by Bianca D'Arc
She sniffed again, calling on her inner bear’s knowledge of scents. Was he trying to trick her? The bear said no. But then… What in the world?
He scooched closer again and lifted her hand with his. The tingles came again, more intense this time.
“I’m serious, Patricia. I would like to take you to dinner, or just be with you, to talk. To get to know each other better.” His voice dropped lower, so that only she would hear his words. “My animal recognized the strength in you as a possible match to itself. I know we’re not the same, but I’ve never been more serious about wanting to investigate a very intriguing possibility.”
He was so mysterious. So sexy. So…Latin. Ay, caramba. She was falling for his Latin lover routine. Hook, line and sinker.
Much as she didn’t want to, she pulled her hand free from his and stood. Van was coming down the hallway and she had to get herself together before the other bear recognized her confusion.
Van was looking through some papers and stopped when he reached her. He glanced from her to Mario and back again, but made no comment other than to nod at Mario in greeting.
“Thanks again for your help, Mr. Brandon.” Van held out a hand to shake and Mario stood, reaching past Patty to return the gesture.
“No problem, and call me Mario.” Patty was relieved when the handshake ended and Mario’s warmth retreated. Wasn’t she?
“Ty says you’re planning to stay for a while.” Van phrased the statement as a question.
“Yeah, for a while. I’m renting the place on Waverly for a couple of months at least,” Mario replied, surprising her. She hadn’t realized the foreign shifter was going to be in town that long. Maybe he was serious about pursuing her.
She wasn’t sure what to think about that. Was he after a short-term hookup? Or was the cat looking for something more permanent? Dare she take the chance to find out?
“Well, we can get your statement down and then you can go,” Van shuffled through the forms in his hands. “And Pat, you stay away from Greg for now.”
Her bear wanted to growl, but Van was one of the few people it would listen to. It understood—for now—that the Itan had to pass judgment. Patty was confident that Ty would do the right thing. She had faith in his sense of justice.
She nodded her agreement, but didn’t reply. It was enough. Van nodded back.
“You might as well take some time off to help keep an eye on Maryann. I think she needs you more than we do for the moment, and you’ve got a lot of personal time stacked up. Probably a good reason to use some of it,” Van observed.
“Thanks, Enforcer.” She used his clan title since nobody else could hear them. No human, at least.
“If you need any help with her, you know where to find me.” Van turned back to Mario after a brief, sympathetic look. “How about we finish up this paperwork so you can be on your way?”
Mario followed the deputy down the hall, though it really seemed like he wanted to stay. He didn’t embarrass her in front of her superior officer though, which counted in his favor, though she sensed he wanted to say something that would tip Van off to the nature of what they’d been discussing when the deputy walked up.
Patty breathed a sigh of relief. Close one. The last thing she needed was to become the subject of gossip within the clan. Been there. Done that. Fuck you very much.
It made her bear bristle and her human side want to scream when she thought about all those old-biddy bears talking trash about her. Just because she could probably take every last one of them in a fair fight, they thought she was made of stone or something. Well…she wasn’t. She had a heart too, and it got hurt, just like everyone else’s. She just did her best not to let it show.
She would not show weakness. Not to any of them. Not ever.
And there was the whole problem with her dating history summed up in one short, sad sentence. The guys she’d dated in the past… They all wanted a damsel to rescue or support or…whatever. Well, Patty wasn’t anybody’s damsel in distress. If she had a problem, by golly, she solved it.
The chauvinist bears around here didn’t like that one bit. Then again, most men probably wouldn’t like a woman who was more dominant than they were—unless they were into some kinky dominatrix stuff, which wasn’t her scene either.
She just wanted a good, strong man who didn’t mind that she was strong too. Her bear wouldn’t roll over for just anyone. Which was why the furry little hussy’s response to Mario was so surprising.
Maybe she would go out to dinner with him. If he asked again, that is.
But she had to get her sister squared away first. As the door opened to Ty’s office and the Itan escorted Maryann out, his grim expression spoke volumes.
“Take her home and sort her out,” he ordered gruffly. “Leave Greg to me.”
“Really?” She put her hands on her hips and looked Ty straight in the eye.
It wasn’t often she found the guts to challenge the Itan. In fact, she’d never done so before, but this was a special case. This was about her sister and that scum of a bear who had beaten her. Patty’s inner bear wanted revenge. She wanted it bad.
Ty took a deep breath, a growl imminent as he looked hard at her. The power of the Itan washed over her and made her want to back down, but then she looked at Maryann and her bear got mad all over again. Nobody touched Maryann that way and lived to tell the tale.
But Ty wasn’t backing down either and his dominance was hard to stand up to. He stepped closer and she wanted desperately to bare her neck and show submission, which wasn’t something she did for just any bear.
“Don’t you trust me to do right by you and Maryann?” Ty’s voice was low, edged with the rumble of his bear. Apparently the Itan didn’t like being challenged. Hmph.
Then she thought about his words. Really thought about them, and deflated. She showed the proper respect, tilting her head to the side and allowing Ty’s dominance to wash over her bear and quiet the rebellious she-demon within.
“You’re right,” she admitted. “Of course I trust you, Ty. Just… Forgive me.” She dropped her gaze to the floor.
Ty stepped closer and she hoped she’d said the right thing. He sighed again, but this time it was a weary sound.
“It pains me probably about as much as it does you to see her like that,” he said softly, for her ears alone. “I’ll take care of Greg. You take care of your sister.”
Chapter Five
Before too much longer, Maryann was back at Patty’s house, ensconced in a bubble bath Patty had drawn for her little sister. Soaking away the dirt and healing bruises was one thing. Too bad the memories couldn’t be as easily dealt with.
Their mother and father were both gone now, but Aunt Suzy lived right around the corner, and Patty knew she could count on their aunt to help Maryann. Patty couldn’t do it alone. She had to sleep sometime, and there was some truth to the adage that there was safety in numbers. Plus, Suzy was the closest thing they had to a mother now, and she doted on both sisters. She’d want to know what was going on with Maryann.
Patty picked up the phone and steeled herself to break the news to their aunt. This wasn’t going to be a pleasant conversation.
Sure enough, after Patty explained about Maryann’s circumstances, Aunt Suzy was on her way over. An hour later, she was firmly ensconced in Patty’s kitchen, making her world famous chicken soup. She’d fussed over Maryann and put her to bed with the remote control and one of her favorite movies on the TV, then come out and began to raid Patty’s refrigerator and pantry shelves. It looked like Aunt Suzy was settling in for the duration.
And indeed, Patty’s house was full-up that night, Aunt Suzy tucking the roll-away bed Patty kept for emergencies into the guest room, right next to Maryann. Even Patty’s cat, Mrs. Snufflepuff, joined their little sleepover, curling up on the foot of Maryann’s bed.
They were having a good time watching old movies and eating popcorn when Patty finally succumbed to her long day. She would’ve liked to
hang with them, but her body wouldn’t go another inch without some sleep.
The next morning when Patty woke up, refreshed and rested, she found Aunt Suzy in the kitchen, baking.
“How did she do last night?” Patty asked, kissing her aunt on the cheek as she reached for the coffee pot.
“We watched a few movies. Talked a bit.” Aunt Suzy put a pan of biscuits in the oven as Patty stilled. She followed her aunt to the table, sitting across from her. “She went off with Greg, thinking they were going to have a romantic vacation in Mexico, by the beach. Instead, they ended up in the desert with a bunch of human drug dealers and he’d volunteered her to smuggle heroin across the border.”
Patty put her mug down carefully on the table so she wouldn’t shatter it. Anger welled up in her, along with disgust and sympathy for her gullible little sister. Greg had preyed on the weakest bear in the clan to do his dirty work. The bastard.
“She didn’t tell the Itan everything,” Suzy went on, catching Patty’s attention.
“She didn’t?”
No way would Maryann have been able to stand under Ty’s dominance. She should’ve spilled her guts to him. Then again, Ty had been holding back, Patty remembered, not wanting to scare Maryann.
“She broke federal laws, Patty. She was afraid she’d end up in jail. She didn’t tell Ty about carrying the drugs across the border, only that Greg had lied to her about the vacation.”
Patty sat back in her chair, considering. Her bear was feeling protective of her sister, whom it still saw as a fragile cub. It insisted that they would protect their sister bear. As always.
“Give her a few days. She was hurt bad by Greg. As long as he’s locked up and facing the Itan’s justice, she can heal. We’ll cross the bridge about the drugs when we get to it.”
“Where are the drugs? Did they deliver them to the dealers on this side of the border?”
“She wouldn’t tell me.” Aunt Suzy shrugged and rose as both of them heard the guest room door open.
Maryann was awake and further discussion would have to wait. Patty didn’t want to push or browbeat her sister into talking to her. She would open up when she was ready. Patty just had to try to be patient, which wasn’t something she was normally good at. But for her baby sister? She’d figure it out.
They ate breakfast and then Maryann went back to her room. Patty could hear her take a shower and then moving around in the guest room. Eventually, she heard the television come on and the bed springs squeak as Maryann went back to bed. She was still sore and healing. Patty would give her the space to do it properly.
Aunt Suzy went out to the store to get groceries. Patty looked forward to her aunt’s cooking and was glad the older lady had agreed to stay on and help out. They were all that was left of their family now, and it was good when they were all together.
The phone rang and Patty dove across the couch for it, in case Maryann had fallen asleep.
“Hello?”
“I like the way you answer the phone, breathless for me.”
Instant butterflies sprouted in her midsection on hearing that sexy Latin purr.
“Mario?” How in the world did he get her number? She hadn’t given it to him, and it wasn’t listed.
“I hope you don’t mind. Deputy Abrams gave me your number. I was concerned about your sister, and of course, I wanted to talk to you again.”
His lightly accented voice was doing things to her insides that were probably illegal in some states. The man ought to have to wear a label. Warning: May cause intense, immediate, sexual desire. Proceed with caution.
“Maryann is recovering. Sleeping now, I think. I’ll tell her you were asking.”
Was her voice still a little breathless? Was it from running to catch the phone or was it because of the dangerous man on the other end of the line?
“And you? How are you doing, my little osito?” Whoa, momma. The cat was getting playful and her inner bear sat up and wanted nothing more than to join in the fun.
“Did you just call me a teddy bear?” Her knowledge of Spanish was somewhat limited, but she thought she knew that word.
“Soft, cute and adorable? Yes. That’s how you seem to me.”
Her breath caught. That was the nicest thing any man had ever said to her.
“You do realize you’re talking to an Alpha female who scares off most of the men in her own clan, right?”
She had to be a realist. The cat was flirting with her, but to what end? Did he not understand her place in the clan or her place in the hierarchy? She would hate to get her hopes up only to have him realize he’d been misinformed about her.
“Then the men in your clan are fools,” he said, with less charm and more honesty than she expected in his voice. “And I’m glad.” She frowned, though the smile on her lips wouldn’t go away. “Because that means you’re still available for me to court.” His answer made her knees feel weak.
“Court?” she repeated the old-fashioned word.
“Yes, querida. A courtship is what I propose. Starting with dinner tonight, if you’re free.”
“Uh…”
She hesitated for a couple of different reasons. First, she wasn’t sure if she should leave her sister just yet. And also, she didn’t completely trust that this was real. Why would a sexy man like Mario be interested in her?
“Say yes, mi osito. You know you want to.”
Chapter Six
Mario picked Patty up at her place, which turned out to be a little house complete with a white picket fence. While it was clear the house was older, the grounds and garden were well kept and the house was in decent repair, from what he could see. Mario didn’t go inside. He wasn’t there long enough. He just rang the bell and Patty appeared at the door, a vision of feminine beauty that stole his breath.
They exchanged pleasantries and he did his best to keep things light while they drove to the restaurant that had been recommended by Van Abrams. The deputy had been surprised when Mario asked for a way to contact Patty, then realization had dawned when Mario asked about fine dining in Grayslake. Van had looked him over, then seemed to come to a decision as he scribbled Patty’s number and the name of the restaurant on a slip of paper.
He handed it over with a warning not to play around with Patty’s heart. Mario soothed his inner jaguar at the challenge from the bear, knowing Van was just being protective of his coworker. In a way, Mario was glad to see the very real concern in Van’s warning. It was good to know that at least some of her clan members respected and cared for Patty’s wellbeing.
He kept things light on the drive and while they were ushered to their seats in one of the town’s nicest restaurants. Van had steered him right, judging by the look of the place. Cloth napkins, subtle piano music in the background and an intimate atmosphere. Just what he had been hoping for.
They sat and talked of different things. She asked him his thoughts on Grayslake and he was happy to make small talk while they got to know each other a bit, and became comfortable in each other’s presence. He didn’t want to rush things any more than he already was. Their human sides had to be comfortable, as did their wild natures.
He fully intended to move the courtship along at a rapid pace, but he could take a few minutes to just be around her and learn the cadence of her conversation before he got into the really interesting stuff.
They ordered and worked their way into deeper conversation gradually. She asked him a bit about his travels and all the different places he’d been. He told her a few anecdotes from his adventures abroad, though he didn’t go into any specifics. A lot of the operations he’d been part of were still secret and it didn’t make for polite dinner conversation anyway. Still, he was able to tell her about some of the lighter parts of his life to date and she seemed to respond well.
So well, in fact, that he felt he could move the courtship forward and ask her something that had been on his mind since he first saw her yesterday.
“Forgive the question, but your sist
er doesn’t seem very much like you.”
“The dominance thing?” Patty shrugged, her expression taking on a sad cast. Mario instantly regretted bringing up the topic, if it made her sad. “When Maryann was just a baby, she was stolen and dumped in the lake by an insane nutjob who wanted some kind of sick revenge against my father. She should have died. He’d tried to snap her neck before dumping her. But Mr. Abrams—the former Itan, and Ty’s father—found them at the shore of the lake just after she was thrown in. He killed the kidnapper and jumped in to find Maryann.” Patty paused. “She was never quite the same after that, and I became stronger to protect her as we grew. At least, that’s the theory our parents came up with.”
That explained a lot.
“I’m sorry. That must’ve been really tough.” The look in his eyes told her he’d seen things just as awful in his time. He understood.
“That which does not kill us, makes us stronger.” She sighed, looking down at her coffee cup.
“Ah. Nietzsche. A philosopher who died in madness,” he observed quietly.
“Aren’t all philosophers a little bit crazy?” she asked, impressed that he’d recognized the author of the phrase she’d quoted.
She’d studied philosophy in college and had enjoyed it immensely. She had yet to find anyone in her hometown who felt the same, but that was okay. Grayslake had a lot of other things going for it.
“You may have a point, though I will admit, I enjoyed the time I spent in Athens studying the work of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.”
She was impressed even more. “How long were you in Greece?”
“A few years. It was my base of operations for a while when I was a mercenary. There can be a lot of downtime between jobs—though that depends a lot on the moral standards of the group leader. The fellow I worked for only took on jobs that he believed in, so I had time to pursue education in whatever direction I felt like going at the time.” He said it all so casually, but his life must’ve been quite an adventure to this point.
