by Amy Kyle
Another woman scrambled by her side. “Brent,” she called out. She pressed a hand to Tara’s wound. “She’d dying.”
Dying. Yes. She was dying.
Brent looked at her helplessly. “Micah,” he said harshly. “Please.”
The alpha nodded, and Tara saw Brent shift just before the darkness took her.
Chapter Seven
“Let me get this straight. You three faced the vampire leader and got your ass kicked. It took the empath witch and the alpha female to help you kick some ass?” Gratsky asked.
Brent narrowed his eyes. “Not the point,” he hissed.
“Right. Well, I will say this much. You three bring me the most interesting women,” Gratsky said with a sigh. “A newly turned bear. A witch. And now a human bit by both a vampire and a bear. I should probably consider asking for a raise.”
“Is she going to be all right?” Brent asked tightly.
“Will she live? Yes. Will she be a bear shifter? I don’t know.”
“Will she be a vampire?” Jackson asked. Brent glared at him, and he shrugged. “What? You don’t care?”
Honestly? Brent didn’t care. He didn’t give a damn how Tara woke up from the bed as long as she woke up, and she was happy. It didn’t matter whether she was a vampire, a shifter, or some freak hybrid of both.
“Doubtful. To change into a vampire, you have to actually die. And since Tara here is still very much alive, there is no way she can be a full-blown vampire. Now whether the vampire bite mingles with the shifter bite remains to be seen. What’s really interesting is that Tara was fairly immune to de’Massier’s charms.”
Brent’s head shot up. “What do you mean? Is that unusual?”
“De’massier is a powerful vampire. To have someone immune to him is quite intriguing. It’s more than just your relationship with her. She’s resisted his requests from the very beginning. That means that there is something very special about your Tara Schmidt.”
“What do you think it is?” Micah asked.
Gratsky shrugged. “Most likely, it means that humanity is evolving. They’re finding ways to defend themselves against more powerful species. It’s a fascinating thought. But what I can tell you is that between your three mates, absolutely no one is going to mess with this pack.”
“Sure. We have nothing to do with it,” Micah said sourly.
Gratsky grinned. “You do deserve credit. How you got Stacey and Natalie to fall in love with you two is beyond me.”
Brent tuned them out. He was watching the door to Tara’s room anxiously. Part of him wanted to be by her side right that very minute, but he knew she wouldn’t be happy to find her by her bed. She’d been perfectly fine in her life, and then he had to put her danger.
And turned her.
“I need to leave,” he said abruptly. “Keep me posted.”
“You’re leaving?” Jackson stared at him. “She’s going to want to see you when she wakes up.”
“I doubt that very seriously,” he muttered, and he slipped out the door. Deep down, he feared he would never see here again.
* * *
“It’s so romantic to wake up and find that your boyfriend isn’t there,” Tara said sourly. Brent’s head shot up from his desk, and he stared at her. “It’s even better when two whole days pass, and he doesn’t even send you flowers. Or a card.”
“Tara,” he breathed.
“It’s even better when a stranger has to tell explain things to you. You know, the part where the guy you were dating turned out to be the leader of the vampire clan and was trying to manipulate you. And the fact that you alpha female can shift at will. And that your second-in-command married a witch.”
He lowered his eyes. She was pissed. Of course. She had every right to be angry. “I wanted to tell you.”
“But you didn’t. That’s okay. I just thought that you should know that I’m alive and kicking. I thought I’d come by to say goodbye and tell that you I’ve leaving.” She waited a heartbeat which she watched his reaction. She was rewarded with the sad look in his eyes. “Except that I’m not leaving.”
“You’re not?” he muttered.
“So then, I thought I’d come by and say hi and give you a kiss, but I’m pissed at you. So that’s not going to happen.” Her eyes narrowed when he leaned back in his chair and regarded her with interest. She was not going to let him get the upper hand.
“I couldn’t figure out why you’d stay away from me. I don’t really take you for the wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am approach. I think we both know that it was more than that. And you can’t be pissed about putting me in danger because de’Massier did that. Not you. And you can’t really be distraught over biting me because I’d be dead if you didn’t. But you’re a really hard guy to read. So tell me, Mr. Jenson. What’s going on through that head of yours?”
“Marry me,” he said softly.
Of all the words that she expected to come out of his mouth, those were not even in the top thousand. “What?” she whispered.
He scooted his chair back and stood. “I love you, Tara. I’ve loved you from the very beginning. I didn’t have one single reason for keeping you close to me except that I selfishly wanted you. And for the first time since I met you, I finally realized that you’ve had no say in this. So I gave you a choice. You’ve had days to leave. And you’re still here. By choice. No one is keeping you.”
She tried to hold her ground as he stalked her, but soon she was pressed up against the wall. “And you think that because I decided to stick around that I should marry you?”
“I think that you stuck around because you love me. And I’m going to marry you before you have a chance to change your mind,” he said softly. His hands skimmed her arms, and she shivered.
“Jesus, Brent. I do love you. But you have no idea what I’m going to become. When the full moon rises, I might be some weird bear vampire creature. I could be hideous.”
“You could four heads and still not be hideous,” he murmured. “And I don’t care what you become. You’ll always be you, and I’ll always love you. Marry me.”
“Once again, no flowers. No ring. No candlelight dinner. You know, at some point, I’d like to feel wooed and courted,” she pointed out. He frowned, and she reached up to stroke his face. “But nothing about this relationship has been traditional. So yes, Brent Jenson. I will marry you.”
He captured her lips, and she held him close. For the first time in forever, she finally felt at peace. “I’ll spend the rest of my life courting and wooing you,” he whispered.
“Oh, I know you will,” she said with a grin. “And I’ll protect you until the day I die.”
Three weeks later, when the full moon lit the Woodland pack and everyone stared at her nervously, she watched as everyone else shifted.
But her. As she stood in the middle of the woods, surrounded by the most dangerous creatures out there, she never felt more powerful. She didn’t need to be a bear or a vampire. She had the strength of both running through her veins, and the love of a man devoted to her.
So she ran with the pack, human on the outside, and powerful on the inside. And she knew that this was where she was meant to be.
THE END
Tamed by the Billionaire Bear
Chapter One
Micah Gordon ran to clear his head. He ran from his problems, from his obligations, from his own pack in order to feel even the slightest bit of freedom. If anyone could leash a bear, it was his own clan. He’d only been alpha for two months, and already he regretted his decision.
You should have said no. You wanted to say no. Alpha may be in your blood, but it’s not who you are.
He slowed down to a stop and rested on his knees, panting. He’d worked his body to the max, and his legs and sides were killing him. But it didn’t matter how fast or how far he ran. He’d chosen to be the leader, and nothing short of death would release him.
At thirty-five, Micah was the product of generations of alphas and old mon
ey. The city pack had an easy alliance with the other shifters and an uneasy alliance with the vampire community, but when his father had died, his pack had given him an ultimatum. Assume his rightful place or leave. And as much as Micah wanted to leave, he couldn’t do that to his mother. She would have been exiled.
So he’d stepped up. It wasn’t so much that he hated the idea of being the alpha, but he’d always felt caged in. For as long as he could remember, he’d been groomed for this position, and he was afraid he’d crack under pressure. He was responsible for the actions of his pack. He was responsible for their well-being. He was responsible for upholding the treaties with the other packs and clans.
He was supposed to mate with Bridgette.
A wave of disgust rolled over him. Bridgette was the alpha female. From the day she’d turned fifteen, the pack accepted that she would be Micah’s mate, but he felt nothing for her. She was beautiful and powerful, but she was also egotistical and bitchy. And with her came her younger brother, Travis. Micah felt only waves of hatred emanating from the young man. There was no way he was anchoring himself to that for the rest of his life.
Except that he would have to. Because now his life was subject to pack rules. And the rules were clear.
With a sigh, he turned back around and headed to the warehouse district. G&S Industries was expecting a new shipment today. His great-grandfather had started the business with his second in command years ago. Back then, they simply guided tourists through the dense wooded areas of Woodland and across the river rapids. Today, Micah oversaw hiking, camping, and white water rafting equipment as well as the expert guides. He worked alongside Jackson Steward, his own second-in-command. Sometimes, Micah didn’t privately wonder if Jackson wouldn’t make the better alpha.
At the warehouse, the trucks were already pulling in. Micah glanced at his watch and frowned. They were early, which was great except that he wouldn’t get a chance to shower and change. With a shrug, he jogged over to meet them.
“Not exactly the power suit,” Jackson said with a grin.
“They weren’t supposed to be here for another hour,” Micah said as he clasped Jackson’s hand. Not only were they partners, but they were also best friends. Micah had no idea what he would have done without the man.
“No worries. At least you’re wearing our gear. But God, you smell. How long have you been out?”
“Ten miles.”
Jackson raised his eyebrows. “Something you want to talk about?”
Micah shook his head. “I’m just trying to keep in shape,” he lied.
It was clear that his friend didn’t believe him, but he knew better than to question the alpha. Instead, he pushed a clipboard into his hands. “You take crates one through four, and I’ll take the rest.”
Micah wiped his sweaty hands on his black shorts and began to systematically go through the contents of the crates. The smell of dust and wood wafted up his nose, and he smiled. They brought with it memories of his own adventures hiking and camping in Woodland, and he longed to return. It had been years since his last vacation, and he was long over due.
“We’re good here,” he said as he straightened. He signed the inventory list and handed it back to the truckers. “Jackson?”
“Everything’s accounted for. Thank you gentlemen.”
They shook hands and nodded to the forklift drivers. “Take them to warehouse B, and let’s get these babies unpacked and registered in the system,” Micah ordered. “I’m going to take a shower.”
Jackson wrinkled his nose. “Thank God.”
Laughing, he turned until he saw one of the crates still open. “Hold up,” he said as he jogged over. He didn’t want to lose anything. Grabbing the top, he attempted to shove it back on. Something sharp cut deep in to the palm of his hand, and he grimaced. Pain shot through his arm, and he felt the bear inside him roar.
“Christ, Micah!” At the site of the blood running down his arm, Jackson moved quickly. “Somebody grab me a clean towel,” he ordered.
“It’s just a cut,” Micah said through clenched teeth. A deep cut.
“Yeah, but it’s going to need stitches. We’ll get it wrapped up and get you to the hospital. It’s closer than the clinic.”
“It’s not really how I wanted to spend my day,” Micah said with a sigh.
Jackson grinned. “Want me to call Bridgette to come over and comfort you?” he joked.
“Do and die,” Micah threatened. His friend knew how he felt about the alpha female.
Someone handed him a towel, and he pressed it to the wound, wrapped his hand, and tied it off. At the very least, it would put him back in his paperwork. And that meant he’d have to stay late tonight.
So he’d have to call off his dinner with Bridgette. And that alone brightened his day.
Chapter Two
Stacey Bronson had been on her feet for ten hours. And she had four more hours to go. She was tired. She was hungry. And she was getting real irritated.
“Stacey?”
She lifted her head from the computer warily as she eyed her co-worker. The other nurse saw her reaction and grimaced. “I’m so sorry, but Dr. Littleston needs you in exam room two.”
Stacey rolled her eyes. “And he couldn’t ask any of the other twelve nurses that were no doubt hanging on his arm?” she grumbled as she put the clipboard down.
“If you went out with him, he’d probably stop requesting you,” the other nurse said with a grin. “After all, once he gets to know you, he’s bound to stop lusting after you.”
“Cute,” Stacey said as she hopped down from her chair. “Real cute.”
Dr. Littleston was easily the hottest doctor in the ER, but he made it a life goal to sleep with as many nurses as possible. And Stacey was fairly certain she was the only one under the age of thirty that hadn’t at least given him a blowjob in the supply closet. All he did all day was make sure he had plenty of time to stare at her ample cleavage. It was disgusting.
She trotted down the hall. Despite her misgivings about the doctor, she tried to treat his summons like she did with any other doctor. Every case that came in was an emergency in the beginning whether it turned out to be true or not. And she would not let her personal feelings about a doctor put a patient in harm’s way.
You can do this. Four more hours, and then you have four whole days off!
She kept chanting it as she pulled the curtain aside in exam room two. It was empty save for the handsome doctor.
“Stacey!” he beamed at her. “I’m so happy you hustled down here.”
Cautiously, Stacey stepped into the room. “What can I do for you, doctor?” she said as she struggled to keep her disgust out of her voice. Stay professional and maybe one day, he’ll do the same.
“I’m not sure this table has been sanitized. I heard the last patient here had more than a few accidents. Could you wipe it down for me?”
In other words, he wanted her to bend over so he could stare at her cleavage. Fighting the urge to roll her eyes, she grabbed the sanitizer spray and a clean rag. She could stay on this side and have him stare at her cleavage, or she could move to the other side and have his stare at her ass.
With one hand holding her top close to her chest, she sprayed the table down and started wiping. Satisfied that the table was clean and that she hadn’t given him a show, she straightened. “Will there be anything else?”
“You’re so efficient. I think you’re the only nurse here I haven’t really gotten to know. Have dinner with me, Stacey. I’d like to speak with you about your career here.”
Sure he did. She already felt the shivers of disgust roll down her spin. What a pig.
Stacey was by no means a virgin, but men hadn’t exactly taken priority. She’d grown up in a poor household, and when she’d lost both her parents in high school, she realized that their pitiful insurance money wouldn’t take her far. So she threw herself into her work and immediately started making plans for nursing school. Now that she was four y
ears out, she worked every minute she could to pay off her loans and get her life back on track.
Men asked her out, and occasionally, she dated. It was never serious, but even she needed to blow off a little steam every now and then. But never would she stoop to sleeping with a man just to climb a little higher on the ladder.
“I’m just finishing up a fourteen hour shift, so I’ll probably just crash tonight,” she said as she turned her back.
“It doesn’t have to be tonight. I know you have four days off coming up,” he said. His voice wrapped around her like a straightjacket, and she shuddered.
Before she could voice a professional response, another nurse poked her head in the door. “Dr. Littleston? Nurse Bronson? We need someone to stitch up exam room six.”
“Dr. Pashnell can take care of it,” Littleston said smoothly. “And I’m sure there is another nurse available.”
“Dr. Pashnell is still in exam seven, and he has two more patients to see after that.”
“Is he bleeding to death?” Littleston snapped, and Stacey rolled her eyes. She turned her head and smiled at him.
“We don’t have anything going on. I’ll be happy to help out,” Stacey said encouragingly.
Forced into it, Littleston nodded. “Fine. But I still want you to….”
“I’ll grab the supplies while you examine the patient,” she said hurriedly. “I’ll meet you there.” She skipped out the room before he had a chance to ask her out again.
Safely away from him, she exhaled loudly. It was getting harder and harder not to threaten him with HR. The truth was that she’d only been working at the hospital for a year, and she really didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize her position. This was the best paying job she’d ever had.
Grabbing the supplies that she needed, she hustled down to exam room six. As she swung open the curtain, she tried not to gasp.
