Tech Bear

by Scarlett Grove

  She opened the door, wearing a dark-gray dress that came to her mid-calf in a flattering flare from her hips. She’d worn her makeup more subtly than usual and had her hair down her back in long braids. He wanted to grab her and kiss her as soon as he looked at her, but he resisted that instinct. He had to be a gentleman. He knew that there was something scaring her. If he pressed himself on her too hard, she would run away like a frightened rabbit and hide in her den, never to be seen again.

  “You look gorgeous,” he said, revealing the bouquet of autumn flowers he’d brought for her.

  Her eyes lit up upon seeing the bouquet. She took the flowers and told him to wait at the door rather than inviting him inside.

  “I’ll just put these in water,” she said, disappearing behind the closed door.

  Damien stood there, dumbstruck. She wouldn’t invite him inside. What was she hiding? Was she really messy and didn’t want him to see it? If she was messy, he really didn’t mind. He was generally a tidy person, and when they finally ended up living together, he wouldn’t mind picking up after her, as long as she wasn’t totally disgusting. People did have to pull their own weight. But he would make compromises for his mate.

  These thoughts ran through his mind until she opened the door again and stepped outside, closing the door behind her quickly and locking it with the key.

  “Ready?” he asked.

  “Yeah, sure. I’m so ready for this,” she said.

  They walked down the stairs. He opened the door to his SUV and helped her inside. She smiled and thanked him as she settled into her seat and pulled her seat belt over her shoulder. He closed the door, feeling content for the first time since he’d last seen her.

  She was sitting in his car, and he was going to drive her to Thanksgiving with all the clan. He knew that in the midst of all of the love and togetherness the clan shared, Raven wouldn’t be able to resist wanting to be with him. Who could resist that kind of a family togetherness? He opened his door and climbed inside, remembering what kind of woman Raven really was. He’d known the goth techie for seven years and had a feeling that family togetherness with a bear clan wasn’t exactly her thing.

  He turned the key in the ignition, smiling at her, and then pulled out of the parking lot.

  “I brought a sweet potato pie,” he said.

  “You cook?” she asked.

  “Of course. Most bears cook. We love to eat,” he said too enthusiastically.

  Why couldn’t he stop acting like a nerd in front of her? He couldn’t stand himself sometimes. This girl was obviously way cooler than he was. She was five years younger than him, and he had been a sergeant in the Great War. He had traveled the world and had been instrumental in bringing peace between nations during the war, but at the end of the day, he still felt like a big dork.

  Raven and her calm coolness, her Doc Martens and dark eye makeup, he could never live up to that kind of cool personality. Even her online character was cooler than his. He was a paladin, for god’s sake, and she was a rogue. He knew that they were a lot like their characters in person. But that didn’t deter him. Tech Bear Paladin wanted the elf rogue named Raven more than anything in the entire world. He would stop at nothing to have her.

  “Everyone’s going to be there,” he said with a goofy grin on his face that just wouldn’t leave him alone.

  “Oh yeah?” she said indifferently.

  “I think you’re going to love the clan. You already know Lily. She’s great. I think you two probably have a lot in common. Even though she’s a little older than you are. Shane’s a real punk rocker, you know, with all those tattoos and everything. Most of the Rescue Bears are really cool dudes.”

  “What about the Bear Patrol?” she asked, her voice tight.

  “Rollo is married to a jaguar shifter named Zoe Bright. It’s Zoe Morris now. They have a little baby girl who is three years old who is the light of Rollo’s life. Considering how tight they are, you would never know that Zoe was on the wrong side of the law when she first came to Fate Mountain.”

  “Really? What happened?”

  “Zoe Bright is Corey Bright’s sister. She was always a troublemaker. Or so they say. I think Zoe is a great person, but you know how siblings are.”

  “Actually, I don’t.”

  “I’m sorry. I forgot you’re a foster kid.”

  “It’s fine. I’m just kidding. What were you saying about Zoe?”

  “Well, she is Corey Bright’s kid sister. Corey is a genius. He makes me feel like an idiot in comparison. Zoe is a lot younger than him, and she has a totally different character. She got involved in some bad stuff during her travels. Corey was paying for her lifestyle. She spent years traveling around, going to raves. Later, she fell in with some criminal elements and ended up getting involved with smuggling and so on. Her boss sent her to Fate Mountain to steal some jewels. It’s a whole long story that you should ask them about. But Rollo and Zoe had their own problems in the beginning, and they were able to get past it. I think that you will like Zoe. She is really a cool girl. Like you,” he said.

  He couldn’t believe the things that were coming out of his mouth. Every single word made him feel like a bigger dork than the last. Finally, they pulled up in front of Fate Mountain Lodge and he closed his mouth.

  He parked the car and went around to open the door for Raven, and he held her hand as she hopped out. She was so cute in her fit-and-flare dress. She was at least a foot shorter than him, but he knew how much fire and spunk were contained in that tiny little package.

  He wanted to wrap her up in his arms and never let go of her. He took her hand, tentatively weaving his fingers through hers as they walked down the path toward the front entrance of the lodge. The place was closed for the long weekend so that the clan could celebrate in private.

  They opened the front door of the lobby, and everyone was inside. Drew’s wife, Quin, was laughing hysterically as Drew chugged down a pint of Fate Mountain lager as the rest of the Rescue Bears cheered him on. Damien saw his fellow Bear Patrol crewmate Gauge, known as Detective Bear on the crew.

  “Shane dared Drew to chug a pint of beer,” Gauge said. “I don’t think it was a very good dare. Considering we’re talking about Brew Bear here.”

  “Well, it seems to have worked out for Drew,” Damien said.

  “Who is this?” Gauge asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked down at Raven.

  “Gauge, this is Raven Lucas, my mate,” Damien said softly, not knowing how to address the subject.

  “Your mate?” Gauge said. The polar bear’s blue eyes sparkled as he looked at Raven. “I didn’t know you’d found your mate.”

  “This is only our second date. I thought it would be good to keep it under wraps until I was able to introduce her to everyone.”

  “Raven,” Gauge said, reaching out to shake her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  “And you, Gauge,” Raven said.

  “Did someone say you’d found your mate?” said Knox Carter, otherwise known as Deputy Bear on the Bear Patrol.

  “Knox, this is Raven,” Damien said, introducing his little mate to the big grizzly bear who was Rollo’s second-in-command.

  “Hi, Knox,” Raven said.

  Damien could tell Raven was already getting overwhelmed by all the scrutiny, so he put his arm around her waist and guided her toward the bar in the dining room. The kids were all playing with an elaborate train set that wound around the floor at one end of the dining room. The mothers were sitting around the train set, sipping coffee, tea, and wine as they watched the children or giggled at their mates’ antics.

  “I’ll take a glass of Chardonnay,” Raven said.

  Damien walked behind the bar and opened the refrigerator, finding an open bottle of white wine. He poured her a glass and handed it to her across the bar. He could tell she was nervous, and the truth was, he felt a little nervous as well. He’d introduced his mate to his clan, and they weren’t even committed to each other yet. He co
uld feel her apprehension and nervousness coming through their rudimentary mate bond.

  He would do anything to make her feel less nervous and more at home. He poured himself a pint of Fate Mountain lager and joined her on the other side of the bar, slipping onto a bar stool beside her. She smiled at him over her wine glass and lifted an eyebrow.

  “I’d love to take a tour of the lodge,” she said.

  “We can do that, I guess,” he said. “Let me just tell the host that we’re stepping out.”

  He stood from the barstool and walked over to Levi Blackthorn, the owner of the lodge. He was standing with his mate, Juliet, and their daughter, Sunshine, who was now five years old. She was the cutest little girl on Fate Mountain and was wearing a burnt-orange velvet party dress, a big bow in her hair, and an antique brooch at her neck.

  “Sunshine,” Damien said. “You look fabulous today.”

  “Well, thank you,” Sunshine said, brushing her braid over her shoulder like the little diva she was.

  Her mother, Juliet, giggled and smiled at her mate, Levi.

  “So glad you could make it,” Levi said, slapping Damien on the back. “Zoe made it her mission to get the whole Bear Patrol here, and it looks like she did it.”

  “I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I’m taking Raven on a quick tour before we eat.”

  “Shane says we’re eating promptly at three. I wouldn’t be late to Wild Bear’s Thanksgiving feast if I were you,” Levi said, slapping Damien on the back again.

  “I want to meet your mate,” said Willow Bright, Corey’s mate.

  Willow was a world-famous romance author who had come to live and work on Fate Mountain after finally snagging Corey Bright, the self-proclaimed bachelor of Fate Mountain. Ironically, he was the man who had invented Mate.com.

  “We’ll be back before dinner is served,” Damien said, quickly slipping away from the crowd of beautiful Fate Mountain bear mates. He quickly crossed the room to his own beautiful mate.

  “Dinner is a three o’clock sharp. We have a few minutes to look around.”

  “Great,” Raven said, setting her glass on the bar and slipping from the stool. “Let’s go.”

  Raven almost dashed out of the dining room and away from the clan, as if she couldn’t get away fast enough. Damien wasn’t sure if she had some kind of social anxiety issue or if she just didn’t like his friends. Either way, it was troubling, and he wanted to remedy the situation as quickly as possible. Too bad he had no idea how.

  He followed her through the lobby and watched her as she inspected every nook and cranny of the space. Everyone else had gone into the dining room to join the festivities in there. The fire blazed in the fireplace in the lobby, and the warmth of it kissed his skin as they passed it.

  Raven made a complete round of the lobby and then came to the front desk, where the receptionist usually worked. Raven leaned over the counter and squinted at the plaque on the wall behind it.

  “That plaque is dated six years ago, and it’s talking about the new ownership. Who owned the lodge before Levi?”

  “I don’t know. I’d have to ask around. I didn’t even live here then.”

  “Do you think we could ask Levi who owned the lodge before him?”

  “I don’t see why not, but I don’t understand why,” Damien said, really not following her train of thought. What was going on here? Why did she care who owned the lodge before Levi?

  “I’m just curious, that’s all.”

  “We better get in to dinner, or we’ll face Wild Bear’s wrath,” he said.

  He offered her his arm, and she looked up at him as if he were crazy. Slowly, her expression changed into a smile, and she wrapped her hand around the crook in his elbow. He led her through the lobby and into the dining room, where everyone was settled around a big, long table.

  The children were even at the adults’ table and not at their own little table. The bears loved including the children in their meals, even if they were loud and obnoxious and made messes. Having them all together made the whole environment feel more like home.

  Damien and Raven sat down at their own seats at the table. The spread of food had already been set out. Maisie Greene, the world-class baker, had helped Shane Keenan make the entire dinner. They’d prepared everything except the few dishes the rest of the bears had prepared at home.

  Shane cut the turkey, and everyone began passing plates around the table. The chatter of conversation warmed Damien’s heart, and the sight of the children laughing and smiling all around the table made his bear yearn for a family of his own. He passed the plate of turkey to Raven, and she took a few slices and slid them onto her plate before passing it down the line.

  “Raven was wondering who owned the lodge before you, Levi,” Damien said once everyone had their plates full and Levi had said a blessing for the table.

  “Oh, that was Marvin Updike. He is a wealthy hyena shifter who still lives up on his place on Fate Mountain. Sold the lodge to me six years ago, for a good price too. He’d let the place slip into disrepair. But we put in a little elbow grease, and the place is now better than ever,” Levi said with pride in his voice.

  “Levi is a much better boss,” said Kelly Green, Maisie Green’s mother. Kelly had worked as a receptionist at the lodge for as long as anyone could remember.

  “Did you work here twenty years ago?” Raven asked Kelly abruptly.

  Everyone went quiet for a split second and looked at Raven. Her tone had been overly harsh and demanding.

  “Yes. I did. Why do you ask?”

  “Did you know a woman named Harlow Lucas?” Raven asked under her breath.

  “Wait. I think I do remember that name. She used to do some work for Mr. Updike at his estate. Now I remember. The last time I saw her, she was in a bad state. Someone called the police about it. But she left before the police got here. If I remember correctly.”

  “What happened?” Raven pressed.

  “I’m not sure. Mr. Updike said he’d take care of it. I never saw her again after that. I thought she’d left town.”

  8

  Raven finished her Thanksgiving dinner. Feeling stuffed and partially comatose from Thanksgiving turkey, she followed Damien out to his car.

  She’d felt on edge the entire night after Kelly Green’s revelation about her mother. Now she knew that this guy Marvin Updike had something to do with her mom’s disappearance. She’d let too much slip. If she wanted to find out what happened to her mother, there were parts of her life that she had to keep a secret. Damien opened the car door for her and helped her into his SUV.

  “Would you like to come back to my place for a while?” he asked, looking at her with those big, honest blue eyes of his. “We can play games and have a nightcap.”

  “That sounds nice,” she said hesitantly.

  She couldn’t help wanting to go with him. As much as she knew it was a mistake, she also felt the strong draw to him that could only be explained by their primal connection. She might not be a shifter, but she knew that shifter fated mates had a bond between them, and she definitely felt it.

  The truth was she’d felt it for quite some time. She’d always had feelings for Tech Bear Paladin, and she probably always would. Her rational mind was telling her to get away as fast as possible, but her heart was telling her to go with him.

  She wanted to go hang out with Damien, to sit on the couch and play video games on his Xbox. If only it were so simple. If only she could just be a normal girl and fall in love with a normal guy. But that was not the life that was destined for Raven. Until she knew who she was and where she’d come from, how could she ever give herself to Damien? How could she ever live a normal life?

  But it was too late to back out now. She’d already instinctively agreed to go to his house. As they drove through the fluttering snowflakes that melted on the windshield, she kept asking herself how she could get out of going over there. But she couldn’t come up with an answer.

  Damien took a turn
down Elm Street and parked in front of a two-story Victorian. It was the kind of house that Raven had always dreamed of living in. The kind of place that you just knew was somebody’s lifelong home. She could imagine raising a family there. If Raven ever thought about raising a family, that was.

  For the most part, a loving family was the farthest thing from her mind. She still hadn’t reconciled her past, let alone her future. Someday, maybe, she could be the kind of woman who fell in love and got married and had children in a home like Damien’s. But, for now, she was a hacker.

  Damien helped her out of the car again, like the absolute gentleman that he was, and walked hand in hand with her up the front path of his house. He opened the door that led into his comfortable living room and turned on the light. It was warm inside. The living room had a stylishly designed layout with big couches, an easy chair, and a big-screen TV. It was the kind of living room where you could hang out and relax after a long day of work and connect with your family. It was so different from how Raven lived her own life.

  Just looking around Damien’s house made her want to tell him the truth. She wanted to come clean. But she still couldn’t trust him. What would he do if she told him? Would he arrest her on the spot? There was a good chance that he would.

  She wished she could trust him more than she’d ever wished for anything except knowing what had happened to her mom. Damien made her feel more alive than she’d ever felt. Being with him gave her a whole new sense of possibility that opened up for her out of nowhere.

  “Have a seat, and I’ll get us another round of drinks,” Damien said, motioning toward his big comfortable couch.

  She took a seat in front of the television and waited while Damien went into the kitchen. She watched him through the open-concept space as he went to the refrigerator and pulled out two bottles of beer. He popped the caps off of both and brought them back to the living room, where she was sitting on the couch. He handed her a bottle and sat down beside her, picking up the TV remote. He clicked on the television, and the loading screen for his Xbox came on the TV. His controllers were sitting on the coffee table, and Raven grabbed one.