A Lion, A Tiger and Her Bear...Oh My!: A Howls Romance (The Mates of Bear Paw River Book 4)

by Everleigh Clark

  She walked down the quiet street. Abingdon wasn’t much different from Bear Paw River. Humans and shifters living together without the humans even knowing it, going through their lives easily and without hardship other than the occasional law breakers. A random car broken into, or purse snatching. Not too bad at all. Abingdon had a brand-new fire house on the other side of Main Street, and the police station stood gleaming and tall in the middle of everything. City hall was at the end of the large cul-de-sac, with the blues and pinks of a beautiful garden surrounding the entrance. Behind city hall stood a large wooded area. Probably where the mayor went for his lunchtime run. The new mayor was a wolf, male, about thirty-three, and he was bound and determined to get things running right in his town. No more shifternappings. He’d even started a task force to help lower the crime rate even more and protect their small town. Sam and the guys had been impressed. Mayor Sandro had just left with Trae and Noah to visit another small family, so Sam had time to kill.

  Her thoughts returned to the Cleavers. A human and a shifter. She wouldn’t have thought it could work, but her cousin Bo had mated a human. No, wait, Jane was a wolf. Scratch that. Jane had come to Bear Paw River hiding from her abusive ex, and no one was more surprised than she, when she shifted for the first time. Sam laughed at the thought of Jane hunkering down to all fours to roll around and scratch her back. Was she being wolfist? Nah, Jane, and Izzy had both laughed like it was the funniest thing they’d ever heard. They had mates—yeah, they were from different species, but they made it work—and Sam wanted that. Hell. She was going to say it out loud. That would make her look like some swooning female waiting for a big, strong man to hoist her up onto his steed and ride off into the sunset. And Sam didn’t need a man for that. She knew which way pointed west, and she could damn well ride her bike into the sunset. Then again, the look in James’ gaze when he brought Trudy a cup of coffee while they chatted this morning was so full of love, so adoring, like he would do anything for the woman. Even die for her. Love came in all shapes and sizes and didn’t necessarily have to come in the form of a strong Alpha lion who liked to smack her ass. Or a sexy tiger whose eyes twinkled right before he tackled her to the bed to smother her with kisses.

  Then there was the gruff lion. She’d have continued thinking Trae was an asshole who didn’t care about anyone or anything if she hadn’t been watching him this morning. After confirming for a second time that Trudy Cleaver and a friend of his grandmother’s were both all right, he’d stopped a teen from stealing a bike on Main Street. Trae had given the shifter male a brisk shake and come-to-Jesus speech then walked him into the coffee shop and gotten him a part-time job. The guy cared, and his softer side was damn appealing.

  No, dammit. She did not need Trae or Noah to fulfill her mating needs. And just because they were hot—well, really hot, and the way they set her body on fire with just a look—nope, not going there. It was obvious all around her. She could find someone to love her for who she was, and they didn’t have to be the kind of guys looking for the next big battle to fight. That was it, wasn’t it? She didn’t want to be another notch in their leather belts before they moved on. Stop being so dramatic, she scolded herself.

  “Excuse me.” The male voice behind her made her turn quickly. “Sorry, I don’t mean any harm, promise.” He smiled and held up a half-wilted flower. “I just wanted to give a flower to the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. It’s almost dead, sorry.” He grinned sheepishly up at her, and his brown eyes looked unsure as he hunched in on himself like a scolded puppy. “Sorry.”

  “Wait.” She unclenched her fists and adopted a more relaxed, less defensive posture. “You just startled me. I’m Sam. Thanks for the flower.”

  Only a few inches taller than her, human by the smell of him, not much in the muscle department, but his fearful, soft smile and gaze invited her forward. Hell, she’d always been a sucker for a puppy in need. And this guy was all sad puppy. The small scar on his chin, the somber dark eyes filled with hope—she was afraid he might start yipping and shaking his rear. His straight white teeth that opened into a wide smile that took over his whole face. Young, maybe her age or a few years older, but no more than late twenties, he looked like he had lived a hard life, and that also called to her. Sam, helper of defenseless creatures everywhere. His long, dark hair was a bit greasy, like he’d just used a whole can of styling gel on his hair then took a shower, and kept covering up one of his eyes. She liked the way he pushed it off his forehead and wriggled his nose. Cute. More like a nervous bunny than a puppy. Great. Now she was trying to hook up with Bugs.

  “My name is Gabriel. Sorry, but I saw you at the coffee shop and had to say hello.

  He looked familiar. His lanky frame. The way he hunched in on himself and peered at her like she was his salvation. Hell, maybe she was. But she didn’t have time for pity dates. Her cell phone rang—Traeger’s number in the screen—and she answered it . “What?”

  “We’re going to be a bit. Keep your ass in town where it’s safe, and don’t leave without us.” Traeger’s bossy voice made her whole body tighten and her teeth gnash.

  “Excuse me? Who the fuck put you in charge?”

  Another growl and a low curse, before then Noah came on. “Hey Sammy, listen. We’re working on something huge out here. One of the shifters who escaped was found beaten half to death.”

  “Shit. Is he okay?”

  “She.”

  Sam winced.

  “She’ll live, but we’re staying for the night to see what we can find out, and—”

  “Protect them from anything else. Tell me the address, and I’ll be right there.”

  The sound of Noah and Trager fighting over the phone preceded Trae’s low voice again. “You keep your ass there! We’ll come get you when we’re through.”

  “What the hell is your prob—”

  “Sorry.” Noah popped back on. “He’s a bit agitated right now. Trust me, if we need you, I’ll come get you.” His voice lowered. “Believe me, I know it doesn’t sound like it, but Trae just wants you to be safe. He likes you. A lot.”

  “If he liked me so much, he wouldn’t be treating me like a fucking doll who doesn’t know how to disembowel an opponent with one arm tied before her back.” A low-pitched whimper, and she turned to see Gabriel’s wide-eyed gaze. “Metaphor. My business partners are just being douchebags about a sale I found for them.”

  He nodded and stood back while she turned to finish her call.

  “Just keep me posted about what I can do. I want to help.”

  “I know, and we appreciate it. We’ll call you in the morning, okay?”

  “Yeah, I’ll get a room and check in later. Keep me posted. Hey, don’t forget my mom’s a…” she glanced at Gabriel and changed her wording for his human ears. “Doctor. She specializes in natural healing, remember?”

  “Thanks. If she doesn’t improve, we’ll pick you up and take her to Ida. Be careful tonight.”

  “Yeah, eating ice cream in small-town USA while watching reruns of The Walking Dead on Netflix is dangerous. Got it.”

  Noah said goodbye, and she hung up. “Sorry about that. They’re having some issues with that sale.”

  “Want to tell me about it?” Gabriel smiled hopefully.

  “Nah. Let’s talk about you while we get lunch.”

  “I’d like to buy you lunch.” He pushed his dark hair over his forehead again.

  “No thanks. Let’s pay for ourselves.” She led the way to the little Mexican joint on the other end of the street while he scurried to keep up.

  “Okay, whatever makes you happy, Sam.”

  Noah would have politely declined and grinned while battling over who got their credit card out first. Traeger would have pushed her back onto a table right there and growled in her face, making her lady parts all tingly, saying, “I pay.” Yeah, like either of those didn’t turn her on even the slightest bit. But she wasn’t here to play around and have fun. She just needed to wait a
nd hope that female shifter was okay. For the time being, she was going to get the sexy Dimples and sexier Angrier Pussy out of her mind. What better way than to have lunch with a dweeby but nice guy who was a complete one-eighty from either of her business partners.

  He held the door for her and shuffled in after her. Sweet. Not necessary, but still sweet. He seemed familiar, but she couldn’t figure out where she’d seen him before. Then again, these small towns were all the same.

  The server came over and took their drink order. Sam ordered her usual. Her lunch date ordered a cheap light beer.

  “You seriously drink that shit?”

  Gabriel grinned and took a swig of the cheap, watered down beer that most likely came from a can. “I like eating and drinking healthy. And no nitrates or dyes whenever I can help it.”

  “You sound like my cousin’s new m—wife.” She changed the word mate quickly. “Izzy’s vegan and a bunch of froofy stuff like that. But hey, I’m drinking gluten free, too.” Sam grinned and tapped her margarita on the rocks, squeezed the fresh lime into the double shot of tequila and downed it.

  They chatted a bit over lunch, and Sam grew more tired of the guy the longer they were together. Gawd, he was so all over the place with his emotions. And he didn’t watch TV or movies. Though he was smart. Like super smart. He explained the different brewing processes of beer and how her Patron could be made different ways. But the connection just wasn’t there. Not like with her cats. They weren’t her cats. Besides, her bear hadn’t called “mate” on either of them yet. But still...he was cute. But she wasn’t taking him back to her place or going any further, no matter how puppy or bunnyish he was.

  He was still talking a million miles a minute, and she tried to keep up, but her thoughts kept going back to that poor woman. Who would beat her up? Why? Was there a connection between her attack and the prison shit?

  Gabriel was looking at her, his head cocked to the side.

  “I’m sorry, could you repeat that?”

  “I asked if you wanted to have dinner with me?” His voice skipped a notch as he looked up at her hopefully.

  “I’m so sorry, but I’m a little preoccupied, and that’s not fair to you. This was nice, though.” She sighed and pressed on, ignoring the hurt-puppy-dog look. “I don’t want to give you the wrong idea. We cool?”

  He nodded. “Sure. I’ll be in town for a few days. Maybe I’ll see you around.”

  “Thanks for having lunch with me.” She shook his hand, smiled, grabbed her stuff, and headed to her motel. Man, she couldn’t even enjoy lunch with a nice guy without acting like an asshole.

  She got checked in and texted Bo to keep him in the loop. Then she texted her big cats to make sure they didn’t need her. She’d been through her own attacks and knew she could help. But they assured her the female lion wasn’t comfortable with anyone but them, and they’d keep her posted.

  She chilled with an old Buffy rerun before heading back over to talk to Trudy. The beaver shifter was pretty cool, caught her up on the town gossip and invited her to lunch the next day.

  When Sam finally got to sleep, her dreams took turns between fun sex with Noah, getting seriously manhandled and screwed by Trae, and her recurring nightmare from that attack ten years ago. The weird thing was the sex dreams were what finally calmed her. Especially when things took a turn into kinky threesome territory. Both men taking turns bringing her to orgasm repeatedly, using their fantastic tongues and cocks to do things she’d only imagined. Hell, they were still imagined, but they were hot. She finally succumbed to a safe, calm dreamless state. It was the best sleep she’d had in years.

  ~.~

  Gabriel

  Gabriel tore off his jacket and threw it onto the hotel room bed. No, mustn’t make a mess. And what if it got wrinkly? He scooped it up quickly, folded it then scowled, unfolded it, and hung it on a wooden hanger in the closet. This woman had him all messed up in the head. His breathing was ragged, his forehead beaded with sweat, his gums tingling. The flash of pain resolved quickly, and he cursed his deformed body and fucked-up mind. Squeezing his fists together, he took long, slow breaths and visualized her.

  Her jet-black hair with the perfect amount of color. What would the pink strands taste like in his mouth, running over his tongue. Would the purple taste or smell like grape or lavender? He hated lavender. That was the shit the doctors had used to try to calm him when he’d had one of his episodes. No. Not lavender. Besides, his Sam was a tough girl, a woman who kicked ass and took names. His Sam didn’t smell like a flower. No, she probably tasted like coffee or tequila. She probably smelled like grease from her garage, or salt from the restaurant she worked at part-time. What would it be like to hold her to his chest and lick the salt and lime from her neck? If he pinned her down and chomped onto her colored hair, chewing on it, gagging himself as long strands tickled his throat, would he taste her? Could he smell her? He’d lost all sense of taste and smell years ago, after testing all those drugs on himself.

  He cursed and flung himself into the cheap, faded chair in the corner of his room. He unbuckled his jeans and gripped his flaccid cock. His Sam would taste and smell like nothing he could dream of. He pictured her, lying flat on her back, her eyes warm and open, beckoning him to taste her, to fuck her, to claim her as his own woman. He grunted, squeezing his cock for all it was worth, but the damn thing wasn’t cooperating.

  Closing his eyes once more, he thought of the moment he saw her, clawing yelling, thrashing at his guards. Roger was still toying with the male grizzly, but he had had eyes only for her. The large-hipped, huge-boobed, strong female who wanted to kill everyone in the place; she was a goddess. His cock surged to life, and he pumped his hand up and down. So damn hard, so ready, he grunted and pistoned his hips as he stroked himself harder and faster. Please, just this once. He hadn’t been this hard in years. And the few times he had made it this far, he’d never come. But this once. He prayed he could finish this once, or it might kill him.

  The memory in his mind shifted. And so did she. His Sam shifted into a big, brown bear that lashed out with vicious claws and enraged screams. He stroked harder. His Sam beat the shit out of the two huge guards, throwing them into the walls like ragdolls. Then she left the room. He’d watched from the small vid monitor on his cell phone as she attacked the larger grizzly. So close now. Roaring in rage, the two bears ready to kill each other, and his Sam was bravely not backing down. He remembered the look in her eyes when she gave one final bellow and smacked the larger grizzly in the jaw.

  Gabriel’s loud cry preceded the hot spurts as he came, harder than he ever thought possible. So hard he almost passed out.

  When he finally got his breathing calmed down, he wiped the sticky cum from his lap and watched the trail that led all the way to his still-made bed. That’s okay. He wouldn’t sleep in the bed anyway—he always slept on the floor. Like the monster he was.

  A monster who got off by thinking of a fucking animal. He pulled out the cigarette lighter, his hunting knife, and a small whip and set them on the chair while he took off all his clothes. He would have to punish himself more severely tonight. The last bruises and cuts had faded too quickly.

  Chapter Five

  Sam

  “So, you’re sure she’s okay? And you don’t need me?” Sam crinkled her coffee cup and threw it into the garbage can on the corner of Main Street.

  “Yeah, sorry about yesterday. She’s easily agitated around unknown shifters”

  “I understand, I just wish I could be more help. You have me sitting on my thumbs right now and not in a good way.”

  Noah laughed, and his eyes crinkled with mirth, that dimple in his cheek growing bigger as he smiled. “You bring to the term all thumbs a whole new meaning.”

  She laughed. “As long as I got to see your dimple before you leave me here to Netflix the day away, I guess my day is gold.”

  “You like his dimples? He hates them.” Traeger looked down at her as they took a seat on the
park bench in front of their hotel. “Thinks they look like pits in his face.”

  Noah shrugged and nudged his brother hard with his shoulder. “Giant craters. That’s what you told me ever since I was old enough to talk. In fact, that may have been my first word. Crater.”

  “No. I think it was douchebag.”

  “A two-year-old can’t say douchebag. It was probably dork.”

  “Your teeth were weird and misplaced, squirt. Probably more like ‘thork.’”

  Sam loved watching them banter. They were like two playful cubs, batting at each other until the moment one would knock the legs out from under the other and send him tumbling. She thought they were going to start roughhousing right there. But they kept the good-natured ribbing to verbal sparring only.

  “What’s it like, being so close to your old pride?” she asked. “You said it was close, right?”

  Traeger paused and sobered for a moment then flashed a warm smile at her and pointed west. “About eight miles as the crow flies. Some of the final pride members remained in the area after everything. They just didn’t want to move.”

  “So, it’s like a Mod Podge of shifters like Bear Paw River?”