by T. S. Joyce
He had a plate in his hands with foil on top, but she could smell what he’d made her.
“I like presents, and your mom said you’re just like me, so I always knew what could make you feel better,” Dad murmured. His eyes were sad.
“I do love presents,” she said, forcing a smile so he wouldn’t worry.
She removed the foil from the plate, but there were only two pizza rolls left and a bunch of grease prints from the ones that were gone.
“I had a snacksident.” Dad looked remorseful, but she knew him. He might say sorry, but that man couldn’t resist this food. He’d done good to make it here with two left.
She gave him one and popped the other in her mouth. “He went away.”
Dad leaned back and stretched his legs, rocking the swing. “Audrey told me you sounded hurt on the phone.”
“Well Audrey shouldn’t worry people.” She looked out to the trees again, her bear ever-hopeful that Grim would be standing there one of these times.
“I asked around about him. Grim. You like him?”
She nodded.
“I mean you like him, like him?”
Another nod, and now she felt like crying.
“He’s a monster.”
Another nod. The heart wanted what it wanted. That was one of the few sayings she actually understood now.
“I felt like I was a monster once,” Dad said, swinging them gently.
“What changed?” she asked.
“Your momma found me. Why are you still here, Baby Bear?”
Ash bit her bottom lip to keep it from shaking. She really hated worrying Dad. He was a simple man and got upset when anyone he loved was hurting. “What do you mean?”
“I changed all the seats on Grim’s flight, and you have one right beside him.”
Ash jerked her attention to her dad. “What?”
“I keep trying to teach you to check your emails, but you never do. You and your sisters never listen about your emails. I’ve sent you six this morning. I found funny memes, and none of y’all even called me to tell me I’m funny.”
“Dad, I have a ticket on his flight?”
Dad checked his watch. “You gotta couple hours to make that flight. Pack light so you don’t have to check a bag. That’s me telling you not to pack six pounds of that eye glitter you keep smearing all over your face. Pretty girl lookin’ like a bug light. You tell Grim I have about a dozen sets of eyes on him, and I will fuck his whole life up if he hurts you.”
Ash jumped up, the blanket falling to the porch. “Dad, are you serious?”
“I’m very serious. I will kill him.”
“No, about the flight!”
“Well, now you have one hour and fifty-nine minutes to get there. I’m not sitting here waiting with you while your bear watches people leave again. Just go with him and call me every day. And check your email.”
Ash leaned down and kissed him quick on the cheek.
And as she ran into the house to pack, she could still hear dad talking. “I’m getting really good at meme-ing. And I’ve learned to make gifs. Honestly, I’m ready for one of your sisters, or maybe all of you, to start poopin’ out cubs for me to play with. But your momma said I shouldn’t say it like that because you aren’t actually poopin’ out cubs. But I saw you being born, and it sure looked like she pooped you out. I’m hungry again, so I’m leavin’. Vyr was asking questions about you and Grim, but I didn’t know anything, so I told him to eat a dick and ask you himself. Clinton says I need to stop using his comebacks when I don’t know what they mean, but he nodded like he was proud when I told Vyr to eat a dick. Your momma had her face all scrunched up, though. I’m probably in trouble. Okay, Baby Bear, I’m gonna go feed my belly. Message me when you land. Via email so I know you saw my memes. I love you!”
“I love you too, Dad! So much! You are the best dad!”
“I know! See you soon.”
And then the sound of Dad’s engine roared through the house as she was tossing about six pounds of eye glitter into her make-up bag, and Dad was off again.
No more waiting around for her.
She was going to do exactly what the Reaper had asked of her and go with Grim. For better or worse, she was going to march straight into Tarian Pride territory beside her man.
Bye, bye, boring life.
Helloooo terrifying, uncertain, questionable, adventuresome one.
Chapter Seventeen
Grim sat in the back of the plane, looking at all the empty seats around him suspiciously. The attendant had announced it was a full flight, yet here he was, the only one sitting in the last two rows.
Fucking good! I don’t want to sit by these stupid humans anyway. The Reaper was nice and agitated, probably thanks to being shoved in a plane and having a three hour flight ahead of him. He smiled at the flight attendant. “Can I get some vodka?”
“Ooooh,” she said, her eyes going round. “We aren’t supposed to serve the back alcohol until we take off. But you look like a shifter. Am I right?”
He inhaled deeply and muttered, “Yep.”
“And the flight will probably go a whole lot smoother if you get what you want, right?”
“Yep.”
“Then I would call these extenuating circumstances,” she said with a kind smile. Patting her bouffant silver-streaked hair, she marched into the refreshments station in the little room in the back and began humming that “I’ve got a lovely bunch of coconuts” song.
People were starting to turn around and stare. Probably because of all the growling. “What?” he snarled.
Two normies turned back around. Wise humans.
Everything will be okay, The Good said. Grim had renamed him just for Ash.
Shit, thinking of Ash made his stomach clench.
Fuck off, pansy, the Reaper said.
Eat me, The Good said.
Gladly.
“Everyone just shut up and get along for three goddamn hours,” he snarled.
The animals inside his head shushed, but now the humans were looking a might less comfortable. At least they wouldn’t talk to him during the flight. There was a bright side to having two assholes arguing inside of him. People steered clear of psychopaths.
Ash had cried when he left her. Just the thought of her sweet face…
Something pulsed dark inside of him so he rested his forehead on the seat in front of him and closed his eyes.
“Pardon me, ’scuse me,” a familiar voice said from near the front of the plane.
Grim frowned so hard his face hurt. Oh great, now he could hear the Reaper, The Good, and the pebble in his pocket telling him in Rhett’s voice to stop being a pickle-dick and go back to Ash. And now Ash’s soft, submissive voice was clear as a bell.
Just load me up. Give me all the voices.
Everything was awful.
“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to bop you in the head.” Aw, make-believe Ash. He was going to miss her. Maybe her voice in his head wasn’t such a bad thing.
“Hiiiiiiiii,” make-believe Ash said from right beside him.
Be cool, be cool, be cool. She isn’t really here.
You’re wrong, fuckface, the Rhett-pebble in his pocket said. He even had a name for the stupid thing now. Rebble. Rebble the Pebble. The Tarian Pride should’ve just killed him when they had the chance. Put him out of his misery. He wish he’d never met Rhett.
Rhett is awesome and has a bigger dick than you, Rebble said.
Maybe if he dunked the little rock in a plastic cup of vodka, it would drown.
“Are you okay?” A hand touched his shoulder, and Grim nearly jumped out of his skin.
Ash stood there, blue eyes wide, looking just as startled as him.
“You’re really here,” he murmured.
“Well, I don’t really want you to go to your old Pride alone. And I don’t really want to sit around Damon’s Mountains being sad that you aren’t around. So”—Ash shrugged—“I packed in five minutes, a
nd I’m pretty sure I forgot panties and pajamas and also a hair brush, but here I am.” Her mouth ticked up into a nervous smile. “If that’s okay.”
Relief flooded his veins like a tsunami. “Hell, yes, it’s okay.”
“Oh, good. I got nervous for a second.” She put a hard-topped purple carryon suitcase in the bin above them and sat in the seat beside him. And then she wrapped her arms around his bicep and settled everything inside of him with just a touch. He blew out a steadying breath as she began to tell him how her dad got her the plane ticket.
And when the flight attendant peeked around the corner and held up two miniature bottles of vodka, he shook his head and declined. He didn’t need it anymore.
Because as he listened to his sweet Ash Bear talk, he realized something big.
Right now, hers was the only voice he could hear.
Chapter Eighteen
It was dark by the time Ash and Grim rented a car, ate dinner, and drove to Tarian Pride territory. She was nervous from the second he eased onto an old one-lane dirt road. A few No Trespassing signs later, and Grim pulled up to a security checkpoint.
The second the man in the little one-room station saw Grim, he began speaking fast into a walkie talkie. Well, there was no getting in and out of here unseen.
“It’s okay,” Grim murmured, sliding his hand over Ash’s thigh. “Rose knows we’re coming, she’s all packed, and there’s nothing wrong with us being here. This used to be my home.”
“Where the Reaper was born,” she reminded him gently. She didn’t trust a single lion here except his grandmother.
Ash sent another text to Juno. Where are you?
Juno’s response was immediate. Off the plane, in a rental, speeding to you. Five minutes out.
Hell, yes, Ash had called Rogue Pride. That’s what Crew’s did. They leaned on each other. Grim hadn’t learned that yet because he wasn’t brought up like she had been, in Damon’s Mountains where shifters depended on each other. But going in alone like this, into a powerful Pride without a plan B was a bad idea.
“Hey, Zeke,” Grim murmured through his open window to the guard.
Zeke was a tall man, but much lankier than Grim. He kept ducking his gaze, and his voice was quiet when he murmured, “They’ll be waiting for you inside.”
“They?” Grim didn’t sound happy.
“Things have changed a lot around here since you left. Rose is at the pavilion.” Zeke hit a button on the desk, and the automatic gate swung open slowly. There was a soft humming noise and a current in the air that said one touch of that metal fencing and a person would get the shock of a lifetime.
“Why do they need security?” she whispered. There were glowing eyes in the woods, reflecting in the headlights at every turn they made.
“They have a lot of enemies,” he murmured darkly.
His body was strung tight like a bow string, and he sat rigid behind the wheel, gripping it so hard his knuckles were ghost white. “She was supposed to be at her house near the edge of the territory, not the pavilion,” he snarled. Gold eyes. Grim had gold eyes now.
Ash tried to take a deep breath, but her lungs felt heavy and wouldn’t work right.
Up ahead, there was a fork in the road, and Grim took the left one. A hundred more yards, and he pulled up to a pavilion that was open on three sides and had high rafters with exposed beams on the inside. There were picnic tables lined up and strands of outdoor lights hanging from the ceiling. A group of a dozen shifters or so were loosely gathered at the tables near the edge. And behind them sat a single female with long silky gray hair pulled back into a ponytail. She had high cheekbones, and though her face looked calm enough as she watched Grim pull to a stop in front of the pavilion, her body was every bit as tense as Grim’s.
Something was wrong. She could feel it in her bones something was off. Something was coming. Something bad.
“Grim, I don’t like this.”
“Ash, you’re safe. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“Yes, but you are one lion, and they are…” She did a quick head count. “Twelve.”
Grim chuckled and turned off the car. “You’re right. It wouldn’t be a fair fight. For them.” Whoa, he sounded very confident.
Rose stood and made her way right through the males. Grim pulled his grandma against him as soon as she was close enough. As Ash got out of the car to meet everyone, she could barely make out his whispered words to his grandma.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“There are things I haven’t told you yet,” she said, easing back and holding him at arm’s length.
“You didn’t answer my question,” he growled, his attention jerking to the males who were moving closer.
Rose inhaled deeply and forced a smile for Ash, held out her hand for a shake. “I’m Rose. You must be Ashlynn.”
Ash smiled shyly, stepped right up to her, and gave her a quick hug, ignoring her offered hand. “We hug where I’m from,” Ash murmured. She cleared her throat and wrung her hands in front of her lap. “Grim said you were submissive, but you don’t feel submissive at all.”
“You sure do,” a man piped up. “That surprises me, Grim.”
“What of it, Todd?” Grim asked, glaring at him.
“Just a surprising choice in a mate is all. Seeing as how you’re Tarian through and through and should know better.” He spat. “She ain’t even a lion, is she?”
“No,” Grim said with zero hesitation. “Grizzly bear.” He nodded his chin at Todd. “She might be quiet, but I’d bet on her fucking you up in a fight.” He scanned the faces. “What is this?”
“An intervention,” a tall man said from the shadows beside the pavilion. He stood from where he’d been sitting in a rocking chair and stalked closer.
Ash hadn’t even noticed him there, and apparently Grim didn’t either because when he saw the heavily tattooed predator, his poker face faltered. “Ronin?”
“The one and only. I must say,” the blond-haired man said in a silky-smooth voice, “I’m a little surprised you remember me.”
“It’s been a long time,” Grim said, guiding Rose to stand on his other side.
The man, Ronin, reeked of dominance, almost as much as Grim, but was thinner and lither. He moved as if he concealed power. Just like Grim.
He didn’t slow until he was right in front of Grim, and the two titans sized each other up. The tension was so thick it was hard for Ash to breathe. But suddenly, Ronin cracked a smile and pulled Grim against his chest. Grim clapped him on the back hard and laughed. “Oh man, it’s been years.”
“Too many years, old friend,” Ronin murmured, releasing him.
“What the hell are you doing here? I thought you were clear of this place for good.”
One of the men behind Ronin snarled, but Grim put him in his place immediately. “Aw, fuck off, Terrence. I can say what I want. You have a problem, we can take it to the clearing.” Grim stared him down, fury radiating from him until Terrence dropped his gaze and exposed his neck.
“He doesn’t mean any harm,” Ronin rumbled. “Just loyal to me.”
“Yeah, well, every one of them was once loyal to Justin, too. They turn easy.” Grim gave Terrence an empty smile. “I learned that the hard way.”
“Ronin,” he introduced himself, offering a hand to Ash. His blue eyes were dancing as he pulled her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles.
When Grim snarled out a single word “mine,” Ronin released her. Smart man because Ash was about three seconds away from swiping her claws across his face. She didn’t like uninvited touch that wasn’t from Grim.
“Where is everyone?” Grim asked.
The spark left Ronin’s eyes. “Council’s dead and so is Justin. Killed by Dark Kane’s Crew.”
“I heard. Idiot went after Beast.”
“Yep. The lions are trying to rebuild the council, and they started recruiting Tarian Pride members to make it up. They’ve split the pride right down the midd
le. Some want the council to be rebuilt, the ones looking for power, and some of us,” he said, gesturing to the shifters behind him, “want a different future for lions. One without the rule of the council.”
“Rebuilding the council with Tarian Pride members is the worst fuckin’ idea in the world,” Grim muttered. “Offense intended,” he said to the milling group in the pavilion. “Lions here aren’t known for their fair politics.”
“Agreed,” Ronin rumbled. “I came in to shake things up a little bit, but I can’t do it alone. I’m in the middle of a war. Half of Tarian is in town, half are here. The townies have an Alpha they want on the throne.” Ronin twitched his chin at the dozen men behind him. “But they seem to think I can turn things around for this Pride.”
“Who do they have in town?”
Ronin shook his head. “New blood. Like me. Typical Tarian Alpha. Reminds me of Justin.”
“Shhhit,” Grim murmured. “You put another Justin on the throne, the Pride is doomed.”
“Agreed.”
Grim looked at Ash and Rose, then frowned. “Why did you bring me to the pavilion, Ronin?”
“I need an enforcer—”
“Fuuuck that,” Grim snarled, walking back to the truck and pacing back. “Fuck that, Ronin. I’m not an enforcer anymore.”
“What are you then? You aren’t normal, Grim. You still have that damn monster in you. You’re still the Reaper.”
“No,” Ash murmured.
“Just listen to him,” Rose whispered.
“I know you hate what you are,” Ronin said, “but this is you. No one can enforce like you can. No one could best you as Second. Together, we could change the entire infrastructure of our fucked-up shifter race. Me and you. Ronin and the Reaper.”
“No,” Ash repeated louder. “He’s not just the Reaper. Not a weapon. He’s The Good, too. He’s Grim.” My Grim. She couldn’t lift her gaze from the stupid ground. “He can be happy. He’s Alpha of Rogue Pride.”
The scratching sound said Ronin was rubbing his beard in agitation, but she didn’t care.
“My mate’s right,” Grim said.
Ash gasped and held his hand fast. “You said the M-word,” she rushed out on a breath.
