Bear with Me (Shifters of Yellowstone Book 1) Read online

  “Just a few seconds. I’m so tired.” She drifted out.

  Fuck.

  Brutus didn’t know if he should stop and wake her or get her to his healer. In the end, he opted for the later. Those damned teenagers trying to prank the humans. He would deal with them later. Their alpha would be getting a very angry visit from him as soon as he knew Quinn was all right.

  The grizzly ranger had warned him there was something going on in their territory and he might want to send scouts to check it out. But when he’d said Ranger Quinn had also been called out to the scene, Brutus had decided to check it out himself.

  Only taking enough time to catch his breath, he ran out of the den as if the devil were on his heels. When he turned the corner to see three teenagers in bear form waiting for her, he nearly lost his shit. He shifted, but not in time to stop the leader of the pack from swiping at her. He doubted they planned to do any more than scare her. But Justin had made contact and Quinn’s head hit the ground with a sickening thump. The smell of blood had his boiling. The youngest of the shifters had pissed himself in fear when Brutus allowed his bear to rise to his full eight feet in height. Had they hurt her… No, he wouldn’t think about that.

  The cave opening lay hidden down the embankment, deep in the brush. Unless you knew what you were looking for, the average human was very unlikely to find the entrance. Once inside, the gloomy darkness was the last place that person would want to stay. The conditions kept his clan safe. Press on the rock at the back of the damp cavernous room and it moved, opening up to a hidden world beneath the trails above. Both the grizzlies and the black bears, who until today had been getting along famously for years, lived in catacomb-like habitats under the ground.

  Air vents and lighting tubes helped keep the area bright and airy. And the series of caves connected to the outside world in several locations, making for quick exits should the need arise. “Why did you bring the human here?” one of the elder women, Shauna, asked. She threw her long, silver-grey dreadlocks over her shoulder and approached. “Who did this to her?”

  “Bears from the other clan.”

  “Teens being teens, I suppose. Bring her through to my rooms.”

  “No, she can go to mine,” he said and knew no one would question it. But it also declared to one and all she was his. Had fate chosen a shifter mate for him, there would be no question. They would mate and be done with it. But humans had free will. They could choose to mate or not, leaving them open to be courted by another human or shifter. And shifters who hadn’t found mates had been known to press their destiny by mating with humans. But if she was good enough for him, their Alpha, she was good enough for any of them.

  “Your room, Alpha?”

  “Meet my brother’s mate,” Asha announced coming into the entry hall.

  “Your mate?” Shauna followed him through to his set of rooms. “Lay her on the sofa—or, by all means, your bed if you prefer.”

  He grinned. Shauna had been the healer when his father was Alpha and his grandfather before him. She was one of the few in the clan who didn’t bow to him and stood up to him, which was why he loved her so. “What do you need me to get for you?”

  “Had we gone to my rooms, I wouldn’t need you to get me anything. Asha, fetch my bag, will you? These cuts will need stitches. They will leave scars. Are you sure you don’t want a human doctor to look at these?”

  “There is no one I trust more to care for my mate than you.” He stepped back to give her room to work.

  Asha ran in with a large, handspun bag. “You’ll have to give him a bit of leeway, Shauna. He’s been watching her from a distance for too long not to grab the chance to have her in his bed now.”

  “Our alpha doesn’t need to resort to getting her there while unconscious, girl. As well you know.” Shauna pointed a long boney aged finger at Asha, who laughed, reached for the extended digit, and kissed the tip. “Oh, now you stop. What’s the human’s name?”

  “Quinn,” Asha and Brutus said in unison.

  Shauna placed a hand against Quinn’s forehead. The contrast between the dark hand and the pale skin was far greater than he’d expected. “Easy, Brutus, she will be fine. Quinn, can you open your eyes for me?”

  No response.

  Louder, this time, with more force, “Child, open your eyes.”

  Some response, but only a groan.

  “Now, girl.”

  Quinn’s eyelids fluttered open, the blue orbs wide and fearful, staring at the stranger before her. She moved up the bed in great haste. “Where am I?”

  “You are in the grizzly den, more specifically in Brutus’s bed.”

  “Brutus?” Confusion crossed her face until their eyes met. “You saved me from the bears.”

  “I did.”

  Asha chuckled, and he elbowed her.

  “I need to call the ranger station,” Quinn said wide-eyed rubbing her pants frantically. “They’ll be concerned. They need to close that trail. It’s not safe with the bears…”

  Shauna placed gentle hands on Quinn’s shoulders, easing her back against the pillows. “Shh, now, you rest. I am sure Brutus has already thought of that, haven’t you, Alpha?”

  He wasn’t thinking about anything right now.

  A knock sounded on his door. Without waiting for permission, Grant, one of his top scouts came in. Like all grizzlies, he forever had a five o’clock shadow. “Brutus, the black bear alpha is outside requesting your presence.” The scout’s eyes moved to the bed in the corner. “Is that a human?”

  “That is your alpha’s mate, so I suggest you watch your tone.” Shauna wrapped an arm around Quinn and pulled her into a motherly embrace. “Now, everyone out so I can take care of her.”

  Brutus bowed his head, gesturing to Asha to follow, exited the chamber, moving back to the main entry hall. “Asha, can you contact our rangers let them know Quinn was injured and has been taken out of park for a checkup? She will be out of work for a few days. Also, get out there and close the trail. For no other reason than because she asked for it to be done.”

  “On it.”

  “What’s going on?” Grant demanded.

  “Hopefully not war,” Brutus said, stepping out into the sunlight. About ten yards ahead stood the black bear alpha with two of his sentinels bookending a badly battered teenager. Brutus lifted a fist toward the sky, alerting his followers in the vicinity to stay put and watchful. Without turning, he knew Grant had paused at the entrance of the cave.

  “Otto,” Brutus greeted as he got closer.

  “Brutus.” Otto who stood at a tall six foot two was still dwarfed the grizzly alpha. His two guards huffed as he approached them.

  Brutus crossed his arms and planted his feet firmly in case some idiot decided to attack.

  “I believe you met my son Jasper. What gives you the right to lay a hand on my regent? Even on your lands, this is an act of aggression against my clan. And all the other alphas would agree.”

  “He is very lucky he walked away with a few bruises and not his skin hanging from the nearest tree.”

  Otto placed an arm out, stopping one of his men. “How is it the most level-headed of the shifters is now talking such violence?”

  “I think you need to ask your son what he was doing with his friends on a trail heavily trafficked by humans. They might find it funny to scare the tourists, but their actions could very well get a bear euthanized should they have the misfortune of being in the area.”

  “Son?”

  The self-righteousness of the youth changed to fumbling in defensiveness. “We were just having some fun with a human. We weren’t going to hurt her.”

  Brutus roared, “Not hurt her? She is a fucking park ranger. They protect this land because they choose to out of love, and you thank her by taking a paw to her head.”

  “You attacked a park ranger?” Otto turned on his son, tension evident in his shoulders.

  “No, worse, he attacked my mate.” Brutus wanted to make sure the boy und
erstood his actions were not of the innocent boys-will-be-boys type. His excuses wouldn’t float with him. Had they hurt her, he wouldn’t have hesitated in killing all three.

  Otto motioned to his scout. “Get him out of my sight and off Brutus’s lands. I’ll deal with him when we get back to our caves.”

  “Alpha.” The man bowed, grabbing the boy by the scruff of the neck. “Imbecile.”

  “My apologies, my old friend.” Otto reached out a hand, which Brutus clasped. “I’m thankful you didn’t rough him up more. No one could have blamed you.”

  He didn’t feel it necessary to admit roughing them up would be tame compared to what he had wanted to do. “I hope he learns a lesson, and I trust you’ll deal with the three as you see fit.”

  “They will be doing some serous community service within the park.” Otto dismissed the others. “I hope your mate will recover from her injuries.”

  “I believe she will. She has a concussion and likely will bear the scar of the attack, but I believe otherwise she is fine.”

  A few more minutes of apologies and Brutus turned back toward his cave to find a team of sentinels standing before the opening. Smirking, they refused to allow him in. “So she’s your mate?”

  “Move.”

  No one moved. Grant would be their mouthpiece. “When do we get to meet the lucky park ranger?”

  “Never. If you don’t move your sorry hides from my path so I can check on her.”

  “Boys, he isn’t playing,” Asha said from behind them. “Shauna is requesting your presence, oh brother of mine. She is unsure how to answer questions being thrown at her by your beta.”

  Shauna might be sassy enough to speak up against him and his father before him, but the old woman always respected the betas of the clan. “Did you get in touch with our ranger?”

  “The trails are being closed as we speak; a few of her friends are asking if they can visit. We have waylaid them at the moment, but they won’t be kept at bay long.”

  “Do we have any contacts at any of the clinics?”

  “No, never needed them before.”

  Damn, human complications. “Things are going to get complicated quickly.”

  “Ya think?” Asha shrugged. “Ah, things were getting boring anyway.”

  “You have a sick sense of how to add excitement to a day. Contact Otto, see if he has any contacts. He owes us a favor anyway, and this will help ease his guilt.” He led the way into his room where Quinn sat supported by pillows. Her large white bandage brought the anger boiling in his blood again. “How’s the patient?”

  “She is curious, and I am going to let you answer her questions.” Shauna rubbed a hand over Quinn’s arm. “You just send for me if you start feeling bad again, okay?”

  “Thank you.”

  “I like her,” Shauna said as if everything rode on her approval, and perhaps it did.

  Asha left with Shauna, closing the door behind them and leaving him alone with her for the first time. “I understand you have some questions.”

  “Quite a few, actually.”

  “I’ll answer every one of your questions as best I can. But I’m not sure you’ll like the answers.” He pulled up a chair to avoid towering over her.

  “Am I dead?”

  “What?” Of all the questions he’d listed in his head for her to ask, that hadn’t been one of them.

  “Is this purgatory or something?”

  He could sense her nervousness and hoped to find the words to help ease her spirit. “No, you are very much alive and the danger wasn’t as severe as you might think.”

  “Just because more people are hurt by bison in Yellowstone every year, doesn’t mean being between three black bears and a grizzly wasn’t a hell of a lot of danger to be in.”

  “The black bears were playing around.” He might chip a molar if he continued to grit his teeth.

  “And the grizzly?”

  That question he had no problem answering. “Protecting you.”

  “Protecting me?”

  “You will find all grizzlies now protect you with their lives.” No matter where she traveled, his scent would remain on her and she would be cared for.

  “Where did the grizzly go? Is he your pet? Stupid question. Who has a grizzly as a pet? Oh my god, he is your pet. That is how you knew, how you got to me through the chaos.” She rubbed the back of her skull. “My head hurts.”

  “Perhaps the rest of the questions should wait until you are feeling better?”

  “No, I need to know.”

  He approached the bed but paused when she gripped the blanket lying over her lap tighter to her.

  “I am not going to hurt you.”

  “I know. I don’t know why I do, but I do. But your presence is—overwhelming.”

  He supposed to her five foot eight, his nearly seven foot stature would seem intimidating, even with the high ceilings. “Perhaps if I sat again?”

  She nodded. “That might help—some. Where am I?”

  “We are near Lake Yellowstone, not far from where the attack happened.” He did his best to remain passive though the mere mention of what had happened to her made him want to pull a tree from the ground.

  “Wait, we are still in the park? I have been at the Lake Yellowstone Resort. This is not it. For one thing, why are there no windows?”

  “Yes, we’re still within the park. We live in caves deep into the woods.”

  “That’s not possible. No one just lives in the woods of Yellowstone.”

  She had a lot to learn. “You would be surprised. My people have been here for centuries.”

  “Your people?”

  “I should say my kind.” He moved to the far side of the room and allowed the glimmer of his bear to take shape around him. The in-between state would allow her to see both his sides at once. Her lips formed an O before her eyes rolled back into her head and she passed out. “At least you didn’t scream.”

  Chapter Three

  Quinn woke to the worst headache of her life. Her temples pounded and she was sure someone had taken an ice pick to her right eye. Tentatively, she opened her eyes to a blinding overhead medical light. With a groan, she reached up and flicked it away before assessing the sterile room. Relief rushed through her as she realized the events of earlier had been nothing more than a dream. A crazy, bizarre dream that made no sense whatsoever. Who ever heard of were-bears. As if Yellowstone was filled with shifting human animal hybrids.

  Draping an arm over her eyes, she chuckled, feeling twelve kinds of foolish. She groaned as the laughter shot pain through her skull, but she feared she might start crying. With such vivid delusions, perhaps she should ask for something to help her sleep.

  The door opened. “She wakes.” Marco waltzed in, carrying a stuffed bear. “Somehow, I thought anyone who survived a bear attack should be gifted a cute one to remind them of why we love them.”

  She stared at the stuffed animal. “Why did you choose a grizzly over the black bear?”

  “What do you mean? You were attacked by a grizzly.”

  She shook her head then wished she hadn’t. “No, three black bears and then the grizzly.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Was she sure? “I thought so. At least a black bear clawed me.”

  “Well that explains why your face is in such good shape, not that the smaller bear can’t do equal damage, but the grizzlies’ paws are bigger than your head.” Marco grabbed a chair and sat. “I can exchange this for a black bear if you want.”

  “No, I prefer the grizzly.” She reached for the toy, needing to hold it.

  He smiled. “They certainly seem to prefer you. Between number of sightings you’ve had of them and now this, everyone is wondering if you have something attracting the animals to you. When you’re feeling better and back to work, I think they want you in one of the welcome centers for a bit.”

  She groaned, hugging the stuffed animal close. She wanted to be outside.

  “For the tim
e being.” Marco laid a reassuring hand on her arm and his touch that usually didn’t bother her sent waves of revulsion through her. “It’s just light duty until you are back on your feet.”

  She forced a smile, although every part of her screamed to shrug his hand off her. “I know, and I’m in no shape to do much of anything at the moment. Do you know how long they’re keeping me?”

  “Overnight for the concussion. They said unless you had someone to stay with you all night and wake you every hour, you had to stay on. Besides, I think they feel better having you here for the night.”

  “How did I get here?” She remembered everything else from her delusional day. “The last thing I clearly remember is hiding behind a tree when the grizzly arrived.”

  “A group of hikers found you. One of the ladies was a nurse who stopped the bleeding. And they got you out of the area. The trail will be off-limits to hikers for a little while until we can figure out what brought four bears up there.”

  “They aren’t going to hurt any of the bears, are they?”

  “Was it a mama and her two cubs you came across?”

  “No, more like adolescent bears, maybe three siblings. No sows I could see.”

  “And the grizzly?”

  “Definite male and mature. He was huge.” And magnificent.

  “Well as no one was seriously hurt and the attack didn’t seem predatory, I can’t imagine they will do any more than watch the area more closely and keep it closed to visitors.”

  “Can you let the powers that be know I don’t want any animals hurt?”

  “Oh, they know, and of course they don’t make those decisions lightly.” He rose and leaned over to kiss her forehead. A cold chill ran down her back; the touch of her friend brought on a wave of nausea. “You don’t look good. Do you want me to get a nurse on my way out?”

  She shook her head but did have a sudden need to be alone. “No, maybe I just need to lie down. Perhaps staying tonight is the best plan all around.”

  “Okay whatever time you get discharged, one of us will come get you tomorrow. Ring if you need anything. And we’re so glad you are okay.”