by Ava Hunt
Bear Shifters
Hunt Collection #1
by
Ava Hunt
Copyright © 2016 by Ava Hunt
Cover by Pixel Perfect Publishing
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Four bear shifter paranormal romances from the author Ava Hunt. Watch sexy growly shifter men find their one and only fated mate, through struggles and heartaches. In this collection: Bear Consumed, Bear My Scars, Bearly Wet, and Bound to Bear.
Table of Contents
Bear Consumed
Bear My Scars
Bearly Wet
Bound to Bear
Bear Consumed
One freakish storm...
The weather had been playing havoc and now a solar storm was on the horizon. While many wouldn't have even realized this had it not been in the news, for a few people it was creating chaos in their lives.
Two friends and colleagues...
Justin Woods is a bear shifter caught up in the solar storm in a way he never wanted. With a new ability to read minds, he's finding out friends aren't really friends and his girlfriend doesn't really love him.
Kimber Haze is a childhood friend that now works for Justin, and according to his new mind-reading ability, the only one that really loves him.
When the storm dies down and Justin no longer has his powers, will he be able to use what he came to learn to better his life or is the bear shifter destined to be alone?
*This is a standalone novella with a happily ever after ending. It is intended for mature readers and features explicit scenes and language*
PROLOGUE
Most people fear the woods when the sun descends. Shadows lengthen until they shroud every tree and plant in mystery. Creatures, both real and imagined, lurk in the darkness. A damp night chill saturates the air. The slightest sound can signal sudden death.
But I don’t fear the forest at night. I draw power from it.
I move through the dark woods, slowly, deliberately, as if I own each plant down to its roots, I inhale deeply. Here, I can breathe more freely than I have in days. Here, all the pressure to succeed melts away. All that exists is instinct and the strength of my own body.
The rustle of a nearby bush makes my ears perk up. I stop in my tracks, cautious, yet unafraid, and a mountain lion emerges. It too stands motionless, assessing the threat I pose. When it growls, I move forward aggressively without a second thought, sending it running a short distance in the other direction. Suspecting that I’ve encroached on its hunting territory, I begin to move away, retracing my steps without turning my back on the animal. The mountain lion keeps its distance, although it snarls and feigns attack a few times until it is satisfied with the distance between us. Finally, it loses interest in me and disappears in the bushes again.
Realizing that dawn is approaching, I decide to head home rather than continuing to wander the woods. I take off at a run, enjoying the speed and agility granted me by my muscular legs. Too soon, I approach the clearing that surrounds my estate. A growl rumbles from deep inside me, loath to return to real life.
Reluctantly, I stand on my rear legs and close my eyes. With a deep breath, I channel all my energy into the transformation. I feel the strength draining from my muscles, and I hear the familiar cracks and pops as my bone structure changes. When I open my eyes, I see my skin glowing white in the moonlight instead of the black bear fur that allowed the night to swallow me whole.
I am human again.
CHAPTER 1
“So, I take it the meeting did not go well.”
“No, Kimber,” Justin said, pinching the bridge of his nose as he leaned on her desk. “No, it did not.”
“What happened?”
“They asked me for money. They said, ‘How about you give us money for no reason and we’ll go spend it so we can play scientists and we won’t pay you back ever.’”
“I’m fairly certain that they are actual scientists.”
“Semantics. If being a scientist was a real job, they’d be making their own money and they wouldn’t have to ask me for mine.”
“You make it sound like they’re beggars out in the street. They need money for research. What are they studying anyway?”
Justin gave her a long, discriminating look before saying, “Don’t ask questions you already know the answer to. You did this on purpose. You know I hate charity cases. Why did you schedule that meeting in the first place?”
“It’s not charity,” Kimber replied, exasperation tinging her tone. “It’s an investment – “
“Really? When do I get my return?”
“Let me finish. It’s an investment in our future. Solar storms can damage expensive electronic equipment, and these scientists believe that if strong enough, they can have an effect on living creatures.”
“Solar storms happen all the time and it has never been a problem. It’s a waste of time and money.”
“Well, I’m sorry for trying to help you do something worthwhile with your money instead of taking your girlfriend to parties halfway across the world every weekend.”
Justin’s eyes narrowed. “And when did my money become your business?”
“Oh, don’t tell me you didn’t expect this to happen when you hired me. We’ve been friends long enough for you to know that I fight for what I think is right. This is important, Justin.”
“No. It’s not. And I thought we agreed that you wouldn’t call me by my first name at work. Here, you’re my assistant. Not my friend.”
“No one else is here!”
“Elle will be here any minute for our lunch date.”
“So you can go blow a few hundred bucks on wine and caviar when you could be funding important research? I’m glad you have your priorities straight, sir.”
Kimber angled her body toward her computer, away from Justin, but not before he noticed the tears forming in her eyes. He sighed, wondering how their playful banter had turned into a heated argument. Although he wanted their relationship at work to be strictly professional, there was no denying that he cared about her. They had been friends since high school, and she was right. He’d known that a certain degree of meddling would accompany the hire. But that didn’t mean he had to go along with her antics. Still, he hated to see her so upset.
“Listen, Kimber. Maybe I could call them back and look into it a little more.” He wouldn’t. But the way her face lit up made the lie feel justified.
“Really? You would do that?”
“Sure. If it means that much to you. But don’t let it spread through the office. I don’t need everyone to know – “
“To know what?” Elle had glided into the room, filling the space with the sweet smell of her perfume and a sudden influx of tension.
“That I’m secretly a good guy,” Justin smiled, letting Elle walk into his arms and kiss his cheek. Kimber looked away, unable to watch. In spite of all her best intentions, she resented Elle’s tiny waist and
luxuriously expensive clothes, among other things.
Elle chuckled mirthlessly. “I wouldn’t say that. I know better.” Although she seemed to brush it aside, she couldn’t help wondering why Justin might be acting like a nice guy around his naïve assistant. “Are you ready to go?”
“Sure. Kimber, do you want us to bring anything back for you? Some caviar maybe?”
Kimber laughed, but Elle interjected, “Caviar? I think a salad might be more appropriate.”
With a glare that should have borne a hole right between Elle’s eyes, Kimber asked, “Excuse me. What is that supposed to mean?”
“I’m sure she didn’t mean anything,” Justin said, attempting to smooth things over. “I’ll be back by 2. Shoot me a text if you decide you want something.”
As they turned to leave, Kimber heard Elle mutter, “I hope you don’t expect her to pay you back. She can’t afford anything we would get at Sofia’s. Although I suppose we could stop at McDonald’s on our way back. They’d probably get a kick out of seeing a limo in the drive-through.” And to Kimber’s dismay, Justin’s laugh floated back to her just before the elevator closed behind them.
Seated at their usual table, Elle sipped her wine and recounted, “Joss was asking me this morning if we can still make it to her premiere this Saturday, even with your birthday party planned for Sunday. I told her that most of the planning will be done by tomorrow, but I do have to be at your estate early Sunday morning to meet with the event coordinator. You know, this is just the type of thing that would be infinitely easier if I lived with you.”
“There are a few other things that would be easier if we lived together,” Justin said, giving Elle a suggestive look. He waited for her to laugh, but she didn’t, so he continued, “Trust me, you don’t know what you’d be getting yourself into.”
She watched him suspiciously for a moment, then asked, “Does this have anything to with last night? If you’re wondering whether I noticed that you disappeared, I did.”
“As always, your deductive reasoning is on point.”
“Don’t patronize me,” Elle said, rolling her eyes in irritation. “It was pretty obvious when I woke up and you weren’t there. Where did you go?”
“Home. You know I don’t sleep well anywhere but my own bed.” The lie came as easily as ever.
Elle remained unconvinced, but after considering her options, she decided to let it go. If there was one thing she had learned from dating Justin over the past year, it was that there were easier ways of getting information than asking him. “Anyway, I told her we could fly back late. We might have to miss the after party, but I said we wouldn’t miss her premiere for the world.”
His brow furrowing, Justin asked, “Wait, is that this upcoming weekend?”
She laughed at him. “You don’t know when your own birthday is?”
“Of course I do,” he snapped. “I meant Joss’s premiere. I can’t leave town this weekend. We have a huge deal closing on Monday.”
Elle’s eyes widened in horror. She stared at him, speechless, but he only stared back, incapable of feeling intimidated by her. Finally, she asked, “How dare you? How could you do this to me?”
“My company is more important than your social life. I’m not going to apologize for that.”
“You lied to me,” she snarled. “You said we would go. You did this on purpose, didn’t you?”
Justin leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. “Yes, Elle. The only thing I want in life is to sabotage your social life and make you miserable.”
“I don’t need your sarcasm. I need you to fix this, or else I’ll make you miserable.”
“Just take the jet, Elle. Go to the premiere.”
Without skipping a beat, Elle asked, “Can I give Carly your ticket?”
“I really don’t care.” He didn’t even look to see whether her furious expression had dissipated. His gaze was fixed on the glass of the window that overlooked the forest, wishing he was physically there instead of merely reflected on its image.
CHAPTER 2
“I’m going to be honest with you. I wasn’t listening last time you were here. At all. What is your study about?”
Justin was trying his best to be patient in his present situation. Instead of faking a phone call to the researchers in the privacy of his office to placate Kimber, he had been roped into another meeting. He wished he could be mad about it, but Kimber had asked permission to attend the next meeting, and he hadn’t been able to come up with a valid excuse quickly enough. With Kimber sitting next to him, he was putting on his best behavior. He figured that if he acted like he was taking them seriously, then it would seem like he had logically weighed all the options before he refused to grant them the money.
The woman, who looked like she could still be in college, explained, “NASA has confirmed that our sun is about to experience a series of solar flares. The resulting solar storms will be the strongest recorded in history. They believe the activity should start within the week.”
“That soon? Why did you wait until now to fund your study?” Justin asked flippantly, trying to sound interested.
The woman looked over at her colleague nervously, and he took his cue. “Gretchen and I have had… difficulty obtaining funding.”
Justin froze. Kimber shifted uncomfortably in her chair, glancing over to see how upset he was. “Explain,” he ordered. Not only was Kimber practically forcing him to give his money away, but he was giving it to a research team that no one else would fund? He might as well withdraw the cash from his account and toss it in the garbage.
“Our hypothesis is that solar storms affect animals in a unique way,” the man said. “The earth’s magnetic field and atmosphere protect the earth’s inhabitants from harmful effects like radiation, but we think the solar activity affects animals’ brains.”
“How so?”
With only the slightest hesitation, the man answered, “Telepathically.”
Justin stared at the man, his mouth gaping. “Is this a joke?” He looked over at Kimber. Even she looked skeptical now. “Are you kidding me?”
“Let’s hear them out,” Kimber suggested, her voice cracking slightly. She wanted to be polite, but she also knew how farfetched this sounded. She hoped they had a plausible explanation that would ease her embarrassment.
Rubbing his face, Justin let out a long breath. “Alright. Go on.”
“Two years ago, there was a minor solar storm,” Gretchen began. “I was just an assistant in a lab back then, and when my shift ended, I went to meet my brother and his kids at the zoo. The animals… Their behavior was uncanny. Some were abnormally aggressive while others cowered in the corners of their enclosures, growling or whining or howling. But most interesting were the animals that maintained eye contact with us for unbelievable lengths of time.
“I went back the next day, and I brought Ken here with me. He agreed that something strange was going on. We watched various animals all day, recording all our observations. We returned again the next day, and it was as if nothing had happened. Everything was back to normal. We mentioned the strange behavior to a zoo employee, and she admitted that she had noticed. But then she said, ‘We expect unusual behavior around the full moon, but this was unprecedented.’ It made me wonder if the sun storms, which had incidentally cleared up the night before, had anything to do with it. The more research we’ve done on solar activity and its effects here on earth, the more we’ve become convinced that the events are correlated.”
“I’m sorry, but do you know how ridiculous this sounds?” Justin asked, unable to refrain any longer.
“Mr. Woods!” Kimber reprimanded.
“It’s alright, Miss Haze,” Ken said calmly. “We do know that it sounds ridiculous, but you can’t blame us for pursuing something we believe in. Let me just ask you this: Have you ever felt that an animal – a pet dog perhaps – knew how you were feeling?”
“Of course,” Justin replied impatiently. “Bu
t research shows that they can read human expressions and smell adrenaline. It has nothing to do with telepathy.”
“Fair enough,” Ken conceded. “But have you ever taken a dog to the vet?”
“Yes,” Kimber replied. “I just took my Maltese a couple weeks ago. She hated it.”
“And when did she start acting agitated?”
“As soon as we got in the car.”
“Does she normally react that way when you get in the car?”
“No. We drive to the park almost every weekend and she loves it. I did think it was strange that she was so upset on the way to the vet. It’s not like she knew where we were going.”
“Exactly. We believe that some animals can sense human brainwaves. Since they spend so much time around people, domestic dogs and cats have evolved over the years, developing the ability to understand our thoughts to a certain extent. That would explain why our dogs get agitated during the drive to the vet versus a drive to the park.”
“That seems reasonable,” Kimber agreed.
“Now consider this,” Gretchen suggested. “The Solar Storm of 1859 created geomagnetic disturbances here on earth that interfered with telegraphs, some operators reporting sparks that shocked them and set telegraph paper on fire. As recently as 2003, a solar storm caused satellite communication interference and power outages in Sweden.”
“I don’t have time for trivia. Get to the point,” Justin insisted. Kimber glared at him, but he ignored her.
Gretchen was unfazed. “As you probably know, the brain of any living creature is constantly shooting off electric signals as it communicates with the rest of the body. If solar storms can cause geomagnetic storms that interfere with electronics here on earth, we think it would make sense if it alters the brain’s electric signals as well. We want to watch what happens to brain activity in humans and other various creatures during the upcoming solar event. We feel confident that we could make the arrangements in time to do the study if we just had the funds.”