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  BEAR LAKE

  BOOK FIVE

  BY

  A. B. LEE

  Copyright © 2016, A. B. LEE and M. L. BRIERS

  All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced whatsoever without written permission of the author, except for brief exerts in reviews. Any unauthorised reproduction or distribution of the material herein is illegal and may result in criminal proceedings. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded to the internet or distributed via electronic or print without prior consent.

  Note from the Author;

  All names, places, and incidents contained herein are purely fictional and have no basis in actual events or linked to actual Humans, Witches, Vampires, Werewolves, Lycans, Werebears or persons living, dead or undead.

  Copyright © 2016, Cover Art; ZHDesigns

  Table of Contents

  BEAR LAKE

  BOOK FIVE

  Chapter one

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Chapter eight

  Chapter nine

  Chapter ten

  Chapter eleven

  Chapter twelve

  Chapter thirteen

  Chapter fourteen

  Chapter fifteen

  Chapter sixteen

  Other books you might enjoy in the A B Lee series are:

  Books you might enjoy by ML Briers:

  Chapter one

  Chance ran. His blood was coursing in his veins and his heart was pounding in his ears. His body ached to stop. His mind spun with thoughts of everything that he could no longer control.

  His bear clawed within him to be set free and yet Chance had refused the beast’s efforts at every turn. He feared that one more shift might just take him over the edge and he’d never come back from that.

  He wanted to see Jackson’s cub born- he needed to hold on a little while longer…

  Running was the only thing that sated his body. Running until his muscles could no longer hold him up anymore. Running until he was so damn tired that his brain shut down and he slept, usually curled up in the woods somewhere, human- barely.

  When he’d joined the clan they had all been in the same boat. Unmated and uncontrollable in normal society. He’d still never completely fitted in with clan life.

  Bears were natural loners, but the others had given him an outlet for his beast’s aggression- Marcus especially was always ready to rise to the occasion and fight… Now Marcus was mated- they all were, and he was in the way.

  Marcus the damn Ho-Bear mated to a doctor- he liked her well enough, but his favourite mate was Alex. She was a spitfire when the mood took her, as close to a damn bear as a human could get- she kept his mood pretty even, but Alex would be too busy with the cub to help him stay sane.

  Nobody could help. It was the rationale that he’d come too over many moons. He wasn’t Marcus or the others- he couldn’t shag his way through the bear bait that turned up in the local village to keep his beast on an even keel- he couldn’t risk hurting anyone.

  His next shift just might be his last. He’d stay bear and his clan would hunt him and take him down. It should have happened years ago and he had his clan to thank for the extra days of life. Now he’d be grateful when they ended him.

  Chance picked up the scent in the air. Human- female… he turned away from it and ran in the other direction. He was in no mood to encounter anyone today. Then he heard the sound of muffled crying and his heart hit his ribcage as his legs slowed beneath him…

  This was not his problem. Whatever this was- he knew that whoever was out in the woods was better off not meeting him today. But still… that sound haunted him, it did something to the pit of his stomach that he didn’t much like…

  Chance growled in annoyance. His beast roared within him. Did the bear consider the human a tasty snack?

  He couldn’t stop his body from slowing down. That sound called to him and he didn’t have a damn clue why. It wasn’t as if he could help anyone- not the way he was, not in the state he was in…

  His beast clawed within him to get out.

  Why the hell would his bear want to go towards that sound? Tears wasn’t his thing, especially female tears…

  Perhaps she was lost? Perhaps she was injured?

  Chance growled again and turned back towards the sound. Irritable that his run had been broken. Frustrated that his bear was once again winning…

  He let his senses guide him. One thing about being a damn bear shifter was that you could smell food from far away, and a human female was most definitely food to his beast…

  That muffed sound was coming from just over the ridge. He pushed up the muddy bank and surveyed the downward valley. Nothing… great clumps of trees nestled together in all directions and thick bracken covered the area… Even the crying had stopped.

  He sniffed the air like he was looking for one of Alex’s breakfasts. His eyes fixed on what looked like a foxhole in the mass of foliage that surrounded a clump of trees. That crying started up again…

  It sounded like- no… Chance growled at the idea. Not now, not here, and not him.

  What the hell was a child doing out here in the middle of nowhere all alone? He grunted in annoyance. This wasn’t good… his bear was too volatile…

  Chance turned to leave. He’d run back and tell Alex or one of the others… His bear roared within him. The damn beast tried to push forward and Chance pushed back…

  He wanted to plant his fist in the nearest tree- just to concentrate on the pain of his broken knuckles…

  The muffled cries got louder, sounded more desperate…

  Not good. He couldn’t tear himself away from the pitiful sobbing and yet he couldn’t go towards it either.

  How could he take that risk? It was a child. A female… His bear clawed to be set free…

  Chance bit down on his anger. With his hands fisted into white knuckles at his sides, he spun back towards that pathetic sound and stalked towards it. Every muscle in his body quivered from overuse and yet was painfully tense…

  Not eating the damn kid would be a damn bonus. His beast growled harder… This was a bad idea.

  “Hey, Kid…” Chance stalked towards that sobbing and with a tiny gasp the sobbing stopped. “Yeah, I know where you are. Get out here.”

  Maybe not the best way to deal with a child. He bit down on his stupidity. He could have kicked himself…

  He didn’t know how old this kid was, but it was definitely female and therefore girlie. He didn’t know girlie. He’d never had to handle girlie… even the damn mates could be kickass in their own ways when they wanted to be.

  “Hey, kid…” He sighed. He tried to shake it off- that helpless feeling you got when dealing with little humans.

  There was a rustling within the foliage. Chance held his ground. Hell, he could have gone over there and plucked the kid right out by the scruff of her neck, but that wouldn’t end well for either of them.

  “I’m guessing you’re lost. You want help or not?” Chance wished her answer was not.

  More rustling and the foliage was moving with the signs of life within. He was fast losing his patience, but at least that damned awful crying had stopped.

  “I- I’m not s’posed to talk to you.” The tiny, sorrowful voice informed him.

  “Yeah, well. I’m not supposed to talk to you either.” Chance held onto his growl. Letting it lose now wouldn’t do him any favours.

  “Why? I’m not scary.”

  Chance had to admit that she got him there. He couldn’t exactly tell her that he was in danger of losing control of his damn bear a
nd eating her, now could he?

  “Because. Kid. Just because.” He frowned hard. Kids weren’t easy.

  “Do you know where my mummy is?” That pitiful tone to her voice hit him in the gut again. Sucker- damn- punched…

  “Not yet. But I can sniff her out…” Chance did just that. He lifted his nose in the air and scented the location. Mother Nature, fear, and the kid- that’s all he got.

  Where the hell was the mother?

  “Sniff her out?”

  Chance rolled his eyes to the canopy above and held onto the growl that threatened to roll through him. Idiot.

  “Just a saying. I can track her…” Chance lied and then told the truth. It was for her own good. He didn’t think; I’m a bear and I can kill you with one claw- would go down quite as well.

  “Can you really?” A dirty little pixie face poked out of the foliage and huge brown eyes took him in from his boots, up his body to his face, those eyes widening with every inch that they travelled. She gasped and yanked her head back in.

  “Sure I can. But you have to come out of there.” Chance squatted down onto his haunches. His damn size gave most grown men pause for thought, he hadn’t thought about the effect it would have on a mini human.

  “I don’t want too. You’re big…” She whispered it like it was a secret and Chance felt the first rush of amusement that he’d felt in a long time.

  “Scary big, right?” Chance offered.

  “I’m not scared.” She declared. He had to admit that she sounded a little braver.

  “Good. Cos I’m not that scary.” He lied again. Although his beast had seemed to calm within him for now.

  Her face poked out again. As little humans went, she was kind of cute, and he had to wonder what his own cubs would have looked like if he’d been normal and able to have kin.

  “You are big though…” She offered. Her little nose wrinkling as she stared wide eyed back at him.

  “I’m Chance.” He didn’t really give a damn what her name was. He just wanted to get her out of there and get her back to where she belonged so he could get back to his run- his… life.

  Her little hand shot out and he frowned at the sight of it. So small, so delicate. He could crush every damn bone in her hand without much thought or effort.

  “I’m Darby.” She held that hand out expectantly and he had to mentally unclench his damn fist. He thrust his hand out towards her and saw her flinch as her eyes took in the size of it… Idiot- he’d scared her again… little movements for the little human.

  He frowned at the size of her hand compared to his. Slowly, gently, he closed the fragile thing within his own. His beast growled a warning at him- that was a first- his bear sticking up for a human.

  “You wanna come out now so we can find your mother?” Chance let her hand slip from his. He didn’t like the way that loss made him feel- less… human more bear.

  “No.” Darby shook her head.

  “No?” Chance was at a loss.

  “You’re still big.” Darby informed him and Chance couldn’t help the rumble of laughter that went through his chest. He wondered at it.

  “Yeah, I guess I am.” Chance shrugged his broad shoulders and dropped to his backside in the dirt. He regarded his big feet rather than her…

  “What are you doing?” Darby whispered as if she was sharing a secret again.

  “Well, I can’t leave you here, and you won’t come out. So, I’m sitting.” He shrugged again.

  “Oh.” He watched her think that one through. He hoped she come up with an answer soon- his buzz from running was wearing off and he didn’t want his beast getting any ideas- not around her.

  “But I really want my mummy…” There was a pained look on her face as she kind of hiccupped a sob and her big brown eyes welled up with tears.

  Chance wanted to run in the opposite direction. Hell no- she couldn’t damn well start that whimpering again. What if she really started to wail?

  “I can find your mummy, but I can’t do it alone.” Chance rushed out, hoping to see those damn tears off before they really got going.

  His beast growled and he had no damn clue as to why this time- he hadn’t even thought about eating the kid in a while…

  “But you’re big…” Darby hiccupped again and Chance rushed to panic.

  “You know what that means?” Chance rushed to thought. It was so damn hard to know what to do with a damn kid aside from have a snack…

  Darby shook her head slowly from side to side and bit down on her lower lip as she tried to be braver than she felt.

  “You see these big old shoulders?” Chance asked and she nodded. “Well, they are there so kids like you can sit on them, and I’m made this big so that you can see far into the distance, maybe see your mummy before I do…”

  Damn, he wanted to curl up and hibernate. This kid thing was hard work.

  Ok, his beast might have been on its best behaviour at the moment, but for how long? He needed this done and dusted, but he couldn’t just pick her up by the collar, hold her out in front of him, and walk her the hell around the woods until he found her adult.

  He didn’t have a clue how to handle this. It was the blind leading the stupid… He needed Alex…

  “Ok.” Darby pushed forward towards him and Chance felt the urge to growl out a warning. He shouldn’t be doing this. He wasn’t right in the head to be around kids…

  What damn choice did either of them have?

  “You wanna climb up on my shoulders?” Chance still felt like running in the opposite direction. He’d never thought of a little human as being scary before, but she scared the hell out of him.

  What if he hurt her?

  What if he squished her too hard in some way?

  What if she got really scared and screamed blue murder?

  What if he growled?

  What if…?

  Damn it, what if they thought he’d stolen her away?

  He guessed he’d be dying sooner rather than later. The only regret with that would be that he didn’t see Alex’s cub.

  CHAPTER TWO

  “Ok.” Darby nodded. She didn’t sound worried, but then she didn’t look happy either. Just sort of blank- void of any real emotion, and he thought he had problems.

  When she got behind him, she hesitated. His broad shoulders still seemed like a mountain to climb and she wasn’t sure how to go about it. She placed her hands on his head and tried to lift her leg high enough to get it over his shoulder… Chance held still… waiting…

  “Problem?” He asked after she shuffled, nudged him in the back with her knee a couple of times, and kicked him in the elbow more than once…

  “Yes, you are. You’re still too big.” Darby announced and he snorted a chuckle. It sounded alien to him.

  “I can lift you, but I kind of don’t want to touch you…” Chance admitted. He felt her little hands press down on his shoulders and she peered around at him as he turned his head to look at her.

  “But if I’m on your shoulders, we’ll be touching…” Darby reasoned. For a kid, of about six, maybe seven, could have been eight, she was a smart cookie. He shrugged.

  “Guess that’s true…” Chance leaned backwards, angling his body back low and bringing his shoulders down, and then he reached over his head, grasped her as gently as he could around waist and lifted her high above him. “Get your legs round…” He was impressed that she did as she was told.

  With her legs dangling down his chest, and her hands on either side of his chin, she seemed stable enough. He pushed up and she slipped backwards with a little shriek. He reached up and caught her before she fell.

  His beast growled within him.

  “You gotta hold on, Darby. I can’t do all the work.” Chance felt the little growl rumble through his chest.

  “Are you angry?” Darby turned her upper body, twisted her head on her neck, and peered down at him with a frown.

  “No.” Chance bit out. “Why?”

  “You gr
umbled.” Darby informed him.

  “Yeah, I do that when things don’t go right.” Chance frowned. Nearly screwed up big time, he berated himself, and his beast wasn’t best pleased either.

  “My mummy swears…” Darby grinned and that smile kind of made the inner gloom under the canopy feel a little brighter. “But I don’t listen. I’m supposed to turn my ears off when she gets that mad.”

  “How do you turn off your ears?” He didn’t know humans could do that. It explained a lot- like how they only seemed to hear what they wanted too.

  “Like this…” Her hands left his face and went to her ears and she wiggled against his shoulders.

  He reached up and stabilised her again. A small snort of laughter coming from deep within his chest. She was kind of cute for a pint sized whole lot of trouble…

  “You gotta hold on, ok?” Chance asked and she slapped her palms back against his face. That woke his bear up…

  “Sure. I got it.” Darby shrugged.

  Chance wasn’t taking the risk that she’d fall off from such a great height. He gently wrapped his hands around her little legs and marvelled at just how fragile she really was. He needed to find her mother and fast, before he broke her.

  ~^~

  “Over there…” Darby took to pounding on the top of Chance’s head with her hand. Excitement in her voice as she stretched out her other arm and pointed in the direction that she wanted him to take her.

  He saw it. A battered, beaten up old farm house lying just past the edge of the trees. But he’d already heard the shrill tones of the woman that was running around like a headless chicken- in amidst the… chickens that were squawking at her erratic behaviour.

  “Darby!” She cried out. The fear in her voice made Chance’s stomach clench…

  “Mummy!” Darby’s high pitched wail almost deafened him and he groaned as he twisted his head on his neck and waited for the ringing in his ears to stop.

  “Oh my God!” Rebecca exclaimed at the sight of her runaway daughter, perched on top of a pair of huge shoulders that belonged to the biggest man she had ever seen.