Brave Bear: BBW Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance (BRIDES fur BEARS Book 2)

by Natalie Kristen

  Jax roared and released his seed deep into her body. He bared his teeth and clamped his jaws down on her shoulder. Biting firmly into her soft, smooth skin, he gave her his mark, claiming her completely as his mate.

  Serena fell on the mattress and began to sob quietly. Alarmed, Jax gathered her in his arms and tried to comfort her.

  “Shh, darling. What's the matter? God, did I...hurt you?” Jax couldn't breathe. He would never forgive himself if he had hurt her.

  Serena shook her head as he smoothed her matted hair away from her face. “No, of course not. You would never hurt me, Jax,” she whispered through her tears.

  “Then what's wrong, Serena?” He rocked her and kissed her temple.

  “Nothing's wrong. Everything is just...so right. So perfect,” she said, blinking hard. “I feel...so good with you, Jax. I wish we could be together...”

  “We are together,” he growled. “You are mine. You are my mate, my family.”

  “You...your mate? You mean...you don't mind...” Serena gulped and said hesitantly, “You don't mind that Ashley...”

  “I will be proud to be Ashley's dad,” Jax said.

  Serena gasped at him. “You...you really mean that?”

  “Yes. I will try my best to be a good mate and good father. I'm not perfect. I'm half deaf, and I...”

  “No!” Serena cupped his handsome face in both hands. “You—are perfect. You are so brave and kind and good. I can't believe that I've found you...” Her tears spilled from her eyes.

  “Hey.” Jax thumbed away her tears and kissed her. “Baby, everything is going to be all right.”

  She gave a jerky nod. “Thank you...”

  “No. Thank you. You and Ashley, you're my family. You don't know how happy you've made me, Serena! Stay here in Shadow Point. Say you'll stay and be with me,” Jax said earnestly.

  Serena took a deep breath and pressed her lips to his. “Yes, Jax. Yes, I'll stay,” she whispered. “I...I've found my home.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Serena was filling out an online job application when the house phone rang. She saved her information on the form and hurried to pick up the phone.

  “Hello?”

  “Um, hello, is this Ashley's mom?”

  Serena recognized the voice of Ashley's kindergarten teacher at once. “Oh hi, Miss Renshaw. Yes, I'm Serena.”

  “Hi Serena, I...” Miss Renshaw took a sharp breath. Serena detected the note of worry and fear in Miss Renshaw's voice and pressed her hand to her chest. Her chest seemed to constrict, squeezing her heart painfully.

  “What is it, Miss Renshaw? What happened to Ashley?” Serena said, fighting to keep her voice from trembling.

  “I...we can't find Ashley.”

  Serena's blood ran cold. “W-what do you mean?”

  “It was playtime and we let the kids outdoors. They were playing in the yard for about half an hour. I was there with the children the whole time! When it was time to go back indoors, I told the children to form a line and I went to open the classroom door. I stood inside, holding the door and counted the children as they filed past me. That was when I realized I had one kid missing. I called out all the names and realized that Ashley was missing. I ran outside and searched immediately, but she was nowhere to be found!” Miss Renshaw sounded frantic. “I'm calling to see if she might have run out and gone home, or if you had someone pick her up...”

  “No. Ashley didn't come home,” Serena said faintly. “No one else is supposed to pick her up. No one...”

  “Oh, Serena, I...I'll go outside and look again. But...”

  “I'm coming to the school now,” Serena said and slammed down the phone.

  She grabbed her coat and rushed out of the house. Everyone was at work. Marcus, Jax and Joshua were at the work site with their crew, rushing to finish up a remodeling project. Staci was at the bank, and she'd just assured Serena this morning that she would ask around to see if there were any positions open. As a financial consultant, Staci talked to a lot of people and she was confident that she would be able to find something for Serena.

  Serena ran full tilt down the road. The kindergarten was just a twenty minute walk from the house, and Serena would walk Ashley to school every morning. The schoolhouse was a little brick house, complete with a chimney and bright curtains in the windows. Ashley had been going to school for half a month now, and she seemed to have made many new friends. Her best friend was Jeremy Gray. The play date had been a huge success. Ashley and Jeremy liked the same games and loved the same flavored cupcakes and sandwiches. That was the criteria for a best friend, as far as five-year-olds were concerned.

  Serena reached the school in half the usual time. She was out of breath and she couldn't even feel her legs but she didn't stop. She ran through the school gate and hit the buzzer at the side of the door repeatedly.

  “Open up!” she shouted. “Please!”

  There was a click and the door unlocked. The kindergarten doors were locked when the children were inside. The school took the safety of the children very seriously. No one could come in and out of the school without the teachers knowing.

  Serena ran in and almost collided into Miss Renshaw. Miss Renshaw looked pale and stricken. She was a lively young teacher, and she obviously loved the children. Ashley gushed about her teacher almost every day and had announced at the dinner table last night, “I think I'm going to be a teacher when I grow up!”

  “I'm so sorry, Serena. I...I'll show you the outdoor play area. Maybe you'll be able to see or find something...” Miss Renshaw said shakily, guiding her quickly through the classroom. Another teacher was reading a story to a circle of attentive children. Serena saw Jeremy Gray looking up at her as she walked in. The little boy jumped up and ran to them. “I want to find Ashley,” he said unhappily. “I always find her! She's not that good at hide-and-seek.”

  Miss Renshaw took the boy to the side and said softly, “Jeremy, can you tell Ashley's mother when you last saw Ashley?”

  “It was during playtime. We were outside playing hide-and-seek. It was her turn to hide. But she was really good this time. I couldn't find her, and after we came back to class, she didn't come back with the rest of us. She's still hiding,” Jeremy said.

  “Okay, thank you, Jeremy,” Miss Renshaw said. “We'll find Ashley. You go back to class now, okay?”

  Jeremy stared at them for a moment, looking both annoyed and anxious. “Okay,” he mumbled and ran off.

  Serena stared towards the kindergarten class, hoping desperately to spot Ashley among the children. But she wasn't there.

  She felt Miss Renshaw's hand on her elbow. “I'll show you where Jeremy said he last saw Ashley,” she said quietly.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Miss Renshaw led her out to the wide outdoor area that had a sandbox, slides, swings and a large playhouse. Serena had been impressed with the school's spacious layout on her first visit. The children had plenty of space to run around and enjoy outdoor play. And Ashley had loved the school and the teachers immediately. She had tugged insistently at Serena's hand and declared, “This is my school!”

  Serena's eyes darted all round the compound. There was a simple wire fence surrounding the compound to keep the children in. The fence wasn't very high, but she knew that there was no way a child could climb the fence unnoticed. The teachers would be on the kid in a heartbeat. And his classmates would definitely squeal on him.

  Serena whirled round, hoping that by some miracle, she would spot Ashley. Her wild eyes landed on the playhouse and she took a step towards it. Ashley had always admired the beautiful playhouses in the department stores but Serena could never afford to buy one for her. Ashley had been so excited to see the large playhouse in the Shadow Point kindergarten.

  Serena ran to the playhouse and knelt down. She peered inside and saw small, colorful pots and pans sitting on the little stove and plastic food strewn all over the floor. She swallowed a sudden sob
. Ashley wasn't in the playhouse. Of course she wasn't. The teachers would have looked.

  Serena crawled out of the house and stared at the trees on the other side of the fence. The trees grew pretty close together, with thick shrubs and bushes at their feet. The dense foliage was the back of a beautiful park. Jax had taken Ashley and her to the park, and they had strolled along the jogging path that bordered a lovely, sparkling lake.

  With a painful gasp, Serena rushed towards the fence and strained to peer behind the playhouse. The playhouse was positioned at the far end of the compound against the fence, and Serena had to strain to see the fence behind the playhouse.

  “Oh...” Her strangled cry made Miss Renshaw scramble frenziedly to her side.

  There was a hole at the bottom of the wire fence. The hole wasn't very big, just big enough to pull a small child through it.

  “Ashley...” Serena said hoarsely. Ashley had been playing hide-and-seek with Jeremy. She had probably squeezed herself behind the playhouse and thought that she had found the perfect hiding spot.

  Someone had been there on the other side of the fence. He had grabbed the little girl through the hole, silenced her and dragged her away. Serena pressed her hands and face against the fence, but she couldn't see through the thick, impenetrable foliage.

  “Ashley!” she screamed. “Ashley!”

  Serena spun round and stumbled past Miss Renshaw. “I'm calling the Sheriff,” Miss Renshaw stammered. “I...Serena! Wait, where are you going?”

  Serena didn't answer. She just exploded through the doors and kept running. She couldn't crawl through that hole in the fence, so she would just race round the perimeter of the school to get to the park. If she got there in time, maybe she would find Ashley.

  No. Not maybe. She would find her little girl. No one was taking Ashley away from her.

  Serena pumped her legs and arms hard. Her lungs were bursting and her vision kept clouding over. Angrily, Serena swiped at her tears and muttered a curse and a plea.

  She was running on pure adrenalin, instinct and terror. She just knew she had to get to the park. Something told her that Ashley was there, and she was in terrible danger. If she couldn't reach her little girl in time…

  “Oh God, no…” Serena sobbed as she neared the quiet park. She thought she could hear the gentle lapping of the water in the lake.

  But at this moment, the sound of water was the most ominous, terrifying sound she had ever heard. A sudden, horrible image flashed through her mind and she saw Ashley sinking to the bottom of the vast lake.

  “No...” She gasped. “No!”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Serena lurched into the empty park and screamed, “Ashley! Baby, please...where are you? Ashley!” She ran to the lake, but there wasn't even a ripple on the calm water surface.

  She looked around, her eyes wild with hope and dread. The park was peaceful and deserted at this time of day. In the evenings, couples and families would stroll along the jogging track and admire the sunset from the park benches. But in the day, not many people came to the park. On some afternoons, there might be someone with an easel and paintbrushes sitting alone in the corner of the park, capturing the pristine landscape in watercolor.

  At a stumbling run, Serena began to circle the lake. She turned her head in all directions as she ran, hoping for a glimpse of her little girl.

  “Ashley!” she yelled.

  She spun round at a sound behind her but it was only an empty paper bag flapping against the leg of a park bench.

  Taking several shuddering breaths, she turned back round and kept moving towards the other end of the park. She saw something at last. A small shape at the edge of the lake.

  Balling her shivering, clammy fists, she took off at a dead run. The shape grew bigger, and she saw that it was the back of a man. He was crouching on the ground, his head bent over something.

  She ran harder, her wheezing breaths sounding too loud in the still, portentous silence.

  The man stood up and a scream tore from Serena's throat when she saw what lay at his feet.

  Ashley was gagged and bound, and there was a huge rock tied to her feet. Her eyes were closed and there was a trickle of blood down the side of her face.

  The man turned around at her scream. Serena almost fell back in shock at the sight of his face. There was no face. Just two eyes glaring out of a mess of burn scar tissues and a contorted slash that was the man's mouth.

  “Get away from her!” Serena screeched. “Don't touch her, you…!”

  The man's mouth pulled wider in what she supposed was a leering smile.

  “The name's Sal,” he said in a husky, guttural voice. “We meet again.”

  “I have never met...” Serena began and stopped suddenly. She froze, her eyes widening in recognition and horror.

  “Sal...” She shook her head slowly. “You...you...”

  “Yes, it's me.” He gave a taunting laugh. “I almost stuck my dick in your cunt, remember?”

  Serena forced herself not to flinch. This piece of shit had tried to rob her and rape her that night. If not for Ashley…

  Her eyes flew to her little girl. Ashley's eyelids fluttered but her eyes remained close. She jerked and made tiny whimpering sounds. Her hands and feet with tightly bound and a dirty rag had been pushed into her mouth. A large rock was tied to her ankle and Serena knew at once what Sal was going to do to Ashley.

  Sal chuckled, but it sounded like a raspy cough. “Yes, take a good look at me. Your daughter did this to me. She set me on fire and destroyed my wolf. I have no feeling in my skin now. These are all just dead tissue. Dead!” He flicked out a pocket knife and pressed the blade to his face. Dragging the blade down his cheek, he drew a long line of blood down his face and laughed again.

  “See, I don't feel a thing. I can't feel, and I can't shift. She destroyed my wolf with her fire. My wolf is gone. Dead and gone...forever. Your demon girl will pay for this—with her life!”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Keeping her eyes on Sal, Serena quietly inched towards Ashley. She had to get her daughter away.

  Sal was violent, unpredictable and unhinged. He could plunge his blade into Ashley and slice her up with just a few strokes. It would just take him a few seconds. Ashley could be dead in just a few painful heartbeats.

  “But even with my wolf gone, my senses are still intact,” Sal continued with a glint in his eye.

  I don't think so, Serena thought but she kept resolutely silent.

  “She dropped something...” Sal chuckled again and held up Ashley's Donna Doll, her birthday present from Mrs Huang. “Her scent is very...unique. I had no problem tracking her down.” He licked his own blood off the blade of his knife and smiled. “There is one good thing about these dead tissues,” he said, running a finger down his disfigured face. “With my wolf gone, I don't have a scent. Not one that can identify me anyway. The smells around me just sit on the surface of these dead, unresponsive dead tissues, so I blend right in. No one can scent my presence. I can come and go like a ghost...” He wiggled his fingers and hummed a jarring, eerie tune.

  Serena kept moving closer and closer to her daughter. If Sal charged suddenly, at least she could throw herself over her little girl and shield her.

  “I think you know what I'm going to do,” Sal mused, turning towards the lake. “Water puts out fire. I'm going to put out her fire. Forever.”

  He was going to drown Ashley.

  The lake no longer looked scenic and charming to Serena. The water surface rippled and gleamed, and it reminded Serena of the cold, deadly blade in Sal's hand.

  With a sudden snarl, Sal lurched forward and made a grab for Ashley. Serena screamed and tried to fight him off, but he backhanded her with such force that she was flung a few feet away. She landed on the hard stones and felt blood on her hands.

  Grimacing, Serena forced herself up and hurtled towards Sal. He had gathered Ashley up and was striding towards
the lake. The rock swung from Ashley's ankle like a pendulum. The rock would pull her down to the bottom of the deep lake, and there was no way anyone could dive down to the bottom in time. All they would manage to retrieve would be her bloated body.

  Serena screamed and launched herself at Sal, clawing at his arms and face. Sal spun round and kicked her viciously in the stomach. Serena doubled over but she refused to collapse.

  She scrambled over the stones and grabbed Sal's foot. “Don't hurt her! Please...don't hurt my baby...”

  She could feel Sal shifting his weight as he prepared to hurl Ashley into the dead center of the lake. She knew that even without his wolf, Sal was still incredibly, superhumanly strong.

  Serena struggled, shoved and wrenched at Sal with all her might. She couldn't let him throw her baby into the lake. “No! No...” she shrieked.

  Sal's laugh was cut short by a deafening roar.

  Her head jerked up and she saw Jax rushing at Sal in a blur of movement. Her first instinct was to save Ashley. Sal tossed Ashley carelessly over his shoulder and Serena scrambled forward to catch her little girl.

  She managed to cushion Ashley's head as she crashed to the ground. She yanked the rag out of Ashley's mouth and yelled her name but Ashley remained unconscious.

  As Serena worked frantically to untie the rock from Ashley's ankle, she heard low grunts and menacing snarls and growls. Struggling desperately with the dead knot, Serena glanced fearfully over her shoulder and screamed.

  “Jax! Look out!”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Jax roared with fury and let his bear rip from his skin. He shifted fully into a large black bear and charged at Sal. He was going to tear this piece of shit from limb to limb!

  Jax didn't hold his bear back. He let the lethal predator out and told his beast to go for the kill. His bear had been prowling uneasily under his skin the whole morning. It had been warning him that his mate and young were in danger, but he had shut his bear down and tried to focus on finishing up the work quickly. The crew was rushing to finish the project on time, and everyone was working a breakneck speed.