by Sable Sylvan
“And what about your stuff?” asked Owen. “This scumbag doesn’t matter...but you do, and we need to get your stuff back.”
“Oh, so, before he dumped me, there was stuff of mine left over at his house, where he lives with his mom, who never liked me. There’s clothing, makeup, but most importantly, a quilt my grandma made me, and a family photo album my aunt, who passed away, made. All the photos were taken by my aunt, of major family events, and the album he has is my mom’s wedding album,” explained Helen. “I’ve contacted him about getting my stuff back, but no dice. He hasn’t replied to any of my emails. I know he’s fine and online because I checked his only social media and he’s active.”
“What a jerk,” said Ryan, clenching his fists. The bear in him roared. It was the job of Ryan to protect his fated mate. “So you know where he lives?”
“Yes, with his mom, about twenty blocks away,” said Helen. “Do you think you’re really going to be able to get my stuff back from him?”
“Trust me, we will,” said Owen. “You think he’s home now?”
“Probably, he sleeps in Saturdays,” said Helen.
“Then let’s go,” said Owen. He cleared his plate and Ryan’s plate and quickly washed them before walking Helen out to their car.
Parked outside Helen’s house was a large mahogany brown SUV. “Whoa, that’s yours?” asked Helen.
“Ours,” said Owen. “Although it’s in my name technically.”
Ryan opened the door for Helen who got into the back. The interior of the car had matching brown leather and was very clean. She was surprised. She expected the car to be covered with bits of glitter and marabou feathers. “So, princess, where are we headed?” asked Ryan as he and Owen put on matching amber glass aviator shades.
Chapter Six
Ten minutes later, the brown SUV was parked on the street outside of Joseph’s mother’s house. The two bears got out of the car and let Helen out and walked with her to the front door.
“Nervous?” asked Owen, sensing Helen’s tension.
“Yeah,” said Helen.
“Don’t be,” said Ryan, squeezing Helen’s hand. “Ring the bell.”
Helen lifted a finger to the bell and rang. The house was slightly run down, as she remembered, and she hoped that Joe would just answer the door and give her the things without raising a fuss.
Instead, the last person she wanted to see came to the door.
In a pink and blue muumuu, with her hair still in yellowed plastic curlers that used to be white, a cigarette in hand, was Joseph’s mother, Mama Karol Peppers.
“Well well well,” said Karol, a hand on her hips. “If it isn’t that whore my Joseph was dating.”
“Hello to you too, Mrs. Peppers,” said Helen. “I’m just here to pick up my things.”
“You’ll have to talk to my Joseph about that,” said Karol. “After all, you’re his used up plaything, not mine.” Karol looked over Helen’s curves with judgmental eyes that burned like lasers. Ryan’s hair stood up on end as his bear roared at the indignity, and Owen put a hand on his friend’s shoulder to keep him from messing this up.
“Well, Helen’s already tried emailing Joseph about picking her things up, and there’s been no answer from him,” said Owen. “So if you don’t mind, we’re here to pick up some things. He has her clothes, her makeup, her grandmother’s quilt, and her aunt’s photo album.”
“You really won’t get a clue, will you?” asked Karol. She looked over Helen. “Still as fat and as slutty as ever. Of course you’re with two men. I bet they’re your pimps. Well, whatever, I want your whore ass off of my stoop as soon as possible, so I’ll go get my baby Joey. Wait a minute.”
Ryan’s bear was barely able to be contained. His eyes flashed as the woman waddled into the house. “What a nightmare of a woman,” said Owen with a smirk. “At least this’ll be the last time you have to see her.”
“I hope so,” said Helen. “She never liked me, and I knew it, but at least she is honest enough to admit she thinks I’m human garbage now.”
“Well, no matter, we’ll get your stuff and get out of here,” said Owen. “Ry, I can see you’re pissed...but thanks for holding in the bear, bro.”
“I’d say no problem, but you know I’d be lying,” said the darker haired brunette whose fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles were white. “What awful people. And let me guess, like mother, like son?”
“Pretty much,” said Helen. She heard the sound of footsteps on the stairs. “Shh, they’re on their way back.”
Karol came back, her presence announced by a thick cloud of tobacco smoke that had one wondering whether she was an elderly woman, or, as her skin suggested, a leathery chair found in a seedy cigar club. Next to her was Joseph, Joey, Scumbag Joe.
Owen and Ryan couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “Is this...Joseph?” asked Ryan.
“Yes,” said Helen. “Hi, Joseph. Long time, no see.”
Helen had thought the world of Joseph before. He’d been somewhat muscular when they met, with thick reddish brown hair, and a great sense of style. Over the years, she’d been like a frog in a pot of boiling water, and hadn’t noticed that Joseph hadn’t grown into a man worthy of dating her, while she’d blossomed into a gorgeous woman who was confident and proud of her God given curves. He was in a pair of striped boxer shorts, his chest covered in scraggly hair (with, of course, not a mate mark in sight), and he had lost a significant amount of his hair, while gaining a potbelly from drinking too much beer. He was wearing a pair of socks so dirty and covered in dust it was hard to tell they were mismatched.
In contrast, Ryan and Owen were tall, handsome, and buff. They towered over Joseph and his mother. They had gorgeous chiseled faces and thick hair on their heads that was impeccably cut and styled. They wouldn’t be caught dead in dirty underwear around a goddess like Helen. They were wearing designer jeans and plain white shirts that made their pecs and abs stand out, while the outlines of their mate marks were visible through the shirts, prominent marks that they were bears. Unlike the hands of Joseph, which marked him as a wimpy loser who bit his nails and had never done a day of hard work in his life, they had hands with dark thick callus-like marks marking them as not just bears, but grizzly bears, the biggest, baddest predators in the Pacific Northwest. In a world of predator and prey, Joseph wasn’t even as handsome as a deer or gazelle shifter. He was barely even a worm, because at least worms made the world a better place. He was a fly, a mosquito, a parasite, just something that needed to be swatted and forgotten.
“I see you’re back to apologize,” said Scumbag Joe.
“The only thing I’m sorry for is wasting so many years of my life with you,” said Helen. “You know why I’m here. I’m here to get my stuff.”
“Your stuff, ey?” asked Scumbag Joe. “Then you can just walk right in and get it.”
“Really?” asked Helen.
“Really,” said Scumbag Joe.
“I think this must be a trick,” said Owen. “Why would he just let you in?”
“Whatever they do to me, it’ll be over within a few minutes,” said Helen. “Fine. I’m coming in, Joe, but with my friends.”
“Your friends? Here I was thinking that you’d hired gigolos,” said Scumbag Joe. “Anyone can go online and buy a man.”
“We don’t have anything to prove to you,” said Owen. “So can we come in or not?”
“Of course you can,” said Scumbag Joe. “Helen, I trust you remember where my bedroom is?”
“If I ever forgot, I’d just follow the smell of cheap deodorant and the trail of cheesy puffs,” said Helen. She followed after Scumbag Joe to his bedroom. Joe opened the door.
What Helen saw inside shocked her.
Yes, her grandmother’s quilt was there. But it was on the bed, covering a naked girl. “Oh, my, God,” said Helen, turning away.
“I forgot, I have company,” said Scumbag Joe. “You’ve met Lisa before, yes?”
“H
ey,” said Lisa in a sing-song voice. “Joe, you didn’t tell me your fatty ex was going to be here.”
Owen’s blood boiled. He was about to say something, speaking from his bear, and this time it was Ryan that had to calm him down. “It’s not worth it, bro,” said Ryan. Ryan walked over to the bed and pulled the blanket off the bed.
Of course, frikkin’ Lisa wasn’t wearing anything. Helen looked away, but Ryan and Owen didn’t.
“Can’t help but take a look at my girl, huh?” said Scumbag Joe, sitting next to the girl.
Ryan and Owen exchanged a look and couldn’t help but laugh. “You call that a woman?” asked Ryan between laugh. “Where are the curves? How will she bear you young?”
Lisa’s cheeks were burning bright pink. “What are these jerks talking about?” said Lisa. “I thought we were gonna humiliate your loser ex.”
“Trust me, Helen’s not the loser ex,” said Owen. “Holy shizz, I thought that at least you two would go down with dignity, but you try to humiliate Helen...and end up humiliating yourselves. Wow. Hilarious. Lisa, nobody wants a girl like you.”
“What, you think I’m too skinny?” asked Lisa, covering herself up with a comforter.
“Yes, although that’s just a matter of taste,” said Owen. “Nobody wants to date a girl like you because you’re a bitch. So, little Joey, where’s the photo album?”
Scumbag Joe’s cheeks were on fire too. He hadn’t expected this to happen. He got up off the bed and went to his dresser. The photo album had been kept in a drawer full of his belts and other small items. Helen was just glad he hadn’t kept it with his underwear. He pulled out the album and gave it to Owen. “Here,” said Scumbag Joe. “Now will you get the heck outta my house?”
“Not until Helen checks it,” said Owen. He passed the album to Helen. “Are the photos all here, sweetheart?”
Helen looked through the album. Luckily, her ex hadn’t been smart enough to destroy the pics or do anything at all to the album other than take it. “Everything’s here,” said Helen.
“What about your clothes and makeup and other things?” said Ryan.
“Here, I had all the stuff ready the whole time,” said Scumbag Joe. He pulled a trash bag out of his closet. “Lisa wanted me to throw it all away, but I was hoping...”
“What, that Helen would take you back if you gave it back to her?” asked Ryan.
Scumbag Joe’s silence was the only answer he needed. Lisa started to cry and argue with Joe, but neither Helen nor Owen nor Ryan cared. They went through the bag.
“Anything missing?” asked Owen.
“Nope, I think it’s all here,” said Helen. “Bye, Joe, thanks for all the help. And Lisa...you can do better and be better. Much better.”
Owen took the trash bag of items and the photo album, while Ryan handled the quilt. They walked out the house, past the gawking ex-almost-mother-in-law, and out to the SUV, which the boys loaded up with the retrieved loot before they all piled back into the car.
“Holy shizz, that was epic,” said Helen. “You guys were so smooth.”
“Trust me, in our business, we know a lot about how to get things out of people,” said Ryan. “All we have to do now is disinfect the shizz out of anything that was in that awful house, get your grandma’s quilt cleaned up, and it’ll all be over.”
“I still can’t believe we have my stuff back,” said Helen.
“Helen, you’re our fated mate,” said Owen. “I know that saying that scared you off last time...but darn it, that’s what you are to us. You’re our true love, we just know it. And we’d do anything for you. Dealing with Scumbag Joe was a cake walk. We’d go to the ends of the earth for you.”
“You would?” asked Helen.
“Yes, and you know...that’s the entire point of us going on tour at all,” said Ryan. “The Bear Buns tours, the whole ‘Twelve Dancing Bears’ schtick...it’s all so we can meet more women, so we can find our fated mates. It’s not about the money, although the money’s frikkin’ awesome. It’s about love, true love.”
“And you still think that I’m your true love?” asked Helen. “Because of the mate mark?”
“It’s not just the mate mark,” said Owen. “It’s because we felt a real connection to you, even before we learned your name. We saw you from across a room full of women who would do anything to be a fated mate, and you were the one that we just knew was meant for us. We felt a connection with you on stage, in the cocktail room, and during this rescue mission for the quilt and photo album.”
“Besides being more fun than a barrel of monkeys, you’re sweet, humble, and are obviously an amazing person, hence why you have awesome friends who love you,” said Ryan. “And, of course, you’re drop dead gorgeous, which is why we have this primal attraction to you.”
“But we understand if you need more time to get to know us,” said Owen. “So, we’re down in Portland for the weekend. We’re renting a hotel room. If you want to go out and do activities, or just sit at a cafe and talk, you just let us know. We’re all about making you happy, and proving to you that you should give this a chance.”
“So how would things works? What are the steps?” asked Helen. “I’m new to all of this, new to dating shifters, new to dating two guys at once.”
“Get to know us. We’re a package deal, we come as a set, you get the drift. If you want us, we all, well, mate. Mate marks lead shifters to their mates...but something special also happens when the shifters, y’know, mate,” explained Owen.
“So how does that work?” asked Helen.
“It works however you want it to work,” said Ryan. “All the things you can do with one man, you can do with two, and some of the things you can do with two men, well...they’ll blow your frikkin’ mind. For the mating process, however, we have to both take you. At the same time.”
“At the same time?” asked Helen.
“That’s right,” said Owen. “Both of us, on you and in you, at the same time.”
“That’s intense,” said Helen.
“It is, but we didn’t write the rules,” said Ryan. “Besides, if we did, the rules would be much, much kinkier.”
“So what do you say?” asked Owen.
“I’m more than willing to give this all a chance,” said Helen. “But I need to get to know you two first. It’s not because you’re shifters or because there’s two of you. I just need to feel a real emotional connection and know that we’re compatible before we take this to the next level.”
“So do you know what you want to do to test that compatibility?” asked Ryan.
“Oh, I have an activity in mind,” said Helen.
Chapter Seven
Owen pulled the SUV up into the parking lot by the food bank that Alicia’s company had partnered with for the Thanksgiving food drive. Ryan, Owen, and Helen walked to the back of the food bank where they found Alicia and Jasmine.
“Hey, Jasmine,” said Helen, pulling her friend in for a hug. “You were totally right, about everything.”
Helen walked up to Alicia next. “Alicia, we got my stuff back, so we swung by to see if we could volunteer today,” explained Helen. “After all, I’ve gotta help others, given that you two helped me out so much. Do you need three sets of hands?”
“Definitely,” said Alicia. “One set of our volunteers, a family of a mom, a dad, and their teenage son, called in sick. They were doing delivery duty in a rough neighborhood. We’ve got enough people bagging stuff up here, but what we need to do is get these bags to people. Basically, we are delivering the food early so people can budget and figure out what perishables they’ll need in November. Plus, people have to eat before Thanksgiving.”
“We’d be happy to volunteer,” said Owen. “We’ve got an SUV. I trust that’s big enough?”
“That’s perfect,” said Alicia. “I’ll get you set up with the lists. Basically, you’ll want to visit as many houses on the list as you can. If nobody is home, just don’t cross the house off. If somebody is home,
and accepts the food, cross the house off the list. Have somebody stay by the car. Each house gets a bag of food for each person living there, regardless of age. So, a single mom with twins would get three bags of food, even if the kids are infants, or not home. The number on the sheet is the number of bags the house has signed up for.”
“Sounds simple enough,” said Ryan. “You sure that you don’t need another set of hands around here to do heavy lifting?”
“No, but if you insist, you can help the volunteers load up the car when you come back to get more bags of food,” said Alicia. “Do you need to empty out the car first?”
“We already did that on the way here,” said Helen. “So let’s get to work!”
***
Six hours later, the volunteers were taking a break to eat pizza and drink generic diet soda for the caffeine. Owen, Ryan, and Helen had proven to be a great team. They had managed to deliver a little over two hundred bags of food to needy families in the area. The three of them were sitting at the same table as Alicia and Jasmine.
“So this place takes any sort of canned food donation?” asked Owen, looking at a flyer.
“Yeah, but the problem is, of course, getting those donations at all,” said Alicia. “People just don’t donate because it’s not that convenient. And there isn’t that much of an incentive. We also take cash donations, of course, but most people prefer to just donate their musty cans. A lot of food is expired and has to be tossed out.”
