Cynful hs-2

by Dana Marie Bell

  Jamie shook his head. “You want some coffee with that?”

  “Nah, I’m good.” Julian took a sip, moaning under his breath. God, Jamie made some damn good coffee. “How long was I out for?”

  “About half an hour.”

  Shit. There went lunch. “Damn.” He glanced at his watch and grimaced.

  “Take some time. Eat. Your hair still has some white in it and that will freak the patients.”

  “Thank you.” Julian pulled his sandwich out of the fridge and sat his ass at the table.

  “What did Bear have to say?” Jamie sat across from him and snagged one of Julian’s chips.

  “Two becomes one, one becomes three. Bear knows the way, but Fox holds the key.”

  “Chloe?”

  “Possibly, since she had the same dream.” Julian took a bite of his sandwich and tried to ignore the stare Jamie was giving him.

  “Since when does Bear speak to Chloe?”

  “He doesn’t.” He took another bite and tried not to smile at the frustration on Jamie’s face.

  “Then who did?”

  “Fox.” He took a sip of coffee and arched a brow at Jamie. “Chloe’s different now.”

  “Yeah, but I didn’t think she was that different.” Jamie got to his feet and began to pace, his expression going from friend to concerned doctor. “Will this affect her recovery?”

  “Not that I’m aware of. But when I went to visit her last night she was more tired than she should be.”

  “Hmm.” Jamie stroked his chin, his gaze distant. “I want to be kept apprised of her new abilities, even the dreaming. It could impact other areas of her recovery, especially if it drains her of energy.”

  Julian nodded. “I’ll do my best, but if she doesn’t tell me there isn’t much I can do.”

  “Agreed.” Jamie looked at his watch. “Think you’ll be ready in about ten minutes?”

  He felt better already and he hadn’t finished half his sandwich. “Yup.”

  “See you out there.”

  Julian scarfed the rest of his sandwich and headed back to work, Bear’s words still bouncing around in his head. What the hell had he meant, and why had he given Julian the same riddle that Fox had given Chloe?

  “Aw. How pretty.” Glory practically cooed at the glass vase sitting on the counter. The little white envelope dared Cyn to open it, but she refused to touch the damn thing. She kept her nose buried in the magazine she was reading, ignoring the two insane bitches cooing over dead vegetation.

  Cyn snorted. What the hell was that moron thinking?

  “They are pretty. Two dozen roses, mixed colors.” Tabby sighed. “Alex never sends me roses.”

  “I don’t think Alex was the one who sent flowers to Cyn.” Glory waggled her eyebrows.

  “If I remember my flower language correctly—” Tabby tapped the glass, “—red is for true love. Pink is admiration. Lavender is—”

  “Frou-frou.” Cyn grimaced. “Flowers? At my age?”

  “First off, Crabby Patsy, you’re only twenty-four. Second, what woman alive hates getting flowers?” Cyn opened her mouth to respond but Tabby cut her off by clearing her throat. “And lavender means love at first sight.”

  Cyn clenched her jaw. Julian had to have guessed how she’d react to roses delivered at work, which meant he’d done it deliberately. She tried to ignore the girls as they continued discussing the flowers, but part of her couldn’t help but listen in.

  “What does yellow mean? I thought they meant true love, but there aren’t any in the arrangement.” Out of the corner of her eye she saw Glory stroke one of the lavender roses, a wistful expression on her face. Maybe Ryan was getting to her more than she wanted to let on.

  “Nope. Yellow is friendship, orange is passion.” Tabby tapped one blazing orange rose. “Which explains why they’re in here but the yellow aren’t.”

  “Friends with benefits sounds nice.” Glory sniffed the orange rose. “But there are a lot more red and lavender ones than any other color.” Glory flipped her hair back over her shoulder. “Cyndi’s got a boyfriend!” she sang, grinning at Cyn.

  Cyn flipped her off. Bitch knew how much she hated being called Cyndi.

  “Oh, yes, I will read the note, thank you!”

  Glory grabbed for it, but Cyn was fast, snatching it away from her at the last second. “Ha!”

  Glory waved her hands. “Fine. Now you have to read it.”

  Cyn held it like she was going to rip it in two. She wasn’t certain she’d have gone through with it, but Tabby was even quicker than she was. Tabby grabbed it and opened it, bursting into laughter. “What happened after you two went home last night?”

  “Give me that.” Cyn took the note, biting her lip at the image of Share Bear. That stupid purple bear with two heart-shaped lollipops on its tummy grinned at her. The note said Thanks for sharing in the kind of neat, extremely precise handwriting only a sociopath could possess.

  Goddamn it. Now she was going to like flowers. Son of a bitch.

  “Let me see!” Glory took the note from her and frowned at it. “Huh? What the hell is that? It’s creepy.”

  Cyn took the note back. “None of your business.” She took the card and the flowers back to her office, ignoring the idiots behind her. No way would she admit to them that she knew what the fuck a Care Bear was, let alone the name of one. She set the flowers where she could see them but wouldn’t accidentally knock them over.

  The card, she tucked into her secret drawer, along with a photo of her mother and the first set of keys to Living Art.

  After all, no one had to know she’d kept it, right?

  “Well?”

  “Well what?”

  Julian suppressed his growl. “Did you like them?” He was weary to the bone, but he refused to give up a date night despite the emergency that had forced him to use his powers. The man would have died right in Jamie’s office if Julian hadn’t stepped in. Jamie was both appalled and grateful, but the patient had no clue how close to death he’d been.

  Two more minutes. Just two more minutes and the aneurysm would have burst, and the resulting stroke would have killed him instantly. Jamie ordered the patient in for a round of tests and Julian to the break room until his hair and eyes returned to normal. Thank God it had been a shifter patient; a human would have run screaming from the room or declared the second coming.

  “Like what?”

  He pulled over. He was too tired to play the game tonight, damn it. “I’m sorry. Could you drive?”

  “Jules?” Cyn put her hand on his forehead. “Are you sick?”

  He stared at her.

  “Bears catch colds like everyone else, right?”

  He blinked. She had to be joking.

  “Fine. Keys.” She held out her hand and he gave them to her, sighing gratefully when she climbed out of the passenger side. He managed to pull himself out of the driver’s seat and took her spot, but his knees were wobbly.

  Damn. He was a lot more tired than he’d originally thought.

  “Jeez, you look like shit. Let’s get you home, okay?”

  He closed his eyes and nodded, leaving everything in her more than capable hands. Within seconds she was gently shaking his shoulder. “We’re here.” Julian opened his eyes. He must have nodded off. She’d taken him back to his place, thank the ancestors. He wasn’t up to dealing with Glory’s perkiness right now. Cyn got out of the car and held up her hand when he tried to follow. She opened his door and helped him get out. “In case you were wondering, we’re going to order in pizza and watch chick flicks.” She held up a bag and shook it, the videos she wanted to watch rattling around inside.

  He couldn’t help but smile. “If you have a real chick flick in there I’ll let you tattoo anything you want on my ass.”

  “Define real.” She opened her front door and tugged him in, plopping him on the sofa before turning on the lights and shutting the door.

  “My idea of real, not yours. The Devil Wears Pra
da does not count.”

  “Damn. There goes my vision of My Little Ponies dancing down your rainbow colored butt.”

  He kicked off his shoes and lay down, his head beginning to pound. “Could you bring me some aspirin?” Back home he would have requested another Kermode help him, but he wasn’t home, and while he could call Alex or Ryan for help, he was strangely loathe to do so. He’d rather take aspirin and spend the evening alone with his mate than have his well-meaning friends come “help” him.

  God forbid they called and told their family he wasn’t feeling well. He shuddered at the thought of his house filled to the rafters with yappy Foxes and growling Grizzlies. He’d dealt with that while recovering from saving Chloe, and the noise levels alone had his landlord threatening him with eviction. Any night where he’d had time to prepare for the onslaught would be fine, but he just wasn’t up to it right now. “So what is your idea of a chick flick?” This he had to see. He doubted it would be either sappy or sentimental. Maybe First Wives’ Club? His mother loved that film. Hell, even his father chuckled at the window washer scene.

  She brought him his medicine and smirked. “You’ll see.” She picked up the phone and called for two pizzas, one Hawaiian, one pepperoni and mushroom.

  He must have dozed off again because the smell of tomato sauce woke him. He hadn’t even heard the doorbell ring. His stomach growled. “Damn, that smells good.”

  Cyn put the pizzas on the coffee table and brought them some sodas. “Ready for the horror?”

  He grinned. He was beginning to feel better. “Sure.”

  Two slices later he was staring at the screen, wondering what the hell he’d gotten himself into. “Your idea of a chick flick is She-Devil?”

  “That pink palace princess deserves everything she gets.”

  Cyn’s grin was chock full of childish, evil glee. She munched her third slice of pizza, her gaze glued to the screen as Roseanne Barr blew up her own house with a happy sigh.

  He smiled and settled back down, pleasantly full of good pizza. He watched his mate enjoy her movie and hid his grin.

  His mother was going to adore Cyn.

  Chapter Six

  Julian nodded off again long before the movie ended. Cyn stared at him, worried at the thin strands of white still silvering his hair. She hadn’t seen the silver sparks in his eyes when he’d first picked her up. It had been too dark outside the shop and in the car. Now that they were in Julian’s home those sparks were obvious, and worrying. They weren’t fading the way they were supposed to, and he was almost as weak as he’d been after saving Chloe.

  What the fuck had he done to himself?

  She covered him with a blanket and left him, determined to let him rest. She left the film on loop so the lack of noise didn’t disturb him. She just turned it down before heading into the kitchen with the pizza boxes. She put the leftover pizza in the fridge and pondered what to do next. Should she leave him on the couch? Call Alex and Tabby and the rest of that insane gang of shifters? They might have a better clue what was wrong with him.

  She didn’t like not knowing how to help him. Not one little stinking bit.

  Hell. She was beginning to mutter in Spanish under her breath. Maybe it was time to call for some back-up. Cyn picked up the phone. If Julian was sick or needed help, then she needed Alex.

  “Hello? Cyn? What’s wrong?”

  Cyn grimaced at the breathless tone of Tabby’s voice. “Did I interrupt something?”

  “Yes.”

  “Oops. Sorry. Julian’s hair is white and he’s passed out on his sofa.”

  Tabby sighed. “Why don’t you sound sorry?”

  “Because I’m not. Put Alex on the phone for me. Good girl. Good girl.”

  “Damn it, I’m not a dog, y’all. And stop leaving that bag of kibble in front of my door!”

  Cyn heard deep, muffled laughter, and then Alex was on the phone. “What’s wrong with him?”

  Damn, Bears had good hearing. She’d have to remember that. “Not sure. He picked me up at my shop, but halfway to his place he pulled over and asked me to drive. Honestly, once we were inside I was shocked. His hair is half white and his eyes are washed out.”

  “Shit. I’ll be there in ten minutes.” The phone clicked shut. Cyn headed back into Julian’s living room to wait for Alex and Tabby, because where one went the other was rarely far behind.

  She sat on the edge of the sofa and studied the man who claimed he was her mate. The white streaks didn’t bother her at all; in fact, they gave him an otherworldly look that was stunning. His Native American heritage was obvious in his dusky skin color, deep brown eyes and high cheekbones. His full lips invited kisses; his strong jaw showcased his stubborn side. The thin laugh lines at the corners of his eyes made her smile. His waist length hair was loose, lying around him in an inviting pool she wanted to sink her fingers into. He had the lean build she’d always preferred in her men, but with enough muscle underneath those scrubs to make her feel like she’d won the lottery. He had to be one of the handsomest men she’d ever seen, bar none, and he said he was all hers.

  She still wasn’t sure she believed it, but she certainly wasn’t going to turn his fine ass away.

  She sat and watched him until a soft knock on the door got her up off the sofa. She let Alex and Tabby in, directing Alex to where Julian lay.

  “Oh crap. He looks like three-day-old dog poo. What did he do this time?” Tabby kept her voice low, but that southern drawl was more pronounced than usual. Tabby was worried, and that couldn’t be good.

  Alex rested his hand on Julian’s forehead, his brow furrowing. Whatever the hell he was doing it didn’t look comfortable.

  “Well?” Cyn tapped her foot, impatience riding her hard. What was wrong with Jules?

  Alex sat back with a sigh. He swayed and nearly fell of the sofa. “If I were to guess, I’d say he saved someone’s life today.”

  Cyn ground her teeth. “Oh. Really.”

  Alex’s hazel eyes had gone deep, dark brown. “He can’t help it, Cyn. I think one of the reasons Kermode hold themselves apart from the rest of us is because Bear’s gift is, for them, a curse as well.”

  She smiled, and it wasn’t pretty. “So. How close to death was he this time?”

  Alex’s brows rose. “He’s exhausted, but he’ll be fine. I gave him what I could, but only rest will cure what ails him now.”

  Julian’s cell phone rang. Cyn, not caring she was snooping, picked it up and frowned at the name displayed. “Who the fuck is Tai?”

  Both Alex and Tabby shrugged, but before they could speak Cyn answered his phone. “Hello?”

  There was a pause, then a male voice spoke. “Is Julian DuCharme there?”

  “He’s sleeping at the moment. Could I take a message?”

  “Who is this?”

  The arrogant command in the man’s voice got Cyn’s back up. None of your business, cabrón. “A better question would be who are you?”

  “Fine. Who are you?”

  Lovely. Another smart-ass. This one had an undertone of condescension she had no intention of bowing to. “Cyn.” She left it hanging and waited for his answer.

  There was a deep, frustrated sigh. “Could you tell Julian that I called?”

  Another command. She had the feeling she was going to love this guy. “Why?”

  “What do you mean, why?” He sounded baffled, and a little annoyed.

  “You’re not his boss, you’re not his significant oth…wait, are you?”

  The man actually growled before abruptly cutting it off.

  “Because that would mean he’s cheating on your ass.”

  “He’s not my—”

  “He does have a nice one, doesn’t he? Ass, I mean.”

  “His life is in danger.”

  Cyn paused, her intention of playing with Julian’s rude caller momentarily suspended. “Is that a threat?”

  Tabby, a Wolf and a predator, took a step back at the cold chill in Cyn’s voic
e.

  “Tell him this: Two becomes one, one becomes three. Bear knows the way, but Fox holds the key. Tell him, mate of Julian, that every fucking Kermode has had this same dream. All except me.”

  She took a deep breath. A shiver ran through her. “I’m not his mate.” How the hell did this stranger know she was Julian’s?

  “The dream I had showed Julian lying on the ground, covered in blood.”

  She didn’t even react when the asshole hung up the phone. Alex had to pry it out of her cold hand. “We heard.”

  Tabby took a deep breath, her hand going over her still flat stomach. “I’ll rally the troops.”

  Alex shot Cyn a worried look before picking Julian up like he weighed less than nothing. “I’ll carry Julian to bed. Man has to be getting a crick in his neck.”

  Cyn could barely see her friends moving around her. She was too busy bristling over the threat to Julian. She might not want to admit what she felt for the annoying, quirky, hot-as-fuck Bear, even to herself, but there was one thing she hadn’t failed to grasp.

  Tai’s vision was never going to come to pass. Not if Cynthia Reyes could stop it.

  Julian stirred. Something was different, out of place. What the hell had woken him—?

  A loud snore interrupted his thoughts. He opened his eyes and stared down at the face he’d grown to love since he’d moved to Halle three months ago. Despite the hectic scramble to get his nursing certificate and keep his visa he’d managed to make friends with all the girls at LA, but none of them meant more to him that Cyn did. The first moment he’d seen her, her dark hair was streaked a delicate pink. Her laughter was contagious to a man who was feeling desperately homesick. Her dark, sparkling eyes had captivated him. He’d been smitten before he’d ever caught her scent, but when he had that was all she wrote.

  She was the one.

  He’d been wandering through Halle, happy to have made it, worried that he hadn’t been in time. He hadn’t understood why Bear wanted him to leave home and come to this small college town in the middle of Pennsylvania, but the hassle of getting into America without a work visa had taken months to clear away. In the end it had taken Tai’s political clout to get him here.