Read Online Bear Run: A Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance (Pine Ridge Bear Shifters Book 1) by Belinda Meyers - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Belinda Meyers
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proposed act of bravery and sacrifice stunned her—horrified
her. She wanted to beg him not to do it, but she knew it would be futile. He
was bound and determined to save her at any cost. It was all so nuts . And yet here they were, in the
forest being attacked by her asshole family and about to seek shelter in the
direction the asshole Black Valley bears had been traveling in. It was an awful
gamble, but she knew it was their best shot. No pun intended.
“I’m Turning,” Taggart said, giving
her warning, and she stepped back, careful to keep the huge tree between her
and Pa and Bradley as Taggart let his bear explode out from him. One moment he
was a hot naked man—shit, the love of her life; she knew it keenly, could feel
it in the pit of her stomach—and the next he was a roiling mass of fur and
fangs and slabs of muscle, a terrible grizzly bear standing ten feet tall and fully
800 pounds.
A nervous ripple coursed up her
spine, and she gasped. He was so big, so primal.
He lowered himself to all fours and
thrust his head toward her. She hesitated, bit her lip and stroked his fur. His
whole being vibrated, and despite herself, despite her fear, she smiled.
Taggart might be a superhuman badass, but he was no threat to her. He was hers.
As it to prove this, he stepped out
from the cover of the tree. She gathered her resolve and stepped with him,
keeping him between her and Pa and Bradley, using him as a living shield, just
as he’d wanted. A shot rang out, and Taggart grunted, sort of staggered.
“Tag!” she cried, and it was as if
she could feel the bullet herself.
Instead of pausing, though, he
loped faster. She moved with him, putting distance between where they were and
where they had been—and placing trees between them and the snipers. Well, one
sniper, really, since Pa and Bradley had to trade off using their single rifle.
Despite everything, she grinned, imaging them fighting over it, but the grin
quickly vanished when another shot sounded. This one struck a tree not far over
Alice’s head, and a chip of bark sliced her cheek. She cried out in surprise
and stumbled.
Taggart paused, turning to her.
“Keep going!” she said, and moved
off at a trot. He’d been going too slow, not wanting her to get left behind,
but it had put him at risk. Put both of them at risk.
“Don’t baby me!” she said. “Run
full out!”
With obvious reluctance, he went
faster, going uphill now, into a rockier area. The trees soared higher here and
cast more shade, plunging them into darkness. Another shot fired, and another.
Pa and Bradley’s aim was getting worse, thank goodness. They really were almost
out of range.
When no shots sounded for several
seconds, Alice glanced back to see two figures leave the protection of their
tree and run pell-mell after her and Taggart. Pa and Bradley tripped and
stumbled over what looked like every fallen branch, and she almost laughed to
hear them curse. Her lungs burned and sweat stung her eyes.
“We did it,” she said, gasping. “We
just have to keep going till—”
A great bear loomed before them,
appearing from behind an outcropping. Almost black of fur, the enormous thing
must stand eleven or twelve feet tall, and white and gray scars cut through its
shadowy mantle. It loosed a terrifying growl and slammed its forepaws into the earth,
seeming to shake the ground.
Taggart, laboring for breath, drew
to a stop, and Alice stopped beside him.
“Leave us alone!” she told the new
bear.
The huge black bear—well, black
grizzly bear, anyway—stalked forward, and murder gleamed in its golden eyes.
There wasn’t much light in this part of the woods, but there was more than
enough light for Alice to see the malevolence in those eyes: the need for vengeance. Kane , she thought. This is Kane, the alpha of the Black Valley
bear shifters.
Taggart didn’t back down, even
though blood wept from his shoulder; Alice saw it when she moved around him,
trying to see a way past
her. She wanted to beg him not to do it, but she knew it would be futile. He
was bound and determined to save her at any cost. It was all so nuts . And yet here they were, in the
forest being attacked by her asshole family and about to seek shelter in the
direction the asshole Black Valley bears had been traveling in. It was an awful
gamble, but she knew it was their best shot. No pun intended.
“I’m Turning,” Taggart said, giving
her warning, and she stepped back, careful to keep the huge tree between her
and Pa and Bradley as Taggart let his bear explode out from him. One moment he
was a hot naked man—shit, the love of her life; she knew it keenly, could feel
it in the pit of her stomach—and the next he was a roiling mass of fur and
fangs and slabs of muscle, a terrible grizzly bear standing ten feet tall and fully
800 pounds.
A nervous ripple coursed up her
spine, and she gasped. He was so big, so primal.
He lowered himself to all fours and
thrust his head toward her. She hesitated, bit her lip and stroked his fur. His
whole being vibrated, and despite herself, despite her fear, she smiled.
Taggart might be a superhuman badass, but he was no threat to her. He was hers.
As it to prove this, he stepped out
from the cover of the tree. She gathered her resolve and stepped with him,
keeping him between her and Pa and Bradley, using him as a living shield, just
as he’d wanted. A shot rang out, and Taggart grunted, sort of staggered.
“Tag!” she cried, and it was as if
she could feel the bullet herself.
Instead of pausing, though, he
loped faster. She moved with him, putting distance between where they were and
where they had been—and placing trees between them and the snipers. Well, one
sniper, really, since Pa and Bradley had to trade off using their single rifle.
Despite everything, she grinned, imaging them fighting over it, but the grin
quickly vanished when another shot sounded. This one struck a tree not far over
Alice’s head, and a chip of bark sliced her cheek. She cried out in surprise
and stumbled.
Taggart paused, turning to her.
“Keep going!” she said, and moved
off at a trot. He’d been going too slow, not wanting her to get left behind,
but it had put him at risk. Put both of them at risk.
“Don’t baby me!” she said. “Run
full out!”
With obvious reluctance, he went
faster, going uphill now, into a rockier area. The trees soared higher here and
cast more shade, plunging them into darkness. Another shot fired, and another.
Pa and Bradley’s aim was getting worse, thank goodness. They really were almost
out of range.
When no shots sounded for several
seconds, Alice glanced back to see two figures leave the protection of their
tree and run pell-mell after her and Taggart. Pa and Bradley tripped and
stumbled over what looked like every fallen branch, and she almost laughed to
hear them curse. Her lungs burned and sweat stung her eyes.
“We did it,” she said, gasping. “We
just have to keep going till—”
A great bear loomed before them,
appearing from behind an outcropping. Almost black of fur, the enormous thing
must stand eleven or twelve feet tall, and white and gray scars cut through its
shadowy mantle. It loosed a terrifying growl and slammed its forepaws into the earth,
seeming to shake the ground.
Taggart, laboring for breath, drew
to a stop, and Alice stopped beside him.
“Leave us alone!” she told the new
bear.
The huge black bear—well, black
grizzly bear, anyway—stalked forward, and murder gleamed in its golden eyes.
There wasn’t much light in this part of the woods, but there was more than
enough light for Alice to see the malevolence in those eyes: the need for vengeance. Kane , she thought. This is Kane, the alpha of the Black Valley
bear shifters.
Taggart didn’t back down, even
though blood wept from his shoulder; Alice saw it when she moved around him,
trying to see a way past
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