Mary and the Bear (18 page)

Shannon rolled her eyes. “I do, but my brother's there right now. I came here for some peace and quiet."

Kiesha turned to her in surprise. “From the little Alex said, I got the impression you and your brother weren't on speaking terms."

"It's a long and complicated story. I'd rather hear about Mary Elizabeth. I gather you changed your mind about Hugh? You're positively glowing."

Mary Elizabeth sputtered in surprise, causing Kiesha to turn and examine her closely. “You know, now that you mention it, there is something different about her.” She sniffed the air around Mary Elizabeth. “You even smell different. Are you wearing a different perfume?"

"Would you quit smelling me! That's just freaky, the way you people do that."

Shannon shook her head. “That's not perfume you're smelling. That's Hugh. His scent is all over her."

Kiesha looked at Mary Elizabeth and smiled as she began to fidget under the weight of their combined stare. “Do tell,” she smiled wickedly. “You have anything you want to tell us?"

Mary Elizabeth shoved her bangs out of her face and wondered if she could get past them and into her office. Knowing them, they'd follow her and then she'd be trapped. Damn, they were nosey. Couldn't a woman satisfy a few needs without everyone knowing about it? Damned wolf senses!

"If you must know, Hugh and I have been seeing each other a bit."

Shannon snorted in disbelief. “Yeah, try telling that to someone who doesn't know any better. You've been doing more than seeing him ‘a bit.’ The man put his mark on you."

Kiesha squealed and hugged Mary Elizabeth. “Oh, I'm so happy for you. Now I know you'll be staying. Wait until I tell Alex."

Mary Elizabeth pushed Kiesha away. “Tell Alex what? And what do you mean, ‘now you know I'll be staying'? I had no intentions of leaving.” Turning to Shannon, she said, “And what the hell are you talking about, ‘he put his mark on me'? Hugh's not a werewolf. I haven't been
marked
by anyone."

Kiesha immediately sobered. She and Shannon exchanged a look that spoke volumes, before turning back to Mary Elizabeth. “Sweetie, he's not a werewolf, but he is a shifter. Didn't he tell you?"

"What do you mean he's a shifter? If he's not a werewolf, what else is there that he could be?"

Shannon piped in. “I don't really know the man, but from his scent, I'd say he was a were-bear."

"
A bear! There are bears?
No one said anything about bears."

Kiesha frowned at her, obviously thinking back. “Well, no. But I did tell you there were other shifters here besides Alex."

"I thought you meant there were other werewolves! No one said ANYTHING about there being other types of shifters. Just how many others are there?"

Shannon started counting them off. “Well, there's Rome, the sheriff. He's some type of cat. Fatima, the woman who owns the health food store, she's a fox. And of course, there's Hugh. He's a bear. That's all I personally know about, but then I'm new. If you really want to know, you'd have to ask somebody like Alex, or Hugh."

Kiesha brought the conversation back to the main issue. “I take it Hugh didn't tell you what he was before he mated you?"

"Stop saying that! I am
not
mated. This is just an affair. We agreed. I won't allow it to be more.” Mary Elizabeth was ready to pull her hair out.

Shannon said under her breath, “Damned sneaky bear."

Kiesha nodded in agreement. “So he hasn't bitten you on the tendon where your neck and shoulder join?"

Mary Elizabeth's hand flew to that spot instinctively, as though trying to hide the evidence, forgetting that her shirt covered the mark on her neck. Her movement only gave her away and she knew it.

Kiesha patted her on the shoulder sympathetically. “Don't worry. There's still hope. According to Alex, the mating bond isn't complete until you mark him in return. As long as you didn't bite him like he bit you, it should be okay. If you really don't want him, though, you'll have to stay away from him from now on."

Mary Elizabeth looked at Kiesha in despair as memories of last night exploded in her mind. She'd marked Hugh. Not once, but several times. What the hell was she going to do now?

Correctly interpreting the look on her face, Shannon asked, “I take it by the look on your face that it's too late? You've already marked him?"

Mary Elizabeth nodded. “Last night, but I didn't know what I was doing, I swear. What am I going to do?"

Kiesha turned to Shannon. “I'm new to this whole mating business. Does it count if she didn't know what she was doing? Is there any way out of it? Any kind of loophole?"

Shannon shook her head, and Mary Elizabeth knew she was not going to be happy with what she was about to say. “They are well and truly mated now. If this was just a regular mating there might be a way, but I've got a feeling from the way they react toward each other that she's his One. Even if there were a way, he'd never let her go now. They are as good as married. There's no divorce in our world. Mates stay mates until the day they die."

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Kiesha reached out and caught her by the arm. “Mary Elizabeth, calm down. Don't do anything rash. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that the Creator doesn't make any mistakes when it comes to true mates. I think if you just give yourself some time to get used to the idea, you'll find out that everything is okay. Believe me, I know how you feel. I wasn't any more accepting of this when Alex told me about it than you are right now. I think when you have a chance to get over the shock, you'll find that Hugh really is the perfect man for you—your soul mate. That's how it was for me with Alex. You just need time to adjust your thinking."

She pulled her arm away and went back to pacing, throwing her hands up in the air in frustration. “And when am I suppose to find time to do that? The man is practically living in my apartment. He knew I only wanted an affair. I was very clear about that. I told the man I couldn't handle anything more serious."

"He's just waiting you out. Bears are very intelligent and cunning creatures. He knew if he hung around long enough, the mating fever would take over and before you knew it, the mate bond would have you both. Once the mating fever kicks in, the only way to stop things is for one of you to die before the bond can be completed.” Shannon continued, “I could tell at the party that the two of you were in the grip of the mating fever. I didn't know at the time that you had no idea what Hugh was. He should have at least told you that much about himself."

"He probably thought that at best she wouldn't believe him or at the worst, the information would scare her away. I'm sure neither option appealed to him. He still should have told Mary Elizabeth. That's men for you. There's a lot I wouldn't have known until it was too late if Carol hadn't told me about it first. People in love do some strange things when that love is threatened."

Mary Elizabeth held her hands up protectively in front of herself. “Whoa, back the horse up. No one said anything about love."

Shannon and Kiesha both looked at her like she was stupid. “What do you think we've been talking about? The mate bond is synonymous with love. It's love in its highest form. He may not have said the words to you but you can't tell me he hasn't been showing you how he feels about you. Based on my experience with Alex, I have no doubt that it's love, and not sex that's motivating everything that Hugh does for you."

Mary Elizabeth thought over everything Hugh had done. The way he fed her and took care of her. The way he was concerned about her safety and did what was best for her, even when it meant denying himself something he really wanted. She'd been in denial. The man was in love with her. His love showed through every word he said and every action he took.

Suddenly she was overwhelmed. This was just one truth too many for her mind to handle. She needed to get out of her. Shoulders hunched protectively, she told Kiesha, “I've got to go. I need to think. My mind's about to burst. I know this is short notice but I need to take off a few days. Go somewhere where I can get my head together. I need space. I'm suffocating.” She turned to walk out of the door, breathing like someone having an asthma attack.

Kiesha grabbed her by the shoulders. “Wait! Don't leave. At least, not yet. I agree that you need time to think and you won't be able to do that here with Hugh, but you can't just run off willy-nilly. You need a plan. Where will you go?"

"Go? I don't know. Just away. I need to get away from here."

"I understand. Listen to me. I have an idea. You can get the space you need and take care of business at the same time. This is something I was going to have you to do anyway, so you might as well do it now. Go around to all the neighboring towns and check out their thrift stores. Find out what's selling and what's not. We need an idea of what the people around here like so we don't stock the store with a bunch of useless merchandise. I'll give you the business credit card and you can charge your gas, lodging and meals on me. This way you can kill two birds with one stone. Get a jump on business while taking time to get your head together, okay?"

Mary Elizabeth didn't hesitate. She took the lifeline Kiesha offered her with both hands. “Deal. I'll leave as soon as you give me the card. I won't even go home to pack. I'll buy what I need while I'm out. I can't face Hugh right now."

"I understand. Do what you have to do. I'll go get the card. You wouldn't have been able to do much here anyway. Now that the computers have arrived, there isn't much we can do with them until Shayla comes to set up the systems. This is the perfect time for you to be away.” She turned to go and get the card.

While she was gone, Shannon said to Mary Elizabeth, “I can't say I know how you feel but I've heard about true mates all of my life. One thing I know, no matter how things start, they always end up being the most dedicated, committed and loving relationships anyone has ever seen. It's what all shifters pray for, that they might find their One—the only one they can truly be happy with. You take this time you need to think about things but know this, now that Hugh has found you, he'll never let you go. He can't. You hold his heart in your hands. Be careful what you do with it."

Mary Elizabeth nodded, indicating that she understood. Kiesha returned and handed her the card. “Be careful and stay safe. What do you want me to tell Hugh when he comes looking for you?"

"Just tell him that I needed time to think, and not to call my cell phone. I'll have it off unless I need to make a call."

"Okay, I'll do that. You make sure you check in every day with me or I'll tell him how to track you down."

Mary Elizabeth shuddered, knowing Kiesha meant what she said. He'd do it, too, and drag her back to Refuge, kicking and screaming. “I will. I'll call and tell you where I am and what I've found.” She gave Kiesha a hug and turned and walked out of the store.

Watching her drive off, Kiesha asked Shannon, “What do you think?"

"I think Hugh is going to have a shit fit when he finds out she's gone. I wouldn't want to be around when that happens. Although, it's no less than he deserves for not being honest with her."

Kiesha agreed. “That's exactly how I feel about it."

They shared a look that women have shared throughout the ages. One of sisterhood and camaraderie, steeped in the knowledge that sometimes women had to stand together just to be able to hold their own against the men in their lives.

If it hadn't been for her getting sick that night, she would never have let him close enough for a relationship to develop. She'd spent the last couple of years keeping men at arm's length. She knew exactly what to do to keep men away. This last week had been a delicate dance of pushing inside her boundaries yet giving her space to be free. Although he was living with her, he allowed her to believe that he was simply a nightly visitor.

Unnoticed by her, they'd already fallen into a routine. Each morning they ate breakfast together before she left for work. After work, she had time to herself to unwind and enjoy her privacy. He'd noticed that his mate was a very private person and needed plenty of personal space. His working evenings allowed her the time she needed alone to recharge her batteries.

When she was ready for company, she came down to the diner and sought him out. He gave her the excuse she needed by providing food for her to eat. In reality, she came down because she wanted to be with him as much as he wanted to be with her, and not for the free meal. He knew it was the truth because any woman that loved to cook as much as Mary Elizabeth did would never have turned over all the cooking to him. That she had was simply her mind's way of giving her a valid reason to do what her heart wanted to do. She wasn't ready to admit to herself that she loved him.

She definitely wasn't ready to hear that he loved her. In her mind, love had to be earned. She didn't consider herself worthy of being loved. It's a lesson she learned from her parents when she'd had to earn her place in their affections. She wasn't taught that she was lovable just as she was. The message she drilled into her since early childhood was that the beautiful people were given love, everyone else had to earn theirs. She didn't see her own beauty. Not only was she beautiful on the outside, more importantly, she was beautiful on the inside. Her inner beauty radiated out of her like sunshine, visible for all to see.

There was so much he needed to tell her that she wasn't ready to hear. She still had no idea that he was a shifter. She had no inkling that they were mated, which in his world was more binding than marriage and more permanent than death. She thought she was involved in an affair, something that could be ended at any moment.

Somehow he was going to have to find a way to force her to face her feelings. She needed to know that what they had was forever, but he had to get the timing just right. If he confronted her before she was ready, she'd run. He'd rather face her temper than have her run from him in a panic.

"Hey, Hugh. Where's your lady? Shouldn't she be here by now?"

Hugh looked at the clock. It was way past the time when Mary Elizabeth usually joined him. “Yeah, she should. Maybe she took a nap. I'll give it another hour before I call her,” he told Ralph, his other cook.

Business picked up in the diner and before he knew it, another two hours had passed. Realizing she still hadn't arrived, he fixed a “to go” dinner to take to her. “I'm taking a break. I'll be back in an hour."

"Okay, boss."

He went out the back door and started up the stairs. He was halfway to the door before he realized her truck wasn't in the parking lot.

Stopping, he turned and started back down the stairs. Surely she wasn't still at work. It was after eight o'clock. She should have been home hours ago. He crossed over to the Hummer, put her food on the passenger seat and drove the few short blocks to the store. Mary Elizabeth usually parked in front. There was no sign of her vehicle and the store was locked up tight. All of the lights were off inside.

He sat in the vehicle, trying to think of where she could be. She was still new in town and didn't know too many people. That left Kiesha, Mary Elizabeth's best friend and the reason she was here. He backed out of the parking space and made a u-turn in the middle of the street. He was going to find the one person who would know where his mate was.