Alex’s body began to retract, shrinking back down to his normal size. His muscles relaxed, his fangs receding. Whatever mojo the Puma Omega wielded was working, calming her big Bear down. She decided to help, adding her own hands to Alex’s back, stroking him through his T-shirt. “Pie’s good. Maybe we should get Ryan and Julian here too. Their mates are being harassed by Gary too.” The grumbling under her palm was more irritated than pissed now, thank God.
“Good idea. Tabby, why don’t you call them, get them over here? Ryan can let his family know that we plan on helping guard his sister while we’re at it.” Sarah’s gaze never left Alex. Her hand continued to pet him until he’d completely calmed down. A fine sheen of sweat was covering the Omega by the time she had Alex down on the sofa, a confused look on his face. “Gabe? Could you get everyone’s orders please?”
Tabby looked at Gabe. His jaw was clenched as he watched his mate tame another shifter into the palm of her hand. Tabby didn’t know if he was jealous or concerned for her safety. “Sure. I can do that.”
Sarah smiled at her mate. “Everything’s fine, Gabe. Just take the orders and call it in. Bunny would never hurt me.”
Alex shook his head. He looked like he was waking up from a trance. “No, of course I wouldn’t.” He looked over at Tabby. “Baby?”
Tabby rushed forward and threw herself onto Alex’s lap. She curled into him, burying her face against his neck. His scent wrapped around her, warming her, comforting her as nothing else could. “It’s okay, sugar. Everything will be okay.”
He buried his face in her hair and breathed deep. “If he lays a hand on you, I will kill him. You need to understand that.” He tipped her chin up. “You may not think you’re worth dying over, but I know you’re worth killing over.”
Crap. His eyes hadn’t returned to normal. They were full of savage anger, the eyes of a predator. That scary fury she’d seen on the deck was still there under the surface, barely contained by his force of will. “Alex, let it go. For me. Please?”
He took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and rotated his head. When he opened his eyes again, they were back to warm hazel. “For you.”
She nodded. It wasn’t over yet. Not by a long shot. She cuddled up against him and let him press his face to her neck. She knew what he was doing. He was breathing her in, filling his senses with her. If that was what it took to calm him down, she’d stay in his lap for the rest of his life.
“I need to know if you’re a danger to my Pumas.”
Bunny settled into Anderson’s car with a wince. He’d really lost it out there on Max’s deck. Just the thought of someone trying to rape his mate was enough to send him right back to that blistering rage. “Are any of them planning on assaulting Tabby?”
Gabe’s brows rose. “Not that I’m aware of.”
“Then no.” He smiled sweetly, knowing that Tabby’s chosen lifestyle was in jeopardy and he was the cause. If the Hunter believed he was a danger to his Pride, the two of them would be run out of town that same night.
Gabe studied him for a moment, his lips twitching. “Hands off the Wolf. Got it.” He pulled out of the driveway and headed off to Frank’s. “Where are you thinking of house hunting?”
Bunny shrugged. “Near here, I think. The houses are nice.”
Gabe shot him a startled glance. “No offense, but can you afford it? Even with the housing market on a downturn, places near Max go for a pretty penny.”
“I can afford it, especially if some of my family is here. We’ll probably start up a branch of the family business here.”
“And that business would be?”
“Bunsun Exteriors. Corporate specializes in commercial landscaping and hardscaping, but I want to start some residential options here. I’m a landscape architect.”
“So your family is rich?”
Bunny made a face. “We’re comfortable. Besides, it’s my father’s business, not mine. If a branch opens up down here, it will be run by my Uncle Steven.” He was pretty sure Uncle Steven would fall in with what he wanted to do. Hell, he’d probably put Ryan in charge just so Bunny wouldn’t be forced to do the paperwork. The last time they’d put an expense sheet in front of Bunny, he’d drawn big pink azalea bushes on it. Ryan was this generation’s money man. “I wonder if I could get Eric down here or if he’ll stay in Oregon?”
“Eric?”
“My brother. Dad left him behind to deal with the business while he’s in town.”
“Ah.” Gabe pulled into the parking lot and turned off the ignition. “How many of you are there?”
“Family or Bears?”
Gabe frowned. “Huh?”
“Aunt Laura, Chloe’s mom? She’s a Fox. Her brother, Uncle Ray, married Uncle Steven’s sister, and they have three kids, one Fox and two Bears. So most of the family is half Fox, half Bear. Dad is the only one who mated a human, so Eric and I are both Bears. What makes it even more confusing? Uncle Steven and Aunt Stacy are Dad’s cousins.” He glowered at Gabe. “And no jokes about rednecks and first cousins.”
Gabe’s lips twitched. “I wouldn’t dream of it.” He got out of the car and headed to the diner, not bothering to wait for Bunny. From the set of his shoulders, Bunny figured he was still fighting a laugh.
He got out of the car, noting six bikes sitting off in a row. He frowned, something about those bikes looked familiar. Bunny followed the sheriff into the diner, a scent tickling his nose he hadn’t encountered in a long time. He smelled Bears, ones he thought he recognized.
Gabe was standing just inside the door, his hands loose at his sides, his back straight and tight. “I’m going to ask you one more time. Back off and leave the girl alone.”
Bunny blinked at the hard note in the Sheriff’s voice. “Gabe? What’s going on?” He looked over Gabe’s shoulder to find six men, all above average height, surrounding a tiny woman. She held a tray in her visibly shaking hands. “Harry? Is that you?”
All six men flinched. “Alex Bu-Bunsun?”
Bunny smiled. “Well hell, Harry. How’ve you been?” He hadn’t seen these guys in dogs’ years. “Doing good since I last saw you?” That had been, what, ten years ago?
“Better. Better. Arm’s all healed up, thanks. Gives me fits in the rain, though. Not so bad off as Barney. He still can’t use his hand.”
Bunny grimaced. He hated being reminded of Barney. He’d done everything he could to make up for what he’d almost done to the man, but Barney would have nothing to do with him. Bunny didn’t blame him. He wouldn’t want anything to do with the man who nearly killed him either. Last he heard, Barney was in Alaska, owned a bar, and was happily mated with two cubs. Rumor had it he’d moved there to put as much distance as he could between himself and Bunny, yet still remain in the United States.
Harry swallowed hard. “You, uh, just passing through?”
Harry’s five gang members backed away from the waitress, wary eyes glued to Bunny. He shrugged. “Nah, I’m living here now. My, um, fiancée is here.” The human waitress was looking at them strangely. No way could he use the word “mate” here.
Harry’s eyes went wide. He managed to turn even paler. “F-fiancée? You’re engaged. Congratulations.” He feebly waved at the bikers behind him. They all took a polite seat at the counter, watching him with fear-filled eyes.
“Yeah, she’s a tattoo artist.” One of the six men moaned. Bunny thought it might have been Mikey. Despite his rough look, he’d always been a little more delicate than the others. You’d think a man with a flaming skull tattooed on the nape of his neck would be a little less wimpy. “Why, you thinking of getting one? She does good work.” He’d seen that when he caught a look at Mrs. H’s cross. She was a true artist, someone whose work he’d be proud to wear.
“Um, no.” Harry shook his head so hard it should have snapped off his neck. “We’re, uh, just passing through.”
Lee, the smallest of the six men, gently tapped the waitress on the shoulder. “Can we please get that order t
o go ma’am?”
Bunny rolled his eyes. “C’mon guys. It was years ago.”
“He took on all of us. All of us,” Lee whispered. “He didn’t even get a scratch.”
Mikey whimpered. The wuss.
“You shouldn’t have picked on Heather. She was only ten.” And a Fox, which left her completely vulnerable to the seven teenage Bears who’d chosen to make her life miserable. He’d had no choice but to come to his cousin’s aid. The decision to nearly kill the worst offender was something he had to live with every day. “I did ask you to stop.” And he’d made each and every one of them apologize to Heather after he was done with them, even Barney.
It had taken two years for Heather’s nightmares to stop. All of them had starred her cousin rather than her attackers. She still eyed him warily whenever the family got together.
Gabe was staring at him like he’d suddenly sprouted wings. “And Tabby’s worried about you facing Gary?”
Bunny shrugged. He’d tried to tell her he could handle it, but she didn’t want to believe him. She was too used to Julian. Black Bears would run from a fight they knew they couldn’t win. Kermode, for all that they were some shade of cream or white in Bear form, were still a species of black bear.
Brown Bears, on the other hand, were a lot more aggressive. They’d stand until they dropped dead. And Bunny was still considered more aggressive than most. “She’s used to Julian, but she’ll learn.” The men in front of him twitched. Bunny looked around, noting the curiosity of the rest of the diners. He smiled, hoping to reassure them. These people were all potential clients, after all. “So. It was nice seeing all of you again.”
Food was plunked down in front of Harry, six large boxes and six smaller ones. The waitress pulled two bags out from under the counter. The relief in Harry’s expression would have been amusing if it hadn’t reminded Bunny of just how aggressive he could be. That look right there was one of the many reasons Bunny had learned how not to fight.
He didn’t like it when people were afraid of him. Of all the people in this room, only Harry and his friends were truly aware of what Bunny was capable of, and they were terrified. He sighed. He rammed into this every time he saw someone who knew him from his wild teen years. He decided to try one last time. Maybe he could still show them he wasn’t the same person he’d been when they knew him. “Where are you all headed?”
“Um. West.” Harry picked up the bags and held out a credit card. “We’re going west. Possibly California.” The five other men nodded their agreement. “Maybe even Washington.”
Bunny nodded. There’d be no convincing them he was a changed Bear. “I see. I wish you well on your journey.”
Harry signed his receipt and stood. His fellow Bears fell in behind him. “We need to get going. Losing daylight and all that. Nice running into you, Bunsun.”
“You too, Harry.” He stepped aside, giving the men plenty of room to get out the door. “Have a good ride.” He waved, not surprised when none of them waved back.
“What the hell, Bunny. What was that all about?”
He turned back to the sheriff. “Long story. I’ll tell you on the way back.” He knew his cheerful expression wasn’t fooling the other man, but right now he couldn’t be bothered to put much effort into it. “Let’s get our order and get out of here.”
“Yeah. Let’s do that.” Gabe went to the counter and asked for their food. Bunny stayed by the door and listened to the sound of motorcycles riding off into the distance.
Ryan arrived shortly before Alex and Gabe got back and introduced himself to the Pride leaders. He was just settling in near Simon when Gabe and Alex walked in the front door carrying their burgers. Gabe had the strangest look on his face, and Alex looked like someone had run over his dog. Tabby, concerned, sat forward. “Alex? Gabe? What’s wrong?”
Gabe shot Tabby a wild look before handing the food over to Emma and Becky.
Alex shared a long look with Ryan. “Ran into Harry and his buddies over at Frank’s Diner.”
Ryan groaned. “Shit. What were they doing here?”
“Heading west. Far, far west.”
“You think…?” Ryan let the rest of the sentence trail off.
“Nah. They’re still terrified. They wouldn’t risk it.”
“True.”
Tabby looked back and forth between them. There was something there that she didn’t understand. “What are you two talking about?”
Alex had the weirdest look on his face. He looked almost apologetic. But why?
“Harry and his friends harassed one of our cousins years ago. Bunny taught them not to do that anymore.”
“Taught them how?”
“He nearly ripped their leader’s arms off.”
Tabby blinked. He did not just say what I thought he said. “He what?”
Alex turned on his heel and walked right back out the door.
“Alex?” She got up and ran after him, ignoring Ryan’s voice calling after her. “Alex!”
He stopped. “I know you think you understand what’s going on.”
“In what universe?”
He turned. He looked harsh, drawn. “Fine. What do you think you know?”
“Other than the fact that you seem to be turning into an idiot? Not much.”
He took a deep breath, rotating his neck. “A long time ago, I had anger management issues.”
She waved her hand for him to keep going. The fact her mate seemed to have a temper hadn’t been lost on her.
“Some Bears went after my cousin, Heather, who’s a Fox like Chloe. She was only ten years old. They thought it would be fun to see if they could force her to shift.”
Tabby winced. That was bad, very bad. Most shifters couldn’t make the change until puberty started. “Why would they do that?”
“They were drunk, and…stupid.” He raised an eyebrow at her, his expression turning even harsher.
“Ew!” Tabby shuddered. “A ten-year-old?”
“They tried to force her into puberty. They thought it was a fucking joke. Of course the idiots didn’t realize that puberty isn’t something you can force. Heather was terrified.”
“I bet. What happened?”
“I found them.” He sat on the front step and leaned against the porch rail. He looked lost. “I almost killed them. All seven of them.”
“Seven?”
He nodded. “Seven.” He patted the step and she sat next to him. “I maimed one of them.”
She snarled. “Good.”
He stared at her, stunned. “Good?”
“They traumatized a child. I’d have maimed them too. Did you go for the balls? Please tell me they aren’t going to procreate.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Um. No. I tried to rip the leader’s arms off. Then I forced all of them to their knees and made them beg for forgiveness. When the first one said no, I snapped his arm like a twig. The rest fell into line after that.”
“I bet.” She grinned savagely and wriggled with excitement. “Did they whimper like little babies?”
His laugh sounded shocked. “Bloodthirsty little thing.”
She cuddled up against him. “You protected your family, your Pack. There’s nothing wrong with that. I’d have done exactly that if given the chance.”
“Then you understand why I need to protect you.”
She froze. Damn it, he would turn this around on her. “Pain in my ass.”
He stuck his hand down the back of her jeans. “Yup. And you loved every minute of it.” He pinched, making her squeal. “Now stop changing the subject.”
“Okay, fine. You could probably take on Gary and his idiot friends without too much trouble.”
“That’s putting it mildly. Tabby, if Gary so much as gives you a papercut, he’ll be eating his own ass.”
“Can I watch?”
He snorted. “You just don’t get it, do you?”
“Alex.”
“Hmm?”
“I’m not afraid of you.�
�
He sighed. “You will be.”
“Right, Yoda. Sure I will.” She kicked his shin when he pinched her again. “You’d sooner chew off your own paw than hurt me.”
“True.” He pushed until her head was resting against his shoulder. “After lunch I want some ink.”
She cuddled close, loving the way he seemed to surround her. “Done.”
“Food’s getting cold.” Emma stepped out onto the front porch. “And for the record? I’m not afraid of you either.”
Alex stood slowly and pulled Tabby up alongside him. His hand nearly crushed hers. Her big Bear was nervous.
“Neither am I.” Max took up position next to his mate. “I heard all about what you did. You protected your own. There’s nothing to be ashamed of in that.”
“Ditto.” Adrian nodded respectfully to Alex. “Now come inside. Julian should be here any minute and rumor has it he loves cantaloupe.”
Alex chuffed out a laugh. “You’re all nuts.”
“Nope. I trust my people, and they tell me you’re worth it.” Max waved them into his home. “Alex?”
Alex stopped. He looked startled at the sound of his name on Max’s lips. “Yeah?”
“Welcome to Halle.”
Tabby felt Alex tense beside her. “Thank you, Alpha.”
Tabby nearly collapsed in relief. They weren’t going to be turned away.
They were finally home.
Chapter Seven
“There’s no change.”
Tabby collapsed against the door, watching Alex visit his cousin. Chloe still hadn’t moved.
He sat by Chloe’s side and picked up her hand. He watched his cousin, his expression so full of sorrow Tabby’s eyes filled with tears. The shades in the room were drawn, hiding them from the night. They’d stayed longer than planned at the Cannon’s house, and visiting hours were almost over.
“Where is her supposed mate?”
“No clue. Last I heard, he wasn’t in town yet. Gabe told me his plane got delayed.” She watched him run his hand over his bald head. “The longer she’s in a coma, the worse off she’s going to be.”
Dana Marie Bell - [Halle Shifters 01] Page 15
