Bear Naked Truth (Southern Shifters Book 7) (3 page)

C
alder pulled
on the tap again and drew more beer into his mug. The night was in full swing at Dark Moon, the bar on the edge of the neutral zone that served as both an income maker for Bhric and his crew as well as their home.

The upstairs portion of the building was reserved for surprisingly roomy apartment style residences that housed more than half a dozen shifters, one human mate and now a cub.

All the shifters that lived under Bhric's roof took turns working the bar and his shift had just ended. After the past couple of days he’d had, he sought nothing more than a quiet place to think and a much-needed drink.

More like he needed a distraction.

From one dark haired, dark eyed beauty that he couldn’t get out of his head. The adorable human woman who lived in the woods so close to the neutral zone he could smell her was going to be a problem. A big one.

“Okay, big guy. What’s up? You’re unusually quiet. Something happen I don’t know about?”

Calder looked up at his friend Niki and the shit-eating grin plastered across her face. Obviously, she’d talked to Sienna and she knew exactly what was stuck in his psyche. Damned chatty shifters. They couldn’t mind their own business for the life of them. Especially the mated ones if it meant there was a chance for someone else to find a mate.

Niki seemed to have changed a lot since her cub was born though and that made him happy for her. The white cougar genetically bred for battle had mellowed—a little. Although he wasn't willing to say that out loud and risk her skinning his ass and turning him into a rug.

“Why bother asking if you already know?”

She grinned. “Cause it’s way more fun to poke you. Wanted to see your reaction for myself.” She leaned forward and lowered her voice. "After all, you are the big, silent brooding type. You'd never breathe a word on your own."

He frowned and took a gulp of beer. “Damn straight. Satisfied now?”

“Hardly,” she said. “I want to hear all about this mysterious human that’s got you acting so strange.”

“I hardly call being worried about her safety strange. It’s my job to know what’s going on around here.” He took another sip. “For Bhric,” he added at the last second.

“If the human needs protection, that’s a job for the sheriff. That was supposed to be the whole reason for bringing him into the fold. So he could protect humans and shifters alike. But especially humans who wander into our territory and don't have the good sense to leave.”

Calder frowned at the fact Niki barely held back a smile during her little speech. He decided they needed a change in topic. “Where’s the cub? I haven’t seen her all day.”

“With her Daddy, being spoiled rotten I’m sure.”

He still couldn’t imagine Niki’s mate Dean cuddling up to the babe. Even though he’d seen it on more than one occasion. He didn’t doubt for a second his devotion to his mate and cub, but he’d also seen him go after an enemy with fierce, cold-blooded determination. Not that he had any room to talk when it came to the blood and dirty hands.

“Don’t worry, big guy. You’ll see her soon. She gets cranky without her Uncle Calder.” She winked at him.

He rolled his eyes and shook his head. Niki got a kick out of teasing him with the new nickname and truth be told it gave him a warm feeling in his chest. Not that he had any intention of admitting that to her. She was insufferable enough.

“I’m only thinking about her safety,” he mumbled into his drink. A baby was so rare among shifters these days they all made her safety their utmost priority.

Tensions were running high between the clans residing in the dragon tail and the rogue packs constantly pulling new stunts that led to someone getting kidnapped or hurt.

Their latest run in with the Blackwood pack a few months back had led to the Comyn Clan doctor being kidnapped out from under their noses in addition to Gage’s mate, Sienna, being threatened. He frowned remembering the night Luke Blackwood and the rest of his pack sentry had circled the Dark Moon bar and demanded ownership of Sienna based on some flimsy claim that got them nowhere except on Bhric’s shit list.

They’d been quiet since then and that only worried him. He’d never met a more determined and cutthroat clutch of wolves and that was saying something.

It didn’t help that Bhric kept disappearing several days a week. The alpha was entitled to his privacy, but the Blackwood pack couldn’t be trusted and the leader of the neutral zone leaving town without back up left Calder unsettled. Or more precisely, put his bear on edge.

"I'll come by and see her tomorrow if you don't mind. Give you and Dean a break for a while." This got him a radiant smile from Niki and he hoped a break from her questions. He was about to turn towards the back office, when the front door whooshed open and the cool night breeze blew in carrying a scent already imprinted on his brain.

The smell of a gentle rainstorm with an underlying trace of oranges and sugar filled his head. His body automatically tightened. He didn't need to see the smug smile on Niki's face to see that their new resident human had just crossed the threshold.

"Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in," Niki tsked.

A feline? Okay that got his attention and he whirled towards the entrance with a half formed roar already bubbling out of his throat for whatever asshole had come with his girl.

Kitty, the feline mate of the wolf clan alpha stood at the door, her eyes growing wide as she sensed Calder's anger. By her side stood the female he couldn't get out of his head. His roar died to a low rumble as both women glared at him.

"What the hell was that for?" Kitty asked, a frown pointed in his direction. "Someone forget to take their meds today?" she quipped.

Not in the mood to be the butt of any more female directed jokes, Calder ignored her and kept his gaze on Jessa. His stomach did a little drop at her appearance. She looked different from yesterday morning and he liked it. But so would all the other assholes in the bar tonight.

Between the skin tight jeans that gave him a beautiful view of her curves and the form fitting green lace top that magically hugged her ample breasts offering cleavage that practically invited him to come on in and get a snuggle, he was speechless and drooling.

As if that wasn't enough to make him lose his mind, her long brown hair was curled delicately around her face in a beautiful cascade that made him want to feel his fingers in as he—

"Calder," Niki yelled at him.

"What?" he snarled, tired of their interruptions.

"I called your name three times, you going deaf or what?" The humor in her voice made it obvious they were all enjoying the show. He tore his gaze from Jessa and eyed the other two women, their smiles barely concealed.

He swallowed his bitter retort and smiled wide. The best way to disarm the sharks circling for blood would be to throw them off the scent. "What do you need, Niki? I'm off the clock, but for you, I'll help out in whatever way you need."

She rolled her eyes, seeing right through his tactic. "I was going to suggest you introduce us to your new friend."

"Oh for cripes sake. Would it kill you to mind your own business?" he snapped, no longer caring if they saw right through him. He closed the distance between him and Jessa, refusing to engage these crazies in any more nonsense.

"You shouldn't be here," he kept his tone low even knowing that no matter what he did every shifter around him would hear every word thanks to their exceptional hearing.

The surprise on her face shuttered to a wince as he saw a flash of hurt in her eyes before she covered it up. "I had no idea you would be here." She straightened her spine and lifted her neck. "In fact, you are not who I came to see."

"I don't care who you came to see." (That was a lie.) He wrapped his fingers gently around her bicep and steered her away from Kitty. "This is no place for someone like you."

Her mouth dropped open and her hand went to her hip a second before she cocked it out at him. "And what the hell is that supposed to mean. Someone like me?"

"Babe, don't get mad. I meant no disrespect. But this is a certain kind of bar and you really shouldn't be here. Especially not looking like that." He waved his hand up and down her body.

Some of her anger deflated, but that cute hand on her hip thing remained. Her sass made him want to lunge forward and steal a kiss. Maybe more if she felt so inclined.

Unfortunately, that wasn't going to happen here and in front of an audience. She deserved better than that.

"I have to be here. The man I've come to see is supposed to be here tonight and I must talk to him. It really can't wait."

His body tightened at her mention of another man. Whoever he was, Calder had no doubt he could kill him. No wolf or feline could match his size. He would never allow another man to lay claim to her. Not as long as he drew breath and maybe even after. His family had a weird history.

He took a deep breath and pushed past the cloud of anger crowding his mind. There was a good chance he was jumping the gun by planning another man's death. He needed more facts.

"What man? Who?" He knew everyone in here tonight and he failed to understand or see any connection any of them had to Jessa.

"Bhric," she answered. "I understand he runs this place."

Calder heard the intake of breath behind him, followed by a low whistle. Niki and Kitty were paying attention to every word spoken in this conversation.

The strange feeling he felt over Jessa earlier in the day turned to a dreaded lump in his belly. If she was here to see Bhric he might have a slight problem.

"What do you need with, Bhric?"

Her eyes narrowed and it looked like she was thinking long and hard about whether she wanted to share with him her reasons for being there.

Finally, her hand slid back down her side and she exhaled a heavy sigh. "I need to talk to him okay? I need his help."

Kitty snorted behind him. "You must not know Bhric then. He doesn't help strangers. Especially not your kind."

Jessa's eyes narrowed as she moved from face to face. "My kind. You mean human?"

Kitty hissed under her breath and Calder heard a rather nasty curse word come from Niki behind the bar.

"Yes, I know all about shifters. That's why I'm here. I need to talk to Bhric because I need asylum."

"You need protection?" He could hardly believe his ears. She'd implied more than once earlier that she knew he was a bear shifter and he'd deftly ignored her comments. A lot of deniability came from never confirming the questions. Except in this case, that idea had been blown out of the water. His little human had walked into a shifter bar and declared she knew everything. A dangerous statement that would sit well with no shifter ever.

Niki came to her senses first and she rushed past him into the crowded poolroom that had gone silent during Jessa's little outburst. "Everyone out. We're closing early tonight."

"That's not right," one of the customers complained while the men around him agreed.

"I don't give a shit what you think is right, Bud. I said the bar is closed and that means the bar is closed. This isn't a debate."

When Bud narrowed his eyes at Niki with the faintest edge of yellow around the pupils, Calder thought about butting in and putting the wolf in his place. But two things stopped him.

One, Niki would probably try to castrate him in his sleep if he interfered. While motherhood had mellowed her to a degree, she'd lived her life before Dean as a born and bred assassin. She was more than capable of taking care of a few surly wolves.

Secondly, if they didn't keep the situation as low key as possible, they risked someone shifting in front of the lady human and that came with an entirely new set of issues.

"Calder, why don't you take her upstairs to talk to Gage. With Greer out of town, this situation is going to fall on you and him to figure out. But if you need Dean, I can call him back."

Calder shook his head at Niki. "I can handle this."

He gently tugged on Jessa's arm where he'd wrapped his hand around her bicep. "Come with me."

"I don't think so." She pulled in the opposite direction and rather than frighten her, he dropped her arm. "I don't know what's going on here, but I came to talk to Bhric and Bhric alone." She grasped her hands in front of her and twisted them tightly open and closed. A clear sign this situation made her nervous. His bear reared forward. While Calder wanted to get to the bottom of what she needed from Bhric, his bear only wanted to protect her. He cared little about politics or rules.

He took a deep breath, willing the bear to settle enough to get them both out of there. After a few seconds he felt the bear concede, but only a little.

"Bhric is not here. He's out of town."

Her eyes shuttered closed. "Who's in charge then?"

"Normally that would be Greer, but he's not here either. So it looks like you'll need to talk to me." And why she seemed dead set against telling him what she needed clawed at his insides. He'd done nothing to earn her distrust.

"But—"

Calder reached forward and gently touched her face. "Whatever it is you can trust me to help you. No one here wants to protect you more than I do."

Her eyes softened and she lifted her head to meet his eyes. "Why is that? You don't even know me. Why would you want to help me?"

He dug through his brain for a reason that wouldn't send her running in fear. Telling her now that he felt a mate connection to her probably wasn't the best course of action. Not when he sensed her flight instinct barely being restrained.

"You smell good," he blurted, cringing right after the words left his mouth.

She backed away from his touch. "Yeah, cause that's not creepy at all."

He frowned. Maybe she didn't know as much about shifters as she thought she did. Before he could explain, some of the crowd exiting the bar got a little rowdy.

One idiot thought it was a good idea to threaten Niki and another shifter took up her defense. Before Calder could intervene the man wanting to protect the women raised his arm and landed a bone crunching punch into the surly jerk's face. Several men around them tried to grab them both, but neither of them knew when to quit.