An instant rejection shot to her lips, trapped when a repeat of Shaun’s laughter carried over and sealed her mouth shut. Pain rippled through her, and she fought the violent urge to be ill. No, no cowering in the corner allowed—this was a far better idea. She would see what Shaun thought of her stepping out on him. If moving from woman to woman was what being mated meant here in the north, she wanted to know right now.
Handing him a little of his own medicine felt more than justified.
Gem put aside every instinct in her that screamed noooo and smiled sweetly at the giant. “I would love to.”
She placed her fingers in his and allowed him to guide her onto the crowded floor.
He was a decent enough lead, which let her totally ignore her footing. While she usually loved to dance, this time she was more interested in darting glances between the other bodies weaving around them. Not that she wanted to see Shaun’s reaction when he realized someone was paying attention to her. No, she was totally uninterested.
The stranger placed a hand on her lower back and tugged her closer. Gem took a quick internal inventory, hoping to find a flicker of interest, some kind of sexual response to being in another man’s arms. Nothing. It was like dancing with her grampa.
The big shifter was a good-looking fellow, but now that she’d met her mate, it was clear there was a downside to not being with Shaun. She simply didn’t want this man touching her. How could Shaun even think of being with another woman? It made no sense. Her partner guided her to the side to avoid a drunkard teetering past them.
“Sorry about that.” Her dance partner leaned down to speak into her ear. “That guy’s not from here. Not sure what he’s doing.”
It seemed obvious to Gem. Falling down in the middle of the dance floor. Even the protective arm around her wasn’t enough to allow the butterflies of fear to settle as the noise level increased, loud shouts and insults traded between the drunk and another couple men at the bar. She peeked in Shaun’s direction again, hating that it was his embrace she wanted to be sheltered in.
Across the room, for a split second, they made eye contact. Shaun’s expression passed instantly from shock into sheer rage before disappearing behind the rising head of the drunken bear as he attempted to regain his feet.
“Hey, pretty lady. I like you.”
A big hand pawed the front of her dress before she could step back, her companion forcing an opening in the crowds to let them escape.
“Get your hands off my mate.” Shaun’s voice echoed off the roof, cutting through the dance music pounding the room.
Oh, now she was his mate? Gem sniffed and moved a step closer to her dance partner.
It was right about then that all hell broke lose.
Shaun stepped onto a bar stool and leapt into the air. The drunken bear made it to his feet just in time to become a landing pad for Shaun’s descending body, and they both tumbled back to the floor. A loud grunt of pain escaped the bear, screams rang in the background and Gem was pushed to her knees as a chair flew overhead.
“Crawl toward the exit,” her partner ordered, covering her with his body as bottles and plates crashed around them.
“Gem!”
She peeked out from under her protective block to see Shaun scrambling upright, only to have a hand snag his ankle and yank him off balance. He kicked backward, connecting a foot with the bear’s face. A roar of anger was followed by a violent swing of arms, and Shaun went down in a tangled mess with the flailing bear.
She was tugged away from the center of the room as the giant bear attempted to get her to safety. Leaving Shaun behind—it was so wrong. Everything in her wanted to stay back and help him. Anger rose—why couldn’t she just turn and walk away? Why should she feel anxious for him when he’d been cheating on her, talking to another woman?
Because talking is one step away from sex, right?
Oh…pickles.
Maybe she’d misunderstood the situation. Even as guilt struck, a loud screeching sound rang from the left, and she glanced over to see a tall buffet descending toward her. There was no time to retreat, too many bodies between her and escape. She threw up her arms and hoped for the best.
Something hard and warm crashed into her, pulling her to the ground and rolling them both to safety under the feet of the roaming crowds.
“Hold on to me,” Shaun shouted above the noise, and Gem’s heart pounded as she obeyed. She snapped one arm around his neck, clinging tight as he cradled her to his body and plunged them forward through the masses toward where the cooler night air poured in the open front door.
She cried as a blow landed on her side. Shaun rolled them again, blocking her from the attack even as he managed to get them free from the mess and out into the relative calm of the street.
There were shifters everywhere, in human and animal form. The fights continued, but the scene around them blurred as Gem clutched Shaun with a death grip and allowed him to sweep her up in his arms to carry her away.
“Are you okay?” He paused outside a shop to run a quick gaze over her. “Damn it, Gem, when I saw you go down, I thought I would die.”
Her side ached, but the look in his eyes made things infinitely better. Then she noticed he was bleeding.
“I’m okay, but your face—”
He’d been hit, a ribbon of blood trickling from the cut on his forehead. “Those damn bears. I’ll be fine, but they are acting awfully weird—even for grizzlies.”
“You bastard. Ready to take your medicine?”
Raucous shouts rose from the street behind them, and Gem cowered against Shaun’s side as he cradled her protectively. A crowd of dark bodies had surrounded one figure—the man she’d been dancing with. Two of the group smacked him on the back and sent him sprawling to his knees. He rolled, but couldn’t escape before another shifter landed on top of him and began to systematically pound blows against his unprotected face.
Gem’s throat tightened. She had no idea what was going on, but didn’t think anyone deserved this kind of abuse. She tugged on Shaun’s arm.
“He’s all by himself, seven against one? What could he have done? I didn’t see him do anything wrong.”
Shaun nodded once. “Even if he did, this isn’t the way to deal with it.”
He squeezed her tight before turning toward the street.
Gem stepped after him. “Should I…?”
He twirled to face her. “You stay out of it, okay?”
“But I can—”
“Stay out of it.” He clamped onto her arms and stared her in the eye. “I can’t fight if I’m worried about you. Please.”
It only took a second for her to nod, and when he pointed to a nearby doorway, she fled in obedience. It didn’t matter how strong she was as a wolf, not when other kinds of shifters were involved.
From the safety of the entranceway, she turned to watch as he waded back into the fray. Fists flying, feet kicking. The match was hard and dirty, but Shaun moved with an easy grace, mowing down bodies in his path one by one until he reached the centre of the fight and peeled the two main opponents apart.
“Is he your mate?” a feminine voice asked from beside her.
Gem refused to look away, cringing as a blow rocked Shaun. “Yes. What’s happening?”
“The bears have some kind of territorial battle brooding. There is supposed to be a peaceful gathering in Dawson, but a few side agendas seem to be heating up their blood. Martin—the one getting the shit kicked out of him—he’s local. I’m surprised he’s involved, he’s not usually into politics.”