Cynful

Chapter Fourteen

Cyn stared at the plywood over the window of her dream shop. What was she supposed to do now? Without Living Art, she’d lose not only her livelihood but her independence. She’d be forced to rely on Julian for everything. No matter how good a man Julian was, she’d never be able to tolerate that for long. They had to find whoever was targeting her and her friends and end this.

Glory had been in the hospital for two days. Thanks to the damage the bullet had caused, part of her lower lung had been removed. She was in a lot of pain and cranky as hell. The two tubes in her side were driving her crazy, but the doctors had told them that they’d be removed tomorrow. The physiotherapists were encouraging Glory to cough, something she wanted to do about as much as she wanted to shove red-hot pokers up her ass.

They were no closer to finding the shooter. Cyn knew at least some of Glory’s crankiness came from fear rather than pain. Alex and Tabby were practically living at the hospital while the entire Williams-Bunsun clan hunted for Ryan, who was still missing. Gabe had told her in private that something was rattling the Hunter within him. If Ryan had gone feral from Glory’s injuries nothing would save him from Gabe.

“We’ll find him.” Julian wrapped his arms around her and propped his chin on her shoulder. He’d left his hair down, and the strands were cool against her cheek. She could smell the coffee he’d had prior to driving her over to the store on his breath. They were sitting in his car, Julian unwilling to allow her out of it, or anywhere closer to Living Art than they already were. She understood his concern. If the shooter was keeping an eye on LA then she’d be a prime target. She still wasn’t certain whether Glory was the one the shooter intended to hit or not.

If he’d hit Tabby she could have lost the baby.

The low growl that reverberated through the car startled her. What surprised her even more was that it came from her. “I want to play hacky sack with their nuts.”

He snorted a laugh. “That’s the best you could come up with? I’m disappointed.”

“Did I mention they’d still be attached?”

“Mm. In that case, I know a couple of Grizzlies who should be more than happy to play with you.”

“If you can find them.” She sighed wearily. “I think part of the reason Glory is so pissy is because Ryan’s not there. No matter how much she squirms and complains, she cares about him.”

“Do you have any idea why she’s fighting their mating so hard?”

“Her father was an absolute jerk. I mean, my mother didn’t say boo without my father’s permission, but he was never abusive toward her. He just ran her life like it was a military operation. To him, it probably was.”

“And Glory’s father was abusive.” Julian’s tone was thoughtful, as if he was trying to figure out a unique puzzle and didn’t have all pieces.

“Her father was extremely conservative. He was a firm believer in spare the rod, spoil the child, and was exceedingly possessive toward his wife and children. If anyone showed an interest in any of his daughters he would run them off. I’m not certain all the methods he used were legal.”

“I’m thinking he’s no longer around?”

“He may be. I’m not sure. He and Mrs. Walsh left the area about two years after Hope disappeared. He took Faith and Temp with them, but left Glory behind. I think they’d argued, and she refused to go with him. Since she was eighteen, he couldn’t force her, but he could make her life hell. He left her with the clothes on her back and whatever was in her wallet at the time. Thank God my mom let her live with us until we could get an apartment together.” She winced, remembering how Glory had looked that day. “She had bruises all over her, Jules.”

He winced, but didn’t question her about that. “I didn’t know Glory had a missing sister.”

“She was the oldest daughter, and Glory’s twin. She claimed she was going to the library, but she never came back. The police weren’t able to find anyone who had seen her. They never found a trace. All the Walshes were devastated, but Glory most of all. They were sixteen, and did everything together.”

“Wow. Has she told Ryan about any of this?”

If she did, he never would have disappeared the way he had. Ryan just didn’t have it in him to hurt Glory like that. She was willing to bet that was why Glory was flipping out. It was like losing her sister all over again. “None of us talk about it, especially in front of Glory. Hope’s disappearance is still an open case.”

They were quiet for a few moments, each absorbed in their own thoughts. “Glory, Hope, Faith and Temp?”

Cyn rolled her eyes. Poor Temp. “It’s short for Temperance.”

“That’s a horrible thing to do to a little girl.”

“It’s a worse thing to do to a little boy. Especially when he’s the oldest child and gets to watch his sisters get fairly normal names.”

Julian whistled and tugged on a lock of his hair. “So how many black belts does he have? He must’ve gone through some major ass kicking’s in school. His butt must still be black and blue.”

He had the uncanny knack of making her smile even when she was at her worst. “He always said he would’ve felt better if the girls were named Chastity, Prudence and Patience.”

“I could totally see Glory rockin’ the name Prudence. It suits her to a T.” She could hear the faint hint of laughter in his voice. “We could call her Prue, Prude or just plain Dence.”

“I vote for number three.” And dammit, there it was, that stupid little giggle. He always managed to get one out of her.

“Was Temp anything like their father?”

“That’s the strangest part. I would’ve said no, but he went with his father rather than stay behind.”

“He might’ve been trying to protect Faith.”

“Maybe. Mr. Walsh was a mean S.O.B. Faith was only twelve when they left; she’d be eighteen now. None of them have tried to contact Glory since they left.”

“Was she supposed to go with Hope that night?”

“Yeah, I think she was.”

She stared at her shop, weary to the bone. It would be quite a while before the authorities would allow her to open up again. While she understood it, it still broke her heart. As it was, she was pretty sure her insurance was going to go through the roof. She ran her fingers through her hair. “Good-bye, lease. I will miss you.”

“Your landlord is going to kick you out?”

Her place had come under fire far too many times for any landlord to let it go. “I’ve received notice to vacate the premises, and I won’t be getting my security deposit back.” She sighed. “At least I own all the equipment.”

“Then you start over, somewhere else.” Julian touched her cheek in an attempt to soothe her.

She shrugged. Cyn was a fighter. She would mourn her lost dream, but she wouldn’t let it keep her down for long. She’d start a new dream. “I’m going to look into a new place nearby. I love this neighborhood, but I’m not sure they’ll love me when this is all over.”

“You’ll be fine. None of this is your fault.”

She shrugged. It might not be, but that wouldn’t matter. If the other landlords blacklisted her she’d be forced to move.

Damn it. She really loved this neighborhood.

“I want to meet your parents.”

She should’ve expected that request, but for some reason it still startled her. “My father is dead. He died when I was sixteen, of a heart attack.”

His arms tightened around her briefly, hugging her close. “I’m sorry to hear that, sweetheart. It must have been rough for you and your mom.”

She relaxed back into him, letting him take her weight. There was no sympathy in his voice, just calm acceptance. She would’ve brushed off any hint of pity. It was over and done with a long time ago. “It was harder on my mom than on me. She couldn’t function without my father. Bills didn’t get paid, groceries didn’t get bought. Trash started to pile up because she couldn’t bring herself to clean. I learned how to cook so we didn’t starve to death. I also learned to use the Internet to pay our bills.”

“I always knew you were strong.” He pressed a soft kiss to the side of her neck, right above her mating mark. “That strength will get you through what’s going on now.”

She stroked his cheek. “I still want to play Jenga with their bones.”

He grinned against her neck. “I love vicious women.”

“Vicious?” She laughed bitterly. “My best friend is in the hospital after being fucking shot, I have no idea how I’m going to pay my rent and I’m going to turn fuzzy any day now. And the fuzzy thing is the good part of my week. You’re lucky I’m not rocking back and forth, sucking my thumb and mumbling like a crazy person.”

“You’re doing better than most would. Glory probably would have died if you hadn’t healed her. You should be proud of yourself.” He shook her shoulder, emphasizing his point. “It takes most Bears months to learn how to do that. You did it a day after being marked.”

“But I couldn’t heal her the way you can.”

He sighed gently, his warm breath tickling her mating mark. “That’s because you’re not a Spirit Bear.”

He turned her so that she was staring at him and not the shop. He hadn’t told her yet that she wouldn’t be a Spirit Bear. “Then what am I?”

He bit his lip. “Don’t you like surprises?”

Her brows rose. Why didn’t he want to tell her what she’d become? “Jules.”

“I told you we’re different.”

“Julian. What did you turn me into?” His reluctance to answer was beginning to scare her. What the hell had he done?

“Me? You’re the one who decided to walk the thorny path.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

He looked over her shoulder, his eyes widening. “Is that Ryan over there?”

She whipped around to see what he was looking at, to see if it really was Ryan. He let her go so abruptly, she almost fell to the car’s floor. He put the car in gear, and peeled away as if the hounds of hell where after them. “I’m in the car with you, numbnuts.”

He had the grace to look sheepish. “It works in the movies.”

“You forgot the whole shove her out of the car first part.” She poked him in the arm. Hard. “What am I going to turn into, Julian?”

“So, where does your mother live?”

“Julian DuCharme, you answer me right this instant or no sex for you!”

“Kodiak.”

She gaped like a fish. “Um… Say what now?”

He shrugged. “What can I say? Apparently Bear thinks you need to be really, really big. Look on the bright side, he didn’t turn you into a Polar.”

“Jules!”

“Although, come to think of it, Kodiaks are comparable in size to polar bears. They’ve even interbred. Or am I thinking of Grizzlies again?”

She opened her mouth, but nothing came out except a squeak. She was going to be a motherfucking Kodiak?

He darted a sidelong glance at her but quickly turned his attention back to the road. It was enough for her to notice that he was trying to hold back his grin. “I’m betting you’ll be able to kick Eric’s ass.”

“I’ll be able to kick yours too.”

“Female Kodiaks might actually be larger than female polar bears. I’ll have to double check, I’m not sure.”

Well, shit. Wow. She was going to be huge. “So when Tabby tells me I have a fat ass—”

“I refuse to answer on the grounds that I may be eviscerated.”

She growled again, not at all amused when he laughed so hard he had to pull over.

Julian sighed in relief as he escorted a much calmer Cyn back into the hospital. The shock of finding out she was a Kodiak had left her practically speechless. Well, for Cyn anyway. She’d mumbled to herself the entire way to the hospital, unaware he could hear every single word.

He really hoped she wasn’t serious about the rotating pineapple attachment. That might sting.

He spotted Gabe before Cyn did. Julian hoped he had something that would ease his mate’s mind, but from the look on Gabe’s face he doubted it.

“Cyn. Julian. I need to speak with you alone.” Gabe gestured for them to follow him right back out the double doors of the hospital.

“I’ll go to check on Glory.” Cyn looked back over her shoulder, but allowed Julian to tug her along in Gabe’s wake.

“Tabby and Alex are here. They’ll let you know if there’s any change in her condition.” Unless Julian was wrong, she was going to want to hear first-hand what Gabe had to say.

Gabe led them over to his squad car and leaned back against the hood. He crossed his arms over his chest and sighed wearily. “The bomb squad took care of the pipe bomb. They managed to safely explode it, and we’re looking into whether or not we can get fingerprints or DNA off of it. Once we have it, we’ll send it off to the Senate investigators to see if they can make a match to any rogue shifters. But I should warn you, there was no smell of Cheetah on the pipe bomb.”

“What did you smell?”

“Wolf.” His frown was confused. “It was almost buried beneath the scent of deer, though.”

Julian swore under his breath. “You think whoever hired Gary and his goons have sent others to finish what they started.”

Gabe shrugged. “I spoke to the Senate representative in charge of their case. He hasn’t been able to get much more out of them. Since Gary spilled the beans that they weren’t the ones who attacked Chloe they’ve kept their mouths shut. I’ve told Max that there might be a rogue Wolf in the area, as well as a rogue Cheetah, and I called Rick Lowell as well.”

“Rick Lowell? As in the Poconos Pack Alpha?” Cyn darted a look back toward the hospital. “Someone had better tell Tabby that both of her Alphas will be in town soon.”

Dr. Max Cannon, the Halle Puma Alpha, had granted Tabby, Cyn and Glory his protection when Gary had threatened them, and accepted Tabby as part of his Pride, despite the fact that she was a Wolf. Not long after, Rick Lowell and his Luna, Belle, had arrived from the Poconos and also included Tabby in their Pack. Max had even been willing to change both Glory and Cyn into Pumas right up until he heard they had Bear mates. Then he couldn’t leave Living Art fast enough.

Max had good reason to run. While a black Bear like Julian would walk away from a fight with a Puma, a brown Bear like Alex or Ryan would maul even someone as strong as Max. If anyone other than Ryan changed Glory, the fallout had the potential to be disastrous. Not even the Senate would be able to ignore a direct attack on an Alpha by a Bear. Despite the unique circumstances, Ryan would be declared rogue and Gabe would be forced to hunt him down.

“We were thinking of asking his Marshall to assist Adrian and me in hunting the Wolf down.” Gabe shook his head, his expression confused. “There’s more going on here than I can guess at.”

“In other words, your Hunter senses are tingling?” If so, Julian would have to make it a priority to find Ryan before Gabe did. He was the only one who would be able to talk Ryan down. If he could get close enough, he could calm Ryan. Once he understood that he’d been granted access to Glory’s room and that she was on the road to recovery his Bear would back off. Ryan would once more be in control of his instincts.

Cyn tapped her foot, her hands on her hips. “We need to find Ryan.”

“I’m being pulled in multiple directions. And I’m not entirely certain that Ryan isn’t one of them.” Gabe tipped his hat to Cyn and shook Julian’s hand. “I’ll give you both a call when I have something. In the meantime, now that you’re mated—congratulations, by the way—I highly suggest the two of you live together. With Glory in the hospital Cyn is alone in the apartment, and that just makes my butt itch.”

“I’ll make sure she’s not alone.” Even if it meant he had to give up his job with Jamie’s practice. He’d rather force her to move back with him to Canada than risk her life.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but if Julian and I get married wouldn’t he automatically become a citizen? He’s worried about missing work, since he’s here on a work visa. If he’s with me around the clock, that jeopardizes his visa, doesn’t it?” Cyn bit her lip, her expression a combination of concern and determination.

Gabe’s brows rose in surprise. “I’m not sure.”

Julian shook his head. “Marriage to a US citizen would allow me to apply for a green card on our third anniversary. I can then apply to become a citizen, but it’s still no guarantee. And while I have every intention of doing just that, I’ll have to double check with Jamie and make sure that what’s going on right now counts toward my vacation time. That way, my visa should be safe.”

“The other option is I go to work with you. I should be safe enough in Jamie’s office, right?” She scowled, but the expression was far too adorable to be intimidating. “It’s not like I can open the shop.”

“And I’m betting Alex will keep Tabby close, so she should be safe.” Having Cyn around while he worked wouldn’t exactly be a hardship. “If Jamie okays it, we’ll go for it.”

“In that case, I’ll leave you to check on Glory. I’ve already spoken to her, but unfortunately she didn’t see anything.” Gabe walked off with a wave, but stopped before he reached the patrol car. “Do me a favor, Julian. Talk to Tim. Find out if certain steps need to be taken.” He drove off, leaving Julian behind to explain to Cyn exactly what steps might need to be taken meant.

He wondered if, given the choice, which option Tim would choose.