Stolen by her Bear (Black Ridge Bears Shifter Romance Series Book 1) Page 10

She yawned. “All this snow is making me sleepy.”

  Her little smile hit him hard, damn near punched a hole in his chest and seized his heart.

  She sank against the back of the couch, resting her left arm along the top of it, and her head on that arm. “Tell me about the winter sleep. Cougars don’t sleep through winter.”

  “Not all bears do.” He relaxed a little further as he thought about what to tell her. “A couple of the bears in the pride don’t. They head to the city for winter, enjoy the bars and restaurants, and the benefits that civilisation has to offer.”

  “You never do that?” She blinked at him, her eyelids heavy, and then opened her eyes wide and sat up a little straighter.

  Trying not to fall asleep on him.

  He wanted to tease her and ask if he was so boring that he put her to sleep, but didn’t have the courage. “It’s not my style. I need to be here to protect the territory and those who choose to stay here, and I prefer to sleep the winter away. Sometimes I’ll stay awake longer, but once the snow sets in, the furthest I’ve made it is a few weeks before I succumb to the urge to sleep. As soon as Knox and Lowe are sleeping, it rolls up on me pretty fast.”

  “You don’t miss being awake?” A small frown formed a wrinkle between her fine eyebrows. “I think I’d miss being awake. If you fall asleep when the snow sets in, how long are you usually sleeping for?”

  He chose to answer her second question. “I sleep maybe… early November through to late May most years. Sometimes longer.”

  “Gods, that’s what… six months? That’s half the year!” She looked horrified by that, pulled a face that was almost a pout. “I can’t imagine sleeping for six months. You must miss out on so much.”

  He grunted and gestured to the window. “Yeah, I’m missing a lot by sleeping through this kind of weather.”

  She leaned to her right, towards the log burner, her black hair swaying away from her slender shoulders as she peered past him. “I suppose you’re right. It does make me sleepy. There’s been so much snow that I’ve spent most of my time at the Creek curled up in front of the fire with a book.”

  “A book?” Colour him intrigued. “What kind of book?”

  “Well. Books. Multiple. Many, many books. I have them on my phone.”

  He arched an eyebrow at her. “On your phone?”

  She smiled and looked as if she might laugh, so he frowned at her, showing her he wouldn’t like it.

  “You can get books on your phone now.” She sagged into the back of the couch on a long sigh. “I think I’ve read five… maybe six… since I arrived.”

  “What kind of books do you like?” He was enjoying this, how relaxed she was around him and how she was telling him more about herself. “Any you can recommend?”

  “If you like romance novels.” She looked him over. “You could probably pick up some pointers from them.”

  She clammed up, turned awkward as she averted her gaze, and he knew why. She feared he was going to pick her up on the fact she thought he needed pointers when it came to being romantic, and that meant she had been thinking about him in a romantic fashion. It was the only reason she could have for bringing up that he wasn’t acting that way or at least he wasn’t living up to the standards she expected from a romantic hero based on what she had read in books.

  “How long were you sleeping before we woke you?” Her voice dropped to a murmur and she glanced at him, the look in her eyes telling him she felt bad about the fact her pride had woken his.

  “About a month I think.”

  “And you just go to bed one night and wake up in spring?” Her eyes searched his.

  “Pretty much.”

  “Does sleeping affect you physically? Like do you wake up weaker, skinnier?” A blush stained her cheeks.

  His too as her gaze dropped to his body and she slowly raked it over him, a leisurely once-over that set his blood on fire.

  He cleared his throat. “Not really. Takes a while to shake off the sleepiness and get my muscles working again, but it doesn’t weaken me and I don’t tend to lose much weight.”

  “And you could stay awake if you wanted?” She turned awkward again. “Dumb question. You’re awake right now.”

  Gods, was he.

  No danger of him nodding off when she was near him.

  She looked close to falling asleep on him again though. She blinked rapidly, as if that was going to keep her awake.

  “Saint?”

  “Hmm?” He drifted in watching her as she tried to fend off sleep, enjoying how close to him she was and that she trusted him enough to let her guard down like this, and how calm he felt—both the bear and the man in him. She opened her mouth and closed it again, glanced away from him, and he sighed. “Whatever is on your mind, you can ask it, Holly.”

  Her brow furrowed. “When you grabbed Gabi—”

  “I was in a foul mood and not thinking straight,” he interjected. “Archangel had been flying around Black Ridge, had attacked Cougar Creek, and then this human female is there just days after it all happened. What was I meant to make of her? I was on edge, feeling protective of my pride, and things got out of hand. I’m not proud of what I did, or what I said. As soon as I cooled off, I… I should have apologised. I still think she’s a hunter though.”

  “She isn’t. Her half-brother was. She didn’t know anything about his involvement with Archangel, was shocked to find out about it and about our kind.”

  He shrugged. “I’ll apologise to her just as soon as Rath apologises for waking us and Flint apologises for attempting to remove my balls.”

  Her sigh said it all, but it didn’t stop her from muttering, “Testosterone runs a little strong in bears, doesn’t it?”

  He frowned at her and grunted, not bothering to deny that. He was territorial, and protective, and his bear was quick to anger and take control, and there was nothing he could do about that. He was the way the gods had made him.

  But maybe he could try to change for the better.

  If he did, would she want him?

  He glared at the fire, seeking the answer there as the war erupted inside him again. Taking her back was the right thing to do, but he feared that if he did, he would never see her again.

  She made the decision all the harder as she dozed off, as she slumped against his right arm and snuggled into it.

  When he tried to move, sure she would be horrified and angry with him if she woke pressed against him, she unleashed a low, vicious growl.

  A possessive and commanding snarl.

  One he felt all the way to his soul.

  She seized his arm and he could only sit there, stunned as she rubbed her face against his muscles.

  As if she was marking him.

  He was one hundred and ten percent certain no one had ever scent marked him before. He had no right to enjoy it as much as he found he did, knew he should stop her but couldn’t bring himself to do it as a thought formed.

  Maybe he wasn’t the only one feeling something.

  Saint made his decision as he gazed at her, as she continued rubbing her cheek to his shoulder, a low rumbling growl like a purr rolling from her.

  When she woke, he was going to ask her how she felt about him.

  And he was going to tell her how he felt about her.

  Chapter 11

  The sound of male voices roused Holly from sleep. She frowned, her nose wrinkling with it, and snuggled back down into her bed, drawing the covers up over her head.

  “Just a few more minutes, Morrison,” she mumbled, wriggled to get more comfortable and drifted off again.

  This time, it was a roar that woke her, had her jerking upright and the fog of sleep dissipating, making her hyper-aware of her surroundings. She wasn’t in her bed at home, and those voices hadn’t been her brothers come to annoy her until she woke up.

  Her heart started at a pace and she threw the blanket that had been placed over her aside, the feel of it irritating her now, making her feel as if she
was being hindered as her instincts fired off a warning. Something was happening outside.

  She shot from the couch as a series of feral, threatening growls answered the vicious roar, and shifted to face the open door of the cabin. A cold wind blew in, sweeping around her, but she didn’t feel it as her blood burned, as her heart raced to pump it around her body and adrenaline surged.

  Preparing for a fight.

  Holly shoved her feet into her boots and raced to the door.

  Her eyes widened and she rushed forwards as she spotted the huge grizzly bear facing off against three large cougars in the sunlit clearing in front of the cabin.

  The brothers had found her.

  Relief flooded her, happiness rolling in on the heels of it as she looked at the brothers, as she thought about returning to the Creek.

  Those feelings were swift to die as Saint lurched forwards, huge right paw batting at the air, driving the three cougars back on the already trampled snow. The largest cougar, one she recognised as Rath, growled and bared fangs as he eased away from his brothers, moving to one side of Saint. The cougar she thought might be Storm because of the scar that ran over his flank moved in the opposite direction to Rath.

  They were cornering Saint.

  She shook her head and hurried onto the deck, cursed when she slipped in her haste to defuse the situation and fell on her backside. Pain rolled up her spine as her bottom hit the cold wood hard enough to rattle her brain in her skull.

  Saint looked back at her, his brown eyes filled with worry she swore she could sense in him.

  She gasped as Rath used the opening she had given him, pounced on Saint’s back and sank his claws into his thick brown fur. Saint moaned and swayed, tried to bite Rath but he couldn’t reach him as Rath manoeuvred himself, managing to get right onto Saint’s back, his rear paws digging into Saint’s lower half. Rath bit down again, growled as he only came away with a mouthful of fur.

  Holly shook her head again as Saint reared onto his hind legs and dislodged Rath, growling the whole time, and Storm was quick to leap into the fray. Saint groaned and then roared as he brought his left paw down, aimed at Storm’s head as he tried to nip at Saint’s hip.

  Storm was swift to leap back, but barely evaded Saint’s blow. Saint’s paw slammed into the churned-up snow, his snarl one of frustration now as Rath leaped on him again and he wasn’t alone this time. Flint joined him, viciously bit at Saint’s back, trying to pierce his thick hide.

  Fear mounted inside her, panic rushing to tangle with it, and her hands shook as a fierce need rolled through her, fogged her mind and made it hard to think clearly.

  She wanted to fight too.

  Saint was stunningly savage as he reared again, as he swayed and threw Rath and swatted at Flint. Flint cried out as Saint raked claws down his flank, as he managed to throw him too. Storm launched at him, leaping high into the air, his front paws splayed.

  He wasn’t a match for Saint though. Saint batted at him, caught him hard in the midriff and slammed him into the ground, ripping a pained hiss from Storm. Before Saint could deal another crushing blow, Rath ploughed into his side, bit and clawed him, vicious as he defended his brother, buying Storm time to escape.

  Holly was so caught up in the fight, her heart lodged in her throat as she battled the instincts roaring to life inside her, that she didn’t notice someone sneaking up on her.

  She shrieked as they grabbed her, reacted on instinct and clawed his arm, leaving long grooves in his black jacket.

  “Shit,” Cobalt muttered and scowled at her, his stony grey eyes filled with an unimpressed look as he caught her hand, stopping her from clawing him again. “Some greeting.”

  He grabbed her wrist and pulled her forwards, down the steps of the deck, and she stumbled along behind him, couldn’t take her eyes off Saint as he fought the three cougars. She didn’t feel the cold bite of the air through her red long-sleeved T-shirt as she watched him, felt numb all over.

  Worry churned her stomach, had her heart beating faster and harder, as Saint took a bad blow to his face, Rath’s claws leaving red grooves in his shorter fur. She pulled to a halt, forcing Cobalt to stop, her brow furrowing as the three cougars worked to take Saint down.

  A feeling stirred inside her, a primal need that was strong and had her pulling Cobalt back the way they had come.

  Towards Saint.

  She had to help him.

  He was strong, but it was three against one, and Rath, Flint and Storm were swift in their cougar forms, agile as they dodged Saint’s attempts to even the odds.

  Cobalt muttered things she didn’t listen to as she dragged him forwards, resisting his attempts to pull her in the other direction, determination to reach Saint powering her, making it impossible for Cobalt to stop her.

  She flinched as Saint batted Flint away, leaving himself open to Storm. Storm leaped on his back, viciously clawed at Saint’s right shoulder, cleaving it open, and Saint loosed a mournful moan as he tried to shake Storm but couldn’t. She didn’t want to look as Storm sank his fangs into Saint’s shoulder, yanked his head back and ripped a gash in it that spilled crimson.

  The sight of all that blood tracking down his shoulder, soaking his rich brown fur, turned her stomach and a need surged through her.

  A need to go to Saint and defend him.

  Shock swept through her, that instinct stunning her enough that she forgot to fight Cobalt, couldn’t muster the strength to resist him as he dragged her towards the trees.

  She stared at Saint as she stumbled backwards, unable to take her eyes off him, off the way he was fighting.

  Desperation. Rage. Fear. She swore she could feel all those emotions in him and could see them in his dark eyes as they leaped to her as he tried to throw Rath from his back, as he realised the distance between them was growing and he couldn’t stop the cougars from taking her back.

  Holly expected him to give up, to accept that he had lost and that she was no longer his captive.

  He didn’t.

  He only fought harder.

  He was vicious as he took on the three cougars, managed to land a few blows, but he wasn’t fast enough. His size and his injuries slowed him down.

  And his fear.

  She could feel that emotion in him, could feel it growing as he wrestled with Rath and dislodged him, as he glanced at her again and took a hard hit from Flint.

  Why fear?

  Was he afraid of losing this fight?

  A thought struck her.

  Or was he afraid of losing her?

  Flint smashed into Saint’s head, colliding hard with him, and Saint went down, hitting the churned snow. His head slammed into it, his eyes glazed with pain.

  She opened her mouth to call for him, an urge to break free of Cobalt’s strong hold on her arm shooting through her, but stopped when Saint looked right at her.

  Resignation shone in his eyes.

  Resignation and pain.

  She shook her head slightly as he tried to stand, willing him to give up, because if he didn’t, the brothers would kill him.

  Holly’s brow furrowed as she stared at him, torn between going to him and leaving with the brothers so they would end their assault on him. Leaving won, because it was the only way to save Saint.

  Her heart ached as she backed away from him, as he sank back onto the snow and stared at her and that fear she could feel in him grew, and she knew in her heart that it was fear of losing her.

  “I’m leaving,” she said, loud enough that all the brothers would hear her. “Leave the bear. He’s learned his lesson.”

  When Flint and Storm looked as if they wouldn’t halt their attack, only Rath moving to leave Saint alone, she realised she needed to give them a reason to end their fight. Flint and Storm were fighters, and both preferred to take on foes who were stronger than they were, challenging themselves.

  Her only way of making them leave Saint alone was making him out to be someone unworthy of their time. Unchallenging. />
  She couldn’t bring herself to look at Saint as she spoke, was aware this was going to hurt him, but it was the only way to help him.

  “Look at him. It’s clear he’s no match for you. This is the third time you’ve beaten him. He’s so weak even I could defeat him.”

  She turned away, guilt rolling through her as she felt Saint’s gaze on her. She silently apologised to him, wished there was another way to make the cougars leave him alone, but this was the only one that had come to her. It was the only way that would work with Storm and Flint. Neither brother was going to want to fight someone that a female had openly declared she could beat. They had a little too much male pride.

  As predicted, Storm and Flint broke away from Saint, padding towards her through the flattened snow.

  Holly trudged into the trees beside Cobalt, her heart heavy in her chest as Saint continued to stare after her, slowly filling with a need to turn back and go to him, to make sure he would be all right and to apologise to him.

  Every step she took that increased the distance between them killed her.

  But it was the only way of stopping the brothers from killing him.

  If she had to endure pain a thousand times worse than this to save Saint, she would do it.

  Because she had the feeling she was falling for him.

  Chapter 12

  Saint wasn’t sure how long he had been laying in the snow, still in his bear form. Staring at the trees. Staring after her.

  Her words echoed in his ears. Cut him to the bone. Carved up his heart.

  Her absence destroyed him.

  He wasn’t sure when he had given up on everything.

  No. He was. Wasn’t sure he would ever forget it either. It had been the moment she had walked out of his life without looking back. He had given up then, because without her, life wasn’t worth living.

  Voices wobbled around him and scents other than his own blood filled his nostrils, but he just remained where he was, staring after a female who didn’t want him, who thought him weak, who hated him.

  A female he wanted to call for, desperate for her to return. A female he needed more than anything. More than air. A female he felt sure had taken his heart with her when she had left him, leaving him hollow inside.