Guardian Bears: Marcus (10 page)

T
hey lay
in each other’s arms for what felt like hours. Wonderful, warm, happy hours, but eventually the cold floor under them in the stockroom became uncomfortable, and Marcus gently sat up, lifting Lisa with him. Smiling at each other, they dressed, Marcus taking a moment to find a few clothes which fit him a little better than the jeans he’d grabbed at random earlier.

He had to smile at the slight look of disappointment on Lisa’s face as he buttoned up his new shirt.

Together, they made their way back into the mess of the shop and looked at the devastation. It sobered the mood a little, but Marcus wasn’t about to let it spoil things. He simply set about tidying, lifting the shelves back into place. There wasn’t much actual damage, mostly it was just things fallen when the shelves were overturned, and then it was just a matter of picking them back up and putting them where they belonged.

While they worked, they talked. He told her about his life in the military, and the friends he’d made there. Light things about his background, letting her into his world. She told him some of what had happened in town while he’d been away, gossip about the folks he’d known, though the only person he’d cared about in Coldwood was her.

Eventually, the conversation drifted back to more immediate matters, and Marcus’s mood darkened. The Serpents had put his mate in peril, and he wasn’t about to let that go unanswered, but he had enjoyed the brief moment of not thinking about it. Of being happy with his mate.

There will be plenty of time for that when they are gone,
he promised himself.

“Are they going to come back?” Lisa looked away as she asked the question, glancing out of the door as though expecting to see the gang gathering outside. Marcus frowned and shook his head.

“I told their boss that you are mine, and if they know you’ve accepted that, they should keep away. Their code says they should respect that,” he said, and seeing her open her mouth to object, carried on. “No, I don’t trust them to keep to their code either, but they
do
want to do business with the people they think I represent. That ought to hold them off.”

“It didn’t earlier,” she pointed out dubiously, and he felt his anger at the Serpents rising again. Struggling to keep his voice even and confident, he nodded.

“You’re right, but you weren’t wearing my jacket yet. That might keep them off for a little while, and that’s all I need. It might be better if you took off for a bit, though. I can give you some money to go stay in a motel for a few days, and by then it should all be over.”

“And leave you? I don’t like that,” Lisa objected. “Besides, I
can’t
go. My mother needs me here.”

“Can’t she do without you for a couple of days? That’s all it would take.” Marcus felt a stab of guilt at the selfish thought that bubbled up there; if she wouldn’t leave town for her own safety, his plan to take her with him when he left would need some work.

Before he could put any thought into that, though, he saw the pained look on Lisa’s face. Something deep and buried, re-awoken by what he had said. He hurried to her side, offering her his arms and she sank into them.

“Marcus, you haven’t seen my mom since you came back, have you?”

“No,” he admitted. “I meant to look in on her, but I’ve been busy and I figured after things were dealt with would be soon enough.”

In fact, he’d expected to go to her and ask where Lisa could be found, once things with the Serpents were settled.

Lisa looked at him, and the pain was clear in her eyes. She shook her head, glancing up at the clock on the wall behind the counter. “I’m not going to open the shop again today, anyway. Why don’t we go and see her? That way you can get the whole story. I’m not sure I can tell it right, just now.”

He frowned, then nodded. “Sure. I’ll go get my bike and take you over there, okay? I need to get my boots back anyway.”

“Don’t be long,” she said, and hugged him. “I won’t feel safe without you around right now.”

“I left it just around the corner,” he assured her, giving her a squeeze. “I’ll be no time at all. I’ve got to get my boots and jacket, anyway.”

True to his word, he was back in under five minutes, pulling his Harley up outside the shop. The street was quiet but no longer deserted after the excitement of earlier, and a few of the passers-by gave him suspicious looks as he stopped.

His phone had concerned messages from Karl and Lucas, to which he sent back a quick reassurance that everything was alright. He felt bad about how long he’d left that - after the way he’d hung up on them earlier, they’d want to know that he was safe. They knew better than to risk interrupting him while he was in the field, but waiting to hear from him must have been tense.

If I hadn’t gotten back to my phone soon, they’d be on their way here
, he thought with a smile. It was good to have friends at your back, and he’d been feeling exposed without his squad. That was a downside of private work, being on his own in the field.

Only I’m not on my own anymore.

Lisa locked the shop behind her as she came out to him, the sight of her lifted his heart more than he could put into words. Hopefully his fellow bears would meet her soon, he couldn’t wait to introduce her to them. It would be like one big happy family.

That brought back his concern about her not wanting to move away, but he ruthlessly crushed those thoughts. No point in worrying about that now, when he was about to find out why - he could deal with whatever problem came up once he knew what it was.

“Are you sure this is safe?” Lisa asked, looking at his bike dubiously. He grinned down at her.

“In my hands? Perfectly.”

He handed her a helmet and held out his leather jacket for her. Carefully settling the helmet on her hair, Lisa looked at the jacket as though he were offering her a poisonous snake.

“Do I have to wear that?”

It wasn’t as though it had Serpents patches, but Marcus could see she didn’t have any positive associations with biker gear. He couldn’t blame her, given her experiences. But he could help her build some, perhaps.

“There’s a reason for wearing this stuff, you know. If you fall, it’ll protect you a lot better than most things.”

“I thought you said I’d be safe anyway?” She folded her arms looking stubborn, and Marcus tried to bite down a grin. She wouldn’t appreciate seeing how adorable he thought she looked right now.

“It’s not just for road safety. You’ll be a lot safer from the Serpents if they see you’re wearing my jacket, too.”

“So it makes me your property?” She grumbled, but she took the jacket anyway. It was huge on her of course, but she looked good in it regardless.

“That’s how they see it,” Marcus said, getting onto his bike. “But they are idiots. You are mine, yes, but you’re my
mate
not my property.”

She didn’t answer, but got onto the bike behind him. Her arms circled his waist and she held on tight. Her body pressed against his back, and it felt exactly right. Marcus had never liked sharing his ride with anyone before, but with Lisa it was as though she belonged there, as part of him.

He grinned to himself, and twisted the throttle, roaring off towards her mother’s house.

They pulled up next to the single story house minutes later. Lisa clung to Marcus’s back hard, her arms locked around him, and he had to gently separate her hands to be able to get off the bike. Concerned, he turned to her, hoping that the ride hadn’t frightened her too badly.

“Are you okay?”

“That was
awesome
,” Lisa burst out, grinning at him from under her helmet. “I want another ride!”

“Anytime,” Marcus said, relieved and laughing. “I thought I was scaring you.”

Lisa blushed adorably at that, pulling off the helmet and handing it to him. Her smile was a little embarrassed too.

“It was frightening,” she admitted, “But in a good way, you know? I knew I was safe with you.”

Her face sobered and she glanced at the house. “We’d better go in, though. Come on.”

With that, she hopped down from the bike and took him by the hand, leading him up to the door. She had her own key, and entered, calling out to her mother.

Marcus followed a little cautiously. He didn’t know what Lisa wanted him to see here, but it couldn’t be good news. It had been long years since he’d spoken with Hazel, it didn’t feel like Lisa wanted him here for a homecoming.

Halfway down the hall, she stopped and turned back to him, biting her lip and putting a hand on his chest to stop him. “I think I’d better go ahead and let her know you’re here, Marcus. And tell her why. Is that alright?”

Marcus looked at her, weighing the options.
If this is so important, better let it start right,
he thought to himself.
But there are some things that can’t be public knowledge.

“Okay,” he said, nodding. “You can’t tell her about the shifting, though. That stays a secret between us.”

“I understand,” she told him, relief showing on her face. “I wouldn’t know where to start with that anyway.”

She hurried on, into the kitchen, leaving Marcus alone in the hallway. The house felt small to him, cramped. When he’d been in it last he’d still been a teenager, still growing, and now he was full size, everything felt a little too small. Careful not to disturb the decorations hanging on the wall, he looked around. The smell of baking filled the house, and with it, memories. So many memories.

This is why I didn’t want to come back here while I still have work to do
, he thought, taking a deep breath. So many of the good memories of his childhood belonged in this small house. Hazel was Lisa’s mother, but she’d taken better care of Marcus than his own family ever had.

“Marcus! What a wonderful surprise! Welcome home,” Hazel’s voice pulled him out of his reverie, almost making him jump. Looking around, he saw her in the kitchen doorway and froze. She looked exactly like he remembered her, except that she was in a wheelchair.

“Didn’t they teach you any manners in the Army, Marcus?” Hazel said, not unkindly. “You’re staring, dear.”

“Sorry,” he said, forcing himself to move, to react. “I didn’t mean to. It’s a bit of a shock.”

“I expect Lisa didn’t tell you what happened, then?” Hazel grinned and shook her head, turning to her daughter. “You could have spared him the embarrassment, you know.”

“I’m sorry, mom,” Lisa said, smiling back weakly. “I thought… well, Marcus needed to see you.”

“And see me he can,” Hazel said, rolling herself back into the kitchen. “But there’s a cake here that needs tending, so we’ll have to talk while I work. Come on in, Marcus, and let me have a good look at you.”

Marcus stepped into the kitchen and let her look him over. Her hawkish gaze seemed to see right through him, and he felt he was being measured. He’d never been able to hide anything from Hazel, which was another reason he’d stayed away.

Seemingly satisfied, Hazel turned back to her cake, icing it carefully and precisely. He knew better than to expect her to split her attention while she was baking, so he took a seat next to Lisa and waited until she was done.

“There! Something nice for the neighbor’s birthday boy,” Hazel said with satisfaction as she finished her work and carefully rolled back from the table. “Now is what Lisa told me true? You’re here to do something about the Serpents?”

Marcus nodded, noting the venom she put into the gang’s name. He frowned. “Did they have something to do with…”

Hazel looked up at him sharply, eyes as hard as any soldier’s, and he saw years of pain and anger under the jolly maternal facade. “Me ending up in this chair? You can say it, Marcus, for God’s sake don’t treat me like I’m made of glass.”

“Okay, then - did the Serpents put you in the wheelchair, Mrs. Kyle?”

She nodded, once, decisively. “That they did. Four years ago now, just when I was hoping that my darling Lisa would get away from town. A bunch of them were having their fun and forced me off the road - the car hit a tree, and that’s all I can remember of that.

“I was lucky, the doctors told me. I could have been killed, instead. There were times I wished I had been, to tell the truth, but I’ve got a wonderful daughter who never once let me give up. Plus, as long as I’m alive, I figured I might be there to see the Serpents get their comeuppance.”

She smiled, and Marcus couldn’t help smiling back. The look on her face was one he recognized and respected - he’d seen that same smile on the faces of some of his comrades before battle. It looked a little out of place on a middle-aged woman, but only a little.

“So now that we’ve established that we’re on the same side, how do you propose to deal with them?” Hazel asked, turning her chair so that she could pour some tea for the three of them. Lisa jumped up to help, only to be shooed away by her mother. “Don’t fuss, I can manage this much!”

“That’s the hard part,” Marcus acknowledged, rubbing his chin. “There’s something wrong with them, something that they’re protecting, but I haven’t been able to find it and I don’t have much time.”

Hazel brought three cups of tea to the table and let Lisa hand them out. Marcus lifted his and inhaled, breathing in the herbal aroma - another old memory, Hazel had teas he’d never encountered anywhere else.

“I think you’ll mean their witching stone,” Hazel said, sipping her tea and putting the cup down with a satisfied sigh. Lisa looked at her incredulously, and she laughed. “Oh, don’t be so surprised. Your mother hasn’t been completely idle, you know.”

Marcus kept a careful control of his face, putting down his cup and looked at her. “What ‘witching stone’ do you mean, Mrs. Kyle?”

“They found it out in the woods, some dark thing from long ago. Don’t ask me what’s bound up in it, only since they found it they’ve been getting worse and worse. It feeds the darkness in them, and they feed the darkness in it, and God knows what they’ll wake if they have the time.”

“How do you
know
all this, mom?” Lisa asked, looking at her mother as though she’d sprouted a second head. Hazel smiled smugly and shrugged.