“I’ll help you, but I want you to know one thing. You screw this up, and my son leaves me, I will never forgive you. Never. Do you understand the meaning of that?” Melody said that she did. “Good. He’s in the meadow behind Lucian’s home. You’ll have to walk—there isn’t a car that will get you there. I won’t tell him you’re coming in the event that you change your mind.”
“I won’t. I promise you. I won’t.” Cindy nodded and showed her how to get there when they were on the front porch. “Do you think that he’ll forgive me? I really need him to do that.”
“He’ll forgive you because he loves you. Whether or not he stays, that will depend on how much you plan on groveling.” She said that she would go to him on her hands and knees if that was what it took. Melody asked her about the other woman. “She’s dead. Not by our hands, but her husband’s. He murdered her right there in front of us when it came out that my son wasn’t in the wrong and that he was just a kid. Then he turned the gun on himself. Betrayal and anger can make a normally sane person do mighty strange and horrific things. You remember that.”
“I will.” Melody made her way in the direction that she’d been told. But she turned back when she thought of something. “Will you trust me not to hurt him, Cindy?”
“I do because I know that you won’t. Not now.” Melody thanked her. “Don’t thank me. I don’t think this is going to be easy on either of you.”
No, she thought. But it would be worth it. She’d been a fool. Ten times a fool, and she hated herself for it. But she’d make it work. Even if, she thought, she had to deal with his bear in order to make him see that she was going to be his mate for the rest of their lives together.
Chapter 7
Gannon stood up to stretch. The birds in the trees around him were startled out of their resting place, and he looked around. It couldn’t have been because of him. He’d been out here for two hours or more as his bear, and they seemed to be used to him now.
Looking around, he saw Melody coming toward him. She looked as if she was giving herself a good talking too as well. When she turned in his direction, she stopped moving and talking. He could have spoken to her if he wanted, but really, right now, he didn’t know what he’d say to her. Sitting down on his butt, Gannon and his bear waited to see what she was going to do. There wasn’t any way that she missed him being a large bear. Something that she hated.
“I got lost twice, or I might have been here sooner. Can you hear me?” He nodded at her. “Good. I’d like to come closer to you, but I don’t want you to move just yet. I’m very nervous about what you’ll do when I tell you what a fool I’ve been.”
He didn’t move, but he did watch her as she drew closer. Before he could stop his bear, which at times seemed to be a separate person from him, he dropped down on his belly and began clawing his way to her, digging out large rocks and dirt as he moved.
“I’m not terribly afraid of him.” She took several more steps toward them and then stopped again. “Okay, I’m afraid of him. I’m not going to lie to you, but honestly, I’m afraid of his size, not him. Understand?”
His bear nodded again but paused in his movement toward her. When they were still several feet apart, Bear sat up and watched her. Gannon had never begged his bear for anything before, but he did so now, asking him not to scare their mate.
“I was going to ask you to shift, but you’d be naked, right?” Again, Bear nodded. “Yes, I thought so. Not that I think I’d mind that too much, to see you in all your glory. But right now I think we need to talk. Or I need to grovel, and I’d like for you to listen. Can I get closer to you?”
Bear put out his hands like he was offering her his body in a huge hug. His claws were there too, dirty and sharp, and he knew that she was afraid. They could both smell it on her. When she finally took two steps toward them again, she halved the distance between them.
“I’ve been a fool. More than that, I’ve been a hurtful, distrusting fool. I should have listened to my heart more than my head. It’s only occurred to me in the last hour that they can have their own ideas about what I need, and I never realized how wrong my head could be about me.” She shook her head. “I don’t think I’m saying this right. I only meant to come out here and beg you for forgiveness, but the longer it took me to find you, the more shit I thought of that I did to you. Also, you might not care about this right now, but I’m in love with you. Took me long enough, I know, but I realized it after your mom slapped some sense into me.”
Had his mom hit her? That was something that surprised him. His mom was a gentle woman, and if she had to resort to violence, he wondered what else was said between them. Bear moved a little closer to Melody by scooting his butt along the grass.
“Not that I didn’t deserve to be hit. She was well within her rights to do more than that to me. I deserved it. More, as I said.” She looked at them. “I’m babbling to give myself time. I want to touch you, Gannon. Feel the fur that covers you both. Can I do that?”
Bear put out his hand, curling his claws into his hand so that they weren’t as obvious, he supposed. When Melody touched her shaking fingers to his wrist, his bear growled a little, a much softer sound than he’d heard him make before.
“I thought that you’d be rough. The other bear was. His fur cut into my flesh every time he touched me.” She ran her hand up his arm as far as she could reach. “He didn’t just hurt me, you see, but he spoke to me as well. Telling me that when his bear was finished playing around with me, he was going to shift and then fuck me. After that, he told me, after he was finished with me, he was going to let his bear eat me. So that there wouldn’t be any evidence left of him to be found.”
He didn’t, though, did he? If she was startled that he spoke to her, she didn’t say or show it. This man, you know that he’s being tracked down too, don’t you? That when he is found, he won’t serve any prison time because I’m going to kill him.
“Please don’t.” He asked her why not. “As much as I’d like him dead—and I would—I think there is justice that needs to be served more. He killed a lot of people that day. And from what I’ve heard from Demi and Meadow, he’s done it again and again. Not as high of a death count as at my school, but he’s done it.”
The man that helped him into the schools, I didn’t kill him, but he’s dead. There is no justice for his involvement in this. She nodded and turned around and sat on the lap of his bear. Melody, he won’t hurt you on purpose, but he is a large animal with claws. Be careful of him.
“I’m not worried about him anymore. He could have, and justly so, killed me for what I did to you and your family. Do you think it would be all right if he hugged me? I mean, just wrapped me up in his arms? He feels so comforting right now.”
Bear did just what she asked of him, lying down on the grass with her wrapped in his arms. Gannon told him several times to be careful, and it wasn’t until Bear snarled at him that he stopped. Bear was protecting her, and he didn’t want some other part of him fucking around with that. As they both laid there, his bear holding Melody gently in his arms, Gannon spoke again.
I won’t kill him. She thanked him, her voice sounding full of exhaustion. Are you all right?
“I am right at this moment. I was thinking about you all the way out here. I don’t know why I didn’t think you’d be your bear, but I think that this is what I needed. To be touched by your other half. To feel his strength wrapped around me without him harming me. It’s like...I don’t know. I like that I don’t feel anything right now but comfort. Not just in laying here, but comfort that he seems to be spreading over me.” He didn’t say anything, worried that she’d snap at him again. “I’m so very sorry for how I’ve been. I’ve had conversations like that with my mom before. Her, in a very slick way, telling me that I’m not worthy of having anyone love me, that my lack of being able to have a child would never allow anyone to love me. I never realized unt
il today when she was talking to me that she’s not been a very nice person for a long time.”
I wanted to slap her with my bear claws. When she picked up his larger hand and pressed hers to it, he could see that her tiny hands were about the size of his claws. Gannon noticed the blood on her palm, fresh, like she’d only just cut herself. Did he hurt you? I know that I said that he’d be easy with you, but as I said, he’s a good deal larger than you and might nick you. Does it hurt?
“No. I didn’t even notice it until now. He would never hurt me. I know that now. Nor will you, will you?” He said that he’d not. “I should have realized that a while ago. Not being a nasty bitch to figure it out on my own.”
Melody turned toward his bear, running her hands over his cheeks and nose like she was trying to memorize every part of him. She didn’t seem to realize, or perhaps she did, that she was lying in the arms of an animal that was easily five times her weight and at least a foot taller than her. Yet she touched him and laid there like she didn’t care.
“I’m so very sorry, Gannon. Sorry for a great many things, but mostly for what I said to you. I know that you’d never do anything to harm another person, human or not unless you had to. You’d kill for those that you love, and you’d never think a second thing about it.” He told her for the first time that he loved her. “I know you do. And I nearly lost it all when I didn’t pay attention to you. You will give me a second chance, won’t you? Or third or fourth? However many times I screwed up where you and your love for me are concerned.”
His bear let him go, and he held her in his arms as a man. She didn’t flinch away from him but continued to stroke his face. When she got to his mouth again, he kissed her fingertips then gently pulled them into his mouth. Her grin at him had him smiling back at her.
“You’re a wonderful person. I bet that even your family, which loves you very much, doesn’t realize what an amazing person they have as a son.” He told her it was a burden that he had to carry. Her laughter had him smiling again. “I bet you never let them know how much you love them either, do you?”
“I do. Every moment that I have with them, I let my family know that I love them. And there are times with even that, I don’t think it’s nearly enough.” Melody kissed him on the mouth, a quick touching of the lips. “I do love you, Melody. Very much. And with all that I am. My bear, he loves you as well, and would die to make sure that you’re safe for us both.”
“I can’t have any children with you.” He told her that he knew that. “I want to raise them with you. As many as we can adopt, babies or teenagers, human or not, I don’t care. I want to watch them grow with us and learn from them every day.”
“I’d like that as well. Very much so.” He kissed her then, kissing away whatever else she might have said, tasting her like she’d touched him. Gently, exploring every part of her that he could touch with his mouth and tongue. “I want you, Melody. Not out here, though that is appealing. But I—”
Where are you? He told Lucian where he was. Come to my house. Now. Is Mel with you?
Yes. You should know right now that this had better be an emergency, or so help me, Lucian, I will—
Daniel has been hurt. He’s going to be fine, but there was an accident. Dad is here waiting on you to take you to the hospital. The kids are with me, and they’re safe. Banged up a little, but safe. He stood up and reached for Melody, telling her what Lucian was telling him. He asked his brother if it had been Vicky. Holly said that it was her. She ran them off the road when they were headed to get pizza. I guess that’s not something that they normally do. Gannon told Melody as she handed him her sweater to wrap around his waist.
“No, it’s not. He doesn’t care for junk food at all. He feeds his kids things that are good for them so that in the event someone comes along to try and take them from him; they’ll see that he’s a good father.” Gannon told her that he was a good father. “Yeah, I tell him that all the time. But of course, he is afraid of losing them.”
“I would be as well.” He told Lucian that he was on his way to the house, but he needed to stop for clothing. Lucian said for him to hurry. We’re close to the house now. I can see Dad there. She loves me, Lucian. Melody loves me.
We all knew that, moron. Gannon told him to shut up. Just hurry. The kids want to see their aunt to make sure that she’s all right too. They’re terrified to go and get some of their cuts cleaned up for fear that their mother will show up.
What happened to Daniel? You said he was fine, but why isn’t he calming his children? He told him he was in surgery. I don’t know where you got the idea that was being fine, but going to surgery isn’t. Not by a long shot.
Daniel has a compound break to his arm, as well as a lot of cuts to his face. He’ll be fine because Meadow was there right after it happened. She gave him a little of herself. He didn’t tell Melody that, afraid that she’d freak out again. As soon as he was dressed and they were on their way, Lucian spoke again. The kids are in need of something that I don’t know how to give them, Gannon. I’m going to make a terrible father if I can’t even calm a few teenagers down when they need it.
Just hold them if they’ll let you. Tell them the truth when they ask, and tell them that we’re on our way. Promise me, Lucian, that Daniel is going to be all right. He said that he was. The surgery was to repair the breaks in his arm. I hope so. I don’t want anything to happen to my new family. They’re wonderful, and we’re going to protect them with all that we have. Right?
You’re right on that, little brother. Everything I have, every resource that I can call from, they’re going to be put in place to make sure that they’ll be all right when this is finished. He asked Lucian where Vicky was now. I don’t know. But I have everyone I know out looking for her. She won’t get far. And from the wreckage, I’d say that she’s hurt too. If not as bad as Daniel, then close. He thanked him. No reason for that, Gannon, I know that you’d do the same for any one of us. This is what family does.
Yes, they did. And he was never so glad to have a family like his as he was right now. As soon as they pulled up in front of the hospital, the love and support of his family was right there. Dad hugged him, and Mom hugged Melody. They both sobbed and told each other that they loved the other, and Gannon knew that whatever had happened between the two of them was settled. And he was glad about that.
~*~
Harvey sat as still as he could. Not that anyone was paying too much attention to him right now, so he was safe. For now. He knew that he could get out of this—it was just a matter of timing. And if nothing else went his way, it was the timing of his life.
Rummy, his new sleuth leader, looked in his direction twice more before he turned back to whatever work was on his desk. Harvey had been asked to come in today because Rummy wanted a word with him. As soon as he arrived, a few minutes late, Harvey knew that something had happened to put Rummy in a shitty mood. Whatever it was, he didn’t think it had a thing to do with him. For two reasons, first was that he’d been asked to come here at a time that would work for him. Secondly, if he’d been in any sort of trouble, he would have been set upon by the second, Rummy’s right-hand man, and dragged here without any words being spoken at all.
Harvey had a feeling that someone had ratted him out about taking a little extra food from the pantry. Everyone did it, but he knew that on some level, he was taking too much—story of his life. Taking more than his fair share, he thought with a laugh.
To his way of thinking, if it was there, why not get a little more? Really, who did it hurt if he took a few extra cans of tuna? Or even a steak or two from the freezer? No one, that’s who. He didn’t even know why people complained about it. Rummy was a good leader, and there was plenty enough to go around even if he did take a little extra.
“I’m waiting on some woman to come by. She wants to talk to you.” He said that he’d not been out with anyone at all lately. “Nah,
nothing to do with that. She’s some rich woman that says that she’s got a good job for some of my best men. I told her that you were that.”
“She asked for me?” Rummy laughed and asked him how many women he had on the hook for some of his kind of loving. “None. I guess I just misheard you. She has a job for some of the men here? We sure could use it, Rummy. There are a lot of us out of work.”
“I told her that. She’s some big wig that owns a lot of buildings, and they need them cleaned up and taken care of. You used to be a roofer, right? I told her that.” Harvey nodded, feeling better by the minute. “She and her husband were supposed to have been here a couple of days ago, but I lost track of time and had to reschedule with her. She seems to be a really nice person. At least over the phone.”
“That’s good. Why this sleuth? Did she tell you?” Rummy said that she was hitting all the packs around. Wolf, bear, and even cats. “So it’s a big job, is it? That’ll be nice for us all. I’ve been out of work for about a month now. When I moved to this area, I thought that there would be a lot of work. I’m not saying that I wish that I would have stayed there, but a man needs to work.”
He was working, but not at a job that paid. Getting someone on the inside of a high school to help him was a good deal harder than it had been out west. Here people were a little less trusting, he supposed. Whatever it was, he hadn’t been in a school in about four months. It was making him a little crazy. He watched Rummy roam around the room and wondered if he was high. He was certainly acting squirrely.
Gannon: McCray Bruin Bear Shifter Romance Page 10
