25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Cora

Rubbing her sweaty hands on her jeans, Cora took in the California ranch style house with a long front yard full of planters overflowing with blooming flowers. There was a gravel path from the sidewalk to the light blue front door. The color of the house and front yard set the property apart from all the other houses on the street with their almost uniform lawns and white, or off white, painted stucco.

Pike’s parents had bought a house that looked like everyone else's and with a little paint and a lot of love had transformed it into a colorful oasis in a sea of uniformity.

In the dim evening light she could just make out the hillside beyond the house. It was a typical Southern California hillside covered in cacti and scrub brush. Being backed up to a wild area must have made the house expensive to buy and difficult to insure. Wildfires were a yearly problem, and Cora bet the fire a few years ago got close to this property.

“Everything okay?” Pike asked. His question made her realize she’d been standing there staring at the house for several minutes.

“Yup,” she said, popping the P sound. “I’m great.”

Pike raised an eyebrow. “You sound constipated.”

Cora rolled her eyes as Kimble chuckled. “I might be a little nervous about meeting your family. ”

Pike took her hand in his. “Don’t be, they’re going to love you.”

“Because you love me,” Cora murmured.

Pike kissed the top of her head. “Exactly! Now you’re getting it.”

“Good bears,” Kimble told her, then frowned. “Pike’s parents are good bears.”

Was Kimble implying someone wasn’t a good bear, perhaps the sister? Before Cora could question him, Pike took Kimble’s hand in his and pulled them up the gravel path to the front door.

He let go long enough to open the door then shouted, “We’re here!” Then he pulled them inside and kicked the door shut with his heel. Unlike her father’s place where all the furniture was on its last leg, sometimes literally, this living room had nice matching furniture but wasn’t stuffy or pretentious. Unlike a few houses she’d been in, nothing felt “too nice” to sit on. It was the perfect combination of decorative and comfortable.

“David!” a deep feminine voice called out, then a woman who had to be Pike’s mom appeared through an open door.

She was tall, at least six feet, with a solid build and shoulder length brown hair liberally streaked with gray. Her size would’ve been intimidating if not for the wide, welcoming smile on her face. She and Pike had the same kind eyes and open expressions that made you want to trust them immediately.

“Hi Mom! Cora, this is my mom, Christina, but everyone calls her Tina. And—”

Before Pike could finish his sentence, Tina rushed forward and swept Cora up in a bear hug. “I’m so happy to meet you!”

“Mom!” Pike shouted and pulled Cora away from her. “Cora’s human, you can’t just grab her like that!”

Tina clasped her hands together and took a big step back. “Oh dear, I’m so terribly sorry! Are you upset? I have a wonderful collection of honey in the pantry. And I’m fixing salmon for dinner with a lovely herb sauce.”

“You mean I’m fixing salmon for dinner with an herb sauce,” an immensely tall man said, stepping up behind Tina. He smiled at Cora and extended a hand over Tina’s shoulder. “I’m Mark, but you can call me dad. We’re so pleased you’re here. ”

“Yes, you should call me mom,” Tina said with an eager nod. She unclasped her hands to reach behind her and touch Mark.

Cora stepped close enough to give Mark a quick handshake before retreating to press herself against Pike. “It’s nice to meet both of you.”

“You’re so tiny and cute,” Tina murmured with a happy little smile. “The three of you will make the most adorable babies!”

“Mooom,” Pike moaned. “What did I tell you on the phone?”

“It was a long list; do you want me to repeat it all?” she teased.

“Among the top two were no touching and no baby talk,” Pike growled. It was obvious he was fighting a smile at his mom’s antics. He looked down at her with a shrug. “I’m sorry, my parents are, um…”

Cora supplied the only word that fit. “Enthusiastic.”

“The traffic getting here was a bitch. Do you guys have any cold beer? And I need a shot of something to go with it!”

They all turned to the door in time to see a woman dressed in cut off jean shorts, sandals, and a cropped tank top slam into the small house. Compared to the rest of the beefy Pike family, Lucy was strangely thin and lacked muscle.

As Cora watched, she dumped several bags on the floor, then ran her hand through her damp hair. Her top was damp too, and it looked like she’d been sweating. Maybe her car was like Pike’s and the AC didn’t work, but it was still strange because it was a cool evening.

Tina made an aggravated sound. “Lucy, what have I said about dropping your things wherever you feel like it?”

“Not to do it,” Lucy drawled as she stepped forward, leaving the bags where they were. She wasn’t as tall as Pike, but she was taller than her mother with her father's bright blue eyes, and her mother’s generous mouth. But that’s where the similarities ended. This woman had a hardness that put Cora on edge.

“Lucy!” Pike gushed and grabbed the woman in a hug before presenting her to Cora. “This is my twin. Lucy, this is my mate.”

Lucy tried to smile, but it was tinged with disgust. “A human? ”

Either Pike didn’t hear the tone or chose to ignore it because he never lost his smile. “The most perfect human!”

Lucy gave her a smile that wasn’t friendly and held out her hand. “Hello, Cora. Welcome to the family.”

Cora slid her hand in Lucy’s, then worked on not showing pain when the woman clamped down with far more force than necessary. This wasn’t the first time Cora had played this game, and she had a trick of her own. Bringing up her other hand to cover Lucy’s, she smiled widely and showed off her teeth.

“Nice to meet you,” she said, using all the strength in her free hand to pinch a nerve in the back of Lucy’s hand. With a little gasp of outrage, Lucy let go and tucked her injured hand against her chest.

“What the hell? That hurt!”

Cora pretended to frown in confusion. “Did I grip you too tight? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. Sometimes I don’t know my own strength.”

With a growl, Lucy stepped into her personal space and loomed over her threateningly. Cora didn’t back down. She was ready to duck and dodge a blow from the woman and answer back with one of her own. You don’t grow up with six brothers without learning a thing or two about fighting.

What Lucy didn’t know was that Cora’s specialty was fighting dirty.

Strangely, Cora noticed the necklace Kimble gave her felt unnaturally warm against her skin. Most times, she wasn’t even aware of the jewelry, but now it felt as if it was being heated from the inside.

She ignored it, unwilling to be distracted from her opponent. She shouldn’t have been worried because Kimble was suddenly in front of her, shoving Lucy away.

“Son of a bitch!” Lucy cried out as she stumbled back, saved from falling on her ass by Pike's solid body.

“Easy,” Pike said, pushing Lucy behind him while keeping his eyes on Kimble. “Lucy would never hurt Cora.”

Cora doubted that. Lucy had fully intended to do some damage and it didn’t matter that Cora was smaller and human. Pike’s sister was the kind of person you didn’t turn your back on.

Kimble let out a hiss and then picked Cora up and stalked into the kitchen .

“I could’ve handled it,” Cora whispered to Kimble as he sat at the kitchen table and settled her on his lap. “But thanks for white knighting for me.”

Kimble made a grumbly sound and pressed her head under his chin. “Trouble.”

“Yeah, she is,” Cora agreed, relaxing into his hold as the sounds of Pike, Lucy, Tina, and Mark talking in angry, hushed tones filtered in though the semi shut door.

“Both of you,” Kimble said.

Cora ignored that and straightened up with alarm as the voices got louder, especially Lucy.

“I’m your fucking daughter! That human should leave, not me!”

There was the sound of something crashing and then Pike’s soothing voice. “No one needs to leave, Lucy. If you’d calm down, we could all still have a nice dinner.”

“I'm behind on my rent, my credit card is maxed out, your human tried to hurt me, and you want me to calm down!” Lucy screeched. “Fuck this, I’m out!”

The sound of a door slamming shut echoed through the small house and then silence.

“I guess that’s one way to get her to pick up her things,” Tina said in a tone so dry it could be born in the Sahara. “Now that the drama is over, let’s see about dinner.”

***

Cora eyed the honey jars Tina was setting on the table. They’d finished dinner, and Mark was putting together a tray of fruit for dessert. Tina going back for more jars of honey reminded Cora that she’d offered honey earlier in the evening when they’d first arrived.

Reaching over, she grasped Pike’s shirt and drew him down so she could whisper in his ear. “What’s with the honey?”

“We’re bears,” his mother answered, her back turned while she pulled out another dozen jars. “Any good dessert should have honey on it.”

“I forgot you guys have really good hearing,” Cora mumbled, letting go of Pike’s shirt and focusing on one of the jars. She'd never seen so many types of honey and never knew they could come in a variety of colors.

“Most of these are local, but a few are from out of state,” Tina said as she set down more jars, then took a seat herself. Mark followed with a massive tray of fruit all cut into bite-sized pieces. Unsure what to do, Cora watched as the family took up forks, speared pieces of fruit and dipped them in honey before eating.

“Huh,” she said before trying it herself. “Woah!”

“Good?” Tina asked around a mouthful of honey slathered apple.

“Yeah,” she agreed. She didn’t plunge the entire piece of fruit into the honey like the rest of the bears did, but she tried several different jars by dipping only the tip of apple slices. It was a refreshing dessert she wouldn’t mind having again.

“Do you guys do this with strawberries?” she asked.

Tina nodded her head. “When they’re in season.”

Throughout the meal, Kimble had sipped at the glass of blood Pike’s parents had given him. They had a few bags of it tucked in the back of their fridge. They asked him several times if the blood was good or if they needed to heat it or add anything. The way Kimble responded with a smile and kind word told Cora this was a common routine for all of them.

When the platter was empty and their hands were sticky, everyone sat back with full bellies. No one seemed interested in moving any time soon, so Cora leaned against Kimble and debated about trying to undo the top button of her jeans because it was digging into her painfully full stomach.

Tina focused her gaze on Cora. “I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to see Kimble doing better. I’m sure it’s thanks to you.”

Cora was quick to deny her assertion. “It’s entirely Kimble, I swear. I’m only human, no magic here.”

Tina chuckled as Mark spoke up. “I think she means that your influence is pushing Kimble to work on himself. Pike was too easy on him. My son is many wonderful things, but a hard taskmaster isn’t one of them.”

“Hey, Kimble needed love and kindness, not bullying,” Pike protested.

“You’re a pushover, David,” Tina said with a loving smile. “If you ever have children, you’re the parent they’ll always go to when they’ve done something naughty. ”

Standing up, Pike grabbed the empty platter. “We will not talk about babies.”

As Pike put the platter next to the sink and started doing dishes, Tina leaned over to whisper to Cora. “It’s so easy to get a rise out of him.”

Cora laughed, and Pike spoke up without turning around. “Mom, you should show Cora the backyard. Us manly-men will clean up the kitchen.”

Tina gave Pike’s back a fond look then nodded her head to Cora. “Pike helped me design and build the backyard. He’s a genius when it comes to backyard or small space horticulture!”

Her enthusiasm was infectious and soon Cora was following Tina from plant to plant and nodding along as she explained all the intricacies of the garden. Cora didn’t know much about gardening, but she knew enough to be impressed.

There were lantern style lights hung throughout the long and narrow backyard, allowing Cora to see everything despite the late hour. The first two thirds of the area was full of fruit trees, mostly citrus, with raised planters scattered among them. The last third was bare without even a weed growing. All around the perimeter of the yard were blackberries and raspberries growing up trellises.

“Is that fence ten feet tall?” Cora asked, eyeing the very sturdy cinderblock wall that enclosed the backyard. There was an equally tall and heavy wood garden door at the very back.

Tina straightened up from where she’d been checking an herb bed. “It sure is.”

“It seems, um, tall,” Cora commented.

Tina chuckled. “When we first moved in, there were humans on either side of us. We like to shift and forage in the backyard but couldn’t risk anyone seeing us. We might have overdone it with the cinderblock but when David was little, he liked to rub his back on everything while he was shifted. We worried he’d knock down a regular wooden fence and go spilling into someone else’s backyard!”

Cora could appreciate her concern. Even when he was young, Pike must’ve been a big kid.

“Then the high fence makes a lot more sense,” Cora agreed .

“We have wolf shifters on one side and an adorable fox shifter family on the other, so it’s not an issue anymore. Most of the neighborhood is made up of shifters now. It’s nice.”

That made Cora wonder how many of her own neighbors weren’t what they appeared to be. She’d have to ask Pike to use his nose to sniff around and give her the tea on the people in her neighborhood.

Tina led her to the bare dirt area and explained all the things they planned to do there. Cora’s mouth watered at some of the fruit producing trees and shrubs Tina named.

“You can really grow cherimoya here?” Cora asked.

“I’m part of a gardening group that focuses on all kinds of fruits that grow well here,” Tina said. “In a few years, we’ll have cherimoya, bananas, kiwi, and persimmons.”

“I’m willing to help if I get to eat my fill later!” Cora offered.

“You’re so tiny, could you even finish an entire kiwi by yourself?” Tina teased.

Cora almost answered with I’ve managed to get your son’s giant banana dick down my throat but remembered just in time that this wasn’t her family. The Pike’s probably didn’t make crude jokes like that.

Still, she’d have to remember to tell Pike later, he’d laugh!

Assuming the tour was over, Cora turned to head back inside when Tina put a hand on her arm to stop her. The woman’s expression was pained, and Cora tensed. Was this when the real Tina showed herself and warned Cora away from her precious son?

“David is the most generous and kindhearted person I know,” Tina began. “I’m not saying that because he’s my son, I’m saying it because it’s true. It’s his best and worst quality. He’ll refuse to see the bad in anyone unless they actually attempt to murder someone in front of him.”

Cora pulled her arm away from Tina’s light hold and braced herself for cruel words. “What are you trying to tell me?”

“I love my daughter, but she isn’t always a good person. The way she acted tonight was typical and, I’m afraid, on the mild side for her. She’s selfish and can be horrible when she doesn’t get her way. David makes excuses for her, but the truth is she’s manipulative and…” Tina’s voice trailed off as she held up her hands and shrugged her shoulders .

If anyone understood dealing with a difficult family, it was Cora. She could empathize with Tina’s sense of guilt even as she admired her for the honesty.

“Consider me warned,” she said, stepping into Tina’s personal space and holding out her arms for an embrace. Tina’s face lit up, and she picked Cora up in a giant hug.

Cora felt her feet leave the ground at the same time she heard Kimble’s warning growl. “Gentle.”

It wasn’t a surprise to find Kimble had silently followed them into the garden. Tina probably knew he was there all along.

Tina made a pfft sound. “Calm yourself, Kimble. I’m always gentle. Besides, I can tell our Cora here is a damn tough human.”

“True words,” Kimble commented as he stepped up and pulled Cora from Tina’s embrace. “We go home now?”

After he set her down, she patted him on the chest. “Let’s go in and talk to Mark and Pike first.”

“You did very well on this visit, Kimble,” Tina praised before looking down at Cora. “Don’t worry about leaving early, meeting new people can be exhausting! We’ll see all of you again next week, yes?”

“I’d like that,” Cora said without thinking, then realized it was the truth. She was looking forward to spending more time with Tina and Mark. Their calm, easygoing life was a sharp and welcome contrast to the chaos of her family.

Something inside her clicked, and her mind felt peaceful and calm. Something about this night and meeting the people who’d raised Pike helped quash the last of her fears.

She was ready to be flock.