by Anna Lowe
Gambling on Her Bear
by Anna Lowe
Shifters in Vegas
Gambling on Her Bear
Copyright 2016 by Anna Lowe
[email protected]
Editing by Lisa A. Hollett
Cover art by Jacqueline Sweet
This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in articles or reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons is purely coincidental.
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Contents
Cover Page
Title Page
Copyright
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Contents
Gambling on Her Bear
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Sneak Peek I: Damnation
Sneak Peek II: Desert Hunt
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Table of Contents
Cover
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Gambling on Her Bear
Diamond thief falls for burly bear security chief in Vegas. What could possibly go wrong?
Dragon shifter Karen Proulx is in Vegas to hunt down a diamond, not a mate. But the minute she lays eyes on the brown-eyed bear of her dreams, everything changes.
Bear shifter Tanner Lloyd is a man on a mission to save his hometown. He doesn’t have time for a wild ride with the beguiling woman who turns his world upside down — especially one who’s half witch and a mortal enemy to his clan. But how can he resist the call of destiny, the pull of desire?
Chapter One
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* * *
“Are you crazy?”
Karen winced, remembering her sister screeching the words.
Yes, she was crazy to have come back to Vegas after barely escaping with her life. But three motives kept pulling her back.
A diamond, revenge, and true love. A potent — and possibly lethal — combination.
She gulped and eyed the distance from the thirty-six-story rooftop she was perched on to the twenty-nine-story building across the boulevard. Crap, it was a long way away.
“I can do this,” she murmured in an unsteady voice.
She glanced straight down the sheer drop to the street below. Crowds milled on the sidewalks. The red brake lights of cars backed all the way down the Strip, and the neon lights of casinos blinked, outshining the stars. The whole place was like a carnival plonked down in the middle of the desert, hundreds of miles from anywhere — except maybe the gateway to hell.
Karen inched closer to the edge of the roof. The midnight breeze tugged at her clothes, trying to draw her over the edge and into thin air.
“Not far to glide. Not far at all,” she murmured as her knees wobbled away.
Damn it, dragons weren’t supposed to be afraid of flying.
What about half dragons? her inner wimp asked.
She brushed back her hair and scowled into the night. Why couldn’t she be like her sister, Kaya? Kaya could swoop and soar and climb high into the sky. Kaya wasn’t afraid of anything.
Neither am I, her pride shot back. Not afraid of anything.
Except maybe her own shortcomings. But hell, it wasn’t her fault she was only half dragon. And it wasn’t her fault that the other half of her DNA didn’t help one iota when it came to aerial pursuits.
She tried visualizing success. That was supposed to help, right? She pictured her leathery dragon wings spread wide and her thick dragon nose pointing the way. Her sleek, scaled body would slip gracefully through the air…
But, boom! The visions ended in a hard crash every time. The kind of crash even a shifter couldn’t recover from.
With an effort, she dragged her eyes away from the sheer drop. She had to focus on the rooftop across the street: the Scarlet Palace — Vegas’ brightest casino on the outside and the shadiest on the inside.
Focus, damn it. Focus!
The only thing that mattered was the diamond and taking revenge. One quick in-and-out caper and she’d leave Sin City forever.
A tic in her right eye reminded her that the first quick in-and-out caper she’d tried pulling off in Vegas had turned into ten days of captivity. She rubbed it away furiously. Revenge was the important thing.
Don’t forget my mate! her inner dragon cried.
“Oh, for goodness’ sake,” she scolded herself. You’d have thought being half dragon would mean only a faint inner voice to contend with, but no. The beast thought it was entitled to share every opinion — insistently — even though it couldn’t fly properly.
She checked the height and distance again. God, when was the last time she’d attempted anything like this? It felt like years. Wait a minute, it had been years.
“Some dragon you make,” she muttered at herself.
The beast glowered inside. I can breathe fire.
Well, at least there was that.
You have to believe to be able to fly.
Karen snorted and pushed the beast back into her subconscious. She didn’t believe for one second. Sure, she could hold her wings wide and glide if the wind was going the right way. But actually flying — as in, gaining altitude, propelling herself, or accurately controlling where she went? No way. She’d tried a hundred times and had the scars to prove it couldn’t be done. Not by a mere half dragon, anyway.
We can do it. We can! her dragon insisted. Remember that time with Grandpa?
She snorted. Sure, she’d once climbed a couple of hundred feet and managed a shaky turn under her grandfather’s guidance. But that was only because he’d been there willing her along with his legendary power. She’d been scared stiff the entire time.
Of course, you can’t fly if you’re scared, her dragon chided. Remember what Grandpa said?
Yes, she remembered. It’s just like breathing fire. A dragon’s powers are kindled by love, and if you truly believe…
Sure, believe. The last time she’d believed, she’d been drunk. Drunk enough to try flapping her wings and really flying.
And it worked! her dragon shot back. You have to trust me. Better yet, get mad at something. Really mad. That works, too.
She snorted. Her last attempt at real flight was five years ago, and believing had worked for about thirty seconds until she’d panicked in midair. She’d ended up crash-landing in a manure pit and almost breaking a leg.
So, no. She didn’t believe she could fly simply by wishing it. And she didn’t believe in destined mates, either. That sinfully hot bear shifter she’d hooked up with two weeks ago wasn’t her mate. He was just some random guy.
A really, really hot guy, her dragon said. Reme
mber those hands? Those shoulders? Those checkerboard abs?
She shook her head. He was just a one-night stand who hadn’t even bothered to turn up to a second date, and she was not going to waste any more time thinking about him.
How can you not think about those hazel eyes? her dragon cried. How can you not think of his touch?
She bit back a sigh, thinking of the barely leashed power behind his reverent caresses of her skin, her hair. Her whole body, damn it.
How could you not think about that voice?
That aged-hickory, smoky voice that had whispered in her ear. This isn’t chance. This is destiny.
He’d said it like he was so sure, and she’d nearly believed. That there was such a thing as love at first sight. That the man she’d surrendered every inch of herself to within two hours of laying eyes on could only be her mate.
Remember the way he looked at us? her dragon went on.
In her dreams, she still saw his dumb struck look, the wonder in his eyes.
Destiny, the wind whistled in her ear.
Her dragon nodded. Destiny.
She closed her eyes, lost in the memories, then snapped them open and swung her arms wildly, finding herself teetering on the edge of the drop.
Crap! She scooped at the air and wrenched her body back just in time to avoid toppling over into thin air.
Focus, damn it! Focus!
If it was destiny, why hadn’t he bothered showing up the day after?
She shook her head and looked down. The red-lit fountains of the Scarlet Palace bubbled and danced, taunting her. Traffic proceeded slowly, taking no note of her, and a motorcycle sped down the street.
Diamonds. Revenge. That’s what she had to focus on, not this mate nonsense.
She narrowed her eyes on the penthouse apartment of the casino. She’d show those damn vampires what she was made of. Which meant focusing on her plan. A plan which didn’t require any flying at all. Just a little gliding. And gliding, she could do. Her grandfather had coached her through it plenty of times. She closed her eyes and remembered his little winks, his bolstering words.
You’re a fantastic glider, sweetheart. A real champ.
Well, champ might have been overdoing it, but yeah, she could glide.
She checked the distance again, licked a finger, and tested the wind. Perfect. She could do it. She would do it. Never mind that she’d never tried gliding quite that far or over quite that high an abyss.
She stripped out of her clothes slowly, bundled them together, and stuck them under one foot. No sense shredding them to bits when she shifted. Plus, she’d need them when she reached the roof of the Scarlet Palace.
The night air was cool, and she shivered, standing naked at the edge of the high-rise.
Some dragon you make, a little voice taunted from the back of her mind.
She straightened, took a deep breath, and pulled her inner dragon forth.
Her arms lifted and stretched. Her mouth opened in a silent cry as her body transformed. She wiggled her rear and stretched tall — impossibly tall and impossibly sleek, just like she wished her human body could be. The wind went from ruffling her hair to tickling her long ears and snout, and when she coughed, a tiny spark flew out into the night. The sounds of the city grew louder, the lights brighter, and her skin burned as her scales slid out, armoring her.
She lifted her wings, threw back her head, and bellowed into the night. I am dragon! Hear me roar!
For a moment, she allowed herself to revel in the sheer power of being a dragon. No need to worry about attracting attention; the city was far too noisy for that. She could do it! Yes, she could! She’d break into the penthouse apartment of the Scarlet Palace and exact her revenge on the vampires. She would escape unnoticed into the night. She would—
Find my mate and take him with me!
Karen scowled at her stubborn dragon. That was the risky part of shifting; the stupid beast was harder to manage when she ceded control of her body. Well, fine. She’d deal with that later. Right now, she had other things to think about — like gliding four hundred feet across thin air. Like avoiding more vampires. Like finally exacting her revenge for ten miserable days of captivity. Ten days of pretending she was one-hundred-percent dragon with blood too pure for vampires to drink.
She clutched the bundle of clothes in one claw, shuffled closer to the edge, and started a countdown.
Five…four…
Man, it was a long way down.
…three…
God, her sister was right. She really was crazy.
…two…
She leaned forward and stretched her wings wide.
…one!
She gulped and launched herself into thin air.
Chapter Two
For one startling second, Karen thought she would plummet to the ground like a stone. A very naked stone that would shatter on the sidewalk and feature in front-page news. She could already see the headlines: Crazed twenty-nine-year-old dies in attempted “dragon” flight!
She gritted her teeth, stiffened her wings, and miracle of miracles, caught enough of an updraft from the heated sidewalks below to glide. She lurched right, dipped left, then banked and steadied out.
I can fly! I can fly! her soul sang in glee. I can do it!
The wind tickled the smooth undersides of her wings and cooled her scaled belly.
See? You just have to believe, her dragon said, sounding smug.
She chastised herself for having been too scared to try for so long. Her sister Kaya was right. There was nothing to it. Now that she’d caught the wind, it all seemed so easy. So natural and effortless she was even tempted to flap her wings and try flying for real. Maybe if she practiced more often, she could actually do it. Maybe she wasn’t totally useless as a dragon, after all.
You have to believe, her grandfather used to tell her. Whatever you believe in, you can do.
A thousand heady images filled her mind as she soared over the blinking lights and fountains that seemed placed there soley to cheer her on. Once she pulled off her plan, she just might head to the Pacific Coast. Better yet, the East Coast — to some long, soft beach not too far from Kitty Hawk, where she’d fly and fly and fly. Like the Wright brothers once had, she’d start with low, short flights and work her way up — literally. She’d whip herself into flying shape. That’s what she’d do. She’d learn all the moves her sister made look so easy and—
The light desert breeze wavered, and she dipped right, losing altitude.
“Shit!”
The roof of the next building was no longer below her, but above. And crap, she was making a beeline for the windows of the penthouse. The idea had been to sneak in and out with her prize, not to shatter hundreds of square feet of glass in the world’s most botched attempt at a burglary. She’d have security on her in no time—
Her skin heated at the double entendre. Security…on her… If it was a certain ursine member of security, then having him on her wasn’t a bad image at all.
Jesus, Karen! she yelled at herself. Get your mind out of the gutter and concentrate on flying!
Gliding, her dragon sniffed.
Whatever, she retorted, straining every muscle as the building loomed closer. Closer…
God, she was going to crash.
Just concentrate, already!
She squinted at the metal siding of the top edge. Just a little higher… A little closer…
She could see right into the opulently furnished living room of the penthouse suite — and shit, if she didn’t watch it, she’d crash-land on that huge marble coffee table instead of the wine-red couch overflowing with pillows of the same rich color. She’d send the crystal vases of flowers flying — black flowers, because vampires only decorated in black and red. Knowing her luck, she’d end up wedged between the faux Greek statue standing in a corner and the ceiling-high speakers taking up most of one wall. Security would come rushing in, followed by the vampires, and she’d be taken captive. Again.
Her lips curled back as she battled for another millimeter of height.
Whatever you believe in… Her grandfather’s voice echoed through her mind.
She hurtled onward, having a really, really hard time believing in anything but what a bad idea this had been. Her sister was right, calling her headstrong and impulsive and naïve.
Her long dragon ears lay flat along her scalp as she fought for every inch of airspace.
Come on. Come on…
Closer…
She folded her claws flat against her belly, straining for a more streamlined shape, and her angle on the penthouse changed slightly.
She was gaining altitude! She was doing it!
The building loomed closer, just a few yards away now, but God, it would be tight. Would she splat against the side or careen to safety on the flat rooftop?
Fly! Fly! Fly! she half cheered, half prayed.
Technically, this is only gliding, her dragon’s laconic voice commented, completely unimpressed with the severity of the situation.
So glide, damn it! she screamed back. Glide!
She thrust her nose forward and sucked in her belly. Her scales just about scraped the edge of the building, but she cleared it, and suddenly, the ground wasn’t thirty stories down any more. It was just a few inches away.
Too low to the roof to make a proper landing, she tumbled head over heels and crashed to a stop against an air duct.
She lay still, panting wildly, listening for alarms. Looking up at the stars, wondering why she’d ever thought this was a good idea. A good thing none of her relatives had been there to see her land like a clumsy albatross and not a mighty dragon. And damn, did the truth hurt — more than the cuts and scrapes on her body. She couldn’t fly. She could barely even glide. What did she think she was doing here?
Um, revenge? her dragon tried.
She sighed and dusted herself off. Right. Revenge.
Lifting her dragon snout, she puffed stubbornly into the night and shifted back into human form. The sharp edges of her claws rounded and became fingers. Scales retreated beneath skin, and her hair flowed in the light breeze. The horizon dimmed slightly as her vision switched over, too, and her shoulders throbbed with the exertion of holding out her wings.
