Roaring Up the Wrong Tree (2 page)

Not that she had much to steal anymore.

“Um, bye?”

Trista waved to Lauren over her shoulder and stepped into the bathroom. She remained inside the doorway, waiting to hear the front door close and the lock engage. The moment the familiar
click
reached her, she relaxed. Adrenaline still pulsed in her veins, the cause of the hormone now switching from her fear of Parker to the fear of being approached by the bears. Lauren hadn’t known what she was, but it was only a matter of time before the little boy told someone else about her.

She shook her head. Not much she could do about it now. She had to shower, sleep, and then get to work. Okay, shower,
figure out what’d been stolen
, sleep, and then get to work.

She kicked off her shoes and shimmied out of her pants; her shirt and bra soon followed. Twisting the knob to get the water flowing, she waited for the liquid to warm and hopped beneath the spray.

And then she noticed it… she was devastated by the loss of her money and other mementos, but this… this was too much. Her wet/dry shaver was missing. It was the only thing that kept her hairy legs smooth and now it was gone.

Her life as a horrible werecountry song was complete.

* * *

Bleary-eyed and bone tired, Keen let himself into the Grayslake clan den. He stumbled over the threshold and grabbed the doorframe to keep himself upright. He’d spent all night in Helena’s bed and it wasn’t working with her any longer. Not like it used to anyway.

His bear prowled beneath the surface of his skin, stretching the flesh and begging to be released. Only… that couldn’t happen. Not now, not when he’d walked into a home filled with people.

Later.

The animal growled, vibrating his bones with the internal sound.

I promise. Later.

It didn’t relent and kept the rumble going. On and on it went, shaking him from inside out, and he dug his fingers into the wood beneath his palm. He needed to regain control before he stepped deeper inside. Otherwise, everyone would be in danger. Hell, they were already in danger, they just didn’t know it.

If Keen had his way, they never would.

Turning his thoughts inward, he broke down and begged the beast.

Chill the fuck out. Please.

The grumbles eased slightly, and he no longer shook from the intensity of the bear’s displeasure.

He freed a slow, relieved sigh and released his stranglehold on the wood. Glancing at the frame, he winced, bringing his shoulders up high and wrinkling his nose. Damn. He’d have to fix that. That and anything else his brothers decided he needed to handle.

His bear shook, jarring Keen’s body with the action, and the rolling sounds began again. It responded to his frustration with his family and the disrespect they showed him.
Shit.

Keen couldn’t adopt his normal horn-dog, devil-may-care attitude this morning. He needed to hide in his room until he could present the attitude his family and friends had come to expect. The Keen who didn’t care about anything. The one who smiled and pretended his world shined brightly. The male who hopped from bed to bed with not a care in the world.

Lies, all of them lies.

He forced himself into motion, placed one foot in front of the other until the welcoming scent of the den reached him. With a nudge, he closed the front door as quick as he could and leaned against it for support.

The solid panel at his back reminded him he still held his human form. Barely. His fingers tingled and ached with the need to shift, to bare his claws. Instead, he pressed the tips against the oak. Or rather, the thin layer of oak that covered a steel core. When he was fourteen, his father learned his fourth son was different and needed a little something extra to keep him contained.

He breathed deep, focusing on the scents of his clan members, hunting the flavors of someone who could calm his animal.

And… he found nothing.

Fuck.

Okay, if he could get to his room, lock himself in, he might be able to quiet his bear enough to get some work done.

Right. He had a plan.

Keen pushed away from the door, wincing when his nails clung to the wood. A quick glance at his fingers revealed what he’d feared. The pink of his human nails were replaced by beastly claws.

He stretched and flexed his hands, fighting the animal inside him, pushing and shoving the bear back. The ever-present rage that consumed him rushed him, the animal riding in its wake. He stumbled forward and managed to catch himself on the couch. Only this time he was careful. His palm hit the furniture, but he didn’t curve his fingers around the back.

Forcing his feet into action, he pushed himself to stand once again and resumed his trek. He had the path memorized, ten steps to the hallway, turn right, four steps to the first doorway and another eleven to his bedroom door. Once he got the lock thrown, he wouldn’t care about the rest.

He managed to make it to the hallway, hand braced on the corner while he took a few breaths.

The animal bolted onward once again, demanding to be freed. It wanted… something Keen couldn’t give it. For years he’d been this way and for years he hadn’t known how to appease the animal. Oh, it relented for a little while, soothed when he lay with a woman, but before long it’d return to its natural, agitated state.

How many women had he burned through?

Too many to count.

“Keen?” Ty’s voice reached him followed by the heavy tread of his brother striding through the house.

Fuck.

“Yeah,” he croaked and swallowed past the dryness of his throat. “What’s up?”

He didn’t need this. Not now. Maybe after he had some time for yoga and a little meditation.

“I need you in the kitchen.”

He cleared his throat again. “Lemme shower and I’ll be right—”

“Now.”

Peachy.

Keen’s beast wanted to chase after Ty, shove him to the ground, and show him who was the stronger bear. Instead, he slumped against the wall and willed his bear back.

He recognized the scents in the area and sorted through the strength of the aromas. Ty and his mate, Mia, were present. As was his other brother Van and his mate, Lauren. The sweet flavors of Parker were also around. Add in the smell of the den’s cook, Gigi, and they had a full house.

Keen sought the peace that seemed so elusive, drew it forward as he imagined the nearby lake, smooth and serene. He pictured the scene in his mind. The early morning sun peeked over the mountains, illuminating the area and shining off the water’s placid surface. Fog hovered over the water, shading the murky depths of the lake. No bugs flew through the air, no birds chirped in welcome. No, it was simply a place of nothingness, just Keen and the lake…

“Keen!”

Just like that, his tranquility vanished and the sounds and scents of the den invaded him once again.

“Coming!” He pushed away from the wall and headed toward the voices, but took an indirect route to his destination. Maybe the extra time would give him a chance to calm. He practiced his usual smile, the bit of swagger he always had in his step. Normal, he had to appear normal and then he could hide in his room, battle the bear in private.

He moved through the living room and brushed the mantel with his claw tips—the bear still hadn’t let up—listening for the expected beep. Once it reached his ears, he continued. That installation of weaponry was operational and secure. Good. No one had tampered with it. That had him moving to the next in the dining room, and on to another in the family room.

When Ty mated Mia, a lot of trouble appeared on the clan’s doorstep. Because of the fighting and violence, Keen placed several caches of weaponry within the house as well as their territory. Now, they had protection scattered throughout Grayslake. That also meant the occupants had protection against him if he ever lost control.

As he approached, the voices grew louder, echoing off the home’s walls and ringing through him.

If only he’d been born deaf instead of crazy.

“We don’t need Keen. Unless this woman is someone he’s fu—
fallen
in love with before and he can smooth talk her.” Van. Nice.

“He might know something we don’t,” Ty snapped.

“What? The color of her panties?” Van snorted.

“Isaac said Keen’s smart enough to be our Keeper and he’s done well, so far.” Of course Ty tacked on “so far,” though it was good to hear that Isaac at least had his back. Too bad the male was off helping Mia’s father in Cutler.

“
Right.
”

With every word out of Van’s mouth, Keen’s bear eased closer to the edge of his control. The damned thing wasn’t going to be happy until it bathed in his brother’s blood. That’d be a nice cap to the day.

Keen’s skin stretched, the tightness of his flesh beginning in his thighs and rippling up his abdomen. Despite burgeoning anger, he slapped a cocky grin to his lips and prepared himself to walk into the kitchen.

“Look,” Van sighed and Keen imagined him running a hand through his hair in frustration. Well, welcome to his world. “I’m saying that things should be decided within the inner-circle and then we can go from there. Last time I checked, he isn’t part of us. Am I wrong here?”

Wrong thing to say. In his mind, Keen’s bear roared in a violent protest, rising to its back legs and bellowing his displeasure. It vibrated through him, rattling his bones with the force, and once again he found himself slumped against the wall. Someday, he’d show them why he and the Incredible Hulk had a lot in common. Keen didn’t go green, but he did get very, very angry. And furry. Fuck, why couldn’t things with Helena have held a little longer? At least through today.

“Van…” There was more than a brotherly threat in Ty’s tone. It was the voice he used when he acted as Itan, and that soothed Keen’s bear a tiny bit.

“I’m just saying—”

Keen pushed away from the wall and strode into the kitchen, fighting his bear with every step. He put on a show of strength and bravado when all he wanted to do was curl into a ball in the corner of an empty room. He sank into his loose-hipped walk, and put a grin on his lips that said he’d just fucked his way through Grayslake.

“What you’re saying is that you don’t care about clan law.” He strolled past his now silent brother and went straight for the fridge. He had to keep the bear occupied—distracted—and grabbing a sugary drink would do for now. The beast was a sucker for sweets.

As he moved, he kept talking, fighting to keep the tension from his body. “Volume Eight, Section Twelve, Paragraph Thirteen, Sub-section Five, Paragraph Two states any member of a clan holding an authoritative position within the clan is part of said clan’s inner-circle. That includes and is not limited to the Itan.” Keen pointed at Ty with one hand while tugging the fridge door with the other. “The Healer who is currently residing in Cutler, also known as Isaac.” He snared a jug of milk and the chocolate syrup and let the door swing shut. “The Enforcer.” He gestured at Van with the half-empty container. “As well as the Keeper.” He dropped the milk to the counter, placing the chocolate to its left. He pointed at himself.

Keen snatched a glass from the drying rack and poured the liquid into the container before adding the chocolaty goodness. So far so good. The bear was occupied with pulling information and the impending sweet rather than on killing his brothers. “It goes on to list additional positions which represent the mates of those bears, regardless of their sex, as well as other titles which may become necessary as a clan grows.”

He took a deep gulp of his drink, letting the cool liquid soothe his animal. One swallow turned into three and then it was all gone.

He lowered the glass and snagged a paper towel to wipe his face. “As educational as this has been,” for them, not him, “are we going to let Van make up his own laws which means I’m done here? ’Cause,” He waggled his eyebrows. “I got somewhere to be.”

He let his question trail off as he waited for Ty to either step up or step off.

And… Ty didn’t say a word.

Keen shook his head and placed the tumbler in the dishwasher as he ignored the others in the space. Soft whispers reached him, but he didn’t bother trying to decipher the words. None of ’em mattered. The last six and a half months had obviously been a waste and he didn’t know why he even tried.

With a sigh, he turned back to the small group of people. Lauren was angry, her eyes narrowed and focused on a frustrated Van. Mia, though… Mia was filled with rage, a fury he’d never seen before, and he was thankful it wasn’t directed at him. Her face was red, eyes bleeding black. The Itana wasn’t able to shift, but she did take on animalistic characteristics now and again.

Her rounded stomach rolled, telling him without words that her ire was upsetting her unborn cub. Not looking at Ty, he approached Mia and placed his hand on her abdomen, resting atop the baby pressing against her flesh, while he put the other on the back of her neck. A gentle squeeze and rub of his thumb had her relaxing into his touch with a soft sigh.

“Keen…” she moaned.

“Hush, relax.” He winked. “Lemme cop a feel for a minute.” He’d learned a lot about pressure points and relaxation—it was necessary as he’d grown from a volatile pre-teen to an even more dangerous adult. Now he was able to use it on his pregnant sister-in-law, which pleased his bear and soothed some of the anger coursing through him.

No one said a thing as he worked, chastely rubbing and petting Mia until she was near boneless. Finally, he released her and stepped back. “All better?”

“I’m amazed every time you do that,” Mia purred. “Can you teach—”

“If I was the Keeper, I’d happily share what I know. Since I’m not, I can recommend several physical therapists in the area.”

“But—”

Ty overrode his mate and snarled at him. “What do you mean ‘if I was the Keeper’?”

Keen raised a single brow and crossed his arms over his chest. There was no question that Ty was the Itan and he was dangerous as hell. What Ty still hadn’t figured out was that Keen was as threatening, if not more so.

There’s being strong and smart—like Ty—and then there’s strong and crazy.