Shit. What did he mean by that? Not well how? I swung my head back in the direction of the clearing, but it was empty. That had me growling again.
“Slow your roll, brother. Ranger and Darby took her back to the office. Figured she didn’t need to see what you were doing with this piece of shit any longer than absolutely necessary.”
It was a struggle, but I pushed my bear down until I could rise up and shift back to my human form. Thankfully, the magic of our shift meant I came back clean and fully clothed as I’d been before I’d turned furry.
“Let’s get this fucker dumped so I can go see to my mate.”
Axel grabbed his feet, while I grabbed under his arms. His whole body was a fucking mess, but because I’d done the damage in my bear form, I wasn’t worried about getting caught for it. We’d dump the body in the river and eventually it’d wash up somewhere and be found, and it would get written off as an animal attack.
This wasn’t my, or Axel’s, first trip through this deal, and I doubted it would be the last.
****
Jolie
With my arms wrapped around my torso, I did my best to curl into a ball. To disappear. My body wouldn’t stop shaking as Ranger carried me through the trees. My mind was a tangle of thoughts, and I had no clue where to start on untangling them.
Neo was a bearanda man?
Did that mean his brothers were bear-men too?
Did they eat people?
From the screams I’d heard, Neo had killed my foster father. That thought didn’t bother me. At all. That said, I didn’t want to think about a bear eating him. It was a relief to realize if he was truly dead, I’d never have to look over my shoulder again. I knew deep down that when my foster father told me he’d dealt with Trent, he’d meant he’d killed him. So that meant there was no one left to come after me now. Although, even if Trent was alive I doubted he would ever bother seeking me out. Once my husband had discovered he couldn’t breed me, he was done with me. Which was how I’d managed to escape in the end. After he’d beaten me and told me he was annulling our marriage, he’d left me alone and completely unguarded.
It felt like forever before we exited the forest and I caught sight of the office. My teeth chattered with how hard my body was shaking by the time Darby opened the back door and Ranger strode inside with me. He took me directly to the lunch room where he sat on the couch with me still in his arms. I didn’t want to be held by him. He was my boss and Neo’s brother. I tried to sit up, to move off his lap, but his grip tightened, preventing me from moving.
“Stay where you are, Jolie. You need to get warm. The second Neo gets back, I’ll hand you over to him. I promise no one here will hurt you.”
That shocked me a little, considering the run around I’d been giving his brother. I wouldn’t have been surprised if he lashed out at me at least verbally. “W-why?” My word was stuttered, but I got it out.
“Because you’re family. You’re Neo’s mate, regardless of whether you’ve accepted his claim on you or not. I’m not only Neo’s brother, but also the head of our clan of black bear shifters.”
“Y-you ch-change t-too?”
“Yeah, darlin’, I change into a bear too. So do Darby and Axel, along with about half the town.”
Half the town? How had I not noticed it before? Surely there was something about them that would give it away? I set my gaze on Darby, who was sitting at the table and looking cautiously at me now that he was under my scrutiny. He was good looking, not as good as Neo of course, but still, he was strikingly handsome with jet black hair and a goatee. His dark eyes were surrounded by long, thick dark lashes… Before I could get any further in my examination, my attention was jerked to the door as it crashed open and Neo rushed in with Axel on his heels.
He looked just like he normally did. He wasn’t covered in blood, or fur. He was the Neo I’d come to know over the past few months. Had I imagined the whole thing? Including what Ranger just said? Breaking eye contact, I frowned down at the carpet. Maybe I was sleeping and this shit was all nothing but a dream.
“You need to take her home, brother.”
I didn’t look up as Ranger spoke, nor did I aim my words at anyone in particular. “I want to wake up now.”
When Neo’s boots landed on the carpet in my line of sight, my breath hitched. He lifted me from Ranger before he sat beside his brother with me now on his lap. With one finger, he gently lifted my face until I had no choice but to stare into his dark, intense eyes. “Baby, you’re not sleeping. You’re wide awake and all of this is real. Let me take you home, and I’ll explain everything to you.”
I had so many questions, I had no clue where to start. However, even with my thoughts in such a tangle, I knew sitting in the lunch room at work was not the place for all we needed to discuss. But I did want to know something before I went with him.
“After last night, I figured you were done with me. Slipping out like you did, then avoiding me this morning. Now you’ve done—” I paused to nod toward the forest. “What you just did. I’m not sure where I stand with you. I’d like to know before I go anywhere with you.”
I ignored his brothers’ snickers and the way they were clearing their throats as I kept my gaze on Neo’s.
“I’ll explain why I did that in more detail later too, but for now, let me assure you, Jolie, I willneverbe done with you. You’re my mate, the one and only woman who can complete me. There is nothing you can do to change that.”
Unsure what to say to that, I stayed still and silent, just staring into his eyes.
After a few moments, he leaned in and pressed his lips to mine.