Bound to the Bear

by Kathy Lyons

  “What happened to the sister?”

  “She’s gone, too. What we didn’t realize is that before being captured, sis sent all her stuff to her brother. He never manifested as a shifter and always wanted to. Worse, his wife never believed, so he got it in his head to…”

  Cecilia exhaled loudly. “To tell everyone. Get as many people as he could to believe so that she would finally see.” It wasn’t phrased as a question, but Alyssa answered it anyway.

  “Yeah. That conference in New York wasn’t his only attempt at getting the word out. He tried multiple times to tell his boss at Pfizer with the usual minor disasters: flu bug, electrical outage, lost data. Then he printed everything on paper, called a meeting of all the higher-ups, and got hit by a car on the way to the meeting.”

  Hank winced even though he knew all this information already. Still, it sucked to know the truth and despite every attempt to get the information out, magic made sure he was treated as a fool.

  “He ended up fired when he distributed copies of his paper anyway. From there, he tried teaching high school science, but he kept trying to talk to the kids about werewolves.”

  Now Cecilia was cringing. “That couldn’t have gone well.”

  “It didn’t. He was fired, which is when Emory Wolf got his paws into him. He had his sister’s notes by then and was getting ready to present his paper at the big conference in New York.”

  “Where he got food poisoning.”

  “And his wife left him. That was when he went completely bonkers.”

  Double whammy. Lost his career and his family in the same week.

  “So he decided to infect the entire city?” Cecilia asked. “Why?”

  “Near as we can tell, he hoped to make enough shifters that it couldn’t be kept secret anymore.”

  Then Simon pressed the point. “It destroyed him, killed a ton of people, and all because he thought he was smarter than magic.” He stopped speaking then, but his gaze was heavy on Cecilia.

  Hank wanted to cross to her, to wrap his arm around her in support. He wanted her to know that he would care for her no matter what, but she had to see the example in Dr. Oltheten. He didn’t want to distract her from the lesson. Brainiacs always thought they could outsmart everything. People, acts of nature, and magic. It had destroyed the Oltheten siblings, and he desperately hoped she would learn from their disaster.

  He watched her closely, hoping for a clue as to which way she would jump. And in the end, she set down her tablet.

  “This goes against everything I’ve ever believed. You know that, right?”

  Simon nodded. “We know.”

  Cecilia didn’t answer, and as the seconds ticked away, Hank felt his gut clench and his blood pressure rise. She was playing with her life. Dr. Oltheten had ultimately died from a heart attack because he couldn’t live with the world’s blindness. He didn’t want that for her. He needed her to be alive and safe. So when the silence stretched too long, he stepped forward.

  At first, he didn’t think she’d accept his touch, but she didn’t draw away. Their fingers entwined, and she gripped him with bruising force, but she kept her eyes and her body away from him.

  “Dr. Lu…” Simon began, a warning in his voice.

  “I won’t publish, but I don’t have to like it.”

  Hank spoke for the first time. “What if you could publish? To a shifter journal. I know it won’t win you the Nobel prize—”

  “Or any career recognition,” Alyssa added.

  “But it would get the information out to shifters everywhere. And they’re the ones who need it.”

  Cecilia didn’t answer, but she did lift her head. In that moment, Simon pushed the advantage. “I’ve been thinking about that exact thing, Dr. Lu. Shifters need a clearinghouse for scientific information. Dr. Sherilyn does what she can, but she’s only one person and she has responsibilities to the university. But what about you?”

  Cecilia frowned. “What about me?”

  “Would you like a job running a shifter CDC? All the clans would pay to cover your costs. You could sort through the data we gather, pick projects to fund or even research yourself. You want to dig into our biology, don’t you? And we need someone to help with shifter specific problems. You might not win a Nobel prize, but you would—”

  “Save all of us,” Hank said, when he really meant, save him. Because the idea that she might live and work here gave him hope that they could build a great life together. Here in Detroit.

  He searched her face, praying that she was reaching for the same solution he saw. The exact job Simon was offering. He could see that she was thinking about it. She got a softness in her mouth as her brows narrowed over her eyes. But just when he thought she’d say yes, she pulled her fingers away from his.

  “Two job offers in one day,” she said. “I don’t know what to think.”

  The first job offer hadn’t been an offer at all, but a kidnapping by the wolves. That she equated the two set Hank’s teeth on edge. Simon’s, too, but neither pressed it. It was nearly dawn and they’d all been running full tilt for much too long.

  “Well,” Simon finally said, “let us know—”

  Alyssa’s curse interrupted his words and the alpha’s head snapped over to study his mate.

  “What is it?”

  Alyssa looked up, dread in her expression. “I just noticed the time. Detective Kennedy hasn’t checked in. He’s forty-three minutes late.”

  Simon’s expression flattened. “Call him.”

  She held up her phone. “Just did. Voice mail. He’s probably off on one of his hunches again.” She didn’t look like she fully believed it, but then again, she didn’t know Ryan like Hank did. The man only loosely followed any type of authority and had paid the price for that more than once. But that was before Simon took over. Except the new alpha didn’t seem to like the detective’s independent streak any more than Nanook had.

  “Doesn’t anyone follow orders around here?” Simon groused.

  Alyssa arched a skeptical brow. “The minute there’s a US military sign above our door, then you can expect standard protocol. Otherwise, as far as I’m concerned, you’re all a bunch of cats and just as impossible to herd.”

  “We’re bears,” Simon grumbled, though there was humor in his tone.

  “That only makes you bigger and more surly.”

  It was the normal banter between those two. Grumpy on one end, snarky on the other. Personally, Hank liked it, but it wasn’t his place to comment especially when his alpha gave him a direct order.

  “Hank, get home, get some rest. I’m going to need you full strength very soon. There’s a war coming with wolves and you’re my only medic.”

  Hank nodded and was about to salute when Cecilia started. “A war? What do you mean?”

  Simon turned to her. “Your part is done, Dr. Lu. You’ve solved the medical crisis, but the wolves still have boxes of that poison. Dr. Oltheten merely created the serum. Emory Wolf is the one dumping it into the water supply. We’ve got to stop him.”

  “But the police—”

  “Detective Kennedy is the police, and one of us. But I don’t want to send normals against a pack of crazed werewolves who are trying to poison the city. Do you?”

  Cecilia’s cheeks colored, and she shook her head. “No, of course not. I just thought…”

  “You thought it was over, and it is for you, but it isn’t for us.” His tone dropped to a serious note. “And it isn’t for Hank, either. I’m going to need him.”

  She paled and again, Hank wanted to wrap her in his arms. Hell, he needed the comfort, too. The last thing he wanted was to step into another war. He left the military because he was sick of the violence. But Simon was right, there was no one in the city except the Griz who could take on a pack of psycho werewolves.

  He opened his mouth to say something, but Cecilia held up her hand. “I get it,” she said, her voice tight. “I don’t like it, but I get it.”

  And she
wanted no part of it. She didn’t say that last sentence, but Hank heard it loud and clear. And wasn’t that the last nail in his coffin? Because they might have found a way through if she could still have her science. But now she was looking at staying with a man who was steeped in violence. He wouldn’t blame her one bit for blocking him entirely out of her life.

  Meanwhile, Simon had no more time for them. He turned to Alyssa and the tablet she held up to him. “Who have we got who can give back up? Where’s Vic?”

  Hank turned his back on the conversation, more interested in what Cecilia wanted to do. She’d dropped her hand but her back was rigidly tight.

  “You don’t have to make a decision tonight…” he started, but the words froze when she shot him a look.

  “Ever try not thinking about something, Hank?”

  He had. He was. He was trying to not think about her leaving for the CDC in Atlanta. So he tried a different tack. “Will you let me take you to my home? Will you let me protect you while you sleep?”

  Her lips twisted into a pale shadow of a smile. “And when will you sleep? Who will protect you?”

  Not a real question, except apparently in her mind. “I’ll be fine,” he said, “as long as you’re safe.” It wasn’t a lie. A very deep part of him knew that to be the absolute truth.

  “And if you’re dead in a war? Then who will keep me safe?”

  He flashed her a weak smile. “I’m trying not to think about that.”

  She chuckled. A sweet, mellow sound completely at odds with her words. “Let’s go. I don’t want to talk about us here anyway.”

  Talk about us? Words that struck terror in every man’s heart.

  Chapter 23

  Cecilia didn’t question Hank’s assumption that she’d go home with him. Where else would she go? Her hotel room was wrecked, and the idea of finding another one just left her cold. She didn’t want to be alone; she wanted to be with him. And the minute she stepped into his apartment, she knew this was the place for her.

  Zen peace, plants everywhere, and the scent of him clean and strong. His personality and his quiet pervaded everything and that was just what she wanted right then. Well, that plus him with her. Safe, not in a war, and holding her through the night.

  Her breath caught at the thought of that, of living here with him. She’d need an office for her work, but his quiet presence would be everywhere and that would fill a well inside her that she hadn’t even known was empty until a couple days ago. Eventually they’d have a nursery for their child, probably at a new place. Somewhere near a park where a little girl could run wild or a boy could jump from trees into his father’s arms.

  The image ached in her heart. She wanted it so desperately that her eyes searched out the window for the nearest patch of green. Hank was setting her luggage down next to his bed, but he heard her breath catch. He turned to her, a question in his dark eyes, and she swallowed.

  She had to talk to him. She had to tell him the truth about their bonding, but she didn’t want to risk losing him. What if he found out that their bond was fake? That it would disappear in a couple days? Would he wait out the time and then set her free? On paper they had nothing in common, but she couldn’t believe how well she fit with him. When she got intense, he kept her centered. When she was attacked, he kept her safe. When she was afraid, he was there, even in her thoughts. And when magic happened anywhere in her life, it was because he was with her.

  What if he took that magic away? What would she do then? Her life before meeting him seemed so empty and dull. She was still fighting her fears when he stepped right in front of her. He entwined his fingers with hers and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

  “It’s okay, Cecilia. You’re safe here.”

  “I know.” He always kept her safe.

  “Whatever you have to say, I can take it. It’ll be okay. We’ll figure it out.”

  Would they? Together? God, she hoped so.

  He pulled her to sit on the bed. It was so tempting to just lay down. She’d sink into the mattress, he’d wrap his arms around her, and she’d have him for a little bit longer. But when she started leaning toward the pillow, he touched her chin.

  “We can sleep now. God knows you need it. But will you sleep well? Can you tell me—”

  “The poison in the water lasts about two days in the body.”

  He stared at her, and no wonder. She’d just blurted out a random fact like it was the end of the world. It was, but he’d need to understand the rest. “This crap they put in the water…it doesn’t just make shifters aggressive. It heightens all their emotions. Anger becomes fury. Joy become ecstasy.” She swallowed and forced the next words out. “Attraction becomes bonding.” She touched his face. “Your connection to me, this deep need…it’s not magic. It’s biochemical. And it’ll go away…” She shrugged. “Pretty soon now, I think. I know you haven’t had any city water since we met, but you drank it before, right? Before you knew about the taint.”

  Her words came out very fast. It was the only way she could tell him that he wasn’t in love with her. That what he felt wasn’t real. Because, damn it, what she felt was vividly real. She wanted to spend her life in his arms. She wanted to have his babies. And she wanted to sleep beside him every night and wake to his smile every morning.

  And why the hell was he just sitting there staring at her when her world was ending?

  “Hank?”

  He touched a finger to her forehead, spinning it in circles at her temple. “Your brain is working very fast right now, isn’t it?”

  “What?”

  “You’re thinking all sorts of things.”

  She nodded. Of course, she was. She’d just told the love of her life that his feelings weren’t real.

  “Cecilia, I need you to listen to me very carefully, okay?”

  She nodded.

  “I haven’t had Detroit water for years. I hate the taste of it in anything. I use bottled water for everything except the shower.” He touched her chin, tilting her head up to meet his gaze. “The poison doesn’t go in through the skin, does it?”

  “No. You have to drink it, and not just a little bit.”

  “I guess I’m in love with you for real then.” He stroked his thumb across her lips, making them plump with a tingling fire. “I love you, Cecilia. It’s not biochemistry. I don’t even think it’s the magic. It’s real love because you’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever met.”

  “I am?”

  He chuckled. “You make me smile.”

  She reared back. “That’s it? You’re in love because I make you smile? Why aren’t you married to Comedy Central, then?”

  He grinned. “Because I want you. I want your brilliance and your intensity in my life. I want you to tease me when I’m too serious and let me feed you when you forget. I want to protect you, and hold you, and do lots of other wonderful things with you.” He waggled his eyebrows, and his eyes seemed to glow in the early morning light. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too,” she whispered.

  Then it was time for him to start thinking. She could see it in his eyes. The way his gaze seemed to rove over her face as if he were looking for the answer there when she’d just said it out loud.

  “Are…are you sure?” he asked. “I’m…my life right now is pretty scary.”

  She nodded. “I’m terrified for you, but that doesn’t change how I feel. I need you in my life. I need your calm center and your magical smile. There it is!”

  His lips had curved, and she loved it so much she traced it with her fingers.

  “I know it doesn’t make sense. We just met a couple days ago when you kidnapped me.” She frowned. “You kidnapped me!”

  “It was the only way,” he said, an apology in his eyes. “And I was under orders.”

  “I know.” She pressed her lips to his. He clung to her mouth as she teased across his. And when she pulled back, she stroked his face. “I can’t make sense of it, but I know it’s true. I love yo
u. Will you…Can we…” Hell, what exactly was she trying to ask? “I want to stay in Detroit for a while. I want to stay with you and make this work.”

  “Yes,” he said, almost before she stopped asking. “Yes, yes.”

  “Then you can’t die in this war with the werewolves.”

  He didn’t laugh off her words but took them seriously. “I’m very careful,” he said softly. “And I’m very good.”

  Yeah, she knew that. She’d seen that every minute they’d been together. But suddenly, she wasn’t so interested in discussing this anymore. He loved her, and it wasn’t because of some poison in the water. She loved him, and it wasn’t because of some magical bond. It was because he was magical, and they fit together perfectly.

  So she kissed him again, this time using her tongue to tease at the edges of his lips. He responded with a low growl. He clutched her head as he thrust into her mouth. What started as a tease became a hot invasion. Their tongues dueled, and her body heated to inferno.

  She let herself fall backward onto the bed, bringing him with her. He never left her mouth, but his hands no longer needed to hold her in place. They started to rove down her sides and underneath her tunic. She tugged at his tee, trying to drag it off him without breaking their kiss.

  In the end, they had to split apart. He rolled to his side, his breath fast and tight. “I know you’re tired, but—”

  “Get naked now.”

  He arched a brow at her order, but didn’t argue. While she stripped, he shucked his clothing. And then they just looked at each other. She was seated naked on the bed as she admired him in the early light. Sculpted muscles, sleek and dark, and touched with rose from the dawn. His penis thrust forward, large and proud, but it was his eyes that drew her the most. She saw steadiness there, even in the grip of passion. And she saw magic in him. The animal that prowled closer to her, setting one hand and then a knee on the bed and the man in him who touched her with gentleness and understood her in a way no one ever had.