Bear Necessities
Page 18
“That came through the window.” Tabby pointed toward the metal object. It lay less than a foot from her.
“Oh no! Are you all right?” Cyn was suddenly right there, checking Tabby over for damage.
“I’m fine. I called 9-1-1.”
Ryan’s gaze was glued to Glory. He sniffed and his nose wrinkled in disgust.
“What’s that smell?”
Tabby looked down at the tube, only then noticing the stench beginning to drift up from it. “Oh, hell. Grab your stuff. Everyone out.”
They hurried out of the store, careful of the broken glass. Ryan scooped Glory up and carried her out, his eyes hard. He barely seemed to notice her weight, but as a Bear, he was much stronger than most men. She probably did feel like a feather in his arms.
Glory, on the other hand, was freaked. She was stiff as a board in his arms. Ryan set her down on her feet, his expression a mix of confusion and concern. “Did you get hurt?”
She backed away rapidly. “I’m fine.”
He looked puzzled, the brown fading away, leaving behind the blue. “Glory?”
Tabby shook her head and moved away. It seemed Glory wasn’t going to take to mating as easily as she’d thought she would. She saw Cyn snarl and pull out her cell phone, gesturing for people to get back, move away from the store.
Then the back of Tabby’s head exploded and the world went black.
Bunny roared to a stop outside Living Art. He turned off the bike and ran toward the huddle of people. “What happened?”
The deputy speaking to Cyn and Glory pointed to the store. “Someone threw a pipe through the window with some kind of stink bomb attached to it. Oh, and that lady over there got attacked. Sheriff’s dealing with her.”
Bunny caught sight of Tabby’s green hair on the concrete and lunged toward the sheriff. His heart pounded with fear. Visions of Chloe lying in a pool of blood haunted him.
Ryan grabbed hold of his arm, trying to stop him. “Tabby’s hurt, but she’s okay.”
He ripped free of his cousin’s grasp and lunged to the center of the crowd. He didn’t care who he shoved out of his way. He had to get to his injured mate.
“Tabby?”
She pulled her hand away from the back of her head with a wince. “Ow. I got hit.”
That Georgia drawl was slurred by pain.
The sheriff and a deputy stood aside and let Bunny get close to his mate. He knelt down, probing the back of her head with his fingers. Sure enough, there was a small, bloody wound forming into a lump. He reached for his Bear, grateful for the strength he gave him. He healed the wound, the exhausting drain worth it when she sighed in relief and sagged against him. He stroked her hair, grateful beyond belief when she smiled up at him. He muttered a silent thanks to Bear for healing his mate and looked up at the sheriff. “She’ll be all right.”
“Did you see who hit you?”
Bunny turned and glared up at the deputy standing next to the sheriff. The man had spoken in a bored tone, rasping across Bunny’s protective instincts. How dare this man take the attack on his mate so lightly? Hell, even Gabe looked briefly disgusted before he once more controlled his expression. Bunny wondered if the deputy was the type of cop who figured anything that happened to a tattoo artist had to be linked to something illegal and was therefore deserved.
Tabby shook her head, wincing a little. “Nope. It was pretty much bam , then lights out.” Bunny stroked her forehead, brushing away the last vestiges of the headache her attacker had caused.
“And no one else was injured.” Anderson was staring down at her, his expression completely closed off. But there was a glint of gold in the man’s eyes that Bunny recognized.
Bunny knew what Anderson was thinking. He closed his eyes, lest someone see the possessive rage boiling in their depths. Someone had deliberately targeted his mate. “Tabby’s coming home with me.”
He knew she was going to protest, but before she could, Cyn’s voice cut through the crowd. “Of course she isn’t. She needs x-rays and stuff, and no argument, you got it?” Tabby bit her lip. Cyn stood there with her hands on her hips, her eyes blazing. “Some son of a bitch thinks he’s going to shut my shop down, take you out without a fight? I don’t think so.” Cyn pointed at Tabby. “You. Go to the hospital.” She pointed to Gabe. “You. Find out who did this and stick their asses in jail, where I sincerely hope they will get reamed multiple times.” The people around Cyn chuckled, but Bunny noticed Cyn wasn’t joking. “Glory and I will clean up.”
“I’ll help.”
Cyn eyed Ryan up and down. “Good. We could use some muscle around here.”
Glory looked terrified. Bunny briefly wondered why, but got distracted when Tabby’s hand landed on his shoulder.
She used his shoulder for leverage and stood up. “Yes, master.” She bowed dramatically to Cyn, wobbling a little bit. Bunny reached up and steadied her with one hand on her thigh.
She still looked a little pale. He stood and pulled her gently into his arms, running his hands over her, healing her scrapes, doing his best to soothe her.
She settled in against him but continued to pout. “Are you up to riding?”
She snorted. “I’m up to driving.”
That might not be a bad idea. Bunny was beginning to shake, a reaction to his exhaustion and the adrenaline rush. “Good idea. Hospital?”
She glared at him. He’d healed almost all of her injuries. He knew she didn’t need any x-rays, and apparently so did she.
“Right.” He pulled his key out of his pocket and handed it to her. “The Marriott near the college.”
“Got it.” She twirled the keys around her finger and swung onto the bike.
“Ready?”
He narrowed his eyes. She looked incredible straddling his bike. Her black tank top made her skin glow, emphasizing her green hair. Those damn painted-on jeans strained against her thighs. Her high-heeled black boots rested comfortably against the blacktop, bringing forth every dirty image Bunny had ever had about women and motorcycles.
Fuck. He could see her sitting like that in nothing but those boots and a smile.
He pictured it, her body hunched over the handlebars, her breasts swaying free, that saucy grin on her face and her ass in the air, ready for him to take her.
He growled. “You have no idea.”
“Oh no! Are you all right?” Cyn was suddenly right there, checking Tabby over for damage.
“I’m fine. I called 9-1-1.”
Ryan’s gaze was glued to Glory. He sniffed and his nose wrinkled in disgust.
“What’s that smell?”
Tabby looked down at the tube, only then noticing the stench beginning to drift up from it. “Oh, hell. Grab your stuff. Everyone out.”
They hurried out of the store, careful of the broken glass. Ryan scooped Glory up and carried her out, his eyes hard. He barely seemed to notice her weight, but as a Bear, he was much stronger than most men. She probably did feel like a feather in his arms.
Glory, on the other hand, was freaked. She was stiff as a board in his arms. Ryan set her down on her feet, his expression a mix of confusion and concern. “Did you get hurt?”
She backed away rapidly. “I’m fine.”
He looked puzzled, the brown fading away, leaving behind the blue. “Glory?”
Tabby shook her head and moved away. It seemed Glory wasn’t going to take to mating as easily as she’d thought she would. She saw Cyn snarl and pull out her cell phone, gesturing for people to get back, move away from the store.
Then the back of Tabby’s head exploded and the world went black.
Bunny roared to a stop outside Living Art. He turned off the bike and ran toward the huddle of people. “What happened?”
The deputy speaking to Cyn and Glory pointed to the store. “Someone threw a pipe through the window with some kind of stink bomb attached to it. Oh, and that lady over there got attacked. Sheriff’s dealing with her.”
Bunny caught sight of Tabby’s green hair on the concrete and lunged toward the sheriff. His heart pounded with fear. Visions of Chloe lying in a pool of blood haunted him.
Ryan grabbed hold of his arm, trying to stop him. “Tabby’s hurt, but she’s okay.”
He ripped free of his cousin’s grasp and lunged to the center of the crowd. He didn’t care who he shoved out of his way. He had to get to his injured mate.
“Tabby?”
She pulled her hand away from the back of her head with a wince. “Ow. I got hit.”
That Georgia drawl was slurred by pain.
The sheriff and a deputy stood aside and let Bunny get close to his mate. He knelt down, probing the back of her head with his fingers. Sure enough, there was a small, bloody wound forming into a lump. He reached for his Bear, grateful for the strength he gave him. He healed the wound, the exhausting drain worth it when she sighed in relief and sagged against him. He stroked her hair, grateful beyond belief when she smiled up at him. He muttered a silent thanks to Bear for healing his mate and looked up at the sheriff. “She’ll be all right.”
“Did you see who hit you?”
Bunny turned and glared up at the deputy standing next to the sheriff. The man had spoken in a bored tone, rasping across Bunny’s protective instincts. How dare this man take the attack on his mate so lightly? Hell, even Gabe looked briefly disgusted before he once more controlled his expression. Bunny wondered if the deputy was the type of cop who figured anything that happened to a tattoo artist had to be linked to something illegal and was therefore deserved.
Tabby shook her head, wincing a little. “Nope. It was pretty much bam , then lights out.” Bunny stroked her forehead, brushing away the last vestiges of the headache her attacker had caused.
“And no one else was injured.” Anderson was staring down at her, his expression completely closed off. But there was a glint of gold in the man’s eyes that Bunny recognized.
Bunny knew what Anderson was thinking. He closed his eyes, lest someone see the possessive rage boiling in their depths. Someone had deliberately targeted his mate. “Tabby’s coming home with me.”
He knew she was going to protest, but before she could, Cyn’s voice cut through the crowd. “Of course she isn’t. She needs x-rays and stuff, and no argument, you got it?” Tabby bit her lip. Cyn stood there with her hands on her hips, her eyes blazing. “Some son of a bitch thinks he’s going to shut my shop down, take you out without a fight? I don’t think so.” Cyn pointed at Tabby. “You. Go to the hospital.” She pointed to Gabe. “You. Find out who did this and stick their asses in jail, where I sincerely hope they will get reamed multiple times.” The people around Cyn chuckled, but Bunny noticed Cyn wasn’t joking. “Glory and I will clean up.”
“I’ll help.”
Cyn eyed Ryan up and down. “Good. We could use some muscle around here.”
Glory looked terrified. Bunny briefly wondered why, but got distracted when Tabby’s hand landed on his shoulder.
She used his shoulder for leverage and stood up. “Yes, master.” She bowed dramatically to Cyn, wobbling a little bit. Bunny reached up and steadied her with one hand on her thigh.
She still looked a little pale. He stood and pulled her gently into his arms, running his hands over her, healing her scrapes, doing his best to soothe her.
She settled in against him but continued to pout. “Are you up to riding?”
She snorted. “I’m up to driving.”
That might not be a bad idea. Bunny was beginning to shake, a reaction to his exhaustion and the adrenaline rush. “Good idea. Hospital?”
She glared at him. He’d healed almost all of her injuries. He knew she didn’t need any x-rays, and apparently so did she.
“Right.” He pulled his key out of his pocket and handed it to her. “The Marriott near the college.”
“Got it.” She twirled the keys around her finger and swung onto the bike.
“Ready?”
He narrowed his eyes. She looked incredible straddling his bike. Her black tank top made her skin glow, emphasizing her green hair. Those damn painted-on jeans strained against her thighs. Her high-heeled black boots rested comfortably against the blacktop, bringing forth every dirty image Bunny had ever had about women and motorcycles.
Fuck. He could see her sitting like that in nothing but those boots and a smile.
He pictured it, her body hunched over the handlebars, her breasts swaying free, that saucy grin on her face and her ass in the air, ready for him to take her.
He growled. “You have no idea.”
