Chapter 64

Chapter 64

Jesse

I'd wanted a bear my whole fucking life, but now I was forced to fight to keep him back.

We were kilometres away from Coober Pedy and half of the way to Adelaide when I saw the fur ripple across my forearms, my hands becoming claws until I had to take one long, slow breath, then another and force him back. He wasn't keen, my bear. My polar bear.

It was hard not to smile. There was no one around, so I grinned like a fucking loon. Well, no one but fucking Phil. I glanced into the tray of the truck, making sure the prick was still there and realised I'd need to do something about him before too long. Out here people didn't cross paths often and wouldn't think much of a bound man, but closer to the city, things got a little more civilised. I flicked on the indicator, even though there was no one for miles on either side of the highway, and pulled over. I was ready for a piss anyway, so I pulled on the brake and killed the engine before getting out.

Phil was looking a little worse for the wear. He'd rolled around in the tray a bit if the scrapes and bruises were anything to go by. What a pity. Nothing worse than he'd intended to do to Daisy, so I felt no guilt whatsoever, just shot him a nasty grin as he started grunting behind the mask of tape across his mouth.

"Got something to say, Phil?" I asked, unzipping and pulling my dick out, ready to ease the pressure in my bladder. "No?"

He wouldn't be saying much by the time I returned him to the city. If this dumb fuck had tried to attack someone's fated mate… I stopped and blinked, suddenly realising something. If I was a bear now, did I…? Right then, I saw a familiar set of green eyes, her lips twisted into a wry smile, the view capturing my entire attention, which was a mistake. I heard a series of grunts, the wild wind of mallee country whipping them away, but it was the great thud that forced me to come back to the here and now.

The dumb fuck had wriggled himself up and out of the tray, landing like a sack of potatoes on the ground beside the truck.

When I walked around, I could tell he was questioning his life decisions, trying to suck breaths in through his nose. I reached down, ripping the tape off his face because he was going an alarming shade of purple. My job wasn't to kill him before we got to the city, so I made it easier for him to suck in breaths, watching him flop there like a landed fish.

"You right there, mate?" I asked.

"You fucking cunt."

I waved the piece of tape in front of his face, smirking at the stubble I saw stuck to it. That shut him right up.

"Yeah, I'm the cunt that's got you trussed up like a Christmas turkey, ready for delivery," I said and reached for him, making my first mistake.

Jesse could've beaten the fucking shit out of Phil, but the bear? He lunged forward, demanding control, showing me exactly what we should do. Rip his head off, leaving his limp body fountaining blood all over the road, his corpse left for the crows and the dingoes to pick at, maybe discovered once he was too far gone to decomposition to identify. Shit, the bear even showed me our fangs digging into his soft belly, chomping down mouthfuls of flesh in fur. That had me regaining control, a wave of nausea shoving the bear back and making clear that I'd need to stop somewhere for more water and some fuel.

"And you need to get back in the tray."

The bear pushed back then, the sneaky fuck, my claws snicking out and puncturing the tape in several places, right as I dropped Phil down. His head bounced on the metal tray, his eyes blinking, right as I grabbed another piece of tape and put it over his mouth.

"Stay quiet." The growl made his eyes widen. "Don't make a fucking sound when I roll into the service station. Trust me, you won't like the end result."

Another dark spot grew in his groin, and that had me grinning. Message received, I got back into the car and started forward.

"Brother."

When I was just about to pull up to the next town, the call came through from Bjorn. Just like before, the sound of his voice evoked a strange response. Sadness, anger, but most of all this… longing. Wanting something I'd never get due to my fuck ups. I cleared my throat and answered him.

"Hey," I replied, "did you get the number of the sleuth that's looking for this bloke?"

"I got it." Bjorn let out a hissing sigh. "You gonna fill me in on what this is about?"

I wanted to. Part of me was still a dumb kid unable to believe I had a big brother like him, babbling out whatever shit I could think of to keep his attention on me. But not now. I'd gone out to the desert to grow the fuck up, and I needed to show him I had before I could tell my story.

"The foxes I was working for said they got word that a sleuth was chasing this bloke. I'm just bringing him down for them."

"Right." Nothing got past my brother. He always knew when I was holding things back, but he let this go. "Well, Asher and his crew are who you're after." I knew Asher. Everyone did because the guy had a reputation no other young guy could match. That and a smoking hot sister gave him a kind of cachet amongst the bear community. "I'll forward you his contact details and address so you can organise a drop off."

And keep Bjorn and his sleuth out of it if it all went to shit. I shook my head.

"Appreciate that."

I heard his sigh and knew his mind was churning, just like it always did.

"Come by the house after you sort this out. The dads… they'd like to see you. Things have been tough since they kicked Mum out. You haven't heard from her, have you?"

So he hadn't? My smile faded and not for the first time did I wonder what the hell was wrong with Nelly. She had her fated mates and a big strong son, but somehow that wasn't enough for her. She couldn't let go of the past, where her parents mistreated her, part of her unable to believe she had it so good. When I came into the picture, I was a lightning rod for the discomfort she would never acknowledge. If she fixed me, she could fix herself.

So where would that leave her now that I'd found my bear?

"Nope," I lied, for his sake as much as mine. "I'll be in contact when I arrive, see when works for you, Maddie, and the boys."

"Do that."

When the call ended, I put through the next one to Asher. Meet him in the forest by Mount Crawford, he said. This was a long fucking drive. I hadn't slept a wink and I couldn't with Dumbfuck rolling around in the back of the truck, so this is when human me would've reached for some go-ey to keep my eyes open and my hands steady on the wheel. Instead, the bear flexed inside me. We'd rest when the hunt was over, when this prick was unable to hurt a single woman ever again. Until then, we needed to push on.

I underestimated just how tired I'd be when we arrived.

My eyes burned, my hands shaking as we rolled along the winding roads around Mount Crawford. I admit all the green of the grass and the pine forests was much more restful than the endless flat plains of dry dirt and scrubby trees of before, but in some ways that was a bad thing. I needed to rest badly, so when I rolled up to the camp ground, I did so gratefully. Hand this prick over and… As I got out of the car, my phone buzzed, letting me know a voicemail had come through.

Coverage was spotty as fuck this far out and I groaned when I saw who it was from. Asher flashed up in my notifications. Should've fucking killed this prick when I had a chance in Coober Pedy, I thought furiously as I stomped over to the back of the truck. Phil had been covered over with a tarp so no one could see what I was carrying in the tray, which worked well then, not so much now. I was focussed on my phone, not the tray as I walked around the back of the truck.

So I didn't see him move.

I definitely didn't see him swing a fucking wrench at my head, the metal colliding with my skull, knocking me out cold.

"Change of plans…" I heard that dimly as the darkness swallowed me whole. "The foxes…"

The foxes what? I wanted to ask, but that rest I needed. I was getting it now in spades.

"Are you alright, mate?"

It took a while for me to answer when I finally woke up. One long groan, then me writhing against the ground, my hand going to my head and instantly regretting it. Hit in the head, possible skull fracture, the bear informed me in a series of images. There was something almost sheepish in his manner, as if he figured he should've seen it coming.

But why would we?

We thought we were returning to the city as conquering heroes, bringing the bad guy to justice, and instead… I blinked, winced, and then forced myself to open my eyes to see a park ranger leaning over me.

"I'm guessing by that head wound that you didn't just pass out here from having one too many beers?"

"What? No…" I sat up, the whole world spinning, but it didn't improve when it stilled. No truck, no phone, no fucking wallet, I realised, patting my pockets.

"You were knocked out and had all your shit taken?" the ranger said with a long slow nod. "I'll call the cops."

"No, my brother…"

His lips pursed, but he was an older bloke who'd obviously seen a thing or two in his lifetime.

"I'm legally obligated to report this," he said, pulling out his phone.

"And I will, don't worry," I replied, staring into his eyes, feeling the bear push forward. We stared him down, making clear who he needed to listen to. "My brother can come pick me up and take me to the police station to report this."

The muscle in his jaw flexed as he considered my proposal, then when he nodded, I felt a rush of relief. That barely cut through the pain throbbing in my head, though.

"Yeah, alright."

He handed over his phone and I tapped in the number I'd memorised by heart, listening to the rhythmic buzzes until Bjorn finally picked up.

"Ready to talk already?"

"I've got news," I said, cutting my brother off. "That… parcel Asher wanted me to bring down? It's been stolen. Got knocked out cold with a hit to the head and some prick stole my car and all my shit."

"Fuck… Where are you? Mount Crawford?"

"At the campgrounds," I replied.

"Sit tight, brother. We're on our way."

As if I had a choice otherwise. I handed the phone back with a grateful nod, wincing as the pain in my head exploded.

"My family is on their way."

"I'll get you some water and some pain relief," the ranger said. "Pretty sure you need to see a doc… Huh, that cut doesn't actually look that bad."

And I needed him gone before it healed before his eyes.

"Thanks, I'd appreciate it," I told him.