“Good morning, gentlemen,” she greeted. The men rambled off their order, and Tessa promised to return with coffee.
Gaia seated a couple with a small child as Tessa retuned to drop off the order for the men. The couple was beautiful, and the woman was obviously pregnant with their second child. The man held his daughter close as he looked over the menu. Tessa watched as the woman looked up at her husband and child with so much love on her face, it brought tears to Tessa’s eyes.
“That’s our local werepanther alpha, Talon Shaw, and his wife, Liberty,” Gaia announced as she poured coffee and water for the family.
“They own the bar south of town, right?” she asked, remembering seeing the woman’s name on a health inspection report that hung over the bar.
“The Deuce is her bar,” Gaia nodded.
Tessa waited by the kitchen as their cook, Tony, worked his magic on the grill. She ducked out when a new table was seated, taking their order. When she dropped off food for a lady and her grandson, she took the new table’s order and off she went. The couple left after they ate, and for the rest of the day, Tessa couldn’t stop thinking about the shifters. It wasn’t that she didn’t know about them, it was just that she’d been dealing with her own problems when they were found out to be real and not the myths of her childhood.
When she returned home around three that afternoon, Tessa used her phone to look up the shifters on the internet. It wasn’t like they had their own websites that told everyone about them. Oh, she found several hate groups who said that the shifters were abominations and spouted religious reasonings, but she just didn’t believe any of what they were saying. Not after seeing the werepanther alpha with his mate and meeting Drake Morgan. Yeah, Drake was an asshole at first, but after he’d fed her, something changed. He was…nicer…sort of. Whatever he was, Tessa wanted to learn more about them.
One article on a raid of an island a few months ago caught her attention. Apparently, one of the hate groups had hired scientists to study the shifters they’d kidnapped. They were shut down and several species had been saved. The article did not elaborate on what kind of shifters were found the day it was raided, but other websites indicated black and small brown bears, panthers, and wolves had been found on that island. She wondered if Drake was keeping hidden because of the groups like this one.
She left the diner at noon and hurried home to rest. Saturday nights were always good for a movie on television, and she wasn’t disappointed when she found an old classic.
Clouds were darkening as the afternoon faded into evening. The sound of the rain on her apartment window lulled her into a deep sleep. She woke in the middle of the night long enough to turn off the television. She needed to sleep.
The next morning, she woke up at her usual time and started a pot of coffee. The news called for another evening rainstorm, and Tessa hoped she could get all of her chores done before it arrived.
She wondered where Drake was, and if he had been working in his fields. Rex should’ve had the parts she delivered already installed on the machines they owned.
Why couldn’t she stop thinking about him? She’d dreamed of him the past two nights. The dreams were nothing of significance, but he was there, always in the background, keeping a protective eye on her.
Tessa sighed and rinsed out her coffee cup. She wished Drake didn’t hate humans as much as he did, and it appeared no matter what she said to try and convince him otherwise would be met with resistance.
“Oh, Drake,” she whispered, shaking her head.
Tessa decided to fight the Sunday crowd and do her laundry since she had time. Sitting around analyzing Drake Morgan wasn’t going to get things done. Hopefully, he would someday come to his senses and trust humans to a point where he didn’t isolate himself on that land.
She gathered her basket and supplies, grabbing her keys as she fumbled with the door handle. Taking the stairs, she slowed as she approached her car. Tears immediately sprung from her eyes at the sight before her. Fear raced up her spine like an untamed wildfire.
On the hood of her car was her cat, Renegade, his blood smeard across the front windshield. Bile rose in the back of her throat as she dropped the basket and ran up the staircase to her apartment. Her hands shook as she tried several times to get her key into the lock. The moment the key slid in and released the mechanism, she ran inside and locked the door. She didn’t know who to call. She knew the message was from Bradley, because Renegade was the cat she had to leave behind when she ran away.
Chapter 6
Drake frowned when Tulley’s personal cell phone number came up on his caller ID. He wondered why the old man was calling him on a Sunday. What he heard over the line sent a cold chill down his spine.
“Drake,” Tulley began, there was an anger in his voice Drake had never heard. “I hate to bother you, but I need your help. Tessa called and she’s had quite the fright. I couldn’t understand her through all the crying. I’m out of town, and I watch over that girl like she’s one of my own. I need someone to check on her. I trust you to do that. Do you mind?”
“Where does she live?” he barked when his beast snarled in his head.
Tulley gave an address to a business in the center of town, telling him to go to the stairwell around the side of the building. Her apartment was above it. Drake hung up and rushed to his truck, yelling for his brother, Gunner, to go with him. Rex was away from their land for the day.
“What the hell is going on?” Gunner asked as he jumped into the truck.
“Something’s wrong with Tessa,” he snarled and pressed the pedal down to the floor of his truck, hoping he didn’t get pulled over by the sheriff as he filled Gunner in on what Tulley had said. His brother cursed several times but sat back and waited for them to arrive at her apartment. Drake was worried what he would find, but the fear of knowing she was hysterical made him even more determined to reach her.
As soon as they arrived, Drake stepped out of his truck and recognized her car. He paused when he looked through the back windshield. Something was splattered on the front one. Gunner cursed as he approached Drake’s back. “That’s blood.”
“Fuck,” Drake hollered as he ran toward the car. On the hood was a domestic cat. “Someone slit this cat’s throat.”
“Who would do that?” Gunner asked.
“Let me get Tessa,” he replied, looking up the stairwell behind a tall bush. It led to a top floor apartment, and there was a basket of clothes strewn all over the bottom few steps. Drake stepped over them and took the stairs two at a time. His heavy hand landed on the wooden frame. “Tessa! It’s Drake!”
The door opened, and his blonde female fell into his arms. Her tears soaked into his shirt as he scooped her up and moved her over to the couch against the far wall. The apartment was the size of his bedroom. There was a small kitchenette to his left, and another door straight ahead that he assumed was her bathroom.
“Tell me what happened,” he ordered, taking her chin with his forefinger.
“It’s my ex-husband,” she cried. “I had to leave my cat, Renegade, behind when I left him. Now, he’s found me, and he’s letting me know.”
“Jesus,” Gunner cursed and turned to walk out the door. “I’ll take care of everything outside, Tessa.”
“Thank you,” she sniffled, then looked up into Drake’s eyes. Her hands were still fisted in his shirt as she rested her face back on his chest.
“Tell me about this male,” Drake ordered. He wanted to know everything about him so he could find him and kill him for making Tessa cry. Her tears ripped at his soul and this man would pay.
“Bradley Ward,” she said, wiping at her eyes. “I divorced him three years ago. He threatened me, and I left town. He found me in Tulsa last Christmas and left me for dead behind the diner I worked at after closing one night.”
“You are coming home with us,” he decided instantly. “Grab your things.”
“I can’t do that,” she gasped as he stood up and
placed her on her feet. “That’s asking way too much from you.”
“Do as I ask of you, Tessa,” he snarled, looking toward the front door. “This isn’t an option. If you stay here, he could kill you this time, and I refuse to let that happen.”
“Okay, fine,” she relented. Drake could see the defeat she felt on her face. Her beautiful blue eyes were red from crying and her face wasn’t as bright as it was the night she’d brought the parts to his home and he’d fed her.
His beast snarled in his head. They wanted to take her home and feed her again. It was in their nature to provide and protect, and Drake wanted nothing more than to hide her on his land until he could track down this male and kill him.
Gunner met them at the truck. The cat had been removed and most of the blood had been washed away. Drake turned Tessa’s face into his chest as he walked her past the car. “You two go ahead. Rex is on his way to pick me up, and I’ll finish cleaning this up while I wait on him. Tessa, your laundry basket is in Drake’s truck.”
Drake nodded and helped Tessa with the small bag she’d packed into his truck. He buckled her seatbelt and walked around the front of the vehicle, stopping to talk to his brother. “I want this guy found.”
“He’s yours once we do find him,” Gunner promised. “Take your mate home. We will be there in about an hour.”
Drake cranked the truck and pulled out of her small driveway. The laundry basket sat between them, and he wanted to toss it into the back of his truck so he could pull her to his side. His need to protect her was the only thing on his mind. The animal that lived inside him wanted the male’s blood for the things he’d done to Tessa.
“We are going to talk more about this once I have you in a safe place,” Drake stated as he turned for the highway leading toward his property south of town.
“I can talk to you now,” she sighed, shaking her head. “I was an idiot and married this guy who promised me everything. It didn’t take long before he showed his true colors. He was abusive, plain and simple. It took me some time before I could gather the money to divorce him. When I did, he came after me.”
“How many times did he hurt you?” Drake asked, squeezing his hands around the steering wheel.
“Many,” she admitted, turning her head to look out the window. She was silent for the longest time, and Drake was about to ask her to go into detail, but she sighed and continued without being prompted. “I’m not going to tell you everything was hearts and flowers. He abused me, and I let him for two years. He’s tried to kill me more than just the incident in Tulsa.”
“You are very brave for leaving,” Drake said through gritted teeth. “But I promise you, if I find him, I will kill that human male.”
“Why do I believe you?” she said with a soft chuckle. Drake took his gaze off the road for a second to glance at her face. She was smiling softly as she wiped away the tears. Those tears gutted him. The big, badass bear who could kill a human with just one swipe of his bear paw was affected by the little woman’s pain more than he would admit.
“Because you know I’m capable.”
“I do.”
“You do? How?” he asked, wondering where she had gotten her information. The paranoid side of him wondered if she was associated with the hate groups, but the rational side of him knew she wasn’t.
“I looked up information on shifters.” Drake saw her shrug out of the corner of his eye, and he was surprised she was so forthcoming with her explanation.
“You did, huh?” he asked, raising a brow and wondering exactly what she’d found.
He didn’t know what information was out there on the human’s internet. He hoped like hell none of his fellow brother grizzly bears had been found during the raids, and he hoped to keep his secret from the humans for as long as possible. His business and life depended on the secrecy.
“There were wolves, panthers, lions, and black and small brown bears reported in an article,” she informed him, turning in her seat. “Are you a black bear?”
“Hah!” he laughed, the mood lightening inside the small space of his truck. “No, little one, I am not.”
“Then what are you?” she begged.
“We can talk more after I get you home,” he grunted, and glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. She was his mate and trust was something he was going to have to give over to her at some point. But when? When would be the time to tell her?
Now, Drake. You need to trust her.
“Oh, okay,” she said in defeat, but his mate was inquisitive and kept up with the questions. “Will you show me this time?”
“I will,” he promised on a nod. “After I feed you and bathe you.”
“Bathe me?” She narrowed her eyes when he flashed her a soft smile. “I can do that on my own.”
“If you insist,” he drawled as he passed the werepanther-owned bar. “I’ll show you where everything is in our home.”
The drive to his place was silent, and he wanted to reach over and touch her again. His bear insisted on it, but he refrained.
Drake urged Tessa to eat the meal he prepared for her. She sat at his kitchen table and ate all she could before pushing the plate away. He looked up from his own food, inspecting her plate and nodding when he was satisfied she’d consumed enough.
“I want to know more about your ex-husband,” he demanded.
“I trust too easily,” she sighed. God, how stupid was she? Bradley had given her everything her heart desired, but he was a monster beneath the proper gentleman he showed to everyone else.
“What happened with your former mate, Tessa?” he pressed.
“Oh whew,” she sighed, unsure of how she was going to tell him about her time with Bradley. “I don’t even know where to start.”
“From the beginning will work,” Drake grunted. “I need to know what I’m facing from this male.”
“I met Bradley when I was working at a club in Chicago,” she began, squeezing her hands tight where she had them hidden beneath the table. No matter how much she tightened the muscles in her body, Tessa’s right leg began to bounce as the memories flashed through her mind. “He was there with his friends from work. I knew he had to be some sort of corporate executive by the way he dressed. He was polite, but he was also very forward. His chivalry and dominant nature appealed to me.”
Tessa paused to look up into Drake’s eyes. She wasn’t sure how much she should tell him. The lifestyle she craved wasn’t always accepted by other people. Plus, he was a shifter. Would he understand her explanations?
“Go on,” he urged, leaning back in his chair. Tessa looked away when the muscles in his arms flexed. Drake’s strength radiated with his every move, and she ached from imagining the things he could do with those arms; like holding her tight…protecting her.
“Over the next few weeks, he came into the club every other night,” she said. “He finally asked me out, and I accepted.”
God, she’d had some rose-colored glasses on with that one. Bradley had promised her the world, even gave her a glimpse of it for a time.
“He pampered me and took care of me in the way that I craved.” She paused, weighing her words. “We married a year later, and that’s when he turned into a monster.”
“A monster?” Drake growled. “What type of monster?”
“I…I don’t even know how to explain this to you,” she stammered, looking into his eyes. They weren’t flashing gold like they did when he’d bared his fangs at her or his brothers, and she assumed that meant he was calm. Tessa still wasn’t entirely sure how shifters worked, or what their species was like.
“Tell me,” he urged.
“He fulfilled all of my fantasies, but he was a sadist.” She paused when Drake’s eyes narrowed. “He hurt me…a lot.”
“He didn’t accept your safewords?” he asked. Tessa gasped softly when she realized he knew exactly what she was talking about. “You are a submissive?”
“Only in the bedroom,” she blushed, but straighten
ed her spine. “Bradley thought he could control me and my actions. I wasn’t allowed out of his sight, and after I begged to go see my mom, he punished me when I wasn’t home by the agreed upon time.”
“Punished you how?” Drake asked, leaning forward. The shifter laid his hand on top of hers, and Tessa swore she felt strength from the connection. He’d told her he couldn’t control her mind, but this feeling she had when they touched made her think he had some sort of magic inside him.
“Are you calming me?”
“It’s the touch of a mate,” he smiled sadly. “I will explain that to you after you finish telling me everything about this male, Bradley.”
“It started about nine months after we married.” She had to stop for a second, feeling tears well up in her eyes. It was hard to relive the past, but she needed to tell him. No one should live in shame for being a victim of domestic violence. “He would chain me to the bedroom wall and use a belt on me until he wasn’t angry anymore. No matter how many times I used my safeword, he wouldn’t stop.”
“I will kill him,” Drake vowed, his eyes flashing that golden hue. Tessa flipped her hand over and clasped his when his fangs grew to sharp points.
“He was eventually fired from his job, and he turned violent with anyone who looked at him wrong. I found illegal drugs in his bedside drawer.”
“What did you do?”
“It took me just over two years after that to escape him,” she said, squeezing his hand. “I’m okay now.”
“No, Tessa,” he growled, his upper lip quivering from the rumble that bubbled out of his chest. “No, you are not okay. He knows where you are, and that son of a bitch means business.”
“I know,” she worried. “He threatened me the night he found me in Tulsa.”
“What did he say?” Drake pushed. Tessa felt at ease with him. There was something about Drake that made her body relax and the anxiety in her mind float away into nothingness.
“He kept telling me that he wouldn’t kill me yet. He wanted me to suffer while he repeatedly punched me in the face and kicked me in the ribs.” She stopped and used her free hand to touch the spot on her right side where Bradley had broken three of her ribs.
Mating Season (Morgan Clan Bears, Book 1) Page 5
