Eventide of the Bear (The Wild Hunt Legacy #3) by Cherise Sinclair Page A

bored.” He glanced at Minette to make sure she wasn’t paying attention and added, “Sampled every male in the area, and not just during Gatherings. They booted her out.”
    Ben wasn’t surprised. Actually, it was remarkable the promiscuous female had remained with the two wolves so long. They must have been damned wealthy. “Genevieve let you take her cub?”
    Genevieve wasn’t the type to surrender anything she had her paw on—even an unwanted child.
    “I didn’t ask permission.” Ryder’s jaw tightened. “Without the wolves to rein her in, Genevieve… She lacks mothering skills,” Ryder said lightly, although his face was stony, and one hand fisted. He pointed to a small scar over the child’s cheekbone. “Harold said Minette stopped talking when she was alone with her mother.”
    A growl escaped Ben. How could anyone hurt a cub, let alone one with the biggest, most vulnerable eyes in the world?
    “When I showed up, Genevieve was fucking a male in the living room. The cub’s bedroom had no furniture, just a pile of blankets. Minette was hiding out in the backyard in a tiny burrow.”
    Ryder’s anger had always been slow to rise, Ben remembered, and often would loosen his tongue…as it did now.
    “So, I picked Minette up and carried her out, and I started looking for you. I hoped you’d…” Ryder’s voice trailed off.
    Forgive him. Ben closed his eyes for a moment. His anger wasn’t gone, but it was manageable. He didn’t have it in his heart to turn away a child, especially his littermate’s. “I’ve got a big house. There’s room for you and the cub.”
    The tightness in Ryder’s face lessened. “Thanks.”
    “Got to say, the upstairs is a mess, so we’ll have to get the rooms finished and some furniture.”
    “Can do.” The cat’s slow smile appeared. “I’m good with wood.”
    Understatement of the year. Ryder was the finest woodworker Ben had ever met.
    “So…” Ben leaned against the table and attempted another smile. “Want a sandwich to go with the apple slices, Minette?”
    She stared at him for a second and popped her thumb into her mouth.
    Ryder said, “Appreciate it.”
    From the cub’s scrawny appearance, she’d missed more than a few meals with her shrew of a mother. Ben assembled hearty beef and cheddar sandwiches, checking with Ryder for preferences on mayonnaise and mustard. “Here you go.”
    Then he made some for himself and Emma, setting her sandwich, potato chips, and a glass of milk onto a tray. At Ryder’s curious glance, he explained. “Got a werebear in the bedroom next to mine. The Cosantir requested I keep her until she’s healthy.”
    “Wounded? Does she pose a threat?” Ryder glanced at his cub.
    “Not at all. Emma’s a nice female; she’d never hurt a cub.” Another understatement there. “She…” He broke off. Ryder might be relieved to know she’d attacked a hellhound to save a human child, but the Cosantir might not want Emma’s history shared, since he hadn’t rendered his judgment about her. “Having someone around to run food up and assist her when I’m at work would be a relief.”
    “You got it.”
    “Thanks. I’m going to take this upstairs and then join you.”
    As Ben climbed the stairs, he felt his tension ease. Just thinking of Emma had a calming effect. Sure she was a lovely bear with those lush curves and big, brown eyes, but she was also quietly intelligent, fun to talk with, and simply…peaceful.
    *
    That evening, Emma decided she’d go insane—maybe feral—if she was trapped in the bedroom another day. Now, how could she tell Ben she felt caged in his pretty room?
    He’d been so good to her.
    The bedside table held an empty plate and glass from the lunch that Ben had apparently left when she was sleeping earlier.
    Her excessive exhaustion should ease soon. The healer had warned her the extensive healing would knock her off her paws for a few days. Tomorrow she could put some weight on her leg.
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