BEARing it All (Wylde Brothers, 3)

by Jenika Snow

  Ford grinned, and Charlie slapped him on the back.

  “I am still stunned to shit that you found yourself a mate, brother.” Ford crossed his arms over his chest and looked pleased with his statement. Bram scowled at the middle brother, which only made Charlie and Ford laugh harder.

  He knew his brothers meant well. They had their mates, a little ocelot and a red fox shifter, and Charlie’s mate was even expecting a baby.

  He didn’t tell them about her past, because he knew even though he loved his brothers and didn’t keep anything from them, that Kenzie’s story wasn’t his to tell.

  “Yeah, yeah. Just go to your mate.” Ford stretched his back and grinned. “I’m heading out too. I’m taking Talia out of town, maybe to Colorado Springs or Steamboat for the weekend. After the whole Mina fiasco, I just want some alone time with her, ya feel me?”

  Charlie made an agreeing grunt. “I’ll hang back and make sure this shit actually gets done. Ary’s been having a bad case of every hour sickness and was finally sleeping well when I left.”

  “Every hour sickness?” Ford asked almost absently as he gathered up his things to leave.

  “She has morning sickness all the time, not just in the morning. I don’t know what fucker decided to peg it as morning sickness, because it sure as hell comes and goes at all hours of the day. Hence the every hour sickness.”

  Bram looked over at Ford, who was still grinning.

  “What in the hell is so funny about my mate being sick?” There was a bite to Charlie’s words.

  “Chill the fuck out. I’m not smiling because Ary is sick, but because I can’t wait for Talia to get there.”

  Charlie snorted and leaned against a worktable placed outside at the site. “You say that now, but it’s a whole different story when your mate is dry heaving because her stomach is empty, and you have to hold her hair back because there isn’t anything else you can do.”

  Before he could listen to what would soon be a full-out argument between his older brothers, Bram waved goodbye and headed back to the trailer. It was right when it came into view that he knew something was wrong.

  It wasn’t because the door swung open or the fact that he sensed Kenzie wasn’t inside. It was the fresh scent of her blood that filled the air, and the closer he got, the stronger it filled his nose. He rushed to the trailer and ripped the door from its hinges. Searching the interior wildly, he already knew she wasn’t in there.

  Throwing his head back and letting his bear come out full-force without shifting, Bram roared out loud enough to shake the trailer. He rushed outside and inhaled deeply. The wind blew from the south, and because of that, he hadn’t scented the metallic tang of her blood that tinged the air until it was too late. Seconds later, Charlie and Ford were rushing over to him, their expressions on alert as they scanned the area.

  “What the fuck is going on?”

  “What’s wrong?” his brothers asked him in unison, but Bram couldn’t speak, couldn’t think about anything aside from the fact that he knew that motherfucker Rook had gotten his girl. He could smell the fucking panther stinking up the air.

  He would have to tell his brothers what was going on, because he needed their help. He could track her down from the scent of her blood, but he would need the back up from two of the hardest bears in Sweet Water. No doubt, Rook had been waiting for this moment when Kenzie was alone, and he had basically given his mate to the psychotic shifter.

  “Fuck.” He ran a hand through his hair and scanned the area. His whole body shook, and he was having a hard time keeping his bear in control. He wanted nothing more than to let his animal free so his senses would be more attuned to finding Kenzie, but he needed to explain everything to his brothers so they knew what the fuck they were dealing with. “I have to find her.”

  His whole body shook with so much force his teeth rattled together. His muscles tightened, expanded, and the promise of his bear coming forth was only seconds away. He needed to do something instead of standing there, but just as he took a step to head into the woods and let his animal fully out, Charlie gripped his forearm and brought his face close to his.

  “You need to calm the fuck down, take a deep breath, and tell us what the hell is going on so we can fix this and get your mate back.”

  Charlie could read him so well, and even though he didn’t mention anything about Kenzie being taken, no doubt they could feel his emotions as if they were their own. Looking between Charlie and Ford, Bram felt his brothers’ bears starting to rise to the surface. They sensed the danger and tension that thickened the air.

  “Tell us what the hell is going on, brother, and we can start to make it right.” Ford slapped him on the back, his expression tense and serious. “Just take a deep breath and tell us.”

  He didn’t have time for this, so as quickly as he could, Bram told them about Rook and Kenzie, their history, and the fight at the bar. When he was finished, his brothers were shaking as badly as he was.

  “Lead the way, Bram. We got your back.”

  Bram took off toward the woods, toward the thick scent of her blood, and he didn’t stop his bear from emerging. His animal broke free and charged forward at full speed.

  Charlie and Ford were in their animal forms too, and as the three of them charged forward, Bram knew one hell of a fight was about to occur, but that thought excited him and had his blood pumping faster and harder.

  It wasn’t lost on Bram that Rook was probably setting a trap, getting him alone so he could finish what they started at the bar. But that was exactly what he was hoping for, because by the end of the night, he was going to rip the fucker’s throat clean out and bathe in his blood.

  30

  Rook took his time dragging her through the forest, and when she started to trip over her feet, he would just tighten his hand around her arm until her blood flow was cut off and she was forced to keep up. He’d hit her several times before hauling her out of the trailer, and blood slowly trickled from her split lip.

  Her left eye was starting to close, and a horrendous headache filled her head. Marek and Tank were only a few steps behind her, and she knew that all of this was a setup to get Bram to follow them. Rook was all about the revenge.

  She stumbled again and fell to her knees. Surprisingly, Rook let go of her arm and took a step away from her.

  “I can smell the foul stench of that fucking bear all over you, Kenzie.”

  She curled her hands in the ground, felt dirt and dried leaves push under her nails, and tried to think of a way out of this. She could fight all she wanted, but it wouldn’t erase the fact that Rook was far stronger than she was. Escape was out of the question, especially with the cougars who stood behind her and Rook in front.

  “I want him to watch as I make you finally mine right before I take your life.” He got down on his haunches and forced her to look at him by gripping her chin with his index finger and thumb. He repeated himself, as if she didn’t know exactly his intent. “If I can’t have you, no one will, especially some testosterone-filled bear that thinks you’re his mate.”

  Gritting her teeth and feeling her anger rise as she stared into his heartless face, Kenzie said, “He’ll come, and when he does, he’ll make your death slow and painful.”

  His face contorted into something out of a nightmare, and he backhanded her hard enough that her head kicked to the side and her body followed suit. Something sharp dug into her side, and she moved her hand between her body and the ground, felt the large stick that was grinding into her ribs, and wrapped her hand around it.

  It was a substantial girth, and if Rook thought to take her down, she was going to make sure he felt pain before he did it. For far too long, she had been the victim, but being with Bram had shown her she was a strong person. No longer would she let Rook control her or intimidate her. Death was most likely her outcome, but she would fight until the very end.

  She lifted her eyes and saw Marek and Tank watching her with stoic expressions on their fac
es. A hit to the face wasn’t really their style, not when they enjoyed breaking fingers one by one and crushing kneecaps with sledgehammers. It was twisted stuff one would see in a movie, but this wasn’t fiction; it was her reality.

  Rook gripped her forearm in another bruising hold and pulled her up so her upper body was suspended in the air. His free hand went to the button and zipper of his pressed slacks, and he undid them with a sadistic grin on his face.

  Not wasting any more time, because she honestly didn’t know how much she had left, she tightened her hold on the stick and brought it up with as much force as she could muster. It wasn’t the best weapon, but it was all she had. The edge of the stick was splintered and sharp, and when it made contact with Rook’s cheek, it sliced the flesh open. He let go of her and howled in pain.

  He cupped his cheek and let out a string of profanities. Kenzie braced herself for his next action, because she knew it would be in the form of pain. He lifted his free hand to stare at his hand. Blood slipped from between Rook’s fingers from where he had been holding his face, and when he saw the product of her own violence, his face turned a nasty shade of red that could be seen even in the dusty haze of promised night.

  He shifted before her eyes, morphing into a creature she would forever fear. After his bones snapped and realigned, and his muscles stretched and reshaped, the sleek black animal paced in front of her. With his dark coat, she couldn’t see the wound that still marred his face, but the scent of his vile blood filled her nose. The feline growl he let out and the way his muscles seemed to vibrate below the surface of his fur let her know she had pushed him too far. Good.

  “Well come on, you bastard. I’ve been waiting for this release since I was eighteen.”

  His hiss was low and menacing. She was pushing him, but she wanted him to snap completely, so maybe then he would make her death swift and painless.

  “I hate everything about you. I love Bram, and I want you to die knowing that to me, you were nothing but a nightmare.”

  He crouched on his haunches, and she knew it wouldn’t take much more to have him attack. She went in for the verbal kill.

  “And when he takes me, it is like nothing I have ever felt. I will only ever be his, and his scent and mark will never vanish, not even in death.” She closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable. Flashes of images played through her mind, ones of her mother and father tucking her in as a child, kissing her goodnight, and telling her everything would be okay.

  Bram was next to consume her thoughts, and she didn’t stop the smile or elation that filled her. They may have only had that short time together, but he showed her a lot in that time, and that with the right person, everything would be okay. And to her, that person was Bram Wylde.

  She was going to be with her parents now, but she would never forget Bram touching her, kissing her, and running his tongue over her body. It had been intimate and sexual, but there had also been love.

  “I love you, Bram.” She sensed it then, but hadn’t known what to make of it. As the end was near, she wished she would have told him that they hadn’t been moving too fast, that she did love him and didn’t want to fight what was happening between them.

  The sound of a fierce and body-vibrating roar echoed off the trees. Kenzie opened her eyes.

  There, just in the distance, she could see Bram running at them full-force. His bear was huge and thickly muscled, but it was the bared teeth and rage that came off him that made every living thing rush in the other direction.

  Marek and Tank shifted into their cougars and started forward, but that was when she saw two more bears swiftly following Bram. The three of them let out ear-splintering growls that actually had Marek and Tank faltering. They may be sadistic bastards, but she could tell they were rethinking if this was such a good idea.

  It didn’t take a genius to know a bear could defeat a cougar, but the two of them were arrogant in thinking they were invincible. When there were three fully grown ten-foot bears coming at them at full speed, she sensed their realization that they were fucked. She expected Rook to go after the bears, but her attention and focus were on Bram, so she didn’t sense Rook coming toward her until searing pain raced up her arm.

  She screamed as Rook dug his fangs deeper into her arm. He pulled away, her blood dripping down his sharp, white teeth, and lunged right for her throat. But the pain and death never came, because right as Rook’s teeth grazed her flesh and she felt her skin being sliced open, he was ripped away by Bram. The other two bears were busy fighting with the cougars and holding their own.

  All Kenzie could do was watch the violence unfold in front of her. To her right was the sound of felines hissing and snapping and bears taking them down. Right in front of her, Bram and Rook bit into each other’s bodies and tore chunks of flesh away.

  The mixture of all of their blood being spilled filled the air, washing away the fresh scent of the wilderness that surrounded them. When Rook lunged for Bram, wrapped his big front legs around the bear’s middle, and took him down, she wanted to rush to him and pry the demented bastard off. But Kenzie wasn’t a fool. Getting in the middle of them fighting would only be a dangerous distraction to Bram.

  Rook couldn’t keep Bram down for long though, because in a swift move normally reserved for animals not as big and muscular as her bear, Bram had Rook pinned below him. The panther snapped and hissed, but it was no use. Bram was bigger, stronger, and the anger that radiated off him dimmed Rook’s until it was insubstantial.

  For several seconds, Bram just stared at Rook. He turned his massive head toward her, and they held stares for several moments. There were no more sounds of fighting from the two cougars and bears, but the smell of Marek and Tank’s deaths filled her nostrils. Bram seemed to speak to her without words, but she understood him all the same.

  He’d come for her, like she knew he would, but Kenzie had seen herself lifeless at Rook’s feet when Bram arrived. She should have never had any doubt in her bear, in her mate.

  She just wanted this over with so she could move on, not worry about what her life held, and be with the male she loved more than anything else.

  All she did was nod once, but that was clearly all Bram needed.

  31

  In a popping flash, Bram turned back into his human form. He stared menacingly at Rook and bared his teeth. “Fight me like a fucking man, unless you’re a coward.”

  Rook hissed, but the challenge was too much for him. He shifted back to a human, and the two males fought each other for supremacy. But of course Bram came out the victor, and always would.

  “You’ve hurt my mate, the female I love. For that, I’m not going to make your death fast.” Bram’s voice was deadly soft, but even pitched low, the violence radiated right below the surface. “You’ll die knowing that from this day forward, you will no longer have any control over her, and that she will be happy… with me.” He bared his teeth, which had Rook trying in vain to get out from under him. “Don’t you know a bear always protects what’s his.” It wasn’t phrased as a question. He might have wanted to fight like a man, but this motherfucker needed to die at the hands of his bear. His animal wanted that victory. He let his inner beast out to finish this.

  He swiped his claws out and tore into Rook’s human flesh. The skin parted in a disgusting, macabre display, but Bram was an animal right now and continued to attack and attack. Rook was no match for the bear, especially in his human form. Blood coated Rook’s chest, and in one final move, Bram bared his teeth and went for his throat, ripping flesh and breaking bone.

  A massive arc of blood sprayed from the now gaping hole in his throat, and although Kenzie should look away, she couldn’t drag her eyes away from the sight of Rook dying, the monster that had made her life hell for far too long. She needed this, needed to see him take his last breath. Rook turned his head toward her, and the life in his eyes dimmed.

  He tried to say something, but it was gurgled, and blood spilled from his parted lips. Bram ro
ared and slammed his paw into the side of Rook’s head so hard she heard something crack. Rook deserved this fate and so much more.

  Bram moved off Rook’s lifeless corpse and shifted out of his bear form. He stood before her naked, bloody, and wounded, but he was the most gorgeous male she had ever seen. She was on her knees, staring up at the only person who meant anything to her. The other two bears made deep noises, and he looked over his shoulder, tilted his chin up, and said, “Thanks, brothers, but I got it from here.”

  They turned and left, and then it was just them and the sense of freedom that filled her. She felt this monstrous weight being lifted off her chest, and it was all because Bram had walked into her life and vowed to keep her safe. He had done that and so much more. Before she could rise, he was there lifting her into his battered arms.

  “I can walk, Bram. You’re hurt.”

  He shook his head and held her tighter, mindful of her injured arm.

  “No, baby, I’m good.” He kissed her on the lips gently and then on the temple. “You’re alive, and I have you in my arms. All the pain in the world wouldn’t have me putting you down.” He looked at the deep teeth marks on her arm, and his jaw clenched. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here sooner.”

  Cupping his cheek, she urged him to look at her.

  “I’m alive and in your arms. All the pain in the world couldn’t dim the fact that I have never been happier or felt safer.” His eyes became glossy, and she shook her head. “No tears from me or you. He wasn’t worth it, and he won’t be a wedge in anyone’s life any longer.”

  Bram nodded, tightened his hold on her, and started moving away from the three dead bodies.

  “What about them?” She buried her head in his neck, having no doubt he would know she was talking about the panther and two cougars.

  “My brothers and I know people who can clean up messes like this. Besides, I doubt they’ll be missed by anyone.” That was the truth, because Rook and the cougars had only enemies and people who were scared of them. “Come on, baby, let’s go home.” He held her so tight she knew he would never let her go.