She cupped his face in her warm, strong hands. Her expression was stern, but he could see the concern she felt. Her fingers stroked the white strands of his hair, reminding him of why he was so tired. “Go. Home.”
He rested his forehead against hers and brushed the tip of his nose against hers. His mother had always called the gesture Eskimo kisses. “Only if you promise to call me if something happens again.”
“Jules—”
“Yes or no, Cyn.” If she gave him the promise she’d keep it. It was getting the promise that was the hard part.
He could actually hear her teeth grinding together. “Fine. I promise.”
“Good.” He stood, pulling Cyn to her feet with him, and kissed her good-bye. He was determined to bring at least the taste of her back to his home. “I miss you already.”
She scowled, but she blushed too. She’d probably beat him to within an inch of his life if he ever told her how adorable she was. “Go!”
“Going.” He waved to Alex. “Take me home, you stud you.” He batted his lashes at Alex, grinning when Alex laughed.
“Sorry, you’re not my type. Your hair isn’t green enough. Ryan, I’ll be back in a few.” Alex kissed Tabby good-bye and gestured toward the front door. “After you, princess.”
Julian flipped his hair over his shoulder and sauntered toward the door. “My hero.”
He grinned as Cyn giggled, then tried to hide it behind her hand. It was becoming his mission in life to make her laugh.
So far, so good.
Chapter Eight
“So.”
Julian smirked into his coffee cup. “So?”
The cousins exchanged an amused glance. Gabe had caught up with them outside LA and declared he would watch the shop while the three of them grabbed a quick breakfast. It had been either that or watch while Glory eviscerated her mate with a tattoo needle. As entertaining as the second would’ve been, they’d all agreed pancakes were the better option.
Julian shrugged. “She’s mine.” Did he really need to say anything else?
Ryan snorted. “Tell me you didn’t actually say that to Cyn.”
Julian shrugged. Hell no, he wasn’t that stupid, but there was no way he was saying that in front of two Grizzlies. A man had some pride after all.
“And you lived to tell the tale?” Ryan shook his head. “Damn. Maybe I should just bare fang on Glory and see what happens.”
Julian almost choked on his coffee. “Your gonads would wind up dangling from one of her charm bracelets.”
“Ouch.” Alex grabbed the cantaloupe, smacking Ryan’s hands away. “You get the green melon thingies.”
“I like the yellow melon thingies better.”
The cousins glared at each other.
“If you two start bitch slapping each other over cantaloupe I’m not going to tell you what I learned from Chloe.”
They immediately focused on him. Alex immediately scowled, the mere mention of his cousin causing the big Grizzly’s protective instincts to go into overdrive. “Tell us what?”
Ryan’s expression turned grim. “Someone’s going to attack Glory, aren’t they?”
Julian shook his head. “If I knew why they’d gone after Cyn, I’d be able to say whether or not Glory is in danger as well.”
“Then we assume all three of them are in danger and go with that.” Alex picked at the fruit. “I won’t lose either of them; it would kill Tabby. She’s already telling the baby stories about Aunt Glory and Aunt Cyn. Some of them are even rated PG.”
“Agreed.” Ryan sat back with a grunt. He ignored the huge stack of waffles in front of him turning limp in the sea of syrup he’d poured over them. “I need to claim my mate.”
“Yeah, you do.” Alex pointed at Julian. “So do you. And you need to tell us what you learned.”
Julian sighed. He had no idea how the two of them would react to Bear’s message. “Two becomes one, one becomes three. Bear knows the way, but Fox holds the key.”
They sat there and stared at him expectantly.
Julian shrugged and drank his coffee. He didn’t have to wait long before Ryan lost patience. “That’s it? That’s why you had us get up at the ass-crack of dawn?”
He glared at Ryan, his eyes flashing silver. “You mean other than the attack on my mate?”
“Well, yeah, but… It’s eight a.m.!”
“Let me guess, long night sitting outside Glory’s window?”
“Exactly.” Ryan looked horrified. “You could have emailed me that.”
“But then I wouldn’t see your lovely face so bright and early.” Julian batted his lashes at Ryan, grinning when the Grizzly grumbled and finally attacked his waffles. “Seriously, when Bear delivers a message like that, it means he wants us to pay attention. You have syrup on your cheek, by the way.”
“How did I get stuck sitting next to you?” Ryan scrubbed the syrup away, but Julian could tell his heart really wasn’t in it. The threat to his mate was scrambling his good humor.
Alex’s focus remained on Julian. “What do you think it means? The message was meant for you, right?”
“I’m not sure.” Julian tapped his finger on the rim of his coffee cup. “But Chloe got the same message from Fox.”
“She did? She didn’t mention it to me.” Ryan put his napkin down and picked his fork back up.
“Maybe because someone’s been a Crappy Chris lately.”
This time Ryan snorted, but didn’t respond, due to his mouth being full of waffles. But his death glare was pretty good.
“Don’t you mean Grumpy Gus?” Alex’s brows rose as he stared at the two of them in confusion.
“If I did, I would’ve said that.” Alex rolled his eyes, but let it go. “Chloe made it a point to mention that Fox was specific in that two becomes one, not two become one.”
Alex froze. “Two becomes one, with an s?”
“Yes.” Julian was worried. Alex’s eyes had turned dark brown. “Why?”
“When two becomes one, what does that mean?”
Ryan cursed softly. “Someone loses a mate.”
Julian shook his head. “The loss of a mate would mean the death of the remaining mate, remember?”
He rested his forehead against hers and brushed the tip of his nose against hers. His mother had always called the gesture Eskimo kisses. “Only if you promise to call me if something happens again.”
“Jules—”
“Yes or no, Cyn.” If she gave him the promise she’d keep it. It was getting the promise that was the hard part.
He could actually hear her teeth grinding together. “Fine. I promise.”
“Good.” He stood, pulling Cyn to her feet with him, and kissed her good-bye. He was determined to bring at least the taste of her back to his home. “I miss you already.”
She scowled, but she blushed too. She’d probably beat him to within an inch of his life if he ever told her how adorable she was. “Go!”
“Going.” He waved to Alex. “Take me home, you stud you.” He batted his lashes at Alex, grinning when Alex laughed.
“Sorry, you’re not my type. Your hair isn’t green enough. Ryan, I’ll be back in a few.” Alex kissed Tabby good-bye and gestured toward the front door. “After you, princess.”
Julian flipped his hair over his shoulder and sauntered toward the door. “My hero.”
He grinned as Cyn giggled, then tried to hide it behind her hand. It was becoming his mission in life to make her laugh.
So far, so good.
Chapter Eight
“So.”
Julian smirked into his coffee cup. “So?”
The cousins exchanged an amused glance. Gabe had caught up with them outside LA and declared he would watch the shop while the three of them grabbed a quick breakfast. It had been either that or watch while Glory eviscerated her mate with a tattoo needle. As entertaining as the second would’ve been, they’d all agreed pancakes were the better option.
Julian shrugged. “She’s mine.” Did he really need to say anything else?
Ryan snorted. “Tell me you didn’t actually say that to Cyn.”
Julian shrugged. Hell no, he wasn’t that stupid, but there was no way he was saying that in front of two Grizzlies. A man had some pride after all.
“And you lived to tell the tale?” Ryan shook his head. “Damn. Maybe I should just bare fang on Glory and see what happens.”
Julian almost choked on his coffee. “Your gonads would wind up dangling from one of her charm bracelets.”
“Ouch.” Alex grabbed the cantaloupe, smacking Ryan’s hands away. “You get the green melon thingies.”
“I like the yellow melon thingies better.”
The cousins glared at each other.
“If you two start bitch slapping each other over cantaloupe I’m not going to tell you what I learned from Chloe.”
They immediately focused on him. Alex immediately scowled, the mere mention of his cousin causing the big Grizzly’s protective instincts to go into overdrive. “Tell us what?”
Ryan’s expression turned grim. “Someone’s going to attack Glory, aren’t they?”
Julian shook his head. “If I knew why they’d gone after Cyn, I’d be able to say whether or not Glory is in danger as well.”
“Then we assume all three of them are in danger and go with that.” Alex picked at the fruit. “I won’t lose either of them; it would kill Tabby. She’s already telling the baby stories about Aunt Glory and Aunt Cyn. Some of them are even rated PG.”
“Agreed.” Ryan sat back with a grunt. He ignored the huge stack of waffles in front of him turning limp in the sea of syrup he’d poured over them. “I need to claim my mate.”
“Yeah, you do.” Alex pointed at Julian. “So do you. And you need to tell us what you learned.”
Julian sighed. He had no idea how the two of them would react to Bear’s message. “Two becomes one, one becomes three. Bear knows the way, but Fox holds the key.”
They sat there and stared at him expectantly.
Julian shrugged and drank his coffee. He didn’t have to wait long before Ryan lost patience. “That’s it? That’s why you had us get up at the ass-crack of dawn?”
He glared at Ryan, his eyes flashing silver. “You mean other than the attack on my mate?”
“Well, yeah, but… It’s eight a.m.!”
“Let me guess, long night sitting outside Glory’s window?”
“Exactly.” Ryan looked horrified. “You could have emailed me that.”
“But then I wouldn’t see your lovely face so bright and early.” Julian batted his lashes at Ryan, grinning when the Grizzly grumbled and finally attacked his waffles. “Seriously, when Bear delivers a message like that, it means he wants us to pay attention. You have syrup on your cheek, by the way.”
“How did I get stuck sitting next to you?” Ryan scrubbed the syrup away, but Julian could tell his heart really wasn’t in it. The threat to his mate was scrambling his good humor.
Alex’s focus remained on Julian. “What do you think it means? The message was meant for you, right?”
“I’m not sure.” Julian tapped his finger on the rim of his coffee cup. “But Chloe got the same message from Fox.”
“She did? She didn’t mention it to me.” Ryan put his napkin down and picked his fork back up.
“Maybe because someone’s been a Crappy Chris lately.”
This time Ryan snorted, but didn’t respond, due to his mouth being full of waffles. But his death glare was pretty good.
“Don’t you mean Grumpy Gus?” Alex’s brows rose as he stared at the two of them in confusion.
“If I did, I would’ve said that.” Alex rolled his eyes, but let it go. “Chloe made it a point to mention that Fox was specific in that two becomes one, not two become one.”
Alex froze. “Two becomes one, with an s?”
“Yes.” Julian was worried. Alex’s eyes had turned dark brown. “Why?”
“When two becomes one, what does that mean?”
Ryan cursed softly. “Someone loses a mate.”
Julian shook his head. “The loss of a mate would mean the death of the remaining mate, remember?”
