Big Bad Bear (9 page)

She laughed at his possessiveness. “All right. Then here is where I’ll stay.”

She was rewarded with a long, deep kiss that blanketed her with peace, a full feeling of well-being, and as she snuggled into a comfortable position beside him, she knew this was exactly where she belonged.

T
he next morning
, Zeus looked down at his mate in his arms and felt a surge of protectiveness flow through him.

She was beautiful. More than beautiful, she was incredible. Her silky brown hair was splayed over his pillow and her soft body rested in his arms. Her lashes rested on her cheeks as she let out quiet, peaceful snores. He wanted to just stay there with her, watching her, imagining he’d already told her and they were bound together forever, but he had other things to do.

It had been torture to wait, to hold back and not claim her. His bear had known it was so close; it would have been so easy to just take her right there. He knew if he lost control, if he let himself go inside her, his animal would take over, and he couldn’t let that happen yet. Perhaps he was a coward, but he just wasn’t ready to go over all of that with Carly yet. They had time, right?

Just as the thought passed through his mind, the door to the house opened and slammed closed, and he heard Ares’s heavy footsteps in the living room, smelled Ares’s scent. He crept quietly out of bed, making sure she was still sleeping soundly, and walked out of the bedroom and down the hallway, still wearing his rumpled clothes from yesterday.

Ares was sitting at the counter, looking tired, faint dark circles under his brilliant green eyes. He looked up at Zeus with a wry grin and raised a mug in toast. “To long nights in the woods with criminals.”

Zeus frowned and joined him at the counter. “What happened?”

“They roped me into helping,” he said. “It would have looked bad if your best friend wasn’t up there looking for you too. They aren’t sure where to look now that the woods seem to be clear, but my guess is they’ll regroup and try to come here soon.”

Zeus nodded. He got up and poured himself a cup of coffee and sipped it as he sat next to Ares. Ares sniffed the air and looked at his friend suspiciously.

“What?” Zeus asked, avoiding his gaze.

“You smell different,” Ares said, scenting the air and then laughing and pushing his hair off his forehead. “Nice job.”

Zeus growled. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yeah, you do,” Ares said, grinning and sitting up a little straighter. “Did you claim her?”

“No,” Zeus snapped. “You know it wouldn’t be right. Not with all the things I can’t tell her yet.”

Ares sighed. “Look, man, you know I respect you. But I think you’re going about this thing with Carly the wrong way. You’re going to give her the wrong idea.”

“What do you mean?” Zeus asked.

“You know, doing this kind of thing with a woman, you need to be clear with her on what the end game is. Otherwise, it’s going to be real awkward when this whole thing is over.”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“You know, when the Devils are handled and you two don’t have an excuse to live together anymore,” Ares said, waving a hand. “A woman like that, she’s gonna want some regular commitment, to start dating like an average couple, and you know that’s not how it works for men like us. We don’t do normal,” Ares said.

Zeus nodded. His bear didn’t
want
normal. Didn’t want to let Carly go back to her apartment and her job and let him show up now and then to take her on dates. He wanted to propose to her now, tell her everything about his bear and how much he wanted her, and take her back to his cabin in the woods to live happily ever after.

But if he told her before this was all over, she might end up running or not want him to keep protecting her, knowing he’d been pursuing her from the start. Maybe she’d think he was a stalker or crazy. And all of those things could lead to her leaving his side and not allowing him to protect her.

The thought of Carly captured by the mob, taken from him forever, beaten or bruised or worse, filled his mind and made a low growl rumble from his chest.

“Hey, don’t get mad at me for saying what has to be done,” Ares said, misunderstanding the direction of Zeus’s anger. “I mean, what happens if you don’t tell her?” Ares raised an eyebrow at him. “You just take her back to your cabin and go along with this make-believe game and keep dating her? Meanwhile, she goes along with it in ignorance, not knowing it isn’t what you want at all?”

“You don’t understand,” Zeus said. “I’m going to tell her. I just think it’s best to wait until this thing with the Devils is over and I don’t need her to stay.” Then the only thing at risk if she ran would be his own heart and hopes. And he could handle that, as long as he knew she was safe.

Ares shook his head. “I still think you’re playing with fire, my friend. And I think you’re underestimating Carly’s ability to handle the truth. She’s a big girl. But I guess you’re right. We have other shit to deal with. The Devils are probably regrouping as we speak. They were up all night and are probably still recovering from the bear attack, but they’ll be back soon. And they’ll want Carly.”

“Right,” Zeus said. And he’d never let them take her. He and Ares would just have to put their heads together and hurry and solve the Devils issue once and for all so he could finally take his mate aside and tell her just what she meant to him.

But in the meantime, his bear’s need to reveal itself would have to take a backseat to her safety.

C
arly stayed pressed
against her closed door, heart silently breaking at what she’d heard.

She hadn’t meant to eavesdrop. She’d just wanted to sneak out and surprise Zeus with a hug and kiss while he was eating his breakfast.

Last night had been wonderful, another step in what she thought was a promising relationship. Even though Zeus had never said anything explicitly, she’d always felt a sort of commitment from him. And he didn’t seem like the type of man who would say sweet things to a woman and then just walk away.

But Carly had been abandoned before. She knew how quickly a man could go from whispering sweet nothings in the dark to taking the next ride out of town, leaving her to pick up the broken pieces.

But she’d tried not to think about it with Zeus, tried to be open to something new and trust he wouldn’t hurt her.

Perhaps it was all her fault for getting her hopes up again. For seeing forever in a man’s eyes when he only saw today.

But his conversation with Ares had been more than clear. He’d admitted to Ares he couldn’t just go on dating normally after this was over, that men like that didn’t do “normal.”

He meant military men, she supposed. Men who fought and lived a rough life alone. It made sense. Zeus had lived solitary in those woods for so long. What made her think he would want company now?

And Ares had called him on the fact that if they kept going as they were, they’d be living a lie. That Zeus would be continuing things with her just because he was afraid to cut them off. The picture Ares had painted of an ignorant life with Zeus at his cabin was Carly’s worst nightmare.

She wasn’t angry with Ares, though. Someone had to say something. At least now she knew what she’d never had the courage to ask Zeus. Where this was going. Apparently, it was going nowhere, and he didn’t want to tell her that until he had to.

Right now, he could have his cake and eat it too. Keep her there trusting him, knowing she didn’t have a choice with the Red Devils hunting her, and then tell her at the end, when things would be at a natural close.

Why had she assumed when he’d said he’d always been interested that it meant he wanted a long-term commitment? Why did she keep thinking men would want to settle down and make a home when it was clear there was only one thing they wanted?

Hurt broke through her. The hurt of her ex leaving her with all their debts, which she hadn’t even fully processed. The hurt of Zeus, too afraid to tell her he wasn’t looking to date her normally after all this was over. The hurt of being unwanted once again.

Well, that wasn’t entirely true. Zeus definitely wanted her. She’d seen it in his eyes, in the way he made love to her. For all she knew, when it was over, he’d propose some arrangement where they still got hot and heavy at times but never settled into anything “normal” like a couple would.

After all, men like him didn’t, apparently.

She folded her arms and let the tears stream down her cheeks, trying to gather strength inside her to make her next move. Despite what Zeus thought, she wasn’t an idiot. She wasn’t going to just run out and get captured just because she was angry that things with Zeus weren’t what she thought.

For all she knew, that was all he was capable of. Maybe he cared but just couldn’t do normal relationships.

Maybe that’s why it felt like he was holding out last night. He hadn’t wanted to have sex, had been content to just pleasure her. And it had been hot, if incomplete somehow.

But perhaps that’s why he was holding back. He was probably realizing just how much she was falling in love with him and was trying to let her down easy while still giving her what he thought she wanted.

But she didn’t want Zeus living a lie for her. Didn’t want him spending even another moment lying to her to spare her feelings.

If he knew he didn’t want anything when this was over, then she didn’t either. She’d live. She’d go back to the bar, work off her debt, and try not to think of the sexy man in the mountains who’d blown her world apart in all the right ways. And all the wrong ones.

She swiped tears off her cheeks as she heard footsteps in the hall. Panic swept through her. She wasn’t ready to face him. She walked away from the door and stood with her back to the window, as far from him as possible. When the door slowly opened, she brushed her hair back behind her ears and tried to look calm, as if nothing were bothering her.

She didn’t need to make things more awkward for him.

When Zeus walked in, looking painfully handsome in a loose tee and fitted jeans, his hair freshly combed through with his fingers, his blue eyes looking bright and aware, she almost felt herself falling for him again. She’d never stop wanting him, no matter who he thought he was or how unsuitable he was for commitment.

He saw her face and his expression dropped. She should have known she couldn’t hide her feelings for him. For better or worse, she just wasn’t someone who could play games.

She took a step forward, unsure what to say, then heard a scratching noise above them like something was on the roof. A second later, the ground trembled as something huge dropped down behind her. The window shattered, and she felt something grab her by the back of her shirt and haul her out of the cabin and onto the ground. She saw Zeus running toward her but was quickly grabbed again by the collar and thrown onto the back of a huge animal as it ran for the gate surrounding the home.

She saw Zeus climbing out of the window, yelling for Ares, as the bear scaled the gate and then dropped on the other side, letting her roll off its back just as men came out of the woods and grabbed her by the arms.

She screamed for Zeus as they forced her into an old Jeep and took off.

Z
eus couldn’t believe it
. This whole time, they’d had a bear hiding out on their damn roof. It could climbed up there before Ares had even turned on the perimeter alarm, long before Zeus and Ares had been forced to come back here after the attack at the cabin.

It was a great way to hide out without tripping any cameras, and since neither Zeus nor Ares had known the Devils had a bear shifter in their mix that could scale a roof like that, they’d never have guessed this could happen.

But Zeus didn’t have time to berate himself for all the things he didn’t plan for. He had to get Carly back and run the Red Devils out of town for good so this could never happen again.

He ran across the courtyard after the bear who’d taken Carly, transforming as he went. With a roar, he bounded over the gate just in time to see a Jeep taking off into the forest. He roared again when he saw a bear running behind it, nearly out of sight.

He’d follow that. And just hope Ares knew how and when to show up for support. He didn’t have time for fancy plans or military tactics. Right now he was just a rabid bear chasing the men who had taken his mate. And he was going to kill every last fucking one of them.

He tracked them through the forest, to the main part of town, and out of town, where the paved roads turned to dirt roads. He could see what must be their compound in the distance. Just outside it was the El Diablo bar, the notorious hangout for the Red Devils and their cronies. Beyond that lay a small warehouse surrounded by a sheet metal fence. The fence was closed, and in front of it stood two men, both holding shotguns. 

Zeus’s bear didn’t need weapons or the upper hand. All he needed was four paws, a giant mouth lined with teeth, a thick hide that only the heaviest of bullets could pierce, and a burning rage that would not be quenched until his mate was safe.

Throwing precaution to the wind, Zeus charged up the hill. At first, the two men looked to each other, bewildered at the sight of a gigantic bear running toward them. But bewilderment turned quickly to fear, and both fumbled with the lock of the gate, trying to get inside before he could reach them.

But it was too late. With one swipe, both men went flying to the side. Then Zeus swung his great paw at the fence, ripping into the sheet metal that was little more than paper to his bear. A section of fence toppled to the ground in a cloud of dust, and Zeus ran inside the small compound.

It was little more than a large garage connected to an old office that had probably been the home of a repair shop for semi trucks or something like that long ago. Now, it was the hideout for the Red Devils. And even though yesterday’s fight had probably cut heavily into their numbers, he knew they were inside, waiting for him. He could scent them, each and every one, with his bear’s heightened sense of smell.

He could also scent his mate, her fear. It filled his bear with rage.

The garage had two heavy steel doors that were swung wide open, inviting him in. It was a trap; he knew one when he saw it. But he didn’t care. If it was the only way to save his mate, he’d face fire and death for her.

Zeus approached the garage but saw no one. He stepped inside, could feel eyes watching him, smell just how close they were by their filthy stench. 

A door opened that led onto a high catwalk some twenty feet above the ground that ran around the edges of the interior. In stepped several armed thugs and a large man dressed in a worn vest and a red bandana bearing the Devils’s insignia. He was around the same age as Zeus, but his face was craggy and hardened, with dark, shaggy hair hanging around it. 

The bear shifter. Zeus would bet his life on it.

Dragging behind him, held by one hand, was Carly. She looked terrified, and the sight of Zeus’s bear in the center of the room didn’t seem to bring her any additional peace. Right now, he hated that she didn’t know who he was, that he was here for her.

“So the bear returns for second helpings. Not today,” the man holding Carly called to Zeus, mocking him. From the obvious looks of it, he was the leader, which made sense. Even a weak bear shifter was several times stronger than the hardest of humans. 

As much as Zeus wanted to call the bear shifter out with human words, it was forbidden to speak in shifter form around humans unless they were your mate. So instead of speaking, he let out a long roar that reverberated off the concrete and metal walls of the garage, filling the room. Some of the men cowered, looking shaken.

“I don’t know who you or your friends are, and I don’t care,” the leader said. “This town is mine, and just as soon as we take care of the little lady here,” he said, glaring down at Carly momentarily, “then nobody will be able to stop us.” He paused, then raised his hand and brought it down in a swift motion. “Attack!”

The men in the room fired upon him, and more started pouring in from a small entrance on the other side. Behind him, the large steel door swung closed, barring his escape.

Just as Zeus had suspected, it was a trap. And this time, the Devils were much better prepared to fight a bear. Instead of pistols, they were using military-grade weaponry, probably the kind of weapons they dealt illegally to criminals all around this region. 

But Zeus kept his cool. His bear knew what to do. Moving on instinct, he ducked behind a row of shelves and toolboxes, out of the line of fire. He then made for the entrance at the side where men were coming in, and charged a small Jeep parked at the corner of the garage, ramming it forward with a slam into the door, blocking the entrance.

The few men that had been able to come in on the first floor panicked, and he swiped at them, sending them into walls and crashing through windows.

But above him, the men on the raised second and third story walkways had repositioned and begun to fire on him. Even with their improper training, Zeus could feel the hail of bullets falling around him, several of them hitting him in the side. 

Even with his thick hide and regenerative powers, that kind of firepower was more than he could handle. He ran and ducked behind a truck parked near the back, hoping to buy time.

Zeus was trapped. If he tried to move into the open, they’d have a clear shot at him. With his bear strength, he could easily knock out the support columns of the building and bring it down, but that would be far too dangerous for Carly. And with the main doors closed, there was no way out.

Besides, retreat was never an option anyway.

Zeus huffed and readied to charge at the men coming down onto the first floor just ahead of him, when his bear hearing picked up a sound in the distance, high-pitched and whirring, fast approaching their direction.

In an instant, the heavy steel doors exploded in an inferno of fire and metal, sending the men who were standing in the center of the garage flying backward from the force of it. Even behind the truck, Zeus felt the impact.

From years of combat, he knew what had hit the doors just now.

A rocket launcher.

As the flames cleared in a cloud of gray smoke, Zeus made out a large, black truck zooming up the hill toward them. It stopped abruptly at the entrance to the garage in a cloud of dust that intermingled with the lingering smoke, and Zeus saw Ares jump out of the cab, a gun in both hands and several more strapped on slings around his back. 

But before Ares could even open fire, Zeus heard a loud pop in the distance. Then a millisecond later, he watched as one of the thugs on a raised platform went limp and careened over the railing. It was the sound of a sniper rifle, probably several hundred meters off in the distance.

Ares had brought Hades to the fight as well.

“Yeah, fuckers, you picked the wrong town to mess with,” Ares called out as he fired on the men inside, many of them still dazed by the explosion. With incredible speed and accuracy, Ares emptied an entire magazine of ammunition, dropped the gun without reloading it, and pulled another from his back.

Zeus might have been their commander, but Ares was the pride of the battalion as far as marksmanship and weapons-handling was concerned. He’d been the one to fire the rocket launcher earlier, probably getting in the truck again right after.

With the goons inside taking cover behind crates and toolboxes and whatever they could use to shield themselves from the onslaught of fire, Zeus charged forward and tore through the unsuspecting thugs. In no time at all, they were retreating fully, jumping through windows and crawling for exits as fast as they could. 

Outside, Zeus could hear the sound of motorcycles starting and, soon after, saw men driving away from the garage and heading for the highway that led out of town.

“You find Carly. I’ll call Hades and get his help chasing stragglers. We’ll make sure they get the going away party they deserve,” Ares said, tossing his guns into the back of the pickup and hopping in, making down the road after the fleeing motorcycles.

Zeus nodded and continued to run, knowing the Devils would be out of his way for good, but there was still one man here not ready to stand down, and he still held Zeus’s mate.

“Not a step farther, bear. I know what you’re here for,” Zeus heard the leader call above him, his voice clear in the large garage.

Zeus stopped and looked up to see them both standing on the raised metal walkway. Carly was held tightly by the bear shifter, one arm wrapped around her and the other holding a gun pointed at her.

There was only one man left between him and his mate.

With the fight over, the room was empty, with only the sound of far-off engines and a few lingering flames crackling and slowly dying out to be heard.

“You’ve taken everything from me. My men, my resources. Everything I’ve worked to build for over ten years,” he said, sounding angry and desperate. “So I’m going to take the one thing I know you care about more than anything else in the whole world.” When the man finished, he turned from Zeus to Carly, looking at her with an evil smile.

He was going to claim Carly before Zeus could. Zeus roared in anger at the man.

“Not so fast, bear. Make one move and I’ll kill the girl. I want you to change back so you don’t get any funny ideas about trying to save her,” the man yelled down at him.

Zeus quieted the raging bear inside him and focused. If he was going to get Carly out of this, it was going to take planning and precision, not brawn. 

It took all of his mental fortitude to shift out of his bear and back into his human form, the bear inside still raging and roaring for the man’s blood. And as he shifted, Zeus could see shock and bewilderment in Carly’s eyes.

He hadn’t been planning to tell her this way. But he had no choice. This was his only chance to save her.

“That’s more like it,” the leader said with a sneer. “It’s too bad, really. When we picked her up off the street earlier, I could scent you on her. The same scent I picked up in the mountains when we were looking for you. You came so close to having her, didn’t you?” he mocked, looking smug and running a finger down the side of Carly’s face. She winced and cringed at the man’s touch but kept her eyes on Zeus.

Despite all of this, she still trusted him.

For a split second, the man’s finger left the trigger of the gun as he ominously touched Carly’s cheek, seemingly pleased with himself. Zeus sprang into action, more than a decade of hardened military experience and supernatural shifter reflexes working as one. 

Everything happened in slow motion. He reached for a nearby rifle that had been left on the floor by a fleeing thug, and as he brought the gun to his shoulder, he chambered a round with a swift flick. Above him, he could see the man reacting and pointing the gun down at him. But no matter how fast he was, Zeus was faster. With trained precision and perfect accuracy, he glanced down the sights, took aim, and fired, putting a bullet right through the shifter’s head. 

The lone sound of the shot echoed through the room, and a second later, the leader’s grip on Carly slackened for a moment. Then the gun dropped from his hand and he slumped over to the side. Carly fell to her knees, away from the dead body, and Zeus started for the stairs that led up to his mate.

But out of nowhere, Zeus heard the rusted metal grating that comprised the walkway groan and crack. A moment later, it gave way, dropping out from beneath Carly and sending her careening over the edge, screaming. 

In an instant, Zeus was there beneath her. She fell into his arms with a thud, and for a moment, she just looked at him, eyes wide with confusion.

There was a lot to figure out between them. But for now, she was safe. That was all that mattered.