Текст книги "Bear Necessities"

Автор книги: Dana Bell

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Текущая страница: 13 (всего у книги 15 страниц)

And, from the prickling of her ears, the battle was almost upon them, with or without Gary’s scent.

He saw her Jeep, but not her. Damn it. She should have waited for him before heading off on her own. God knew what kind of trouble she’d get into before he found her. Fuck the fact that Julian was with her, heneeded to be the one protecting her.

Bunny tried his best to still his growing anxiety. He didn’t know if she’d run into Gary yet or not, but from here on out they were moving silently, leaving the bikes behind. The sound of their Harleys would alert Gary to their presence, and they definitely didn’t want to do that. If they were lucky, they’d catch up to Gary before he did any damage. If they could get him to the Alpha and prove he’d disobeyed a direct command from the local authorities, he’d be banished from Halle, possibly even disciplined by his own Pack Alpha. Bunny could only hope so.

He parked the bike next to Tabby’s SUV and stopped the engine. “Ready?”

Ryan pulled off his helmet and dismounted. “Just a minute.” He held out his hand for Glory’s helmet. Her pale blue hair tumbled down to her waist. From the dazed expression on her face he’d say she’d never ridden a motorcycle before.

Either that or she’d always remained on tarmac. The drive through the woods had been rough. “You okay?”

“I think my tailbone is broken.” She got off with a wince, shaking out her filmy skirts. “Well, damn. You broke my ass.”

Ryan stopped her. “You stay where I put you, right?”

She glared at Ryan and slammed the helmet into his stomach. He coughed out a surprised breath. “Let’s go, Teddy.”

Before they could start off, another motorcycle pulled up next to them. Bunny grinned. He recognized the bike. “Hey, Dad.”

Ryan waved. “Hey, Uncle Will.”

“Boys.” His father got off the bike, his hazel eyes somber, his dark hair ruffled by the breeze. “I understand you might need some…help?” He frowned at Glory for a moment before a big grin crossed his face. Bunny bet it was the powder blue curls.

“Julian called you?”

William shrugged, his attention diverted from Ryan’s mate. “Not sure you could call it that, exactly. Let’s just say I was sleeping and I had a dream that I should head over this way. So here I am.”

“Bear is looking out for us,” Ryan said solemnly. Bunny nodded, agreeing. Only Bear himself could have sent his father that vision.

“Anyone want to fill me in?”

“Gary is somewhere in these woods. So are Tabby and Julian.”

William growled, the sound low and fierce. “He’s going after my daughter-in-law?”

“They’re not married.”

All three Bears turned and stared at Glory.

She crossed her arms defiantly over her chest. “They’re not.”

“She’s right. We’re mated. That’s much more permanent than marriage.” Though, if Tabby wanted to go through a ceremony, he’d be proud to stand up in church and recite his vows. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more he considered insisting on it. It would be one more way to make it known she belonged to him.

Ryan rolled his eyes. “C’mon, Glory. Let’s go.” He took hold of her arm, ignoring her attempt to pull away from him. Bunny was pretty sure the attempt was automatic at this point. “They went that way.”

“Mm-hmm.” He looked into the Jeep and saw two piles of clothes. “And they shifted.” His eyes darkened. He did notlike the thought of his Tabby seeing any male but him naked. He didn’t care that in the Packs and Prides nudity meant nothing during a shift. It meant something to him, dammit. His father never allowed his mother to run around naked, that was for sure.

Of course, she laughed at his growls and did what she damn well pleased, but his father didn’t exactly allowit.

“Follow me.” Ryan led the way, Glory stomping in her delicate looking boots right by his side.

Bunny hid a smile. Something told him she’d give his cousin hell, but in the end she’d be just what he needed.

Tabby growled. The son of a bitch had stayed downwind. He was still in human form, but he was naked and ready to shift at any moment.

“Wow, what a coincidence. Here I am, out for a leisurely run, and who do I run into but the fucking Outcast and her baby polar Bear.”

Tabby rolled her eyes. Julian was going to kick his ass just for the polar Bear comment.

She couldn’t attack, not yet. Not until he made a threatening move. She wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize her new place in the Pride, and kicking Gary’s ass without cause would definitely make problems for her.

The two idiots Gary took everywhere laughed. Hell, after six months in Halle, she stilldidn’t know their names. They’d moved to flank Gary, protecting their precious wannabe Alpha. Tabby snorted. Right. He’s an Alpha. And I’m a Teletubby.

Gary looked over her shoulder at Julian. “I have no quarrel with you, Bear. Back away and you won’t get hurt.”

Julian’s answer was the deep, throbbing roar of a black bear, echoing through the woods to be heard miles away.

Gary smiled. “So be it. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to fight a Bear.”

Gary and his buddies began to shift.

Bunny’s head lifted at the sound of the other Bear’s roar. “They’re farther than I thought.”

“They must have shifted.” William began tugging off his clothes. “You two go on ahead; I’ll guard my soon-to-be niece.”

“Not in this lifetime.” Glory stomped past William, stopping just short of Ryan.

Ryan just sighed and began to pull off his clothing. Bunny was already tugging off his own clothes, terrified that Gary had managed to catch Tabby before he could get to her. It didn’t matter that Julian was with her. Black Bears rarely won a fight with a Wolf Pack. They would run, knowing the Pack could take them down.

Maybe he thought because the Pack was so small that he’d be able to defend Tabby?

“Why are you getting naked?” Glory’s wide eyes brought him back to what they were doing.

“We can’t shift in clothes. If we do, we’ll get tangled, which makes us vulnerable to attack.” Ryan was completely naked. He stretched, muscles flexing, joints popping. Bunny rolled his eyes. Ryan was showing off for his mate.

From the poleaxed look on her face, he’d succeeded. Her gaze couldn’t decide which part of his body to settle on. Ryan tipped her chin up and planted a kiss on her open mouth. “Stay with Uncle Will. He’ll keep you safe.”

Her jaw snapped shut. “I can take care of myself.”

Ryan pointed behind him. “He can take care of you better.”

Once again her jaw dropped. Where Bunny’s father had been now sat a grizzly Bear calmly scratching its ear. “Oh.” She nodded at the huge Bear. Bunny’s father was the only one in the family who rivaled him in size. “Okay. I’ll, um.” She sat down hard, bouncing a little. “Sit. Stay. Got it.” She reached under her without moving her eyes off Will Bunsun and removed a rock, tossing it aside absently.

That’s going to leave a mark.From the look on Ryan’s face he’d enjoy healing it, too.

Bunny rubbed his chest and sighed. He was forced to heal the tattoo the rest of the way and hope for the best, otherwise it would heal when he shifted. God knew what would happen to the glorious picture if he did that.

He did notwant to meet his mate if her Wolf looked like a Shar-Pei.

Bunny nodded at Ryan and began to shift. He could see the shock still on Glory’s face as the two men both turned into grizzlies.

The shock turned to disgust when a long Bear tongue swiped up her cheek just before the two Bears charged into the woods.

“ Ew!Bear spit!”

Tabby was shocked when she hit the ground. Julian had batted her aside with one swipe of his paw before looming over her prone body. He snarled at the Wolves facing them, daring them to go after him.

They did, nipping at his flanks, trying to draw him away from her. He refused to go more than a few yards away, darting back to her when it looked like one of them might be ready to pounce. And every time she tried to stand, he pushed her back down with one paw, easily holding her in place. He was acting like a mama protecting her cubs. She growled up at him, demanding he let her go so she could fight. He couldn’t take on even this small a Pack by himself.

Julian looked down at her and shook his head. He wasn’t going to let her go.

Tabby bided her time, watching the Wolves harass Julian. Julian moved, going after one of the Wolves.

Now.

She shot to her feet and raced after Gary. She had one shot to save Julian and she wasn’t going to waste it.

She heard Julian’s pained cry behind her. She paused in her charge, glancing back. Julian was on the ground, his neck bloodied, two wolves dodging in and out, trying to get another bite in and finish the kill. But Julian continued to snap at them, his wounds healing before their eyes.

Too slowly. Tabby knew they were healing too slowly. He was still drained from saving Chloe. If he took a wound that was too deep, his visions would come true.

She tried to jump toward him, determined to protect him, when strong jaws clamped on her hind leg and dragged her back. She threw back her head and howled in pain, desperately hoping Alex would hear. If he didn’t come soon, she was going to lose Julian.

The pained howl of a Wolf had him sprinting through the trees. The top speed for a natural grizzly had once been clocked at thirty miles an hour. Bunny did his damndest to top that.

Bunny was furious. It wasn’t long before he could hear the yips and cries of the fight. He put on an extra burst of speed, knowing seconds could mean the difference between life and death.

Ten more steps would see him where he needed to be. Nine…eight…seven…

Tabby yelped, the sound full of anguish. And Bunny, terrified, ran faster.

Julian was barely breathing, his fur matted with blood, the color a dark golden green to her Wolf’s eyes, almost blending with the soft gold of his shoulders. She could smell the coppery scent of his blood, her own and the Wolves around them.

At least they’d managed to get off a few shots of their own before going down.

She snapped at Gary, trying to get him off of her. She struggled, but couldn’t break free, not without snapping her leg. She gave up and let him drag her back, knowing what he would attempt to do next.

He would try to mount her. And when he did, she would try to kill him.

Bunny skidded to a stop, taking in the scene through furious eyes. Bright red blood matted Julian’s fur, his throat almost shredded. He could already tell the Bear was unconscious, unable to assist Tabby in her fight.

Tabby was under Gary, the would-be Alpha Wolf attempting to mount her. Her dark brown and tan fur was matted with blood and dirt, the small tuft of green at the very top barely visible. She whimpered in pain when she tried to put weight on her back paw. The leg gave way beneath her, the shock nearly giving Gary the chance to enter her. She snapped and snarled, trying to toss Gary off, but he had a hold of her neck now and was hunching his hips forward, trying to fuck the smaller Wolf.

Gary was trying to rape Tabby.

Bunny roared and relaxed his iron control over his rage.

And it felt good.

Tabby started at the terrifying roar. She knew who that was and renewed her struggles.

Alex was here.

Her hind leg was killing her, her neck was sore, and she couldn’t get the son of a bitch off her to save her life. She looked up as far as she could with Gary’s teeth buried against her throat. There were two grizzlies. One went after the Wolves trying to finish off Julian. The other, larger one raced straight for Gary.

Gary let go of her and tried to back away, but he was too late. The grizzly swiped with his massive paw, sending the Wolf flying through the air. Tabby whimpered, her neck bleeding from where Gary had tried to embed his teeth.

Gary landed against a tree with a yelp of pain and a sickening thud, his sides heaving. Alex stood over her battered, bleeding body and growled. The expression in his eyes was full of pure rage. His muscles were tense with the need to kill, pure predator as he stared at his downed prey.

Sometimes it was easy to forget that Bears were omnivores. She didn’t think she’d ever forget that again.

She struggled to her feet, wincing, unable to put her full weight on her back paw.

It wasn’t broken, but it felt badly sprained. She nuzzled Alex’s leg as he settled back on all fours. He was massive, much larger than the other grizzly. She stretched up and licked the underside of his jaw, barely able to reach him with the tip of her tongue.

Alex’s eyes never left Gary, but the insane growls lessened with her display of affection. Now, pure rage was filtered by determination, turning what might have been a massacre into an execution. She had no doubts that Alex would win.

She did have to wonder how many pieces Gary would be in when Alex was done.

Bunny stared at the Wolf struggling to his feet. Off to his left, he could hear Ryan quickly dispatching the lesser Wolves. Now it was up to him to deal with Gary.

He started forward, snarling when he felt Tabby trying to keep pace. He needed her to stand back, let him deal with her attacker, but he couldn’t tell her that in this form. He didn’t dare take his eyes off the Wolf. Gary would take any advantage he gave him, and Bunny had no intention of bleeding for the asshole.

But Gary would bleed for him. Oh, would he bleed.

Gary rose to fight him, using those darting tactics Packs used to bring down large prey, but the shifter was off balance. Bunny, thanks to Bear’s gift, knew Gary had banged his head pretty hard and was probably fighting off a concussion. That, added to the ribs he’d cracked when he hit the tree, were making him slower and much clumsier than he’d been when he’d faced Tabby and Julian.

Poor puppy. Bunny grinned, showing his fangs. He reached out one long arm and knocked Gary sideways. He wasn’t ready to finish the kill yet. He wanted Gary to suffer first.

Tabby yipped. He darted a quick glance at her, startled when she limped her way toward Julian. The other Bear did not look good. He wasn’t healing as quickly as he should. Those legendary Spirit Bear powers seemed to have deserted him.

Shit. Whatever Julian had done to help Chloe must have weakened him more than Bunny had first thought. He needed help, and he’d need it soon.

Sharp, cold pain sliced across his side. He whirled back to face his opponent.

He’d taken his eyes off Gary for too long and the Wolf had gotten him for it. He roared and knocked the Wolf back, his claws raking along Gary’s side. The Wolf howled. Blood dripped from wounds inflicted by five-inch claws. As Wolf, he wouldn’t heal, not without help, or without shifting. And shifting right now would merely give Bunny the opening he needed to finish him.

He narrowed his eyes and gathered himself. It was time for the real battle to begin.

Sharp claws, flashing teeth, flying fur, and the smell of blood assaulted her senses. The battle was joined for real. Each shifter tried his best to savage the other, Gary fighting for his life, Alex fighting for his mate and the life of her friend.

The two Wolves who had come with Gary were down, defeated by Ryan in such a short amount of time that Tabby was surprised at how long it was taking Alex to finish the battle. The two Wolves who’d shadowed Gary’s every move had even changed, lying there naked and pathetic, covered in dirt and blood and tears.

They were babbling, begging the huge grizzly for mercy.

Ryan chuffed at them and turned his attention to Julian. She knew the healing powers of the Bears and hoped he’d be able to help him. Because she could hear Julian’s heartbeat, and it was slowing down.

Julian was dying.

Bunny stopped Gary from darting under him. He couldn’t afford to expose his soft belly to the Wolf. He got a good bite on the Wolf’s tail, earning a pained yip from Gary before he pulled free. They circled one another, each watching for another opening, another chance for claws and fangs to do some serious damage.

Without the rest of his Pack, there was no way Gary could win, not against someone like Bunny.

Bunny saw his opening and charged the Wolf, raking his claws down Gary’s left haunch, opening his hip down to the bone. The Wolf went down, unable to put weight on the leg.

Bunny pulled himself around quickly, his snarl daring the Wolf to get back up.

Gary didn’t. Panting, the man changed, turning human. He clutched his hip, moaning in agony. If Bunny let him live, he’d need a hospital.

Bunny was debating that. He was leaning more toward not.

Tabby limped back to him, and the pain she felt sealed Gary’s fate.

Chapter Nine

Tabby tried to stop Alex from killing Gary. Too many questions would be asked if a man was found naked, mauled by a grizzly bear. But even limping as quickly as she could, she wasn’t fast enough. So she was surprised when a golden body separated Bunny from his prey. She stiffened, knowing who was blocking Alex.

Emma could have gotten hurt if Alex hadn’t pulled his blow at the last minute, recognizing the scent of the Curana.

“Really, you don’t want to do that.” Max Cannon stepped out from the trees, gloriously naked. She ignored Alex’s glare and got a good eyeful before politely turning her back on her Alpha’s nudity. Simply put, the man was built like a fucking golden god. How could she notlook?

From Alex’s low growl, she’d be paying for that bit of gratuitous eye candy later.

Right now, they had more important things to deal with.

“For one thing, I have some questions for Gary Sanders of Phoenix, Arizona.”

Gary whimpered.

Arizona? I thought he was from New Mexico.

“Like, who his Alpha is, and why he thought it was okay to disobey me on Pride lands?” That invisible mist poured out of the Alpha, demanding compliance from all around him.

“Jesus Christ on a pogo stick. You’re huge!” Tabby’s eyes rolled and landed on the naked form of Emma Cannon. She stood, staring wide-eyed at Alex, her head barely reaching his chest. “What the hell do they feed you guys in…where are you from? Do elephants look at you and say, ‘Goddamn, you’re big’?”

There was a gusty sigh. “Emma. Could you focus on the bad guy here?”

“Sorry.” But she didn’t look sorry as she quickly shifted to Puma.

Tabby ignored her Curana and bowed down, baring her belly for her Alpha. Out of respect for Alex, she kept one eye closed.

The other eye was for the man candy. The Alpha was seriously hot. And, as the saying went, she was mated, not dead.

A female Puma bounced over to her and tilted her head, snarling when she saw Tabby’s eye open and trained on the Alpha. Tabby knew who it was immediately and closed her other eye. Apparently the Curana was notamused, and she was much larger than Tabby.

Gary was still panting, but Tabby didn’t dare open her eyes to look. “This isn’t Pride land.”

“Oh? Are you sure?”

The only response was the renewed whimpers of Gary’s minions.

“Thought not. Bunny, why don’t you change back? I’d rather not have to explain a bear mauling in Halle, especially a grizzly mauling. If you and your family are staying, we need to keep your presence as quiet as possible. We don’t need Fish and Wildlife sniffing around, wondering how to move your fuzzy ass back west.”

She heard a rustling sound. “Tabby?”

She opened her eyes to find her naked mate bending over her. She damn near growled when she saw her Curana sizing him up. Tabby changed back, then laughed when the big cat was plucked up by Max and carted back toward the other Pumas.

A soft moan had her looking back at the great white Bear. “Julian!” She scrambled to her feet, ignoring her own wounds. She’d heal with time. Julian might not.

Ryan was over him, eyes closed. The concentration on his human face was hard to miss. He was doing his best to heal the other Bear. Wounds began slowly closing, but without the graceful flow she’d seen Julian use. “Alex?”

“On it.” Alex joined his cousin over Julian’s prone body. He closed his eyes and drifted away from her, down what he’d called the spiral of the healing path. She had no clue what he meant by that, but if it saved Julian, she was all for it.

“Tabby.”

She turned around and faced her Alpha. She made sure to keep her gaze glued to the small scar on the side of his nose. She had no idea why that seemed to amuse him, but it did. “Yes, Alpha?”

“What punishment should Gary suffer for his attack on you?”

“And attempted rape,” Alex growled behind her.

The amusement fled Max’s face. “Attempted rape?” He glared down at Gary. “You tried to rape another man’s mate?”

“Stop.” Gabe Anderson stepped forward, the Pride Marshall behind him. Both men looked grim. “This man is hereby declared rogue. Therefore, he’s mine.” He grinned, the look vicious. “I wondered how it would feel to go on a Hunt. Now I know.”

Gary cringed for the first time. “What?”

“You not only disobeyed the local Alpha, you attempted something that is considered anathema to all shifters. You tried to rape another man’s mate. That makes you rogue.” Gabriel Anderson suddenly seemed ten times more dangerous than he’d ever been. He lifted Gary by his neck, ignoring the choking sounds the Wolf made and the astonished gasps of his Pridemates. “Had you succeeded and run, I would have Hunted you down. Maybe I would have turned you over to the Senate for justice.” He dragged Gary’s face closer, his fangs displayed, his eyes flashing gold. “Maybe.” He dropped Gary to the ground. “Now you’ll be taken in.

You’ll be taken before a Tribunal. And I’ll see to it that you pay for what you’ve tried to do today.” He leaned down. Gary shuddered, his face pinched and gray.

“And if you try to escape me, I’ll let Bunny have you.” He whispered in Gary’s ear for a long time. Tabby couldn’t quite make out what was said, but she got the impression that Gabe was filling Gary in on Alex’s reputation and how he’d gotten it. “Do we understand one another?”

Gary looked ready to piss himself as he darted a horrified glance toward Alex.

“Yes sir.” He no longer looked like a wannabe Alpha. He looked like the young punk he really was, and he was terrified.

“Good.” Gabe clapped his hands together loudly, startling not only Tabby, but everyone else as well. “You two morons, get up. You’ll be spending a few days in jail while I arrange for your Tribunal.”

The Wolves got to their feet, shuffling pathetically. Tabby had no sympathy.

They’d nearly killed Julian and her, and for what? Sport? Because they could?

“Why?”

The Wolves stopped. Gary turned to her. There was fear in his eyes. “Why what?”

“Why did you do this? Why have you harassed me? What did I ever do to you?”

He blinked. One of the wolves behind him opened his mouth, but shut it at a sharp gesture from Gary. The Wolf’s eyes darted to Gabe, and if she didn’t know better she’d swear there was something he was dying to tell the Hunter. “We’re Wolves. You’re weak, alone. Abandoned by your Pack for being unworthy. What were we supposed to do, ignore you?”

Max shook his head, looking disgusted. “We aren’t animals that turn into humans. We’re just the opposite, humans blessed with the ability to share our lives with our animals. And Tabby’s Pack might have been stupid enough to let her go, but she’s part of my Pride now. That means she’s no longer fair game for idiots like you who think they’re in a bad werewolf movie.” He waved his hand.

“Get them out of here before I change my mind and let Bunny eat them.”

The two morons didwet themselves in fear. Tabby felt better already.

Max was staring at Julian, his expression concerned. “Get Julian to Jamie. He’ll make sure the Bear is taken care of.”

“He’ll live.” Ryan sat back on his ass, his face full of weary triumph. “I got most of the bleeding stopped, but if he doesn’t wake up soon, he’s going to have scarring.”

“Jamie can help with that. Can he be moved?”

Ryan eyed the Puma Alpha. “Care to lend a paw? Because I’m not hauling a three-hundred-pound Bear through the woods all by myself.”

“We’ll all carry him.” Bunny gestured to Adrian and Simon. “Grab his ass, I’ll get his head.”

The two men exchanged a glance. Adrian shrugged. “I don’t know about you, but I really don’t swing that way.”

Simon snickered.

“Oh, move, you big dorks.” Emma Cannon, now human again, bounced around her mate. She wrapped both hands around Julian’s ass and heaved. And heaved.

Julian didn’t even jiggle.

Emma glared at the Pumas, her hand under the Bear’s ass, her own stuck up in the air. Every single pair of male eyes went immediately to the treetops overhead, save one. Those sky blue eyes admired his mate’s naked ass as she strained to lift a five-hundred-pound Bear by the butt. Yet she still managed to sound like a queen when she demanded, “A little help here, please!”

The Pumas moved en masse to obey their Little General. “It’s like watching Super Grover,” Ryan muttered.

And despite everything that had happened, Tabby found herself laughing as she hauled an unconscious Bear back to her car. “Guys? What do we do with him once we’ve got him there? Tie him to the hood?” Ow. Stupid stick.She hopped on one foot and almost dropped the butt cheek she was currently hoisting.

The white Bear opened one eye and winked at her. He was going to be all right.

She chose not to say anything, but let her Pride carry him. After what he’d done both for her and for Chloe, Julian deserved a little pampering.

“Hey! He winked at me!”

Simon laughed. “You may not swing that way, Adrian, but apparently hedoes.”

“Did you know you have a green Mohawk when you’re Wolf?”

His Tabby blinked up at him. “Huh?”

Bunny laughed, wiping wet green hair from her eyes. “Yup.” He ruffled the top of her head, rinsing out the shampoo. “Right about here. Lime green, just like your hair.”

She snorted. “I do not.”

“Do too.”

She tickled his side, earning an undignified giggle. “Do not.”

He slapped her hands away carefully. “Do too.”

“I’ve seen myself in ponds, Baloo. Trust me, there’s no green there.”

“Oh, yes there is, baby.” He reached for the washcloth and soaped it up, being careful to be very gentle with her bruised flesh. Inside, he was still snarling and snapping. There was blood on her skin, herblood. If he knew where Gabe had taken Gary, the Wolf might not live to see the Tribunal. But he didn’t know where Halle’s jail was. Tabby had refused to say, and then the little cheater had gotten naked. One look at the bruises and marks on her body and he’d whisked her into the shower, eager to ease her hurts. The only way to soothe his Bear was to wash away the evidence of her ordeal from her sweet skin, using his powers to heal as much of the damage as he could without falling over. “I’ll make a deal with you.”

“Hmm.” She leaned into the strokes of the washcloth, her eyes closed, her throat exposed. It was fucking incredible the way she trusted him to take care of her. To never, ever hurt her. “Okay. What deal?”

“You shift and I’ll take a picture. If I’m right, I get the sexual favor of my choice.”

He stroked the washcloth between her legs, grinning when she gasped. “If I’m wrong, you get a sexual favor, anything you want.” He blinked and added, “That doesn’t include a third party.”

She chuckled. “Fine.” She stroked his hardening cock, slanting him a sultry look from under those long lashes of hers. “I already know what I want. Do you?”

Bunny shuddered. Oh yeah. He knew what he wanted.

“I’ll dry you off before you change.” She tilted her head, looking confused. “I don’t want the room smelling like wet dog.”

She tickled him again. Damn it, how had she figured out he was ticklish? It wasn’t fair. Despite everything that had happened that day they were both laughing when they tumbled out of the shower. He towel-dried her hair as best he could. It wasn’t like he had a hair dryer. Speaking of which…“Would you do me a favor?”

“Sure.” She folded the damp towel and put it back on the rack.

“Shave me later?”

Her eyebrows rose. Her gaze drifted to his head, her lips twitching. “Trust me that much?”

He stroked her cheek, the bruise fading a bit as he unleashed some of his healing power. He was tired after healing the worst of Julian’s and Tabby’s wounds, but not too tired for what he wanted to do to his mate. “With everything.”

She smiled. “Dig out the camera. I’ve got plansfor your ass.” She sashayed out of the room, damp hair clinging to her face, her rounded ass calling to him.

Damn.His mate was so sexy. He ran for his luggage and pulled out the digital camera. “Ready?”

She shrugged and shifted. He snapped the shot and grinned. He already knew he’d won. “Take a look.”

She shifted back and looked. “Well. Damn.” There, in full color, was a wolf with a green tuft right over her eyes. “How come I never noticed that and you did?”

“Wolves are partially color-blind, right?”

“Yeah, we have trouble with greens, they tend to look gray to us.”

“Bears have full-color vision no matter what form we’re in.”

She rolled her eyes. “That was not a fair bet then.”

He smirked down at her. “Hey, I told you and you didn’t believe me. That makes it more than fair.” He narrowed his eyes, his smirk turning to something more feral.

“On your knees, baby.”

She pouted up at him through her lashes before gracefully sinking to her knees.

She knew what he wanted, too. She took his cock in her hot little hand and sucked the head in. Her tongue swirled around the opening, lapping up the precome that had begun to seep from the tip. God, she looked so good with his cock in her mouth, those full, ripe lips wrapped around him, straining to hold him. She sank down, burying her nose in his curls and he damn near lost it right then and there. He didn’t think he’d ever get tired of the way she took him down to the root. He’d never had a lover who sucked him the way she did. She pulled back, dragging her tongue along his length.

“Oh shit.” He was going to blow in an embarrassingly short time if she didn’t take it easy on him. “Stop!”

She stopped, halfway down his cock, her nostrils flaring.

“On the bed. I want a taste too.”

She let him go, only to stand and turn him. He let her, curious to see what she was going to do. She pushed and tugged at him until he was on his back in the middle of the bed, her legs straddling his face, her mouth once more descending on his cock.