“Fuck,” Roman groaned into his hands. His bitter expression didn’t soothe Josephine’s nerves. She’d finally come to, sprawled on a couch across from Roman’s reclining body. Robert hovered in between them, administering water and tending to her wound.

“That’s about the thirtieth time you’ve uttered that,” Robert remarked dryly. Roman glared at him in response.

“I think I deserve to curse in this situation,” he snapped and then sighed. Robert didn’t seem bothered as he handed Josephine an aspirin.

She fingered the gauze on her collarbone with a sense of dread. “I don’t understand. What happened? What was all of that?”

The two men exchanged glances.

“We need to tell her,” Robert insisted. Roman grunted, his scowl deepening.

“I know,” he replied gruffly and then his gaze flickered back to her wide eyes. “I’m surprised you’re even this calm. Most people would be screaming their heads off. You’re either in shock or shockingly open minded.”

She offered a small shrug in response. Truly, she was surprised that she wasn’t screaming or freaking out, but her curiosity always trumped any other emotion. Even in the face of danger, a new discovery seemed stark against her own fear.

“I want to understand,” she said softly. “If you’ll let me.”

He nodded slowly and hoisted himself further up against the cushions. Every movement seemed to drain him. The dark circles under his eyes only served to make him more appealing, adding a primal edge that reminded her of their kiss in the library. Now, they’d kissed twice. And he’d bitten her. Clara wouldn’t believe her if she told her; especially that biting bit.

“The Midnight Den is not just a social group,” he began. “We’re different. Special, if you will. There are groups that exist in this world that humans can’t begin to understand. My clan has existed for thousands of years with this particular power. We are bear shifters, as you saw. Most of the time, I can control it. We formed The Midnight Den centuries ago inorder to train our kind to control their powers. We wanted to coexist peacefully among humans. Our kind has since taken human mates, but even they have been shut off to the secrecy of the group. All the world knows about us from the outside is that we’re a secret society, a boys’ club that seems more like a fraternity than a bed of supernatural energy.”

She stared as the gears in her mind turned. Bear Magic. It seemed unbelievable, but she’d seen it for herself. It explained everything. She turned to Robert with a surprised look.

“Even you?” she asked. The thin older man nodded. “What about Leo?” She thought back to her comment about his height being like a bear’s stature and blushed when they both nodded. Well, that explained his laughing, at least.

At that moment, one of the tall security guards popped in. “Sir, should I radio for any medical assistance?”

Roman shook his head and dismissed him. She watched as the guard disappeared back into the hallway. Her employer caught her curious eye.

“Leo mentioned that you had a military contract,” she said. “Do they know?”

He and Robert exchanged glances. Finally, Roman turned to her and nodded. “My clan has served within the armed forces since the Revolution. Every man in my family does four years of service and then we technically leave with honor, but the government contracts us. As you can imagine, our abilities come in handy in some situations. They want this document as much as we do to ensure that my father lives.”

She gasped. “Your father?”

“Yes,” he said with a grave look. “My father has been ill since late last year. Our physician first suspected that it was natural, but he found traces of other magic within my father’s blood and now he thinks the werewolves cursed him.”

“Werewolves can be quite shady,” Robert commented.

“Werewolves?!” she echoed.

“There are other shifters,” Roman explained. “You have to understand, there are deep tensions within the supernatural community that reach back to ancient times. I don’t even fully understand it. Nobody does. All I know is that my father and the leader of this wolf pack have been in a cold war situation before I was even born. There are fights over territories. This wolf pack is particularly aggressive. My father confronted them about some mysterious deaths among the homeless population in town.”

“They killed them?” she asked, horrified.

“Not all packs are like this, but this one targets people who won’t be missed. When my father confronted the alpha, they fought. I believe the leader cursed my father with an ancient form of wolf magic. That’s why I need to find this document. Bear shifters barely know anything outside of our own magic,” he explained.

She nodded, slowly taking all of the information in. “So, this document contains information about wolf magic?”

“Yes,” he said. “I should’ve suspected my mother might’ve had it. She was always interested in magic in all forms. I suspect she hid it because she didn’t want it to fall into the wrong hands. If an unscrupulous shifter came across it, they might attempt something that could create havoc.”

“And your father,” she said in a shaking voice. “How long does he have?”

His eyes sparked painfully, but it was gone in an instant.

“Not long,” he confessed. “A few months, according to our physician. If he passes away, I have to take his place. My clan and the military both understand that I’m not ready. There are rituals that must be done. They require time that we don’t have.” He finished his remarks in a desperate tone, one that she knew he must not use often.

Her wound throbbed painfully. She hissed as she placed a hand on it. His eyes flashed to it.

“How deep was it, Robert?” he asked slowly.

The older man sighed. “Deep enough.”

She frowned and looked between them. “What are you talking about? Deep enough?”

Roman’s pale face turned to her. “I don’t know how to tell you this.”

An icy feeling washed over her. His dazzling eyes met her fearful gaze.

“We’re mated now, Josephine.”