Sweetwater Brides: Complete Series (BBW Shapeshifter Mail-Order Bride Paranormal Romance Bundle)

by Anya Nowlan

  “Don’t mind him. He just needs to take a few breaths,” Jameson said with a mild grin, leaning against the wall and glancing at Jen.

  “So what’s going to happen now?” she asked, gingerly approaching Ethan and sitting down on the floor in front of him.

  She put her hand on his, squeezing it lightly. Her eyes were shining with tears, but she’d been swallowing them bravely so far. A million contradicting thoughts bounced around in her head and she felt sick to her stomach with anger and fear and worry, all combining into one. It felt like someone had reached inside of her, put their icy claws around her heart and were now squeezing as hard as they could.

  “He’s like this because of me. This is my fault. Shouldn’t we be calling the paramedics?” she asked, looking helplessly at Maisy and then Jameson.

  Jen had been planning to call the emergency line right after Maisy. Thinking back to it, she was still not sure what made her dial Maisy’s number first, but the mild-mannered waitress had made it very clear that Jen shouldn’t call anyone else and just sit tight until she got there.

  Maisy shook her head gently, pursing her lips. “No. This is shifter business. The doctors couldn’t really help. And from what I know of these bears, he’ll be fine. Just needs some time to recuperate. Right, Jameson?”

  Jameson nodded, seeming to be deep in thought. “Right. He’s not good, but this isn’t life threatening. Not with me and Everett around. He needs other bears here to draw strength from. And, you too, Jennifer,” he said, giving her a long look.

  “Me?” she asked, confused.

  “Yup,” Jameson chuckled.

  “Why?”

  “Well,” Jameson started, sharing a look with Maisy before returning his attention to Jen. “I don’t know how far you two have gotten, but he seemed pretty adamant about the fact that you are his mate. And that’s… Well, it’s pretty important for a werebear,” Jameson said, grinning.

  He squeezed Jen’s shoulder and she was left to stare blankly, tears still stinging her eyes. She put her other hand on Ethan’s as well, willing him to wake up and help ease the turmoil that raged through her.

  His… mate? Hell, this isn’t Phoenix anymore, for sure, she thought, a hint of irony creeping in there.

  She’d run from Phoenix in the hopes of getting away from a man who was nowhere near good enough for her, and now she’d found one who was everything she had ever wanted and never known she could have. And he’d risked life and limb for her before they’d even managed to define what they were to each other.

  Jen had been hoping for even a fraction of that commitment from Chad for years and instead, she’d gotten nothing but heartache. But with Ethan? It was all different. And she didn’t quite know what to make of it.

  “Wake up,” she murmured, gently brushing her hand through his short hair.

  He looked almost peaceful, though his muscles were strained. Looking at his face again, she could see that the bit of bone that had been protruding before was now nowhere to be seen, already hidden under fresh tissue.

  “Don’t worry, Jen. He’ll snap out of it,” Maisy assured Jen, but she wasn’t about to believe it.

  Not until he opened his eyes and told that to her himself.

  Vaguely, Jen felt time passing around her. She was rooted in spot next to Ethan, holding his big paw of a hand and praying that he would wake up. The others came and went during the day, always close but not crowding her. At one point Maisy tried to get her to eat something but Jen didn’t have any appetite.

  Images of the night before kept playing in her mind. How his rough, coarse hands had felt like heaven when he explored her body. How their tongues had intertwined and tasted each other in that first kiss and then many more to follow. How his hard abs had tightened when she slid her fingertips over them, making his breath hitch.

  How he’d looked at her like she was the most beautiful woman in the world. And how she believed he really thought that when she met his gaze.

  Jen’s head was resting on her arm, teetering on the verge of sleep, when she felt slight movement. She looked up and saw Ethan stroking his fingers through her long hair, smiling mildly. He looked like he’d just been put through a meat grinder, but he was awake. And he was smiling.

  Jen grinned like Christmas had come early. “You’re awake,” she whispered.

  “I am,” he confirmed with the lightest shadow of a chuckle. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

  “I don’t think that’s our biggest problem right now,” Jen snorted.

  Ethan was about to reply when their conversation was interrupted by the addition of Jameson and Everett into the room. Jameson let out a sigh of relief and Everett crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at Ethan.

  “You couldn’t just god damn call us when shit went down, huh? You had to be the hero.”

  “Leave him alone, Everett,” Jameson said, putting his hand on Everett’s shoulder. “Can’t you see our great and fearless leader is deep in the throes of love?”

  “That’s what I need. A bunch of jackasses around me,” Ethan said with a smirk, lifting his body up a bit and giving them a look.

  “Whatever. Can we go kill them now? The whole damn litter of mutts,” Everett asked, growling under his breath.

  It reminded Jen of the sounds Ethan made, but Everett’s had an edge to it that Ethan never did. Something much more than just the need to protect and to keep safe – Everett would have enjoyed the action, relished it probably.

  “Blood for blood,” Ethan said sternly, receiving an annoyed look in return. “I’m pretty sure Ryan isn’t in fighting order right now. And I got four of them. As you can see, I’m alive and well. Yes, we will deal with them. But you think you could give me a second here to talk to Jen before we head right into war?”

  Everett looked like he was more than willing to start objecting and demanding for swift action, when Jameson put his other hand on Everett’s shoulder as well and turned him towards the front door, marching him straight out. Maisy had gone home to check on her kids and that left Jen and Ethan alone in the house for a tense moment.

  “So, I think you might have questions,” Ethan said, quirking a brow.

  Well, that was one way to put it.

  Thirteen

  Ethan

  “So you’re a…” Jen started, frowning as she lost her train of thought. “Wait. Sorry. Are you okay? Should you be talking? Shouldn’t you be sleeping, preferably drugged up and blissfully unaware of your surroundings?”

  Ethan grinned, slipping his hand down her cheek and to her long neck. Yes, it hurt like a motherfucker, lying there and essentially waiting to heal, but he much preferred being in Jen’s company than sleeping through the pain. Besides, now more than ever, he wanted to be sure that she was okay, that she was safe.

  “I’m fine, Jen. I’ll heal. Jameson and Everett are here so it isn’t much more than a waiting game. We get strength from our clan members being around us. I’d heal on my own as well, but it would just take more time. Though less with you around, I have to admit.”

  That got a cute little frown out of her and Ethan barely suppressed the urge to kiss that wrinkle off her forehead. He settled for tracing the line of her chin absently while Jen obviously struggled with her thoughts. Spirits above, she was gorgeous. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying and her lips still looked a little bruised form their wild night. Even when she was disheveled and out of her mind with worry, she was the most beautiful creature he had ever laid eyes upon.

  Every part of him told him that she was the one, the woman that he had yearned and longed for. The one that would make him complete and stand with him at the head of his clan. Now he had just one tiny problem – making her see that.

  “How does it help, having me around?”

  “Simple. My werebear thinks you’re our mate. And I tend to agree,” he said with a chuckle.

  “So you’re really that? A bear? A shifter?” Jen asked, glazing over the mate bit awkwardly.

&
nbsp; Ethan nodded. “I am. And you can ask about the mate thing too. I swear I won’t bite.”

  Though I would really like to, he thought with a private smirk.

  “Okay. What does it mean?”

  Ethan leaned forward and gathered her up in his big arms, pulling her off the floor and onto the edge of the couch. He kept one arm around her and hitched himself a bit higher, sitting almost upright. He winced as the wounds on his sides gnawed at him, but he ignored the pain – it was temporary, after all, but he might only get one chance to explain to Jen how he felt.

  “It means that I think you’re the woman I’ve been searching for all my life. Shifters believe in fated mates. That there’s just one soul out there for every one of us, and if we’re lucky, we will meet them. Sometimes it doesn’t work out. Sometimes, we miss that person and go our whole lives alone. But sometimes, everything works out. Now, I know this isn’t exactly one of those perfect times where everything seems to be falling into place seamlessly, but for me it feels like that. These cuts and bruises don’t mean anything, but the night we spent together certainly did.”

  He felt like a schoolboy, telling his first crush that he thought she was pretty. But of course this was a lot more important, a lot more primal. He had never been a man of many words and, frankly, he was sure that he was making a mess of it this time as well. But he had to try and explain himself or risk losing her out of distrust or fear or confusion. He took it as a good sign that she was still sitting there. Merely having her close made his body hum with pleasant warmth.

  “Why do you think it’s me?” Jen asked, her voice small.

  “Everything about you,” Ethan replied earnestly. “I can feel it. My bear can feel it. I wasn’t sure at first, but from the very first time I heard your voice, I was taken. And it hasn’t changed; it has only grown more intense. I wanted to tell you about my background sooner, but I didn’t want to scare you. Not a lot of shifters in Phoenix, though that Chad of yours sounded like a rat if I’ve ever heard of one.”

  He felt a twinge of jealousy at the thought of someone else’s hands ever having been on Jen. The image of someone’s touch making her react or her kissing another man sent him blazing, but he took a deep breath and calmed himself down. He could certainly understand crimes of passion all of a sudden. Now he was more than ready to lunge at any man who looked at his woman sideways – something that he’d never thought he’d be doing before meeting Jen.

  “Say something,” he urged, a note of worry in his voice.

  It wasn’t like he was in any state to go after her if she decided to go running out of the house. Though knowing himself and his bear, he’d probably try. He nudged her chin upwards so she would look at him and saw tears sparkling in her gorgeous eyes.

  “I didn’t mean to lie to you,” Ethan hastened to say, his heart breaking at the sight of Jen’s sadness.

  “No, it’s not that,” she said, smiling as she wiped at the tears quickly. “I was just so worried when I felt that there was something between us but you kept your distance. I thought I was losing my mind, seeing things after that breakup. But I’m glad that I haven’t been imagining things and that the reason you’ve been a little hesitant was because you’re just a werebear.” Jen chuckled and Ethan joined in, grinning.

  “I would have ripped the clothes off of you the first time we met if I’d thought you’d approve.”

  “Probably best that you waited a little, then,” Jen said cheekily.

  “As long as it means I won’t have to wait for much longer,” Ethan growled softly, a fire blazing in his eyes.

  He pulled Jen closer and very lightly kissed her on the lips, being gentle for both his and her sake. Neither one of them needed any more trauma at that point and though his lids were heavy and sleep wanted to claim him, Ethan knew that nothing would taste quite as sweet as the lips of the woman he was devoted to.

  “I’m not making any promises,” Jen said, pulling back from the kiss with a smile lingering where Ethan’s lips had formerly been. “But I want to give this a shot. Murderous wolves and werebears be damned! Sort of say. I’ve dated a rat, why couldn’t I try a bear, hmm?”

  “That’s all I ask for. A chance,” Ethan said, nodding.

  He could have sat there for hours, just looking at Jen and spending time with her, but duty called as usual. A heavy knock on the door marked Everett’s impatience and with a resigned sigh, Ethan called for him and Jameson to come back in.

  They had payback to plot, after all.

  Fourteen

  Ethan

  The lights were low – the evening sun had begun its descent long ago. It was the third day of waiting and Ethan was getting as antsy as the rest of his clan. Someone was constantly on watch, ready to let them know when to move forward, and as far as Ethan was concerned, that moment couldn’t have come fast enough.

  He missed Jen. Being away from her was absolute torture and he was getting to a point where he didn’t particularly enjoy the distance anymore. He’d had to leave her side the very same morning after their talk, deciding that it was best for her immediate safety as well as for their plan to come together. Now the Grimpaw bears just needed the wolves to take the bait and go for the easy mark – the lone woman on the lands they so desperately desired.

  Ethan smirked to himself, playing cards with Aaron and Zeke, one of Ethan’s younger brothers. They’d gotten awful good at waiting, but bears were impatient animals – much more so than wolves.

  “If we go one more round, I’ll lose my mind,” Zeke said, stretching his arms above his head.

  “Comes with the territory,” Aaron muttered, quoting one of their favorite sayings.

  After all, most things came down to territory. Shifters prided themselves in being better than their animal counterparts because of their human intelligence, and better than humans because of the animal rawness and power within them. But at their core, they were still basic beings with simple needs and desires – land, love, community. It all boiled down to that. The human side added the yearning for love, Ethan figured, but all the rest of it was as primal and simple as it could be. Bears had always protected their lands and it was no different now, clashing with big predators like themselves. Though these days, of course, the underlying meaning was often a bit different.

  The bears didn’t need Sweetwater to hunt anymore. No, it was rather a question of survival – finding that one nook in the world where you and your kind are safe from persecution and the curious eyes of those who don’t understand what you stand for – but on a different level. While shifters were no longer the hidden secret, kept under wraps for centuries, they weren’t exactly welcomed into society with open arms either. Humans didn’t want a constant reminder that there could be a better version of them out there, and for the most part, shifters understood.

  But that still meant that they’d be battling amongst one another, ancient rivalries still holding true. For as long as the history of the Grimpaw clan went back, there’d been trouble with Clearpond wolves, sometimes more, sometimes less. For years, they’d tried to get along with them and for a brief time some years back, it had worked. Wolves and bears had mingled and had become friendly, even, but it took just one conflict to throw it all on the head again. And now? Well, after Ethan was attacked, there was no love lost between the two factions.

  “You see anything, Jameson?” Ethan asked, knowing full well that if there were any movement, Jameson would have already said so.

  “Nope,” came the calm, completely expected response.

  They were camped out on a hillside not far from Jen’s home that gave them a good view of the house. The theory was that the wolves would come in the dead of night, as cowards often did, and try to finish what they had started. Jen was home with a shotgun and instructions to lock the doors and windows and hide out on the second floor as soon as night came. Ethan was positive they could get to her in time if the wolves decided to attack, but he wanted to take every precaution he could with the
love of his life.

  And that was exactly what she was. The love of his life. The most important thing to him in the world, even more so than the clan or the lands. He’d always thought that finding his woman would take a smaller chunk out of his heart, but it had grabbed him whole and was not letting go, and he didn’t want it to. Jen had swiftly become the main thing he thought about, though his people of course were always near and dear to his heart as well. He simply knew that without Jen, he’d be less of a bear than he was with her.

  Ethan couldn’t stop grinning whenever he thought of her and that was the case at that moment as well – accompanied by the snickering looks of his brothers and some of the other bears with him.

  “You know, it’s damn obvious when you’re thinking about Jen. You look like a right fool,” Everett grumbled, perhaps a note of jealousy in his voice.

  Most of the young Grimpaw male bears were still single and the sight of their Alpha finding happiness must have made many of them reconsider their current marital status.

  “I’m a fool in love and I don’t care who knows it,” Ethan boasted with a chuckle.

  “Well, you’re about to be a fool in battle soon enough,” Jameson murmured, his body language growing tenser. “I see movement.”

  “Let’s go,” Everett called, jumping up and sprinting into the stretch of forest separating the bears from Jen’s home.

  He could hear the low growls of his brothers behind him as each of them hit the woods, transforming as they ran. A force of ten strong men entered the forest and left it moments later as grizzlies, wide and thick and powerful. Their coats were different shades of brown, varying from lighter to darker, but all of them shared the massive size and speed of their grizzly brothers in the wild.

  Ethan roared as the scent of wolves hit his nose and he huffed it in greedily, letting it permeate his senses. He didn’t need to see the wolves to know that they were there. His nose would lead him to them. He sprinted forward at the head of the clan and the dull thuds and the way the ground shook told him that all the bears in his little attack force were with him.