Bear Guardian

by Ruby Shae

  If he wanted to be with her, too, then she wasn’t going to worry about how they would work it all out.

  ***

  Jacob couldn’t help but smile when Avery wrapped her arm around his bicep and leaned into him slightly. She hadn’t come out and said the exact words, but he knew she was worried about what would happen in the following days.

  He wished he could reassure her with words, and though he’d tried to a point, he knew action was what she really needed. Luckily, he was ready for the task.

  Somethings would be complicated until he told her about his bear, but until then, he’d already made plans with Logan to cut back some of his workload. As the Enforcer Second for his clan, he would always have a wealth of responsibilities, but as with all of them, getting mated changed everything.

  The thing that bothered him the most was how to tell her. He hated keeping part of himself a secret, but in the beginning, it didn’t seem like the right time, and now, even though it had only been a few days, it seemed like he should have told her ages ago.

  Of course, ultimately, he was waiting until he was sure of her feelings, but even then, his declaration could completely change her mind. He liked how things were progressing between them, but in the back of his mind, he still wondered if she really was completely over her ex.

  She’d known the man through most of her important years, and she was still in her twenties—ten years younger than him—and that was the time when mistakes were made. Hell, they were even expected.

  What if she thought him the mistake instead of her ex.

  God, Jacob hated the uncertainty in his line of thinking, but he also knew his thoughts held merit. People usually didn’t turn off emotions like a switch, although, in fairness, Avery had said that the affection she’d held for her ex had waned a long time ago. And he had enough experience dealing with people to know that some did have the ability to shut down their emotions after one monumental event—even if it was only monumental to them.

  Beneath the surface, his bear grunted and paced back and forth. The animal didn’t like waiting to claim it’s mate, and he didn’t like the man’s wayward thoughts. In his primal world, things were easy, and males didn’t ask so many questions. When they found their mate, they claimed her. Period. It was humans who made everything so complicated.

  Jacob couldn’t help but smile at his bear’s assessment. It was partly true, of course, but while he could imagine sinking his canines into his mate’s beautiful skin, he couldn’t imagine clonking her over the head and forcing her into his world.

  He was both man and bear, and he needed to find a common ground.

  Just then, he glanced out the window and stiffened.

  Avery’s ex was walking through the parking lot toward the entrance of the coffee house.

  “What is it?”

  Before Avery’s whispered words even reached his ears, Tobias had straightened and started looking for the threat. Jacob wanted blood, and he could feel his bear’s roar threatening to release from this throat.

  At least he and his bear could agree on this.

  They both wanted Avery’s ex out of the picture for good.

  Because he didn’t trust his voice, Jacob nodded in the direction of the man. He didn’t have to explain to Tobias because his friend already knew about David, and while Tobias relaxed a fraction, Avery just rolled her eyes.

  “Oh, geez,” she laughed. “You nearly scared me half to death. I thought we were about to be attacked or something.”

  “We are,” he growled.

  “Hardly,” she laughed. “He probably won’t even talk to us, and if he does, it will be something stupid. The only threat to us is the few minutes we’ll lose while he runs his mouth.”

  Tobias smiled, and Layla gave her a high five.

  “Avery, you’re awesome,” Layla laughed.

  Layla’s approval of Avery went a long way toward easing some of his anxiety, but he knew it wouldn’t go away completely until the man was retreating from the shop.

  His bear wanted to force the man to turn away, but his human side knew that wasn’t the right course of action. Besides, he needed to see how his mate reacted to her ex. Her behavior toward the man could change everything.

  When the bell on the shop door rang, Layla got up to take her place behind the counter, and Tobias followed. Honestly, the wolf followed his mate around more times than not, but Jacob knew this time was different. Jacob considered David to be a threat, and that was enough for Tobias.

  Layla would get Tobias’ protection from this particular customer whether she needed it or not—and honestly, she didn’t need it. Layla had been training with him and Logan for over twenty years. The she-bear could definitely take care of herself.

  Unlike Avery.

  His mate wasn’t a fighter, and had never been trained to take down a monster intent on killing her. She hadn’t needed those skills, but if she agreed to be his mate, she would get them. Bear training included lots of self-defense exercises, and she’d learn it all once she accepted his mark.

  The need to mark her now—to claim her in front of the loser—rode him hard, so he did the next best thing. He placed his hand on the nape of her neck, pulled her close, and pressed his lips against hers.

  Everything inside told him to kiss her hard, to claim her in this small way for the world to see, but he knew Avery wouldn’t appreciate the assault. At least not in public, and he didn’t want to embarrass her, either.

  Somehow, he managed to remain gentle and calm, but when he went to pull away, Avery kissed him again before letting him go. Her kiss was equally as soft as his, but the fact that she’d kissed him back, and again, went a long way toward calming his inner beast.

  “Avery?”

  The loser’s voice was so close it made Jacob’s blood boil, but Avery squeezed his hand and smiled before looking up at her ex. He looked up, too, but he refused to smile.

  “Hey, David.”

  She started to turn back, but the loser kept talking.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Drinking coffee.” Though the word “moron” was left off the end of her sentence, it was implied, and even her ex didn’t miss the intended insult. “What about you?”

  “It looks like you’re doing more than that,” he sneered. “Since when are you into public displays of affection?”

  “Since now,” she stated, deadpan. “Not that it’s any of your business.”

  “You’re right,” he shrugged. “If you want to swap spit in public like a fucking whore then it is none of my business.”

  Avery’s eyes widened at the insult, but before she could say anything, Jacob stood up so fast his chair flew several feet away from him. Nobody spoke to his mate that way, especially not her loser ex. He took one step toward the guy, but Tobias’ hand on his chest stopped him from taking another.

  “You need to leave,” Tobias said to David. “Now. And don’t even think about ever coming back in here again.”

  Apparently, David wasn’t as stupid as he seemed, because after a quick glance between him and Tobias, he turned to leave.

  “See you later, Avery.”

  Okay, he was exactly that stupid.

  Jacob moved to take another step, but Avery stood and wrapped her arms around his waist. Even though Tobias’ hand still rested on his chest, she laid her head there as well.

  “Let him go,” she whispered. “He’s an ass, and he’s just egging you on.”

  “He called you a whore,” he growled.

  “Yeah, but I don’t want you to go to jail for murder because of it,” she said, looking up at him. She smiled, and he was reminded once again of how much she owned him. “He’s obviously beyond stupid, and he’s gone. Just let him go.”

  “Smart girl,” Tobias said, dropping his hand. “And level-headed, too. A lot like you usually are.”

  Jacob didn’t miss the teasing in Tobias’ voice, and neither did Avery. Her eyes glittered in the bright lights from
the shop, and he liked what he saw in the pretty green depths.

  Another thing he liked was the fact that she’d basically insinuated he would have murdered her ex for calling her a horrible name, and yet, she wasn’t worried about the loser at all. No, she only cared about his well-being, and her silent declaration went a long way toward soothing his bear.

  “We have to get up early tomorrow,” she said, rising up on her tip-toes to kiss his chin. “Let’s go home and go to bed.”

  She kissed up his jaw to his ear, and then gently grabbed his lobe between her teeth. When he let out a low growl, and playfully swatted her ass, she laughed and stepped out of his embrace.

  “Goodnight guys,” she said, grabbing their coffee cups, and heading toward the door.

  “Goodnight,” Layla and Tobias laughed in unison.

  Jacob ignored his friends, and followed his mate.

  Chapter Five

  Avery glanced at the caller ID on her cell, and pressed the button to ignore the call. It had been five days since the confrontation with her ex at the coffee house, and his calls had started that same night.

  Jacob had been furious when the shrill of her phone had woken them up in the middle of the night, but she’d been even more pissed off.

  Not only had he called her a whore in front of Jacob and her new friends—something she hadn’t been prepared for—but he actually had the audacity to think she would accept another lousy night with him when she was obviously with Jacob.

  Of course, that was the real reason for his call. Even though he’d dumped her, for another woman no less, he couldn’t stand to see her with someone else. His insanely huge ego wouldn’t allow it, and that was the laughable part. If she had been alone in the shop, he probably wouldn’t have bothered her at all, and the truth of that thought annoyed her even more.

  She’d been beyond stupid to stay involved with him for so long, and she wanted him out of her life for good. She picked up her phone and did what she should have done years ago.

  She blocked his number.

  An invisible weight lifted off her shoulders, and she was happy to have the closure, even if it was only one sided. In her heart she knew she never wanted to talk to the loser again.

  Jacob, however, she did want to talk to, and she opened up her message app to read his last text.

  Whatever worries she’d had about what would happen when they both went back to work had been unfounded. Though they didn’t go out every night, which was fine with her, she did see him every night, and it wasn’t always about sex. It was about being a couple, and she loved it.

  I love him!

  The thought shocked her, but only for a moment. Deep down, she knew she loved him, but it was the first time she’d admitted it to herself. The best part was, she was pretty sure Jacob loved her back. Even though they’d only been dating a couple of weeks, his words and actions screamed of forever.

  Granted, she didn’t have a lot of experience in the long-term department, but Jacob was different from anyone she’d ever known—in addition to his special abilities—and she believed in him.

  She reread his last text and smiled.

  It was a few simple words to let her know he had an important work issue to deal with, and that he’d be running a few minutes late for dinner, but they were his words, and they were perfect.

  She glanced at the time, and started cleaning off her desk.

  In order to get caught up from the week, and to get a jump on the following week, she’d stayed after school and worked on grading papers and preparing her lesson plans. It had been a longer day, but she preferred to stay longer one day a week instead of adding on an hour or two every day.

  She had just finished zipping her bag when she heard someone step into her room. Normally she didn’t worry about being alone in the building after six on a Friday night, but a slither of fear raced down her spine. When she looked up to see her ex blocking the door, that fear escalated.

  She didn’t understand it, she’d never been afraid of him before, but her instincts told her to run. Because that wasn’t possible, she opted for calm instead.

  “Hey David,” she smiled. “You startled me. What are you doing here?”

  “I need to talk to you,” he said, stepping further into the room, “and you won’t take my calls.”

  “Sorry, I’ve been busy,” she said, “but this isn’t a place to talk. In fact, you can’t be here. You’re not a student, parent, or staff member, so you’re technically trespassing.”

  “Let’s go back to your place then,” he said. “I really want to talk.”

  Um…no.

  That was never going to happen. She knew he didn’t really want to talk, but that that twinge of fear still lingered, and she could think of only one way to get him to leave her alone for good.

  “I’m not going home, but if you want to talk, we can get a drink at Cafe Maria. I have a couple other things to do here, but I can meet you in the bar in about thirty minutes.”

  “Thirty minutes? Can’t we just go now? What am I supposed to do while I wait for you for thirty whole minutes?”

  Seriously? What did she ever see in this guy?

  “No, we can’t go now, and do whatever you want to do. It’s not my problem. If you want to talk, then that’s when I can talk. Take it or leave it.”

  Leave it. Leave it. Leave it.

  “Fine,” he reluctantly agreed. “I’ll see you in half an hour.”

  He turned to leave, and Avery breathed out a small sigh of relief, but it was very tiny. Now that she’d lied about not being ready to leave, she had a few more minutes to waste, and she still had to walk to her car alone. Normally, that wouldn’t bother her, but she wasn’t one hundred percent sure David would actually leave even though he’d said he would.

  She picked up her phone and thought about texting Jacob, but she knew he was busy with work, and she didn’t want to bother him. Now that he was gone, her feelings about David seemed silly, and either way, she knew she would see Jacob at the restaurant in a few minutes.

  That’s the reason she told David to meet her there.

  He’d have about five minutes to talk before Jacob got there, and then she would tell him to leave, and hopefully she’d never have to talk to him again.

  ***

  Avery walked into the restaurant, and immediately spotted David sitting at the bar. He was chatting up a pretty blonde, and though she’d seen him in action before, she wanted to roll her eyes when the woman let out a loud laugh at something he said.

  Honestly, her ex just wasn’t that funny, and she still didn’t understand why he’d once appealed to her—or any woman—in the first place. Luckily, she no longer cared, and hopefully their meeting would be even shorter now that he was engaged with someone else.

  She sat at the bar on the other side of him and the blond so she could watch the door, and to her surprise, David turned and gave her his full attention.

  “I’m so glad you’re here, Avery,” he said. “I’ve missed you so much.”

  “No, you haven’t,” she laughed. She would have said more, but he kept talking.

  “I have, and I want another chance. I got a new job that’s going to bring in lots of money, and I want to share it all with you.”

  Right.

  She wasn’t even addressing the “another chance” statements, but she did wonder what type of dumb job he had lined up this time. Over the years he’d come at her with all kinds of get-rich schemes, and she couldn’t help but ask what dumb thing he was doing now.

  “What’s the job?”

  “Bear Hunter.”

  He was hunting bears now? What the hell?

  The same twinge of fear she’d felt in her office settled over her as she thought about Jacob and his special abilities. Did David know about Jacob? Was he trying to kill Jacob? Could he? She needed to know more.

  “Bear hunter? You mean a poacher? Because hunting bears is illegal.”

  “It’s only illegal if y
ou get caught, and I won’t get caught. A woman I met online wants a lot of bear skins, and she’s willing to pay a ton up front to get them. I’m meeting her at the club tomorrow night for a big payment, and then she’ll pay me double that for every bear skin I bring her.”

  “Why?” she asked, trying to remain calm. “Why does she want bear skins?”

  “Who the hell knows?” David laughed. “Maybe she wants wall-to-wall bear carpeting. I have no idea. All I know is I’m going to be rolling in a ton of cash very soon.”

  Some of her anxiety lifted because she was sure he didn’t know about Jacob, and yet, she couldn’t relax knowing he’d be out in the forest wielding a gun at any type of animal, especially bears.

  “David, don’t do this. Meeting someone like this over the internet isn’t safe, and what she’s asking you to do isn’t smart or legal. You’re going to get killed or arrested.”

  “You worry too much,” he laughed. “I got this. Everything will be fine. You’ll see. Let’s go back to your place now.”

  “No, we’re not a thing anymore, remember? I’m with Jacob now, and you’re with Carmen, and even if I wasn’t with him, we still wouldn’t be going back to my place. We’re over.”

  “Carmen dumped me, just like he’ll dump you,” he sneered. “We belong together. No one will stick by you like I have.”

  “We had sex,” she reminded him. “We were never together.”

  “Semantics,” he shrugged. “You’ll be alone and calling me soon.”

  “No, I won’t,” she stood. She was done talking to this idiot.

  “Right,” he said, sticking out his leg to block her path. “It’s easy to be brave with another cock filling your cunt, but trust me. Your boyfriend will dump your fat ass by the end of the month, and you’ll be begging me to fuck you. But so will everyone else because I’ll be loaded by then, and frankly, you’re a lousy lay. I’d literally chose any other slut to fuck over you, so you’d better take what you can get now, because pretty soon I won’t be so generous.”