by Walters, Abi
“You can turn the light on, Cia.”
I snapped my head up, startled by my dad’s voice. It sounded like he had been awake for a while. I cleared my throat. “You’re up.” I nervously rubbed my arm. “Mom went down to the cafeteria. She should be back soon. Do you need me to call the nurse?”
“I’m not broken. Why are we sitting in the dark still?” He spoke over the motor of the hospital bed as it lifted him to a sitting position. I reached over and flicked the switch the room glowed with an unnatural white light. “You don’t have to be here all the time, Acacia. You look tired. Why aren’t you at Jade and Eric’s?”
“Jade has threatened to ban me from seeing Noah and Ava a half dozen times this year. I didn’t want to push my luck. And I thought you’d want someone here other than Mom. She’s been a little high energy. Last night she printed out thirty five pages on heart attack recovery.”
“Great,” He huffed sarcastically.
“You’re telling me.” I lightened my tone and shifted my gaze away from him. “How are you feeling?”
“Tired of being asked that question. That’s how I’m feeling. The incision from the surgery hurts, and I’m more tired than I’ve probably ever been. Otherwise I feel the same. You look like shit though, Cia.”
“Thanks,” I drawled.
“Is this because of Vex?”
I cringed inwardly. I didn’t want to talk about my love life with my father. I especially didn’t want to talk about how much more worried I was about Vex’s safety than my dad’s. I felt like a shitty daughter – hence the Acacia sized butt imprint on the chair next to his bed. I knew my dad would be okay. The articles my mom forced me to read drove that point home. But Vex? I had no idea what he was doing or even where he was. He had a potentially dangerous job, and after meeting his Alpha, I was even more concerned. I hated that I felt so dependent on Vex after just a few weeks, but I couldn’t deny the ache in my chest or the restlessness that plagued me. I played a game where I imagined all the worst possible scenarios and then remembered all the mean things I said to him. I didn’t want that to be his memory of me. I didn’t want him to disappear or worse without knowing how important he was to me.
“A little,” I admitted. “Things have just been… hectic lately. I really, really like Vex. I’m just afraid, I guess. And I haven’t told you guys what really happened to Big Betty. I didn’t break down. It was an attack. That’s where the stitches came from. So a lot has been going on.”
“An attack? Why didn’t you tell us? What happened?”
I cleared my throat, deciding not to tell him about my Bigfoot theory. My dad had the most patience out of my family when it came to my ‘crazy ideas and beliefs’ but he that was probably pushing it a little too far for him. “It might’ve been a prank. The RV started rocking back and forth, like it was being shaken, and there was pounding all along it. My tires were slashed and a bunch of wires were cut. There aren’t any leads. It’ll probably go cold.”
“Jesus. You’re okay though. Right?”
“Vex has been great,” I said as I nodded. “I don’t have PTSD or anything like that. A little bruised still, but otherwise the same. My X-Files DVDs are safe and that’s all that matters.”
He chuckled, “Same old Acacia. So you really, really like Vex, huh? Sounds serious. He’s pretty serious.” His voice lowered. “He isn’t involved in anything illegal, is he?”
“Oh, God, no! I just can’t tell you exactly what he does.”
“You aren’t convincing me it isn’t illegal.”
“Do you think anyone with a man bun that beautiful would do something illegal?” I scoffed teasingly.
His eyes danced with amusement. “Man bun?”
“Yeah, man bun. Get with the 21st century, pops.”
“You know I just want what makes you happy, Cia. You haven’t had the easiest life. Some of those choices were yours to make, and I know your mother likes to scold you, but you were always my little girl and I won’t ever forgive myself for the mistakes I’ve made that have hurt you.”
“You haven’t made any mistakes,” I said, my voice cracking. “I don’t blame you for anything. You have always had my back, Dad. Always.”
There was a long silence made even longer by my desire to cry. I tasted blood in my mouth from biting my tongue. The wary look on my dad’s face lightened for a moment. “I saw him, Acacia.” When I gave him a dumbfounded look, he clarified. “After the mountain lions attacked us. I saw the man bear. I never told you because I was afraid, and I was hoping you’d forget about it… but I think that made you even more obsessed. I saw him, Acacia. I believe. My biggest regret as your father is making you feel isolated or like you were crazy.”
I was dumbfounded. Completely shocked. I wanted to throw a tantrum. I wanted to thrash and punch a hole in the drywall with anger. I spent the better part of my life being teased and made fun of by my peers and my family. I struggled with depression and anxiety. I hated myself some days, and others I hated everyone but me. My dad had looked me straight in the eyes and told me that he loved me, but I needed to ‘lay off on the werebear thing for a while’ because my mom was upset with me. And the entire time he knew? He believed? But countering that numbing anger was relief. My need to find the truth led me to Vex, and then suddenly… I didn’t care if anyone thought I was crazy. I didn’t want anyone else to know about shifters. I had waited for this moment nearly all my life, and now that it happened, I wanted him to take his words back.
I opened my mouth to tell him to forget that he ever saw anything when the door to his tiny private room opened and my mom came in. She saved us both from a trip down the rabbit hole. Visiting hours were almost over, but she settled into a chair and started talking to us about her run in with a third grade teacher in the cafeteria.
We began to say our goodbyes after the riveting tale of Sandra Owens and her son’s broken tibia. I gave my dad an awkward hug and turned into myself.
“Erin, I need you to take Acacia out to Spurs Auto tomorrow. Tell Bobby Southerland I’m callin’ in my favor. He should be able to get Acacia a good deal on a car. If she doesn’t have enough, pay for it. We have more than enough for something reliable.”
“What’s all this about?” My mom questioned.
I echoed her concerns. “Yeah, Dad, what’s going on?”
“I’m fine. I’m as healthy as I can be after a heart attack. You know what I see when I look at you, Acacia? A girl who’s heart is in two places. This is me telling you to go to Vex.”
“Mike!” “Dad!” My mom and I shouted out simultaneously.
“Do you love him?” My dad said with so much clarity it made me shiver.
I wanted to hesitate, but I couldn’t. I was 100% totally in love with Vex. “Yes.”
“He needs you. I’ll be fine. We’ll be fine. And in a few weeks when everything’s settled and I’ve got the green light, you two will visit for a cookout. It’s all I ask.” His eyes switched over to my mom. “Don’t give Cia any bullshit over this, Erin. You hound her enough as is. Let her go. It’s not doing her any good to sit here next to me in the dark feeling guilty for wanting to follow her heart.”
“But –”
“No buts. Instead of showing up here at the ass crack of dawn, take Acacia to Spurs and do what I said. Now as politely as I can say this, Acacia, sweetheart… I don’t want to see you tomorrow.”
Instead of driving back to my parent’s house, my mom drove us to Jade and Eric’s ranch style home on the edge of town. The silent drive was somber. I wasn’t sure if my mom was going to cry or lash out at me. She did neither. We parked along the curb and she turned to me with soft eyes.
“Do you really love Vex?”
“I don’t think love is a strong enough word,” I admitted with a slight blush. My mom and I weren’t the type to chat about our feelings, let alone boys.
She nodded slowly but never said anything. We stayed late at Jade’s that night. I took a selfie with Ava and No
ah, who finally felt comfortable enough around me that they didn’t cry, and sent it to Vex with the caption “Look how cute my niece and nephew are. Missing you a whole lot. Hope everything is okay”. I spent quality time with my family and didn’t feel like an outcast. It was nice, but it wasn’t the same without my dad. I found myself turning to talk to Vex on multiple occasions. When we finally left my sister’s house and I said goodbye to everyone, part of me felt accepted. Finally, after years of feeling like the black sheep, I felt like I belonged… even if just a little bit.
It wasn’t until I was half asleep and holding a pillow that faintly smelled like Vex that I got a text back.
Not as cute as you. I miss you even more. Soon, baby.
He was about to find out just how soon we’d be together again.
Memories of the haunting roars clouded my head as I pulled up to the Wood Brothers Construction complex. I slammed to the door on my brand new 2003 Grand Am. The silver paint was chipped in a half dozen spots and the air conditioner didn’t work, but it was cheaper than dirt and got me from point A to point B. Point B being Brown Bear Valley. More specifically, the construction business owned by an Alpha and Beta duo that may or may not believe that I set cameras up on their property to expose them.
Keeping my head held high I walked into the office. I wasn’t sure if they were even going to be there, but I wanted to try to talk to them and get permission before I went searching for Vex’s house. The main entrance was empty when I opened the door.
“Hello?” I called out, cautiously peeking my head around the corners.
“Just a moment!” Came a reply in a stunning British accent that had a melodic trill to it. A few seconds later a short woman rounded a corner. Her hair was a perfect shade of blonde and came in light waves down past her shoulders. She had this strange beauty about her. I couldn’t stop staring at her as she came to the front counter. “Can I help you?”
“Um, hi. I’m Acacia Reed.”
“Acacia?” Her face wavered for a second before she released her bottom lip from her teeth’s grasp. “Vex’s Acaica?” When I nodded, she motioned for me to follow her. “Let’s talk in the back. It’s more private.” She stopped abruptly and held out her hand. “I’m Elizabeth Wood, Deacon’s wife and mate. Most people call me Libby.”
“Nice to meet you. I think.” She led me to an office, thankfully, and spared me the memory of the conference room. She took a seat behind the desk, which seemed comically large, and waited until I sat down to talk.
“Deacon doesn’t like to involve me in clan politics too much, but I do know about the suspicion surrounding your arrival. I think it’s safe to say that has been cleared, yeah?”
“I don’t know. Has it? I haven’t heard from Vex in a few days. I’m worried. That’s um, sort of why I’m here. I wanted to ask permission to go to his house on my own. I don’t even remember how to get to his place, really. I just… I just wanted to make sure he’s okay.”
Libby licked her bottom lip nervously. “Everyone is tied up at the reserve so I can’t phone them, and I was just getting ready to leave. It’s getting late. If I don’t go home soon Deacon will have a fit.” She looked up at me as if she were trying to decipher a secret code. “But I think being the Alpha’s wife lends me some authority on these things. I can see how much you care for Vex. Here, let me lock up and then you can follow me. Vex’s place is on the other side of the property, but I’ll send you in the right direction.”
“Thank you so much,” I rushed. It was nearly nine at night. I was tired and running on coffee, Red Bull, and gas station food. I was wearing clothes that dated back to my high school days, and I probably smelled like new car. More than anything, I missed Vex. And I was incredibly thankful that Libby trusted me enough to let me see him.
“Just ask him about the dress shop photo when you have a chance.”
I had no idea what she was talking about, but I would’ve agreed to question him about anything at that point. It had only been a few days since I’d seen Vex, but damn, it felt like years had passed. Driving to the Valley felt like driving home, but I knew I wouldn’t feel content until I was with Vex.
Chapter Fourteen
Vex
I was already counting down the hours until I had to report back to our unofficial base sight. I had only been to my house once in the three days since I arrived back in the Valley and that had been to change clothes and grab my overnight bag. My sleep schedule was nonexistent. I was used to running on little sleep, but the Enforcers and the volunteer groups had been running in overdrive. On top of everything that was happening with the breech, we had received a static phone call from Hakeem. He didn’t sound panicked or injured, but there was no way to understand his message. The fear of losing my brother, my clan, and not keeping Acacia safe had me in overdrive.
The newest security breech was a damaging blow. A new scent was picked up around a bundle of high tech cameras along the property line that hadn’t been there before. Nobody knows how they got there. The areas along the main reserve were under heavy guard. When we accessed the files they showed a startling clear image of one of the younger members of the clan shifting. As with the other cameras, the newest additions were destroyed, but not before we realized that the material was beamed off to a remote hard drive. Someone out there – someone who intentionally placed those cameras with a malicious intent – had footage of a shift. If it went viral it could be played off as a hoax. Or, worst case scenario, it could completely expose shifters and reveal the location of our reserve. The council would get rid of Stoneclaw and smooth over the bump like we never even existed at all.
In addition to the nonstop sweeps we were doing of our land, we also tracked the scent throughout the woods and into town. Harder to do in human form but not impossible. Sheriff was pulling all the strings he could, but he had one foot out the door at the station. We picked up the new male scent and faint traces of the old one. It smelled familiar to me, but I couldn’t place it. It was barely noticeable. If I were in bear form I knew I’d be able to connect the smell and the face in my head, but I couldn’t shift in the middle of an alley in town.
Deacon was on the verge of calling in a favor to the special force agent, Moxie, who rescued Elizabeth and helped find her after she had been kidnapped. I usually turned down outside help, but none of us had any experience dealing with the situation at hand. I patrolled boarders and acted as a bodyguard. I didn’t dabble in high tech cameras and covert operations.
As I approached my house, my headlights bounced off a silver vehicle I didn’t recognize. My senses spiked as I pulled to a stop and hopped out to investigate. My bear was roused and at the surface, ready for a fight to defend its den. A few seconds later it was roused for a different reason. Acacia. I smelled her. It wasn’t a barely there wisp – a tendril of my memories. My feet were like bricks as I approached the dark house. The lights inside flickered on as the floorboards on the porch creaked under me.
When she appeared in the doorway I didn’t question her presence. A feral growl nipped at my lips. My cock was so heavy in my pants it threatened to tear the seam. I watched as the emotions fluttered across her face, and by the time I picked her up and crashed my lips down on hers, I smelled arousal. Thick, heady arousal. My mate needed me just as much as I needed her.
We came together like a tsunami. Violent and forceful. So damn beautiful you can’t look away from the disaster unfolding… but Acacia and I weren’t a disaster. We were made for one another. She jumped out of my arms – our lips never disconnecting – and we stumbled backwards. Our hands tore frantically at the clothing that kept our skin apart. I was drunk on her already, but I wanted… I needed more.
Pushing her against the wall, I pinned her arms and bit her bottom lip playfully. She was petting my cock through my jeans as I squeezed her breasts over her tank. I could feel her pebbled nipples through her bra and cotton shirt. Our tongues fought for dominance in a game that had no real winner. Hooking a leg
behind mine, Acacia pulled our bodies together and rubbed against me like a cat in heat.
“Too many clothes,” I growled.
My lips tingled and my heartbeat was a roar in my ears. Tugging at the bottom of her shirt, I whipped it up and off her body within a few seconds. Her hands were busy finishing their job of unbuckling my cargo pants and untucking my shirt. It joined hers, and I started to kick my way out of my shoes while she unhooked her bra and shed her pants. We were acting like drunken kids after a night on the town. We were sloppy and needy, but instead of being in love for just one night, our passions ran to the bone. I felt Acacia everywhere and it still wasn’t enough.
My cock slipped through the slit in my boxers as I watched Acacia shimmy out of her panties. She was completely naked, and now that we weren’t making love in her RV under the moonlight, I could see every beautiful curve and unique marking on her skin. She was a vision. A masterpiece for my eyes only. Her body wasn’t perfect by any means, and her hair was an electric blue and black mess that looked like she’d stuck her finger in a light socket. But she was mine. Mine. Mine. Mine.
She must’ve noticed the darkness in my eyes that accompanied my bear’s arrival at the surface. I tried to swallow him down, as not to frighten her, but she grabbed my hand and led me to the bedroom. Her hand slapped against the light switch. The room glowed to life as I pushed her against the bed and jerked down my boxers. My cock was red and needy. After the first night Acacia and I spent together I hadn’t had time to touch it. It ached for her. Hell, I ached for her. And there she was. Half draped off the tall bed and waiting for me with the biggest and most seductive damn bedroom eyes I’d ever seen. I approached her with a predatory smile.
