Текст книги "Cynful"

Автор книги: Dana Bell

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Текущая страница: 8 (всего у книги 14 страниц)

Chapter Twelve

She took a deep, gasping breath, and Julian sagged with relief. She was all right.

Her eyes opened, and it was the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen. They were deep brown and frightened. He wrapped himself around her cold body and breathed in her scent.

She smelled of Bear. She’d been accepted. He peppered kisses across the mating mark. “You’re all right.”

She tugged his braid before stroking his back. “You’re shaking.”

He just hugged her tighter. She’d terrified him. He’d thought Bear had taken a dislike to her and ripped her soul to shreds.

“I feel like I went a few rounds with that big-ass bear. Ow.”

He flinched. “Did you?”

“Did I what?”

“Fight Bear.”

“No.” She tugged on his braid again, harder this time. “We sang the beer bottle song and had a cozy chat. All we needed were s’mores and a campfire.”

He laughed, the hysterical edge to it surprising him. “I bet he loved you.”

“Oh yeah. He invited me back for tea, once the bleeding stopped.”

Bleeding? His Bear wailed, but Julian could sense no real damage had been done to her. If there had been spiritual wounds, Bear must’ve healed them. That was beyond even Julian’s power. “Tell me everything.”

“That might take a while.”

He settled in more comfortably, cradling her close. She rested her head against his chest and he damn near howled like a wolf at the feeling of rightness. “We have time.”

“Let’s see. There was a long, dusty road with sharp, pointy rocks. I expected a Gorn to pop out any minute and challenge me to a duel. And did I mention I was naked?”

Julian chuckled. Only his Cyn would think of a classic Star Trek episode while wandering in the spirit world.

“I came to a crossroads and saw a glass of water that was half full.”

Interesting. He’d found a book on his first journey. “What did you do with it?”

“Drank it.”

He blinked. “Oh.” He shouldn’t be surprised. He’d picked the book up and tried to read it. It had surprised him when it disappeared out of his hands.

“What? I was thirsty. Anyway, one branch of the path seemed pretty much the same as the one I was already on. The other was chock full of thorns and stones.”

He winced. “Let me guess which one you took.”

“Hey, I played Dungeons & Dragons. You never take the easy path. There’s always a trap at the end of it.”

“This wasn’t a game.” If only she’d taken the other trail…

She rolled her head until they were eye to eye. “You took the easy way, didn’t you?”

“Not easy. Different.” Who the hell would willingly walk down a path full of sharp stones and thorns? It seemed like a remarkably stupid thing to do, deliberately inviting pain that way. The other path might have been longer, but it was no less challenging.

Wariness crept into her expression. “I didn’t have to go down the thorny path?”

“Nope.” First decision made, first crisis met and overcome. Something told him the outcome was going to be exactly what he’d expected. “Then what?”

“A meadow with a man standing over a crying girl, yelling at her.”

Uh-oh. Julian remembered something similar. He’d watched for a few moments to discover the problem, and then had done his best to bandage the child’s leg. “What did you do?”

“Grabbed a branch and protected the girl.”

Yes, that sounded like his Cyn. “What happened?”

“The man asked me if I was sure he was the threat and not the child. I pretty much told him to shove off, and the two pointed me toward my next path and disappeared.”

“Another thorny one, I assume.”

“And worse than the last one. I almost didn’t make it.”

He froze. Those who didn’t make it on thatpath… Best not think about that. He was going to have nightmares as it was.

“I got to the end and there was this table with four objects on it.”

“A book, a chalice, a healer’s kit and a dream catcher.”

She looked at him like he’d grown snakes on his head. “A sword, a shield, biker leathers and a staff.”

“Oh.” Yeah. That pretty much summed up what he’d thought would happen. No way was Cyn a Spirit Bear. Damn. He tamped down the disappointment. It wasn’t that big a deal. At least she was Bear now, rather than Puma, like she’d threatened more than once.

“I want those leathers.”

His eyebrow quirked. “Have a thing for leather, do you?”

She grinned. “You have no idea. But I took the staff.”

“Why?”

“Protection and a weapon in one convenient package.”

“Ah.” He was beginning to see the pattern, and while it wasn’t adding up to Spirit Bear, it wasn’t adding up to Black Bear, either. A Black Bear would have gone for the leathers or the shield. What was going on?

“Then BAM! I’m sitting in front of this huge white bear who’s just…staring at me. Sitting and staring. It was creepy, especially since I was naked.”

“I meditated.”

“I sang the beer song. I still had thirty-five to go when he decided I was a Chatty Cathy, unlike some people.”

From the glare she was shooting him he could guess who those peoplewere. “So? What did he say?”

“Other than how quiet you are?” She took a deep breath. “Two becomes one, one becomes three. Bear knows the way, but Fox holds the key. Oh, and that change is coming.”

Great. Wonderful. That was three times the message had been delivered. He hoped the spirits considered it received. “What aren’t you telling me?”

Those beautiful eyes widened. Her left eyebrow twitched. “Nothing.”

He shot her a look that had gotten more than one reluctant patient to admit something they didn’t want to.

“I’m serious.” She frowned. “Okay, there is one thing.”

“Hmm?”

“He called me warrior.”

Julian stared at her. That couldn’t mean what he thought it did, could it? He buried his nose against her neck and breathed in her scent again. When he finally understood exactly what he smelled he laughed so hard he fell off the bed.

She leaned over the edge and glared at him. Then she lifted her arm and sniffed her pit. “Do I offend?”

He’d never understood the laughing-so-hard-until-you-cried thing before, but now he totally got it. Alex was going to be tickled pink.

And Eric was in for a serious shock.

Cyn woke to the feel of a heavy arm across her middle and the sensation that she’d had a really rough night. Her body ached in ways it hadn’t in a long time. She moved her leg, ready to climb out of bed and answer a rather urgent call of nature when the arm tightened.

“Don’t go.”

Damn. Julian’s sleep-roughened voice made all sorts of things quiver inside her. “I will go if you don’t let me up.”

He snorted a laugh and rolled over, releasing her to run for the bathroom like a bear was after her butt. After she was done she helped herself to his toothbrush and combed out her hair, which was sticking up in all sorts of new and interesting ways.

She took a good, long look at herself when she was done. She didn’t lookany different. She certainly didn’t feelany different. Maybe it had all been a crazy, sex-induced dream?

Fingers brushed over the bite mark on her neck and she darn near fell to the floor in a puddle of goo. “Morning, Cyn.” His lips brushed the mark and her knees gave out. “Whoa!” He caught her before she fell, strong arms wrapped around her waist. “You okay?”

“What the fuck was that?” She brushed her fingertips across the mark. The sensation was still there, but not nearly as strong. It was like someone was gently stroking her clit, just enough to interest but not enough to arouse.

“Well…” Julian licked the mark, and she moaned. Now thatwas the touch of someone determined to arouse her. “That’s the mark you begged for last night.”

How could someone look so innocent and so evil at the same time? It seemed Glory hadn’t cornered the market on that particular look after all. “That’s it? That’s the bite?” He nodded. “Fine. How long until it fades?” There was no way she was going to be able to go through her day with thaton her neck. What if someone touched her there while she was doing a tattoo? A simple pat on the shoulder from a guy with big hands could cause an accidental orgasm.

He smirked. “Who said it would?”

She turned in his arms and glared at him.

Julian looked utterly pleased with himself as he stroked a finger across the mark. “This tells anyone who looks at you that you’re claimed. You belong to me.” He must have realized his mistake almost immediately, because he dodged out of punching range, his expression turning wary. “Now, Cyn—”

“I belong to you?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Since when?”

He tugged on his braid. “Since I bit you?”

She ground her teeth. Fine, he’d given her the mating mark, but since when did that mean she belonged to him?

“When you bite me, I’ll belong to you.”

“Oh really?” She kept the bite of anger in her voice, but a strange sensation was running through her. The thought of sinking fangs into Julian, leaving a mark on his body that would warn away all other females, was oddly appealing.

He took a cautious step forward. “When you bite me, the only thing I’ll care about is making you come.”

She blinked, memories of last night dancing through her head. “Really?”

“It won’t be that much different from how I feel right now, except I’ll haveto make you come at least once before my Bear will let me have you.”

She swallowed hard. She could feel her nipples beading. “Oh.”

“You’ll be able to do whatever you want with me.” He breathed the words against her mark, and it was only then she realized how close he’d come.

She bit her lip, fighting the arousal crashing through her. “Will I get you to…?”

“Hmm?” He nibbled her earlobe and she shivered.

“…make me…”

He kissed her jaw. “Anything.”

“…waffles?”

He froze, but she could feel his smile against her skin. “You’re evil.”

She patted his ass, amazed at how firm it was. “But you like me that way.”

“Much to my shame, yes.” He grinned down at her. “Do I at least get a good morning kiss?”

She cocked an eyebrow at him. “Have you brushed your teeth?”

“No.”

“Then no.”

He shook his head and reached for the toothbrush. “The things I do for you.”

“Oh yeah. Getting rid of the dragon breath is sucha chore.”

He pinched her hip. “If I’m making waffles you might want to get dressed. Borrow one of my T-shirts and scrub pants for now. We can wash your clothes while we eat.”

“Wow. A practical man.” She looked up at the ceiling. “Nope. Sky’s still up there.”

She didn’t appreciate it one little bit when he shoved her out of the bathroom and closed the door. She settled on the bed and waited for him to come out. When he did, she hopped up and brushed past him to head back into the bathroom.

“What you doing?”

“I’m skuzzy and gooey and I want to shower.”

His dark brows rose as he leered at her. “You… Hot water… Soap bubbles… I’m in!”

She held up her hand when he tried to push past her into the shower. “I thought you were going to make me waffles.” He whimpered and made puppy-dog eyes at her. She rolled her eyes and sighed, secretly delighted that he wanted to hop in the shower with her. “Fine, but that means you’re adding chocolate chips to my waffles, got it?”

His answer was to reach around her and turn on the water. “There’s something I’m interested in other than waffles.”

From the way his cock was bouncing she could guess what it was he wanted. “Really?” She reached out and grabbed hold of him, loving the soft hiss that escaped his lips. “I can’t imagine what that might be.”

He brushed his fingers across her mating mark. “I think you can guess.” Julian turned off the water and led her back to the bed.

“What do you have in mind?” She didn’t mind the thought of one more round before she ate. Hell, the way Julian was eyeing her she bet she was the only thing on his menu.

He lay down and tugged her on top of him. “Turn around. I want a taste.”

Oh, hell. Yeah, she could go for that. She wiggled around until his cock was right before her, swallowing him down. He grabbed hold of her hips, pulling her in to position. At the first swipe of his tongue, she gasped. It was almost too much to bear, warm and wet and perfect. He licked at her clit like she was the best thing he’d ever tasted, driving her insane with need. She moaned around him, the sensations rocketing through her. She’d never had a man taste her the way he did.

God, he was good. She was on the verge of coming and they’d barely started.

Something nudged at her opening and she spread her legs wider. His beautiful, talented tongue began fucking into her, his fingers rubbing her clit.

Cyn couldn’t take much more. Damn, she needed, almost as badly as she had last night. But there was something missing, something that would take it that extra step from really good to incredible. She sucked on the tip of his cock, stroking the head with her tongue, trying to figure out what that special something was.

She pushed her hair out of the way, accidentally hitting the mating mark. Thatwas what she wanted, what had been missing. She needed him to stroke her there, to bite her, and sink his fangs into her until she screamed.

She pulled away from him and turned, sinking down on his cock in one smooth motion.

“Cyn?” He was breathless, his pupils dilated, his irises pure silver.

She leaned over him and grabbed the headboard.

“Now what?” He grabbed hold of her ass, thrusting into her hard enough to raise her up.

She smiled and stroked the mark at her neck, shivering as the sensation quivered down her body right to her clit. “Fuck me.”

His gaze went right to the mark, his expression one of conquest and need. He licked his lips, his fangs descending. “I’m going to bite you again.”

She hoped the fuck so. In fact, she was counting on it. She tightened her muscles around him, groaning with him as his cock jumped inside her. He dragged her head down, tilting her to the side.

Oh yeah. Bite me, Jules.She rocked on him, anticipating the feel of his teeth against her skin.

Instead, he licked the mark.

Oh. Shit.She nearly came then and there. It was like he was fucking her and licking her at the same time. Over and over he licked that goddamn mark, driving her closer and closer to the edge. She began to ride him hard, the sound of skin slapping against skin loud in the quiet room.

“Wait.”

She whimpered. He wanted to wait? She was this close!

He rolled them over, spooning against her. He lifted her leg and slid back inside, his mouth fastened to her neck, his tongue working over the mark.

She moaned, coming before he’d gone two strokes, the orgasm washing through her in a tidal wave.

“Good. So good.” He sucked on the mark again, the feel of his teeth scraping her skin bringing her right back to the brink. “Come again for me.”

He rolled them again, this time putting her on her stomach. He entered her again, fucking her hard and fast, his mouth pure magic against the mark, pinning her down. Not that she wanted to go anywhere. The man was a fucking god.

His hands were everywhere, stroking her skin, pushing her hair aside, wrapping around her to cup her breasts. Her nipples were hard little points against his palms, twisted and pleasured until they ached. She threw her head back, forced to take what he gave her, unable to gain the leverage she needed to thrust back into him.

He was taking her and making her love it.

The combination of his hands on her breasts and his mouth at her neck was just too much. She whimpered as her orgasm crested, the electric slide of his skin against hers dragging her under once more.

“Fuck, yes, Cyn. More. Give me more.”

He began doing something, rotating his hips or some weird shit, kissing and licking the nape of her neck to her unmarked shoulder. He tasted her skin, whispered naughty things in her ear, insistent things that made her blush, that had her writhing under his hold, desperate to feel that intense pleasure only Julian seemed able to give her. She’d never look at him the same way again. Her loveable, geeky boyfriend had morphed into a conquering barbarian, demanding she surrender once more. She was surrounded by him, part of him. Owned by him, by her consent.

From what he’d told her, she owned him too, so maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing.

“Going to come, Cyn. Going to make you come with me, come so hard.” His teeth sank in, breaking the skin. Cyn screamed out a pleasure so intense her vision turned black, her breath catching in her lungs. Her whole body seized, her toes curled. Her fingers scrabbled for purchase in the sheets. He grunted behind her, warmth flooding into her as he came, her name a broken, reverent whisper.

Chapter Thirteen

“So, how did it go last night?”

Cyn propped her chin on her hand and sighed dreamily. “He makes the best waffles.”

“So…you guys made waffles last night?” Glory tilted her head, her expression turning sweetly innocent. “Did he get butter in all the nooks and crannies? Did he heat your syrup just right? Did you order some sausage on the side?”

Tabby began to giggle. “Do you think he toasted her muffin before he ate it?”

“I hate you guys.” But even their stupid banter couldn’t wipe the stupid smile from her face. Julian had been everything she’d ever hoped for and more, but no way was she sharing that with these morons.

Glory squealed and clapped her hands. “He did! He did toast her muffin.” She leaned across the counter until she was nose to nose with Cyn and gave a wide, toothy grin. “Deets, please!”

Cyn snorted and pushed Glory’s face away. “Get your own Bear. Oh, wait…”

“Aw, come on. Just one little tidbit of information? Please?” Glory batted her baby blues, but Cyn was immune to her ways.

“Fine. He has a really…”

“Uh-huh…”

“Big…”

“Uh-huh, uh-huh!” Glory’s eyes had gone so wide Cyn thought they might pop out of her head.

“Toaster.”

Glory blinked, trying to make something dirty out of that in her head, no doubt.

Cyn held her hands about a foot apart. “Seriously, he’s got one of those big industrial suckers that can do, like, six bagels at a time.”

Tabby’s giggles turned into outright laughter as Glory growled at Cyn.

“You should see his kitchen. It’s like Martha Stewart’s wet dream. Emeril would walk in and say ‘Dayum’.”

Glory glared at her, but Cyn could tell she wasn’t really angry. The corners of her lips kept twitching upward, a sure sign she was holding back a laugh. “Did you do it on the counter?”

“No.” Although that was something she wouldn’t mind testing out at some point. Did Julian like the thought of sex in the kitchen? She’d have to ask him when she saw him later. Some of those counter-height stools would be perfect for—

“Then why do you think I care about his kitchen?”

“You guys are the ones that brought up muffins.” Cyn shrugged and yawned. She was still tired after her ordeal in the spirit world and the incredible sex she’d had. Maybe she should’ve listened to Julian and just stayed home today, but she’d been too worried about leaving the girls alone. What if whoever was trying to hurt them came back and Cyn wasn’t there? She had to be there to protect them whether they liked it or not.

The door to the shop opened, the bell tinkling merrily. Cyn stood up straight and grinned at their customer. She recognized him as the college kid who’d come into the shop to get a tattoo of a wolf a few months before. Little had he known that it had been a picture of Gary, Tabby’s stalker, in his Wolf form. Tabby had talked Tim into getting a different tattoo, and they’d formed a friendship that day. This was his third trip into the shop, probably to get the tattoo touched up again. “Hey, Tim. Come back for some color on that dragon of yours?”

Tim grinned and shrugged, his cheeks flushing bright red. Really, he was just too adorable. “No, I like it just in black. I think it’s perfect. But I wasthinking of getting something on my other arm.” He was staring at Tabby with something akin to hero worship.

Tabby smiled gently and took Tim by the arm, leading him over to the flash books. “Why don’t we take a look and see what you’d like?” She settled him on one of the chairs by the window. “Do you want something to drink?”

“Can I have some water, please?” Tim shot her a bashful grin, and Cyn prayed Alex didn’t come back too soon with lunch. If he got even a whiff that someone else was sniffing after his mate he’d go ballistic on the poor boy.

Tabby headed into the back room to get Tim’s water. Glory wandered over to see what tattoo Tim was thinking of getting. She started to bend over the book, her long blue hair obscuring her face. Suddenly there was the sound of shattering glass and she was thrown back. Tim hunched over the book and fell to his knees, his arms covering his head.

Cyn smelled blood.

Without even having to think she raced over to Glory and threw herself on top of her. She glanced over at Tim to find him looking back at her, his face filled with horror and glass glittering in his hair. The window behind him was shattered.

“I think she’s hit.”

She looked down at Glory and saw that she’d passed out. Blood poured from a wound in her chest, soaking the bright paisley of her shirt.

“Holy shit.” Tabby crawled over to them, her face pale. “Tell me somebody didn’t just shoot one of us.”

“Call an ambulance.” Tim crawled over to them and pulled off his T-shirt. He pulled up Glory’s paisley shirt and mopped up some of the blood. “I’m pre-med. I have to do something.”

“Call Julian.” Tabby, hands shaking, drew out her cell phone.

Cyn couldn’t speak. She could barely breathe. Someone had tried to kill Glory right in front of her and she hadn’t been able to stop him. She hadn’t been able to protect her friend.

“Cyn!” Tabby’s sharp voice almost cut through the haze of rage surrounding her.

“Holy fuck, what are you?” Tim was staring at her, his eyes wide and filled with fear, but the T-shirt remained right where it was.

“Stop it, Cyn, for Glory’s sake. She needs you calm and in control.”

Cyn managed to pull her gaze from Glory’s wound and met Tabby’s. Golden Wolf eyes stared back at her. There was a spot of blood on Tabby’s cheek, and her eyes were filled with tears.

Tabby smiled weakly. “You’re claws are showing.”

She looked down to find six-inch black claws sprouting from where her nails should be. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself, but all that did was intensify the scent of blood until it filled her head.

“I’m calling an ambulance. You have to calm down, Cyn.”

“Yeah. Please calm down, you’re scaring the straights.” Tim’s voice shook, but once again, his focus seemed to be on Glory’s wound and not Cyn’s freakiness.

Cyn tried to will her claws away, but something fought her, something that desperately wanted to come out, find the being that had hurt her friend, and beat it to death with its own arms. It wanted to roar out her rage and her grief until the very building shook.

She heard Tabby speaking on the phone. The ambulance was on its way, but the information didn’t help. She had to do something.

She reached up and placed her hand on the bloody T-shirt, almost crying out at how soaked it already was. Blood was bubbling from Glory’s lips as she breathed. That couldn’t be a good thing. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm herself down. If she was going to try this, she couldn’t be in a killing rage.

If her Bear was already with her enough to sprout claws, then he was with her enough to help her heal.

Cyn closed her eyes and mentally reached for the presence she could feel in the back of her mind. It wrapped itself around her like a furry, loving blanket, a living hug inside her head. She’d never be alone again, would always have someone who believed in her. Her Bear understood her in ways no one else did or ever would, not even her mate. It loved and accepted her anyway, and Cyn could do no less. She opened her heart to her Bear, joining them together forever.

Once her Bear understood what it was she wanted, it eagerly showed her the spiraling, healing path she’d need to take. It wanted to save Glory too, and lent her its strength. The power trickled forth from her palms and into Glory’s wound.

It wouldn’t be enough to heal Glory. But she didn’t need to. All she had to do was keep Glory alive long enough for either Julian or the ambulance to arrive. She wasn’t certain why she didn’t have Super Bear’s healing powers, but she couldn’t take the time to question it now. She could feel her strength waning almost immediately and prayed they’d arrive quickly.

The world around her was quickly graying, her vision darkening at the edges. When the paramedics finally arrived they pushed her out of the way, quickly assessing the damage to Glory’s chest. IVs went in and bandages were wrapped around the wound. Cyn knew something was wrong with Glory’s lung, and it scared her. Alex arrived just as they strapped her onto the gurney and wheeled her out to the ambulance.

“What the fuck happened?” His hazel eyes had gone dark brown. He rushed to Tabby’s side, checking her over for wounds.

Cyn scooted back, uncaring that she was in broken glass. Her hands and arms were covered in Glory’s blood and she was so dizzy she was afraid she would pass out at any moment. She’d never been so tired in her life. “Someone took a shot at us and hit Glory.”

“No offense, but I think I’ll skip the tattoo today.” Tim was pale. He watched Alex check Tabby over with a pained expression. The poor kid had it bad.

She tilted her head and tried to smile at Tim. “You okay?”

His answering laugh was shaky. “Oh yeah. I’m peachy. What the hell is with the claws, by the way?”

“He saw your claws?” Alex muttered under his breath. “And I thought I had control problems.”

She flipped him the bird. “Do you really want to know the answer to that, Tim?”

He nodded slowly. “I think I do.”

She looked up to make sure that they were alone in the shop. “Okay, but don’t ever say I didn’t warn you.”

He blew out a shaky breath. “Just tell me.”

“Fine.”

“Cyn.” Alex shot her a warning glance, but what was she supposed to do? Tim had seen her claws, and she doubted he’d buy a bad manicure story.

“Do you believe in werewolves? I mean, I’m not one of them, but do you believe in them?”

“Shit.” Alex sighed and hugged Tabby close. “I hope you know what you’ve just done.”

“Werewolves, huh?” Tim stared at Alex and bit his lip, pondering God only knew what. He then looked down at Cyn’s hands, his expression distracted. “I do now.”

Julian raced to the hospital corridors, his only thought to see his mate. Was she all right? Had she been hit?

Someone had shot at Cyn.

He could have lost her.

Those two thoughts kept cycling around in his head. She could have died. As it was, Glory was in critical condition, the bullet having pierced one of her lungs. Ryan had raced ahead of him, desperate to get to his mate. If Glory died, Ryan would follow her. Despite the fact that they hadn’t shared mating marks, Ryan had somehow already linked their life forces. Julian had never seen anything like it. Ryan had known even before the phone call came in that Glory was badly hurt. He’d been pounding on Julian’s door, frantic, as Julian’s cell phone rang. When Cyn told him what had happened he’d been equally worried.

Ryan had come for him rather than going straight for the hospital. He’d made it clear that he hoped Julian would be able to save Glory when the doctors might not be able to. Julian was more than willing to try. As frustrating as it was to watch her yank Ryan’s chain, Julian would do anything to save his mate’s best friend. Ryan had taken off in a cloud of burning rubber when Julian had taken too long to get dressed. Julian, watching the Grizzly peel away, had actually been glad he wasn’t in the car with him. He didn’t have a death wish.

He skidded around the corner into the ICU nurse’s station. “I’m looking for Glory Walsh.”

“Are you family?” Julian shook his head no. “I’m sorry, sir, no one’s allowed in unless they’re family. You’ll have to go to the waiting room.”

He ground his teeth together. “Is Ryan Williams here?”

The woman gulped. “I’m afraid we had to have him escorted out. He was far too disruptive.”

Oh, shit. They had no idea what they’d done. They were lucky they didn’t have a rampaging Grizzly in the parking lot.

“You understand you just kicked out her fiancé. He had every right to be here.”

The two nurses exchanged a worried glance. “He didn’t tell us he was her fiancé.”

“I’ll go find him and bring him back. I’ll do my best to keep him calm, but I’m sure you can understand why he was upset.” If he didn’t get to Ryan soon he had no idea what the Grizzly would do.

He’d also have to figure out a way to get into Glory’s room. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Jamie Howard’s personal number. He sniffed the air as discreetly as he could, hoping to catch Ryan’s scent. He followed it to the elevator and stepped in just as Jamie picked up.

“Hey, Julian. How’s Glory?”

“They won’t let me in to see her.” He’d called Jamie on the way to the hospital to inform him of what had happened and that he wouldn’t be in the office for a day or two. Jamie had told him to stay at the hospital until Glory was out of the woods. “Worse, they kicked Ryan out for being disruptive.”

“Shit. Let me make a few phone calls. I’ll get you in to see Glory, you keep Ryan calm.”

“I’m tracking him down now. I haven’t seen Tabby or Alex yet, and I haven’t found Cyn.” He ran his fingers through his hair. There were just so many things to worry about; it was starting to give him a headache. “I wonder if anyone has called Glory’s parents.”

“You concentrate on Ryan and Glory. Let Alex protect Cyn and Tabby.”

He stepped out of the elevator and followed Ryan’s scent out of the hospital. “Not good enough. I need to find out if Cyn is hurt.”

“She would’ve called and told you if you she was.”

Julian stopped and pulled the ear from his phone, staring at it in disbelief. “You don’t know her very well, do you?” He put the phone back to his ear in time to hear Jamie chuckle. “Her fucking jaw was broken and she didn’t call me because she didn’t want me to be bothered about it.”

“Point taken.”

Julian sniffed again and began walking toward the parking lot. He wasn’t catching a lot of rage in Ryan’s scent. It could simply be the hospital smells of worry, despair and sickness, but what he wascatching off of Ryan was a strange calmness. That concerned him more than any amount of rage would have. “I think we have a problem.”