Bear Shifters: Hunt Collection #1 (4 page)

Chapter Six

Jeneva and Rayner lay naked on the grass under the stars in Reserve Park. Rayner's body was wrapped around hers. They were mated now. It happened so suddenly. He belonged to her. And it felt wonderful, much better than she had expected. But it was wrong, wasn't it?

Jeneva looked over at Rayner and felt waves of peace and calm rush through her heart. He wasn't wrong. This was the right thing to do.

Rayner noticed her looking at him. "What?"

"So now what? Are we going to have cubs?"

Rayner was tracing a small circle on her shoulder with his finger.

"Should we?" He was silent. "I want them with you, Jeneva. But maybe the time isn't right now. Soon, though. I want you to carry my cubs soon."

Jeneva hugged him tight and laid her head on his chest, feeling it rise and fall with his breath. She wanted his cubs too. She wanted to grow them in her body and feel his love grow for her everyday. But what about her defect? What about the Council? None of it seemed to matter. His arms around her felt tense, and his heart was racing. She sat up quickly, "This bothers you? Us being together like this?"

Rayner lay back, looking up at her. The stars were bright over her head in the darkness. He could just make out her eyes by the light of the moon. He couldn't explain to her just how much he wasn't bothered. This was what his heart needed. She was what his heart needed. He wanted to make her understand that her place was with him. He took one of her hands in his and placed it on his heart. "This has been really hurt."

"I know. Lorna left you and killed off your cubs."

Rayner stroked her arms, "I couldn't go through that again, Jeneva. That was the worst moment of my life. Knowing that the woman I loved didn't want a part of me growing inside of her? Knowing that she could break that trust so easily? It almost broke me. If it happened again... "

"I wouldn't do that to you, Rayner. Never." Jeneva felt confident in the words as she said them, knowing them to be true. He was filling a part of her that she hadn't known was empty and needing. He was right after all. There was a huge part of life that she knew nothing about. She realized that now she was about to start learning about it. The good, the bad, and the ugly. "I'm yours, okay? We mated and there's no turning back now. I want you, and I want your cubs inside my body. When you're ready, I'm ready too."

Rayner closed his eyes and took a deep breath, feeling the weight of her words sink into him like a protective balm. She was his strength. Jeneva lay back beside him. He hugged her tight, protective of her, and a jolt of fear went through his chest. This was a huge mistake. The thoughts raced through his mind. She was wonderful, but she was too fragile. Her brother would have words to say too, and worse. The Council would probably punish them severely. Everyone would know that he was a cradle-snatcher. But this feeling running through him made it all not seem to matter. It was puzzling. His heart felt so joyful and full, and right. This felt right. But it was definitely wrong.

How could he have not recognized that he was making her his mate? He groaned internally, kicking himself. The urge came too fast. Only after he bit her did he realize what he had done. And Jeneva was right: there was no turning back from this point. What was done was done.

Jeneva's body fit perfectly with his. He felt himself desiring her again, heat running through his chest. Again, he tried to bring himself out of it, this possessive feeling he had, this urge to be with her at all times, now. He wanted to keep her safe from the other Bears, but what about him? He wasn't easy to get along with. He didn't want to hurt her either.

In the morning, Rayner took Jeneva back to her place. They held hands on the ride back, and hugged before she went inside.

"Don't worry, Jaime won't beat you up too bad," Jeneva said. She went inside. Rayner waited on the porch, hands in his jean pockets. It only took a few moments to hear Jaime yelling inside, "He WHAT?"

The door slammed open, and Jaime was at his throat, his hands wrapped in Rayner's collar. "What the hell did you do to my sister?" Jaime snarled menacingly, inches from Rayner's face.

Rayner tried to stay calm, tried not to shift to where words wouldn't matter. Jaime was bigger and more dangerous than him when he was a Bear and he wasn't in a good mood. Jeneva watched the two men from the doorway.

"I'm sorry, Jaime," he said, meaning it. "I had to, she's my mate."

"Your what?" Jaime released his shirt and stepped back in shock.

"Jeneva, is this true?"

Jeneva nodded, "It's true, Jaime. He bit me. We're mated."

"I didn't want it to happen like this," Rayner started.

"You shouldn’t have wanted it to happen at all!" Jaime raged. "She's my baby sister, and you're my best friend. How am I supposed to trust you now?"

"I don't know, Jaime. You don't. But what's happened, happened. I'm in your family now. We're brothers."

"Fuck," Jaime ran a hand through his hair. The color was calming down in his face. "The Council is not going to like this."

"We'll talk to them," Jeneva said, and came out of the doorway towards Rayner. Rayner took her hand, and felt that now familiar surge of joy course through him. "They'll have to accept it."

"Fuck what they think, I don't like it," Jaime looked at the two of them. "But, what's done is done. Welcome to the family, Rayner."

Rayner sighed with relief and hugged his Alpha. "Thanks, Jaime. Thanks for understanding."

"I'm not being understanding," Jaime laughed. "I just know when I'm beat. Jeneva, George called earlier to check on you. I think he'll be by in about five minutes."

Rayner and Jeneva exchanged a look. "I'll clear out," Rayner said. "I don't want to cause any more problems today." He kissed Jeneva on the cheek. "Call me when you're finished."

Jeneva smiled. Rayner headed off to his truck and drove away. Jeneva followed Jamie into the house.

"I was wondering where you two disappeared to yesterday," Jaime mumbled. "I should have known something like this would happen."

"Why?" Jeneva took her shoes off and relaxed cross-legged on the sofa.

"I saw the way he looked at you. Even the way he punched Tommy a month ago. I tried to tell myself he was just protecting you."

"He was protecting me."

"Yeah, but for his own, selfish reasons. I never imagined he would think of you that way. But, I guess you did grow up to be kind of hot. Damn, why was I so blind!"

"Shut up!" Jeneva threw a pillow at him. Jaime caught it and threw it back. "I'll give you and George some space to catch up. He hasn't seen you for a month, either. But he called the house nearly every damn day looking for you."

"I know," Jeneva said. "I talked to him yesterday. It was... awkward."

"Well, I'm going to head out for a while. I feel the need to take all this aggression out on somebody. Since I can't kill your new mate, guess I'll go kill us something to eat for dinner."

"See you," Jeneva rolled her eyes.

George pulled up on the property just as Jaime was pulling away. He parked in Jaime's spot.

"Hi, George..." Jeneva let him in. "I have something to tell you."

"Me too," George sat down on the sofa beside her, his eyebrows were tight and the corners of his mouth turned down. "Look, about yesterday. It was bad timing. I wanted to tell you here, in your home. I didn't want to tell you in the middle of a crowd like that."

"George, it's okay..."

"No, Jen, listen. I've loved you for a long time. I can't even remember how long anymore. Every time I sleep I see you. Every time I wake you're the first thing on my mind."

Jeneva groaned internally. Why was he making this so much harder?

"Look, George," she cut him off. "My mate is Rayner. Not you."

George stared at her, his mouth moving. Finally he said, "Are you kidding?"

"No, I'm not," Jeneva set her jaw. "We left the cookout yesterday, and we mated."

George turned from her and clasped his hands. "I just made a fool of myself."

"No, you didn't," Jeneva started to say.

"Don't try to make me feel better!" George said. "So, where did you guys go?"

"To his place."

"And you just left us there without saying goodbye or anything?"

"We were kind of in a rush," Jeneva felt her face growing hot, remembering the moment. She was relieved when the house phone rang. "Uh, wait here, okay? Let me go answer that."

"Sure," George said, looking at his hands. Jeneva went to the kitchen to answer the phone. George sat, looking at the things on the table. An ashtray for smokers, her house keys, and her cell phone.

George looked over his shoulder, and grabbed her phone. He opened up her text messages and sent himself a text on his phone. Then, he replied back from his phone. He sent a last text message to himself from her phone. He erased the messages from her phone and set it back on the table.

Jeneva came back into the room.

"Who was that?" George pocketed his phone.

"Zula Bell from the Council. Rayner visited them today."

"What did she say?" George asked, hooking a hand around his knee.

"Well, a lot. When Rayner and I have cubs..." Jeneva's cheeks tingled. "… I'll have to have a special obstetrician for the cubs. They want me to come in the morning. It turns out Rayner has the same defect as me, the one that's been plaguing our kind. They just want to make sure the cubs will be born healthy."

"Did Rayner get in... trouble or anything?" George asked.

"No," Jeneva smiled. "It sounds like everything's going to be okay."

"Okay. I mean, that's good, Jen. Real good. I'm going to take off now so, see you around soon I guess. You're not leaving for Brazil anymore?"

"Oh no, definitely not," Jeneva stood. "I'll have to call down there and tell them I'm not coming."

"Okay. Well, goodbye then."

"Bye, George," Jeneva shut the door behind him.

Chapter Seven

Jeneva woke up feeling refreshed and happy. The first thing she did was make a long-distance call to Father Mallory in Brazil. He understood, but her spot would be open if she changed her mind again. She reassured him that that wasn't going to happen. She did a load of laundry, folded the clothes and put them away, changed the linens, and swept her room. When everything was clean, she made breakfast.

"You're energetic this morning. Is it that good?" Jaime picked up a piece of toast and smeared butter on it.

"Having a mate is really good. I feel happy all of the time. I don't know why."

"That's because you don't remember health class. In school, they taught you, 'Your mate is your health and your happiness,' remember?" Jaime sat down and watched her cook eggs and bacon.

"No, I don't remember that," Jeneva said.

"Well, let me fill you in, since you're so forgetful," Jaime took a piece of cooked bacon. Jeneva stuck out her tongue at him. "'Your mate is your health and your happiness. Biologically, your body floods with oxytocin, to keep you in a bonded state. Your pleasure will increase and it will double when you become pregnant with cubs to ensure you remain a lifetime pair.'"

"That's interesting," Jeneva made her brother a plate with bacon, eggs, and toast. "It's just natural? I feel amazing."

"Of course, it can be interrupted. Like if one mate leaves for example," Jaime said. "It's rare because the bond is strong. But if one mate leaves, it becomes like torture. For both of them. The body will torture you until you get back together. That's probably why Rayner had such a hard time after Lorna left and aborted her cubs. It could still be a problem, you know."

"What's that?" Jeneva chewed on the eggs.

"Well, mate loss leaves scars. Those scars don't ever fully heal. I think he knows that. That's probably why he held you at arm's length for so long."

"So what should I do about that?" Jeneva shrugged. "He should be happy now, right?"

"I hope so. But having you now, might make things worse instead of better. At least for a while. If I remember science class right, all those old pleasure points are going to be flooding with feelings again. It's going to take some time for him to adjust to it. He may push you away or act out. I don't want you getting hurt and I can't always be around to protect you."

"I don't need protecting, Jaime. I'll be fine."

"Okay," Jaime helped himself to more toast. "Just be careful, sis. Have you all made plans yet? As far as cubs go?"

Jeneva's face heated up. "We're going to go slow."

"That's for the best. Give yourselves time to get used to each other. Then add in that extra joy. The cubs will be pretty cute, just like you."

"Yeah... speaking of that, I think he went to see the Council yesterday, because Zula called here. They just want me to go to the doctor today."

"That's it? You got off light with them."

"Rayner must have had a good argument. They weren't mad at all, they're just concerned about the health of the cubs since we have the same genetic defect."

"What time do you have to go to the doctor?"

"Um..." Jeneva looked at the clock. "About now."

"Alright," Jaime took his car keys off the table. "I'll drive you over. Come on."

The medical office was based in the same building as the Council. Jeneva bristled, remembering how unpleasant it felt the last time she was here. But this time was going to be different.

"I'll wait here," Jaime said. "Go on. Call me when you're finished and I'll wake up from my nap."

"Okay, thanks, Jaime," Jeneva climbed down from his truck and he parked nearby. The Council building was low-lying, smooth and imposing, made of some kind of white granite with rounded edges. The entrance was cold and sterile. Jeneva was glad she wasn't here to see the Council today. She walked past their rooms to the medical center.

"Jeneva Markham," she said to Misty at the front counter.

"Hey, Jen. You made it. Have a seat and I'll let the doctor know you're here."

Jeneva sat down. A few minutes later, Doctor Henry Sands emerged from the back rooms, with his white mustache and hair. "Hey Jen. Come on back."

"Good luck, Jen!" Misty called.

"I'm just going to check that you're in good general health," Doctor Sands said. "Then we'll send the obstetrician in. She can check your female health. Have you ever been pregnant before?"

"No," Jeneva said.

"And when are you planning to have cubs with your new mate?"

"We haven't decided on that yet. Not now," Jeneva added. "But soon."

"Okay. You'll need to let us know as soon as you conceive, so we can start your regular checkups and monitor the cubs. Now say ahh.'"

Doctor Sands did a thorough check-up on her, including her heart rate, breathing and blood pressure. Then Doctor Theresa Handel came in, snapping on rubber gloves.

"Go on and lie back, and put your feet up here. This isn't going to hurt, but it isn't going to feel good. Just relax," she said.

Jeneva emerged from the exam unscathed but deeply violated. She sat in the front office and waited for the results.

"The first time's always a pain," Misty commiserated with her. "It doesn't get better, but it doesn't get worse either."

"Eh. Thanks," Jeneva mumbled.

The doctors came out together. Doctor Sands held a long sheet of paper and Doctor Handel had a smile on her face. "It looks like you're all clear to mate, Jen," Doctor Sands said.

"Wait, what?" Jeneva stood up.

Doctor Handel explained, "Now that we've done a thorough exam on you, it turns out the defective trait is benign in you. It came back OC negative. You and Rayner can have cubs with no problems."

Misty was on her feet clapping, "Jeneva, that's great!"

Jeneva threw the doctors into a bear hug, "Oh my god, thank you!"

The doctors laughed awkwardly. "Sure thing, Jen. Go home to your husband."

"Thanks again," Jeneva called. "See you at the bar, Misty!"

"Bye Jeneva! Congratulations!" Misty waved.

Jeneva called Jaime up and he met her at the front. "I'm all clear!"

She shouted while she got back into the truck.

"Wait, how?" Jaime was confused.

"They had it wrong! It was benign in me from the beginning! They just needed to do better tests on me."

"Jeneva, I'm so glad!" Jaime bear hugged her. "Let's go share the good news!"

"Okay!" Jeneva strapped her seatbelt in. "To the bar!"

The lunch crowd was at The Big Dipper. The Nuñez brothers, Mary Totham, Sabina Fleischman, and George were all there. Jeneva ran up and gave George a hug.

"What was that for?" George peeled her arms away.

"I can mate! I don't have the defective trait," Jeneva stood up on the bar. "Everyone, I have an announcement! I don't have the genetic defect! I'm going to stay here and have cubs with Rayner!"

A cheer went up from the bar patrons. Everyone got in line to give her a hug and pat her on the shoulders.

"Hey, let me get you a beer, hun! I'm so happy for you!" Mary Totham ordered a round for Jeneva and her brother. "You and Rayner are the perfect match. We knew it ever since that night, right boys?"

"Oh yeah," Carlos Nuñez agreed. "No one fights that hard for someone they don't want to bed!"

"Exactly!" Dakota Nuñez leaned on his brother's shoulder. "If you hadn't mated with him, one of us would have had to, just to get him to settle down and stop being such a hardass!"

"Promise us you'll make a tame Bear out of that one? I'm tired of cleaning up after his fights," Mary pleaded.

"I promise," Jeneva boasted. "No more fights. You have my word."

George leaned over the bar, a shadow over his face. Jeneva ducked away from the crowd to put her arm around his shoulders. "What's wrong? Aren't you happy for me?"

"Yeah, I am Jen," George said. His face was plaster white. Jeneva thought she'd never seen him look so stiff and awkward before. "You made quite the show. The bar is buzzing because of it."

"I'm just in a good mood! It's totally different than last month, when everyone was consoling me on being alone for the rest of my life."

"That was an interesting day," George turned back to his beer.

Jeneva left him alone and celebrated with the other Bears. Then she and Jaime left for home.