Tayme (Were Zoo Book 8)

by R. E. Butler

  He pointed at a hall next to the kitchen area. “There’s a security door down the hall that leads to a set of stairs. After another security door, there’s a long hall that leads to the central marketplace. Each group has a private living area. The bears handle the food for the whole park – topside and underground.”

  “You cook?” she asked, her brows raised in interest. Was there anything sexier than a guy who knew his way around the kitchen?

  Her fox didn’t think so.

  “I can.” He gave her a little brow wiggle which made her smile. “I’d love to cook for you.”

  “I’d definitely love that,” she said.

  “I can hold my own in the kitchen, but my specialty is ice cream. So I guess I’m more of a dessert person than a regular food-type cook, but all the bears are trained to be able to take over any station if we need to. Because of the tours, I’ll be in my shift and someone else might need to handle the ice cream stall. Or I’ll take a shift out in the park while others are in the paddock for the tours, and I might be grilling burgers. It helps that there are a few mates who like to cook so they can be working in the park while the shifters are in the paddocks.”

  “That’s pretty cool. I guess there hasn’t been a soulmate discovered just walking through the park?”

  He shook his head. “Timing seems to be everything when it comes to soulmates.”

  “I’m glad I came here when I did.”

  They walked to one of the tables near the windows, and he pulled her into his lap. Which put her in just the right place to explore those broad shoulders, even though they were covered with a black t-shirt that hugged his biceps and stretched tightly across his pecs.

  “Before I forget,” she said, “Jess and I will want to get together a few nights a week to hang out. Maybe have some meals in the marketplace?”

  “Whatever you want, sweetness.” He brushed his thumb over the curve of her cheek, laying his fingertips on her neck. Every time he touched her it made her skin erupt into goose bumps.

  “I wish we were somewhere else,” she said, curling her finger into the collar of his shirt and rubbing her nail along his collarbone.

  He shuddered and let out a growl. “Me, too.”

  A door opened behind the kitchen area and she looked up to see Jess and Auden stride in with smiles on their faces. Jess’s smile slipped to one of surprise as she looked at Rory and Tayme.

  “What’s going on?” Jess asked. Her steps slowed, her gaze bouncing between Rory and Tayme.

  Tayme’s hand tightened slightly where it rested on Rory’s back and she loved the little hint of possessiveness the gesture meant. “Hey bestie! So, I came to bring some things I swiped from your parents’ place and guess who I ran into?”

  Jess scented the air. “I don’t know who he is, but he’s a bear.”

  “I’m Tayme. Thanks for being Auden’s mate so I could find Rory.”

  Jess smiled broadly. “My pleasure. If you’ll excuse us, I need to talk to my bestie.”

  Rory kissed Tayme and slipped from his lap. She heard the soft disgruntled snarl from his bear, and it made her want to slide right back into place and kiss on him some more. She resisted the urge and stepped a few paces away with Jess, giving her a tight hug.

  “Have you talked to your parents yet?” Jess asked.

  “No.” Rory shook her head as the two released their tight holds on each other.

  “How did you get here?” Jess asked, peeking around her to look at Tayme, who was speaking in low tones to Auden.

  Rory explained that she ordered a car outside of the nest’s territory but left out the part where she rented a truck to bring supplies for Auden’s surprise.

  “Thank you for bringing some things for me.”

  “I wish I could have brought more, but I was afraid to get caught. I got your bird books and clothes.”

  Jess hugged her again. “Thank you so much.”

  “Of course. You’d do the same for me.”

  “In a heartbeat,” Jess promised.

  They returned to the males, both settling protective and possessive hands on their females. Rory loved the feel of Tayme’s big hand on her waist and the way his fingers pressed lightly into her skin.

  “She brought me clothes and my bird books,” Jess said to her mate.

  “That’s great!” Auden said.

  “It’ll be nice to have some of my own things.”

  “I made sure to grab your favorite sweater,” Rory said, thinking of the dark peach one with tiny strands of sparkly yarn woven into the pattern.

  “You’re the best.” Jess looked at Auden. “Can we hang out with them for a bit before she leaves?”

  “She’s not going anywhere,” Tayme said, frowning.

  Rory nudged his shoulder. “I think she meant us leaving the cafeteria. Jess knows I can’t go home again.”

  Tayme gave Rory a long look, and she saw a darker ring of brown around the hazel, recognizing it as evidence of his bear close to the surface. “I’ll be your home.”

  “You already are,” she said, her heart soaring.

  “Okay, okay, enough mushy stuff. You’re making me want to cry, it’s so sappy,” Jess said. “Yes, I meant can we hang out here for a bit?”

  “How about we go to my ice cream stall? I’ve got a new flavor today.”

  “I’d love that. Bestie?” Rory asked.

  “We’re in,” Jess said.

  They left the cafeteria and walked to the ice cream stall. It held a sign saying it was closed for lunch. A male in the next stall flipping burgers for customers smiled at them, the look switching to confusion as he caught the sight of Tayme and Rory holding hands.

  “Something interesting happen on break?” the male asked.

  “You could stay that,” Tayme said. “This is my girl, Rory. That’s Seneca.”

  “Nice to meet you,” the male said, expertly sliding patties onto prepared buns in paper trays and setting them on a shelf for the customers.

  “We just came for a snack,” Tayme said as he stepped behind the stall. “We’re not opening again. I need time off. If you catch my drift.”

  “I’ll let Marcus know. We can get someone to fill in.”

  “Thanks.”

  Rory stood next to the stall and watched Tayme work, putting ice cream scoops on top of waffle cones and sprinkling something on top. She took the first one he finished and sniffed it, her mouth watering at the mixture of scents – cinnamon, maple syrup, and bacon.

  She took a small bite and groaned at the sweet and salty explosion of flavor on her tongue.

  “Don’t make sounds like that, baby,” Tayme chided, a sexy smile on his face.

  “Sorry, not sorry.” She winked at him, waiting until he finished the other cones. They adjourned to a picnic table underneath a large tree.

  The ice cream was maple flavored, the waffle cone dusted with cinnamon and sugar, and the bacon was candied and chopped up like big sprinkles. It was her new favorite thing to eat.

  “Can you believe we both found our one right person here?” Jess asked.

  Rory looked around, noting that while they were alone at the picnic table, there were humans walking around on their way to different attractions. They were going to have to keep the soulmate and shifter chatter silent so they didn’t attract unwanted attention.

  “I honestly can’t. I didn’t come here expecting to do anything but drop off your bags and say hi.”

  “I wasn’t expecting you, but I’m so glad you came to visit. I was worried after what happened when we went to visit my family.”

  Rory nodded. “Auden emailed and asked if I could bring some things for you and visit. As long as it was safe for me to do so, of course. I had no trouble sneaking into your room, but it did make me nervous. I didn’t want to get put on lockdown if anyone suspected I was going to be leaving.” She let out a sigh and leaned her head on Tayme’s shoulder. “I don’t think I can actually go home again.”

  “If the
y didn’t like what I ended up doing with my love life,” Jess said, “I have a feeling they won’t like what you’re doing with yours, either.”

  “We should be allowed to make our own choices,” Rory said. “I might lose my parents, but that means maybe they were only happy with me as their adopted daughter as long as I did what they liked.”

  “I feel the same way, trust me.”

  When they’d eaten their fill of ice cream, they parted ways, promising to connect soon. Until she could get a new cell phone, Tayme said they could use his to keep in touch.

  “What now?” Rory asked when they were alone.

  “Let’s stop in at the security office and let them know about us. Then we can go to my place.”

  “Marcus is your boss?” she asked, thinking how Seneca mentioned talking to him.

  “Yep.” They linked hands and walked to the security office. It was empty of humans, so once the door was shut, Tayme introduced her to the males as his soulmate.

  “What a cool twist of fate,” Amadeus said, smiling at her. “Congrats to you both.”

  “Have you spoken to your alpha?” Jupiter asked.

  “Not yet,” Tayme said.

  “We can get Rory’s ID going and then you can find him,” Jupiter said.

  “What do I need an ID for?” Rory asked.

  “It’s standard,” Amadeus said, gesturing for her to stand in front of a blank wall. “When you’re topside, you should always have it on you. The zoo’s got a lot of people who don’t necessarily interact aside from being up here, and although it’s clear by scent that you’re a shifter, it’s best to have identification to ensure others know that you belong in employee-only areas.”

  “That makes sense,” she said, smiling when he told her to. As the camera flashed, she briefly wondered what her hair looked like. Since Tayme hauled her off into the woods, she’d not thought a second about how she looked, but now that things were slowing down a bit, she was curious.

  As if he could read her mind, Tayme held out his hand to her, and when she took it, he pulled her close and kissed her neck. “You’re beautiful.”

  Her cheeks pinked and she chuckled. “Are psychic powers part of being a bear?”

  “Soulmate connection,” Jupiter said. “For the most part I can tell what my mate is thinking, and she can for me, too.”

  “That’s pretty neat.”

  “Thanks guys,” Tayme said. “We’re going to find Marcus and spend some time together.”

  As they walked toward the door, Rory remembered her vehicle. “I need to turn in the rental truck.”

  Jupiter said, “We’ll handle it. I’ve got the keys. Do you need anything out of it?”

  “No,” she said. “Thanks.”

  He nodded, and she and Tayme walked out of the building and headed toward the cafeteria. He texted Marcus along the way, and by the time they reached the hall inside the cafeteria, the alpha had answered that he was eating dinner in the marketplace and they could stop by for a meeting.

  Tayme entered the code to unlock the door and held it open for her. “Each group has their own set of codes for the security doors. I can open any door with my code except for the ones leading to private areas. I’ll give you the code, but just remember that we don’t share the code with any other groups.”

  “Of course,” she said.

  When the door to the hall locked behind them, he entered the code into another keypad, which unlocked a door to a stairwell. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, he opened the door for her and she found herself in a long hall. Doors were visible, with keypads next to them.

  “These are the private areas,” he said. “The bears are on the other side of the marketplace.”

  The marketplace was a large open area like the employee cafeteria. The center of the room was filled with tables and chairs. It was dinnertime, so many of the tables were filled, but Rory noticed it was mostly males. She thought back to what Tayme had said was the purpose of the VIP tours – to bring in potential soulmates. It was sad to think there were so many unmated males under one roof, just hoping their soulmate came to visit.

  Tayme stopped in front of one of the tables where two males sat. They both looked up at them, and the larger of the two frowned for a moment, then smiled.

  “I take it we have some good news to report?” he asked, leaning back in the chair.

  “Absolutely,” Tayme said. “Marcus, this is my soulmate, Rory. She’s a red fox. Sweetheart, this is my alpha, Marcus, and one of our sleuth members, Tarquin.”

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Rory said, shaking their hands.

  “Welcome to the park,” Marcus said. “And congratulations to you both.”

  “Thanks,” Rory said. “My best friend, Jess, is mated to Auden, one of the wolves.”

  “I’m aware of that situation,” Marcus said, nodding gravely. “I’m thankful they got away from the nest in one piece.”

  “Me, too,” she said. “My adoptive parents are the king and queen of the nest.”

  Marcus’s dark brows rose. “Have you told them about your situation?”

  “Not yet.”

  Marcus hummed, leaning forward and resting his forearms on the table. “I think you should call them but use one of our cell phones that can’t be traced just to be safe. Judging by what I heard from Joss about the confrontation between Auden, Jess, and the nest, if they want to meet with you, you will under no circumstances go alone.”

  “I was thinking the same thing,” Tayme said.

  “We’ll send as many of the sleuth as we can spare,” Tarquin said. “And definitely meet up with them somewhere neutral.”

  Rory nodded in agreement. She wanted to trust that her parents would be happy for her finding Tayme, but she didn’t actually think it would happen.

  “I need some time off,” Tayme said.

  “I’m sure,” Marcus said, a slow smile curving his lips. “You can take the week. We’ll cover you on the ice cream stall, but I’ll need you on Saturday out in the paddock. We can set up Rory with a keeper outfit so she can be with you.”

  “I can be out with you guys in your shift?” she asked. “That would be awesome.”

  “It lends some believability to our paddocks when the VIP tours see workers in them. The elephants care for the normal animals, but it’s good for people to be seen working with the others. I’d say we could let you be in your shift in one of the paddocks, but I don’t actually think you fit in anywhere as a red fox.”

  “I don’t mind not being in the paddocks in my shift, so long as I can actually shift from time to time.”

  “Of course,” Marcus said. “Whenever we need to, we shift after the park is closed so we’re not seen by humans.”

  Rory heard a soft snarl from Tayme’s bear a moment before he squeezed her hand and said, “We’ll go grab a phone. See you guys later.”

  He hustled her away from the table, and she heard Marcus and Tarquin chuckling.

  “Something wrong?” she asked as he made a beeline for a small store.

  “Too many unmated males.”

  “We’re soulmates, though,” she said, but he didn’t say anything in response.

  When they reached the store, he introduced her to a wolf couple. “We need a secured phone.”

  “Of course,” Zeger said. His mate Anke disappeared and he poked around on a tablet and then turned it to face them. “Sign it out. You can keep it as long as you need, just make sure you turn it in when you don’t need it any longer. And if you want us to order a phone for your mate, we can. It’ll take a few days to get a secured one.”

  “Go ahead and order one for her,” Tayme said. “We’ll keep this one until it comes in.”

  “Sounds good,” Zeger said.

  His mate returned with a cell phone and charger cord. “What’s your favorite color?”

  Rory tilted her head. “For what?”

  “Phone case,” Anke said. “I always ask the females so I can get something
pretty.”

  “Red,” she said.

  “You got it,” Anke said. “Congratulations to you two, by the way. It’s always wonderful when soulmates meet unexpectedly.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Rory said as Tayme took the phone and cord in one hand and tugged her away from the store with the other.

  “You never answered me before,” she said.

  He darted a side glance at her. “What?”

  “You said you wanted to get going because there were too many unmated males, and I said that we’re soulmates. I didn’t actually ask a question, but you didn’t elaborate.”

  They walked down another long hall and he stopped in front of a keypad, entering the code and shoving the door open with his shoulder. “I don’t like you being around unmated males right now.”

  “You said that already.”

  The door shut and he let out a growl. “We’re not fully mated. My bear wants you to be entirely mine in every way. The males were making me tense.”

  She let go of his hand and took in the sights before her. The floor was dark hardwood, and the walls and ceiling of the large room were painted to look like a forest. There were a dozen small cabins, each with a long front porch and a sidewalk that connected one home to the next.

  “Wow,” she said. “This is amazing.”

  “My home is here. Ours, I mean.”

  She turned to face him. “Ours?”

  “Everything I have is yours.”

  Her heart melted. “You’re very sweet. And I kinda dig the possessive stuff, but I hope you trust that I’m fully yours no matter that we haven’t mated officially yet.”

  “I do,” he said, tapping his temple. “But my bear wants the physical marks. It’s a beast thing.”

  “I have no idea how red foxes mate, whether they mark or do something else. I wish I did, though.”

  “Maybe your fox will let you know.” He took her hand again and she sighed at the contact. They walked to one of the houses and he opened the front door. “The houses are all the same, three bedrooms with one and a half baths, kitchen and family room. We can change up the furniture if you like. You can decorate it however you want.”