by Olivia Gayle
“Aw, didn’t your new girl tell you? We got real close and chummy a week ago.”
Anger, raw and savage, burned away any embarrassment Abby might have felt at the lie. Any kind of speech was out; she had the feeling if she opened her mouth, it would only be to chomp down on him and rip him end to end.
Bet he would taste good.
She closed her eyes, willing that feral voice inside her to be quiet. Images burned through her head of what she wanted to do, and the bloody savagery she envisioned made her alternately sick and excited. Abby gripped her chair, fingers digging into the wood of the table.
“What’s the matter, baby? Cat got your tongue?”
The wood in her hands cracked and she turned around to see him standing only a few feet from her. Asshat’s smell, body odor masked by a strong deodorant, made her want to gag. Beside them, Andrew looked worriedly between them, realizing something wasn’t right but unsure how to proceed.
For his benefit, Abby found her voice. “Go away, Jake,” she said, the words muffled, and was pleased when his expression clouded.
“It’s Jack, you bitch.”
Abby’s smile was more grimace; her hands tightened on the chair still in her hands. The two men Asshat had been sitting with moved to flank him, eying her in a way that made Abby want to rip the chair apart and go all stabbity with the pointy bits. An unnaturally sharp tooth dug into the tender skin inside her mouth and she winced, but her expression only seemed to amuse her tormentor.
Breathe.
“Andrew, let’s go.” The words were hard for her to say, but when she tried to step away her brother didn’t move from his protective stance.
Ah hell.
She put a hand on her brother’s arm, and felt him practically vibrating. He was one of the most easygoing people she knew, so she’d never seen him angry like this, not in twenty-five years of living with him. “He’s not worth it,” she said, and Andrew’s eyes flicked to her, then widened.
That was all the warning she had as Asshat’s hand reached out to grab her.
He moved in slow motion, and Abby felt like she was watching a movie that was a hundred frames per second and she could see every…single…one. She knew there was no danger to her. His every move was articulated by his body, and she was faster, stronger. She danced aside even as something crossed her path, fast enough to be a blur even to her eyes.
Then Logan was in front of her, his wide shoulders blocking her view of the three attackers. Jack, on the other hand, was high in the air, his head almost touching the low roof, one thick hand around his neck.
All Abby could see of Logan’s face was his profile, but every muscle stood out over his body.
And, from the way his eyes practically blazed death, he looked pissed.
Chapter 9
Jack’s feet kicked frantically in the air, his fingers clawing at the hand around his throat.
Abby stood rooted to the spot, stunned by this unexpected turn of events.
Logan said nothing, just stared up at the man he held aloft by the neck. Asshat's face was growing redder by the second, and Abby felt a fierce satisfaction that he was getting what he deserved.
When did I become so mercenary?
Probably since meeting Logan. He really was magnificent, all bulgy muscles and angry Alpha-male protectiveness. The little voice inside Abby's head definitely approved, and for once she actually agreed with the new, more brutal part of her psyche.
Geez, schizo much, Abby?
Andrew chose that moment to bump her shoulder. His gaze was on the Asshat's two companions, who looked ready to charge in. Abby's fingernails dug into her palms, torn on what to do.
Logan noticed them too. His attention strayed, and Abby was certain she saw a savage gleam enter his eye. He wanted them to attack; she saw the anticipation in his face, the way his muscles bunched as if readying himself for a fight. She could all but smell the eagerness on him.
Behind the other men, she saw the bartender grab his cellphone and start punching in numbers. That jarred her back to the real world, the one where humans were humans and didn't take well to anything different.
Revenge on Asshat would have to wait.
She edged close to the large man and put her hand on Logan's arm. Quick as lightening, his free hand grabbed her wrist, and Abby gave a surprised gasp.
That sound, more than anything, finally jogged him out of his single-minded focus of his quarry. He blinked long and slow, then turned to look at Abby. A line formed between his brows as he looked first at his hand on Abby, then at the one holding Asshat-Jack high in the air.
"You need to let him go," Abby said in a low voice, aware that every eye was on them now. It occurred to her that the entire event had only spanned a handful of seconds, but it felt like an eternity.
A muscle ticked along Logan's jaw, and for a moment Abby thought he was just going to finish off the man he was holding. Then with a grunt, he let go of his prey, who fell to the ground in a heap.
Logan's eyes went to his hand wrapped almost painfully hard around Abby's wrist. The furrow deepened along his brow at the sight, and he let her go suddenly like she burned him. Her wrist was red from his grip and she cradled it for a moment, determining quickly that it wasn't hurt.
Logan, however, staggered back a step from her, his eyes wide and stricken. Without a word, he turned around and fled the building, his booted feet making no sound against the old wood floor.
"I'm going to sue you when I get back home." Asshat's voice was gruff and wobbly, whether from fear or the hand at his throat, Abby couldn't tell. "I'm going to fucking sue every last one of you for every dime you've got."
Abby’s lips curled back into a snarl, but this time Andrew was faster, letting loose a kick that hit Asshat-Jack in the ribs. The violence put her at ease again, a fact that might have worried her any other time, but she was tired of being worried, and done with being afraid. It was all she'd done for the last week, worry about her condition and what it meant and how her life was over.
All that was left was indifference, and she embraced it. Abby stared coldly down at her slanderer, then over at his friends, who hadn't lifted a finger the entire time to help. They deserved one another.
"For the record," she said, her voice flat, "he's got a dick the size of a marble."
One of the men snickered, and Asshat flushed scarlet. Abby couldn't care less; she turned around and marched out of the restaurant, her chin high.
"Jesus, Abby, who the hell was that?"
It wasn't hard for her to deduce who her brother was talking about. She pushed against the door, barely noticing the biting chill of the air on her skin. "He's the one who saved my life."
* * *
He'd touched her in anger. Logan felt his actions like a vise to the heart, squeezing the life out of his soul.
"Logan?"
Her voice behind him, but he kept walking. Footfalls landed on the gravel path as she followed, and he quickened his pace. He needed to be alone, needed solitude. Ten years away hadn't been enough, he still--
"Logan!"
He smelled diesel and mud the instant Abby's hand closed over his shirt sleeve. She yanked him back as a big rig passed by dangerously close, blaring its horn.
"What the hell was that?" His mate's voice was an angry screech, but Logan could hear her heart thumping madly. "Do you have some kind of death wish?"
He just stared at her miserably. Logan's human side wanted to run back to the forest, lose itself amongst the wilderness and the struggle to simply live. The bear side though, it wanted its mate, and was used to getting its way after a decade of unfettered access to Logan's body. It refused to let him run, and growled in the back of his head at any further thoughts of leaving.
His mate - Abby - put her hand on her lips, glaring at him. Emotions he couldn't, or wouldn't, identify welled up inside Logan, and he stepped forward, suddenly desperate to touch her, to know she was real.
Surprised flickered thro
ugh Abby's eyes as he put his arm around her and buried his face in the crook of her neck. The angle was awkward with their height difference, but he just breathed her in and felt that jittery beast inside his belly finally subside, at peace again.
More footfalls, then the human male who'd accompanied his mate came up. "Nice save there, sis."
Logan's lip curled up in a silent snarl at the intrusion, but his mate's elbow to the ribs kept his annoyance silent. "You know how I love to save the day,” Abby said, keeping her eyes on Logan.
The moment stretched awkwardly, Logan not wanting to let her go. Even through the thick jacket, he could feel the curves of her body, and his dick sprang to life. The brother cleared his throat however and Abby carefully extricated herself but kept her hand in his.
Andrew's gaze went to the entwined fingers and his eyebrows went up, but he didn't mention it. "I'll meet you at the hotel," he said instead, giving Logan an appraising look before turning around and heading toward a block of buildings across the road.
"Logan, what are you doing here?"
She seemed annoyed - that was what her tone conveyed anyway - but as he brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, he felt her lean into his touch. Abby must have noticed it too because she stepped back immediately, looking away as if flustered. Somehow, that tiny correction finally gave him the clarity of mind to respond. "I followed you."
"Well, I figured that much out myself." Abby studied him. "Is everything alright? Meredith and Damon?"
"I didn't tell them, I just followed.”
"They might get worried! You should have left a note or something."
Inexplicable giddiness flowed through Logan's body and he grinned down at her. He liked that she thought of others, how they might be worried needlessly about him. Now was not the time to tell her that he left them much more abruptly in the past. He reached out a hand to touch her face again. "It's so good to see you again."
His response obviously baffled her, but he couldn't stop smiling. The bear just wanted to rub against her, and the human side was keen to do the same. Despite his time in the wild however, he had some idea of how humans behaved and, if he remembered correctly, that was frowned upon, especially in public.
Silly humans.
That thought served to remind him that they were out in the open, visible to anyone who might be looking. Instinct told him to get inside, somewhere safe and protected, especially as more frozen rain began to pelt down.
"I have a hotel room where we can talk," she said, tugging him toward the nearby hotel. “I get the feeling you aren't going to let me be alone.”
She got that right. He fell in step beside her, careful to look down the streets this time. It had been foolish to run like that; he hadn't been at all cognizant of his surroundings. She had saved his life, something he wouldn't forget.
Logan drew in a deep breath, enjoying her presence by his side. He'd followed her after she left the cabin, always staying out of sight and downwind.
"How did I not know you were in the restaurant?" Abby asked, peering up at him warily. "I could smell everything in there, how could I miss you?"
"More powerful Alpha shifters often have special abilities. My brothers take after my father, able to do crowd control by sheer personality alone.” He scratched his head. "It's difficult to explain. I have the added gift of being able to shield my presence from the senses of others, blending in with the background."
She snorted. "That must be a handy skill. What did you do with it?”
"I used to be an enforcer." Recognizing the question in her eyes, he explained. "It's a rank within my people similar to your FBI.”
“So you were a bear-shifting policeman. Ah, the places a girl’s brain takes you when you say things like that.” She grinned ruefully, staring down the street. “Why’d you leave?”
Memories reared up, still bitter after more than a decade. Logan ground his teeth together, keeping silent as Abby rummaged through her pockets. "What's that," he asked, pointing at the black object she pulled out.
"It's a cell phone. I'm texting my brother so he doesn't send out a search party."
Logan's brows drew together. "Texting?"
"Yeah, he can be a bit overprotective..." She trailed off, frowning. "Do you know what a cellphone is?"
He shook his head and watched her eyes grow wide. She really was beautiful when surprised; he'd have to do it more often.
"Well, welcome to the twenty-first century, Mr. Logan."
"It's Tucker."
"Huh?"
"My last name. Logan Tucker."
Abby cocked her head to the side, studying him, then stuck out her hand. "Pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Tucker."
Logan's hand closed around hers just as an old, familiar scent crossed is nose. He latched onto his mate's hand and pulled her around behind him. She gave a squawk of outrage, then froze as someone chuckled nearby them.
"You used to be much better at detecting me, brother. This frontier life has made you soft to the hunt."
Logan bared his teeth. "Warren. Why are you here?”
Warren clucked his tongue, but the coldness never left his eyes. “Let’s not play games, shall we? I'm here to execute you for murder.”
Chapter 10
“What the hell?”
Abby peered out from around Logan, looking between this newcomer and the man who called himself her mate. The words rattled around inside her head, unable to be absorbed.
Warren’s mouth twisted humorlessly as his eyes went to Abby. “You need to leave. Now.”
Abby’s hands were on Logan, using him as a shield, and she felt his body deflate at those words. Something inside of her snapped; anger rose to the surface as she moved around Logan. “Go to hell.”
One eyebrow quirked up on the other man’s face, and with a start, Abby recognized the similarity between him and Logan. “You called him ‘brother’ earlier,” she said cautiously, keeping a hand on Logan’s arm. He hadn’t moved, but she could feel the tension inside him, and it brought out her own protective side. “You really are related, aren’t you?”
“For Pete’s sake.” A small dark-haired woman with blue-green eyes walked up beside Warren and glared at Abby. “Just move out of the way, Sunshine, and let us do our business.”
Across from them, Warren sighed. “Amelia…”
“Oh come on, Warren! Just make her leave so we can collect him and go, or I’ll deal with her myself.”
The growl that came from Logan wasn’t at all human. It rumbled through him and should have put the fear of God into Abby, but it just made her bolder. Logan would make sure she was safe, Abby was sure of it. “I’m not going anywhere or less anyone deal with him until I know what’s going on.”
Warren’s unsettling gaze landed on hers. “And you are…?”
“His mate.”
The words just flowed off her tongue like nobody’s business, when inside they made her quake. Logan’s grip tightened on her, and she could feel the surprise ripple through his body. Abby had meant only to use the word to lend credence to her position, not… She wasn’t sure. But judging from the sharpened gazes from the two in front of her, it definitely changed things.
“We received word earlier this week that a giant Kodiak bear had killed a female tourist.”
"You mean me." Abby didn't bother trying to keep the disdain out of her voice. "You should keep more up to date with the news, especially when it means death."
Whatever attitude Warren had been copping was dropped; he was utterly deadpan now, his face betraying nothing. “The description of the animal fit Logan to a tee. We were sent up to check on and deal with the possible situation.”
Beside him, Amelia rolled her eyes. “You mean you volunteered us to come up to this wasteland.”
Warren shrugged. “We were assigned to ascertain the situation. I gave your picture to the local bartender and he tipped me off a few minutes ago.” His eyes moved to Abby. “Seems like our information was fau
lty.”
“A pity.” Amelia examined her nails, buffing them against her t-shirt. “I was really hoping there’d be a fight this time. It’s been so boring lately.”
Abby pursed her lips. “For the record, I was the female tourist who went missing, and Logan here saved my life.” She paused. “Well, after a fashion.”
“She fell down a cliff running from me.”
Logan’s voice was muffled against her shoulder, his breath warm against Abby’s neck. Her belly tightened as she suddenly became aware of him pressed against her side. The memory of their kiss in the woods popped up, and despite the company she felt a rush of heat between her legs.
“Oh, brother.” Amelia scoffed, breaking the mood. “Yup, they’re totally mates. Can we just let them get a room please?"
Abby flushed, mortified at having been caught. Behind her, Logan growled, and the tiniest of frowns puckered Warren's brow.
"Are these two bothering you?"
The new voice startled Abby. Meredith stood at the corner of the hotel, her arms at the ready by her sides. A pistol hung from her belt Wild West-style, her hand only inches away. Both her and Damon's eyes were on the newcomers, who tensed and crouched low.
"No, we're good," Abby said hastily, pushing past the shock and not wanting to cause any problems. “This is Logan's brother and his partner.”
"Partner?" Meredith frowned at Warren, who was likewise studying the older woman. Abby noticed that his eyes had turned a bright blue, but as she watched that faded into the normal color. A crease formed between his brow, the only sign of his feelings.
Abby rolled her eyes. Stoicism must run in the family.
“How did I not…” Smell you. It was how Abby had been about to end her sentence, but the words just didn’t sound right. “Notice you?”
Damon beamed. “Because Meredith showered and did laundry, so finally smells good,” he said, blithely ignoring the look of death the older woman gave him.
“I used a special soap I have for hunting,” she said, shaking her head ruefully as Damon’s attention shifted to the newcomers. “It keeps your body smells down provided you don’t sweat too much. Figured it might give me an edge on finding you folks if I wasn’t too obvious."