“Being a big scary bear to terrorize a woman who is making life hell for me to get enough food to tide me over through winter? Oh, yeah, I am in. I can help by spreading the word to any other were-shifters whom I come across. She will be running down the mountain to escape all of us ‘wild’ animals!” Nebi said laughing, her mirth creating small ripples of waves away from her body.
All three heads turned to the sound of banging. Someone was hammering on the other side of Bear Lake. They grimaced at each other because that was the sound of their prey getting harder and harder to find. It was going to be a very bad winter here in the Alaskan subarctic for all of the animals and shifters at the top of the food chain. The three friends looked at each other knowingly.
Chapter 2
On the other side of the lake, Annabella stopped hammering, shook out her tired shoulders and walked over to the colorful flowers near the path. She leaned down to look closely at a quarter-sized yellow flower with a green center. It stood solitary on a long stem with dark green leaves. She picked the subalpine buttercup, bringing it to her nose to see if it had a smell. Just when she was doing so, she heard a rustling in the bows of an evergreen tree a few feet away. A blue grouse poked her gray, brown, and black head out of the green foliage to investigate any threat to her nest on the ground near a tree, which was partially covered by a thick greyish-brown log.
“Aww, aren’t you lovely?” Annabella murmured out quietly, careful not to scare the grouse.
She legally owned Bear Lake, which was willed to her by her grandparents. She was intent on starting a camping site for tourists, with kitschy little cabins and fireside talks as a yuppie money making scheme to bring burnt-out city dwellers in droves to enjoy the peaceful wildlife around Bear Lake. She looked around her, seeing a flash of color behind the surveyed area for the first cabin of her grand plan.
She walked to the rear of the beginning structure of a weathered wooden cabin to see a silvery blue butterfly nectaring on a variety of flowers, basking in the sunshine and fluttering its wings to attract mates. This one appeared to be male, as the females were not usually as brightly colored. The tourists were going to love this place, from its peaceful lake, to the beauty of the wildlife, to the pristine and undisturbed nature trails.
She walked down the path, a bit more vigilant now that she had encountered that frightening grizzly bear this morning. The trail from her cabin site led directly down to a large rock called Bear Rock mentioned on her survey. Beyond it was a haphazard group of smaller rocks with female mergansers taking a moment to bathe and preen with their duck elegance. The waterbirds were flapping their gray and white wings, using their beaks to peck at their dull orange legs and the water between them to find small fish and bugs.
Annabella heard the sound of a vehicle coming closer. She looked down at her dirty jeans and stained, ripped shirt ruefully. That must be the tree clearing team, they were earlier than she had expected. She hurried up the path toward the pad and the sparse progress she had made on the cabin.
“Ye Annabella?” A large, beefy man with a happy, ruddy face and a wayward shock of red hair asked.
“You must be Liam, my architect Derek told me you would be out here around three in the afternoon,” Annabella replied.
“So'tiz tree in de afternoon, lass!” He said laughing, his cheeks filling with even more blush, making his whole face red for a few seconds.
She looked down at her watch in surprise. It was 3:05 pm exactly. She had lost all track of time today. She self-mockingly grimaced, knowing she looked a bit foolish to the handsome muscular man.
“Yeah, well, I guess the nap I took was a little longer than I intended!” She said, lying. She didn’t want him to know she had worked all day and gotten so little done by herself. The progress on the cabin was going amazingly slow, but she insisted on doing it herself as much as she was able.
“Oyt ter wha chucker yer want de trees cleared, jist gie me a shape an' oi 'ill mark it wi' dis blue paint for de team the-morra,” he said, his thick accent obscuring most of the words.
“Oh, I want to keep things as wild and pristine as possible. I don’t want the trees to be clear cut. Can we mark individual trees instead of a whole area?” She asked.
“Sure, lass. Yer jist say de ward an' oi 'ill mark dem,” Liam replied, rummaging through the back of his Jeep for a spray can of blue paint.
They wandered around a space about five hundred square feet, with her telling him her grand plans. Each time she would point out a tree, he would raise the paint can. Then she would wave him off. She only ended up marking about a dozen trees for removal, thinning the area and making a space for a fire pit in the back.
When they were almost done, her stomach grumbled and she looked over at him.
“I guess that means that it is dinner time,” Annabella said, laughing.
She had brought dried jerky, nuts, dried fruits, and other low-perishable foods. She had hoped to have some time to fish in the lake to get fresh fish to fry, just as she had done all her life with her father and grandpa, but had been too busy to do so as of yet.
“Oi 'ill 'av de team oyt 'ere the-morra bright an' early ter remove dees trees. Derek said his man wud be back oyt next week if yer needed any 'elp,” Liam replied, making his way back toward his Jeep.
When Anabella sat down behind her tent, having her meager dried foods and listening to her satellite radio. She looked up suddenly when she heard a rustle in the bushes, then a soft padding of footsteps to her left. Then she heard a whoosh of an exhale and the scratch of nails on the ground as the 190-pound bear launched itself at her with all of its fury. She lost her footing as the bear lunged and clawed at her, pushing her down. She struggled and slipped out from under him, gaining purchase to keep getting back up. During one brief break in the attack, where she was able to slide between the bear’s claws and under his soft belly, she ran up the driveway toward the cabin.
The bear rounded a corner to be greeted by her, heaving and panting with a nail gun in her hand. He was growling with his huge mouth open and shaking the ground with his angry steps. The nail gun was trembling in her hands as she let the first couple of small nails fly toward him. She heard a distinct ‘umph’ sound when they hit their mark in his thick hide. The large bear sidled quickly away, growling as he briskly stepped back into the forest to be camouflaged by the foliage.
She heaved a relieved sigh but stood there vigilant with her arms trembling in fright still holding the nail gun in front of her. Her heart was hammering in her chest, its thrumming drowning out all other sounds of the forest at dusk. The tree canopy above was slowly waning from green to dark green to gray shadows. Soon, it would be completely dark. All she had was a small, circular tent to protect her and suddenly she was truly frightened. She thought that it would be safer to sleep in her little Subaru until the log cabin was built. Wasting no more time, she decided that she would go ahead and get in the car now with all of her food since that was probably what had lured the massive bear to her camp.
Chapter 3
Chris went away mad that he didn’t scare her, but he admired her pluck. Plus he got to see a great deal of her curvy backside and was very turned on by her. He liked strong women who wouldn’t back down. But for practical reasons, she needed to back down, because she was creating a lot of problems for everyone on the mountain and around Bear Lake.
Bears were an umbrella species, whose habitat was shared by many others, large and small. It was Chris’ moral duty to protect the vulnerable animals and shifters who depended upon this mountain and lake for their very survival. His family and ancestors had been on Bear Lake for as long as anyone could remember. They had been the dominant resident of this land, as werebears, living in harmony with humans who camped and fished here for a couple of days at a time.
Until now, there had been no permanent human residents which would upend the delicate cycle of life being invisibly played out across the subarctic meadows surrounding Bear Lake.
Annabella meant to change that pattern. The animals could deal with a day here or there of disruption, but the more days of human presence which were strung together, the more species struggled and the cycle of predator-prey interactions intensified.
Chris was determined to protect this fragile ecosystem, the livelihood of his and his friends. This was a no place for a petite blondie. Sooner or later, with a little help from other shifters, she will get the message and pack her things faster than you say Bear Lake.
What a pity to never see your sexy curves again, Annabella, Chris thought for a second and then headed deeper into the forest.
Chapter 4
Annabella was standing in front of her partially built cabin looking over the survey, trying to compare it to the marks which the surveyor had made on the ground. Her eyes were trained downward, deciphering the little symbols on the blue paper. Suddenly, without any warning, she felt the wave of air rush toward her as an enormous hawk swooped down and grabbed the survey pages from her hands. He flew back up into the sky with the papers in his talons. She saw the majestic hawk fly into a one hundred foot tall tree and perch there, his beak picking the survey into little pieces of confetti which rained down slowly to the bottom of the tree and was picked up by the wind to be spread in every direction.
Annabella let out a deep sigh. She was familiar with the roughness of this country, she had no illusion that getting the tourist site would require her to jump over many hurdles and obstacles, but this? She respected and appreciated the nature in all its ways, but, at the same time, she was a tough, determined woman working hard to make her dreams come true.
“What a story to tell the visitors over a campfire,” she said out loud and walked to her car to retrieve her laptop where the survey was stored in a digital form.
***
Over the next couple weeks, Chris continued sending his friends to threaten Annabella. He was trying to convince her through intimidation in their animal forms that Bear Lake was too dangerous for unsuspecting, city-dwelling tourists because they would be harmed by the wildlife. Several shifters assaulted her, including Chetan, the hawk shifter, who did his own attack in several forays on different days as he oversaw the slow progress of her rickety cabin.
“What’s happening over at Princess’ camp today?” Chris asked.
“Well, I have watched the other attacks. Annabella is not intimidated one little bit. She slept in her car the first few nights after your visit, but since then, she has been sleeping in her half-built cabin. She has nerves of steel. I don’t think this plan is going to work. You have finally met your match,” Chetan replied, mocking his stubborn friend.
“It has to work! It is my moral right to the land because it has been my family’s hunting and living territory for many generations. We just have to turn up the intensity of the harassment until she gets the hint that she is not welcome here!” Chris said, pounding his fist on a large boulder.
“Well, I notice that you have kept this silent war to attacks which are meant to intimidate her but have not allowed anyone to harm her. Is it time to take it to the next level?” Chetan asked, sensing his mate’s emotional attachment to the woman. He was curious to see how his aloof bear friend was going to handle this new challenge.
“I have another way to make her bend to my will. She will be mine, tonight,” Chris said, his eyes alight with burning desire.
***
The trees had slipped into the cover of grays and blacks, with only a ray of light passing diagonally to them from the clearing over the lake. Chris walked slowly, his thighs chafing against one another making the smallest of sound. He crept around the camp site, surveying the progress that Annabella had made on the small square-shaped cabin. All of the walls were now up, but the roof had not been raised. The top of the walls was covered by a thick blue tarp which was anchored on nails to the sides of the cabin. He stopped any movement when he heard her sigh and turn over, the covers quietly rustling and her cot groaning with her change in position.
She didn’t have a door hung yet, so Chris could see her feet move as she turned over to put her back to the door. He padded silently over to her, light on his feet. The weak moonlight was just enough to highlight the paleness of her cheek and the sunbeam beauty of her hair. His cock stiffened unconsciously looking down upon her. She sighed, adjusting her position again to be on her back. Her eyes fluttered open, and in surprised fear, a small scream escaped her mouth.
Chris pounced upon her, wrangling her into his arms. She fought him, her fingers made into claws, using her knees to push against his chest. Her nightgown restricted her movement as did the blankets, making her struggle less effective. In the midst of their fight, she couldn’t harm him but really tried as hard as she was able, putting each bit of effort to good use. She put up a very valiant defense but it was futile against his immense strength. She gained another level of respect from Chris that she didn’t cower, even when clearly outmatched. She wouldn’t give an inch or surrender even in the face of certain defeat. Chris managed to stuff a piece of cloth in her mouth and tie a bandana around her face to secure it.
He hefts her over his shoulder like a potato sack, in spite of her kicking and muffled screaming, holding her hands easily in his, and just letting her legs flail uselessly in the air. He trekked her through the woods at a brisk pace, heedless of the almost complete cover of darkness. He had been through these trails during light and dark his whole life. He knew intimately every rock, every twig, and every tree.
When he reached the mouth of his cave, the mossy rocks were haphazardly piled around the entrance creating shelter from wind and rain. He carefully dipped his head through the entrance and deftly carried her inside, making sure not to scrape her on the sides or roof.
“Be still or you will scrape yourself. I won’t be blamed for your harm, caused by your own stubbornness,” Chris said, his deep tenor voice reverberated through the cave and bounced back toward their ears as if in high-def stereo.
Annabella stilled instantly at the sound of his voice. She could hear it, but she could also feel his voice through her chest. Her nipples stiffened in response. He gently slipped her off his shoulder, down his body, and sat her on a flat rock covered by a thick blanket of cushy moss. He reached behind her head to free the bandana and she removed the cloth in her mouth as she looked curiously at his heavily muscled completely nude body.
“What are you going to do to me?” Annabella asked indignantly, her heart racing in her chest, half from fear and the other half from arousal.
She noticed three small punctures which were healing, one near his rib cage, one on his belly, and another on his left leg. Those were the only places which marred the absolute perfection of his heavy, manly body. Her cleft swelled and liquefied as she looked him over.
“I just brought you here to talk to you. We have to solve this thing, once and for all,” Chris said adamantly.
“Wait a minute, who are you?” She demanded in a disbelieving tone.
“I am Chris Woods, owner of Bear Lake,” he introduced himself nonchalantly, beginning to gather materials around to start a fire near the back of the cave.
She watched him, as he silently went about collecting branches and dried leaves. Her eyes began darting to the entrance of the cave, where she was barely able to make out the shadows of her only route of escape.
“No, you are not! I am the owner of Bear Lake. I have the title to prove it,” Annabella said adamantly, rising from her sitting position at the same time to emphasize her point by increasing her stature.
She moved as fast as lightning, but not as fast as he did. Her escape was cut short by the swipe of a huge bear claw, which came only a butterfly’s wing from her face. She stilled instantly as the enormous grizzly bear stopped her escape and blocked out all of the remaining moonlight coming from the cave entrance. She was instantly in the dark, her hand lightly touching the soft, thick fur on his side. She could feel the intense heat coming from his body towar
d her, basking her as if by the sunshine.
Her heart was hammering in her chest, her breath was heaving, and her hands were clammy. That was the last thing she remembered as she slid to the floor in a dull thud in a limp faint.
When Annabella finally woke up, she heard the crackle of the fire first, before even opening her eyes. She listened for evidence if she was alone or not, but then heard his soft breathing.
She slowly opened her eyes to see the firelight dancing on the walls. Chris was laying on a moss bed, completely nude and relaxed in his repose.
She looked over at the entrance to the cave, which was now blocked by an enormous mossy boulder. She must have fainted. She sat up quickly, her movement and the accompanying sound waking Chris instantly as well.
“Ahh, My Beauty, how are you feeling?” Chris asked, his voice sincerely concerned.
“Where am I?” Annabella demanded, “and I am not your anything!”
“You are in my cave. Would you like some water?”
Taming The Billionaire Page 5