by Edith DuBois
He looked up, his eyes meeting Michelle’s. “Come here,” he said. “You’ll have to be the martyr today.”
She heard a growling noise coming from the floor and saw that Franklin was shaking. “Franklin,” she whispered. “Breathe, just breathe. Everything’s going to be okay.”
“Hey. Cunt. Shut the fuck up,” the man behind her said, kicking her hard in the back. She flew forward, hitting her head on the wood floor. She knew it was over after that. The three men in front of her exploded up at the same time. Thomas and Franklin went for the man behind the counter, and Elias leapt for the man who had his gun pointed at Marina’s head. Michelle could see his black fur exploding as his bellow morphed into an air-shattering roar.
“No!” Michelle cried.
Then the shotgun went off.
* * * *
Elias did not stop. He felt fire-pain bursting in his bear-shoulder, but he did not stop. The sister of his cream-skinned-Michelle yelled in fear. She dove out of the way as he lunged for the bad-one.
He wanted to sink his powerful bear-jaws around the soft, yielding flesh of the bad-one’s throat, but he was supposed to use his strength to protect only, not to murder. His roar became an angry growl. He barreled into the foul-mouthed bad-one. The puny animal fell to the ground. His exploding-boom-stick clattered to the floor. It slid out of reach.
Elias put his great bear-paw on the bad-one’s chest. He leaned down so his hot breath fell across the disgusting face that trembled and leaked thick, sniveling liquid at the awesome display of strength towering above him. Elias bared his teeth. He let out another dominating roar. The bad-one screamed in terror. Elias snapped his mouth closed inches from his face. It was good to make the bad-one scared. He was more disgusting than the lowest fungus in the forest. He deserved the darkest, lowest, most despicable place to exist.
“Elias!” his cream-skinned-Michelle called to him. There was a bright, sharp ringing in his ears, but her voice came through it. “Elias,” she said, “we’re okay. Everyone’s okay.” He felt her tiny woman’s hand on his back. It moved through his fur, soothing and gentle. Keeping his great paw on the bad-one, he turned to look at her sweet face. “You’re hurt,” she said, her eyes soft. “Come back. Thomas has the other one.”
The ringing grew dimmer. He heard Franklin on the phone. “Joseph? There’s been a hold-up at Savage Convenience. You need to head over quick. And bring Bo if you can find him.”
Elias heard the petulant sister crying next to him. He turned to look at her and realized she watched him with eyes wide like large, flat river stones.
“Jim Bob needs you, Elias,” his cream-skinned-Michelle said. “And we need to take care of this.” She leaned in to eye his bleeding bear-shoulder. “I’ll take Marina to the back office until you find some clothes,” she whispered into his ear so that only he could hear.
After they disappeared through the door, Elias took his great bear-paw off the chest of the bad-one. He shifted back into his human form. The man’s eyes were bugging, and he took a quick glance in the direction of the shotgun.
“Don’t even think about it. Franklin, come take care of this while I find some pants.”
“You…you…” the man sputtered as Franklin hoisted him up and forcefully moved him toward the counter. “You were a bear!”
“No shit.”
Franklin shot him a questioning glance.
“Let’s wait for Bo,” Elias said, not ready to think about how quickly this afternoon had deteriorated before his eyes.
After donning a pair of jeans and a simple white T-shirt, he went over to Jim Bob, who was barely conscious. The elderly man sat on the stool behind the counter, his head lolling. Elias tended to him while Franklin and Thomas secured the two criminals and waited for the Kinmans to arrive.
When the sheriff and deputy got to the store along with Bo and Agnes, whom Elias guessed Michelle had called, he had a chance to look at his own wound. It wasn’t too bad. It had been loaded with shot, and the blast hadn’t hit his arm full-on, so while it would be tedious work to have one of the nurses dig out all the tiny metal pellets, it wasn’t serious. The bits of metal had only torn through some of his outer muscle. He didn’t know how shifting with the metal in his arm was going to affect the removal process, but for now, he didn’t worry about it.
Instead, he went to Michelle, who was sitting with her sister while Joseph asked them questions about events. On his way over, he noticed Agnes petting and kissing Jim Bob’s face, cooing and holding his hand.
“Quit fussing,” Jim Bob said. “I told you I’m fine.”
“But did Dr. Ashley check to make sure none of your bones were fractured when you fell? You’re not the young whippersnapper you once were. Your bones are brittle. Something could have happened. As much as you would like to be a the big, studly hero, you’re not, and we need to be sure nothing—” Her clucking was cut short when Jim Bob leaned over and smacked her right on the lips with a heated kiss.
Elias smiled to himself, happy for the two lovebirds. As soon as Michelle saw him coming toward her, though, she leapt up and crashed into his arms. He grunted at the impact, but was happy at the feel of her safe in his arms.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said, pulling away because of his arm. She looked up into his eyes and then burrowed her face into his chest. “I’m just so happy you’re okay,” she whispered.
“We’re all okay,” he said, using his good arm to hold on to her and stroke her hair. Then he kissed the top of her head. “How’s Marina?”
Michelle sniffed. “I told her we would talk about it tonight, but I think”—she turned to look at her sister for a moment—“I think she’ll be fine, actually.” She turned her face back to Elias. “You were so brave,” she said, her eyes shining. “I love you so much.”
He smiled down at her and then noticed his brothers approaching behind.
“Bo said he has an old recipe that might help to confuse those two assholes,” Franklin said when he reached them. “He says they won’t forget what they saw, but after they sleep, it will become like a dream, and they won’t remember what exactly happened. You know, after a while, the details will be so fuzzy that it will all feel like a mirage.”
Elias nodded. “Good. We owe him.”
Thomas wrapped his hand around the back of Michelle’s head. “Are you okay?” he asked, his eyes intense. Nodding, she put her hand over his and turned her lips to his palm.
“I don’t know what I would have done if any of you…if those bastards…”
“Shh,” Elias said, putting his hand on her waist. “We’re here. We’re alive, and we love you.”
Franklin brushed a tear off her cheek. “Don’t cry. You’re our cream-skinned-Michelle, and we could never let anything happen to you.”
She looked up at Franklin and then at Thomas and then at Elias. “I’m yours?” she asked. “Always?”
“Always. You’re ours, and we’re yours.”
Epilogue
“Great,” Marina said, tapping her nails on the linoleum tabletop at Savage Hunger. “She asks to meet me, and then she’s late?” She blew out an annoyed breath and then glowered at the other diner patrons, daring them to let their gaze linger too long in her direction.
Her waitress, a tall, softish woman with dark wavy hair, flitted through the diner, keeping people’s coffee cups full, joking and teasing with the locals, and taking orders back and forth from the kitchen.
She’d said her name was Marta, and Marina waved her over, deciding to go ahead and order without Michelle. Served her right for being late. “You doing all right over here?” Marta asked. “You ready to order?”
“Yeah, I’ll take a grapefruit and a hard-boiled egg. I also want a cup of water with five cubes of ice.” She glared up at the waitress. “Make sure it’s five. I will notice the difference.”
The woman leaned a hip against the table. “Yeah, I got it, honey,” she drawled out. “Now are you sure that’s what you really want?
Because I gotta tell you, I know the chef personally, and he takes real pride in his banana nut pancakes. They come with vanilla bean agave nectar, and they are damn musty.”
Marina jerked her eyes up to Marta, wondering if she had missed something. “Musty?”
“Yep. You ‘must eat’ them.” Marta shot her a big smile. “My grandpa’s joke. Probably shouldn't use it on unsuspecting customers, huh?” She winked at Marina. “So can I put you down for some pancakes?”
“Fine. Whatever, but I still want the water. Five—”
“Five ice cubes. Got it.” Marta winked and then bustled away, heading toward a table of new arrivals. Marina saw her lean over and say something as she passed a redheaded woman. The woman threw her head back and laughed aloud.
“Why is this town so weird?” Marina whispered to herself.
At that moment she heard a bustle at the front door and peeped over the rest of the booths to espy Michelle bursting through the diner’s entrance. She shouted greetings to the hostess, to Marta, and to a tall blond man in the kitchen. How the hell did she know all those people?
Then Michelle spotted her, floated over, and fell into the booth with a huff.
“Where have you been?” Marina hissed. “I’ve been waiting for almost half an hour.”
“I got caught up.” A bright blush spread across her sister’s features, and Marina rolled her eyes.
“Ew, okay. Look at a frigging menu or something.” She shoved one at her sister. “So what did you want to talk to me about?”
“I’ll take the usual,” Michelle called out to Marta as she whizzed by.
“You got it, honey,” Marta called back without slowing down.
“So?” Marina prodded.
“First, I want to apologize.”
That perked Marina’s ears right up. “Oh? What for?”
“Well, I was a little harsh at the grocery store, and while I meant everything I said, I should have been nicer. I should have been more considerate. You may exasperate the shit out of me, and you do, but you’re always going to be my knuckleheaded little sister.”
“You’re right.” Marina crossed her arms over her chest. “You could have been nicer. And I still don’t believe that you aren’t gonna come on tour with me after the New Year.” Michelle opened her mouth to protest, but Marina held up her hand. “Before you spew, I have to say something, too.”
She waited for Michelle to close her mouth. “I’m not gonna pretend like I’m not still pissed off about what you said, but I didn’t like being in that convenient store with those berserko gunmen. It kind of gives you a different perspective on things.” She shuddered, remembering the hours she’d spent at the sheriff’s department, giving her statement and identifying the robbers. The old Indian guy had given those assholes some kind of herbal drink, and now they couldn’t remember what happened. Marina didn’t like to think too much about what other sorts of potions the Indian dude could whip up.
She would never admit this to Michelle, but in a weird way, she thought maybe having a gun pointed at her face wasn’t one hundred percent bad. It wasn’t like an “oh my god, I almost died and now I have to be a good person” kind of thing. But sitting with Michelle now, things felt a bit more even.
She took Michelle’s hands in hers. “Look, Michelle. I can’t make you any crazy, grandiose promises. Anyway, you know that’s not my style. All I can do is say that I’m gonna try. I mean it. I’m really gonna try this time.”
Michelle grinned. “That’s absolutely wonderful.”
Marina smiled back. “It feels kinda good to say.” She took a deep breath. “Now, about going on tour. I think we need to—” The words suddenly froze in Marina’s throat. She still had Michelle’s hands in hers and something had scratched the palm of her hand. It was on Michelle’s left hand. She grabbed Michelle’s wrist and held it up. Then she gasped.
“What the hell is this?” She shook her sister’s wrist, causing the little diamond on her ring finger to sparkle and glimmer in the sunlight.
“Surprise,” Michelle said, her smile going all meek.
“You’re engaged?” Marina choked on the horrendous words and threw her sister’s wrist back at her.
“That’s the second reason I wanted to meet with you. I wanted to invite you to the engagement party. It’s next weekend.”
“Next weekend? When are you getting married?”
“We haven’t set a date yet.”
“Shit, Michelle, to which one?”
Michelle shot her a quizzical look.
“Which brother are you engaged to?”
“Oh! Oh…um…to all three.”
Now Marina’s mouth fell open. “You are not serious.”
Michelle nodded.
“Oh lordy. I was hoping to avoid this topic, but you’re leaving me no choice here.” Marina rolled up her sleeves and leaned forward, lowering her voice. “You cannot get engaged to those…to those…”
“Bear-shifters?”
Marina glared at her sister. “Whatever they are. They are freaks! They’re not even human, Michelle. What on earth has possessed you? They’ve already started to brainwash you if they’ve convinced you that they are all three gonna marry you. This is…” She realized she had absolutely no words to describe the situation, so she threw her hands up and leaned back in the booth.
“Everything okay, ladies?” Marta asked, placing their food in front of them.
“Fantastic,” Marina spat.
“We’re fine, thanks,” Michelle said in a gentler tone. After Marta had left, she said, “I’m a big girl, Marina. This is my decision. I’m not changing my mind. Ever.”
Marina glared at her sister for a long, weighty moment, but Michelle didn’t look away. “Damn,” Marina said.
Michelle nodded, and Marina took a few bites of her pancakes, thinking. She couldn’t take it in. Her sister getting married? To three dudes? To three bear-shifter thingy dudes?
This couldn’t be real.
Could it?
No way. Just absolutely no way.
But hell, she’d seen Elias Ashley turn into a bear right in front of her eyes. He’d roared and growled and shit. She’d been scared out of her mind. But at the same time, it was magical in a way. She could see why Michelle might be drawn to that.
But no. That was too freaky to contemplate.
Fuck it. She wasn’t going to ruin her breakfast thinking about crap like this.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Michelle asked.
“Nope.” She popped in a bite of pancake. “I do have one question, though. Just so I can know for my own safety and whatnot.”
“Yes?”
“Are there more of these bear-shifter thingies here? In Savage Valley?”
Michelle nodded.
“What the hell?” Her fork clattered to her plate.
Michelle shrugged. “It’s because of an old Shoshone curse, and it was placed on more than one family.”
“No. I don’t want to hear it. No more.”
“Okay, but it’s actually really neat. There’s all this family history, and—”
“Michelle, look. I’ll be nice to your fiancés—god, that sounds weird. But for the record, I would never, ever, not in a million years, not if you broke off all my fingers and toes and fed them to piggies right before my eyes, get engaged to one of those bear-shifter thingies.”
Michelle laughed. “Just ‘bear-shifters’ is fine.”
Marina narrowed her eyes at her sister. “Listen to me. I will never be with a bear-shifter. And I especially will never be with three of them.” She took a huge bite of pancake. “And that’s that!”
THE END
HTTP://WWW.BOOKSTRAND.COM/EDITH-DUBOIS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Although she grew up in small-town Texas, Edith has lived and traveled in both France and the UK. She currently resides in Austin, Texas but wouldn’t mind a gallivant or two across the Australian Outback, the Highlands of Scotland, or any other fo
reign land that happens to interest her.
She’s been writing since she was eight or nine, but she never thought about writing as a career until she handed in her first short story to her high school English teacher. She had so much fun writing it and spending time with her characters and actually finishing it that she started another, and she hasn’t stopped since. Edith enjoys writing in all sorts of genres and forms, including song writing and script writing, but no matter what, love is always at the center of her stories.
Edith’s idea of passing a perfect hour would be to cuddle up next to the window with one of her favorite books, a big ol’ mug of hot chocolate with whipped cream and cinnamon in her hand, and Patsy Cline softly crooning from her record player in the background.
You can e-mail Edith at [email protected] or find her on Twitter with EdithDWrites.
Also by Edith DuBois
Ménage Everlasting: The Male Order, Texas Collection:
A Bride for Two Babes
Ménage Everlasting: The Male Order, Texas Collection:
A Bride for Two Renegades
Ménage Everlasting: Rugged Savage Valley, Colorado 1:
Rugged Glimpse
Available at
BOOKSTRAND.COM
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
