Bear-ly Spring

by M. L. Briers

  Nash moved fast. He was in front of Andy in a heartbeat – shoving her backwards into the cabin, deciding that it was better for her to land on her pride than to have the wolf maul her.

  He turned towards the sound of the wolf’s ferocious attack on Elijah; just as the man’s bear burst free. The wolf was thrown aside, but instead of going back for more it turned its paws towards the truck as Jethro slammed shut the driver’s door and started around the vehicle towards the fight.

  Jethro shook his bear loose. The beast roared, trying to draw the wolf away from his brother and the scent of Elijah’s blood in the air.

  The wolf was only too happy to comply – pulling back its lips and snarling as it dug its claws into the earth and raced towards the beast that was twice its size.

  Nash had only one thought on his mind and that was for Jethro’s mate as she sat in the front of the truck. Her presence made Jethro vulnerable.

  ~

  ~

  ~

  Elijah started after the wolf. He’d taken a deep wound to his right shoulder but he could still move, and he was determined to get that wolf within his jaws if it was the last thing that he did.

  Andy was safe. The wolf wouldn’t attack the cabin for fear of the mountain ash, but Jethro’s mate was still vulnerable should the bear fall to his attacker.

  That wolf had a bloodlust within its eyes and a need to kill whatever was in its path burned deep into its soul. That made it damned dangerous.

  He watched as the soulless beast attacked his brother with the same tactics that he’d used against him. Fast and furious … the wolf was determined to do maximum damage as quickly as possible.

  Jethro’s bear sideswiped the wolf with his paw, sending the beast flying through the air and impacting the side of the truck with his body. Pulling back on his hind legs; the wolf jumped at the passenger window.

  The sound of the glass shattering under the weight of the beast, and the shriek that left Alana’s lips froze Elijah’s heart within his chest … He forgot the pain in his shoulder as he dug his claws into the earth and headed for the truck and his brother’s mate; who had thrown herself back across the seats to get away…

  ~

  ~

  ~

  Nash smashed the back window of the truck and the sound of Alana’s scream almost deafened him…

  “This way now!” He demanded, snatching her attention from the wolf, and focusing her efforts on getting the hell out of there…

  Alana pushed up into the seat and threw her body into the back. A heartbeat later and Nash had her in the safety of his arms.

  With a final look to where the wolf was; he ran full pelt towards the cabin with Alana in his arms.

  Andy shrieked as the door flew open and Nash raced inside carrying Alana…

  “Is she hurt?” Andy demanded.

  “Only my damn ears hurt from your screams…” Nash bit out. Placing Alana down on her feet and turning back towards the front door. “Don’t even think about leaving!”

  He slammed the door shut behind him and left the mates in the relative safety of the cabin.

  He wasn’t about to rush into the fight. He had one thing on his mind and that was protecting the females.

  ~

  ~

  ~

  Jethro had turned and batted the wolf from the window. His eyes had met Nash’s as the man had snatched his mate from the backseat and took off for the cabin with her, and with his mate safe Jethro knew he was free to do his worst…

  He could hear Elijah’s bear coming up fast, and he knew that his brother wanted the wolf between his fangs every bit as much as he did.

  Elijah’s bear circled around the back of wolf as Jethro went head on at him. Two bears – one wolf – the beast didn’t stand a chance.

  ‘Together – brother…’ Jethro bit out into the link that they had once shared.

  It had been a long time since they’d had cause to use it, but now it seemed fitting.

  ‘As one…’ Elijah offered back, and it felt good to hear his brother’s voice within his mind again. He didn’t realise just how lonely he’d been for the sound of another…

  Both bears attacked, ferocious in their desire to put an end to the treat to their mates.

  The wolf fought to his last breath, but his efforts were never going to be good enough.

  The beast fell face down in the earth. Battered, beaten, and mauled by the two angry brothers.

  CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

  ~

  “It’s cold…” Alana looked at the lake and snorted her contempt for the two brothers that grinned back at her from inside the water.

  “It’s spring, how can it be cold?” Jethro chuckled as he lifted his hand and splashed the icy water towards her.

  “Barely spring, and you’ve got that whole radiator thing going on inside of you, bear boy,” she snorted her contempt for her mate as she jumped back from the droplets of water sailing through the air towards her.

  “Face it, Brother. Our mates prefer your hot tub…” Elijah teased.

  “Come and get it!” Andy called from the back of the house where the meat was sizzling on the barbecue plate over the fire pit…

  “Shouldn’t that be; grab it and growl?” Nash grinned as he linked his hands behind his head and sat back in the comfort of one of Jethro’s bespoke wooden deck chairs.

  “I get one day off a week and here I am … cooking!” Andy snorted her contempt for both shifter’s as they walked towards her, one on either side of Alana, naked aside from the shorts that they wore, and dripping water down their muscle packed, toned bodies.

  Andy only had eyes for her mate.

  “I said; I’d do it…” Elijah chuckled as he snatched up a large white beach towel and rubbed at his hair.

  “You sold me a dodgy bill of goods…” Andy scowled at him and he frowned back…

  “Now, don’t go getting all salty and…” Elijah started…

  “What’d he do?” Nash asked, eager for some gossip in his otherwise mundane life.

  “He said; he could cook!” Andy tossed back as she jiggled a lump of steak from the extra long fork onto a plate and held it out for the vampire to take…

  “I can cook!” Elijah grumbled back.

  “Stew!” Andy put her hands on her hips, fork still fisting in one hand, and tipped her head to one side as she offered him an unimpressed look.

  “That’s cooking…” Elijah offered back as his eyebrows reached up for his hairline…

  “Just stew. Stew. Stew and more stew…” Andy shrugged.

  “It’s food…” Elijah offered back to sniggers from the others.

  “And it’s tasty…” Andy acknowledged that point. “But stew every night does not make for your mate being a happy bunny.”

  “Sure you wanna go with bunny around these two?” Nash grimaced.

  “Hey, I’d settle for bunny!” Andy lied.

  “Bunny stew. I’ll make it tomorrow…” Elijah started and Andy reached out and poked him with the fork. He jumped backwards and scowled…

  “Mess with my food and feel my fork…” Andy growled, and for a human she did a pretty good job of it.

  “Well, Jethro can cook…” Alana offered, and the man stuck his chest out with pride. “Getting him to put his socks in the wash bin is a different matter however…” she shot him a glare that deflated him just a little.

  “I didn’t know it was a requirement…” he said with a shrug.

  “Nor can he do the dishes…” Alana offered back.

  “Which is why we have a dishwasher…!” Jethro shrugged again.

  “Ha! Elijah’s idea of doing the dishes is to drop them…” Andy offered.

  “So, you don’t ask him again…” Alana offered back.

  The two mates had become firm friends since Alana had bonded with Jethro. The man had purchased the lease to Aunt May’s bakers, and the two of them were cooking up a storm, and making the business go from strength to strength.
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  He, on the other hand, was still finding it a little difficult to work with his brother. Both men were carpenters in their own right, but while Jethro built bespoke furniture for rich cliental, Elijah preferred to make cheaper pieces that he sold off to local shops … combining the two had resulted in hammers flying across his barn – one of which was still lodged firmly in the wood of the wall…

  “You know what always surprises me?” Andy said. “The fact that for a man who could lift the back end of a truck – he can’t lift a toaster over and clean beneath it.”

  “Or a kettle…” Alana shrugged. “Heaven forbid it should move two inches to the left…”

  “Are you feeling as unloved as I am right now?” Jethro asked his brother and Elijah nodded back.

  “Join the damn club…” Nash bit out. “At least you two have mates.”

  “Tourists seasons coming…” Alana reminded the vampire…

  “Maybe you’ll find a willing victim who can put up with your sour sense of humour.” Andy offered.

  “It’s called sarcasm…” Nash offered back.

  “Well, riddle me this bat-boy…” Jethro scowled at the vampire. “How come you’ve got your dinner and we’re still waiting?”

  “He’s a guest!” Andy scowled.

  “And he saved my life…” Alana offered with a nod towards Nash.

  The vampire grinned from ear to ear.

  “And the ladies love me…” He wiggled his eyebrows and both shifters growled long and hard at him.

  “Don’t maul the innocent – irresistible to the ladies – victim in all of this.” Nash said, putting his hands up in surrender and balancing his plate on his knees.

  “Sex…” Andy shook her head.

  “It’s all they’ve got on their minds.” Alana confirmed.

  “That’s not true…” Elijah growled.

  “Not in the least…” Jethro offered back.

  “Really?” Andy’s eyes sparkled with mischief.

  “So, you guys could abstain for say … a week…?” Alana offered and Andy nudged her in the ribs. She gave a quick shake of her head.

  “Five days?” Alana asked Andy and the woman grimaced. “Three…?” Andy shrugged… “Two days!” Alana grumbled.

  “No problem…” Elijah lied.

  “Easy as pie…” Jethro winced at the thought.

  “But the question is…” Elijah grinned at his mate. “Can you?”

  “Me?” Andy’s eyes went wide.

  “Both of you…?” Jethro asked and Alana shot a look at Andy…

  “Y-es…” Andy offered, sounding a little unsure.

  “Us against them?” Elijah asked his brother and Jethro had one hell of a wicked look in his eye.

  “Sounds like a bet…” Jethro offered back.

  “A bet!” Andy shot a look at Alana and she winced.

  “No teasing allowed…” Alana frowned at her mate.

  “Now, where would be the fun in that?” He tossed back at her.

  “No challenge then…” Elijah offered.

  “But…” Andy started…

  “I want in!” Nash said, and four heads snapped around in his direction as four pairs of eyes glared at him. “Not like that … geez, you’ve all got sex on the brain,” he grumbled. “A wager…”

  “Fine…” Andy said.

  “It is?” Alana shot her a sideways glare. “It is…” She inwardly groaned. She hadn’t been able to keep her hands off of her mate since they’d bonded.

  “The stakes?” Jethro asked, and Alana and Andy looked at each other…

  “I want a hot tub…” Andy said.

  “I want …” She had no clue. She had more than she knew what to do with. “I’ll get back to you on that…”

  “I’ll go for … a home-cooked meal at each of your houses every week for the whole of spring, or I’ll pay for the barbecue food every week.” He looked smug. “Win – win.”

  “You do all the cleaning and cooking for a week – without grumbling under your breath about my socks.” Jethro tossed into the pot.

  “Hmm, same as him…” Elijah pointed to his brother.

  Alana leaned in towards her mate. Her eyes were flashing with both mischief and victory in equal measure, and the vampire groaned…

  “I scent trickery in the air…”

  “If I lose …” Alana grinned a wicked grin, and her mate cleared his throat. “I want a cub…”

  “C-Cub!!!” Jethro’s head craned forward on his neck.

  “And as soon as this silly bet is over … I think we should start trying in earnest…”

  “Oooo, that’s a good one…” Andy said as she looked to Elijah and the man swallowed hard.

  “Be strong brother…” Elijah cautioned. “Two days, man…” He offered to the sound of Jethro’s gentle, but oh so hungry, growl…

  “I mean we could start now…” Alana tossed up her hand and her shoulders, and squealed in surprise when the next moment she was being slung over Jethro’s shoulder and found herself swinging head first down his back.

  “Sorry, brother … I’ll buy your damn hot tub for you…” he called after him as he started off for the cabin…

  “What about…?” Nash called…

  “Dinner every Wednesday!” Jethro called back, just before he back heeled the door shut and left the others chuckling.

  “That woman sure knows how to win…” Andy said with glee.

  “And what about you?” Nash chuckled as Elijah reached for a can of beer...

  “Oh, I’m already pregnant!” Andy offered and Elijah stopped in mid bend, his eyes snapping up towards her, his mouth hanging open in surprise… “Did I forget to mention that?” She grinned…

  “Y-Y-Y …” Elijah started and Nash chuckled.

  “I think that’s a yes,” Nash reached out and slapped the shifter on the back.

  “Cub?” Elijah closed the distance between them in a heartbeat, scooping her up gently in his arms and bringing his lips down on hers.

  “He beat me again!” Jethro growled from inside…

  Nash pushed up to his feet and sauntered towards the barbecue pit. Leaning over; he snagged two more steaks from the top…

  “Waste not – want not…” He murmured, eyeing the last two steaks, before looking to the mates to see if they were coming up for air anytime soon … he reached down with his fork and felt the wrath of Andy’s big fork in his backside…

  “Touch my steak and feel my fork!” She scowled at him.

  “Wouldn’t dream of it, mummy bear!” Nash said as he backed off.

  The End.