MARS (BBW Bear Shifter MC Romance) (MC Bear Mates Book 1)

by Becca Fanning

  “Let’s go get a table and get out of the way,” Briggs suggested. Kat nodded and followed him to a booth towards the back of the bar.

  Briggs nodded, his eyes scanning the bar. “I don’t think we’re much liked around these parts.”

  “I think you’re right.”

  They drank their beers in silence for a few minutes, watching the locals watch them. A few even shot them dirty looks, but that was as far as they went.

  “Want another beer?” Briggs asked, finishing his.

  “Please.”

  Briggs got up and headed to the bar. As he neared, one of the men at the bar shifted to the side and pushed him away. Kat saw Briggs’ body tense up and his hand clenched, but he did nothing except walk down towards the end of the bar and wait patiently. He waited longer than the first time, but came back shortly with two beers.

  “That guy was an asshole,” Kat said.

  “Yeah. I’m used to them, though,” he said, taking a drink of his beer. “Let’s get down to it, Kat. What are we doing here?”

  “Having a beer,” Kat deflected. Despite the locals, she was having a good time sitting at a bar with Briggs. It wasn’t often that she got to spend any time out of the lab, with the exception of her house, and that hardly counted. She knew she was on a tight deadline… but she could enjoy herself, right?

  Yes, I can, she told herself.

  The look Briggs gave her told her that he saw right through her answer. She knew that look, since she so often gave it to others, especially Toby, as of late.

  “Fine,” she conceded and took a drink. “I’ll cut to the chase. I messed up a few days ago. Or a couple of years ago, however you choose to look at it.”

  “Ha, guess we’ve all been there.”

  “Like I said last night, I work for Animus Engineering. It’s a technology lab that specializes in prosthetic limbs.”

  “So people like me are right up your alley?”

  “In a way,” Kat said, with a light laugh. “It wasn’t one of those things I dreamed about as a child. Far from it. But as I was going through school, I just kind of… fell into it. But now, it’s my passion.”

  “I’m lucky to have you, I guess.”

  “I’m lucky to have you,” Kat corrected. “I’ve been working on a prototype prosthesis for the past three years. When I started it, with my partner, we knew that there were going to be some complications. What was your experience with prostheses?”

  Briggs shifted his shoulders uncomfortably, but he nodded. “After I came back from… my deployment, they tried to fix me up with one. I was in a bad spot in my life, to begin with, and I didn’t want to deal with it. Plus, it was clunky as hell. Slow, unresponsive, and a pain in the ass to use. Especially in my life – you can’t be slow, or you die. I got rid of it.”

  “That’s exactly what we set out to fix!” Kat exclaimed. She knew her excitement was evident on her face, but she couldn’t help it. This was exactly what she had set out to fix when she’d started developing the Aegis. Well, for most, it wasn’t a life or death situation, but everything else fit the bill. “Most of them are too slow to use reliably. You can’t drive with them. Play baseball, react to quick stimuli, and whatever else you need to do with them.”

  “So what sets this one apart? Why do you need my help?”

  “That brings us to our complications. Working within FDA regulations, we were limited by the delay time of the arm. But we worked outside of the regulations, using an unapproved type of oscillating power source. No risk to the user, of course – but not approved for human trials, and won’t be for years.”

  At her use of the words human trials, she saw Briggs’ ears perk up. He knew exactly what she was getting at, now. Knew exactly why she needed him, specifically.

  “So you need a Shifter.” It wasn’t a question, instead, it was a statement.

  “Yes,” Kat answered truthfully, sipping a beer.

  “And if I help you, and this works, what then?”

  “Then our firm doesn’t shut down because of my mistake.”

  “Wow, you really fucked up,” Briggs said with a smile.

  “Yeah… It turns out that a lot of shareholders that fund a majority of our work… well, they funded this one as well. If it’s a flop, and it certainly will be unless we can find a way around the human trials, then the company will shut down and I probably won’t be getting a recommendation for my next job.”

  “But if it works, you keep your job? And you’ll be a hero.”

  “Something like that. And you’ll be the first to try out this life changing prosthesis. It will change your life.”

  Briggs looked uncomfortable again. “Look, Kat. I appreciate the thought, but that’s not what I want. I don’t need another arm to live my life. I’m getting along fine with only one, as it is. No offense, but I don’t want the help. I’m only doing this to help you.”

  Kat felt herself nodding. She couldn’t wrap her mind around not wanting another arm – didn’t he want to be complete again? Wasn’t this what she was doing it for? She wanted to help people. She wanted to fix their lives. She wanted them to be happy.

  If they weren’t, then what was the point?

  She felt warmth on one of her hands. She looked down, seeing his large hand enveloping hers. He squeezed gently. “Don’t worry about me, Kat. There are going to be hundreds – thousands – of people whose lives you are going to change. Whose lives you’re going to make that much better. And I’m glad I can help you, but don’t get caught up and worried about me. I’ll help you, which will help them. But me? I’m fine the way I am.”

  “Okay,” she said, trying to give him her best smile. At that moment, the song in the bar changed to one of her favorites. “Hey, I really like this song,” she told him, trying to change the mood. She didn’t want to bring him down with her sullen attitude.

  “Let’s dance,” he said, sliding out of the booth, her hand still in his.

  “Oh, no, I’m good!” she said, but he was pulling her up, anyway. “I don’t dance!”

  “It’s easy!” he said, and then they were out on the dance floor.

  Kat didn’t dance, at least not anywhere but her bathroom when the mood struck her while getting ready, but she found she was having a good time. Even with his missing arm, Briggs had moves. He spun her around, dipped her down low, and pulled her close to him. She felt the warmth of his body against hers, shivering at the touch. It had been so long since she’d been with a man that she had almost forgot what human touch was like.

  She loved every second of it, and finally, the song ended. He twirled her one last time, pulling her close. She found her face was inches from his own. She looked deep into his golden eyes, wanting to kiss him. She thought he wanted to kiss her. They waited for a few seconds, then she pulled herself away – reluctantly.

  There had been something there, hadn’t there? Was he interested in her, like she was interested in him? Or did he want to keep it strictly professional? Or, she guessed, as professional as something like this could be?

  “Want another beer?” she asked him. He nodded and started to head for the bar, but she stopped him. “My treat, this time.”

  She approached the bar. The same man that had blocked Briggs earlier moved in her path, turning around and staring at her. He had a thick, black mustache, and small, beady eyes. A stained trucker hat was pulled low over his head, his oily hair dangling from it.

  “Excuse me,” she said, trying to move past him, but he moved in front of her, again. She glanced over at Briggs, who was walking back to their table, his back to her.

  “Fuckin’ race traitor,” the man spat.

  “What?” Kat asked, dumbfounded. Race traitor?

  “You heard me, bitch. What the fuck are you doin’ shackin’ up with some damn bear freak?”

  “That’s none of your business,” she replied, icily. Kat turned towards the bar, holding the money out for the bartender. His eyes met hers, but he looked down and moved p
ast her to the far side of the bar. What the hell? He won’t even serve me?

  Suddenly, the man slapped the money out of her hand. Without thinking, she turned towards him, slapping him across the face as hard as she could. He looked stunned for a split second, then smiled, licking a trail of blood from his lips.

  “You think just ‘cause you’re with some Shifter you can hit me?” the man growled. Behind him, two other men – equally as ugly and disgusting, laughed and smiled. The man raised his fist into the air, and brought it down – and Briggs was suddenly at her side, holding the man’s arm above his head with ease.

  “Get your fuckin’ hands off me, freak!” the man yelled. “I was just gonna show this bitch what she gets for betraying her own kind!”

  Briggs released the man, and then there was a blur of motion so fast that Kat could hardly see it. The man doubled over in pain, Briggs pulling his arm back from the man’s midsection. Briggs was large, but he was fast, almost scarily so.

  “Get… him...” the man breathed through pained gasps.

  The other two men moved into action. The first one swung at Briggs, who easily deflected the blow. The second man came at him, shattering a bottle over Briggs’ head. He dropped to his knees for a split second, growling in rage and pain, and then he tackled the man with the shattered bottle still in his hand.

  Briggs had the man pinned to the ground, starting to pull his shirt over his head with his hand, the mustached man screaming, “Go ahead, Shifter freak! Shift and kill us all! The Human Defense Force will make us martyrs!”

  The words seemed to freeze Briggs for just a second, and that was all the time the man below him needed. He swung a fist, connecting solidly with Briggs’ face. Briggs fell backwards, rolling onto his back. One of the men was coming at him, ready to stomp him in the face, and Kat suddenly snapped into action. She grabbed a bar stool, swinging it with all of her might. It crashed into the back of the man’s head, shattering and knocking him out cold.

  “Oh, shit!” the second man said, and he ran out the door. The leader watched as Briggs got to his feet shakily.

  “Come on, freak,” he muttered.

  And Briggs did. He jumped up, grabbing the man by the throat and taking him to the ground. A table and chairs shattered, a bottle of ketchup, salt and pepper shakers, and napkins flying across the bar. Briggs’ hand closed around the man’s throat, his eyes bulging, his legs kicking for purchase.

  Kat could see the man’s face, and she realized he wasn’t scared. He was happy. He was ready to die for his cause, whatever it was. She couldn’t let that happen. She wrapped her arms around Briggs from behind, screaming his name in his ear. She pulled with all of her might, knowing that if Briggs didn’t want to, he wouldn’t move.

  Mercifully, he let himself be pulled off of the man, who lay sputtering on the ground. “Kill me. Kill me. Kill me!”

  “Briggs, let’s go,” she yelled in his ear. His face was full of rage and pain, but he let her lead him outside of the bar. They pushed the door open, only to be met by the second man. He held a rifle in his shaking hands.

  “Don’t do it,” Kat whispered, trying to keep her voice level.

  Briggs just growled.

  “He’s a freak, lady. Get away from him. It’s not too late.”

  “You’d better kill me with the first shot,” Briggs said, taking two steps forward. “Because if you don’t, you’re going to die a slow, painful death, boy.”

  The gun started quivering even more. The guy was considering it – the boy, Kat noticed. He could barely be out a high school. He raised the rifle, aiming it at Briggs’ head, then he dropped it and ran, crying.

  Briggs looked like he wanted to give chase, but Kat grabbed him by his hand. “Briggs, no. We need to leave. Briggs. Now.”

  “Okay, Kat. Okay. Let’s go,” he agreed, though she could tell that’s what he least wanted to do. He wanted to hunt that man down, and do...whatever it was that men like him did. He was dangerous, now. Maybe he always was, Kat thought.

  They climbed into Kat’s car and peeled out of the parking lot, gravel kicking up behind them. They drove for some time, not heading back towards the city, instead, driving out towards the peace and quiet of the lake. Kat didn’t know what the best course of action was, so she just kept driving.

  Over time, Briggs seemed to calm down, little by little. He wasn’t shaking with rage, anymore, at least, and his face had calmed down some. She took another glance at him, seeing him sitting in her passenger seat, his eyes closed tight, breathing deeply.

  “I’m sorry I took you there,” she said.

  “You couldn’t have known,” he told her, opening his eyes. “There’s no way anyone could have known what would have happened there.”

  “Still...”

  “Still, nothing, Kat. That wasn’t your fault.”

  She thought back to the fight, words that the man said ringing in her mind. Bitch. Race traitor. Human Defense Force. What was that?

  “Human Defense Force. I’ve never heard of that,” she said.

  “Me, neither. But it can’t be good.”

  “Yeah, it can’t,” Kat said, her mind wandering. “Shit.”

  “What?”

  “I didn’t even grab my twenty off the bar.”

  For the first time since the fight, Briggs cracked a smile.

  *

  Kat pulled up to the shore of the lake and parked her car. The sun was sinking below the horizon, bathing the lake in bright, warm sunlight. As warm as this kind of day could be. They sat for a few moments, silent, and then Kat climbed out of the vehicle. Briggs gave her a look, but followed.

  “I’ve never been out here,” Kat said, walking down to the beach. She pulled her coat around her tighter, fending off the chill.

  “I’ve been here, once,” Briggs said, but he didn’t elaborate further. Kat wanted to ask, but she didn’t want to prod him. He was like her brother: the more you pushed, the more they drew away. She knew if she pushed him too far, he’d become a cold shell. That was the one thing she didn’t want.

  The beach, and entire lake, was absolutely deserted. It hadn’t iced over, not yet, but Kat knew it would only be a matter of a few weeks before the entire lake was covered in ice. She didn’t mind the snow, but she had never liked the cold. She looked over at Briggs, who lowered himself onto the sand, lost in thought. Again, she wished she could deal with the cold like he did. She sat next to him.

  He pulled off his jacket, putting it over her shoulders. Then, surprising her, he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close. She was enveloped in his warmth, the icy chill fading away almost immediately. She snuggled up close to him, burying herself into him. She could smell his scent, a primal, bestial smell. Instead of scaring her, like she expected, she was instead drawn to him.

  She didn’t want to be, though. That’s a lie, she told herself. She did. But she knew she shouldn’t. Couldn’t. Then what am I doing?

  “I came out here once, right after I got back from Fallujah. After I lost…my arm...”

  Kat kept silent. She didn’t want to push and prod, instead, she was content to let him continue his story.

  “I was in a bad spot in my life. The prosthetic limb didn’t work. Not for what I needed it for, anyway. I spent most of my money on booze and wasting my life away. It lead me to a dark place, a place where my anger at everything that had happened built and built. I… snapped one night. I almost killed a guy in a bar. Except this was my fault. I came out here for nearly a week, living in those woods up there,” he said, nodding towards the woods on the far side of the lake. “That’s what made me realize I was a danger to others. Made me reluctant to do anything but keep to myself.”