Bear Lake (6 page)

“Might be a different
name.” Blake eyed him as he shrugged his shoulders.

“No one’s living here
now.”

“Except you.” Blake
offered, fishing.

“Nope. It’s empty. I’m
looking after the place.” Jackson’s bear growled and paced within him. He was
torn between killing the man and letting him walk away, but he was leaning more
to ending him than not.

“There’s personal
stuff inside…” Blake gave a wry smile. The man wasn’t stupid, just an evil
bastard, and he knew that Jackson was lying. There wasn’t a lot that Jackson
could do about that.

“I wouldn’t know. I
don’t go poking around other people’s houses like a criminal.” Jackson tossed
back at him and saw his upper lip twitch. The guy was getting antsy, all the
better.

“I’m just looking for
my wife…”

“Ex…” Jackson bit down
on his mistake, but it was already out there and the flare of the other man’s
eyes said he’d heard it loud and clear.

A moment later and
Jackson was looking the wrong way down the barrel of a gun.

“Where is she?”

Blake demanded and
Jackson’s bear clawed to be released at the sight of the danger. Jackson bit
down on the need within him to shift. The sound of Shane’s bear roaring as it
burst from within the man snatched Blake’s attention momentarily and his eyes
flicked towards the back garden…

Jackson moved fast,
but not fast enough. The crack of the gun going off and the screaming pain that
went through Jackson’s right side didn’t stop him from lunging for the weapon
with one hand and bringing his other arm round with his fist connecting with
the side of Blake’s head. Even over the sound of Shane’s bear roaring as he
raced towards his alpha, Jackson had heard the sickening snap of the man’s neck
as it broke in two.

Jackson’s fist was
still around the barrel of the gun when the lifeless body of its owner dropped
to the ground in front of him. That easy. He’d taken a human life.

Jackson bit down on
the burning pain that was searing through his chest. He tried his damnedest to
stay upright on his feet and yet his knees gave out from beneath him and he
dropped down to one knee on the ground. His left hand shot out to keep him
upright as Shane shifted back into his human form beside him.

“Jack.” Shane’s hands
gripped his alpha’s upper arms and he eased the man onto his backside.

“I’m good. Missed my
heart. Just get this damn bullet out of me.” Jackson growled.

“It’s out man,
straight through, nice big hole in your back.” Shane informed him.

“You don’t have to
look so damn impressed.” Jackson growled out, fighting the pain at the same
time as his body heated up as his blood worked to heal him.

“It’s an impressive
hole. You sure you’re not going to die?”

“Fuck you, arsehole.”
Jackson bit out. “You thinking of challenging me for the clan?” Jackson saw the
amusement in his brother’s eye.

“Yeah. I thought about
it.” Shane stroked his fingers down his chin as if he was actually
contemplating it.

Now was the perfect
time if the man was going to make a challenge, Jackson knew that only too well.
He also knew Shane and the man was honourable. If he was going to make a
challenge then he’d do it when it was a fair fight.

“Go for it and see
what happens to you.” Jackson growled out and Shane chuckled.

“Not my style, Alpha.”
Shane grinned. Now he knew that Jackson wasn’t going to die on him, it was
worth his time winding the man up. “Still is tempting though.” Shane grinned.

“Arsehole.” Jackson
bit out on a growl.

“Humans, so damn
fragile.” Shane kicked out at the sole of Blake’s polished shoe.

“Alex is human.”
Jackson scowled. “What if I…?”

“Don’t even think it.
Alex isn’t going to die on you. Not until she’s made your life hell for the
next fifty years with her female nagging.” Shane reached around Jackson’s back
and poked next to the wound. Jackson growled like he’d just poked his finger
straight into the hole.

“What the…?”

“Nope. Not healed
yet.” Shane grinned again.

“Do that again and I’m
gonna rip your fucking head off.” Jackson growled out. His bear was still antsy
within him. He’d tried to force the shift into his bear more than once to
hasten the healing process, but Jackson wouldn’t have it.

“Call Marcus and get
the man over here. We’ve got a damn body to get rid of and he’s getting good at
that shit.” Jackson growled out.

~^~

Alex got to her feet
and put herself in Marcus’s way. The man was bigger than a damn barn but she
was determined that he take her seriously. Marcus frowned.

“Something I can do
for you, Alex?” Marcus eyed her suspiciously.

“You can take me with
you.”

“I’m just going to…”
Marcus lied, and she could see it in the man’s eyes because he couldn’t meet
her gaze.

“Bullshit” Alex spat
out. While she was in no condition to rugby tackle the man; he wasn’t going
anywhere without her.

“Excuse me?” There was
a deep rumble in Marcus’s chest and the man flicked his eyes to hers but looked
away again.

“First Jackson gets a
call and disappears. Now you get a call. I’m not stupid, Marcus.”

Alex had known that
something was going on the moment that she turned her eyes to look for her mate
and found that he’d disappeared. Now it was Marcus’s turn, and considering it
had been Marcus that had been with them the other night at the house when
Blake’s goon had attacked, she put two and two together and hoped that she
hadn’t come up with six. Marcus winced and she knew she was right.

“Now, Alex…” Marcus
started.

“Don’t patronise me,
bear boy.” Alex spat out and Marcus’s clamped his lips shut as his head snapped
back on his neck and his eyes did meet hers with a lot of disbelief.

“Bear boy…” Chance cracked
a laugh that rattled the windows in the closest cabins. Marcus’s head snapped
around towards Chance and the man held up his hands as he chuckled long and
hard.

“I wasn’t told to
bring you with me.” Marcus growled for Chance’s benefit as he turned his eyes
back towards Alex.

“It’s lucky that
you’re not
bringing
me then. But if you try to go without me I’m going
to damage my ribs some more trying to lift my leg hard enough to kick your
arse.” Alex saw the amusement spark in Marcus’s eyes. “And you can explain that
to your alpha.”

“That would be bad.”
Chance shook his head from side to side. “That’d mean Jackson would have to
wait longer to mate with…”

“Shut up, Chance.”
Marcus bit out. He didn’t need a play by play scenario of the shit storm that
would be unleashed if Alex hurt herself on his watch. “Fine. You can come.”
Marcus growled out. “But I don’t like it.”

“Noted.” Alex waved a
dismissive hand in the big man’s direction. “You don’t have to like it as long
as I get to come.”

“You might want to
rephrase that in case your mate takes it the wrong way.” Chance chuckled again
and Alex shot a death glare in his direction. “Just saying.” Chance growled as
he dropped his eyes to the fire pit in front of him and poked the flames with a
stick. It was safer than poking the mama bear.

~^~

“What the hell did you
do?” Alex pulled her ribs as she rushed towards Jackson and reached for the
bloody hole on the front of his shirt.

“Shit.” Jackson
growled out as he reached for Alex’s hands and held them away from his body in
his. The look in her eyes was close to frantic.

“Jackson?” She
demanded.

“He got shot.” Shane
offered as he leaned against the brickwork at the side of her house and took in
the scene.

“Let me…” Alex tried
to yank her hands from his and Jackson tried to hold them in place as gently as
possible. He didn’t want her to hurt herself any more than she already was.

“Calm down, Alex. It’s
healing just fine.” His eyes snapped towards Marcus as the man sauntered
towards them, keeping his eyes down on the ground, and his hands firmly dug
into the pockets of his jeans.

“You’re brave,
bringing Alex with you.” Shane offered towards Marcus as the big man stopped
beside him.

“He didn’t
bring
me.”
Alex snapped towards Shane. Then she turned her attention back towards Jackson,
still trying to pull her hands from his. “Let me see, damn it.” Jackson let her
hands go and she reached for his shirt and lifted it up his chest. The large
angry red welt looked like a burn and she sucked in her breath between her
teeth at the sight of it.

“Alex…” Jackson tried
to pacify her but her eyes had already snapped up to his and were alive with
the fire of rage.

“I’m going to kill
that…”

“Too late.” Shane
offered and Jackson head snapped around as he growled a warning at the man.
Shane held up his hands. “Didn’t think it was a secret.” He offered and Marcus
frowned.

“Seriously?” Marcus
shook his head in disbelief and Shane groaned.

“Not from her.” He
tossed up a hand towards Alex.

“He’s…?” Alex looked
to Jackson. The man looked pensive, worried, and she had no idea what was going
through his mind but it didn’t look good.

“It was self-defence.”
Jackson offered. He didn’t want his mate to hate him. He didn’t want her to
fear him or his bear…

“It would have been
murder if I’d gotten to him first.” Alex bit out. Her words reassured him but
her eyes filled with tears.

“Alex?” Jackson
thought he might not be able to make this better for her and his heart ached.

“Happy tears.” Alex
offered him and he snapped his head to one side and stared back at her in
disbelief as Shane and Marcus chuckled.

“What?” Jackson didn’t
get why the hell she was crying, but then she was female. Either she was happy
or sad, how could there be both at once?

“I’m glad he’s dead,
Jackson. I’m sorry you got hurt…” She tried to explain it, but from the
confused look on his face she didn’t think she was doing a good job. “I’m happy
it’s over. I hate him with a vengeance. I’m sorry I wasn’t the one to kill the
bastard…” She was rambling as the tears rolled down her cheeks. Relief washed
through her.

“O-k.” Jackson frowned
as he reached out and brought her into his arms.

“Females.” Shane
offered towards Marcus and the big man grunted.

“Paradoxical.” Marcus
nodded and Shane scratched his head.

“I don’t know what
that means, man.” He shook his head on his neck and slapped Marcus on the chest
motioning towards the back garden. “Dead guy for you to get rid of.”

“I’m getting used to
that.” Marcus muttered as he set off with Shane away from the mates.

~^~

It worried Jackson
that since they had come back from her house Alex had been curled up on the
sofa watching nothing much of anything on the television. He’d taken a shower
to wash off his blood, changed, and walked back into the living room to find
her still there. He didn’t think that boded well for them as mates.

The knocking on his
front door annoyed him and he stalked across the room and yanked it open to
find Chance standing there looking hopeful. Jackson sighed inwardly. Right at
that moment he wanted nothing more than to punch the man in the face…

“What?” He demanded
and Chance shrugged his shoulders.

“We’re cooking…”
Chance motioned with his thumb over his left shoulder and tried to look around
him inside the cabin for Alex, but Jackson’s large frame blocked his view.

“It’s nice you learned
what fire’s for…” Jackson growled at the man and Chance scowled.

“We thought that Alex
might like…”

“Alex is…” Jackson
scowled.

“Hungry.” The remote
control that she’d been fisting for the past hour in her hand as if she was
reluctant to put it down in case someone else snatched it away from her was
tossed aside and Jackson watched as she eased her body up from the sofa.

She was showing signs
of life again and that couldn’t be a bad thing in his book, and she was moving
better. He hoped that meant that she was healing. Jackson turned back towards
Chance and the man was grinning like he’d just won a damn prize. Jackson
growled.

“Meet you by the pit.”
Chance rushed out as he turned on his heels and stalked away. Jackson turned
towards Alex just as she came up behind him.

“You sure you’re ok?”
Jackson’s concern rang out in his voice and Alex frowned.

“You mean apart from
the busted ribs, the dead ex-husband, and the bear mate?” Alex offered up to
him with a blank expression.

“Y-e-a-h.” Jackson
didn’t know what to make of it. Alex gave a small shrug off her shoulders.

“It’s all good.” She
grinned. Jackson frowned harder.

“Good to know.” He
didn’t move until she lifted her hands and shooed him out of the doorway. Then
he took a step to the side and allowed her to pass. In truth, he still didn’t
know what to make of it.

“Women are… strange.”
He muttered to himself as he reached up and scratched his head.

~^~

Jackson was having his
most vivid and erotic dream about his mate so far. He’d put her on her hands
and knees in front of him and was taking his own sweet damn time stroking in
and out of her body. Every stroke felt like heaven and even thought his mind
told him that he needed to thrust harder, move faster, take her deeper with
every stroke; he just couldn’t get his body to do it. This just felt too good
and he never wanted it to end…