Bear with Me (Bear Mountain Patrol Series Book 1) (11 page)

Chapter 15

Tag leaned against the fender of his Rover waiting for Camilla. Grizzle growled, hungry and antsy again. Tag needed to run later tonight. He needed to eat and shouldn’t have waited as long as he had. But Jackson from BMP had stopped by Ryan’s room. The man didn’t try to hide his interest in Ryan’s condition which made Tag rethink his position on the BMP and introduce the two.

When Jackson started asking Ryan questions about the attack, dread filled Tag. Not once had he thought Ryan had been
attacked
by a bear or because of him. Both now seemed possible. Tag recalled a bear scent at the park but never thought of the bear as the attacker. There had been no claw or teeth marks. He waited to hear what Jackson had to say.

Ryan still couldn’t remember what happened that night so the conversation didn’t last long. Tag walked Jackson out the room and down the hall so they could talk.

“A dual-natured attacked him?” Tag asked unable to believe that happened in a public place where anyone could’ve seen.

Jackson’s dark blue eyes met his gaze. Slightly shorter than Tag and almost as wide, the sandy-haired man pursed his lips. “I’m not a 100% sure but I think so. We have a rogue on the loose and he’s been victimizing duals and humans. The problem is he infects the humans.”

“What? How?” Tag hadn’t heard anything along these lines and with his friend attacked, he needed to learn more.

“Not sure about that either and it’s damn frustrating. So far, we’ve got 10 humans isolated and are watching them closely. They don’t all make it. It’s like their bodies are trapped between changing and have no idea what to do,” he said in a somber tone.

None of that made sense. People didn’t remain in limbo. Male bears had the innate ability to turn humans but most didn’t because with each turn the bear gave away a part of himself that he could never recapture. The few who did turn humans reserved that for their mates. How could this bear affect so many humans and survive? “Sounds like a fucking vampire or something out of a horror movie.”

Jackson’ brow rose. “Yes but this is real and you’ll need to help your friend if he’s been infected.”

“How?” Ryan already agreed to recuperate at his place, what else would he need to do?

“For one thing, he’s healing fast. Faster than a human who went through the trauma he experienced. With all the damage to his internal organs, he should be dead, which is a signature move from the perp. He tries to kill them as if he knows they won’t die. We’ve tried to find clues but he rarely leaves a scent yet he manages to infect them.” Jackson shook his head.

“How do I help Ryan?” Tag asked so Jackson would answer specifically.

“If he starts to change, bring him over if he stalls. Otherwise we’ll take him to isolation and watch to see which way he goes.”

“Crazy or bear?” Tag wanted to be sure he understood correctly.

Jackson shrugged. “Yes. If he’s infected and I believe he is, have him check out as soon as possible. I’ve scrubbed his blood work but they can keep poking into him. The changes in his cells and blood will raise flags. If he needs more medical care, contact me and I’ll have him taken to one of our medical facilities.”

Tag’s brow rose as he took Jackson’s card. Humans were never allowed in those places under any circumstances. For Jackson to make that offer he had to be sure Ryan would turn.

“There are lots of people who use the park, younger, easier prey - why Ryan?” Tag asked the question that lay beneath his growing anger.

Jackson stared at him for a few seconds then released a breath. “Rudy Rivera never worked alone, he had partners around the world. The person who took his place remains in the shadows and we aren’t sure who he or she is. Same as this one, they don’t leave scents behind but to work or live in the mountain, they are either bear or wolf. Alpha Chase assures me it is not a wolf or rebels.”

Tag thought about it and realized Jackson was right. There were a few large dual-natured cats, tigers and lions spread over the state but wolves were the majority, followed closely by bears. And wolves were born not made. Bears held that distinct privilege.

“Ryan was attacked because of me?”

“You tell me? When I questioned you about Rivera you had nothing to say; is it possible that someone targeted your friend because of something you did a few years ago? That is something only you know.” Jackson locked gazes with him then walked off.

During the drive from the hospital, Tag had reeled from the consequences of that encounter with Jackson. He vowed to find the person responsible for attacking Ryan and put an end to this bullshit.

The front door opened. Camilla walked out and stole his next breath. Long, thick hair caressed her face and bounced against her shoulders with each swagger of her hips. Golden sunlight danced off her arms and kissed her cheeks. She radiated warmth, humor and purpose as her long strides brought her close to him. His greeting died as she wrapped her arms around his neck leaned forward and kissed him.

The moment their lips met, every fucking thought in his mind fled. Soft lips captured and enslaved him. Hesitant her tongue touched his, and his world tilted. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. U
nrestrained emotions ripped through him then flowed on a loop in a matter of seconds. He didn't know whether he was coming or going from one moment to the next. Red-ho
tl
ust seized him as he gripped her perfectly formed ass, which turned to frustration as he heard the small sounds escaping her throat. Jealousy reared its head as he squashed the thought of another coming between them.

Grizzle grunted. “
Mate, take mate now
.” The demands grew louder and louder in Tag’s mind.

She broke for air but he couldn’t release her. Instead he widened his stance and pulled her between his legs, close enough that his
cock gave its own introduction.

Her hands cradled his cheeks as she tiptoed and pressed her lips against his, offering soft, playful kisses. The scent of her arousal tied them together in a loose bow. His dick hardened to the point of pain in response to her aggressiveness. With ragged breaths, he reveled in the heady emotions she evoked.

Tag licked her neck.

She giggled and kissed his neck.

Damn, she smelled better than all of his favorite foods.

“
Mine,
” Grizzle roared.

“
What?”

“Mate, our mate. Take.”

“Whoa, wait.”

“No, mate,
” Grizzle demanded.

“Hi Tag,” she murmured against his lips.

He placed his arms beneath her ass and lifted her so they were now eye level. “Kiss me,” he demanded, desperately needing more of her sweet elixir. Capturing her mouth, his world spun to dizzy heights and their location, people, hunger… everything vanished. For someone who never forgot anything he saw or heard, the silence was indeed a blessing.

“
Mate, mate, mate, mate, mate
,” Grizzle chanted. The word raced through Tag’s mind on a loop as his beast urged him to take what belonged to them.

Tag refused to rush. He took his time kissing, exploring, savoring her unique taste and imprinting it in his soul forever. He ached to devour her. The craving for her started as a small ember but each taste, touch and sound she made was an accelerant feeding the flames of his need. Now he burned like an out-of-control inferno for her.

“Tag.”

He slanted his mouth over hers, sealing their lips together and pressed her hips against his hard cock.

“Tag,” she said louder near his ear and pushed against his shoulder.

Her voice penetrated the lust-driven fog in his brain. “What?”

She removed his hand from the inside of her pants, removed her legs from around his waist and stepped back. Cool air brushed against his heated skin as he opened his eyes.

Two guys stood on the sidewalk watching.

Grizzle roared and Tag fought to keep the beast leashed from attacking the men. He had taken a step in their direction; the guys turned and strode down the street.

Tyra and Jewel stared wide-eyed from the porch. Well, Tyra smiled and gave him a thumbs up as she and Jewel strolled to their car.

Tag looked at Camilla, unsure what to say or how to explain his actions. “Ready to go?”

Inhaling, she straightened and took a step back. He didn’t bother rearranging his package, there was no place for it to go. After she slid in the front seat, he closed the door, tugged on his tee-shirt and then slid in on the other side.

Inside, he leaned toward her and kissed her briefly again. “Buckle up,” he said and drove toward the restaurant. She fiddled with the radio and found his favorite jazz station. The drive to eat was in companionable silence.

“
Grizzle want mate
,” he whined.

“
Wait, we have time. She’s hungry, we must feed mate first.”

“Mate hungry?”

“Yes, she needs food.”

Grizzle roared and swiped him across his inner belly. “
Feed mate.”

Tag’s jaw tightened from the pain. “
Stop that, I’m taking her for food but I swear I’ll stop this car if you do that again.”
Some days dealing with Grizzle made him want to snatch the beast from wherever nature hid him and kick his ass.

“
Take care of mate.”

Tag resisted rolling his eyes. “
Yes, that’s what I’m doing. Be quiet.”

An hour ago, he’d admitted to being sexually attracted to Camilla but the fire coursing through his veins signaled something deeper. Grizzle claimed her as their mate, could that be true? Human mates weren’t unheard of but he never thought it’d happen to him. No…Grizzle couldn’t be right.

“
Camilla is human
.” He wanted to be sure Grizzle understood.

“
Human?”

“Yes. Not mate, she’s human.”

“Not mate?”

“No. Human.”
Tag spoke with more certainty than he felt. Grizzle didn’t respond.

Now that he shut Grizzle down, inexplicable emotions jumped all over the place. He wanted to touch and taste her, keep her safe and share his secret honey stash. Whoa! Nobody knew about that. What the hell was going on? All they did was kiss, that didn’t qualify her to taste his honey.

Tag parked at the restaurant and they took a booth near the back. After ordering a couple of entrées with extras, he met her amused gaze.

“You really do eat a lot,” she said smiling.

A knot of tension unfurled in his chest at her smile and voice. A tape of her talking or reading a book would be better than his mama’s tonic to help him rest. He stretched his legs beneath the table, touching hers. She rubbed her legs against his before resting the top of one foot on his.

“You playing with me?”

“Hmm, no. Not really. I like you and I don’t want to play games. So I thought I’d try the direct approach, see if you preferred that.”

Even though her face pinkened, she wasn’t afraid and that turned him on even more. “Girl, my dick’s hard enough to break a brick right now that’s how bad I want to play with you.” He paused remembering his conversation with Ryan. “But I’m not looking for anything permanent or serious right now. There are some things I just learned that I need to handle personally. I’ll be leaving soon and I’m not sure when I’ll be back.” He stopped as the waiter placed a salad in front of Camilla and a glass of water.

Camilla heard the words he spouted and waited for the pain over their impending separation. Nothing happened. She frowned. Earlier when she thought he was leaving town her chest hurt to the point she thought a heart attack was imminent. Her body reacted like a crazy person at the thought of him not being around or in her life. Now, when he says plainly he just wants to have sex and nothing more than a booty call, nothing happens inside. What the hell was going on?

“Excuse me.” She stood and walked to the bathroom. Locking her stall, she sat on the toilet and wondered if this was what a breakdown felt like. Why wasn’t she upset? Or angry he didn’t want her the way she thought she wanted him? Did she still want him? That gnawing need in her chest, which had accompanied her since they met, seemed quiet. Was she over her crush? Possibly. How did she feel about that? She wasn’t sure; it was like her feelings were locked, frozen. Damn, none of this made any sense.

The outer door opened. She stood and flushed the toilet. When she walked out, two women stared at her wide-eyed.

“Is that your boyfriend out there?” one of the women asked her cheeks red.

Camilla frowned.

“Tall, muscular, damned good-looking? He belong to you?”

Since that could be Tag, although she doubted it, Camilla nodded and washed her hands.

“Whatever you’re doing to have a man wait on you like that, bottle and sell it to the rest of us please. I’d give my husband a dose.”

“Hell, I’d make mine drink the whole bottle,” the other said as they entered the two stalls.

Camilla had no idea what they were talking about and didn’t care. She had enough on her mind and asked no questions as she left. To her surprise, Tag stood outside and took her hand. They returned to the table and he sat next to her instead of on the other side.