She giggled like a madwoman as her brother picked her up and blew raspberries against her neck. It was good to see her acting like a twenty-two year old girl instead of a wounded old woman. “Stop it, Ryan! Stop!” She began beating him on the head and shoulders, hitting him as only a sibling could and live to tell about it.

Ryan settled her back on the sofa. “How was your PT?”

She grimaced. “The man could give lessons to Genghis Khan.” She scowled at Ryan as he settled in next to her. “And what is this I hear about Eric giving Cyn shit?”

Julian’s ears perked up. Was the problem with Eric worse than he’d originally thought?

“He can be a real douche where Heather is concerned.” Ryan shrugged. “He’ll get over it.”

“Explain, please.” Julian allowed some of his power to seep into his voice, forcing the other Bear to comply.

Ryan winced. “When Heather was ten years old a group of teenage Bears decided it would be fun to force her to change.”

Julian blinked. “But the change doesn’t hit until puberty.”

Ryan just stared at him, a look of disgust and anger on his face.

“Oh.”

“Yeah. The fucking pervs terrorized her. Then Bunny showed up and explained to them the error of their ways. The leader of the group refused to apologize to Heather, so Bunny nearly ripped his arm off.”

“Good for him.” Julian crossed his arms over his chest. “What happened next?”

“Heather had nightmares for years afterward, but instead of being terrified of her attackers she became terrified of Bunny. Apparently he was really fucking scary when he snapped some guy’s arm like a twig and demanded his surrender. Bunny began to think he needed to control his rage because of it and started on the whole yoga and tai chi kick.” Ryan shrugged. “I have to admit, he’s easier to get along with now, but Heather’s still afraid of him.”

“And Eric is just as overprotective as Bunny. If he thinks even the slightest thing will bother Heather he does his best to make it go away, but he tries to do it where Heather won’t see. And it’s not just Heather he’s protective of.” Chloe leaned her head back against the sofa. “You should see what he does when he comes over here. He’s worse than Grumpy.”

“Hey!” Ryan grabbed the blanket draped over the coffee table and tucked his baby sister in. “He’s been here?”

“Who hasn’t?” Chloe yawned. “Guys?”

She was fading fast, her energy nowhere near what it should be. He’d have to talk to Jamie about that, maybe have some of her sessions eased until she was a little stronger. “Yeah, I’m going. Ryan?”

“I’ll stay here, make her some dinner. She hasn’t been eating right.”

“She is sitting right here. Dork. And pizza is a perfectly acceptable food group.”

“Hey, Ryan?”

“Hmm?” Ryan was distracted, already heading for Chloe’s postage-stamp kitchen.

“Why would Eric see Cyn as a threat to Heather?”

Ryan shrugged. “Because of the way she looks and how Heather seems fascinated by her. He thinks anybody with ink and funny hair is dangerous. You should have seen the fit he had when Bunny got his tats.”

Julian grinned. “Isn’t your cousin eighteen now?”

“Yeah, and?”

Chloe chuckled. “Take her to LA, moron. And take Bunny with you.”

Ryan and Julian exchanged an evil grin.

“And take me too. I have a tattoo I want to get, and I want Cyn to do it.”

“Chloe—”

“Nope. Not talking me out of it, big bro.”

“I was just going to ask what you’re going to get.”

Sure he was. Julian hung by the door and waited to hear Chloe’s answer.

“A two-tailed kitsune.”

“What the hell is a kitsune?” Ryan was starting Chloe’s lunch and sounded distracted.

“It’s a Japanese fox spirit. It’s said that the more tails it has, the more wisdom it possesses. They could change shape into humans, and were said to have strong magical powers. The legends were probably born of Fox shifters mating with humans, since they could be spouses, lovers, advisors, even guardians.”

“Ah. I like that.” Ryan grinned. “Why only two tails, though?”

“Because I’m starting my second life.”

The two men were silent as they absorbed the implications of what Chloe had said. She was right. Her old life was gone; it was time to start the new one. Damn, she was braver than he’d thought.

“You are wise beyond your years, young Padiwan.” Julian grinned when Chloe glared at him. “And on that note, I’m out of here. Take care, pumpkin. Later, Grumpy.”

Ryan’s snarl was muted by the heavy wooden door.

Chapter Five

Bear stared at him, his furry face inscrutable. Julian stared back.

To Bear, patience really was a virtue.

“‘Two becomes one, one becomes three. Bear knows the way, but Fox holds the key.’”

The deep, rumbling voice after waiting for so long would have startled a much younger Julian, but he’d learned the ways of Bear and wasn’t surprised by much anymore. The spirit dropped a map at his feet, got to his feet and waddled off, leaving behind one very confused Kermode. Julian picked up the map and tried to study it, but it flared to bright life, flashing in his hands, soaking into his skin until nothing was left.

“Huh.” He stood, brushed off his naked ass and turned back down the path that led back to his body. He nodded to the great white Fox on the way, again unsurprised to find him there. Chloe was tied tightly into whatever message the spirits were trying to impart, whether because of their odd bond or because she’d been on the paths and come back. He wasn’t sure, but he’d figure it out. Eventually.

There was one thing he was certain of. Chloe had nearly died. That affected a person on deeper levels than most understood, especially after what he’d done to guide her back to her body from the dark paths. She was closer to the spirit world than most shifters would ever be, and the tie between the two of them had only deepened it.

He’d have to talk to Tai, find out what his leader thought about all of this. If his hunch was right, Chloe was changed in more ways than he could see right now. Unfortunately, that meant answering one of Tai’s phone calls. Julian was certain whatever Tai wanted to say to him wasn’t going to be pleasant.

He followed the path that led back to his body, ready to put an end to this walk through the spirit realm. It hadn’t been nearly as difficult as the one he’d taken when he pulled Chloe back into her body, but it still drained him. If his mate had been there, she would have been on the paths as well, lending her strength, borrowing his own. They’d be much stronger together.

He couldn’t wait until he could take her down the paths. Once Bear accepted her, their mating would be complete.

There. The veil between this world and the physical, a misty barrier he crossed through easily. He landed in his body with a sigh, pulling his skin and bones around him like a familiar, comforting blanket. He opened his eyes—

—and jumped a foot at the sight of bright blue eyes staring into his.

“Hey, Jules. Went spirit-walkies, did we?”

He tried to get his racing heart back under control. “Fuck, Jamie.”

“No thanks. You’re not my type.” Jamie put his stethoscope back around his neck. “I’ve never seen that before.”

“Seen what?” Julian got up from the chair he’d nodded off in and went straight for the coffee machine. He’d fallen asleep in the break room.

“A Kermode in a trance.”

Julian poured himself some coffee. “Yeah, well. I was summoned.”

“Could that happen when you’re driving?”

“Hasn’t yet.” Julian added enough sugar to send a six-year-old into spasms. “Bear’s usually pretty good about that sort of thing. Now, Coyote, he’s a real bitch. When he’s got a message, you’d better be ready to hear it. Lucky me, he doesn’t like to talk much. He’s more a doer.” He poured creamer until the coffee was nearly white, just the way he liked it.