Bear Naked
Page 48
Glory loved this place every time she came to visit. She soaked it in, dreaming of the day she’d own her home and the little changes she’d make to give it her personal stamp. The place wore its age well, and Max and Emma clearly loved it almost as much as they loved each other.
“That’s better.” Emma sank into one of the leather armchairs, a mug cradled in her hands.
“That had better be decaf.” Max stared at his mate, one brow cocked, his arms crossed over his chest.
“Sure it is.” Emma blinked innocently and took a sip. “Mmm. Coooffeeee.”
Max shook his head. “I’m throwing the coffeemaker out.”
Emma merely smiled, the expression secretive and terrifying. “You’re cute.”
Max smiled back, but his was predatory. It was obvious who had his undivided attention. “Keep that up and I might just ask you to prom.”
Emma snorted out a laugh.
“Um. Excuse me.” Hope was staring at them like they were crazy. “Why am I here?”
That quickly, Glory was brought back to her sister and Hope’s predicament. “The Puma Alpha and Curana are taking you in while the Hunters search for your kidnapper.”
“Oh.” Hope collapsed onto the leather sofa. She took a deep, shuddering breath. “You meant it.”
“Meant what?” Glory took the seat next to her twin and brushed that brutally short hair back. It felt like peach fuzz in spots, the locks uneven. It was like Hope had taken a lawn mower to her head and missed a few spots.
“You’re really going to help me.”
Glory wanted to scream. “Of course I am.”
Hope curled up around her stomach. “No one looked for me.”
“He lied to you.”
Glory kept her gaze on her twin, but out of the corner of her eye she saw Ryan kneel before Hope.
He placed a hand on Hope’s knee, ignoring the way she flinched. “Whatever he told you about your sisters and brother, the fucker lied to you. Glory never stopped looking for you.”
“The others?”
Hope wouldn’t look at them, trembling slightly under Ryan’s hand as Glory wrapped her arm around her sister. “Temp stayed with Dad to protect Faith.”
One sharp nod was all that said Hope even heard. “He…did things to me.” Hope stared past her toward someone else, and some of the trembling eased. “Tito. He raped me.”
Glory turned to see what, or rather who, Hope was giving such rapt attention to. It was Sarah Anderson, the Omega of the Halle Pride. Glory didn’t know what the Omega was doing, but it flowed over her like gentle sunshine on her soul. “We know. We’re going to find him and Gabe is going to kill him for you.”
“That’s right.” Gabe spoke softly from behind Glory and Hope. “We’ll get him.”
“If I don’t find him first.” Ryan darted a glance at Glory, and she noticed his eyes were completely brown. “I’ll kill him for you. I swear it on my bond with your twin.”
From Barney’s gasp, that was no small vow. “Or me. We’re going to get him, I swear it.” He glanced at Gabe. “I know Tito. I know how he thinks, what to look for. He fell off the grid when…” His gaze cut to Hope. “Yeah. I also know he wasn’t ever a member of Tabby’s old Pack, so the rogue Alpha had nothing to do with this.”
“That’s something, at least.” Tabby’s mind would be eased. Her possible connection to the Wolf that had been hounding them didn’t exist.
Hope shuddered, her eyes closing tight before she opened them again. This time, she looked, actually looked at Ryan. “Thank you.”
Ryan smiled, a bit of fang showing, turning it feral.
“When he comes for me, you have to let him…” Hope was shaking again, her gaze turning once more toward Sarah. “He says I’m his mate, that he’ll kill anyone who tries to take me away from him.”
“Bullshit.”
The abrupt curse came from Emma, whose power briefly rolled through the room like a fog, blanketing them all. Glory instinctively ducked her head, bowing before the force of the tiny brunette who now stood scowling at Hope. “He comes after you, and we’ll eat his balls with a side of garlic mashed potatoes, that’s what we’ll do.”
Every man in the room choked, Gabe even going so far as to cover himself with his hands. “Emma!”
Max laughed. “That’s usually my line.”
“Hmph.” Emma plopped down next to Hope. “Is anyone hungry? I’m hungry.” The men shivered as she yawned again. “Hey, Lion-O. We still have the number for that all-night pizza place?”
Max rolled his eyes. “Yes, dear.”
“Extra mushrooms.”
“Yes, dear.” Max was already on his way to the kitchen.
“God, I love watching that man, coming or going.” Emma quivered, her expression wicked before she turned her attention back to Hope. “So. We have a turd that needs to be covered in kitty litter. Any idea where we can find him?”
This was directed at Gabe, who shrugged. “We’ve found his scent around Hope’s hotel room and Glory’s apartment.”
Hope whimpered.
“We also scented Jamie Howard.”
Emma flinched at Gabe’s soft warning. “Shit. Max?”
“I heard.” He held up his finger as he placed an order for enough pizza to feed several Bears, a pregnant Puma and a traumatized, half-starved Wolf.
Emma grumbled something under her breath. “Gabe. What’s he doing there?”
“We have no idea.” Ryan answered Emma and ran a hand through his hair. “His brother Gray seemed to think he was staying holed up in his parents’ home.”
“He hasn’t been to the mansion since Marie passed.” Emma sighed. “Sarah?”
Sarah shook her head. “He’s still cold, but…” She continued to stare at Hope. “Something is different. He’s angry and…scared?”
“Who is Jamie Howard?” Hope relaxed in Glory’s arms, her gaze still locked on the Omega. Whatever Sarah was doing, it was helping, because Hope’s trembling lessened. “Is he like Salazar?”
“No. I don’t think he’s a threat to you—” Sarah nodded, confirming Glory’s guess, “—but he is dangerous. He survived losing his mate.”
“That’s better.” Emma sank into one of the leather armchairs, a mug cradled in her hands.
“That had better be decaf.” Max stared at his mate, one brow cocked, his arms crossed over his chest.
“Sure it is.” Emma blinked innocently and took a sip. “Mmm. Coooffeeee.”
Max shook his head. “I’m throwing the coffeemaker out.”
Emma merely smiled, the expression secretive and terrifying. “You’re cute.”
Max smiled back, but his was predatory. It was obvious who had his undivided attention. “Keep that up and I might just ask you to prom.”
Emma snorted out a laugh.
“Um. Excuse me.” Hope was staring at them like they were crazy. “Why am I here?”
That quickly, Glory was brought back to her sister and Hope’s predicament. “The Puma Alpha and Curana are taking you in while the Hunters search for your kidnapper.”
“Oh.” Hope collapsed onto the leather sofa. She took a deep, shuddering breath. “You meant it.”
“Meant what?” Glory took the seat next to her twin and brushed that brutally short hair back. It felt like peach fuzz in spots, the locks uneven. It was like Hope had taken a lawn mower to her head and missed a few spots.
“You’re really going to help me.”
Glory wanted to scream. “Of course I am.”
Hope curled up around her stomach. “No one looked for me.”
“He lied to you.”
Glory kept her gaze on her twin, but out of the corner of her eye she saw Ryan kneel before Hope.
He placed a hand on Hope’s knee, ignoring the way she flinched. “Whatever he told you about your sisters and brother, the fucker lied to you. Glory never stopped looking for you.”
“The others?”
Hope wouldn’t look at them, trembling slightly under Ryan’s hand as Glory wrapped her arm around her sister. “Temp stayed with Dad to protect Faith.”
One sharp nod was all that said Hope even heard. “He…did things to me.” Hope stared past her toward someone else, and some of the trembling eased. “Tito. He raped me.”
Glory turned to see what, or rather who, Hope was giving such rapt attention to. It was Sarah Anderson, the Omega of the Halle Pride. Glory didn’t know what the Omega was doing, but it flowed over her like gentle sunshine on her soul. “We know. We’re going to find him and Gabe is going to kill him for you.”
“That’s right.” Gabe spoke softly from behind Glory and Hope. “We’ll get him.”
“If I don’t find him first.” Ryan darted a glance at Glory, and she noticed his eyes were completely brown. “I’ll kill him for you. I swear it on my bond with your twin.”
From Barney’s gasp, that was no small vow. “Or me. We’re going to get him, I swear it.” He glanced at Gabe. “I know Tito. I know how he thinks, what to look for. He fell off the grid when…” His gaze cut to Hope. “Yeah. I also know he wasn’t ever a member of Tabby’s old Pack, so the rogue Alpha had nothing to do with this.”
“That’s something, at least.” Tabby’s mind would be eased. Her possible connection to the Wolf that had been hounding them didn’t exist.
Hope shuddered, her eyes closing tight before she opened them again. This time, she looked, actually looked at Ryan. “Thank you.”
Ryan smiled, a bit of fang showing, turning it feral.
“When he comes for me, you have to let him…” Hope was shaking again, her gaze turning once more toward Sarah. “He says I’m his mate, that he’ll kill anyone who tries to take me away from him.”
“Bullshit.”
The abrupt curse came from Emma, whose power briefly rolled through the room like a fog, blanketing them all. Glory instinctively ducked her head, bowing before the force of the tiny brunette who now stood scowling at Hope. “He comes after you, and we’ll eat his balls with a side of garlic mashed potatoes, that’s what we’ll do.”
Every man in the room choked, Gabe even going so far as to cover himself with his hands. “Emma!”
Max laughed. “That’s usually my line.”
“Hmph.” Emma plopped down next to Hope. “Is anyone hungry? I’m hungry.” The men shivered as she yawned again. “Hey, Lion-O. We still have the number for that all-night pizza place?”
Max rolled his eyes. “Yes, dear.”
“Extra mushrooms.”
“Yes, dear.” Max was already on his way to the kitchen.
“God, I love watching that man, coming or going.” Emma quivered, her expression wicked before she turned her attention back to Hope. “So. We have a turd that needs to be covered in kitty litter. Any idea where we can find him?”
This was directed at Gabe, who shrugged. “We’ve found his scent around Hope’s hotel room and Glory’s apartment.”
Hope whimpered.
“We also scented Jamie Howard.”
Emma flinched at Gabe’s soft warning. “Shit. Max?”
“I heard.” He held up his finger as he placed an order for enough pizza to feed several Bears, a pregnant Puma and a traumatized, half-starved Wolf.
Emma grumbled something under her breath. “Gabe. What’s he doing there?”
“We have no idea.” Ryan answered Emma and ran a hand through his hair. “His brother Gray seemed to think he was staying holed up in his parents’ home.”
“He hasn’t been to the mansion since Marie passed.” Emma sighed. “Sarah?”
Sarah shook her head. “He’s still cold, but…” She continued to stare at Hope. “Something is different. He’s angry and…scared?”
“Who is Jamie Howard?” Hope relaxed in Glory’s arms, her gaze still locked on the Omega. Whatever Sarah was doing, it was helping, because Hope’s trembling lessened. “Is he like Salazar?”
“No. I don’t think he’s a threat to you—” Sarah nodded, confirming Glory’s guess, “—but he is dangerous. He survived losing his mate.”
