Bear the Heat

by T. S. Joyce

  The quote he pulled said, “We bond with one mate for life. The rate of infidelity for bear shifters is almost none because our animals simply won’t allow it.” Then Eddie had outed Titus Keller’s affair and secret child, raised away from Boone’s family until the age of ten. Bruiser’s story had made the front page of the small town newspaper.

  It made her sick. Not only had her ex basically called her ‘Whore of the Wearbear,’ but he’d made a really painful and personal family affair public.

  This was all her fault for not answering Eddie’s stupid one billion text messages and calls over the last few weeks. She hadn’t wanted to hear anything he had to say, but never in a hundred years would she have guessed he would stoop this low to hurt her.

  And now “liar” had been added to the public’s perception of the bear shifters. She didn’t know how it would affect them on a national level, but in a small town like Breckenridge, reputation was everything.

  “Asshole,” she groused as she pulled into a small parking lot behind Jos’s candy store.

  She had to make this right, and the only one she knew to ask for help was her cousin.

  Snatching the newspaper from the seat, Cora slid out of her car, then slammed the door hard enough to rock it.

  “Hey,” Jos greeted her as Cora blew through the front door. Today, her short black hair was tied back with a white bandana, and her navy apron was dusted with flour and drizzled with chocolate. “Let me see it.”

  Unable to express the anger she felt with words, Cora handed her the newspaper and sank into a chair behind the counter as Jos glared at the tiny newsprint, lips moving as she read along silently. Every once in a while, Jos’s eyebrows would shoot up, and she’d huff air in that sonofabitch-really-did-it-now kind of way Cora recognized from when Jos had protected her from bullies in high school back in Denver.

  Meredith came out of the back room and asked the lone customer in the store if he needed help finding anything but returned to Cora’s side when he responded that he was just looking around. Meredith was a study in opposites from Jos. Fair skin, perfectly highlighted blond hair pulled into a ponytail that curled just right on the end, and manners. Cora had never heard her cuss as long as she’d known her.

  “Hey sweetie,” Meredith said, giving Cora a side-hug.

  “I want to punch that little weasel in his little weasel throat,” Jos gritted out, handing the paper to Meredith. She swung her gaze back to Cora and exclaimed, “Like he didn’t hurt you enough already!”

  “Well, he actually did me a favor by cheating because I finally grew the balls to leave him and find someone better. Someone who makes me better.”

  “Oh, honey, it’ll all be okay,” Meredith said, sympathy pooling in her soft green eyes.

  “It will because we’re going to slash his tires and poop on his porch,” Jos growled.

  “Okay, first off, you put dog poop on the porch. You don’t actually pop a squat and defecate, and second, I’ve already got a better idea.”

  “A plan?”

  Cora lifted her chin, and then lowered it with a sigh. “Yes, I’ve got a plan. But I need your help.”

  “Name it. Anything.”

  “I’ve been approved by Mark, my producer, to run the interviews I did with the Breck Crew yesterday by him so he can put it on the air. He’s given me a fifteen minute time slot to run right before I do the news tonight.”

  “Okay, I’m with you. Where do I come in?”

  “Well, okay, let me show you.” Cora pulled her handheld video camera from her purse and hit play. It was tape of her hand gripping Boone’s fur as he led her through the woods. The camera panned up as Boone stopped, and he looked back at her with such adoration in his blazing gold eyes. The sun filtered through the trees with yellow saturated light, and the evergreen woods behind him were a spectacular backdrop, but it was the look of utter devotion in Boone’s eyes that made her feel all breathy. It was one of Cora’s favorite parts of the tape.

  “Oh, my gosh,” Jos and Meredith murmured in unison.

  “That’s Boone?” Jos asked, looking up at Cora with emotion-filled eyes.

  “That’s my Boone,” she whispered.

  “How much footage did you get?”

  “I’ve videotaped over the last couple of days, sometimes with just me and Boone, and then all yesterday when I was with his family.”

  “Is the candid footage of his family like this?”

  Cora swallowed her emotions down and nodded. “They’re lovely. Everything I could want in a family. Ma, Rory, Leah, Quinn, the cubs…the Keller brothers. They even turned the interview questions on me sometimes, and Ma asked me to stay for dinner, and I got footage of that, too. I didn’t think about adding my personal video sequences to the interview until I saw the newspaper today. The world should see this amazing family for what it is. So, my question for you is, do you remember how to use any of the editing software from when we used to do those documentaries in college?”

  “Oh, geez, I’ll be rusty, but we can give it a go. How much time do we have?”

  “I have to have the thumb drive to Mark by five.”

  Jos looked at her watch. “Okay, we’ve got roughly eight hours to give you enough time to get back to the station. I’m in,” Jos said suddenly. “It’s a really good thing you are doing.”

  “It’s a risky thing I’m doing. It could cost me my job, my career.”

  “Cora, this feels big, and right.” Jos grabbed her hands. “You can help these people.”

  “Yeah. Even if Mark caves under the backlash, I have this one chance to make sure the public sees the real Breck Crew, not some made-up rumors like Eddie wants them to see.”

  “My name goes on the credits,” Jos negotiated.

  “Done, and so will yours Meredith.”

  “But I’m not doing anything,” Meredith said, looking baffled.

  “Yeah, you are babe. You’re watching the shop all on your own today while I help Cora edit this. Is that okay?”

  Meredith laughed as Jos kissed her nose and bolted for the door, then Meredith called out, “Anything for a good cause.”

  “Thank you,” Cora whispered, hugging Meredith up tight. She waved with a nervous flutter of her fingertips as she followed Jos out the back door.

  Eddie thought she’d cave with embarrassment at being labeled as Boone’s consort, but he was dead fuckin’ wrong.

  She was about to own exactly who she was and where she belonged.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Boone shrugged out of his turnout gear and kicked out of his trousers. It was cold as a witch’s tit outside, but he had been burning up inside that fireproof jacket. That damned newspaper article was messing with his head. Poor Ma. She’d been through hell dealing with his father’s secret infidelity, and now she’d have to bear that shame in front of the whole town any time she went anywhere. Yeah, when Bruiser had turned up at age ten, the rumors had swirled out of control about their family, but that had settled years ago, and now, everyone knew his father was a two-timing asshole for sure.

  And on top of that, Cora’s ex had called her Boone’s consort on the first page. Fuck, he wanted to rip that idiot’s throat out and watch him gasp on every last breath. Boone jammed his hat on the hook near his locker and cast a baleful glance over his shoulder at the engine that needed a wash down. At least today he would stay busy.

  He’d called Cora as soon as he read the article, but she’d seemed more concerned with how he was handling the news on his father. Damn, he wished he was off today so he could leave and check on her. She’d said she was working all day, though, so a day off wouldn’t get him any more time with her, anyway. Still, he’d give his right femur to hug his mate right now and make sure she was really okay.

  It was this grit right here that had made him keep the bond to himself. Cora was a good woman, a stubborn, strong, proud woman, who was loyal to a fault. At least if she hadn’t known he was bonded to her, she could’ve gone her own way if t
hings got too hard. She was smart though, quick as a whip, and had figured out immediately how important being bonded was.

  She wouldn’t quit on him.

  That realization made him hook his hands on his hips and huff a breath. He nodded slowly as he let that little gem slide over him. His mate was no quitter, especially when it came to handling his many demons.

  She really was in this, like she’d said, and how the hell Boone had been lucky enough to snag a woman like her, he didn’t have a clue. He just needed to thank his sheer dumb luck and do his best to make her as happy as she made him.

  His phone chirped from his back pocket, and he rushed to answer it in case it was Cora.

  He grinned when he saw her name on his caller ID. “Hey, Trouble,” he answered.

  “Are you at the firehouse, or are you out on a call?” she asked in a low voice.

  “I’m at the firehouse, why?”

  “Call your Ma and Leah and the others, and gather those boys because your interview is coming on in five minutes.”

  “Wha—already? You just did them yesterday.”

  “Tight deadline.”

  “Damn, woman, you work fast. Okay, I’ll let everyone know. Are you still working tonight?”

  “Yes, I’ll be reporting the news directly after the interviews.”

  “Okay, I can’t wait to see you on there.”

  She giggled, but it was a nervous sound. “Hey, Boone?”

  “Yeah?” he asked stifling the nervous spark that had ignited in his gut.

  “No matter what, I love you.”

  No matter what? “I love you, too. Hey, is there something I’m missing here? Are you okay?”

  “Yes, yes, I’m fine. I just…I just hope you like the segment. Oh, my producer is here and I still need to go through hair and make-up. I’ll see you tonight. Call the crew! Okay, bye.”

  Boone frowned at the screen until it turned off from the ended call. She was acting strange. Maybe the interviews hadn’t gone as well as he’d thought they did.

  “Gage, Cody, Dade, come in here.” He’d called them out at a normal volume, but his brothers would hear well enough. “Jimmy and Barret, you might as well come, too,” he said, gesturing to a couple of human firefighters working this shift.

  Boone dialed Ma’s number as he turned on the television in the rec room. “Ma, turn it on channel four. Cora said our interviews are coming up in a few minutes.”

  “They are? Leah, turn the TV to channel four. Cora is showing our interviews. Oh, I have to go, Boone. I have to make popcorn for the cubs, or they’ll never sit still long enough for us to watch.”

  “What is it?” Cody asked as Boone hung up on Ma.

  “Call your mates and tell them the interviews are about to come on.”

  “When?” Dade asked.

  “Right now. Gage, Leah already knows. She’s over at Ma’s house with the cubs.”

  His oldest brother nodded and jogged off toward the kitchen.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Snacks, man,” Gage called over his shoulder. He was still wearing his hat and suspenders and Boone chuckled at how easily distracted his oldest brother was.

  Channel four was currently running a commercial for some heavy-duty cleaner that could dissolve rust off nails. The acidic solution reminded him of what the tracker had done to Dade’s neck and Cody’s hand and made him wince as he sat down. Jimmy and Barret took the smaller couch while Cody and Dade hovered on the arms of the bigger one with him. Gage came in with a bag of trail mix and sat down practically in Boone’s lap.

  “Personal space, man,” Boone grumbled, shoving his brother over.

  Gage clunked his boot onto the coffee table and shoved a handful of peanuts and raisins into his mouth. He only ever ate those two things from the mix, leaving the filler for the rest of them to eat, the peckerwood.

  The intro for the local news came on, and Dade sang along, hitting every note.

  Boone rolled his eyes and leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “Damn, I’m nervous.”

  “Why? It’s not like she can make us look any worse,” Dade said.

  “True.” Cody yanked the bag of snacks from Gage’s hands.

  Jimmy narrowed his eyes at the screen and relaxed into the couch cushions. “If you called us in here just to watch your girlfriend on TV—”

  “Shhh,” the Keller brothers all hissed as Brandon Musgrave came on.

  “Tonight, we have a special treat for you. As many of you know, just three short months ago our world was rocked with the discovery that human-animal shifters, bear shifters in particular, have been existing alongside man all this time. Well tonight, our very own Cora Wright has got the exclusive interviews you’ve been dying to see. World, meet the Breck Crew in a piece she’s calling An Authentic Look into the Secret Lives of Bear Shifters. Whew, that title is a mouthful…”

  “Shut uuup,” Gage drawled, tossing a cashew at the flat screen.

  The reporter cracked another stupid joke, and Boone snickered when the screen cut to black right in the middle of his punchline. That’s what he got, screen hog.

  The black screen transitioned to an image of the day the Breck Crew had come out publicly in front of the veterinary clinic. Of how scared Quinn looked when she Changed for the first time. They were black and white Polaroid pictures stacked on top of one another, the top disappearing as another image appeared to evoke even more emotion. They were gritty, grainy.

  Cody holding his hands out as he talked to the crowd.

  Dade looking at Boone as he stripped off his turnout gear.

  The crowd terrified, hiding behind the fire engine.

  Newspaper headlines passed in rapid succession, some for shifters, some against.

  Video of riots nationally, as well as on Main Street, flowed seamlessly together, showing some of the harsher signs, encouraging the government to keep them in cages, then morphing to signs of hope. The Blue Haired Ladies of Breckenridge stood in one shot, holding up a sign that simply read Let Them Be.

  Frightened faces in a crowd.

  A mother clutching onto her child.

  Video of the Breck Crew walking up the steps of town hall. One shot showed people reaching out to touch Ma’s outstretched hand, while on the other side, a man threw a rock at them.

  This was the first time Boone had thought about how confusing this must’ve been for the humans. How scary it must’ve been to realize they weren’t the only ones making a life on this planet. Their coming out had caused such uncertainty and chaos, but it wasn’t because they were evil people. It was because humans were scared.

  Shaky video of the night of the wreck appeared, trained on sparkling shards of window glass that sat like shining gemstones on Cora’s trembling hand. The IESA agent’s voice rang out loud and clear over Cora’s ragged breath. “They’re still breathing. Nah, there’s no cameras on this street. No houses either. I picked it carefully. Yeah, I said I’ll take care of it, and I will. I’ll call you when it’s done.”

  A scuffle, and a terrified scream from Cora’s throat, then the camera trained on a syringe that landed on the seat right next to her.

  “You stupid animal,” the man growled from the concrete where Boone pinned him. “You were the warning, you and your whore. The rest of your crew would’ve come back in line.” The video threaded, shortening the fight, highlighting the poison the IESA agent had spewed. “If you kill me, it won’t matter. There will be someone new to take my place, but you already know that. We’re going to eradicate your kind until you are nothing but a dim memory. You didn’t play by our rules, and now there will be consequences. You thought coming out to the public made you safer? Look in those people’s eyes. They hate you. Hate what you stand for. IESA was the only thing that could’ve kept you safe.”

  The camera focused on the attackers sneering crimson smile, then faded to the interview room Cora had set up in Ma’s house.

  “What do you see in your future?” Cora asked Cody. Sh
e wore a crisp, white sleeveless blouse and dark, fitted skirt as she sat in a chair across from the couch Cody sat in. The backdrop was Ma’s living room wall, covered in family pictures.

  “I don’t see my future at all. As alpha, I worry for my crew. Where will we be in ten years? I don’t know. I don’t know if we’ll be here past next week. Where do I wish our future would end up? I hope my family is safe, and that my mate is happy. I hope my Ma can take her grandkids to the playground without worrying that someone will take their kids away so they don’t play with our cubs. I hope my brothers are happy with their mates and that we continue serving this great community of ours. I hope we’re living in peace.”

  “And what do you see for your son, Aaron?”

  Cody’s face crumpled, and he jerked his head away toward the shadows. He tried to smile apologetically, but faltered and shook his head. “Sorry,” he said in a thick voice. “My son just came into my life, so this is hard to talk about. Can we redo this?”

  “Of course, just answer when you are ready and I can edit it.”

  Cody leaned forward and clasped his hands in front of his face. “Why is she using the outtakes?”

  “Because,” Boone whispered, jerking his head toward Jimmy and Barret, whose attention was glued to the screen. “Cora’s not going for perfect. She’s going for real and relatable.”

  Boone swung his gaze back to the screen. Damn. Even he was choking up watching Cody get emotional over his boy.

  The next interview brought some levity to the heavy subject matter.

  Ma sat next to Leah, Rory, and Quinn on the couch across from Cora.

  “What was your biggest fear about coming out to the public?” Cora asked.

  Ma squeezed Leah’s leg and sat up straight and proud. “I was scared they were going to split us up—”

  “Grammy!” Aaron called from out of the camera shot somewhere.

  “I was afraid—” Ma tried again, trying to hide an indulgent smile.

  “Bacon,” Aaron called. “I wanted waffles and bacon, and me and Arie and Tate were going to make enough for you, but I can’t find the bacon anywhere.”