At the other end of the line, Susan Brown hung up the phone and turned to the man seated next to her. “How was that?"
Charles smiled at her and said, “You did just fine, Mom. I couldn't have done better myself."
"And you'll do what you said?” Her eyes were full of hope as she handed him the sheet of paper with the address on it.
"I'll bring your little girl home. I promise.” No matter what it took, Mary Elizabeth was coming home where she belonged.
In spite of everything, Mary Elizabeth was only a few minutes late. Both Kiesha and Shannon were waiting for her. She called out as the breezed in the door, “Sorry I'm late. Things were crazy this morning. Hey, Shannon. I'm surprised to see you here. I thought Kiesha said you preferred to work at home?"
Shannon rolled her eyes. “I do, but my brother's there right now. I came here for some peace and quiet."
Kiesha turned to her in surprise. “From the little Alex said, I got the impression you and your brother weren't on speaking terms."
"It's a long and complicated story. I'd rather hear about Mary Elizabeth. I gather you changed your mind about Hugh? You're positively glowing."
Mary Elizabeth sputtered in surprise, causing Kiesha to turn and examine her closely. “You know, now that you mention it, there is something different about her.” She sniffed the air around Mary Elizabeth. “You even smell different. Are you wearing a different perfume?"
"Would you quit smelling me! That's just freaky, the way you people do that."
Shannon shook her head. “That's not perfume you're smelling. That's Hugh. His scent is all over her."
Kiesha looked at Mary Elizabeth and smiled as she began to fidget under the weight of their combined stare. “Do tell,” she smiled wickedly. “You have anything you want to tell us?"
Mary Elizabeth shoved her bangs out of her face and wondered if she could get past them and into her office. Knowing them, they'd follow her and then she'd be trapped. Damn, they were nosey. Couldn't a woman satisfy a few needs without everyone knowing about it? Damned wolf senses!
"If you must know, Hugh and I have been seeing each other a bit."
Shannon snorted in disbelief. “Yeah, try telling that to someone who doesn't know any better. You've been doing more than seeing him ‘a bit.’ The man put his mark on you."
Kiesha squealed and hugged Mary Elizabeth. “Oh, I'm so happy for you. Now I know you'll be staying. Wait until I tell Alex."
Mary Elizabeth pushed Kiesha away. “Tell Alex what? And what do you mean, ‘now you know I'll be staying'? I had no intentions of leaving.” Turning to Shannon, she said, “And what the hell are you talking about, ‘he put his mark on me'? Hugh's not a werewolf. I haven't been marked by anyone."
Kiesha immediately sobered. She and Shannon exchanged a look that spoke volumes, before turning back to Mary Elizabeth. “Sweetie, he's not a werewolf, but he is a shifter. Didn't he tell you?"
"What do you mean he's a shifter? If he's not a werewolf, what else is there that he could be?"
Shannon piped in. “I don't really know the man, but from his scent, I'd say he was a were-bear."
"A bear! There are bears? No one said anything about bears."
Kiesha frowned at her, obviously thinking back. “Well, no. But I did tell you there were other shifters here besides Alex."
"I thought you meant there were other werewolves! No one said ANYTHING about there being other types of shifters. Just how many others are there?"
Shannon started counting them off. “Well, there's Rome, the sheriff. He's some type of cat. Fatima, the woman who owns the health food store, she's a fox. And of course, there's Hugh. He's a bear. That's all I personally know about, but then I'm new. If you really want to know, you'd have to ask somebody like Alex, or Hugh."
Kiesha brought the conversation back to the main issue. “I take it Hugh didn't tell you what he was before he mated you?"
"Stop saying that! I am not mated. This is just an affair. We agreed. I won't allow it to be more.” Mary Elizabeth was ready to pull her hair out.
Shannon said under her breath, “Damned sneaky bear."
Kiesha nodded in agreement. “So he hasn't bitten you on the tendon where your neck and shoulder join?"
Mary Elizabeth's hand flew to that spot instinctively, as though trying to hide the evidence, forgetting that her shirt covered the mark on her neck. Her movement only gave her away and she knew it.
Kiesha patted her on the shoulder sympathetically. “Don't worry. There's still hope. According to Alex, the mating bond isn't complete until you mark him in return. As long as you didn't bite him like he bit you, it should be okay. If you really don't want him, though, you'll have to stay away from him from now on."
Mary Elizabeth looked at Kiesha in despair as memories of last night exploded in her mind. She'd marked Hugh. Not once, but several times. What the hell was she going to do now?
Correctly interpreting the look on her face, Shannon asked, “I take it by the look on your face that it's too late? You've already marked him?"
Mary Elizabeth nodded. “Last night, but I didn't know what I was doing, I swear. What am I going to do?"
Kiesha turned to Shannon. “I'm new to this whole mating business. Does it count if she didn't know what she was doing? Is there any way out of it? Any kind of loophole?"
Shannon shook her head, and Mary Elizabeth knew she was not going to be happy with what she was about to say. “They are well and truly mated now. If this was just a regular mating there might be a way, but I've got a feeling from the way they react toward each other that she's his One. Even if there were a way, he'd never let her go now. They are as good as married. There's no divorce in our world. Mates stay mates until the day they die."
Chapter Eighteen
Mary Elizabeth eyes bounced from object to object, instinctively looking for a way of escape. “I've got to get out of here. I need to think. I only met the man three weeks ago and now you're telling me I'm married to him?” She began to pace, too agitated to stand still.
Kiesha reached out and caught her by the arm. “Mary Elizabeth, calm down. Don't do anything rash. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that the Creator doesn't make any mistakes when it comes to true mates. I think if you just give yourself some time to get used to the idea, you'll find out that everything is okay. Believe me, I know how you feel. I wasn't any more accepting of this when Alex told me about it than you are right now. I think when you have a chance to get over the shock, you'll find that Hugh really is the perfect man for you—your soul mate. That's how it was for me with Alex. You just need time to adjust your thinking."
She pulled her arm away and went back to pacing, throwing her hands up in the air in frustration. “And when am I suppose to find time to do that? The man is practically living in my apartment. He knew I only wanted an affair. I was very clear about that. I told the man I couldn't handle anything more serious."
"He's just waiting you out. Bears are very intelligent and cunning creatures. He knew if he hung around long enough, the mating fever would take over and before you knew it, the mate bond would have you both. Once the mating fever kicks in, the only way to stop things is for one of you to die before the bond can be completed.” Shannon continued, “I could tell at the party that the two of you were in the grip of the mating fever. I didn't know at the time that you had no idea what Hugh was. He should have at least told you that much about himself."
"He probably thought that at best she wouldn't believe him or at the worst, the information would scare her away. I'm sure neither option appealed to him. He still should have told Mary Elizabeth. That's men for you. There's a lot I wouldn't have known until it was too late if Carol hadn't told me about it first. People in love do some strange things when that love is threatened."