Read Online Rescued & Ravished: An Alpha's Conquest (A Paranormal Ménage Romance) by Sophie Chevalier - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Sophie Chevalier
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in a rage. “You’re an ignorant puss, aren’t you? Calm the fuck down!”
He started carrying her back to Egan and Gentian’ homestead. No matter how much she fought him, she couldn’t get off his back, and it wasn’t long before he got a grip on her thrashing arm again.
“Stop fussing or I’ll carry you back in my mouth!”
“Your mouth ? Are you gonna eat me?! You’re insane!”
“I might! Stop hitting me, before I get mad!”
“ Totally insane !”
She couldn’t get away, but she refused to settle down, either. Finally, after half an hour of struggling with her resistance, he’d obviously had enough.
“Fine, girl! You want to make this hard?” He seethed. “It can be hard!”
He dropped her from his shoulders. She slid down and hit the ground with an oof.
“You’re an animal! You—” but then she stopped, midsentence.
He wasn’t a man anymore. He was changing— shifting —growing. What she saw with her eyes made no sense to her brain.
A bear. He was a bear. The bear. The grizzly that had charged her on the trail!
Her instinct was to scream, but she couldn’t. She was locked up, frozen on the ground. The bear was every bit as big as she remembered, taller than a man at the shoulder, pan-pawed, muscled like a furry tank. Its fire-gold eyes were every bit as frightening as she remembered, too.
It opened its huge mouth and the scream she’d been holding in burst out. It closed its teeth on the back of the men’s jacket she was wearing. The bear picked her up by the jacket and started to tote her through the dark, wind-stirred woods. She was too petrified to struggle, too petrified to speak.
It was a long way back to the cabin, all uphill. The bear carried her like a cub almost the whole way there until the jacket ripped and she fell to the ground with a thud.
The bear disappeared, shifting back into a man. Naked, tall, and hard-bodied as a block of marble, he grabbed her up in his arms. She didn’t resist.
These people are monsters. And I can’t fight monsters. I don’t know how.
He toted her back the rest of the way. She recognized Gentian and Egan’s cabin when she saw it.
I’m really trapped now.
I’m really doomed.
Chapter Nine
Hudson had dumped her in the shed beside Gentian and Egan’s cabin, then he’d slammed the door, locked it, and left.
Hours passed. At first she tried to dig out the floor, shoulder the door, pry back a board—anything. But there was no way out, and the close, damp darkness eventually overwhelmed her. She crawled up onto the worktable and waited restlessly.
Night ended. She could smell dawn through the dewy wood walls of the shed. The air warmed up. Day. Morning. When would someone come for her? And what would they do when they did?
I could die here.
Finally, the door clicked and swung open and she was blinded by hot sunlight. She sat up quickly, holding a hand in front of her dazzled face.
“Harper?” It was Ivy’s voice. Squinting, she saw Ivy and Chance duck into the shed with her, closing the door behind them.
Harper had nothing to say to them. What did you say to bear people?
“Oh, Harper… I know you tried to run. I know Hudson brought you back. Look, honeycomb, for now just…just stay in here. You have to stay in here,” Ivy said gently. “Don’t make more trouble. The elders will sort this out soon.”
“Yeah?” Harper said acidly. “They’ll settle it by tearing me apart?”
Ivy’s mouth thinned. “Chance will watch you. Someone’ll bring food later.”
She got up to leave the shed. Chance tensed as if Harper might run for it through the briefly-open door, but Harper knew better than to try that. What was the point of trying to run? Grizzlies could run thirty-five, forty miles an hour—she wouldn’t stand a chance. And she’d already taken a full inventory of the shed, there were no supplies to be found anywhere. She was here all because she’d gotten lost without food, water, or gear; what good would
He started carrying her back to Egan and Gentian’ homestead. No matter how much she fought him, she couldn’t get off his back, and it wasn’t long before he got a grip on her thrashing arm again.
“Stop fussing or I’ll carry you back in my mouth!”
“Your mouth ? Are you gonna eat me?! You’re insane!”
“I might! Stop hitting me, before I get mad!”
“ Totally insane !”
She couldn’t get away, but she refused to settle down, either. Finally, after half an hour of struggling with her resistance, he’d obviously had enough.
“Fine, girl! You want to make this hard?” He seethed. “It can be hard!”
He dropped her from his shoulders. She slid down and hit the ground with an oof.
“You’re an animal! You—” but then she stopped, midsentence.
He wasn’t a man anymore. He was changing— shifting —growing. What she saw with her eyes made no sense to her brain.
A bear. He was a bear. The bear. The grizzly that had charged her on the trail!
Her instinct was to scream, but she couldn’t. She was locked up, frozen on the ground. The bear was every bit as big as she remembered, taller than a man at the shoulder, pan-pawed, muscled like a furry tank. Its fire-gold eyes were every bit as frightening as she remembered, too.
It opened its huge mouth and the scream she’d been holding in burst out. It closed its teeth on the back of the men’s jacket she was wearing. The bear picked her up by the jacket and started to tote her through the dark, wind-stirred woods. She was too petrified to struggle, too petrified to speak.
It was a long way back to the cabin, all uphill. The bear carried her like a cub almost the whole way there until the jacket ripped and she fell to the ground with a thud.
The bear disappeared, shifting back into a man. Naked, tall, and hard-bodied as a block of marble, he grabbed her up in his arms. She didn’t resist.
These people are monsters. And I can’t fight monsters. I don’t know how.
He toted her back the rest of the way. She recognized Gentian and Egan’s cabin when she saw it.
I’m really trapped now.
I’m really doomed.
Chapter Nine
Hudson had dumped her in the shed beside Gentian and Egan’s cabin, then he’d slammed the door, locked it, and left.
Hours passed. At first she tried to dig out the floor, shoulder the door, pry back a board—anything. But there was no way out, and the close, damp darkness eventually overwhelmed her. She crawled up onto the worktable and waited restlessly.
Night ended. She could smell dawn through the dewy wood walls of the shed. The air warmed up. Day. Morning. When would someone come for her? And what would they do when they did?
I could die here.
Finally, the door clicked and swung open and she was blinded by hot sunlight. She sat up quickly, holding a hand in front of her dazzled face.
“Harper?” It was Ivy’s voice. Squinting, she saw Ivy and Chance duck into the shed with her, closing the door behind them.
Harper had nothing to say to them. What did you say to bear people?
“Oh, Harper… I know you tried to run. I know Hudson brought you back. Look, honeycomb, for now just…just stay in here. You have to stay in here,” Ivy said gently. “Don’t make more trouble. The elders will sort this out soon.”
“Yeah?” Harper said acidly. “They’ll settle it by tearing me apart?”
Ivy’s mouth thinned. “Chance will watch you. Someone’ll bring food later.”
She got up to leave the shed. Chance tensed as if Harper might run for it through the briefly-open door, but Harper knew better than to try that. What was the point of trying to run? Grizzlies could run thirty-five, forty miles an hour—she wouldn’t stand a chance. And she’d already taken a full inventory of the shed, there were no supplies to be found anywhere. She was here all because she’d gotten lost without food, water, or gear; what good would
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