The Bear Who Loved Me (3 page)

“That's not Theo.”

“I know. I know.” He pressed his hand over hers where she was still clutching his arm. One hand and it covered her two with gentle ease. “My friend is going to meet us at your apartment. He'll tell us everything there.”

She swallowed. “Maybe I should call the police.”

“No.” One word, barked more than spoken. Then he huffed out a breath when she stared at him in alarm. “They won't do anything for twenty-four hours.”

“But he's a kid. They can put out an amber alert—”

“Let's just go talk to Bryn, okay? It's too early to panic.”

Easy for him to say. She'd been panicking for hours now. “Okay,” she finally said. She wanted to see this investigator for herself.

Bryn turned out to be a long, lean man with narrow eyes and a habit of sniffing things. He was subtle about it, but she could see his nose twitch in an animalistic kind of way. It was creepy as hell and she wouldn't have let him in her apartment if Mr. Max hadn't already swung the door wide for him.

“Hey, Bryn. This is Rebecca Weitz, Theo's aunt and guardian.”

“Nice to meet you, Ms. Weitz. Don't you worry about Theo. He's got a good head on his shoulders, and he'll come through this just fine.”

At least he was a polite weirdo. Then his words penetrated her mind and she spoke a little more sharply than she intended. “Come through what, exactly? What do you think happened?”

Mr. Max answered quickly, clearly trying to calm her frazzled nerves. “He didn't mean anything by it. Just that you shouldn't worry.”

Oh no. No way was he playing big protector now, telling her not to worry like she was Ma Kettle in the wild frontier. “I'll decide when I worry, thank you very much. And I would really like to hear what Mr. Bryn meant. Exactly.” Nothing like pulling out a guy's full name to make him respond.

“It's Bryn Walsh, ma'am, and, um, Theo's fifteen, right?”

“Yes.”

“Well, that's a little young to be…uh, wandering off, but it's not that unusual. Shows he's mature for his age.”

“Make sense, Mr. Walsh.”

“Look…,” he said as he stepped farther into the apartment. Then his eyes darted to a sweatshirt dumped casually onto the back of the couch. Picking it up, he brought it to his nose and spoke through the muffling fabric. “This his?”

“What the hell are you—”

Mr. Max interrupted. “He's tracking, Becca. I know it's…odd…but it's what he does.”

Bryn shot Mr. Max a dark look, but he didn't stop sniffing the sweatshirt while wandering the living room. By the time he eased open Theo's bedroom door, Becca had her cell out to call the cops.

Mr. Max was there before her, grabbing her wrist and lifting the phone from her hand. “Just give him a moment. Please.” He was clearly giving her an order despite his polite phrasing. She agreed, mostly because she didn't have much of a choice. Though when Bryn stuck his sniffer into her bedroom, she just about exploded. Fortunately, he didn't say there long. He stepped back out and eyed Mr. Max.

“She's Theo's guardian?”

“And only living relative,” Mr. Max answered.

“Then you better bring her into the fold because Theo's definitely about to pop.”

“What?” Becca jerked her hand out of Mr. Max's grip. Well, she tried to anyway. There was no escaping him.

“So you think he changed?” asked Mr. Max, his voice tight.

Bryn shook his head. “Not here. And not at the school. But it's coming. Soon.”

Which is when Becca lost it. They were talking like they knew something about Theo. Something important that she didn't know. And damn it, she was his aunt and his only family. “Somebody better start explaining things to me now or I'm going to start screaming.”

“I will, Becca, I swear,” said Mr. Max, but his eyes were on Bryn. “What about that other thing? The reason you were here, in Kalamazoo, to begin with.”

Bryn shrugged. “Don't know.” Then he flashed Becca a rueful smile. “It'll be okay, Miss Weitz. Theo will be fine.” Then he pulled up the hood on his jacket and headed for the door. “And, Max…”

“Yeah?”

“You'll get my bill in the morning.”

She heard him grumble, deep in his chest. “You're all heart,” he said, his tone wry.

“Someone's gotta feed the pack. Might as well be you.” Then he was gone with a jaunty wave that was oddly graceful, given his general loose-limbed gait.

As soon as the door shut, Becca was ready. She tried to jerk her wrist out of Mr. Max's hand, yanking hard, but she was too slow. He'd already released her, which meant she stumbled from the force of her movement. He caught her by the elbow, steadying her with a firm grip, but she glared him away.

“Start talking. Why was he in Kalamazoo? What does it have to do with Theo?”

“Other business and nothing. He was just nearby, so I called on his talents.”

“As a sniffing tracker.”

“Yes.”

“That's insane.”

He scratched at his beard again, looking the most awkward she'd ever seen anyone appear. “Yeah,” he said, drawing the word out. “Buckle up 'cause it's about to get weirder.” Then he gestured to the couch. “Do you think we could sit down?”

She didn't want to sit. She was too keyed up, but she nodded because she figured arguing about this would delay things further. So she perched on the edge of a cushion while he sank into the sofa like an anchor into the seabed. And he still sat taller than she.

“What did he mean about Theo about to change?”

He leaned forward, setting his elbows on his knees. His gaze was steady—weirdly so—and there was no softness in him anywhere. “Surely you've noticed a difference in Theo. He's gotten surly, eats a ton, sleeps like the dead, then rouses like an…an angry bear.”

“He's a teenage boy. Isn't that all of them?”

“Not like this. I heard he got into a fight at school. For no reason.”

How the hell did he…? Amy, her next-door neighbor and confidante. “That's it. I'm never talking to Amy again.”

“Don't blame her. She was keeping an eye on Theo for me.”

An icy fist slid through her body. He'd been spying on her and Theo? “Just what kind of stalker creep are you?”

Mr. Max shrugged. The gesture would have been endearing if she wasn't so freaked. “One that has known about Theo since he was a boy and wanted to look out for him. In case this happened.”

“What's ‘this'?” she almost screamed.

“Theo's entering the First Change. He's a little young for it. It doesn't usually hit before sixteen, but with steroids in foods nowadays, kids are maturing faster.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“I'm talking about Theo. Your nephew is a grizzly bear shifter.”

Becca stared at him. She opened her mouth to ask him to repeat himself. To explain. To something, but nothing came out.

“I know. Werewolves get all the press. But there's all sorts of shifters in the world.”

“Werewolves?”

“Yeah. Bryn's one. That's why he was sniffing everything.”

“A werewolf?” He couldn't possibly have said what she thought she'd heard. Or be looking at her as if she should understand.

“Yes.” He was getting frustrated. The one word came out clipped and a bit angry. “He's a werewolf. Theo's a were-bear, though we prefer being a little more specific. Were-grizzly, to be exact. And he's about to shift for the first time.”

And then it all made sense. Normally, she would have caught on faster. If this were a usual day, her sense of sane and insane would have kicked in well before now. But she'd had that fight with Theo, so she'd been off her game. She didn't realize until now that Mr. Max was a stark raving lunatic. Fortunately, he'd set down her cell phone when he'd joined her on the couch. It was within reach if she was fast. And if she failed at that, then it was just another step to the front door.

“Becca? You're not saying anything.”

“I'm just trying to process it, that's all.”

“Look, I know you must think I'm insane, but it's all true.”

“Sure. Werewolves. Bear shifters.”

“Grizzly bears. He comes from a long, proud line of them.”

She pushed to her feet. Let him think she was just pacing off her agitation. “I'm sure they're very proud.”

“We're all through Michigan, but mostly around Gladwin because of the park. We like forests.”

“That makes sense.” It was a lie. Nothing made sense, but she'd managed to get within reaching distance of her phone. “I'm just… I'm gonna…” She pointed to the kitchen. “Maybe some more coffee.”

He arched a brow. “Are you sure you need more caffeine? If I were you, I'd be reaching for a beer.” He flashed her a lopsided smile. “Or a bottle. Or a keg.”

Charming. The lunatic was being
charming
. She tried to smile back but didn't manage to pull it off. Which meant it was time to bolt.

She did it in one smooth move. She snatched up her cell phone and ran straight for the front door. She wasn't an Olympic runner or anything, but she could be quick when she wanted to. She was highly motivated to be fast.

He was faster.

She barely got the door open when he was on her, pulling the cell from her hand and catching her about the waist. She started kicking him, but if it bothered him, she couldn't tell. Certainly not when he was lifting her off her feet and carrying her back into her apartment.

“Becca, listen to me!”

No way. No how.

She drew breath to scream.

She got half a breath in before he dropped a hand over her mouth. She tried to scream anyway, but it came out more as a muffled exclamation. And then every survival instinct she had kicked in. Every dirty fighting trick she ever knew. Every animalistic gouge through his skin, bite through his meaty palm, kick in the gonads, and scream tore through her system as if her life depended on them. She fought like she was a demon possessed.

And she still lost.

He was just too big.

Then he was pressing on her throat, cutting off her air.

Oh hell. Oh shit.

She couldn't breathe.

“I'm not going to hurt you Becca. I swear!”

And that was one big fat lie because within in seconds, there were dots in her vision. A few moments later, it all went black.

C
arl twisted in his desk chair at the quiet knock on his bedroom door.

“Come in,” he said, keeping his voice low.

He wasn't sure he wanted to have the conversation with his brother here, but he was reluctant to leave Becca alone in his massive bed. He didn't want her to wake and jump to all the wrong conclusions. In the end, his need to stay with her was stronger than his brother's possible embarrassment.

Alan pushed open the door. His head was tilted to the side, exposing his neck, as was appropriate when entering an alpha's bedroom. His lanky frame was stooped as well, though his gaze missed nothing. Not Carl killing time at his desk or the unconscious Becca tucked neatly into his sheets.

“Did Nick go home or into town?” Carl asked, not because he really cared but as a way to distract Alan's attention away from Becca.

“Town,” Alan answered. “Did you really destroy an entire acre by yourself?”

Carl smirked. Nick Merkel had shown up an hour earlier, screaming about the destruction of his field. He'd stopped short of accusing Carl—which showed the man had some brains—but he had not held back about his opinion of such wanton destruction. On a different day, Carl would have had it out with the man, but the last thing he needed was a grizzly confrontation while a kidnapped woman snoozed in his bed. Both situations required finesse, and he didn't want to deal with two at once.

Meanwhile, he kept his tone deadpan as he answered his brother. “I have no idea what you're talking about.”

“Of course you don't,” Alan said. He leaned against the doorframe, his gaze traveling unerringly to Becca, sleeping in Carl's massive bed. But he didn't speak about her. He knew better. His thoughts were still on the Nick Merkel annoyance. “Why don't you just kill the bastard?”

“Why is everyone pushing me to murder?” Carl grumbled, even though he knew the answer. He also knew that out of everyone, Alan would give him the most logical answer. That's because his brother had gotten shorted in the shifter DNA pool. As far as anyone could tell, the man was completely human, even if his eyes were Gladwin grizzly golden brown.

“He's outright defied you. And now he's going around telling everyone that destroying an acre of Christmas trees is the act of a coward.”

Carl knew it wasn't his brother defying him. Don't shoot the messenger, and all that. But even so, his shoulders hitched, the grizzly hump thickening between his blades. Externally, nothing showed beyond a slight lift to his tee, but inside, the bear was roaring in fury and tearing at the restraints in Carl's mind. It wanted to rip through Alan on the way to eviscerating Nick. Moron grizzly. Why the hell didn't it ever understand that leading anyone—especially a clan of bear shifters—required deft handling, not brute strength?

So he carefully blew out his breath, letting his gaze land long and hard on Alan's exposed neck. His brother was submitting and that should mollify the alpha grizzly inside Carl. Meanwhile, he let his human mind grouse out loud, just to blow off steam. “Does the idiot want to die? Jesus, the man is almost sixty. I'd kill him with the first blow.”

“He doesn't believe that. And he's talking so loudly, other people are starting to think the same.” Alan straightened off the doorframe but didn't dare take a single step into the bedroom. Entering a grizzly's den was never safe, even for brothers. “I know you're trying to give a measured response, and in normal times that might work.”

Carl snorted. Normal? When had life ever been normal for any shifter clan?

“But things are getting ugly in Detroit. It's the shifter Wild West over there, and people here are getting nervous. They think a powerful leader is the only way we'll survive.”

“The last thing we need is a leader who will kill just because he can. Don't they remember what it was like under Uncle Winston?”

Alan shrugged. “People have short memories when they're scared.”

“Tell me something I don't know.”

His brother's eyes turned mischievous. “I rather think that's your job right now.” His gaze traveled over Carl's shoulder to where Becca lay curled on her side. “That was quite a spectacle you created, carrying her in here like that. Very Neanderthal of you.”

“I had to knock her out. She thinks I'm insane.”

“So do we all, but you're usually more subtle with women.”

“Har, har.” He swiveled in his chair, unable to stop himself from tracing the outline of her body with his gaze. She was curvy in a lush kind of way, and her strawberry-blond hair was cut short to emphasize her sass. “Don't let her size fool you. She can fight.” There'd never been any question that he would overpower her, but he'd been trying to go easy on her. His restraint had cost him in the form of inch-long gashes in his arms, not to mention the bruises near his groin.

“I wouldn't go around telling people that.”

Carl nodded. Wouldn't Nick have a field day with that information? If people found out that a petite blond woman marked him in a fight, he'd have challenges from every direction.

Meanwhile, Alan's mind was still sorting through angles and possibilities. “You're sure Theo has changed? Just because a boy gets into fights doesn't mean he's about to shift.”

“I'm not sure of anything, but Bryn was and he's got the better nose.”

At the mention of Theo's name, Becca's fingers twitched. It wasn't a big movement, but it was enough to signal that she was awake and playing possum. Smart of her, but it wasn't going to work. Especially since he could smell the increased fear coming off her skin. Alan noticed, too, even without shifter senses. His next words were a repeat of what Carl already knew, but it would be reassuring for Becca to hear.

“We've got everyone on the lookout, including the friendly police. We'll find him and Justin.”

Justin was a local from a strong shifter family. He'd gone missing late this afternoon. “God, I hate spring,” Carl muttered. No matter what they did to make it easier, a bear's first shift was an incredibly dangerous time. The kids had no control as their bears ran amok and people tended to shoot wild grizzlies.

“You need to marry Tonya,” Alan said in all seriousness. “It'll quiet the grumbling in the clan and you'll get laid every spring.”

And right there was the opening he'd been waiting for. And yet, now that it came to it, Carl hated every word he had to say. “Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that.” It was, after all, why he'd summoned Alan in the first place.

“Time for wedding announcements?” his brother said with a grin.

“I'm making her my beta.”

Alan didn't respond at first beyond a quick snap of his chin. He was completely human, but he'd learned some grizzly habits, including the angry jut of his jaw and the tensing in his shoulders. And that submissive tilt to his head was completely gone.

Even that small act of defiance had Carl's grizzly in an uproar. Carl had to grip the sides of his chair to keep himself from responding to the visual challenge. Alan was a good fighter for a human, but he'd be mincemeat against Carl's bear. And, anyway, all the man needed was time to process the statement. To realize that it was the best solution all around.

He didn't.

“I have served well as your beta,” he said, his voice tight and hard. “You handle the bear part, I've got the paperwork. It's not glorious, but it's damned necessary, and you know it.”

“I do.” Alan was a lawyer, and a damned fine one. He also had an organized mind and had kept the clan running when no one else could.

“But you think Tonya can do better.” It wasn't a question.

Carl snorted. “Not a chance.” He leaned forward, straining to keep the gesture nonthreatening. His grizzly did not like anyone questioning something he'd already decided. But the man knew he had to be diplomatic. “The beta position is about appearing powerful—”

“And I don't shift, so I'm out of the clan?”

“Like hell!” he snapped. It was all he could do to keep it from a roar. As it was, he jerked out of his chair. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Becca twitch in fear, but that was more reaction than he got from Alan. The man hadn't even flinched. Fortunately, that meant he kept his neck exposed in a submissive gesture. “You are a Gladwin, and I'll kill anyone who says anything different.”

Carl let the statement hang in the air. The man in him was terrified at that statement, but the grizzly wouldn't let him take it back. He would indeed kill anyone who dared suggest his brother wasn't a Gladwin, and Alan's expression softened when he realized that truth. But he wasn't completely mollified as he knotted his hands into fists.

“Tonya won't do the work of keeping the clan assets together. She's got a job, and even if she didn't, that isn't in her wheelhouse.”

“Which is why I'd like to offer you a job. You'd be a well-paid employee of the Gladwins.”

“You're a shifter clan, not a corporation.”

“
We're
a shifter clan,” he emphasized. “And your first task will be to create a legal entity for us. It's long past time for that to happen.” He pushed a piece of paper into Alan's hand. It was the job offer, complete with a generous salary.

Alan didn't even look at it. Instead, his gaze went out the window in the direction of Chicago. Carl knew he had opportunities there, ones that had nothing to do with shifters or clan politics. Once, his brother had wanted to practice law in the big city, handling clients worth millions of dollars. But he'd turned those offers down to stay in Gladwin and help Carl as Max. Now would be the time for Alan to spread his wings and explore what he could do in the human world. But Carl didn't want to lose his brother. And the grizzly in him would not release an asset as valuable as the only trustworthy lawyer for miles.

“Don't leave. Not yet.” The man in him wanted to soften the statement. He didn't want to order his brother to accept the job, but his grizzly issued commands and would not politely ask clan members to stay loyal. But Alan deserved all the respect he could give, which is why he forced himself to add one more sentence through clenched teeth. “Think about it.”

Alan didn't answer. His golden brown eyes churned with emotions he wouldn't express, and Carl's grizzly wouldn't let him reach out in any way that would make him less dominant. Which left the brothers exactly nowhere. So it was just as well that Alan dipped his chin in a nod before backing out of the doorway.

One problem down, Carl thought as his bedroom door slid shut. Next? His gaze went back to Becca and the thick layer of guilt suffocating him since he'd knocked her out. He hated fighting women in general, but taking down Becca had been extra disastrous.

She was everything he valued in a woman. It wasn't just her body, which was lush enough to make his mouth water. No, it was the way she protected Theo. He'd been watching her since the first day she'd brought Theo to camp after her sister died. She'd been matter-of-fact as she settled him in the dorm. And once she'd gotten him squared away, she'd handed him a big box of homemade cookies to share and had kissed him good-bye. No muss, no fuss. Almost brusque. But he'd seen the way she'd teared up at her car. He'd noticed that she sent a letter daily and new baked goods often enough to make Theo the most popular kid at camp. And best of all, she'd overnighted him sweatpants when the weather had turned unexpectedly cold.

In short, she thought about the kid without smothering him. A nurturing woman who fought harder than most animals when threatened. Both bear and man in him had wanted to bend her over the minute he'd seen her in her kitchen surrounded by Cinderella castles. And none of that assuaged his guilt at knocking her out and carrying her to his bed in full view of everyone. Damn it, this was not how to ease a woman into the shifter community.

And while he tortured himself with guilt and lust, she slitted open her pale blue eyes, probably trying to sneak a peek. He'd been waiting, and so their gazes locked immediately.

“Take it slowly,” he told her, his voice as soothing as he could make it. “That tranquilizer dart was meant for someone twice your size, but it was all I had on hand.”

Her eyes widened at that and the fear scent spiked, but she kept her voice calm. Pretty damn impressive. “Where am I?” she asked.

“My bedroom.” She abruptly paled, and he rushed to explain. “It's spring, so the whole community comes together to watch for the new shifters. That means we're packed to the gills and there isn't an extra bedroom. I'm planning to sleep in the cabin with the kids, so you'll have privacy, but I didn't want you to wake up alone.”

“Quite a bit of consideration from the man who attacked me.”

And there was that feisty side that made him harder than granite. Best not to show her that, though, so he adjusted the angle of his chair to keep his horniness hidden.

“I couldn't let you get the police involved. Not when Theo's on his way up here.”

She lifted off the pillow, her eyes wide. “You've found him?”

God, he'd give anything to reassure her, but he couldn't lie to her. “Not yet. But we're pretty sure he's coming.”

She dropped back on the bed with her eyes closed, the scent of despair filling the room. But a moment later, it was over. She was back in control, her eyes flashing blue fire as she pushed herself upright.

“You're right,” she said, false cheer in her voice. “I'm sure Theo's going to show up here any moment. But in the meantime, how about I go back to my apartment just in case he goes home?”

“Amy's there. She'll call if he shows up.”

“Right. Of course, but I'm his aunt and guardian. He—”

“He's coming here. It's a bear thing, Becca. After the First Change, we always come here.”