ROMANCE: PARANORMAL ROMANCE: Mated, Bearfoot and Pregnant (Bear Shifter BBW Pregnancy Romance) (Werebear Hero Fantasy Romance)

by Leah Kent

  There were no words. Gabriel's jaw grew slack, his grip on Jessica almost faltering beneath her dead weight. Finneus' blood, bright crimson, seeped over the blonde fur of his stomach to coat the floor. Finneus whined again, his body trembling as it processed the substantial damage done.

  "What have you done?" Gabriel wanted to roar, to scream, to attack, but all he could manage was a timid question barely louder than a whisper. Time slowed and details sharpened before his eyes. The scent of Finneus' blood was copper on the air, each uncontrollable twitch of his muscles as distinct as if Gabriel's body had been the one to make it. Unable to hold Jessica any longer, he laid her upon the floor. Instead of right himself, he fell to his knees beside his couch and laid a hand upon his heaving chest.

  "It's a lion," Peter said, voice shaking with fear and adrenaline alike. "It was in the house. What else was I supposed to do? It would have killed you."

  But even as he spoke, Finneus began to lose his grip on the beast. The lawyer reappeared, his nude form hiding none of the damage he'd been dealt. A hiss of pain escaped his lips, and he raised one hand to cover his eyes. The movement caught Peter's attention, and the knife he'd used to stab the lion tumbled from his hands. It metal clinked across the ground as it jumped and settled, punctuating the silence.

  "It was a lion," Peter mumbled. "I swear to God, it was a lion. You— you saw it, didn't you? The lion?"

  "Go," Gabriel muttered. Right now his concern for Finneus overshadowed the rage he felt, but he was not sure how long that would be the case. "Get out of here. If I see you again, if you bother my family — Victoria included — again, I won't be so merciful."

  The sound of Peter's scrambling footsteps told Gabriel he had left; the soldier did not look up from his wounded cousin to confirm. Finneus was coherent, but so far he had not spoken. With Jessica's unconscious body the only other witness, Gabriel spoke to him.

  "Are you going to be okay, Finn?" he asked, voice gentle. Never before had Gabriel seen a member of his pride hurt like that, and although he'd seen his brothers in arms injured in the desert, this did not compare.

  "If you'll pardon my French, I feel like shit, Gabriel," Finn muttered. "... But I think it's going to be fine. In time. No lung damage. Some stomach damage, but my body is already working to repair it. I'll be okay."

  He opened the fingers laid over one of his eyes to peek out and at Gabriel. The words had reassured him, but seeing Finn make eye contact put him further at ease. There was a calm kind of sincerity in them that wouldn't be there if he thought himself to be in real danger.

  "If you want to keep the pride strong," Finneus continued, "you need to go make things right with Victoria. Lewis never would have organized something like this if he didn't know that it would be the downfall of the Liston pride. She is your strength, and I realize that now. For trying to take her away from you, you have my heartfelt apologies. I can only hope that it's not too late."

  Finneus was always so dramatic. Gabriel managed to smile, and as he did he removed his hand from Finn's chest.

  "It's never too late, not when love's involved. I haven't given up on her yet, Finn, and I'm sure that she hasn't given up on me."

  Beneath his wrist, Gabriel saw Finn smile.

  "Then go get her," Finneus insisted. "I'll be fine here if you remove Jessica and lock the doors."

  A moment passed between them, and Gabriel nodded. There was nothing more that he could do for his cousin, and what Finneus had pushed him to do made sense. Sorting things out with Victoria was a priority.

  "I will. Take care, Finn."

  Before Gabriel stood, Finneus reached out and grabbed his wrist. They locked gazes, and Finn smiled once more.

  "No matter what they say, you are a good King, Gabriel," Finneus insisted. "Tradition be damned, you do what's good for you. You'll lead them well if you follow your heart."

  A grin spread Gabriel's lips to expose the white teeth beneath. Finn released his hand and settled back upon the floor, wincing.

  "Thank you."

  From a man like Finneus, it meant a lot. Gabriel stood, the warmth of Finneus' words lingering with him.

  "Take care, Gabriel."

  "I'll see you back at your place, Finn."

  There was no need for goodbyes, because it would not be the last time they met. Once Jessica was back in his arms and the doors were locked, Gabriel left Finneus to tend to himself and set his sights on the next difficulty. Victoria was out there somewhere, and they had unfinished business.

  In the flurry of emotions and the rush of adrenaline, Gabriel had forgotten the most basic of Finneus' traits: the man was skilled at concealing the truth. As Gabriel made his way down the streets and towards his future, Finneus grappled to hold onto his present. The knife had pierced his lung, and it felt as though he were drowning on his own blood.

  "Stay strong, Gabriel," Finneus whispered as his eyes closed one last time. "The pride needs you in one piece far more than it needs me."

  Chapter Five

  Both of her parents were safe, and that was all that mattered. Amongst the sounds of battle they fled, enclosing themselves in her father's car before taking off into the night. For a long while, there could only be silence. The terrors were still too fresh to talk about, the idea that the three of them had barely made off with their lives still too real. Victoria's back had stopped throbbing, and she was able to sit back against the seat comfortably. Perhaps it was shock, but even shock couldn't dismiss just how comfortable she felt after sustaining injuries so severe. It was only when the car had stopped just outside the city at the nearest rest station that anyone dared speak a word.

  "Victoria." Her father shifted around in the driver's seat to look back at her. Victoria's mother had her head pressed against the front passenger window, still not having found the courage to face the night. "What just happened— there's a lot that needs to be said. Why don't you start with your story? I feel that there is a lot that we don't know about what has been going on in your life."

  Victoria settled back against the bench, undoing her seatbelt now that the car was stopped. Her father's blue eyes, so much like her own, were only concerned for her. Following what had happened, he had every right to be furious, and yet he appeared calm. Tears stung the corners of her eyes. What had she done to deserve such understanding parents?

  "You're right," Victoria said, struggling to keep her tone even. "I haven't told you what's been going on in my life lately, but it's only because I don't think that you'd believe me. Sometimes I don't believe it myself. And all of it has happened so fast."

  There was a pause as she took a breath, trying to figure out where to start. Really, the beginning was the only viable place.

  "Well, after I broke up with Peter," Victoria began, "...I met someone new, almost right away. And that's where all of this starts."

  It was a long story to tell, but Victoria told it all. The first night at the Ambrogio, where she'd dumped Peter and had met Gabriel upon the patio beneath the stars. How he'd given her his number, and she'd run. The date they'd gone on to the Masquerade, and how their relationship had developed. Meeting Finneus, how the man had told her of Gabriel's fiancé, and how the betrayal had served to tear them apart. The kidnapping. And then...

  "And then you're not going to believe me," Victoria mumbled, "but I swear it's true. Before my eyes, they turned into lions. Living, breathing, huge lions."

  Silence consumed the car, but there was no laughter as Victoria had feared there might be. Instead there was quiet introspection. Victoria's mother picked her head up and sat up straight, but she did not turn back to look at her daughter.

  "And since then, I thought things were fine. But I found out that Gabriel has been keeping the truth from me in matters that could put my life in danger. And now it's put you in danger, too. He says that we share something called The Bond, and that a relationship like that can't be broken by anything, but that no lion shifter has ever shared The Bond with a mortal before. And
since he's the King of the pride, it means that I would rule over the other lions at his side. But the lions don't believe it's true, and the lions from his fiancée's pride are after me for ruining the diplomatic ties that would have been established if Gabriel married the other girl, and I... I left him and came to stay with you guys, but you were already captured by the other pride. And that's where we are now."

  Since she'd met Gabriel, Victoria hadn't been able to share the happenings of her life with anyone. Now that her silence had been broken, she felt infinitely better. Even if her parents didn't believe her, speaking the words made them real and put everything into perspective. Even though leaving Gabriel had been hard, it had been the right thing to do; now she knew it more than ever.

  "Well, this is... Less than ideal," Victoria's father murmured. He turned away and sat back heavily in his seat, allowing his head to hit the headrest. "I didn't think something like this would ever happen. Victoria, I am so sorry."

  It was a strange reaction to have. Victoria shifted uncomfortably upon the back bench of the car and suppressed a sigh. Pity wasn't what she'd expected from her father. Why wasn't he reassuring her that she'd made the right choice, or swearing that he'd give Gabriel a piece of his mind if he ever ran across him?

  "None of this is your fault," Victoria mumbled. There was no hiding how embarrassed she felt, and her words suffered with it. "This is all Gabriel's fault, and the fault of two intolerant prides. It's just a bad series of events. It never should have happened."

  More silence. The longer it stretched, the more awkward she felt. A single word ended it.

  "No." A firm declaration from her father. Victoria pursed her lips and tried to piece together what he meant.

  "What do you mean by no?" she asked.

  "This is my fault," he replied. "None of this would have happened if it weren't for me."

  Nervously, Victoria ran her tongue over the back of her teeth.

  "Dad, you're not making sense. Tell me what you mean."

  From where she was seated, Victoria could see her father grip the wheel tightly, as if to steady himself. Tension stretched the skin thin across his knuckles, and she could see the veins that ran through the back of his palm.

  "No mortal has ever experienced The Bond with a shifter, Victoria. It's a fact, and the lions of Gabriel's pride were right to disbelieve him when he declared such a thing had happened. You—"

  "Frank," Victoria's mother cut in at last, reaching across to lay a hand on his arm. "No..."

  But he continued anyway.

  "The blood of lions runs in the Wilde family line. It is faint, but it is there. My mother was a lioness who isolated herself from her pride to settle with my father. I've never been able to transform, but blood doesn't lie. There is lion in you, and Gabriel's soul had bonded to it."

  The strength she'd summoned to push the basement door open despite the heavy barricades. Gabriel's insistence that he felt The Bond. Her own acceptance of their rushed relationship as normal. The small details she'd overlooked as oddities wove together as the truth of her family history was unveiled. How quickly her back injures had begun to heal. And then, the injustice of how she'd been treated and how she'd treated Gabriel hit her hard. With the blood of lions in her veins, she was worthy to serve as their Queen. Without being able to transform there would still be danger, but Victoria could not call herself entirely mortal. They had to understand.

  "I didn't think you'd ever meet a lion shifter," her father continued. "I thought you'd settle down with a mortal man and live a normal life, and the bloodline we carry would fade into obscurity. I didn’t realize that the city was crawling with them, but wild calls to wild, I guess. With Gabriel, it will awaken inside of you. The longer you serve the pride, the more the slumbering lion inside of you will awaken. One day, you might be able to transform."

  The news was jarring.

  "You're not making any of this up?" It was a stupid question; her father spoke with such conviction that she knew he wasn't inventing any of it. The severity of the situation further promised it was no joke. With their lives on the line, their futures uncertain, news this important was no laughing matter.

  "I swear it to be true."

  In the passenger seat Victoria's mother had let her head fall against the window once more. Victoria thought she could taste her sorrow and distress on the air — it was a strange sensation.

  "Mom," she whispered, reaching over the seat to lay a hand reassuringly on her mother's shoulder, "it's okay. I'm still Victoria, and dad is still dad. Don't be sad."

  "I never wanted you to have to find out," she replied, head still resting against the window. "And all of this... This is why I didn't want you to know, because I thought you might seek it. But now it's sought you, and it hurt you without you even knowing about your heritage at all." Tears choked her words, but she was a strong woman when she had to be, and she powered through them. Victoria squeezed her shoulder again, and she saw her father slip a hand onto her thigh to sooth her.

  "Everything is going to be okay," Victoria promised, and she knew it surer than anything. The strength she'd experienced just hours ago was the awakening of the lioness inside of her, and one day, maybe even one day soon, she would be fit to rule at Gabriel's side. He hadn't betrayed her, because all along he had known she was different. The very core of his essence — his instincts — had told her what had hidden beneath all along. It wasn't his fault that he had listened to his heart and obeyed what he knew. In the end, what Gabriel had known about her was more than what Victoria had known about herself.

  "Dad, I have to go find Gabriel. I have to go tell him and get everything sorted out for good."

  "I know you do," the older man replied. He looked back towards the city they'd left behind, masked contemplation on his face. "I suppose we'd better meet this Gabriel of yours, if what you've told us is true. I imagine he'll be sticking around for a long time."

  "That's what I hope," Victoria said. Gabriel had made his feelings clear to her at Finneus' house before they'd staged the rescue, and now she had to confess her mistake and beg for his forgiveness. A good leader wasn't one that never made mistakes, but one who wasn't afraid to own up to those she'd made; Victoria hoped that Gabriel would see it that way, too.

  When the engine turned and the car purred back to life, Victoria felt that she had all of the facts for the first time. Headlights illuminating the way ahead as much as her determination did, tonight she'd have answers and closure.

  A new love, a new life, and now a new identity to adjust to. The Queen that Gabriel had been so enamored with was back, and she was there to stay. There was no reason to run, and no reason to hide. Before her was the future she wanted, if only she could find the strength to embrace it.

  The lioness awakening inside left her feeling like she'd be able to face just about anything.

  Chapter Six

  The door to the basement apartment opened, and Gabriel looked towards the staircase. The footsteps he heard bore a familiar weight, but he could not trust his ears. What he smelled on the air, however, couldn't be a lie. Victoria's scent. He'd recognize it anywhere. And yet, the more he focused and scented, the stranger it seemed. A nuance in it had changed, and he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

  "Victoria," he called out, rising from the couch he'd sprawled out again. Her scent had disappeared outside of her parents' house beneath the exhaust of a car, and he knew she'd taken off. On wheels she could have gone anywhere, and still he had searched after dumping Jessica back in Leroux territory. Exhausted, he had returned to his apartment to collect his thoughts and rest his bones for a handful of minutes before he should set out again. But it seemed Victoria had tracked him down instead.

  "V? Please say it's you. We need to talk about all these crossed wires."

  But as she strode down the basement stairs, chin level and eyes confident, steps slow and purposeful, Gabriel knew that it wasn't Victoria who walked down those stairs and back into his life �
�� it was his Queen.

  "V..." The utterance of her name was breathless. There was a regal grace in how Victoria walked and held herself that he'd glimpsed at the other night after meeting with the pride, but now had developed into something near tangible.

  "We have a lot to talk about, Gabriel." Victoria had reached the bottom step, fixing him with her gaze. The eyes he'd so quickly come to adore were masked, and he couldn't tell what emotions laid behind them. "Why don't you go first? Tell me all you have to say."

  The demand took Gabriel aback, and he hesitated for a moment before he replied. Victoria continued to stand near the stairs, awaiting his reply. In a sense, Gabriel felt too intimidated to approach her. The power she possessed felt absolute, as though even he was beneath her reign.

  "I want to tell you that I would never put you in danger on purpose," he managed after a pause. "I'm a man with a lot of heart, and sometimes I spring into action without considering where I might land. What my heart knows is that you are my mate, that we share The Bond, and that I need you in my life for now and for always. If I'd thought for a second you'd face the dangers Finneus says that you do, I would have told you right away. But all I can think about is how crazy I am over you. And whatever the dangers to you and your family, I'm going to work to fix them— if that's what you want, too. You're everything to me, V. Everything. And I keep what's mine safe."