by Celia Kyle
Deep brown fur rippled and slipped through his skin, sliding over him to coat his arms and neck. Hints of the hair decorated his cheeks and it looked like the midnight black of his eyes was there to stay.
*
“Mine.”
Nothing could ruin this moment, the culmination of a lifetime of waiting. He had always figured he’d find a suitable female bear and have a few cubs, but this happiness… It had seemed unattainable. Despite his parent’s mating as an example, he hadn’t believed what he would soon hold in his arms was possible.
He’d take her and love her and tie them together forev—
Ty’s thought was cut off by a pouncing Mia. His formerly timid Itana practically mauling him.
Okay that was in his imagination. In reality, she leaned toward him, easing closer until she was within his reach, and he pounced.
Damn it, that didn’t happen either because the shrill ringing of his cell phone sliced through their peace. Ty growled. They weren’t supposed to be interrupted for anything short of the world coming to an end. Since things were still bright and shiny outside, he didn’t think that was about to happen.
His Itana whined and slumped into the pillows. Yeah, Ty wanted to whine a little too. His mouth watered at the thought of getting another taste of her… and more.
The ringing continued while he dug through the scattered blankets and pillows. He’d tossed the thing aside when making their mounds of pillows and never hunted it down. The annoying sound repeated over and over until he answered the call.
“Hello?” He hadn’t even bothered checking caller ID.
“I’m sorry, Itan, but you need to come back.” Van’s words held more than a hint of stress, hell, it held a boatload.
Reacting first, Ty rolled to his feet and headed toward the tailgate. “What happened?”
“The perfect God damned storm.” An echoing roar came through the phone, and he heard his brother respond with one of his own before the phone went dead.
“Fuck.”
“Ty?” Mia’s creamy skin beckoned him, and he couldn’t do a damn thing about it. Any other time, he’d dive between her thighs, claim her, and then happily die there. Any. Other. Fucking. Time.
“Something is happening at the den. I don’t know what, but we need to go.” His words were clipped. He figured he’d owe her an apology later, but his worry had to be for his bears.
Without another word, Mia scrambled toward him. She grabbed her shoes before jumping down from the bed. She didn’t even pause to put on her sandals and simply ran to the passenger door barefoot. Ty was quick to follow her actions, sliding behind the wheel in less than a second.
“We’ll come back for the rest of this shit later.” Ty turned the key, and the engine roared to life. He pressed the pedal down hard and fast, and the truck instantly obeyed. It didn’t look like much, but the old bucket of bolts moved when she needed to. The evidence of their visit flew from the bed, blankets, pillows and trash flying from the open back. Eventually, the umbrella lost its battle with the wind.
Yeah, they’d come back for everything later. Assuming there was a later.
Chapter Twelve
The drive back to the den sent Mia’s heart racing, each bump and jarring thump forcing her heart rate even higher.
Ty gripped the steering wheel tighter and tighter with each passing mile, his knuckles glowing white. More of his fur came out to play with every second until his arms were entirely brown. His mouth had already lengthened and thickened to his bear’s snout while his forehead flattened and widened.
Oh yes, the bear was coming out.
Mia scooted closer to him, wiggling across the bench seat until they sat thigh-to-thigh. She let his touch soothe her nerves while she hoped hers did the same to him. When his shoulders slumped and grip on the wheel eased slightly, she figured it had.
“I don’t know what we’re going into. The last I heard was another bear and my brother going after him.”
“Okay,” she gulped.
“I need you to stay in the truck.” He reached down and squeezed her knee. “I need you safe.”
Mia nodded. “All right.”
Silence remained their only company as they bounced down the hill. The truck tires squealed the moment the rubber hit the asphalt. The back end swung out, vehicle fish-tailing for a moment before Ty wrenched it under control.
They sped past the trees that lined the road, her vision was filled with blurs of green and brown, but her gaze remained firmly on the blacktop before them. She watched the clock, her heart racing faster and faster with each passing minute. Soon they’d be back at the den and could figure out what sort of madness they’d stumbled into.
Eventually she recognized her surroundings, noting the massive boulder where they’d turn right onto a dirt road. It wouldn’t be much longer…
The land lay flat before them and slowly the small specks representing their visitors’ cars grew larger as they approached. Mia didn’t recognize any of them other than those that belonged to Ty’s brothers. A Cadillac was off to one side while a large SUV was on the other.
But it was the two bears between the vehicles that worried her most.
“Holy shit,” she whispered the words. “That’s my father.” She glanced at the dashboard clock and noted the time. “And he’s really, really early.”
“Shit.” Ty slammed on the brakes and brought the truck to a sliding stop that sent gravel spraying. “Who the hell is the other one?”
The strange bear’s fur was light brown with hints of grey and white showing through the coat. It was obvious the animal was older than her dad. It took slow, heavy lumbering steps while her dad’s were more quick and agile. The other’s eyes were dull and cloudy while her father’s were bright and filled with an anger that was foreign to her.
Daddy was pissed.
With a shouted “stay put,” Ty jumped from the truck, slamming the heavy door so hard the entire vehicle shook. The man raced for the two battling bears, tearing off layers of clothing with every step. First the shirt, then the shoes and then his jeans. By the time the last article slipped from his skin, he was already halfway through his shift. Bones and muscles reshaped lightning fast. Fur seemed to burst forth, and his nails transformed into deadly claws between one blink and the next.
She went from watching Ty get naked to staring at an enraged werebear intent on breaking up the fight between the two males.
Stay put? Like heck.
Mia yanked on the door handle and shoved the heavy metal panel wide, hopping from the truck the moment she had enough space. She raced from the vehicle, intent on getting to the two men who held her heart. She made it ten feet, ten feet of worry and running, before another body barreled into her, slamming her to the ground.
“Don’t you even think about it.” The snarled words were deep and filled with deadly intent.
Self-preservation kicked in, demanding she freeze and listen to the massive male atop her. The gravel beneath her palms scraped and scratched her skin, but it was the man crushing her that worried her most.
“Nod if you understand.”
Of course, Mia nodded. The large mass of man holding her down eased some of his weight from her, and she took a chance to glance over her shoulder. It was Keen, but a Keen she’d never seen before. Muscles bulged and flexed all over his body, the harsh, carved lines digging into her. His mouth was a snout, long and thick and covered in near-midnight fur while wicked fangs stretched past his lips. His forehead was flattened, eyes now farther apart. She looked to the hands on either side of her body and shuddered. Fingers were claws, deadly nails now inches long.
Gradually his weight eased, lessening until he rolled to his feet and towered over her. He reached down and hauled her upright while his gaze remained firmly on the ongoing carnage before them.
The older bear continued snarling and clawing at her father, hunting for blood, while her father did the same. The burgundy fluid coated each of their coats, b
lackening the fur and matting the strands to their massive bodies.
Ty raced into the fray, shoving aside her father and then roughly doing the same to the other bear. Her dad didn’t seem to take too kindly to being denied his kill and attacked Ty, turning his enraged attention to the man she’d decided to spend her life with. A ginormous claw scraped down Ty’s side, opening him from shoulder to hindquarter, and Mia couldn’t withhold her scream.
“Ty!” Anguish filled her voice and pain for him raced through her body. She took one step and then another toward the tangle of bears, but it was Keen’s unrelenting grip that stayed her.
“Damn it, Keen.” She yanked against his hold, never tearing her gaze from the battling bears.
The older bear pushed back into the fight, and Ty shoved him, sending him tumbling and stumbling back a half dozen steps and then he turned his attention to her father once again. Blood continued to flow from the gaping wound, and the bears’ focus remained intent on one another. Her dad raised his claw, ready to strike, and she realized Ty wasn’t going to defend himself. He wasn’t going to fight the man who’d raised her.
This time, when she heaved against Keen’s hold, she broke free. One minute she was a captive and then next she was racing across the gravel driveway, screaming as loud as she could.
“Daddy, no!” Sobs choked her voice, so she tried again. She dug deep, hunting within herself for every ounce of energy she possessed and let loose another shout. “No!”
Her father’s downward strike stuttered in mid-air, claw freezing in place, and Mia didn’t slow a bit. No, she moved faster, sandal-clad feet pounding over the loose gravel. She slid across the uneven surface, stumbling until she stood between her father and the man she loved.
“No,” she gasped and fought for breath. Wetness coated her cheeks, tears streaming from her eyes. “No.”
A growl came from behind her, the sound so familiar, and it was answered by the massive bear in front of her. Her father bared his teeth, curling his lip and snarling at Ty.
“No more!” She screamed as loud as she could, fighting to be heard over the growing growls.
Another bear’s sounds joined in, coming from her left. She quickly stooped, grabbed a rock from the ground and threw it at the offending animal. She may not be a skinny model-like woman, but she’d played hard with the boys growing up. One of her favorite games had been baseball. Mia put all of her strength behind the throw, flinging it across the expanse and nailing the bear right between the eyes. Blood immediately welled from the wound she’d inflicted. She glared at the fang-bearing bear and mimicked his snarl.
“I fucking said enough.”
A rolling whine came from her father and she turned back to him, intent on his slow and steady shift. Her dad was getting older which made his shifts a little painful. Arthritis was a witch, he said, and being a bear didn’t make it any different.
Before long, he was on his hands and knees, panting. Some of the scrapes he’d received were now healed, a few deeper ones still bright pink against his pale skin.
His first words to her was actually a single word. One she should have expected. “Language.”
Mia rolled her eyes and turned away from him and back to Ty. He narrowed his eyes, his bear glaring at her, but she didn’t care. He was hurt and in pain, his expression telling her without words how much agony he was in. She cradled his snout, running her fingers along its length.
“Are you going to shift back for me, Itan?” She ran her fingers along the top of his nose.
A snarl came from somewhere, and she glanced around to find the source. So help her, she would fling rocks all dang day if that’s what it took. Her gaze landed on the bear she’d injured earlier, but he was handling the graying werebear currently shifting back to his human form.
Satisfied the bear she’d hurt was on her side and the greying bear was being watched, she focused on Ty once again. She leaned down and pressed a kiss to his bloodied nose. “You’re injured. Shift so I can take care of my Itan.”
A bright ray of hope entered his eyes and she nodded, answering his unasked question. Did he think she’d take the words back after witnessing him fight her dad? Hardly. Bears were bloody creatures. She didn’t like it, but it was true. A bone-shaking tremble overtook him, the movements transferring to her, and then she was faced with a bloodied and naked Ty.
The crunch and shift of gravel reminded her that she stood between two men she loved the most. And they’d been trying to kill each other moments before. Great.
“Keen.” She raised her voice slightly, and the still half-shifted bear was at her side in an instant.
“Itana?”
“Can you help my father into the house?”
“I don’t need no help,” her dad grumbled, but she knew he’d take the assistance anyway.
Besides, she was going to help one of the two men and she sure as heck didn’t want to be cuddled up to her naked father. Slipping beneath Ty’s arm, she turned him and urged him toward the house.
“You shouldn’t have done that.” His voice was low and strained. The wound had begun the healing process but it was far from over.
“Uh-huh. And have the two men I love more than life kill each other?” She snorted and then coughed when she realized what she’d said.
“You love me.” The man sounded so darned smug about it, too.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she sniffed.
A bellow followed them into the house. “Who is the other man you were fighting and who the heck did I bean with that rock?”
“I have no idea who you’re talking about and Isaac.” He groaned when she lowered him into one of the kitchen chairs. A grunt came from her father seated nearby. She glanced over to find Gigi poking and prodding him but not rushing around so she figured he couldn’t be too hurt. Which meant she could focus on Ty.
“Ty?”
“I’m fine.” He sighed. “You love me.” His grin was goofy, but his face still bore the evidence of his pain.
“I’ll never say it again if you don’t tell me what I wanna know and let me patch you up.” She snared a wet washrag from the pile Gigi had plopped in the middle of the table.
“Aw, Mia,” Ty whined.
“You might as well give in. She’s damn stubborn.”
Mia dropped the cloth in Ty’s lap and straightened to glare at her father. “I’m damn stubborn?”
“Language.” Her father grunted, and she glared.
“I’ll give you some language, you old coot. You damn near gutted Ty!”
“Language.”
“I will put you in an old folks home so fast it’ll burn your fur off.” She ground her teeth and glared at him.
Mia’s dad glared back at her. “He got between me and my kill. I called it damn it. Challenged the man. Was gonna win, too, until that male of yours got in the middle. The world would be a better place without that piece of shit.”
She growled and flicked her attention between her father and Ty. “Will someone tell me who the frick that was and why the driveway seemed like a good place to do battle?”
Isaac shuffled into the kitchen, rubbing his forehead and wincing as he made his way into the room. He turned to her with a half-smile. “Nice aim. Hurts like a bitch though.”
“Language,” her dad grumbled once again and Mia sighed.
“Thank you.” She kinda felt bad for beaning him, but not really. “Well, is anyone gonna answer my question?”
Isaac spoke up first. “Parker’s great uncle.”
Mia froze, heart no longer beating and the air in her lungs turned to ice. She turned toward Ty, searching for his support, and he granted it without question. Suddenly his arms were around her, his hand urging her to lay her head against his chest.
“And Mia’s grandfather. That’s why I was doing my best to kill him.” A growl followed her dad’s words.
“We had days. You said we had days. I heard you. You said later.” Her body had gone
back into motion and then some. Now her heart raced, and adrenaline flooded her veins. An uncomfortable silence surrounded her, but she couldn’t stop the babbling. The words poured from her, filling the quiet in the kitchen. “He’s ours. He won’t take him. Tell him, Ty. Parker’s ours now. We’re keeping him.”
“Shh… Your father and I will figure it out. Trust me.” Any other time, and with any other man, she would have laughed at the absurdity of the order. Instead, with Ty, she immediately calmed. He said he’d figure it out and he would. “Here, take a sip of this, you’re shaking.”
Mia gladly took the juice, the orange liquid fresh and sweet against her tongue. It slid down her throat easily, and she savored every drop, including the bits that were a little bitter. Bits? “Ty, I think… this… is…”
*
Mia slumped into his arms, her body going from tense to dead weight in half a second. “How much did you give her, Gigi?”
The older woman looked at him with a single eyebrow raised. “Enough.” She waved him away. “Go put her in bed, shower, and put some clothes on.”
Half-ignoring her, he turned to Isaac. “Where are Van and Keen?”
“Van is keeping an eye on Robert, the Cutler Itan, while Keen is on a teleconference with the Southeast Itan and his second-in-command.”
That had him stiffening in his seat. “What?”
His brother placed a hand on his shoulder. “It’s fine. We keep treating him like he’s five, but Keen knows more about clan law and the dozen ways Robert has shot it all to hell. I really think you need to make him the clan’s keeper when this is done.”
“Keeper?” The Grayslake clan hadn’t had a keeper of the knowledge in decades. His father had always told him that Grandpa never had one, he hadn’t had one, and there was no reason for Ty to have one.
Maybe it was time to stop living beneath his father’s edicts.
“We can talk about it.”
“Good. Keen is more than capable of presenting evidence and explaining what happened. That’ll give you all time to clean up.”
“Listen to him, boy.” The gruff voice belonged to Mia’s father, Thomas.
