“You don’t really have to do that,” Penny said. “I know you were just being nice.”
“Penny.” Christina put a hand over hers. “I meant what I said about learning how to defend yourself.”
A lump began to form in her throat. “Why are you being so nice to me?” Penny asked.
“Why shouldn’t I be?” Christina said.
“I told you, I’m nobody,” Penny reminded her. “I’m just a waitress. No one important.”
Christina’s nostrils flared. “You have every right to defend yourself against anyone who wants to hurt you. You shouldn’t have to be afraid, especially if someone hurt you in the past.”
Penny felt the blood drain from her face and her chest tightened, like a giant fist wrapped around her torso and squeezed.
Memories flooded back in her mind. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t push them back, not anymore.
The room suddenly felt small, and she was back. Back to where it began. Where it ended. That tiny bathroom in her mother’s trailer. Sitting on the toilet, pushing her hands against the door to keep it closed. Not that it would help. He was much bigger. Much stronger. He would break that door at any moment. She could feel the vibrations on the wood as he pounded with his meaty fists. She remembered the hot tears flowing down her cheeks. But now they weren’t just memories because she could feel the wetness gathering in her eyes.
“Penny. Penny!”
“N-n-no…stop!” But her cries fell on deaf ears. It only egged him on and the door shook violently. “Please!”
Hands grabbed her arms and shook her. “Penny, snap out of it!”
And she remembered where she was. Christina’s light blue eyes were wide as saucers, her mouth open.
“I … I’m sorry.” She stood up and gathered her purse. The heat on her cheeks was so intense, it felt like someone had tossed kerosene on them and lit a match. “I should go.”
Christina grabbed her arm and whipped her around. “Penny, please stay and talk to me. Or you can talk to a professional.”
Penny covered her face with her palms. “No, I’m fine. I swear, I just … I haven’t slept well.”
“If someone hurt you—”
“No!” she shrieked, but quickly shut her mouth. “Please, I have to go.”
Before Christina could protest further, Penny pivoted and scurried away. She yanked the door open and took a step forward but collided into a very large, solid object. No, it wasn’t an object. As if her humiliation wasn’t bad enough, she ran right into Ben Walker.
“Penny? What are you—hey, are you okay?” His large hands gripped her arms as she stopped. Taking a deep breath, she inhaled his aftershave. That and the warmth emanating from his body sent a calming feeling over her, and she closed her eyes. “Penny?”
Her eyes flew open.
“What’s wrong? Are you crying?”
“I—” She looked back and saw Christina staring at her. She knew that look. It was pity. Her head whipped back to Ben. “I’m fine,” she snapped and disentangled herself from him, then walked away.
“Penny, wait!”
She ignored him and picked up her pace. Not that it helped, with his longer strides, he quickly caught up and stepped in front of her. “Penny, what’s the matter? Is the car okay? Because I can have J.D. take a look at it again.”
Right. The car. “It’s fine. I mean … you shouldn’t have done that!”
He frowned. “Shouldn’t have? What was I supposed to do? Let you walk all the way to work?”
She put her hands up in exasperation. “I mean, you shouldn’t have done anything! I told you to leave me alone!”
“I did leave last night.”
“I meant, leave me alone forever!” She side stepped past him and strode away angrily, hoping he would get the message.
Poor Penny. Poor Penny with her good-for-nothing drunk dad and her floozy mom. This was why she hated Colorado and was glad she left to live with Grams in Texas where no one knew her. In Houston no one threw a pity party for poor Penny. No one knew what happened that night when the cops came to their trailer and broke down the door. Or the humiliation she suffered afterward and the hate, not just from neighbors and friends, but her own mother.
She took the elevator down to the lobby and ran out after pushing on the heavy glass doors with all her might. The cool air felt good as it entered her lungs, and she let out a long breath before she dashed to her car.
Chapter 6
Ben stared after Penny as she disappeared into the elevator, feeling dumbfounded. What just happened? And what was she doing at Lennox?
“Ben?” Christina, Jason’s fiancée, touched his arm. “Everything okay?”
“Huh?” He looked down at her. “What was she doing here?”
“Penny? I’m sorry, I didn’t know.” Christina’s face fell.
“Know? Know what?” He grabbed her shoulders.
“I mean, I can’t be sure.”
Ben shook her. “Sure of what? What did she want?”
“She wanted to see you,” Christina said in a shaky voice. “She didn’t tell me what for.”
“Get your hands off her.”
The hallway suddenly went cold and a prickly sensation crawled over his skin. His bear let out an angry growl, rearing up and getting ready for a fight.
“I’m warning you, Ben.” Jason’s voice was deadly serious, the barely contained fury evident. “Let. Her. Go.”
Ben dropped his hands to his sides and turned around to face his cousin. Much to his surprise, Christina stepped in between them.
“It’s fine, it’s all fine,” she said in a soothing voice. She placed a hand on Jason’s chest. “Ben didn’t hurt me.”
“Why was he shaking you?” Jason’s eyes glowed, and Ben could feel the dragon inside him, ready to rip out at any moment. Behind him, Luke and Nate were silent, but the tension in their bodies was unmistakable.
“He was just worried,” Christina said. She slipped her arms around Jason’s waist.
“I’m sorry,” Ben said. “I didn’t mean to.” He shook his head, trying to wrap his head around why Penny would be here, of all places.
“What the hell happened?” Jason asked.
“It’s okay,” Christina said. “Let’s go inside your office and talk, okay?”
The guys followed Christina into Jason’s office, closing the door behind him.
“Talk,” Jason said, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Penny was looking for Ben,” Christina explained, then looked at Ben. “I saw her outside and told her she could come in and we could ask Matthew where to find you.”
“I thought that was her running out of the lobby, but I wasn’t sure,” Nathan said. “She looked scared.”
“She had some kind of anxiety attack. It was before you came in,” Christina assured Ben.
“Why?” Ben asked. “What did you do?” Jason sent him a warning glare. He cleared his throat. “I mean, what were you two doing here?”
“We were just talking about that night at The Den.”
“What night?” Ben asked, his stomach twisting.
Christina looked at Jason warily, but continued when he nodded. “Penny was attacked.”
“What?”
“Ben, calm down,” Nathan said. “It’s fine. She’s fine. Nothing happened. Christina saved her.”
Claws ripped at him. He should have been there. It shouldn’t have happened at all. “Where is he? Is he in jail? I’m going to—”
“It doesn’t matter,” Jason said.
Ben wanted to throttle his cousin but stifled the urge. He would find out more about this man who tried to hurt Penny. “So, she’s still traumatized by what happened?”
“Yes, but I don’t think it was just that.” Christina’s tone became serious. “You know, I’ve seen many people who’ve gone through trauma in my job. I think it was more than just that one time. I think … she might have been hurt in the past.”
Ben sc
rubbed his palms down his face. Penny’s words … her face … she might not have known what he really was, but she could probably feel it. If she had faced evil before, she knew what it looked like. Leave me alone forever. He was a monster. He was born a monster and would always be one.
“I have to go.” He walked toward the door, but as he tried to get away, a hand wrapping around his forearm jerked him back.
An inhuman growl escaped his throat, and his bear was getting too near the surface. “Let go, Luke,” he said in the calmest voice he could muster.
Luke’s tawny eyes were ablaze. The lion inside him was not afraid. “You’ve been like this for months. No one has noticed, but I do.”
Luke’s lion was just as fucked up as his bear, so it didn’t surprise him that he noticed. “It’s nothing.” He tugged his arm away. “And if you touch me again, I swear to God—”
“Ben, what the fuck is wrong with you?” Jason asked. “This isn’t you.”
Of course they didn’t think so. They always saw him as Ben Walker, the responsible one. Even growing up, he was the one breaking up the fights and stopping everyone from getting into trouble. “I gotta go.” He ignored their calls and headed toward the stairs. He couldn’t take the elevator; he knew he’d smell her there. Penny. Sweet and beautiful Penny. She was right to run away and reject him. Because no beast like him should have a mate.
Ben barely made it back to his cabin before his bear ripped out of his skin. He wasn’t sure where it took him—miles away probably because when he woke up hours later, he was exhausted. At the least the damn thing didn’t make me walk back. He woke up on his porch, naked, and his body covered in healing scratches.
He was breaking apart from the inside. Penny’s reaction to him and what happened to her in the past … it all made sense. He couldn’t stop thinking about it. Penny being hurt. He wished he could change the past, so it never happened to her. His bear was raging, wanting to kill whoever had done that to her. To his mate.
He went inside his cabin and headed straight for the shower. The water felt good on his skin, especially when it washed away the dirt and blood. As he was getting dressed afterward, he heard the front doorbell ring.
Ben considered ignoring it, but the persistent sound wouldn’t stop. With an annoyed grunt, he walked down from his bedroom to the front door and yanked it open.
“What do you want?”
He was caught by surprise at who it was. He expected Matthew. Maybe even Jason or Nathan. Not Luke.
“Are you gonna let me in or are you just gonna stare?”
Dumbfounded, he stepped aside and let the other man in. “What are you doing here?”
“What? I can’t check on ya?”
Ben crossed his arms over his chest. Luke had been barely showing up to any family events in the last couple of years. He didn’t come to dinners at the castle or go out during graduations, anniversaries, and other celebrations. In fact, he only showed up during public events, like Aunt Riva’s retirement and Matthew’s wedding. He suspected it was because he didn’t want to humiliate his mother, which made Ben think Luke hadn’t quite given up on his adoptive family.
Luke crossed the living room and went straight into his kitchen. A few seconds later, he came out with the six-pack that had been sitting in the fridge. He popped one can open and took a swig before placing the rest on the coffee table. “Now, what the fuck is going on with you.”
“I don’t know—”
“Don’t give me that bullshit, Ben,” Luke interrupted. “We both know you’ve been fighting your bear for months. You’ve also been trying to hide it from us. But I’ve seen your bear tear up more than just trees. I’ve seen it at night, roaming the mountains.”
Goddamn Luke and his nightly patrols. “It’s fine. I’m fine, just letting off steam.”
Luke chugged the rest of the beer and threw the can aside. “I said don’t bullshit me.”
“Did you come in here to drink my beer and mess up my house?” Ben countered, his hands tightening into fists at his sides. “Because if so, there’s the door, don’t let it hit ya on the way out.”
“Ben, what the fuck happened with your bear?”
“Nothing.” There was nothing that happened because it had always been like that.
“And the girl? What’s her name? Penny, right?”
Hearing her name unleashed his bear, and he could feel the muscles underneath his hands flex as his claws emerged. He took a deep breath. “What about her?”
“She yours? Your mate? Is that why you’ve been acting like this?”
"Stay out of this." He turned his back and looked down at his hands. Fur was sprouting on his palms, and he could feel his hands turning into paws.
Luke huffed. “Why the hell are you all such shits when it comes to women? First Matthew, then Jason, and now you.”
Ben whipped his head around. “What are you talking about?”
“Ignoring her ain’t gonna help your bear.”
“What am I supposed to do? Didn’t you hear what Christina said? She’s been through enough; she doesn’t need me fucking up her life even more!”
“You’re a damn fool, Ben,” Luke roared.
“I’m a monster! And you know it. You can feel it. You’ve seen it.” Ben could feel his bear’s canines growing and he closed his mouth to keep Luke from seeing them.
“You’re no monster,” Luke spat. “You want to show me what a big, bad bear you are?” He stretched his arms out. “I can take you.”
“Stop!” Ben growled, his voice half human, half bear. “Don’t make me—”
“Shit. You’re no monster. I know what you are. You’re going to be the good guy,” Luke said. “You’re going to leave her alone because you think she’s too good for you.”
“She is too good for me.” Ben shrank back, the reality hitting him in the gut. Penny … she had been through enough, obviously. She didn’t need to be stuck with him and his bad blood. He huffed to himself. He’d been a fool, thinking about a future and cubs with her. Any cubs they would have would just be fucked up like him. No, this would stop with him. This bad blood wasn’t going to spread further.
“Get out.”
“Ben—”
“I said get out of my house.” He could barely control himself. If Luke didn’t leave … he didn’t know what he’d do. He didn’t bother waiting for Luke to answer or leave. He turned away and walked up the stairs before slamming the door to his bedroom.
Exhaustion began to seep into his bones, and he fell on the bed and closed his eyes.
Chapter 7
Penny pulled into her parking spot at The Den and turned off the engine. She let out a sigh and then lay her head on the wheel. Damn. Damn. Damn. She really didn’t want to be here. She wished she was back in Houston. Or anywhere really. Anywhere but Blackstone.
She barely survived last night. After what happened at Lennox, she considered calling off her shift, but she couldn’t. She had to pay back Ben. So she went right to work.
It had been a disaster. She kept mixing up orders and bumping into people. Then, she dropped a whole tray of glasses because her hands were still shaking. She hadn’t had an episode like that in a long time. Once in a while, sure. Certainly after that customer cornered her when she was taking a break. She usually got over it. She was used to just pushing it out of her mind. But it happened in front of Christina and then she ran into Ben and just lost it.
Oh Ben. He was so sweet and kind. He didn’t know what he’d be getting into with her, and it was best he didn’t find out. The ugliness and the shame was too much. Her reputation followed her like a stink, and he would have found out, eventually.
The clock on her dash told her it was time to punch in. “Another day, another dollar,” she muttered as she stepped out of her car and walked to the employee entrance in the back of the bar.
“Penny.”
She stopped in her tracks and turned around. “Yes?” She squinted at him.
The man looked familiar. Where had she seen him before? He was tall, even by Blackstone shifter standards, probably as tall as Ben, though not as broad. His long blond hair was tied back in a messy bun and those eyes—they were like molten gold.
“Luke. Lennox.”
Ah yes, she remembered. “Uhm, so is there anything you needed?”
“It’s about Ben.”
“Ben?” A strange feeling swept over her. “Is he okay? Is he hurt?”
“Something like that.”
Coldness gripped her, and she stepped forward. “Is he in the hospital? Oh God, is he okay?” She told him she wanted him to leave her alone forever but not like this.
“He will be. If you come with me.”
A group of girls—Olive, Mia, and one other server—walked past and then turned around and gave them strange looks. “I can’t,” she whispered. “I have to get to work.”
“I cleared it with Tim,” he said. “We can take my truck.”
Penny hesitated for a moment, but her instinct was telling her to go to Ben. “All right. If you say it’s fine.”
She followed him across the lot to the black Chevy truck parked in the middle. He opened the door for her, and she climbed in.
“Where are we going?” she asked as they drove away from The Den. “The hospital?”
“No.” Luke kept his gaze straight on the road.
This was probably the part where she should start screaming and try to get out, but something was telling her that Luke would never hurt her. He was Ben’s friend, right? And a Lennox. He wouldn’t try to kidnap her.
Luke was driving toward Main Street, so she knew that was at least a good sign. When he pulled up in front of Rosie’s Bakery and Cafe, she gave him a strange look. “Luke? What’s going on? What’s wrong with Ben?”
He let out a sigh. “I’m doing this for both your sakes.”
“What do you mean?”
He nodded to the window. Christina was sitting at one of the tables. “I know you don’t trust me, but you trust her, right?”
“S-s-sure. But I don’t understand what’s going on.”
The Blackstone Bear: Blackstone Mountain Book 3 Page 5
