Bear Necessities

Chapter Two

“Tabby? Seriously?” Bunny shook his head and helped her off his bike. “And you’re making fun of my name?”

“At least I can blame my seriously screwed up parents. What’s your excuse?”

Tabby nodded at Bunny regally as he held open the door to Noah’s. He’d asked Anderson to recommend a restaurant in the area and from his enthusiastic endorsement he had decided to give Noah’s a try. He’d made the reservations and requested a nice, private table.

“It’s taken from my last name. It’s a nickname.”

“It’s a sucky nickname for a shifter to have,” she muttered softly. “Bunny. Geez.

Might as well call you Food.” She shuddered delicately as they waited for the hostess to seat them. “Who came up with that anyway? And why didn’t you tell me to wear pants?”

Bunny grinned, knowing it looked predatory. “I enjoyed it.” She’d ridden on the back of his bike, those long sleek legs of hers bared almost to the point of indecency. The heat of her had been intoxicating.

Tabby rolled her eyes and followed behind the hostess. “Are you sure you aren’t a Wolf?”

Bunny began singing “Little Red Riding Hood” under his breath, that deep, gravelly voice sending shivers down her spine. But when he reached the point about being everything a big, bad wolf could want, Tabby had to stop for a moment. She shook her head at him, amusement lighting her face. “Don’t you mean big, bad Bear?”

Bunny held out her chair, a wolfish grin on his face. She allowed him to seat her, shaking her head. Lime green strands drifted across her face. And damn, what a face. She had the exotic good looks of a woman who had some Mediterranean blood somewhere in her gene pool. She was golden-skinned and full-lipped, with big brown eyes and lashes a mile long that perfectly framed a strong nose and determined chin. She wasn’t classically beautiful, especially with her hair the way it was, but Bunny was already hooked. He could almost taste her. Like a ripe golden apple, she’d be tart and sweet on his tongue, a craving that would never go away.

This was going to be fun.

“Well? Out with it, Bunny. Who, what, where, why and how badly did you mangle them afterwards?”

He chuckled, trying to hide how uneasy the word mangled made him. She had no idea. “My cousins. I have five of the little shits. Ryan, Chloe, Keith, Heather and Tiffany are all my first cousins. They’re the ones who gave me my nickname.”

“Wow. Your aunt must have been churning them out.”

“Don’t make me order you a bowl of milk.” Bunny didn’t even flinch when Tabby punched him in the arm. She, however, got a very pained look on her face and surreptitiously tried to shake out her hand. “Ryan and Chloe are brother and sister and the children of my dad’s first cousin, Uncle Steven. Keith, Heather, and Tiffany are my Aunt Stacey’s kids. Aunt Stacey happens to be Uncle Steven’s twin sister.”

“Big family. Must be nice.” She looked sad for a moment then shook her head. He wondered what that was all about. “You have any brothers or sisters?”

“Eric. He’s my younger brother. He thinks, like you do, that Bunny is a stupid-ass nickname. He refuses to call me that. He mostly calls me Alex.” And that meant something to him, that only those closest to him called him Alex. He’d never tell the cousins that, though. They loved the nickname they’d given him and, frankly, he was amused by it.

“Good for him.”

“He also calls me SFB.”

“SFB?”

“Shit For Brains.”

She choked on her water. “Seriously?”

He nodded, and waited for her to stop laughing. It took longer than he’d thought it would.

“So? Why Bunny?”

He shrugged. “I hate fighting. They’d try to get me to fight and I’d do my best not to. After a while, they started calling me Bunny because, and I quote, I’m ‘soft, fuzzy and completely harmless’.”

It had taken him years to shrug off the fury that sometimes rode him with vicious spurs. Meditation, yoga, even avoiding certain foods helped him keep control of the anger that had been his bane as a teenager. Now he wore the nickname Bunny as a badge of honor, a way to remind himself of where he’d been and was now headed.

That direction now included the woman toying with her water glass across from him. He couldn’t wait to get started.

“So, what do you do for a living?” Tabby took a bite of her twelve-ounce steak and moaned. Bunny damn near came in his jeans at the sound. She opened her eyes to find him staring at her mouth. “What?”

“Nothing.” Bunny took a bite of his own seafood alfredo. “This is good. Remind me to thank Gabe.”

“So. What do you do for a living, Bunny?”

Bunny swallowed another bite of alfredo. “I’m a landscape architect.”

She stared at him. He waited for the question most people asked him. “What’s the difference between a landscaper and a landscape architect?”

“It means I have a Bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture. I’ve worked in a corporate environment for years designing landscapes, both soft and hard. I understand the horticulture of the area I work in, and what laws need to be followed where. I design for people who have pools, need stonework, or want their landscape graded but have to deal with county restrictions on water drainage. I design structures to code, and help them deal with regulatory boards. In other words, I’m fully licensed and accredited in the state of Oregon, and I’m usually in a suit.”

His mate stared at him like he’d grown a second head. Finally Tabby gulped. “Is that Bunsun with an ‘e’ or a ‘u’?”

He smiled. He was surprised. She didn’t look like someone who would have dealings with corporate landscaping. Maybe she had a relative working for him?

They had branches all over the United States, and he’d pegged her accent as Deep South right from the beginning. “U. My parents are Will and Barbra Bunsun.”

“Holy hell.” Tabby sat back and stared at him. “I thought your name sounded familiar.”

Bunny held up his hand. “Before we go too far, I live off my wages, not my dad.”

He put his hand down. He’d been thinking about this for a while. “And not even that right now. I’ve decided I don’t want to do corporate anymore. I want to start working residential.”

Tabby stared at Bunny in shock. “Bunsun Exteriors. Damn. Never thought I’d meet one of the Bunsuns this far north.”

“I’m surprised you’ve heard of us.” Most people not in the business didn’t even know who Bunsun Exteriors were. From the sound of her accent, she had to know his name from someplace other than their Oregon branch. They had some southeastern branches, but they were small. His father was looking at expanding further up the east coast, but it was going to take time.

Tabby’s face closed up tight. “I have an uncle who works for your company.”

Bingo. From her southern accent, she had to be from Georgia, or one of the Carolinas. Maybe Tennessee? All of them had a smallish Bunsun branch, nothing like the corporate offices they had on the west coast. “Dad’s company.” Bunny leaned back, wondering why she’d suddenly gone cold. “Tabby?”

She blew her bangs out of her eyes. “Guess you should know. I’m Outcast.”

Bunny paused. Being Outcast was a serious thing among those who lived in Pride or Pack families. Bears, not being pack-minded, didn’t have nearly the same reaction to that sort of thing. Bears were more into small family groups and, unlike wild bears, the males stuck by their mates. “Mind if I ask why?”

She bit her lip, that small hint of vulnerability waking every protective instinct Bunny had. “I was seeing the son of the Alpha. Micah. He was…sweet, and kind, and liked being around me. The Alpha didn’t approve, he thought I was trouble.”

She shrugged. “Maybe I was, maybe I wasn’t. I liked to dye my hair different colors, I had some trouble in school, and I had a tattoo.”

She had a tattoo? He couldn’t find one on her arms, legs or shoulders. He’d definitely have to explore that later.

“But I never broke anything that belonged to someone else,” she continued, “I never hurt anybody who didn’t throw a punch first, and I never stole anything.”

The fierce way she said that last had Bunny growling. “You got Outcast for stealing?”

She winced. “Yes.”

Bunny was already shaking his head. “You’re not a thief.”

Her eyes went wide. “You believe me?”

“Yes.”

Her hands covered her mouth, those brown eyes of hers filling with tears. “Oh, God. How can you believe me? You don’t even know me.”

Bunny covered her hand with his. “I just do.” Not that it would matter if she had.

She was his mate. He’d tell her the sky was orange if it would make her smile.

“Tell me what happened.” Maybe he could find out what had happened and clear her name for her.

Tabby took a sip of her water. Her hand was visibly shaking. “Um, I was seeing Micah, like I said. Well, he asked me to come over to his house when his parents were out. I did, and we wound up in his room. His parents came home before we got too far, though, so I tried to sneak out of the house. Of course, the Alpha caught me trying to leave, but instead of asking me what I was doing there, he assumed I was there to rob the place.”

“What?” Bunny was outraged. How could an Alpha make assumptions like that?

Where had the Omega been during all of this?

She nodded. “He was fed up with me. So he gathered the Pack and asked if anyone would speak for me.” She swallowed hard enough for Bunny to see, and she wouldn’t look him in the eye. “Not even my parents would.”

“What about your lover?” And didn’t it just bite his ass to say that?

She laughed. “Are you kidding? Micah couldn’t stand up to his father. The Alpha was furious, I mean scary angry, and if Micah had tried to defy him I don’t know what would have happened to him.” She rubbed at her wrist. Bunny wondered if she was remembering a bruise there, or some other damage.

“So he declared you a thief and threw you from the Pack.” Bunny could feel the rage building under his skin. “How old were you?”

“Fifteen.”

“Fifteen? ” Bunny could feel his chest rumbling. He held back his roar of outrage with difficulty. Some Alpha bastard needed to die painfully. He controlled his Bear with difficulty. “How did you live?”

“I ran mostly in Wolf form, lived off the land, avoided everyone and everything, for fear they’d be able to tell what I was. I wound up in Mrs. Anderson’s backyard about six months ago, and I’ve been here ever since.”

“How old are you now?” Bunny knew he was about to lose it. That Alpha had thrown an innocent child out into the woods, no Pack or family to protect her.

“I’m twenty-three.”

He felt his eyes turn brown. Bunny stood and walked away, knowing he was inches away from shifting. Eight years. Eight years she’d been without protection, alone and hungry and afraid. He could feel his Bear shifting beneath his skin and knew that if he listened to her story for one more minute, he’d be asking her the name of her Alpha. If he knew the name of her Alpha, there would be a Pack looking for a new one. He’d be on his bike and heading for Georgia to maul the son of a bitch.

He walked out into the cool spring air and took some deep breaths, hoping with everything in him that he’d be able to calm himself before he did something stupid. Because Bunny wanted to kill for her, and until he got that side of himself under control, he couldn’t go back into the restaurant.

Tabby would have enough to deal with when she found out exactly what he was capable of.

Tabby watched Bunny stalk out of the restaurant, leaving her alone at the table.

Totally humiliated, she waited for the waiter to come and give her the check. She hoped she had enough credit to cover the cost.

How could she expect anyone to understand what it was like to be unjustly Outcast? She was lucky the Pumas had taken her in. At least she hadn’t made the mistake of going to the Poconos Alpha. If her own mate reacted like this, she could just imagine what the Pack Alpha would have been like.

A warm hand covered hers. “Tabby?”

She stared at Bunny, his image wavering before her, and only then realized that she was crying. “I’m sorry.” And she should be. She was an Outcast. Someone no one wanted to be near.

Who had she been kidding? Bunny could go his merry way now. Outcasts had no place in their society. She hadn’t even bothered trying to make her way back into a Pack. As far as he knew, she really was everything her old Alpha had accused her of being.

“Shit.” Bunny crouched next to her, his expression full of sincere regret. “Don’t cry. I’m sorry, Tabby. I didn’t think about how you’d take me walking away.” A soft kiss landed on the top of her head. “Do me one favor.”

“What?” She sniffed.

“No matter how many times I ask, don’t ever tell me the name of your ex-Alpha.”

“Why not?” Her Wolf snapped to attention as his hazel eyes bled slowly to dark brown. A predator looked out at her through them. He looked lethal, ready to take out the world if she asked him to. It was strange to see that look in the eyes of a Bear. She’d thought Bears were more like her friend Julian, soft and sweet with a quirky humor, but Alex’s eyes were those of a hunter. Maybe they were only that predatory where a mate was concerned? “Oh. That’s why.” She knew her mouth was trembling. Hell, all of her was trembling. No one had stood up for her in years, other than Cyn, Glory, Julian and Gabe.

She darted a glance at Bunny and caught him smiling at her. He was still stroking her fingers, sending tingles down her spine. His heat and scent surrounded her, his eyes still a deep chocolate brown. God, she actually felt safe.

How the hell had that happened? She hadn’t felt truly safe since the day her parents and her Pack turned their backs on her.

“Is everything all right?”

She looked up to find the waiter standing by their table, a concerned look on his face. “Everything’s fine.” She pulled a tissue from her purse and wiped her eyes.

“Can we have a moment? I think we’re going to have dessert and coffee. The tiramisu looks really good.” Bunny took a seat next to her, scooting his chair closer, angling his body in between hers and the waiter’s.

Big goof. From the look on his face, he wasn’t about to let anyone near her he didn’t approve of personally. It was sweet, in a caveman sort of way, but could be a real pain in the ass if he chose to act that way at LA. She could feel her lips curving up in a smile at the protective gesture. She cleared the last of the tears from her throat. “I’m thinking of the French silk pie.”

“Two coffees?” The waiter left to fetch their desserts after they nodded, leaving them alone.

He stroked her fingers, refusing to let go of her hand. His eyes turned back to the warm hazel they’d been before she began discussing her Outcasting. “Did you really live in the woods all those years?”

“Yes. If it wasn’t for Gabe and his grandmother, I’d still be living out there.” Or dead. But she wouldn’t say that in front of the increasingly growly Bunny. His chest was actually rumbling.

“Where are you from originally?” The question was innocent, but Bunny’s expression was anything but. In the dim lighting, she couldn’t quite see the color of his eyes, but she thought they might have darkened just a hair.

She decided it couldn’t hurt to answer in a roundabout way. “Georgia.”

“Near Marietta?”

She shot him a look. No way was she confirming that he was right. Besides, she’d probably given it away when she mentioned her uncle worked for his father.

Bunny sighed. “Is there any way for you to join a local Pack?”

“The closest sanctioned Pack is in the Poconos, about two hours away.”

Bunny smiled sweetly as the waiter set the deserts on the table and left. “Ah. So, whereabouts in Marietta is your Pack, anyway?”

Tabby decided to try a little soothing of her own. She reached up and patted Bunny’s cheek. “Down, Baloo.” Bunny looked startled. “For a Bear, you’re awfully growly.” Tabby shook her head before taking a bite of her pie. Mmm, chocolate.

Screw that whole “chocolate isn’t good for canines” shit. After what she’d just gone through, she needed her fix.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing. I know a Bear or two, and I thought most of you were pretty laid back.”

Bunny scowled. “And you think I’m not laid back?”

Tabby tried to hide her growing grin behind her coffee mug, but knew she’d failed when Bunny just shook his head.

They left the restaurant in total accord. Bunny helped Tabby onto the bike and climbed on after her, careful not to jar her. “Want to head to my place?” He had every intention of claiming her tonight, but had no desire to do so in her tiny apartment with her roommates down the hall. He took a deep breath. He longed for the scent of his mate to fill all the empty places inside him.

Instead, he caught the scent of something else, something terrible. “Chloe?” And blood. Lots of blood.

“Chloe? What about Chloe?”

“Tabby?” The scent was stronger now, the breeze bringing him his cousin’s pain.

He handed Tabby a helmet, the need to move, to protect his little cousin gripping him with steel hands.

“What?” She shoved the helmet on and wrapped her hands around his waist.

“I need you to hold on.” He started the bike, roaring out of Noah’s parking lot. He ignored Tabby’s squawk of surprise, concentrating only on getting to Chloe.

He turned the corner and found an ambulance, lights flashing in the darkness.

They illuminated the body of his little cousin sprawled on the street, her red hair mingling with the blood under her, around her. The paramedics bent over her body worked frantically to save her.

“Sir!”

He was off the bike and charging for the scene before anyone could stop him.

Chloe was hurt. Chloe needed him. Ryan was going to freak if anything happened to his baby sister. He needed to call Ryan…

Oh fuck. She looked dead. There was a stranger bent over her, obviously not a paramedic. The man had long, dark hair bound in a braid, but that was all Bunny allowed himself to see. “Chloe?” If he could just touch her, he might be able to help heal her.

One of the paramedics stared at him with sympathy in his eyes and shook his head ever so slightly.

Someone was tugging on the stranger’s arm. “Sir, you need to step back and allow us to do our job.”

“I’m a nurse,” the man growled, deep, bass, primal. It went straight for Bunny’s gut. The man was a Bear like him.

He trusted another Bear a hell of a lot more than he trusted a human paramedic.

“How is she?”

The man pushed Chloe’s light jacket aside, baring her shoulders. “She’ll live.”

The weary pain in the other Bear’s voice was a dagger in his gut. “Live how?”

A car screeched to a halt next to them. A blond man stepped out, his eyes concerned. “Let me through.”

Surprisingly, the men did. Bunny, however, wasn’t moving. Not until he scented Puma.

“I’m Dr. Jamie Howard. I saw the lights.” He knelt down next to Chloe, taking the bag a dark-haired woman, also Puma and smelling strongly of Dr. Howard, handed him. “What happened?”

“Julian Ducharme. I’m a nurse and acquainted with the patient. I don’t know what happened, but her injuries are bad.” Julian began a catalogue of Chloe’s wounds in a cool, professional tone that left Bunny feeling left out in the cold.

“Bunny? Who is she to you?”

He turned to find Tabby standing in front of him, shivering in her light dress. He took off his leather jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders, pulling her against him. He needed comfort, the scent of Chloe’s blood poisoning the air around him.

It was bad. He knew it was bad, just as he new his paltry gift was of no use here.

“She’s my baby cousin.”

Tabby sighed. “Oh, sugar.” She pulled his head into the crook of her neck, and held on tight. He took a deep breath but nothing could wash away the metallic tang of Chloe’s blood.

Tabby could barely see what Julian and Dr. Howard were doing. Bunny took up a lot of space in her field of vision, but she could hear what they were saying and it wasn’t good. Julian seemed to think he could help if he had time alone with her, but time was rapidly running out along with the other woman’s blood. Bunny trembled in her arms, his hands fisted at the small of her back. She knew he wanted to help, but there was no way he could. Even Tabby could see Chloe was beyond saving.

So she held on as hard as she could, feeling the fine tremors racking her mate’s body, while her friend knelt at the side of a dying woman.

“Make them go away, doctor. Get them away and I can save her.” Julian’s voice was intense.

“At what cost?”

Bunny stiffened in her arms at Dr. Howard’s soft words.

“Let me do this. I can save her, they can’t. Trust me.”

She almost walked over to tell Dr. Howard that Julian could be trusted, but before she could the man sighed. “I’ll see what I can do.” Dr. Howard walked over to the paramedics who’d huddled off to the side. “These are her family. They want a moment alone with her.”

“Sir, she’s not going to make it.”

Bunny keened softly, the sound full of anguish. His arms surrounded her, held her while he trembled.

“Let’s grant their wish. It’s not like it will hurt anything, or anyone.”

Somehow Dr. Howard got them away, got the paramedics to give them a moment of privacy.

Bunny let her go, grabbed hold of Julian’s hand and placed his other on Chloe’s shoulder. Tabby watched Julian take a deep breath and…

That’s when Tabby knew she was losing her mind.

Bunny relaxed and allowed Julian to direct the path of the healing. He might be a Bear, but Julian was trained as a nurse and had far more knowledge than Bunny could lay claim to. Modern medicine had made the healing the Bears did easier, allowing them to know the ways in which the body functioned, but it came at a price. A price Dr. Jamie Howard somehow knew about. The small amount of healing Bunny could do might keep his cousin alive long enough for them to get her to the hospital, but it would leave him exhausted. He knew he’d sleep around the clock after they were done.

He began to assess the damage. He could feel every cut, every bruise, every single broken bone his cousin suffered from. There was no way, no way they could save her. Her body was too injured to sustain life. It was amazing she’d lingered as long as she had.

He owed Julian for giving him the opportunity to say goodbye.

Just as Bunny opened his mouth to thank the other Bear, the strangest thing happened. Julian took a deep breath, focused, and his hair turned pure white.

And then the real healing began.

Julian mended the broken bones, repaired the severed blood vessels, healed the damage to her skull. The fluid pouring into her cranial cavity was causing pressure her fragile brain wouldn’t be able to tolerate. Julian drained it off efficiently and moved on to the next wound. Bunny could tell there was something wrong there, in the soft tissues of her brain, but he didn’t possess the knowledge to figure out what it was. He was pulled along in Julian’s wake, helpless to do anything but watch and marvel.

Bunny was stunned at the strength the other Bear possessed. Julian poured his energy into Chloe, revitalized flagging organs and sped the beat of her heart once all of the blood vessels had been properly repaired. He left enough outer damage that the paramedics would not be too suspicious of what had happened here this night.

He wouldn’t have much time when he was done. Bunny could sense the fatigue that pulled at the other Bear, trying to make him sloppy in his healing, but Julian pushed through. His healing remained precise, catching even the tiniest details of the internal damage Chloe had suffered. Bunny offered his strength, letting Julian pull on him to complete what Bunny knew was impossible. It wouldn’t be enough to keep the Bear on his feet more than five minutes, ten tops when they were done, but he would survive, thanks to the strength Bunny lent him. Bunny knew that Julian’s selfless act would have ended his life. The man had to have known it before he even started.

Bunny owed him, big time.

Another source of energy poured into him. Alien, feminine, it wrapped around him, scented by wild forests and the feel of soft paws on leaves. The howl of a wolf, barely heard, the pull of the moon on a four-limbed body told him whose energy filled him. Savage strength held in check by a heart too big for its frame coursed through him, leaving him dizzy and so aroused he almost lost the spiraling tendrils of the healing path. Tabby lent them her strength, using the bare beginnings of their mate bond to channel her energy through Bunny to Julian and ultimately to Chloe.

That added strength allowed him to help Julian finish healing Chloe. Julian pulled back and released his hold on Bunny, his hair turning dark once more.

Bunny watched the white fade from Julian’s hair until not a pearly strand was left. Julian was visibly shaking, deep dark circles under his eyes, but when he lifted his face, his expression was serene. “I’ve done all I can, and it wasn’t enough.”

And then he collapsed like a broken puppet. Bunny barely stopped his head from cracking on the street.

“Shit.” The blond doctor was suddenly there, concern in every line of his body. “I was afraid of this.”

“What’s this? He’s exhausted, isn’t he?” Both men turned and stared at Tabby. “I mean, I felt him…pulling on me, but it was weak. Like he was already tiring.”

Dr. Howard nodded. “Exactly.” He bent over Chloe, leaving Julian to Tabby and Bunny. Bunny checked Julian’s vitals with his own healing power and smiled.

He’d settled into a deep sleep and would probably be starving when he woke up, but he was going to be fine. He smiled at Tabby when she arranged Julian’s legs more comfortably on her lap. “Damn, Bear. Not bad. She’ll make it to the hospital.” Bunny turned from Tabby to find Doc Howard smiling. “I need to have a long talk with him when he wakes up. We could use someone like him.” Dr.

Howard stood and motioned to the paramedics. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the horror that flashed across Tabby’s face and wondered at it. Could it have anything to do with the way Julian had collapsed after saving Chloe? How close was his mate to Julian anyway? “I want both Ms. Williams and Mr. Ducharme loaded into the ambulances. I’ll want vitals on both of them when I arrive.”

“But, Doc, the girl.” The paramedic still had that horrible look on his face. It made Bunny want to smash something.

“She’s going to make it. Just do what I say and load her up.”

“Yes, sir.” The paramedics didn’t look convinced, but they put Chloe on the gurney anyway. She moaned as they moved her, startling the paramedics who quickly loaded her into the ambulance.

Bunny watched his cousin being maneuvered onto the gurney. Her face was white where it wasn’t black and blue, her breathing shallow. She wasn’t out of the woods yet. “We have to follow them.”

“Of course.” He shuddered and a small hand touched his arm. “I’m here, Bunny.”

He turned and watched those amazing legs of hers stride toward his Harley. She straddled the seat, pulled on a helmet and waited for him.

The ambulance, lights flashing, started down the street. Bunny didn’t watch it go.

He had a horrifying thought to deal with.

God, if they crashed, nothing was between her sweet flesh and the harshness of the road. He studied her for a moment, mentally measuring her, knowing the next time she rode with him she’d need to be in denim or leathers.

Not even the amazing Julian could heal a case of dead.

He shuddered at the thought of the body on the ground being hers, of being forced to watch as her blood poured onto the road. She was his, quirky green hair and all. The fear he’d felt seeing Chloe broken on the road suddenly centered on Tabby. He couldn’t watch that again.

He strode over to his bike and tugged the helmet off her head.

If anything happened to her on the way to the hospital, she would die his. It wasn’t logical, he knew that, but right then, he didn’t give a rat’s ass. Someone he loved was on her way to the hospital. He needed something to reaffirm life, and marking his little Wolf would do nicely.

“Hey!”

He swallowed her protest, drinking deep of her sweetness. Her soft, full mouth opened in shock and he took complete advantage, thrusting between her lips hungrily. The urge to mate her, mark her as his, was overwhelming.

Thank God for sleeveless dresses. He pushed the leather jacket aside and, without a second thought, bit down into her shoulder. His mark formed under his tongue on her silky smooth skin. He felt her shudder, her head thrown back, her thighs clamping convulsively on the bike as she came. The mating enzyme raced through her system, the first hint of his scent mingled with hers. His Bear settled down, content now that she’d been marked.

She was his.

Tabby sat in the hospital chair and glowered at Bunny. Her hand reached up to touch her shoulder. The mark he’d placed on her burned against her skin. She kept the leather jacket on so no one would see the bite he’d left behind and ask if she’d gotten bitten by a fucking Bear. The only reason she wasn’t more pissed off was because of Chloe. She’d seen how his cousin’s accident had affected Bunny.

She wasn’t quite certain why he’d felt the need to mark her right then and there, but the way he’d gone from staring at the ambulance to the way he’d turned to stare at her gave her a clue.

It was touching, in a caveman sort of way. Still, she’d have liked a little more time before getting bit. There was so much he still didn’t know about her, and even more she didn’t know about him.

“Tell me the truth, Bunny. How bad is she?” The large man had come to the hospital in response to a phone call from Bunny. He’d introduced himself as Bunny’s cousin, Ryan Williams, Chloe’s older brother. He looked even more wild-eyed and pale than Bunny did. He hadn’t stopped pacing since he arrived. His reddish-brown hair was mussed, his blue eyes rimmed with red.

“Mr. Bunsun? Mr. Williams?”

Ryan practically jumped the doctor. “Yes, Doc?” Poor guy. He really was worried sick. Bunny rose more slowly, but with just as much urgency.

Dr. Howard stood there and ran his hands through his blond hair. “Follow me.”

Bunny took hold of Tabby’s hand and followed Dr. Howard. He led them to a private room and shut the door. “All right. Who do you want to hear about first?”

Bunny didn’t even hesitate. “Chloe.”

No surprise there. She was the only one of the trio who knew Julian. From the sick way Ryan swallowed, Bunny had made the right choice.

“She’s going to have some scars from this. Chloe is incredibly lucky. To put it bluntly, if Julian hadn’t arrived when he did, she’d be dead.” Ryan moaned.

Bunny shuddered. Tabby hugged his arm, offering comfort. Julian would never have allowed Chloe to die. She knew that like she knew the color of her own eyes.

“Her recovery will take time. There will be some brain damage. We won’t know until she wakes up exactly what we’ll be dealing with.”

“Fuck.” Bunny began to pace. “She’s working on her doctorate in veterinary medicine. I’ll have to call her boss, let him know what’s going on.”

“I’ll do it.” She’d call the diner and the veterinary office where Chloe volunteered.

She already had the diner’s phone number, since she and the girls ordered lunch from there regularly, and it wouldn’t be difficult to get the veterinary office’s phone number. Bunny and Ryan needed to concentrate on Chloe.

“Our family is on the way.” Ryan sounded like he was in shock. “Mom and Dad should be here by morning.”

“Is she awake?” Tabby looked to Dr. Howard in time to catch his wince.

“No, and that’s one of the reasons we’re worried. I couldn’t talk to Mr. Ducharme before he collapsed.” Dr. Howard stared at the closed door for a moment before turning to Bunny. “Your friend is a Kermode Bear, isn’t he?”

A what?

“He is?” Bunny frowned. “That explains a lot. How did you know?”

Dr. Howard smiled. “I dated one briefly before I met my mate. I lived in Canada for about two years before coming back to Halle. She taught me a lot about Bears.” He shook his head. “Only a Spirit Bear could have done what Julian did.”

Ryan took a deep, audible breath and blew it out. “I owe him.”

Jamie shot him a look. “You owe him more than you think. The paramedics tell me her injuries were extensive and Julian confirmed it. Quite frankly, I’m surprised he lived through the healing.”

Tabby froze. Julian could have died? Her best friend, the man who’d laughingly declared that she could be the sister he’d never had, could be…gone? Now it was her turn to swallow. He was one of the few people who gave her the sense of family she’d lost eight years ago. She couldn’t bear it if she lost him.

“My girlfriend told me there were limits to how far a Bear could heal someone, even a Kermode. So unless Julian is Super Bear, something had to have helped him.”

Bunny nodded, but didn’t elaborate. Tabby knew who’d helped Julian, and he was exhausted because of it. “He’s still out?” Bunny’s jaw looked to be clenched shut. She could see some serious dental bills in their future.

“We’re not sure when he’ll wake up, but knowing the healing capabilities of your kind, it shouldn’t take too much longer, despite whatever it was he did to save your cousin.”

“Was it an accident?” Tabby looked over at Ryan. The man was practically vibrating in place. “What happened to my sister? Did someone do this deliberately or was it an accident?”

“I haven’t spoken to Sheriff Anderson yet, so I don’t know. I do know he’s been informed. Last I heard, he was at the scene, trying to figure it out.”

Tabby frowned. “That doesn’t make any sense. Why wasn’t he there with the ambulance? Or hell, any one of the cops around here?” The men all turned to stare at her. “Seriously. Why was the ambulance there without a cop present?

Someone had to have called it in, right? Was it Julian?”

Dr. Howard blinked. “I…don’t know. Tell you what, let me find out who called 9-1-1 and reported her. Maybe the dispatcher just didn’t think to alert the sheriff’s office.”

“Here’s my cell phone number so you can contact me once you know anything.”

Ryan rattled off his number while Dr. Howard programmed it into his phone.

“Can I see my sister?”

Dr. Howard nodded. “And I’ve left instructions that all three of you be allowed to see Mr. Ducharme as well as Ms. Williams.”

“Thank you, Doctor.” Ryan shook the man’s hand.

“Thank you.” Bunny followed his cousin, shaking Dr. Howard’s hand.

“Take care, all of you.” Doctor Howard opened the door and left the room, leaving behind three very tired, upset shifters.

“C’mon. We’re not doing any good here.” Tabby tugged on the two men. “You two go see Chloe. I’ll be in Julian’s room.” She poked and prodded until they both got moving, knowing neither would rest until they knew Chloe was on the mend.

She got Chloe’s room number from the nurse and pushed the men toward it, then headed to Julian’s room. When he woke up, she had every intention of being there and finding out what Super Bear had done to save Bunny’s cousin.

What the hell was a Spirit Bear anyway?

Bunny stared down at his sleeping mate. Tabby had curled up on a chair next to Julian’s bed, her lime green hair glowing against the blue vinyl upholstery. He wished he could join her, but the need to stand guard, to protect the ones he cared about, was too strong. He’d almost lost Chloe tonight. Nothing was going to happen to Tabby. Ryan, just as sleepless, was guarding his sister.

Tabby snuffled in her sleep and he smiled. How had she come to mean so much to him so quickly? His gaze drifted across her. The pride he felt in her was startling. Of the three of them, she’d kept her head, dealing with each blow with a practicality that allowed him to lean on her when he’d needed her most. She didn’t even know Chloe, but she’d called Frank at the diner and told him what had happened. She’d called the veterinary office and left a message about the accident, complete with Chloe’s condition and her room number. After she was done, she’d kept watch over Julian, running back and forth between his room and Chloe’s to check in with Bunny and Ryan to see if they needed anything.

She’d done everything she could to take care of all of them, and the only one she truly knew was still unconscious.

He sighed and rubbed his hand across the top of his head, the soft stubble there rasping against his palm. Tabby growled and twitched in her sleep, her fingers tightening around the arms of the chair. He wondered what she was dreaming about.

His mate was an incredible person. He just hoped he was worthy of her.

“Alex?”

Bunny turned toward the door, shocked to find his father standing there. He should have known his parents would rush to their niece’s side. “Dad?”

Will Bunsun walked into the room, his wife following behind him. “What the hell happened?”

Barbra Bunsun smacked her husband’s arm. “Will! Keep it down.” She rolled her hazel eyes, but grabbed her only son, pulling him down for a hug. “Ryan’s parents called us. Sweetie, you should have called.”

Bunny sank into the comfort that was his mother. She always smelled of cinnamon and home. “Hey, Mom. I wasn’t sure you were still up. I planned on calling in the morning.”

“You could have called to tell us about Chloe. And you should have called us the minute you found your mate.” Only a mother could look at someone the way Barbra Bunsun was looking at him. Her eyes narrowed and he flushed, wondering why he felt guilty. He hadn’t done anything wrong.

“We caught the first flight out.” Will hugged his son. “There’s no way we’d let you go through this alone, Alex.”

“Thank you.” Bunny blinked back tears. Of all his cousins, he was closest to Ryan and Chloe, and seeing her battered body had hit him hard. God, he loved his parents. William Bunsun might run an extremely busy company, but he always put his family first. “Where’s Eric?” He was surprised that his brother wasn’t right behind his parents.

“Aunt Laura and Uncle Steven are with Chloe and Ryan. Uncle Ray and Aunt Stacey stayed behind with Eric to help run the business.” His mom pulled his face around. “Ryan told us we owe Chloe’s life to Mr. Ducharme, and that we could find you here with your mate.” She looked over at the man on the bed, her gaze snagging on his sleeping mate. “Green hair?”

Will chuckled. “You were expecting something else?”

Barbra Bunsun gave her husband an astonished look. “I’m surprised he didn’t go for a Japanese blonde with two pigtails on her head and an insane love of fried rice.”

Bunny rolled his eyes. He did not have a Sailor Moon fetish, no matter what that therapist had said. “Mom.” He winced. He hadn’t sounded that whiny in years.

Leave it to his mother to have him feeling ten years old again.

His mother patted his cheek. “That’s all right, dear. I’m sure she’ll fit right in.”

God he hoped so. And he hoped the rest of the family was as welcoming as he knew his parents would be. Because so far Tabby was anything but ordinary.