“And strong. And I heal quickly.”
“Like after the fight with your brother. Or the time you moved so fast across the room. Or that bullets hit you and haven’t hurt you.”
Man, I’ve fucked up so much. My bear kept acting out in front of her—the fucker. He wanted her to see him. He wanted her to know what I am.
Mate, my bear reminds me.
“What about the bear in your kitchen?” Lana asks. “And the polar bear, the one who was working with the beehives?”
There's a sinking feeling on my stomach followed by relief. Lana’s smart. She’s going to figure out everything, so I might as well tell her everything. I don't know what the future holds, but right now, I don't want any secrets between us.
“They're my brothers. The one in the kitchen was Axel. The polar bear is Everest.”
“Everest,” she breathes. “Hutch said his brother Everest would lead me to my car. A polar bear showed up. He acted very human.”
“Yes. That’s Everest.”
Lana reaches up and smoothes my forehead with her thumb. She traces my features, studying them as if trying to find evidence of my bear.
“And what about the triplets? Hutch and Canyon and Bern? Matthias?”
“They're also shifters. Werebears. You haven't seen them in bear form yet.” The trouble with telling Lana everything is that these are not just my secrets to tell. Everyone is affected when one of us reveals ourselves to a human. If that human decides to betray us, everyone is at risk.
“She wouldn't tell anyone,” Hutch had argued. I have to agree. But nothing is certain.
“This is incredible,” Lana is saying. “It’s like I’m in a whole new world. One ruled by bears. I thought the bears around here were special. And they are.” She giggles. “You’re all werebears.”
“Nothing special about us.” She’s so cute, I can’t stop my smile.
“I disagree. OMG!” She squeaks and puts her hand over her mouth. “You have curtains with bears on them. I thought it was so cute you guys were sticking to a theme. Cute little bears everywhere.”
“Hutch’s idea of a joke. There’s nothing little about me.” I pull her close and press my dick into her backside, to remind her.
“No, there isn’t,” she murmurs. “But your bear is very cute.”
I give her a squeeze and relax my head back to squint at the sky. My bear is preening.
She’s still talking, sleepily musing, “Eight brothers, all werebears. Your mom must have gotten the best Christmas card photos.”
Frost snakes down my spine. “No,” I say, tense again. “No photos. This is a secret, and no one can know.”
She rolls off me, scooting so she’s facing me. “I understand,” she vows, her eyes locking on mine.
I stare at her, searching her face.
“She wouldn't tell anyone,” Hutch had said.
“You don't know that,” I’d replied.
Lana looks solemn. “Teddy, I promise.”
I should be happy. Lana is mine. But a flicker of doubt still burns. I’ve been here before, and it didn’t end well.
I nod, reaching for her, but the moment is broken, and she’s scrambling into her hiking pants. I sigh and rise. I’m going to have to run back naked.
I help Lana dress. She offers me back my own plaid shirt, and I tie it around my waist. “What are we going to do about Bentley?”
“I have a team on it. They'll find him. In the meantime, it's not safe for you to be out here. C’mon.” I hitch her into my arms. My cabin may or may not be compromised, but my brother’s cabins are even better hidden. Which means, until we take out the assassin, we’ll be bunking with them.
9
Lana
“We have to stop meeting like this.” Matthias peers at my scalp. I’m on a couch in a new, bigger cabin that belongs to the Terrible Threes and the mysterious brother Axel. “This is the cabin we were raised in,” Teddy told me. He seemed distracted, so I held off asking for a tour. From my perch on the couch, the cabin looks similar to Teddy’s, made of hewn pine and filled with worn, well-loved furniture. The main difference is the bigger fireplace and the extra rooms radiating off the main space.
Teddy’s outside now, on the phone. I overheard him talking to someone named Deke and asking for “clean up” and decided I didn’t need to hear anymore. Then Matthias came in carrying his black bag and checked me out.
“I’m okay.” I smile up at Matthias. “Just a little shaky.”
“That’s to be expected.” He slots his instruments back into his black bag and peels off his gloves. “Your head looks fine. No new injuries. I’d prescribe rest and avoiding stress for the next few days, but something tells me you might find that difficult.”
“It’s okay. I’ve never had anyone trying to kill me, but I’ve never had a werebear protecting me before, either.”