Page 7 of Bear It All (Bears in Love Duet Book 2)

Remy woke first. He was alone in the second bed in the hotel room, Mallory and Alaina sharing the one closest to the bathroom. They both looked so peaceful in sleep, and yet, he knew neither was.

Interestingly, he believed Alaina would be okay, eventually.

Mallory, he wasn’t sure what to believe.

Last night had been no less fantastic than the first time they’d been together. His bear had demanded he claim her as his mate. She’s it for us, the bear insisted in his head.

Yes, but he saw it in her eyes last night, the confusion wrapped around her need. She knew it was special when they coupled, but she wasn’t ready to accept what it truly meant.

And now that Deke was dead, Remy had no idea how to help her get to that point. Killing Deke for her was supposed to erase all the horrors from her past, like he was a hero slaying dragons for his queen.

He scrubbed a hand over his face. There wasn’t time to dwell. Deke’s body had most definitely been discovered by now. The pack leader, according to Mallory, would come after Alaina if only to save face with the pack. Even though it sounded as if no one would truly miss his brother.

They needed to get Alaina to her parents, where she would be safe.

And then they could figure out how to slay Mallory’s dragons so they could be together.

Slipping out of bed, Remy quietly and efficiently went through his morning routine, and once he was dressed, he scribbled a note and left it on the table near the door. Then he headed out to track down breakfast. And coffee. He recalled Mallory mentioning once that she was a coffee drinker.

He returned with several to-go containers filled with breakfast foods and a carboard holder with three cups of steaming coffee, in case Alaina, too, liked the stuff.

They were both up and moving about when he stepped into the room. Alaina was fully dressed, sitting on the bed, mindlessly flipping channels on the television. Mallory, he assumed, was in the bathroom.

Alaina switched off the television and hopped up from the bed, hurrying over to inspect his bounty. She grinned as she popped a strawberry into her mouth. “I love fresh fruit. Thank you.”

Yep, she was going to be fine.

Mallory was the one he needed to worry about.

* * *

They wereout the door by seven, heading south once more. It was going to take them twelve hours to get to their destination—more when they included stops for gas and food and biological functions—but Remy didn’t want to spend another night on the road. The quicker they could get Alaina to her parents, the safer they’d all be.

And the sooner he and Mallory could begin working on their relationship. He wasn’t going to let her just disappear into the night again, like he had last time. Even if he had to come right out and tell her she was his fated mate and force her to come to terms with the idea.

Part of him wanted to do that—mostly, the part controlled by his bear—but he knew that wasn’t the wisest course. She needed to make the realization on her own, not have it shoved down her throat by someone else, even if that someone else was her fated mate.

As expected, it was nearly eleven in the evening by the time they reached the Florida panhandle, driving down a narrow road hardly wide enough for two cars to pass.

It was eerily similar to heading toward Mallory and Alaina’s pack—as in, there was only one or maybe two ways in and out—yet it was vastly different. Instead of snow and leafless, slumbering trees, the foliage was lush, thick, brushing against the side of the vehicle and fanning out in bright spots of color that were undoubtedly beautiful by the light of day.

There was no security checkpoint; just a sign next to the road indicating this was private property, do not enter. Half a mile later, another sign indicated this was The Shift, an exclusive, elderly resort, and membership was by invitation only.

Did they not fear humans would stumble upon them, or were the packs up north simply too paranoid?

Alaina confirmed that this was, indeed, where her grandparents lived, and they cruised along in silence. There were no streetlamps. The first sign of life was a small cottage that suddenly loomed on the side of the road, a motion-sensing light flaring to life as they slowly drove past.

The curtain in the front window fluttered. Perhaps the security in this place was more subtle than guards posted at the entrance.

They passed another few houses, the distance between them becoming smaller and smaller, like they were heading toward a community center. Each one had one of those bright spotlights that flared to life as the vehicle rolled by.

A white-haired old man sat in a rocking chair on a porch, watching them with sharp eyes. Remy waved in greeting, and the man nodded, his gaze tracking them until they rounded the next bend.

“Is this normal?” Mallory finally asked, her gaze lifting to the rearview mirror.

“Yeah,” Alaina said. “These old people watch out for each other. They know everything that goes on in this place.”

Good, Remy thought. That meant Orsen wouldn’t be able to sneak in unaware.

The road ended at an intersection, the retirement community laid out before them like a grid. Paved streets, sidewalks, manicured lawns rolling up to squat brick houses. Cadillacs and golf carts were tucked under carports. The color of the shutters around the windows and the designs of the furniture sitting on front porches were the only obvious differences from house to house.

Most of the residences were dark, yet Remy still sensed that they were being watched. Maybe the hidden observers were trying to decide whether they were friend or foe.

Hanging over the front seat, practically vibrating with anticipation, Alaina directed Mallory to turn left, then right, and left again and to pull into the driveway of the third house from the end, behind a Trailblazer with Minnesota plates.

Remy’s head was on swivel, his gaze searching for anything that might be out of place. He was confident Orsen would make his way down here as well, but what he wasn’t sure of was how long it would take the other bear shifter to do so.

There were streetlamps, now that they were in the midst of the neighborhood, casting circular splashes of light on the concrete and grass. Alaina’s grandparents’ house was dark.

The curtain in the window next to the front door twitched.

The front porch light didn’t flicker on.

He scanned the area again. No other curtains moved. No old men sat on front porches. No motion sensor lights sparked to life.

“Something’s wrong,” he said.

Alaina’s body went tense. Mallory turned sharply to watch him.

“What?” Alaina asked.

Remy kept scanning, looking for something, anything. “He’s here.”

“Orsen?” Mallory asked, her eyes widening.

“My parents,” Alaina yelped. “My grandparents!”

She dove for the door, shoving it open before Remy could even formulate the words, “Let’s not go rushing in without a plan.”

Mallory scrambled from the vehicle after her.

Remy sighed and pushed open his own door.

Guess they were rushing in without a plan.