Bearing Hearts (City Shifters: the Den Book 2) (9 page)

J
osie gave
him a sideways look as Axel sprawled out on the couch, and Kaiser tossed him a pillow. "Is this going to be an ongoing thing?"

"I'm working on it," Axel said under his breath. "Hopefully by tomorrow we'll both be downstairs. I appreciate your patience."

"Be kind, Axel." Josie folded her arms over her chest and canted her head at the guest room door. "She's hurting. And I know you're hurting, too, but she's alone and adrift and searching for anything to hold on to. Just be kind."

"I know," he said. "And I will." Axel turned off the lights as Josie and Kaiser retired for the night, and he mulled over all the information Kaiser had told him about their meeting with Smith. Smith and Lucy might be planning something, and chances were they wouldn't wait long before moving. So while Axel worried about Lucy's safety and her ability to rest well, he also doubted she'd stay put all night. And that concerned him more than anything else: her walking around the city at night, alone. With BadCreek on the loose and searching for more victims, he couldn't risk it.

He slept lightly, dozing on the couch in the dark apartment, but woke immediately when something creaked in the guest room. Axel sat up on the couch, waiting. At least he'd kept all his clothes on, so he could follow her quickly if necessary.

The door to the guest room creaked open and only the light from a cell phone screen gave her any way to see the living room. Axel held his breath. She bumped an end table and nearly broke the lamp. Axel bit back a smile. For someone who'd been hired to sneak around and gather information, she wasn't anywhere near light-footed enough. He kept his voice low, not wanting to startle her. "Going somewhere?"

She squeaked, and he braced himself to see a fox instead of a woman. But Lucy recovered and managed to gather her dignity. "I need some fresh air, that's all. Go back to sleep. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"I'll go with you," he said, reaching for his shoes.

Lucy shuffled closer and patted his shoulder, though she missed and patted his chin instead. "It's okay. Just go back to sleep."

Axel took a deep breath but remained on the couch, even though every cell in his body screamed to go after her. To carry her down the stairs if he needed to, and drive her wherever she wanted to go. But she wanted space. She needed space. He forced the bear back and managed to keep his voice calm. "Okay. Call me if you need anything."

"Sure." She sounded almost cheerful, and headed for the door.

Axel pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. God help him. He waited until the elevator rattled in the hall to get up, put his shoes on, and leap down the stairs. He waited until she slid through the gym, moving slowly but stubbing her toe on a stray twenty-five-pound plate that someone hadn't racked before they left, and out onto the street before he wandered after her. He stayed back, out of sight and scent and hearing, and trailed her by a block or more as she headed into the night.

Axel hated everything about it. He felt like a total dick for not trusting her, or at least not telling her from the beginning that he'd follow her, and felt like a creepy-ass stalker for lurking in the shadows every time she glanced over her shoulder. She obviously had a destination in mind, or at least directions, as she looked at her phone and headed north with purposeful steps.

He remained a silent shadow as she headed into one of the all-night diners a few blocks from the gym, and he waited across the street to watch. He didn't wait long. A gray-haired man in a long trench coat arrived only moments later, followed by a tall woman with a dark beanie, and they joined Lucy in a booth near one of the windows. A growl bubbled up in Axel's chest as he recognized the co-conspirators: Smith and Lacey Szdoka. Axel didn't like the investigator getting Lucy more involved in some sort of plan or plot, most likely against BadCreek, without also involving Axel and the bears. Lucy seemed hell-bent on avenging Ragnar. Axel deserved the chance to avenge his brother's death as well, and to protect his mate. Smith got himself involved in something he didn't understand, in a place he wasn't welcome. Axel gritted his jaw until his teeth ached. And the hyena.

He glanced up and down the street, but the cadre of hyena bodyguards was notably absent. So Lacey traveled alone. Which meant she didn't trust the rest of her pack with this secret, and in turn, whatever the trio plotted wasn't on the Council's radar. Probably not approved, definitely not coordinated, and possibly dangerous as well. He wanted to punch something. Or someone. Like that gray-haired bastard who convinced Lucy to do something dangerous. Axel growled.

They plotted quickly, at least. Axel only waited half an hour, maybe an hour, before the meeting broke up and Smith disappeared quickly into the night. Lacey and Lucy paused outside the diner, an incongruous pair: Lucy, shorter and curvier with bright hair, facing off with the hyena queen, tall and lithe and built like a fighter, all shadows and hard angles. Axel's fists clenched behind his back as he retreated deeper into the shadows, not wanting Lacey to see him. He knew the hyena queen hated BadCreek with a passion, but he never thought she'd go against the Council in order to make things happen faster. He debated calling Kaiser or maybe Edgar Chase, having one of the alphas show up to challenge her.

But before he could decide, the hyena turned on her heel and strode off into the darkness, and Lucy looked up and down the street before heading back in the direction of the gym. Axel started after her, ready to give her a piece of his mind, but he hesitated as another shadow detached itself from a building across the street and slunk after her. The shadow looked like a large dog, a mangy beast of a thing, and it peered after the hyena queen before trotting after Lucy instead. Axel's lip curled in fury as he stalked the coyote, Lucy's smaller form half a block ahead of them both, and the fury grew into a blind rage as other coyotes detached from the darkness and surrounded her.

Lucy stopped short, looking around, and muttered, "Shit."

She tried to dial the phone but fumbled it, almost dropping it, and one of the coyotes edged forward to nip at her heels — trying to herd or trap her somewhere, but no telling where. Lucy scowled as she kicked at one of the coyotes that got too close, but another charged in from behind. She dropped into a fighting crouch, still trying to dial the phone as she pulled out a wicked pocket knife, and growled back at the hyenas. Axel couldn't take it. He roared out of the darkness as a polar bear, his clothes left in shreds, and barreled into the pack of coyotes. One peed itself and raced off into the night.

The others retreated, one barking a warning, and Lucy put her hands on her hips. "God damn it, Axel."

He growled at her and lumbered after the coyotes, not certain they'd gone. The scavengers might be skulking around nearby, waiting for him to be distracted so they could attack Lucy. He didn't know what the coyotes wanted with his mate, but it didn't matter. If any of the flea-bitten mutts dared get any closer, he'd hunt them all down and end them. No one had heard much from the coyotes since they broke from their truce with the Council, and aligned themselves instead with BadCreek. No telling if the dogs were out on an errand, or just sensed an opportunity. He didn't care.

The bear almost wanted one of the shitbags to charge him, so he could knock it through a wall and get rid of some of the fury that made his paws curl into the concrete, leaving rents behind. Lucy faced him, her expression difficult to read as she folded up the pocket knife and put away the phone. "Why did you follow me?"

He wasn't about to shift back and walk three blocks naked through the city, not with coyotes around, and instead nudged her back toward the gym. She started walking, though grudgingly, and didn't speak again until they reached the small side door near the empty parking lot adjacent to the building, and Axel shifted back to human. He fumed, taking her arm, and led the way through the back rooms of the building to the elevator. When the doors opened on his floor, she opened her mouth to protest and he tightened his hold on her. Her teeth clicked together as she shut her mouth.

Once inside his apartment, Axel ran his hands through his hair and faced her. The panic at seeing the coyotes stalking her receded only a little, though he knew she didn't understand the danger she'd faced. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I had business to take care of," she said, face red. And she kept her eyes very studiously on his face, blinking rapidly.

Axel didn't care that he stood in his living room, naked, and wanted to talk some sense into his mate. "Those coyotes could have killed you. Or sold you to BadCreek. What would you have done?"

"I'm not helpless," she shot back, eyes narrowing. "I can take care of myself."

Axel snapped, turning to pace through his living room, and he aimed a bare-footed kick at the shitty couch. "Damn it, Lucy, you can’t. Not in this city. You're going to get yourself killed or worse, and you don't even see it!"

"You arrogant asshole." Her fists clenched and her lips compressed, and Lucy stomped her foot as she faced him. "You don't know anything about me, how
dare
you —"

He couldn't take it. The worry, the anxiety, the fear — all of it boiled up inside and pushed the polar bear over the edge. He lurched forward and grabbed her shoulders, so damn relieved she was safe he couldn't stand it, and kissed her. Kissed her so deeply that the taste of her burned itself in his mind, until he got lost in her warmth and softness.

He broke the kiss, breathing ragged, and rested his forehead against hers. "You drive me insane."

"I don't like you very much right now," she said, eyes still glinting, but the anger buoyed her up, too. She seized his face and dragged his mouth back to hers, even biting his lip. She retreated long enough to poke him in the chest. "Don't try to boss me around."

"Don't try to get yourself killed," he said, just as irritated as she looked. But his body reacted to her scent and her kiss and everything about her, the bear eager to mark her. He needed her. Wanted her. Might die if he couldn't take her to bed and make her his.

"Don't follow me around like a lovesick jerk," she said. Her breath came faster as Axel picked her up and carried her into his bedroom, but she didn't fight. She scowled up at him as he tossed her on his bed, standing over her. "And don't you dare lie to me."

"Fine." He pulled off her shoes and tugged at the waist of her jeans, nearly tearing the button away, and Lucy struggled out of her shirt, tossing it into the dark room. She sat up and raked her nails down his chest, still angry, and the breath hissed in his teeth at the stinging scratches. Axel growled and grabbed her ankle, yanking her towards him, and she clung to him, fierce and desperate.

They needed each other. The bear knew it, the fox knew it, and maybe he and Lucy knew it too. They were both drowning and nothing could save them but each other. He needed to touch her, to know something solid and real. She bared her teeth at him, small and fierce, and the bear grumbled hungrily. Perfect. Exactly what he needed, exactly what he wanted. He knelt over her and lowered his head toward her breasts, ready to bite through her bra to see the rosy flesh it hid. Her hands worked into his hair and Axel felt himself drowning again.

A
drenaline
from the meeting and the plan and being chased by dogs still rushed through my veins when Axel kissed me, and all sense fled. Anger at him and the world in general kicked up when I kissed him back, infuriated by his attitude and him sneaking after me and a little that he'd been there to save me and prove that I couldn't walk around by myself. I glared at him and shifted back on the bed, kicking the sheets out of the way. The fox wanted him. I wanted him, too — wanted to feel his weight on me, feel him moving inside me.

He stood at the foot of the bed, scowling and naked and aroused, and eyed me with a hunger that set me squirming. I didn't let myself feel nervous or anything other than angry, wanting to challenge him. "Well?"

"Don’t rush me," he muttered, but moved onto the bed and his knees indented the mattress near my hips. His eyes glinted gold, the polar bear close to the surface, and his large hands gripped my hips as he moved me still higher on the bed. He squeezed my thigh and tilted my leg out.

I sucked in a breath as he lay between my legs, his fingers working my thighs until everything in me went liquid and heated and desperate. My head fell back on one of the flat pillows as he breathed against my skin, dragging his teeth along my inner thigh until I jumped and cursed him. My fingers worked into his hair, trying to drag him closer, and he resisted, growling a gentle rebuke.

His tongue parted my folds and I jerked, legs almost closing against his ears, and Axel grumbled. He teased the small bud at the top of my slit, then retreated, then started again. My breath came faster, harsh and loud as I panted and struggled not to beg him. I might have wanted him to fuck me but that didn't mean I would beg. He owed me a climax or two, after being such a jerk. I yanked on his hair. "Damn it, would you just —"

He sucked on my clit as he slid a finger inside me and I moaned, going rigid. A second finger joined the first and I held my breath, feeling the pressure and heat of his touch as it goaded me on and on and on. A tsunami approached, I felt it growing on the horizon, and I tensed in anticipation. Axel increased the pressure and moved faster, deeper, breaking away to growl at me, "Say my name."

"Asshole," I said, lifting my hips to meet him. Rolling my body to try to guide his fingers a little deeper, a little higher, to that perfect spot where...

He disappeared, only a single finger teasing my channel, and my eyes popped open. I shoved up on my elbows at scowl at him. "What the hell?"

"You want to come?" He raised an eyebrow in challenge, and I tried not to notice the moisture on his lips and the slightly longer teeth and gold eyes. "Ask nicely. Ask
me
nicely."

"I hate you so much." I touched myself instead, trying to recreate the intensity and invasion of his hands and mouth. It didn't work. The orgasm retreated and I snarled in frustration.

Axel teased a little more, slipping his fingers deep into me as he breathed against my stomach. "All you have to do is ask. Nicely."

I wanted to scream. I needed the release. I needed to feel that perfect spark deep inside me, the waves of pleasure and relaxation and nothingness. "Fine," I growled, and glared at him. "Please, Axel, make me come. You unbelievable asshole."

He growled back at me but said, "Since you are so
polite
, I will," and lowered his mouth once more to my slit.

I exhaled in a groan as soon as his tongue touched me, and lifted my body to meet him. It happened almost immediately. For a heartbeat I hovered just on the edge of climax, then his fingers moved deeper and crooked and I was lost. He kept up the steady rhythm as my muscles seized up and I cried out, going stiff, and all I could see were stars. When I remembered to breathe again and could open my eyes, I found him kneeling between my legs, his hands pressing down near my shoulders.

"You're welcome," he said, and leaned down to kiss me, his tongue invading my mouth just as it had my body. I squirmed, overwhelmed, and he reached down between us to set his cock against the slippery entrance of my channel.

I sucked in a breath and went still as he rubbed the sensitive flesh, sending new frissons of pleasure through every inch of me. The head, huge and blunt, pressed into me and I moaned. He stretched my channel as he pressed forward, hard and thick, until I felt like he might split me open. He retreated slowly, dragging out until I moaned and lifted my legs to try to trap him, hold him close, and Axel muttered something in a strange language.

My head fell back on the pillow as he thrust with more force, teeth bared in a snarl, and I cried out. He wasn't even fully inside me, and I didn't think he would actually fit. I lifted my hips to meet him, though, and relaxed into it as he thrust again. And again. Over and over until my body seized up and I dragged my nails down his back as he snarled and snapped. But still he kept moving, battering through me as I held on in desperation.

The sheets tangled in a sweaty mess around us as Axel rutted and growled, and as my muscles seized around him again and he struggled to press through the convulsions, he pulled out. Grabbed me, flipped me over, and pulled me up to my hands and knees. I knew what he wanted, knew exactly how he wanted me, and the fox was happy to oblige. Axel nudged my knees farther apart and grabbed my waist, the only warning before he plunged into me once more. I yelped as his full weight landed on me, his hands biting into the mattress near mine as his chest pressed against my back. He let me feel his weight as he fucked me, growling in my ear, and I loved it. Loved every second of it. His cock drove deeper, faster, and as I braced myself on the headboard and tried to thrust back against him, his movements became erratic. He snarled and one of his arms went around my chest, almost crushing me as he held me still and bore down on me.

A flash of pain erupted in my shoulder as he bit me but it was eclipsed immediately by another orgasm, my vision going spotty, and my arms gave out. I collapsed on the mattress, panting and trying to think through the static in my brain as he kept thrusting three, four times, and the heated rush of his climax filled me. I squeezed my eyes shut and trembled as Axel landed on top of me, his breathing harsh in my ear.

I drifted in a haze of anger and fading passion and maybe a hint of regret. Angry sex wasn't a bad thing, but it sure as hell complicated whatever it was we shared. Axel kissed my shoulder and pulled away, and I felt his body leave mine with a sudden shock. He grumbled something, then cleared his throat. "Sorry about the bite. I wasn't thinking."

"Barely felt it," I said, and sighed. Content and satisfied, I stretched and pressed my face into the pillow — and hoped he'd washed his sheets in the last week or two.

Axel rolled to his feet and I lifted my head, suddenly apprehensive — maybe he regretted it enough he went to sleep somewhere else? But he returned with an armload of blankets and a quilt, spreading them over the bed until I was buried in soft, clean fabric. Then he crawled back into bed and growled at me as he spooned me, tangling his legs with mine and draping his arm over my side. "I never thought my mate would be this stubborn."

"I never thought my mate would be an asshole, so I guess we're even." But I patted his arm where it rested against my breast to take some of the sting out of it.

He kissed the back of my neck and snuffled in my hair, adjusting how we lay until my butt settled back against him and his body reacted in a sudden rush. I turned enough to look at him over my shoulder. "Are you serious?"

"You're tormenting me," he said, palming my breast.

I sucked in a breath and knocked his hand away. "Not there. They're sore. Please."

So his hand drifted down my stomach instead and he started kissing and biting my neck, until I sighed and relaxed against him and he lifted my leg to drape over his hip. Maybe he wasn't so interested in letting me rest after all.