Billionaire Bear Shifters A Paranormal Romance Complete Series Boxset - Brittany White Page 0,44

was so abrupt and so comforting, she sighed a little, even as she thought: I am about to die.

His scent was so strong to her, she thought he was standing right next to her which would likely mean he was about to die. But instead, she opened her eyes and saw him...near the ceiling.

There were catwalks along the walls around the dining hall. They were mostly decorative, narrow walkways with pretty old wood banisters with plants in ceramic pots standing here and there in front of oil paintings. They were good spots for Christmas trees in December. But just now they were hiding spots. Nathan and his brothers were creeping out to the elevated catwalks from hidden doors in the walls and they weren’t alone.

The Strauss brothers were joined by the entire wait staff of the Black Bear Lake Lodge and a few men in chef uniforms or the polo shirts she’d seen porters wearing. They’d swiftly recruited a larger army from among their own employees. An entire resort staff was about to attack Rawley and his men.

For her.

“He’s…” Alanna couldn’t breathe, as she clawed at Rawley’s huge hand. She felt light-headed. “He’s…”

He eased up a little and said, “What’s that doll? John is where?”

“The...owner’s...office,” Alanna wheezed, the edges of her vision a little dark. “Rawley, please.”

He let her go and she crumpled to the floor, gasping, and hitting her knees painfully.

“Where’s Alex?” she managed when she could catch her breath.

“Bring out my luggage!” Rawley snapped his fingers and one of his men stood and dragged out a giant trunk hiding near their table.

“No!” Alanna screamed, clapping her hands to her mouth.

He was dead. She was sure of it.

But Rawley’s men flipped open the trunk and Alanna forced herself to peer inside. Alex looked beaten to hell, but he was breathing, just barely.

“Let him go,” she said, sniffing. She staggered to her feet. “And I’ll go with you. I’ll be on one of your brides like you want. Just don’t hurt anyone here.”

“Aren’t you sorry you ran away?” He stuck his lip out and lumbered over to her. When he reached out to put his hands on her, she flinched. He cradled her cheek but even that grip was hard enough to bruise. He was done intimidating her, she figured. Now he wanted to do the hurting.

“Yes,” Alanna said. She looked up at the catwalk where Nathan was still hiding, looking ready to tear Rawley limb from limb even if it killed him. “I just miss Crockett River,” she said, staring up at Nathan. “I always go to the flowers.”

Nathan shook his head and Alanna nodded, once.

Promise me.

It didn’t seem so bad at that moment, she thought. He had already marked her and she knew he was hers and she was his. It didn’t matter whatever Rawley did to her. She had found her mate.

She would take it with her.

Nathan shook his head.

Rawley started laughing. “You think I don’t know they’re there?” He nodded at his men. “Fire.”

“No!”

Alanna had not expected guns and she guessed the Strauss brothers had not expected guns either. They leapt, shifting in mid-air just as the guns fired in all directions. Alanna shifted herself and in the instantaneous chaos, she went straight for the trunk, shoving it out of the line of fire and under a table with her great front paws as bears dove down to the floor from catwalks and Rawley’s men shot at them.

Some of the bears were hit, though being shifters it took more than one gunshot to take them down and Rawley’s men looked panicked as they were assaulted from all sides by tooth and claw. Alanna’s saw a flash of panic on Rawley’s face. He had thought he’d already won. He shifted and came at her before she could move and she gave him chase. Her bear was fiercer than her human side and in the bedlam she dove at one of the armed henchmen, tearing through his back with her claw as he attempted to fire at one of the Strausses.

Rawley’s bear was massive, which also made him easy to spot.

Glasses shattered and tables splintered, but nobody missed Rawley’s huge brown bear tearing after Alanna as she lumbered through the dining hall, taking swipes at his men, knocking guns out of their hands. Some of them shifted and ran for it and others appeared to be human and terrified by the sight of a bear shifter massacre.

Nathan was coming. She saw him knocking down a table and barreling