Authors: Moxie North
Standing up, Dax scooped her into his arms, and carried her outside. As they made their way through the doorway, Effie sucked in a breath at what she saw.
Sitting on the ground was the biggest bear Effie had ever seen. She’d only ever seen them on TV. But this one was very real, sitting on his butt in the dirt. One giant paw was pushed down on the chest of a petrified Chris. He hadn’t turned when they walked out; his eyes were on the bear with the giant claws and huge teeth, growling down at him.
“Thanks, Cash,” Dax threw out. Cash’s bear tossed his head in an answer.
“Do you know him?” Effie asked, really hoping the answer was yes.
“Family friend, he was kind enough to help me track you down,” Dax answered as he walked down the dirt road to his car. Once he got her in and settled, he put his clothes back on and grabbed some zip ties from his emergency kit.
He headed back to Cash and let him amble off into the woods to shift while he cuffed Chris with the ties. He might have thrown in a few punches to his ribs, and possibly when he rolled him over to tie his hands, might have crushed his face into the dirt. He’d be sporting at least a fat lip for a while.
Chris still hadn’t said anything, Dax was wondering if Cash had scared him mute. Not that he gave a fuck.
Squatting down beside him, he waited for Chris’s eyes to leave the tree line where he’d watched the bear enter.
When the man’s terrified eyes finally turned to him he asked, “Do you know who I am?”
Chris managed a quick jerk of his head indicating that he knew who Dax Hayes was.
“Well, you may know me as Dax Hayes, and you may even know that I’m Effie’s boyfriend. What you don’t know is that I’m also going to be her husband. Which means I’m her protector. Remember that big cat you saw in the cabin? That was me too. We don’t like you Chris, we think you are a piece of filth that hurts and uses women. You’ve probably gotten away with it for a long time.
That time is over. I love Effie, so she’s asked me to not rip your throat out for hurting her. I think it’s the least of what you deserve, but I’m willing to concede to her request. Mostly because I know you are going to spend a very long time in jail for what you did today. I’ll make sure of it. If you ever do get out, me and my big bear friend you met before, will hunt you down and gut you.
Oh, also, feel free to tell the authorities all about the guys that change into animals. That will get you doped up on meds and locked in a padded room during your stay with the state. Be my guest,” Dax growled, letting his cat come close to the surface so his eyes flared bright.
He heard the sad man whimper and he was pretty sure he wet himself again. Disgusted, he stood up and waited for Cash to return.
Cash came back dressed and took up watch of Chris while Dax called the police. It took a few hours to sort everything out, get statements and get Chris firmly under the jurisdiction of the local police. He had finally started talking about mountain lions and bears, the cops chalked it up to him being drunk.
They would later be able to match his prints to the letter found at the winery which took his assault and unlawful imprisonment to much harsher charges. He wasn’t going to be seeing the light of day anytime soon.
Dax still wanted to take a chunk out of him for hurting Effie, but she needed him more than his cat needed revenge.
Effie had fallen asleep after the police took their statement. Lucky for Dax since he was able to drive her straight to the emergency room with a police escort to have her looked over. Her head wound was minor, no skull fractures and the doctors assured him no long term damage. After the hours at the hospital, and the sedative the doctors gave Effie, which she tried to refuse, she was down for the count.
Dax drove her home and put her straight to bed. Cassie came in and gave her hugs and cussed her out even though Effie was effectively unconscious.
After convincing Cass that she was safe and okay, Dax got Cassie to head to bed. He stripped down and curled his mate into his arms. He stayed awake all night, watching her breathe.
After two days, Effie finally convinced Dax that she was fine. Then she had to convince Cassie she was fine. Dax agreed to leave her alone for short periods of time as long as Cass was with her. They had to have a very uncomfortable conversation about why Effie had gotten out of the limo with his mother
“I don’t want this to cause a rift in your family Dax,” she said, trying to impress on him how serious she was.
“It’s not you, it’s her. Believe me I know that my mother can be stiff and hell, even elitist, but she had no right to speak to you that way. My father agrees and has sided solely with us on this matter. My mother needs to think about her priorities. My sister has even told her she can’t have someone who doesn’t accept new family members around her cub. That really ticked her off. I told her that until she was ready to apologize to you in person and make amends, that she is not welcome here,” Dax explained.
Effie groaned, “That sounds bad, Dax.”
“Sweetheart, I’m Alpha of our pack, I can physically make her apologize to you if I wanted. But I’d rather she do it on her own.”
“Do you think she will?”
“I give her a week,” Dax laughed. “My mother won’t be able to stand not being in our business for longer than that. I also gave my dad permission to tell her we are planning our wedding for here in Washington. That should sufficiently freak her out to get her to apologize so she can take over the event.”
“Hmph, probably wants some big society shindig, huh?”
“I don’t think my mother does shindigs, baby,” Dax laughed, kissing her loudly on the mouth.
Sighing dramatically Effie, kissed him back. “Fine, but I’m still having my cotton candy machine. Those things are creepy cool.”
“You can have anything you want, my love,” Dax assured her.
“I want to meet the rest of the family. Let’s start with your sister. If those Rochon boys all look like Cash, I’m looking forward to watching that mancandy chop some wood!”
“You will not be ogling the mancandy. They don’t chop wood, they cut timber, and yes, they all look like Cash,” Dax said with an exaggerated sigh.
Effie snuggled into his lap. They’d been sitting on the couch watching reality TV as was their usual routine in the evenings lately. They both agreed that fighting families and kidnappings was more excitement than either of them needed.
“Can we bring Cassie? Maybe she can hook up with one of the Rochons then we’ll all be related,” Effie suggested.
“Oh sure that’s just what we need. Although it would be a way to explain the whole shifter thing to her,” Dax said pondering the possibilities.
“Cool! We’re bringing Cass. Road trip!” she yelled throwing up her hand in devil horns.
“What am I going to do with you Effie Parks?” Dax said laughing at her antics.
Effie pushed back and wrapped her hands around Dax’s jaw. She kissed him, letting every ounce of love she felt for him pour out into her kiss. Dax pulled her tighter into his chest as he deepened the kiss.
Making eye contact with Dax as they both caught their breath from the kiss, she whispered, “Love me.”
Dax smiled at her, “Anytime, anywhere.”
I hope you enjoyed my PNW Cougar’s Victory!
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For more shifter stories and to meet the Rochon brothers, check out:
Pacific Northwest Werebears Series
Bearly Cooking
By Moxie North
With a taste for adventure, a desire to feed people that would appreciate her cooking, and a need to escape her stodgy British family, Sophie Carlton takes a chance. When the opportunity appears to brave the wilds of the Pacific Northwest and become a cook in a remote logging camp, she thought it was the biggest and bravest decision she had ever made. Until she met Cage.
Rochon Enterprises grew the trees, logged them, and milled them. For generations the family had kept close to home in the wilds of the Olympic Peninsula. Cage Rochon and his brothers loved the land and needed the protection it provided to keep their family secret.
Cage has been waiting a long time for his fated mate and his bear was becoming restless. Then he locked eyes with Sophie, the curvy new cook for the camp. Their fates were sealed with one look.
Sophie opened her eyes again and watched Cage smile down at her. If it was possible he was more handsome smiling.
“Porridge and eggs,” she whispered to him.
“Porridge, huh? You know around here we call that oatmeal. You say porridge and people think of Goldilocks and the three little bears,” he said with a laugh.
“I like porridge. I like bears. I like blonds,” she said fighting the warm grey fog trying to steal her consciousness.
“You like bears huh? Ever met one?” he asked, brushing her hair back from her face.
“No…” she muttered, “I dream about them.”
Bear in Mind
By Moxie North
Waiting patiently for his destined mate was not a high priority for Wyatt Rochon even if it was for his bear. He and his brothers ran a successful timber business and life was too busy to go hunting down The One.
Fate finally steps in to bring Wyatt together with curvy state analyst, Jinger McCann. Her life doesn’t have many ups and downs until she meets Wyatt. Finding a boyfriend usually doesn’t come with so much family drama.
Before they can settle into a life of love, logging, and cubs, Wyatt must discover how to protect his mate and family against unknown forces trying to harm them.
One small mistake could cost him and his bear their future happiness.
Wyatt…make love to me?” she whispered to him.
“Do you want me to have sex with you or make love to you?”
Caught off guard by the question, she couldn’t help but ask, “What’s the difference?”
Taking his finger and tracing it down her cheek to drag over her lips he explained, “Having sex is a physical act. It feels good, hell it feels great but it’s all body and hormones. Making love is all in your mind and your heart. It’s not about hormones and desire, it’s more addictive than that. Once you make love with someone it’s impossible to let go. I’ll be honest with you, I’ve never made love to anyone before. Sex yes, but nothing more.”
Bear With Me
By Moxie North
Conner Rochon thought living in the wilds of the Pacific Northwest and running a logging company with his brothers was tough work. Add to that, he wasn’t too keen on sharing his body with a grizzly bear. Shifters normally had no problem with their animal side. Conner was not one of them.
Mackenzie never gave a second thought to being a shifter. She loved it and finding out that she and her cat were mated to a reluctant bear was a blow she wasn’t expecting.
Conner is tired of not being able to make his own choices in life. Is he willing to lose the love of his life to keep control of who he is? Does Mackenzie have the will to fight for them both?
“You…shouldn’t...be… here,” he ground out, letting a little of his bear out in his voice to try and scare her.
He watched in fascinated horror as she closed her eyes and let her lips part. The tiniest gasp whispered out of her and a tremor ran over her body.
Those beautiful caramel eyes opened with her cougar shining brightly from within and she gave him a small smirk. “Do it again,” she whispered back at him.
For something a little more *SPICY* and *SEXY*,
try my Hot Firefighters and Curvy Gals in the
BBW On Fire series.
Also available in a 3-book bundle:
BBW On Fire: The Complete Series
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