Billion Dollar Bear

by Catherine Vale

  “Oh, I can imagine.” Ravena’s nose twitched, her icy eyes flashing as she scented the air. “Having a she-bear around the house no doubt would keep one occupied.”

  Shit. He should have known Ravena would pick up on Becca’s scent instantly. “Ravena – ”

  “Don’t bother,” she sneered, cutting him off. “I already know you’ve got another she-bear in here. I just stopped by to see who it was that you cast me aside for. Where is she?”

  “Get out – ” Jericho began, but footsteps on the stairs stopped him, and he turned toward the stairwell, determined to head Becca off. But she was already at the bottom of the stairwell, dressed in one of his shirts, her sleep-heavy eyes widening as she caught sight of Ravena.”

  “Who’s this?”

  Jericho growled, but knew he had to explain. “Becca, this is Ravena Hastings, daughter of the Chicago Kamchatka Clan Chieftain.”

  Ravena’s face turned bright red as she looked at Becca. “You… you’re a filthy half-breed!” she shrieked, her eyes flashing orange. Fangs and claws extended, she lunged for Becca, who shrieked and jumped out of the way.

  Jericho grabbed Ravena by the collar of her coat and yanked her back. “She is under my protection,” he growled, sticking his face in Ravena’s so she could see the fury in his own orange-gold eyes. “Attack her again and you’ll face the consequences of disobeying me.”

  “You wouldn’t dare harm me,” Ravena sneered, ripping free of Jericho’s grip. Tossing her curly gold mane, she turned to face Becca. “I challenge you, half-breed.”

  Becca’s eyes narrowed. “What exactly does that mean?”

  “It means that tomorrow at midnight, you and I will fight for the right to be Jericho’s mate,” she hissed. “The winner gets to claim his heart, and the loser forced to return home and never see Jericho again… if you survive,” she added with a smirk. “Do you accept my terms.”

  “Absolutely not,” Jericho said, trying to step between them. “I won’t allow you to – ”

  “What happens if I refuse to accept?” Becca asked.

  “Then I win by default, and you can go home with your tail tucked between your legs.” Ravena’s smirk widened with a grin. “Please, do forfeit. I’d hate to break a nail over you.”

  “Becca, no,” Jericho interrupted, his eyes burning with rage. “You are not doing this… you don’t have to. I’ll abandon the clan if it means keeping you safe.”

  Becca raised her chin, her lower lip curling in derision. “I will never let you do that. Your clan needs you…I need you.” She turned to Ravena, her eyes blazing with anger, her jaw firmly set. “I accept your challenge,” she growled, and the finality of the words hit Jericho so hard, it was like having an anvil dropped on his chest.

  “Very well.” Ravena rattled off an address. “Enjoy your last night with Jericho, half-breed. Because after tomorrow, it’ll be all over.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  “You’re so brave for accepting Ravena’s challenge,” Jessie said as she finished guiding Becca through a series of warm-up stretches. “Some might consider it pretty stupid as well.”

  “Don’t remind me,” Becca groaned, bending backward into a back-stretch. “Jericho is furious with me, but I saw no other way. According to clan law if another she-bear challenges the role of mate, I either accept the challenge or I jeopardize the harmony of the clan. I didn’t know what else to do.”

  “You could just walk away, Becca.” Jessie’s voice grew soft and she reached out to squeeze Becca’s arm. “You aren’t part of the clan. You really don’t have to follow our laws.”

  “But then Jericho will be forced to choose between breaking free from his clan, or breaking free from me… and I can’t do that to him. I’d rather die.”

  “Wow,” Jessie replied. “You really love him, don’t you? But you’ve never fought in bear form in your entire existence!”

  Becca winced. She didn’t need to be reminded of that. Her decision was starting to sound more and more foolish by the minute.

  “Ravena doesn’t belong with Jericho. I do.”

  Jessie snorted. “That’s if you survive,” she pointed out. “The rules of engagement don’t prevent Ravena from killing you, and knowing her, I wouldn’t put it past her to try to do just that.”

  Becca’s own heart went cold at the truth Jessie forced her to face – something Jericho had already mentioned repeatedly during his ongoing tirade – that she could actually die tonight. “Yeah, well that’s what we’re training for, isn’t it? So that at the very least I can survive this thing?”

  Jessie nodded grimly. “And we don’t have much time, so let’s shift already.”

  Taking a deep breath to settle herself, Becca closed her eyes and did what she normally tried so hard not to. She let the beast take over.

  * * *

  Jericho’s insides felt like they were twisted up into knots as he watched Becca and Jessie train from the upstairs window overlooking the backyard. Becca had improved in the last hour or so, but nowhere near enough to beat Ravena. As a daughter of Sergei, Ravena was sure to be a good fighter regardless of her elegant manner and feminine wiles, and Becca would be in real danger of losing her life. He was furious.

  Gritting his teeth, he watched as Jessie slammed her forehead into Becca’s midsection, knocking her back into one of the walls.

  Whatever happened tonight, Becca couldn’t lose her life. He wouldn’t think twice of stepping in, and ending the battle.

  A knock on the door gratefully distracted him from his thoughts. “Come in,” he called, already knowing who it was.

  Emerson entered the room, a solemn expression on his normally mischievous face. “How’s she doing?” he asked as he cautiously crossed the room to stand by Jericho’s side.

  “As well as can be expected.” Biting back a sigh, Jericho turned to face his cousin – the only family he had left, and the person he held most dear to himself aside from Becca. “I called you here to ask you for a favor,” he said quietly.

  Emerson inclined his head. “Anything, chief,” he said. “Whatever I can do to make this easier on you, I’ll do.”

  “I need you to be my successor.”

  Emerson’s head snapped up in a flash. “What?”

  Jericho glanced out the window again. Jessie and Becca were locked in a bear hug, struggling for dominance. “As much as I hope that Becca wins the fight tonight, the chances are that Ravena will overpower her. She hates half-breeds, and I’m pretty sure she’ll try to kill Becca if she can. I need to be ready to intervene, if I have to.”

  Emerson scowled. “Intervene? You can’t get in the way of a blood match. If you do you’ll have to – ”

  “Forfeit my title as clan chieftain,” Jericho finished for him, and Emerson’s eyes flashed as he realized exactly what Jericho was trying to tell him. “And if I do that, I need to be able to pass my title onto someone who will take good care of the clan. I can think of no one better to do that than you.”

  Emerson’s pale green eyes briefly shone with tears before he blinked them back. “You do me a great honor,” he said roughly, and then his eyes slanted to the window to gaze at the two she-bears locked in combat outside. “But I wish that you wouldn’t. I’d much rather have you here with us.”

  Jericho placed a comforting hand on his cousin’s broad shoulder. “If I could stay, I would, cousin. But I promised her my protection while she’s here, and I couldn’t go back on that even if I didn’t love her. I have to do this.”

  Emerson nodded. “Just answer me this…is she worth it?”

  Jericho smiled. “Oh, yes. She’s worth everything.” But the words were said with a heavy heart, one that seemed to weigh a bit more with every minute the clock struck closer to midnight.

  * * *

  Becca was scared out of her mind as Jericho parked outside the graffiti-covered warehouse that was to be the battleground for the blood match between her and Ravena. It didn’t look like much from the outside,
with crumbled, stained concrete and cracked asphalt, but lights glowed from the inside and she had no doubt there would be an audience waiting for her.

  After all, Jericho’s entire clan had come out with her, so it stood to reason Ravena’s would be there as well.

  “Please don’t do this.” Jericho squeezed her hand as he killed the engine. “Please, Becca.”

  “I have to,” she replied, her voice surprisingly calm. “For my honor, if nothing else.”

  He was startled by the fierceness in her eyes, and the determined look on her face. She was a true warrior, and though he knew that she would not yet acknowledge it, she was a true were-bear.

  He pulled her against him for a deep, loving kiss that brought tears to his eyes and he did his best to hide the emotion that swirled in his chest. She was determined to do this and it was wrong of him to make the situation harder on her by pleading with her not to. He was so angry at himself for bringing her to Chicago without having thought things through. He knew the clan law; he should have expected this would happen. He should have protected her from Ravena’s jealousy. He had been too caught up in his own selfish desire to think beyond having her back in his arms. He had been foolish to think that Ravena would have just let it go, and moved onto another chieftain.

  Sighing deeply, he braced himself for what was to come as he reluctantly walked with Becca into the warehouse. The other bears of his clan fanned out around them, forming a solid barrier of protection not just for Jericho, but for her as well. If only she could bring them into the arena with her, she thought dryly. Then she might have a fighting chance.

  Still, the gleam in their eyes as they looked at her told her that she’d earned their respect for being willing to face off against Ravena, even woefully outmatched as she was. If she somehow did manage to win, she knew that they would accept her as the chieftain’s mate unequivocally.

  Great. Now you’ve just got to survive this night.

  Becca’s jaw nearly dropped when she stepped inside the warehouse. The interior looked like something out of a professional fighting arena, with four sets of steel bleachers arranged to form a huge rectangle around a well-lit ring. Ravena was already standing there waiting for her, dressed in skin tight leather as she preened for her audience beneath the spotlights glaring down from the ceiling. Even from here Becca caught the mocking gleam in her blue eyes as she looked their way.

  “Ah, so you actually showed up.” Ravena cackled, then looked down to examine her red, manicured nails. “I guess I might have to break a nail after all. So sad.”

  “I would worry more about your hair than your nails tonight,” Becca said nonchalantly, refusing to betray the boiling blood that had instantly ignited. Oh well, at least it chased away all the fear, right? “Before the night is over I intend to rip every single little pretty curl out of your head.”

  Ravena’s face turned a blotchy red again, but before she could attack Becca Jericho put himself between them. “Stop,” he growled. “The match hasn’t begun yet. You know the rules, Ravena.” He turned his back to her and pulled Becca into his arms for a deep kiss. Boos and hisses issued from the Kamtchatka bleachers, while cheers rang out from the Moon Bay clan seated behind him.

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” he whispered into her ear. “I can take you out of here. Just say the word.”

  Becca couldn’t help the swell that filled her chest, a mixture of anxiety and pride. She knew there was no way she would ever back down from Ravena, not now, not ever.

  “No,” she replied, looking deep into Jericho’s eyes. “I really do need to do this, Jericho. Don’t worry about me. I’ve got this.”

  He chucked her chin lightly, smiling. “I know you do,” he said. “Your match is about to start.”

  Becca turned away as Jericho headed for the stands, not wanting to concentrate on the fact that he was leaving her out here alone, despite the fact she had insisted on fighting. Instead, her eyes scanned the Kamchatka bleachers, looking at the faces of the opposing clan. Her eyes alighted on a she-bear with Ravena’s icy eyes and mane of curls who had to be the bitch’s mother, cozied up tightly against a behemoth of a man with close-cropped brown hair and dark brown eyes.

  To her surprise, those eyes widened as she met them, and the man’s face went suddenly pale. He took a step forward, but a shrill whistle blew, and she turned back to face Ravena.

  In the center of the ring was one of the Kamchatka bears, wearing – for the love of God – an umpire’s shirt. “The blood match will now begin,” he called. “Ravena Hastings has challenged Rebecca Donaldson, for the hand of Chieftain Jericho Knight!” The crowd roared, and he paused to allow the boos and cheers to subside before continuing. “The match is decided when one person is no longer able to fight due to injury or death. Do you both understand these rules?”

  Ravena and Becca both nodded, Becca noting that Ravena’s face had gone serious now – no more sneering or preening. She was all business, and a chill of terror bolted through Becca’s chest at the cold determination in her opponent’s eyes. She had no doubt that Ravena would kill her if she had to in order to win this match.

  Come on, Becca thought to herself. You can do it.

  “Alright, begin!”

  Ravena immediately hunkered down in an attempt to shift into bear form, and it came as no surprise. Jessie had warned Becca that it was expected during a blood match, though not required. Becca crouched down as well, posturing as if she were also going to change, then sprang for Ravena, tackling her to the ground and burying a dagger in her stomach that she’d tucked beneath the waistband of her jeans.

  Howls of outrage echoed from the Kamchatka bleachers as Becca sprang back, hurriedly putting some distance between herself and the enraged she-bear. She hurled the knife toward the bleachers, and then crouched down and pushed herself into the fastest shift she’d ever done in her life, as Ravena charged, kicking and punching and biting at her. Becca weathered the storm as she stretched and widened and grew, and, seeing that she had no choice, Ravena fell back and began her own shift.

  Becca’s heart sank as she rose up on all fours to see that Ravena had nearly completed the transformation. By attacking her quickly, Becca had hoped to prevent Ravena from shifting, but she took advantage of what little time she had now and rushed the she-bear.

  Gasps of shock rose up from the Kamchatka bleachers, though Becca didn’t know what had happened to elicit such a response, and she tried to stay focused as she rolled on the ground with Ravena, clawing and biting and trying to get a good hold of the she-bears jugular. But though Ravena was bleeding and weakened, she was still stronger, and since she healed so fast, Becca was going to need to latch onto her throat and hold on until she actually bled out, something that just moved to the realm of impossibility as Ravena slammed her hind legs into Becca’s stomach, propelling her off of Ravena’s body.

  Becca slammed into the ground and skidded several feet, nearly crashing into the bleachers before she stopped herself. She rolled over and tried to spring to her feet, but Ravena was on her, jaws snapping, eyes glowing fiercely as she went for Becca’s throat. Evading, Becca grappled with her, struggling for the upper hand, and they rolled across the warehouse floor.

  Ravena bashed her thick skull into Becca’s, and as Becca knocked the back of her head against the concrete, she felt her strength begin to fade. She roared as Ravena’s fangs pierced the flesh covering her throat, and struggled as warm blood seeped into her fur, knowing if she didn’t get out of this hold she would die. But it was no use… this was the end…

  “NO!” Jericho roared, and Becca turned her head to see Jericho racing toward her, his eyes wild with fury and fear. No, she tried to cry out… Stay away, you can’t interfere…

  “STOP THE MATCH!”

  Ravena froze as a male Russian voice rang out across the warehouse. Jericho, too, stopped in his tracks, and as he looked up at the bleachers, Becca followed his gaze to Sergei, who had stood up, his fists clenched at
his sides, his face pale and wide-eyed. His mate clutched at his arm angrily, trying to pull him back down, but he wouldn’t hear of it.

  “What is the meaning of this, Sergei?” she snarled, her icy blue eyes crackling with ire. “Our daughter is about to win the match!”

  “I can’t allow her to kill that other she-bear,” Sergei said hollowly, pointing toward Becca with a shaking hand. “I wasn’t sure of it when I saw her at first, but now that she’s transformed, I’m sure of it.”

  “Sure of what?” his mate screeched, but as Becca met Sergei’s dark brown eyes, identical in color and shape to her own, she knew.

  “She’s my daughter.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Jericho couldn’t have been more shocked. Becca was the Kamchatka Chieftain’s daughter?

  Ravena instantly released Becca, jumping to her feet as she changed back to human in a rush. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” she shrieked mid-change, in a manner very similar to her mother. “That this half-breed and I are related? That’s impossible! We look absolutely nothing alike!”

  But as Jericho rushed to Becca’s side, who was already shifting back, he saw that Ravena was wrong. Becca had Sergei’s eyes as well as the curve of his mouth. Why had he never noticed it before? Even when he’d learned she was a Kamchatka bear and had wondered whether or not she was related to a member of Sergei’s clan, he hadn’t considered whether or not she was related to Sergei himself.

  “I’m sorry that you had to find out this way, but it’s true.” Sergei had moved from the bleachers, and was taking his daughter’s hands in his now. His eyes slanted toward Becca, whose eyes were closed, her breathing harsh as she forced herself through the rest of the change for the fourth time today. She had to be exhausted, Jericho thought, stroking her forehead tenderly. “She must be a product from my younger days, back when I was interested in human women.” He glanced guiltily toward his mate, who looked frostily at him. “It was before I met you.”