“Mm. In that case, I know a couple of Grizzlies who should be more than happy to play with you.”
“If you can find them.” She sighed wearily. “I think part of the reason Glory is so pissy is because Ryan’s not there. No matter how much she squirms and complains, she cares about him.”
“Do you have any idea why she’s fighting their mating so hard?”
“Her father was an absolute jerk. I mean, my mother didn’t say boo without my father’s permission, but he was never abusive toward her. He just ran her life like it was a military operation. To him, it probably was.”
“And Glory’s father was abusive.” Julian’s tone was thoughtful, as if he was trying to figure out a unique puzzle and didn’t have all pieces.
“Her father was extremely conservative. He was a firm believer in spare the rod, spoil the child, and was exceedingly possessive toward his wife and children. If anyone showed an interest in any of his daughters he would run them off. I’m not certain all the methods he used were legal.”
“I’m thinking he’s no longer around?”
“He may be. I’m not sure. He and Mrs. Walsh left the area about two years after Hope disappeared. He took Faith and Temp with them, but left Glory behind. I think they’d argued, and she refused to go with him. Since she was eighteen, he couldn’t force her, but he could make her life hell. He left her with the clothes on her back and whatever was in her wallet at the time. Thank God my mom let her live with us until we could get an apartment together.” She winced, remembering how Glory had looked that day. “She had bruises all over her, Jules.”
He winced, but didn’t question her about that. “I didn’t know Glory had a missing sister.”
“She was the oldest daughter, and Glory’s twin. She claimed she was going to the library, but she never came back. The police weren’t able to find anyone who had seen her. They never found a trace. All the Walshes were devastated, but Glory most of all. They were sixteen, and did everything together.”
“Wow. Has she told Ryan about any of this?”
If she did, he never would have disappeared the way he had. Ryan just didn’t have it in him to hurt Glory like that. She was willing to bet that was why Glory was flipping out. It was like losing her sister all over again. “None of us talk about it, especially in front of Glory. Hope’s disappearance is still an open case.”
They were quiet for a few moments, each absorbed in their own thoughts. “Glory, Hope, Faith and Temp?”
Cyn rolled her eyes. Poor Temp. “It’s short for Temperance.”
“That’s a horrible thing to do to a little girl.”
“It’s a worse thing to do to a little boy. Especially when he’s the oldest child and gets to watch his sisters get fairly normal names.”
Julian whistled and tugged on a lock of his hair. “So how many black belts does he have? He must’ve gone through some major ass kicking’s in school. His butt must still be black and blue.”
He had the uncanny knack of making her smile even when she was at her worst. “He always said he would’ve felt better if the girls were named Chastity, Prudence and Patience.”
“I could totally see Glory rockin’ the name Prudence. It suits her to a T.” She could hear the faint hint of laughter in his voice. “We could call her Prue, Prude or just plain Dence.”
“I vote for number three.” And dammit, there it was, that stupid little giggle. He always managed to get one out of her.
“Was Temp anything like their father?”
“That’s the strangest part. I would’ve said no, but he went with his father rather than stay behind.”
“He might’ve been trying to protect Faith.”
“Maybe. Mr. Walsh was a mean S.O.B. Faith was only twelve when they left; she’d be eighteen now. None of them have tried to contact Glory since they left.”
“Was she supposed to go with Hope that night?”
“Yeah, I think she was.”
She stared at her shop, weary to the bone. It would be quite a while before the authorities would allow her to open up again. While she understood it, it still broke her heart. As it was, she was pretty sure her insurance was going to go through the roof. She ran her fingers through her hair. “Good-bye, lease. I will miss you.”
“Your landlord is going to kick you out?”
Her place had come under fire far too many times for any landlord to let it go. “I’ve received notice to vacate the premises, and I won’t be getting my security deposit back.” She sighed. “At least I own all the equipment.”
“Then you start over, somewhere else.” Julian touched her cheek in an attempt to soothe her.
She shrugged. Cyn was a fighter. She would mourn her lost dream, but she wouldn’t let it keep her down for long. She’d start a new dream. “I’m going to look into a new place nearby. I love this neighborhood, but I’m not sure they’ll love me when this is all over.”
“You’ll be fine. None of this is your fault.”
She shrugged. It might not be, but that wouldn’t matter. If the other landlords blacklisted her she’d be forced to move.
Damn it. She
“I want to meet your parents.”
She should’ve expected that request, but for some reason it still startled her. “My father is dead. He died when I was sixteen, of a heart attack.”
His arms tightened around her briefly, hugging her close. “I’m sorry to hear that, sweetheart. It must have been rough for you and your mom.”
She relaxed back into him, letting him take her weight. There was no sympathy in his voice, just calm acceptance. She would’ve brushed off any hint of pity. It was over and done with a long time ago. “It was harder on my mom than on me. She couldn’t function without my father. Bills didn’t get paid, groceries didn’t get bought. Trash started to pile up because she couldn’t bring herself to clean. I learned how to cook so we didn’t starve to death. I also learned to use the Internet to pay our bills.”
“I always knew you were strong.” He pressed a soft kiss to the side of her neck, right above her mating mark. “That strength will get you through what’s going on now.”
She stroked his cheek. “I still want to play Jenga with their bones.”
He grinned against her neck. “I love vicious women.”
“Vicious?” She laughed bitterly. “My best friend is in the hospital after being fucking
“You’re doing better than most would. Glory probably would have died if you hadn’t healed her. You should be proud of yourself.” He shook her shoulder, emphasizing his point. “It takes most Bears months to learn how to do that. You did it a day after being marked.”
“But I couldn’t heal her the way you can.”
He sighed gently, his warm breath tickling her mating mark. “That’s because you’re not a Spirit Bear.”
He turned her so that she was staring at him and not the shop. He hadn’t told her yet that she wouldn’t be a Spirit Bear. “Then what am I?”
He bit his lip. “Don’t you like surprises?”
Her brows rose. Why didn’t he want to tell her what she’d become? “Jules.”
“I told you we’re different.”
“Julian. What did you turn me into?” His reluctance to answer was beginning to scare her. What the hell had he done?
“Me? You’re the one who decided to walk the thorny path.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
He looked over her shoulder, his eyes widening. “Is that Ryan over there?”
She whipped around to see what he was looking at, to see if it really was Ryan. He let her go so abruptly, she almost fell to the car’s floor. He put the car in gear, and peeled away as if the hounds of hell where after them. “I’m in the car with you, numbnuts.”
He had the grace to look sheepish. “It works in the movies.”
“You forgot the whole
