“Do I really sound like that?” I demand. None of the other bears in my family do, but it wouldn’t be the first time I was the odd one out. A growl emanates from my chest at the thought. Not a bone-chilling-coming-from-the-bathroom type growl, more of a my-bear-is-coming-to-the-surface type growl. “Well? Do I?”
“Of course you don’t,” Julian’s the first to reply, his eyes locked on the door as Amber growls once more. Louder this time. More chilling, too.
“What he said.” Chase takes one last look at the bathroom door and then raises his hands in self-defense. My eyes narrow as he starts to back away from me, but then I catch the smirk he’s trying to hide. “We didn’t mean to make you angry, Wes. Just calm down, okay, buddy?”
“I’m always calm,” I growl, and the three of us break into matching grins.
Being around my friends—my brothers—soothes me. They may not be bears like me, but like Amber, they’re family. And knowing that my family trusts me completely, even if my growls are bone-chilling, bordering on terrifying, is a huge relief.
Then Amber make a sound that reminds me of a beast from hell, and I grimace.
“Hey, Bean, everything alright in there?” Julian calls.
Amber grunts.
“Are you feeling warmer?” I ask cautiously.
“Warm,” Amber purrs. “So warm…”
Her voice is deep and menacing and gruff and definitely not mine. At least, I don’t think it’s mine? I look at the guys for confirmation, and they shake their heads.
“Cave troll?” Chase suggests, then whispers. “She shifted into a cave troll once when Ford showed up naked.”
“Ford showed up naked?” Julian’s eyes narrow on Chase.
“Hey, it wasn’t my fault.” Chase shrugs. “That guy’s always naked.”
“It’s a shifter thing,” I add. “Not the sneezing and losing your clothes in the middle of Main Street part. That’s a Ford thing. But we’re more comfortable with nudity than other supes.”
Chase nods. “Amber got Ford some clothes to wear, but she kept grunting and growling the whole time.”
“Grunting?” I frown.
“And growling?” Julian scowls.
“Because she was a cave troll.” Chase rolls his eyes. “Not because Ford was naked. Why would she ever look at him when she’s got us?”
“Good point.” Julian visibly relaxes, and I do too. The bunny has a point.
“Hey sweetheart, did you shift into a cave troll again?” Chase calls out.
“No!” Amber snaps from the other side of the bathroom door.
“Ogre?” Julian ventures a guess.
“No!” Amber growls this time.
“You didn’t shift into me, did you?” I hold my breath. I’m still half terrified I actually sound like that.
“I did,” Amber replies, but this time in a voice that suddenly sounds surprisingly like mine. Maybe I only sound like a beast from hell when I’m cold?
I share a look with the guys, and then Chase asks, “Are you feeling better?”
“I am,” I call back… well, Amber calls back, in my voice. “Hey, what time is it?”
It’s strange hearing myself answering from the other side of the door. It’s also hard for my brain to reconcile who I’m talking to, since I keep picturing Amber, then myself, then Amber again.
“Just past ten,” Julian says after checking his phone. “Why?”
“Ten?!” Amber shouts, my voice laced with panic. “But we haven’t even started on the decorations and… oh no, the thermostat!”
“Oh, shit…” Julian mutters, and I grimace.
“The thermostat?” Chase frowns, and I realize he’s the only one who hasn’t been downstairs yet. “Is something wrong with the thermostat?”
“The cafe’s freezing,” I tell him. “It’s either off or busted.”
“Can you fix it?” My voice calls from the other side of the door, sounding desperate. “Please tell me you can fix it. Oh crap, we need to shovel the street!”
It takes me a few seconds to realize it’s Amber talking and not me—I mean, come on, obviously it’s not me—and that my mate plans to go out there again.
“You’re not going outside,” I order, my heart nearly stopping with fear.
When I saw her lying face-down in a pile of snow… let’s just say that was one of the worst, most terrifying moments of my life. For a split second, I was sure she was dead. That my time with my mate was cut short, and we’d never get to do all those things we planned. Go camping. Travel. Have little bear cubs of our own.
When I yanked her out of that snowbank and saw that she was alive, the relief that washed over me was short-lived. Amber’s skin had taken on a bluish tint, she was shivering, her teeth were chattering, and all I could think about was warming her up. Making sure she’d be okay.
“You are not putting me through that again!”
There’s a pause on the other side of the door, and my voice is soft when Amber replies, “I’m sorry I scared you, Wes.”
“You didn’t scare me,” I growl. “Just don’t do it again.”
“I won’t. But there’s so much snow…” Amber complains, my voice taking on a whiny tone.
“The guys and I will take care of it!” I’m not risking her falling in another snowbank. Or catching a cold. Or worse.
“But…”
“You should shower and get ready for the party,” I suggest.
“Oh, crap!” Amber cries, my voice taking on a much higher pitch. “My hair. I need time to do my hair!”
Chase and Julian look at each other.
“I’ll need to do my makeup again, too,” my voice wails—actually wails—from the other side of the door, and Chase and Julian burst out laughing.
“I wish I was recording this,” Julian snorts, unlocking his phone.
“No way in hell,” I snap, grabbing it from him.
“Hey, give that back,” he shouts as I hold it just out of reach. “Do you know what kind of blackmail material this is?”
“I got it,” Chase shouts, and I realize he’s got his own phone out.
“Don’t you dare.” I turn on him and lunge for the phone, but he jumps out of the way and grins at me.
“What’s going on out there?” Amber calls, but this time it’s in her own voice, not mine.
“Nothing.” Chase sighs and pockets his phone.
Julian holds out his hand, and since Amber’s back to herself, I figure it’s safe and hand it back to him.
“I’ll try to be quick,” Amber calls out, the sound of the shower running echoing in the background. “Can you guys please fix the thermostat and start getting the cafe ready?”
Chapter Four
Chase
“We’ll come help you as soon as we fix this thing,” I call after Wes, whose giant frame is bundled up from head to toe. My words form a white cloud in the frigid air, and I’m glad I’m not the one who’s heading out of the cafe with a shovel in hand.