22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Pike

Pike knew the route to Otay Open Space Preserve by heart. He’d spent a lot of time there with his family as a cub. He also understood the need to be in the quiet. It was something most shifters craved from time to time, especially if they hadn’t worn their fur for a while.

As he drove, he used the rearview mirror to keep an eye on Cora nestled in the back seat with Kimble. She reminded him of someone suffering from shock. Perhaps in a way she was.

They’d been driving for half an hour, and she hadn’t said a word. He couldn’t stop thinking about what she’d revealed. She’d suffered a major trauma that had left some emotional scars.

Her reluctance to join souls made much more sense now. It wasn’t only a fear that they wouldn’t let her prioritize her family, as she’d said under Tobias’s thrall, it was the fear that her family would side with the outsider against her!

He couldn’t understand family members not listening to each other. Maybe being dismissive of another’s pain was a human thing. Being a bouncer and barback taught him that humans could be very callous to each other, but he didn’t expect it to happen within a family.

It was a relief to find his usual parking spot and he eased the old Caddy in among a small cluster of trees. Beyond those trees was a narrow footpath leading into Otay preserve. No sooner had he shut off the engine than Cora made an animalistic noise and pulled away from Kimble. She scrambled over the front seat to claw at the passenger door handle.

“Cora?” Pike was startled by her feral action and froze in place. Kimble managed to flow over the seats as she got the door opened and spilled out of the car. He was right behind her, picking her up from the rough ground and cradling her to his chest.

“Safe,” he murmured. Cora went still in his arms and started sobbing.

Shaking off his paralysis, Pike fumbled his way out of the car and around the back. He stood in front of Kimble, unsure what to do. The vampire had lost the sunglasses and when their eyes met, he saw his pain and helplessness mirrored in Kimble’s eyes.

Getting in close, Pike wrapped his arms around Kimble and Cora. They stood like that, letting Cora cry. Neither of them tried to stop her, she’d probably been holding all this in for a very long time. It was hard to stand there and do nothing, but Pike reminded himself that giving Cora the time to release everything was important.

When her sobbing started to quiet, Kimble spoke again.

“Safe,” Kimble repeated. “I’ll drain Seb. No more Seb.”

Pike latched onto that idea. “Yeah, we can make sure he never comes near you again.”

Cora shook her head violently enough to send black and purple tendrils flying into Kimble’s face.

“He’s in jail, won’t be out for at least ten years.”

“We keep you safe from family too,” Kimble said, surprising Pike. “Fuck them.”

“I wish,” Cora muttered, sniffling. At least she wasn’t sobbing anymore. The tears had slowed to a trickle, but it was still heart wrenching to see his strong human crying.

“I agree with Kimble, fuck them!” Pike said. “My family can be your new family. My mom is great, and my dad is a big softy.”

That made Cora meet his gaze. “What did they say when you went to work at the bars and clubs?”

Her question confused Pike. “Say?”

“It’s not prestigious work,” she whispered, as if afraid she’d piss him off. He only grinned at her, relieved to understand the question .

“They didn’t care.” She looked skeptical so he continued. “Honestly, they didn’t. Mom wanted me to do what makes me happy. When Kimble came into my life, they were excited for me but worried because, well…”

He trailed off, he didn’t have to explain Kimble to Cora, she’d experienced it.

“How is that possible?” Cora murmured. “Our families always want more from us. That’s what it means to be a family.”

“That’s what it means to be in your family,” Pike countered. “Being part of my family means cheering everyone on as long as they’re happy with life.”

“We decide,” Kimble said. He grumbled a little in another language, then found the words he was looking for. “We make the family we want.”

“Yeah, we’ll make all the rules for our family!” Pike agreed, putting his cheek against hers for a nuzzle. The smell of her tears hit him hard and suddenly his bear was pressing hard to get out. He gasped and pulled away, fighting his shift.

“Pike?” Cora cried out, struggling in Kimble’s arms. “What’s wrong?”

Hugging himself tightly, Pike backed away. He didn’t want to scare Cora by shifting without warning.

“His bear demands control,” Kimble explained, setting her on her feet. All her earlier distress vanished, replaced by concern for him.

“Pike, what can we do?”

“Forgive me,” he begged before giving up the battle with his bear. The inner beast roared to life, ripping through him and taking over the body they shared. He felt his clothes shred from his body as his shape changed.

As with most shifters, the change was quick and painless. One moment he was a man and the next he was a massive black bear standing on all fours among the remnants of human clothing. The shift took nothing out of him. If anything, he felt energized as the world around him came alive with smells and sounds he wasn’t able to access while in his human form.

His bear was ecstatic to have control and intensely curious about their human mate. Pike tried to hold the bear back, screaming at his animal side that they could frighten Cora and drive away their mate .

Except Cora looked fascinated. His bear rumbled with pleasure at the curiosity on her face.

“Oh, wow, you’re big!” she exclaimed, standing still as bear Pike ambled up to her. “I looked up black bears, and you’re almost double the size of wild ones. That must be a shifter thing, right?” She looked to Kimble for confirmation.

Kimble grunted and stepped around her to sink his long fingers into Pike’s fur. “Touch,” he urged her. She moved up to run a hand over Pike’s head right between his round fuzzy ears.

If Pike could purr, he would have as both Kimble and Cora petted him. Confident that Cora wasn’t afraid and knowing his bear would never hurt their mate, Pike let his human side slide into the background so the bear could take full control.

“Pike, you’re adorable,” Cora cooed, no longer crying. “Can I hug you? Can you even understand me while you’re a bear?”

To answer her question, Pike pressed his nose under her arm, in a clear invitation for a hug. She wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed with a happy sigh.

“Oh god, it’s like you’re the biggest most wonderful plushy toy ever!”

Pike was content to let her hug him for as long as she wanted, but Kimble had other plans. With a squeak of surprise, Cora was pulled away from him. Pike bared his teeth at Kimble only to go perfectly still when the vampire settled Cora on his broad, furry back.

“Kimble?” Cora said, her tone close to being afraid. “I don’t know if this is okay with Pike. He’s a bear, not a horse.”

“We should walk,” Kimble said simply and strode off in the wrong direction. Pike grunted a few times to get Kimble’s attention then pointed with his snout in the correct direction.

Kimble grinned, his red eyes flashing with amusement. “Then you lead. I follow like good pet.”

Pike took a careful step, very aware of Cora’s small form straddling his back. She laughed and clutched handfuls of his hair to steady herself. Her laugh convinced him Kimble was brilliant!

After another few steps, he was confident Cora wasn’t going to tumble off him. As he led Kimble down the narrow path into the preserve, Cora chattered about the magnificence of Pike’s bear .

If she kept this up, he might never shift back to human!

The preserve was mostly covered in scrub brush and native grasses with the occasional tree. The moon was only a sliver and didn’t provide much light for Cora, but Pike didn’t have any issues. He knew every inch of the preserve, especially all the tastiest places. He’d show Cora all his favorite areas, or at least the closest ones. Maybe he could even convince her to try a bite of sedge grass!

Her human palate probably wouldn’t like it, but a bear could dream.

***

Cora

“I think I’d like being a bear,” Cora mused as she leaned forward until her chest was flat on his back, her arms and legs dangling down his sides. Pike’s gait was slow and steady, so she had no issue balancing.

Pike gave a little curious grunt. She took it as encouragement and continued talking. “I like the idea of being this big and ambling around searching for roots and berries. I’d get to be covered in fluffy fur like you. I'd never have to shave or wax again. Honestly, I’m not seeing a downside.”

Kimble was a silent figure, walking next to them, keeping a watchful eye on the surroundings. Her cell phone was in her pocket, and she made a mental note to set an alarm so they could head back long before sunrise. The last thing she wanted was for Kimble to end up a crispy critter.

“Paws are another bonus. If I was a bear, I wouldn’t be able to use a cell phone so no one could call me and demand anything. That sounds pretty great, doesn’t it? No worries or cares, just doing bear things without people around.”

Pike paused and started to run his claws over a patch of grass. She leaned to the side to get a better look at what he was doing. When he’d uprooted a patch, he grasped the end of it in his mouth and swung the bundle at her. Clouds of dirt smacked her in the face.

Laughing, she slid off the side of him and wiped the grime off. Pike crouched down at her feet and looked up at her with apologetic, puppy dog eyes .

“Were you trying to hand me the grass?” she asked, still laughing. Pike nodded his big head, the grass still clutched in his mouth. Crouching down, she planted a smacking kiss on his snout.

“Thanks, but I don’t think I can eat that,” she said and rolled back until she was sitting with her legs crossed. “This is edible though.”

She pulled a stalk of sour grass out and started chewing on one end. Pike backed up until he was sitting on his haunches and started chewing the grass in his mouth, the dirt clumped at the roots swinging wildly.

“Truly eat?” Kimble asked, looking worried and a little disgusted. Cora patted the ground next to her, and he sat with his usual grace.

“I only chew on it,” she admitted. “But I could eat those dandelion leaves if I was hungry, they’re safe too.”

“How know?” Kimble asked.

Cora debated about telling them the truth. Might as well, they’d seen the worst already. “When I was a kid, I dreamed about running away. When I was about ten or eleven, I read a book about a boy who ran away to live in the wilderness because he felt too crowded with all his siblings. I thought I could be like him if I learned all about the wilderness around here. Throughout middle school, I studied Southern California ecology and wilderness survival. I’ve forgotten a lot of it, but I remember some of the plants. I was endlessly planning my escape.”

“Did you?” Kimble asked. Pike had stopped chewing and was staring intently, as if he was deeply invested in the answer.

She made a face at the memory. “I did but it only lasted three days. I bedded down next to a red ant colony and got bit to hell and then had a reaction to the bites. I dragged myself home the next day. It’s funny, I didn’t think they would realize I was gone because it hadn’t been that long. When I turned on our street, I saw a ton of people at the house. At first, I thought they were having a party.”

She’d almost turned around and gone to her friend's house instead when she’d seen all the cars. She didn’t want everyone to see her covered in bite welts.

“It wasn’t a party. They’d organized the neighborhood into a big search. Everyone was so busy organizing the volunteers and sending people out and keeping track of areas that had been searched that no one even noticed me at first. I was getting the calamine lotion when Dad found me. I’ll never forget the look of absolute relief on his face when he rushed to me. He cried. It was the only time I’ve ever seen him do that.”

Pike lowered his body and stretched his neck until his head was resting in her lap. He was so warm and soft she couldn’t help but curl herself around his bear noggin.

“I know Dad loves me,” she whispered. “But his love is very controlling and can be harsh. I think everything would’ve been different if Mom hadn’t died. Maybe Dad wouldn’t have been so worried about losing one of us or so determined about keeping me in line. I don’t know. It’s pointless to think about. Dad is what he is and except for Caleb, all my brothers pretty much do as he orders.”

“No excuse,” Kimble grumbled, flashing his fangs with anger. “Abusive control isn’t love.”

“Says the vampire who carried me off without asking permission,” she pointed out. She couldn’t see Kimble’s face, but she could hear the contrition in his voice.

“Sorry. Doing better. No kill father or brother!”

She laughed, feeling much lighter than she had in years. Her eyes still hurt a little from all the crying, but she felt light. It was as if she’d shed a burden she hadn't realized she was carrying.

She reached over and patted Kimble’s thigh. “You’re totally right, you’re improving and that’s important. They aren’t even trying.”

Kimble moved so his front was to her back, and his legs were stretched out on either side of her. “Will do even gooder,” he promised as he leaned forward and embraced her. “Much gooder.”

With a bear head in her lap and a vampire at her back, Cora let the rest of the world fade away. Maybe this time she had successfully run away from home. Unlike the boy in the book, she didn’t need a falcon and a weasel, she got a bear and a vampire instead.