Shifter Overdrive (Paranormal Romance Boxed Set)

by Scarlett Grove

  He bit deep and hard, and gripped her hips tightly in his hands as his flesh smacked into hers over and over again. In that moment of heightened sensuality, a vision washed across her mind’s eye. She could see her own bear barreling towards her, roaring and growling to be heard. Brock’s teeth bit hard. She could feel blood seeping down her neck and his tongue lapping it up. He wrapped his arms around her, and held her as close to him as he could get her.

  As her body wanted to come to climax again, Brock’s cock grew inside her. If she could have cried out, she would have. But his teeth around her neck seem to have stopped the sound from coming out of her throat. All at once, he shot his seed inside her, his teeth still gripped tight around the curve of her neck. The light and fireworks and emotions seem to spark and ignite, exploding all around her and through her. An intricate web of love and desire wrapped around and through her and Brock, binding them together for all eternity.

  Breathless and mindless as she lay there, she felt Brock’s teeth slowly loosen their grip on her skin. He slid from inside her and licked the wound on her neck, before he rolled over to lay with his back on the bed. His arm was still around her, and he pulled her against his chest, stroking her hair as his heart beat hard under her cheek.

  “Was that it? Did you do it?”

  “Can’t you feel it?”

  “I think so. I think I saw my bear inside my head when you bit me.”

  “That’s normal,” he said, wiping the sweat from his brow.

  “But I don’t feel any different.” She gripped him and gripped her own hand, assessing the pain and stiffness.

  “You won’t really feel different until after the first shift.”

  “When will that be?” she asked, suddenly feeling even more nervous than ever.

  “Tonight is a full moon. We could do it now. Or wait a month. You just have to go out into the moonlight and will your bear to come forward.”

  “Did you claim me?”

  “Yes. When I bit you and made love to you, I claimed you at the same time.”

  “What exactly does it mean that you claimed me?”

  “It means that all of their shifters will know that you are mine. It also binds us together for the rest of our lives. Once mates have claimed each other, they can feel each other more closely, especially in animal form.”

  “I’m really curious to see how that feels,” she said.

  It was all so new and strange, but suddenly she felt more courageous and more comfortable with it than she ever had before. She wanted to see what it felt like to be a bear. She wanted to know what it felt like to be connected to Brock in the way he just explained. It sounded magnificently intimate, and she wanted to share it with him.

  “Let’s do it now then,” she said. “I want to know what it feels like to be that close to you.”

  “Come on,” he said, reaching down to take her hand as he stood from the bed. She took his hand and let herself be led downstairs and outside through the sliding doors onto the patio that looked out on the gardens. Beyond the garden was a thick forest, bathed in moonlight.

  “Freezing out here,” she said, rubbing her hands up and down her arms to try to warm herself.

  “You have to be naked to shift, and you will be called when you’re shifted. Let’s step down onto the lawn and let the midnight kiss your skin.”

  They walked down the patio stairs and into the frost covered grass that was going into dormancy. She shivered violently in the cold, her feet feeling like frozen blocks.

  “Just let it come,” Brock said. “I’ll shift first. I’ll be here for you when you make the change.”

  She watched him as he contorted in the moonlight and stood beside her on all fours, furry and fanged. She felt a sharp pain in her gut as the moonlight bathed her face. She screamed as the pain sliced through her. She felt Brock’s tender, solid presence beside her, and it gave her the strength to withstand the pain. All at once, it was as if her body was torn apart, limb from limb, in every direction. Thrashing and screaming, her body grew and extended. She landed on all fours, looking at the world with new eyes.

  She could feel Brock inside her mind. The connection he had told her about was definitely there. It seemed as if she could sense all of his thoughts and feelings. She could sense how deeply he loved her and how intimately connected they were to each other. The tender web of love that bound them together, made them as one.

  The other glee she felt inside her heart translated through that connection, and she could tell that Brock could feel her. With a thundering roar, Brock broke out into the forest, and Ginger followed him.

  Chapter 19

  When the spring rains had come and melted all of the snow, the daffodils broke through the hard ground. The Montgomerys were planning a baby shower at the lodge, and Brock had kept the surprise from Ginger for almost a month. He drove her up to the lodge under the pretext of grabbing some supplies from the store, and asked her to come inside to help him pick them out.

  She followed him up the front steps of the lodge, the weight of her ripe belly causing her to waddle. They came through the front door of the lodge where everyone stood with smiles plastered over their faces. He’d told them not to scare the hell out of his pregnant wife, but the Montgomery clan was clearly having a hard time holding it together. Half of them screamed, “Surprise,” while the other half waved a “HAPPY BABY SHOWER” sign around in front of them.

  Even the men had turned out for the event, Montgomerys not being the kind of clan that would miss a gathering that involved free food or a chance to try to one up each other. Ginger gasped and held her heart and belly with both hands.

  “You guys!” she yelled at them, once she got over her initial shock. “What the hell? I told you not to go to so much trouble.”

  “Ginger, we just needed an excuse,” Brock’s mom said, coming to give Ginger a big warm hug.

  “Okay, okay. I get it. You all just want a reason to cook some steaks and drink rum.”

  The Montgomery men laughed, and his mom and Aunt Lola gave each other a knowing look. They had both been human once, women brought into the clan just like Ginger. Brock’s mom had lived a happy life, and he wanted the same thing for his own wife. His mom took Ginger’s hand and led her over to a couch by the fire where she could relax and watch the men being silly.

  A huge pile of presents covered one of the tables and another was covered in food and cake. Brock brought Ginger a plate and sat across from her on an easy chair. The rest of the party wandered around, eating and talking. After they’d had lunch and desert, his Aunt Lola insisted that it was present time.

  Brock watched Ginger’s pretty face as she opened the presents his clan had given her. Everything from little wash clothes to car seats and cribs. They’d have everything they needed, and Ginger wouldn’t have to worry for a second about any of it. He had his gift still in the car and whispered in her ear, over the back of the couch, that he would be right back.

  She smiled up at him and said, “Okay,” before he left to get it. He’d been searching all over for just the right thing. It wasn’t really for the baby, but it was something he wanted to give her now.

  Ginger had gotten a job as a substitute music teacher, and had started jamming with some musicians on the weekends. But he knew it wasn’t enough. Ginger deserved something bigger, better. Now that her hand had healed, he could give her everything she wanted.

  He came back inside with the gift under his arm, his heart racing. He didn’t know much about these things, but hoped he’d done a good job finding the gift.

  “What’s that?” his mom asked.

  “This is a gift from me to Ginger. I wanted to give it to her now,” Brock said.

  His Aunt Lola grabbed the package and brought it to Ginger, sitting beside her. His mom sat on Ginger’s other side, and the two women watched as Ginger began to open the wrapping paper.

  “What is it?” she asked him, excitement in her eyes.

  “You’ll se
e. Just open it.” Brock could barely stand it. He had to sit down and wait for her to open it or his legs would’ve given out. He felt like a giddy schoolboy giving a flower to his first crush. Ginger was so much to him; it made him even more nervous.

  She slid the paper off the black back of the case, revealing it to the world. She gasped, flipping open the clasps.

  “I know you already have one. But this one is what you deserve,” he said as she pulled the Stradivarius out of its case. Her face was a mixture of terror and unbridled delight.

  “Are you kidding me right now, Brock?” she said, giggling uncontrollably.

  “Do I look like I’m joking?” he said, chuckling at her excitement.

  “He gave you a gift. Just accept it,” Keaton said.

  “You don’t understand, this violin is worth like...” she started but Brock cut her off.

  “They don’t need to know, babe.”

  She stood from the couch, wrapping paper falling to the floor from her lap. With eyes so bright with bliss and joy, Brock would never regret his investment for an instant. She stepped in front of the fire, with the whole family watching, and quickly tuned up her instrument. A moment later, Brock watched his gorgeously pregnant wife play the most hauntingly beautiful song he’d ever heard.

  As he watched her, his mind turned to the night she’d held his hand and sung to him in the darkness. He would never forget her sweetness. He knew, from that moment on, that Ginger’s music would always heal him of any trouble or pain he could ever have.

  Bear His Baby

  Midnight Sun Shifters

  In the Alaskan wilderness, almost anything can be healed. Even a broken heart.

  A troubled woman …

  Ella May is coming home to Juneau for the first time in a year and a half. With a baby in tow and running for her life, pride is not an option.

  Babs Bula, the stylish woman who just happens to be a matchmaker, guides Ella back to Tate Montgomery. Ella can't deny she needs Tate's help, but she still hasn't forgiven her baby's father for his deceptions.

  A wounded man …

  When Tate’s fated mate left him a year and a half ago, he didn’t believe he’d ever recover. Maybe it had been a mistake to keep the truth from her for so long, but he’d only been trying to protect her.

  Now that Ella's landed on his doorstep with a child she says is his, he doesn’t know if he should be overjoyed or angry as hell. The cute, curvy girl he’s known since high school might still be the love of his life, but some mistakes can’t be fixed. Like keeping his baby from him for a year and a half.

  A lethal dilemma …

  Ella has a criminal wolf pack on her trail. Tate shelters her and the baby while his brother and cousin tackle the threat ... but that's the easy part. Can he and Ella learn to trust again, and rekindle the deep love they once shared? Or will Tate be left alone once more, without his mate and child?

  Chapter 1

  Ella May twisted around to check the precious cargo in the backseat of her sedan. The ferry ride to Juneau had taken longer than she’d expected. Luckily for her, the baby had slept the whole time.

  The little one was only six months old. The long journey from Fairbanks had already taken days by car. The northern part of the state was covered in a blanket of deep snow and the winter darkness was starting to overtake the day.

  Juneau was Ella’s hometown. She was used to mild winters by Alaskan standards, and the crushing cold of Fairbanks had hit her hard over the last year and a half. No matter how much she missed the deep, emerald rainforest of the Alaskan panhandle, she’d vowed she’d never come home. Until now.

  Ella had left Juneau badly a year and a half ago. She doubted the damage she’d caused could ever be repaired. Ella caressed her baby’s cheek. Andrew had his father’s eyes. Green like all the Montgomery brothers. Her friends had teased her that she didn’t know who the father was. Ella knew. There had only ever been one man. Tate Montgomery: a bear shifter from one of the most prominent families in Juneau.

  She shuddered back a tear and gripped the steering wheel. She had come home to see her parents. With what she’d seen in Fairbanks, she knew she had to get out of town fast.

  Her parents were her only option. The girl she’d lived with had been kidnapped. Ella was lucky she’d made it out herself. The Glacier Wolf Pack were dangerous, violent criminals. They wouldn’t hesitate to drop her baby in a frozen river to teach her a lesson.

  The ferry boat slid over the waters between the outlying islands and the shore. She saw the buildings along the harbor come into view over the deck of the ferry. Her heart leapt in her chest and she began to breathe heavily. Nerves twisted in her chest and she felt sick. The ferry docked and cars rolled out in front of her. She eased the car down the deck, over the ramp, and onto the land. Finally on a street, Ella heaved a sigh of relief.

  She parked in a parking lot across from the main tourist drag and stopped the car. Ella quickly checked Andrew. He had just woken up, and the happy baby was full of smiles for his mother.

  “Are you hungry, sweetheart?” she asked him. She lifted him from the car seat and cradled him in the backseat of the car. He tugged at her shirt and she lifted it for the baby to drink from her breast.

  Her friends had all told her not to breastfeed. She wouldn’t be able to get her drink on if she did, but Ella had decided to give Andrew the best of herself. She’d stopped caring about getting her drink on since she’d found out he was coming.

  When Andrew was done, Ella put him in a stroller and wheeled him down the street to the nearest restaurant. She needed to sit somewhere still and warm for a while to gather her thoughts. She hadn’t spoken to her parents since she’d left a year and a half ago. They didn’t even know about the baby.

  Chapter 2

  Tate Montgomery held a tree cutting between his thumb and forefinger. He placed the small plant into a hydroponic substrate, then carefully set it in the planter bed under the high-powered full-spectrum halogen lamps. Tate had taken over responsibility for the Montgomery greenhouses when he was seventeen years old. At twenty-five, he was a confident businessman with expert horticultural skill.

  His brothers and cousins might make fun of him for being a gardener, but people can’t eat beef every meal. Tate provided the fresh foods for the entire clan. Not to mention crops like alfalfa and hay grown for his brother Keaton’s herd of Angus beef cattle.

  Tate had always wanted to be a gardener. It was the thing that made him the happiest in life. He enjoyed his time with his plants and the soil. It was like a little piece of heaven right here on earth in Alaska. Unlike most Alaskans, the people on the panhandle had a longer growing season and warmer weather. With his extensive greenhouses, Tate could grow just about anything all year round.

  He’d inherited the gardens and greenhouses from his great uncle, the previous gardener. Tate was in his late teens when his great uncle passed away. He’d learned everything from the man. Tate had never gone to college, but his skill level was far beyond what he would have acquired in a university. He felt confident that he could carry on his great uncle’s tradition.

  Tate’s life had been complete a year and a half ago. The girl he’d loved since he was seventeen had graduated high school, and he could finally ask her to be his. Ella had been three years younger than him, but they had been best friends the whole time.

  He’d finally told her she was his fated mate. He believed they would finally be together, but Ella had other ideas about what she wanted to do with her life. Tate would never understand. Just thinking about it filled him with anger. He tossed a pair of pruning shears onto his workbench and they made a loud clang as they hit an aluminum bowl.

  “What’s got your panties into a wad?” Tate’s brother Keaton said behind him. Tate turned slowly, clenching his jaw. He hated when his brother made fun of him. It was none of Keaton’s business why he was angry.

  “What are you doing here, Keaton? Shouldn’t you be out bedding down with your
cattle?” Tate asked with a sneer. All the young unmarried Montgomery men were incessantly competitive with each other. They all loved each other like brothers, even Tate and Keaton’s cousins Shaw and Zane. They’d all grown up together and knew they could depend on each other for anything. Along with that closeness came the fun of be assholes to each other.

  “I told you a week ago I needed access to the other hay barn,” Keaton said, rolling his flannel shirt sleeves up over his burly, muscled forearms. Keaton was trying to be intimidating. Tate was only slightly smaller than Keaton, but Tate was faster. Keaton would have been wise to remember that.

  “You shouldn’t need that hay until late winter. Why do you need it now?”

  “I brought in another hundred head from one of the islands. I told you that at the last clan meeting. Don’t tell me you still have your head up your ass about that girl. What was her name?”

  “Shut the hell up, Keaton,” Tate said through clenched teeth.

  “That cute little Inuit chick you used to hang out with all the time back in high school. Ella right? Whatever happened to that girl? Wasn’t she her mate?”

  “Shut up!” Tate roared. Every muscle in his body tensed at the mention of her name. He’d known Ella was his mate from the first moment he laid eyes on her on her first day of high school. Her parents had moved to town when she was fourteen. He would never forget the sensation of his bear roaring inside of him that the big-eyed girl with beautiful, long black hair was his fated mate. She was the perfect woman for him, and they would love each other forever.

  Back then, everything had been so full of possibilities. He never believed they would ever be apart. Little did he know he was completely wrong.

  “What are you going to do about it, flower boy?” Keaton said, rolling his shoulders and giving Tate that cocky asshole expression he had just before a fight. Tate sprinted forward and swung at Keaton’s jaw. His tight fist connected with Keaton’s face, knocking him backwards. The big Montgomery bear shifter wasn’t fazed for very long. An angry Keaton was not something to be trifled with.