Don't Moose With Her (Bearbank Book 1) (19 page)

Ariana also writes less fluffy, more serious paranormal romance under the name Adara Anderson.

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Also, keep an eye out for future books in the Bearbank series.

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Find Ariana/Adara online at:

www.adaraanderson.com

www.facebook.com/AdaraArianaAnderson

www.goodreads.com/Ariana_McGregor

www.goodreads.com/Adara_Anderson

As Ariana McGregor
:

Don't Moose With Her (Bearbank 1)

Coming soon: Bearly a Squeak (Bearbank 2)

As Adara Anderson
:

Téo (The Host, Book 0.5)

Markus (The Host, Book 1)

Coming soon: Anders (The Host, Book 2)

Bearbank, Book 2

Mouse shifter and cheesecake addict Tara Evans is having a tough time of it. Her abusive ex has just arrived in town. Her sister has arrived for a visit and is clearly hiding something. Now her mate has just walked in the door. Worst of all? She's out of cheesecake.

Alex Russell may be a grizzly bear but there is one thing that can have him quaking like a cub. His mother. She's in town and determined that it's time he was mated. Alex would never admit it to her but he agrees. The problem is that he will never settle for anyone other than his true mate and he hasn't met her yet.

Can Tara and Alex manage to get their act together while fending off an enthusiastic mama bear and an unscrupulous ex?

Coming Soon

By Adara Anderson

Chapter 1

November, 1985

It was quiet tonight, the streets in this part of Glasgow were free of their usual hustle and bustle. Victoria had stayed later than normal at the school where she worked, engrossed in creating her lesson plan for the next week. It was probably a little sad that she had nowhere more fun to be on a Friday night, but her last relationship had ended over a year ago, she had no family, and her friends had gradually drifted away, busy with their own lives. Instead, she threw herself into her work. Now she was alone, the parking area quiet, her car the only one left. It was cold and dark, a typical dreary November evening. Tired, she just wanted to get home and relax. She hefted the box of teaching materials higher on her hip and leaned down to open her car door. A sudden movement out the corner of her eye had her jumping back, the box falling to the ground with a heavy thud.

What was that? Something had darted under her car. A cat, maybe? She couldn't leave it there. What if it got hurt when she drove away? She carefully picked up the box and put it in the car before getting down on her knees and checking underneath the car. Nothing. There was nothing there. Where on earth had it gone?

Getting back to her feet, she looked around. There was no sign of the cat, if that was what it was. She shivered in the cold November air. It would soon be time to get the children excited for Christmas. She always liked to make decorations with them, watching them get increasingly excited as the year drew to a close. They could make paper chains and cut-out snowflakes. Maybe they could make white pompoms for snowballs.

She got into the car, placing her bag on the seat beside her. As she reached to close the door behind her, she heard something. Was that a child crying? She sighed. Would she ever get home tonight? She couldn't leave a distressed child, she was a teacher after all. It wouldn't take long to investigate and she would never forgive herself if she ignored a hurt child.

Climbing back out of her car, she walked towards the sound, looking around. There. In the corner of the playground there was a small figure, huddled down on the ground. Had the child fallen? Was he or she hurt in some way? Walking towards the figure, she continued to scan her surroundings. Something felt wrong, very wrong. Why was the child alone? Where were its parents? A heavy, oppressive feeling had her dragging her steps. She didn't want to go over there, more than anything she just wanted to turn around and go home. She shouldn't have watched that video last night, the one with Freddy Krueger terrorising teenagers. Clearly, it was making her jumpy. She forced herself to keep moving, unwilling to abandon a child because of irrational fears. She was being silly. The playground was eerily silent, the child's sobs the only thing she could hear.

The child was turned away from her, sitting on the ground. From behind, she couldn't tell if the child was a boy or girl. She could only see a blue coat and a red hat. Victoria carefully crouched down next to the child, not wanting to startle him or her. Looking around, her car seemed quite far away. She frowned. How could she have heard the child from that distance?

“Sweetheart,” she said softly. She glanced around, hoping to spot the child's parents but no one else was around. “What's wrong?”

There was no response, the child merely continued to cry.

Victoria reached out a hand and gently touched the child's shoulder, at the same time easing around to face the child. The crying stopped abruptly, the sudden silence shocking. Fear skittered along her spine. She was being ridiculous, she knew she was, but her heart was thumping in her chest, her hand trembling on the child's shoulder. Every part of her wanted to run, to leave and never return. She wouldn't do that. Couldn't do that.

“Where are your parents?” she asked quietly. “Are you lost?”

Slowly, the child's head turned around. It was a girl, her eyes burning with hatred, pinning Victoria to the spot. She dropped her hand from the child's shoulder and the little girl stood, continuing to glare at her. Victoria edged back a little. The girl smiled, a look of pure malevolence that chilled her to the bone, looking completely out of place on a little girl. What was happening? Victoria could no longer see the girl clearly, the outline almost shimmering, changing, becoming something else. The child was taller than she expected, her skin much paler than normal, her eyes continued to stare with a shocking intensity. Her gaze had none of the innocence of children. Fangs took the place of teeth, claws the place of nails, the child was transforming in front of her, becoming something else entirely. The child lunged at her, laughing gleefully, hands outstretched and curled into claws. Victoria fell backwards, throwing up her hands to fend off the demonic looking child, instinctively closing her eyes to avoid seeing the abomination.

Instead of the impact she expected, she heard a thud and a scream of frustration. Sitting up slowly, she opened her eyes and saw a man facing off with the child/demon. He was tall, muscular, with straight, long black hair tied back at the nape of his neck. He wore a black leather jacket and dark jeans. His back was to her as he kept himself between her and the scary child, protecting Victoria from attack. She should probably be watching the child and not the man. Confused as she was, she knew which of them was the danger, the one she should fear.

Frozen in place, she watched helplessly as the two stood watching each other. The child's eyes flicked to where Victoria lay sprawled and then back to the man, clearly sizing up its chances of getting to her. Hissing, it turned and ran, clearly unwilling to tangle with her rescuer.

“I cannot let it leave,” the man said to her. His voice was warm and rich, almost a caress, making her shiver. He turned briefly to her and stopped. His black eyes widened. Why were his eyes completely black? “
Meu Deus
,” he gasped, staring at her.

She stared back. What was going on? Had she fallen asleep at her desk and this was just some sort of lucid dream? The man's looks were stunning. She honestly hadn't thought that men that beautiful really existed. She found herself unable to look away, afraid that if she did, he would disappear.

He walked forwards and held out a hand. In a daze, she reached out and he pulled her to her feet with little effort. He made no effort to let her go, his grip warm and oddly comforting after what she'd just seen.

“Uh, weren't you going after that...?” she stopped. She still didn't know what it was, only that it was not a child. Children did not grow fangs or give off evil vibes.

“Demon,” he supplied absently. He held up her hand, examining the scrapes there. “I changed my mind. This is more important.” He reached for her other hand to examine it too.

“What is?” she asked, frowning. She watched as he gently brushed the dirt from her palms, his touch feather light. A curious warmth spread through her hands and she could actually see the scrapes disappear. Gasping, she tried to snatch her hands back, but his grip was firm.

“Who are you?” she asked, looking up at him. His eyes were no longer black, merely a warm brown colour, the sclera visible and white. “What are you?”

He smiled at her, the expression animating his face, taking him from attractive to truly breathtaking. She had never had such a strong reaction to a man she didn't even know. As confused as she was, she was still reluctant to end this encounter, not wanting to say goodbye to this man and then never see him again. She knew she could never forget him, that she would always remember this moment. Years from now, she would think of him and wonder who he was, where he was, what he was doing. No matter where her life led, she would regret that it took her from him. Her mind would fill in all the blanks, building him into the perfect man in personality as well as appearance.

“My name is Téo, short for Téodoro,” he answered. “I am a nephil.”

A what? “I don't know what that means,” she admitted. “Why were your eyes black a minute ago? What was that thing that attacked me?” She had so many questions that she didn't know where to start. She had never been so confused in her life, the whole world had just changed and she was floundering, trying desperately to catch up before she drowned in her new reality. Whatever that reality was.

His thumb caressed her hand, a small smile playing across his lips. “I am a nephil,” he repeated. “Half angel, half human. It gives me certain abilities, also certain responsibilities, such as protecting people from a creature like the one you just faced. My eyes were black because I was using my ability to see things as they really are, seeing through the disguise to the demon beneath.”

Great, the man thought he was an angel, he must be crazy. Pity, he really was very attractive. She tried again to release herself from his grip, failing once more. He was being careful not to hurt her but he was determined not to let her go. Perversely, she wasn't entirely unhappy about that.

“I am not crazy,
querida
,” he said, smiling down at her. He must have seen the disbelief on her face. “You know what you saw, even if you are not yet willing to admit it. I am simply the opposite side of that. You are safe with me. As I told you, the creature you saw was a demon.”

He was right, she knew what she'd seen. Recently, she had seen several unexplainable things, not many and not so close, so she'd been able to brush them aside and pretend she hadn't noticed anything unusual. It was easier that way. Tonight, the demonic child had attacked her and there was no pretending that hadn't happened. Somewhere deep inside, she knew that it was the truth, she just wasn't ready to face it head on. She looked at him, frowning. “So they all look like that? Like children?”

He shook his head. “No, they come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some are masters of illusion, able to take on other forms. I suspect that this one took on the form of a child specifically to lure you, knowing that you would come to investigate.”

“It was looking for me?” she gasped. She hadn't even considered that the attack hadn't been random. Her heart stuttered and then thudded hard. She glanced around as though looking for something else coming to attack her. Why her?

“Shhh, little one,” he murmured, cupping her face with one hand and drawing her gaze back to him. “It did not get you and I will not let them harm you. I give you my word.”

She looked into his dark eyes, feeling the warmth of his gaze calm her, leaving her feeling protected, safe. She had no idea why, she only knew that she believed in both his ability and will to defend her. Perhaps she just needed so badly to feel safe, even just for a moment. She took one shaky breath. Then another.

“Why are they after me?” she asked, her voice small and quiet. She watched his face, searching it for answers.

He smiled at her. “Because,
querida
, you are a very special woman.”

Teo, prequel to The Host series, is available now.