His constant presence in her head kept her from freaking out.
Minutes ticked by. It was taking so long. Obviously she had to be some distance from the house. Somewhere secluded and hidden. There was no other reasonable explanation.
“I can see it, baby. Hang tight.”
She blew out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. Thank God. He was here. He was going to rescue her.
“We’re coming in fast, Nuria. There’s no way to sneak up on this guy. I can see him. He’s the same man who shot both me and my dad with a tranquilizer. I see him through the window. He knows we’re here.”
Nuria felt Austin’s fear. He was worried the guy would realize he was trapped and kill Nuria before they could take him out.
Instead she sensed the man’s essence moving farther away. Had he left the house?
Austin confirmed that suspicion. “He ran out the front door, heading for the back of the house. I’m coming in to get you.”
She inhaled slowly, her heart rate slowing at the thought of this insanity being over soon.
Suddenly the door to her little cell flew open, and Austin rushed forward, grabbing her off the mattress and hauling her weakened frame against his body. He kissed the top of her head and held her tight. “I’ve never been so scared in my life.” He rocked her back and forth while she tried to calm down.
It was over. She was safe. So was Austin. She tipped her head back to look up at him in the light coming from the open doorway. “Sorry I bound us together without your consent,” she whispered.
“I’m not. Best thing you could have done. Probably saved your life. Besides, I’m pretty sure I told you it had to be you who did it. I wasn’t making that decision for you.” He grinned.
She set a hand on his cheek and smiled. “I love you.”
“I love you too, baby.” He leaned forward, closing the distance, and took her lips.
They would be okay. They had to be.
Chapter Twenty
The number of people in Allister and Beth’s home was staggering. The sun had gone down, and even three hours after her rescue, Nuria was still groggy from the drugs. She knew Austin was hurting too. He winced every time he moved his head.
They both needed to shift and spend twelve hours healing faster in bear form. But first they needed answers and an end to the insanity.
Nuria sat in the corner of the couch, curled in a ball, tucked under a thick, soft blanket Beth had wrapped around her. Austin moved around the room talking rapidly to everyone, but his gaze came back to her every few seconds.
So much love. But he was also still worried. Until they knew what the hell was going on, they wouldn’t be able to rest.
Isaiah, Alton, and Bernard had caught up with the man they now knew was Fielding Branch. They’d captured him when he’d come to the edge of a cliff and had no other way to escape. After all, Fielding didn’t know the area. He wasn’t from Alberta, let alone Silvertip.
He had easily given up his employer, Jenson Hardwin, who apparently worked for Turner Garsea.
Now Fielding was in the custody of the Arcadian Council, and everyone in Austin’s family, including several cousins and other relatives, were gathered in the house awaiting word about Hardwin. Hopefully the council members who’d been sent to pick him up had managed to do so before he was tipped off to his demise.
Also in the Tarben home were several members of Isaiah’s family. Both his parents were huddled with Allister and Beth around the kitchen table. But his sister was also there. Joselyn. She had been about nine when Nuria left town. Nuria didn’t remember her, but even in Nuria’s state of shock and not her usually sharp self, she noticed a spark in the air.
Did anyone else realize that Joselyn Arthur and Alton Tarben weren’t merely acquaintances from grade school?
Nuria kept the suspicion to herself, enjoying watching the two of them skirt around each other among all their loved ones who had spent decades in a family feud. A feud that would have prevented Alton and Joselyn from ever telling a soul they had a hidden relationship. The same feud that kept Austin and Isaiah from letting anyone know they were friends for a decade and a half also.
Nuria prayed when this was all over Alton and Joselyn could come out of hiding and openly move on with their lives. What was stopping them? It had been months since the two families had come to a mutual understanding after Heather’s transition and subsequent binding to Isaiah.
Nuria was paying so close attention to the couple that she didn’t realize someone was at the door until Allister opened it and two members of the Arcadian Council stepped inside. She recognized them as George and Henry.
She started to sit up, but Austin was at her side in an instant, settling on the couch next to her, his hand on her thigh, the heat radiating through the blanket to comfort her. “You’re okay. Don’t get up.”
George and Henry didn’t seem to have any intention of staying. They remained standing near the front door while a hush fell over the room.
They gave a brief explanation about what happened while Nuria listened intently to every word.
George met her gaze as he began, “It would seem that Turner Garsea was in the middle of a lucrative drug transaction with Jenson Hardwin when he was arrested. The man was inside his warehouse at the time, and Turner was able to communicate several pieces of information to him before we took him away.
“He told Hardwin that Nuria was unbound and appeared to be important to Austin. He suggested that Austin’s family was loaded and tipped him off that the best way to get his hands on some cash would be to hold Nuria for ransom. He even gave the guy some landmarks to help him locate that rundown cabin he could use to hold her.”
George took a breath and continued. “Hardin hired Fielding Branch to do the dirty work, and you know the rest.”
Austin flinched. “Why did they go to all the trouble of harassing Nuria with threatening phone calls and vandalism first? They would have gotten away with everything if we hadn’t been so diligent.”
Henry shook his head. “Unrelated. As crazy as that may seem. The two thugs that made those calls and trashed your home were picked up earlier today too. They left their fingerprints all over your front door. They won’t be bothering you again. As we originally suspected, they were friends of Wade’s. They were pissed that Wade had been taken into custody and blamed Nuria for their friend’s arrest. Dumber than rocks. Both of them were strung out on drugs.
“I’m sure there are several other drug addicts in the area who were peripherally involved, at least in the threats, but I don’t think we’ll hear any more from any one of them now that they know the council won’t tolerate their actions. Hopefully word has spread that Wade lied to them.”
“Jesus,” Austin mumbled.
Nuria was still soaking it all in. “So it’s over?” she asked.
George nodded. “As far as we know. Unless you have any other enemies we need to know about.” The normally serious man gave her a small smile.
She shook her head. “I never had any to begin with.”
He smiled at her broader. “Well, let’s hope you can resume your life now. Congratulations, by the way.” He glanced at Austin and then back to her.
“Thank you,” Austin said, standing as the two men turned back toward the door.
Nuria closed her eyes as the two council members left and everyone expressed their elation. Thank God it was over. She had never been so relieved.
Chapter Twenty-One
Nuria moaned softly in her sleep and rolled onto her side, curling up in a ball. Her hair was a tangled mass of curls spilling around her face, and Austin reached down to brush them away from her cheek.
He smiled. She was so beautiful. And she was his.
He could watch her sleep for hours. Days. The rest of his life.
She’d been asleep for twelve hours, though. It was noon. She needed to eat. By now her body should have recovered from the effects of the drugs.
His own
body had recovered almost fully also. They had both shifted into bear form when they got back to the house and lay crowded on the bed for most of the night before shifting back and finding each other, tangling their arms and legs together in sleep.
When Austin had woken up an hour ago, he’d found them in this position and continued to hold her until she turned away, pulling into herself.
Suddenly, she sighed and unfurled her body, blinking up at him.
He smiled down at her and cupped her face.
“I could feel you looking at me,” she stated. “How long were you awake?”
“About an hour.”
She lifted a brow. “Wow.” She skimmed her hand up his naked body and wrapped it around the back of his neck. When her thumb landed on the spot where she’d bitten him, she smiled again.
He covered her hand with his, lowering his face toward hers. When his lips touched hers, his entire body jumped to attention. Not that he hadn’t been fully aroused and needing her for an hour, but the connection intensified the draw.
She squirmed, turning her equally naked body toward his in invitation. Whatever sleepiness had been on the edges of her consciousness disappeared in a heartbeat, and she threw herself at him, moaning around the kiss, her desperate fingers finding their way up and down his back. “Please…”
That one word was all he needed. He could smell her arousal filling the room. She didn’t need foreplay, not this time. Later. But he was aching to have her now—the first time he would take her since she bound them together.
He grabbed her restless hips and slid her under him.
She wrapped her legs around his waist and hugged him closer. Her eyes were glazed over with arousal. Her fingers dug into his biceps. “Now, Austin.”
That was the last straw. He thrust into her, his breath leaving him as he slid home.
Home.
His eyes rolled back as he absorbed every second of this coupling.
Nuria was finally his.
Forever.
He would never take her for granted.
He needed to come. He needed to consummate their joining in a way. Never mind that they’d had sex several times. This was different.
In moments, she was coming around him, her pussy gripping his cock, pumping it until he came before she finished.
The second his semen shot deep inside her, he leaned to the side of her face, nudged her head, and sank his teeth into her neck. His personal serum that would have bound them together entered her bloodstream as she moaned.
Her pussy gripped him tighter. She slid into a second orgasm.
It wasn’t necessary for him to also bite her to solidify their mating. She’d already sealed them together. But it was something he wanted to experience, and since he’d been unconscious the first time, he felt the pull to do so now.
When he was finished, he licked the tiny wounds on her neck and nuzzled her skin.
She was breathing heavily, limp beneath him. “That was…”
“Yeah.” He chuckled against her neck. “Sorry I wasn’t awake when you claimed me. I’m here now.”
She giggled.
He lifted his face to stare down at hers. “It’s going to be okay, you know. Better than.” He could feel it in his soul. All their worrying was for naught. Nothing in their past would ever come between them. All he could see and feel when he looked at her was unconditional love. And he felt it coming from her too.
She nodded. “I know.”
There were details to work out. They needed to sell her house and get her enrolled in school so she could get her coveted degree. But those things were details. They would fall into place.
The important thing was Nuria was finally his. And everyone who advised them on binding was right. Nothing else mattered. They had each other. Their love was strong and powerful enough to overshadow fifteen-year-old misunderstandings.
Austin would love this woman until he took his last breath, and the look in her eyes told him she felt the same way.
About the Author
Becca Jameson lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband and two kids. After years of editing, she is now a full-time author. With over 40 best-selling books written, she has dabbled in a variety of genres, ranging from paranormal to contemporary to BDSM. The voices in her head are clamoring to get out faster than she can get them onto “paper”! She loves chatting with fans, so feel free to contact her through email, Facebook, or her website.
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If you enjoyed Grizzly Mountain, keep reading for the first chapter of the next book in this series, Grizzly Secret.
Chapter One
Alton Tarben lifted his snout to the air and took a long whiff. Yep. She was nearby. No denying it. He hesitated for a moment, wondering if it was a good idea to chase her down today. Had she scented him yet?
He immediately blocked himself, hoping to catch her off guard, and turned to head in her direction. Loping between the trees on the side of the mountain, he remained in his grizzly form.
He hadn’t seen her in months. Four, to be precise. His body came to life as he tracked her, awakening from the permanent state of discomfort he lived in without her in his life.
Joselyn Arthur.
His mate.
He’d known she was his since third grade. Originally, he’s denied her with as much vehemence as she did him. And, truth be told, he should continue to do so until death. But the woman had a pull on him that was undeniable. Some day he would wear her down. At least enough to touch her.
He inhaled deeply over and over as her scent grew more powerful. His paws covered a lot of ground in a short time. She was alone. He hated the idea of her running alone in bear form in the mountains, but he had no say in her life—a fact she reminded him of every time he saw her.
For five minutes he knew she was in bear form, but when he finally popped out of a copse of evergreens, yards away from her, he ground to a stop.
Joselyn was leaning against a tree, human, arms crossed, eyes narrowed, glaring at him.
He slowly approached, still in his grizzly form, knowing it was easier to hide his reaction to seeing her if he did so. Damn, she was gorgeous. Every time he saw her, she seemed to be prettier than the last. Even angry, she made his heart race.
Her thick brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail—as it nearly always was. He’d seen it down only a handful of times in recent years, and it made him salivate with the desire to run his hands through it. He couldn’t decide if she simply didn’t care much about her appearance, if she intentionally chose to hide her good looks, or if she did it to keep him at bay in particular.
No matter which of those theories was correct, she failed miserably. She would look fantastic even in a sack. Pulling her hair back wet in a ponytail—as he knew she did most mornings—did nothing to hide her inner or her exterior beauty, not matter what her intentions were.
She rolled her eyes as he approached. “How long have you been tracking me?”
He chuckled into her head, still in bear form. “How long have I failed to block you?”
“You gonna circle me all day like I’m some sort of prey, or do you have the balls to shift and face me as a man.”
He stopped two feet in front of her and cocked his head to one side. Damn she was feisty. He wanted to laugh, but he feared it would piss her off further. Instead, he summoned the change, closed his eyes, and allowed his body to make the shift from bear form to human.
As his fur receded and his bones reconfigured, he lifted up onto his hind legs. Fifteen seconds later he stood before her, fully human. Thank God he’d worn a winter coat and boots. It was damn cold out to be shifting into human form this high in the mountains.
Luckily, Joselyn had also ventured out prepar
ed for the possibility of shifting too. She wore fucking sexy tight jeans, boots, and a thick navy down coat with her brewery’s logo on the breast—a depiction of a glacier next to a lake. Apropos since her pack owned Glacial Brewing Company.
As he met her gaze head on, he watched her breath, smoky in the air around her. Every exhale was closer together. He affected her as much as she affected him.
“How have you been?” he asked.
She sighed. “Small talk? Really, Alton?”
He shrugged. “It’s the usual way people start a conversation when they greet each other after several months.” Especially someone who was their intended mate.
“I’m fine,” she shot back. “The usual. Busy with work. Yourself?”
“The same.” He hated this thing they did. This game they played. The same game they had played for years.
Today things were markedly more strained between them. The lure to pull her into his arms was stronger than ever. Though he shouldn’t be shocked. It had grown incrementally over the years.
For long moments, they stared at each other, neither blinking. When she reached up to tuck an escaped curl behind her ear, he lifted his hand automatically. He needed to touch it, feel the strands between his fingers.
She jumped to the side to avoid his touch. “Don’t,” she mumbled.
He dropped his hand. “Sorry.” It was a rule of hers. No touching.
She lowered her gaze, toeing the thin layer of snow under her boot absentmindedly. “You shouldn’t have followed me. It only makes things worse.”
“You should give in. Stop denying what you know is true. Then things would be so much better.” How many times had they had this discussion? A thousand.
She lifted her head slowly. “There’s no such thing as Fate. Stop acting like we’re destined or something. It’s nothing but a physical draw. It happens all the time. Even to humans. I’m sure if we actually threw in the towel and fucked, we’d realize all this posturing had been for nothing.”
Grizzly Beginning (Arcadian Bears Book 2) Page 21
