by Ruby Forrest
Bear Protector
A WILD Security Book
Ruby Forrest
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WARNING: This book contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language. It may be considered offensive to some readers. This book is for sale to adults ONLY.
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Copyright 2018 by Ruby Forrest - All rights reserved.
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Table of Contents
Bear Protector
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Epilogue
Bear Protector
Chapter 1
I can feel his hand pressed over my mouth. His grip is tight, tight and unrelenting. My heart is pounding, racing a million miles per hour. I try to shift, but his voice is in my ear, hissing and low, “Stop moving!”
I feel the terror shudder down my spine, move through my body and pool to the floor beneath my feet. I have felt terror before. I have felt the unrelenting fear of eyes on my back, day after day. But this is different. This is something new, something intense, acute, and overwhelming.
“I’m not going to hurt you. I promise.” His voice is soft in my ear, nothing more than a whisper, but it leaves me feeling cold. I can feel his strong arm wrapped around me, across my stomach, pinning my arms to my sides. My back is pressed against his chest, and I am flush with his body. It’s intimate. At a glance, it could be mistaken for a passionate embrace, but this is something different, something almost sinister.
“I need you to stay quiet.” I can feel his breath on my skin, hot against me. If he lets go, I’ll scream. I’ll run, make a break for it, do something, anything. My limbs feel frozen in place. I think about fighting, about resisting, but the strength in his arms is almost brutal.
There’s something familiar about him, familiar about the glimpse of his face that I caught, before he grabbed me. There’s something familiar in the lilt of his voice, the way he speaks. I know this man.
The realization is like a shock of cold water blasting my system, flooding my senses and leaving me breathless and gasping with fright. I know him! This is the same man who sat across from me last night. This is a man who I had talked to, shared my feelings with, and spoken about my future, my pain, my hopes and dreams.
Chester. The name is like a knife through my body, through my spirit. I thought that I could trust him, thought that he was my friend. I feel a fresh wave of agony rush through me and I blink back the tears that threaten to spill over. I won’t cry. I won’t cry in front of Chester.
I thought that I knew him. I shifted and I could feel the tension ripple through Chester, “Stop moving! I’m not here to hurt you! Just stay still for a minute.” His words spill from him in a hiss, a low threat that has the hair on the back of my neck sticking up.
I thought that I knew him. I thought that I was safe with him, but now I feel nothing but terror and pain coursing through my body, through my chest. I shouldn’t have trusted him. We had only met a few months ago, but he had changed my whole world, changed the way that I thought about things, the way that I treated life. He was like a breath of fresh air, a man who was both edgy and sophisticated, a man who was both cool and unbearably warm. He had seemed so special, so kind and thoughtful. He hadn’t pushed me like other men had- now I knew why!
I swallowed back the ache in my chest. This was the man who I was falling for. This was a man who made me consider dating again, when I had thought that this part of my life was long behind me. This was the man who had given me hope of a better future, of a future where love was possible, a future where happiness was within my grasp.
I feel the tears gathering on my lashes. There was an edge to him, an edge that spoke to my past, and the way that I had grown up, the struggle that I had experienced. He seemed wealthy, but there was something very real about him, something very relatable, and something that I could almost reach out and touch.
We weren’t from worlds that were so different. He made me feel that we were close, that we were the same, despite our differences. He made me feel special. A tear rolled down my cheek.
And now he was here, like something out of my worst nightmare, grabbing me in the dark, covering my mouth and hissing threats in my ear. I trusted him. I cared for him. I had let myself think, just for a few, blissful weeks, that he was someone special, that he cared about me. That I should trust again.
I couldn’t believe how stupid I had been, so, so stupid! I had walked right into this and now I was paying for it. The cold air brushes my skin and I feel sick, nauseated. I can smell him, a sweet musk and I hate myself for the way it makes me feel. I can’t feel disgusted by him, no matter what he does. I can’t bring myself to hate him and that makes everything hurt all the more.
He shifts again and I feel his grip loosen, just a little. “Do you trust me?” He whispers.
My stomach lurches and I shake my head. Trust him? How could I ever trust him again?
I can hear him swallowing, his breathing catching, like I have somehow hurt him. He shakes his head and I can feel it against my skin. Then he speaks, “Well, right now, I don’t think that you really have a choice.”
***
Maria jolted upright, feeling sweat bead down her brow. She shuddered, feeling the catch of the nightmare twisting over her skin. It had just been a dream, just a dream and nothing more. It was only a dream that had so caught her heart and made her tremble with the overwhelming ferocity of the emotion that was threatening her even now.
It had seemed too vivid, so real, so honestly entrenched and entwined within her imagination. She had felt his grip against her skin, felt the pressure as she was pushed against the wall. It had felt so real, the way that he had gripped her, his breath on her skin. Even more, despite the fact that she couldn’t see him, he had felt so familiar, felt so much like someone she should trust, should believe in, and should be looking forward to seeing. Instead, she had felt the sharp sting of betrayal, the sharp ache of someone who didn’t know why she had been let down so badly, let down in the worst of ways. She didn’t know why he had turned on her, she didn’t know who he was. All she knew was that she cared, she cared so much and he had let her down.
Maria shuddered and rubbed her eyes, trying to shake away the dream, the ache that it had brought to her chest and her heart, the pain that seemed to thunder through her like a drum, like an unending beat. Maria took a deep breath and turned her attention towards the window. It was silly, but maybe the scenery outside could calm her. Maybe the move of the landscape and the rise and fall of the drive could help her forget the pain of her dream.
She looked out of the bus windows, staring into the rolling hi
lls of the country. The trees that grew around here were thick and lush and the pine smell was strong, even though they were in the bus, which was fully enclosed. She smiled, feeling an odd sense of peace in her heart. It was beautiful out here, absolutely beautiful. She thought that it was probably everything she wanted in a place, everything that she was looking for, craving and needing. It was peaceful, the wide open spaces seemed to stretch on forever and she could spend an age staring out of the windows, really taking everything in. It wasn’t even the open spaces, but the peaceful nooks and crannies, the way that there was a distinctive ebb and flow, a distinctive move to the world, shift to the way that things worked that settled her heart, that really spoke to her and settled her mind, bloody and spirit.
She smiled and breathed a sigh of relief as the last panicked edges of the dream slipped away into nothing and she was able to focus on what lay ahead, what was waiting for her when she arrived at her destination.
Maria was working hard on a paper, research that looked into the migration patterns of bears, and what they meant for the ecosystem. Now, bears didn’t typically migrate, which was why this paper was so interesting to her. There were distinctive movements noticed, where bears were leaving their usual territories, to move away and then return a season or so later. It was incredibly strange and hibernation patterns seemed out of whack too. Maria loved animals deeply. That was her passion, her calling, something that was very important to her.
So when this had started happened, along with the recent spatter of bear killings, she was very much interested in doing whatever she could to help. And if that meant trekking into the middle of nowhere to look at bears and watch their habits, then so be it. She was more than prepared to get her hands dirty and get into a little bit of danger if it meant that she was making a difference, if it meant that she was really going to help, or, at least, draw attention to the problems that the bears might be facing. She didn’t know what could be killings bears, as it didn’t look to be a shotgun wound, and she didn’t know why the sudden shift in behavior, but Maria was determined to find out, determined to make it right if she could, in any way, shape or form.
She smiled and looked out of the window again. She hadn’t been out this way and she was excited to do it. Too much of her research happened in a building and that was really not the experience she was looking for. Too many days were spent cooped up doing nothing helpful or contributive and Maria was determined to change that. Her father had been worried about her going off on her own, worried that something might happen to her.
He was always worried, always fretting about her and talking about the dangers in the world, dangers that, Maria assured him, she was very much aware of and not about to get caught in.
She was savvy, she was old enough to fend for herself and she was very capable of doing this research by herself. Still, her father had insisted that she take a ranger with her, someone who knew the area a little better, who knew what he was looking at, where he was going and how they would get to their next destination.
He wanted someone with her who had a gun, knew how to use it and could protect her against the bears that roamed the words. Maria balked at the thought of hiring some guy who was too quick to shoot and lied about his passion for animals. She didn’t want some washed up has been who was trigger happy and not likely to listen to her. She didn’t want anything to do with a man like that, especially not on a trip where her sole purpose was to take care of the animals, protect them and keep them safe, to find out what was going wrong and to fix it.
Still, her father didn’t agree to help pay for this trip until that condition was met, so Maria didn’t have much of a choice. She could have waited and tried to save up money, but she needed to do this paper as soon as possible. Waiting another season could cause terrible damages to the population, something that Maria was just not prepared to allow happen.
She would just have to put up with a trigger happy ranger and pretend that she didn’t give a damn about his comings and goings. If it made her father happy and got her through this, then she would just have to put up with it.
Maria sighed and shook her head. It would be okay. After all, she was only staying here for a week and doing some recording. It wouldn’t be too guard and she could definitely get used to the scenery and what it was doing for her. It was much more peaceful than she would have anticipated and she was honestly looking forward to spending some time alone, or, almost alone, out in the woods themselves. She had heard great things and frightening things and she was hoping that the former would be true for her.
The bus shuddered as it made the turn, pulling upwards towards the mountain. Maria was lucky to have found a bus that went out this way. It wasn’t a regular thing, or so the timetable had suggested. One in a while, it would ferry tourists and take them home. Maria had hopped on, but it was a one way ticket until a week from now, when the bus came for another day trip and she could hop on it and go home. She smiled a little to herself. That was okay. She liked that idea anyway. No constant tourists to interrupt her. Also, despite the fact that there were tourists, they were allocated to a certain area of the forest that was well and truly cordoned off and safe, so they were not likely to interrupt her research.
She had been told that they got cars up every now and then, but mostly, this thing ran on government and private funding, and that the majority of it was also off limits to the public. Maria liked that, and it made her feel more secure. Now, if she could only work out what was killing all these bears…?
The attacks had looked almost like bear attacks, on another bear! Not that fights were unheard of, but this many, and with such ferocity…Maria couldn’t understand it. If she had to put it into words, it would be a very human act of aggression, where things didn’t stop until the other was well and truly dead and not coming back. It was almost senseless. She didn’t think a bear would use that sort of senseless aggression and, besides, this amount of attacks was just not likely, not even during mating season, or when the bear cubs were still little. This was something different entirely and Maria had no idea what she was looking at or what she could do to help.
Maria was feeling the effects of a long night up without sleep. She sipped her coffee and stared out of the window, hoping that she didn’t fall asleep and miss her bus stop completely. She took a deep breath, watching the city landscape change into suburbia and, gradually, change into countryside. The countryside stopped being so flat, turning into hills and into impressive forests that loomed in the distance.
She shivered, feeling the excitement build in her stomach. She’d been up all night packing and making sure she had everything that she needed for this trip. It was exciting and the opportunity was breathtaking.
Maria spent most of her time teaching at the university in the city. It was a great job and she got to work in a field she loved, which was wildlife conservation and wildlife. It was important for her to engage in this topic, but, quite frankly, she hadn’t had time to go into the field for years.
She had no one waiting for her at home aside from her father, and she loved this job more than anything else. She wanted to be in the field, making a real and concrete difference in the environment and the animals that lived there.
Maria frowned as the bus pulled in through a huge set of gates and into the conservation area. The bear population had been steadily decreasing lately and no one had any idea why this was happening. This was one of the best conservation areas and Maria had heard that it was headed by a very passionate ranger, despite her misgivings. Unfortunately, said head ranger had not been as thrilled about her arrival. Maria was warned by the dean that he did not want her there, but he was mandated to answer any questions and accompany her if she needed it.
She was so lost in thought that she didn’t notice the slowing of the bus, the shuddering of movement as it slowed and pulled over, moving into a large car park. It wasn’t until the bus stopped completely that Maria realized that she had finally arrived at her destin
ation. She felt a thrill of excitement move through her, nervousness twisting in her veins. She was here.
Maria sighed as the bus pulled to a stop and she grabbed her luggage. She understood where he was coming from. After all, if he was passionate about his job, he probably felt he had the situation under control and didn’t really want strangers traipsing through a delicate eco system.
Still, Maria couldn’t help but feel a flicker of frustration in her stomach. Why didn’t he want help if animals were dying in his conservation system? Surely he’d want an answer, and want to save as many as he could?
With a sigh, Maria pushed the thoughts out of her mind and stepped off the bus, thanking the driver for his time. She trekked across the parking lot to the front desk, a small building at the edge of the forest. Maria noted the open sign and pushed the door open, stepping inside.
The area was small and neat, with maps and signs set up all across the walls. She knew that this area wasn’t usually visited by tourists, but those with a special permit were allowed through. It was notoriously hard to get a permit, though, and Maria felt a sense of awe at being allowed into such a private area.
The woman at the desk smiled at her. She seemed friendly, although a bit guarded, “Hello. Can I help you?”
“Yes…” Maria smiled her best smile and made her way over to the desk, “I’m Maria. I’m a visiting researcher from the University.”
Something in the woman’s face changed, and she suddenly seemed almost sympathetic, “Oh, Miss Brown. Yes, of course. I’ll let Jack- Dean know you’re here.”
She turned to the phone and clicked it on, “Take a seat.” She smiled at Maria, who obliged by finding a stool to perch on.
“Yes, I know…yes, I understand. No sir. Yes. Yes, I’ll tell her.” The woman looked up and smiled a few moments later, “Jack- Dean will meet you on the footpath. I’ll show you were to go.”