Lord of the Grrr's (10 page)

It took Jet a moment to figure out how that might have happened, until he recalled all the anti-shifter sentiment Jack had been spewing just a few moments earlier. He must have considered himself a freak and done his best to bury the bear within him. Over the years, it must have slowly driven him crazy, until he had finally cracked, using his own daughter as a hostage. The loud roar of a bear interrupted his revelation, forcing him to focus on the present.

"Don't make me do this Jack!" he shouted at the bear, hoping to avoid any further conflict.

The bear's only answer was to stand up on its hind legs and let loose with another roar. There was no sign of Jack anywhere in the body language, it was all bear. He must have given up complete control, Jet thought, preparing himself for his own change. The power flowed into him quickly, his other half recognizing the seriousness of the situation.

In the blink of an eye, Jet had changed and charged right at Jack without hesitation. He didn't want to kill anybody, it wasn't in his nature, but protecting his mate took priority and he would do whatever it took to ensure her safety.

With a bone bruising crash, the two bears slammed together, claws and teeth out as they vied for supremacy. It became crystal clear within seconds that Jack didn't stand a chance, Jet was far larger and stronger. Jack's bear must have deteriorated in strength over time as well, just like his human form had.

Jet had his opponent pinned in quick order, but the bear continued to thrash about in his grip, not understanding that it was over. Jet had his jaws at the others neck, pleading with him mentally to stop so that he didn't have to follow through. Jack wasn't giving up, continually trying to win free so he could sink his jaws into the younger man.

Knowing that, when she found out, Kailee would probably never speak to him again, Jet made the decision, opening his jaws wide as he went for his opponents neck. One swift movement and it would all be over.

"Jet, wait!" Tanner's voice drew his attention, freezing him before his teeth could rip into the tender flesh of Jack's throat.

A light click followed by a
thunk
and something embedded itself in Jack's side. It was a dart fired from the tranq-gun! In moments, his struggles subsided. Jet backed away from the body, watching as the lungs slowly rose and fell. He shifted back to his human form to try and calm himself. His shoulders heaved as he gasped for air, the sensation of relief that flooded through him taking much of his adrenaline away as well.

Looking around, he noted that the thugs were gone, chased off once they realized just how badly outclassed they were. Tom and Sandra were backed into a corner while Devon and Dylan stood guard over them. He sighed with relief, trying to contain his shaking as the blood within him calmed from its peak.

Another groan from Kailee told him that she was coming around. He would find out shortly if his mate would ever return to him, or if she was going to be lost forever because of what Jack had done.

"What do we do with the three of them?" None of the four men were killers, but the thought was definitely heavy in the air. Most shifters took the issue personally when one of their kind was attacked. If they caught up with the humans, it never ended well. Jet did not want to end up like that, but he knew something had to be done.

He looked at Tanner, nodding his head subtly, trying to get the point across that he knew what he was doing. The other man blinked, then returned the slight nod. Jet then turned his attention to the two conscious humans in the corner. He used his hands to indicate to the men guarding them to step aside. As they did, Jet surged forward, letting his bear come through once again.

The massively muscled legs took him across the intervening distance before the humans could blink. He slammed his paws into the wall on either side of them, smashing the wall as he pushed his jaws right in front of them. They both screamed in terror, trying to push themselves into the wall to get away from him. Their cries doubled when he opened his mouth and gave his best battle cry mere inches from their faces.

As he subsided, Jet stepped back, shifting into his human form again. He had to kick Tom to get his attention for the man was deep within his terror.

"Take the two of them," he growled menacingly, motioning at Sandra and Jack, "and don't ever let me see any of your faces in my town again. Take him to a mental institution. If he comes back, I'm coming for you," he threatened, jabbing a finger at Tom.

With that, he turned on his heels and left the two humans quivering in their now soggy pants. He could only hope he had instilled enough fear in them that they would obey his command to never return. The last thing Jet Taylor wanted was being forced to follow through on a threat to hurt someone. Still, if he perceived a threat to his mate, or any cubs that may be in his future, nothing would stop him from protecting them.

He walked over to Kailee, who was still groaning and unconscious. With a flex of his powerful arms he snapped the ropes that held her captive. She practically fell into his arms as he went to scoop her up. Her head rolled away from his shoulder awkwardly until Tanner stepped up to turn her back, so that Jet could carry her easier.

"Thank you," he said, his voice practically a whisper as they exited the mill, heading towards Jet's truck.

"We'll follow you to Morgan's place." Dylan was referring to Morgan Rivers, the local doctor for Bear Bluff's. His tone of voice brooked no argument from Jet, who was already doing his best to strap Kailee into his truck without hurting her.

Finally, he turned the key and revved his truck to life. He drove carefully, but quickly, his heart filled with worry about her condition.

***

Kailee

Blinking slowly, Kailee raised her arm to block out some of the bright light. Her head hurt, she had a throbbing headache and her throat felt parched to hell and back. As her eyes slowly adjusted, the room came into focus. The stark walls and stale air screamed medical facility to her, and the strange man who was speaking had a white doctor's coat on. It was obviously a clinic or hospital of some sort.

"Here, drink this slowly." She took the proffered cup and sniffed it slowly, still not entirely trusting her surroundings. It seemed to be straight water, but it wasn't until she saw Jet's face hovering over her and filled with concern that she drank.

"Now take these," the same strange man said, pushing two small pills into her hand. She looked to Jet, who nodded that it was okay. It didn't even occur to her until later that she had taken his word, despite who he was. As she came crashing back to reality, her hands scrabbled on the medical table, trying to push herself farther away from him.

The man she didn't recognize made a little shooing motion before turning back to Kailee.

"It's okay Kailee. My name is Doc Rivers, I'm the local family doctor. You're going to be just fine now, mostly thanks to that man's actions."

"What do you mean Doc?" she said, or at least tried to. Her throat felt like it was glued shut, and until she had several more glasses of water, nothing was happening. When she finally managed to get the question out, the doctor blinked at her for a moment, before asking her a question.

"What do you remember?"

She thought back, trying to remember what had happened to her. It was blurry, but as she started to tell the doctor, it all came back into focus.

"I came home, and my father was there, along with the mayor and Jet's old waitress, Sandy."

"Sandra," Doc Rivers supplied helpfully as she struggled to remember the name.

"Yeah, anyways, they were there. Jack, my father," she stated at the confused look, "he started yelling at me for siding with Jet during the incident at the bar earlier."

"Then, when I told him to piss off, that I hadn't taken any sides and asked him what the hell he was doing bringing a gun, he pulled out another gun. He jabbed it into my side as I tried to move away."

She grimaced at the memory, deeply disappointed in the man who was her biological father. As she recalled the shouting and what had followed, she felt a sliver of doubt enter her brain about Jet and his intentions. It hadn't been Jet who had injected her with some sort of knockout gun, and according to the Doc, it may have been Jet who came to her rescue.

A man she barely knew, but had an immense attraction to, had been the one to come save her from her own father. She felt tears well up in her eyes at that thought, for weren't fathers supposed to protect their daughters? She had been cheated, robbed of having a good man to raise her. If she was ever to have children, Kailee vowed, they would have a father figure to look up to.

"What did Jet do?" she asked with trepidation, not entirely sure she wanted to hear the answer.

"Your dad had you at the old mill outside of town. He was threatening to turn you over to Tom unless Jet gave him a lot of money."

"My
father
," she stressed, "was using me for fucking ransom?" Kailee wasn't big on cursing, but she couldn't help herself as the expletive shot out of her mouth while she sat there stunned with surprise.

"I don't believe it." There was no conviction in her voice, however, for she had a hard time doubting the doctor. If he was willing to use her as an in to come to Bear Bluff's, then had almost killed her in his fight with Jet, before tranquilizing her, then there was no reason he might go to that depth of action.

"Can I talk to Jet now?" she said, deciding that she had to at least thank him for his actions. Doc Rivers smiled and nodded slowly, pushing the door open and holding it for the giant who entered next. She wasn't sure what to say or how to act, but her bear took care of that for her.

As soon as he walked in the door, her rapidly reawakening body hungered for him. She was sitting up and swinging her legs off the counter before her brain clued in to the actions. Her muscles quivered as she forced herself to remain still and not launch herself at him. It was hard, for every part of her clamored for his touch, demanding that she let him wrap his arms around her.

"Hi," he said lamely, but she smiled at him nonetheless.

"It sounds like I owe you a thank you."

He said nothing, just staring at her. She knew why, he wanted her to give him another chance, to accept that he really was a different person now. Could he truly be the one she wanted, the one she needed in her life?

"I'm sorry." The words were barely more than a whisper, but in the quiet room they carried far enough.

A very slight nod of acceptance from Jet was all that she got. He was still maintaining his distance from her, giving her room until she let him back in. It was a very sweet gesture, but at that moment, Kailee wanted nothing more than to be in his arms. The effects of the tranquilizer were almost completely gone and she was feeling much closer to her normal self.

"You're a good man now, aren't you?" It was more of a statement to herself than a question to him, but he once again moved his head fractionally in agreement.

The tears came once again as she accepted that fact in her heart, realizing how ridiculously pious she had acted towards him earlier.

"I really was acting like a bitch, wasn't I?" she asked as the first tear fell, streaking down her cheek and onto her legs as she sat upright on the edge of the bed.

Jet wisely chose not to answer that, but he did take that as an okay to move closer to her. His hand came up to her cheek, brushing away the tear track as he gently caressed her. She automatically placed her head upon his chest as he shuffled closer, basking in the radiant heat that quickly enveloped her.

"Will you give me another chance?" She asked meekly.

"Under one condition," he replied, finally speaking. His tone was light, but she could sense the serious undertones with it. She tensed, then nodded for him to continue.

"You have to give me another chance. Take me as who I am now, not the boy I was before. Deep within, you have to excise any hatred of what I've done in the past, and only judge me by how I act now. It is possible for people to change, I'm not the first, nor am I the last."

Then he hesitated, acting like there was more he wanted to say. She pulled back slightly to look him in the eyes, batting aside the feelings he stirred between her legs and the desires of her bear. This was a time for serious contemplation, not arousal. He was trying to say something important, and she owed him her full concentration.

"I love you, Kailee Britten, I sense in you my mate, my other half. I don't want to be operating under scrutiny if I'm going to be with you."

She gasped at his words, yet now, instead of fear within her, fear that she would repeat her last relationship mistake, all she felt was acceptance and understanding. The last wall within her was breaking, crumbling away to dust as she forced herself to open up to him, to let him in. The words flowed easily after that.

"I love you to Jet Taylor, and I promise I will give you the opportunity you deserve. You've been nothing but amazing to me and I repaid that by labelling you as trash. Ever since I met you, my body and heart has been attracted to you, but I've been too afraid to let you in. No more, love hurts sometimes, but you'll never know love if you don't expose yourself to pain. I want your love."

"You'll have it," he whispered, tilting her chin back as he pressed his lips to hers. This time she accepted the fire that flared into existence within her, relishing the way he made her feel.

"You need to take me home now," she said sultrily as they broke for air some time later. Her hand was latched between his legs, gently fondling the growing bulge there, teasing him through the layers of his jeans. After a close brush with death, all Kailee wanted now was to feel alive, and she knew just how to do so.

With a smile on his face, Jet helped her off the table. They grabbed her things from the counter and walked outside. Doc Rivers was waiting there to see them off.

"Now, you take it easy Kailee and make sure he brings you back for a checkup tomorrow. You should be fine, your accelerated metabolism and elevated core temperature as a shifter has most likely burned off all traces of it by now, but I want to make sure, okay?"

She nodded at him, more intent on the man whose arm she clung to than what he was saying. It wouldn't be polite of her to nibble on his neck or most of the other things she wanted to do, so she simply held him close, leaning her head on his shoulder. There would be plenty of time for fun shortly.

As it happened, the urges became stronger as they climbed into his truck. She felt like every nerve ending was on fire and yet he hadn't touched her. Kailee desperately needed an out, so as he put the truck into gear, she leaned over his seat to begin undoing his pants. She hushed his protestations down until she was able to expose his rock hard cock.

She moistened her lips before sliding the tip of him into her mouth, swirling her tongue around the soft flesh. The growl of pleasure that filled the cab was like music to her ears, declaring the start of the concert. While she continued to work her mouth up and down his shaft, she used her tongue to its fullest, swirling him around constantly, exploring him as best she could in the confines of the truck. She felt him go rigid at one point, and tell her to keep her head down because they were right next to another truck. A flush of embarrassment crept down her cheeks, but it didn't stop her.

The next time he tensed, his growl turned more to a moan of pleasure as he began to spasm within her mouth. She erased any trace of his orgasm, not wanting to leave a mess in his truck. By that time, they were almost to his house, but she kept playing with him, keeping him rock hard until she could feel him enter her.

"I need you," she moaned in his ear, one finger slowly circling the head of his cock, keeping him as hard as steel while they pulled into the driveway. His knuckles, she noticed, were white from gripping the wheel so tightly as he tried to ignore her actions.

"Come on," Kailee whispered, her eyebrows lifting suggestively. She backed slowly out of the car, licking her fingers as she headed towards the house. It was fun to tease him, to be in charge, but now that they were free from the house, she was excitedly anticipating losing control.

That was fine with her, she yearned to be taken by him, to be told what to do. He was the perfect amount of rough with her, enough to make her heart race, but never to the point she felt in danger. His voice was stern but caring, he would give her orders and she would obey, or else his hand would find her rear, leaving it red and tingling until she did as he said.

"You're in for it now," he growled into her ear, making her jump. She had had no idea he was so close behind, as the big white door opened in front of her, admitting her into his house. She giggled nervously as his massive hands ran up her sides before cupping her breasts through her shirt. Although she felt comfortable with him, it was only their second time being intimate, and she still felt that old pull of hesitation as he lifted her arms in the air to begin undressing her.

"Wait," she said, spinning around to face him. She ran her hands up the side of his neck, cupping his face as she looked into his eyes, becoming lost in the orange flecks that tinted the ring of brown surrounding his pupils. The depth of emotion that stared back almost floored Kailee, for it practically screamed certainty to her, that Jet knew without a doubt that she was the one for him.

"How? How can you be so sure?" she asked, in awe of the faith he placed in her. It was so unconditional, the love he was offering her, that she felt unworthy.

I don't deserve him
.

The thought rocketed through her mind, but she didn't pull away. Whether she deserved him or not, he wanted her and only her. That much was crystal clear, to the point that she didn't even open her mouth to protest it. At that moment, she made a vow from there forward to always strive to be a woman worthy of his devotion and love. Whatever it took, she was going to be worthy of whatever it was he seemed to see in her.

"There's no easy answer to how I know, I just do. My bear feels it and I feel it. I trust both parts of that when they agree. What does your bear say?"

At that comment, her face flushed bright red, for her bear agreed heartily with the sentiment. Her nipples hardened under her clothing, the nubs just barely visible through her bra and shirt. Before she could pull her hands away from his face to cover herself up, he grabbed her wrists and held them in place, using the grip to pull his face towards hers, so that he could kiss her again.

His hands went to her shirt once more, this time encountering no resistance as he stripped her clothing off. Not willing to submit just yet, Kailee fought back, attempting to remove one article of his for each of her own. She lost, but by the time she was naked, he was clad only in his compression boxers, his hard cock straining at the seams as she grabbed it tightly through the thin satin material.

"No no, my turn now," he announced, his arm encircling her from the side as Jet effortlessly whisked her off of her feet. He carried her to the bedroom, opting for the more comfortable setting of the bed this time. The bed was massive, befitting a man of his stature, to the point that Kailee thought she might get lost among the white of the covers. Her creamy skin blended into it, but his hands found her legs with uncanny ease, pulling her to the edge of the bed as he kneeled down in front of her.