The look in his eyes said he wasn’t revisiting the mating question. Danny knew a closed subject when he saw one, and nothing he said would convince Zeppelin to tell him. “Please, load him in the truck.”
Before Danny had finished speaking, the men moved, lifting Ash’s massive bulk. Four men effortlessly deadlifted a ten-ton bear like he was the stuffed version kids hugged at night. This had been the strangest day of Danny’s life.
“You can ride shotgun,” the driver of the pickup said. “By the way, name’s Quinn.”
“Thanks, but I’m riding in the back with Ash.” Danny still shook the outstretched hand, the grip firm but not painful.
“That’s fine.” Quinn smiled. “Ash lucked out.”
Whatever that meant. Danny wasn’t going to ask, either. He’d had enough to process already. One more supernatural fact and his head might explode.
As he settled in beside the humungous bear, Danny glanced around, wondering where the black pickup had gone, while praying he never saw it again.
Chapter Nine
Awareness crept in slowly, like light filtering through drawn curtains. Ash blinked, the familiar contours of his bedroom gradually coming into focus. The softness of sheets against his bare skin, the antique dresser, the ceiling fan spinning lazy circles above. For a heartbeat, he simply breathed, letting the quiet familiarity settle in.
Then memory trickled back. The bike. The pickup. Danny’s scream.
Panic tried to set in, until he noticed a warm weight tucked into his side like a heat-seeking missile. Glancing down, he saw Danny curled into a tight ball, squirming as if he couldn’t get deep enough under Ash. In sleep, his face was relaxed, dark lashes fanning across pale cheeks. His breath puffed out slow and even, stirring the hair that had fallen across his forehead.
He brushed dark strands back from Danny's face with a featherlight touch. In the dim light, his mate's features were softened, the lines of strain smoothed away. His lips parted slightly with each slow, even breath, and Ash’s heart squeezed at the vulnerability of it. The trust.
He knew why fate had brought them together. Not to heal Danny, because his mate wasn’t broken. To create a safe harbor so Danny could reconcile who he’d been before and who he was becoming. The timing of the attack cut deep. Just when Danny had started to lower his defenses, to share pieces of himself, someone had shattered that fragile moment of trust. Now Ash feared those carefully constructed walls would rise again, higher and more fortified than before.
As if sensing his gaze, Danny stirred, nose scrunching adorably before his eyes fluttered open. Storm-blue eyes, still hazy with sleep, gazed unguardedly at him.
“Hey, beautiful,” Ash murmured, voice still rough from sleep. Or maybe from emotion. It was hard to tell.
“Ash.” Tears welled up and clung to Danny’s lashes. His bottom lip trembled, like he was fighting not to fall apart.
“C’mere, honey bear.” He pulled his mate fully into his arms. Danny buried his face in Ash’s neck, inhaling deeply.
Lying still, Ash tilted his head, giving Danny the space to anchor his nervous system through scent. Danny exhaled, shivers working through his slender frame. His hand cradled soft hair, holding Danny close as another trembling wave shook his body.
“Keep breathing me in,” Ash encouraged. If Danny needed to sniff him all night to anchor himself, Ash wouldn’t move a muscle. Not as long as his mate was wrapped in his arms, the rapid thump of his heart reassuring him that Danny was safe. “Not the thrill I was looking forward to.” His lips brushed over strands of silky hair, his hand rubbing soft circles between shoulder blades. “I want to kill the son of bitch for terrifying you. I’m just relieved Zeppelin could get there so quickly and you’re lying safely in my arms.”
Danny lifted his head, the scowl on his face worrying Ash. “You’re a bear.”
“I’m fully aware of what I am, sweetheart.”
“Don’t try to charm me.” Danny pushed up then rested his forearms on Ash’s bare chest. “Your bear puns, those throaty growls you make, hoping the Bears win…whatever they play. It was right there in my face the whole time.”
Ash made one of those “throaty growls,” running his hand down Danny’s slender back. “How did you react when my bear took over so I could heal?” He honestly wanted to know, because Ash couldn’t tell if Danny was putting on a brave act or if he’d already come to terms with the discovery.
His mate stared at him as if Ash had sprouted another head. “How do you think I reacted when my boyf—when you turned into a ten-ton furry lump?”
The quick correction hadn’t gone unnoticed. “You fainted.”
Ash grunted when Danny smacked his chest. It hadn’t hurt, but he let his mate have the power over the moment. “I did not put the back of my hand against my forehead.”
“Sorry I assumed you did.” Ash held up his free hand in surrender. This hadn’t been the mood he’d expected, and as wonderful as it was, he was still watching for any sign of internal spiraling. “Please, tell me how you reacted, honey bear.”
A groan almost escaped when Danny’s palm absently brushed over Ash’s chest. He was naked under the sheet, but if Danny kept petting him, a tent would pop up.
“I was scared and confused,” Danny admitted. “I thought maybe I’d died and it was some weird afterlife.”
That was the worst possible way to introduce his bear to his mate. He could only imagine how frightened Danny had been. “I’m sorry you found out in the middle of a crisis. I planned on telling you then eventually show you in a controlled environment where I could help you through any fears you had.”
