Chapter Seven
I scented her before I laid eyes on her. That sweet berry vanilla aroma filled my nostrils, and I convinced myself I had to be dreaming.
When we got the call that a bear had come too close to Forever Home and shifted when Trina tranquilized her, I held out hope that it might be Ellie.
It had been as much of a fantasy as the Synamon Honey facade, but most bears around here didn’t come close to the town in their animal form.
Only a bear that didn’t know how to hunt or survive in the wild would go dumpster diving so close to humans.
You can teach her, my bear suggested. Teach her everything.
He was getting ahead of himself. I had no idea how we’d find her—injured, wounded, moon only knew what she’d gone through.
Sweet moon, Ellie Carmichael was fucking gorgeous in a completely different way than Synamon Honey. She sat at the table in a plain black sweatsuit with a purple frosted cupcake in front of her and a pissed off puppy in her lap. I appreciated that he was trying to defend her, but that was my job.
I was really fucking annoyed that Barrett and Bellamy had come with me.
It was overkill for all three of us to answer this call.
Trina had been concerned because the bear shifter hadn’t shared any details about herself—another dead giveaway it was Ellie—but also said she wasn’t violent or acting strangely.
Ellie’s gaze locked with mine, unblinking and feral in the way that stirred my insides. The two of us were frozen in our own private dimension, somewhere between the real world and fantasy.
My mate was absolutely terrified. Problem was, right now, I was the one who terrified her.
“Barrett, Bellamy, and…Brad.” Trina put emphasis on my name once she finally remembered it. I tried not to absorb the blow to my ego, especially now when I needed Ellie to trust me. “Are bears. I thought maybe you’d be more comfortable talking to other bears than us.”
Ellie didn’t respond, didn’t move. Had anyone else noticed she hadn’t taken her eyes off me?
Was she daring me to speak for her, or willing me to keep her secret?
Kiera and Jasmine rose from the table, leaving Ellie alone with Barrett and Bellamy. Vulnerable and exposed. I knew they only wanted to help, but from the way her scent intensified, it was clear she considered them a threat.
“I know it can be intimidating to be in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by strangers,” Barrett said softly, using his dad voice. “But we’re here to help you. We run a company called Sawtooth Security. We help women just like you. If you’re in trouble, we can fix it.”
The puppy jumped off her lap. Couldn’t blame him. The tension was so sharp in this room I could’ve flossed my teeth with it.
Ellie didn’t answer him.
It was no secret she was in big trouble, but this was more than the Centerfold Slasher or trying to protect her identity so she didn’t get fired from some boring, safe desk job. I needed to protect her, and right now, that included keeping her identity a secret. Giving her the power back.
Bellamy leaned forward. “Is there anyone we can call? Someone must be missing you.”
Her only response was a bristle.
“We can help you,” Barrett repeated. “But first, you have to help us.”
“I appreciate your offer,” she finally said, and the sound rocketed through my body like electricity. Even her voice was different as Ellie. A little deeper and a lot less playful than Synamon’s. “I’m okay. I just need to get home.”
She lowered her gaze as she put her hands on the table and rose in a move that was far more bear than human. Her gaze stayed down as she hurried past me on her way to the door.
You can’t protect her if you don’t know where she is, my bear said.
“Ellie.” The one word stopped her dead in her tracks. She turned to look at me, those blue eyes even wider, now filled with shock, anger, and most of all, betrayal.
I vowed I’d work to fix that. I’d do whatever it took to make sure she trusted me.
“How do you know my name?” Her voice was a hoarse whisper. Her eyes widened with panic. “Are you the bear headed guy?”
“Not sure what you’re talking about,” I said. Maybe she had been hurt, but her relief was palpable, and she’d given us a huge clue. “I called Jen after you disappeared in the middle of your livestream.”
She groaned, but she was still frozen in that spot, with her hand on the doorknob. Wasn’t sure she was willing to actually listen yet, but I had to try.
“You can’t go home like nothing happened,” I added. I couldn’t tell her that I’d been there and seen the carnage with my own eyes. She’d run and there would be nothing I could do to stop her.
“Wait, you two know each other?” Bellamy asked. His brow furrowed as his gaze moved from Ellie to me, giving me his best what the fuck look. He probably thought I’d screwed up again. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
Ellie’s eyes widened.
“It’s complicated,” I said, keeping her secret. This was our last chance to make sure Ellie was safe.
My mate picked up on that and made a break for it. But I was faster than her. Stronger. I hooked my arm in hers.
Touching her sent more of that electric sensation rocketing through my veins. Heat radiated from her body like she was about to shift.
Or mate, my bear rumbled.
This close and this hot, that scent was overwhelming. Those blue eyes were locked on mine with defiance. She tried to pull away, but she couldn’t make me budge.
“You can’t fire me this time,” I said. “I’m staying with you until I know you’re safe.”
“Why don’t we go back to the office?” Barrett suggested, but it did little to break the spell between us. “We can get everything straightened out there.”
“I just want to go home.” This time, Ellie’s voice had a hint of Synamon to it. More vulnerable. Real.
“Not yet,” I said, following my coworkers to the truck.
Ellie didn’t want to follow right away, testing my grip, trying to get away from me.
I moved closer to her. “If you run, I will follow you. I’ll stay with you until I know you’re safe. Because right now, you’re not. You know it as much as I do.”
She swallowed hard and finally nodded. Her body was still tense as she fell into step beside me, and by some miracle, actually climbed into the backseat of the truck.
I took the seat beside her, and in this small space, that berry aroma was all-consuming. My cock twitched, and lava flowed through my veins. I needed to stay focused and not act like one of her feral fans.
“I appreciate your help,” Ellie said as Barrett pulled the truck onto the main road. “Really, I do. But I don’t want trouble.”
My gaze met hers and she steeled herself.
“I can take care of it,” she insisted.
“I saw what happened,” I said softly. But fuck, I was having a hard time staying patient. This woman was lost in a fantasy world of her own making and was about to hand herself to the Centerfold Slasher on a silver platter. “There’s no way I can let you go back there.”
“How do you two know each other?” Barrett asked, and let out a frustrated sigh when he didn’t get an answer. “If you’re exes, that’s cool. We just want to help.”
Bellamy turned around to face us. “What do you mean, you saw what happened? What the fuck is going on?”
The truck wheels crunched on gravel as we pulled into the Sawtooth Security parking lot.
Ellie’s heat rose, and I had a feeling she was about to try to run, again.
I put my hand over hers. “Will you tell them who you are and what happened, or do you want me to do it?”