Bear Shifters: Hunt Collection #1 (7 page)

Three days later, the bar was packed for a big game. Everyone cheered when the home team scored a goal. Rayner was off the drink again. He clutched a book in his hand to remind him that he had to stay sober, at least until he could find out what George was up to.

Jaime was talking with Mary Totham about the football season, and Marcus ran around filling drink orders. Rayner spied George laughing with Philip Denver, looking pretty happy. He slipped through the crowd to stand close enough to hear their conversation.

"It is going to be really hot this time of year, Phil," George was saying. "I figure, why wait? If you're going to go to Brazil, might as well go!" he laughed. "Who knows, maybe I'll run into Jen while I'm there."

"Brazil's huge, George," Phil shook his head. "The chances of you seeing each other would be pretty small, unless you know exactly where she is."

"Maybe I do," George smirked. Three seconds later, Rayner had him by the back of the collar. He smashed the Bear into the hard timber wall of the bar.

"You overplayed your hand, George," Rayner said. "You took that address from me the last time you talked to me. You're going to see Jeneva."

"So what?" George squirmed. Rayner had his arm pinned behind him and his face scraping the wall. "You weren't going to use it! Who cares if I took it?"

Rayner realized then that George had played him for a fool. All those things he told him Jeneva said was lies. Even the text messages, somehow. "You... made a fool out of me, George!" Rayner raged. "I'm going to put you out of commission for good!" He shifted his arm into his large paw to swipe George's head clean off. He was stopped by a muzzle locking firmly onto him just as he was about to strike. He turned to look. Jaime was holding his arm, in his Bear form. Rayner sighed, and let George go.

Jaime shifted back to his human shape. He flipped George around to face them and took him up by his collar, shaking him.

"George, what the hell did you do? Tell us the truth. Now!"

George's face crumpled, defeated. He hesitated, resisting the order. Then he gave in, finally. "I sent the text messages."

Marcus was behind Rayner and held him back. Rayner felt fresh rage flowing through him. He wanted to pummel the Bear so badly.

"Jeneva took another phone call and left her phone where I could reach it. I sent the text messages from her phone and answered from mine. Then I erased the messages from her phone so she wouldn't know what I'd done," he said. "I did it to protect her from you," George screamed at Rayner. "You're a maniac!"

"The only maniac I see here is you," Jaime slugged George across the jaw, to Rayner's satisfaction. "What else? You're hiding something!"

George was compelled by blood to answer his Alpha. He had no choice. He took the slip of paper out of his pants pocket and held it out.

Jaime took the paper. "You rat! You betrayed the Den. You don't ever come between a Bear and her mate. You're banished George. Get your ass out of here."

George's lip quivered, but he ran out of the bar without saying a word, happy to be alive.

Jaime gave the slip of paper to Rayner. "You have to go, Rayner."

Rayner took the paper from Jaime. He left the bar and went to buy a ticket to Brazil.

Chapter Eleven

Rayner worried on the long plane ride south. What would he say to her? How would he apologize? He had said nasty things – unforgivable things – to her when he last saw her, before she left him. Would she forgive him?

He turned the engagement ring over in his hands, worrying. A human tradition that was meaningless to Bears, but maybe it would be enough.

The plane touched down. He had to catch three different trains and two buses to get to her remote village. It was hot and humid here. The smells of different creatures danced through his skin. Maybe she wouldn't want to leave, he fretted. Maybe she liked it here. Could he move to be with her if he had to?

He looked around at the foreign trees with distaste. It wasn't home. It was lovely and strange, but it wasn't home. Reserve Park was home. Reserve Park was where he wanted to raise cubs with Jeneva. He wanted to guard them, watch them flourish and grow together in the safety of their Den and their family. He wanted his cubs rubbing on all the same trees he had rubbed on. He wanted Jeneva to enjoy her life with the other Bears. He didn't want to have to hide who they were, living among humans and not knowing where there were other Dens to be found. Jeneva had to come home with him. It was the only way.

In her room, Jeneva was packing her things again. It had only been a week. She had to be more careful. Back home she never had to worry about shifting. She had forgotten that in the human world there were more rules about who you could be, and how. Father Mallory had spent time to find another mission that she could go to, in Peru. It was another long plane ride, but the place sounded nice enough.

There was a knock on the door. Father Mallory came in. "We're sorry to send you off, Jeneva. We do like you but you understand that we simply can't. The villagers won't allow it."

"I understand Father," Jeneva said.

"By the way, a man has come to see you. A friend of yours, he said. Should I send him back?"

Jeneva's heart pounded in her chest. "A visitor? For me?"

"Yes. I'll let him know he can come back," Father Mallory stepped away.

Jeneva sank down onto her cot, her head swimming. She held her hands, praying, and sure enough Rayner came in through the doorway.

"Hey, love," he said. "I'm sorry for what I did to you." He held a big bouquet of flowers. Jeneva ignored the flowers and rushed into his arms. He dropped the bouquet and wrapped her tight in his embrace. Jeneva sobbed into his shoulder with stress, and relief, and anger.

"You're such an idiot, Rayner! You hurt me so much!"

"I know," Rayner sighed deeply, and stroked her hair. He absorbed everything about her – her scent, her presence, her body and the way it fit so perfectly with his. "I was wrong."

He sat down on the little cot and Jeneva sat on his lap, straddling him.

"I got the truth from George. He set us both up, Jeneva. He sent himself text messages from your phone saying that you made a mistake being with me, that you were going to leave me and go to Brazil."

"From my phone?" Jeneva gaped. "But there was nothing like that on there!"

"He was clever. He erased the text messages so you wouldn't see what he had done. He's been banished from the Den now for what he did to us. He's lucky that he escaped with his life."

"I see," Jeneva said. She was sad. Would she never see her friend again? Then again, he wasn't truly her friend if he could do what he had done. It hurt to see the truth. She started to cry.

Rayner hugged her fiercely. "I... said some terrible things, Jen."

"I did too."

"You didn't. Not like what I said," he pulled her away to look at her. "It was unforgivable. You were humiliated in front of the whole Den. I can't ask you to return but, if you will return, if you'll have me, please take this." Rayner pulled the ring box out of his pocket. A large diamond sat in the middle of the ring. Rayner took her hand. She didn't resist. He put the ring on her finger. It fit.

Jeneva leaned her forehead against Rayner's. They breathed each other in. She had missed him so much. The ring was a sweet token, and it was truly beautiful, but what she really needed was this pine and musk smell. It surrounded her and she felt at home. Truly home. As if whereever he went, there home would be too. 

"I was an idiot for leaving, Rayner," Jeneva confessed. "Jaime was right." She looked at the ring on her finger and into his eyes. "It hurts more than anything to leave your mate for too long. I never want to experience that again."

"Neither do I," Rayner squeezed her waist possessively, wanting to take her again, wanting to feel himself claiming her body. He breathed steadily to calm himself. She seemed to be feeling the urge too. Her chest was rising and falling quickly.

"I wanted to tell you that day, the Council cleared me. I have a clean bill of health."

Rayner examined her. She was looking him square in the eye. "Does that mean?..."

"It means we can have cubs!" She laughed happily, and tears flowed down her face again. "They'll be healthy and free of the genetic defect. The doctors were wrong when they examined me before. The trait is benign in me!"

Rayner kissed her deeply, pressing her to him. She embraced him and sighed with relief, wanting him.

"I don't think we can do it here," Rayner smiled at his mate.

"Me neither," Jeneva agreed.

Rayner stood her up, and picked up her bag. "Let's go home, Jeneva," he held out his hand to her. Jeneva took it.

A week later, they were in Rayner's trailer, cleaning up the mess he'd made. Rayner was clean-shaven and looking good again. His wounds were healed. And Jeneva was pregnant with his cubs. They'd called the medical office as soon as they found out. She was scheduled for her first appointment later that day.

"What are we going to do here? There's not enough space in this trailer for a family, even if we fix it up," Jeneva complained. She pulled out a shoebox from beneath Rayner's dresser. "What's this?"

"Go ahead and open it up," Rayner said.

Jeneva opened the box and picked up the photograph lying on top of the letters and other mementos. "Is this Lorna?"

"That was Lorna, yes," Rayner looked over his mate's shoulder while she studied the face in the picture.

"She looks happy."

"That's the day before she aborted our cubs," Rayner said sadly.

Jeneva put down the picture and took his hands. "You know I would never do that, Rayner."

"I know," he kissed her forehead. "What should we do with that stuff?"

"What do you mean?" Jeneva said. "Don't you want to remember her?"

"Frankly, no," Rayner stood and pulled Jeneva to her feet. He held her close. "I'm looking at my future right now, and that's all that matters. Let's get rid of everything that doesn't matter."

"Like Lorna?" Jeneva offered.

"Like Lorna," Rayner said.

Jeneva fitted the top back on the shoebox, and dumped the whole box into the trash with the other debris.

"We could tear down the trailer. Build a new house," Jeneva said.

"A frame house like the one you grew up in?" Rayner said.

"Yes, and we'd have to clear trees to make space for my toys. I'll need to teach the cubs how to work on cars, too."

"My god, you're beautiful," Rayner said.

Jeneva smiled, and kissed him deeply. "Here's to a long life with you by my side, Rayner Garcia."

"And with you, Jeneva Garcia."                                                                                                                                                                                                      

THE END

The Reserve Park Bears

Shadow Bear

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IE4022O

Defiant Bear

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IDKKF26

Fortune Bear

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IS60TU8

Christmas at Reserve Park (Coming Soon)

Sugar Bear

An unexpected encounter...

Mark Conklin and Abigail Yates meet each other under serendipitous conditions; she's a waitress at the first diner he comes to and he's a businessman in town for only a week.

Two sets of parents who think they know best...

Even though the young couple are adults, their parents meddle. Believing that their child deserves better, they succeed only in pushing the two closer together.

A secret that is finally revealed...

Add to the mix a bear shifter secret and this relationship has so much going wrong. Can the secrets and the distance between them be forgiven once they're back in each other's arms?

*This sweet and tender tale isn't quite as sexy as other Ava Hunt titles, but she hopes you like it just the same*