by Walters, Abi
“My bacon and eggs aren’t local or organic. Sorry. I would’ve made a trip to the Whole Foods in Center Village if I knew you’d be staying over.”
“It’s alright,” I smiled. “The pancakes will be enough for me. And coffee? I thought I smelled coffee.”
He lifted a few pieces of bacon from the pan to a nearby plate lined with paper towels. He nodded his head and opened a cabinet full of cups and mugs. “Last night you didn’t say how you preferred your coffee, and I didn’t want to load it up with cream and sugar if you like it black.”
“If you don’t happen to have toffee creamer I’ll take it black. When I was at Waseca I grew an affinity for black coffee. I’m glad I don’t have to drink instant anymore, but I still like it black.” I chuckled. “One of the girls in my block would run a carton of milk under hot water and then add instant coffee and maple syrup to the mix to make a latte. She also would mix together hot cocoa and instant coffee for a mocha-inspired drink. They weren’t half bad.”
“No shit,” He marveled. “I thought stuff like that only happened in movies.”
“Getting creative with commissary? Nope. The food they served in the cafeteria was usually pretty gross, so commissary is where a bulk of your nutrition comes from. Tamales were made with corn chips, rice, and beans. Put together some Ramen, hot sauce, and crunchy peanut butter and you have yourself some Pad Thai. Ramen was the base of most of my meals, actually. It was almost like I went to college, but instead of frat parties and overpriced textbooks I had cell checks and had to barter for tampons if my flow was heavy that month.” I winced. “Sorry. Probably too much information.”
He placed a cup of black coffee in front of me. “It’s fine. So you’re… okay talking about it? Last night you seemed like you didn’t really want to tell me about the whole situation.”
“I was worried that you’d stop liking me if you found out if I was a felon. It isn’t something I broadcast, but I’m not going to pretend like it didn’t happen.”
“Why would I let something trivial like prison change the way I think about you?”
“Because most people do.”
Vex added a plate of bacon and eggs, and then a cup of coffee that looked more like a cup of milk to the counter before he sat next to me. “I’m not most people.”
I shoved a forkful of pancake into my mouth to keep me from grinning like a lunatic. I washed down the lump with a big gulp of dark roast. “I know. Believe me, I know.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” He lightly bumped my shoulder with his. “You look nice without makeup, by the way. I was into the panda eyes this morning and I’m real into the whole black eyeliner and red lipstick thing you do. But you look pretty without all that stuff.”
“I prefer the term raccoon eyes, thank you very much.” I turned and did a little vogue inspired dance move with my hands around my face. “This makeup free look in inspired by the dead body on the mortuary slab. As seen on models in Paris and Prague, the sickly corpse look is newest trend making its way through the masses.”
Vex snorted, “Whatever, dork.”
“Thank you.” I dropped my arms and softened my voice. “I feel like shit today, so it’s nice to hear that I don’t also look like a pile of trash.”
“Did you take any medicine? Or put on that ointment?” He asked with concern. He set his fork down and turned to me. “We can go to town before we meet Parker at your RV and pick up something new at the drugstore.”
“I think some pain is to be expected. I’ll be fine. Promise. And when are we supposed to meet your friend? Did you use some psychic bear power to talk to him?”
Vex’s concerned expression lightened. “I used a telephone. Ever heard of one of those?” When I stuck my tongue out, he chuckled. “He said he can come out around eleven. We have an hour or so, but I thought you’d probably want to head over after we eat so you can assess the damages and put on some clothes that actually fit you.”
I didn’t want to change out of his clothes or leave his house, but I knew Big Betty needed me. I was curious to see what the damages were and if any of the signs pointed to a Bigfoot attack. More so, I was angry. Pissed, actually, when I thought about what happened. I wanted to stay in the cocoon that was Vex’s hidden home and forget that the outside world existed, but there was a mystery to be solved and I couldn’t resist the itch to figure out what happened.
Though time was a little pressed we didn’t rush through our breakfast. Vex asked me a little more about my experiences at Waseca and my teenage years as a ghost hunter (he told me to make a TV show about a high school girl who hunted ghosts and goblins when the sun went down, but after I told him that was basically just Buffy he dropped the idea). In return for giving up parts of my story, he shared little bits and pieces about shifters and his life. The back and forth game continued long after we dumped our dirty dishes in the plates. Vex talked to me through his bedroom door as he changed. I kept my back pressed to the wall so I wasn’t tempted to peek through the crack in the door.
I tried ignoring the sexual tension that zapped between us like we were in the middle of a lightning storm, but when he emerged from his room wearing a tight black tee that stretched over his muscles and faded blue jeans all bets were off the table. I nearly swallowed my tongue, but that was better than having it wag like I was a lovesick puppy. As if he were oblivious to the whole mess happening before his eyes he just smile at me and asked about the salon I worked at in Billings.
“Do you think you’ll ever work at a salon again?” He asked as we walked out to his Tahoe.
I gave a half shrug. “I’d like to, but I’d have a hard time getting hired at a cheap chain store with my record. I really liked working at Rendezvous because they used vegan products. I went there after I got out and talked to them about starting work again. Michelle, one of the owners, was a complete jerk about it and said they had a reputation with high class clients who would feel unsafe around me.”
“What a bitch.”
“You’re telling me. I tried really hard not to play into the cattiness of a salon, but I swear she had it out for me from the moment I got hired. I don’t miss that part at all, but I do miss making people happy and getting to create something special for each client.”
“There’s a salon in the Valley near the library. You could always stop by and see if they’re hiring. I mean, if you’re planning on staying here a while. Plenty of places in Center Village, too. I’m sure they’re not all owned by people like Michelle.”
“Do you want me to stay?”
“I want you to be happy. If selling your RV and moving to Washington DC makes you happy, do it.” He glanced over at me before returning his eyes to the bumpy road that curved through the mountain. “But if you want to stay here and move Big Betty to a safe area, like a campground, and let me take you out for dinner every now and then… I’d really like that.”
“It depends on how much work needs to be done on Big Betty, but I think I’ll be staying for a while. I can’t pass up a possible Bigfoot sighting, either. You know me. Always following the story.”
“So how did you manage to track Brown Bear Valley down?”
“Saw a story about a man turning into a bear on the side of the highway and decided to chase it. I figured it was the closest lead I had.”
He swore under his breath. “Deacon.”
“Deacon who?”
“No one you should be concerned with,” He dismissed. As we exited the maze of roads on the mountainside and onto the highway he reached up and itched his chin. “I don’t want you to think that I don’t trust you –”
“Never start a sentence with that.”
Vex tossed me a stern expression. “But Parker can’t know that you know anything about shifters. The stuff with the security breech and the cameras has everyone on edge and paranoid, and he already has a high strung personality so I don’t want him to freak out. I can’t let anything happen to you.”
“I appreciate
that, but I’m a grownup, Vex. I know when to keep my mouth shut.”
“You won’t ask him if he’s a werebear?” He almost spat the last word out.
“Holy cheeseballs and crackers, Vex. No!” I snapped. “I thought you trusted me.”
“I do trust you,” He sighed. “I just… like I said. I can’t let anything happen to you.”
I wanted to ask him to explain himself, but I could see Big Betty in the distance. We slowed down as we got closer, but the horror and rage inside me was spiraling out of control. Now that I wasn’t delirious and the sun was out I could see the extent of the external damage. Dents peppered the body of the RV. It was slanted towards the front, as the tires were slit, and the hood wasn’t completely shut.
I unbuckled myself and dislodged from the SUV before Vex even put it in park and turned his hazards on. Ignoring the ache in my side and in my chest, I ran barefoot across the gravelly roadside and threw open the unlocked door to my home.
And then I screamed.
Chapter Eight
Vex
I shuffled the wrinkled and torn papers together in an attempt to organize the mess of scanned articles, crudely drawn maps, and printed documents of eyewitness encounters. Acacia was adamant that none of her papers be thrown out, and though most of the stuff I looked at seemed fake or was a torn mess, I was eager to please her.
When I heard her scream I feared the worst, but her horror movie worthy screech wasn’t because a Bigfoot or an axe murder had spent the night in her RV. She screamed because in the light of day it looked like a tornado had gone through the entire twenty seven feet of the RV. I had been in a hurry when I was looking for her and didn’t really assess the damage, but now that I had a level head I saw just how ransacked the place appeared. I expected her to need a shoulder to cry on, but after releasing all her emotions through her ear splitting bellow, a look of determination settled on her face and she started barking out orders.
I picked up the glass while she changed. Jagged pieces of colored porcelain made a mosaic on the ground. The sight of her blood staining the ground made my bear go wild. I was already on edge from seeing her half naked in my bed and the dangerous game of flirtation we played. Hell, I’d been on edge before that. My bear recognized her as his mate and he didn’t understand why we hadn’t claimed her. I wanted Acacia forever, but I didn’t want to rush things with her and have her run away. I’d follow her to the end of the world, but I wanted her to love me willingly.
I trusted Acacia wholeheartedly, but I still felt the need to be reserved when it came to her and my clan. Most shifters who mate humans worry about whether their mate will accept the other half of their soul. I knew Acacia would. She believed in magic. But her readiness to accept the supernatural part of my world is the stem of my uncertainties. I no longer expected her to take secret information and knowledge of the shifter society public, but I was fearful that her eagerness to share and explore sectors of the unknown would lead to trouble.
I was wrapping the bloody knife in a towel when she emerged from the back of the RV. The electric blue of her undercut popped brightly as if she had somehow managed to re-color the hair while I was picking up the broken dishes. The signature look of dark eyeliner and bright red lipstick was back. She changed her nose ring, and now what looked like a bull’s ring dangled from her septum. She wore a black v-cut tee with a skull on it and a pair of jeans that matched the color on her lips. Her battered looking combat boots tied off the look. If it weren’t for the bandage on her arm you’d never know she had been through hell the night before.
“My room doesn’t look too disturbed. I think the bulk of the shaking and shit was up here at the front. My full size Han Solo cardboard didn’t survive. Rest in peace, you scruffy nerf herder. You think my insurance will cover a new one?”
I slid the towel covered knife into the trash bag. “Only if you agree that Han shot first.”
“Ha!” She clapped her hands together. “Hell yeah he did!”
We started sorting out the mess of papers and books on the floor while talking about Star Wars. I wasn’t a huge fan, but Hakeem and I watched our hand me down VHS copy of Episode 4 so many times it overheated our tape player. The conversation didn’t last long, but not because of my lack of Star Wars knowledge. Acacia seemed deep in thought, and I didn’t want to disrupt her.
I heard the rumble of a vintage muscle car coming down the road. “Parker’s here.”
“Are you going to be an asshole like you were around your friend Justin?”
“I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“That’s like saying ‘Sorry I robbed your bank. I didn’t mean to make anyone mad when I stole the money’ or something.”
I placed the clear container of paper on the table top. Acacia followed my actions. She stood up and slapped a manila folder exploding with handwritten notes into the tub. I heard the slam of a car door. I sensed her trepanation. I sensed the weight of her fears. So in either an incredibly bold or a terribly stupid move, I pulled her against me and slanted my lips over hers.
She tasted like coffee and spearmint breath mints. Kissing her felt right. I never doubted the fates, but if there were any questions about Acacia being my mate they were gone the moment our lips touched. I never was very good with words, but feeling her body mold perfectly against mine while her lips parted in surprise and anticipation made me want to write poetry. I saw stars with Acacia.
I could hear Parker outside. Despite every cell in my body screaming at me to wrap her up in my arms and kiss her until the world fell apart around us, I pulled away from her. I knew the dazed look she wore was probably mirrored on my own face. She smiled a little and released her grasp on my shirt. I thought she was going to cup my face, but instead she chuckled and thumbed at the corner of my mouth.
“Lipstick.”
There was a knock at the door. “Vex? You in there?”
“Yeah. Give me a second! We’ll be right out.” I called out over my shoulder. Unable to resist the urge to touch her, I dipped down and pecked her forehead. “We’ll talk later. Come on.”
Outside, Parker was squatting near the slashed tire. He stood when he heard us approach and wiped his hands on his jeans.
“Thanks for agreeing to come out. I know things have been hectic with uh… work. I know you pulled a late shift last night.” Though he worked more than forty hours a week at the shop, Parker was adamant about volunteering for patrols.
“Not a problem.” He eyed Acacia almost suspiciously before sticking his hand out. “Parker Oakley. I run the shop in town. This is your RV?”
“Acacia Reed. Nice to meet you.” If she was aware of his scrutiny she didn’t show it. “Yup. Big Betty is all mine.”
Parker nodded his head slowly. “Vex gave me a heads up about what happened last night. Did you get a look at what attacked your RV? A bear maybe?”
“I didn’t see anything, but I don’t think it was a bear. Animals don’t attack unless they’re sick, injured, threatened, or are protecting something. I was hiking a few days ago and I didn’t see any bears around. I didn’t even see deer, actually, so I don’t think it was an animal.”
Parker’s eyebrows rose and he looked at me. “Hiking, huh? Out in this land? You don’t hunt, do you? This is pretty close to some private property. You should be careful.”
“I would never hurt an animal,” She said with an ardor that underlined her seriousness.
Parker clicked his tongue against his teeth. “Just a warning. I’m going to take a look under your hood and see what the problem is. Vex, can I talk to you for a moment?”
“Yeah, sure.”
He waited until we were on the other side of the RV before his face fell into something grave and he started rambling. “Nick, one of my human mechs, was talking about a woman posting flyers and asking about werebears last week. Said she had blue hair and tattoos. Do you know about this? That’s her. It has to be her. I can’t believe this! You’re sleeping with someone
who could be trying to expose our entire fucking existence? Jesus, Vex!”
“Stop,” I hissed. Parker and I weren’t exactly friends, but I liked the guy. I didn’t want to ram his face into the ground but I entertained the idea. “Acacia is my mate. Do not talk about her like that.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“As a fucking heart attack. Acacia has nothing to do with what is going on at the reserve. She was with me the day the cameras were found, and she has been with me every day since.” I played around with the truth knowing it would be better in the long run if she had an alibi. “The scent around the cameras was male. It isn’t her.”
“So her proximity to our reserve and the fact that she was poking around town is just coincidence?” He retorted skeptically.
“Of course it’s a coincidence.” I ran my hands through my hair. “Trust my judgement, Parker. Trust me. It is my job to make sure the clan is safe. Do you really think I would jeopardize that for a woman? I have sacrificed for this clan, and I will continue to sacrifice for the clan. I have earned my position and I think I require a little more respect. Now will you please figure out what the hell is wrong with this hunk of metal?”
I watched the tension roll along his jaw. Parker was a passionate man. He never did anything half assed. He was almost obsessive. When it came to the safety of the clan, especially after he mated a human woman named Callie, he got a little more extreme. Nate, his best friend and another bear in the clan, mated a rogue shifter who had killed a human. I was on the team that went looking for Nate, who at the time had been presumed lost and possibly dead. We found him in bed with Orsa. That day was intense for everyone involved, but Parker seemed to have the most issues with bringing the two back to the reserve. Though years had passed since Callie and Parker mated and married, his protectiveness hadn’t waned in the slightest.
“Yeah. I’ll check it out.” He paused before adding. “You know I have to tell Deacon about this, right?”
