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

by Leah Kent

  And then he was inside of her, and the whole length of his shaft slipped inside at once. The air left Victoria's lungs, and she buried her head against the mattress as she screamed out in delirium. At last Gabriel was inside of her, and it was everything she had needed. The thick width of his member stretched her just right, and the intensity with which his hips pistoned let her know he was just as lost to his pleasures as she was. Beast met beast for the first time, and it was wondrous.

  "Gabriel." Words felt wrong in her mouth and awkward against her tongue, but Victoria had to say his name. He was the one she dreamed about. He was the one she wanted. "Oh my God, Gabriel!"

  As best she could while pinned beneath him, Victoria's body rose to meet his thrusts and grind down against him. Each inward thrust brought with it a new wave of pleasure, and she could feel the tingling of orgasm building from each one. When Gabriel adjusted his position and bore down into her to meet the spot that drove her wild, Victoria lost what little grip she had left on reality.

  One moment there was rapid thought, and then the next moment, darkness.

  In the place of logic rose savage emotions and lustful urges. The cries she'd fought to hold back now came in full force, unashamed and unmasked. Their bodies, so perfectly fitted, met and drove their passions further. All Victoria could feel was pleasure and need, and when Gabriel had given her all she could take, it overflowed naturally and easily, like water over the side of a fountain. Orgasm, more pure and genuine than it had ever been before, wracked her body. Tight, frantic pulses ran along her passage, and her toes curled. Fingers gripping the sheets beneath, Victoria cried out.

  Only it wasn't a cry, but a roar.

  And when Gabriel roared back and bit down upon his shoulder, leaving his mark, Victoria knew that there would be no other for her. For the first time the effects of The Bond felt real. Gabriel emptied his seed inside of her, and she felt the pleasure he did, as though he were an extension of herself. The love he felt for her in that moment burned in both their hearts, and Victoria had to gasp and bury her head against the mattress in an attempt to hold herself back from tears. What he felt for her was beautiful and genuine in a way she never would have believed had she not felt it firsthand. When Gabriel said he loved her, he spoke the truth. At first she felt she wasn't worthy of such devotion, but as soon as the thought filled her head, Victoria fought against it. That was the old her that Peter had conditioned. Now she was a Queen, worthy of the love of her King.

  "I love you," Gabriel whispered in her ear as words returned.

  That night Victoria fell asleep wrapped against his chest, knowing that the hard times they had faced would soon be over for good.

  Chapter Eight

  Gabriel did not sleep that night, too many thoughts rushing through his mind. The day would be spent engaging with the Lerouxs, and if he did not proceed carefully, he knew that there would be effects on the Liston pride. Whatever Lewis did, he did for a reason. He'd dragged Victoria into this and threatened her to get a reaction, and Gabriel refused to give him one.

  As the sun rose, its light streaking through their bedroom window and lighting Victoria's hair the color of fiery gold, Gabriel showered and dressed to prepare for the day at hand. While Victoria slept, he ascended the stairs into the main house to see how Finneus had recovered from the night before.

  Finneus was not home.

  Gabriel's lips thinned, and he retrieved his cellphone from his pocket to dial his friend's number. When it went straight to voicemail, Gabriel knew that something was not right. Brisk footfalls saw him back into his room, and he stirred Victoria from her slumber to tell her he was off to look for Finneus and then to deal with the issue with the Leroux pride. The soldier was surprised when Victoria caught his wrist and rose into a sitting position, letting the covers topple from her nude frame.

  "I'm going with you," she said. "You don't have to deal with this alone. Not anymore."

  Usually a woman who invested time in her appearance, Victoria took no time in getting ready to leave. And together they left, destined for the last place they'd seen Finneus — Victoria's parent's home.

  Despite the early hour, both of Victoria's parents were awake when they arrived. It was not how Gabriel envisioned meeting the parents of the women he loved, but finding out what had happened with Finneus took priority. The blood in the living room had been cleaned, and the house looked next to normal, as though no hostage situation or fight had occurred there the night before.

  "The injured man?" Victoria's mother had asked, dark bags beneath her eyes. Gabriel wondered if they had slept at all; he wouldn't blame them if sleep had proved impossible. Too much had happened to the lot of them to find rest easily. "When we got back, he was in bad shape. We brought him to the hospital, and they took him away to treat his wounds. His lung was punctured and filled with his own blood, and he bleeding out. The last I heard, his condition was critical, but stable."

  When a lion thought that their body was too far gone to be salvaged, the beast fled. Gabriel had watched the lioness fade from his mother’s eyes in her last moments, leaving her mortal as she faced death, and he wondered if the same had happened to Finneus. Following a recovery, would his cousin ever know the animal inside again?

  "And there's been no further problems with any of the other lions, mom?" Victoria asked. "You and dad have been safe?"

  "No one has come back," she replied. The woman cast a lingering glance at Gabriel, taking him in, and he returned her curiosity. She was an older, slimmer version of Victoria. Although there was no doubt she was pretty, Gabriel vastly preferred his lover's curves.

  "We have Gabriel to thank for that." Victoria's mother laid a gentle hand upon his arm. "Thank you for taking such good care of us, and of our daughter. I know there is a lot for you to do today following what happened last night, but I hope when we meet again, we can spend more time getting to know you."

  "You have my word," he promised, returning the gesture with his free hand. The tired smile that spread across her face was one he'd seen before when Victoria was drowsy and ready to call it a night, and he knew then she'd been up all night in worry. "I will call some of my most trusted men to stand guard for you, so you and your husband can sleep without worry. Victoria and I are off to deal with the threat head on, so hopefully by the time the sun sets, there will be nothing more to fear."

  The look in her face was one of trust and gratitude, and with a few quick phone calls made, Gabriel knew he had left the right impression. Getting into the Wilde's good books was important, since he intended to be in Victoria's life permanently. When they left Victoria smiled as well, won over by his kind heart, and the smile persisted until they stood at the border to Liston territory, overlooking the Leroux's side of town.

  "I can smell them," Victoria murmured. "I couldn't smell it before, but it's there now. Is it always like this?"

  "Always," Gabriel replied. "The Lerouxs have always been sure to leave their scent strong in their territory so there is no mistaking where you are. But right now we're going in, and we're taking audience with Lewis whether he wants it or not."

  And if Lewis wanted to fight rather than talk, so be it. Gabriel would fight him to the death for the wrongs he had done if need be. There were no tears to be shed for such a man.

  On the way to the border, Victoria had borrowed his phone and had worked her magic to get through to Finneus' hospital room. Hearing her speak to his cousin and tell him what they were about to do had reassured Gabriel; if Finneus was well enough to speak, he would pull through. No matter what happened during the final confrontation, there were no loose ends to be tied. He had Victoria's love, her family was safe, and Finneus would live. Even should these be his last moments, they would be sweet ones.

  Down the streets they strode, and as they did, the conditions of the city deteriorated as they entered the bad part of town. It seemed fitting now that the divide correlated with the division of the city. From light to dark, bright lights to
squalor, the Listons and the Lerouxs were divided. Now the divide would be ended permanently, just not in a way any of them had anticipated.

  To Gabriel's surprise, it wasn't until they had reached the heart of the Leroux territory that they were approached. Gabriel smelled them on the wind, and he felt Victoria tense at his side. Lions. Those loyal to Leroux lurked around them, keeping a watchful eye. Danger. Gabriel had known to expect it, but if any of them were decent shifters, they would respect business between Kings and leave them to it.

  They stood amongst a series of abandoned factories, the faces worn and walls crumbling. Darkened windows promised privacy, and Gabriel was sure there was not a mortal soul nearby who would hear them.

  "I've come to speak with Lewis Leroux," Gabriel declared, letting his voice ring with authority. "For committing crimes against me and my family with the intent to maim and kill, I demand the Leroux pride cede its position and leave the area."

  His father had always handled delicate issues such as this, but now all of the responsibility was Gabriel's. He could only hope he would navigate these turbulent waters with grace.

  "And for crimes against my family," Lewis' voice rang out in return. He stepped out from behind a wall with Jessica at his side, facing Gabriel at a distance, "I demand that the Liston pride cede its position and leave the area. We had a deal, Liston. Jessica was to marry you, and there would be unity at last. Now look who stands by your side."

  And yet, Victoria did not flinch. She stared down Lewis with confidence, eyes narrowed and body tensed. Her presence here strengthened Gabriel more than he ever imagined it would; she was his everything, and for her he would fight.

  Before either lion could say another word, a familiar voice joined the conversation. Instead of rumbling, it was strained. The man shouted to be heard, and it sounded if though he might choke.

  "If Jessica was going to marry him, she never would have stayed faithful. She's been sleeping with me for two weeks now, and... And what he says is true. Both of these people intended to murder Victoria and her parents, and I'm sure that they had more in mind I had no clue about."

  All eyes snapped to the side. From amongst the industrial rubble, a man had approached. It was Victoria who found the wits to speak his name first.

  "Peter!"

  Haunted, ghastly, Peter had seen better days. There was no mistaking him. But at long last, the man who had tortured Victoria and attempted to help do her in was stepping forward to clear his conscious.

  "The lion I hurt called me and told me I'd find you here. All of you. If you won't believe them, then believe me. If you're all lions, you can smell Jessica on me. We had sex yesterday, and I... I haven't even washed yet, things got so fucked up. Don't believe her for a second that she's the innocent one in all of this. Or him." He pointed a shaking finger at Lewis.

  Finneus. Even hunkered down in the hospital as he was, his brilliant friend had once again come to Gabriel's aid. When Victoria had called him, he'd wasted no time in concocting his plan to make sure things worked out in the Liston's favor. From the way the lions in the shadows were emerging, staring Lewis and Jessica down, Gabriel knew there would be no fight. Not today. Maybe never again.

  "Yeah, I mean, I hate to rat on family an all, y'know," another voice, "but I told 'im I was out when it started getting skeevy. Lewis kidnapped Victoria, and I know he 'n Jessica have been provoking the Listons since then."

  Gabriel recognized the kid who spoke, who stood amongst the other lions of the Leroux pride. Steven Leroux — Lewis and Jessica's youngest brother who had run out back in the motel.

  Lewis and Jessica were cornered, both sets of eyes wild as they looked this way and that. Lions they had called kindred now turned on them, but Gabriel did not smile as he watched.

  "Let them go," he said, tone carrying. "We will not reward violence with violence. Lewis and Jessica, leave, and do not return. This is the last you will see of this city."

  Without a word, both of them broke for the nearest opening and took off, not keen to stick around a pack of lions ready to attack. The battle was won with heart and with wits instead of back handed tactics.

  "So," Steven said, digging his hands into his pockets. "Guess that makes me King now. And my first order've business is my last — I'm jumping ship and siding with the Listons. Anyone who wants to come with me is welcome, I think. Um. Liston?"

  "It's Gabriel," Gabriel replied, finally smiling at last. "And sure."

  At his side Victoria was beaming. She reached for his hand and held tight, and all that mattered in that moment was that they had found each other. The key to the Liston pride's success had been held in him coming to know and love her, and Gabriel knew that love would bring many more miracles with it.

  Epilogue

  And so the Liston pride swelled, and came to adopt whole of the city once divided. As Victoria awoke to her powers, so too did the hearts of the pride awaken to her — and with so many more hearts to win, Gabriel was glad that she'd taken so well to her new role as Queen.

  For the first time, a mortal man joined the ranks of the lions. Finneus was discharged from the hospital with his life, but without the beast. But blood, no matter what ran through it, bonded him to Gabriel's side. Serving as advisor, Finneus continued to ground Gabriel as best he could, and saw the expanded pride was run effectively and justly. Gabriel looked upon him as King, as much as the lawyer insisted otherwise.

  But the addition of the Leroux lions to the pride was not the full extent of his growth. In their new house, Gabriel curled up next to Victoria in their bed and let his hand trail across her blessedly distended stomach, feeling the life within. It had taken a few months of adamant trying, but she had blessed him with an heir. And if Gabriel had his say, the unborn child growing inside of her would be the first of many.

  Peace. Gabriel had never imagined it possible, but he had found it. And curled there in bed, Victoria in his arms and a family on the way, he knew it was there to stay.

  Her Lion Soldier

  Candice Parker

  Island Cove Publishing © 2016

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  Chapter One

  Hilary was not a hero. Every day she woke up and did her job; it was as simple as that. Had she been thrust into the fray without an option, forced to endure grueling conditions and hardship, maybe she would have thought differently, but the truth of the matter was that she had applied for this job. There was nothing heroic about that.

  It had been several weeks now since Hilary had relocated to a military base outside of Iran. America had nothing left to offer her. Working twelve hour shifts at a local hospital while still being barely able to afford a one bedroom apartment hadn't sat well with her. The fact that she was lonely had only helped seal the deal. When t
he job posting had been brought to her attention, Hilary had submitted her resume without a second thought. There was no boyfriend to hold her back, and she'd already moved away from her family. Distance was distance, no matter how long it was. Not even a month later and she'd packed her bags and flown out to serve the US government and its men in uniform right where they needed it. The Middle East. Not even in her wildest dreams had Hilary imagined she'd be living there, yet there she was.

  Even all the way across the ocean, she was the patients' least favorite nurse.