Chapter 12 #2
She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on, burying her face in his fur and breathing. Gary was safe. She was safe. He had protected her, and she loved him. He was licking her neck and she was just breathing in his strength.
She didn’t know how long they stayed there like that, but eventually they had to move. Easing off him, she sat back on her heels then fished in her purse for her phone. “I’ll call…” Who? The cops? “Vic. The Griz will know what to do.”
Gary grunted in response, probably an affirmative. Was she really learning how to interpret grizzly bear grunts?
Vic picked up on the third ring. “Everything okay? Did he try to shift again?”
“No. Well, yes. Sort of. He saved me. He saved my life.”
“What?!”
“A hybrid attacked us. At our apartment building. His name…his name was Jesse McCoy, and we worked together. He’s gone now, but Gary…”
“Shifted and saved you.”
Margaret swallowed and nodded, though Vic clearly couldn’t see. Her gaze went to Gary, who stood watching the stairs as if expecting Jesse to return.
“Margaret?”
She jerked her attention back to the phone. “Yes?”
“Is he okay? Did Gary change back afterward?”
“No. He’s still a bear. He’s standing guard, I think.”
Gary’s head dipped in seeming agreement.
“Yeah. Well, don’t be surprised if he doesn’t shift back right away. He’ll stay in that form as long as he feels his mate is threatened.”
Margaret blinked. “His mate?”
Vic’s voice was solemn. “Yeah. You’re his mate.”
She nodded slowly. She was his mate. But…
“Is that how you feel?” she asked Gary. “Like I’m your mate?”
His head tilted slightly, as if he was considering her words. Then a slow, firm nod and a mini roar.
“Just so you know,” Vic said from the other end of the phone. “That’s a forever kind of thing.”
“What?”
“The mating bond. It’s usually a forever thing. Just saying.”
Gary huffed, and Margaret felt a brief moment of panic. Was he bothered by the idea of forever with her?
No, of course not. Bear or human, Gary loved her. She sank her hand into his warm fur and felt his strength erase her doubts.
Meanwhile, Vic was still talking. “Margaret, where are you?”
“At our apartment building.” She rattled off the address. “Jesse ran down the stairs. He’s outside somewhere and I don’t think he’s sane.”
Through the phone there came a tapping. Then Vic’s voice again. “I’m sending people to search for him. Don’t worry. We’ll take care of it.”
“Do you need our help?”
“No. Let us handle it. You just stay inside. Lock your doors and try to get some rest, Gary especially. Take care of him.”
Relief flooded her. That was exactly what she wanted to do. All desire to be alone had vanished. “Okay.”
“Call back if anything else goes wonky.” Vic chuckled. “Or wonkier.”
“No problem,” Margaret said, and then she cut the connection.
It took a moment for her to pull herself together.
Her hands were still shaking, and she needed to lean on Gary for support.
He was a solid presence, still a bear, holding her up with his bulk as she retrieved his wheelchair and opened his apartment door.
But when she gestured him inside, the grizzly refused to move.
“Do you want to come to my loft instead?” she asked.
Warm and protective, he gave her a look that said he was staying with her wherever she went. And that made her happy. It was one of the reasons she loved him.
“You know, you’re going to have to shift back to human form sometime, right?”
He gave her a quick shake of his head.
“Sometime,” she repeated. “I get that you don’t want to do it now. But maybe tomorrow? After we find out Jesse’s been…handled?”
Gary nodded, his big grizzly head bobbing beside her.
“Okay, Mr. Bodyguard. But I want to spend tonight in my own bed—”
He pushed her toward her door.
“Got it. Okay.”
They went into her loft and she locked the door.
Gary plopped down on his bottom in the center of her floor, the best place to guard.
Honestly, he was like a huge dog or something, though bigger, stronger, and everything she’d grown to think of as Gary’s natural characteristics.
And when she moved to his side, absently sinking her hand into his ruff, he turned his head and swiped a long lick up her forearm.
“Ew!” she huffed, and then looked closer. He’d licked where Jesse’s claws had marred her skin. She’d been lucky, she realized, because the cuts weren’t deep. A couple Band-Aids would take care of the worst of it.
Gary whimpered in concern as she chuckled. “I’m fine. But I don’t want bear slobber all over me.” She cocked an eyebrow. “Actually, I need a shower. That okay?”
He nodded, and she almost laughed at his grave expression. Here she was, talking face to face with a grizzly bear, and it felt kind of normal.
“Okay, then,” she said, leaving his side to grab clothes from her dresser before heading to the shower. He angled his head to watch, then rose and followed her to the bathroom. When she made to shut the door, he shoved his paw forward to block it.
“You just want to see me naked,” she accused.