Chapter 8
ISLA
My gut said I could trust the bears, and one look at how they treated Bohdie confirmed it. Each one, including their Alpha, came in and shook his tiny five-year-old hand with their giant mitts. Because they were huge.
I was exhausted, but was trying not to let it show.
I quietly sat down, my knees now a little wobbly.
I still couldn’t believe what had just happened.
I’d seen Axel fighting, then this swelling anger had come over me.
Before I knew it, I was vaulting the porch rail like a badass, my lioness bursting free.
And then I was landing on my face at their feet.
My lioness gave a disgruntled huff at the memory. I was pretty sure that she wasn’t going to forget that moment anytime soon.
The six huge men in the tiny cabin made it feel almost claustrophobic, at least until the identical twins sprawled out on the floor like they didn’t have a care in the world. As if they hadn’t been brawling moments ago.
“I don’t think we’ve been formally introduced. I’m Isla,” I said to the first twin.
He grabbed me and pulled me into a bear hug on the ground. “Talbot. Nice to meet you.”
Before I could comprehend what was happening, the other twin was grabbing me and crushing me to his chest as well. "I'm Franklin, though for years I thought my name was Goddammit Franklin. Like until I was five.”
The bear Alpha laughed, walking over to pull me back to my feet using the back of Axel's shirt. Thank god it was long enough to cover everything, otherwise a room of shifters would have seen my naked ass. “It’s only because you were always up to no good. Some things never change,” he said with mock-exasperation.
"Sorry, Isla. They're huggers. It's a bear thing. "
I estimated that the twins were in their mid twenties, but Vance was a little older. Older than everyone else here, anyway.
“If they like their arms attached to their body, they’ll take their hands off her right now,” Archer growled, and I tilted my head at him. His face was flushed with what looked like jealousy.
Interesting.
“Hakuna your tatas, Archer. Guys, let the nice lady go before the lions get their tails in a twist.” Vance reached down and pulled me up. “Nice to meet you, Isla. I’m Vance, leader of the Cold River Sleuth.”
I shook his hand, returning his smile. He was quite handsome, but he had nothing on my guys.
“Well, now we’re all introduced, can someone explain to me what the hell is going on right now?” Wyatt demanded. I could sense he was reaching the end of his usually long tether.
Vance threw a look at the twins, and they immediately started talking to Bohdie, telling him stories and challenging him to a game of tic-tac-toe.
Between the two of them, Bohdie’s eyes bounced back and forth, completely engrossed in what they were saying.
Despite my gut instinct and the fact they were just on the other side of the room, I kept an eye on him.
“Word came through some of my less upstanding contacts that someone had put out a one-million-dollar reward for the pelt of a cub. Not just any cub—this cub was a direct descendent of the former Chatsville Regent. The contract was being funded by an anonymous donor, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out who’d put out such a hit. ”
My hands gripped the cushions of the sofa, and my nails elongated into claws, shredding the fabric. Oops. But Bob had to die. Soon.
“We didn’t pay much attention, because quite frankly, your politics make me sick. But as I said, when you guys showed up with a very familiar smelling cub, I just wanted to check you weren’t taking him back to your Regent.”
Wyatt let out a low growl. “Not our Regent.”
Vance waved a hand. “Whatever.”
As my mind turned over what Vance had said, I watched Bohdie play with the twins, each taking turns to “lose” tic-tac-toe until he was crowing with delight. How could anyone want to snuff out such a beautiful light?
“Hang on, what do you mean Bohdie smells familiar? Did you know Kara?” Wyatt, with his mind for minor details, stood and began pacing around the room.
“Kara who? The kid smells almost exactly like Billy.”
I was so freaking confused right now. I got up and started pacing around with Wyatt. “Who the hell is Billy?”
Archer grabbed me on the way past and settled me in his lap. “The correct question is who was Billy—he’s dead.”
Vance shook his head. “Not unless he died in the last three weeks. I saw him in Nevada less than a month ago.”
Archer went rigid beneath me. I reached down and squeezed his thigh. “Who is this undead Billy? I’ve never heard of him.” Not surprising, really, but I wanted some answers now.
“Billy is Bob’s son. Bob said he died the same night as Kara,” Wyatt murmured.
Three things went through my mind at that point. First, Archer felt really good beneath me, his hard chest pressed against my back, and it was making the rest of my thought processes a little murky.
Two, Billy and Bob sounded like they’d stepped straight out of a trailer park. The lions might consider mass renaming all their children.
Three, was Billy a bad guy, or a potential ally?
Luckily, I only voiced point three. Axel shrugged at my question. “Billy is a dead man. Either he faked his own death, or Bob faked it for him, but I don’t think he’s an ally.”
Vance snorted. “I’d bet money that Bob doesn’t know he’s alive. He’s a contender, and if he was willing to put a hit on the cub, then there’s no way he’d let Billy live.”
Wyatt stopped pacing and sat down beside Archer and me on the couch.
Almost as if he did it subconsciously, he pulled me from Archer’s lap until I was pressed between them.
Like the meat in a sandwich. A sexy, sexy sandwich.
He absently stroked my hair, just like he used to do when we were studying as kids.
He used to say it was better than a stress ball and helped him concentrate. I swallowed down my smile.
Axel shook his head. “Bob didn’t get along with anyone, least of all his son. But when did Kara have the opportunity to meet Billy? It makes no sense.”
Vance leaned closer, his voice barely a whisper. “He’s part of a guerilla movement.”
“There are gorilla shifters too?” I asked, sucking in a breath.
Every set of eyes turned to me, even the twins, who were still entertaining Bohdie.
Then Vance let out a huge, rumbling laugh.
I could feel Archer and Wyatt chuckling beside me, and the twins were now rolling on the ground, laughing.
Literally rolling, knees tucked up and arms wrapped around their ribs.
Even Bohdie was giggling, though I doubted he had any idea what everyone was laughing at.
I looked over at Axel, and even though he wasn’t outright laughing at me, his lips were twitching. He may as well have been doubled over.
“Guerilla with a U, sweetheart,” Wyatt said, kissing my temple.
I crossed my arms over my chest. “I get that now. It was a fair question.”
Vance had wiped the tears from his eyes and was looking from me to Axel. “Just how new are you? When were you turned?”
“Two days ago.”
Vance turned to stare at Axel. “You turned her? Without permission? Are you nuts?”
Axel stared him down. “It was complicated. And none of your fucking business. Keep your mouth shut.” He crossed his arms over his chest, making his biceps bulge and his tattoos catch in the light.
Narrowing his eyes, Vance nodded. “As I was saying, Billy joined a guerilla movement. They want to overthrow the Shifter Council. Revolutionize the way packs are run. Make us more accountable and get rid of the backwater justice.”
Archer tilted his head to the side. “Sounds like you agree. You get recruited?” His tone was suspicious, and I tensed.
I wasn’t sure why, but I knew Vance’s answer was important to the guys.
Even Franklin and Talbot had one ear on the conversation as they tossed Bohdie between them like he was a football.
Bohdie was loving it, judging by his gleeful squeals, but it was making my heart miss a few beats.
They caught him every time with quick reflexes and gentle hands, but still…
“No throwing the baby,” I told them, giving them my best mother voice.
Franklin threw me a cheeky wink. “Sure thing, ma’am.” The way he said it made those three words sound almost pornographic. “Put him down, Talbot. Don’t wanna get a spanking.”
“I don’t?” Talbot teased, but put a pouting Bohdie back on the floor.
I grinned and shook my head, and I could feel more than hear Archer’s rumbling snarl. I patted his leg, leaning in close. “Don’t worry, they aren’t my type.” I ran my hand up his thigh. “Save that sexy rumbling for when we’re naked.”
For the second time in a couple of minutes, everyone in the room stilled. Wyatt was blinking wildly. “Shifter hearing, Isla. Shifter hearing.”
Axel clapped his hands together loudly. “Out. Now. We aren’t going to give up the cub, and I’ll shred any fucker who thinks he can come within twenty feet of him.”
Vance nodded his head, a knowing grin on his face. My cheeks heated, but I refused to drop my eyes from his. He grinned wider. “Fair enough, Axel. Let’s go,” he said to the twins, who both ruffled Bohdie on the head.
We all stood to walk the bears to the door, and Franklin wrapped me in another hug. “Nice to meet you, Isla. You have a great kid.”
Talbot whirled me from his brother’s arms and kissed me loudly on my cheek. “Don’t be a stranger. It’s not every day we meet a girl who falls at our feet as soon as she sees us.”
“Naked, too,” Franklin added.
My good-natured Wyatt stepped forward. “You’ll never meet another girl again if you don’t remove your paws right now,” he growled. This just made the twins grin wider. They apparently had a death wish.
I remembered how big Talbot had been when he shifted. Maybe not a death wish, but it would be a rough fight, and I wasn’t sure there would be a winner. Just varying degrees of loser.
Vance laughed and shooed the other bear shifters out the door. He bent low at the waist and kissed my hand in a decidedly old-school manner. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Isla. Talbot is right—feel free to visit the den any time. You can even bring Josie and the Pussycats.”
I bit my lip to stop myself from grinning. “Thank you, Vance.” We followed them out into the yard, before the bear Alpha paused at the edge of the woods.
“I forgot to ask. What are you going to do about Bob?”
“We are going to kill him,” I answered pleasantly. For the first time, desire flashed across Vance’s face, and I briefly wondered just what kind of man the Cold River Sleuth leader really was.
“I’ll set up a meeting with Billy. I think you guys might have a lot in common, aside from the obvious.” He looked at Bohdie.
“I appreciate it.”
With a nod, the bears disappeared into the woods as silently as they had appeared.