~ EXCERPT BELOW ~
A fun, sexy, full-length standalone action-packed, shifter romance featuring an irresistible bear shifter and a sassy human.
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My vision kept blurring, and as I stumbled through the snowdrifts, each step felt heavier than the last. I wasn’t sure I was going to make it anymore.
Something large moved to my right, and I came to a shaky halt.
“I know you’re there. I can see you,” I hissed.
I had no idea what was out there, but acting like I did felt better than letting the thing continue to stalk me. It wasn’t Price. If it were, he would’ve come out already to taunt me or kill me—or both. I knew when Price and his pack did finally catch me, my death wouldn’t be swift. I’d be like that elk, eaten bit by bit as they watched me writhe in agony.
“Stop it,” I scolded myself. “That’s not helping. You have to stay positive and strong, remember? You want to get back home and find a man, someone who’s not an asshole and who will love you. He’ll overlook the fact that you don’t know shit about being normal, and he’ll be hung like a fucking horse because you haven’t been fucked in months.” I continued to mutter to myself.
Then I laughed when I realized I sounded like a raving lunatic.
Shit. Maybe I am crazy.
How could I not go a little insane after everything I’ve seen?
“I’m not crazy. I’m just tired and fucking starving,” I added when my stomach growled. I stopped and took a deep breath to steady myself, but all it did was give my stomach a chance to growl even louder. “I get it. You’re hungry. Well, that’s just too fucking bad. Deal with it.”
But damn… what I wouldn’t give for a big, sloppy hamburger with a large side of cheese fries and a shake.
I started on again, one heavy step at a time, determined to make good distance today. I knew somewhere along this stream was a ranger station. If I could just get there, I’d make it. I’d survive this nightmare.
Unless the other thing stalking me decides to eat me first.
I stopped again and turned around really quick, hoping to catch it, but there were only trees. I bent down, and laughing hysterically, I started to make a snowball. Part of my brain told me I was being a complete idiot. The other part of my brain told that part to shut the fuck up.
I picked up the well-formed snowball and chucked it into the trees.
“Boo-yah!” I danced halfheartedly, twerking as if I were in a club. “Take that, you fucker.” I bent down, made another snowball that I had to hold with both hands, and launched it. “You sure you want to rumble with me?”
But then this one hit something solid, and it wasn’t a tree. There was a low animal-like sound.
Oh, shit!
I froze as a shadow separated itself from the trees and lumbered forward, pieces of my snowball falling from its wide shoulders.
“Oh, hell no!” I screamed as the grizzly stalked hungrily toward me.
My eyes darted around, but there was nowhere to run. Anyway, I couldn’t outrun it; that was for damn sure. It was going to eat me. Well, at least that would be better than being caught by Price—though how, I wasn’t sure yet.
The bear stalked closer, sniffing the air. It was beautiful, but at the same time, it was deadly. Gawking at it, it was larger than any grizzly I’d ever seen. Its head was easily the size of my torso. Its paws were bigger than my head, and it was tall, even on all fours.
This wasn’t just a grizzly. It was a monster.
It shifted ever so slightly as it came toward my trembling body, and I caught sight of the familiar marks on its back. I had no doubt this was the same bear from my dreams. For just a second, I forgot to be terrified that something else had just come out of the woods to eat me.
Dammit. I fucking pissed it off.
The markings definitely didn’t look natural, but they didn’t seem out of place either. The lines of color weren’t straight, but wavy, almost forming an intricate tribal-looking design. I wasn’t sure what it was supposed to be, but I couldn’t stop staring at them. Even when the grizzly was only feet from me and I could feel its hot breath on my face, all I saw were those markings.
Then the bear roared, and I was right back to being scared.
Its eyes weren’t normal for a bear either. Sky blue, they bored right into my very soul, and I was frozen. The bear took another step toward me, and something snapped inside my head. I was hungry, exhausted, and tired of feeling out of control. Helpless and scared, I was going to die out here at the hands of beasts.
The fear started to ebb as my anger grew. I refused to move away from the bear. I didn’t back away from anything.
My fists clenched and unclenched at my sides. There was no way in hell I was going to let a bear—or anything else for that matter—kill me. If this were a shifter, I sure as hell wasn’t going to go down easy.
I reacted swiftly. Rearing my arm back, I smacked the bear on the muzzle. “Get the hell away from me, asshole.”
The bear glared back at me, eyes wide before they narrowed, and a guttural growl started in its chest.
I grunted back. “Oh, go ahead. Snarl at me,” I snapped, pointing in its face while wagging my hand. “I don’t give a shit. In fact, all of you fucking monsters can kiss my freezing ass.” I turned around, bent forward, and nearly toppled over before slapping my ass. “Go ahead. Kiss it,” I demanded, looking over my shoulder.
The bear didn’t move. It continued to eyeball me as its grumble quieted.
“Just like I thought. You got nothing but a roar and no bite, just like in all my dreams.” Turning back around to fully face the bear, I jammed my hands on my hips. “Well, this time I’m not helpless and stuck in some fucking icy hole, begging for my life, while you get ready to attack me. Nope, this time I’m free to punch you in the damn throat and send your big ass running.” I shook my fist at it. “Run along now before I get to beating your ass like you owe me money.”
I waited for it to rip me into pieces, but instead, it just glared at me. A wave of dizziness hit me, and I swayed, barely staying on my feet. I needed help, badly, and standing here arguing with a bear was crazy.
“Fine, then. If you’re not going to go away, I will,” I said, still trying to sound tougher than I felt. “Watch my ass go right on through the woods, grizzly.”