Bear Necessities (13 page)

Glory
leaned over the counter. “What?”

Tabby
sniffed. “Nope, no drugs or alcohol. That means you’re insane. Ow.” She rubbed
the top of her head. Glory could have bopped her with a little less enthusiasm.
“Glory and Ryan sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g,” she sang.

Glory
stomped her foot and marched into the back room, her back ramrod straight.

Tabby
sighed and grabbed a piece of paper. She was going to wake the two of them up
if it was the last thing she did.

Chapter
Five

“What
the fuck is his problem?” Bunny rubbed the back of his head. Ryan stomped away
from him again, a low growl in his throat. If he didn’t know better, he’d think
Ryan was warning him away from his sister. It was starting to piss him off.
He’d have to do a full hour of meditation or wind up
accidentally
breaking
Ryan in half the next time he tried to smack Bunny.

“I
have no idea.” Julian pulled his long hair back out of his face. “I’m sorry,
there’s nothing more I can do. She
will
wake up, I can guarantee that
much. How she’ll be when she does, I have no idea.”

Uncle
Steve’s hand landed on Julian’s shoulder. “You’ve done more than anyone had the
right to ask. Thank you.”

“You’re
welcome.” He stood and stretched wearily. There were deep circles under
Julian’s eyes, a testament to how much the healing took out of the Spirit Bear.
“I’m going to head out. Being here is difficult for me.”

“Understood.”
Bunny turned to Uncle Steve and Aunt Laura. “I’m leaving too. I’m going to pick
up Tabby at work.” He bent to give Aunt Laura a kiss. “Call me if you need me.”

“We
will.” Uncle Steve pulled him into his arms and gave him a hug. “Call your
parents, let them know you’re heading back to the hotel.”

“Have
you decided yet?”

He
stared at Aunt Laura. “Decided what?”

“If
you’ll be staying here?”

He
nodded. “This is Tabby’s home.” He’d already discussed it with his father. This
area was a great place to expand into and would bring them closer to being a
coast-to-coast company. They might even be able to get Eric down here to take a
look around, if they could get his little brother to leave Oregon.

His
aunt smiled. “I thought so.”

“Does
she know that?”

Bunny
shook his head at Julian. “She will when I take her house hunting.”

Julian
chuckled. “Good luck with that. She’s got a definite idea of where she wants to
live. Hope you’ve got a
lot
of money.”

Bunny
just smiled. He didn’t feel the need to enlighten Julian.

The
two Bears left Chloe’s hospital room. The scent of antiseptics and sickness was
strong in Bunny’s nostrils. The urge to go into each room and do what he could
to ease the suffering of the patients was almost more than he could bear. He
couldn’t begin to imagine how Julian was feeling. “How are you holding up?”

Julian
took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I hate hospitals.” The weary
desolation in his voice told Bunny more than anything else the other man could
have said.

He
nodded and left it at that. They exited the hospital together and headed for
the parking lot. “I’ll tell Tabby to call you. She’ll want to know you’re all
right.”

Julian
held out his hand. Bunny took it. “Take care of her. She needs you more than
she realizes.”

“Thanks.”
He paused. “What do you know about Gary?”

Julian’s
shoulders tensed. “Has that little bastard been bothering her again?”

“He
called Tabby’s cell this morning and asked me if she was cheating on him. Tried
to pass himself off as her boyfriend.”

Julian’s
lips twitched. “What did you do?”

“After
I broke her phone? Listened to what Tabby had to tell me.”

Julian
laughed. “That’s what she meant when she asked us to tell you that you owe her
a new one. She loved that phone.”

“I’ll
buy her one with a different number.” One Gary wouldn’t have. He’d get one that
was unlisted.

“Say
hi to the girls for me.” Julian climbed into his truck, moving like he’d been
beaten.

“Are
you all right?” Tabby would kill him if he let anything happen to her friend.

“Nothing
a little sleep won’t cure.” Julian shut his car door and waved goodbye before
pulling out of the parking lot.

“Right.
Sleep.” Bunny shook his head and climbed onto his bike. “And you have a lovely
bridge to sell me, right?” Julian needed to stay away from hospitals. They made
him look like the walking dead.

Bunny
took off into the night, eager to be with his mate. Rain was coming soon, the
damp scent heavy in the air. He breathed it in and smiled. He loved the way the
air smelled in the fall just before it rained.

He
pulled into the lot behind Living Art and parked next to Tabby’s Jeep. He
covered the Harley with the tarp he kept in his saddlebags. No way was he
letting his baby get soaked. He headed for the front of the store, smiling at
the sight of all the flash in the windows. He’d have to see about getting that
tattoo done before too much longer. The thought of wearing Tabby’s ink on his
body had him drooling.

He
grinned, remembering Tabby’s shower comments on drooling—and the lovemaking
they’d indulged in afterwards—and pulled open the door. The bell over the door
jingled. It had been a long day, both in the hospital and out. He waved hello
to Glory, who was helping some little blonde pick a navel ring. The urge to
just take hold of his mate, breathe in her scent, was overpowering. Bunny
stared around the shop, a tattoo gun the only thing he heard. He frowned up at
the sign over the curtained-off area of the store.
De Nile
had been
drawn in flowing script and tacked up crookedly. “Tabby?”

The
sound of the gun stopped. “At my station, sugar.”

Just
the sound of her voice was enough to soothe him. They were going to have a
nice, long talk about Gary tonight, after he fed her and fucked her senseless.
She wouldn’t be able to hold anything back from him by the time he was done
with her.

He
went into the back of the shop and found his woman. She was finishing up a tattoo
of an elaborate cross on a woman old enough to be his grandmother. “Hey, baby.”

Tabby
grinned up at him. “Hey, Alex.”

Cyn
popped her head into the cubicle. “Hi, Bunny.”

The
woman in the chair looked him up and down and snorted. “Bunny?”

Tabby
shook her head. “Long story, Mrs. H.”

“You a
biker?”

“Yeah,
but not in a gang. The nickname’s from my last name.” He held out his hand to
the woman. “Alexander Bunsun.”

The
woman shook his hand. “Evelyn Hagen. Nice ta meet’cha, Bunny.”

“You
almost done, Tabby?” Cyn crossed her arms over her chest

“Yup.
Just have to finish up the last initial.” She started the gun back up, waiting
for her client to settle back down. “Here we go.”

He
watched her draw the long line of an
H
in the center of the cross. It
looked like a tribute tattoo, the initials
MH
inked in the center of the
cross. “All right, done.” She took the needles off the gun and disposed of them
in the hazardous waste bin under the counter. “You know the drill. Don’t get it
wet, use the creams we give you, yadda, yadda, blah, blah.”

Mrs. H
watched as Tabby carefully slathered something over the tattoo and taped it up.
“Good job.” She grinned over at Cyn. “This one’s a keeper.”

“I
think so, even if she is a smart-ass.” Cyn stuck her tongue out at Tabby. “As
soon as I find the ladder, that sign’s coming down.”

Mrs.
H. cackled. “You’re going to have to explain that one to me.” As Cyn blushed,
the cackle turned into a full-belly laugh. “Oh, with that look on your face
you’re
really
gonna have to tell me.”

Tabby
snapped off the rubber gloves and disposed of them. “Are you done with me for
the night, your majesty?”

Cyn
waved her away. “Get out of here, you pain in the ass.”

Tabby
laughed and got out.

Bunny
followed her to the front of the store. Behind him, he heard Mrs. H. begin to
grill Cyn, but found himself too distracted to listen. Tabby was wearing
another pair of those painted-on jeans and a black lacy top that exposed an
inch of creamy skin just above the waistband of her pants. It had sleeves
halfway down her arms ending in more black lace, and gleaming buttons he wanted
to bite off. Oh yeah, and those fucking boots. She looked like a kick-ass
heroine out of one of his favorite comic books.

If he
didn’t get her out of here, he was going to get arrested for indecent exposure.
He wanted to rip the lace off her body, strip those jeans up and fuck her up
against the wall while she wore nothing but those boots, her nipple ring and a
smile. Bunny’s cock twitched at the thought. If he could just hold on until he
got her back to the hotel room, he’d see to it his fantasy came true.

Glory
was trying to hide her smile behind her hand. “Hey, Bunny.”

“Hi,
Glory.” He wondered what the half guilty, half amused look on her face was all
about. “Hey, what happened here today? Julian told me he and Ryan were here
this morning and for some reason when Ryan came back he smacked me.”

Tabby
choked.

Glory’s
face took on an innocent expression that didn’t fool him for a moment. “I have
no idea. We were talking about the ocean and boats when he showed up. Does he
get seasick?”

Tabby
snickered.

Okay,
something’s going on here.
Ryan had practically bitten his head off more than once today. “Please tell me
you didn’t do something that’s going to make my cousin try to kick my ass.”

Glory
shrugged. “I have no idea what has him upset. Did you say something to him,
Tabby?”

Tabby
shook her finger at Glory. “Keep me out of this, your pixieness.”

He
growled down at Glory, careful to keep the sound human. “What happened? If I’m
going to die, I deserve to know why.”

“Glory
decided to, um… And Ryan walked in while she was…heh.” Was Tabby blushing? “You
know what? You’re better off not knowing.”

Now he
was intrigued. “Glory?”

She
sighed. “Fine.” She tossed her head back. “Oh,
Bunny
,” she moaned. Tabby
leapt toward the counter, but Glory evaded her easily. “Bunny, Bunny,” she
chanted, each one becoming more breathless, until “
Bunny!
”

Now it
was Bunny’s turn to blush. “Yeah, that will do it.” He pinched the bridge of
his nose and tried to figure out how to explain to the little pixie that
moaning another man’s name was a surefire way to get her mate to lose his damn
mind. “Do yourself a favor and don’t do that again, okay? Not unless you want
to find out exactly what Ryan’s capable of where you’re concerned.” Knowing his
cousin, Glory would find herself marked and claimed before she could blink.
“You ready to go, baby?”

“Yup.
Let me grab my purse and we’re out of here.” She glared at Glory. “Behave, your
pixieness.”

Glory
laughed. “Enjoy your boat ride, Tabs.”

Tabby’s
blush deepened.

“Again,
do I want to know?”

Tabby
clamped her lips shut and practically ran out the front door. By this time,
even the tips of her ears were red.

Bunny’s
lips twitched. Hell, with these three around, at least his life would never be
boring.

“Tabby,”
a voice drawled out of the darkness. “Where are you off to, Outcast?”

She
stepped back before she could stop herself. “Gary.” She let her eyes bleed into
her Wolf’s, checking around the darkened street for Gary and his goons.

“I
asked you a question, bitch.”

She
turned so rapidly she almost lost her balance. There, just stepping out of the
alleyway next to the store, were Gary and his buddies. “Leave me alone,
asshole.” She had to get away before these guys went after Alex or worse, Glory
and Cyn. Hell, Mrs. H. was still inside. She didn’t know if they’d go after a
harmless old woman, but Mrs. H. wouldn’t stand by and let someone she liked get
hurt. She’d try to save Tabby and wind up getting savaged.

An arm
slipped around her waist, her mate’s scent filling her senses. “Is there a
problem here?”

Oh
fuck. Alex.
She felt herself tense, ready to defend her mate. “No, no problem.”
Please
go back inside.
A Bear could hold off one Wolf, but a Wolf Pack? He’d be
mangled. She wouldn’t allow Gary to lay a hand on Alex. She’d never forgive
herself if anything happened to her mate.

“No,
no problem,” Gary echoed. He smiled slowly. “Your voice sounds familiar.”

“So
does yours.” Alex’s arm tightened around her waist. “You’re Gary, right?”
Alex’s voice sounded soft and menacing. Shit. He sounded just like he had at
Noah’s that night. The muscles in his arm were tight with tension.

“That’s
right. And you are?”

“Tabby’s
mate.” She could feel his claws against her waist, but didn’t dare look down.
She’d seen Julian’s nails turn black, the tips become deadly sharp. She didn’t
need to see them to know Alex’s were the same way.

Gary
did look. His eyes widened briefly. “Oh.”

One of
Alex’s claws began rhythmically tapping against her stomach. She held perfectly
still, knowing he would never intentionally hurt her. “That’s right. We’re not
going to have any trouble, are we, boys?”