Complete Bear Creek and Bear Bluff Box Sets: Including brand new exclusive book Best Man Bear

by Harmony Raines

  Energy swept through him, and he threw his head back and roared. This was who he needed to be to protect his mate. He would meet with other bears. Together they would drive the trespassers from their town. No one threatened a bear's mate. Not without there being severe consequences. And tonight those consequences were coming home to the men who hunted Abbi.

  Taking off through the trees, he revelled in the feeling of freedom. This side of him was something he enjoyed. Something he celebrated every day of his life. Until now he had never questioned that his mate, when he found her, would not love him for who he was. He was scared Abbi would never accept this part of him. It had never happened to any of those who had found their mates before him. Bear Creek had been here for centuries, their secret hidden amongst the tall trees and high mountains. He hated the idea of thinking he would be the first to have a mate who despised him.

  Up ahead, he scented another bear. He ran on, picking up speed. When they all came together like this, it was thrilling. Running with his fellow shifters was incredible. The first bear he met was Hal, an unexpected visitor. Hal was solitary, living high up in the mountains, only venturing into town when he needed supplies.

  Tonight, however, Brad would take all the help he could get. He was grateful Hal had come down the mountain to lend his strength. Brad didn't ask questions when Hal fell in behind him, only extending a muffled greeting. Then they carried on at a fast pace to join the others.

  Sam and Daryl were waiting. Big bears, their thick coats of such a similar tawny colouring it was sometimes hard to tell them apart. It was Sam he had been speaking to on the phone when Abbi overheard him. His brother, Daryl, had spotted the group of men they were looking for. He had been returning from a job outside of Bear Creek when he saw them sniffing around the outskirts of town. He had reported seeing a broken-down car over that way too. They figured it was Abbi's car and these guys were now on her trail. But they were on a cold trail. Brad still had no doubt they would be unable to track her. Especially once he had picked her up in his truck from the Francis place. His scent would mask hers.

  He was confident they had time on their side. But even bears get things wrong.

  Chapter Ten – Abbi

  She finally closed her eyes and slept. After Brad had gone, she had been unable to sleep. Instead, her brain had zeroed in on every single creak of the house. Noises in the woods outside also conjured up images of things lurking unseen.

  Closing her eyes and burying herself under the blankets didn't help. Her loneliness was magnified by the sounds of the forest. At one point just after Brad left, she was sure she heard a bear not far away in the woods. It made the hairs on her neck stand on end. It also made her certain she would have no trouble keeping her promise about not leaving the house.

  Slowly a sense of peace took her. She relaxed, telling herself she was safe. The sounds of the forest began to soothe her instead of scaring her. The scrape of the trees was an old couple. Having lived side by side for so long, they had grown entwined, and when the wind blew, they danced. The forest animals were there to tell her there was no big, bad tiger lurking outside. If he were here, they would be long gone, burying themselves in their dens out of the way of tigers.

  Her eyes grew heavier, and without knowing it, she slipped into a deep sleep. There she dreamed of Brad. His big, strong arms holding her tight, fending off any creature who came near her. She was safe, secure in his arms and in his love. And then something dragged her awake. Her heart beat rapidly; she lay with her eyes open, listening. Nothing.

  All the sounds of the forest had gone. A deathly silence settled over it. They had found her.

  She stopped herself right there, her voice sounding irrational even to her. How could they? She had come here in Brad's truck; they couldn't have followed her scent that way. Could they?

  Then she remembered her screaming for Brad to let her go. Was that how they found her? She had been stupid, and now, all alone, she was going to pay the price. They would take her to the tiger and Brad would simply think she had run out on him. Better that than he end up hurt or dead by going up against them.

  All this flashed by as she listened for any noise to give her pursuers away. Nothing. Confused, she sat up in bed, and closed her eyes. She let the silence envelope her, be one with her. The slightest sound magnified as her ears filled with her own heartbeat. Perhaps there was another reason for the first being so quiet. Maybe the animals went off to their respective homes as the night wore on. Yes, that was probably it.

  Slipping out of the warm bed, she put her feet down on the soft rug by the side of it. Again, she halted and listened. Was it her imagination, or was that the sound of the front door rattling? As far as she knew, the house was in darkness; he had left it so it looked as though no one was home. Maybe he should have done what her mom always did. If he left a light on, people would think there was someone at home. It always seemed a good deterrent.

  The sound had gone. If it was there at all. Inquisitive to know if there was anyone out there, she headed to the window. Staying back out of sight, she managed to peer out through the small gap. All was darkness. All was shadow. No moon to light the forest floor, the trees too thick for starlight to penetrate. If there was anything out there, she couldn't see it. Resisting the temptation to pull the curtain back and look properly, she simply stood and watched.

  Gradually her eyes became more accustomed to the lack of light, and silhouettes emerged. Trees and bushes a faint outline in the gathering gloom. And then movement.

  She blinked and it was gone. A small animal, perhaps a fox. She released the breath she had been holding. A fox. Nothing more than a small predator out hunting in the night. Time to stop imagining things. If a fox was out there hunting, then there couldn't be anything out there hunting her.

  A shiver of cold passed through her; she longed to be asleep in the nice, warm bed. Taking one last look outside, she turned and walked on her tiptoes back to the bed. Slipping back into the still-warm sheets, she pulled the covers up under her chin. Downstairs, a door rattled.

  Abbi sat up. There was no mistaking that sound. Someone was testing the house to see if they could break in. An opportunistic burglar? What were the chances of someone trying to break into the local sheriff's house on a night he was out, and she was in? Damn. They had found her. One way or another they had tracked her, and she had to decide what to do.

  Sitting on the side of the bed, ears trained on any movement downstairs, she started to think. Trying to remember anything she could use as a weapon. Either upstairs or in the kitchen, there must be something. Knives, of course. However, she wanted something bigger, a weapon she could use from a distance. Some kind of club.

  She couldn't remember anything. Brad was not the kind of guy who played golf, so there were no clubs casually discarded in the corner. No lumps of wood. Or was there? She remembered the fire burning brightly, recently stoked by Brad to keep her warm. Next to it was a small alcove filled with wood ready to be put on the fire. That was it.

  All she had to do was summon the courage to make it downstairs.

  One step at a time. That was all she could force herself to take as she shuffled out of the bedroom. Each one of those steps was harder than she ever imagined. The house creaked and settled around her with each foot she placed on the wooden boards. Her ears strained for any sound, but none came. Again, she questioned whether what she had heard was real. Or simply the sound of the forest outside. Whatever the answer, she still intended to get a weapon of some kind.

  Standing at the top of the stairs, she had to summon all her courage to take the first step down to danger. For all she knew they might already be down there, waiting for her. In her head, she conjured up all the ways this could work out. None of them were good.

  Neither was waiting here for them to come and find her. She didn't want to feel helpless any more. One step at a time, she went down the stairs. Halfway she paused, and ducked her head down to see if she could catch any mo
vement in the house. Nothing, it all looked deserted, and the sounds she could hear were all muffled. Outside, rather than in the sheriff’s house. Stealing herself for the next part, she took the steps quicker, trying to keep quiet. Once at the bottom she took two quick steps and dived into his sitting room. There she lay low behind a chair, looking around to get her bearings. Cursing at the open curtains, she ducked back down.

  Anyone looking in through the window would be able to see her. Her only hope was to stay hidden in the dark. If she used the furniture to shield herself from prying eyes, she might stand a chance. One last look to check there was no one there; she crawled along the floor to the fireplace. Her knees rubbed on the carpet. At this moment did she remembered how unsuitably dressed, or undressed, she was. But that was the least of her problems.

  Staying behind an old chair that was pushed close to the fireplace, she reached out for a log. Her fingers missed the wood the first time. She inched further forward, managing to grasp a large log in her hand. Too short. She tried again, lifting one and then another to work out which one would be best. Eventually, she settled on a piece that was about two feet long, but not nearly as thick as she had hoped. Hefting it in her hand, she tried to work out how best to hold it; she had to be ready to swing it at any moment. Satisfied, she crept back behind the chair nearest the door.

  Now she listened again. Perhaps they had moved away, given up on his house, and gone on to another. For a moment, she couldn’t hear anything. Then voices in the distance made her fear return. Were they getting closer?

  She listened, every part of her straining to pick up their movements. Again, she heard them. Two voices at least. One calling to another. Talking about her.

  "I'm telling you I can smell her here."

  "All I can smell is the bear."

  Her plan had worked, and she was glad she had heard the bear in the forest earlier. It meant he had disguised her scent. But these two might not be so easily tricked.

  "Even if she has been here, the house is locked up. No sign of anyone. Maybe he took her into town?"

  "His truck is still here, idiot."

  "Have you checked it?"

  "Yes. I'm sure that's where the scent is strongest. But we'll wait for Wag, he'll know for sure. Can't beat a wolf for scenting our prey."

  "Wag." He laughed. "I guess that's the only use that old wolf has."

  "That and ripping the throat out of a bear."

  "A long time ago. I don't think he could rip the throat out of a man, or a woman, any more."

  "I hope he doesn't try. After all the effort we've put in, I would hate to go back to Tarnac and tell him his pretty little piece of pure human flesh has met with a grisly end."

  "He should be on a leash."

  They both laughed. While Abbi pressed herself back against the chair, wanting to dissolve into a million pieces and float away. If this wolf came, they would find her. He would know she had been here, and no doubt, they would break in to check the house. There they'd find her cowering behind a chair. No way. She had to think this through, and get out of the house before Wag came.

  What a stupid name. Normally, it would have made her laugh. But that was something she hadn't done for a long time. Not since the tiger, Tarnac, as she now knew he was called, had claimed her innocence.

  Well, neither Wag nor Tarnac were going to get what they wanted. Looking through the window, she couldn't see any sign of the two men. Keeping low, she headed back out of the sitting room and into the hallway. There were two things she needed to check. First if there was a key to the front door. She stood looking at the keys hanging up, relieved to see his truck keys were still there.

  Somewhere in the back of her mind, she questioned why he hadn't taken his truck. It made little sense. He had gone off on foot; perhaps someone was picking him up in a vehicle at the end of his drive. His deputy in a police car, maybe? Whatever the reason, she was grateful. His truck was her ticket out of there.

  Back to his house keys. There was a big bunch of keys hanging up; she guessed they might be for his office but wasn't sure. Would he put a house key on the same set? She carefully tiptoed to the front door and looked at the lock. It would give her some idea of what key she was looking for. Although with the lack of light, it was going to be impossible to look at them accurately.

  Trying to keep calm, she went through the keys. Hoping she could put her plan into action before reinforcements arrived.

  Chapter Eleven – Brad

  He had carried on down the trail, following Sam’s lead. He and Sam had scented strangers about two miles away; they were heading over to them now. It worried him that they had made it so far into Bear Creek. The old Francis place, where Abbi had hidden, was another five miles away. He had expected to have to travel to that edge of town to catch their trail. Not to find them practically on his doorstep.

  Brad would have liked to pick up the pace, to move faster to find their quarry. However, they were capable of missing something if they went too fast. He was glad Sam had taken the lead. For once, the town sheriff was not the one with a cool head. He was too emotionally involved to think straight. Acknowledging this, he made a point of dropping further back, behind the others. Only Hal remained behind him, bringing up the rear.

  It took a full half hour to pick up the trail. Fresh scents criss-crossed each other, making it hard to pick a direction to follow. It was a mixture of wolf, lynx, and perhaps fox. Some of the scents were those of creatures indigenous to the area, meaning they might not be shifters at all. This always made things confusing.

  They decided to follow the wolf scent. There were no ordinary wolves in the surrounding area. Making that scent the one most at odds with the natural scents they would have expected to find. Wolves tended to run on the other side of the mountain. Wolf Springs was their pack territory, and boundaries were seldom crossed. If bears and wolves kept out of each other's way, there was less trouble. Only one other bear clan lived close by. They were further over the mountain, higher up the canyon. The two clans did not mix well.

  This meant that Bear Creek had its own scents and smells. One of the jobs he found most enjoyable was patrolling their territory. It gave him an excuse to take bear form during the day. He could spend hours checking no trespassers had crossed the boundaries.

  Tonight those boundaries had been breached, and the trespassers needed to be taught a lesson. No one came here to steal from Bear Creek inhabitants, especially not females.

  Ahead of him, Sam grunted and stopped. He sniffed around in the dry leaf litter and then lifted his head and scented the air. He moved off again, giving Brad a worried look. It didn't take Brad long to understand why.

  Sam was leading them back along another trail. It ran parallel to the one they had come down. What did that mean? They were heading back up towards his house. The very place where he had left Abbi was the very place the trespassers were heading. And he had left her there all alone. He had promised her she would be safe. He had lied.

  Chapter Twelve – Abbi

  She was sure she had found the key. Lifting it carefully, she went right up to the front door and waited. When she heard no sound, she pushed the key into the lock, relieved when it slid in smoothly. She didn't risk turning it. She had to leave it to fate that it was the right one. If not, she was about to make the biggest mistake of her life.

  Leaving it in the door, she went back to the rest of the keys. Taking the truck key off its hook, she held it tightly in her hand. Then she made her way back along the hallway. She went into the dark kitchen. It was still full of the warm, delicious smell of the meal they had shared a lifetime ago. The urge to stop, to sit down at the scrubbed wooden table and wait for Brad, was overwhelming. But he couldn't help her now. He was too far away. She was on her own.

  Going to the back door, she checked to see if it was locked, which of course it was. She looked around for the key. Being a sheriff he didn't leave it in the lock, as she would have.

  The kitchen was
too dark, and so instead of using her eyes, she had to use her hands to feel around. Damn, she couldn’t find it. Where would he put it? Going back to the door, she felt along the door jamb, an obvious place, she knew. Not there either.

  Surely, he wouldn't hide it too far from the door. Growing more agitated as the minutes ticked by, she managed to knock into the table. The legs dragged across the floor, making a horrible screeching noise. She stopped and then ducked down, crawling back towards the hallway. They must have heard it, but there was no sound. No voices.

  Nothing until something hard slammed into the back door. Her heart hammered in her chest. She hadn't needed to open the door to get their attention after all. Now all she had to hope was that her plan worked, and their attention was drawn to the back of the house while she sneaked out the front. She moved quickly back to the front door. Putting her ear against it, she listened. She couldn't hear anything, other than the splintering wood as the back door gave in to her pursuers.

  Quickly, knowing she now had nothing to lose, she opened the front door. Clutching the truck keys in her hand, she left the house. Once she was outside, she pulled the door closed behind her. Wasting precious minutes, she locked it, hoping to slow down her pursuers.

  Looking around furtively, she could see no other movement. She had no choice now; she ran for the truck. Thankfully, Brad had parked it close to the house when he carried her in. With trembling fingers, she unlocked the truck and climbed inside. All the time anticipating a hand reaching out and grabbing her.

  Slowly, carefully, she pulled the truck door shut, hoping they hadn't heard the click as it closed. She didn't think so; they were too busy ransacking the house. All she had to do was start the truck, and get out of here. Sliding up onto the seat, she froze. One of them was outside, some way away talking on a cell phone. If she tried to start the truck and something went wrong, she would give herself away. Keeping her mouth clamped shut, she swallowed her scream of surprise. She sank back down in the seat and carefully slid her hand up to lock the door.