“I’ll be the one asking the questions,” Mari explained with a warm smile. “It’s very simple. We’re just trying to find out what happened to your brother Max? All you have to do is answer the questions, talk to me a little bit and it will help me get a sense for where we need to go next. Just so you are aware, I will be able to sense any emotions you’re experiencing, and I will know if you lie. So just be honest and we’ll be done in just a few minutes. Sound okay?”
Mari’s explanation was simple, at least for the shifter in front of her. If the man before her had been accused of some sort of crime, the spiel took on an altogether different tone. One of the laws that the Fae had put in place when they began policing the other magical species had been that no creature should be submitted to being read by a telepath or empath to determine their guilt without knowing what the process would entail. It was a right they were brought up to respect above all things.
Mari noted the flinch that the shifter let slip at the mention of his brother. She took a deep breath to steady herself as she let her guard down, so she could sense his emotions fully, instead of through the dampers of mental walls she built around herself. She raised her calm, violet eyes to meet the shifter’s as he gave her one tentative nod. She sensed that he was incredibly nervous.
“My name is Mari Elwood,” she offered as she motioned to the two chairs at the small table in the middle of the kitchen. “Just start by telling me about the last time you saw your brother, if you don’t mind.” Mari could sense the apprehension rolling off the shifter in waves, with an undercurrent of anxiety and guilt. Her head fell slightly to the side as she listened to the shifter intently.
“It was about a week ago, ma’am,” William explained as he settled himself into a chair, his eyes flickering between Mari and Val, who was behind her, “I had never seen anything like it. He had met some new woman, and suddenly he was just not himself anymore. He started talking about this chick all the time. It was like he was either strung out, or juiced up and had power he shouldn’t have been able to. I mean, we’re Ursa. I’ve never known of a Bear who had telekinesis, have you?” The shifter raised his eyebrows as he shook his head barely to one side recalling the events.
“On the days he was amped up, he was doing crazy stuff like sending stuff and people flying around the room,” he explained with his panic and anxiety sweeping over Mari, “I didn’t know what to do. He ended up injuring some human girl in Durango. We had been out at a bar trying to let off a little steam. I was trying my best to get him to calm down, since I thought he was about to shift right in the middle of the damn bar. He tried to hit on the poor girl and she turned him down like any sane person would. He came off like some sort of deranged junkie. Next thing I know, before I can haul his sorry carcass out of the door, the girl gets thrown across the room. She landed on her head and ended up in a coma from what I read in the paper the next day.”
William leveled Mari with a pleading look. She could feel how sincerely guilty the shifter felt over how things had gone, and she was surprised that he was so willing to tell his story so truthfully. She was impressed by the sheer honesty pouring out of the man before her. She gave him a small encouraging nod.
“What happened after that?” Mari asked quietly. She didn’t particularly want to interrupt him, but he had paused and seemed very unsure of himself and how he was going to explain what happened next. The intensity of his guilt was making her sick to her stomach and she wasn’t entirely sure how much longer she would be able to keep up the reading. She was apparently not as recovered as she had thought.
“Well, ma’am,” William sighed with an apologetic sigh, “Max just collapsed, he was blacked out cold. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know how to handle him. I picked him up, dragged him out of there. I left him outside a bus station with enough cash for a ticket and the clothes on his back. That was the last I saw him.”
“That’s what you’re so worried about? That you’re in some kind of trouble for leaving him?” Mari asked but could feel the validity in it already. There was some other feeling that was pulling at him, and she was having a harder time pinning it down than she should have been. She adjusted herself in the seat a bit and took a slow controlled breath to refocus herself.
“That and leaving the girl to be handled by a bunch of other humans,” William replied in full honesty again, “I just didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t control him. I didn’t know what to do to help the girl. I probably should have turned him in but he’s my brother. I just couldn’t. You understand?”
Mari glanced up at both of her brothers in turn and a thin smile pulled at the corners of her lips. She could certainly understand where the shifter was coming from, especially coming from as close a family has she did. Her mind was still reeling with the amount of emotion flooding her from the shifter, but she could easily place herself in his shoes and understand why he reacted the way he had. She couldn’t imagine how hard a decision it had been for him to walk away from his family member in a moment where they were at their worst.
“I understand completely,” she explained in a conspiratorial whisper as she leaned forward, “I wouldn’t be able to turn my brothers in, either.” The shifter’s intensions shifted rapidly and Mari was caught off-guard by a wave of lust sweeping over her. Her eyes traced his line of sight straight down her shirt. Men. She leaned back in the chair, taking a moment to soak in everything that she had heard, and to put all her mental blocks carefully back in place before she continued. She hated it when male minds shifted so quickly at even the smallest hint of a view of breasts. She hadn’t even worn anything remotely revealing. Just a simple black V-neck tee shirt and jeans, but, apparently, it didn’t take much to elicit such thoughts from any man.
Mari sighed deeply, attempting to compose herself after the feeling receded. Her face flushed a deep scarlet, and she crossed her arms awkwardly over her chest. She felt exposed and uncomfortable with the situation, but knew that she needed to finish questioning the shifter before her. It was imperative that they located his brother and quickly from the way that Mari’s uncle had explained the situation.
“Just a few more questions. I promise we’re almost through,” Mari explained as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat as the shifter perused her with his eyes. “The woman that your brother met, did you ever meet her? Or did he ever give you a name?”
William shook his head slowly side to side as he attempted to recollect any information that answered the questions. “No ma’am,” he replied cautiously, “I don’t believe he ever did. Just that there was this woman, and he couldn’t seem to help himself anymore. I honestly don’t know what the heck happened. The last time I saw him he was outside the bus station down there, passed out cold on a bench.” William squirmed in his seat, clearly growing uncomfortable with the situation and the questioning.
“Thank you,” Mari said with an encouraging nod, “Do you mind if my brothers and I step out for a moment so that we can discuss what you’ve told us? We’ll just be a moment.”
Mari and her brothers exited out to the small porch of the cabin and both of her brothers rounded on her with expectant expressions, though both tried to give Mari a moment to gather herself. The three of them had worked together enough in the past that they knew the process of opening herself up to someone’s feelings so completely was exhausting. It usually took her a moment to collect her thoughts and reestablish her control.
“He’s telling the truth,” she explained after a moment, “Honestly, I’m not sure if we need to bring him in, though. I can’t explain it, but there’s just something about all this that doesn’t sit right and doesn’t add up. I would think though, he should be our best bet at tracking his brother as he would be completely familiar with his scent, right?” Her eyes searched back and forth between her brothers’ eyes for reassurance.
“Your call as usual, Boss,” Val replied with a shrug. He was always willing to accept Mari’s take on a situati
on. He stretched his arms up over his head, stretching the muscles in his upper back until the bones popped faintly. He turned to Magni with a quiet, expectant shrug.
“Whatever you two think,” Magni sighed, “I think we could find the missing bear without him, but if you think it’s best, sure.” Magni straightened up and began retrieving restraints from his pocket when Mari stopped him with a small hand on his arm. He looked down at this younger sister with a frown.
“I don’t think those are necessary, Magni,” she explained with a small nod in the direction of the house, “He’s not responsible for how any of it went down, I just think he might be of help. I’ll just ask him, ok? Let me at least try my way before we decide to just haul him off a mountain.”
Magni simply grumbled and shoved the iron cuffs back in his back pocket with a scowl. Magni always gave off this impression that he was simply jumping out of his skin to get in the action. He was the oldest, but rarely took lead on any of their assignments for the sheer fact that he would be inclined to take the most forceful and final approach possible every time. He was an act first, ask questions later personality through and through. One of the better decisions that their father had made was grouping the three of them together as they all balanced each other well.
Once she was certain she had locked down her mind, Mari knocked on the door again. She was pleased when the shifter opened it right away. She hoped it would mean that he was willing to comply with her request. She flashed a smile and rocked back on her heels looking up at the man. He still had a worried look creasing the lines of his face, and Mari did her best to appear comforting and non-confrontational.
“Mr. Franklin, we definitely appreciate you allowing me to ask you such intrusive questions. We are confident that you were not the cause of what happened to the human. Please understand that what I’m going to ask you next is completely a request and not a result of anything you’ve done wrong. We would like your help. If you would be willing to come back with us to our home, we could continue our investigation and attempt to track your brother with your help and get to the bottom of what has caused all of this,” Mari explained, hopeful that the shifter would willingly help them.
Mari was sure that if the shifter put up some sort of objection, Magni would be impossible to convince to let him go. She would bet that he would insist on restraints and a full guard detail which would take ten times longer. She secretly pleaded with the shifter, hoping desperately that he would just agree to go with them and help them find his brother.
Mari lowered her guard for a moment, attempting to figure out whether he was inclined to agree or disagree with her request. She was overcome with the realization that not only was the shifter going to comply with her request, but he was broadcasting the distinct impression that he seemed to think it would be a perfect opportunity to make a pass at her. Mari worked to suppress her facial expression.
“I think I could be persuaded to help you,” the shifter said quietly. He met Mari’s eyes with an intense look that made his intentions just as clear as his emotions did. “I just need to get some things together and I’ll be ready.”
Mari turned and gave Val a panicked look as the shifter returned inside the cabin to gather his things. “I need to travel separately,” she explained quietly, “He’s just too much. I’ll head back up to the town with you, but I’ll get a ride back with Ben later.” Mari needed very little reason to go visit her friend, but avoiding being confined to small spaces with William was as good a reason as she could ask for.
Val and Magni’s demeanor shifted slightly, realizing that the shifter was making their little sister uncomfortable. Neither were particularly fond of her friendship with the human, but they would rather her spend time with a human that be subjected to the pervasive torture of having to be stuck in a car with the shifter for the next day and a half while he ogled her and she was made to sit and just experience every thought that crossed his mind.
“You bet, Mar,” Val said with a firm nod, “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure Magni keeps his hands to himself.” Valentyn was always the one to try and break the tension in a situation with a joke or some sort of sarcasm. It worked on Mari’s account as she let out a small giggle, though Magni seemed to think it was nothing more than a reason to be even more surly than usual.
Mari pulled a slim cell phone out of her back pocket and tapped it against Magni’s shoulder. “I’ll be fine,” she reassured him as she stepped away, “It’s just too much. I just need to go make sure Ben is actually in town.”
Mari shuffled off the porch a few steps and tapped her friend’s contact entry. She shuffled back and forth as the phone rang. A familiar voice answered and Mari felt herself relax incrementally just hearing his voice. They had been friends since they were small children when Mari’s mother would take her into town amongst the humans for a break.
“Hey, what are you doing later?” She asked with a laugh, “I’m about to be in town in a few hours. I need a place to crash and a ride back up the mountain tomorrow. Is that ok?” She smiled as her friend reassured her that she was always welcome, and with a short goodbye she hung up feeling better that she had a plan in place and would shortly be free of the pressure of a cramped and awkward car ride. For the first time in weeks, she was feeling more herself and looked forward to spending some time with her friend.
Chapter 4
“Hey stranger!” Mari laughed as she stood up on her tip-toes to wrap her arms around her much taller friend’s neck. She inhaled deeply as he wrapped her into a tight hug, easily lifting her up off her feet and swinging her around. She had found so much peace in being around him growing up. Humans were much easier for her to be around as they weren’t nearly as overpowering with their emotions.
“So, what brings you down here?” Ben asked with a smile as he settled her back on her feet. He reached around her and closed the door to his apartment with a light click. His eyes followed her every move as she walked around the room making herself at home. He felt the sheer contentment of having her around well up within him. He was sure one day he would get around to telling her how he truly felt about her.
“Oh, just a work thing,” Mari explained with a shrug as she settled down on the edge of the couch. It was late, and Mari was still reeling with the effort she had expended on the search for the missing shifter, and her general lack of sound sleep that had become her new normal. “What about you? What have you been up to?”
“Still just working,” Ben said with a shrug as he moved to the kitchen area and finished putting dishes away. “I ended things with Amy. She seemed to be okay with it, just didn’t seem like it was going to work out.”
His eyes searched her face hoping to see some sort of relief or reaction over the news, but was disappointed to see the familiar, warm smile greeting him. “So, what’s the plan? You want to go out, stay in? Watch a movie?”
“Would you totally hate me if I said I just really want to sleep right now?” She asked with a small laugh as she pulled her feet up beneath her on the bed. She scrunched her face up in an apologetic wince. She couldn’t ever give Ben a real explanation of what she did for “work”, but as far as they had always been concerned, they were friends regardless.
“Of course,” he replied with a laugh in return, “It’s okay. You don’t have to pretend you’re not just an old lady masquerading in that body. It’s way past your bedtime anyway, Granny.” As much as Ben joked, he was more than okay with the prospect of simply sleeping. He would love for more than that to happen, but even just the act of sleeping in the same bed as her seemed to just make his world right again.
Ben crossed the room to his dresser and retrieved a soft tee-shirt from the drawer and tossed it in Mari’s direction. It was far from the first time that he had received a call out of nowhere and had her show up on his door step and ask to stay the night. Ben liked to tell himself it was all just part of the journey. If she could just continue seeing him as the place
to run to, she’d eventually see him as more than that. At least, that was Ben’s sincere hope anyway. Ben turned away giving Mari a chance to change as he walked across the small apartment to turn off lights and lock up.
He returned with a shy glance. The sight of her curled up on his bed in his old football tee-shirt, pale legs wrapped up beneath her, caused something deep within him to tighten. She had such a firm hold on his heart and mind, he wasn’t sure how he could ever survive without her in his life. Ben reached for the edges of his tee-shirt and pulled it up and over his head, tossing it towards the hamper before climbing into the bed beside Mari.
Mari found herself inspecting Ben’s body with much more appreciation that she was used to. She couldn’t explain why suddenly she was so interested in the ripple of muscles across his chest and arms, or the way that his pajama pants hung ever so slightly off his hips. She felt herself blushing a deep rouge. She laughed nervously as she settled back onto the bed.
She curled on her side of the bed, the same one she always used when she spent the night at Ben’s place. It was her spot. It was her pillow. The sense of familiarity washed over her and left her easily toying with sleep at the edges of her consciousness. She was finally able to just relax. She reached behind her and pulled Ben’s arm over and across her body, forcing him to cuddle with her.
Ben was intensely aware of every single inch of where his body was in relation to Mari’s. His arm tightened around in her a gentle squeeze, before it nestled up against her narrow waist. Ben toyed around with all the different things he wished he could say to her. He wished he could just explain to her how he felt. He’d been in love with his friend for as long as he could remember, but he was terrified that if he told her, she would disappear completely. It was rare that he got to see her as it was. Ben couldn’t imagine never getting to see Mari again, it was just too much. He felt perfectly content as she quickly fell into a deep sleep there in his arms. He thought it odd she had fallen asleep so quickly, as she normally had a hard time getting to sleep.
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