Husband Fur Hire (Bears Fur Hire Book 1) (17 page)

Ian opened his eyes to the pitch blackness. He blinked rapidly a couple of times, trying to remember where he was. The bed was as unfamiliar as the room, and as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, everything that had happened yesterday crashed over him like stormy ocean waves.

Elyse had forgiven him for hiding the truth, but he would have to work to earn her trust back. Tonight, he was sleeping in the guest room in an effort to give her space to process all he’d kept from her. It had taken him forever to fall asleep, and apparently he was still restless without his mate in his arms because he was awake again, only—he looked at his watch—two hours after he’d gone to sleep.

The soft clink of metal sounded from the other side of the house near Elyse’s bedroom. Miki let off a low growl. Ian slipped out of bed and padded out of the guest room and through the den, careful to miss the creaky boards.

He hadn’t just woken up restless. Something had his hairs raised on end, and by the time he reached Elyse’s room, he could smell it—the stink of a werewolf. Elyse was lying in bed on her side, facing him, fast asleep and unbothered, but Miki was looking out her bedroom window, his dark lips curled up, exposing a row of needle-sharp puppy teeth. Little brawler.

Ian heard it again. Metal on metal. Mother-fuckin’ Miller was trying to steal from Elyse.

Ian’s rage started in his middle, unfurling like a poison as it filled him. Gritting his teeth, he swallowed down a growl and padded out the front door because it was a silent opener. The air nipped at his bare chest as he slunk silently around the cabin. A figure stood beside the freezer, shoving a small key into the padlock with a muttered curse.

If he hadn’t recognized Miller’s voice, he sure as shit would’ve recognized the pungent aroma of unwashed body and wet dog.

Ian leaned against the log wall. “Your little thief key don’t work anymore, McCall.”

Miller started and spun, his eyes blazing white. “S-Silver.” He cocked his head and straightened his spine from the defensive crouch he’d sunk into. A deep frown making him even uglier, he asked, “What the fuck are you doing here?”

Inside, Miki went mad, barking in a much deeper voice than the pup had ever used before.

Ian offered him a dead smile. “My territory now. I’d suggest you get the fuck off it before I rip your throat through that hideous mouth-hole of yours.”

“Your territory.” Miller took a step back and leaned on the padlocked deep freeze he’d been trying to rob. He slid a slit-eyed gaze to Elyse’s bedroom window, then back to Ian. “Your territory? I think you’re lost. See, this is wolf territory, along with that pretty little bitch inside.”

Ian didn’t hide the snarl in his throat now. Miller should see his death coming. “She chose me.”

“Bull—”

Ian lunged, grabbed the back of his head, and slammed it against the edge of the freezer so fast Miller couldn’t even finish the curse. He shoved his bowed body onto the dirt and gritted out, “You laid a hand on her today. Choked her, so I heard.”

Miller was crawling away, one hand gripping his forehead as dark streams dripped through his fingers. “She’s marked.”

“By me now. Your shit brother’s mark is covered up, and even if it wasn’t, even if she bore his scar, that wouldn’t make her yours or any other McCall’s, and it wouldn’t justify you stealing her meat.”

“Ian?” Elyse’s voice was high-pitched and scared as she flew around the corner, flashlight beam bouncing across the ground in front of her. When it illuminated Miller, she skidded to a stop, her white nightgown billowing around her knees. “What are you doing here?”

Miller scrambled upward and jammed a finger at Ian. “What’s
he
doing here? Do you know who he is? Do you know what kind of monster you’re fucking, Elyse?”

The flashlight beam shook in Elyse’s hand, but her voice didn’t sound scared at all. It sounded like steel. “The only monster I see here is you. Get off our land.”

“Our land.”

“Yes, our land! You are trespassing on our property, and for what, Miller? To steal from me again? To clean me out because you aren’t man enough to fend for yourself? You’re too lazy to provide for yourself so you have to prey on other people? Well, fuck you. You’re not welcome here, and let’s face it. You never really were.”

“He killed my brother!” Miller screamed. Half of his face was covered in red now, but he was a fast healer. He probably wouldn’t bleed out from the head wound. Pity. “Did you hear me? You’re sleeping with your mate’s murderer, you stupid bitch!”

Elyse’s eyebrows arched primly like she gave exactly zero fucks. “Cole who killed that trapper? Cole who killed that little girl? Cole who cheated on me, stole from me, hurt me, and nearly fucking starved me because he didn’t want to work when he could drain someone who loved him instead? Ian did the world a favor. Your brother was shit. Just. Like. You. Get out of here before my mate kills you.”

Miller rocked back on his heels and looked back and forth between the two of them.

Ian clenched his hands. They tingled to strangle the life out of him, but Clayton hadn’t given the order for Miller, and killing a shifter un-sanctioned was against their laws and would bring punishment on him and Elyse both.

Miller huffed a laugh that echoed through the clearing, followed by an insane giggle that toppled from his lips as he hunched forward. Hands on his knees, he laughed from his belly, louder and louder until the air shook. “You stupid fucks.” Miller spat red, but the crazy smile still lingered on his lips. White eyes, red blood, yellow teeth. “Do you feel that?” Miller inhaled loudly and lowered his voice. “Can you smell it? Winter is almost here, and you,” he murmured, locking his inhuman eyes on Ian, “you’re gonna go to sleep for a long time. I told you I was gonna hunt you slow. I told you I was gonna hurt the people you loved.” He backed toward the woods, step by careful step. “Sleep tight, Silver, ’cause when winter comes, I’ll be hunting your girl.”

“Clayton will put a kill order on you,” Ian warned. All he wanted to do was kill Miller now. Rip him limb from limb. Maul him because Miller didn’t deserve the honorable death he’d given Cole. He didn’t want to wait, but he had to. Clayton gave the orders. Clayton was judge and jury.

“Nah, he won’t get to me in time, and some things are just worth it, you know? Like with you. I told you I’d hunt you and anyone you loved if you killed my brother and what did you fucking do? You tracked him down. Did you think I was joking, Silver? Did you think I was talking to hear myself speak? You aren’t untouchable!” Miller’s voice pitched high and shaky, and he shook his head hard and gripped his hair. “Not untouchable,” he muttered to himself through gritted teeth, slapping the side of his bloody face. Crazy wolf. Miller dragged his narrowed, blazing eyes to Elyse and jammed a finger at her. “I’ll see you soon, pretty bitch.” With one last empty smile, Miller disappeared into the thick grove of trees.

“Ian,” Elyse said in a frightened voice.

“I know,” he said, pacing the tree line.

“Ian!”

“Get inside,” he gritted out, right before he sprinted for the trees.

Waiting on an order from Clayton wasn’t going to work. Ian’s bear was already ripping out of him and seething for Miller’s blood. He’d threatened his mate, and the price for that was death.

Gritting his teeth against the pain, Ian’s bones snapped and his body reshaped and grew. Dark fur shot out of his skin, prickling like millions of needles, and long, curved, black claws replaced his fingernails. Shaking off the last tingles of the Change, he inhaled deeply and bolted through the woods. A long, lone wolf howl lifted and echoed through the night woods, a taunt that urged an answering snarl from himself. He was going to kill Miller. Hang shifter laws, he was a fucking McCall, and he was sinking deep into insanity just like all his ancestors. And now, that crazy sonofabitch’s attention was on Elyse in some twisted game of vengeance. Miller couldn’t live another day to plot and plan against everything that meant anything to Ian. He couldn’t be allowed to hurt his Elyse.

Rage pounded through his blood, urging his heart beat faster, like a pounding war drum. Perfect—because this was war.

Ian pushed himself faster through the woods, around pines and western hemlock, yellow cedar and spruce, across the prickling pine needles that blanketed the floor. The moon was half full above him, peeking through the trees and casting the wilderness in blue rays of light that trickled through the canopy.

Miller’s scent was stronger now, and he dug his claws into the earth, pushing his muscles faster. Ian was at his prime at this time of year. Strapped with muscle and power, not yet affected by the fatigue that would come for him soon.

The sound of a car engine revved. No. Ian pushed himself harder, faster, panting as he charged through the woods behind that crazy wolf.

He could see taillights now, and from the open window of an old beat-up, mud-brown Bronco, Miller’s insane laugh cackled. Miller hit the gas just as Ian swiped the back end, sending the SUV spinning. Ian skidded sideways through the loose dirt and scrabbled for traction behind the Bronco.

Miller was accelerating, getting away as Ian dug his claws in and gave chase. He was fast, but Miller had worn a path through the woods where he’d probably parked to steal from Elyse many times, and he was hitting forty miles per hour, then fifty. Fuck!

The back-end of Millers ride faded in the distance, and then his red taillights disappeared altogether.

Ian skidded to a stop and arched his head back in rage.

And then the woods were filled with the roaring of his bear.

****

Elyse clutched the gun tighter as an enraged roar rattled the woods, raising all the fine hairs on her body along with it. Birds lifted from the trees, the cicadas went quiet, and inside her veins, blood pounded with adrenaline and fear.

She trusted Ian—trusted him with her life. Yes, even after he’d lied about how he’d known Cole, she could still feel his love. He would protect her from Miller’s dark promises.

Her hands trembled badly as she waited by the open front window. Wolf or bear—which one would come back for her?

Please let it be my bear.

But if it was the wolf, she was going to fucking annihilate him.

Movement captured her attention in the dark woods, and she lifted her rifle through the window and put the crosshairs on the form meandering through the trees. Deep breath.
Click
—the safety was off.

A soft grunt sounded from the animal, and a long, frozen puff of breath steamed in front of him. Much too tall to be a wolf, Ian’s bruin bear ambled from the woods.

Click
—the safety was back on, and Elyse lowered her weapon.

Her mate didn’t look injured, but he swung his weight from side to side in agitation. If he hadn’t Changed back, it was because he couldn’t. Perhaps he’d gone too long between shifts, or perhaps he was too close to hibernation to Change back. No, no, no.

Elyse threw the door open and ran to the edge of the stairs.
He won’t hurt me.

“Ian,” she said on a scared breath. He just couldn’t be Changed for the winter season already.

At the muscular hump between his shoulders, the bear was taller than her by a few feet, and even though she knew it was Ian, it was hard to advance on the massive grizzly. He wouldn’t hurt her. He wouldn’t. She was his mate.

Gasping, she stepped down the stairs slowly, hand out, shaking fingers outstretched.

“I love you, I love…you,” she murmured, her voice as meek as a mouse’s.

Ian grunted again and stopped swaying. He averted his dark gaze and angled his head, giving her his neck. She blew out a long, trembling breath as she slowly approached.

If she’d had any lingering doubt he was her bear before now, his ripped ear put her at ease. Still, five feet away, she couldn’t make her legs move forward. She stood there frozen, fingers out, helpless to move toward him any farther.

Ian ghosted her a glance, then lowered his head and took two powerful steps forward, forehead against her middle. She stumbled backward and held onto his big, block head just to stay upright. There was a humming in his throat that filled the air as she slowly rested her cheek on top of his head, near the ripped ear. The nerves left her slowly as they stood there, touching. Animal and human, bonded so deeply that neither one of them could be whole without the other.

Slowly, Ian lifted an intimidating claw and wrapped it gently around her back, then settled back on his haunches and pulled her toward him. She didn’t fight him. Couldn’t. He was hers, and if he wanted to be closer, she understood the instinct. She couldn’t stop stroking his coarse fur. Her thin nightgown wasn’t meant to meet air this cold, but Ian sat up and pulled her against his massive chest as the gown billowed around her legs and her hair lifted in the chilly breeze. Here, in his powerful arms against his heavily furred torso, the chill was banished and her fear along with it. Ian was so big, so powerful and protective, she couldn’t help but feel safe from the rest of the world—Miller included.

Elyse tucked her arms between them and rested her cheek against his chest. His breath was deep and steady, and the drum of his heart beat had slowed to match hers. Neither one of them were scared here in the dark yard of their home.