by Ruby Madden
“No,” Deb offered from her seat against the wall. “Transforming should help heal his wounds. At the very least, it’ll force out any bullets still lodged inside him and make the wounds stop bleeding.”
“Thanks.” Sophie looked at over at Deb. “What about you? Will you change, too?”
Deb shook her head and then groaned and pressed a hand against the side of her face. “Ow. I shouldn’t have done that.” She rubbed her temple. “Shifting zaps my energy, so I’ll wait until I get home.”
Sophie rubbed the side of Rick’s head and ruffled his fur. “You heard that, right? So shift and let me see you.”
Rick ignored his bear’s unhappy grumble at being pushed aside and turned his focus inward. He visualized himself as a person and used the last dredges of his strength to kick-start his transition from beast to man. The conversion wasn’t the smoothest he’d ever preformed, or anywhere close to the easiest, but all too soon his bear retreated, leaving him naked and slumped over on all fours in front of his mate.
Sophie gasped and dropped to her knees in front of him. “Sweet Jesus, Rick. How the hell did you take three bullets and keep moving?” She brushed the sweaty hair away from his forehead and cupped his face between her hands.
“I love you.” What better reason could he have possibly had other than to protect the woman he loved?
“I love you, too.” She leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss against his lips. “Thank goodness you’re all right. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“The feeling’s mutual.” Rick lifted up onto his knees with a groan. “Damn. I feel like I’ve been hit by a train.”
“You’re lucky to be alive. If you weren’t a shifter, you wouldn’t be alive to complain right now.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I’m so sorry I dragged you into this mess. If it wasn’t for me, you’d never have been hurt.”
“Hush.” Rick reached out to her, snagged her by the hand, pulled her up against him, and hugged her with his good arm. “If not for you, then I’d be sitting up on the mountain, bored and lonely as hell. I was miserable before I met you. It would take a hell of a lot more than a crazy ex and a few bullet wounds for me to wish you away.”
“I don’t know if that’s the sweetest or craziest thing anyone has ever said to me.”
“Let’s go with the sweetest,” Rick suggested.
Sophie nodded in agreement. Outside, sirens began to wail. “Sounds like the cavalry is finally here.”
“Took them long enough.” Rick looked over the scene around him: the dead body on the floor, the bruised and battered women, and his own filthy, naked body. He was definitely going to have some explaining to do.
Epilogue
Sophie was exhausted, starving, and sweating like a mule under the hot summer sun. They’d been sitting in the stands at Lane Stadium for what felt like hours, listening to one speech after another, and looking on as student after student was called to come up on stage. Her ass ached from the hard stadium seating and her swollen feet throbbed in agony after walking more than a mile in her favorite black pumps.
Even so, she was the first person on her feet to cheer when Toby’s name was announced over the loudspeakers. Rick was right there beside her, whistling and waving, loud and proud as could be, while his baby brother was given his college degree. They stood until the next name was called and then they sat back down.
Rick put one arm around her and pulled her close. He rested his free hand on her rapidly expanding belly. “How’re you feeling?”
“I’m good,” she said with a smile. Although she was barely six months along, she already looked full-term. Carrying twins who were larger than average and almost guaranteed to be shifters had a way of doing that to a woman. However, no amount of discomfort would have stopped her from attending Toby’s graduation and celebrating with her two favorite guys.
“Just let me know if that changes, okay? I know how tired you get lately.”
“Quit worrying. I’m fine.” She laid her hand on top of his and gave it a squeeze. “The babies are fine too.”
“As long as it stays that way…” He nuzzled her hair and kissed her temple.
She leaned into him, comforted by his concern and his closeness, and watched the rest of the ceremony. As soon as it was over, Rick helped her to her feet and then guided her safely off the stands and out of the stadium. There had to be close to thirty thousand people pushing and shoving, all of them flooding out of the stadium like high tide in search of the shore. Sophie hung onto Rick’s hand and tried to keep up.
As planned beforehand, Toby met them outside. Sophie had never seen him smile so brightly. She hurried over to him and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. “How’s our college grad? You looked great out there.”
He hugged her back. “I’m great. I’m so glad you guys could make it.” He held her at arm’s length and looked down at her stomach. “But look at you. Oh my God. You’ve gotten huge since the last time I saw you.”
“Hey!” She swatted his arm. “Be nice.”
With a laugh, he turned to Rick. “Hey big brother. What’d you think of the commencement ceremony?”
“I thought it was way too long,” Rick teased. “Sophie’s right though. You looked damn good out there.” He yanked Toby forward and embraced him, thumping him on the back a few times for good measure. “I’m proud of you, kid, and I know Mom and Dad would be too.”
Sophie got a little misty-eyed watching the brothers together. She loved how close they were.
“So,” she said. “Do you guys want to go grab some dinner and celebrate?”
“Yeah.” Rick released Toby. “I’m starving.”
“About that…” Toby fidgeted, switching his weight from one foot to the other. “Would you guys mind if I skipped out on dinner tonight? Some friends invited me out and I’d like to go, since it’s our last night here on campus and all.”
Rick opened his mouth to speak.
“That’s fine,” Sophie said quickly before Rick could give his brother hell for skipping out on them after they’d traveled all the way there to share his big day. “You go and have fun with your friends. I’m a little tired anyway. Your brother and I can just head back to our hotel room and order room service. Maybe if you aren’t too hung over, you can meet us for breakfast in the morning before we start packing your apartment up for the big move home. What do you think?”
“Yeah, that sounds good.” Toby darted forward and hugged her again. “Thanks.” He released her and stepped back. “I’ll see you guys later.”
“Have fun!” Rick hollered after his brother as Toby jogged toward a group of young men and women dressed in caps and gowns. He waited until Toby vanished among the crowd before turning back to her. “You totally let him off the hook.”
“Of course I did. There’s no sense in him hanging out with us when he can go out and party with his friends. There’ll be plenty of time for us to celebrate with him tomorrow.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. You usually are.” Rick put his arm around her.
“Don’t you forget it either.” She smiled up at him.
He brushed the hair from her face. “Are you really tired?”
“A little, but not enough to turn down a nice dinner out.” She figured they’d better enjoy what little alone time they had left before the twins were born.
“You’ve got it.” He leaned down and kissed her softly. “I’ll take you anywhere you want to go.”
Ignoring the crowd around them, Sophie wrapped her arms around Rick’s neck, tilted her face up, and kissed her mate again. She leaned into him, lost in the addictive taste and texture of his lips.
Long before she was ready to quit, Rick pulled away from her and rested his forehead against her own. She swept her eyelids up slowly, feeling happy and a little lethargic after the long drive and the commencement ceremony.
Rick pressed his lips against her temple. “You really a
re tired.”
“Huh?” She asked, rubbing her nose against his clean-shaven cheek. “Oh, I’m okay. Just a little sleepy.”
Rick bent down and swept her feet off the ground.
Sophie gasped in surprise and tightened her grip around his neck. “What are you doing?”
“Carrying you back to the SUV. Isn’t it obvious?” He asked, striding forward through the crowd with ease.
“More like giving yourself a hernia.” She’d never been a small woman. Now that she was pregnant, she was even bigger.
“You’re not that heavy.” He twisted at the waist, swinging her back and forth. A man walking toward them had to step off the sidewalk to avoid being hit by one of her feet.
Sophie laughed and shook her head at his antics. “Says the crazy man with supernatural strength.”
“Stop complaining. You know you’re secretly loving this.”
He had her there. She did kind of like it, but… “People are looking at us.”
“Let ‘em look. They’re just jealous because I’m lucky enough to have such a gorgeous, fertile mate.”
“Luck didn’t have anything to do with it.” She stretched up and kissed him on the jaw. He was one in a million and all hers. After a rocky start, they’d had two blissful years together.
Her life had changed drastically since she’d arrived in Pleasant Valley. The frightened, mousy woman she’d once been was long gone. Now she had a career she loved, a small group of good friends, two healthy babies on the way, and a mate she couldn’t stop kissing. Life was pretty damn good and she could only see it getting better with time.
THE END
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Pleasant Valley Shifters by Marlie Monroe
SHIFTER: Black Bear
PART 1
By
Emerald Wright
CHAPTER ONE
[[ 1 ]]
RYKER
It was Ryker’s day off. He was breathing heavy, trekking up the hiking trail fast and furious. Some much needed peace and quiet was his goal for the day and the best way for him to do this was to get out of the city and up into the mountains.
He’d already passed the halfway point up to Emerald Lake and was an hour into the hike. Most hikers would take two, maybe even three hours to get that far along. Ryker had an advantage. As a Special Forces military operative, he was highly skilled and exceptionally trained. His tall, muscled physique was part blessing of good heritage and DNA, part hard work in the field and gym.
And he was a shapeshifter. A black bear.
Despite his leadership being full well aware of his shifter status, they didn’t approve of uncontrolled shifts that might be accidentally brought about by a negative emotional state. Only willing and controlled shifts that he was trained to use when doing military work for the government.
It had been a while since he’d had the chance to shift in private, and his inner bear was feeling caged up, antsy, restless and even irked. Ryker knew that if he didn’t shift soon, he was running the risk of an incident and that never ended well.
Sweat dribbled from his brow and he pulled out his handkerchief to wipe it off his face. Pushing himself onward and forward, glad to be free of civilization for some much needed solitude, he was in a passive, calm state of mind.
Sensing another presence, he turned his head to look over his shoulder. When he practically tripped over a woman sitting on the ground, just over a slight up-rise on the trail, tending to her injured ankle, he’d been completely taken off guard by it.
Picking himself up off the ground lightning quick, he assessed what had happened.
Stunned, each of them stared at one another. Both were completely startled. She was focused on her injured ankle. It was clear she was in pain and having a hard time.
“Sorry about that, you okay?” He asked tentatively, out of breath and not wanting to scare her any more than she likely already was.
“No, but I’ll survive. Just in a lot of pain…” she said, gasping.
Her eyes were a sparkling light green color, a mane of long, curly, blond curls framing her pretty face.
He noted the tears in her eyes and stepped closer, “Can I help?”
She nodded, her death-grip on her ankle an indicator of where she was injured. Wincing, she attempted to move it and let out a low moan. “Yeah, I’m in a lot of pain. Not sure if it’s broken or not.”
“What happened? May I?” He asked, crouching down while reaching to gently assess her ankle, worried that it was fractured.
She tilted her head over her shoulder, “I didn’t see that root back there and it totally tweaked my ankle. I heard a snapping sound… not sure if it’s a broken bone or just a snapped tendon,” she said breathlessly, clearly trying to manage her pain.
He knew she was likely wary, being injured, alone, out in the forest, and away from the city. “You mind if I take a look and assess it for you?”
“That’s fine…”
Ryker set about gingerly touching and assessing her foot, ankle and leg.
“I’ve been sitting here breathing through the pain, attempting to figure it out and worried about how in the hell I was going to get where I’m going,” she shared, her voice trembling.
Seeing her in pain bothered him, of course, but everything else about her had him perked up. She’d been appraising him the entire time, he’d noticed that much. Her catlike eyes were full of concern and relief. He hoped she was a good judge of character. His mama had raised him right, he was always a gentleman first and all of his intentions were honorable and good. Well, most all of them. He was attracted to her. Her green eyes, her blonde hair, the sexy-cute face and her round, curvy, plus-sized body were all a huge turn-on.
She nodded, albeit reluctantly.
He proceeded and reached for her ankle. He began to gently squeeze, attempting to see if her ankle was indeed broken or if it was simply a tendon snap or sprain. If the latter, the trek back would be easier all the way around. He’d likely hoist her on his back and just carry her back himself.
If it was broken, pain would be an issue. Some people had high pain tolerance, others didn’t. He’d have to help her more or less limp her way back to the start of the trail which would take twice as long the usual pace, so a two or three hour hike might be ahead of them. He was hoping for the former.
Either way, there was no leaving her here. She’d be a sitting duck for a mountain lion, bear or even a poisonous snake. The region had its fair share of wild animals.
He managed to make his way around her ankle and it didn’t seem broken. He let out a soft sigh of relief and when he looked up, he was thrown by the intensity of her observant eyes.
“What do you want first? The good news or the bad news?” He asked softly, a gentle calmness to his voice.
“The bad. I do better if I know what challenge I’ve got to deal with.”
He nodded, “Okay then. The bad. We have a very long trek ahead of us back to your car and civilization. Probably a few hours, to be blunt.”
“Nooooo!” She cried out.
Ryker didn’t know what to make of her response. He paused, noticing a look of terror on her face.
“No? Why?” He asked calmly.
“I can’t go back right now. You don’t have to help me. I can finish this trek on my own, if needed. But I have to make it up to Emerald Lake. Even if I do it all alone. It’s where I’m staying for a while. I have a place waiting for me up there.” She explained, her face holding a look of desperation on it, as if all the last air and water in the world was where her destination was and nothing was going to stop her from getting there. Nothing.
Ryker leaned back on his haunches. He was genuinely puzzled. Something earnest about her behavior spoke to him loud and clear. Louder than logic at the moment. Of course they had to go back to civilization, it was what made sense. Would he be able to get her to understand this?
“Are you sure?” He asked, at
tempting to gauge how she felt and why.
“Look, you and I are strangers and I don’t expect you to understand, but my life depends on me making it to Emerald Lake. I can explain later, but I’ve got to finish what I started, okay?” She said, a break in her voice revealing that she was coming close to crying.
Ryker fell silent.
Fair enough, whatever it was she was going through, she was being honest and upfront about it. That much he could discern.
There it lay in the air between them. A pause. Suspended.
That ‘what would happen next’, sensation.
Neither really knew, but both seemed to want what was best. Ryker might be a trained military operative, but he also trusted his gut. And his gut told him she needed to get to Emerald Lake. For now, he was just a civilian helping. He wasn’t under orders by anyone in command and everything he did was entirely voluntary.
So be it. He’d help her get there. If the lovely lady insisted on going to Emerald Lake, then he would help her get there.
“Do you still want the good news?” He asked softly.
“Yes, please. I could use some of that,” she answered, her voice catching in her throat.
“Your ankle isn’t broken.”
“Thank the gods!” She said with relief, a small smile appearing on her face and then just as quickly, it was erased by a wince of pain from moving too abruptly. “Sweet Baby Jesus, that hurts like a mo-fo!”
“I bet, hang in there. Not sure if you’d be interested, but I keep some extra Vicodin just in case…” he said, reaching into his waist pouch.
Her eyebrows shot up and he immediately knew what she was thinking. “Relax, I’m not trying to get you unconscious so I can abduct you or anything of the sort,” he said as he pulled out his military ID and driver’s license and handed them to her.