Bear Necessities (27 page)

“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
not
want 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
not
look?

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
not
amused, 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
did
wet 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
he
does.”

“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,
her
blood. 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
plans
for 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?”