Shiftr_Swipe Left for Love_Ryzard

by Ariana Hawkes

  Ryker went in hard, peppering the other bear with a series of blows, as if he was trying to execute a task as neatly as possible. By the third round, the Pine Bluff bear was off balance, stumbling onto his knees, and by the seventh he was flat on his back, wearing an expression of bewilderment, as if he’d just discovered that he’d been taken down by a highly efficient machine. The fight was over in nine rounds, with a clean knockout. The stadium erupted with wild cheers of appreciation from the crowd, as they clapped and stamped their feet. The Broken Hill Bears were back. And at last, Braxton allowed himself to celebrate too, letting out a long, slow breath of relief, the muscles all over his body slackening.

  He was the last to leave the arena, waiting, watching until he was absolutely sure that there was nothing to worry about, and then he went through to the changing room.

  Xander caught him on the way.

  “Great job, Braxton,” he said. “I knew I could rely on you. I thought it might take a while to get to the bottom of this, but you’ve done it in a single match. The clan is very proud of you.” Braxton glowed with pride.

  “Thanks, boss. That means a lot coming from you.”

  “You’ve more than proved yourself as a worthy Second. Now, didn’t you say you had to go pick Neve up?”

  “Maybe,” he replied, allowing himself a small smile.

  “What are you waiting for? – Go get your mate!”

  Braxton didn’t need to be told twice. He raced for his car and took to the road, heading in the direction of Rayville. As reassuring as Xander’s words were, all he could think about was her. Tension knotted his muscles once more and his bear prowled and fretted, urging him to drive faster. As excited as he was at the thought of seeing her again, unease sat heavy in the pit of his stomach – an unshakeable sense that something wasn’t right.

  17

  The interrogation was intense. The police wanted to establish that Neve wasn’t Kevin’s accomplice and grilled her longer and more aggressively than she’d expected. But then they relaxed a little, having evidently gathered enough evidence to be sure she was innocent, and asked her all about Kevin’s life, habits, people he knew, places he went to.

  As she walked out of the station, she was choked with sadness, both for all the tragic events of the past few days, and for how many years of her life Kevin had wasted. She’d been weak and she’d allowed him to do that to her, but she was never going to let it happen to her again. She was going to get on with her life and become the best damn lawyer she could. She’d go and live in Wisconsin, or Chicago, and keep applying to law firms, until somebody gave her a break.

  She had to leave Broken Hill, which was like a beautiful dream, and continue with real life. The thought of being without Braxton tore her heart in two, but it was he who’d showed her that she was a good person; a worthwhile one, and she couldn’t let her ambitions drift away again.

  She found a café, ordered a moccachino, and cried uncontrollably in the quiet corner she chose for herself, mourning the end of her relationship with Braxton. Maybe I can be with him in a few years, when I’ve satisfied myself with the whole lawyer thing, she told herself. Although, she was well aware that he’d be mated by then. To a gorgeous shifter, or another human. And they’ll have beautiful cubs together. She sat in her little corner, not drinking her coffee, feeling physically sick at the thought of losing him.

  I can’t see him again, she realized, once the conviction was firm in her mind. Meeting him right now and telling him we can’t be together is going to break me more than I’m broken already.

  She took out her phone and searched for a flight online. Thanks to the pay she’d received from Braxton, she was no longer flat broke and could afford the luxury of flying. There was an indirect flight to Milwaukee tonight, leaving from the local airport in 90 minutes – around the time she’d expected Braxton to come pick her up. She called a taxi and headed to the airport.

  On the way, her eyes almost blinded with tears, she composed a message to Braxton:

  My dearest Braxton – my hero, protector and love.

  Meeting you surpassed my expectations of what a hero could be, and in the short time I’ve known you, I’ve come to love you more than I thought it was possible to love someone, and you’ve given me so much happiness. Which is why it’s so painful for me to tell you this: I can’t be with you because I need to leave Broken Hill and prioritize my future. If I don’t try to make the best of myself, I know that I’ll never be truly satisfied. I hope you can understand, and that you’ll soon find yourself the mate that you deserve.

  I feel very fortunate to have spent this time with you, and I’ll never forget you, my Braxton Bear.

  All my love, Neve.

  Am I crazy? she thought, as her finger hovered over the ‘send’ button, her other hand clapped over her mouth to stop herself from breaking down.

  “We’re here,” the taxi driver grunted, and she discovered that they were already at the airport. Reflexively, her finger pressed the button, and the fateful message was delivered. She paid the driver, grabbed her purse and got out of the taxi.

  She walked over to the airport entrance and up a set of steps, her feet dragging, as heavy as her heart. The automatic doors opened, delivering a blast of cold air into her face, and she went inside and checked in. She’d never been on a plane before, but she was too miserable to be fazed. She took her carry-on through security in zombie-mode, then sat at the gate, staring at the planes, trying not to think. Because if she did, she might just fall apart. After a while, boarding started and she took her place in the line, moving like a robot. The flight attendant flashed big white teeth at her as she scanned her pass, but she couldn’t smile back. Right now, she felt like she was never going to smile again. I’m doing this for the right reasons, she told herself over and over. She walked through the door out onto the tarmac, and somewhere, in the depths of her misery, someone was calling her name.

  “Neve Vincent!” A voice boomed, too rich and deep and rumbling to be the voice of a human. “Neve Vincent, you’re my mate, and if you think I’m going to let you go that easily, you’re very mistaken!” She gasped and spun around, all at the same time. He was there. Her huge, handsome, larger-than-life love, with the sparkling blue eyes. He’d somehow passed through security and he was standing right behind the flight attendant. The other passengers stared at him open-mouthed too. He was too big to be a human, and they were doubtless wondering if they’d seen him on TV or in a movie.

  “Braxton!” she said. “How did you find me here?” He strode over to her and pulled her into his arms.

  “I’d find you anywhere, Neve,” he said, his voice harsh with hurt. And then she saw the pain in his eyes. “You were going to leave me? Without even telling me in person?” It was too much. Her pain was bad enough, but seeing the anguish in his eyes pushed her right over the edge and she burst into tears again.

  “Braxton – I’m sorry. I just thought it would be better this way.”

  “Better for you, you mean.”

  “No. I just knew that if I saw you again, I’d lose my resolve. Of course I don’t want to leave you, but I’ve got to be strong, and be true to myself.” He nodded.

  “I understand.” She blinked hard.

  “You do?”

  “The last remaining passengers need to board the plane immediately,” the flight attendant chirped behind her. She threw a glance over her shoulder at the pathway to the plane, and then back at Braxton.

  “Neve, don’t take this flight. Come with me. I have something to tell you.”

  “Ma’am, are you flying with us today?” the stewardess said, beginning to sound less cheerful.

  “Yes – I just need a moment,” Neve replied.

  “Neve?” Braxton’s hand enveloped hers, so big and warm and protective. “You’re my mate. At least hear me out.” Against her will, she found herself looking up into his hypnotic blue eyes, and she melted.

  “Okay,” she said. “Sorry, I’m not c
oming. You can go ahead and leave now,” she told the disgruntled woman.

  Outside, Neve climbed into Braxton’s Porsche, her heart fluttering as she inhaled his incredible, spicy scent once more. How can I turn away from him when he’s this gorgeous and sexy? she asked herself. Now they were so close, she couldn’t bear to meet his eyes.

  “I understand that you want to have the future that you’ve worked for for so long,” he began.

  “I do. Braxton – you, living an easy life in Broken Hill. It’s like a fairy tale, but it’s not my life. My life is a whole lot grittier than that. Things don’t come to me so easy. I’ve got to work for what I want. And I do want to be a lawyer. I can’t throw away all the work I’ve done, all the hardship I’ve been through. And as much as I love you, I’ve got to stay true to myself.” She talked fast, the words tumbling over one another, before she lost her resolve. But he didn’t say anything, and the silence stretched between them. At last she looked up, expecting anger, shock, disgust. Anything but what she got. Braxton’s face was lit with amusement.

  “Then it’s a good job I caught you before you raced off across the country,” he said. She blinked.

  “What’s funny?”

  “I have some good news, but I’m not sure that you deserve to hear it, after all the suffering you’ve put me through.” Her heart clenched. She couldn’t bear the fact that she’d hurt him. And she couldn’t stop herself. Raising her hand, she caressed his jaw, the rough stubble chafing her hand.

  “Please tell me,” she murmured. She was desperate to hear something, anything, that would make her change her mind.

  “Well, I’ve spoken to all the Alphas and Seconds of all the clans we wrestle with. Even those dirty half-breeds, the Black Paws. And they’re all in agreement. We’d like to offer you the position of Chief Legal Officer of the clans. You’d be in charge of setting out laws and regulations, and overseeing disputes, as far as any of our human-related business is concerned. As much as we clans are at war with each other, all the leaders agree that we don’t want the kind of thing that’s just happened getting in the way of the plain, simple wrestling that we bears do best. And we all want to protect ourselves from human intervention, so I guess we want to set up copyrights as well.” Neve stared at him, speechless.

  “What do you say, Neve? Will you represent the shifters in all their dealings with humans?” he prompted.

  “This is for real?” she said at last. “It’s a full-time position?” He laughed.

  “Yes, and you’ll be kept busy, believe me. We also have a lot of fine print that needs looking at in our sponsorship requests. All those T&Cs that humans think we bears won’t understand.” He rubbed the back of his head. “And they’re right. We need you to help us unravel the mysteries of the human world.”

  “And Xander agrees?”

  “He thinks it’s a great idea. You made a strong impression on him the first time you met him too, and he’s very pro-human, as you know. Please say yes, Neve. You’d be helping us all out so much – providing the link to the human world that we bears lack.” His eyes were soft and beseeching, and it touched her heart to see this powerful man so soft, so needful of her. His gaze flickered across her features, and his irises appeared to darken as his pupils dilated. “And, most importantly for me, you’ll be able to stay in Broken Hill and be my mate.” Little starbursts of excitement leapt all over her body as her brain worked quickly, weighing up all the possibilities. Be the official lawyer and lawmaker of the shifters? Work for my childhood heroes, in an industry that has always fascinated me? Get to stay in Broken Hill with Braxton and be his mate? She visualized one giant tick after another. Yes! It couldn’t be more perfect.

  She gazed at the ceiling of the car, as if thinking hard.

  “I guess this would look good on my resume. I mean, I’ll seem real tough and uncompromising.” He nodded eagerly.

  “Yeah! Everyone will think you’re the ultimate bad-ass for having the Broken Hill Bears on your client list.” She lifted her hands into the air.

  “Okay, it’s a yes! I accept the position of Chief Legal Officer to the bear clans!” Delight danced in his eyes as he shook her hand, sealing the agreement.

  “Neve, you don’t know how happy this makes me.” He wrapped his arms around her, pressing her against his powerful pecs. “Mine,” he murmured into her hair, as he made light circles on her arms with his fingertips. “You’re all mine, Neve. My beautiful mate.”

  “I am,” she replied, tears blurring her vision. “And you’re mine, Braxton, my incredible wrestler bear shifter mate.” His expression turned serious again. “Wait – I need to ask you formally. It’s a Broken Hill clan thing.” He took her hand and raised it to her lips. “Neve Vincent, will you consent to being my mate. My one and only love, for the rest of our lives?” She gave a little gasp of happiness.

  “Yes, Braxton, I will. I want that more than anything.” He hugged her again, enveloping her in his strong arms. And for the first time, she allowed herself to let go, to know that she was truly his. That thing – whatever it was – that she kept wound up tight inside herself to stop anyone from hurting her snapped like a worn out rubber band, and she allowed herself to fall into him, body and soul. She drew back, wanting to explain how she felt, but unsure how to begin. He stroked her cheek and her jaw, his eyes soft with love and understanding. I can have this forever, she told herself, but it still seemed too amazing to be true.

  “Is this real?” she murmured. “I still think I’m going to wake up and discover it was a real trippy dream.” Braxton murmured into her hair.

  “It’s real, baby,” he whispered. “You’re my mate. And we’ll always be together from now on. Every night, and all of our days.” She raised her head, her mouth inches from his sexy full lips.

  “We healed each other, didn’t we, Braxton?” she said.

  “We did,” he replied, and their mouths met as if they were made for each other.

  THE END

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  About the Author

  Ariana Hawkes is a USA Today Bestselling Author. She graduated in English and Latin Literature from Oxford University, and since then she’s been writing full time, for both work and pleasure.

  She loves to write spicy romantic stories with complex, quirky characters, plenty of suspense, and, of course, a whole lot of laughs.

  When she’s not writing, she loves reading literary fiction, fantasy, romance and erotica, and snuggling with her man and their two huskies.

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