The Bears of Blackrock, Books 1 - 3: The Fenn Clan

by Michaela Wright

  Bennett’s eyebrows shot up. “Hey, Maggie. What’s up?’

  She took a moment, searching for words. “I don’t want to make a big deal out of this, but – thank you. My family thanks you.”

  Bennett’s brow furrowed in confusion, then realization struck and his eyes glistened. He nodded, but didn’t speak.

  She didn’t press further.

  Maggie glanced around the corner, watching Kirk wipe his hands on a towel before hustling out of the kitchen toward the door. She shot Deacon a questioning look. Who else were they expecting tonight?

  The familiar scent of them drew her down the hall without so much as a thought. Maggie came into the grand front room and watched the hallway with the rest of the Fenn family. Her jaw fell open as Maynard, Karen, and Theron Talbot walked into the room. Maynard was greeted instantly by a firm handshake from Patrick, who then introduced himself to Theron. Theron looked strangely comfortable compared to their parents, greeting Deacon with familiarity before accepting a beer. Theron’s hair was still long, hanging cleanly down to his shoulders, his sideburns growing long now after a year of living amongst hip city folk. He looked like the bass player in a grunge band, but a high class grunge band to be sure.

  Karen stood there, frozen. She shot looks to each person in the room, her eyes drawn repeatedly toward the baby now in Catherine’s arms.

  Deacon opened his arms to her, gesturing for her to join them and sit on the couch. She shook her head.

  Maggie’s stomach tightened for an instant.

  “We came to -” Karen paused, searching for the right words. “We had hoped to invite your family – the Fenns…”

  Karen shot Maynard a look, her eyes pleading silently.

  Maynard gave a half smile. Maggie hadn’t seen her parents interact like that in over a decade.

  Maynard took a deep breath, letting his voice take on that ancient rhythm of his preferred language, even in English. “We’ve come to invite your kin to hunt with us.”

  The room went deathly silent. Even the music and the baby seemed to lull for a moment. Kirk came back out from the kitchen. Patrick stepped forward, offering his hand to Maynard yet again. They gripped each other’s forearms, and held the gesture for a long moment.

  A family hunt was a gesture so old, Maggie had only ever seen it mentioned once – at her unsuccessful engagement party. To see her father offer it was a declaration of loyalty. To see Patrick accept it, was even more so.

  And here she was among them all, and she wasn’t even a bear.

  Patrick smiled down at Maynard Talbot. “We would be honored, friend - if your family would take a meal with us first.”

  Theron sipped his beer idly, as though oblivious to the pact being formed there in Kirk Fenn’s living room. Karen’s expression softened infinitely as Catherine made her way over, holding baby Patricia so Maggie’s mother could see her beautiful face.

  Maynard nodded, and Josephine showed their new guests over to the dinner table as Janice set the platter at its center.

  The smells of the woods were hidden just beneath the familiar crisp smell of winter. The ground was still bare, but the air betrayed a bone deep cold, freezing the inside of her nose as she made her way toward the woods with the Fenns. Her mother and father walked at her side, creeping toward the forest with mild trepidation. This wasn’t their usual hunting ground, but it was the Fenn land, and the Fenn land was the safest stretch of forest in the entire county. John was already charging up ahead, his interactions with Theron growing more and more friendly as the two talked and drank.

  “Wait, are you like your mom? Man? For real?”

  Theron laughed, unbuttoning his shirt in preparation for his shift.

  Kirk and Gracie were already up ahead, Tiernan sauntering with a fabulous determination, deliberately flailing a wrist to make his sister laugh. Patrick and Maynard made their way ahead, Patrick letting Maynard decide the direction they’d venture in. Maggie looked around her, watching John and Theron shift, and the excited gait John’s bear took on at the sight of Theron’s white fur. Karen stepped forward, shooting Maggie a sideways glance, then she smiled and shifted, turning to follow her son. Maynard and Patrick, and Gracie, Kirk, and Tiernan were all on their way into the woods when Maggie finally got up the nerve to start stripping off her clothes.

  Deacon stood at her shoulder, the sound of their families cavorting in the woods up ahead betraying their direction. Deacon muttered under his breath as the sound of a tree coming down shattered the silence up ahead.

  “Twenty bucks says that was John.”

  Maggie laughed, setting her clothes down on a nearby tree stump. She turned to Deacon, watching him undress. She’d seen him naked a hundred times now, knew every inch of his body intimately, but somehow none of that mattered now. Being seen naked was intimate, but seen as a lion? That made her feel naked.

  Deacon scooped her hand into his, squeezing it gently to draw her attention. She turned to face him, averting her eyes from his.

  “You go first?”

  Maggie startled, almost pulling her hand from his at the suggestion. She took a deep breath, staring off into the woods. She wanted to run, wanted to feel the way the world could disappear from beneath her as she ran, or the way she could bound over far distances, sneak up on the rest of their families if she wanted, or scale some massive tree and view the world with the birds.

  All of those pleasures she’d denied herself for years, hiding what she was for fear of reprisals and rejection. Now, she stood with Deacon Fenn’s hand in hers, their families tearing through the woods ahead, scaring off any prey they might’ve been planning to chase down, and she was expected to join them. She was welcome – welcome for everything that she was.

  “Why me?” She asked finally, still unable to meet his gaze.

  Deacon squeezed her hand. “Because I want to see you.”

  Maggie turned to face him just as a flash of white flitted through the air between them. They turned, scanning the sky over the trees – it was snowing. Off in the distance, a bear roared in playful challenge, and Maggie sank low to the ground.

  She felt her whole body shudder as she changed, pressing her wide paws into the cold dirt, feeling the cool of a snowflake landing and melting on her nose.

  She turned, shooting a look up at Deacon as she waited for him to join her.

  He smiled down at her. “You’re the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen.”

  She backed away from him.

  She watched this man she loved as he shifted into a beast that towered over her.

  The sight of him made her heart race. She swatted him, letting her paw smack his face, then turned for the woods as the snow swirled around them. She couldn’t wait to let him see what she could do.

  About the Authors

  Alana Hart is an American romance writer who decided that writing with friends is better than writing alone. Hartfelt Books brings together a huge group of sweet and steamy romance authors, collaborating on a new line of books that will have your heart pounding. When she’s not skyping and sharing her latest collaboration on googledocs, she’s typing away in her local coffee shop with a hot chocolate, complete with marshmallows and extra whipped cream, on hand. She claims it makes her happy ever afters that much sweeter!

  Michaela Wright is an American author with a 'bordering on unhealthy' relationship with Deep Fried Mars Bars, Scottish Accents, Iced Caramel Lattes, and commas. Her long standing love of history and ghost stories (and a staunch belief in soul mates) has resulted in many a randy love story, often told over the backdrop of some of the darkest moments in history. These interests have resulted in a Google search history that has most likely resulted in the FBI opening a dossier on her, but that's neither here nor there.

  Michaela lives in Chelmsford, Massachusetts with her daughter and a brood of animals, including cats named Omen and Chapter. When she isn't writing, she's performing aerial silks in her backyard or hula hooping, and on some occasions, si
pping a Cider with friends until her own fake Scottish Accent comes out.

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  For More from THE NAMESAKEN Series –

  WILLING–Street savvy Constance is a prostitute that has survived the Ripper's reign of terror by working her trade in the safety of her room at the Keg and Barrel - but is any girl truly safe in Whitechapel? When the enigmatic Lord Alisdair requests her services at his estate, Constance discovers the occult underworld of London's elite - and finds herself at its center.

  As Alisdair shares his secrets, Constance becomes his willing altar, offering herself to him and his rituals in body and soul. She's seen Alisdair's power, seen it grow with her at his side, but as the circle's secrets unfold before them, will their connection be enough to get them through London's darkest hour alive?

  HYSTERIA - Her sanctuary turns into a nightmare after sunset.

  On the run from her abusive mother, inexperienced Liv was very lucky to find honest employment as a scullery maid in the household of Dr. Findlay Lennox. Unfortunately, her luck runs out at nightfall, when the ghosts that only Liv can see steal away any hope of sleep, leaving her clumsy with exhaustion.

  Her employer offers her the most personal of services.

  Dr. Lennox is well versed in a very special treatment for female complaints. His experiments on prostitutes have given him intimate knowledge of the female anatomy, allowing him to manipulate it as an effective treatment for hysteria, melancholy, and as he assures Liv, sleeplessness. Liv reluctantly agrees to be his patient, but cannot pretend that the touch of his hand hasn’t sparked something more than medicinal. It isn’t long before she is seeking his expert attention more often – but how long can either of them pretend it isn’t more?

  A growing threat far greater than forbidden love

  As Dr. Lennox's patients begin to go missing, his colleague, Dr. Knox, draws crowds in the hundreds to his dissection classes. Soon the ghostly crowd in the Lennox household expands to include the prostitutes that had served as Dr. Lennox's volunteer subjects. Liv begins to suspect that these missing women have met an ill fate, but can she convince Dr. Lennox in time to stop the darkness spreading through Edinburgh’s streets, or will she be the next one to find herself on Dr. Knox's slab?

  HEARTLESS–Welcome to Cheyenne, 1883

  The West is no place for a woman.

  Tell that to Cadence Mayweather. Cadence isn't afraid of anything. She's seen handsy drunks and barroom brawls, and handled it all fearlessly. The Red Onion is her greatest pride, and much to her stepfather's chagrin, it's her name on the deed. A woman has to be tough when she's running the best saloon in town.

  As a new nightmare comes to Cheyenne ...

  When a stranger brings carnage to her door, Cadence witnesses the brutal murders of her kin. Despite her innocence, the town's suspicion quickly turns her way. As a mob cries for her blood, it's a mysterious native man named Joseph who helps her escape.

  The man who fires her deepest desires may be her only hope.

  Joseph is unlike any man she's known before; tall and lean, with a long black mane and a mischievous grin always peering from beneath the brim of his hat. His dark gaze is enough to steal the air from a room. Cadence soon discovers he knows a great deal about the monster that murdered her friends - the man he calls a Wendigo. As they track the murderer through the plains, Cadence is drawn to Joseph in a way she's never felt before. Despite the danger of their quest, his touch soon proves irresistible.

  Joseph will do anything to find this monster and help clear her name. But can he keep her alive long enough to prove her innocence? And will he still believe in her when he discovers what she's done?

  Also from Michaela Wright

  CATCH MY FALL-Thirty-something failed cartoonist, Faye Jensen, finally has her sh*t together -- or does she? With a sudden layoff leaving her unemployed and evicted, she finds herself back in her home town and living with her topless-yoga loving mom. To top it all off, Faye discovers that her loyal boyfriend has pictures of another girl's hoohah on his phone.

  So much for having your sh*t together.

  Faye decides to take it like a champ -- by wallowing in self-loathing and revenge fantasies. Still, coming home has its perks.

  Meet Stellan Odegard; a 6'4 MIT dropout and ninjitsu instructor who isn't too keen on Faye's pity party. As Faye's oldest friend, Stellan drags her out of her funk with pizza, Billy Idol, and an intriguing project that forces Faye to pick up her sketchbook for the first time in a decade. But as the spirit of art heals Faye's soul, she finds herself dreaming of her old buddy in a new and unexpected way. If only Stellan felt the same way about her.

  CATCH MY FALL is a part laugh-out-loud, part heart-wrenching tale of eccentric billionaires, cartoon monkeys, and the art of Cyndi Lauper hairstyles. It reminds us to always follow what makes the heart sing and that it's never too late to decide what you want to be when you grow up.

  WRITING MR RIGHT-What would you do if every word you wrote came true?

  That's Georgia's blessing - or curse. Ever since she was little, if Georgia Kilduff wrote a wish on paper, that wish would come true.

  Except for one - Georgia can't seem to write her Happily Ever After.

  Now a successful romance novelist, Georgia travels the world signing copies of her novels for avid fans of her main character - 'the perfect man,' Douglas MacCready.

  Get in line, ladies. Georgia loves him too. If only he really existed.

  When she meets Garrett MacCauley - a charming book store owner in Inverness - Georgia is startled by some striking similarities, from his middle name to a scar on his right hand. Hell, he even shags like him!

  But Douglas MacCready can't be real. He's just a character in her book, right?

  Or has Georgia carried him with her all along?

  A story of love and destiny, WRITING MR. RIGHT shows the magic of true love, the mischief of fate, and reminds us all that when two people are meant to be together, nothing can keep them apart.

  THE BOYFRIEND EXPERIENCE(A Ms. Wright’s Short Reads) -Steven is a private escort, and a mighty fine one at that. He takes pride in catering to the needs of his female clientele, from the cut of his suit to the color of his kerchief. Despite experience, there is one client that rattles him; Martina, a passionate woman who treats herself to Steven's services as a birthday present every year. Their liaisons have left Steven with a crush, only driving him further to meet her every need. When Steven arrives at Martina's door he is ready to wine, dine, and please his favorite client, but by night's end we will discover that Martina - and Steven - are not who they seem.

  And from the Hartfelt Books Collaboration with Alana Hart

  SAVING HER BEAR –

  Never go home again.

  That's what Mom said - and stay away from that Fenn boy!

  How could Catherine Calhoun listen when that 'Fenn boy' has haunted her mind - and heart - for ten years? When Catherine finds herself in trouble, it's not the town of Blackrock or the family she left behind so long ago that calls her back.

  It's him. It's that Fenn boy.

  The
boy whose kisses are her happiest memory.

  Yet, John Fenn has secrets - the kind that come with sharp claws and teeth.

  Even a bit of fur couldn't lessen the magic of his kisses, but there is darkness in Blackrock - the very thing that once tore her away from her true love. Will her return be enough to save John from becoming that darkness' next victim?

  BEARLY BURNING –

  She'd die before she'd let him have her.

  Josephine Dalton drove into blinding snow, the most precious thing in the world sleeping in the backseat when the whole world shattered around her, sending her car careening off the edge of the world and almost taking her life.

  Kirk Fenn was out enjoying a night of shifting, enjoying the feel of his paws in the snow when an accident changed his world forever. He blamed himself for the horrible crash that nearly killed Rory's mother. It was the least he could do to keep her daughter safe. Especially when her mother's last words before she lost consciousness were, "Don't let him have her."

  Yet, when Josephine comes to stay with Kirk to recover from her injuries, a strange attraction begins to flourish, and Kirk finds himself staring at Josephine's backside more often than not. Despite Josephine's dower mood, she doesn't seem to mind his looking.

  Yet the troubles that brought Joe to that snow covered road are tracking her even now. Can they overcome the secrets that brought them both to that snowy hillside in the middle of the night, or will Josephine's past come back to destroy Kirk's present?

  THE UNCHOSEN BRIDE –