Page 20

Chapter Twenty

Owen

M y bear is going to squish Rogue if he doesn’t get his shit together. He begins lapping at her cheek with his coarse tongue, and I once again try to slam him from the driver’s seat.

He’s too powerful.

It does nothing.

That motherfucker has been biding his time, and he has no interest in handing back the reins.

I try to impress upon him how important it is that I have a conversation with Rogue, but he doesn’t care. He’s going to show her how much he loves her, and until she understands that, he intends to keep me out of the equation completely.

“Okay, that’s weird. No licking inside my ear,” Rogue says, laughing as she shoves away his giant, blocky face. My bear chuffs, nuzzling his snout to her cheek. “You’re super scary looking, but like a cuddly golden retriever. I could get used to this.”

My bear preens.

He has no trouble letting me know how much he dislikes me, and he’s smug as fuck that he’s rebuilding the relationship I destroyed.

“Okay, but seriously, I’ve had a long night.

How do you feel about heading inside?” She scratches the underside of his jaw and playfully pats the side of his head.

“I’m not sleeping out here. There are bugs, and I’ve had kind of a never-ending day.

I saved Ember’s mate, went to investigate Delta, and we still have to talk about what we found.

” She sighs. “I need you to try to get along with Calyx and Cohen. They aren’t the enemy, no matter what the paranormal council says.

More than that, I won’t choose between you.

I feel a deep connection to all three of you. ”

My berserker grunts his displeasure.

“You can pout all you’d like, but it’s not going to change the truth of the matter,” Rogue says, using her elbows and feet to propel herself across the ground as she shimmies from under his massive form.

“Now, are you coming inside, or do you plan to trot around the property, huffing and puffing until daybreak?”

He chuffs and follows behind her.

In beast form, I’m fucking massive.

Or we are.

Whatever.

It’s been centuries since I considered us one being, but this fucker literally can’t fit through the door. His haunches get stuck. Rather than handing back control and allowing the shift, he opts to lie down in the doorway.

Rogue turns around and barks a laugh, pulling her hand to cover her face as she chuckles. She continues for quite some time and finally glances around. “Okay, this is a strange request, but my guest is unable to make it inside.”

My bear’s lip curls, and he growls his displeasure at being called a guest.

“Keep pouting.” She shrugs. “Until Owen is able to tell me where we stand, it feels inappropriate to call you my mate.” She looks at the walls and the ceiling before continuing.

“You’ll have to let me know if you have a term or name you prefer me to use when addressing you, but for lack of a better word…

House, could you please accommodate…” She freezes, glancing at me. “My bear.”

A snort comes from behind her as the lich approaches, and I once again struggle against my beast for control.

Rogue glances over her shoulder to greet him.

My bear growls a low, menacing sound.

Rogue spins back to us, jabbing a finger at his snout. “Don’t do that. Otherwise, I’ll make you sleep in the forest.”

She really is getting far too much enjoyment out of this. She should be careful before she earns herself a trip over my knee.

The doorway of the house morphs, and suddenly there’s more space for my berserker to fit. He trots inside, and Rogue runs a hand down his side as he passes.

“Allow me to lead the way,” Calyx says, spinning and heading down the hallway. He must feel completely confident in his magic. There’s no other reason he would turn his back on a predator.

Rogue picks up her stride to keep pace at my side—his side?

Whatever.

“Just try to get along, please ?” The pleading tone she conveys the last word with tugs at my heart.

Gods.

I’ve made a real fucking mess of things.

My bear lies on the wooden flooring in front of the fireplace as Rogue and the other two talk about what they learned at the bar.

The warlock—Cohen—continually glances over at us. I can’t tell if he’s terrified of my bear—he should be—or if he’s afraid of fireplaces. It would be a strange phobia, but that’s the least of my worries.

Rogue smelled strongly of him in the clearing, and she’s obviously at ease with him, despite only knowing him for a matter of days. She chooses to sit at his side on the couch, and she doesn’t pull her hand away when he links their fingers.

My bear and I argue over whose fault it is that she’s so comfortable with him and not us until I stop following the conversation completely. He’s probably not wrong—I am at fault—but that doesn’t make the moral dilemma of her age magically disappear.

The lich must be older than I am, and he doesn’t seem bothered or deterred by the extreme age gap. It has to be because they just met. It’s an entirely different situation having known her family for years.

The universe doesn’t make mistakes when it comes to mates . My bear projects the thought into my mind.

And he’s not wrong.

Who am I to fight fate?

“It would be convenient if Owen could give us any tips on locations Delta is known to frequent,” the lich says, like we’re much more familiar than we truly are.

My bear grunts and closes his eyes.

Delta is an employee.

I don’t keep tabs on any of my employees, outside of Rogue and occasionally Gemma and Ember. And that’s only because they work directly with my mate.

Mostly, though, my stalking is contained to ensuring Rogue is safe and not going to get herself into any trouble.

A soft hand runs over my bear’s head, and his nostrils flare as he breathes in Rogue’s sweet scent. It’s not as potent as it was in my office, which is probably the only thing that saves him from acting like a fool.

“Can you give us any information on Delta?” she asks, taking a seat at his side. She leans against his front haunch, ignoring how uncomfortable his shoulder plate must be and scratching behind his ear.

He projects his thoughts to her, explaining Delta is an employee. She’s not even what we would consider a friend, and we have no knowledge of her personal life.

Rogue jolts. “Whoa, okay, that was crazy. I thought mates had to be bonded to communicate telepathically.”

“Berserkers could telepathically converse with their coven, so it would make sense that he can also communicate with you if you’re his mate,” the warlock says.

My bear growls at the word if .

Rogue sighs. “He doesn’t like you questioning our connection.”

“I meant no harm,” Cohen says. “I was only clarifying that it makes sense to me that he would be able to communicate with his mate before a claiming bite solidifies the connection. At least, while he’s in beast form.”

“Indeed,” the lich agrees. “Well, if he’s unwilling to cede control back to the man, I suppose that marks the limit of what we can discover tonight.”

Rogue mentioned being tired. You should allow her to get some rest , I tell my bear.

My mate jumps and pulls her hand from the bear’s giant, blocky head.

I believe she may have picked up on me communicating with him. I bet that would be strange for someone unused to sharing their mind with another being.

“Yeah, it’s time for bed,” Rogue says, shoving herself to her feet. “You’re more than welcome to sleep here or in the forest if you would be more comfortable outside. Although, I imagine it must be close to when the sun will come up. I’m going to relocate to my bedroom.”

My bear isn’t being left behind.

He stands, shaking out his fur. His intention is clear—at least to me. He plans to follow her to her room and sleep where he can watch over her.

Let’s hope she finds it as romantic as he thinks she will. My money is on her kicking us out of the house completely, but she does seem fond of him.

We spend the night in beast form on the floor of Rogue’s bedroom.

She stumbles over his massive head in an attempt to get to the bathroom but laughs and apologizes without berating him. Hmm, perhaps the key to never fighting is to weather any storm in bear form.

That way, she’ll be less angry with me.