plan to do with me?” She shoved against his chest, kicked him in his instep and weathered another rumbling growl.
She kicked again, missing her target this time. Her foot landed behind his just as she shoved him with all her might, as he went to adjust his grip on her. Her eyes flew wide as he lost that grip on her and toppled over the back of the couch, hit his chin on the cushion and his shoulder on the coffee table.
He snarled.
Shook his head as he shoved his palms to the floor and pushed back onto his feet.
“I just want to sleep,” he growled, his face darker than ever as he flicked a glare at her. “I asked nicely.”
“Sleep then,” she barked. “But you’re not sleeping with me!”
She dodged him when he sprang at her, stumbled into the kitchen and grabbed a heavy skillet from the stove. She twisted as she sensed him behind her, grimaced as she swung and smashed the flat of the cast iron pan into the side of his head. He staggered to his left and sank against the counter, his left arm resting on it to support him as his knees buckled.
Blood trickled down the right side of his head.
Holly ran for the other end of the room as he growled, cursed herself again when she realised she had gone straight past the door. What was wrong with her?
“I was sleeping.” His deep voice was a rumble of thunder, a warning that a storm was coming and she was going to get caught up in it, and it was all her fault.
She should have run out of the door when she had the chance.
Bear twisted towards her, his eyes as dark as midnight. “You damned cougars woke me up. You woke us all up.”
He started towards her, each step harder than the last, shaking the floor, and she eased around the couch, refusing to let him grab her again. She neared the back of it, glanced at the door behind her to her left. This time, she was going out of it.
“I asked Rath to keep it down, but no…”
She paused as she realised something.
He slammed into her, seemed as startled by the fact she had suddenly stopped as she was.
“You took me hostage because you want to sleep? That’s ridiculous!” She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
Her cougar instincts were strong at times too, made her do things that her more rational human mind wouldn’t have, but she had never done something as crazy as this bear had when she was in the grip of those instincts.
Although right now, her cougar instincts were making her stand up to a male who had at least twelve inches on her and weighed more than twice what she did.
So maybe she did do crazy things when they were in control.
Like standing up to an angry bear.
Part of her had expected to shrink away from him, to cower and curl into herself and be afraid. Only she wasn’t. Rather than frightening her, his aggression only stoked a fire inside her, one that had her squaring up to him despite the difference in their size.
Holly put it down to having three older brothers, all of whom were overbearing at times, aggressive just like this bear was. She had learned to stand up to them so they couldn’t trample all over her, forcing their will upon her.
Now she was doing the same with him.
He made a grab for her.
She dodged backwards, nimbly leaping beyond his reach, something that ripped a frustrated growl and a black look from him, and was quick to round the couch, placing it between them.
“What’s your great plan?” she snapped. “Swap me for sleep? All you’ve done is anger my alpha and my kin. They’ll be coming for you.”
They would be coming for him quicker if she would just remember to go for the door every time she passed it.
He snarled low. “Let them come. I’m banking on Cobalt trying to take you back.”
Cobalt? She frowned at the bear as she pondered that. Why was he expecting Cobalt in particular to come for her? Because she was Ember’s best friend?
Holly figured that made sense. Well, she wasn’t going to wait for Cobalt to save her. She was going to rescue herself.
She eyed the door, a quick glance the bear didn’t notice as he rounded the couch again, hitting the straight in front of the log burner. She eyed him too, ran her gaze over him