Bear Necessities

Chapter Four

Bunny frowned and tried to figure out what it was that had woken him up. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept so damn well. He woke up wrapped around the warmth of his mate, his erection nestled between the cheeks of her ass. She was snoring lightly, her green hair plastered to her cheek. Their feet were still propped up on the pillows; they’d never bothered turning right way round. The low hum of the air conditioner reminded him that he’d need to start looking for a place if he was going to stay in Halle. He had no intention of living with the three women in their tiny apartment. He’d have to ask Tabby if there was any particular neighborhood that appealed to her.

There. He heard it again. Beethoven’s “Für Elise”. He carefully climbed out of bed and dug through his mate’s pants. Her cell phone vibrated in his hand, Beethoven blaring out until he got it open. “Hello.”

Silence.

“Hello?”

“Who is this?”

Bunny pulled the phone away from his ear and glared at it. “This is Bunny. Who is this?”

“This is Tabby’s boyfriend.” A long-suffering sigh sounded through the speaker.

“Fuck. Is she cheating on me again?”

Tabby’s boyfriend? He stared at the woman sleeping in his bed. “I guess so.”

“Damn. Dude, I’m sorry, but I need you to do me a favor. Would you tell her Gary called? I heard she got hurt yesterday and I want to make sure she’s all right.”

The concern in Gary’s voice grated on his nerves. “Despite everything, she’s…

she’s everything to me, you know?”

Something about this just didn’t feel right. All of his instincts were screaming at him that Gary was a lying sack of shit, but how much of that was due to his mate bond with Tabby? “Yeah. I know the feeling.” He took a deep breath and tried to calm the rage inside him. “I’ll make sure she knows you called.”

“Thanks, man. And don’t blame yourself. We’ve been having problems recently and, well, Tabby doesn’t handle stress well.”

Bunny shut the phone and cut him off, unable to listen to another word. He studied the woman on the bed. How well did he really know his mate? Could she have a boyfriend? A fucker named Gary?

Tabby yawned. “Hey, was that my phone?”

Her voice was husky with sleep and affection. He crushed the phone in his hand.

The flimsy plastic shattered easily. “It was.”

“Alex?” She sat up with a frown. “What’s wrong?”

He took a deep breath. He’d give her a chance to explain, to make this right. “Do you have a boyfriend?”

“Other than you? No.”

Damn. Right now, he wished he was a goddamn Coyote. They could smell a lie at fifty paces. “You sure?”

“Yes,” she drawled. She pulled the sheet up around herself, hiding her beautiful breasts from him. “Who told you otherwise?”

“Gary did.”

She blinked, fury blanketing her features. “Gary. ”

Something inside him eased. That was not the response of a guilty woman. “Ex-boyfriend?”

Tabby stared at him for a moment before carefully blanking her features.

“Nothing you need to worry about.”

Oh, hell. Now that wouldn’t do at all. “Bullshit.”

“Alex,” she sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

“He called because he heard you’d gotten hurt, but as soon as he heard my voice, he asked if you’d cheated on him again. He told me he was your boyfriend.” The possessive fury rose in him again. He battled it back down, knowing he’d failed when her expression turned wary. “So if he’s a pain in your ass that makes him a pain in my ass.” A pain he’d be more than happy to rub out if it came down to it.

“Let Gabe deal with him. Please?”

“This is something the sheriff knows about?” He settled on the edge of the bed.

“Yeah. It’s an ongoing pain. I’m just having trouble finding the right medicine to get rid of it.” She smiled weakly. “Can we go out for breakfast now?”

He stared at her, deliberately letting his eyes bleed to brown. “I’m more than willing to take care of Gary for you.”

She shook her head, panic drifting across her face. “No. Alex, no. You have more than enough to worry about. Let Gabe handle it. Please?”

Tabby was rubbing his arm, her expression pleading. He didn’t understand the hint of worry in her eyes, but she was obviously upset. He closed his eyes and let go of the anger. The last thing he wanted to do was get into a fight in his new hometown. He couldn’t risk losing this place when it meant so much to Tabby.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Could he have been the one who hit you?”

She blinked, looked shocked. “I don’t know. Maybe? Whoever it was stayed downwind, and no one saw anything.”

He nodded. He’d definitely be paying the sheriff a visit. “If he did, he’d better pray the sheriff gets to him first. Understand?” She nodded, her shoulders relaxing in what looked suspiciously like relief. He cupped her cheek, his chest rumbling happily when she nuzzled into his hand. “I have to do my yoga before we go, and I’m thinking we could both use a shower. What would you like to eat?”

She tilted her head. “Yoga?” Her lips twitched. She looked both amused and intrigued.

This wouldn’t be the first time someone teased him over the yoga he did every day. “Don’t. Please. It helps more than you know.” If it wasn’t for the peaceful meditations he did each day, he probably would have killed someone by now.

“Does it hurt? I’ve seen some of the positions people get into and it looks massively uncomfy.”

He smiled, relieved. She wasn’t going to give him shit. “Not once you’re used to it, no. It’s a nice, slow stretch that helps to center me.”

She nodded. “Yoga, huh? That explains your truly epic ass.” She tilted her head and tried to sneak a peek.

He felt himself blushing. No one had ever called his ass epic before.

“Can I watch?”

He’d have felt more comfortable about it before the comment about his ass. “Sure.

Just do me a favor and keep quiet, especially after I put my music on, okay?”

She looked intrigued. “Sure. But afterwards I want bacon.”

He’d talk to Anderson once he got to the hospital. She might not want to give him the details on Gary, but he bet the Puma would be more than happy to fill him in.

“Not sausage?” He pointed to his groin and waggled his eyebrows.

She giggled. “Alex!”

“Fine.” He stood up and tugged her out of the bed. “Yoga, shower, then food.”

“Then work.”

He grinned. “You going to do some ink on me?”

She stumbled. One finger traced the Ursa Major stars on his lower back. “What kind?”

The heat in her voice had him nearly growling with need. “You’ll see.”

“I should hope so if I’m going to be tattooing you.” She settled back, ready to watch him stretch.

He unpacked his iPod and plugged it in, selecting the music he’d learned put him in the best frame of mind for his meditation. He settled into the routine, ignoring her start of surprise at his choice of music. Granted, not many of his friends were familiar with Loreena McKennitt, but the Celtic music soothed him, the woman’s voice and style calming the beast in him.

“Damn. Just…damn. I’m going to like mornings with you. Naked yoga doesn’t sound nearly so skuzzy now.”

He felt his cheeks flush again and glared at her. The lust on her face was making this difficult. Triangle pose was a real bitch with a hard-on. “Tabby,” he growled, moving to Proud Warrior, arms outstretched, legs wide, his weight evenly balanced between his straight back leg and his bent front one. His erection bobbed between his legs, shooting the calm he was aiming for all to hell.

“Sorry.” She headed into the bathroom to presumably take care of business. Once she was out of sight, he was able to concentrate on the movements of his body, allowing his muscles and mind to ease into his day. He slipped into the final pose, legs crossed, hands resting on knees, his eyes closed. A fine sheen of sweat covered his body. His slow breath cleansed his mind. He felt invigorated and completely at peace.

“You finally done, Gandhi? I have bacon to hunt down.”

He opened one eye. “You’re going to be a serious pain in my ass about this, aren’t you?”

She leaned against the doorjamb and smirked at him, showing fang. “What part of hungry carnivore did you not get?”

He shook his head and stood up. “Fine. You’re hungry and I smell bad. Shower first, remember?”

She waltzed into the bathroom and grabbed his toothbrush. She started to brush her teeth.

His stomach rumbled. Suddenly he was ravenous. “You know what? Hurry up, I want my strawberry pancakes.”

She made a face. “Ew.”

“What’s wrong with strawberries?”

“Real strawberries? Nothing. That syrupy crap they put on pancakes? Blech.” She shuddered delicately and handed him his toothbrush. “Here. You can join me in the shower when you’re done.”

“I can? Really? May I borrow my shampoo while I’m at it?”

She chuckled and stepped under the spray. “Maybe. We’ll see.”

He grinned and brushed his teeth. He stepped into the shower a few minutes later and thanked God he’d decided to stay in a nice hotel. No tiny little shower stall in this place. It had a full-size tub.

And that meant he could have some fun with his wet, naked mate.

Tabby squeaked when a large set of paws landed on her ass. “Behave, Alex.”

“Since when am I Alex?”

She was wondering when he’d ask that. She was the only one who called him that other than his brother. “Since I decided there was no way I could moan “Bunny”

while you’re fucking me. Especially when you’re fucking me.” She glanced behind her at his lengthening cock. “You may be furry, but you sure ain’t cute.”

His lips quivered. “Why, thank you, ma’am.” He leered down at her, his soapy palm skating across her nipple. “I aim to please.”

She tilted her head and decided to keep playing. She cupped his balls, rolling them in her palm before letting them go. “And these are not rabbit ears. They don’t vibrate or anything.” She then tapped the head of his cock with her fingernail. “Although, come to think of it, it does kind of look like his little nose is quivering.”

His hand stopped. His chin dropped down onto her shoulder. The leer had turned into a wide grin. “That’s because he smells something delicious.” He grabbed hold of her hand and dragged it back to his hard flesh. “Have I mentioned he loves to be petted?”

She curled her hand around his shaft, but refused to be coaxed closer to the head of his cock. “Are you sure it’s safe? He’s drooling an awful lot. Has he had his shots?”

She giggled madly when he picked her up and pinned her against the wall.

“Drooling?” He palmed her thighs, spreading her wide. She didn’t fight him. She wanted this just as much as he did. She wrapped her legs around his waist, let her heels rest on the top of his truly amazing ass. “I’ll show you drooling, you little witch.”

She wasn’t afraid of him. How could she be? He was smiling down at her, his hazel eyes gleaming with laughter and something else, something it was too soon to put a name to. At the most, she was willing to call it affection. It was a good start, one they could build on.

An even better start was when he began to kiss her, the minty taste of his toothpaste mingling with his own heady flavor. His palm slid down her body. His fingers paused at her nipple ring, twisted it until she was gasping into his mouth.

Tabby tightened her legs and tilted her hips, an invitation he accepted. His hand wandered south again, curled around her pussy until his fingers were stroking her clit in easy circles. He slid his cock between the wet folds of her pussy, teased her until she was damn near ready to beg. “Alex?”

“Tell me you want me.”

She gulped. His eyes were bleeding to brown, his fangs descending. The mark on her neck throbbed in time with her clit. “I want you, Alex.”

The head of his cock slid home, stretching her wide. His lips brushed against hers, kept them in an almost-there kiss. He ignored her attempts to deepen it, to bring him into her mouth the way he’d entered her body. He rocked them together with lazy motions, their gazes locked together. It was a coupling completely unlike what they’d done the night before. Last night had been about staking a primal claim on each other.

This was…something else. Something she hadn’t known was possible. The hurried fucking she’d done with her teenage sweetheart, the one-night stand she’d had since rejoining the human race, hadn’t prepared her for making love with Alex.

She clenched around him. She understood what this sweet, lazy fucking was.

This was just as much a claim on her as the other, but where last night had been about her body, this morning was about her heart.

His lips pursed and he took the kiss his mouth had promised. The hot water beat down on his back. His buttocks flexed beneath her heels as he thrust over and over, the sweet slide dragging her closer and closer to orgasm. His hand left her pussy to curl around her hip, the strength of his hold almost bruising. “Tabby,”

he breathed into her. His eyes closed and she knew he was close.

She wanted, needed to come with him. Her hand reached down and took off where his had left off, stroking herself. She was so damn close. “Alex. Bite me.

Please.”

His eyes flew open. His chin brushed against hers, his mouth nipping its way down to her shoulder. She felt her own fangs descend and knew she’d mark him when they came.

His teeth pierced her, throwing her into her orgasm. He groaned as she bit into him, marking him once more. She rode his cock and the never-ending orgasm that flowed through them both.

They were both quivering at the end. Less intense than last night, it was nonetheless just as profound. She’d never had an orgasm last that long before, the sweet flood of pleasure going on and on that way.

She wanted that again, that feeling of belonging.

She licked his wound closed. Her head dropped back against the tiles. The only thing she wanted to do was crawl right back into the bed in the other room, wrapped up in her mate.

He lifted his head from her shoulder, a thin line of blood trickling down her chest.

The wound was already closing. He rested his forehead against hers, his lips taking hers in a gentle kiss. “Good morning.”

She smiled. “Yes indeed.”

His answering smile matched hers.

Bunny walked into the hospital, still torn about leaving Tabby with the other girls at Living Art. She’d insisted on it, saying that she had to work and he had to check on Chloe. She was right, damn it. He almost called his father to ask him to go protect his mate, but with Chloe still unconscious and her attacker still on the loose, there was no way he could divide his family’s attention that way. He frowned. Maybe he could enlist Julian or some of the Pumas to keep a surreptitious eye on the place for him. But first he needed to know how his little cousin was doing before he went to see Sheriff Anderson.

That part of his day he hadn’t discussed with his mate. He had every intention of finding out just who the fuck Gary was and what kind of a threat he represented to Tabby. If he found out the fucker was the one who’d hurt his mate, Halle would be short one asshole. There would be nothing that could stop him from ripping Gary apart.

He entered Chloe’s hospital room to find Ryan, his father, Aunt Laura and Uncle Steve already there. “How is she?”

Aunt Laura looked like she hadn’t slept in weeks, her eyes red-rimmed and weary. “No change. She won’t wake up, damn it, and I’m at my wits’ end.”

Uncle Steve placed his hand on his mate’s shoulder, his own expression full of fear and grief. “She could wake up at any minute, sweetheart.”

“Then she needs to.” The determination in Aunt Laura’s voice came as no surprise. The tiny Fox female had to be strong, surrounded as she was by Bears.

“Dr. Howard suggested we find something to stimulate her with. Can you think of anything that might trigger a response?”

He sighed. “No, I…” He blinked. “Wait.” The sheriff had said something the first time they met, when Bunny was still shocked over finding his mate.

Mate.

“She has a mate.”

The uproar that followed was loud. “What?” Uncle Steve’s voice was full of hope.

“Since when?” Ryan bellowed.

“Is it Sheriff Anderson?” Aunt Laura asked. She stood, somehow towering over the men in the room, though she barely topped five foot three.

“She knows who it is, but from her scent I’d say she hasn’t claimed him yet. And no, it’s not Anderson. The man already has a mate.” Bunny pulled out his cell phone. Right after the attack on Chloe, he’d programmed Dr. Howard’s number into it. He knew Dr. Howard had Anderson’s phone number, and Bunny needed it. “Let me make some calls, see what I can find out. Maybe if we get her mate in here it will be just what she needs.”

And maybe he could get some of his own questions answered while he had the sheriff here.

“Speaking of mates, how’s yours?”

Bunny grimaced. “She got attacked yesterday.”

“What?”

“By who?”

The family chorus of outrage was strangely soothing. “I have no idea.” He breathed deep, afraid he would accidentally shatter the phone in his hands. “By the time I got to the shop, she was on the ground, a lump on the back of her fucking head.”

Ryan’s hand landed on his shoulder. “Do you need help?”

He stared at his cousin, knowing what Ryan was offering and what it would do to them both if Bunny took him up on it. One of the ways they sometimes blew off steam was by fighting each other. The way Bunny was feeling, if he took Ryan up on that offer, one or both of them would be lying in the bed next to Chloe’s. He shook his head. “Nah. I’ll make sure to do an extra twenty minutes of yoga.”

Ryan rolled his eyes. “You have to get over that some day.”

Bunny shrugged, uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was going. “I need to call the sheriff.”

“You need to remember you were sixteen when it happened. Let it go, Alex.”

The soothing sound of his father’s voice did nothing to help. “I have. I make sure it’s never going to happen again.” Nearly killing someone because you’d lost your temper was a sure-fire way to teach you how to control yourself. He’d done everything in his power to see to it he’d never hurt another living soul.

Still, there were times when he longed to roughhouse with his cousins without the fear that he’d hurt them. He was large and strong in his human form, larger than all of his relatives, except for his father. He was even more so in his Bear form. And even his father didn’t have the depth of rage Bunny had learned to conquer. His father was one of the most even-tempered men he knew.

Bunny dialed the phone. If he had his way, he’d never fight again. He couldn’t live with the consequences if he did.

“Are you sure you’re all right?”

Tabby shoved Cyn’s hands away from her head. “I’m fine, okay?”

“No headache?”

“Other than the one you’re giving me? No.” She snapped on the rubber gloves and smiled weakly at her nervous client. If Cyn didn’t knock it off, Tabby was going to lose her customer.

Cyn glared at her. “Fine. I’ll let it go for now.” She smiled down at the nervous college boy. “So, what are we having done today?”

The boy gulped. If he didn’t calm down, he was going to shake apart from nerves.

“Um, I want a wolf, a timber wolf.” He held out a picture. “Just like this.”

Tabby frowned down at the wolf. It looked familiar. “Where did you get this?”

“Gary gave it to me.”

Tabby put the picture down on the counter and leaned back with a sigh. “Why did Gary tell you to get a wolf tattoo?”

The boy shook some more. “He said it was cool.”

This kid is what, eighteen? What the fuck is Gary up to? She took a sniff. Nope, he’s human. “Do you like wolves?”

The boy nodded eagerly. “Oh yeah. I contribute to a bunch of charities trying to save endangered species and their habitats.”

Her brows rose. He didn’t look like he had the money for an Egg McMuffin, let alone donations to charity. “Where are you from?”

“Ph-Philadelphia.”

She stroked a finger down his arm, trying to calm him down. “Okay,” she glanced at the form he’d filled out, “Tim.” How do I explain to you that Gary wants his own ugly face tattooed onto your body? Talk about claiming someone! “If you had a choice, what tattoo would you get?” She held up a hand when he opened his mouth to speak. “Remember, whatever I ink in will be on your body forever. I mean old and wrinkly forever. They’ve found intact tattoos on mummies. So make sure it’s what you want before I do this, okay?”

“What about Gary? He said I couldn’t join his fraternity without it.”

She nearly growled. Son of a bitch. “Did he give you the money for the tattoo?”

She’d already explained that she charged by the hour, and how much. The complex tattoo she’d have to make from the picture would wind up costing him almost three hundred dollars.

“No.”

“Are you paying for it?”

“Yes.”

She sighed and decided to fill this poor kid in before he became a Wolf snack.

“Gary isn’t the nicest person in the world, Tim.”

Tim scowled. “He’s been very nice to me.”

“Yeah, well, he’s been less than nice to me.” She fingered the picture again, wondering how to get through to this poor guy. “Gary’s threatened me more than once. He’s egged the shop. We’ve had to call the cops on him a few times.” She frowned. “Did Gary tell you to come here for the tattoo?”

Tim shook his head. “No, he told me to go to the place on Fifth.” Tabby exchanged a glance with Cyn. That place was a dive. “But I asked around. A lot of people told me you guys were the best, and that your prices were fair.”

That explained a lot. No way was she letting this kid out of here with Gary’s mug a permanent fixture on his body. “If I pick up that phone there and call Sheriff Anderson, will you listen to him about Gary?”

He gulped nervously. “The cops? Why would you call the cops?”

“We’ve had to call them out because Gary won’t leave us alone.”

He bit his lip and frowned, obviously thinking.

She picked up the phone and handed it to him, rattling off the number for the police station. C’mon, Tim, make the right decision.

His expression cleared. He was familiar with the phone number, which raised a whole host of other questions she didn’t have the right to ask. “Can I take another look around the shop, please?”

She smiled and nodded, getting up off the swivel stool she sat on when she worked. “Sure thing, Tim.”

She watched him walk with a bit more confidence into the front of the shop.

“Good job.”

“Thanks.”

“What made you question him?”

She picked up the picture of the wolf and showed it to Cyn. She could hear the murmur of voices and knew that Glory was talking to Tim. She would ease his fears better than anyone else. “That’s Gary as a wolf.”

Cyn whistled. “Damn. Is the little bastard building a club or something?”

Tabby jerked. Could he be trying to build a Pack? She took another look at Tim.

Damn if the boy didn’t have Omega written all over him, and not in a good way.

“Fuck.” There was no law against changing a human against their will. If there was, more than one mate would be in big trouble, including the current Halle Pride Alpha. But a prick like Gary with a Pack of handpicked assholes? “That would be bad.”

“I’ve decided.” They turned to find Tim standing there, a smile on his face. Glory stood next to him. She winked at Tabby. “I want this one.” He held up a piece of flash.

Tabby looked down at the stylized dragon and grinned. “Good choice.”

She set up the inks, pleased that Tim had relaxed. She began the tattoo and did her best to hold back the smirk.

Gary was going to shit a brick when he saw it. She just hoped Tim would be protected. She made a mental note to let Gabe know all about Tim. If anyone could protect the boy, it would be a Hunter like Gabe. Gary didn’t know what train was about to hit his pompous ass, but he was definitely pissing on the tracks.

She hoped it hurt. A lot.

Bunny stood as the sheriff entered Chloe’s room. The man’s eyes went immediately to Chloe. He didn’t even try to hide his wince. “Still no change?”

Bunny shook his head, watching closely. The sheriff approached Chloe’s bed. He took one of her pale hands into his and bent down, his hat nearly falling off. He grabbed it before it could land on Chloe’s face. “Hey, little vixen. You need to wake up now. Sarah’s threatening to bake cookies, and you know how she is in the kitchen.”

There was no response, not that Bunny had expected to see one.

“Do you know who my daughter’s mate is?”

Anderson lifted his head and stared at Aunt Laura. He nodded. “Yeah. I know who he is.”

“And?”

He straightened up and let go of Chloe’s hand. “He’s not in town right now. Sarah called him and let him know what’s going on. He told her he’d be back as soon as he could.” Anderson shifted, looking uncomfortable. “There are a few things you should know. First, he doesn’t know about us. He’s human.”

They all nodded. Bunny’s mother had been human, and the stories about how his father had cornered and claimed his mate still had the power to reduce grown men to giggles. The fact that Barbra Bunsun had every intention of being caught only added to the joy of the story.

Still, everyone knew you had to be careful when claiming a human mate. Not everyone would respond well to finding themselves furry. In the past, there had been those who had attacked their shifter mates, thinking them possessed by the devil.

“Second, he had the mistaken impression that Chloe and I were dating.”

Bunny folded his arms across his chest and snarled. Next to him, Ryan growled.

They, too, had thought the sheriff and Chloe were dating. The way Chloe spoken about him, the bracelet he’d given her for Christmas with the little cats and foxes on it, had all said girlfriend as far as the Bunsun-Williamses were concerned.

Hell, as far as he knew Ryan still thought it, despite being told Chloe had a mate somewhere out there.

Anderson’s hands went up. “We weren’t. Damn it. My mate still gives me fits about that.” He rolled his eyes. “But Jim blames both of us. The third problem is he thinks Chloe’s too young for him. He even told her as much.”

“Will he come for her?”

Aunt Laura was still staring at Anderson, her gaze boring into him.

Anderson nodded. “I think he will. Sarah says he loves Chloe, he just needs to deal with his issues. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s here before morning.”

“How would Sarah know this?”

Anderson’s whole face softened. “My mate is the Omega of the Halle Pride.”

Bunny was confused. As the Omega, Anderson’s mate should have known exactly how the man felt, both about her and about Chloe. The way he understood it, Omegas were the emotional lynchpin of whatever Pride or Pack they belonged to.

How could there have been any confusion over which one he wanted? There was no way, once he met his mate, that he could confuse it for anything but the mate bond. Had he met his Sarah after he’d begun dating Chloe, or had it been some sort of cosmic misunderstanding? Unfortunately Bunny didn’t feel he had the right to ask the sheriff that question. He barely knew the man, after all, and only trusted him because he’d helped Tabby.

“Any idea who did this to my daughter?” Uncle Steve’s voice was low and threatening. His hand reached out and stroked Chloe’s hair.

“I have some theories, but until I’m sure, I’m not going to say anything. Don’t ask me, I won’t tell you.”

And that was when Bunny realized exactly what sort of man stood in front of them. Anderson radiated an aura of power he’d only felt once before. “You’re a Hunter.”

Anderson’s smile was grim. “Yup. How’d you know?”

“I had a friend once, James. He’s a Hunter.” It had been a long time since he’d seen James. He was the Bear Senator as well as a Hunter. He was a charming rogue with a core of steel. The aura of power faded, leaving Bunny feeling a little off balance.

“James Barnwell?”

Bunny’s brows shot up. “You know him?”

Anderson grimaced. “The son of a bitch trained me.”

Bunny snorted. He’d heard more than one person use that tone of voice when describing James. Hell, he’d heard him called much worse than that.

“He’s also the reason we’re in this fix with Chloe and Jim, in a roundabout sort of way. He convinced me not to claim Sarah before I left, Sarah and I almost imploded and we each turned to other people to get over it. Chloe and I were friends and we talked a lot. I asked her to keep an eye on Sarah. Sarah started hanging out a lot with Jim Woods, Chloe’s destined mate, and Chloe got jealous. I don’t think she even realized what she was doing, but Chloe was the one who had everyone thinking we were dating.” He shook his head. “If I hadn’t come back when I did, both Chloe and I could have lost our mates.”

Bunny winced in sympathy. He couldn’t begin to imagine spending eternity without Tabby now that he’d had her. But to lose her before he got to claim her would have been torture.

“It doesn’t surprise me that James told you to hold off on your mating. He doesn’t believe Hunters should be mated at all.” Bunny shared a glance with Anderson.

Someday James Barnwell would find his own mate, and when he did, he knew exactly how the Hunter would react.

Poor girl. I hope I get to watch the mighty Hunter fall. The sheriff was watching him, a questioning look on his face. “When he finds her, call me. I’ll bring the popcorn.”

Anderson shook his hand. “Done.”

“I hope this Jim person gets here soon,” Uncle Steve said, his hands curling into fists at his sides.

“I just hope she responds to him.” Ryan stalked out of the room, his tension obvious. Watching his baby sister lying motionless in that hospital bed was hitting the other man hard.

Bunny held out his hand, pointing to the door Ryan had just walked out. “Could I ask you a few questions outside?” He led the way after Anderson nodded his agreement. He made sure the door was shut before asking the question burning in his gut. “Tabby got a phone call this morning, and I need to know if this person is a threat to her or not. And before you ask, she’s refusing to talk to me about it.”

“I’ll answer if I can.”

“Who the hell is Gary?”

When Anderson’s midnight blue eyes turned to gold, Bunny knew the answer.

Gary was trouble.

“So?”

Tabby winced. Cyn was behind her, guarding the end of the counter, trapping her behind glass and artwork. Glory was leaning over the counter, her face full of mischief. The shop was empty, and the moment she’d been dreading all day was finally here. Her nosy-ass friends had her cornered. “So what?”

The two women exchanged a glance. “How was it?”

Tabby’s cheeks heated up. “It?”

Glory’s head tipped back, exposing the long line of her neck. “Oh, Bunny,” she moaned. “Bunny, Bunny,” she chanted, each one becoming more breathless, until, “Bunny! ”

Cyn was laughing her ass off as Glory faked an orgasm. What neither woman saw was Ryan right outside the door, his eyes narrowed as he glared at Glory. When Glory threw her head back and shuddered, his fists clenched, his eyes turning deep, dark brown.

If Glory didn’t stop, Ryan was going to do something seriously drastic. She just hoped drastic didn’t involve Ryan’s claws and Alex’s face.

“Knock it off, guys.”

Glory giggled and waved her hands like a hula dancer. “Well? How was the motion of his ocean?”

“Screw that.” Cyn propped one hip against the counter. “I want to know about the size of his boat.” She held her hands at least seven inches apart and waggled her eyebrows.

The bell over the door jingled and Ryan sauntered in, his gaze glued to Glory.

“Don’t you dare answer that.”

Cyn pushed herself back up. “Don’t sweat it, Glory. It’s not like we won’t get it out of her once we get home.”

Glory nodded, looking angelic. “Yup. We know her weakness.”

Uh-oh. Tabby stiffened. “Oh, no, you don’t.”

“All we have to do…” Cyn smirked.

“…is break out the box…” Glory was smiling that innocent pixie smile that fooled only the very young, the very old, and the terminally stupid.

“…and hide all her shoes.” The triumph in Cyn’s voice demanded retribution. Too bad Cyn didn’t seem to have a weakness.

Tabby glared at her so-called friends. “I hate you bitches.” They would, too. The only hope her poor shoes had was if she got home before they did and managed to hide them all.

“Is this a private party or can anyone join?”

She would have lost it if she hadn’t heard the bell again. “Hey, Julian!”

“Julian Ducharme?” Ryan held out his hand when Julian nodded. “Ryan Williams, Chloe’s brother.”

Julian took Ryan’s hand and shook it. “How’s she doing?”

“She hasn’t woken up.” The anger and grief in Ryan’s voice was unmistakable. “I owe you.”

Julian shrugged uncomfortably. “It was nothing.”

“My sister would have died on that street if you hadn’t risked your life like that.

My family is in your debt.”

Tabby saw Julian’s jaw clench for a moment and wondered at it. “Any one of us would have done the same.”

“You almost lost your own life in the process.” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Cyn start. “That’s not something we’re likely to forget.”

“I couldn’t let her die.” For a brief second, white flashed through Julian’s hair, there and gone so quickly that if she hadn’t seen it before she would have declared it a trick of the light. “Her journey isn’t over yet.”

From the way Ryan’s eyes widened, he’d seen the flash of Julian’s hair as well.

Whether the Bear knew more of what that meant, she didn’t know. All she knew was she needed to corner her friend, tie him down, and get some goddamn answers. “Feeling better, Julian?”

He nodded, his gaze darting to Cyn before he answered Tabby. “Yeah, I’m good.

I’m going to stop in the hospital, see if there’s anything more I can do for Chloe.”

“No!” Ryan and Tabby’s voices rang out, startling Cyn and Glory. Tabby coughed.

“All things considered, I don’t think a hospital is a shiny, happy place for you to be, Jules.”

Glory inched away from Ryan, who’d been trying to put his arm around her waist.

“Why not? He spent the night there just fine.”

She shared a look with Julian, raising her brows. Did he want to reveal to the other two women what he was capable of?

He sighed, his shoulders slumping a bit. “No, it’s not. It’s fucking horrendous, but I’ll do what I have to do.” His knuckles rapped on the glass. “I’ll head there now.

Maybe I can wake her up, maybe not, but I have to try.”

Cyn glared at him, eyes narrowed dangerously. “One of these days you’re going to tell me what the fuck is up with you, aren’t you.”

Tabby could tell that was a statement, not a question. Cyn was on the warpath and apparently felt one of her own was threatened. Tabby hid her grin.

Julian wasn’t going to know what hit him when Cyn decided to let him claim her.

They shared a long look before Julian nodded slowly. “When everything is in place, you’ll know everything.”

Cyn just rolled her eyes and headed into the back room. Julian’s expression was completely closed off, but the tick in his jaw was back. She’d never seen the easygoing man look like that. He was staring at that curtain like he wanted to storm through it and lay siege to the woman hiding behind it.

“I’ll head back with you.” Ryan tugged one of Glory’s curls. “Be good.”

“Excuse me?” Glory glared up at him.

He tugged a little harder before letting Glory’s hair go. “And stop thinking about my cousin’s junk. I’d hate to have to rip it off.”

Tabby growled.

Ryan rolled his eyes. “Fine. I’ll just beat the shit out of him.”

She kept the growl going.

Ryan smiled weakly. “You can nurse him back to health.”

Now it was her turn to roll her eyes. “Get out of here.” The two men turned to leave. “Do me a favor? Tell Alex he owes me a new cell phone.” The two men left the store, shaking their heads. “Glory?”

“Hmm?”

“Could you give the poor guy a break? His sister’s in the hospital.”

Glory didn’t try to pretend she didn’t know what Tabby was talking about. “He’s just too much, you know? Big and overpowering and doesn’t know the term personal space.”

Tabby decided to tell a little white lie. “He likes you.” He more than liked her, he was a man trying to land his mate.

“Maybe too much.” Glory blew her bangs out of her eyes. “What would I do with him, anyway? Feed him, water him, build him a tree house? Can bears climb trees? Should I buy a house and put in a big fishpond? I could put in a fireplace and let him flop in front of it.”

Tabby stared at her friend. She crooked her finger at Glory. “C’mere.”

Glory leaned over the counter. “What?”

Tabby sniffed. “Nope, no drugs or alcohol. That means you’re insane. Ow.” She rubbed the top of her head. Glory could have bopped her with a little less enthusiasm. “Glory and Ryan sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g,” she sang.

Glory stomped her foot and marched into the back room, her back ramrod straight.

Tabby sighed and grabbed a piece of paper. She was going to wake the two of them up if it was the last thing she did.