One of them should have died that night. He still wasn’t certain how Tabby and Alex had helped him, feeding him just enough energy to keep his heart from stopping. He had no intention of ever telling them how close he’d come to walking the Long Road.
“Are you up to this today?” She looked tired, dark circles under her pretty green eyes.
“Yeah. I have to be, don’t I?” She flopped down on the old, but clean, sofa. “I don’t want to wind up in your brain when you finally claim your bait.” She shuddered. “No offense, but I don’t want to see Cyn naked.”
“None taken.” He sat down next to her and held out his hand. “You remember what I taught you last time?
She nodded and, taking his hand, closed her eyes.
Julian watched her closely as she tried to block him from her mind. He threw image after image at her, wincing along with her when her head started to pound from effort. Within five minutes she was gasping like an out of shape marathon runner; within seven, she dropped his hand and moaned from the pain.
Julian spiraled down the healing path and took her pain from her, soothed the inflamed tissues until she sat back with a sigh of relief. He pulled his consciousness from her body. “You’re doing better.”
“How far did I get?”
“Seven minutes.”
The relief on her face was monumental. She needed to control these funky new powers of hers, but the pressure was getting to her. Physical therapy, speech therapy, plus her sessions with Julian were wearing her out, and her savings were almost depleted. She might lose her apartment soon. “Jamie will be pleased.”
“Yeah, he will. You’re doing good, pumpkin.”
She leaned her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. “I’m so tired, Jules.”
He wrapped his arm around her and rested his head against her poor, scarred scalp. “I know.” He mentally cursed Jim for ditching her once again. She might be twenty-two years old, but hers was a beautiful soul, one Jim would come to appreciate if only he’d allow himself.
The mental link between himself and Chloe was unusually strong. The side-effect of the spirit healing, their ability to see through each other’s eyes, was something he’d never anticipated. “Any unusual dreams?”
She shifted uncomfortably. “Yeah.”
“Tell me.”
She sighed. “Two becomes one, one becomes three. Bear knows the way, but Fox holds the key.”
He blinked. “Oh shit.”
“Yeah. It was so freaking weird. One minute I’m in the middle of a mate dream where Jim is being all sweet to me. The next, there’s this huge freaking white fox staring at me, grinning. He spouts that riddle, drops a key at my feet and takes off running. What the hell, Jules?”
“Well. Um.” Wow. He’d never heard of a non-Kermode having that deep a connection with the spirit world. If Fox himself was speaking to her… “Could you do me a favor?”
“Hmm?”
“Shift for me.”
Her brows rose. “The doc told me to wait for a bit, that I could damage the unhealed portions of my hull.”
He almost smiled. She’d meant skull. “I forgot about that. Okay, we wait to check my theory until after you get the okay from Jamie.” He tugged his braid and thought about what Fox had told her. “Two become one, one becomes three?”
“Nope. Two becomes one. With an s. I got the impression that was significant for some reason.”
She was probably right. The person who received the vision usually understood the nuances better than anyone except the person it was intended for. “Who do you think Fox was talking about?”
“I have no idea. Me, maybe? Jim, since I was dreaming about him? Jamie, because he and that rat bastard physical therapist were torturing me a few hours before?” She shrugged. “You, because you’re a Bear? I’m not sure, but I have a bad feeling about it.”
A knock on the door interrupted them. “I’ll get it. You stay put.” Julian stood up and answered Chloe’s door. “Hey, Ryan.”
Ryan snarled at Julian. “Why do I smell my baby sister all over you?”
Julian rolled his eyes. “Welcome to Casa de Luv.” He stepped out of the way and let Ryan pass him, shutting the door behind the Grizzly. “Hey, pumpkin. Grumpy’s here.”
She giggled like a madwoman as her brother picked her up and blew raspberries against her neck. It was good to see her acting like a twenty-two year old girl instead of a wounded old woman. “Stop it, Ryan! Stop!” She began beating him on the head and shoulders, hitting him as only a sibling could and live to tell about it.
Ryan settled her back on the sofa. “How was your PT?”
She grimaced. “The man could give lessons to Genghis Khan.” She scowled at Ryan as he settled in next to her. “And what is this I hear about Eric giving Cyn shit?”
Julian’s ears perked up. Was the problem with Eric worse than he’d originally thought?
“He can be a real douche where Heather is concerned.” Ryan shrugged. “He’ll get over it.”
“Explain, please.” Julian allowed some of his power to seep into his voice, forcing the other Bear to comply.
Ryan winced. “When Heather was ten years old a group of teenage Bears decided it would be fun to force her to change.”
Julian blinked. “But the change doesn’t hit until puberty.”
Ryan just stared at him, a look of disgust and anger on his face.
“Oh.”
“Yeah. The fucking pervs terrorized her. Then Bunny showed up and explained to them the error of their ways. The leader of the group refused to apologize to Heather, so Bunny nearly ripped his arm off.”
“Good for him.” Julian crossed his arms over his chest. “What happened next?”
“Heather had nightmares for years afterward, but instead of being terrified of her attackers she became terrified of Bunny. Apparently he was really fucking scary when he snapped some guy’s arm like a twig and demanded his surrender. Bunny began to think he needed to control his rage because of it and started on the whole yoga and tai chi kick.” Ryan shrugged. “I have to admit, he’s easier to get along with now, but Heather’s still afraid of him.”
“And Eric is just as overprotective as Bunny. If he thinks even the slightest thing will bother Heather he does his best to make it go away, but he tries to do it where Heather won’t see. And it’s not just Heather he’s protective of.” Chloe leaned her head back against the sofa. “You should see what he does when he comes over here. He’s worse than Grumpy.”
“Are you up to this today?” She looked tired, dark circles under her pretty green eyes.
“Yeah. I have to be, don’t I?” She flopped down on the old, but clean, sofa. “I don’t want to wind up in your brain when you finally claim your bait.” She shuddered. “No offense, but I don’t want to see Cyn naked.”
“None taken.” He sat down next to her and held out his hand. “You remember what I taught you last time?
She nodded and, taking his hand, closed her eyes.
Julian watched her closely as she tried to block him from her mind. He threw image after image at her, wincing along with her when her head started to pound from effort. Within five minutes she was gasping like an out of shape marathon runner; within seven, she dropped his hand and moaned from the pain.
Julian spiraled down the healing path and took her pain from her, soothed the inflamed tissues until she sat back with a sigh of relief. He pulled his consciousness from her body. “You’re doing better.”
“How far did I get?”
“Seven minutes.”
The relief on her face was monumental. She needed to control these funky new powers of hers, but the pressure was getting to her. Physical therapy, speech therapy, plus her sessions with Julian were wearing her out, and her savings were almost depleted. She might lose her apartment soon. “Jamie will be pleased.”
“Yeah, he will. You’re doing good, pumpkin.”
She leaned her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. “I’m so tired, Jules.”
He wrapped his arm around her and rested his head against her poor, scarred scalp. “I know.” He mentally cursed Jim for ditching her once again. She might be twenty-two years old, but hers was a beautiful soul, one Jim would come to appreciate if only he’d allow himself.
The mental link between himself and Chloe was unusually strong. The side-effect of the spirit healing, their ability to see through each other’s eyes, was something he’d never anticipated. “Any unusual dreams?”
She shifted uncomfortably. “Yeah.”
“Tell me.”
She sighed. “Two becomes one, one becomes three. Bear knows the way, but Fox holds the key.”
He blinked. “Oh shit.”
“Yeah. It was so freaking weird. One minute I’m in the middle of a mate dream where Jim is being all sweet to me. The next, there’s this huge freaking white fox staring at me, grinning. He spouts that riddle, drops a key at my feet and takes off running. What the hell, Jules?”
“Well. Um.” Wow. He’d never heard of a non-Kermode having that deep a connection with the spirit world. If Fox himself was speaking to her… “Could you do me a favor?”
“Hmm?”
“Shift for me.”
Her brows rose. “The doc told me to wait for a bit, that I could damage the unhealed portions of my hull.”
He almost smiled. She’d meant skull. “I forgot about that. Okay, we wait to check my theory until after you get the okay from Jamie.” He tugged his braid and thought about what Fox had told her. “Two become one, one becomes three?”
“Nope. Two becomes one. With an s. I got the impression that was significant for some reason.”
She was probably right. The person who received the vision usually understood the nuances better than anyone except the person it was intended for. “Who do you think Fox was talking about?”
“I have no idea. Me, maybe? Jim, since I was dreaming about him? Jamie, because he and that rat bastard physical therapist were torturing me a few hours before?” She shrugged. “You, because you’re a Bear? I’m not sure, but I have a bad feeling about it.”
A knock on the door interrupted them. “I’ll get it. You stay put.” Julian stood up and answered Chloe’s door. “Hey, Ryan.”
Ryan snarled at Julian. “Why do I smell my baby sister all over you?”
Julian rolled his eyes. “Welcome to Casa de Luv.” He stepped out of the way and let Ryan pass him, shutting the door behind the Grizzly. “Hey, pumpkin. Grumpy’s here.”
She giggled like a madwoman as her brother picked her up and blew raspberries against her neck. It was good to see her acting like a twenty-two year old girl instead of a wounded old woman. “Stop it, Ryan! Stop!” She began beating him on the head and shoulders, hitting him as only a sibling could and live to tell about it.
Ryan settled her back on the sofa. “How was your PT?”
She grimaced. “The man could give lessons to Genghis Khan.” She scowled at Ryan as he settled in next to her. “And what is this I hear about Eric giving Cyn shit?”
Julian’s ears perked up. Was the problem with Eric worse than he’d originally thought?
“He can be a real douche where Heather is concerned.” Ryan shrugged. “He’ll get over it.”
“Explain, please.” Julian allowed some of his power to seep into his voice, forcing the other Bear to comply.
Ryan winced. “When Heather was ten years old a group of teenage Bears decided it would be fun to force her to change.”
Julian blinked. “But the change doesn’t hit until puberty.”
Ryan just stared at him, a look of disgust and anger on his face.
“Oh.”
“Yeah. The fucking pervs terrorized her. Then Bunny showed up and explained to them the error of their ways. The leader of the group refused to apologize to Heather, so Bunny nearly ripped his arm off.”
“Good for him.” Julian crossed his arms over his chest. “What happened next?”
“Heather had nightmares for years afterward, but instead of being terrified of her attackers she became terrified of Bunny. Apparently he was really fucking scary when he snapped some guy’s arm like a twig and demanded his surrender. Bunny began to think he needed to control his rage because of it and started on the whole yoga and tai chi kick.” Ryan shrugged. “I have to admit, he’s easier to get along with now, but Heather’s still afraid of him.”
“And Eric is just as overprotective as Bunny. If he thinks even the slightest thing will bother Heather he does his best to make it go away, but he tries to do it where Heather won’t see. And it’s not just Heather he’s protective of.” Chloe leaned her head back against the sofa. “You should see what he does when he comes over here. He’s worse than Grumpy.”
