Bear Necessities
Page 16
Tabby held up her bag. “She brought me clothes. We’re headed to Julian’s room so I can get changed in peace.”
Ryan studied her, his fingers absently toying with a lock of Glory’s hair. “Keep her safe.”
She gulped, the quiet warning in the Bear’s voice clear. If Ryan had decided not to let Glory out of his sight, there wasn’t much Tabby could have done to stop him.
A lone Bear could whip the ass of a lone Wolf. “Yup. Will do.”
Ryan took Glory’s hand to his lips. “I will see you later.” He tipped Glory’s chin up and smiled down at her, his expression filled with wonder and a touch of satisfaction. “Glory.”
Glory didn’t take a breath until Ryan’s form disappeared around the corner.
“What the hell was that all about?”
Tabby took Glory’s arm and steered her back to Julian’s room. “I’ll explain it on the way.” She pushed the button for the elevator. “How do you feel about bears?”
Glory looked stunned. She stumbled along, pulled by Tabby, her expression one of horrified fascination. She’d never dealt well with aggressive men, and a man on the hunt for his mate was about as aggressive as they came. “Please tell me we’re discussing the teddy kind.”
Tabby shook her head and escorted her friend into Julian’s room.
Bunny pushed on the door to Julian’s room. Ryan had told him that his mate could be found there. He’d also told Bunny that she was getting naked. He needed to find out if Julian was a dead man or not. Clenched in one hand was the stupid stuffed bear he’d had made for Julian at Tabby’s insistence.
If Julian had gotten one glimpse of his mate’s creamy flesh, Bunny was going to feed the toy to him one fuzzy piece at a time.
“I was wondering when you’d show up.”
Bunny blinked. Julian sat on the edge of his bed, a smirk on his face. His Native American heritage was obvious in his dusky skin color, deep black eyes and high cheekbones. His long, dark hair was loose, falling to pool in his lap. Now that he got a good look at him, Bunny nearly growled. Julian was one of the handsomest men he’d ever seen. And Tabby was naked in this man’s bathroom?
Hell to the no.
“Where’s Tabby?” Bunny smiled, his fangs peeking out. Mine.
Julian rolled his eyes and snorted. “She’s getting dressed.” He pointed toward the bathroom. “She even waited until she shut the door to start with the nakedness.”
Bunny’s hands clenched. He owed the man, but still. That was his mate getting naked in another man’s room. “Tabby?”
“Yeah?” Her muffled reply sounded amused.
He ground his teeth. “Are you done yet?”
Julian covered his mouth, no doubt hiding his laughter from the way his shoulders were shaking. “Your mate thinks I’m going to sneak in there and ravish your lily-white ass.”
Bunny relaxed a bit. The other man had just acknowledged Bunny’s right to Tabby. He bowed his head in thanks, smiling back when Julian winked at him.
The last thing he wanted to do was rip into the man who not only was one of his mate’s closest friends, but his cousin’s savior. Besides, Bunny hated fighting, but he’d do it for Tabby. It was nice to know there wasn’t a need where Julian was concerned.
The sounds behind the door had stopped. “He thinks what again?”
“Face it, hon.” Julian struck a dramatic pose. “You want me even more than you want Legolas.”
The door opened. Tabby stepped out and Bunny’s tongue nearly hit the floor.
Those jeans looked painted on. “Of course. Legolas can’t do that thing you do with your tongue and a cherry stem.”
Bunny sighed. He’d explore those jeans later. He turned his attention back to Julian. “You need to die now.”
Julian laughed. “Nice to meet you, by the way.”
Bunny stepped forward and shook the hand Julian was holding out. He tried not to frown. The man looked like hammered shit despite the front he was putting on.
“Alexander Bunsun. Call me Bunny.”
The Bear blinked, but didn’t say a word. “Julian Ducharme. Tabby and I are good friends.”
“I owe you for what you did for my cousin.”
Julian grimaced. “I couldn’t leave her like that.” He shrugged. “Her pain pulled me from three blocks away.”
Tabby’s hand rested on his shoulder, calming him even further. “Are you the one who called it in to 9-1-1?” Good question. One that hadn’t been answered yet, at least as far as Bunny knew.
Julian frowned and sat up straight. “No. They arrived just as I got there.”
Tabby and Julian exchanged a worried look. These two obviously had some history, and his mate trusted the other Bear. He decided that was good enough for him. He relaxed, settling into a chair next to Julian’s bed. “So who did call them?”
“That’s a good question.”
Tabby frowned. “I know just the man to answer that.” She pulled out her cell phone and touched a number, then put the phone to her ear. “Hi, it’s Tabby. Can you put me through to Gabe?”
“Good girl. I should have thought of that.”
Bunny frowned when Julian settled back against the head of the bed. “Thought of what?”
Tabby moved to the door and opened it, stepping out into the hallway. “Hey, Gabe. Any news on Chloe’s case?”
Julian folded his hands behind his head and crossed his ankles. “She’s friends with the sheriff. She’ll get an answer out of him faster than anyone but his mate, especially where Chloe’s concerned.” Julian gave him a speculative look. “She may have lost her family in Georgia, but she found a new one here. You understand?”
Bunny studied Julian and slowly nodded. Yeah, he understood. “Thank you again.”
Julian shrugged. “I’m not the only one. There are a number of people who would go to bat for that girl without thinking twice about it. In fact, I think she’d be surprised at how many would.”
“Including the Alpha?”
“Not sure, but I think so. From what I’ve seen, Max is pretty confident and he trusts his hierarchy.”
“And if Gabe says she’s family, he’ll what? Accept that?”
Julian looked mysterious. A streak of palest white flashed through his hair, gone almost as quickly as it appeared. “I think when all is said and done, Tabby’s going to find that she’s got a lot more family than she ever dreamed of.”
Ryan studied her, his fingers absently toying with a lock of Glory’s hair. “Keep her safe.”
She gulped, the quiet warning in the Bear’s voice clear. If Ryan had decided not to let Glory out of his sight, there wasn’t much Tabby could have done to stop him.
A lone Bear could whip the ass of a lone Wolf. “Yup. Will do.”
Ryan took Glory’s hand to his lips. “I will see you later.” He tipped Glory’s chin up and smiled down at her, his expression filled with wonder and a touch of satisfaction. “Glory.”
Glory didn’t take a breath until Ryan’s form disappeared around the corner.
“What the hell was that all about?”
Tabby took Glory’s arm and steered her back to Julian’s room. “I’ll explain it on the way.” She pushed the button for the elevator. “How do you feel about bears?”
Glory looked stunned. She stumbled along, pulled by Tabby, her expression one of horrified fascination. She’d never dealt well with aggressive men, and a man on the hunt for his mate was about as aggressive as they came. “Please tell me we’re discussing the teddy kind.”
Tabby shook her head and escorted her friend into Julian’s room.
Bunny pushed on the door to Julian’s room. Ryan had told him that his mate could be found there. He’d also told Bunny that she was getting naked. He needed to find out if Julian was a dead man or not. Clenched in one hand was the stupid stuffed bear he’d had made for Julian at Tabby’s insistence.
If Julian had gotten one glimpse of his mate’s creamy flesh, Bunny was going to feed the toy to him one fuzzy piece at a time.
“I was wondering when you’d show up.”
Bunny blinked. Julian sat on the edge of his bed, a smirk on his face. His Native American heritage was obvious in his dusky skin color, deep black eyes and high cheekbones. His long, dark hair was loose, falling to pool in his lap. Now that he got a good look at him, Bunny nearly growled. Julian was one of the handsomest men he’d ever seen. And Tabby was naked in this man’s bathroom?
Hell to the no.
“Where’s Tabby?” Bunny smiled, his fangs peeking out. Mine.
Julian rolled his eyes and snorted. “She’s getting dressed.” He pointed toward the bathroom. “She even waited until she shut the door to start with the nakedness.”
Bunny’s hands clenched. He owed the man, but still. That was his mate getting naked in another man’s room. “Tabby?”
“Yeah?” Her muffled reply sounded amused.
He ground his teeth. “Are you done yet?”
Julian covered his mouth, no doubt hiding his laughter from the way his shoulders were shaking. “Your mate thinks I’m going to sneak in there and ravish your lily-white ass.”
Bunny relaxed a bit. The other man had just acknowledged Bunny’s right to Tabby. He bowed his head in thanks, smiling back when Julian winked at him.
The last thing he wanted to do was rip into the man who not only was one of his mate’s closest friends, but his cousin’s savior. Besides, Bunny hated fighting, but he’d do it for Tabby. It was nice to know there wasn’t a need where Julian was concerned.
The sounds behind the door had stopped. “He thinks what again?”
“Face it, hon.” Julian struck a dramatic pose. “You want me even more than you want Legolas.”
The door opened. Tabby stepped out and Bunny’s tongue nearly hit the floor.
Those jeans looked painted on. “Of course. Legolas can’t do that thing you do with your tongue and a cherry stem.”
Bunny sighed. He’d explore those jeans later. He turned his attention back to Julian. “You need to die now.”
Julian laughed. “Nice to meet you, by the way.”
Bunny stepped forward and shook the hand Julian was holding out. He tried not to frown. The man looked like hammered shit despite the front he was putting on.
“Alexander Bunsun. Call me Bunny.”
The Bear blinked, but didn’t say a word. “Julian Ducharme. Tabby and I are good friends.”
“I owe you for what you did for my cousin.”
Julian grimaced. “I couldn’t leave her like that.” He shrugged. “Her pain pulled me from three blocks away.”
Tabby’s hand rested on his shoulder, calming him even further. “Are you the one who called it in to 9-1-1?” Good question. One that hadn’t been answered yet, at least as far as Bunny knew.
Julian frowned and sat up straight. “No. They arrived just as I got there.”
Tabby and Julian exchanged a worried look. These two obviously had some history, and his mate trusted the other Bear. He decided that was good enough for him. He relaxed, settling into a chair next to Julian’s bed. “So who did call them?”
“That’s a good question.”
Tabby frowned. “I know just the man to answer that.” She pulled out her cell phone and touched a number, then put the phone to her ear. “Hi, it’s Tabby. Can you put me through to Gabe?”
“Good girl. I should have thought of that.”
Bunny frowned when Julian settled back against the head of the bed. “Thought of what?”
Tabby moved to the door and opened it, stepping out into the hallway. “Hey, Gabe. Any news on Chloe’s case?”
Julian folded his hands behind his head and crossed his ankles. “She’s friends with the sheriff. She’ll get an answer out of him faster than anyone but his mate, especially where Chloe’s concerned.” Julian gave him a speculative look. “She may have lost her family in Georgia, but she found a new one here. You understand?”
Bunny studied Julian and slowly nodded. Yeah, he understood. “Thank you again.”
Julian shrugged. “I’m not the only one. There are a number of people who would go to bat for that girl without thinking twice about it. In fact, I think she’d be surprised at how many would.”
“Including the Alpha?”
“Not sure, but I think so. From what I’ve seen, Max is pretty confident and he trusts his hierarchy.”
“And if Gabe says she’s family, he’ll what? Accept that?”
Julian looked mysterious. A streak of palest white flashed through his hair, gone almost as quickly as it appeared. “I think when all is said and done, Tabby’s going to find that she’s got a lot more family than she ever dreamed of.”
