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Published by The Hartwood Publishing Group, LLC,
Hartwood Publishing, Phoenix, Arizona
www.hartwoodpublishing.com
Grizzly Perfection
Copyright © 2017 by Becca Jameson
Digital Release: December 2017
All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination, or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Grizzly Perfection by Becca Jameson
The scent of her mate was in the air…
When Adriana lifted her head and scented her mate for the first time, the world stopped spinning. She’d never met him, but she knew exactly who he was. Nolan Osborn. He was right outside. And then he wasn’t.
He could not risk her life…
Nolan’s heart skipped a beat as he stepped from the car. He had no idea who belonged to the scent that would change his life, but he couldn’t risk meeting her tonight. His life was in danger. He would not risk hers as well.
But he was not her only option…
When Reid got the call that his best friend needed him, he didn’t hesitate. Nolan’s mate was in danger, and she needed a bodyguard. It was an easy job. And then it wasn’t.
This could not be happening.
Grizzly shifters mated in pairs.
Why would Fate put two men in Adriana’s path, forcing her to choose?
Dedication
This book is for all my fans who miss reading my paranormal ménages. I love you all!
Prologue
“Sir, I have those books ready for you.”
Without moving his head, Stephen Rimouski lifted his gaze to stare over the top of his glasses at his new right-hand man, Vinny, who stood across from his desk. Stephen lifted one hand to reach for the thick, official accounting ledger. When he lowered the volume in front of him and opened it to the last few pages, he smiled. “Looks good.”
Stephen leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers in front of his lips, tapping them several times before speaking again. “You’ve proven to be a valuable team player in recent months.”
“Thank you, sir.” Vinny was tall, over six feet, but lanky. His dark hair was cropped close to his head. His dark eyes were nearly always furrowed, serious. His skin was too pale, as though he didn’t get enough sun. To most people, he looked like an ordinary enough guy, but Stephen knew better.
“I think it’s time I gave you more responsibility.” Stephen paused. “And more pay to compensate for your loyalty to the team.”
“That would be appreciated, sir.” Vinny shuffled his feet and rubbed his hands together.
Ordinarily, Stephen wouldn’t consider hiring someone this uptight in a million years. But Vinny had qualities that were invaluable to the team.
When he’d come to Rimouski’s office six months ago looking for a job, Stephen had hedged. But Vinny had balls, and he didn’t back down. That’s when he began to weave a tale so absurd and unbelievable that Stephen found himself at a loss for words, allowing Vinny to continue to dig a hole for himself. At the time, Stephen fully intended to bury Vinny in that hole as soon as he finished speaking.
Instead, at the end of a rambling tale about the existence of bear shifters, Vinny had pushed his chair out of the way and transformed right in front of Stephen’s eyes.
Stephen had jumped from his seat and taken two steps back while his heart beat out of his chest. “Fuck.”
The grizzly had bared his teeth, but it almost seemed as though he was laughing instead of threatening anyone. After lifting his paws to place them on the desk in a show of dominance, the bear had transformed back into a human and stood in the same spot, his hands on the mahogany surface. His expression was tight, his eyes unblinking. “Like I said, Mr. Rimouski, I believe I have a quality that would be useful to you.”
Shaking thoughts of the past from his mind, Stephen stared at Vinny. There was no question the man was invaluable. As it turned out, people who could shift into a bear form possessed many other abilities Stephen was coming to rely on, not the least of which involved the fact that Vinny could scent other shifters.
What Stephen now knew was that although no ordinary human could ever be a match for him, in the course of his life, he faced a far bigger threat—shifters. Those damn animals had powers he could only dream of. If any of them found out about his nefarious dealings, they could ruin him. Which meant he needed Vinny. The man was invaluable.
The fact that Stephen now had a shifter working for his team gave him a certain level of relief, but knowing there were others out there kept Stephen on edge. On any given day, how many people did he pass in the street who weren’t fully human? And how many of them could sense things that could lead to Stephen’s total ruination?
Vinny had spent no small amount of time warning Stephen about the importance of keeping the existence of shifters to himself. Whether or not Vinny had been shitting him was irrelevant. Stephen would heed the admonition to avoid risking his own life testing the possibilities.
Keeping Vinny on his payroll was important. Keeping the shifter happy was also crucial.
Stephen cleared his throat. “I’ll transfer funds to your account this afternoon. Think of it as a bonus for your loyal service.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Have any of my men proven to be anything other than on the up and up lately?” He used Vinny to spy on his other employees.
“No, sir. Everyone I’ve met is a team player.”
“Excellent.” Stephen smiled. Damn, it was nice to have someone sensitive working for him. The man had an uncanny ability to read others and report back. “I have to leave town for the weekend. I’ll be back Sunday evening. You need anything, you call my regional manager, Joe Stringer, got it?”
“I won’t let you down, sir.”
“I hope not. You don’t want to know what happens to traitors around here.”
“You can count on me, sir.”
“Good. I’ll call you when I get back in town.”
Chapter One
Nolan Osborn was running late. He was also completely out of sorts as he pulled up to his parents’ house on the outskirts of Calgary. He glanced at the ominous, serious man sitting in the passenger seat and sighed. He needed to gather half his wits before he went inside. Did the guy have to be so damn…intense?
Carl Schaefer. Officer Carl Schaefer. The man who intended to remove Nolan from his current life and place him in witness protection. He had insisted Nolan leave with him that afternoon, but Nolan pushed back. His parents had returned from a sabbatical in Australia hours ago. Nolan hadn’t seen them in eight months. He really wanted a chance to face them before he disappeared for weeks or months.
Damn his stupid job.
“Five minutes, Nolan.” Schaefer pointed at his watch. His expression never changed, and he didn’t make eye contact with Nolan. He continually scanned their surroundings as he had from the moment Nolan met him about three hours ago.
&nb
sp; Nolan twisted his neck in every direction. “Come on. There’s no way anyone followed us here. I’m sure it’s safe. This is a welcome-home party. Let me at least have enough time to explain things to my family and reassure them.”
“Five minutes. And the clock is already ticking.” Carl never stopped scanning the area, his head slowly swiveling right and left as if he were a robot instead of a human. Unfortunately for Nolan, Carl was human. Completely human. This entire day would have gone smoother if he’d been a grizzly shifter, but he was not. And Nolan had to deal with it.
As he reached for the handle to open the car door, he hesitated. Perhaps Carl was right, and the decision to come here was too dangerous. Was he selfish for putting his parents and their friends in jeopardy like this? There were a dozen cars up and down the street. The house was filled with guests.
Fuck.
Determined to at least hug his mom and dad and speak with his two younger sisters, Nolan yanked the door open, set one foot on the ground, and lifted himself out of the car.
That was as far as he got. In fact, his right foot was still inside on the floorboard when he took a deep breath and jerked his gaze toward the house. He could see inside the front window. The living room was packed. The kitchen probably was, too. He scented about twenty different people.
But that wasn’t the problem.
Son of a bitch.
Why? He lifted his gaze toward the sky and tried to keep his heart from pounding out of his chest. Why today? The world was seriously out to get him today. Or at least Fate. Did She think She was funny? He didn’t.
He paused long enough to breathe in deeply a second time and assure himself he wasn’t crazy. Nope. He didn’t know who the scent belonged to that stood out over all the others. It wasn’t someone he’d met before. But there was no mistaking the fact that its owner was his intended mate.
Shaking, he slid back into the car, closed the door, and stared out the windshield.
“What’s the matter?” Carl asked.
“Give me a second,” Nolan murmured. Deep breaths. No way in hell could he go inside. For one thing, he couldn’t possibly put his mate in the kind of danger she would assuredly be in if he confronted her. For another thing, meeting her would only make the separation they were about to face worse.
“Changed my mind,” he whispered as he started the engine. “You’re right. It’s not worth the risk.”
“Thank God. Let’s go.”
His sister Paige was in his head in a heartbeat, communicating in the way only shifters could. “Nolan. What the hell?”
“Can’t explain right now. Tell Mom and Dad I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t even try to blow me off like that. You know Mom is going to be on you in two seconds. Everyone in the house knows you just pulled up and then left.”
“You sure everyone knows?” he asked. If Fate had even one pinch of common decency, She hadn’t revealed Nolan to the woman inside destined to be his.
There was a split-second pause, and then Paige communicated again. “Shit. Yes. Everyone,” she emphasized. “Why the hell are you running from her?”
Nolan fought the urge to groan out loud as he gripped the steering wheel and hoped Carl didn’t notice how stressed he was.
“Long story. Can’t talk now.” He needed to concentrate on the road. It was almost harder to pay attention to his surroundings while communicating telepathically than if he’d been using a cell phone. Carl would notice his detachment any second. He took the next right turn and headed toward the highway.
“You cannot just disappear without saying anything, Nolan Osborn,” Paige screamed into his mind. “Why would you do this? Mom and Dad are waiting for you.”
“Please, Paige, I’m begging you to trust me. I have my reasons. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Do you even know who she is?”
“No. Tell me later. Please,” he pleaded again. He tried to control the tone of his connection before he continued. “Please apologize to her for me. This has nothing to do with her. And tell Mom I’ll call her when I have a chance.”
“Nolan,” Paige screamed.
“Paige. I’m not alone.”
“Oh.” She hesitated. “You’re with a human.”
“Yes.”
“Female?”
Oh, Lord. His sister had the wrong idea, thinking he had a date. Made sense. But no such luck. “No. Give me a bit. Apologize to Mom and Dad. Apologize to my…mate.” He cut off the connection abruptly, mostly because he was afraid his emotions were going to start spilling into the car.
Grizzly shifters did not ordinarily deny their mates like this. It wasn’t possible. But somehow, he was going to have to put off this initial meeting, indefinitely.
∙•∙
Adriana Tarben stood rooted to her spot for long seconds. The tiny hairs on the back of her neck stood up, sending a shiver down her spine. A flush rushed across her face, undoubtedly leaving her cheeks red. She turned her gaze toward the front of the house, her eyes widening, her mouth falling open.
Every breath during the few brief seconds afforded her reinforced what she’d known the moment Paige Osborn’s face lit up as she announced the arrival of her brother. “Nolan’s finally here.”
While everyone around them shifted their attention toward the front door, Adriana froze in her spot. Stunned was too mild a word to describe her reaction. In hindsight, Nolan had only been outside of his car for a few precious seconds, but it seemed so much longer to Adriana. Her world changed drastically without warning.
While her heart stopped beating and the breath was sucked from her lungs, Paige’s brother disappeared as quickly as he’d arrived. Thoughts raced through her mind, too many to grasp at any one thought long enough to follow it.
She couldn’t believe the power of Fate. Intellectually, she knew this could happen to her one day. Any day. Without warning. It had happened to so many grizzly shifters lately, including two of her brothers. But she was only twenty-three. And she was blindsided.
People around her were all talking at once, but she heard nothing. As if a mute button had been pushed, noises stopped reaching her ears. She glanced around, feeling like she’d left her body and was watching everyone move from somewhere near the ceiling.
The large family room of this ranch-style house was filled with people who were oblivious to her plight. Laughter and bits and pieces of conversation filled her ears. A few people sat on the soft beige leather sofa, but most were standing in groups. A glance toward the wide opening that led to the eat-in kitchen reinforced how damn many people were in attendance.
She had to get out of this crowded room.
Spinning on her heels, she rushed down the hallway toward the bedroom she’d been staying in for the past two months while the Osborns were on their sabbatical and her brother and his mate, Alton and Joselyn, were renting this house from them. She slid inside without bothering to turn on the light. She eased herself onto the edge of the bed, her hands shaking, her mind still spinning. The faint glow of a crescent moon spilled across the floor from the partially open blinds. It was all the light she needed. Grizzlies could see fine in the dark. Besides, she didn’t want or need to see anything at the moment.
Nolan Osborn was her mate.
Where had he gone and why?
Unease replaced shock as the implications of his flight took hold of her. He would have scented her, too. Just as strongly. And then he’d fled. There was no other way to interpret that than to realize he hadn’t wanted to meet her. Why?
Granted, the two of them had never met before. She had no idea what he looked like. She knew very little about him, actually. But he most likely had no knowledge of her, either. Until tonight, they had never crossed paths. She was from the small town of Silvertip two hours west of Calgary. Her pack owned and operated one of the two microbreweries in the rural town tucked away in the Rocky Mountains.
Adriana took a few deep breaths as someone else slipped into the room. She lifte
d her gaze to find Paige shutting the door with a soft snick before padding toward her. “You okay?”
Adriana didn’t know how to respond. Paige knew her brother had arrived and left. If she was sharp, she might even have known there was a connection between him and Adriana. She was certain she had done nothing to school her expression. Besides, she’d turned tail and fled the room hastily.
Paige cleared her throat. “My brother… He, uh…”
Yep. She knew. She’d even communicated with him. Not surprising. They were siblings. They could easily exchange information telepathically, even from a distance of many miles. Adriana said nothing, waiting on her new friend to stammer through whatever explanation she had.
The two women hadn’t known each other long, nor had Adriana spent much time with Paige yet, but she liked her, and she felt confident she could trust her.
Paige reached the edge of the bed and lowered herself next to Adriana. “I don’t know what to say. Nolan isn’t normally like this.”
Adriana almost laughed. “You mean all the other times he realized his mate was in the house, he didn’t speed away without a word?”
Paige smiled, tipping her head to one side as she faced Adriana. “I don’t know what his deal is tonight. He was vague and acting strange.”
“So, he did communicate with you?” Adriana crossed her arms and rubbed her biceps with her palms, suddenly chilled. Hopefully, Paige would be able to give her at least something to explain away the tightness in her chest.
“Yeah, but I don’t know much more. He wasn’t alone. I thought maybe he’d had a date with him and then felt too weird to come inside with her.”
That would explain a lot. Adriana sat up taller. “But that wasn’t it?”
She shook her head. “No. He was with a human, but not a woman. A man. Maybe a co-worker or something?” Paige threw up her hands. “I don’t know. I can’t make any sense of it. Mom and Dad have been gone for eight months. Tonight is all about welcoming them home. Why on earth Nolan would get back in his car and drive away is a mystery to me.”
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