by Golden Angel
Chasing His Bunny
Book 1 of the Big Bad Bunnies Series
By Golden Angel
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I have a lot of people to thank for helping me with this book. My Maries, my power houses! Marie for all her help with editing and the continuity issues that I occasionally struggle with (I swear, she remembers all the things that I can’t). Another Marie, for her incredibly close attention to detail, especially when it comes to commas, mixed-up words and my excessive use of the word “that”. Katherine, for her ever-lasting support, encouragement and suggestions. Michelle for her comments and suppositions, which sent me in a different direction several times for this story, creating a much better and more satisfying plot than I’d originally had, with much more interesting character development. Sir Nick, for providing the much-needed male perspective. And RaineyCloud9, for the gorgeous cover art and promotional posters that I’ve been sharing.
As always, a big thank you to all my fans, for buying and reading my work… if you love it, please leave a review!
Chapter 1
Monsters. They were all monsters.
Her brothers were monsters.
Her baby sister was a monster.
And she was a monster.
They hadn't asked to be this way. If they'd had a choice, none of them would have chosen this. But no one had asked, no one had given them a choice; the men had come and taken her and her siblings from their beds in the night. Taken them and kept them for the past seven years, hidden away in a secret laboratory, and experimented on them relentlessly.
Worse, the experiments had been deemed a "success."
Well, Dr. Montgomery said they were a success. The Bunson siblings disagreed. Vehemently. But no one cared about their opinion. The only thing the older four had managed to protect the fifth - Bailey. Their baby sister. She'd only been thirteen when they were taken, kidnapped by the damned doctor and whoever was funding his sick experiments. The boys had started by trying to protect both their sisters, putting themselves forward for the doctor’s “research” if he’d just leave Bethany and Bailey alone. Then, once the doctor didn’t feel he could do anything more with them, Bethany had put herself forward, so at least Bailey would be protected.
He'd told them he was doing it to "help." He said their unique genetics held the key to saving countless lives in the future. That they would help poor, suffering, innocent people. Cynically, Bethany doubted it. Even if he was speaking even partial truth, she doubted whoever his sponsor was had equally "selfless" goals.
After all, kidnapping an entire group of siblings and holding them in a secret, high-tech laboratory for years on end didn't exactly scream "selfless" or "poor." The guards were military-ish, and Bethany was pretty sure they were all mercenaries. Someone was paying for that, and she doubted it was to save people. There wasn't money in saving people.
Plus, how else to explain the exercise and training regimen they were on? They were constantly being tested for both their defensive and offensive capabilities. Violent capabilities. And they weren’t exactly held back from making themselves bigger and stronger; the doctor encouraged it. So what exactly were they training for? Maybe their genetics would save people, but it seemed like the doctor was just as interested in how well they could kill people. Her brothers, Brady, Brock and Brice (yeah, her parents had issues when it came to naming their children, she was well aware), were huge. Like, well over six feet tall and bulging with muscles. They made the mercenary guards incredibly nervous, not that they had to be. None of the boys would risk doing anything that might come back to harm Bethany or Bailey.
Bethany was pretty sure her brothers didn’t know much about her own "enhancements." Her training was kept separate from theirs. She was incredibly fast and agile, her reflexes were an athlete's dream, and she was just about as strong as any of the men that trained her, even if she didn't look it. Since the brothers were kept apart from the sisters for the most part, except for a one-hour, daily, monitored visit, it wasn't exactly hard to hide Bethany's changes from them.
Until today, that is. Because this time they'd taken Bailey, and Bethany had flipped the fuck out. They'd shot Bethany full of tranqs, and when she'd woken up, Bailey wasn't in their room anymore. Which had led to another immediate flip out, which just happened to coincide with an attack on the compound.
An attack that came too late.
The compound was overrun with all sorts of big, burly soldiers with big guns and bigger attitudes. Although Bethany was grateful, because for the first time in years she and her siblings were breathing free air, she couldn't help but be a bit resentful that they hadn't come the day before.
"Too fucking late," she muttered under her breath, tightening her grip around Bailey's shoulders. Her baby sister was curled into a ball, her arms wrapped around her legs, shivering under a blanket. After they'd been taken out of the compound, the soldiers had put them on the bed of a truck that was sitting outside of the ruined laboratory and collapsed buildings, given them blankets, and set up a guard around them. But it was already too late. The doctor had given Bailey something. Injected it into her, just like they had with Bethany and now Bailey was changing.
Who knew into what? Well, Dr. Montgomery probably knew, but so far Bethany hadn't seen him or his body.
She glared at the soldiers guarding her and Bailey. They were big guys (and a few mean looking, muscled women), dressed in combat gear and ready to take on any threat. Their scents were unique, completely different from the doctors’ and workers’ in the compound. The thing inside of her had been whispering in her mind at each new smell.
Wolf.
Bear.
Feline.
Unknown. Strange. Predator.
After getting Bailey and Bethany out of the lab, once the soldiers had realized the women were experiments and victims of the compound and not more workers, they’d gone into automatic protection mode around them.
A day late and a dollar short. Seriously, would it have killed them to get here 24 hours earlier?
"Bethany! Bailey!"
The soldiers came alert as her brothers came barreling towards her and Bailey. She couldn't blame them. En masse, the Bunson brothers were kind of terrifying. They were just as big as the trained soldiers around them - even bigger than about half of them - and right now they looked more than a little pissy.
Brady growled at one of the soldiers who tried to intercept them, an unholy, terrifying sound because it was so unnatural. Everyone stiffened, the soldiers going on even higher alert, as Bethany let out an impatient, frustrated grunt.
"Those are my brothers, let them through," she ordered, her voice ringing out with authority. Brady was the oldest of their brood, but even he bowed to Bethany when she was on a tear, and that kind of self-confident, commanding dominance was hard to ignore. Especially for shifters.
Bethany might be a petite blonde with big boobs and a less than intimidating stature, but when she chose to exert herself, apparently shifters listened. Sadly, the effect tended to be less compelling on humans, or she and her siblings would have been out of this mess a long time ago. Without outside help.
The soldiers moved aside, letting the guys pass, although they stayed on high alert.
Checking them over, Brady looked even more pissed when he realized that Bethany was hovering protectively over Bailey. As
the oldest, he had a tendency to act like he was in charge, and Bethany usually let him because she knew he felt like he'd failed them when they'd been taken - and since then, as the doctor had experimented on them. Not that she thought he could have done anything to prevent it, but Brady blamed himself. With his dark brown hair and hazel eyes, he looked particularly intimidating as he checked over his sisters, muttering under his breath.
Beside him, keeping an eye on the other soldiers, Brock and Brice both had their guards up as well, regarding their rescuers suspiciously. Even though they were her younger brothers, as they'd grown bigger and stronger, they'd started acting like Bethany was another younger sister in need of protection. While she appreciated the sentiment, she couldn't help but roll her eyes a little. Still, she was proud of them. They hadn't let captivity change their good hearts.
She smirked a little when she saw several of the female soldiers giving her brothers the eye back. Except those females didn't look suspicious, they looked intrigued.
Altogether, Bethany knew they were an attractive family. She and Brock both had blonde hair, although he had hazel eyes instead of blue like hers. Brice and Bailey had both gotten the big, baby blues from their mother as well, but Brice's were matched with light brown hair that looked sun-streaked with blonde highlights, and Bailey's hair was nearly as dark as Brady's, which made for a striking contrast. Brady had the darkest hair and eyes, making him the most intimidating at first glance, especially because he was also a little taller and a little more broad-shouldered than his brothers.
Seeing the looks he was getting, Brice puffed himself up a bit, grinning at some of the ladies, whom he obviously didn't see as a threat, despite the guns in their hands. Idiot. Bethany didn't truly judge him though; she knew Dr. Montgomery had attempted to provide her brothers with occasional female "companionship." They hadn’t wanted anything to do with that part of the study. He also hadn't sent another male in to Bethany after the first one required surgery to his testicles following his visit. None of the Bunson siblings wanted to provide the doctor with another generation of Bunsons, and the man had seemed interested in studying how long they could remain abstinent, rather than forcing the issue. At least he’d drawn the line somewhere. The guys were probably thrilled to see females other than their sisters, the paid workers the doctor provided, or the scientists that worked at the lab.
Bethany herself was not entirely immune to all the sexy males walking around. Now that her brothers were here and her subconscious had apparently decided that she was totally safe, her libido was definitely perking up at the presence of all these non-related males. These non-related, muscled, tall, strong males that might actually be able to hold their own, even against something like her.
"What are you all standing around for? Get everything loaded up, and let's get the hell out of here!" The orders came pitched at a roar as another man came out of the building, followed by a platoon. Definitely some kind of leader, the way everyone jumped at his commands, grabbing up the equipment and boxes that had obviously been removed from the buildings.
As tall as Brady, who was six feet five inches on a short day, the commander had broad shoulders with densely packed muscles, a short buzz cut of dark hair that really made his incredible cheek bones and square jaw stand out, and eyes so dark they looked black. He was sex on a stick. The kind of man that made a woman's already perked up libido jump up and down like a kid on Christmas. In fact, she was pretty sure she came a little just looking at him.
Nom nom nom.
She wanted to climb him like he was a playground. Or a mountain. All the way to the top of him, and then let him plant his pole in her.
"Bethy? You're drooling a little." Her younger sister's voice, tinged with amusement, cracked Bethany's composure.
Ick, how embarrassing. But at least amusing her sister had cracked the younger woman out of the fetal ball she'd been curled into.
"Sorry," she whispered back, not truly feeling sorry at all, and also knowing that all the shifters within ten feet of them could still hear her. At least, she could guess that based on the experiments Dr. Montgomery had run. The sound wouldn't reach Mr. Tie-me-up-Tie-me-Down-and-Swing-Me-Round's ears, but the others would know. Maybe she'd get lucky and they'd report back to him and Bethany could have her first time of fun with a man before she got shipped off to wherever their rescuers were taking them. "You have to admit, he's definitely drool-worthy."
"Kind of over-muscled for me. I like that one," Bailey whispered back, pointing at a leanly muscled, red-haired shifter that was definitely within hearing distance. He actually blushed, which was pretty cute, and then immediately averted his eyes when Brock, Brice and Brady all growled in stereo.
Bethany and Bailey immediately started laughing. Oh god, it felt so good to laugh about something!
The incongruity of their laughter amid the wreckage, the smoke, and the blood attracted the attention of Mr. Let's-Find-A-Reasonably-Comfortable-Flat-Surface-Fast, and he swung round and started stomping towards them. Bethany perked up. So did her nipples. Her libido was already plenty perky.
"Get these five into the trucks. We've got enough seats if they spread out-"
Well so much for her libido. Ugh. Alpha Asshat wasn't even looking at Bethany or her siblings as he barked orders at the soldiers around them; treating them like they weren't even there. And as for his assumption that they'd be split up...
All five of the Bunson siblings jumped in at the same time, using different words, but the basic message was the same: Fuck you - we're staying together.
Finally reaching a reasonable speaking distance, Mr. Thinks-He-Can-Tell-Me-What-To-Do-And-Not-In-The-Sexy-Way, put his hands on his hips as he glared at them, opened his mouth and... suddenly stopped. Sniffed the air. His incredulous, dark eyes widened almost comically and his head whipped around so that he was staring right at... her.
"Mine."
"What?" Bethany barely had time to jerk in surprise before her brothers had created a fortress of flesh between her and Mr. Suddenly-Acquisitive.
"Excuse you?" Brice growled, and she didn't have to see his face to know that he was glaring at the other man. "What did you just say to my sister?"
Ugh. It sucked being so much shorter than her brothers. They were like mountains.
"I said-"
Big, unmovable mountains. Whose ticklish spots she was well versed with. The big guys squealed as her fingers stuck into their sides, shocking their audience as they jumped out of her way. More than one soldier brought their weapon up again, obviously nervous, until Alpha Asshat turned and snarled at them. The weapons were hurriedly lowered.
"What did you just say to me?" Bethany demanded as she shoved her way past her brothers. Brady put his hand on her arm, trying to tug her back behind him. Without even looking, she bent his finger back while simultaneously stomping on his foot.
"Son of a bitch!" He muttered, shaking out his hand. Beside her, Brock and Brice were shifting into place, making themselves honor guards since it was obvious that she wasn't going to let them be a barrier. The injured Brady had moved back a step, but Bethany was willing to bet he'd just put himself into position to protect the less combative Bailey. Totally acceptable.
Mr. Still-Needs-To-Answer-The-Question looked at them with something akin to amusement. So glad she could provide entertainment. She glared at him, ignoring how utterly delicious he looked with that tiny little smile on his mobile lips.
"I said, what did you just say to me?"
That smug smile faded as his eyes moved away from her brothers and back to her. How flattering. "You're mine. You're my mate."
Bethany snorted. "I most certainly am not."
While she’d been born a human, everyone knew exactly what shifters thought about mates. She didn’t remember much, but she knew that mates were a forever deal. Yeah, not happening. She wasn't ready for a mate. Hell, she wasn't ready for any kind of committed relationship much less one that couldn’t be ended. She was a needy, lust
ful, and eager young virgin who had been cooped up in a cage for far too long. There was no way she was just going to hop into bed with the first guy that wanted to claim her and stay there. Although, she had no objections to the hopping into bed part. That was the good part.
"Yes, you are," the man growled, looking even less patient. He thrust out an arm. "Smell me."
The scent of man, pine, and something wild, like a cold night’s frost filled her nose. Her nipples got even harder and her pussy creamed. She was totally on board with the sexual reaction - if he wanted to play hide the salami she knew a few good hiding spots – but the rest of it? Nope. Yummy smells or not, tempting or not, monster inside her insisting “mine” or not, she was going to be a free-wheeling, commitment free (at least for a few years), little sex machine. That was the sum of her current relationship goals.
"Whoop-de-do," Bethany said in a bored voice. She’d gotten pretty good at controlling her reactions while she was in captivity; the bland face was the easiest to maintain. Don’t react so that they don’t know they’re getting to you. "You smell good. You can't be the only man on the planet with that particular attribute."
Something beeped and one of the soldiers looked down at a device they were holding and then back up. "Steele, we need to move."
"Shit. Fine, let's get going, we'll sort this out later," he said grimly. His gaze caught Bethany's. "And we will be sorting this out later. Now come on."
Stepping forward he reached out to take her arm, and of course, got himself a bloody nose for his trouble.
******
There wasn't a word in the English language that could adequately describe how fucking furious he was.
His mate had punched him on the nose.
Steele still couldn't believe it. His beta, an overgrown bear shifter by the name of Jordan Kane, was still chuckling about it. The bastard better cut it out if he didn't want a bloody nose to go with Steele's.
