~

 

“We’ve got a runner,” Rayner bit out, along with quite a few curse words as she eyed the big guy going out the back window and making fast time towards a pickup truck that she’d missed out back.

She was fast on her feet, faster now that she had the bear’s abilities within her, but Dane was faster still, and he ran by her on one side as Bowie shot by on the other. Because that didn’t piss her off.

She’d had to wait for Dane and Bowie to finish fighting. Then she’d had to wait while Dane got changed, and now that damn bear shifter was taking off on them, and all because she hadn’t been able to scope the area when she got there.

Having a mate was great – fantastic – and she wouldn’t change falling in love with Dane for the world. But there were also times when it was so damned annoying that she wanted to scream until she couldn’t scream anymore.

Rayner couldn’t say that she wasn’t impressed by Dane’s valiant effort to stop Colt getting away from them. The man had launched himself through the air and ended up belly down over the front of the truck, but Colt had just driven the hell out of there anyway, shucking Dane off, and as Rayner watched her mate spinning over the grass, she felt the desire to headbutt the nearest tree trunk.

“Damn,” Bowie growled out, launching his fist at one of the thick trunks of a tree that she’d been eyeing for her own ends, and the damn thing protested the blow.

“Dane?” She called, but her mate was already pushing up from the ground.

“I’m pissed, but I’m good,” Dane growled. Now he had even more of a need to get his hands on Colt.

“You sure you don’t need to fix your hair and face before we leave?” Rayner asked, sarcasm dripping from her tone, but he could hear the anger there as well.

“Ten minutes earlier might have yielded the same outcome, Rayner,” Dane said, trying to sooth her ruffled feathers.

“Well, we’ll never know now, will we?” She shrugged, tossing up a hand in frustration before she turned on her heels and started back for their pickup truck.

“Where are you going?” Bowie growled.

“No point in staying around here. The man knows someone’s on his tail and he ain’t coming back,” Rayner bit out, stalking off and leaving them no choice but to follow on after her.

“Now what?” Bowie asked.

“Now we have to wait for another tip or get lucky some other way,” Rayner tossed back.

Bowie really didn’t like that idea. He was running out of time. His beast wasn’t going to wait forever to claim their mate – what if it got away from him while they were waiting to find Colt?

He’d thought this had been it. He’d thought he would front up to Colt and the man would end his suffering.

Now what the hell was he going to do?

 

~

~

~

 

“Here you go,” Mitzi said as she bent over at the waist and delivered Joshua into Maggie’s arms. Maggie accepted the little bundle and looked down, curious to watch the baby sleeping. “Practice makes perfect.”

Mitzi dropped her backside down a little too heavily against the log and she added a small huff like she was carrying too much weight on her shoulders. Then she placed her elbows on her knees and cupped her chin in the upturned palms of her hands.

“I need a lot of practice,” Maggie chuckled.

“Oh, coincidence, Joshua needs a lot of holding,” Mitzi said, tossing a smile her way.

The fire pit was already stoked and ready to go, the fire was dancing, the heat felt good, and Roland was strolling towards it carrying a tray of steaks.

“Men suck,” Rayner bit out, sympathising with Mitzi’s situation, and miffed at her own.

Roland cocked his head to one side as he halted in his tracks. Judging the mood of the females, he immediately made an about face and almost ran into Dane.

“Watch it!” Dane growled.

“No, watch yourself,” Roland said, hooking a thumb over his shoulder towards the fire pit and the three females sitting on the logs around it. Dane shot a quick look over the man’s shoulder and scowled.

“What’s your problem?” Dane asked. Everything looked normal to him.

“Apparently, men suck,” Roland offered on a whisper.

“Why, what did you do?” Dane scowled at him.

“Me? Nothing,” Roland shook his head. “It was Rayner who said it.”

“Ray…?” Dane scowled harder as he tossed another look over his brother’s shoulder at his mate. Now that he was looking for it, he had to admit that she did look a little miffed. He grunted.

“Don’t see why we all have to suffer because you pissed off your mate,” Roland grumbled.

“It’s not like your mate is on the warpath, she looks happy holding the cub.”

“She does?” Roland turned to take a look. His heart hit his ribs at the sight. For a moment all he could think about was how she’d be holding their cub soon enough. “She does.” He grinned from ear to ear.

“So, shut up and go cook the food, maybe having something to eat will cheer the other two up,” Dane grumbled.

“What’d you do to piss off your mate?” Roland chuckled.

“Missed Colt, I guess,” Dane shrugged, but it did make him wonder.

Rayner hadn’t been happy all the way back home from Colt’s bolthole. She’d been snappy and argumentative, the argumentative part wasn’t unusual, but she preferred sweet talking to get her way, snappy was reserved for things that really bugged her.

Maybe she was taking it a little too hard. Maybe something else was bugging her. Maybe it was her bear?

He didn’t like the idea of her not being happy. He shouldn’t have fought Bowie. He shouldn’t have taken the time to change his damn clothes.

Maybe she wanted a cub of her own? Hell, he’d gladly grant that wish, and then some.

Maybe she was still having problems settling into her new life. She had swallowed a whole lot of new experiences all in one go.

She was getting more of a handle on her bear every day and he was proud of her for that. She was also teaching Bowie a thing or two about controlling his bear while she was at it.

Maybe it was Bowie’s damn stupid stubborn attitude about mating with Mitzi that was worrying her. Or maybe it was him?

Dane had to wonder if he’d done something wrong. If he had, then he needed to make it right.

First, he needed to find his damn idiot brother and drag the man to the fire pit for dinner. Bowie deserved to be happy, and a mate might be just what the man needed to get full control of his beast.

Dane knew one thing – his own beast had been a lot calmer, a lot more stable since he’d met and mated with Rayner. But how the hell was he going to make Bowie understand that?