So what’s going on with the clan that you have to hide here?” Jane asked while she worked on dinner. It was simple again. She’d been alone for five years and had never really enjoyed cooking. Being a werebear meant she could eat fast food as much as she wanted with few health risks but she didn’t like the greasy taste. She preferred sandwich places, anywhere she could get a soup and salad, or even sushi. Her budget didn’t really allow her to buy for two though so here she was fixing turkey sandwiches while Etienne sat in front of her computer.

“Well, we’ve had some trouble with The Human Order for starters,” he said. He was skimming some text.

“What sort of trouble?”

“They identified a few clan members and started harassing them, didn’t I mention that? Threatening emails with photos attached, like photos of their kids getting off the school bus and stuff like that.”

“Shit, that’s rough.”

Etienne nodded and clicked a link.

“What are you reading?”

“Hacking tips.”

“What?”

“I need to get into some files remotely. I’m researching.”

“Excuse me but you never told me you’d be doing illegal shit from my computer!” She came around the counter and stalked across the room ready to argue with him. By the time she reached him, he’d closed the window.

He twisted in the chair, hands half raised. “Okay, okay. I’ll try something else first. I might be able to contact someone back home to help me. But there might not be any other way.”

“Fine,” she huffed. “As a last resort. And if the police come banging on my door, I’m handing you over. I’m not losing my job or going to jail over this.” She turned on her heel and went back to the kitchen. “Dinner’s ready.”

“I really appreciate all this,” Etienne said, coming around to join her. “Would be nicer if the couch was longer but beggars can’t be choosers.”

“No, but they can find other ways to pay their debts.”

He stepped up right beside her. “What did you have in mind?”

“Information. Start talking.” She took her plate and put a few feet between them.

“What do you want to know?”

“The Human Order. What did Laurent do?”

“We tried a lot of things. We reported suspicious behavior to the police but there wasn’t much they could do. The schools were most likely warned, I mean there were children involved.”

“And?”

“And what?”

“Did they catch them?”

Etienne shook his head and chewed the bite he’d just taken. “No. Never caught.”

“Did they stop?”

“No. Laurent had to transfer people to other clans.”

“Laurent never allowed people to transfer out unless it was completely unavoidable for work. I mean look at you, with your schooling. You were only given a temporary leave.”

“I only requested a temporary leave. I had no intention of leaving the clan. What about you?”

“I had to do the request myself. I had to lie to get out.”

“Why, Jane? Was life with the clan really so bad? We had some great times together.”

“I know, but …”

“Remember that time, out on the ice? When we were fourteen?”

She knew what he was talking about but she stared at her plate and didn’t answer.

“The hoarfrost was thick on the trees and we could see our breath like thick clouds but we just wouldn’t come in. And then …”

She set the plate down hard on the counter. “I’m going for a run.”

He watched her grab her shoes and a light windbreaker and then she was gone without another word. He set his own plate down and shook his head. Apparently five years alone hadn’t eased the pain or paranoia that one revelation had caused. He remembered the change in her when she found out, remembered the way she’d withdrawn from him. She’d lied to him so skillfully he hadn’t caught it, or maybe he’d been too in love with her to notice it, told himself it was stress over college applications. It was stress over an application all right – an application to transfer to another clan in order to leave him.

It had all been planned before he left Quebec, and the whole plan hinged on Jane trusting him, on Jane wanting to help him, on Jane caring about him. This Bryce was an unforeseen complication.

He must be a fairly new development in Jane’s life though, Etienne thought. He pulled out his phone and fired off a text. The answer was as expected. Very new it seems. I’ll have to work around him somehow.

Monday he’d snuck out of the apartment while Jane was at work and had wandered down to the care home to learn as much as he could. It had been very informative. Jane and Bryce, a human with a moderately athletic build and average features, had gone out for lunch and Etienne had followed at a distance not wanting to arouse Jane’s suspicions. This time he didn’t want her to know he was there.

It was sickening to watch and he was tempted to interrupt but he was supposed to be back at the apartment, so he just watched as they laughed together and Bryce put a hand over Jane’s. They weren’t holding hands walking back but they laughed and talked with intense familiarity.

The same thing had happened Tuesday and Wednesday. He couldn’t get close enough to hear what they were talking about and he couldn’t ask her about it. All he knew for sure was that she didn’t smile and laugh like that for him. Not anymore.

“Well, there’s still time to change that,” he said to the empty apartment.

---

“So, do you know how to cook anything besides kabobs?” Jane asked as they waited for the elevator to come down.

“Steak. Barbecue chicken. Baked potatoes. Anything with instructions on the packaging. Kabobs are just fancy and I’m trying to impress you. Is it working?”

“Maybe a little.” She wrapped her arms around his.

She’d been to his apartment less than half a dozen times, but she mostly knew her way around his kitchen now. While he grilled, she warmed up some vegetables. I’ll have to bring salad fixings next time, she thought while she waited for the microwave to ding. Her phone buzzed, a text from Etienne wondering where she was.

“At a friend’s for dinner,” she texted back and then turned her phone off. Whatever Etienne needed could wait a few hours.

They ate at the table, their conversation moving from talk of the upcoming federal election, to immigration, to the club shooting the month before.

“That was slightly darker than I intended,” he said, pushing his plate back. “I’m stuffed. I don’t know how you eat so much.”

“Blessed and cursed with a very high metabolism,” she said. She licked her fingers clean. “That was fantastic.”

He gathered the dishes and headed for the sink. “I guess you’ll be wanting a ride home.”

“I – uh – don’t have to go right away. Neither of us works tomorrow and with this family emergency hovering around, I could use a break. If you don’t mind. I don’t want to impose.” She thought of her phone. She did not want to talk to Etienne right now.

“Karl cancelled for tomorrow again so I don’t have to be up early.”

“Does he do that a lot?”

“No, not until this house. He’s renting out storage space in the garage. Something is going on.”

“Something to do with that phone call?”

“What phone call? Want another beer?”

“Sure.” She followed him to the couch. “That first day I came to help, remember? We overheard him on the phone. Something about being out before eleven?”

“Right. I do remember that. Yeah, I think that’s connected somehow. Karl keeps the garage locked, and not even Jase or Jeff have keys, which is odd. The window is covered. I asked Karl about that. All he said was it was some boxes stacked against the wall inside. And the renters, they looked like trouble.”

“You saw them?”

“Yeah. I went over one Saturday even though Karl had cancelled. They were loading a truck, maybe a van too, I don’t know. There were six, maybe ten guys, and they did not look friendly. You know, sometimes you just see someone and the way they look at you, it’s hard, cold? And Karl was acting nervous.”

“Did you ask Karl about it?”

“He doesn’t want to talk. Says he has it under control and to leave it alone.”

“Want to go down there tomorrow?”

“Karl will shoot me if I get in the way again.”

“Karl doesn’t have to know. We can throw on some jogging clothes, park two blocks down, and just go for a jog down the back alley. We won’t even stop.”

“What good is that going to do?”

“Just trust me, okay? I want to see for myself. Maybe I’ll see something you missed.” Or smell something. Speaking of smells, now that they were sitting closer together and she didn’t have a plate of food under her nose, she realized that Bryce smelled really good right now.

Suddenly it felt like her bear had eaten a bucket of butterflies which were now fluttering about inside of her. She took a deep breath and got another nose full of Bryce’s cologne.

“You’re stubborn.”

She nodded.

“You know what you want and you’re just going to bowl over everyone who gets in your way, even me.”

“Sorry.”

“Why be sorry?”

“I can be overbearing, and blunt, and inconsiderate.”

“I kind of like it. You do know how to compromise, right?”

“Sometimes. Maybe.”

“Well, then, I’m sure we’ll manage just fine, wherever this ends up going.”

She could remember the feeling of his lips against hers, the way the nearness of him made her feel warm and safe and excited. She wanted to feel all of that again.

Well he did just say he liked a woman who went after what she wanted. He is the one pushing this towards a romantic relationship. It’s worth a shot, right? He’ll let me stop if it gets to be too much. She leaned forward, encouraged when he didn’t pull away, and kissed him. It was a sweet kiss, gentle and full of question. Afterwards they hovered, their mouths so close together their breath mingled in the meagre space between leaving her feeling hot and breathless.

His fingers brushed her jaw and he kissed her again, with more heat and hunger this time. For a split second she stiffened, scared by the sudden flair of passion, but the bear was relaxed, content, so she relaxed too and within seconds her heart was racing, not from fear, but from arousal.

The kisses grew deeper as passion and desire built between them. They’d made out a few times, always taking things slow and safe, but there was nothing slow or safe about this. This was all heat, all want, and no second thoughts and no thoughts of her childhood sweetheart.

When he did pull back she was gasping for breath.

“Too much?”

“No. I – I want you to take your shirt off. I want to feel your skin under my hands again.”

Before she could apologize for being too forward, his shirt was on the floor. She’d seen him topless before, had kissed almost down to his chest before, but somehow this was different. The lighting here was softer and it cast his lean muscles soft shadows, making his skin appear tanned and sexy. She ran her hands over his chest, marveling at the feeling.

She pulled him closer, kissing him again, her hands straying over his body as they kissed. She pulled back from him sharply and started fighting with the buttons on her shirt. Why did I wear a blouse today? She got three buttons undo and then thought Fuck it and yanked the shirt over her head. Before he could lean in to kiss her again, she had a hand behind her back and deftly unhooked the clasp of her bra.

“Jane. You don’t have to.”

She responded with a kiss that was all heat. When he still hesitated, she took his hand and placed it on her breast. He didn’t need more urging than that.

Hands roamed over exposed skin, fingers digging in to express pleasure or to ask for more, then ghosting over skin, leaving goosebumps in their wake. They explored with their mouths too, trailing kisses here and there.

Panting, Bryce pulled back, but Jane followed, kissing his chest. “Is this going any further tonight? Because there’s more space in my room.”

“Hmm?”

“Couch or bed?”

“Bed.” She wrapped her arms around him, pulling herself most of the way onto his lap, and kissed his neck.

“You’ll have to get up,” he managed to say before her lips covered his.

The kiss was long and deep, leaving them both breathless. When she pulled back, she nodded and slid off the couch.

He took her hand and led her across the apartment to the one room she hadn’t seen before. She didn’t stop to look around. She tugged at the waist band of his jeans and muttered, “Off.”

He chuckled. “I’m not complaining but what happened to going slow?”

He watched her cheeks turn a delightful shade of pink.

“Should we stop?”

He wrapped his arms around her. “No, that’s not what I meant. I’m just surprised by all of this.”

“I want you,” she said. “I can lie to myself about it but it won’t change anything. So, I want to see if this will go anywhere. Or how long it’ll be something. Mostly you’re sexy and amazing and I’m turned on right now and want you so bad.”

“Are you going to kill me in the morning?”

“Only if you don’t take those fucking jeans off right now.”

“Got it.”

They both dropped their jeans on the floor and then tumbled into the bed together. It had been a while for both of them so they were both quickly reaching a desperate state of need. Their last scraps of clothing were quickly shed and skin slid over skin.

Bryce took a deep breath, trying to maintain enough self-control to pause what was happening and double check that Jane was okay with where this was heading. He never got the chance.

Jane rolled over him, kissing him deeply, and settled onto him without hesitation.

All thoughts of slowing down evaporated from Bryce’s mind and he wrapped his arms tight around her. They moved together, as much as was possible, their bodies pressed in tight together. Only near the end did she sit up, giving him a glorious view of her naked body as she rode him. His fingers dug into her hips and thighs and his back arched. She just grinned and rode him right to the end.

Finally, she collapsed beside him and they lay there on top of the covers, breathing hard. Even though it was warm, the air felt cool against their sweaty skin.

“That was …” he trailed off.

She turned and snuggled in close against his side. “Yeah.” She sighed. She shifted a bit, getting comfortable. She felt warm and drowsy and safe.

They woke up a few hours later when it got too cool. They got under the covers and shuffled around until they were both comfortable again. The next time they woke, it was full morning and they were a tangle of arms, legs, and blankets.

“I wasn’t expecting this,” Bryce said after kissing her good morning.

“Neither was I. Are you sorry?”

“You mean do I regret it? Nope, not one bit.”

“Me either.”

“Breakfast?”

“Mmm, yes please.”

---

A few hours later they were parked at the end of the street, the reno house just out of sight behind the other houses on the block.

“So, what’s the plan here?” he asked, getting out of the car.

“We’re just going for a jog. We’ll stay close to each other and just make our way up the back lane. If there’s no one there, I want to stop and take a quick look at the garage. If there is someone there, we won’t even stop or acknowledge them. We’ll turn right at the end of that block and come up the other street, not in front of the house, and come back to the car.”

“I don’t see what this is going to accomplish.”

“It will appease my curiously. And afterwards we could always have a shower.”

“That’s blackmail.”

“Maybe. Let’s go work up a sweat.”

The back lane behind the reno house was very crowded. A truck, a van, and a car were lined up there and close to a dozen men were milling about. Jane kept her face forward as she jogged by but she was trying to take in as many details as she could.

Most of the guys had darker skin, but here in New Orleans that didn’t tell her much. Cajun, Creole, Mexican, Latino, could be any of those or something else altogether. Two of them were talking in low voices. She didn’t catch the words but they were speaking French. The car was fancy, the van was panel-sided, something movers or contractors would use, and the truck was one of those giant 4x4s that cowboys and construction workers favored. She could smell cologne, exhaust, tobacco smoke, and marijuana. Most of the men were busy carrying packages from the van to the garage. The two speaking French must have been some sort of look out. If there was anyone else in the vehicles or in the yard, Jane didn’t see or hear them.

They finished their circuit and climbed back into the car.

“Well, did you learn anything?”

“If I had to guess, I’d say drug dealers.”

“Shit. If it’s drugs then he’s dealing with one of the local gangs and they’re dangerous.”

“We could call it in.”

“Not yet. They may jump to the conclusion that Karl’s the rat, directly or indirectly, which is sort of true, and they’d go after him.”

“So you’re just going to let them deal drugs out of his garage? What happens when Karl wants to sell the place?”

“I don’t know. He must have told them it was temporary. Maybe that’s why they liked the idea. Jason said they’d rented garage space in a few other places too, probably to the same guys. If the cops do get wind of it, they’d be out of there before any sort of operations could be set up to take them down.”

“I know a few guys who could have it cleared out overnight,” she offered.

“Oh, because that would make them happy,” Bryce grumbled.

“No, but put a rival gang sign on the door with spray paint and take all the packages.”

“And if it’s not drugs?”

“Tell me you honestly believe that those men were doing something legal.”

“Okay, fine. The answer is still no. I can’t risk Karl’s life.”

“It’s your family so it’s your call. But if you want help, I’ve got a lot of different contacts.”

“That’s surprising, considering how private you are.”

They went back to his apartment and showered together, washing each other’s backs and taking the time to explore a little.

Jane in a towel was just too tempting. He came up behind her, wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her neck. She melted against him.

“Come on,” he said, nudging her towards the bathroom door.

They managed to keep the towels on until they got to his bedroom and then they both just let them go. Last night’s sex had been fast and passionate. Today Bryce set a slower pace, taking the time to touch and kiss just about every inch of her before entering her.

There was a moment of panic for Jane as she realized she was trapped beneath him. His whole body was pressed against her, his face nestled beside hers. He’d nibble her ear or neck as he moved inside her and she quickly relaxed again.

Yeah, he was on top. Yeah, he was completely in her ‘space’. But she didn’t feel trapped and she didn’t feel that flight or fight survival mode coming on. Instead she felt cozy and safe. Soon those feelings were joined by desire and pleasure and she wrapped her arms and legs around him, keeping him close.

He kissed her deeply as he climaxed and for a long time after they stayed wrapped tightly around each other.

“I like where this is going,” she said.

“So do I. Do you need another shower?”

“No. How about we go out for dinner? But then I have to get home. I have to make sure that family emergency is still just simmering and hasn’t exploded on me.”

“That sounds like a plan.”

---

Etienne finished his dinner Friday night and sat in front of the TV watching whatever came on even though he wasn’t really interested. He played some games on his phone, checked his e-mails, sent a text to his dad back home, and checked the time every ten minutes or so.

Sometime in the wee hours of the morning, he dozed off. He woke up just before dawn with a start and looked around. Is Jane home? Did I miss her? The TV was still on though and he had no idea what he was watching. He turned the set off and stretched. His back was killing him from sleeping on the couch every night.

He got up and wandered towards the door. He didn’t see Jane’s keys or shoes or purse anywhere but she could have taken everything to her room with her last night. He checked the time and groaned. It’s too damn early.

He went to the bathroom and then paused outside Jane’s bedroom. The door was closed. It had been closed when she left for her date. Did she come home? Is she sleeping in there now? Do I look?

That was a serious question. He wouldn’t know until he looked, or until she got up, or until she walked in that door. Could he wait? Of course he could, but did he want to? If he looked and got caught there’d be hell to pay, and with the way she’d been acting lately he wasn’t sure she’d forgive him.

Everything depends on her liking me and trusting me. What I want doesn’t matter. I’ll just have to wait.

By ten he was sure she wasn’t home or else she’d have gotten up and at least gone to the bathroom. He spent the day watching TV. He ordered a pizza and a bottle of cola for lunch and ate the whole thing over the course of the afternoon.

He wrote a few emails, sent a few texts, and did a lot of pacing. Out of boredom, he spent close to an hour on Jane’s exercise equipment but it did nothing to soothe his restlessness.

He had sent four text messages over the day to Jane’s phone and gotten no response. He was ready to send one with cryptic information about his investigation just to lure her home when the door opened and she walked in. She had a plastic bag looped over one wrist and she was humming. She kicked her shoes off and dropped her keys on their little shelf.

“Hey.”

His chest tightened. She sounded so damn casual. Waltzing in damn near twenty-four hours after she’d gone out with no explanation, no apology, no sign she even cared. “You’ve been gone awhile.”

“Mmm.” She took a take-out container out of the bag and tucked it in the fridge. When she went to drop the bag in the recycling, she noticed the pizza box and pop bottle. “Oh good, you found something to eat.”

“And you?”

“We ate out. I need a workout. I feel stiff.”

“What? That’s it? Where were you?”

“Excuse me?”

There was a dangerous light dancing in her eyes and it brought him up short. He reigned in his own emotions and lowered his eyes. “Sorry. I was worried about you. I didn’t know where you were or when you were coming back.”

“I was with a friend and I’m an adult so I can come and go from my own apartment as I please without reporting to anyone.”

“Of course. That’s not going to stop me from worrying. What if Laurent had sent someone to look for me? What if they’d found you? What if something had happened to you?”

“Do you really think Laurent is that dangerous?”

“I’m looking for evidence that he’s involved with the Human Order, what do you think?”

She actually stopped and considered that. “Okay, good point.”

He hoped his smile wasn’t too smug.

“Did you make some progress while I was gone?”

“Oh yeah, tons. I think I’m almost done.”

“Great.”

“Uh, Jane. You know, we’ve barely talked since that first night I was here. You’re always busy.”

“What is there to talk about? Unless you want to share some of your leads?”

“How was work this week?”

“It’s the weekend, I don’t want to talk about work.”

“But you’ll hang out with that guy from work.”

“That guy is my boyfriend and I’ll spend as much time with him as I want. I’m grabbing my headphones and working out. Don’t touch my leftovers.” She stormed out. When she came back in, the headphones were already in her ears and she was avoiding looking at him.

He went to the kitchen and made himself a sandwich, watching her as she went through her workout in silence. I’m trying. She just won’t let me in.

---

For Jane and Bryce the week went by quickly. Working together was getting easier and not at all awkward as they’d both feared. They often walked out for lunch, or just walked around the block eating their sandwiches and talking, holding hands as they enjoyed the nice days between the rain. Some evenings Bryce spent with Karl fixing up the house and sometimes Jane went with him, though neither of them mentioned the drugs in the garage.

On the rare evening that they didn’t have dinner together, or go out for a drink, or went to his place for a movie, Jane would do her workout, take a jog through the park, and eat sandwiches for dinner with Etienne who remained ever elusive about how much proof he had and how much more time he needed.

Etienne spent very little time on the computer looking for proof. Most of the time he spent following Jane. It was a tricky business since he had to walk to her work and walk back without getting caught and be back before her. And he didn’t want her spotting him.

He was coming to hate Bryce. He was small, skinny, weak, and yet Jane preferred this human to him. He was stronger, faster, and a werebear. Bryce disgusted him. When Friday rolled around and Jane got ready to go to Bryce’s again, it was all Etienne could do to hold his tongue and smile.

Etienne waited up for her Friday night but again she didn’t come home. Frustrated, he sent out another text, grateful that she’d never bothered to snoop through his phone. He read the long reply carefully and nodded. Yes, that would work. He just had to time it right.

---

Jane rolled over and her shoulder bumped into Bryce’s. She smiled. It took a little wiggling to turn over so she could see him. Waking up next to him was still a new experience and she liked it. She could lie here all day and watch him sleep with his bedhead and the creases on his cheek where a wrinkle in the pillow case had pressed against his skin for too long. Sadly, the bathroom was calling her and she slipped out of the bed, careful not to wake him.

When she returned, she could hear the change in his breathing though he didn’t appear to have moved. When she knelt on the edge of the bed. his eyes snapped open. “I thought maybe you’d already gone.”

“Just as far as the washroom,” she said. She crawled over and kissed him. “How could I miss out on saying good morning to you.”

“There’s always a phone.”

She snuggled in close and pressed herself against him. “There are some things I can’t do over the phone.”

They kissed and held each other close.

“What did you want to do today?” he asked.

She reached down between them and took him in hand.

He laughed and gave her a quick kiss. “All right, but after that?”

“Ask me afterwards.” They began kissing again and soon he rolled over, pinning her beneath him.

She found she actually like this, being caught between him and the mattress, his arms on either side of her head. The first time she thought she’d feel trapped but she hadn’t. She’d felt connected to him, close and intimate, and safe.

She spread her legs to make room for him and he slipped inside her. She wrapped her arms and legs around him and let him thrust into her while they kissed. He was quick this morning and collapsed beside her, panting. She wiggled in closer to him, tucking herself between his side and his arm and kissing his cheek.

“I could do with a tea,” she said. “What about you?”

“Coffee,” he muttered. “Just give me a minute.”

“Something wrong?” she asked sweetly.

“My legs don’t work.”

She laughed. “I’m not sure I want to apologize for that.”

“You’re a wicked woman,” he said, turning so he could kiss her.

Just then her phone rang in the other room. She frowned. “I should get that.”

“Your family emergency?”

“That’s the ringtone for it, yes. Hopefully nothing is wrong.” She untangled herself from him and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. She almost walked off just like that but the thought of talking to Etienne with no clothes on, even over the phone, disturbed her. She glanced around but nothing on this side of the bed seemed to belong to her. She grabbed a t-shirt and threw it on. It came halfway down to her knees.

The phone stopped ringing, then started again. “Must be important,” she said.

He watched her go. Somehow her disheveled hair and wearing one of his old shirts was sexier than her last night with her makeup and her lacy underwear. He forced himself out of bed and headed for the washroom. He came out in his bathrobe to find Jane scrambling into her clothes.

“So it’s an emergency.”

“Or nearly,” she said. She stopped in front of him, fully dressed from the waist down, her shirt in her hands, and kissed him. “I can’t find my bra so consider it a souvenir.”

“Can’t I consider it a hostage?”

“You don’t need to threaten my stuff to get me back here.”

“If you’re coming back do I need a souvenir?”

“Touche.”

“So I guess I’ll see you at work on Monday?”

“Do you have other plans this weekend?”

“No, why?”

“If this clears up, I’ll call you and maybe we can do something tomorrow.”

“What? Can’t go a whole day without seeing me?”

She kissed him passionately, dropping her shirt and wrapping her arms around him.

When she stepped back he said, “Yeah, okay, call me tomorrow.”

She laughed.

“I owe you a tea.”

“I’ll take that with interest,” she said, letting her fingers drift down his chest, parting his robe. She stopped just below his belly button.

“You’re teasing.”

“I know.” She retrieved her shirt and pulled it on. “I’ll keep you up to date, okay?”

“Okay.”

She stepped away.

“Hey!”

“Yeah?” She looked back.

“I hope everything’s okay.”

“So do I.”

He waited until she was out the door and then went back to the bathroom to take a shower.

---

Etienne was pacing when Jane burst into the apartment. “Where were you?” he questioned.

“I was out with a friend,” she said. Her cheeks were flushed and he was sure it wasn’t just from running up the stairs. “What’s going on? What’s so important it couldn’t wait?”

“I did wait! I’ve been waiting all night for you to come home.”

“I’m an adult, Etienne, and you are not my roommate or my father. I don’t have to tell you where I’m going or when I’ll be home.” She dropped her purse beside the door. “What’s going on?”

“I’m sorry. I was worried. After I found this information, I got scared for you. If it happened to them it could happen to you.”

“What? What happened? To who?”

“I need to sit down,” he said, suddenly changing direction and heading for the couch. “You need to sit down. Sit.”

“Etienne, I swear to god, if you don’t …”

“It’s about your parents, okay?”

She stopped halfway through taking her shoes off and joined him on the couch. “My parents?” she said, her voice softer, distant.

“Yeah.”

“But how? What? I mean …”

“A friend of mine contacted a friend of his who is with the police back home. He sent a little of the information that you and I wouldn’t have had access to when your parents died because we were just kids.”

“Okay. But we know what happened. It was a hunting accident. They were bears, it was the full moon. Someone shot them and then panicked when the bodies turned back to humans. They never caught the person who did it.”

“But what if that’s not what happened?”

“What do you mean? They investigated. Laurent said so. He told me about it when I was twelve.”

“Have you ever seen a werebear die before?”

She shook her head.

“Well, apparently police are starting to share more information with each other, especially where if concerns us and the wolves. When we were kids, the police had to believe that your parents were werebears and that they shifted back after they died because no one knew any better.”

“Etienne, what are you saying?”

“There was an attack concerning The Human Order, a werebear died.”

“And?”

“And he didn’t change back.”

“What?”

“They’re keeping it quiet. They want people to believe that shapeshifters will change back to humans if they’re killed in their beast form. They want people to believe the victim will be easy to identify.”

“You’re telling me that my parents … but they were human. I saw them at the funeral. They were – oh god.” She bolted off the couch and straight to the bathroom. When she came back, she looked too pale and she was hugging herself. “It’s not possible,” she said.

“I don’t know. That’s what my friend told me.”

“Why would Laurent lie?”

“I don’t know.”

She took a deep shuddering breath. “You’re telling me there’s a chance my parents were still human when they were shot.”

“That’s what it sounds like.”

“It could still have been a hunting accident, right? It could have been an accident.”

“Yeah, it could have been. Maybe Laurent just told you they were bears when they were shot because he thought it would be easier for you. We know it’s a risk we take, shifting in the woods. It’s easier to accept if you think someone shot a bear who happened to be your parent. For someone to shoot another person, even by accident …”

“I think I need to go for a run,” she said.

“Jane, I don’t think you should be alone right now. You look distressed.”

“I can’t be in here. It’s too small, too close. I need to get out, I need to run.”

“Then let me come with you.”

“No. I need to clear my head, not talk, not remember. Excuse me.” She went out, not stopping to tie her shoes until she was in the elevator.

Etienne was waiting in the lobby. “The stairs really are faster,” he said.

“You can’t come with me, I don’t have the keys.”

He uncrossed one arm to show that he had grabbed them. “I don’t want you to be alone right now.”

“That’s not up to you.” She snatched the keys from his hand.

“I’m not a prisoner here. I can leave this building if I want to.”

“Good luck not getting scented out by another shape shifter since you don’t know who they are or where they work. Or I could go tell Remy now and be done with it. I need space, Etienne. Everything I believed about my parents might be wrong. I need to think. I’m not going to do something stupid and I’m perfectly safe out there.”

“All right, fine. But I’m waiting right here for you.”

“Whatever.”

---

Sunday Jane and Bryce had gone to a nearby park for a jog and Bryce had found her quiet unsettling. When he’d asked about the phone call, she’d shut down and picked up her pace. He had a hard time keeping up with her.

Monday at work she was apologetic and even brought him a coffee. “It was bad news,” she said. “I just need a bit of time to process it. I shouldn’t have called you yesterday.”

He kissed her forehead. “I’m glad you did. I don’t mind when you act like a bitch.”

“Don’t let Carter catch you talking like that,” she said and like that things were back to normal between them.

They went to paint kitchen baseboards on Wednesday. The house was nearly complete and Jane was completely taken with the place. “I’ll never be able to afford it,” she moaned. “You just bring me here to torture me.”

“And to get cheap labor out of you,” Bryce said. “What do you want on your sub?”

She’d laughed and put in her order. After the work was done for the day he said, “So, dinner tomorrow?”

“Sorry. I have plans for tomorrow. But Friday I am all yours. Okay?”

“Got another boyfriend I should be worried about?”

“Nope. Just friends. And don’t worry, not one of them is my type.”

“Well then, I shan’t worry. Come on, I’ll drive you home.”

Thursday after work she found a chocolate bar in her lunch bag and she laughed. She wanted to say something to Bryce about it but he’d already left.

---

“Are you sure you know where you’re going?”

“For the tenth time, yes,” Etienne said. The first time she’d been helpful, the next few times her concern was cute, now it was wearing on him. “Would you stop pacing?”

“Okay, take my car. Stay on the route I marked for you so you don’t cross paths with the clan or the pack.”

“We’ve been over this Jane. I don’t plan on getting caught now.”

“You’re a long way away from your Clan Chief. Are you going to be okay?”

“Yes. I’m strong enough to control the bear. No one will get hurt. You need to get going, too.”

She nodded. “I’ll meet you back here at dawn.”

“Go.”

She took her keys and jogged down to the lobby. The cab she’d called while getting ready was just pulling into the parking lot. She slipped into the back seat and gave the cabbie directions to the gas station at the corner four blocks from the warehouse – the same gas station Philippe had walked from last month.

She paid the cab driver and waited for him to pull away before turning up the street and jogging towards the warehouse. The parking lot was full of cars but devoid of people when she arrived. She keyed her code at the door and slipped inside.

The men were already gathered in the middle of the warehouse and they all watched her approach.

“Problems?” Remy said.

“Left my light on in the car,” she said. “Dead battery. Didn’t notice until last minute so I hailed a cab. Sorry I’m cutting it close.”

“And what about two weeks ago?”

“Two weeks? The meeting.”

Remy nodded. “You forgot?”

“I’m not about to skip a meeting on purpose,” she said. “Things have just been busy lately. Works been stressful. I’m fine, I just forgot. It could happen to anyone.” She didn’t like the way Remy was studying her. “I’m here. If I missed anything important you can fill me in before I go home. Okay?”

“Of course. We’ve already covered any pressing business today, and you are cutting it close. So I invite you all to shift with me before the moon.”

It was odd undressing in front of them. None of them were looking at her, and if they did glance her way it was just happenstance, not an attempt to check her out. She wasn’t their type, and they weren’t hers. They’d been undressing in front of each other every month for years. And yet today was different.

She kept her back turned the entire time and willed her change to come quickly. Once furry, everything changed. The way she saw, what she could hear, how the air smelled; she was used to those sensory changes but this time there was more. She could sense the tension in the room. It lacked aggression but it felt wary and almost sad. The other bears seemed standoffish, often turning their backs on her.

Bears were never concerned with keeping up appearances or being polite.

When they shifted back, she scrambled into her clothing and waited for the others to finish. Jules and Brock headed for the door, laughing and joking about their women waiting for them. Remy and Philippe were quietly discussing something. So, she waited.

When Philippe had finally gone Remy, turned to her. “Last month you mentioned a new friend. Still seeing him?”

“Yes.”

“Is it romantic?”

“Yes, but I don’t know how serious. I haven’t told him yet but I’m planning to, sometime soon. I’m just waiting to see if this is all going to crash and burn on me or not. I haven’t had a relationship last more than a month or two so …” she shrugged.

“Let me know if you want to do a controlled shift.”

“I will.”

“Anything unusual on your social media?”

She shook her head. “I’m barely active anyway but no, nothing. More Human Order stuff?”

“Some of the pack are getting odd friend requests. They think it’s people fishing for information. Keep an eye out.”

“I will.” She already did. She didn’t want anyone from back home locating her. Not that it had worked. Etienne had found her just fine. She glanced at Remy, just the thought of Etienne making her keenly aware of the lies she’d told earlier this evening.

“Then I’ll give you a lift home.”

She nodded, knowing better than to argue. Please beat us back to the apartment, she thought over and over again. If her car was missing from the lo,t there’d be a lot of explaining to do.

She was lucky. Her car was right where it was supposed to be and there was no sign of Etienne anywhere. She breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at Remy. “Thanks for the ride. Is there a meeting this month?”

“No, I haven’t scheduled one, but I’ll let you know if that changes.”

“Okay. Good night.”

She tried to act casual but as soon as Remy was gone, she bolted up to her apartment and burst through the door. “Well?”

Etienne glanced up from the newspaper he was reading. “Well what? It was all just fine. No one saw me. You can relax, okay? You don’t need to get this worked up, Jane.”

“My ass is on the line here, okay? I should have brought you with me to the warehouse today. If Remy finds out I will be in a lot of trouble, so don’t tell me to calm the fuck down.”

“Okay, I’m sorry. You’ve got work tomorrow so why don’t you head for bed. I’m pretty tired too.”

She glared at him and then marched off to her room.

---

She got ready for work as quietly as she could and slipped out of the apartment without waking Etienne, planning to catch breakfast on the way. She was tired, as per usual after the full moon, but it was Friday which meant she’d be getting together with Bryce tonight. Her thoughts were pleasantly occupied with her coming plans but she still noticed the car pull away from the curb as she turned out of the apartment parking lot.

She didn’t think anything of it until she shoulder checked at a turn and saw the same car still following her. She pulled into the drive thru and breathed a sigh of relief. The car didn’t follow.

Her relief was short lived, however, as the car picked up her tail as she exited the parking lot with her breakfast. It followed her until she turned in at work and then followed traffic down the road. She waited in her car until she was almost late for work, but she didn’t see it circle around.

“So weird,” she muttered under her breath and she went inside.

Bryce spotted her and quickly noted the extra-large coffee and the circles under her eyes and glared. “Out with your boyfriend last night?” he said. His tone did not match the harshness of his expression at all.

“Jealous?”

“A little.”

“Just out with friends. Things just went a little late. We still on for tonight?”

“You’re not going to fall asleep on me, are you?”

“I dunno. You’re a comfortable pillow.”

He grinned. “Well, you’ve still got a sense of humor I see.”

“Who’s joking?” She gave him a light shove and went to toss the empty cup in the garbage.

They worked together stripping beds and replacing linens. The last few weeks it had been a lot easier for Jane to keep her mood lighter and the cuss words silent. She didn’t stop thinking them though.

“Where’s your lunch?” Bryce asked as they retreated to the staff room on their first break.

She shrugged. “I was running late and I didn’t have time to pack one. I’ll be fine until lunch and then I’ll go out and grab something.”

“Wow. A really rough night then.”

“Just later than usual.”

By lunch she was starving and even working with Bryce didn’t keep her mood cheerful. She was back to muttering curse words under her breath every few minutes and it was only luck that Carter didn’t catch her.

As soon as she was free for lunch, she grabbed her purse and headed for the door. “Hey,” Bryce called. “Aren’t you going to wait for me?”

“I didn’t realize you wanted to come.”

“I could use a real break, so yeah, I’ll at least come for the walk.”

They stepped out of the building and Jane immediately spotted the car. She hadn’t gotten a look at the plates that morning so it could have been a different car of the same make and model. Car companies sold thousands of cars every year, right? And yet something told her it was the same one. There was no one in it but that didn’t stop her from feeling like she was being followed. She shivered.

“What is it?”

“Lately I’ve been feeling like I’m being watched all the time. It’s like every time we go for a walk or every time I go out in the evening for a jog, someone is watching me. Of course when I look around there’s no one there.”

“Odd. Maybe it’s this family emergency. It’s got you thinking about home and now you’re scared your past is catching up with you.”

“Maybe. You’re probably right.” Considering that it was probably Etienne watching her when she was out jogging, Bryce was probably more right than he knew. But Etienne wasn’t going to follow her to work. Was he? No. How would he get back into the apartment? Why would he need to follow me when he knows where I am?

No, she was sure it was someone else, if there was anyone there at all.

The feeling returned when she left work for the day, headed for home to pick up the groceries she’d bought for dinner, and stuck with her all the way home. That car appeared in her rear view mirror more than once on the way home and something about it was familiar, not just because she’d seen it around all day, either. She was sure she’d seen it before and the more she thought about it, the more sure she became.

She parked and got out of the car in time to see the mystery car drive by. She didn’t get a good look at the drive,r but whoever it was filled the space between steering wheel and seat. She raced up to her apartment and let herself in without knocking.

Etienne glanced up from the computer, startled. “Oh, hey, you’re home.”

“Just in and out. Making any progress?”

“Yeah, I think so. But I can take a break if …”

“No need. I’m not hanging around.”

“Will you be home tonight?”

“I don’t know yet.” She grabbed the bag out of the fridge and examined the contents. “You didn’t take anything out of here, did you?”

“No, why?”

“Good, it’s for dinner tonight.”

“What are you making?”

“Okay, I need to run. There’s tinned meat in the cupboard and some stuff in the freezer. If you’re going to order pizza remember to meet the guy down in the lobby and don’t tell anyone you’re staying in my apartment.”

“Uh – okay. Bye?”

“Bye.” She rushed out again, taking the elevator so she could text Bryce and let him know she was on her way. She loaded her bags into the car and looked around. The car was parked across the street but it was empty. She locked her doors and walked across the street. Almost instantly she could feel eyes on her back.

She kept walking and the feeling stuck with her. She made a lazy loop, texting Bryce as she walked to let him know she’d be a few minutes later than she thought. When his reply came through telling her not to worry, he’d be waiting, she tucked the phone away and ducked into the park.

Anyone could be walking anywhere on the street and not actually be following her, but there was no reason to follow the same lazy path she’d taken and then duck into the park too, not unless they were trying not to lose sight of her.

The park was quiet, only a few people scattered about. She walked off the path and wandered a short way into the trees. Behind her someone cursed. She moved quickly, coming out of the bushes at a random spot and doubling back up the path.

There was a man there, tall, broad shouldered, wearing a black t-shirt and black jeans. He had his cellphone to his ear but wasn’t speaking. He was glancing about and turned just as Jane reached him.

Philippe.

He looked startled when he saw her and hung up the phone, shoving it in his pocket. “Jane.”

“You’re following me.”

“Remy was worried about you, he asked me to …”

“Follow me. He doesn’t trust me.”

“You’ve never missed a meeting before.”

“And you’ve never missed a meeting?”

“Of course I have. I’m not perfect.”

“Did he send someone to follow you?”

She took the uncomfortable silence to be a ‘no’.

“You want to know where I’m going tonight? I’m going to my friend’s apartment. We’re having dinner. The food is sitting in my car. I’m cooking. And we’re sitting through a documentary because that’s what he likes. And we’ll probably have sex tonight. Is that a problem?”

Philippe shook his head. “That’s not what …”

“No? It’s not about me suddenly being interested in someone who isn’t clan? This isn’t about me having friends and a life? Because Brock married a human. And Jules is planning on doing the same. So if anyone has a problem with me sleeping with a normal man they’d better keep it to themselves. I do not have to marry a werebear just because I’m the only female in the clan, you hear me?”

“Yeah, I hear you. And if you’re not careful someone else will hear you and we’ll both be out.”

“Maybe you should have thought of that before following me. That’s not your car.”

“No. I knew you’d recognize my car so I swapped with Patrick.”

“Now I know both cars. You follow me again and you’ll be following me to Timbuktu and back, got it?”

“Remy said …”

“Then you tell Remy that he has no right to control who I date or spend time with.”

“Shouldn’t you …”

“No. You tell him. So he knows just how pissed off I am. And if he has a problem with it he can tell me at the next full moon. Or he can call me. But you’re going to stop following me.”

He stood up straighter, showing off just how tall he really was. “You know I’m more dominant than you are.”

“I don’t fucking care. Dominant or not I don’t want you following me. I’m late. Goodbye.”

She didn’t even look back. She knew that if Remy had given an official order nothing she did or said would shake Philippe off her tail, but if Remy hadn’t put any power in the order then Philippe would respect her and back off, even if she had been a bitch.

From the safety and relative privacy of her car, she called Etienne. “They suspect something. You have to find what you’re looking for and get out soon, before you get me in trouble.”

“I’m doing the best I can,” he said.

“Do better.” She hung up and drove to Bryce’s house.

---

Bryce could tell something was wrong from the moment Jane set foot in his kitchen. She was single-minded in her actions and resistant to any help he offered. He quickly settled for sitting at the counter with his beer and filling the air with idle chatter which remained mostly one-sided.

Her mood improved marginally over dinner and she kept up her end of the conversation but her replies were short and often cynical. Bryce took the dirty dishes to the kitchen to clean up. While rinsing plates he said, “You seem distracted today.”

“Is it noticeable?”

“Oh yeah.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be. I’m coming to love all your moods, even the bad ones. It’s that family thing looming over you, isn’t it?”

“Yes and no. That’s the root of everything right now but this was a disagreement with a friend. I had to put my foot down about something and I never thought I’d have to – except I wouldn’t have had to if it wasn’t for this damn emergency.”

“Because that wasn’t cryptic at all,” Bryce muttered. He loaded the dishwasher. When he came back, he started giving her a shoulder rub. “It’s a good thing I know something that will help you relax,” he said.

“Yeah? What’s that?”

“A hot shower with someone to scrub your back, and then some snuggles, and we’ll see where it goes from there.”

She looked up at him and he kissed her. “Okay,” she said. “It sounds nice.”

She felt bad for fibbing to him but she didn’t want to ruin his evening. Really, all she wanted was to go home and hound Etienne until he got the hell out of her apartment. She was tired of lying for him, and tired of talking to him. And tonight, after facing off with Philippe, she was just tired. But none of that was Bryce’s fault so she stripped down and hopped in the shower with him.

The water and the back scrub did feel nice but she just couldn’t shake the weight of everything that was going on. After the shower, they crawled under the covers together and Bryce wrapped his arms around her.

He was patient but persistent, nuzzling her neck, kissing her, running his hands up and down her back and sides. At first, she just snuggled, letting him touch and kiss. She pushed Etienne and her problems out of her mind and tried to focus on Bryce.

When Jane started kissing him back and running her fingers over his chest Bryce, stepped up his attentions from intimate, but mostly innocent, to full on romantic.

It was easy to forget when Bryce was kissing her in all the right places. She rolled with him, letting him lean over her, letting him settle between her legs. This felt good, this felt right, and she wrapped her legs around him, holding him close.

As soon as they were done, the emotions and stress of everything flooded her mind again and she rolled away from him.

“Hey, is everything okay?”

“Yeah,” she said. She kissed him. “Yeah, everything’s okay. I’m just tired, you know?”

“Did you want to tuck in and get some sleep?”

“I think I’m going to head home tonight. I have some stuff to take care of tomorrow and I want to get an early start. If I stay here, it’ll be too easy to stay in bed all morning.”

“Good point. I’ll miss you.”

“Are you busy Sunday?”

“I’m supposed to work on the house but for you, I’ll cancel. We can go enjoy the park or something.”

“I’d like that. I’m feeling cooped up lately.”

“Then it’s a date.” He kissed her. “If you ever need to talk …”

“I know. It’s fine.” She wandered to the bathroom to retrieve her clothes. When she came out, he was in a pair of sweats and puttering around the kitchen. He walked her to the door.

“Thanks for cooking dinner,” he said.

“Next week is one you,” she replied. She went up on tip-toe to kiss him. “Good night, Bryce.”

“Good night, Jane. I love you.”

All she could do was smile at him before walking out the door.