Bear In Mind (A Billionaire Shifter Romance) (Atonement Book 1) Read online

  Bear

  In

  Mind

  A Paranormal Shifter Romance

  By Terra Wolf

  COPYRIGHT

  ©2015 Terra Wolf

  Bear In Mind

  All Rights Reserved worldwide.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, uploaded to the Internet, or copied without permission from the author. The author respectfully asks that you please support artistic expression and help promote anti-piracy efforts by purchasing a copy of this book at the authorized online outlets.

  This is a work of fiction intended for mature audiences only. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Some may be used for parody purposes. Any resemblance to events, locales, business establishments, or actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is purely coincidental.

  All sexual activities depicted occur between consenting characters 18 years or older who are not blood related.

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  Sneak Peak

  A look of sadness came over his face, and Keri tried to open her mouth to respond. Before she could though, Derek had turned away from her, dropping the remnants of the picnic on the ground as he faced the wolves. They were only thirty or so feet distant now, steadily closing. They were snarling, snapping at the pair of them, trying to scare them off.

  A deeper, foreboding growl echoed through the clearing, sending a rumble down her spine. It took a moment for her to realize that it had come from Derek. As she watched, half in horror, half in fascination, he leaned forward, his arms elongating to reach the ground.

  The wolves had slowed their approach at the growl, and as he began to change, they stopped entirely. At first Derek's skin appeared to be darkening in color, but it quickly resolved into fur sprouting from everywhere. He let out another growl, this one louder than before, his head twisting and shaking slightly like animals do when they challenge one another. His frame was expanding in size, doubling, then doubling again.

  In seconds, there was nothing left of Derek, only a massive grizzly bear where he had been. It pawed at the ground, massive claws leaving deep rents in the hard packed earth. It was a wordless challenge to the wolves, indicating that he was not backing down. The largest wolf moved forward slightly, teeth bared as it responded to him.

  Then Derek roared.

  It was a physical wall of sound, slamming into Keri and driving her to the ground it was so loud and powerful. She went down to one knee, hands bracing herself on either side for balance. Somehow she managed to look up, where she saw the wolves cowering beneath his full blown battle cry. To emphasize his power, Derek reared up on his hind legs and let loose another blast that, if anything, was louder than the first.

  It was an awe-inspiring display of power. No normal bear on earth could challenge that, and only the fact that the wolves were abnormally large and powerful themselves allowed them to not flee in terror. Still, they were the first to give, backing up several steps.

  The ground shook as Derek dropped onto his front paws, taking a step towards the intruders upon his territory. She hoped he wouldn't do anything stupid or try to show off. The odds were still against him at six wolves to one bear.

  Bear In Mind

  The massive bear ambled up the hillside slowly, unconcerned with the activities in the surrounding woods. It was king of its domain, nothing to threaten it, nor anywhere to be in a hurry. The trees provided just enough shade from the intense sunlight to keep it comfortable during its trek. For what seemed like hours it slowly climbed the gentle slope of the mountain, drawing ever nearer to its destination.

  Pausing outside of a clearing, the bear sniffed the air and listened intently, obviously expecting something else. Then, during a lull in the wind, noises could be heard in the distance. Letting out a little growl, the bear reared up on its legs, listening for a few more seconds, before moving. What started off as a slow fall forward from its upright position, turned swiftly into a long, powerful run. As it built up speed, the bear let loose with a battle cry, the noise roaring across the meadow, alerting the others there that they were trespassing.

  Within sight of its targets now, the massive grizzly bear poured on the speed, surging forward in a display of power that should have awed the two humans sitting on a log in the middle of the field. Looking up in surprise, but showing little concern, they jumped off the log and quickly split up. The grizzly picked the nearer of the two and roared again, bearing down on its intended victim.

  The human in front of him crouched down and opened its mouth, a deep, powerful cry erupting from its throat, a noise no human could make. As it did so, the man's body began to grow, doubling in size, then doubling again. In its place, a large black bear rose up and lunged forward, building up speed as it charged the attacker.

  The two titans met in a thunderous collision, rolling to the ground, paws slapping heavily at each other's sides. The dust rose up around them, obscuring them for a moment. Sounds began to echo from within the cloud of dirt, that slowly resolved into a pair of humans laughing wildly, as they playfully kicked each other while laying on the ground.

  "Derek you rascal, I didn't know we'd see you this weekend!" The man who had changed into the bear sat up, wiping sweat and dirt off his face as he looked over at his friend.

  "Last minute change of plans meant I could make it. Figured you two could use a wakeup call since you were probably sitting around doing nothing but drink, if I know you!" The hard-charging grizzly bear had resolved itself into a large, bare-chested man. He was tall, easily a handful of inches over six feet, with broad, muscular shoulders to match his large frame.

  As he spoke he pushed a shock of jet black hair away from his face, revealing tanned skin that helped highlight the ice-blue of his eyes even in the dazzling sunlight. The well-trimmed beard that clung to his chiseled jaw gave him a distinguished look that would fit perfectly in a boardroom, but wouldn't look out of place in a bar.

  "Well, you certainly surprised us, that's for sure!" The other man who had spoke walked over to the two of them. Extending a hand to each, he easily hauled them both to their feet. They exchanged a round of handshakes and hugs in a slightly more human style of greeting this time.

  "So, Edward," Derek said, addressing the newcomer to the conversation, a somewhat smaller blonde-haired man, "how did that last investment go?" The original pair of men burst out laughing at this, the howls of which redoubled when they saw the look come across Edward's face.

  "Oh ha-ha, very funny, Derek," he snapped, though the hint of a smile on his face indicated that he wasn't really that mad. "I'll get along just fine thank you, especially if I don't come to you for airline advice."

  That stopped Derek's laughter in his tracks, but Philip, the large, bald-headed man who had wrestled with him continued to laugh. After a moment of surprise, Derek joined the other two in laughing as they made light of some of the mistakes that had been made lately.

  Just recently, Edward had decided to invest heavily in a new technology company that seemed poised for big things. Unfortunately for him, the owner of the company had lost his composure when the company made it big time, and within three days during the last week, it had gone from a value of almost five hundred million dollars, down to less than fifty. Edward had been busy following Derek's last challenge and hadn't gotten his money out in time. He had lost almost thirty million dollars.

  "By the way, how did that Peter fellow handle th
e news?" That was Philip speaking now, addressing Edward's fake protégé that he had been forced to deal with thanks to Derek. The three friends had a long-standing challenge circle between them. It was simply a way to amuse themselves at the expense of others.

  Just this past week, Edward had spent most of his time training some fresh college graduate, pretending that he was going to hand over the reins to most of his empire to him. He had had no idea the entire thing was just a plot to humiliate him.

  "Well, the look on his face when he showed up on Friday, fancy suit and all, clearly ready to go out and get a lady, was too much to pass up. So I told him in the lobby in front of everyone that he was fired. I laughed so hard at the stunned look that I almost pissed myself." The three of them chuckled heartily over the image as they wandered back to the logs that Edward and Philip had been sitting on when Derek had interrupted them.

  Sitting down, Derek snagged a cold beer from one of the coolers there and cracked the top expertly. When they were in the city, the three were extremely wealthy businessmen who had to look and act the part. That meant fine dining, formal business attire, and impeccable manners all the time. When they took a weekend off, however, the three were far more likely to enjoy a beer than a several thousand dollar bottle of Sauvignon Blanc or scotch.

  With a clink of glass, the three of them raised a toast to their friends and took a nice swig of ice cold beer. Letting out a sigh of relief, Derek closed his eyes momentarily, looking up at the sun and letting it beat down on his face, the warmth contrasting wonderfully with the slow cool breeze drifting through the clearing.

  The three of them were high up on a mountainside on property owned by one of the many corporations Derek operated. He was the most successful of the group, and this particular piece of property had been out of range of his friends wallets at the time it was available, so he had picked it up instead.

  It was their preferred escape from normal human life, located in sunny climes where they seldom had to worry about the cold unless they climbed high enough, which they frequently did. The landscape was beautiful, home to forests and large fields full of vegetation and slow moving rivers that were a delight to bath in. Whether as bears or humans, the three of them lived for the weekends they could escape away here.

  "So," Philip began, "what bit of trouble shall we get into next, hmm?" The two of them looked over at Edward. After being the one to execute a prank last, it was his turn to decide the next one and who had to do it.

  "Oh, I've been giving this one some thought actually. I took home this sexy little thing last week, and at one point she mentioned an event that I think would be thoroughly entertaining to see our dear Derek participate in." He grinned evilly over at his compatriot, obviously hinting at something challenging. Never one to back down, Derek smiled broadly to indicate his interest in whatever it was Edward was cooking up.

  "Well, don't leave us hanging my friend, ante up with the plot here!" Philip crowed, eager to see what would come up next.

  "We both know it's been a little while since Derek here bedded a woman," he looked knowingly over at Philip, and the two of them shared a laugh. "This young lady, who if I may add was actually not very ladylike, told me how she had signed up for some dating help." The grin he shot Derek now was so wide it threatened to split his face. He was thoroughly enjoying dragging this out.

  "So my dear friend, here's what you have to do. There's a little coffee shop back in town, over on 47th, that runs this once a week."

  "Oh just spit it out already!" Derek was getting impatient now, wondering just what his friend had in store for him. It sounded like it was going to be a big challenge, which made him rather eager for it. The last time around, all he had had to do was buy a small company up and then fire the founder. It had been a nothing prank really, he had to do that for business reasons every few months at least. This one though, this was beginning to sound like fun.

  "Okay, my friend. You're going to go speed dating with the regular townies, find a woman there, and for the next few days, pretend like you've fallen head over heels. The goal is to get her to sleep with you through emotional desire. You aren't looking for a one-night stand this time. Then drop her immediately after." As Derek sat there absorbing the challenge, his two pals exchanged high fives over laughter at the situation Derek now found himself in. This was going to be interesting, having to put up with the 99% for that long, pretending he actually liked one.

  "Not bad Edward, not bad at all," he commented slowly, taking a long sip of beer while thinking it over. It was doable obviously, with his manly good looks, there were few women out there that could resist him when he turned on his charm. The money helped, but he was suave enough to be able to do without most times.

  "I can't wait to see this go down," said Philip, raising his beer to clink against Derek's, as he cheered him on.

  "Speed dating, what a novel concept. It always amuses me how they come up with new ways to interact," Derek drawled. "So, when is this due to take place?"

  "Tuesday, three days from now. Gives us plenty of time to enjoy ourselves up here, and then good sir, you will have to mingle with them." It was said with such disgust, that even Derek flinched a little internally, though not enough to prevent him from raising his bottle yet again, as the three sat back and began to regale each other with the goings on over the past few weeks.

  It had been a long time, and it was good to relax. Derek drank well into the night, enjoying the company of his friends. When they finally tired and decided to call it a night, they moved away from the campfire slightly, before shifting once more into their bears. It was far easier to go camping when you didn't need to bring a tent, so they slept in the open, uncaring, for nothing out there would challenge the three of them together.

  ***

  When Tuesday evening arrived, Derek and his buddies were back in the city, drinking at their preferred establishment, which happened to be within a few short blocks of his evening's entertainment. With a few glasses of wine under his belt to help fortify him, Derek had his driver drop him off at the coffee shop. He sized the place up for a moment, before ambling inside to begin his quest.

  Keri

  "Are you serious? What the hell am I supposed to do now?" Keri's landlord shrugged unapologetically and moved on down the hallway to the next door. Standing there for a moment, she had no idea what to do next. Finally, she turned and went back into her apartment, closing the door behind her.

  She made her way over to the couch and sat down, staring mindlessly off into space. Then the tears began, just water in her eyes at first, then a trickle down her cheek. When the first one fell onto her bare arm, she burst into sobs that wracked her body. This was just too much to take, so much going on all at once.

  At the start of the previous week, she had been let go from the job that she had held for the past four years. No real reason had been given, simply that she wasn't doing a good enough job and needed to leave, immediately. They had given her ten minutes to pack up her meager belongings in a box, and then she had been escorted from the building, not even allowed to say farewell to her coworkers.

  A very torn up Keri had come home looking for the support of her fiancé Michael. As she sat on the couch alone now, she remembered how he had reacted to that. For several days, he had barely talked to her, not providing comfort at all. Then he had called off their marriage, claiming he had found someone else, the true love of his life. All around her the pieces of her life seemed to be crashing down at once. It had almost been too much to handle when the landlord just now told her that the building was being condemned, and that tenants only had sixty days to move somewhere new.

  Her shoulders heaved with sobs, letting her emotions flow out of her. It was a long time before she looked up from her own misery. When she did, it was simply to text her best friend Lizzie. It was a simple plea for help, and it wasn't too long after that that her door buzzed. She answered it, eyes still red, to see her friend standing there with some cho
colate and a bottle of wine. She broke down in tears again, so thankful for such a good friend, someone who would always do what was necessary to help her.

  "Lizzie-" she began, her friend still standing in the doorway.

  "Shutup and let me inside. We need to get this bottle of wine open stat." With a quick kiss in the direction of her cheek, Lizzie brushed past her and made a beeline straight for the kitchen. As Keri closed the door she heard the clinking of glasses and the smooth flow of liquid as Lizzie got them both an extra full glass of wine. Sitting down on the sofa, Lizzie turned to her friend of fifteen years.

  "What happened? Did that dick call you back?" Keri smiled faintly at that, though she shook her head. Lizzie refused to call her ex-fiancé by his name now. In fact, the entire time the two of them had been dating, Lizzie had done her best to avoid him. After he had left her, Lizzie confessed that she had gotten a bad vibe from him the entire time, and didn't want to see her friend go down that path. After saying her initial piece at the start, however, she had stepped back and let her friend do as she wished.

  "No, he hasn't said a peep thankfully. The landlord told me that the place is condemned, and I have less than two months to find somewhere new!" Her voice had risen at this, and she almost burst out into sobs again. Instead, she raised the glass to her lips and took a long pull, only a small tear falling from each eye as she got herself back under control.

  "Oh my god that's horrible!" Lizzie put her glass down and gave Keri a comforting hug. Taking a deep breath as they parted, she tried to find her voice. After working for a few moments, she finally said what was really getting at her.

  "What do I do?" It was so plaintive, so filled with uncertainty and concern that she saw her friends eyes glaze over with water a little as well.

  "I just feel like such a failure right now. I've lost my home, my job, and my fiancé within the span of a week and a half Liz. How can someone manage that? It's so stupid." She wasn't whining anymore, simply trying to understand what had gone so wrong, to turn her life completely on its end and then shake it.