I could stop it. It had truly been involuntary. Mil's little joke, which she'd delivered with a deadpan expression, had taken me completely by surprise.
She looked at me with her dark eyes twinkling. "So you can laugh. That's good. And while you're in such a good mood, I'll tell you a bit about Grant and Adrian to help you make your choice. Because something tells me not much conversation went on during the trip here. But first...well, let's do a shot. Just because. Just because there's still a few shots left in the fifth, and if we don't use them up, I might be tempted to add them to the pitcher, and we don't want the Bloody Marys at brunch to be too strong."
She gave me the tiniest of winks before grabbing two shot glasses, setting them on the counter, and began pouring vodka into each of them. Almost against my will, I was beginning to like her more and more.
She glanced up at me. "Do you drink? If you don't, don't feel like you have to do a shot with me."
I gave my head a little shake. "No, I want to. I drink only sometimes, but right now...."
I couldn't even finish the thought. My brain was too preoccupied thinking about the fact that I was actually allowing myself to have a conversation with Mil. Like I had with Adrian, and to an extent, Grant, I wondered if she was playing some sort of a game. Trying to earn my trust before betraying it somehow.
She handed me a shot glass. "But right now, you could use a stiff drink."
I nodded. "Yes."
It was definitely the truth. I slugged back my shot in one gulp.
Mil did the same and then began pouring us Bloody Marys in tall glasses. "We can get a head start on brunch."
That sounded just fine to me.
After filling our glasses, she pulled a bar stool over from one corner of the behind-the-bar area, had a seat on it, and picked up her glass. "So. Some details about Grant and Adrian. Oh, but even before, I should tell you some details even before those details. I should tell you why Samuel isn't a part of this...why he's not an option to pick."
I had kind of wondered. I knew he had children, but I hadn't seen a wedding ring on his finger.
Mil took a sip of her Bloody Mary and set the glass on the bar. "Very sadly, Samuel's wife Amy died from cancer a few years ago. Our doctors here have all the most advanced medical technology from Ashcrest, though there are some things that still can't be cured. Amy's cancer was one of those things, and Samuel was devastated by her death, and that's putting it mildly. He's not yet ready to try to find love again, and he may never be. Which is why Grant and Adrian are the two brothers you have to choose from."
I took a long, thirsty drink of my Bloody Mary, a bit pleasantly lightheaded from the shot I'd done, but also strangely tense at the same time. Hearing about Samuel's wife had bothered me, and not just because what had happened was so very sad. It bothered me because Samuel being so devastated by the loss didn't quite line up with my perception of the bear shifters as cold, cunning murderers.
Mil took a long drink herself while birdsong floated in through the open windows all around the spacious room, then she set her glass on the sun-dappled bar again. "Grant and Adrian. What do they do, you might wonder. What are their 'jobs,' so to speak. Well, they're both involved in the family business, which is making and exporting whiskey. We employ seven hundred men and women of the community at our distillery, and we export our whiskey to cities far and wide. The only cities we don't trade with and export to are a few of the wolf shifter cities we're not friends with, such as Stony Rapids. No offense.
“This family business was started over a hundred years ago, and it's helped make Sun Creek a fairly affluent, comfortable place for all citizens to live. There's a lot of work that goes into the business, though, and it keeps Grant, Adrian, and Samuel very busy. Also, as maybe you've been told, or you just perceived, Grant is the chief and leader of Sun Creek. He runs things, and what he says goes. People respect him. People love him. People even...even I think fear him a bit, though not because he's a violent man or anything like that, at least not when it comes to members of his own community."
I'd been about to take a sip of my drink but froze with the glass halfway to my mouth. She'd said Grant wasn't a violent man when it came to members of his community. Of course, that said to me that he was violent with members of other communities. Maybe he'd led a violent attack on Gray and Estelle. Maybe he'd murdered them himself.
Not seeming to notice my little freeze up, Mil continued on. "Grant is...well, I suppose he's simply intimidating at times. He has a very commanding presence, as I'm sure you've noticed. He's the strongest shifter our community has ever had, both physically, as a fighter in bear form, and mentally as well, I think. He's incredibly tough.
“He's a fierce protector of his people. He's a good man. One who would make an excellent husband. One for a young woman who likes a stoic, quiet man like Grant."
Appearing deep in thought, Mil paused to take a sip of her drink. "He's a man of much action, but very few words at times. Which wasn't always the case. He used to laugh and joke as a kid a lot. Used to talk a lot. But something happened to him when he was about fourteen, I think, and it changed him. It was at that time that he began to become the serious, strong, authoritative man he is today. It was at that time that Samuel began to defer to his leadership a bit, even though Samuel is the older brother by about a decade. I think he knew, and the boys' father, my brother, knew, that Grant was meant to be leader of this community."
"Well, what was that something that happened to Grant that made him quieter and more serious all of a sudden?"
I couldn't deny I was little curious.
Tucking a stray dark curl behind one ear, Mil shrugged. "Nobody knows. He was out exploring the land one night in bear form...nobody even knows for sure where. Miles and miles from here, I think it was said. And when he returned, he returned changed. He didn't speak for days. Just wanted to be left alone. He spent a lot of time by himself in the forests nearby. We don't know if he was attacked by a wolf shifter, or a dragon shifter, or if he just had s
ome strange realization about himself. And at any rate, probably nobody will ever know. He never even told his father, mother, or brothers what had happened. He just came back changed. And that was that."
I had to wonder if that was the first time he'd killed someone.
Mil drained the rest of her drink and set the glass on the bar. "Onto Adrian. For some reason, I feel as though he requires less explaining than Grant. As I'm sure you might have been made aware on your trip here, he's a bit different than Grant. He's very strong as well, but a bit of a different personality. A bit less serious. He wears his heart on his sleeve. He'd also make an excellent husband. Maybe for a young woman who likes a strong man but with a bit more humor.
“I know both he and Grant are ready to settle down. Have children. Each of them is ready to have a life mate. And just judging by the little glances they were both giving you, little glances that their Aunt Mil could clearly tell were looks of intense interest, I think each of them would be quite pleased to be chosen by you. So, no sense in dragging it out. We'll all have brunch together, and then after, I'll expect an answer from you."
Simply Bears: A Ten Book Paranormal Bear Shifter Romance Collection Page 104