Boarlander Bash Bear 2(38)

Bash turned and pulled the shower curtain back, then offered his hand like she was his queen and helped her under the steaming shower water. He stepped in with her and closed the curtain, casting them in shadow. Emerson had unpacked all her smelly-good toiletries earlier, and Bash watched her with open curiosity as she primped, shampooed, conditioned, shaved her legs, and washed.

Bash sniffed each bottle she used like he was committing her routine to memory. “Girls sure have to do a lot when they shower,” he said with a slight frown. “That don’t really seem fair. All I gotta do is shampoo and soap. Two minutes, and I’m done, but this is like a part-time job, bein’ a girl.”

“Well, if you want my legs smooth and me smelling like a botanical garden, this is what has to happen.”

“One, I like your natural smell, and two, smooth legs or Sasquatch legs, I’d still do you.”

She snorted and closed her eyes against the laugh that lodged in her throat. Dear goodness, she loved the way he expressed his thoughts, so honest and abrupt. She was pretty sure none of her other boyfriends would’ve given her open encouragement to stop shaving her legs, but that was just Bash’s way. He was telling her he liked her however she wanted to be.

Bash took his turn under the water and, sure enough, two minutes later, he was clean and smelling like soap. His back was to her as he rinsed out his hair, and she couldn’t stifle the urge to touch the uneven skin there. “Will you tell me what happened?”

Bash tensed under her touch, then slowly he locked his arms against the wall and sighed. “Do you have to know?”

“I would like to so I don’t imagine it worse than what it was.”

“You can’t.”

“I can’t what?”

Bash turned slowly, and his eyes were so light green it was hard to hold his gaze. “You can’t imagine it worse than it was. Harrison’s bear ain’t right. His dad used to beat him silly, and he can’t feel safe. Before Audrey came along, he used to constantly patrol the border of Boarlander territory, just making sure all was well. All day, during his shifts, all night, when he was supposed to be sleeping. I always woke up, too, and waited on my porch at night until he came home. Had to make sure he was okay. And for a while, he seemed like he was getting better. He was patrolling less. But then one day he just took off, tearing out of the trailer park, no warning. He Changed into his bear before he even hit the tree line, but me and the other boys didn’t hear anything wrong. Didn’t feel anything wrong, and sometimes it was like that for Harrison. Just fast. Uncontrolled. But then I heard it.” Bash swallowed hard.

Bash wouldn’t look at her anymore, so she hugged him around his waist and rested her cheek against his chest. “Heard what?”

“Gunshots. Poachers had come looking to shoot shifters. People had paid a guide a lot of money to take us, and Harrison gave him an easy target trying to keep them from the trailer park. And Georgia was there.”

“Who’s Georgia?”

“She’s a Gray Back park ranger. Jason’s mate. Damon hired her to help take care of his mountains. She got all shot up, too, and I was running as fast as I could, trying to get to them. The boys were following, but Harrison was…” Bash’s voice cracked, and he cleared his throat before he continued. “Harrison is my best friend. Mine to protect. I reached him as Damon brought war to those sonofabitches. He was raining dragon’s fire, and he’s ancient. Good aim, but his fire is wide, and we were all clumped together. I had to protect Harrison. He was bleeding so bad, his fur all matted, and was draggin’ himself across the ground, trying to reach Georgia. And all I had time to do was throw myself over him. I caught the edge of the fire, and it was fast. Damon wasn’t aiming for me. He was trying to get the men shooting. Trying to protect us. Trying to get us to live. And when it was done, I couldn’t see straight I hurt so bad. I didn’t want to look because I thought my skin wasn’t there anymore, so I just went to work trying to get the bullets out of Harrison so he could maybe heal. Red up to my elbows,” Bash murmured in a faraway voice as he rocked Emerson gently from side to side. “He kept saying, ‘she saved me,’ and Jason was trying to bring Georgia back. The Gray Backs were yelling at her to breathe, and I was trying to stop the red on Harrison. There was fire all around. Ashes and smoke. After that, Harrison had a hard time healing, and things got bad for the Boarlanders. He never said not to show my burns, but I don’t want them reminding him of that day, so I just keep them covered when I can.”