by Celeste Raye
She motioned with her head in a direction behind him, and Fred looked. Her friend was kissing a man, and he felt redness and heat start to creep up his neck.
“So, what are you going to do now?”
“I guess I'm going to sit here and talk to you if you ever get up the courage. You definitely aren't like most guys. I had two already, that tried to stick their tongues in my mouth. I think one of them rubbed his thing on me too.”
Fred tried not to show his shock at what she said. He knew it to be true because that was exactly how his brothers were. Well, before they had all fallen in love and gotten stupid. Now they were only worried about the women they married.
“I wouldn’t try to stick my tongue down your throat. We just met. The thing rubbing, I don’t have anything to say about that, but wow.”
“Too bad. I don’t think I would mind so much if it were a guy like you. One that is untouched and all.”
Fred paused, and the smile wavered on his lips.
“Why would you say that?”
“Because you’re not the only shifter in the bar. I know the smells all blend together, but I knew what you were right off the bat.”
Fred didn’t feel like he had the upper hand anymore. Had he drunk too much? Only a few beers, but he was off his game hardcore tonight. What had made him so sure of himself?
“You are a shifter too?”
She agreed and smiled at him. “I am a wolf. What are you?”
He didn’t answer for a moment. Giving away such information was a way to show your weakness, and it wasn’t considered polite to ask in passing. It was information that was given or found out later, in a more natural way.
“I am a bear.”
She smiled and leaned back. “Nice. I hear that you guys have wicked speed, hearing, and healing.”
“And you guys communicate almost all telepathically. All of you can hear each other. Is that right?”
Isabo was the one that was looking uncomfortable now.
“How did you know that?”
He shrugged. “I like to read.”
“You don’t sound much like a bear shifter. I heard many of you are in motorcycle gangs.”
Fred told her that his bike was out front. “You want to take a ride?”
He had an earnest look on his face, but hers was not the same. She was almost suspicious looking, but then she agreed. “Okay. That actually sounds good.”
Fred smiled and helped her out of the seat. He asked her if she wanted to check on her friend before they left, but she waved him off.
“We came in separate cars. Fool me twice…”
Fred was happy to hear that, and the two of them headed towards the door. He had a strange feeling that he was being watched. Fred looked around before they left, but he saw nothing.
Chapter Four
Isabo’s head was spinning. She was going against the plan. She was supposed to seduce the man her cousins said was one of the Rebel Bears. Isabo knew that much about him was true because of the jacket he was wearing. When they’d told her about the deal, it had been made clear to her that it wasn’t something she wanted to do. Talking to Fred convinced her even more. She didn’t want to do anything bad to him.
Now, she was racing off into the darkness with the guy, and she should have felt guilty, but she didn’t. Instead, she was invigorated and trying not to think about what her family was going to say when they found out.
What was she doing? Isabo had no clue, and even though she kept asking herself the same question, she still didn’t have an answer. Whatever it was that she was in the midst of, it didn’t make any sense. But the way he felt against her body, hard and hot, made Isabo believe that maybe she shouldn’t worry about it so much.
They finally stopped on a bluff overlooking the city, and she was amazed at how clear the sky was right there. It looked like they were on top of the world and everything was tiny beneath them. She was lost in the view, and she didn’t notice Fred taking her hand until hers slipped into his.
“What do you think of it?”
“It’s beautiful. The city certainly looks different from way up here.”
“I have never brought anyone up here before. This is my favorite place to go.”
Isabo knew that if it were another guy telling her that, she wouldn't have believed it. Isabo had been promised the moon and the stars before and was still waiting on both.
With Fred, though, Isabo didn't feel like he was just trying to get into her pants, and that was a point of contention with her. She was supposed to make that happen or dangle it in his face, as her cousins had so crudely put it, but Isabo just didn’t want to. When she leaned in to give him a soft kiss on the lips, it was because she wanted to feel his lips on hers.
Isabo pulled away after a moment because she knew she was moving too fast. She had never been with a man before, and she thought Fred was the same as her. He was trembling against her like he was cold. She asked him if he was, and he disagreed.
Moving closer to him, she got in between his legs and leaned back against his chest. The lights below them were something to distract herself with, though her mind was on the steely chest that she was using as a pillow.
“If you never bring anyone here, Fred, why me?”
“I don’t know, Isabo. There is just something about you, and you didn’t look like you were having much fun back there in the bar.”
“Like I said, it’s not my scene.”
He agreed and said the same went for him. “I have been going out more lately since my brothers are gone, but I don’t find it all that enjoyable. I wasn’t going to stay long, but then I saw you, and I knew that I wanted to spend time with you first.”
Isabo liked how honest he was. Fred’s words weren’t dipped in honey, and though it was sweeter, she didn’t care for all the extra additives.
“Well, here we are. I am glad you invited me for a ride. Cassie was going to ditch me anyway. I would have never known such a place was up here. I am glad I do now.”
Fred nodded. He was still thinking about the kiss. Isabo knew he was because he wouldn’t stop staring at her lips like he wanted to eat her up. Isabo bit her lower lip, trying to avoid the attention, but she couldn’t. He just kept looking at her, smiling, and she finally looked away.
“What clan are you from?”
It was out of the blue and made her nervous. She met his gaze, and there wasn’t suspicion in it, but she was worried about what was being asked. Isabo couldn’t say that she was a Bennigan, sure that Fred would know about what happened. He may have even been there for all she knew, when it went down.
“The Fraziers, out of Tennessee. Just here with a couple of my cousins. Won’t be in the area too long, though.”
He frowned, and Isabo hoped that it was because he had never heard of them. She had, of course; though they were wolves, they were dark skinned. If he knew that, he would know that she was lying. She was more worried about him being upset than about what he would think of her being a Bennigan. She didn’t want to betray the man, even though she had to.
“And you?”
He showed off one of the badges on his jacket. “Rebel Bears.”
She looked down, shyly, “Right.”
They were quiet for a moment, and then she bit her lip. She didn’t want to argue the point, but Isabo was worried about what was going to happen next. She decided then that she needed to get some more information from her cousins. Maybe she could convince them not to attack Fred. Perhaps if they knew what he was like, they would see that he could be an ally.
“I think I am going to go, Fred. Thanks for taking me here and showing me your place. It is really nice.”
He tried to get her to stay, but Isabo had a lot to get done, and she knew that Jasper was looking for her. He wasn’t going to be happy, and the man could get rather ugly when he didn’t get his way.
He stopped her before she turned and asked her if he could see her again. It was just the sweetest thing the
way he asked, and she agreed.
“I will see you tomorrow, Fred.”
Fred agreed, and she turned her back to him, transforming into her wolf form and quickly getting down off the bluff. Isabo's mind was racing with all of the new thoughts and feelings that she had, but none of it was enough to cover up the worry and fear that she felt at the moment.
Her cousins were going to be furious with her, and she couldn't really blame them. Isabo wasn't sure what she had been thinking. Most likely, she hadn't been thinking at all.
Chapter Five
“I'm telling you, Jasper, it just wasn't possible. I tried, but he wasn't going for it tonight.”
“Where the hell did you go with him, Isabo? You're telling me that the whole time that you were gone, you couldn't have slipped him something? That doesn't sound like you. You can usually figure out an angle better than that.”
While what he said was true, Isabo wasn’t going to agree or disagree with it. She had to fight the urge to start babbling out of her nervousness.
“I just don't understand what the hell happened, Isabo. You were supposed to put the thing in his drink, and then we were going to take care of the rest of it. That was all you had to do, and the next thing I know, you're taking off with him. Where did you go? Did he take you against your will? I mean, hell, you have to give me something so this will make sense.”
She waved him off. “Have you actually met this guy? I doubt that he was at the attack on the family. He is about as pure as the driven snow.”
Jasper looked at her sideways. “It sounds to me like you're starting to get soft. You seem to forget what his family did to ours. He is a Rebel Bear.”
Isabo knew that there was no talking to Jasper. It was basically going to come down to her to make a decision. She was going to have to choose between her family and a complete stranger. But if she chose her family, then she was going to have to be the reason that that stranger was hurt. Besides, Fred wasn’t a stranger anymore to her. They’d kissed, shared something.
“I'm not getting soft, Jasper. I just think that this might not be the best way to get what we want. I don’t think you’ve thought it through.”
“What I want is revenge, Isabo. This is going to be the perfect way to get it. You just need to stick with the damn program. What if he doesn't come back to the bar and we've lost our chance for good? You’ve screwed us this time, Isabo. I hope you know that. Everything that they’ve done to our family isn’t going to matter if we can’t get them back for it. All of those deaths are going to be for nothing, no justice. They will roll in their graves for all time.”
He was looking at her so intently that she just wanted to say something so he would stop. Jasper was acting like it was she who had killed off the family.
“Look, Jasper, he asked me to go out with him tomorrow. You will have another chance. I haven't messed anything up. I told you that I was in this with you guys. It just didn’t work out the way I thought it would. I thought he would be a monster like the rest of them, and he wasn’t. That’s all. You knew from the get-go that this was going to be hard on me. Well, it is.”
Isabo hoped that she had convinced him because she wasn't sure if she convinced herself yet. All Isabo knew for certain was she had felt something new around Fred, and even if she didn't get to figure out what could happen between the two of them, she certainly didn't want to be the reason he was killed.
“Well, I guess that's better than nothing. You need to pay attention this time. We might not get another chance. From what I heard; they are growing in size by the day. Soon, they will be too big to get to.”
Isabo agreed and said her goodnights as soon as she could. He wanted to stay up and talk about plans, but she mentioned something about being tired. Jasper callously said something about how she was losing her grip, and even though she didn't want to hear it, Isabo had to wonder if there was truth to that.
She surely wasn’t going to admit it, though. Why did a sense of humanity make her soft?
Fred went home that night on a cloud. He’d never felt that way about a woman before, and he wished that his older brothers were around to give him some advice. There was so much that Fred didn't know and so many questions that he wanted to ask. He knew that Donovan or Charlie or Jake would tell him exactly what he needed to hear.
When he got to the clubhouse, he was given a stack of messages from people who had called while he was out. There was a problem with a shipment according to the guy who got the delivery. He was saying that it was a little bit short, but Fred knew better. He felt like he was being tested because he was new. When Jake was gone, people liked to see how far they could go with whoever was left in charge.
Fred just kind of flipped through the notes, and he put a couple to the side that he knew he was going to have to take care of. One that made him stop dead in his tracks said that there had been three ancients there to see Jake. They were prepared to give them a date for the trial that his brothers were supposed to be in.
It was shaky at best because Fred did not get to know the whole story. Even though he was old enough to leave the gang with, apparently, he wasn’t old enough to handle knowing all of the bad stuff. That was a bit frustrating for Fred because he knew only bits and pieces of what was going on with the Bennigans.
He asked Claire if she knew what they wanted or if they said anything else.
Claire just kind of shrugged. “I can't say that they did. They didn't look thrilled that you were guys were gone, though. I don't think those are the type of guys that smile, ever.”
Fred had to agree, and he asked Claire how her day was.
“I'm ready for everybody to be home.”
“You and me both, Claire. I swear, every time Jake leaves, a bunch of crap comes up.”
Claire nodded and asked him if he wanted her to heat anything up for him.
“No, thanks. I had something a little while ago, but I was wondering...”
Fred was so desperate to get some information or some kind of guidance that he had to ask somebody. He didn't have his brothers around, so he asked Claire what a good idea for a date would be.
She was a little shocked that he was asking but recovered quickly. “I guess it depends on what she's into.”
“I don't really know her enough to give you that answer. She seemed to like it when I took her up on the hill. We didn’t stay very long, though.”
Claire looked at him a little suspiciously.
“You took her up on the hill?”
“Yeah, it’s not a big deal.”
“Sounds like a big deal. Have you ever taken anybody up there before?”
It was then that he realized she was right. It was a big deal because he had never done something like that before. It wasn't like he knew her. It was just a feeling that he got when he was around Isabo. At the moment, he really wanted to hope that he wasn't seeing or feeling something that wasn’t really there.
“Well, I took her up there. I just met her, and I don't know why I brought her up there with me. It was just where I went. I took her for a ride, and the bike just goes where it wants to go. You know how it is.”
“You know that I don't care, but with the ancients hanging around, I guess I should ask you what she is.”
“She is a shifter out of Tennessee. I saw her turn into a wolf when she was leaving.”
“And is that allowed?”
Fred shrugged. “None of my brothers seemed to care, so why should I?”
Claire's face got a little pink for a moment, and she looked away. “No, I guess nobody else listens here, do they?”
After a moment she just kind of smiled and told Fred that he should go for it.
“You know what they say: life is short, and you might as well take any enjoyment and happiness that you can. There never is enough.”
“So, what should we do?”
“Well, do you have her phone number? You could ask her. Not all girls want you to read their mind.”
F
red didn't.
“No, I should have gotten that, huh?”
She agreed. “I'm sure it'll be fine. You’re a catch, Fred, so everyone who meets you will know it.”
He was kicking himself. She’d just taken off so quickly. She was there one moment and gone the next. Why hadn't thought it through? He hadn’t even asked her what she wanted or liked. All he had been focused on was getting her to say yes to another meeting. And just being with her. It had been a lot for him to feel her presence and take her all in.
“You're a good man, and I’m not just saying that because you're my brother-in-law. You really are one of the good guys. This girl, she’ll see it too, so it doesn’t matter what you guys do. Just be yourself.”
He nodded. Fred wasn’t so sure. It seemed like no advice at all, and it definitely wasn’t what his brothers would have told him to do. They would have had a line, a look, something.
Fred thanked her and went down to his room with a lighter step. He had been so worried about everything, but just like that, his mind was clear. He was going to see her again soon, and he would certainly remember to get her number the second time around.
With very little to go off of, Fred was just going to have to listen to Claire and be himself, hoping for the best.
Chapter Six
Fred was just about to go to bed when he heard a knock at his door. It was late, and he wasn’t expecting anyone, but Fred was used to the late-night callers. It was clear that most of Jake’s duties were done on his own time. It amazed Fred how much Jake got done. It really was something, and he appreciated it more now that he was trying to do it too.
“Who is it?”
“India.”
The name wasn’t familiar, but the voice sort of was. It was one of the elders that had been against his father, and Fred opened the door. He knew that someone of that caliber in the clan wouldn’t be there unless there was a reason. He was worried, knowing it was never good news that late at night.
