by Abby Blake
“Stay here,” Declan demanded as he swung the door inward and entered the room cautiously. She stood there, not sure what to do, annoyed at herself for meekly following orders, but very glad to have Declan here to tell her what to do. “Violet, I need you.” She forgot her own fear as she answered his frantic summons.
The apartment was completely normal. Nothing seemed to be wrong, but she nearly fell to her knees when she realized that in the middle of their living room Jayden lay bleeding. “Close the door,” Declan said urgently. She immediately turned and slammed the damaged door shut. She was almost beside them when she realized she still had her cell phone in her hand.
“I’ll call emergency.”
“No,” Declan barked in a voice that barely sounded human. “We need to get the bullet out.”
“Bullet?” Fear gripped her stomach, making it hard to breathe. “He needs a doctor.”
“Violet!” She turned immediately at Declan’s sharp tone. “I need pliers or oversized tweezers. Something that I can use to grab the bullet.”
“But…” Hysteria was threatening her composure. Jayden needed a doctor. He could die if he didn’t get to a hospital.
“Violet,” Declan said in a calmer voice. “I’ll explain everything. I just need to get the bullet out first.”
Confused as hell, but willing to trust him, she nodded and ran for Jayden’s room. Violet practically turned the room upside down, but she finally found pliers in a small tool kit Jayden kept under his bed. She ran back into the living room to find Declan probing the wound in Jayden’s stomach with his fingers. Jayden grunted in pain, but at least the sound let her know he was still alive.
“Thanks,” Declan said as he grabbed the pliers and pushed them into the wound. The harsh, coppery smell of blood filled the room, and Violet needed a couple of deep breaths to still the woozy feeling. “Got it. Help me get his clothes off.”
Violet nodded, no longer questioning Declan’s actions, just willing to do as he asked. Declan tore Jayden’s shirt with his hands, shredding the soft material easily as she fumbled with Jayden’s belt. As soon as she got it undone, Declan grabbed the hem of Jayden’s jeans and dragged them off his legs.
“Okay, little brother, time to shift.”
Jayden groaned and shook his head slightly. Violet was beginning to panic, wondering if Declan really had any clue what he was doing. You didn’t shift a seriously injured patient. She dug her hand into her pocket, determined to call an ambulance no matter what Declan might say, but Jayden groaned loudly, and then she watched dumbfounded as dark brown hair seemed to grow rapidly all over his body. His face seemed to change shape, the hair on his head getting longer as he seemed to grow in size.
A loud snarl filled the room, and Violet didn’t know whether to bolt or faint. In the end she did neither. She fell backward and landed on her butt, her eyes never leaving the huge, sharp-toothed creature that lay on the floor growling in pain.
“Enough,” Declan said in a sharp voice. “You’re scaring Violet.”
The creature—the thing, the bear?—nodded and slowly changed back into Jayden. But this time, instead of bleeding and damaged, his stomach was a smooth contour of unbroken skin. Not even a mark remained. If the carpet wasn’t still covered in blood, she probably would’ve believed she’d been hallucinating.
She could feel her mouth opening and closing, but her mind was a complete and utter blank. Neither man’s words had meaning as she tried to make sense of what just happened.
Jayden sat up, his face pale, his exhaustion obvious. He was talking to her, but she had no idea what he might be saying. The roaring sound in her ears replaced everything. Declan stood back, his hands covered in blood, the pliers still holding the bullet gripped in his hand.
Anger, like a raging torrent, swept over her, and every question she’d ever had about Declan, Brandon, and Jayden rose to the surface. Before she even realized her intention she was on her feet, her hands on her hips, her stance wide, her legs braced.
“What the fuck is going on?”
“Babe,” Jayden said as he stood up and walked over to her. He held his arms open, but she hesitated. Had she really just seen her best friend and lover turn into a bear? Her gaze darted between them, and she almost burst into hysterical laughter when she realized they were approaching her as if she were a cornered and injured animal.
“Don’t ‘babe’ me! What the fuck was that?”
But her anger deflated when Jayden wobbled and nearly fell trying to step toward her. Without thinking she moved to hold him up.
Declan moved to Jayden’s other side. “He’s exhausted,” Declan said to her. “We need to get him into bed.” She nodded and sort of helped Declan move Jayden into the bedroom. She suspected that Declan let her help rather than needed her assistance, but despite her anger and confusion she truly cared for these men.
They got Jayden cleaned up and onto the bed, and he grabbed Violet’s hand as she tried to move away. “Please,” he said quietly as he tugged her closer. She nodded, unable to deny him or herself the physical contact. He sighed as she cuddled up to his side and rested her head on his shoulder.
“Are you going to need a transfusion?” Declan asked. “You lost a lot of blood.”
“I don’t think so,” Jayden said in a tired voice. “Rest and fluids should help.”
Violet must have been wearing a concerned expression because Declan pressed a kiss to her hair and said confidently, “We heal physical damage when we shift, but it doesn’t replace the blood. We have people we can contact if we need to.”
She nodded, but a million questions circled inside her head. People? Not doctors or hospitals? A small snore escaped from Jayden, and she glanced worriedly at Declan. She didn’t know what was normal and what wasn’t for a bear-man or a man-bear—who would ever have thought she’d being wondering about something like that?—but Declan didn’t look worried, so she tried to force herself to relax.
“You’re all like Jayden,” she whispered, not sure if she was asking a question or making a statement.
Declan smirked. “None of us are like Jayden, but yes we’re all bear-shifters. So are our dad and mom and our grandparents and all the generations before us.”
“Um…okay.” What else could she say? It’s not like she could express disbelief when she’d already seen the proof with her own eyes.
“Will you be all right to stay with Jayden while I try and clean up the living room?”
She nodded again, and he left the room quietly. In some ways it was nice to have a little space. She cuddled closer to Jayden and gently touched the place where he’d been shot. There wasn’t a mark or a scar or anything to indicate that he’d been close to death only minutes ago. If they hadn’t come in when they did…
She shuddered, unable to finish that thought. She glanced up at his face. He was still very pale, but he seemed to be sleeping peacefully. She lay in his arms wondering whether she should help Declan with the cleanup but not really wanting to leave Jayden alone.
She must have fallen asleep for a little while because she woke to Jayden and Declan talking quietly beside her. It was probably a little bit selfish, but she hid the fact that she was awake while she shamelessly listened into their conversation.
“Brandon won’t stand for it. He’ll want to catch the next flight and come and get her.”
“It’s probably not such a bad idea. Until we know who attacked you or why, she’d be much safer at the lodge.”
“I’m not sure she’ll listen to reason. She’s quite stubborn.”
“I am not.” So much for hiding her awake status. She’d actually been lying there wondering if she already had enough money to catch a super-cheap budget flight to their home. She’d planned to save a little spending money to take on her holiday, but it seemed kind of silly in light of the fact that she’d almost lost Jayden. Life was simply too short. “But what about you, Jayden? If I leave, you’ll be on your own.”
“I can
take care of myself,” he said in what she suspected was supposed to be a reassuring tone. She wasn’t having any of that macho bullshit. If Declan hadn’t been here, Jayden would likely be lying in a hospital or worse.
“Nope,” she said, shaking her head. “You can’t stay here alone, and since we have no idea who shot you…” Her words trailed off when she noticed him look down and away. She’d known him long enough to know when he was trying to lie to her. “You know who shot you.” She didn’t phrase it as a question. It seemed obvious that was what he was keeping from her. When he nodded, even Declan looked annoyed enough to thump him. Well, he could damn well get in line.
“Who shot you?” Declan asked in a tone of voice that made it obvious he wanted an answer immediately.
“Bruce.”
If she hadn’t already been lying on the bed, she might have fallen over. Her ex-fiancé had been the one to shoot Jayden? But why? They hadn’t heard from him in months. Not since Jayden had thrown him from the room. Why would he act like a jealous lover now?
“It wasn’t about you,” Jayden said as if he could read her mind. Could he read her mind? Did bear-shifters have any special skills she was unaware of? Changing into another creature certainly made him different to mere mortals. Did he—hell, did any of them—possess extrasensory skills like mind reading or telekinesis or…or…fire starting? Fuck, she knew absolutely nothing about him. So much for their friendship.
Declan moved to take her in his arms, but she backed away, rolling to her feet, and holding her hands in front of her as if to stop him. Hell, they were probably stronger than mere humans, too. Declan held his hands up and stepped back in an obvious attempt to show her she had nothing to fear.
“Breathe, kitten. This isn’t how we planned to tell you, but we would never hurt you.”
She nodded. She believed him. She really did. But she couldn’t decide if that meant she was being a fool or not. She dropped her hands to her sides and didn’t resist when he stepped closer and pulled her into his embrace. She burrowed into his warmth, happy just to accept the comfort he offered. Surely, at least part of what she knew about these men must be true. She’d lived with Jayden long enough to know he was the man she thought him to be, hadn’t she?
“What was it about?” she asked, needing to know.
“Drugs,” Jayden said quietly.
Again her heart did that little squeeze of fear. She’d never known Jayden to involve himself in something illegal. Her ex on the other hand… Declan must have given Jayden that “explain immediately” look he did so well, because Jayden sighed and sat up in the bed as he told them the full story.
“Apparently Bruce has managed to work himself into a big gambling debt. The people he owes money to were willing to overlook his obligations for a steady supply of prescription drugs.” He gave her a wry smile. “Apparently, he still considers me a friend, despite the fact we haven’t spoken in nearly a year and that the last time I saw him I threw him against a wall. He tried to convince me to help. When I refused, he became agitated and started making threats about ruining my career. When I laughed in his face, he shot me at point-blank range with the largest fucking handgun I’ve ever seen. I hadn’t even realized he was carrying a damn gun.” Jayden laughed quietly. “A smaller caliber bullet probably would have bounced off. I wonder how he would have reacted to that.” He winked at Violet. Obviously there was much more to learn about this bear-shifting stuff, but for the moment it could wait.
“So now what?” Violet asked. “We can’t exactly go to the police and tell them he shot you when you don’t look shot. A report like that is likely to land you in a rubber room.”
“True,” Jayden said with a smile on his face. “Perhaps that’s exactly how we should handle it. We should get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a big day.”
* * * *
Violet woke to the insistent buzzing of the front door. She moved to go see who it was, but Declan pulled her into his embrace and whispered sleepily, “Jayden will get it.”
A few moments later Jayden came into the room with another man in tow. She blinked sleepily, but when she recognized who it was, she leapt off the bed and into Brandon’s embrace. “Hi, baby girl,” he said as he wrapped his arms around her for the first time in months. They’d spoken on the webcam probably twice as often than she had with Declan, so her niggling fear of their bear-shifter status was calmed just a little bit more.
“Can you read minds?” She hadn’t meant to blurt it out like that, but it was something that had bugged her all night. She’d managed to think rationally enough to decide that they’d probably only hidden their shifting skills from her in case things didn’t work out the way they’d hoped. And she felt confident that they would have told her when the time was right. Surely she would’ve sensed some sort of deceit if they’d been hiding anything else.
“No, baby girl—no mind reading, no extrasensory skills of any kind. But you probably noticed the increased hearing and sense of smell, and well, for the most part we’re stronger and heavier than we look.”
She took a step back, glanced at Brandon’s bulging muscles, and wondered just how strong he meant. He crossed his arms and tilted his head in question, but didn’t say anything out loud.
“Sorry,” she said, feeling just a bit silly. “I’m just getting used to the whole not-quite-human part.” He smirked slightly, and she wasn’t sure what he expected her to do now. Brandon let her stand alone for all of three seconds before he stepped over and pulled her back into his arms. She’d missed him. He had a way of making her feel like everything would work out. She whispered the words, lifting her face to press a kiss to his jaw.
“I’ve missed you, too, baby girl.” He took her lips with his own, groaning as she opened her mouth and let his tongue push inside. Her heart was racing by the time he lifted away, but he turned her around and practically placed her in Declan’s arms.
She shuffled awkwardly, unsure what Declan expected—or even wanted. They’d never talked about having all three men in bed with her at the same time. He seemed to hesitate as well, so the embrace felt strange and uncomfortable. But then he took a deep breath, pulled her closer, and pressed a kiss to her forehead. In that moment every doubt she’d had about a relationship with all of them melted away. Whatever their differences, they could work it out.
She turned back to Brandon. “What are you doing here?” She knew that Declan had called Brandon and his parents last night to fill them in on the situation, but he hadn’t mentioned anything about anyone hopping on the next flight and landing on her doorstep.
“Well, that isn’t the welcome I’d been expecting,” Brandon said in a teasing voice. “But where else would I be when my woman is in danger.” He smirked at Jayden and added, “Oh and my little brother, too.”
Jayden took the playful mocking in stride, having obviously been treated like the youngest brother all his life. “Next time maybe you could get here before I get shot.”
Brandon laughed, Declan grinned, and Jayden pulled her away from his brother and into his arms in feigned annoyance. Yet, even if they didn’t admit it, she could sense their relief that their youngest brother was all right.
“Okay, let’s get this over with so we can get back to the lodge,” Declan said in a gruff voice.
Disappointed that it seemed Declan and Brandon wouldn’t be able to stay long, Violet pulled out of Jayden’s arms and asked, “How long can you stay?”
“Only today, baby girl,” Brandon said as he touched her face with his large calloused hand. “But don’t worry. You’re coming back with us.”
* * * *
Jayden would have laughed out loud if his brother’s mistake hadn’t been so damn serious. The one thing that he knew for sure was that Violet didn’t like being told what to do. She’d vehemently declined their offer to pay for her ticket and adamantly refused to risk losing her job by leaving without taking official vacation time. She certainly wouldn’t be impressed by Brandon’s
bossy attitude. Jayden could almost hear the words she would yell at his brother.
But his jaw almost hit the floor when she nodded.
“Life’s too short,” she explained with a small shrug.
“Hell, if they’d known that was what it would take,” Jayden said with a wide grin, “they would have encouraged me to get shot sooner.”
* * * *
“Will they be okay?” It was probably a little silly to be so worried considering their unusual abilities, but Violet hated just sitting around waiting for news.
“They’ll be fine, kitten,” Declan said as he sat on the sofa beside her and pulled her into his arms. “Brandon will make certain nothing happens to Jayden. But, maybe I could think of something to distract you.” He ran a hand over her spine and pressed a kiss to her temple.
“No,” she said, stiffening in his embrace. “It wouldn’t feel right. I mean, what if something happens to them? I don’t want to be naked when the phone rings.”
“Kitten, nothing is going to happen to them. They’re going to make certain that Bruce gets the help he needs.”
“By getting him thrown him into a rubber room,” she said with a slightly warm feeling in her chest. Was it wrong to find that rather poetic? Bruce was a trained psychologist as well as a surgeon. From everything Jayden had told them, Bruce had seemed calm and not under the influence of any type of drug. He would remember shooting Jayden, so seeing him uninjured would certainly make him question his own sanity. Seeing a black bear or two in the hospital where he worked would likely send him running to admit himself for psychiatric analysis.
“Yes, by getting him to throw himself into a rubber room,” Declan said with a soft laugh.
Violet couldn’t help the smirk that covered her face. She could just imagine Bruce’s reaction to a black bear casually standing beside him in the men’s room. Of course the brothers would need to be careful, but without being able to press attempted murder charges against Bruce getting him locked up in the psychiatric ward was the next best thing.
