Arthur's Mate (Bears of Valor Lake Book 1)

by Lisa Daniels

  She’s a bear shifter too, of course, Emma thought with a slight thrill of fear. If I refuse, she’ll probably transform and chomp me up.

  Grandma Jackie shifted all her bags onto the seat next to her, and laboriously took out an old-fashioned, black and white phone, and began tapping a message to someone.

  It was actually a little strange to see this ancient woman feeling her way around a phone, though she finished with a flourish, and gave Emma a rather wicked, toothy grin. Minus the few back teeth, it seemed.

  “This gonna be a fun meeting.”

  “I’m not sure if I want to come…”

  The growl in the woman’s throat became stronger, as did her voice. “You would refuse our hospitality?”

  “I…”

  “Don’t you want to see Arthur again?”

  The low-key threat made Emma shiver. Maybe she was looking too much into it, but Emma didn’t really know how the bears operated. Was this tiny, growling old lady the matriarch? If she told Arthur to stop seeing Emma, would he stop as well?

  She likely told him to stop seeing that woman who lived nearby. Lamarya or whatever her name was.

  Probably best not to get on the bad side of an entire family of bear shifters. “I’d love to come,” Emma said, plastering a fake smile on her face. Not feeling the emotion inside. Everything knotted into anxiety. She barely wanted to comprehend the shifter thing. She barely wanted to believe she’d witnessed the death of a man, and the torture of another.

  The way Arthur had turned from that gentle, smiling man to a person who didn’t blink an eyelid as he snapped the bones in that man’s fingers… if anything, Arthur might be more dangerous than her ex.

  Last time she checked, at least Marcus didn’t snap people’s bones just to get information out of them. But then again, Marcus didn’t get attacked and almost killed.

  Crossing one leg over the other, Emma resigned herself to watching the rain slide down the windows, transforming the world into a gray smudge, and she wondered what kind of crazy she was waist-deep in.

  Chapter Six – Arthur

  “Make sure you look your best, dear,” Arthur’s mother said, patting down his suit. “If we’re going to get you married off, better with that human before she ends up telling everyone about us.”

  Arthur, standing in front of his mother as she fussed and primped him, turned red at the notion. “Mom! Stop trying to marry me off to people! You’d throw me with anyone at this rate.”

  “You need an heir,” his mother said, repeating Jackie’s mantra. Her dark eyes creased, now overridden with mild fear. “You understand that, don’t you? The oldest son needs an heir, or we’ll never hear the end of it from your uncle! He’s got children. He’ll try to argue why the lands should rightfully be reclaimed by him.”

  “There’s four of us, Ma,” Arthur said, tired of hearing the same blabbering, his eyes now casting around the bedroom, with its fancy dressing table, the four-poster bed where his parents slept, and the dark wood walls and black beams criss-crossing the white ceiling. “I have two brothers after me, and why not Yara? Last time I checked, she’s a Valor woman as well. She could run the family business well.”

  “Yes, but she can hardly marry her own siblings,” his mother said. “She’ll become a Maguire or something. We can’t let the Maguires take land from us.” Her expression made Arthur wonder why his mother would even want to send Yara off to marry someone she hated. Women and marriage. They were so ridiculous.

  “And if she doesn’t marry?”

  “Hush, now.” Apparently, his mother didn’t even want to consider the concept that her daughter would refuse to marry. Honestly, Arthur didn’t see the fuss. Unless the uncle killed every single family member at once…

  His thoughts returned to the attack. To the man they now had in the family basement, being attended to by his father. They still didn’t know whether they wanted the man to go free, or to kill him. Didn’t want too many dead bodies cropping up, even though their community remained isolated from regular human affairs. They’d already cleaned up the corpse from the campsite. Looked like they might have to move and find a new spot to go to.

  Enyeto came into the room then, blond hair, dark eyes, smiling in that annoying way of his. “Yara told me what’s happening. Jackie’s bringing back the stray female. She look any good, bro?”

  He might have only been three years younger than Arthur, but damn if he didn’t know how to be annoying. If Arthur had to write a family list of “Who has slept with the most people,” he’d put Enyeto at the top. “You’ll see soon enough. Was that all you wanted to say?”

  “Nah. Dad’s finished with the prisoner. It didn’t end well, so we need some cleanup help.”

  “We’re not helping!” Mother hissed, now clutching Arthur’s arm tightly. “You think I want my son away burying a body when the woman he’s going to date comes around? Go get Yara and Kuruk to do the work.”

  “They’re here!”

  “Hurry—go. Go now!”

  Yara and Kuruk followed Enyeto to the basement, and Arthur shivered, hoping against hope that Emma wouldn’t see anything.

  Grandma Jackie chose that moment to hobble through the farmhouse entrance, with Emma now carrying all four bags to save the woman the effort of dragging them. Shit, maybe he’d better help Jackie in the future… but he had been busy. Father wanted assistance with the prisoner. The interrogation seemed increasingly wretched for the prisoner, who couldn’t give any concessions about not crawling straight back to his uncle. How could they trust him? He’d have even more reason to hate them and want to get back at them.

  It left a black stain on their family. Wouldn’t be the first. Wouldn’t be the last. And all the major families in Valor Lake had a blood toll.

  When Emma looked at Arthur, a twinge of hope and anxiety panged in his gut. If she found out about the other guy dying, how would she take it? How could she possibly be friends with someone like him?

  Lamarya, at least, was a shifter. No risk breaking up with her, aside from his butthurt family members who really wanted that squalling baby.

  He just needed to look in Emma’s eyes to see what kind of judgment awaited. The rain had caught her, leaving her blonde hair a scraggly mess, her white blouse drenched, showing the white bra underneath. A beautiful mess. Damn humans, looking so attractive…

  “You never told me she’s a looker,” Jackie said, clearly pleased at scooping up such a pretty human. “She’ll make some mighty fine babies, that one.”

  Emma’s cheeks erupted into an inferno of embarrassment, and she barely managed to look at Arthur. Yara snorted from the side, arms folded, clearly enjoying this little exchange.

  “Meemaw, can you not scare her away, please? She’s barely accepted we’re bear shifters. There’s no need to start scaring her with other things, too.”

  “She’ll be just the thing to get you back on your feet after that dreadful woman,” Jackie said, ignoring their embarrassment, oblivious to their spluttering.

  “You wanted me to be with Lamarya!”

  “Only because I wanted a grandchild. I can’t stand Maguires otherwise. Awful, rowdy lot. Stole some of our land half a century back, as you know, and simply won’t admit they’re in the wrong.”

  Well, this was going swimmingly. Arthur wished he could shut up his grandmother before she dug the hole deeper around him and made it impossible to climb back out again. “Let’s try treating her like a guest, and less like an object, okay? Let her see the family, whatever. Just not… this talk. Please.”

  “Hmph.” Jackie didn’t add to the matter, and Emma mouthed thank you from her position. Poor woman didn’t know what had hit her. Jackie and all the other older women in their clan did like their gossip, and their talks of relationships and whether or not they’d gain grandchildren or great-grandchildren. It apparently caused her great distress to be hitting her late sixties and to still not have any grandkids to bounce on her knees. Maybe it caused her physical
pain or something. Some of the creepy questions she’d ask…

  “Is she usually that overbearing?” Emma asked, brown eyes twinkling. She now smiled, since most of the embarrassment had worn off, and she no longer felt particularly pressured by threats of children. “Or is she having an off day?”

  “Trust me,” Arthur growled, now resisting the urge to brush back an annoying tuft of Emma’s hair that stuck itself to her nose, “she’s always like that. She and all the other old biddies in the Valor clan gather together by the fireside, knitting, plotting about their offspring.”

  “I kind of like it,” Emma said, after a brief hesitation, letting her attention wander over the rich interior of their mansion. “At least she wants to keep you around and help raise your children. Do you live in this mansion with them?”

  “Nearby,” Arthur admitted, surprised at Emma’s confession. He’d never thought of it like that. “I’m not sure you’d enjoy it for long, though. It’s very political, me having a child. I don’t understand it myself, but there’s an expectation that the eldest must bear fruit.”

  Emma sniggered, before explaining, “Sorry. It’s just… you said bear. And well, you’re an actual bear, so that’s kind of… that’s kind of a pun, right?”

  He stared blankly at her. “No.”

  “Don’t like puns?”

  “No.”

  “I do,” Yara supplied, batting her eyelashes innocently, causing Arthur to groan. No. If Emma liked puns as well, he’d kick her out the house. No way did he plan to get double-teamed.

  “I like the odd joke,” Emma said, “though when I try to say them, they never come out funny. Bad delivery, I guess.”

  Arthur saw Enyeto and Kuruk sidle in from their apparent hiding places, clearly interested to see what was happening. Had they dealt with the body that fast? Kuruk, the youngest, still needed to finish high school. But he’d seen more than his fair share of dark family blood-shedding.

  “These your brothers?” Emma gave them a wave, and it disconcerted Arthur to see her linger a little too long on Enyeto. Sure, he looked decent, but no. Just no. Emma was his find. No one would snatch her away from him so soon.

  “Yes, but watch out for Enyeto.” Arthur indicated his younger brother. “He’s a player. He’ll try and land you in bed at the first opportunity and add you to the notches on his bedpost.”

  “I’m not that bad,” Enyeto said in his deep bass voice, not offended by Arthur’s statement at all. “But I do admit I like the pretty ladies.” He flicked a leer Emma’s way, and she stiffened, slightly uncomfortable from the attention.

  Kuruk appeared to be rubbing his hands. Washing off blood, perhaps? Arthur’s mind went a little overboard, imagining blood and guts all over the basement, smeared on the stairs, hoping that Emma somehow wouldn’t end up wading into the wrong area and seeing the sins of his family in full.

  Jackie tugged at Emma’s arm, now guiding her to the living room, offering a drink, and alerting everyone she possibly could to the presence of a human in the house. It pulled Arthur’s father from his basement dwelling, and thankfully, his father appeared immaculate. Kuruk, who hadn’t really had so much contact with humans, eagerly assaulted her with questions, asking about how good human eyesight and smell were, did they not think of themselves as fragile and weak, and so on.

  “Sorry about the attention,” Arthur said, finding himself a place next to Emma. “It’s not that often we have new guests here. I think they just want to see how you’re taking the bear shifter thing.”

  Emma accepted the tea from Jackie and flashed a guarded smile. “To be honest, a part of me wants to pack my bags and just leave.” Arthur’s heart plummeted at this statement. “The other part is curious. I mean… people who can shapeshift? I’d be crazy not to want to know more about it. Like… did you guys start off as bears, then become human? Or the other way around? Do you lose your human minds when you become bears? How the hell does it even work?”

  “Oh.” Arthur grinned at her questions. Questions were good. Questions meant she hadn’t yet given into the impulse of running away. Despite the crush of experiences, of the death she’d witnessed, she still wanted to talk to him. Maybe get to know him. A sure step up from Lamarya, who much preferred to get to know him in a naked way, not so much in a person way. “Well, I can tell you that we have family legends, of course, but I can’t promise how true they are.”

  “Legend?” Emma tucked her legs underneath her, absently swirling the black tea.

  “Oh, go and tell her,” Jackie interrupted, appearing from the doorway like a materializing ghost, making Emma jump. The older woman’s smile could certainly belong in a horror movie, Arthur thought. She meant well, but sometimes she just really wanted to butt in on things. Any moment she’d be badgering Arthur about the baby thing again. “I’m sure she’ll love to hear all about our family.”

  Implying she’ll become a part of it.

  “I guess… I’ll love to hear,” Emma said with a wide smile. Arthur resisted the urge to laugh.

  “Yes… well. It’s something like… just over 400 years ago, European settlers came into this section of America. But these weren’t any settlers, you see. These were people who needed help, and the Native Americans gave them the help needed. They gave food, water, let the settlers into their homes, introduced the settlers to their god.

  “The European settlers found the people, who called themselves the Sitting Bear tribe, strange but friendly, and to have a strange affinity for the wildlife, for the bears in particular, whose skins they wore, or who they fed if they came into the settlements. The clan told them that those who opened their hearts to their god would gain an aspect of the god’s power. They called him the Great Bear and said that only a few of them had ever been blessed.

  “Upon visiting the Great Bear’s grotto, the leaders of the settlers were blessed with the strength and wisdom of the bear, and together with the Native Americans, began to work hard to convert the area into a great settlement, and to protect it from the efforts of the other settlers who invaded and took everything for themselves.”

  Arthur wet his lips, which felt dry, and daubed at his teeth with his tongue. “The first family were called the Cahills, which means “Valor” in the old tongue. That’s where Valor Lake comes from. And we changed the surname to that in the end. We had a few nasty clashes with those who wanted a chunk of the land for themselves, but needless to say, they didn’t work out very well. Now the families here tend to own businesses all over the area. Including my uncle with his factories.” The same uncle that wanted to murder me. What a nice family I come from.

  Emma sat there for a long moment, digesting the story, probably deciding how unfeasible it sounded. Even though she’d seen him and Yara transform before her very eyes. “That’s… so the bear shifters originated from America?” Emma drank some of her tea, her face furrowed in thought. “They don’t come from anywhere else?”

  “I wouldn’t know,” Arthur replied, shrugging. “Probably there’s other spirits around. But I’ve never really left Valor Lake or gone and traveled to other countries to talk to shifters. I only know about the shifters in the immediate vicinity, like the coyotes, and wolves—the Native American spirits that used to be worshiped.”

  “Oh.” Some more cogs turned in Emma’s mind. She appeared pretty cute with the way the skin bunched up between her eyebrows, wrinkling the sides of her nose. “So, you’re what, born with this? Or do you have to go and visit this spirit thing?”

  “Born,” Arthur said. “Though we do traditionally go to the grotto once a year. Pay our respects, leave gifts and so on.”

  The silence lingered. Arthur sensed Emma had a question, could almost guess what kind of question it was, and waited for her to say it. When she didn’t, he said, “Maybe we can take you there.”

  Her cheeks flushed slightly. “I’d like to see it, to be honest… but it sounds very private. Won’t I be upsetting anyone if I was to come?”

  “N
o,” said Jackie, once again popping out of nowhere. “The spirit is open to everyone. Sure, we’ve not seen it in a long while, but you never know… maybe it’ll take a liking to you!”

  When Jackie sidled off again into the cavernous mansion, Arthur smiled apologetically. “I’m really sorry about her. She’s desperate for me to have children. Now that my ex is out the picture… according to her, you’re my next best prospect.”

  “Nice,” Emma said, though her blush deepened. Arthur half expected her to fling the tea in his face. Thankfully, she didn’t, so at least he was spared that issue. Perhaps it was better for her not to be exposed to his family so much. They’d begin to place impossible expectations on both him and her. Plus, he couldn’t promise Lamarya wouldn’t come charging into the fray, burning with jealousy. This was a woman capable of throwing everything out of a window, after all. She didn’t think much of humans. He wouldn’t like to put them in the same room together.

  “It feels like it’s all happening so fast,” Emma muttered, now bemused. “I still don’t feel like I’m completely out of Phoenix, and then all this is happening. I ignore phone calls. I got a new phone specifically so I wouldn’t have to listen to all of my family’s messages. And now you seem to have a family like, well...” she gestured in the direction Jackie had disappeared.

  “I’ll take you back home soon,” Arthur said, now wondering how he could persuade her to move away from Lamarya. Well, as long as she didn’t see them together at any point… “I know you didn’t ask for this. But thank you for coming.”

  “Didn’t so much come as was dragged...”

  “She does that.” Arthur grinned. He noticed Emma beginning to relax and considered it a triumph. “Sorry about your family, though. Bad break?”

  “You could say that.” Emma frowned, finishing off her drink at last. The way she moved her hands through her hair distracted Arthur for a moment. Man… he needed to be careful not to get too interested. Or he’d end up making the same mistakes as before. And he was sort of taking her under his wing, because, well, he felt sorry for her. Clearly, for someone to leave their entire life behind and go to an unknown, obscure place, she must have hated whatever happened before.