Bears in Flight: Book Four - Supernatural Bounty Hunters Romance Novellas (8 page)

He unsheathed a claw and carefully strummed her clit. And oh, she was gone. She threw back her head and screamed his name as her rabbit let out her own little howl. He gave one final, hard thrust inside her and exploded, roaring with a ferocity she had never heard before.

Mia collapsed over his body, and he made soothing motions on her back as he struggled to regain his breath.

Her next door neighbor banged on the wall, and a muffled voice told them to keep it the hell down. Logan snarled at him to get lost, but Mia just buried her reddened and embarrassed face in his shoulder.
Perhaps they had been a little on the loud side…

He was always passionate, but that day… he seemed to be more riled up than usual. Not that she was complaining; every time with him was amazing. But, she didn’t like the thought that her questions had made him angry. And she didn’t like the thought that he was hiding things from her.

Her rabbit whined as the bloom of happiness she had felt only moments ago dimmed, and she was left with the gnawing uncertainty that had been plaguing her.

Logan tensed underneath her as he sensed the shift in her mood. “I do love you, you know? More than anything.”

“I know,” she sniffled, trying to fight back the weepy, irrational tears that threatened to fall.

“You’re my whole world, Mia. I… I lived, but I wasn’t alive until I met you.”

“Oh, Logan!” Her rabbit rolled over like a puppy for that.

Why did he have to say things like that? Why was she such a pushover?

She kissed his neck and breathed in his scent. Why couldn’t they just stay here in this glorious bubble? Just kissing, holding and loving one another. Her eyes started to droop as she felt her body surrendering to sleep.

“Is there anything you’d like to tell me?” he asked softly.

Her eyes fluttered open. Briefly, her thoughts leaped to her dad and his quest to find her a husband, before they alighted on her friend Julian. Logan knew about neither of those things, but he didn’t really need to. If he knew, he might be upset. Or would he? It was a little hard to tell.

“No,” she replied faintly.

“You can tell me anything.”

“Right back at you,” she sighed as she fell asleep in his arms.

Chapter Eight

Three days later - Friday

Logan grunted as he opened the door to his apartment.
It had not been a good day.

No, he certainly hadn’t enjoyed having his latest skip throw burgers and milkshakes at him - he was now filthy.
Why the hell did she have to work at a Lunar Burger anyway?
No, he didn’t enjoy the fact that his ex had taken to strutting around his apartment in only her panties and a t-shirt and was being excessively slovenly.
She liked to stir the pot
. And no, he didn’t like the fact that his truck had broken down on the way home, and he was now forced to use a tiny compact loaner.

But all that paled in comparison to the fact that things were strained with his mate. After their couch tryst a few days ago, she had persisted in asking him questions about his past, and he had snapped and snarled at her. After that, she had been quiet.
Deafeningly quiet
. She wasn’t cold or distant, just quiet. It was really starting to unnerve him.

He didn’t want to be mean, but he didn’t want her to know about his past either. He was only doing it to protect her. His bear grumbled at that.
No, he was doing it to protect himself
. If she found out what sort of man he used to be, she might leave him, and he couldn’t allow that to happen.

Logan grumbled back at his bear with equal force. As far as he could see, keeping her in the dark was the only option.
Just as long as he didn’t manage to lose her in the process anyway…

Tentatively, she had asked him if she would see him that night. He’d wanted to yell, yes, yes yes! But, he had a little matter to attend to first, and he wasn’t sure how long it would take. He told her he might drop round to her apartment. Her pretty face had shown the hurt she felt at his answer for a second, and in that second he’d hated himself, almost as much as his bear hated him. But, he had something he needed to do, and he was doing this for their future happiness – so he could hardly be blamed, could he?
Well…

“Maya?” he called out unenthusiastically.

“Hey!” she came tripping out of the kitchen wearing, naturally, just her panties and one of his t-shirts.

He stifled his beast’s growl when he saw it.

“You don’t mind that I borrowed your shirt, do you?” She gave him a brief pout.

He shrugged feigning indifference. “It’s just a shirt.”

She smelt mildly of whiskey and wondered where she would have gotten that. He certainly didn’t have any, and after she’d handed over some money for her bond, she’d claimed she was completely tapped out. Not that it mattered. He didn’t care how much money she might have squirreled away.

Maya chuckled as she took in his appearance. A glob of banana-peanut butter milkshake splashed to the floor. “What’s the matter? Did you miss your mouth?”

His lips twitched, but he ignored her. She stood before him, swaying slightly. Hell, never mind a little whiskey she was drunk as a freaking skunk. Maybe she’d been out to a bar and found some poor sap to pay for her drinks.
More fool him…

Logan pulled the papers out of his back pocket. He’d found the cheapest lawyer he could; a guy who had an office in the mall that he shared with a lemonade stand. He went by the name ‘Ready Freddy,’ because he was available and ready to take on any case going. The point was that Ready Freddy had been more than eager to draw up some divorce papers. Now Logan was more than eager to get Maya to sign them.

“I need you to sign these.”

Gingerly, he reached out to pass them to her.

Her brow furrowed. “What are they?”

“Divorce papers - it’s time.”

She looked at him in shock, but Logan stared back at her resolutely.

“You’re serious, aren’t you?”

He nodded and seeing that she wasn’t going to take them, he dropped them onto the table.

Her bottom lip trembled exaggeratedly, and his bear felt inordinately angry that she was going to try and manipulate him over this.

Logan inwardly groaned at the look of reproach on her face. “Look, Maya, this can’t be a surprise. We’ve been apart for years, and for hell’s sake – you were the one who left me and ran off with another bear.”

“Is that what this is about? Payback for going with Brick?”

He raked his hands through his slimy hair. “It’s not that. I don’t care about that.”

She took a step towards him. “Honey, I only left because you were being unreasonable. It was always you that I wanted, never Brick. I thought…” She hung her head. “I thought that when I left you’d change your mind and come after me.”

Logan scowled. “Guess I didn’t get that message.”

“It’s not too late…”

She reached out a hand to him, burger, ketchup, milkshake dregs, and all. He stepped back.

“It is, Maya. I’ve met someone, and I wanna be with her.”

Maya looked at him in disbelief. “Are you saying you don’t love me at all?”

His bear urged him to say just that, but it caught in his throat. Maya would always hold a place in him somewhere, maybe not in his heart – that was given entirely to a certain tender little rabbit, but Maya would always have a part of him. Besides, if he did start denying he cared about her, she’d never sign the divorce papers. She could drag the matter out for years if she wanted.

“I’ll always care about you…”

Glee spread across her features, and she jumped forward at him. She pressed her body to his, plastering her curves against him, and she directed his mouth down for a kiss.

His bear howled in fury, and he firmly took hold of her arms and repelled her. She wriggled and squirmed in his arms.

“Stop!” he roared.

She stilled but folded her arms petulantly.

“Enough of this shit, Maya. We’re not together. We’re never going to be together again – ever!”

He’d changed his mind about hurting her feelings now.
He could give a shit
. Feeling her lips on his was too much. He’d never considered it before that moment, as he hadn’t kissed another woman since he met Mia, but he wasn’t able to be intimate with other women anymore. It had left him cold, and he felt a sharp, stab to his chest.
It had felt just plain, darn wrong.

Logan breathed in and out as his muscles quivered. He’d love to just to submit to the bear and allow the shift to take over, but he wasn’t going to. He had this situation under control, and everything was going to be fine. Maya was just drunk and acting out. He doubted she even wanted him back, but she wasn’t above making life difficult just for the hell of it.

Maya’s expression was grim. “Does she even know about me?”

“No,” he admitted reluctantly, “and I’d like to keep it that way.”

“So what? Are you going to get married, buy a house and have a few kids? Is that it? Do you really think that someone with your nature could do that?”

“I want to try,” he hissed as his bear prowled.

The she-bear snorted. “Do you really think she’ll stick with you when you show her your true colors?”

“She loves me…”

“She doesn’t even know you!”

Logan raised his eyes to the ceiling and tried counting to ten. That didn’t work, so he started for a hundred. “I got no problem with you staying here, Maya. I got no problem with shelling out my money to bail you out. But I do have a problem with you trying to kiss me and you talking about things that don’t concern you. Just sign the papers.” He strode past her to the bathroom but paused at the door. “Please,” he growled.

He kicked the door shut behind him.
God, he needed to go for a run
. He needed to allow his bear out; the animal was going crazy.

Yes, that idea was very appealing. After a shower, he’d call Mia, and they could meet at Grimm Park. They could shift and run together. Or at least, his little rabbit could perch on his back while he took a slow tour of the park. He chuckled at that thought. The two of them must look so comical together when they were both shifted. No, Mia was adamant that they looked adorable.
Two unlikely animals coming together as one…

No, they just looked comical when they were in skin form. His bear snarled at him, but it was true. He felt like Shrek to Aphrodite.
Beauty and the Beast…

People stared when they were together. Not that they really went out together; they only ever maybe popped into Henry’s Diner, across the street from the bail bond agency, a couple of times a week. But he could feel people’s eyes. They were probably worried that he might roll over and crush her in her sleep. She was a small creature.
But, small hands did make things look bigger…

He shuddered as a wave of desire passed through him.

No, they didn’t really go out in public together, just to an art museum and a movie once. They had to wait for that, just in case her asshole father tried something stupid. He rubbed his forehead. He didn’t really mind waiting. They were already together; she was already his. The public handholding could wait; it pissed off his bear but he kind of liked having her all to himself for now.

He stripped out of his soggy clothes and stepped under the scalding spray of the shower. He thought about what Maya had said, and that she had left him just so that he would chase her. Now, she just sounded arrogant, but back then… Would he have chased after her if he’d have known that was what she wanted? When they parted, they had such a big bust up that he never even considered she wanted him to come charging after her. She made it pretty clear she was disappointed in him.

His bear fidgeted uneasily in the knowledge that Logan wasn’t sure whether he really would have tried to be with Maya again if he’d have known.

But it didn’t matter anyway. His life was better now. He had Mia, and that was all that mattered.

Yes, in hindsight, he could see that he’d had a lucky escape from Maya.

*

Six years ago

Logan gripped the steering wheel as his bear bellowed in fury. “Fuck, this is bad, this is really bad!”

“Shut up and drive,” snapped Maya as she tried to stem the blood loss from Brick’s wounds.

“I feel like I’m dying, am I dying?” whined Brick.

“You’re not dying…”

“I feel like I’m dying.”

“I’d tell you if you were dying!” snarled Maya.

Logan groaned as he swerved around an RV. “We need to go to a hospital.”

Maya let out a sound of disgust. “No, no hospitals. They ask too many questions.”

Logan gaped at her in the mirror as she furiously tried to attend to Brick’s wounds. “But Brick…”

“It’s too risky!” she yelled. “I have a friend who can help, take the next left.”

“But…”

“Just do as you’re told!” she roared.

Logan grimaced and looked at the shaking form of Brick. Brick gave him a shaky nod, and much to Maya’s consternation, only then did Logan do as she asked.

He sped as fast as he could, following Maya’s barked instructions. Soon enough they arrived at the home of a witch doctor Maya had previously come across. A disgraced witch doctor ousted from his community for preying on young women.
But, with Maya, he was never going to be a saint…

After a brief struggle, they had Brick inside the house and subdued while the witch doctor tried to heal him.

Logan paced up and down in the living room, ignoring the various, and quite frankly disturbing, items on display. Maya sat on a plush couch eyeing him guardedly.

It had been a nightmare. Maya had thought she was so smart. She had contacted Merrick and told him she had the girls. She told him she wanted the money, and he would get the girls back. Otherwise, she would take the girls to the cops.

Merrick agreed to their demands, without argument.
That should have been their first clue that something was wrong.

They’d arrived early at the drop off point to scope out the place, and everything seemed normal. Logan was told to wait in the car – he was the getaway driver. The next thing Logan knew, Brick was screaming in agony, and Maya was dragging him to the car, crying at Logan to drive as fast as he could.

Logan stopped his pacing and stared at his mate. “What happened?” he asked, eerily quietly.

Her voice shook slightly. “Merrick was there. He came alone like he was told to, but he didn’t bring the money… he… he just laughed at us.” She bit her lip and traced the pattern on the couch with a blood stained finger. “He started chanting and Brick got scared and tried to shoot him.”

“So what? Brick missed?”

Maya shook her head. “Not exactly, Merrick just… he just stopped the bullets mid-air.” Maya looked up at him with fear in her eyes. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Logan’s bear prowled unhappily.
Trying to take on a guy who could stop bullets – that was never going to end well.
“Then what?”

Maya clapped her hands together. “Then he just flicked them back into Brick.”

“Fuck!” He ran his hands through his hair. “Didn’t he do anything to you?”

She let out a mirthless chuckle. “No, he just laughed and watched as I tried to drag Brick away. He said he’d see us again soon.”

Logan tensed.
Not good
. “We have to go to the cops.”

Maya snapped to attention; her eyes widened in horror. “We can’t do that.”

“What else can we do?”

She spluttered at him. “They’ll arrest us for trying to blackmail him!”

His bear flexed his claws. “So? It’s a risk we have to take. We have to tell the cops about those girls so that Merrick can’t do it again.” He’d been planning on telling the cops about them anyway after Maya had gone through with her ludicrous scheme.

Maya stood up and sidled over to him. The scared Maya was soon replaced by the more self-assured and seductive Maya.
The Maya who could control him with the flick of her pinky
. “Honey, Brick’s going to be fine…”

As if on cue, Brick let out a wailing moan.

Logan rubbed the back of his neck. “That’s not the point. Merrick could come after us, and we need to tell the cops about him kidnapping those girls. He needs to be locked away, so he doesn’t try to hurt any other girls.”

She gave him a wide, almost pitying smile. “Oh, honey, we don’t know that he kidnapped them for sure, he might have just been offering them a new life…”

His bear snorted as he almost laughed in surprise. “He had them chained up in the back of a windowless truck! Nothing good was waiting for them! They were fucking terrified!”

She placed a hand on his shoulder and was a little taken aback when he flinched at her touch. “Honey…” she cooed.

He shook her hand away. “Don’t,” he growled.

Maya let out an exasperated grunt. “We can’t go to the cops.”

Logan huffed in disgust. “We can; you just don’t want to. You’re trying to save your own skin.”

“I’m trying to save all of us from this mess!” she hissed.

“A mess we’re in because you were greedy! I’m not backing down on this; so don’t even bother trying to manipulate me or trying to seduce me. For once, I’m doing the right thing, and I am not going to let you talk me out of it. I’m going to the cops, and that’s final!” By the end of his speech, he was shaking with rage.

Maya let out a long breath. “You’re an ungrateful asshole,” she murmured. Her voice was soft, but it was full of malice. “I helped you when you were broken; I saved you, and this is the thanks I get?!”

His stomach tightened. “Maya, I…”

She stuck a finger in his chest. “Do you have any idea where you’d be if I hadn’t helped you?”

“No, I don’t,” he admitted darkly. “But that doesn’t mean I’m your indentured slave for life. I do love you, but I won’t follow you blindly – not anymore.”

Maya scowled at him, but her mouth twitched as they heard another moan from Brick. “I’m going to check on Brick; we can talk about this in the morning. My friend says we can stay the night.”

She turned on her heel and marched out the room. He was surprised at the feeling of relief on seeing her leave. His beast concurred. He groaned and collapsed onto the couch; sleep gnawed at him.
It had been a long day.

The past few weeks had been confusing. He was aware of his growing dissatisfaction with Maya and the life they lived together.
Could he really continue to live like this?

*