Bear's Bride (Bear Heat Book 1) (BBW Paranormal Shifter Romance)

by Natalie Kristen

  With the gun no longer pressed tightly against her head, Cora immediately flattened herself to the ground.

  Everything happened before she could even exhale.

  Marlo whirled round to fire a shot at her. He missed.

  Ethan didn't.

  Cora glanced up and saw Marlo weaving and staggering backwards. There was a bullet hole in the middle of his forehead.

  As Marlo thudded to the floor, Billy scrambled towards her and flung himself over her. Pressing her down, the little boy said quickly, “Ethan told me to protect you. Now stay down!” he hissed, sounding very grown up and important.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Ethan didn't bother to stand around and watch Marlo Hynderland's body hit the ground. The werewolf had a silver bullet lodged in his brain. No shifter could survive that.

  Once he had fired the shot, Ethan twisted round to fend off the other Hyland wolves. Most of them had shifted to wolf and were coming at them from all sides. Caleb and Keith had both shifted to their animal forms and were tearing into the wolves.

  Ethan glanced at Billy and shot him a grin. The little boy was trying his best to shield Cora with his tiny body, but Cora had wrapped her arms around him and was holding him close. The two of them were clinging to each other, each trying to protect the other from the blood and violence which had exploded around them.

  Cora looked up and yelled suddenly, “Behind you!”

  Ethan swung round and put a bullet through the heart of a wolf. The wolf dropped dead at his feet, and shifted back to human form.

  Ethan let his gaze linger for a heartbeat on his lovely bride. She never ceased to amaze him. She was simply the best thing that ever happened to him. And she was his, his mate, his bride. She was still wearing her wedding dress. It was stained and torn, but she looked like an angel in it.

  Ethan swung his eyes to his beta and Keith. The lion was on a rampage, unleashing all his wrath on the wolves who dared target his cub. Ethan had just discovered another of Keith's talents. He never knew that Keith was such a good actor. His talents were seriously wasted behind a cubicle. The man should be in front of a camera.

  Once Ethan received the call from Marlo, he had contacted Keith and briefed him quickly. Keith and Billy were excited to be part of the plan. Marlo wanted Keith and Billy Maxwell in exchange for Cora. Marlo wanted Ethan to kill Billy in front of Keith before he would let Cora go.

  It was exactly as Ethan had expected. It was what a vengeful, cold-blooded, conniving wolf would do.

  The Black Bears clan was a very useful weapon to have. But such a powerful, deadly weapon had to be controlled.

  By getting Ethan to kill Billy, Marlo would have taken his revenge on the Maxwells, and he would have the Black Bears under his control. He would blackmail them with footage of their Alpha murdering an innocent little boy in cold blood.

  Ethan went over to the body of Marlo Hynderland and plucked his fake spectacles off his nose. He clicked the tiny button at the top of the spectacles to stop the recording. He would remove the chip from the frame later and destroy the footage.

  As Ethan freed Cora from her chains, he heard the sound of a boat speeding away. Raising his head, he saw two Hyland wolves roaring out to sea in their dead alpha's boat.

  Ethan hugged Cora tightly to him, and looked over her shoulder to shake his head at Caleb. There was no need to give chase. The end of the Hyland pack was near. His beta growled, not moving from his position at the door. The big black bear had two wolves under his massive paws.

  Keith was similarly standing over two mangled wolves. But while the wolves at Caleb's feet were merely wounded and unconscious, these two wolves had been well and truly disemboweled by the raging lion.

  Ethan snapped an order to his beta, “Take those two wolves back. Don't keep Baxter waiting. I can hear him drumming his fingers on the interrogation table.”

  Caleb chuffed out a laugh and dragged the two limp wolves out the door. They would get the answers they wanted from the wolves and hand them over to the police. Ethan had no doubt they would readily spill a whole list of names and locations, given the right incentive. And Baxter's huge, hard fists were great incentives.

  Keith stood and growled softly as Billy ran to him and flung his arms around his mane. “You're so awesome, Dad! I want to learn to fight like you!”

  Keith licked his son's face and let the boy clamber onto his back. Billy waved to Cora and shifted into a cub. Keith turned and nodded once to Ethan. Then lion and cub walked out of the shack and into the fading sunlight.

  Ethan held Cora's hand and they left the bloodstained shack together. This was another of the Hyland Wolves' hideout, and countless victims had been imprisoned, tortured and killed in that shack. It was fitting that Marlo should meet his end in this very shack.

  Ethan watched the two lions run along the shoreline. Billy was running into the surf and trying to splash water all over his dad. Keith growled and mock wrestled his son in the wet sand. Ethan chuckled when Billy nipped his dad's tail and chased the big lion all the way to the other end of the beach. The two lions became just tiny silhouettes against the setting sun and Ethan wished them well. He hoped there would be no more violence in the little boy's life.

  Cora was at his side, fidgeting with the ring on her finger. She twisted the diamond ring off and handed it to him.

  “Here, I guess you'd be wanting this back.”

  “Huh? No...”

  She shrugged, looking a little sad. “You won't need to track me anymore. I'm glad everything went according to plan.”

  “It did. And it was your plan.”

  She smiled and turned away. “I hope Billy will put all this behind him and enjoy his childhood. I'll never forget him. And...I'll never forget you, Ethan.”

  “Forget me?” His voice rose. “What are you saying, Cora?”

  “I had the greatest adventure of my life, Ethan. With you,” she whispered, tears shimmering in her eyes.

  “And we'll have many more,” he assured her, tilting her face up to him. “Cora, look at me.”

  She tried to blink her tears away, but a single tear escaped and rolled down her cheek.

  “Hey, baby, don't cry,” he whispered, thumbing her tears away. “Everything is okay now. You're not in danger.” He pulled her close and murmured into her hair. “Billy is safe. He was never in danger. I wasn't going to shoot him. You know that, right? You're smart. You heard what I was telling you. And you gave me a clear shot of Marlo. You did it. You, my clever, beautiful bride.”

  “I'm not your bride,” she sniffed into his shoulder. Her voice was muffled and he could barely make out her words.

  “What?” He held her by the shoulders and searched her face. “What did you say? Why would you say that?”

  “This...” She indicated her wedding dress. “This isn't real. The wedding was fake. I'm not really your bride. We were just pretending...”

  “That was no pretend wedding. It's real! Everything we have is real. Caleb had himself ordained for our wedding! We truly are married, Cora. For better or for worse, forever and ever!”

  “B-but...”

  “But nothing,” he said firmly, catching her in his arms. “You're mine. I'm not letting you go.”

  “Oh Ethan...”

  She leaned against him as he circled her waist and rocked her gently. They watched the changing colors in the sky as the sun sank lower and lower below the horizon.

  “You cold?” Ethan whispered, rubbing her arms.

  “No. You're my jacket,” she grinned.

  Ethan laughed and kissed her nose.

  “So. We had a crazy wedding, where I was the bride, and the bait...”

  “And the hero!” Ethan added proudly.

  Cora blushed. “I didn't do anything.”

  “You did everything. Every one of the Hyland Wolves will be caught. We'll get every last one of them. Taking out Marlo Hynderland is just the beginning. Th
e Black Bears never leave a job unfinished.”

  She nodded and cocked her head at him. “I have a question.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Following our crazy wedding, where shall we go for our honeymoon?”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Cora checked her make-up one last time and smoothed her hands over her favorite green dress. She loved this dress and she loved wearing it for Ethan.

  He could never stop telling her how beautiful she looked. “I love seeing you in this dress,” he would murmur appreciatively. “This dress led me to you, Cora.”

  She studied her reflection critically. Were her breasts bigger already? Was she showing yet? Her hips seemed wider and fuller. Was it the light, or was it just her imagination?

  Stepping back from the mirror, she took a deep breath and rested her hands protectively over her belly.

  She hadn't told Ethan yet. She had only gotten that pregnancy test kit from the pharmacy this morning, and they were leaving for their honeymoon today. She guessed she was just three weeks gone. Her belly wouldn't be showing yet.

  With a nervous smile, she stepped out of the bedroom and saw her best friend Aubrey clattering up the stairs to her.

  “Oh! I was so afraid I'd be late,” Aubrey huffed. “Traffic was a bitch! I had to fight some little old ladies off to get into the cab.”

  “You didn't!”

  Aubrey burst into laughter. “Of course I didn't! I asked those old ladies very nicely, and they let me go first. I told them my best friend was leaving for the airport and I wouldn't see her for a whole month.”

  “It's just two weeks.”

  “Okay, so I exaggerated...a little.” Aubrey put her thumb and forefinger together leaving just the tiniest gap to emphasize just how little she had exaggerated.

  Cora shook her head and let her friend give her a big hug. “Have fun! I'll miss you.” Aubrey kissed her on the cheek, then punched her on the arm.

  “Ouch!” Cora rubbed her arm.

  “That's for not inviting me to your wedding.”

  “You're never letting me off, are you?”

  “Nope.”

  “I told you a hundred times, it was for your own safety. If I invited you, you might end up...”

  “That doesn't fly with me. Even if you'd gotten married in Hell, I would have come.”

  “I know.”

  They made faces at each other. Aubrey turned and saw Ethan coming towards them. “I've just loaded the luggage in the car,” he called out. “Hey Aubrey!”

  Instantly, Aubrey's scowl transformed into a beatific smile. “Hello Ethan.”

  Ethan grinned at her and gave her a hug. “Caleb and the rest of the clan are in the kitchen. I told them to empty the fridge, and I think they did just that. Go help yourself to the food. There's plenty. The girls were just asking for you.”

  “Oh, I'll go look for them right now!” Aubrey scampered down the stairs and raced towards the kitchen. “Hey everyone, I'm here!” Cora heard the female werebears break into cheers as Aubrey joined them. Cora had introduced Aubrey to all the members in the Black Bears clan, and she had hit it off straightaway with the Black Bears. Most of the she-bears were noisy and fun-loving, and she and Aubrey fitted right in.

  Once they were alone, Cora squinted at Ethan. “Funny, you didn't invite Aubrey to the wedding either. But she's only mad at me, not you. In fact, she adores you!” Cora shook her head, chuckling. She was really glad that Ethan and Aubrey got along so well.

  “That's because she can see that I adore you,” Ethan said simply. “She sees that you're happy, so she approves of me. You love me, she loves me. You hate me, she hates me. That's how it is.”

  Cora shot Ethan a sideways glance. “You seem to know the female psyche very well.”

  “I know a lot of psyches very well,” he deadpanned. “Female, criminal, pregnant...”

  Cora jerked and blinked at him.

  Ethan's handsome face split in a grin. “I know, Cora. I've known for a couple of weeks. But you didn't seem to realize it yet. I didn't want to spoil the surprise for you.”

  “I wanted to give you a surprise,” she spluttered. “How did you know?”

  “Your scent changed. You ate more, and you became tired easily. Honestly, I wanted to stop you from going to the kindergarten, but you love your job so much.”

  “I do,” she said fervently. “And I want to continue working through my pregnancy.”

  Ethan started to frown, but she cut him off. “The kids are great. I won't run after them. I'll leave the running and chasing to the other teachers. But I love teaching them to sing and draw and read. I can do all that even with a big, protruding belly.”

  “Okay.” Ethan blew out a breath. “Just be careful.”

  “I will,” she promised and kissed him.

  “I changed the itinerary for our honeymoon,” Ethan said softly. “No more whitewater rafting and bungee jumping. Instead, we'll be going on a slow river cruise and some nice, relaxed shopping.”

  “Ooh, I like that!”

  Ethan walked down the stairs with her, holding her solicitously. “I can walk by myself,” she grumbled. “I'm not fragile.”

  “Oh yes you are,” he said firmly, not letting her go.

  Their living room, dining room and kitchen were filled with rowdy werebears. Almost the whole clan was here in their house. They had come to see them off and they had thrown a last minute, impromptu party for them, raiding their fridge and preparing all kinds of imaginative, mixed-up dishes with whatever was left in the freezer.

  Ethan bent towards her and tried to make himself heard above the din. “Have you told Aubrey?”

  “Told me what?”Aubrey extricated herself from the crowd of laughing she-bears and came towards them.

  Ethan made to get away but Cora's hand shot out and grabbed him. “Oh no you don't.”

  Aubrey narrowed her eyes at them. “What are you two not telling me?”

  “Oh no, it's not me this time. It's him.” Cora jerked her thumb at Ethan. “I only found out today, but he's been in the know for a few weeks!”

  “Know what?”

  “That I'm pregnant.”

  At her words, there was a collective intake of breath and the entire house fell silent. No one moved. No one even breathed.

  Aubrey blinked, then screamed and jumped up and down on the spot. “Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod! This is so awesome! You're going to have a baby! No, a cub! A sweet little bear cub! Aw, come here you two!”

  Aubrey opened her arms wide and hugged them both. All the Black Bears jumped up and crowded in, enveloping them in a big, group bear hug.

  “Congratulations, Ethan and Cora!”

  “Yeah, this is wonderful news!”

  “So exciting!”

  Everyone began talking and shouting at once, clapping Ethan on the back and kissing Cora on the cheeks.

  “We better get going now. We don't want to miss our flight,” Ethan grinned.

  Cora squealed when Ethan scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the car.

  The clan whistled and hooted as Ethan started up the engine of his sleek black Mercedes-Benz. Aubrey clapped and waved wildly at them from the front steps. “Enjoy yourselves! Enjoy the ride!”

  As Cora buckled herself in, she saw Ethan toss Caleb a set of his house keys. His beta caught the keys neatly out of the air and winked.

  The Black Bears were going to continue the party, but they would make sure the house was spick and span and everything was securely locked up and all the alarms activated before they left.

  After all, they owned the best security company in the city.

  Cora turned to wave at them as Ethan drove towards the airport. She couldn't believe she missed them already. They were friends, clan and family. She sighed and kept waving even after they were well out of sight.

  Ethan glanced at her and chuckled. “We'll be back before you know it. Then the whol
e clan will be fussing all over you. You won't be able to get rid of them. And when the cub arrives, you can bet they'll be coming up to the house every single day.”

  She turned to him with a big grin. “Oh, I can hardly wait!”

  ~ End ~

  About the Author

  Natalie Kristen is a writer who enjoys mixing the sweet with the spicy, the light with the dark, the possibilities with the unimaginable. She enjoys exploring paranormal and dystopian worlds, deep desires and inspiring romances. She is hopelessly addicted to coffee, chocolate, reading and writing. She loves to hear from readers so please feel free to follow her on Twitter and Facebook, or visit her blog for the latest news and updates.

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