It took a long time for Grace to fall asleep that night. She managed to put on a smile for her aunt and uncle, but once she fell into bed she didn’t even bother getting under the covers. She’d made a mess of them the night before.

Up and down, in and out of the bedroom, she just couldn’t seem to get any rest. Tonight wasn’t going to be any different. Take the long shift she’d had, add to it the crazy number of curious bears that had come in to take a look at her, some had been in before once or twice. Add to all of that the tentative touches and indrawn breaths, Grace had been on edge all day.

For the most part they’d been respectful. They didn’t take too much of her time, and they hadn’t been too demanding. The tip jar was full of money and phone numbers on pieces of paper.

Little pieces of paper that went into the trash can.

She already had one ‘mate’ and another man who wasn’t giving up on trying to change her mind. She certainly didn’t need the half dozen other offers. And she sure as hell didn’t want them.

Flopping down onto the bed she covered her eyes with her forearm and started taking one deep breath after another, and managed to lull herself into oblivion.

* * *

The sharp scent of pine was in her nose, needles under her hands, and the cold pungent bite of the soil under it all. She shook her head, disoriented, confused, angry.

Solitude was what she wanted and now, she wasn’t alone.

Run.

And she ran, her toes digging into the dirt beneath her, rocks digging into thick flesh, only a momentary concern. From the darkness of tree cover to star-spangled skies, she kept running, searching for a place where her mind could be quiet. Where she didn’t want for something she couldn’t have.

Her lungs ached, the cold night air scratching at her throat, filling her gut with even more longing. If she didn’t stop soon, her lungs would burst, and that’s why she kept running.

Physical pain was better than the alternative.

Exhaustion would erase her memory. Clear her head. Put her cares behind her.

But it didn’t happen.

Joints ached, begged for mercy.

Her heart pounded in her chest, thundering from use.

Loose soil slipped, ground crumbling under the weight of her desperation, and tumbling, head over feet, rocks digging into her skin, scraping at the flesh.

And when her body finally came to a rest, she couldn’t move. Could only lay there and gasp each needy breath. Every inch of her form shivering from sheer exhaustion.

The grass under her cheek tickled her nostril, poked into her ear. The night air filled with insect song again and still she lay still but begging for air and hating the need as well.

She could feel her heart squeeze painfully over and over within her, but she knew her heart was breaking. Leaning her head back into the grass, turning her eyes toward the skies that mimicked the dark of her eyes, she opened her mouth to scream and heard a wounded roar reach her ears.

* * *

Travis lay in the grass and finally gave his body a chance to heal. Slowly, the bear mended torn flesh, closed the bleeding veins, knitting them together where it was needed.

If he had been a human, he would have bled to death miles back and rotted where he lay, but the bear inside of him, while not a miracle worker, gave him strength and stamina that were far beyond human biology.

He hadn’t helped it at all until now. Once the bullet had scraped along his rib, he’d stopped short and then continued on. The pain was everything he’d hoped for, and thankfully the loss of blood had made his head a little loopy, making it easier for him to believe it when he said it would be okay.

Being alone would be okay.

And yet, he wasn’t.

Running miles and miles had done nothing to quiet the bear. In fact, giving the bear full rein was supposed to make it happy. It only made him larger, louder, more demanding.

And no matter how much he’d tried to put Grace from his mind, it seemed like she was even deeper inside of him. She seemed to be right there with him in his head, in every gasping beat of his heart.

He was fairly sure he was going to lose her, but he was very sure he’d never be able to live without her.

When the sky started to lighten overhead, he’d gotten to his feet, all four of them and lumbered back the way he came. He’d kept extra clothes in the cab of his truck and he knew it was too early for others to be around. Hikers would be easy enough to avoid. He just had to get there before the sun broke through the trees.

The bear retreated as the ground beneath their paws started to color with the sun, skin replaced fur, two legs sufficed as he padded toward the parking lot just off of the maintenance road.

He’d run off enough of his anger. He’d seeped pain through the pores of his skin. But his mind was another thing altogether. He was fairly certain he was losing his mind.

Travis almost wanted to laugh, turn back around, and go for another round. Maybe he should go see a healer. He was sure he was starting to see things.

Like Ty Abrams leaning against his truck.

And Van Abrams sitting on the hood of his cruiser.

Ty looked like he was wearing an undershirt and sweatpants as if he’d rolled out of bed and found them on the floor. Van was wearing his uniform, complete with a full ammunition belt and a short supply of good humor.

“Good Morning, Ty.” He added a little bit more of a grin before he turned to Van. “Van.”

The younger Abrams gave him a cold look. “Enforcer will do.”

Crap.

“What happened?”

Van didn’t say a word. He turned to look at his brother.

Ty took in a breath and the deep draw of air broadened the width of his powerful chest. “You want to explain to me why I had an emergency call about a bear attacking a hunter?”

“I didn’t attack him.”

Van almost smiled. “At least you didn’t deny it was you.”

“I’m not denying it, because it wasn’t me. I was out for a run and he took a shot at something. I just happened to run between him and whatever it is he wanted to kill… Illegally, since it was at night.”

Van kept quiet. And Travis wondered how bad this was about to get.

“I’m surprised he called at all. He was drunk, stinking of beer and some kind of synthetic animal urine. I was half expecting him to drink that stuff instead of the bear seeing how dark it was.

“I didn’t even go after him,” he directed all of his words to Ty. He knew Van wasn’t going to listen to anything. “I’m surprised he didn’t report a Sasquatch sighting instead.” Turning slightly, Travis lifted up his arm and used his other hand to trace the healing scar along his ribs. The wound would be healed in a few hours if he didn’t reopen it, but part of him really didn’t care. “I doubt he’s a crack shot or anything. He’d probably shut up if you threatened his hunting license.”

Van’s teeth ground together at the back of his jaw. “He didn’t have one.”

Travis shrugged. “Then what’s the problem? He was hunting without a license, in the dark and got scared out of his mind. I doubt he’ll ever do it again.”

“And that’s still not the point.”

Travis caught the look on Ty’s face. “I had to run.”

Ty nodded. “I’m sure you had a reason for it. This can’t be easy for you. I know-”

“Oh, you know?” Travis saw the way Van narrowed his eyes and set his hand on his sidearm. “Do you? You have a mate, Itan. You have children. You have a full and complete life. You have it all.

“If I can’t find a way to make her see reason, I’m going to lose everything.”

The bite of gravel under Van’s boots turned Travis’ head slightly.

“You don’t have to worry; I’m not going to hurt the Itan. I’m hurting not stupid.”

“Hurting gets real damn close to stupid and sometimes suicidal. I’m not in the mood to let anything happen to my brother because you get desperate to end it all.”

Ty let out an exasperated sigh. “Stay out of it, Van.”

“You’re the one that wanted me to come.” Van looked from one man to the other and shook his head. “Fine. I’ll stay out of it. But I’d like to get home and in bed sometime before I have to get out of it.”

Van paced away and yanked the door of his cruiser open and got in, lowering the seatback so he could stretch out.

Travis didn’t know what to say other than. “I’m sorry you had come out because of me.”

“It’s what I do for all of my people.”

“But that’s not what I am,” Travis reminded him. “I’m here on probation and I know you’re already leaning heavily on the ‘no’ side of the decision. I don’t blame you. I was already on your list that first day I showed up.”

“Well,” Ty shook his head and unfolded his arms, “that first night was Van overreacting a bit. I was trying to find you and when Van couldn’t find you, he put the word out.”

“And he probably heard from the store that I’d been in there to get a bunch of food.”

Ty nodded. “We’d just been to see Nellie and knew she was hurt.”

“He was worried that I’d… taken her hostage and cooked her dinner?” Travis felt the corners of his mouth turn up into a hesitant smile. “And found me on the swing with Grace.”

“Found you all but assaulting a young woman, was how he explained it.”

That got a bark of laughter from Travis before he could hold it back. “Grace was… Grace.” The humor died as his thoughts turned to the reason he’d been out running in the dark. “I really made a mess of things for her.”

“Noah knew, even back when he was a little cub, that if someone discovered what he was, he was supposed to report it. He chose not to. That’s what made a mess of this.”

Travis mulled over the thought. “And what would you have done back then, Itan? She was a child at the time and so was he. There really wasn’t a good option back then.”

The thought sobered Ty’s expression as well. “True. I don’t know what my father would have done back then, but I know what I have to do right now. And Grace made a choice, Travis.”

“She made her choice.” Travis’ voice was barely a whisper, a raw painful whisper. “I thought I had a chance to change her mind, but when I went to see her today, I may have shut that door forever.”

He didn’t know how to say it. He didn’t even trust his voice to work.

“You still have time to change her mind, Travis. It’s not done until it’s done. As long as it’s her choice, that’s all that matters here.”

Travis nodded.

“Always,” he agreed. “I won’t force anyone. I couldn’t do that, but I’m not sure if I should fight. When I saw her today, the way she looked at me. If just looking at me hurts her, how can I do that to her?” He didn’t wait for Ty to answer. “If she chooses him. If he marks her. I can’t stay here in Grayslake.”

Ty pushed away from the truck and walked over to where Travis was standing.

Travis saw Van tense slightly in the cruiser. Even though he appeared to be resting, none of them actually thought he’d left anything to chance.

“I hope everything works out for you, Travis. Even though you’ve been a pain to Van since you’ve arrived, I think you’ve got integrity. Just remember that when you’re dealing with your mate and I think you’ll be just fine.”

Ty gave him a pat on the shoulder and headed toward the passenger side of the cruiser.

Travis was still standing in the same place when the cruiser disappeared down the dirt road and out of sight.

* * *

Grace was considering a trip outside to dunk her head in the rain barrel out back, but two things kept stopping her. The first was the awesome hairstyle she’d managed that morning, since she was up over an hour before her alarm had sounded. The second was the fact that the stupid rain barrel had featured in the rather naughty little dream she’d had the last time she’d managed to go under last night.

And instead of Kendra interrupting, they’d gotten much much farther before she’d shaken awake again.

Her subconscious was trying to kill her.

“Ow! Dammit!” Grace stepped back and looked at the puddle of coffee on the countertop. She’d been pouring a cup for one of the customers and she’d overfilled it. Overfilled about four cups past the single serving and with her addled brain she was still staring at the dark expanse as if the Lady of the Lake was going to reach a hand up out of the dark brew and hand her a towel to mop it all up.

Mentally kicking herself, Grace snatched up a crumpled dish towel and pressed it onto the mess. She looked over her shoulder at the man. “Sorry about that.”

He shrugged and gestured to the newspaper he had on the counter. “I’m in no hurry. This cross word puzzle has me stumped.” He pointed his pencil at the empty row of cups beside her. “Go ahead, pour yourself a cup on me too.”

She started to refuse but he shook his head.

“I insist.”

Grace blinked back the tears that were suddenly clinging to her lashes. She wiped them away with the back of her hand. “That’s so sweet. You’re a lifesaver!”

She poured the two cups and took him his, setting it down before him with a big grin. “Do you always save waitresses in distress?”

He gave her that ‘aw-shucks’ expression that some men had down pat and shook his head. “Haven’t had the opportunity until today.”

Setting her foot on the bottom shelf behind the counter, Grace braced her hands on the counter and leaned over to give the older man a kiss on the cheek, earning her a bunch of groans from the men in the room.

Rolling her eyes, she stepped back down to the floor as the man turned slightly on his stool holding up his left hand. “Relax boys, I’m married and she’s just being nice to an old man.”

That didn’t stop some of the men from grousing and trying to angle for a kiss as well.

Grace felt her cheeks start to burn at the disruption and tried to get the men to settle down. She felt that all the joking was in good fun, but it was starting to weigh on her and the lack of sleep… well, it wasn’t making it any easier.

The door of the diner opened up and Grace automatically brightened up with a, “Welcome to the diner!” Reaching behind for the stack of menus she was startled and nearly knocked them all off of the counter. Scrambling, she shored them up and turned around with an apologetic smile. “Sorry, I-”

The men who had just been joking around and begging for Grace’s attention were now slipping back into their booths and barely making a peep.

Grace looked at the woman standing just inside the door, a knowing look on her pretty face. “Wow, that’s almost magic!” Grace stepped around the counter and joined her newest customer just inside the door. “Table for one?”

“Actually, I’d like to talk to you if you have a few moments.” The woman set her hand on Grace’s arm and Grace froze. She felt a low happy hum tickling along her skin. Lifting her gaze to the room she took in the whole scene with a curious gaze before turning back to her. “I’ll be off in a few hours-”

“The men are big boys, they can take care of themselves. Right, boys?”

The men readily agreed.

Grace turned to the man at the counter. “What about-”

“Remember?” He held up the paper. “Crossword.”

“Okay then,” Grace gestured to the seat on the counter closest to the cash register where they’d have a little privacy, “how about here?”

Nodding, she moved to the counter and sat down, waving off the menu from Grace. “Cup of tea and a Danish, please?”

“Blueberry?”

A bright smile was her immediate answer. “Sounds lovely, thanks.”

Grace picked up the cover of the baked goods and a short pair of tongs to rescue the pastry from the others. It was no sooner placed before her guest then it was picked up and a bite was nibbled from a corner.

Moaning while she chewed, she swallowed the first bite and dabbed a paper napkin over her lips. “Couldn’t resist, sorry.” She held out her hand. “I’m Mia.”

“Ty’s mate.”

Mia gave her a curious look.

“Ty mentioned you and you,” Grace hesitated, unsure how her words would be taken, “feel like him.”

Her eyes widening slightly, Mia took the words in and settled back on her stool. “Ty mentioned something about you, but I didn’t think I understood what he was saying.”

“It’s kind of confusing. I don’t even think I understand it all the time. It certainly likes to rear its head at odd times. It’s not something I can turn on or off, I just have to deal with it when it happens.” Lowering her voice, Grace leaned closer to Mia. “I can tell when someone’s a shifter. And sometimes what kind. It’s all about the vibrations. I had a summer camp bunkmate from California. It feels like what she told me about earthquakes. After you’ve felt a few, you can start to tell the difference between a 3.4 and a 3.5.”

She could see a spark in Mia’s eye. “And what do bears feel like?”

Grace was tickled. It was so nice to talk to someone about this. So often she was afraid so say anything or find herself in a straitjacket. “Don’t laugh, seriously,” she felt her cheeks heat and her lips curl into a bright grin, “but bears feel cuddly to me. Sure, I know they can rip a human apart, but when I’m near a bear shifter I feel warmth like a big bear rug in front of a fire. Oh!” Grace covered her cheeks and winced. “That sounds horrible, doesn’t it? I didn’t mean anything bad by it.”

Mia held up her hands, trying to calm her down. “I get it.”

Relieved that she hadn’t messed up yet another part of her day, Grace relaxed a little.

“So did you know about Ty and Van when you were growing up here?”

“No. Not back then.” Grace shook her head and felt a long lock of her hair slip free from her French twist. She pushed it back behind her ear. “I didn’t spend much time with either of them. Van, in particular, thought I was a pest.” She held up her hand when Mia started to say something. “I probably was. I think I wanted to rile him up a bit. Before I turned into a Vintage girl with all these curves, I was a bit of a dumpling and a tomboy rolled into one.”

“And now, what happened at your aunt’s house?”

“Now, I think I was riding the rush from Noah and Travis. Strong emotions really add to my sensitivity, like touching a live wire, not that I’m admitting to doing that. Ever.”

Mia grinned.

“I was already feeling them and then there was Ty and Van and the feeling didn’t change it just got,” Grace held her hands slightly apart in front of her and then pulled them another foot apart from each other, “I don’t remember exactly what happened, but I was up and then I was down and I felt like I was underwater. It’s not a feeling I would want to experience again any time soon.”

Mia’s palm was flat against her chest. “I don’t blame you, that sounds terrifying.”

A memory swept over her and Grace felt a warm rush through her veins. She may not remember how she fell, but she knew how she’d gotten up again. Travis held her gently against his chest, his arms holding her like she hardly weighed a thing.

In his embrace she felt strong, secure. It was a heady feeling and one she wanted to feel again. But being near Travis was also a rollercoaster of emotions. She wanted, she needed, and when he touched her, put his mouth against her skin, she wanted to drown in the sensations.

And that was why it wouldn’t work. If she gave into her feelings for Travis, she would lose herself and she’d never fulfill her dreams.

She felt a warm hand on her arm and she shook herself free of her thoughts. “Sorry, Mia. I was a little lost there.”

“Maybe if I was a little more like you, I could have gotten into your head a little.” She took another bite of the Danish.

Grace held up her hands. “I don’t read minds. Gosh, that would make my life so much easier! No, mostly I get emotions and sometimes images, but I’m not sure if the images are from the other person, or if it’s just my brain trying to make sense of what I’m feeling.”

“Earlier,” Mia’s tone was soft but her eyes were all curiosity, “when I came in and the men all got quiet.”

Laughing, Grace nodded. “You want to know why I thought you were with Ty?” She didn’t need an answer; it was written across Mia’s features. “It was a combination of things. You’re not a shifter, but you’ve got power like they do. The men were instantly at attention and were watching you to see if you were happy. They respected you, not just because of a title, they really respect you.” Grace shrugged and reached for a menu as the door swung open and another couple of shifters came in.

Without being asked to, one of the men jumped up and took the menus from her hand and seated the newcomers. One of the men at the counter half-stood on the footrest of the stool and picked out napkins and silverware and handed it down the line until it was set in the right hands.

Grace met her uncle’s bemused expression in the pass-through window. He shrugged and turned back to the fryer.

A car pulled up outside the diner with Ty in the driver seat. Grace watched as Mia lit up and waved at the car. The back window closest to the diner rolled down and a little boy with a megawatt smile leaned forward in his car seat and waved like crazy back at her. Grace didn’t need to hear what he was saying to understand it. MAMA was pretty easy to read on anyone’s lips and the little boy looked like he was shouting it loud enough to hear it down the block.

All the shifters in the room turned and waved and the boy clapped his hands and cheered.

Mia got up from the counter and reached into her purse.

“No way,” Grace shook her head, “my treat. It’s been great talking to you, Mia. So far my only experience with shifters in Grayslake have been of the XY-chromosome type. It’s nice to have a little more estrogen around me.”

Leaning in, Mia gave her arm a squeeze. “That’s why I came down today. Besides being endlessly curious about you, I wanted you to know there are some pretty cool ladies among the crazy grouchy men in town.”

“Thanks, really.”

Mia started for the door and stopped, coming back a few steps to lean in and lower her voice. “A question just popped into my head.”

Grace leaned in to hear it.

“If what you feel is stronger with the people you’re closest to, how do you explain what you feel with Travis?”

Opening her mouth to answer, Grace’s mind drew a great big blank.

Moments later, Mia was gone and the diner seemed to come alive again. Grace was suddenly in the middle of the rush and the question faded into the background of her mind.