His laugh was bitter. “Hardly. They never bothered to look for me. Weren’t like they were mad or nothing, they were just too busy doing their thing to care. Once I was past the cute kid stage I wasn’t of much use to them, beyond another mouth to feed. Yeah, I could help steal shit and whack any human who resisted over the head, but they could do that on their own. One night we were robbing a convenience store, and the clerk shot Dad. He beat the guy to death with his own shotgun, then stuffed him in the ice-cream freezer. Then he turned around and beat the shit out of me for not killing the clerk before he got a shot off. I left that night. Got no idea where they are. Honestly, they’ve probably killed each other by now. They used to get pretty violent when they fought and they fought a lot.”
I think my heartache hurt worse than my bullet wounds. “You were eighteen and on your own with no one to help you? No money, no car, nothing?”
He nodded. “And I didn’t really know how to be a bear. I grew up in cities, surrounded by tall buildings and thousands of humans, exhaust fumes in my nose. I rarely shifted form as a kid, didn’t know how to hunt, to find shelter. Until I ran away, I hadn’t had a meal that wasn’t premade at a convenience store or out of a can. I made a lot of mistakes with the other shifter bears at first down in Montana and Idaho. Got in a lot of fights that I’m surprised I walked away from. I managed though, and got myself territory up here with some nice dens. Managed to not kill anyone yet. Managed to have civilized relations with a few other grizzly shifters and the local wolf pack Alpha.” He grinned, a sudden bit of sunlight in the gloom of his revelation. “And you wolves do put on a mighty fine barbeque.”
The grin wasn’t enough. I leaned over to bury my face in his chest, hugging him tight, tears stinging behind my eyelids. “God, Karl. I’m so sorry you had to go through that. That was no way for a shifter, let alone a bear cub, to live.”
His arm wrapped around my shoulders, nearly crushing me and I felt him kiss the top of my head. “I’m not good at this, Brina. Don’t have any experience on how mates are supposed to be. And I’m not a smart man. Mom only taught me enough math to run a con. I never went to school or college. I like fishing, chopping wood, and my books. I like to move around every few weeks. I sleep outdoors more often than I sleep inside. And I’m in my bear form at least half the time.”
But he was smart. He’d taught himself to read. Had a den stacked high with books, and no doubt had the same quantity of reading material in each of his other dens. He was wise, had good judgement, was thoughtful. I didn’t need a guy who could do advanced calculus in his head, I needed someone with a good heart, and in spite of his childhood, in spite of what he said, I got the feeling that Karl definitely had a good heart. How a demon and an immoral bear shifter had raised this strong, sweet, rock of a man, I’ll never know.
I smiled, inhaling the wild scent of his skin. “Well, I’m not having sex with you as a bear, so you may need to be human more often if you want to get laid. Otherwise I’m fine with the rest. If you need some alone time, just tell me when to expect you back, then go scoop salmon out of a stream for a few weeks. I’ll be there when you come back.”
The tightness left his body. “Think you might want to come scoop salmon out of a stream for a few weeks with me now and then?”
I had a flexible job, as long as I could log on now and then, and I was sure Brent would understand. It was going to be a challenge meshing my personality to Karl’s roaming-bear lifestyle, but I’d make it work.
“Absolutely. Although I’ll be on the bank catching the salmon you toss my way. We’d starve if it were up to me to catch fish. Now take me hunting, and it’s another story.”
Chapter Fourteen
By the time we got to the Alpha house, there were already a dozen cars in the driveway. I was assaulted by concerned werewolves before I’d even crossed the threshold, escorted to a sofa and fussed over. Everyone wanted to see my wounds. More people arrived, some of them carrying casseroles.
Through it all Karl hovered, his hand occasionally on my hair. I could feel his tension; practically hear the growl he was keeping locked tight in his throat. I knew he wanted nothing more than to carry me off to his den where he could stand guard over me. Even though he knew these wolves were my family, the bear in him was seeing all of them as a threat.
I pulled his hand over and squeezed it. “You need a break?”
“Yeah,” he rumbled. “But I don’t feel like I can leave you.”
“I’m safe here. I know everyone rushing around, stuffing chicken tomato gratin under my nose is driving you crazy, but there are two dozen wolves here who would die for me. Brent is here. My Alpha. A wolf is always safe with their Alpha.”
Karl might have not had the typical shifter childhood, and grizzlies didn’t structure their society like we do, but my words seemed to sink in. I felt some of the tension ebb away. He looked over at Brent, felt the strength and determination emanating from the werewolf, and knew viscerally that I was right. Karl might be a monster of a bear, but these wolves would protect me equally well.
“Go,” I told him. “Turn furry and run through the woods. Shred some trees. Eat raw fish. Flip a few boulders. Get it out of your system, then come back.”
He hesitated. “Don’t want to leave you.”
Okay, clearly another tactic was necessary. “I need you calm. You’re ready to jump out of your skin and that’s making me feel like I need to be at the ready, like I’m about to be attacked at any minute. Go do something to calm yourself down. Whatever it takes. I’ll heal faster, I’ll be more relaxed if you are.”
He considered my words. “Okay. Need to borrow your car, though.”
I’d hardly imagined Karl going for a quiet drive in the country to settle down, but if that’s what it took, so be it. He was clearly a careful driver. “Sure. No problem.”
He bent down and kissed the top of my head. “I’m gonna go do something, then I’ll be back.”
I watched him stride off, feeling a tad bit uneasy about what Karl’s “something” was that he was about to do. Hopefully it didn’t involve anything that would get him arrested.
I woke up to a much quieter house. Once everyone had come through with their food offerings to check on me and reassure themselves that I wasn’t dying, Brent had kicked everyone out to let me sleep. I was still on the sofa, because werewolf anxiety meant letting me sleep in peace in a bedroom was out of the question. I needed to be nearby, so they could see me as well as smell and hear me. Hovering over my bedside would have not only been creepy, but would have given the impression that I was at death’s door. So instead I was napping on the couch with throw pillows and a blue crochet afghan while the few remaining pack members ate, drank coffee, and spoke in hushed voices that I could clearly hear.
“There better be a plate of chicken and dumplings over here, stat,” I announced, easing myself upright. My wounds protested, but I felt that if I needed to, I could defend myself. Or at least quickly move to hide behind the couch.
“Here.” Brent stuffed a handful of pills in my palm and handed me a glass of water. “Antibiotics. Per Kennedy, who also said we need to change your bandage and put some of this cream stuff on it.”
I obediently swallowed the pills, but was far more enthusiastic about the plate piled high with food that Zeph was handing me. Shifters burned a lot of energy healing. I’d had sleep, and now I desperately needed food. Then I’d probably need more sleep.
I scarfed down the food, happy to see Zeph bringing a second plate to me. Kennedy must still be up in Anchorage, but I saw Brent, Zeph, Matt, Tina, and Ahia. My security detail watching over me as I healed. It was a bit overkill, but I was grateful that they cared enough to make sure the pack heavy-hitters were here.
But where was Karl? I went to check my phone for the time and couldn’t find it. How long had I been asleep? More to the point, how long did it take an agitated bear shifter to drive around and calm down? I hoped I had enough gas in the car, otherwise Kar
l was in for a long walk back. Somehow I doubted he had money or a credit card on hand for a quick trip to the pumps.
I heard the door slam open. Everyone turned toward the noise, their eyes widening, their mouths dropping open. Karl appeared, dragging a whimpering man that he deposited on the floor in front of me like an offering.
It was Dutch from Hit-The-Mark. And beyond looking rumpled with a black eye and a few bruises, he was basically in one piece. Karl had clearly exercised great restraint. I was grateful. But I would have been more grateful if he hadn’t basically assaulted and kidnapped someone that we really needed on our side.
“Karl? This isn’t helping our public image,” Brent commented drily. I could tell he was amused, that if he hadn’t been guarding me, he might have done the same.
Dutch sniffed, wiping the crusted blood under his nose. “I didn’t know. I tell you, I didn’t know until you showed up and told me. I was completely surprised when I heard she’d been shot.”
“You told them her name, her e-mail, what car she was driving and the license plate,” Karl snarled. “What did you expect was going to happen?”
“They needed to keep track of who bought the bullets in case there was a complaint or a lawsuit. That way they could counter claims that the bullets were defective. I swear I didn’t expect him to try to kill her.” Dutch looked up at me. “Please believe me. I really didn’t want anyone getting killed.”
“Yet you sell bullets that kill shifters,” Brent commented. There was a light in his eyes that I didn’t really trust. Between him and Karl, I was pretty sure this guy wasn’t going to live long. I exchanged a quick glance with Ahia, figuring that we’d need to intervene if necessary.
“Only for self-defense!” Dutch protested. “Every store that sells pistols isn’t advocating murder. I even told her to be careful and not go just shooting someone because they changed into a wolf. Didn’t I?”
“Yes, he did.” I put out a hand toward Karl. “Stop. Both you and Brent stop right now. This guy didn’t do anything wrong, but he can tell us about the people who are. He can tell us about their operation, who they are, where they live. Right?”
Dutch nodded. “Mason Sharpe. He’s my distributor. He lurks in all the hunting and hiking forums and posts as SharpShooter, referring people to buy from me, then he wholesales me the bullets to sell through my store. Although now that he’s probably going to be arrested, I’ll probably have to deal with one of the other owners.”
I took a careful breath and got to my feet. “How many owners are there? And this is that Strikes company in Anchorage? They’re the ones manufacturing the bullets?”
“Yeah.” Dutch shot a wary glance at Karl, then also stood. “Three Strikes. The owners are Curtis Worth, Jesse Baker, and Mason Sharpe. I’ve never met Curtis or Jesse. They handle some other part of the business up in Anchorage. Mason runs the self-defense part of the company. He’s spreading the word about the products and in charge of approving distributors. There aren’t many of us, and it’s hard to get supply. That’s why they cost so much, and instead of selling a box of bullets, we usually only sell one or two at a time.”
“And Mason is here, in Juneau?” He had to have been to get to where I was so quickly after the call with Dutch. He must have left right away, then seen me, and/or my car in the parking lot and decided to take me out of the equation.
“Yeah. If I don’t have a certain bullet and he has it in stock, he runs it by. Otherwise he needs to call up to Anchorage and have them make it special for me.”
“Which means the elf is in Anchorage,” Brent commented.
“Elf?” Dutch blinked in surprise.
“So you don’t know about an elf? They’ve never discussed how the bullets work?”
“No, that’s proprietary information. They’re hardly going to tell me that. And they’ve never mentioned an elf.”
I believed him. The only thing for us to do, beyond giving this added information to Jake, was to wait for the police to do their job and arrest this guy. In the meantime, I was going to hang out at Karl’s den, where no one would shoot me, and where he’d most likely eviscerate anyone who came within a mile of the cabin.
“Tell them the rest,” Karl growled at Dutch. “Tell them about the meeting.”
Dutch eyed him and took a few steps back. “Um, Mason called me right before this guy showed up. He said he was concerned about the supply and was recalling all the bullets. I’m to meet him tonight with all my stock and he’ll pay me cash for them.”
The guy was trying to cover his trail, get them off the market. And I got the impression that Dutch wasn’t meant to walk out of that meeting alive.
“We’ll be there,” Brent said. “I’ll put eight wolves on the perimeter, and two of us will close in once Mason shows up.”
“No,” Karl countered. “You have ten wolves on the perimeter, and I’ll take this guy down.”
“We need him alive, Karl,” I reminded him. “For questioning, and to also show both the police and the public that we play by their rules.” I wasn’t thrilled that he’d roughed Dutch up, when the guy would probably have come in on his own once he knew I’d been shot.
“I’ll try to not kill him.”
“And I’m going,” I added.
There was a chorus of “no you’re not”s.
“I’ll stay back, along the perimeter. If it helps, I’ll stand near Ahia. And I’ll wear a protective vest.” I met each of their eyes in turn. “I’m second in this pack. I was the one who was shot. I’m going.”
Karl reached out and touched my hair, his fingers gently smoothing downward to rest on my shoulder. “Okay. Be careful?”
I put my hand on top of his. “You’re the one taking this guy down, you be careful. And don’t kill him.”
He grinned. “I’ll try my best.”
“Do I have to go?” Dutch asked.
I tried to smile reassuringly, but in all honesty we couldn’t ensure Dutch, or any of us, would come out of this alive. “Yes. Yes, you have to go too. After all, you’re the one with the bullets.”
Chapter Fifteen
It turns out Karl had my phone. He’d used it to call Brent, then called up the address on the GPS that I’d used to find Hit-The-Mark. Sneaky bastard. The calming drive plus punching Dutch in the face didn’t have the stress-reduction effects I’d hoped. The bear was on edge. Which worried me. He’d admitted to problems controlling murderous impulses, and I feared being face-to-face with my attacker would put him over the edge.
“Hate this fucking vest thing,” he snapped, yanking at the thick Kevlar plates. Ahia was driving, because Brent hadn’t ordered a vest big enough for Karl so he couldn’t stretch his arms out straight in front of him to grip the steering wheel. And, evidently, nobody trusted a werewolf who’d been shot around noon to be driving eight hours later.
“You need to wear the vest,” I repeated. “He’ll probably shoot you on sight, and nobody wants a giant prehistoric bear going rogue just outside of the city limits.”
“Ooo, I do!” Ahia exclaimed. “We could film it, dub in some audio, and voila! Paleolithic Grizzly versus old growth pine. I’ve got the perfect soundtrack.”
Karl growled at her. I wanted to growl at her. Normally I found Ahia downright hysterical, but I was on edge too, and I was still in pain from being shot. Twice.
We pulled up roughly a mile from our meeting spot. Ahia drove the Jeep off-road to hide it and I nearly passed out from being bounced around the back seat. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all. I probably should have stayed at the Alpha house on the couch and slept.
“You okay to hike this?” Ahia sent a concerned look through the rearview mirror.
“Yep.” Might as well act like this wasn’t a big deal. I’d insisted on coming, and I wasn’t about to wimp out now and stay in the Jeep. Especially because that would mean Ahia would have to stay with me on guard duty, and as our pack angel, it was important for her to be present in case everything went
horribly wrong.
Please Lord, don’t let everything go horribly wrong.
“I’m gonna run on ahead. If I can run in this motherfucking thing,” Karl grumbled. “Brina, you good?”
No. “Yep, I’m good. Go. Be careful. Don’t kill him.”
“I’ll try my best.” Karl hopped out of the Jeep and vanished into the woods. Of course, since he was a bear shifter, he sounded like an elephant plowing through bushes. Hopefully he’d get there early enough to sit quietly out of the way because I was pretty sure even a human could hear him from a mile away.
Ahia purposely kept her pace slow to accommodate me, keeping me in her line of sight the whole agonizingly long mile. I was pretty sure she was poised to catch me in case I fell over. My babysitter. I should have stayed behind. Here I was, injured, pretty much useless, tying up one of our most powerful pack members to watch me. Next time I wouldn’t let my pride get in the way of my common sense.
We got to our spot and I sat down, resting my back against a tree. We’d hunted as a pack so many times that this felt familiar. I knew where Brent had stationed the others, could scent a few of them in the air. Ahia stripped, and with a flash of light shifted into her wolf form. Her eyes glinted silver in the moonlight, her black and tawny fur ruffling in the breeze.
We waited. Half an hour later, a truck pulled into the camping area and Dutch got out, carrying a box. He looked around then stood, highlighted by the truck’s headlights. I wanted to hiss at him to get down. Idiot. I could collectively feel the wolves around me roll their eyes.
A branch snapped and a man emerged into the lit-up camping area. I snapped to attention, realizing that I hadn’t even known he was there or heard him arrive. Had he been here before us? Did he know he was surrounded by shifters?
“Mason.” There was relief in Dutch’s voice. “I wasn’t sure you were coming. Why couldn’t you just meet me at the shop? This all seems ridiculously cloak-and-dagger.”
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