Billionaire Bear Brotherhood Box Set

by Lily Cahill

  She allowed him to shepherd her into the car as her mind whirred. She had just agreed to lie to her best friend, and for what? Professional satisfaction? To protect a man she barely knew?

  When Caleb settled in to the driver's seat, he turned to look at her. "Are you all right?"

  She shook her head. "There were no good choices," she said, her voice strangled. "No good way out."

  He put his hands on the wheel. "I wish there was something I could do to change this. I know the Brotherhood's rules might seem ridiculous, but they've protected the shifters for generations."

  "I get it," Kam said. "And I have no desire to expose you. But lying to Alex won't be easy."

  "Do you want to call her? Give her the good news?"

  "Good news?"

  "With B3 backing the dig fully, you'll have endless resources. Whatever you need is yours."

  She laughed dully. "That is good news. All the funding we've ever wanted, and the only price is Alex's ignorance."

  He started to say something, but she waved him off. She couldn't stand the sympathy in his eyes. He was just as trapped by this situation as she was, after all. If they really were fated to be together, as all the shifters seemed to believe, he hadn't chosen her as his mate. But now he was stuck with her.

  Suddenly, calling Alex seemed like a great idea. Kam just wanted to hear her voice, knowing that it would soothe her. She pulled out her cell phone and pulled up Alex's number.

  On the second ring, Marley answered. "Kam? Is that you?"

  "Hey, Marley. Why are you answering Alex's phone?"

  "She's missing," Marley said, panic evident in his voice. "She went out hiking this morning, didn't take her phone with her. She said she'd be back by lunch, but now it's nearly evening and she hasn't come back."

  Chapter Nineteen

  Kamilah

  When Kam babbled out the news to Caleb, he started the car and pulled away with a roar of the engine. "We'll take my plane. It's faster."

  "You have a private plane?" she asked.

  "Of course," he said. "It makes it easy to get around when I need to be somewhere in a hurry. Plus, it's fun to fly."

  She should have guessed. He was a thrill-seeker, after all. "Whatever it takes to get back to the dig."

  They stopped by his penthouse to grab their clothes, then headed to the hangar. It wasn't Kam's first time in a small airplane. She had often taken planes to remote sites, or to survey a site from the air. But the puddle-jumpers she'd taken hardly compared to Caleb's sleek little jet.

  The way he handled the controls--cool, capable, and no fuss--told her that he was no stranger to the pilot's seat. In no time, they were taxiing down a private runway and heading east to Pasco.

  "She shouldn't have pushed herself," Kam said, watching the ground recede. "She just got over being sick, she shouldn't have gone off by herself."

  "I'll bet Marley finds her by the time we land," Caleb said soothingly.

  But when they landed an hour later, Alex was still missing. And night was falling. There was a rental car waiting for them, and Caleb drove directly to the site.

  When they got there, Marley was frantic. "The police say she's not actually missing until she's gone forty-eight hours. Can you believe that? She could be dead in a ditch in forty-eight hours."

  "Where have you looked?" Kam asked, putting a calming hand on the man's shoulder.

  "A full mile's radius of the site, in all directions," Marley replied. "I called some of the volunteers to help me look, but there was only so much ground we could cover."

  "I'm here now. I'll help," Kam said.

  "We'll help," Caleb corrected. "We'll find her."

  Marley seemed to take heart from their words. He'd been slumped in a chair, frustrated and tired, but now he stood up with new purpose. "All right. Let's get some flashlights."

  It took only a few minutes to get them outfitted with head lamps and sturdy boots. "I want you to stay together," Marley cautioned. "It's dark out there, and we've already got one person lost."

  "What about you?" Kam asked.

  "I'll stay here and man the radio. Some of the other volunteers are still out looking. If you hear anything, you let me know right away."

  "Okay," Caleb said, picking up a walkie-talkie. "She couldn't have gone far. I promise you, we'll bring her back."

  #

  Kam had spent plenty of time in the woods around the dig site. She and Alex had hiked the area many times, trying to decide the logical location for the Yursui village. But she had never hiked the area at night, and never with a stone of worry sitting in her stomach.

  As if he could hear her thoughts, Caleb took her hand. "We are going to find her," he said.

  She squeezed his hand in return. Suddenly, all his talk about fate and destiny didn't seem so crazy. Who would have thought that he would be here for her when she needed him the most?

  "Marley said they had searched a mile in all directions, so we'll have to start farther out than that," Caleb said. "Where do you think Alex would go?"

  Kam frowned, concentrating. "Earlier, when we were talking about the possibility of mold contamination, she brought up the problem of food storage. The cemetery and religious buildings seem to indicate a long-term habitation. So where would the corn have been stored?"

  "Maybe she had an idea. Yesterday, before we left, she asked me about an irregularity in the LiDAR data."

  "Why didn't you tell me?"

  "I thought it was a bug in the software," he replied, helping her over a fallen log. "There was some irregular spikes in the terrain that might have indicated a structure. However, they all looked identical, so it seemed possible that it was glitch."

  "Where?" Kam asked eagerly.

  "We're headed there already," he said, smiling down at her.

  Kam let out a slow, steady breath. For the first time in hours, she felt like she was doing something to help her friend. And she owed it all to Caleb. "Thank you."

  "Don't thank me yet," he said, leading her into the darkness.

  They walked for twenty minutes, occasionally calling out for Alex. The night stayed silent around them. Finally, Caleb said, "This is the spot on the map where we saw those structures."

  Kam looked around. She could see the strange way the ground rose and fell. Any other time, she would have been fascinated, but now she couldn't get past her disappointment. "She's not here."

  Caleb walked around in a large circle, calling for Alex. "Damn. I guess that was a dead end."

  "It was a good thought," she said, even as despair settled around her. "Where could she be?"

  "We'll find her," he said again, although his voice wasn't quite as confident.

  "She's ... she's just been so sick," Kam said, her voice cracking. "So weak. What if something happened, and she can't ... can't ...."

  Her words were muffled against Caleb's chest as he put his arms around her. All the strength she'd summoned to search for Alex was used up, and the tears came easily. "Shh, sweetheart. There's something else that I haven't tried."

  She looked up at him, tears blurring her vision. "What?"

  He took a deep breath, looked up at the sky. "I could shape-shift."

  "But--no. Someone might see you."

  "I can track her more easily as a bear," he explained. "All my senses are stronger, more attuned. We could spend the whole night wandering around out here. If I transform, I have a better chance of finding her."

  It made sense. Still, she knew it would be a violation of his vows to B3. "I don't want you to do anything that will compromise your position with the council."

  "I won't. If I can catch her trail, I'll shift back into a man as soon as I get close."

  Kam bit her lip. "Do you really think you can find her?"

  His reassuring smile melted into the maw of a grizzly bear. Kam stepped back, startled, then reached out to lay her hand on his back as he shifted.

  She couldn't feel the bones and muscles twisting under her hands, she n
oted scientifically. His skin heated, heaved, and suddenly her fingers were buried deep in his fur.

  "Whoa," she said, grinning at him.

  She could have sworn that he was grinning back.

  Then he lifted his enormous snout to the air and sniffed. He took a few staggering steps in one direction, then stopped. He lowered his nose to the ground, snuffling at the grass, then uttered a grunt that sounded satisfied. With one paw, he beckoned her on.

  It was surreal, following a bear through the woods. He was enormous, absurdly powerful, yet somehow cuddly as well. He made sure she stayed nearby, even helped her over difficult terrain. Eventually, it was just as comfortable to walk beside a bear as it had been to walk beside Caleb as a man.

  He heard the sound before she did. He halted, ears pointed, nose quivering.

  "What is it?" Kam said.

  He made a chuffing noise that sounded like a warning, nudging her backwards with his head.

  "Do you hear something?" she asked, too excited to heed him.

  He growled low in his throat and gave her another nudge. This one was hard enough to knock her on her butt.

  "Hey!"

  He shook his head apologetically, but clearly gestured with his paw for her to stay where she was. "What is it?"

  He looked over his shoulder, into the darkness, and growled again. This time, the rumble of his growl was filled with threat. Then he turned back to her and gestured with his heavy head--stay put.

  Kam obeyed. After all, it wasn't easy to defy a six hundred pound grizzly bear. She watched him lumber off into the darkness.

  It seemed like he was gone forever, but it was probably only sixty seconds. Then Kam heard something--a high-pitched squeal. Maybe a scream.

  She was on her feet and moving before she thought twice. Even with a full moon and her headlamp to guide her, Kam knew it was treacherous to go running through the woods at night. But run she did.

  She couldn't say what worried her more--that something had happened to Alex, or that something had happened to Caleb.

  As she got closer, more noises hit her ears. Growls, yelps, and groans all echoed through the night. Every sound sent the panic inside her spiking higher.

  Finally, she burst into a clearing.

  The first thing she saw was Alex, filthy and hollow-eyed, bracing herself against a rock wall. Her left ankle was twisted and horribly swollen, but she was balancing on her right foot and held a long branch at the ready.

  She was surrounded by a pack of coyotes.

  But she wasn't alone. Caleb was in front of her, guarding her. As Kam gaped, he reared up on his hind legs and let loose with an ear-shattering roar.

  A few of the coyotes cringed, but the alpha wasn't about to back down. He had probably never seen a bear as big as Caleb; maybe he thought that his pack could take down the bear as well as the woman they had surrounded. The big creature snarled at Caleb, then leaped for his throat.

  Kam screamed, but Alex was the only one who noticed. Alex's jaw dropped as she looked from Kam to the fighting animals.

  Kam's logical side surfaced. Alex was injured--Kam needed to help her away from all those claws and teeth. She ran for Alex, even though some insane part of her wanted to run straight for Caleb.

  "Oh, Kam. Oh, thank gods. How did you find me?"

  "I'll explain later," Kam said, glancing at Caleb. He had tossed off the alpha, but now two other coyotes were scrabbling at his back. "Let's get you out of here."

  Alex threw her arm around Kam's shoulder, but left her other hand pressing against the rock wall. "I found it, Kam."

  "Found what?"

  "The village. We're standing right in the middle of it," she said. Her voice was high but steady. "Does this wall look natural to you?"

  Now that she looked at it, the wall did seem surprisingly regular. "Can we talk about this later?"

  "Good idea," Alex said, her eyes darting from the coyotes to the bear. "Is it my imagination, or is that a grizzly bear?"

  "Let's not wait around to find out," Kam said, pulling her away.

  Chapter Twenty

  Caleb

  It wasn't tough for a grizzly bear to chase off a pack of coyotes. Mostly, Caleb was playing with them, keeping them distracted while Kam got Alex away.

  Then one of them got ahold of his leg, sinking in its jaws. Caleb roared in pain and fury. After that, he wasn't playing anymore. He struck out with his massive paws, letting the bear in him take over.

  In moments, the coyotes were scattered, yelping as they retreated. Caleb stood, chest heaving, flush with violent triumph. The bear in him wanted more, wanted to hunt down the coyotes and make them pay for frightening Alex.

  But the thought of Alex reminded him of Kam. Where had they gone? There was always the chance that there were more coyotes, or something else stalking the woods.

  He sniffed the air, looking for the women. Their combined scents came to him on the wind--sweat, sweetness, and fear. He followed his nose, eager to get back to his mate. If he could smell the women, then so could the coyotes.

  It took only a few minutes to find them. Alex was leaning against a tree, clearly in pain, while Kam peered into the darkness. He readied himself to shift back into his human form, but then he heard it--a soft rustle as something moved through the trees.

  He froze, attuning all of his senses. He couldn't see them, but he was sure that the coyote pack had reformed around Kam and Alex. They must have been starving. It was one thing to attack an injured woman, but they must have been desperate to go after two fully-grown humans.

  Make that three humans, he thought, and transformed back into a man. If it had just been Kam, he would have stayed a bear to protect her, but he was forbidden to show Alex his bear form.

  Kam whirled around when he called her name, then ran into his arms. "Oh, thank gods. Are you all right?"

  Caleb looked down at his shredded pant leg. He was bleeding where the coyote had bit him, but it didn't seem too deep. "I'm fine. But we have to get going. Those coyotes are still here."

  "Not to mention the bear," Alex added, her voice high with panic. She was still leaning against the tree, ten feet from where Kam and Caleb were embracing.

  Too late, Caleb realized that Alex was vulnerable. Just as he shouted a warning, a coyote leaped out of the trees and went straight for her.

  Alex screamed, instinctively protecting her face with her hands. The coyote knocked her off balance and she fell. She managed to knock back the first coyote, but then another was there, and another, all fighting to sink their jaws into her throat.

  Caleb didn't think--he transformed. His heavy forepaws hit the ground as he growled furiously.

  The coyotes, surprised, turned to face him. He was careful to keep Kam behind him. He rose to his back legs, letting them see his massive bulk and deadly claws. Then he dropped his jaw and roared.

  The coyotes knew that they had met their match. As one, the pack turned tail and ran off.

  Alex was huddled on the ground. Her arms were bloody from the coyote's tearing teeth. Fearing the worst, Caleb dropped to all fours and walked toward her.

  Kam beat him to it. She ran to Alex and crouched beside her. "Oh, no. Alex, no. Please be okay."

  "I'm playing dead," Alex whispered loudly. "That bear is still here. Did it get Caleb?"

  Kam looked up at Caleb, confused, then back to Alex. Then comprehension lit her eyes.

  Caleb saw the play of emotions on her face clearly. First amusement, as she realized that Alex didn't know what had happened. Then the dawning understanding that she had to lie to Alex if she wanted to keep Caleb's secret. She was frowning--thinking--as she looked at him with wide, vulnerable eyes. Then she exhaled slowly, closed her eyes in resignation, and started to speak.

  "Caleb's fine. He, uh, ran off. But I'm sure he'll be back soon."

  He couldn't let her do it. He couldn't let her lie to her best friend. He transformed. "Actually, Alex, I'm right here. And I'd rather you didn't play dead, b
ecause it scares Kam."

  Alex lifted her head. Where the bear had been, Caleb now sat on the ground. "Where--what--"

  Now that she was looking directly at him, Caleb transformed back into a bear.

  Alex scrambled backwards, heedless of her bloody arms. "It's okay, it's okay," Kam said, looking at Caleb gratefully. "I have so much to tell you.

  #

  It took them a long time to get back. Caleb radioed Marley that Alex had been found, and that she needed medical attention. Marley called the paramedics, who hiked in with a stretcher.

  He pointed out to the women that he could just transform and carry Alex on his back. But Kam didn't want him to risk any more exposure, and Alex's hands and arms were so torn up she might have had trouble holding on to him. Caleb had to content himself with tearing his shirt into makeshift bandages while Kam told Alex everything.

  "So let me get this straight," Alex said, when Kam finished. "Bear shifters are real."

  "Yup."

  "And he's one of them," Alex continued, nodding at Caleb.

  "I know it sounds crazy, but I've seen him transform half a dozen times in the last twenty-four hours."

  "Are you sure you haven't been exposed to hallucinogenic mold?"

  "I can transform again, if you'd like," Caleb put in, though in truth he was exhausted. His sleepless night and eventful day were beginning to catch up with him.

  "So you're related to the Yursui?"

  He managed a tired smile. "That's what you're going to find out."

  Alex blew out a breath. "This puts a whole new spin on our research."

  "No one can know," Kam reminded her. "We won't be able to publish--at least not the whole truth."

  Alex waved an arm. It was swaddled in the Egyptian cotton that had once been Caleb's shirt. "I don't care about that as much as you do," she said to Kam. "The mystery is what interests me. And there's mystery here in spades."

  Kam's whole body drooped with relief. "Really? That was the only way I could get the Brotherhood to agree to let us stay on the project. We aren't allowed to publish our findings, or discuss them with outsiders, without B3's approval."