Bearing Hearts (City Shifters: the Den Book 2) (10 page)

H
e pulled
her leg over his to give him better access to the sweet spot between her thighs. He teased her with glancing touches and a gentle rocking, pressing his cock between the cheeks of her ass in a hint of what was to come. Not tonight, but soon. Just the thought almost pushed him over the edge, and he had to retreat before he spilled himself all over her back.

God, she was perfect. All soft and smooth and curvy, giving in the right places but with firm strength in her muscles. Lucy made the most maddening noises, all needy and soft but still with an edge of anger. He almost hadn't been able to control himself when she'd sat up and glared at him, challenging him, from his bed. Just the thought had him groaning and squeezing her hip. She needed to rest, he knew, but he couldn't stop.

Lucy reached back and her fingers drifted across his shoulder and up his neck, encouraging him, and Axel stroked down between her legs until she made the soft sounds and rocked her hips against him. As much as he enjoyed the heat-filled, out-of-control sex, this was better. Gentle and caring and protective.

Axel guided himself once more between her heated folds, and resisted a triumphant smirk as Lucy sighed a little "ooh" of pleasure. He slid home, the soft give of her butt pressing against his stomach, and he kept teasing her. He rocked slowly, easily, not caring about the time or himself. He just wanted to hear more of those desperate, needy noises.

He kissed her shoulder as he felt her body start to clench around him in a wet sort of heaven, and whispered, "Ask me nicely."

She might have laughed, stretching and pressing against him, and murmured, "Make me come, asshole."

"Ungrateful wretch," he muttered, but it was mostly a laugh, and he complied.

He didn't let up until she shivered and trembled, a sweaty mess in his arms, and only then did he move with enough urgency that the pressure rose low in his back. He groaned and pressed his face against the back of her neck as he climaxed, as he filled her again, and immediately regretted not using a condom. The last thing they needed was a baby, complicating things still more between them.

Axel gathered her close against his chest as Lucy panted and made those soft contented sounds, and he leaned enough to pull the blankets up and over them. He'd sweat his ass off but at least she would be warm and comfortable. He meant to talk to her, to say something about what this might mean, but he couldn't focus to gather his thoughts, and instead fatigue dragged his eyes closed. He slept.

He woke on his back, Lucy sprawled across his chest, and disorientation caught him off guard. It took a moment to remember what happened — Lucy sneaking out, the meeting with Smith, the coyotes... And angry sex. Amazing, earth-shaking, furious sex. He couldn't keep a stupid smile off his face.

Lucy stirred, lifting her head, and peered at him through sleepy eyes and mussed hair. For a moment, a split second, joy bloomed in her expression. And just as suddenly disappeared. Axel felt sick. She'd thought he was Ragnar. She woke up in his arms, after a night of amazing sex, and thought he was his brother. It crushed his heart and he couldn’t breathe.

But Lucy smiled and rested her head on his chest. "Good morning."

He didn't know what to do or say. He cleared his throat. "Feeling okay?"

"Still tired." Her fingers drifted over his chest, tracing a strange pattern. "What time is it?"

Axel lifted his head to check the alarm clock. "Nine. Do you have somewhere to be?"

Her lips pressed together and she took long enough to answer that he knew she probably lied. "Not really. Just wondering if we missed breakfast."

"I can cook for you, if you're hungry."

Lucy shook her head, the violet hair tickling his side, and she snuggled closer. "This is better."

He stared at the ceiling as she drifted back to sleep, trying to understand. Maybe she slept with him just to feel as if she had Ragnar back for a night. Maybe she regretted it. Maybe she wanted to distract him from whatever her mission was for Smith. He rubbed his eyes and debated sliding out of bed so he could go down to the gym and beat the shit out of a heavy bag. He just couldn't figure her out.

Eventually he couldn't lay still any longer and slid out of bed, putting a pillow in his place so she could curl up around something. He showered quickly and got dressed, making sure he left clean towels for her, and went to check the fridge for any actual food. Finding nothing, he called up to Kaiser to see whether the alpha could spare some breakfast foods. A lot of grumbling and growling cut through the static, but a few minutes later, the door opened and Kaiser wandered through, still looking half-asleep even though Axel knew he'd probably been up at dawn.

Kaiser handed him a brown paper bag full of groceries — enough for omelets or pancakes or oatmeal or whatever they might want — and eyed him. "You work faster than I thought. Should have given you more credit."

Axel snorted and shuffled into the kitchen, starting to put the groceries in the fridge. When he checked with Owen about the status of the guest room improvements, he would add grocery shopping to the list of things for the younger bear to do. "I didn't plan for things to go quite that fast. She snuck out last night, met with Smith."

Kaiser's eyebrows rose as he folded his arms. "Oh?"

"Yeah." Axel set aside the fixings for omelets and searched around for a clean knife and skillet. "No idea what they talked about, but Szdoka was there, too."

Kaiser's expression darkened. "Really."

"Yep. And that's not quite the worst bit." Axel took a deep breath and wondered if he could just have a beer with breakfast. Maybe Malcolm would deliver a little moonshine, so Axel could add some to his coffee. "Half a dozen coyotes followed Lucy back from where she met with Smith, and tried to attack her a block or so from our place. I have no idea if they followed Smith or Szdoka to the meeting, but they definitely followed Lucy away from it."

"That is... troubling." The alpha bear grumbled as he started to pace. "If it were anyone but the coyotes, I wouldn't be worried. Are you sure they weren't hyenas?"

"Very sure. I was pissed off, but I’m not blind. I ran them off, but you could probably find traces of them a block north of here. If you want to check." Axel resisted the urge to growl about it. Imagine, mistaking a hyena for a coyote. Fucking insulting that the alpha doubted him.

"If we can identify them by scent, we can go beat the shit out of John for attacking your mate," Kaiser said. "But if you're fine with them marauding around the city..."

Axel tossed a skillet into the sink; he couldn't remember the last time he washed it, so it was probably due for a scrub or three. His shoulders tensed as he waited for the water to heat. "Don't fuck with me, boss. Come on. If you want to send Sasha or Mal after them, fine. I've got to figure out what the hell Smith is doing. And what he's dragging Lucy into."

"I'll send Sasha." Kaiser frowned as he leaned on the island, studying everything in the kitchen. "I am perturbed about Smith's behavior. He didn't say anything yesterday. I'm not sure if we can trust him, if he insists of meeting some members of the Council separately and in secret."

"Maybe we should stop by this morning and let him know. Fill Edgar and the Chases in on what happened, maybe call Szdoka up as well and see what she has to say for herself." Axel looked around for the chopped veggies.

"If you want to challenge Lacey Szdoka, go right ahead." Kaiser snorted and slapped his hand on the granite counter. "But I don't have a death wish, brother, so I'll let you lead that charge. Lacey's gotten damn scary since she took over."

Axel shot him a dark look over his shoulder. "Really, dude? You're a fucking
bear
."

"Yes, and I'm not an idiot. That's why I'm still alive, shit-head. Hyenas grow up fucking each other over, and to come out on top, she had to be the meanest, strongest, scariest bitch in the mess. And there’s a reason why lions give up their kill if hyenas show up. I don't want any part of that." Kaiser tilted his head at the closed door to Axel's bedroom. "So figure out what's going on with your girl, and I'll set something up with Smith as soon as possible. When you're done eating breakfast, come upstairs."

The alpha left, still shaking his head, and Axel waited until the door closed behind him to go back to making omelets. He would feed Lucy, then they would have to talk about last night. And when she woke up and thought he was Ragnar. His throat closed up as he thought about that bright spark of love in her eyes when she first looked at him, and he'd believed it was because of him. Stupid. She didn't love him.

"Smells good," Lucy said as she walked into the kitchen, wrapped up in a blanket and her mussed. "Was Kaiser here?"

"Yes." Axel pointed at the kitchen table. "Sit. I'll finish this, but you'd better start talking about what you were doing last night."

She made an irritated noise, though the fierce look she gave him was undermined by the pillow wrinkles on her cheek and a yawn. Despite himself, Axel's heart warmed a little. She was like a bear cub trying to be scary. Lucy fussed with the sheet she wore and sat at the table, yawning again. "Smith and I wanted to catch up. That's it."

"And Lacey Szdoka? She wanted to catch up as well? I didn't know you knew her." Axel dropped a handful of cheese on the eggs and stabbed at the mess with the spatula. Maybe not an omelet after all.

Lucy didn't blink. "Smith invited her. She seemed nice."

"Now I know you're lying," he said under his breath, sliding the eggs onto two plates and tossing some bread on top. "The hyena queen is never nice."

"Maybe that's because you're an asshole." Lucy raised her eyebrows in challenge as he approached and put one of the plates in front of her. "And she doesn't have any reason to be nice to you."

Axel couldn't argue with that, unfortunately. He didn't sit right away, frowning at Lucy. She had no reason to trust him, really, even though they'd spent the night together. He hadn't been a good steward of her trust — following her when she asked him not to, accusing her of all sorts of things. He took a deep breath and sat across from her. "You're hiding something, Lucy. I wish you would fill me in."

She blinked wide blue eyes at him, expression unreadable. "I've known you for less than three days. Why should I tell you anything?"

Another fair point. He took a deep breath. “Well, I thought we shared something. A couple of things, really. Ragnar, to start, and the need to figure out who’s responsible for his death. And we’re mates. It might not be the most comfortable bond right now, but if we want to see where that goes, I don’t think there’s room for deception between us. Plus we slept together, so there’s that.”

Her cheeks flushed and she put her fork down. "We did. But I’m not sure that was the best decision."

“It felt right to me,” he said, and wondered if she was about to break his heart.

Lucy rubbed her forehead, pushing the plate away. “I know. I’m second-guessing myself a little, I think.”

“Because you woke up and thought I was Ragnar?”

Her face drained of color and she flinched, as if he’d struck her. “What are you talking about?”

“When you woke up, you looked at me like… Well, not like you’ve ever looked at me. And I wondered if – I’m still wondering if – I’m just a shoddy replacement for Ragnar.” He looked at his hands, shaking his head. It hurt to say, would hurt to know the truth, but he didn’t think he could live with being a stand-in for Ragnar.

Lucy took a shaky breath, and her hands trembled as she pushed to her feet. “No, I didn’t think you were Ragnar. I woke up and thought how comforting it was, to wake up next to you, to see you there. That’s what I thought.”

“Lucy,” he said, and felt more tired than he had in his entire life. “I just – I really care about you, and I don’t want to put you through anything painful. If I’m a constant reminder of him, I don’t want you to hurt because of me.”

“Maybe it’s a good thing that you remind me of him.” She shook her head and disappeared into his bedroom, sounding a little tearful, and when she reappeared, she was dressed and heading for the door. “But maybe you let me decide whether I want to deal with it. I don’t need you to protect me from everything, Axel, and definitely don’t need you to decide whether your presence is too painful for me to bear.”

The door slammed behind her as she left, and he stared up at the ceiling, groaning. That hadn’t gone as planned. He winced as he heard her reach Kaiser's apartment, complete with loud voices and stomping feet and an exchange with Josie. Who would no doubt also want to beat the hell out of him. Axel picked up his hat and headed for the backyard. He needed to get the hell out of there before the mama bear found him. He'd rather take his chances against the hyena queen than a furious Josie.

I
couldn't see
straight I was so angry, and by the time I managed to blurt out what Axel had said, Kaiser was already headed for the stairs. Josie didn't even have to tell him anything. The alpha bear shook his head in that resigned bear gesture, as if he couldn't believe his friend, and sighed about how Axel probably meant well.

Even a hot shower and fresh clothes didn't help. The only thing that did was the message from Smith on the cheap phone — he knew Nick would be in a particular location in a matter of hours, and if I could get away, we could set our plan in motion. I would bump into Nick by 'accident,' try to figure out what he knew about Ragnar's killers, and figure out a way to meet him one more time. I would plant a beacon on him so Smith's magical friends could find their way inside the BadCreek compound, that day or some other time when they had all the shifters with them. We would lay the foundation for the attack to destroy BadCreek.

"He's such an idiot," I said, flopping onto the couch next to Josie and putting my feet up. I covered my eyes; I needed to focus on the meeting. On seeing Nick. Preparing myself in case Nick set Ragnar up and would try to kill me as well. Smith and Lacey would be nearby, in case anything went wrong, but that didn't mean I'd survive the meeting.

"One question, though." Josie put the magazine aside and fixed me with a narrow-eyed look. "How did you get from asleep up here to downstairs in bed with him?"

I didn't want to lie to her. I really didn't. I never had sisters but I imagined Josie would be a good person to have in my corner. And there wasn't much use to lie about it, anyway, since Axel saw who I met with and no doubt already told Kaiser everything. I drew my legs up to my chest and pressed my forehead against my knees. "I can't explain everything yet. I went out last night to meet with Smith about something. Axel followed me. On the way back, some dogs or coyotes or something surrounded me and he jumped in to help. Then he dragged me back here and kissed me, and I was just so
mad
..." I shook my head and groaned. "It was stupid but I couldn't think. Even though I was furious with him, I just couldn't stop myself."

"Angry sex," she said, nodding sagely. "Yep. That's tough to pass up."

I lifted my head to look at her, blinking. "I beg your pardon?"

A flush crept up her cheeks and she didn't quite meet my gaze. "I'm not saying that Kaiser has ever done something stupid enough that I wanted to throw him out, but there have been a couple of times that we've both been so angry and turned on..." She shivered, then laughed and blushed more. "Anyway. I don't entirely blame you. There's nothing to be ashamed of."

"I'm not ashamed." I sank lower on the couch. "Well, I wasn't until he starting questioning whether I was just using him as a stand-in for Ragnar. Of course I wasn’t." Although part of me wasn’t so sure. Maybe Axel was right. Maybe the feelings I had for him only developed because he looked so damn much like his brother.

"Of course not." Josie sighed and shook her head. "So what are you up to with Smith?"

"I can't really say," I said. "Not yet. I just need to check something. I need to go out for a bit, but I'll be back."

Her eyebrow arched, and she didn't speak for a long time. So long I almost confessed everything just to break the tension. But Josie took a deep breath and patted my knee. "Look, babe. I know it's hard to ask for help sometimes — God knows I know it; it took me forever to ask for help, but if I hadn't, I wouldn't be here with my nieces and nephew. I'd probably be dead in an alley somewhere, or locked up in BadCreek's basement. I'm not sure which would have been worse. Either way, Lucy, please don't wait too long to reach out. We can help. We want to help."

"Thank you," I said, and squeezed her hand. "I appreciate it. But I have to do this part alone. You guys are too well-known. If my contact catches sight or smell of Axel or Kaiser or anyone, he'll bolt and then I'll never know what happened to Ragnar."

She rubbed her forehead, then pushed to her feet and headed for the kitchen. "Okay, but you'd better call me before the meeting and after the meeting, so I know you're safe. And I'll pour you some coffee to go, because you'd better get the hell out of here before Kaiser is done knocking Axel around the backyard, otherwise you might have a couple of well-intentioned bears following you."

I wanted to hug her and run at the same time. The coffee gave me a little more energy as I pulled on my jacket and slid my wallet into the pocket, along with the cheap phone and my own cell phone, and headed for the door. I still shivered and looked over my shoulder as I jogged to catch the bus that would take me to the park where Smith said Nick would be. I stopped to buy a book at a nearby second-hand bookstore, nearly getting lost in the overflowing shelves before I glanced at my watch and actually caught the time, and found a sunny spot at a sidewalk cafe to wait. Even in the chilly wind, a couple of people braved the cold to sit outside in the sun next to a few massive space heaters. I glanced around for any sign of Lacey or Smith but saw nothing. So I texted Josie and felt a little less alone, even though every passing minute made me second-guess the wisdom of the plan. Smith had sounded so confident, and Lacey so assured of success, that it was difficult to question their resolve. Of course it would work. Of course Nick would recognize me and go along with it, and of course he would be alone and everything would go according to plan.

Luckily, I didn't have to wait long, so I didn't lose my nerve. I was only a few pages into the book when I looked up and spotted Nick striding toward me, his expression hard. Closed off. He'd aged ten years at least in the last three months. My hands shook and I almost let him walk by. He didn't look like the man I'd known, and he sure as hell didn't look like someone who would help me take down his employers. But there was only one way to tell.

I closed the book and half-rose from my chair, saying a little too loudly, "Nick?"

He stopped so suddenly that a person walking behind him ran into him, and Nick looked at me as if I'd jumped up and thrown my coffee in his face. "Lucy?"

"Hey," I said, my voice wobbling a little. I suddenly wanted to cry. "It's been a while. How are you?"

He shook off the shock I'd apparently caused, and caught me up in a hug. As he squeezed me tight, Nick whispered in my ear, "I'm probably being watched, so we'll pretend you're an old girlfriend."

I laughed as he released me, and I wiped away the tears that escaped. I patted his chest, terrified and exhilarated, and fumbled with my book. "Right. It's just strange to see you again."

The scars on his face buckled as he smiled, then glanced at his watch. "I have a meeting I'm late for, but can you walk with me a bit?"

"Sure." I almost dropped my coffee mug and shivered, but he just waited until I had myself together, then he linked his arm with mine and led the way down the street. My teeth almost chattered as I leaned into him, keeping my voice low. "What the hell happened?"

"You tell me," he said, moving to drape his arm over my shoulders and drag me closer. "You guys are the ones who disappeared. Where the hell is Ragnar?"

It was my turn to stop short, and he got a few steps beyond me before he stopped and faced me. My heart jumped to my throat as I stared at him. "What?"

Nick's expression darkened with anticipation or suspicion or knowledge, the first hint of the betrayal one of us would face. "You just dropped off the radar, Lucy. I thought you deserted me."

For a disorienting moment, I wondered if he was just play-acting for whoever followed him. But real pain flashed in his eyes as maybe he guessed the truth. I eased closer and we started walking, although Nick didn't touch me again. "Ragnar died. Was killed. In an ambush by your people. We thought maybe you — knew."

He cursed and rubbed his face, shoulders sagging. "I didn't. I'm sorry. I liked Ragnar."

"Me too." I hugged myself as we walked, and I tried to care enough to figure out where we went and how I would get back to Smith or Lacey and safety.

"So what are you doing here now?" He paused next to a deli and stepped closer to the wall, out of the wind, as he caught my arm. "Lucy, you could be in serious danger."

"I wanted to make sure you were okay," I said. "And to find out who caused it. Who killed him."

"I don't know," Nick said. He shook his head, staring over my shoulder at the street beyond. Maybe searching for danger or the people watching him. "I'll find out. Can you meet me tomorrow?"

I bit my lip and thought of Axel and Kaiser and Smith and everyone else. No telling if they'd let me walk away again tomorrow, particularly if Axel found out about this little jaunt. "Of course. Time and place?"

"Let me get your number." He fiddled with his own phone and sent me a missed call, then straightened. "I'll call you later tonight and let you know. It's good to see you, Lucy."

"You too, Nick." I forced myself to smile, as if I were an old girlfriend happy to see him again, and hug him. As I did, I tucked Smith's magic beacon, a battered silver coin, into his coat pocket. "Keep that with you."

"Will do." He caught my face in his hands and winked. "I'll call you tonight. We'll figure this out, but I might need your help to get the hell out of this."

"We already have a plan," I whispered. Sort of. Sort of a plan, though it involved a lot of shifters in animal form storming the compound where he would be held. The chances for success weren't great, according to Smith. But at least we had a plan.

"Great." Nick leaned down and kissed me, practically bending me over backward as my knees weakened and I clung to him as the world swam around me. I lost all track of time — it could have been a second, a minute, an hour. All of it disappeared into the warmth of his embrace and the heated passion of his mouth. He straightened as he broke the kiss, then winked again, patted my butt, and said, "I'll see you soon," and sauntered off down the street.

He turned the corner and disappeared from sight, and I stared after him, touching my lips. I didn't feel anything for Nick — certainly none of the heady lust of being with Axel — but it was hard to remain unaffected when a man that good-looking and
that
good at kissing decided to make a point. I tried to shake it off and walked back toward the first cafe, my hands shaking. So Nick hadn't known about Ragnar's death, or the role BadCreek played in it, and that meant one of two things: either Nick lied to me and instead prepared an ambush to kill me as well, or he was in grave danger being seen with me. If BadCreek suspected Nick helped us, they would kill him.

I needed to reach Smith. I pulled out the cheap cell phone and started to dial, glancing around to see if Lacey might have appeared to tell me what to do next. Instead, I saw Axel and Kaiser in a car across the street. My heart thumped oddly at the rage in Axel's face, the betrayal, the flash of gold in his eyes that meant the polar bear wanted to leap out and make his own point. Kaiser looked only somewhat disappointed.

I dialed Smith anyway, my gaze still on the bears, and took a deep breath as he answered with a cheerful greeting. "We might have a problem."

"Oh, I know." The investigator appeared next to the bears' car but gestured for me to keep walking. "Go straight a block, then make a left. Keep walking. We'll pick you up."

The cafe called my name and for a mad second I considered just going inside, getting a sandwich, and waiting there until they dragged me out. I hadn't done anything wrong, but that didn't mean I wanted to face Axel again. I forced my legs to keep moving, down the street one slow step at a time, and hoped the BadCreek bad guys weren't watching.