She had checked her position on her GPS five times and had eventually ended up cursing.
It turned out that the valley she had picked only had one building marked on it and it was across the other side of the valley, miles from where she was.
She breathed a sigh of relief when she found a trail that led downwards before she reached the snowline, followed that instead and remained on guard, listening for signs of life in the forest. There had to be someone living out here. Those cars had been there for some time and the footprints in the snow had led in this direction, not towards the other side of the valley. She glanced up the mountain. Maybe if she could climb a little higher, where she could see above the tops of the trees, she might be able to spot a cabin nearby.
Probably not. Snow whizzed across the mountain, obscuring the peak of it, and the storm was only getting worse. Soon, it would be a blizzard. Climbing higher to see anything in this weather was not only dangerous, but pointless. She wouldn’t be able to see a few feet in front of her face.
Cameo rubbed her right arm, trying to keep the chill off it as the wind buffeted her and snow bit into her face as the gale drove it through the trees. Her thick dark green coat and black pants had been made for this weather, but she still felt the bitter bite of the cold. Her toes were numb in her waterproof boots, despite the thermal fleece that lined them, and her fingers felt ready to fall off.
She looked up as the light began to fade and told herself that she didn’t need to be worried when a jolt of fear jangled her veins and chilled her blood. Bears would be asleep at this time of year. Although that left her with wolves and cougars to worry about.
She chuckled mirthlessly.
And humans.
She looked back over her shoulder, peering into the gloomy forest, trying to see past the snow that made it through the canopy, falling in great chunks in places as wind shook the pines. She sent up a silent prayer that she had been mistaken even when she knew she wasn’t. It was them. The same men who had threatened her. Maybe they would keep going on the highway or not think to check the road she had taken. Maybe they were right on her tail, hidden just beyond that ridge she could see.
How was she going to get out of this one? If she kept going, she was only moving deeper into dangerous territory. She didn’t have enough food to keep her alive for long, although the cold would probably kill her before hunger did. If she didn’t keep going, there was a chance the men would catch her, and that didn’t bear thinking about.
She could call the authorities.
But part of her was still convinced that was a wrong move and would end with her being in more trouble than she was right now. The cartel, or whatever they called themselves, had made it clear that her parents would end up just like her brother if she spoke with anyone.
She couldn’t keep going like this though. Even if she evaded them, eventually they would catch her, or worse, they would go after her parents to make her give herself up.
She fished her phone from her pocket and checked it, her hands shaking as the screen lit up. No signal. Calling for help wasn’t an option after all. She tried to stop herself, but her thumb moved to the messages and pressed on the icon, and sickness rolled through her as she opened one of them.
Cameo stared at the picture they had sent her, one that had made her vomit when she had first seen it, still terrified and tormented her now.
Nate, her younger brother, was unrecognisable in it, slumped in a chair with his arms bound behind his back, covered in blood.
Dead.
She couldn’t let that happen to her parents.
Wouldn’t let that happen to her.
Cameo closed the message and shoved the phone back in the pocket of her salopettes, shifting the canister of bear spray that hung from her belt aside. She paused and leaned against one of the towering pines, breathing hard as she struggled not to vomit. When they had sent that photograph to her, she had been convinced it was some sort of terrible joke, the kind her brother would play on her.
When two men had shown up at her door and threatened her, she had realised it was real.
Nate was dead and now the cartel he had worked for was after her, all because he had told them she had the money they wanted.
She didn’t.
Her brother had always been a wild card, had always done crazy things, the complete opposite of her as he had rolled with the punches and seen where the wind would blow him, but she had honestly thought he had put that life behind him. When he had moved from the small sleepy hamlet where they had grown up on the east coast to busy Vancouver eight years ago, she had loved having him nearby, had visited him often at first.
But then her job as a park ranger had taken her out of the city and into the heart of the Rocky Mountains.
Cameo had thought he had been doing well.
And then he had come to visit her with some of his ‘friends’ and had tried to convince her to use her connections as a ranger to help them move drugs across the border, whether it was by land or sea.
She should have seen then how desperate he was, trying to prove his worth to the neatly dressed thugs he had brought with him.
As a ranger, she came across her fair share of illegally planted pot in the forests up in the mountains, but what her brother had been involved in was something else, and he had been in deep. Before she could find a way to get him out, he had gotten himself killed, and the people he had worked for had come after her.
Demanding she pay them the three hundred grand her brother owed them.
Cameo turned and sagged against the tree, her breath leaving her on a sigh that turned to mist in front of her face.
And she had discovered who had gotten Nate involved in such a shady business in the first place.
Karl.
Her ex.
The ex.
The only man she had ever really fallen in love with. It had broken her heart when she had put an end to things between them when her application to become a ranger, something she had always wanted to be, had been accepted. Karl had refused to come with her across the country.
He had expected her to give up her dream.
Had been angry when she had refused.
Things between them had ended on a bad note and now it was all the worse. Now she was running for her life, fearing her parents might be doing the same. The message Karl had sent had made it clear that if she didn’t get them the money, what had happened to Nate would happen to her parents.
Cameo had immediately messaged her father and told them to head to the remote cabin they owned close to Moose Lake, one that had been in the family for generations. She didn’t think Karl knew about it. She had certainly never told him.
And then she had gone on the run.
She frowned as darkness closed in around her, as the temperature dropped sharply, and tilted her head back as she stepped away from the tree, peering up through the dense canopy to the sky. The clouds were lower now, thick and heavy. It looked like more snow was coming. Just great. Just her luck. At this rate, even the forest floor would be covered in a deep layer of it.
She debated whether to keep moving or to stop for the night. She had a flashlight so she could find her way, but darkness wasn’t the thing she was worried about. It was the local wildlife. A flashlight wasn’t going to scare off wolves or a hungry cougar if they were prowling around in this storm, desperate to eat. Fire was her better option.
Plus, she was cold to the bone now, and hungry. If she didn’t rest, she would probably collapse somewhere out there in the dark.
Resting and eating were worth the risk of being spotted. It was important she keep her strength up. Maybe, if she was lucky, the men wouldn’t come and in the morning she could circle her way back to her car and check it out from a distance to make sure it wasn’t being watched.
She scoured the forest, trying to find a good spot to set up camp. Maybe her luck was changing for the better. There was a hollow beneath the sprawling roots of a fallen tre
e. It would provide shelter from the blizzard and make it harder for predators to sneak up on her.
Cameo shrugged out of her heavy pack and set it down inside the small earth cave. Her stiff fingers made opening it hard work, but she managed it and pulled out everything she needed for a small fire. She had come prepared, had packed everything she might need to survive in the wild before she had left home. Protein bars. Her water purifying bottle. Thermal layers. Spare gloves and another scarf. Crampons for her boots. Even her sleeping bag and bedroll.
At least life as a ranger had prepared her for surviving while on the run in the mountains.
She gathered what dry wood she could find and made a fire just at the mouth of the earth cave, lit it and watched smoke rise lazily in the air and catch on the wind that carried it south. The fire flickered and guttered, almost going out as a stronger breeze swept around her, but it sprang back to life as the direction of the wind changed again, coming from directly behind the cave.
Cameo grabbed a protein bar from her pack and closed it again, turned the bag and used it as a seat. She stared at the fire as she ate and sipped her water, savoured the warmth of the flames as they flickered and danced. Hopefully, it would be enough to deter the predators. If it wasn’t, then she would use her bear spray.
She fished her phone out of her pocket again and looked at the messages from her father. The last few dozen messages were the same—a heart he sent every morning to let her know that they were fine. She had missed sending one back to him this morning and hoped he wasn’t worried about her. She set up a heart in a message and added ‘bad signal’ and pressed the send button. It would go when she had signal and hopefully it would ease her parents’ minds.
She pocketed her phone and huddled down into her coat, and tried to stay awake, but fatigue rolled up on her and her adrenaline crashed as silence stretched around her. She blinked as her eyelids slipped closed, widened her eyes and sucked down a breath, and then another, hoping the chilly air in her lungs would wake her up.
It didn’t.
Sleep overcame her.
When she woke, it was almost dark. She huffed and chastised herself, pushed to her feet and grimaced as her leg muscles cramped and ached. She stomped her feet to get some warmth back into them, hoping to wake herself up.
Something behind her cracked.
Her hand flew to her bear spray as she whirled to face the direction of the sound, her pulse skyrocketing as images of cougars or wolves filled her mind.
It was worse.
It turned out her luck wasn’t getting better after all.
She stared at the two men dressed in heavy black weatherproof gear, panic lancing her and flooding her veins with adrenaline that made her shake.
The very thugs she had thought had been tailing her.
The one on the left checked his rifle over, his hazel eyes as cold as the snow that whipped through the trees around them.
The one to the right smiled as he aimed a pistol at her.
“Hello, Cameo.”
Rescued by her Bear (Black Ridge Bears Shifter Romance Series Book 2)
Leaving his cosy cabin at Black Ridge in the middle of a winter storm isn’t Lowe’s idea of a good time, but he’ll do whatever his alpha wants. With his twin for company, he battles the blizzard and his grouchy bear side, trying to keep his spirits up. When his brother brings up his bad habit of getting his heart broken, Lowe is sure things can’t get any worse… and then a gunshot echoes around the valley and the smell of blood sends his instincts wild.
And when he finds the owner of the delicate, tempting scent and sets eyes on the most beautiful female he’s ever seen, fear and hope collide as he realises she’s human but everything inside him roars ‘fated mate’.
Going on the run hadn’t been in Cameo’s life plan, but when her nice-guy-turned-drug-lord ex kills her brother and sets his sights on her, the binder goes out of the window. Staying one step ahead of Karl and his men is vital to staying alive, but a wrong turn leads her into a remote valley and what looks like the end of the line… until a gorgeous six-six mountain of a man rescues her and growls a vow to protect her.
As the heat that crackles between them blazes into an inferno, Cameo is torn between accepting Lowe’s help and leaving to keep him safe. With the clock ticking and the men hunting her drawing ever closer, will Cameo follow her head or her heart?
Order your copy now: http://www.felicityheaton.com/rescued-by-her-bear-shifter-romance-book.php
About the Author
Felicity Heaton is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author who writes passionate paranormal romance books. In her books, she creates detailed worlds, twisting plots, mind-blowing action, intense emotion and heart-stopping romances with leading men that vary from dark deadly vampires to sexy shape-shifters and wicked werewolves, to sinful angels and hot demons!
If you're a fan of paranormal romance authors Lara Adrian, J R Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Gena Showalter, Larissa Ione, Kresley Cole, Donna Grant and Christine Feehan then you will enjoy her books too.
If you love your angels a little dark and wicked, her best-selling Her Angel romance series is for you. If you like strong, powerful, and dark vampires then try the Vampires Realm romance series or any of her stand alone vampire romance books. If you’re looking for vampire romances that are sinful and passionate, then try her London Vampires romance series. Or if you like hot-blooded alpha heroes who will let nothing stand in the way of them claiming their destined woman then try her Eternal Mates series. It’s packed with sexy heroes in a world populated by elves, vampires, fae, demons, shifters, and more. If sexy Greek gods with incredible powers battling to save our world and their home in the Underworld are more your thing, then be sure to step into the world of Guardians of Hades.
To see her other novels, visit: http://www.felicityheaton.com
Or sign up to my mailing list to get a FREE vampire romance ebook, learn about new titles, be eligible for special subscriber-only giveaways and paranormal romance freebies, and read exclusive content: http://ml.felicityheaton.com/mailinglist
If you have enjoyed this story, please take a moment to contact the author at [email protected] or to post a review of the book online.
Follow the author on:
Her Mailing List – http://ml.felicityheaton.com/mailinglist
Twitter – http://twitter.com/felicityheaton
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/felicityheaton
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/felicityheaton/
Goodreads – http://www.goodreads.com/felicityheaton
Also by Felicity Heaton
Stories in the Eternal Mates romance series
Book 1: Kissed by a Dark Prince
Book 2: Claimed by a Demon King
Book 3: Tempted by a Rogue Prince
Book 4: Hunted by a Jaguar
Book 5: Craved by an Alpha
Book 6: Bitten by a Hellcat
Book 7: Taken by a Dragon
Book 8: Marked by an Assassin
Book 9: Possessed by a Dark Warrior
Book 10: Awakened by a Demoness
Book 11: Haunted by the King of Death
Book 12: Turned by a Tiger
Book 13: Tamed by a Tiger
Book 14: Treasured by a Tiger
Book 15: Unchained by a Forbidden Love
Book 16: Avenged by an Angel
Book 17: Seduced by a Demon King
Book 18: Scorched by Darkness
Book 19: Inflamed by an Incubus - Coming Soon
Black Ridge Bears Series
Book 1: Stolen by her Bear
Book 2: Rescued by her Bear - Coming Aug 2021
Book 3: Saved by her Bear - Coming Aug 2021
Book 4: Unleashed by her Bear - Coming Sept 2021
Book 5: Awakened by her Bear - Coming Oct 2021
Stories in the Cougar Creek Mates romance series
Book 1: Claimed by her Cougar
Book 2: Captured b
y her Cougar
Book 3: Courted by her Cougar
Book 4: Craved by her Cougar
Stories in the London Vampires romance series
Book 1: Covet
Book 2: Crave
Book 3: Seduce
Book 4: Enslave
Book 5: Bewitch
Book 6: Unleash
Stories in the Guardians of Hades romance series
Book 1: Ares
Book 2: Valen
Book 3: Esher
Book 4: Marek
Book 5: Calistos
Book 6: Daimon
Book 7: Keras
Book 8: Thanatos
Book 9: Hades - Coming Soon
Stories in the Her Angel: Bound Warriors romance series
Book 1: Dark Angel
Book 2: Fallen Angel
Book 3: Warrior Angel
Book 4: Bound Angel
Stories in the Her Angel: Eternal Warriors romance series
Book 1: Her Guardian Angel
Book 2: Her Demonic Angel
Book 3: Her Wicked Angel
Book 4: Her Avenging Angel
Book 5: Her Sinful Angel
Stories in the Vampires Realm romance series
Book 1: Prophecy: Child of Light
Book 2: Prophecy: Caelestis & Aurorea
Book 3: Prophecy: Dark Moon Rising
Book 3.1: Spellbound
Book 3.5: Reunion
Book 4: Seventh Circle
Book 5: Winter's Kiss
Book 6: Hunter's Moon
Book 7: Masquerade
Book 8: Hunger
Books 1-3 are also available in one anthology ebook: Prophecy Trilogy
Stories in the In Heat romance series
Book 1: In Heat
Book 2: In Heat: Mating Call
Stand alone paranormal romance books
Stolen by her Bear (Black Ridge Bears Shifter Romance Series Book 1) Page 18