Called by the Bear 7-9 (7 page)

L
ily

I
drop
my hand from my mouth yet again. When I was a kid, I used to bite my nails, and it’s been years since I quit that nasty habit. But right now, tearing things with my teeth is keeping me from shifting and losing control as I wait to hear if Sierra’s children are Victor’s. I plop down on the overstuffed couch of the room that is now mine. The pink shades the decorator chose are lovely, and even though Victor suggested I redo this room to my taste, I didn’t.

I glance over at my desk at the stack of book selections I’m reviewing for the summer reading program. The library and I have teamed up to encourage clan children to love books. But even my latest passion can’t keep my mind off the impending news that weighs heavy on my mind, and any idea of working on the project while I wait disappears.

What was I thinking?
I don’t want to raise that woman’s babies. I picture my husband holding an infant, and my heart warms as I imagine him as a father. Yes I do want to be a mother to his children. Because one of those triplets is the next Veilleux heir, and they’re the bloodline of Victor. Besides, I’ll make sure they grow up knowing right from wrong.

The town car engine hums in the distance, and I put down the pillow I was clutching to stand. I would send a telepathic message asking Victor what he found out, but he’ll want to tell me in person. My Renaissance man doesn’t even like to text. My hand flies to my mouth before I can stop myself, and I force it back down by my side.
Stop it, Lily.
No matter what he says, I’m going to make the best of the situation. That’s what I do.

I take a deep breath and tug my shirt down. I walk to the door to greet my husband with a kiss. Victor walks in and locks his gaze on mine. He hands his briefcase without acknowledgement to the waiting butler as he moves quickly toward me. “Lily.”

Worry fills me as he takes my face in his hands. I nod to indicate I know from his actions he is the father of Sierra’s children. “It’s okay, darling. We will handle this challenge with the dignity it deserves,” I say.

My husband’s shoulders relax, and he leans down to kiss me.
“You continue to amaze me. I swear you were born to make me a better person.”

It would be so easy to lose myself in the sensations of my mate’s mouth, but he needs reassurance from me.
“And you were born to complete me. I look forward to starting our family as soon as we can.”

Victor pulls away, and his face becomes serious again.
“About that. We need to talk.”

The familiar warmth of his hand envelops mine when I twine my fingers with his. “Come, you probably need a drink.” Our feet thud with purpose as we make our way to his study, where I move to the wet bar. “Sit. I’ll get you a whiskey.”

My husband stands by the floor-to-ceiling window and gazes out at the expanse of snow-covered lawn. I sense there’s more he’s about to tell me, and I’m grateful my hands are busy pouring deep-amber liquid into our glasses, because I want to bite my nails again.

Ice cubes clink together as I walk over to him and hand him the drink. He takes it without turning to look at me. “When I was a little boy, I remember a time when my father had a difficult decision to make. He stood by the window of his study much like this one.” Victor slips his arm around my waist as he takes a sip of his whiskey. “He told me that one day, I might have the weight of the clan on my shoulders and to never forget where we come from.”

My stomach clenches in fear of what he’s about to say to me. Is he about to shatter my world?

My mate kisses the top of my head, and I breathe a sigh of relief as he steps away from me to continue. “As werebear, we have duality to our lives. On the one hand, we are nurturing and value our humanity above everything else. But on the other, we are bear—fierce warriors that fight to protect what is ours.”

“I want my children under this roof, and every ounce of my being needs it to happen. But I made a grave mistake by biting Sierra first and creating this situation. If any member of the Veilleux clan was in my shoes, I would have to rule that the mother gets the children.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’ve spoken with the Robichaux. In difficult situations between clans, we often bring in the leadership of a neutral clan to help mediate. Richard and Marion are suggesting joint custody.”

The heat of anger rises in me. “No! One of those babies is the heir to this clan. Surely that matters? That child belongs with us, and since we can’t know which one it is before puberty, we should get all three.”

Victor has set down his glass, and he takes mine to do the same. It thumps lightly on the table, and I wonder how my husband can be so calm. “It most certainly does matter.” His hands grip my arms, and I’m struck by the intensity of the heat radiating from his body when he says, “I’m not satisfied with the suggestion. I plan to inform the Le Roux they have a week to get those children to us.”

“I don’t understand. They aren’t going to hand over the babies just because you said they must.”

My mate releases me and steps back. “They won’t. But if Sierra is gone, the children become mine.”

“Gone?”
Oh my God.
The memory of Marion telling me Victor had kidnapped Sierra replays in my mind. Horror hits me, and I step back further as I shake my head. Ice runs through my veins. “No.” I gaze over at my husband, and words come out of my mouth in a hoarse whisper, “You’re going to take her?”

Victor’s face softens as if I’m a scared child. His brow knits, and he says, “I’m going to eliminate her.” My eyes must widen at the shock of what he means, because he steps close to me and grips my arms as if I might run. “Lily, don’t you see? It must be done for the clan.”

Tears prick my eyes at the idea my husband is planning murder. I can’t condone that even if it means the Le Roux have a hand in the upbringing of my clan’s next leader. I gaze up at Victor and watch the flicker of something silver in his eyes as his alpha voice says, “As prima, you’ll stand by me in this decision. The heir to this clan is ours.”

I nod slowly, because his power as prime over me is absolute. But I can’t stop the tear that escapes from rolling down my face. If my husband is capable of murder, then maybe he did kidnap Carly and Sierra like I was told.

I remember how kind Carly was to me when I first saw her at our prima luncheon. I almost believed she meant it when she said all she ever wanted was for me to be happy. And Annie—
Oh God.

Victor’s voice breaks through my thoughts. “My darling, say something.”

I realize he asked me a question, but I don’t know what it was. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”

He cups my face in his hands and brushes the tear away with the pad of his thumb before he speaks softly. “I asked if you would prefer I keep you out of matters such as these.”

“Oh.” I know what my husband wants to hear, and the same sense of self-preservation I called upon throughout my childhood rises to the occasion. I paste on a smile like so many times before as I find composure. “No. I just need to adjust to another new piece of my life. It’s important for me to be informed if I’m to be by your side as a leader.” I take a deep breath and stand taller, forcing him to drop his hands. “I told Patricia I would do what’s necessary to be a good prima, and I meant it.”

Victor lets out a large breath of air and reaches for our drinks. I force back the fear that threatens to give me away as he hands me my whiskey. He raises his glass to me. “To the strength to continue to make difficult decisions for the good of the Veilleux Clan.”

Our crystal clinks with the toast, and the vision of glass shattering flashes through my mind. I swallow a large mouthful of whiskey but barely feel the sting. My fairy-tale life has just become a nightmare.

C
arly

T
he door
of Ink It opens, and I glance up from my computer to see Lucy walking in. “Hey Lucy, how are you today?”

“Is Taylor here?”

I close my laptop with a click. “Yes. She’s feeling better and came in to train you.”

“Good.” My sister walks over and seats herself on the couch. Her feet thud as she puts them on the coffee table. She picks up the same green binder of designs she looked at last week, the images she knows are mine. It makes me remember the conversation I had with Sierra. She said that Lucy draws well and that she seems to be interested in what it is we do here. I ask, “Do you have any tattoos?”

Lucy turns her attention to me. “No. I never really wanted one. They aren’t my thing.”

“I know what you mean. I only have the one that called me here.”

Her eyes widen. “Don’t people wonder why you don’t have ink everywhere?”

“They do.” I grin as I think about Sierra’s two full sleeves of tattoos that spread over her shoulders, back, and chest. “Most assume Sierra is the artist and I’m the assistant.”

“Why don’t you have more than just your paw print?”

“I never wanted to have a tattoo I would regret. I needed it to mean something special.” The skin on my wrist is smooth under my finger as I trace my tribal design.

“Is the call really that strong?”

I nod as I recall the dreams I used to have about Brady before I met him. I thought I was moving to Maine to meet a hot guy. And the bear in those visions? It wasn’t something to be afraid of after all. It was my destiny. “Hey, after your workout today, I have a client scheduled. Would you like to come watch?”

“Maybe.” Lucy bites her lip. “I mean, I guess so.” Her hesitation makes me want to convince her.

“Sierra told me she saw your portfolio, and you’re really good.”

She picks an invisible piece of lint from her yoga pants. “I’m not so sure about that. I really just dabble in it.”

“I’d love to see them. Would you let me look at your drawings, too?”

She stands up and tugs her T-shirt down. “Um, yeah. I’ve got to go work out.”

I call out to her as she walks away. “My client will be here at two o’clock.”

Lucy’s sneakers tap lightly across the concrete as she walks over toward Kick It. She turns back to look at me, and I smile. She gives me an awkward wave. I think I’m getting somewhere with her. While I don’t expect us to be the best of friends, it would be nice to have a cordial relationship with my sister.

With time to kill before my next client, I decide to peek in on Lucy’s training. Taylor has her practicing kicks. Her foot slaps repeatedly against the leather punching bag, impressing me with her flexibility, as Taylor instructs her to hit higher. After a few minutes, they move to the mats to spar. Lucy gains more of my respect with her speed and agility as she fights.

Movement behind me makes me think Ian has come over to join me, but I’m surprised to find Luke when I turn around. He cocks his eyebrows at me. “Spying?”

“Nope. Watching with admiration. Your trainers must be pretty decent if Lucy’s skills are any indication.”

My brother scowls for a moment but quickly smiles. “We managed just fine before you came along.”

I hold up my hands. “Hey, this was your mother’s idea. I’m not forcing anything on you.”

Luke hits my arm lightly. “I’m joking. It’s all good.” He glances at Taylor and waggles his eyebrows. “There’s something sexy about a woman that can fight. I don’t mind one bit.”

“Why do I get the feeling you have a line for everything?”

He winks at me as he walks backward toward the women. “Whatever gives you that idea?”

I chuckle and shake my head as he turns with a grin. I’m about to return to Ink It to prepare for my client when I notice Ian. His shoulders are slumped, and his head is in his hands as he leans over his desk. I make my way toward him.

“Ian. What’s wrong?”

He looks up at me with sad eyes that make me want to pull him into my arms and offer comfort. “Annie and I are done.”

I sink into the chair across from him and reach out to take his hand. “I’m so sorry. Why?”

“She can’t live with the threat of my true mate coming along to break her heart, so she’s breaking mine instead.” He gets up and punches his palm with a growl. “This makes no sense!”

“Oh, Ian.” I’m sure no words I have will help, so I don’t bother with more.

Muscles along his arms ripple beneath his skin as he controls a shift. “I need to run.”

I nod at him as he claws at his shirt to take it off. In his head I say, “
Go. I’ll tell Taylor where you are.”

He’s barely out the back door before I hear his pained roar as he crashes into the woods. My thoughts turn to Annie, and I imagine she’s suffering, too. I speak to her in my mind.
“Annie, I just saw Ian. Do you need some company?”

“How is he?”

It’s so typical of my sister-in-law to be worried about him instead of taking comfort when she needs it, too. “
Hurt and probably needs a good chick flick, ice cream, and wine. Like you. Plan to spend your evening on the couch with Sierra and me if she can get away. Okay?”

“I’m—”

“You’re not fine. Don’t make me go alpha on you.”

I picture Annie smiling when she telepathically messages me.
“Okay, see you later. Thanks, Carly.”

“You’re welcome. I love you, Annie.”

“I love you, too.”

With that settled, I arrange my schedule so that Brady is taking the babies to Donna’s. Sierra says she can get away, too. I was tempted to ask Taylor to join us because I really need to make an effort to include her in things, but knowing how close she is to Ian, I don’t think it’s appropriate.

I finish the plans just in time for my client. I welcome the distraction from the recent drama in my life, and when Lucy comes to watch, I’m so engrossed in my work that I almost don’t notice. I stop my machine for a moment to introduce her and explain what I’m doing. The rhythmic process is mesmerizing, and my sister watches with an interest that seems to grow. By the end of the session, she’s even asking questions.

The bell above the door jingles as my customer leaves. I turn to Lucy and guess from the smile on her face that she’s hooked. “So what did you think?” I ask.

“That was awesome. You said your dad trained you, right?”

“He did. And I taught Sierra.” I’m afraid she’s about to retreat, so I push forward. “If you think this is something you’d like to try, I can get you started.”

My sister’s face clouds over as if inner voices have started negative talk. “I don’t know.”

“Look. It’s a huge thing. I get it. So why don’t we start with you bringing me your portfolio, and I can give you direction with your sketches. Sound like a plan?”

Lucy has walked over to her gym bag and concentrates on the zipper as if it needs checking. “Sure. I’ll bring it by.”

I walk back toward my tattoo room to give her space. “Great. See you soon.”

I leave her in the lobby without a need to say more. I watch as she continues to play it cool, but her body language gives her thoughts away when she swings her bag over her shoulder and almost skips out of Ink It. A grin covers my face as the odor of antiseptic floats in the air when I begin to clean my equipment. I think I just found a way to connect with my sister.