License to Shift (10 page)

“You're Julie Simon, right? I'm Becca, Carl's fiancée.” Then she gestured to the cupcake. “What do you think? Too on the nose?”

“What?” Julie said.

“On the nose. It means too obvious. Too on point. Too—”

“I know what it means,” Julie interrupted, not upset. More confused and off-kilter. “Why are you asking me?”

“I'm a baker. I have a store in Kalamazoo, but I'm setting one up here, too. So I thought, what better way to welcome you to the fold than to give you a grizzly bear cupcake?” She grinned, and Julie had to admit that the look was infectious. The woman seemed to be just naturally perky, which was endearing. A little annoying, but generally endearing.

“Uh. Thanks.” What else was she supposed to say? I don't want to be part of your freaky magic cult? I don't like suddenly knowing something I can't share with anyone else and makes my father treat me like a six-year-old? Yeah, she'd been stupid enough to broach the topic with her father. Could real shifters exist? Maybe? He'd laughed in that condescending way men have when looking at a silly woman. “I thought you'd grown out of your fanciful childhood,” he'd said. And when she'd stiffened, he'd patted her hand. “You're a good girl,” he'd said and then his eyes had drifted closed.

So much for hoping her father was aware of the truth. But looking around at the friendly faces in the café, she realized she wasn't completely alone. All of them were part of the secret. And they were welcoming her into the tribe, so to speak. “Is everyone here a…Do they all…?” She cut off her words, struggling to find a way to ask what she wasn't supposed to talk about. What she could barely bring herself to comprehend.

“Part of the Gladwin grizzly clan?” Becca asked cheerfully. She looked around at the crowd, about twenty strong. “About half,” she finally said. “Big events bring people out for gossip. And this morning was a big event.”

Julie looked away. In her mind there were two big events. The first was the hot morning with Mark. The second was…well, the violent, awful morning with grizzly bear Mark.

“Too soon, huh?” Becca asked, her voice sympathetic. “I can relate. I was, um, brought into the fold in less-than-ideal circumstances.”

Julie's gaze jumped back to her. “What happened?”

“My adopted son was kidnapped. Long story, but with a happy ending.” She flashed Julie a quick smile. “Look, you're probably freaked out right now.”

“Ya think?”

“But it gets better. I promise. And we're all really happy that you and Mark have found each other.”

Julie took a moment to process what she'd heard. And another moment to make sure the words meant what she thought they did. “Mark and I…Do you think that we…” She looked around the room. There were no less than three people beaming smiles at her that very second. “I knew small towns had a good rumor mill, but this is ridiculous.”

Becca frowned as she looked down at the cupcake. “Okay, maybe I'm off here, but Tonya said you know about…um…”

“That Mark can stand up really tall and furry? Yeah. I know that.”

“And Carl told me that the two of you were together.”

“At the time of the attack? Yes, he was there with me.”

“Er, right.” Becca shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “The thing is, bears can smell really well. They can scent—”

“Oh, shit.” Now it was her turn to flush bright pink. So everyone here knew that she and Mark had made love. Great.

Becca touched her hand. “We think it's great.”

“Except it's not great,” Julie snapped. “It's not anything at all. I'm here for a week to help my dad. And even if there was something…there isn't.”

“Because of the bear thing?”

Well, yeah. Plus the fact that before yesterday, they hadn't seen each other in years. “Look, it's not the 1800s. Sometimes single adults hook up. Don't make more of this than it is.”

“Okay. Sure. But you should know that Mark doesn't.”

“What?”

“Mark doesn't hook up. He's the most reclusive guy I've ever known. He barely speaks, rarely comes out of his den, and when he does, it's to be surly.” She shrugged self-consciously as if suddenly realizing what she'd said. “No offense.”

Julie thought back to the first hour with Mark the day before. “None taken. ‘Surly' is a nice word for how he wakes.”

Becca flashed her a quick smile. “Like a bear with a sore paw?”

Julie nearly choked on her soda. Fortunately, her cheeseburger arrived. The waitress set it down with a thump. “On the house,” the woman said with a toothy grin. “Welcome to the community.”

“Oh, hell no,” Julie said, startling everyone. But Julie didn't stop. She turned to the room at large, stunned that she was doing this. She couldn't imagine this scene in Chicago where most people didn't even recognize their neighbor much less care whom they slept with. “Sorry, everyone. Mark and I aren't dating. We're not going steady, getting pinned or…” She couldn't think of any more terms from the 1950s. “We're just not, okay? I'm here to help my dad, then I'm going back to my life in Chicago.”

Half the room looked at her like she'd lost her mind. The other half glared at her like she'd just betrayed one of their favorite sons. And not a one of them said a single thing. At least not to her. After about ten extremely awkward seconds, they pointedly turned their backs to her. They spoke in low murmurs to each other or silently ate their food. And not a one of them gave her another smile.

Julie looked down at her food, feeling completely mortified. But that only brought her gaze to the cupcake and the über-friendly grizzly face on top. With a sigh, she pushed it back toward Becca. “You should probably eat this.”

Becca picked it up and peeled off the wrapping. “How about we split it?”

Julie stared at the beautiful confection, her mouth watering at what had to be a killer amount of calories. And yet, it really looked delicious. “Sure.”

“And don't worry about what everyone else thinks. We all just want a happy ending for Mark, you know?”

No, she didn't know.
What the hell— Oh, right.
In all the bizarre happenings of this morning, she'd completely forgotten about what started the whole kissing thing this morning. Mark had told her he was dying. And how the hell had that slipped her mind?

She stared at her food, unable to move. And now the sight of Becca cutting that cute bear face in half chilled her down to her bones. “Do all…Do they all die young?” God, the idea was horrifying.

“What? Oh, no. Just the…um…really unlucky ones.”

Mark. She slumped back in her seat and rubbed her hand over her face. “I don't understand any of this.”

“No reason you should,” a cold voice said over her shoulder. Julie spun around to see the female officer from this morning. Her tag read “Kappes.”

Meanwhile, Becca sighed. “Hello, Tonya.”

“Hello, Mrs. Max,” the woman returned without much warmth. Clearly, there wasn't a whole lot of love between these two. Meanwhile, Officer Kappes turned to Julie. “Glad to see you back here. I was worried when you took off this morning.”

“My dad's in the hospital. I had to go see him.”

“So I understand. But I'd really like to talk to you about this morning.”

“Can't right now,” Julie said as she grabbed her cheeseburger. “I'm eating.”

The woman showed her teeth and slid right into the booth beside Becca. “No problem. We'll have girl talk while I wait.”

Becca rolled her eyes. “Like you girl talk.”

“Hey!” the officer said, sounding insulted. “I have girly parts. I talk.”

“Not the same thing.”

Definitely not. She couldn't imagine this officer as anything but prickly, cold, and…and hell, now she remembered Tonya Kappes from summers in Gladwin. She'd been a tall tomboy with no time for Becca. And once during Becca's first summer here, Tonya had dressed slutty and made out with Carl's younger brother Alan at a birthday party. The gossip had been loud enough that even Becca had heard it.

But that was years ago, and the woman had obviously grown up to be all business. Which was exactly what Julie had been wishing for just a moment ago. She hadn't wanted all the small-town gossips poking their noses into her love life. And so like an answer to her prayers, in comes a woman who could give Joe Friday a run for his money. She practically embodied, “Just the facts, ma'am.” Which meant that if anyone could give her straight answers, it was Officer Kappes.

Thinking hard, Julie swallowed down a bite of pretty amazing burger and grabbed an onion ring. The other two women had degenerated into small talk.
How's the new bakery coming? Fine. How's the keeping-the-peace business? Not so peaceful.
And while those words were being exchanged, Julie came to a decision.

When the small talk eased, she gestured to the sliced-in-half bear cupcake. “Obviously, you know about the bears? Are you one of them?”

Becca shook her head, but the officer nodded.

“Became furry with my first period.”

Julie winced. That certainly painted a picture. But come to think of it, this was just the type of information she needed. Simple facts, uncomfortably graphic. “Okay. I need answers.”

“So do I. Need to know why those things attacked you.”

“Haven't a clue. Why is Mark dying?”

“He's not dying. He's just becoming furry way too much. Eventually he won't be able to go back.”

Oh. Well, that sucked. “But, um, he'll live out a natural life then? As a—”

“Not likely. Someone who can't go back tends to go crazy. Someone will have to put him down.”

Julie stared at the officer in shock. “That's murder.”

“Ever seen an enraged grizzly? One that is out of control? It destroys everything around it. It roars like it's in pain, probably is because it's using teeth and claws to tear everything apart. Buildings, cars, people. The paws get torn to shreds, the muzzle is next. But even after that, it's still hundreds of pounds of bone and muscle lumbering around like Godzilla. It'll snatch up a person like a doll and squeeze until the ribcage pops.”

“Tonya!” Becca hissed. “There are children here.”

Julie belatedly realized that while she'd been gaping in horror, the rest of the café had been listening in. The whole place was silent, and when Julie looked around, people dropped their gazes to their food. No one was eating anymore.

Then the waitress piped in, her voice loud in the awkward silence. “Always a pleasure having you visit us, Tonya. Do let me fix you an order
to go
.”

The officer looked up, her cheeks stained a dull red. “Uh, yeah. Sorry, Robin.”

Then Becca spoke up, her gaze on Julie, but her voice pitched to everyone around them. “But there's lots of hope, too. There's your father's research, for one. That's why we're all so glad he's feeling better. When's he coming home, Julie?”

Julie frowned. Her father's research? What did fairy tales have to do with this? “Um, a few days.”

“That's great. So are you here to get things set at the cabin?”

“Uh, yeah. What about Dad's research?”

Becca popped a bite of cupcake into her mouth. “Well, Carl said that there was some promising stuff in the old stories. That's why he asked everyone to help your dad collect them. You know, tell him whatever Great-Grandpa Jones ever said about anything.”

“Promising—”

“You want me to box that up for you?” interrupted waitress Robin as she held out a Styrofoam box. “I'm sure you've got lots of things to do. Market down the street is having a sale on hot dog buns. I swear your father lived on hot dogs and my burgers.” Then her expression softened. “Also got all sorts of beer and wine, too. Just in case.”

Julie bit her lip, her mind whirling. Thoughts jumbled around in her brain, but they all landed with the two women across from her. They had information she wanted. It wasn't just the history of shifters, but answers about Mark and what happened this morning. These were questions she wasn't ready to ask Mark, but she could ask these two. Especially if there was a little extra lubricant with the discussion.

“Dad has a blender,” she said. “And I sure as hell can't face that backyard without a margarita or three. Anyone care to join me?”

R
aucous female laughter crashed into Mark's ears as he got out of his truck. The first thing he did was extend his senses throughout the cabin property. He scented Julie, Becca, and Tonya, but also the dozens of other people who had milled about the property this morning. The lingering scent of those
wrong
things felt like an itch under his skin, and he bared his teeth at its presence so near Julie. But he kept his grizzly under wraps. For one thing, Carl had arrived a few minutes ago and was watching him closely from the front porch. For another, he didn't want to freak out Julie any more than she already was.

His nostrils twitched as another grizzly-shifter rounded the corner. It was one of the Gladwins, set to patrol the property. Carl signaled that guard duty was over. At least for the young bear. Mark would cover protection duty for the rest of the night. Him plus all the high-end electronics he'd had installed this afternoon. That was one of the advantages of being filthy rich and not having more than a few months to spend it. He could pay an exorbitant amount to have the surveillance equipment installed immediately. Especially since he wasn't opposed to a bit of bribery.

Another fit of giggles filled the air, and Mark raised an eyebrow at Carl. Was that Becca who'd just brayed like a donkey? Carl shrugged, his expression saying that he thought the sound adorable. Mark could relate. He was pretty sure he heard a few of Julie's indelicate snorts and couldn't help but grin. He'd been worried that she'd gone close to catatonic at the revelation of magic in the world. Instead, she handled it in a healthier manner. She'd gotten drunk with friends.

Then he heard Tonya hoot with laughter, the sound high pitched and girly. Lord, if she knew they were outside listening in, she'd shoot them for sure. That was not a sound the tough-as-nails Officer Kappes would ever make. Not sober, at least.

Mark stopped on the front porch, using his smart phone to check in on the electronics. Everything appeared quiet. Carl joined him soon afterward, his eyes narrowed as he scanned the phone.

“She'd still be safer at your place.”

Maybe, but she'd never go. Not if this morning's freak-out was any indication. And more important, she wouldn't be safe. Not from him. Not if she wandered through his den, setting her body and her scent in the most intimate place of his life. No, then he'd bolt the doors and drag her caveman-style to his bed. It had been hard enough going into his kitchen and smelling her there. No way was he going to torture himself by having her in his living area.

Meanwhile, Carl took Mark's silence as the denial it was. He sighed and gestured to the road. “The cops are going to drive over once around midnight and again at five. They won't knock unless they see something wrong. Ron and Joe will be patrolling as grizzlies until—”

“I got it. It's covered. And I'll be here watching the monitors. Besides, I don't think there can be more of those things around anyway.”

Carl's face tightened. “Except for the one that got away. You think it was the Crazy Cat Lady?”

Mark's bared his teeth. He couldn't stop himself when thinking about the bitch who'd abducted young shifters and who had certainly been part of the attackers this morning. If only he'd kept it together, he could have chased the bitch and ended this whole nightmare right then and there. Instead, the mating imperative had taken over. His grizzly brain had decided to stake his claim on Julie while simultaneously warning Carl away. In reality, he'd scared the shit out of her, chased her up a tree, and let the cat bitch escape. Not his finest moment.

“You saved her life today. Mine, too, so don't get caught up in your head.”

“Better than trapped in my grizzly.” The sentence came out more as a snarled growl, but at least they were words.

Carl didn't have a comeback to that, so he simply squeezed Mark's arm. “Stay human, okay?”

“Yes, Mother Hen,” he said. But in his mind, he was repeating the words,
Stay human, stay sane.
The motto might as well be tattooed on the back of his eyelids. Mark had barely made it back from this morning's shift. He probably wouldn't be able to the next time. So any hope of extra time with Julie meant staying human. Not that she wanted to hang out with him either way, but a guy could hope. And these days, hope was all he had.

They were just about to knock on the front door when a haunting alto voice filled the air. It was Tonya, singing a lullaby in rich notes that startled both men.

“Did you know she could sing?” Mark whispered.

Carl shook his head while they both listened to words that they'd never heard before. It was “Hush Little Baby” done differently. Instead of buying the child a mockingbird, Mama got him a ruby-throated loon, a silver spoon, a quick-fingered witch, then blood and a kiss. It was the oddest list of items he'd ever heard—especially in a child's lullaby—but folk songs were not something he'd ever paid any attention to.

The song ended and the ladies clapped enthusiastically. Mark would have, too, except that he was sure it would embarrass Tonya. And then someone—probably Tonya—let out a loud burp, causing gales of laughter. God, it was beautiful to hear that. Joy. Silly conversation. Women in friendship. All things he missed when he was a grizzly. This moment of eavesdropping became startlingly precious to him simply because he wouldn't be able to appreciate it for much longer. And he was both awed by the beauty of it and pissed off because he was outside of it. Like God was busy shoving him out the door of humanity just when he really began to see how special it was.

Angered by that, he slammed his fist against the door. The sound was loud, the impact enough to make his hand burn. And even worse, the laughter stopped as abruptly as a TV turning off. What a child he was, destroying the fun when he couldn't be a part of it.

Tonya opened the door, her face was flushed red, but her hand was steady where it gripped the pistol at her hip. Mark was surprised, but Carl stiffened in fury.

“You are not drunk and carrying a loaded pistol,” he snapped.

She bit her lip, slowly pulling her hands into view. “Not carrying anything,” she said.

Carl wasn't having any of it. He grabbed the weapon out of her belt with all the authority of an alpha. He double-checked the safety—on, thank God—and glared at his beta.

“We've got enough problems without you being stupid.”

Tonya flushed and canted her gaze away. And then she jerked her short hair back as she extended the motion, baring her neck to Carl. “You're right,” she said. “I hadn't expected to drink this much.”

“At all, Tonya. Only an idiot carries a weapon
and
drinks.”

She nodded, her throat still exposed. Behind her, Becca came forward clearly unsteady on her feet. “She only had one,” Becca said. “I might have had four.”

Mark suppressed a chuckle. With Becca's petite frame, four would make her totally sloshed.

“And I split the difference with two and a half,” added Julie as she raised her glass. But once it came into view, she tipped it back to her mouth. A moment later, it was empty. “Three,” she said with a satisfied smack of her lips.

Good lord, she was beautiful. Flushed cheeks, bright red lips, sparkling eyes, and a body that seemed to sway mesmerizingly before him. He'd gotten used to having the lust slam into him at the sight of her, but this time it was lust tinged with laughter. Hunger sweetened with delight.

“You better sit down,” Mark said as he crossed to Julie's side, his nostrils flaring as he came close. Spicy citrus scent filled his mind, and he remembered just where she smelled juiciest. Without even willing it, he stroked her arm and drew her tight against him.

But instead of melting into him like he'd expected, she stiffened, pulling away with a sniff. She opened her mouth to say something, her hand coming up with a single finger extended toward him. He steeled his spine, waiting to hear her condemn him. Filthy animal. Ugly bear. Murdering monster. All of those words vibrated in his brain. All that remained was for her to pick which ones.

But she didn't say anything. She just pointed at him and held still. Then abruptly, she walked back over to the couch and dropped down hard enough to make the feet skid on the wood floor.

Becca chuckled. “That's telling him!”

Tonya nodded. “Very succinct.”

Julie just rolled her eyes at them, which produced a choked-off laugh from Becca and a breathy exhale from Tonya.

“I think that's my cue to leave,” Becca added, still chuckling.

Carl grabbed Tonya's arm with one hand and Becca's shoulder with the other. “Neither of you is driving.”

“Well, duh,” Becca said as she reached up on tiptoe to press a kiss to his jaw. “That's why you're here.”

Carl blew out a breath. That was, in fact, why he was here. Meanwhile, Tonya pulled out her cell phone, clearly looking for messages. “Any news?” Her voice was as crisp as usual. And given how fast a shifter could metabolize alcohol, it was likely she was close to sober.

“Nothing new,” Mark answered. Then he glanced at Julie, wondering exactly how much she'd been told or had guessed about this morning's attack. He was about to ask when Tonya thunked him on the back of the head. He whipped around to glare at her—or worse—only to be met with another pointed finger, this one Becca's.

“She's not stupid, and we like her.”

“Definitely,” Tonya added.

“So tell her the truth,” Becca continued.

“I have,” he growled. “I am.” He'd been honest with her from the very beginning and was set to answer all the rest of her questions tonight.

“Not
that
truth,” Becca said. And when he frowned, Tonya put up her hands like bear claws and growled. Becca giggled as she continued. “We told her about shifters.” She pressed her hand flat on Mark's chest. “She needs
this
truth. The heart stuff.”

His heart? He didn't have one anymore. Not for a few years now since he realized there was no hope left for him.

“Don't you look away from me,” Becca snapped in her sharpest stern-mother voice. “There's still time.”

Was there? He looked at Julie, who was watching everything with wide eyes. Watching, but not expressing. He had no idea what she was thinking and that made man and bear twitchy. “I'll tell you anything you want to know,” he said to her.

Julie bit into her lower lip. “I don't know what to ask.”

“So work it out!” ordered Becca. For a petite human, she was stepping fully into the role of Mrs. Max. Then she flashed them a beaming smile before stepping carefully out the front door. “And now we're leaving,” she called, grabbing hold of Tonya as they headed toward Carl's truck. For his part, Carl was shaking his head even as he turned back to Mark.

“You okay here?”

“Quit being a mother hen.”

“Quit shoving your head up your ass.” Then Carl turned to Julie. “He's grumpy half the time, and too arrogant all of it. But he's a good man when he comes out of that cave of a house. Please give him a chance.”

Jesus. Now he had his alpha trying to help his love life. Could anything be more humiliating? “If you don't leave this instant, I'm going to fuck up your Internet so bad—”

“Gotta go!” Carl said with a quick wave. “I'll come by in the morning.”

“Come late. Like in a month.” Mark nearly shoved the man out the door.

“Roger that,” Carl said with a grin.

Neither of them had been in the military or police, but they'd both been using the term since they were eight and pretending to be part of a SWAT team. It was familiar and carried the echo of childhood games. And especially now with the end so near, it made Carl smile.

“Roger that,” he echoed. Outside, Becca started singing a mangled version of “Jack the Knife” in a belting soprano. Inside, Mark balanced awkwardly on the balls of his feet. It was a predatory stance that meant his grizzly was already stalking Julie. Which was a really bad idea since he had no clue how to read her mood.

“They're nice people,” Julie finally said, her gaze going to the window. “Once Tonya relaxes, she's nothing like her officer persona.”

“Really? She's had a stick up her ass since middle school.”

“Really,” Julie said, her lips curving in a soft smile that made him want to kiss her for the rest of his life. “She's a lot softer on the inside than she lets on. Not surprising she's had to be tough. She's a woman police officer.”

“And beta to Carl.”

“Right. Which means she can't let her guard down anywhere.”

Mark prowled across the room. He wanted to sit beside her on the couch, but instead, perched gingerly on the edge of her father's recliner. “She let it down with you.” He doubted she knew the miracle that was.

“That's 'cause we don't count,” Julie said, dismissing his compliment even before he got a chance to say it. “We're not part of the pack and we're certainly not police.”

“Becca's Mrs. Max. She and Carl haven't gotten married yet, but everyone knows they're mates. That makes her part of the pack. And you…” His voice trailed away. “What did you do to get her to sing?”

Julie shrugged. “I didn't do anything. I just talked to her.” Then she quieted before looking oddly at him. “I listened.”

“And she sang?”

“Yeah. I could tell that she wanted me to get comfortable with the whole bear thing. And I wanted to know the real her. So…” She gestured at an empty glass. “I made her margarita triple strength, dared her to drink it, and then started sharing stuff about my childhood.”

He blinked. “Like what?”

“Doesn't matter. Embarrassing stuff. She had to reciprocate, so she sang.”

Of course she did. Just like Mark had sung as well. Not literally, but certainly he'd spilled his guts to Julie more than he had to anyone else. They'd reconnected barely more than twenty-four hours ago, and yet by this morning, he'd confessed so much about his feelings for her. About his adolescent needs and the way their one night as teenagers still haunted him. He'd told her all that simply because she'd listened. And because she was Julie.