Grayslake: More than Mated: Secrets to Bear (Kindle Worlds Novella) Read online

  Her blood ran cold and she opened her mouth to scream, but Ethan covered it. She flailed against him, summoning what little energy she had left to try and get away.

  He slapped her, hard, knocking her off her feet and to the ground, stunning her into silence.

  "Keep quiet, or those old bitches will get it."

  She panted on the floor, staring at his shoes. She nodded. Memaw and Gran might be shifters, but they were also elderly and she was scared of what he could do to them. So she nodded and let him reach down and pull her to her feet.

  Ethan sneered at her. "Look at you. You're a fucking mess. How could you let yourself get so disgusting? I've let this go on long enough, I thought if I gave you enough time to get your pre-wedding jitters out on your own, you'd come to your senses." He dragged her out of the kitchen and into the front room. "We'll just wait for that bitch Magda to get back. I know you think you should feel grateful that she took care of you when you were younger. But you have me now and you have to let her know where we stand."

  Lira wanted to wretch. Ethan had completely lost his grip on reality. She hated his hands on her.

  But she took a deep breath and said, "Why don't we just head back home? I can call her later?" She desperately wanted to get him out of the B&B and away from everyone, so she managed to keep her tone light.

  He pulled a handgun from his waist band. "Because I have to make sure the wild oats that you sowed are taken care of. He is here, isn't he? That's why you came here? To find your nasty one-night stand?"

  "Ethan, honey, you don't understand, I came here because this is where my mother was born."

  "I'm not stupid, you know. Your mother was a rich man's side piece. That's why there was all the money for you. But it's okay. I forgive you." He looked so sincere Lira wanted to scream. How could he say all those things? And the money thing was so crazy and out of left field. "But once I take out the trash, we'll get married and then it will be our money. And everything will be just fine."

  "Ethan, honey, I don't think there is any money, not from my mother."

  "Magda's been in charge of it. That is why you have to tell her. Everyone knows."

  She knew she couldn't reason with him, but he was making so little sense. "But even if I do have money, you wouldn't need it. You are such a good Realtor, everyone uses you."

  "Sure, I do okay. Enough to take care of us, after my debts are cleared up."

  Ethan was into something deep and it was agitating him. Lira decided to redirect the conversation. "Are you sure I can't just leave Magda a note? There really isn't a need for anything else. You know I've been staying with a very sweet little old lady."

  May Memaw forgive her lie. She might be old, but she was neither little nor especially sweet. It was at that moment that she saw Gran at the top of the stairs. Gran put her finger to her lips and Lira reached out a hand to Ethan to keep him distracted.

  Ethan frowned and looked out the front window. "I did think they would be back already. I could just come back to kill him later."

  Lira thought Jake and the Bears of Grayslake would make very short work of Ethan, but she was terrified of what he might do to Magda. He clearly saw her as a threat to something he needed. She had to keep him distracted and off balance.

  "Babe, you know I'm not much for the outdoors. They made me take a really long walk and I am just so exhausted. You know I don't have much energy left and we have a long drive ahead of us. Don't be stubborn." It was dangerous playing to him like that.

  He reached forward and stroked her cheek. "You really are a mess. You could go run through the shower while I wait for Magda." He ran his hand down her neck and circled her breast, cupping it. His voice thickened. "And I've missed you so much. Angela was a tolerable lay, but nothing compared to you. Maybe we'll just get to a hotel where I can properly enjoy you."

  Lira couldn't help her body clenching away from his touch. His eyes narrowed and he squeezed her nipple hard. She squeaked. "I'm just so dirty. Please, let me run through the shower and change. I hate you seeing me like this. I'm just so embarrassed." She looked away as tears filled her eyes. Let him think they were shame.

  He released her suddenly and she staggered back. He shrugged and said, "Sorry, I wasn't thinking. You know how fastidious I am."

  She walked past him and into the hall.

  Ethan called out to her as she stood on the first step, "You know, if the money isn't yours and is Magda's, that's an easy solution. I'll take care of her too, and then it really will all be ours."

  Lira froze in horror as she realized what he was saying. "Ethan, I'm sure you can't be saying what I think you're saying. She's my parent. As much a parent as my mother."

  "She isn't your blood."

  "Neither are you."

  "Don't speak to me that way. You still have to earn my forgiveness. I'm just willing to let you." His eyes opened wide and she could see the whites all around them. She heard footsteps on the porch.

  Time slowed down as she saw the door knob turn. She forgot the weakness of her legs as she vaulted forward. Ethan raised the gun as Lira leapt in front of Magda. The blast ripped through the house and threw her on Magda as the force ripped through her body.

  Pain shot through her and she heard screaming all around. Ethan and Magda and Memaw and Gran and Nancy. Red swirled around her and white hot rage filled her. Pain gave her strength and she thrust herself off the ground.

  Ethan still had the gun raised. He tried to aim around Lira, to get Magda. And that's when Lira lost her temper, truly for the very first time in her life. She threw her head back and roared.

  It filled the house and she could feel her face expanding into massive muzzle. She stepped towards Ethan and her body filled out, every step she grew taller until she towered over him.

  She was a massive Kodiak bear with one thing on her mind. Stopping the man who was trying to kill her family. He emptied the gun into her but she could barely feel the tiny bullets part her fur. She was all powerful, and as he struggled to reload she swiped him with her massive paw, knocked the gun across the room and left bloody stripes down his body.

  The blood rage had taken her as she prepared to crack his head open. She would punish him for everything he'd ever done.

  But a wolf knocked him back from her. She growled at the wolf who sat down and stared at her. She wanted to push past, to feel his life blood flow down her face. But the wolf exuded calm. If it had moved, she probably would have been lost.

  But as the seconds turned into stretching moments, Lira came back to herself. And just as suddenly as she'd become a bear, she was human.

  She collapsed as the pain wracked her body. Magda pressed hard on Lira's shoulder and darkness edged around Lira's vision.

  "Shhhh, baby. I'm just stopping the bleeding. Focus on me. Look at me, honey. I'm right here."

  Lira felt cold. Was this dying? She had to tell Magda. "Couldn't let him take you. You're momma too."

  Magda sucked in her breath, hard. She never wanted to replace Deirdre, but she'd been there for every step, every fall. "We can talk about this once we get you stabilized."

  "I'm real cold. Is this what the end is like?"

  Magda's hands convulsed and she looked up at her mother, Memaw, who had shifted back and was standing over them.

  Memaw covered Lira with a blanket and said, "Don't be ridiculous. You are cold because you are naked. Your shoulder looks a mess, but that isn't going to kill you."

  They all heard the engine of the car pull up. Memaw moved to the door and looked out. "It's Jake." She turned back to Magda. "I called the cops and Gran called Jake."

  They finally heard sirens in the distance as Jake exploded into the house.

  He dropped to his knees in front of Magda and said, "Is she...did he?"

  Memaw put a hand on his shoulder and Magda smiled up at him. "We'll just get her checked out. She should heal up fast."

  Lira moaned and reached out to Jake as cops and paramedics came into the hou
se. An EMT started to push him out of the way when Memaw said, "They're mates."

  The medic nodded and pushed Jake towards her feet. "You can touch her legs while we stabilize her, okay?"

  He nodded and knelt at her feet. She was hurt. There was so much blood. Her face was so very pale. He started shaking at how close he'd come to losing her. How close she was to the edge of life. Humans were so fragile.

  He felt his Gran come up behind him, her hand resting on his head. She was giving him strength. He pressed his face against her leg, like he was a little boy again, seeking comfort.

  "Jake, it really isn't as bad as it looks."

  "But she's lost so much blood. It's everywhere."

  "He shot her while she was shifted."

  He froze. "Shifted? She shifted?" His brain felt sluggish and slow.

  "Yes. After he shot her the first time, she went full bear. Big and angry."

  "Did she kill him?" He hoped she had, it would solve a lot of problems. But killing someone with your bare hands...it would crush her.

  "Memaw got her to calm down. He's hurt pretty bad. She got a swipe in, but he got really lucky, her aim was bad."

  "She isn't a very big bear?"

  "Oh bless your heart, honey. She's Kodiak. Her momma was a Kodiak from Alaska. She's massive."

  Jake almost wept in relief. Lira was going to be okay and she was going to be his big beautiful bear.

  Chapter Twelve

  Sunlight beat against her eyelids and Lira slowly opened her eyes. She looked around the room confused. White walls, equipment everywhere and random beeping instruments.

  She struggled to sit up and gasped at the sharp pain in her shoulder. At the sound, a tall figure unwound from the chair in the corner.

  It was Jake.

  His hair stood out at every angle and his eyes had deep dark circles under them. He struggled to his feet and pulled the chair over to the side of her bed, taking her hand in his. He lifted her hand and pressed it to his cheek and took a deep, shuddering sigh.

  She could see tears bristle at the corner of his eyes. She cleared her throat. "How long have I been here?"

  Jake closed his eyes and squeezed her hand. "Just overnight. They gave you something to take away the pain, conk you out, and keep you from shifting and murdering the whole town while they made sure you were going to be okay."

  "It feels like I've been kicked by a horse, like, everywhere. My shoulder..." She started remembering and her hand shook. "Mama? Is she okay?"

  "You took the bullet meant for her. Several of them."

  "How am I okay?"

  "You only took one bullet as a human. Bear hide is way thicker."

  Lira rubbed her chest. "Did I hurt Ethan?"

  "Knocked him out."

  "So he knows about the bear thing?" Lira wondered how what happened to people who shouldn't know about shifters.

  "Mmmm, not really. He's under guard. He'll be in prison a very long time. He tried to murder you and with everyone's testimony, no one is going to believe him about bears."

  Lira slumped back onto the bed, her pain level ratcheting up.

  A nurse came bustling in, "Okay hon, you are due for some pain meds. Luckily, you'll heal up real fast, so you'll be right as rain in a few days." She gave Lira a pill and a glass of water, then turned to Jake. "You need to let her rest. No hanky-panky. No strenuous activity. Understand?"

  Jake looked shocked. "Of course I'll let her rest." The nurse just raised one eyebrow at him. "Really."

  She sighed and left the room, muttering about shifters and mates.

  Jake moved back to Lira and gathered her hand in his. "I really will let you rest. I mean, I adore you in every way, but walking in and seeing all that blood? It kind of scared the life out of me."

  She smiled faintly at him and said, "It was not a great experience on this end either."

  He dropped a kiss on her palm. "Let's agree that we're going to be super boring going forward. I'll come over for dinner and charm the various ladies. We'll sit on the porch and swing."

  "Not too boring, I hope."

  "Well, I might try and steal kisses while they aren't looking."

  "Just kisses?"

  Jake pressed his face against her hand, his voice low and serious. "Lira, I kept pushing you, until you ran. I should have been there when he showed up. Ethan never would have had the chance to hurt you or anyone else if I'd really listened to you. All I could think about was myself and what I wanted. Please give me another chance? I will be strictly by the book."

  Lira squeezed his hand, trying to find the words around the increased fogginess of the drugs. She said, "Wasn't you I was scared of, was how strong I felt about you. You could hurt me. Scared the piss out of me."

  "I'll keep you safe from everything." She could barely make out his words as drugged sleep swept her away.

  ~ * ~ * ~

  Lira woke up a few hours later with a mouth as dry as the Sahara. She was fumbling for a nearby cup of water when the doctor strode in. He was loud and cheerful and Lira kind of hated him. And he wasn't Jake.

  She took a sip of water while she glared at him, not understanding his words, until they finally sunk in. "Oh, I get to go home? Now?"

  He sighed and shook his head. "Shifters will be the death of me. You should take it fairly easy the next few days, not that you will. But at least another 24 hours until uhm, strenuous activity, understand me?"

  Lira flushed hot and she thought her ears might actually just burst into flames. She just nodded at him and sipped at her water.

  "Your mother should be here shortly." Lira assumed the doctor spoke of Magda.

  "Oh, okay." But not Jake? She didn't even know how to ask. She just looked over her discharge paperwork. "Do you really want me to take painkillers this long?" Lira had never had any kind of surgery before and had no idea what to expect.

  "Oh, no, that's just if we get audited. Then the outside world just sees an appropriate standard of care. You should take one tonight, to help you sleep, maybe tomorrow night if you don't listen to me about strenuous activity. If you need more after that? You get your ass into my office."

  At that moment, Magda walked in and the doctor smiled at her. "Nice to see you again. She is free to go. Although if she is in any real pain after tomorrow night? Call me, immediately." He handed Magda a business card. "And if she's not? Call me for dinner."

  Lira grinned as Magda fumbled with the handsome doctor's card. She'd never seen Magda's head turned by any man, but maybe this doctor could get near Magda's standards. At the very least, it might distract Memaw and Gran from Lira and Jake.

  Lira was more than ready for some shenanigans. Even if she had to wait until tomorrow.

  Magda handed Lira a bag with a change of clothes and said, "I figured you'd want comfort over style, especially since Jake won't be over until dinner. Dr. Full of Himself recommended yoga pants and a button down shirt, so you didn't have to maneuver around your bandages."

  Lira eased off of the bed, grateful that her pain was very minimal. Still, her shoulder was pretty stiff so it was nice to not have to fuss. "Oh, you think he's full of himself? You don't think he's a little bit handsome?"

  Magda huffed and took the bag back. "He's very handsome. And he knows it."

  "Is that so bad?" Lira had never been able to tease Magda about a man before. He might have annoyed Magda, but Magda looked vibrant and happier.

  "No, I suppose not. At least he's not trapped in false modesty. That's profoundly boring."

  "And if nothing else, you hate being bored by a man. Right, Mama?" Lira paused, unsteady, unsure of what Magda would say. Her mother would always be Mom, but all these years of dancing around what to call her other parent just seemed silly now.

  Magda's voice was low and trembly, "You don't have to call me that."

  Lira caught Magda's hand in hers, "You know what's great? My love for you and what you are in my life doesn't diminish my other mother's love. You both raised me together as
long as you could, and when she died, you were my parent. Not lesser, not more. How many kids get to have so much love in their lives that they run out of words to label it?"

  A tear slipped down Magda's cheek. "Deirdre and I, we knew we weren't a traditional family. Everyone assumed we were lesbians, but we didn't even fit in that mold. It would have been easier in a way, if we were, people would have understood what to call us, what our family was." She held on tight to Lira's hand. "I've always considered you my daughter, even if it wasn't of my flesh."

  "I love you, Mama. I like saying it." They sat quietly together, letting the moment happen around them. Lira then said, "How is Memaw taking everything?"

  "We, no, let me be honest. I let anger keep us apart for a very long time. I was too hurt and angry. As you grew up, I understood better her fears and how they drove her. We're getting along now. Getting to know each other as adults. It's good. She's good." Magda pushed Lira out the door. "Besides, I did give her updates, after Deirdre died. Did you know your mom, she had been sending updates all along? Made me swear to keep doing it, when she was dying."

  "So mom guilted you with a literal deathbed wish?"

  "She knew what it was like, growing up without any kind of connection to her people. She wanted you to have that connection. She forgave my mother long before I did. Memaw had no idea and no intention of hurting us, she really thought she was doing the right thing. The car crash was tragic accident that I wanted to blame on someone."

  "Oh, did we ever figure out how Ethan found us?" It had made no sense to Lira, he shouldn't have been able to figure it out how to find them.

  "Before he came into the house at me, he put a tracer on my car. Turns out he might have been crazier than a shithouse rat, but he was that smart. He just waited until he got the right opportunity." Magda hugged her daughter tight. "Now let's get you home so Memaw can fuss over you endlessly."

  Chapter Thirteen

  It had been a week since Ethan shot her. Lira flexed her shoulder. Except for a little stiffness in the morning, she was completely healed. She'd gotten pretty lucky that the bullet didn't hit anything important. That and the whole magical shifter healing mojo. Still, even Memaw was done fussing over her.