Page 40 of The Bear's Forever Mat
That’s when a dark-haired woman with deeply-tanned skin and snapping brown eyes stepped out from the nearest building, and every warning buzzer Cooper had ever received from his shifter side went off.
Damn.
Cooper carefully lowered his gaze, leaning forward so his head was a good foot lower than usual.
The newcomer stepped forward, cocked back a fist and let it fly.
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Amber moved in a rush toward Cooper, shock racing through her between the unexpected discovery of her brother and someone out of the blue clocking her bear smack in the face. “Stop that. What do you think you’re doing?”
It was Cooper who held up a hand toward Amber, stepping away from the woman who’d assaulted him. “It’s okay. This is standing protocol when our species meet on their turf.”
Amber stumbled to a stop, but she nevertheless put herself partially in front of him just in case.
“What does that mean?” She glanced at Mason, who was rocking and bouncing, the sounds of the child going from upset to peaceful once again. “And Mason. It’s so good to see you, but ababy?”
The first nations woman who’d hit Cooper was now at Mason’s side, undoing the ties so she could pull the baby from its carrier.
“Our baby,” she said, tucking the child against her chest.
Mason’s dark eyes shone with love as he wrapped an arm around the woman’s shoulders, embracing the baby as well. He lifted his gaze to Amber’s. “It’s been a while, and there’s a lot to tell, but yes. This is Marianne, and our son is Bram.”
The years of not knowing slipped away. She’d had dreams and hopes for her brother, and in one swoop, it seemed they were all answered. Although there were a whole lot of details still missing that needed to be filled in, it was clear Mason was in a place he called home.
The tight knot inside her titled I Don’t Know Where He Is But I Hope He’s Happy loosened a notch even as emotion rolled her hard. He was safe. He was alive.
He’d never heard of the damn telephone? Or a text message? Or a freakingpostcard?
Marianne lifted her head and met Amber’s eyes. “Come to our house. I guess we have a lot to talk about.” She shifted her gaze to Cooper. “Sorry about that.”
“No apology needed,” Cooper insisted. “Lead the way.”
When Mason and Marianne slipped ahead of them, Amber burrowed up against Cooper’s side to whisper as softly as possible. “What was that about? Her punching you in the face?”
Cooper whispered back, “This is a village of seal shifters. There’ve been a few interspecies ‘incidents’ over the years, and while polar bear shifters now know better, there are some atrocities we need to keep apologizing for.”
Polar bears. Seal shifters.
Oh my God. Amber put the two together and came up with a horrible image. “You’re kidding me.”
“Nope. Thus the standing offer every polar bear gives when meeting members of the seal nation.”
And that all made sense now.
They pushed through the door into the cozy home Mason and Marianne led them to. A flurry of activity followed, with other members of the community rushing in to discuss the gear that had been left abandoned on the flats above the valley. Some of them took off on their skidoos to bring it all in.
Fortunately, none of the discussions involved more of the seal clan members punching Cooper in the face. It appeared once was enough per visit.
After quick, refreshing showers, they ended up sitting around the kitchen table, warm soup and biscuits going down easy after the long journey.
Amber and Cooper sat side by side. He had one hand over her thigh and their fingers were tangled together.
She stroked his knuckles even as she turned to Mason. As much as she loved her brother and was thankful to see him, keeping the annoyance out of her voice was impossible. “I’ve been tracking you for over two years. I would’ve appreciated if you’d dropped me a line to let me know you were alive.”
Mason blinked in surprise. “I sent you updates. Well, more at the beginning than recently, and I wrote because reception was always iffy. You never wrote back, but I figured you were busy, and you knew I was okay.” He glanced at Marianne who was spooning soup into Bram’s open mouth like he was a little bird. “I was going to call, but then I ended up here and things got complicated.”
