Bearing Hearts (City Shifters: the Den Book 2) (11 page)

W
hen they called
Smith's office, the secretary said he was out for the morning. She wouldn't give them any other information. Axel could grudgingly respect the loyalty of the man's employees. But that didn't help them figure out what the hell was going on. They drove through the city with the windows down, searching for Lucy or Smith by scent alone, and eventually narrowed in on the most likely location based on the information they still had on the BadCreek enforcer's preferred meeting places. It only took an hour of searching before Axel's chest tightened and the polar bear roared: their mate. They'd found her, and she smelled frightened.

He saw her seated in a cafe, reading a book and sipping from a travel coffee mug, and Kaiser pulled the car into an open spot. They waited. Axel wanted to leap through the windshield and storm up to her, demand answers. He even growled, ripping the handle off the inside of the door as he struggled to control the bear, and Kaiser sighed. "Keep it together, Ax."

Kaiser had beat the shit out of him in the backyard for being a dick to Lucy, but he also offered to drive Axel around to find her. Axel still tried to shake off the ringing in his ears, but knew he deserved the punishment. His new resolution was to think before he spoke. Until he saw her get up to hug a guy who could have been an actor, even with scars all over his face — the BadCreek enforcer. They spoke and started to walk together, and the polar bear sensed his mate in danger and getting farther away. As the pair reached the end of the street, Axel tried to open his door with the broken handle, but Kaiser muttered a curse and locked the doors. “You might get her killed, asshole. If BadCreek sees you, they’ll attack everyone.”

Just as Axel looked up to ask whether the alpha actually saw any BadCreek pack members, he caught sight of Lucy in the rearview mirror. Lucy, being kissed by the BadCreek enforcer. Bent over backwards in a swoon, her multicolored hair spilling through the man's fingers.

Axel felt himself shifting as red obscured his vision and everything in the world coalesced into the spot where that son of a bitch kissed Lucy. Touched her. Tasted her. Axel growled but fought off the polar bear. They were in a car on a busy street. If he shifted fully, the bulk of the polar bear would destroy the car and kill Kaiser. He clenched his jaw and tried to breathe through his nose, fighting off the rage, and Kaiser unlocked his own door. "Let me know if I need to drive, man."

"Not. Yet." The voice sounded more bear than man, and Axel wondered if it would be a better idea for Kaiser to park in a side alley, away from the prying eyes of too many people, but he didn't want to lose sight of Lucy. Just in case that BadCreek fuck-head tried to steal her.

Not that Axel owned her, or that she'd agreed to be his. Maybe she loved that dude. Maybe she betrayed Ragnar to be with the BadCreek enforcer. Red flashes of pain ignited in his head and Axel dug his fingers into his thighs until the jeans tore and blood soaked into the fabric. Kaiser handed him a bottle of Mal's moonshine. "One sip. Take the edge off. Keep breathing."

Axel's hand shook as he took the bottle, almost pouring it over himself as he watched Lucy retrace her steps to the cafe, a phone up to her ear. She made a call, scanning the street, and her gaze landed on them. His hand tightened on the bottle until it cracked, and Kaiser took it away. A noise beside the car made him whirl, teeth bared, to confront Smith. The investigator gave directions to someone on the phone, then pointed at the back door. Kaiser unlocked it, and the gray-haired man slid into the backseat.

He sounded entirely too calm. "Drive south, take the first left, and pick her up on the side street. BadCreek might be watching Nick."

Kaiser didn't budge. "I don't take orders from you, old man. Explain yourself."

"The coyotes are working for BadCreek again, and they might have happened across her scent the same way you did. Are you sure you want to risk her being attacked in an alley for a second time?" Smith sounded too calm to be talking about Lucy being attacked by coyotes.

Axel snarled, ready to run after her, and Kaiser shot a dark look over his shoulder at Smith. "We're coming to a reckoning, Smith. We'll pick her up and then the four of us are going to have a very long conversation."

"Very well." Smith folded his hands in his lap, prim as a Sunday school teacher, and Axel wanted to reach back to strangle the man.

They sat in silence as Kaiser pulled out of the space, made the turn, and rolled down the side street. Lucy crossed the street and slipped into the car as soon as Kaiser stopped. It only took a few seconds for them to pick her up, and then Kaiser sped away, headed back to the gym. Lucy sounded completely normal as she spoke to Smith, "Nick said he didn't know that Ragnar died. He's going to find out who's responsible and wants to meet tomorrow. He might need to get out."

"As I suspected." Smith took a deep breath, and it sounded so normal that Axel wanted to scream. The investigator tapped at a cell phone. "We will have to set up a fallback plan, just in case. You gave him the marker, though?"

"Yeah," she said. "He'll have it with him."

Kaiser's voice sounded closer to a growl. "Start explaining, Smith."

"I hired Ragnar and Lucy to meet with Nick, who I've known for some time. He is something of an anomaly among the wolves — he is unaffected by alpha's influence and any sort of pack dynamics. It was his idea to join BadCreek and try to mitigate their evil from the inside. It appears that someone inside BadCreek is on to him, however, and that got Ragnar killed." Smith held the phone up to his ear and spoke to someone on the other end. "As we suspected. Tomorrow night, the Hunt may hunt. Stand by."

Assent, and then the investigator put the phone away. He looked utterly unperturbed in the side-view mirror as Axel glared at him, wanting to tear the man to pieces. He put Lucy in danger. Deliberately. More than once. Axel struggled to keep his teeth concealed, wanting to snarl in the man's face to make it clear how much the polar bear wanted to see his blood. "So you sent Lucy to meet with this guy, knowing that he might kill her or some of his pack might try to kill them both? You sent her
alone
? Without knowing anything about the risk?"

"Lucy is an adult," Smith said, still looking serene. "We discussed the risks. She wanted to go anyway."

Axel took a breath to argue, to condemn the man for endangering a woman like that, but Lucy leaned forward and caught his shoulder until he half-turned to face her. Her expression hardened with something like resolve. "I'm doing my job, Axel, and I'm trying to figure out who the hell killed your brother. So chill the fuck out."

He wanted to leap into the back and kiss her, get rid of any memory of that other man, make sure the world knew she was his. And she glared right back at him as he scowled at her. Axel gripped the center console until the top ripped away, and Kaiser huffed an irritated bear sigh. "You're ruining my fucking car, dude. Keep it together."

Axel dropped the pieces of the console next to his feet but didn't care. He couldn't look away from Lucy. "You kissed him."

Her teeth flashed white and he saw the fox come to the surface. She made angry fox noises and smacked his shoulder. "
He
kissed
me
because we wanted anyone watching to think I was an old girlfriend."

Smith reached over and touched her arm, keeping his gray eyes on Axel as the polar bear fumed. "Lucy, do please take a breath."

As soon as Kaiser parked, Axel kicked open his door and jumped into the cold air. He didn't wait for the other three to get out of the car; he was already shifting. The polar bear couldn't wait. He burst through the fence to the backyard from the outside, not caring what he destroyed, and roared his rage into the clear afternoon air. He started shredding what remained of the logs in the back and tore great furrows in the frozen earth, doing anything he could to vent the fury that almost drove him to race straight to the BadCreek compound to find that Nick guy and rip his fucking face off.

A
fter Axel left the car
, Kaiser shook his head and led the way into the building by the side door, and the sound of an angry bear rampaging through the backyard convinced me that sticking close to the alpha was the only smart course of action. Smith came as well, although he didn't seem particularly pleased to be walking into the bears' den.

In Kaiser's apartment, the alpha bear made coffee and poured four mugs before pointing Smith and me at the kitchen table. I sat, uneasy, and wondered where Lacey ended up. The alpha bear braced his hands on the table as he looked at us. "A couple of things bother me about this situation. Secret meetings, half-truths, a common enemy that you're fighting alone... This isn't how we're going to destroy BadCreek, in pieces and parts, alone. I am perturbed that you would go around the Council on this, Smith, and I have words for Lacey Szdoka as well."

Smith studied his cup of coffee, frowning in thought, though a faint green glow rose around his hands. "I have been tracking this problem for far longer than anyone on this Council, and it took me years to get someone like Nick into position to destroy BadCreek from the inside out. Involving you or the Council or anyone without the self-control to keep from racing off and killing Nick would have jeopardized the entire effort. That's why I worked through Lucy and Ragnar for so long, because they would not compromise the ongoing efforts."

I pushed away the coffee as my stomach burbled in warning. I'd been feeling off all day, my vision a little blurry, and I felt bloated as all hell. Maybe it was stress. I tugged at the waist of my jeans and rested my elbows on the table to watch Kaiser as Smith went on. The beard hid most of the alpha bear's expression, but I still wanted some warning in case he went all grizzly on us.

Smith tapped the table in front of him, deliberate with each word. "As much as I like and respect you and your shifter brethren, Kaiser, you do all suffer from a lack of impulse control. And I couldn't risk it."

Kaiser looked increasingly grim. "We'll have to meet with the Council to discuss the way forward."

"That should wait until we can learn more from Nick, and hopefully get him out of there. Lucy will meet with him tomorrow, and when they're meeting, the hyenas will surround them and mimic kidnapping Nick. In case any of the other BadCreek enforcers are lingering around, they'll believe that the hyenas got him." Smith glanced at his watch. "Which we need to plan. I'm afraid I can't stay until Axel finishes having his temper tantrum, Kaiser, so please give him my regards."

Smith slid back from the table and I held my breath. The alpha bear frowned. "As much as I trust Lacey Szdoka's control of her people, we're talking about BadCreek. They've got the coyotes working with them. With those numbers, I don't think I want to entrust Lucy's safety to just the hyenas."

"If you get too close, you'll blow the whole thing and Nick will be killed. Or he'll be tortured until he gives up Lucy, and then you'll have BadCreek hunting her directly." Smith's temper rose and his eyes flashed quicksilver.

I held my breath as the silence stretched, then I cleared my throat. "I trust Lacey. Kaiser, I don't want to spook Nick. He's supposed to bring the names of the guys who killed Ragnar. Once I have those, you can charge in and do whatever the hell you want to whoever you find. You just have to stay far enough back that BadCreek won't suspect anything. They can't catch wind of bears, or they'll run."

"I don't like it," Kaiser said, mostly grumble. "And neither will Axel."

"That's not my issue," I said, and straightened my shoulders. "I'm sorry, Kaiser, if you don't like it. I have to do this."

His eyes narrowed and he started to object more, but the door to the apartment opened and Axel walked in. He was human again, at least, and dressed in clean clothes. His hair looked wet, as if he'd showered or jumped in the pool, and I waited for the accusations and shouting. Instead, he stayed calm and reserved, though a muscle jumped in his jaw. Barely controlled, but controlled nonetheless. His pale eyes stayed closer to gold than any human color, but his voice sounded impressively normal. "I apologize for the delay."

"It's fine," Smith said, getting to his feet. "I have to arrange some things with Lacey for tomorrow. I trust Lucy will fill you in on the details."

And the investigator slid out the door and disappeared before anyone else could speak. An impressive exit. I wondered if he could teach me how he did it, disappearing so smoothly that he was more ghost than man. But he left me facing Kaiser and Axel. The alpha bear looked between us, then took a long sip of his coffee. "Well. I can see Smith's point, to some extent. Axel would have killed that Nick guy today without hesitation. So maybe we
do
have a problem with impulse control. If you have the meeting with Nick tomorrow, Lucy, we will stay back. We will be present — I don't think you can stop us, frankly, and neither can Smith — but we will remain hidden enough that BadCreek won't be able to observe us."

Relief washed over me and I might have fallen if I hadn't already been seated. "Thank you."

"But," he said, and leveled a finger at me, his massive paw impressive. "You have to be honest about where and when the meeting will occur. I'm not about to waste time tomorrow chasing ghosts. Agreed?"

"Agreed," I said, and shook the hand he offered.

"Good." Kaiser knocked his knuckles against the table and looked at Axel. "So. I'm guessing you have a few things to discuss. But take the yelling downstairs, will you? It's nap time and the kids are sleeping."

"You're just saying that because you want to sleep," Axel said under his breath, but looked at me and nodded at the door. "Will you come downstairs?"

I hesitated. Something about the glint in his eyes and the way his hands flexed made my insides squirm, and flashes of the night before ran through my mind, sending heat rushing through me. It would have been smarter to stay upstairs and take a nap. But apparently I also had a problem with impulse control, because I stood up and headed for the stairs. "Fine. But I'm still waiting for your apology."

The growl behind me made me smile, though I composed my expression before I faced him, my arms folded as I stood by the door to his apartment. Needling him wasn't the
best
idea, but I could use the stress relief of some angry sex. And God, he looked angry. So I arched my eyebrow. "Well?"

Axel opened the door with enough force it nearly bounced shut in his face, and waited for me to walk in before he closed it. I opened my mouth to say something else, to poke the bear a little more, but sucked in a breath as he grabbed me. Axel shoved me up against the wall and kissed me, desperate and hungry and consuming. He pinned me and lifted me off the ground, and I wrapped my legs around his waist as I kissed him back, lost myself in the fierce possessiveness of his hands and teeth. He growled as he retreated, blue eyes flashing gold. "I saw him touch you and I wanted to kill him. When he kissed you, I wanted to rip him apart with my bare hands. I hated it. Hated every second of it."

He nipped at my throat and my head fell back against the wall as my hands worked into his hair and held his mouth to my skin. I wanted him. Needed him with an overwhelming urgency that drove any sensible thought out of my head. Axel snarled and he pulled at his jeans, shoving them out of the way before he reached for mine. It felt like an eternity that we fumbled with buttons and zippers and too much fabric, but then he pressed me against the wall again and the hard pressure of his cock nudged at my core and I moaned.

Axel squeezed my ass and spread me open as he shoved forward, invading me. Tore into me. I cried out and dug my nails into the back of his neck, rising up and away from the pressure until Axel grabbed my shoulder to hold me in place. He made a savage noise and thrust again, and stars exploded in my eyes. The hard heat of his body invaded my channel until delicious friction rippled through me and I could only cling to him, rising and falling on his cock as he pounded me into the wall.

He dragged his teeth across my shoulder, voice dark and broken. "I need you, Lucy. I need you so much I can’t stand it."

I couldn't breathe, clinging to him and sanity with my fingernails. Nick's kiss hadn't been anything like this. I meant to say something to encourage Axel or make him angrier, but he lifted me and pressed even deeper and I couldn't speak. My muscles clenched around him, tried to drag him in and keep him, and I seized up. Couldn't move or think. He snarled and bit my shoulder, his hips jerking against me as he came.

I panted, leaning my head against the wall, and tried to formulate a thought. Any thought. Axel didn't have that problem, apparently, because he withdrew, threw me over his shoulder, and strode to his bedroom. I tried to catch my breath, admiring his tight butt, but yelped as he tossed me onto the bed. Axel stood over me, surveying my half-naked body, then eyed my chest. "Shirt off. Bra too."

I pushed up on my elbows and arched an eyebrow, even though the hint of bossiness made my core clench in anticipation. "You too, asshole."

He grumbled but stripped off his sweater and threw it across the room. When I took too long to pull off my shirt, he knelt on the bed and reached for the hem himself. Before he could tear yet another piece of clothing, I reached for his cock, still half-hard. Axel froze, a growly rumble starting in his chest, as I stroked him. Then again, and again, until his cock grew in my hands and I could hardly wrap my fingers around it. The heated flesh felt heavy and hard against my palm, and I watched his expression contort as I squeezed his cock and dragged at it in long, slow strokes. I even leaned down to kiss the tip, watching as he groaned and his eyes closed, his head falling back.

He gulped for air and reached for me, tried to pull me under him so he could trap me, and I shook my head. I moved and pushed him onto his back, and Axel sprawled there on his bed in the tangled sheets, a mountain of muscle and hard angles and a massive, needy erection.

I knelt over his thighs and let his cock rest against my stomach as I pulled off my shirt, slow and sensual until his fingers gripped my thighs and tried to drag me forward so he could slide into me. I resisted and played with the band of my bra, studying his expression as he snarled and swore. I loved tormenting him. He wanted me so badly but I held the control. My breasts were a little sore so I left the bra on, but braced my hands on his shoulders as I slid my hips forward and trapped his cock between his stomach and my aching center.

Ecstasy rippled through me as I moved, slow and deliberate, and rubbed myself on him as I panted and moaned. Axel made savage noises and tore holes in the sheets as his hips lifted to meet me, trying to speed things up, but I resisted. The slow and steady build only made me wetter, more sensitive, and I froze up again as I moved in short, sharp little bumps against him. I sighed, my head hanging forward, and tried to breathe.

Axel gripped my thighs, digging his fingers into the back of them and up to my butt, squeezing and massaging until everything in me turned liquid and bright. I didn't resist as he lifted my hips slightly and guided the head of his cock to press into me. He slipped in easily and my weight did the rest as he settled me close, and the aftershocks of climax had me shivering and shaking as I remained still on top of him.

His hands caught my waist and started to guide me in a gentle rocking, a back and forth that drove him into every inch of me. Marked. I was so thoroughly marked. And I didn't mind. Axel's palm connected with my hip and I blinked, nails digging into his chest, and his eyes blazed gold up at me. "Look at me."

And I did. Our eyes locked and remained joined as I moved faster, and he thrust up to meet me, and everything built into a whirlwind of anticipation and pleasure and then — release. I cried out, seized up, froze, and he kept moving. Kept lifting his hips in savage thrusts that drove me through one climax and right into another, until the world grew dark around the border and I couldn't hear or see anything. Couldn't move or think. Started to pass out, maybe, until Axel's hands slid up my back and pressed me to his chest, my breasts crushed against the hard muscle. Axel rolled until he moved over me, his weight a comfort, and buried his face against my neck. He grumbled in that strange language as he jerked and pressed deep into me once more, rotating his hips, then lay still.

I panted and sprawled there in his bed, helpless and unable to move at all. A delicious languor settled over me. My fingers dragged along the back of his neck, tangled in his hair, and I wondered if I loved him. If I could say that I loved him and have him believe that I loved
him
and not just his brother. Just because the angry sex was amazing didn't mean either of us was ready for a relationship. I couldn't just go around and keep him pissed off every day. It would be fun, sure, but terrible for his blood pressure.

Axel moved up on his elbows, gaze still intense as he stared down at me. "I like having you in my bed. Stay here with me."

I tried to gather my thoughts, wincing as his body slipped from mine. Missing the contact and the comforting invasion. I tugged on his short beard and leaned up to nibble on his lips. "Get better towels and sheets."

"Already done," he said, and kissed behind my ear. His voice went husky and grumbly. "And I got groceries. And shampoo. Girly shit."

I laughed and closed my eyes. "Okay. I have to get my bag from upstairs." And I pretended like I would worm out of his embrace and get it right that moment.

Axel growled and pinned me again, and my eyebrows arched as his renewed interest pressed against my stomach. "You've got to be kidding me."

"I'm going to mark you," he said, and brushed the hair from my shoulder to set his teeth against the sensitive skin right where it met my neck. "Right there. While I'm fucking you."

I sighed and feigned disinterest, even with a shiver of excitement rolling through me at the thought. "Fine, but don't make me do all the work this time, okay?"

The bear snarled louder and I laughed, rolling to my stomach so I could lift my hips into his groin, and I pressed my face against the pillow as he seized my butt, his fingers bruising in their strength. He grumbled and made bear noises as he smacked my hip, and I bit my lower lip to keep from moaning. Good thing he'd already done the shopping, since I didn't think either of us would be leaving the bedroom for some time. I made a mental note to ask about soundproofing the walls and floors, otherwise Josie and Kaiser would know a hell of a lot more about us than I wanted.