Brave Bear: BBW Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance (BRIDES fur BEARS Book 2) (4 page)

“You can see our
bears?” Joshua's eyes bugged.

Ashley nodded apprehensively
and winced. “Am I not supposed to?” she asked in a small
voice.

“It's fine, Ashley.
We're twins, so yeah, we look alike,” Jax said quickly. “But
I think you'll have no difficulty telling us apart, because I am the
more handsome twin!”

She giggled and eyed the
big house curiously. “Are we...staying in your house?”
Ashley asked Jax, looking both nervous and excited.

“Yes. You and your
Mummy will have my room, and I will bunk with Uncle Joshua for the
night,” Jax answered.

Serena gasped and began to
protest. “No, no, we can't. We'll just sleep in the living
room...”

Jax, Joshua and Marcus all
looked appalled. “No!” they said together.

“Take Jax's room,”
Staci said gently. “Marcus and I are just across the hall from
you. So if you need me, just knock on our room door.”

As Jax's family warmly
ushered them into the house and did all they could to make them
comfortable, Serena felt her eyes well up with tears.

“I can't believe you're
doing this for us,” she whispered, blinking hard. “You
don't even know us, yet you're doing so much for us.”

Joshua quirked a smile at
her. “Jax told us you needed a place to stay. And he insisted
we help you. It's not often that our baby brother insists on
something. Jax is pretty laid back. If you're important to Jax,
you're important to us.”

“I...” Serena
swallowed and spoke rapidly. “I have something to tell you.
You are opening your home to us, and you have a right to know
everything about us.”

Jax shared a look with his
brothers. The three brothers communicated swiftly and silently with
just their eyes and took a quick whiff of the air. Serena sensed
that they were sniffing her and Ashley. What could they tell from
her scent? Could they tell what Ashley was?

With a quick nod, Marcus
strode towards her and laid a huge hand on her shoulder.

“Don't worry, Serena.
We know enough. You won't put us in danger, if that's what you're
worried about. My brothers and I are bear shifters. We can scent
danger, and we detect no danger from you and your young. Now, I'm
sure you're exhausted. Rest well, and we'll talk tomorrow.”

CHAPTER
NINE

Jax fluffed his pillow up and
threw his long body on the couch at the corner of Joshua's room. His
brother threw him a blanket and watched him make himself comfortable.

“So,” Joshua said
cryptically.

“What?”

“Serena is your mate.”

Jax closed his eyes for a
beat, then nodded. He took a deep breath and sat up abruptly. “I
never believed it, you know.”

“Believed what?”

“That I would meet my
true mate and that my bear would recognize her. I mean, I saw what
happened with Marcus and Staci, but Marcus isn't...damaged, like me.”

“You're not damaged,
goddammit!”

Jax shrugged and pointed at
his ear. “I am deaf in one ear. My bear can't hear out of one
ear. And you know I still wake up screaming from my nightmares
sometimes. I'm just broken, Josh.”

“No.” Joshua
strode over and grabbed him by the shoulder. “You are not
broken, you hear me? Bazl is dead. Don't let the past haunt you for
the rest of your life. You've found your mate. You have a future
with her. You have a family to protect.”

“I will protect them,”
Jax said with absolute conviction. “But Serena and Ashley
deserve someone healthy and whole. Not a broken, half deaf bear.”

“Keep talking like this
and I'm going to box you until you come to your senses,” Joshua
snarled.

Jax shook his head. “Enough
about me. I'm worried about...Ashley.”

Joshua rubbed his stubbled
jaw and sat down heavily on the edge of the bed. “I don't know
what she is. I can't identify her scent. She may be a budding
witch, I'm not sure.”

“I'd like to know for
sure. I think it's good for Ashley to know as well. She's never met
another kid like her and she's afraid and ashamed of her powers.”

“What powers?”

Jax told his brother briefly
about Serena and Ashley's encounter with the two men. “Serena
said that Ashley simply set them on fire with her hands. I've never
seen a witch do that. She could be half fae, but...”

“Nah. She doesn't look
like a fae. Her eyes—she can see our bears even when we are in
full human form.” Joshua frowned. “Have you asked
Serena? She would know...”

“She doesn't. I think
she suspects what Ashley's father is, but she isn't sure. I sense
she wants to know, and dreads to know the truth at the same time.”

“The truth is the
truth. You can't run from it, so it's better to just face it.”
Joshua began to pace round the room as he thought aloud.
“Hmm...since we can't identify what Ashley is, I bet the other
shifters can't tell either.”

“So...who would be able
to help? Maybe we can ask...”

“...Gramma and Ne-ma,”
they said in unison.

Jax chuckled. “Yeah.
Gramma and Ne-ma are witches but they can find out almost anything.
I think they can find out what Ashley is.”

“Give them a call
tomorrow and talk to them,” Joshua said excitedly. “I
think they'll be happy to come see Ashley. They love kids.”

Jax nodded and his expression
turned grave. “Whatever she is...”

“...she is family,”
Joshua finished firmly. “We won't let anyone hurt her.”

CHAPTER
TEN

Jax rushed to open the door
as soon as the doorbell rang. Gramma and Ne-ma stood on the front
step, panting slightly.

“We got here as soon as
we got your message,” Gramma said.

“You said there's a
little girl who needs our help.” Ne-ma craned her neck and
peered anxiously past him. “Where is she? What happened to
her?”

Jax closed the door behind
them and led them to the living room. His two brothers and Staci
came up to greet Gramma and Ne-ma warmly.

Gramma and Ne-ma were the
grandmothers of the Gray brothers. The Gray brothers owned Gray's
Domain, a successful construction company in Shadow Point. Tristan
Gray, the eldest grandson of Gramma and Ne-ma was the boss of Gray's
Domain and a very good family friend.

Gramma and Ne-ma knew almost
everyone in town and they were always the first to know the latest
news and gossip. The two grandmothers were fun-loving, outspoken and
they could be bawdy and boisterous when they had too much to drink.
And they sometimes got in trouble when they poked their noses into
other people's business. But they were good, kind witches. And they
were well-loved and well-respected by all the townspeople.

“We were busy at the
inn, so we couldn't answer your call,” Gramma said. “But
once we heard your message, we dropped everything and rushed here.”
Gramma and Ne-ma ran Broomstick Inn and ever since their inn was
mentioned in a glossy travel magazine, they had been fully booked.

“Is the little girl
here?” Ne-ma asked worriedly. “Is she all right?”

“Yes, Ashley is here
and she's fine. She's upstairs in the room with her mother. I
wanted to talk to you first before bringing them down,” Jax
said.

Gramma and Ne-ma blinked at
him. When he hesitated, they looked at each other and shrugged.

“I need you to find out
what Ashley is,” Jax said in a rush. “She's half human,
half paranormal.”

“You can't tell by her
scent?” Ne-ma frowned.

“No I can't. Neither
can my brothers,” Jax said, gesturing at Marcus and Joshua.

“She's not a shifter,”
Marcus supplied.

“And she's not a
vampire,” Joshua added.

Gramma and Ne-ma glanced at
each other. “A half witch, or half fae perhaps?” Ne-ma
mused.

The three brothers shook
their heads simultaneously. “We don't think so.”

Gramma and Ne-ma whispered
rapidly to each other and straightened up. “Bring her down.
Let us take a look at her. We have just the spell.”

“Spell?” Jax's
eyes widened. “Is it...safe?”

“Of course it's safe,”
Gramma huffed. “Our spells never go wrong!”

Ne-ma nudged her, and Gramma
amended quickly, “Our spells
usually
never go wrong.”

Jax sucked in a long breath.
Riiiiiight
.

“I'll go get them,”
Staci offered and went up the stairs. Jax watched her disappear into
his room and appear half a minute later holding Ashley's hand.
Serena followed closely behind them, wearing a brave smile for her
daughter's sake.

“Come here,
sweetheart,” Ne-ma said, smiling kindly at Ashley. “Don't
be afraid. Come on, we're just going to do a little magic. It'd be
fun.”

Ashley turned to Serena.
“Mummy?” she said uncertainly.

“Your Mummy can stand
beside you, but you'd have to hold both my hands or the magic won't
work,” Ne-ma said.

“It's okay, Ashley.
Mummy is here with you,” Serena said, giving her daughter a
quick hug.

Ashley nodded and let Ne-ma
hold her hands. “Are you performing a magic trick? I can see
colors around you. They're very pretty colors.”

Ne-ma looked up sharply at
Gramma. Their eyes widened a fraction but both their expressions
remained somber. “It's not a trick, dear,” Ne-ma said
gently. “What you're seeing is the magic gathering around me.
Gramma and I are casting a spell, a very special spell for you. Now,
just relax and tell me what else you see, Ashley.”

CHAPTER
ELEVEN

Serena moved forward to touch
her little girl but Gramma held her elbow and whispered, “Don't.”

She balled her fists and
dropped her hands to her side. She just wanted to comfort Ashley,
let her know that Mummy was here with her. But from Gramma's warning
look, it seemed that her touch might disrupt the witches' magic.

Serena stared at Ashley's
pale face. Ashley looked nervous but she didn't seem to be in pain.
She was staring at a spot above Ne-ma's shoulder and blinking
rapidly.

“Red,” Ashley
whispered. “The red is getting brighter. It's
getting...hotter.”

Ne-ma nodded encouragingly.
“What else?”

“Fire,” Ashley
breathed. “I can feel the fire. I...I don't think I can stop
it. Oh, oh! Be careful!”

Gramma let out a shout when
smoke began to rise from Ne-ma's head. With a sudden whoosh, Ne-ma
hair caught fire. Ne-ma shrieked and jumped up as bright red flames
leaped merrily from her hair.

Everyone began yelling and
moving at once. It was utter chaos and pandemonium as Jax and his
brothers tripped over one another and toppled the furniture in their
rush to reach Ne-ma.

Serena looked around
desperately and ran to grab the pitcher from the dining room table.
Quickly, she dumped the water over Ne-ma's head. Staci yanked the
tablecloth from the table and threw it over Ne-ma in an attempt to
smother the sputtering flames.

Gramma yelled an incantation
and the fire extinguished completely with a loud hiss. Ne-ma stopped
lurching all over the place and just collapsed on the floor.
Everyone rushed to Ne-ma and Jax hurriedly pulled the tablecloth off
her.

Coughing and waving away the
smoke from her face, Ne-ma sat up and adjusted her glasses on her
nose. The neat bun at her nape had come loose and her hair was badly
singed. Most of her long silver hair had been burnt off and what was
left of her hair was standing up in spikes, forming a halo around her
head.

“Whoa,” Ne-ma
said, staring around. “We didn't expect
that
, did we,
Glynda?”

Gramma shook her head.
“Nope. The little girl is...”

Gramma and Ne-ma both turned
to stare at Ashley, who was trying to hide behind the couch.

“I'm s-sorry,”
Ashley stammered, bursting into tears. “I didn't mean it. I'm
really sorry!”

“It's okay,
sweetheart,” Ne-ma said with a wide grin. “I'm not hurt.
You did great! You were like...”

But before Ne-ma could
finish, Ashley turned and raced up the stairs, swiping furiously at
her eyes. “I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!” she cried
again and again as she ran to Jax's room and slammed the door.

Serena rushed after her
little girl. She pounded on the door and wrenched violently at the
knob but she couldn't get Ashley to unlock the door. “Ashley!
Open the door. Please open the door, darling. Everything is okay.
Please let me in...”

Jax touched her on the
shoulder and pressed a key into her hand. “Use this.”

Serena nodded shakily and
knocked on the door again. “Ashley,” she said softly.
“I'm coming in, okay? It's just me. No one else is coming in
with me. I'm going to unlock the door now.”