Page 29 of Trusting Her Bear

“I hate both of you right now,” I sneer.

“No, you don’t.” Micah slaps Bash on the shoulder before they disappear.

Two powerful vampires are on the loose. Everyone should be scared. But they do have morals. I don’t want to admit how good it was to see Micah. He was a big part of my life, and I missed him, just as I missed Heath, the ruthless asshole. It seems I am surrounded by ruthless assholes—the party was full of them. But they would do anything for their mates and the people they call family, and I respect that.

Shifters live by a different set of rules than humans. I lived many years swearing by those rules, and stepped beyond them many times. We have no problem killing those who hurt people we love or abuse. When I started my business two years ago, I swore I would live by human laws when dealing with them if they came to me for help. Most of the time, I have. I can’t say it has been easy. Some days, I wonder why I do it.

The women who find the guts to leave their abusers need to see them go to jail. It is proof to them that the justice system works. They want to tell their truth. They want to know they matter to someone, that the hell they go through doesn’t go unnoticed.

I don’t know how effective my decision is anymore. The man today would have been so easy to kill. If I killed every human who abused, there would be questions. I can’t make them disappear when I would be the common factor. My business isn’t hidden. There is a trail easily traced back to me, and I am working in the human world, not the shifter community. It’s different, and I don’t think many shifters understand when they learn of my methods. I have many men who work for me behind the scenes, both human and shifters.

I want to make a difference. I don’t know if I am succeeding.

Bash doesn’t understand my rules but he’s been humoring me. Thankfully, most of our cases are cheaters, who he finds pathetic but not worthy of killing.

After the incident today, I may need to reevaluate how I run the agency.

I have pictured my mate in the position those women are in, and I wouldn’t have a problem killing anyone who hurt her.

The bond is pulling, urging me to be with her always. The bear inside is angry that we aren’t beside her, in her, every minute.

I grab my keys and lock my office. I pass the front desk and shake my head. I’m going to have a rabbit sitting there for hours every day. I don’t dislike Sally. She is funny and knows how to keep her mouth shut when it’s important. Rabbit shifters are often underestimated. They have a reputation for being crazy fuckers, which is partially true.

I lock the front door and get in my truck. I don’t have anything more important than Steph the rest of the day, so I plan on taking my mate back.

I’m glad the bakery and my mate’s home are only down the road. Until I convince her to live with me, I can be close if she needs me. I don’t plan on sleeping without her, ever. My need for her is growing rapidly. My concentration is shit. It took a high level of self-control to keep my head in my meeting, and once I heard the husband yelling at my mate, nothing could keep me in the office.

I park in front of the bakery and see several of the women through the window. I’m glad there are such strong, kind women around Steph. At times, they are fiercer than the men when protecting their families.

When I open the door, their laughter cuts off abruptly, and several pairs of eyes swing my way. Breeane’s are narrowed. Ava winks at me as she twirls her little girl with her finger grasped in her daughters. Penny smirks and wiggles her eyebrows. I like all of them, but honestly, I don’t give a shit what they think of me.

My mate is looking at me, her head tilted.

I take two steps, hold out my hand, and wait.

She doesn’t hesitate long.

I relax as her skin meets mine.

I say nothing as I pull her out the door.

My hope is that soon, I won’t have to wait for her to willingly take my offering.

Instead, she will connect without a prompt.

“This is your home?” she asks as we stand in front of my place.

“Yes.” I bought a piece of land surrounded by trees.

“You live in a tree house?” Her beautiful eyes wide.

“I built it.” I guide her to the steps.

“You built it?” she says.

I nod. “I should spend more time here.” My house is high on a platform and is technically built around a tree. “The downside is all the steps.” There are twenty of them you have to climb to step on the porch that wraps around the house. It’s a bitch to bring in anything, even though I have enhanced strength.

“This is stunning,” she says.

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