“Dax’s plane doesn’t get in too late, but by the time I get him back to mom and dad’s it’s gonna be dark. I’ll run him by your house first thing, then hit the scrap yard to give a once over to your truck. I’ll pull this cable and take it with me. Hopefully something still carries this asshole’s smell so we know who to kill,” Conner said with a growl.
Chapter 4
Driving to Sea-Tac airport gave Conner time to think about what he’d said to his brothers. Was he willing to kill a human being? Being a bear meant he could be very aggressive. It wasn’t like he hadn’t defended himself in the wild before. But taking a life was not something he’d had to do before.
His bear took the moment to voice his opinion and for once Conner agreed. No one was allowed to harm his family. They would do whatever it took to make sure his parents, his brothers, and their mates were safe.
A few hours later, Conner pulled up to arrivals to pick up Dax. He saw him standing with a leather overnight bag slung over his shoulder. He was tall, muscled but leaner than Conner or his brothers. He was blond, but not like Conner’s hair. It was almost golden, which screamed shifter to him. But then again he knew that Dax was an Alpha Mountain Lion. When he did shift, he was a huge gold cat with a long tail that Conner used to give him shit about.
Pulling up to the curb, Dax pulled open the door and immediately started in. “Wow, star treatment, you didn’t want to show me a comfortable ride now did you?”
“Hey this Jeep is plenty comfortable, you’ve just grown soft out there in that prissy vineyard of yours,” Conner smarted back as he pulled out into traffic as soon as Dax’s ass was in the seat.
“True, true, spending my days enjoying the warm relatively rain free days looking over my fields of plump grapes while knowing some of the finest wine on the west coast is sitting in oak casks ripening has made me a bit soft. I don’t strain myself too hard thinking about all that money I’ll make once it’s bottled. Gives me time to get my nails done and shop for shoes,” he snorted.
Conner had the grace to laugh, he knew how hard Dax and his family worked. They had huge acres of land to manage, tons of staff, and a complicated distribution business. He also knew that Dax was, more often than not, out in those fields, not getting manicures as he suggested.
“You know there was a time we wouldn’t be able to ride in a car together, you know the good old days,” Conner taunted.
“Yes, the good old days of hiding in small communities. Afraid to show our faces or let our cubs out to play in case they were noticed. I tell you, having money and your own business allows for a freedom that our ancestors could never grasp.”
“I guess that is something to be thankful for, now that we have our own generation to think of,” Conner agreed.
“So I heard! Congratulations, Uncle. When is the blessed event anyway? I always forget how long it takes with you teddy bears,” he mocked.
“Har har, it depends, usually it takes the same as humans, unlike you freaky cats,” Conner spat back.
“Oh yes, us freaky cats only have to deal with our mates being pregnant for a little over three months. How terrible!”
“Uh huh, speaking of mates, I haven’t seen your mom in forever. How is she? Still wondering where her grand-cubs are? Still lining up available fertile kitties for you to look at?” Conner continued to jab at him.
“Why yes, yes she is. And I’ve sampled a few, but sadly, no mates,” Dax said giving him a pout.
“Oh, I’m sure it’s a tough job,” Conner laughed.
“Mom is starting to give up on me though. My little sister Mackenzie is getting mom’s full attention now. I probably shouldn’t have left them alone together. They may scratch each other to pieces,” he said laughing.
“Have I ever met your sister? I couldn’t tell if that was some fancy new perfume you were wearing when you got in or maybe your mom gave you a big hug and kiss before you left. I’ll give you a pass if you tell me it was your sister,” Conner said slyly at him.
“No, you haven’t met her and keep your greedy bear paws away from my sister, asshole,” Dax said with a laugh.
They bantered back and forth for the rest of the three-hour trip. Getting caught up on family goings on. Conner hadn’t even realized that his bear had been oddly silent the whole trip. Must not like being stuck in the car with a big cat he figured.
The lights of his parents’ cabin were blazing bright as they pulled into the drive in front of the house. Dax was staying with them while he was there. His mom liked having someone to coddle and Dax was the type that liked when women fawned over him. Lazy cat.