Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 24069 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 120(@200wpm)___ 96(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24069 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 120(@200wpm)___ 96(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
I’m expecting to see his thigh all bandaged up, but there’s nothing where I shot him. Not even a bullet hole.
The water is to his knees when he starts shaking. It’s little trembles at first, but then his body starts shaking violently and his face twists up in what looks like agony.
“What the—?” I whisper in confusion as I watch his muscles swell up even larger. Brown hair starts sprouting from his skin and he lets out a savage roar as his body explodes into a full-grown grizzly bear. The same grizzly bear I shot three times.
The trees sway as the breeze changes direction, sending my scent straight to the vicious predator that’s only a few yards from me.
The bear freezes, lifts his nose, and inhales deeply.
“No,” I whisper when I see his brown eyes widen in recognition. “Please no.”
Those hungry eyes snap right over to me and I dart behind the tree, hoping he didn’t see where I’m hiding. I swallow hard and then carefully look out.
He’s running right at me in a full sprint.
“Shit!” I leave my bag and run as fast as I can into the forest. The bear is only about twenty yards back and gaining on me quickly.
Panicked thoughts are racing through my mind. What are you supposed to do in case of a bear attack? Run downhill! Apparently, bears are horrible at running down steep declines.
Good thing I hiked uphill all morning! I start running back down the mountain, but I’m going way too fast.
My arms start flailing as I lose my balance, but the velocity of my legs on the steep decline keeps me going for another few yards until I fall hard and slam into the ground. I don’t stop there. The momentum sends me rolling down the hill, smashing into rocks, roots, trees, and bushes until I skid to a bloody stop several yards down from where I fell.
Of course, the vicious bear has no trouble running down the hill and he catches up to me easily.
Keep that in mind. If you’re running from Madison Greer, run down a hill, if you’re running from a grizzly bear, try something else.
“Ow,” I wince as I turn onto my ass and grab my scratched up knee. My pants are torn and quickly soaking with blood, but that’s the least of my problems.
I look up the hill and see the monstrous grizzly bear thundering toward me. “I warned you!” I shout as I reach for the gun on my hip. My hand clenches nothing but air.
“No…”
It fell off during the fall. I look around in a panic and grab the only thing I can find: a dried-up old stick.
The bear slows as it approaches, probably wanting to draw this moment out, like a diner in a fine restaurant savoring every part of their meal.
I can feel his hot breath on my sweaty skin as he takes slow heavy steps forward. When he brings his head within swinging distance, I let it rip and smash the stick over his head as hard as I can. Unfortunately, the stick is about a thousand years old and crumbles to pieces, inflicting no damage on the terrifying bear.
I close my eyes as he leans in, waiting for his teeth to sink into me, but I get a long, slow, wet lick along my cheek instead.
My eyes fly open in shock and the bear steps back and starts shaking. Its huge frame shrinks in on itself and then with a rip, Julian is back staring down at me. Naked as usual.
“You’re a shifter?” I say when it hits me, way too late. I should have put the pieces together earlier but I’ve never seen a shifter before and the constant view of Julian’s full body wasn’t allowing me to think properly.
“I am,” he says as he kneels in front of me. “I tried to tell you. You know, before you shot me. For the fourth time.”
“You keep attacking me!” I shout as my hand searches the ground for something hard. My fingers wrap around a stick and I hold it up in a threatening manner.
He laughs. “Did you run out of bullets?”
“I dropped my gun.”
He stands up and looks back up the mountain. I’m treated to a nice view of his hard ass and muscular back as he walks back up the hill and grabs it where it landed next to a tree.
“Don’t!” I shout as he walks back with my gun in his hand.
This is it. It’s over now.
“Will you relax?” he says as he kneels in front of me and offers the gun. “I’m not going to hurt you. How many times do I have to say that?”
I snatch the gun out of his hand and keep it pointed at his chest. “Maybe one more time.”
He smiles as he watches me. “You’re so perfect. I hope you know that. I would never, ever, hurt you. You’re my mate. I’m already in love with you.”