“This Marlo guy sounds like a real piece of work. Vindictive, bloodthirsty, without morals. He'd even hurt a child!” Cora said angrily.
She pushed herself up and sat up straighter. Her body was still aching but she didn't feel much pain. In fact, she felt invigorated. Her anger sent adrenalin coursing through her body. She was stoked.
She thought of little Billy and she got all fired up, every nerve tingling with rage and energy. He was even younger than her students, and she couldn't even bear the thought of any of her young charges coming to any harm. It was just unthinkable.
“Why can't the cops catch him?” she demanded.
“Marlo is a slippery guy. He's hard to smoke out.”
“Slippery, gutless and heartless,” she spat. “He's going to try and hurt Billy and Keith again.”
“Yes.”
“Yes?” She peered at him, looking incredulous. “And?”
Ethan frowned.
Cora made an exasperated, frustrated sound. “And you're not going to do anything?”
“We will protect the Maxwells.”
“That's not enough! Marlo Hynderland will just send his underlings to do his dirty work for him again!”
“Yeah, Marlo won't get his hands dirty. As I said, he's elusive and...”
“We've got to stop him, once and for all!” Cora pounded her fist into her palm.
“Well, that's the plan, but...”
“Ha! But do you actually have a plan?” she challenged.
CHAPTER TEN
Ethan stared at the curvy spitfire in his bed. Her hazel eyes were flashing with steely determination and strength. A plan was forming in that pretty head of hers. He could see the fire in her eyes, and hear the excitement and defiance in her voice.
“We're still working on it. But it sounds like you have a plan,” he said, leaning forward.
“I do!” she smirked.
He sat back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. “Let's hear it.”
“Okay.” Cora sucked in a long breath and plunged right in. “From what you're saying, it sounds to me like Marlo Hynderland isn't someone to let things go. He sounds like a big egomaniac, a total control freak. If you've crossed him, he won't ever forget it. He won't let anyone escape his clutches. He would see it as a slight, an insult, a blow to his big fat ego. And his ego is way too inflated to allow any insult to go unpunished.”
“Right.” Ethan nodded, surprised at how accurate her assessment of the drug lord was. “Marlo Hynderland loves to nurse old grudges. To him, revenge is a dish best served cold.”
“Yeah, but this time, he'll be more than mad. He's been waiting for years to exact vengeance on Keith Maxwell, and when he finally has Keith where he wants him, you come charging in to spoil his best laid plans. Oh, he hates you now, with a vengeance.” Cora made her tone sound threatening and ominous, and wagged a finger at him to drive her point home.
Ethan's lips twitched. Her stern, warning tone made him feel like a misbehaving student who was being chastised. He could picture her at her kindergarten, sorting out playground battles and disputes in her efficient, no-nonsense manner. She probably had to listen to conflicting, disjointed reports, wading through tears and screams to decipher the truth. And she had to make her judgment quickly and accurately. Kids needed to be able to trust her, to know that their teacher would be fair and firm when dealing with their little squabbles and fights.
Cora was smart, with a quick, strong mind. She wasn't all shook up and defeated by her ordeal. Instead, she grasped the situation quickly and applied her agile mind to finding a solution.
This little human certainly had the heart of a bear.
“So,” she went on, her pitch rising. “He will be coming after you now. You thwarted his plans. You found us and sprang us. He was so close to getting his revenge, and you snatched the little lion cub out from right under his nose. He'll definitely come after you now.”
Ethan shrugged. “There's no love lost between us. I'm ready for him. He should come get me already!” Ethan threw his arms out in mock welcome.
“Ooh, that's not what he'll do. He won't get you,” she said. “From what I see, his modus operandi is to take the loved ones of his enemies. Take the son, make the father suffer. He'll hurt you, by going after your closest and dearest.”
“Well, I don't have a son. And I don't think he'll go after my clan or my staff...”
Cora raised a finger. “Ah, but what if you have a wife?”
“Wife? I don't have a wife. I don't even have a...”
“I said what if.”
“He'd take her for sure.”
“Yes, yes!” Her eyes brightened and she gave a little clap.
Ethan frowned at her. She seemed inordinately happy at the idea that the Hyland Wolves would target his imaginary wife.
“Yes, yes, exactly. And...there's one more person the Hyland Wolves are targeting. Me! They'll be trying to hunt me down and get rid of me. I saw and heard everything. I was there,” Cora continued breathlessly. “I know too much. No living witnesses. That's their policy.”
Ethan froze. “You are not suggesting...”
“I am! That's exactly what I am suggesting!” she squealed. “I will be your bride! The Hyland Wolves won't be able to resist. Me! The pesky witness they're hunting, is also the bride of their enemy! They will take the bait! Torturing your enemy and killing the witness at the same time, oh my! It'd be like they'd hit the jackpot!”
“Cora...”
But she was unstoppable, charging ahead like a freight train. “They won't be able to stay away. They'll come get me for sure! They'll be like flies, swarming all over a rotten piece of meat...”
“You're not a piece of meat!”
“But I'm right!”
Her eyes were feverishly bright and she was panting slightly. Ethan saw the stubborn set of her jaw and the burning passion in her eyes and knew that she wasn't going to back down.
“I'm right, aren't I?” she persisted. “I am right. You know I am!”
Ethan stared at her flushed face, at the bruises still marring her otherwise smooth, rosy complexion. She was so beautiful, so brave and selfless.
What she had just said was nothing new to him. He had already met with his beta and his team leaders to plan their next step, and most of his bears had voiced the same thought during that meeting. That Cora was a prime target right now, and if she were Ethan's mate, she would be the perfect bait needed to lure Marlo Hynderland out of hiding. Ethan would be on Marlo's radar as well, so how better to torture Ethan than to take his beloved mate?
His Black Bears had no idea how close they had cut to the bone.
Cora was still staring at him expectantly and confidently. She was all fired up, completely unafraid, totally committed to her plan. She also seemed a little annoyed that he didn't seem willing to give her credit for her spot-on analysis.
“Cora, you're right,” he said very slowly. “You're absolutely right. But I can't let you...”
“Then let's do it!” She threw back the covers and began to get out of bed. She winced and tried to stifle her cry of pain. “If only I can heal faster...” she grunted in frustration. “I don't want to be a limping, battered bride!”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Cora gasped as Ethan lurched forward and caught her in his arms. Her feet had tangled in the covers and instead of getting gracefully up, she found herself flailing and twisting in mid-air.
Quick as lightning, Ethan had jumped up and pulled her safely to him. He had stopped her just in time from tumbling from the bed and landing on the floor in a painful, ungainly heap.
Her body pressed up against his, and she swallowed at the heat unfurling low in her belly. Ethan's mouth hovered just inches above hers, and she was tempted to push herself up and just kiss him. His blue eyes were so warm, and his lips were so near, so tempting.
She could just kiss him, cop a feel of his delectab
le, toned butt and blame it on the meds. She was on pain medication, right? So yeah, she could totally get away with it.
Just one quick, stolen kiss.
Cora's lips parted as her brain came up with a million reasons why that would be a bad idea.
But her body didn't get the memo.
Her arms twined around his neck as she tilted her face up to him. She stared into the blue of his eyes, wanting to just plunge into that deep, swirling ocean. There was a storm raging behind his eyes, a tempestuous, torrid storm.
Cora shook herself, but before she could pull away, Ethan's mouth crushed over hers.
His kiss was hot, deep, urgent. There was no hesitation, no gentleness. His tongue demanded entrance, and she yielded immediately. Cora clung to his broad shoulders, melting against him as he took her mouth relentlessly, desperately. His hands moved to stroke the underside of her breasts as he kissed her senseless. Cora arched her back, needing more of his touch. Her nipples pulsed and ached, stiffening as she rubbed herself wantonly against the wall of his chest.
“Cora...” he rasped into her mouth.
She writhed against him, and he ran his thumb across her nipples. Her entire body jerked, as lightning seared her nerves and molten heat pooled between her legs.
“More,” she whispered raggedly.
He raised his head, panting as though he had just run for miles. Resting his forehead against hers, he held her for a long while, his hands trembling slightly on her waist. His handsome face was twisted. Whether it was in pain or turmoil she couldn't tell.
“What? What is it, Ethan?” she whispered. “What's on your mind?” She soothed the crease on his forehead with her fingers.
“There is a way to make you heal faster,” he said at last. “You'll be able to heal like a shifter. Your bruises, your cuts and scars will disappear in just a matter of hours.”
“Wow.” She blinked at him. “How?”
Ethan didn't reply, just tightened his grip on her.
Cora inhaled a slow breath and held it. From the grim look on his face, it had to be something awful. When he still didn't speak, she fidgeted nervously and wild thoughts began to race through her mind.
Nothing was for free. If there was a way to speed up her healing, it had to come with a price. Would it cost her an arm and a leg? Did she have to drink a goblet of virgin blood? Ick! Or swallow the eye of newt or toe of frog?
Well, no matter. After what she'd been through, nothing could faze her. Cora gave a loud gulp and squared her shoulders. Whatever it was, she would do it. She would pinch her nose, steel her spine and gird her loins. If she could heal quickly and set her brilliant plan in motion, there was nothing she wouldn't do. Bring it on! She would swim through a burning ocean, walk over red hot coals or swallow the vilest, most repulsive medicine.
She would do it. It was worth it. She could bring those evil Hyland Wolves to justice!
She made a sound at the back of her throat which sounded suspiciously like a growl. Ethan raised his eyes to her and she flashed him a determined smile.
“Just tell me,” she said. “I can take it. I'm not afraid. I will do whatever it takes.” She thumped her chest. “Bring it on!”
“You...are willing to be my bride?” he asked quietly.
“Huh? What?” She frowned. “Oh! Oh that. That's just for show. A fake wedding. Let those wolves think that I'm important to you. They'll take the person you love most. So if I'm your new bride...”
His hands tightened around her waist. “You are important to me, Cora.”
“I...”
“I want you to heal quickly. I don't want you to have to suffer and endure this endless pain and discomfort.”
“I'm not in much pain, but okay. I'm all for healing quickly and getting back in the groove.”
Ethan closed his eyes for an instant, holding her arms tightly. He seemed to be having a furious debate with himself in his mind, but finally he snapped his head up and stared deeply into her eyes.
“Cora, are you sure you want to do this?” he asked solemnly. “This isn't just...”
“Yes. I'm sure.”
“Your plan...has merit. It is...”
“It is fucking brilliant!” She jabbed a finger hard into his shoulder. “Admit it, Ethan. My plan will absolutely work. I can lead you straight to Marlo Hynderland! We just have to stage that mock wedding, and lure the wolves to me. I will even...”
“I want you to heal, not because of the plan!” He gripped her shoulders. “I want you to be strong and healthy, happy and well...and safe!”
“I will be happy when I know those wolves have been caught,” she answered stubbornly. “Now tell me. What do I have to do, to heal like a shifter?”
Ethan opened his mouth and she tensed. This had to be bad, real bad.
“You—have to mate with me.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Cora did a double take and sputtered. “What?”
Ethan took a deep breath and said, “If I claim you as my mate, your heart and body will be connected to mine. You will still be human, but your lifespan, your body will be connected to mine. You will be a part of me, part of my heart and soul. You will be able to heal almost as quickly as a shifter.”
Cora's mouth rounded. “So what you're saying,” she began slowly, “...is that all I have to do—is mate with you. And I'll be able to heal like you.”
“Yes, that's the gist. But...”
Cora started to laugh. She couldn't help it.
Here she was thinking that she had to walk through hell or ingest something totally gross in order to heal when all she had to do was sleep with a handsome, hot man who had saved her and taken great care of her.
Ethan was sweet, protective, and he was sex on a stick! She would pick him up in a bar in a heartbeat. She was pretty sure a rich, successful, handsome eligible bachelor like him would have women beating a path to his bed.
Cora forced herself to step back and mull it over, even though there wasn't much to think over.
Did she want to heal quickly?
Yes.
Did she want to help set a trap for Marlo Hynderland and smash the wolves' evil drug syndicate?
Oh yes!
Did she want to sleep with Ethan Flint?
Hell, yeah!
In fact, she had been scheming to ask him out after all this was over. He was a really nice guy, funny, good-natured, protective, an all-round good guy. And he seemed to be able to take her snarkiness pretty well. Unlike a lot of the guys she'd dated. Needless to say, those dates hadn't gone very well.
She had a feeling they would make a great team, in and out of bed.
“Cora, you okay?” Ethan asked, staring at her curiously. “Did I say something funny?”
She shook her head and cleared her throat noisily. “So...just to clarify. This mating thing—we're talking about sex, right?”
“Yes.”
She nodded, coming to a firm decision. “So it's just sex.”
“It's not just sex,” Ethan choked out. “When we mate, we will be...”
Cora waved him down. “That's what they all say.”
Ethan started to protest again, but she was already mumbling to herself, ticking off the reasons on her fingers. “Mate with him and I heal. Do I have a problem with that? No, no problem at all. To mate or not to mate, that is the question. No, no, that is not the question. The real question is...”
Abruptly she burst into fits of giggles. She had no problem mating with Ethan. The only question was...
“When?” she blurted out.
Ethan shot her a blank stare.
“When do we, er, mate?”
His throat moved. “Now, if you want.”
Cora pulled him to her and purred, “I want.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Ethan tumbled into bed with her but pushed himself up, his arms straight and rigid. “Cora, are you sure?”
“I'm sure.”
“Mating is...real.”
“Oh, I'm sure it is,” she giggled. “I wouldn't have it any other way. Gimme!” She began to tug him down to her.
“Wait, listen! Cora!” He grabbed her wrist. “It's not like...what you're planning. That fake wedding. There's nothing fake about this,” he said tightly.
“No sir.” She saluted.
“Cora...” His control was slipping but he tried again. “You have to know that if I claim you as my mate, I will not let you go. You will be mine. Forever.”
She cocked her head and looked thoughtful. “You won't let me go?”
“No. I will find you, and I will be able to sense your moods, your distress. If you are in danger, I will know.”
Her eyes brightened. “That—is perfect!”
Ethan opened his mouth, ready to launch into an exposition of how not perfect her plan was but she beat him to it.
Rubbing her hands, Cora ignored his objections and rushed on, “Yes! This is what we'll do. We mate, we get married, we set a trap. We let the wolves drag me away to their lord and master, and you come find me. You said you'll be able to sense when I am in danger, and you'll be able to track me, right? This is perfect! This is...brilliant!”
“Cora, I won't allow you to put yourself in danger! No, you can't...”
“I won't be in danger. You said so yourself. You'll come to me. You won't let anything happen to me, right? Ethan, these wolves won't stop. More people will be hurt. We have to stop them. This is our chance. It may be our only chance,” she said, putting a hand on his arm.
Ethan inhaled a ragged breath. She was right, and he hated that she was right.
He never thought that she could be so stubborn and so fearless.
He admired her, loved her, wanted her so much.
“I got your dress,” he said abruptly.
“Dress? What dress?”
“The green dress that...” led me to you.
Bear's Bride (Bear Heat Book 1) (BBW Paranormal Shifter Romance) Page 4
