Billion Dollar Bear: BBW Paranormal Billionaire Romance (Bad Boy Alphas) (12 page)

“Oh my God. I can’t believe I’m doing
this.”

      Becca
smushed her face into her hands as she sat – no, cowered really –
on the toilet seat in Jericho’s bathroom, hiding from the veritable crowd of
were bears milling about downstairs. She’d woken up this morning to a cup of
steaming coffee and Jericho’s smiling face thinking it was going to be a great
day, only to be told that he’d invited the entire clan over to meet her and that
they were arriving in twenty minutes.

      Twenty
minutes, of course, meaning now.

      She’d
hidden herself away in the bathroom ten minutes ago so she could ‘freshen up
and change’, and though she was as visually ready as she was ever going to be,
she just couldn’t make herself walk out that bathroom door. She could hear the
buzz of chatter from downstairs, and the smell of all those full-blooded were-bears
all crowded into one room was giving her a serious case of the creeps.

      Half-breed
lesson number one: never toss yourself into a den full of full-blooded were-bears
who hate your kind.

      Okay,
maybe there wasn’t specifically a rule that was worded exactly that way. But
there definitely should be one. What Jericho was asking her to do went against
everything she’d ever been taught about how to survive as a half-breed. If it
were any other person, and any other clan, she’d have high-tailed it to the
nearest airport right now. What he was asking was almost certain suicide.

      “Becca?” Jericho’s
worried voice drifted through the door. “Are you alright in there?”

      “I’m fine,”
Becca called back through the door, though her voice was more muffled since her
face was still firmly buried in her hands.

      Evidently Jericho
wasn’t buying it. “Can I come in?”

      “Sure,”
she said with a defeated sigh, knowing that he wouldn’t leave her alone anyway
until she showed her face.

      He opened
the door cautiously and stepped inside the massive black and white marble
bathroom, looking casually gorgeous in a blue button-down that matched his eyes
perfectly and a pair of jeans.

      “Hey sweetheart.”
He smiled, but the look of concern in his eyes told her that he knew what was
up. “What’s going on?”    

      Becca
blinked, realizing that she’d lifted her head to look up at him without even
realizing it, then groaning inwardly, hoping that she hadn’t smudged her
mascara or anything.
Oh well, too late to back out now.

      “I’m
nervous,” she admitted, wrapping her arms around her torso and hugging herself.
Looking down at the lacy white top and jeans she wore, she wondered if she was
dressed down too much, or if she needed to wear something a bit more formal for
this first ‘meeting’. “I don’t know how they’re going to react to me. They
might all take one look and pounce on me like I’m a freshly killed deer or
something.”

      Jericho
chuckled, then reached down and pulled her to her feet. “Don’t be ridiculous.
I’ve already ordered them to treat you with the utmost respect. They wouldn’t
dare lay a hand on you while you’re under my protection.” He kissed her deeply,
banding his arms around her tightly, and the knot of tension in her belly
loosened a little. “You know I would never let anything bad happen to you,
right?”

      “I know.”
She leaned her head against his shoulder, wanting so badly to be able to just
melt into the safety of his arms and trust in his strength. But the thing was,
she knew better than to just blindly close her eyes and believe she could be
safe around his clan. Just because you were ordered to treat someone with
respect didn’t mean that you actually respected them, and while she was
reasonably certain that no one would try to hurt her while she was with Jericho,
that didn’t mean one of them wouldn’t try to turn on her when she was away from
him.

     
I guess
I’d better stick close to him for the rest of the weekend
, she thought
glumly, already hating the idea. If she was going to stick around here, then
she was going to have to earn the respect of Jericho’s clan, something that
terrified her down to the bones in her toes.

     
That’s
the whole point of this first meeting though, isn’t it?
Becca thought.
To
introduce myself and try to get the lay of the land. If they all decide to hate
me on sight, then I’ll head straight back to the airport. No harm, no foul.

      But of
course, part of her really did want them to like her, because a big part of her
wanted to stay. So she knew the rejection would wound her deeply.

      “I guess
we’d better get going,” she said with a sigh, stepping out of Jericho’s arms so
they could leave the room. “Let’s get this over with.”

      Jericho
took her hand in his and squeezed it with a smile. “Don’t worry. It’ll be just
fine. I promise.”

* * *

As Jericho led Becca down the stairs to
the den, where his clan waited, he privately admitted to himself that he was a
little nervous about this meeting, too. Though he was the clan leader, his rule
was not necessarily a dictatorship; the strength of the clan depended upon the
individual members working in harmony with both each other and himself. An
unhappy clan was a fractured clan, and it was his responsibility to ensure his
people were content so that they remained whole.

      If the
clan decided they could not accept Becca as their chieftain’s mate, Jericho
would have to choose between her and his clan because he would not be able to
maintain his rule for long before being ousted by someone else. And though he’d
not exactly been thrilled at taking on the role at the time of his father’s
death, it was his now and he was loathe to part from it.

      It was
hard to give up a certain way of life when it was all you knew.

      He felt
Becca stiffen beside him as they approached the bottom of the stairwell and the
voices got louder, and he squeezed her hand in reassurance again. There was no
way he could show her how nervous he was when she herself looked as though she
were about to bolt; if he did there was no way she was going to face his clan.
So he simply did his best to flow strength and comfort through his touch into
her, and was rewarded when she straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin.

      She was a
true warrior, though she didn’t know it yet.

      He pulled
her into the den, where the members of the Moon Bay Clan waited for him,
snacking on the hors d’oeuvres he’d hastily had delivered from the nearest
catering shop. He’d had Emerson round them all up and tell them he wanted them
at the house for a quick meeting, because there was someone special he wanted
them to meet.

      Only Emerson
himself, who was standing off to the side looking hopeful and anxious at the
same time, knew that he was about to introduce his future mate.

      “Hello
everyone,” he greeted, and then gently drew Becca forward so that she was
directly in their line of vision. “I’m sorry to pull you all out of bed on a
Saturday morning on such short notice, but I wanted to let you know that we
have a special guest with us. Her name is Becca Donaldson, and during her stay
this weekend she is under my protection, and therefore under your protection.
Is that understood?”

      Utter
silence greeted him for a few moments as the clan studied her collectively, and
Jericho held his breath, worried that Becca would break under the pressure. But
she stood firm, meeting their stares with a steady gaze of her own, showing
strength without posturing or assuming a threatening stance. Pride swelled
beneath his breast – she seemed to known instinctively what to do without
any coaching.

      Finally,
someone from the back – Alex, he noted, one of the more aggressive
members of the clan – spoke up. “She smells like a half-breed.”

      Murmurs
rippled through the crowd then, but before Jericho could answer, Becca stepped
forward. “Yes, I am a half-breed,” she told them. “Raised by a human mother for
my entire life. The truth is, I know very little about my bear because my
father was not present in my life.” She lifted her chin. “Your chieftain was
kind enough to invite me here, and I’m grateful to be reconnected with my
heritage, and to maybe learn from you all.  I understand if you are
uncomfortable having me here, and if that’s the case I will leave you be.”

      Some of
the bears shifted uneasily, and others looked away, as though ashamed. A few of
them continued to glare stubbornly at her, but Jericho noticed that more of
them were looking at her with admiration, and hope began to rise in his chest.

      “I don’t
intend to cause any harm.”

      “You don’t
belong here,” Alex muttered, but he shrank away when Jericho glared at him.
Even so, it didn’t look like anyone else wanted to share Alex’s sentiment, at
least not openly – no one else even looked at him.

      One of the
she-bears – a tall redhead named Jessie – stepped forward to
address Becca directly. “Can you shift?”

      Becca
blinked. “Excuse me?”

      Jessie’s
eyes narrowed, and she folded her arms. “I’m asking if you’ve actually got an
animal side you want to connect with. I figure those of us who hold more
resentment toward half-breeds will be able to accept you more if you can at
least walk amongst us like a bear.”

      Becca
frowned, but she nodded. “I can shift.”

      “Good.
Then show us.”

Jericho reached out and wrapped his arm
around Becca’s waist, letting her know that she wasn’t alone. “You don’t have
to do this,” he whispered to her, but she stood straight and fierce, unshaken
in her desire to connect with the clan.

“I want to,” she replied with a smile.

      Fear and
excitement pounded through Jericho’s veins as he watched Becca take a deep
breath, then straighten her spin and tilt her head toward the ceiling. It took
a few moments, but eventually her skin began to ripple, her form changing as
fangs and fur and claws and muscle took shape where there was none before. A
long, low, inhuman groan echoed from her lips as her body stretched, elongating
and widening, and Jericho’s breath caught as she finally took her true form.

      “Oh my,” Emerson’s
shocked voice echoed in Jericho’s head. “She’s a Kamchatka.”

      There was
no doubt of that as Becca rose up on her hind legs to tower over them all. She
was over nine feet tall, the rounded ears perched atop her head brushing the
ceiling. She opened her mouth in a yawn, displaying huge fangs, then shook
herself, her violet-tinted brown fur – a trademark of the Kamchatka –
rippling in the morning sunlight streaming through the windows.

      “Wow,”
Jessie said when she’d found her voice again. “You’re beautiful!”

      Becca
chuffed, as if annoyed, then lowered herself onto all fours and began the
laborious process of shifting back to human form. Jericho noted with concern
that her face was pale after she’d shifted back, but he stopped himself from
reaching out and drawing her against him for support – she needed to
stand on her own in front of the clan.

      “Alright,”
Becca said, lifting her chin once again. “Does anyone else have any questions?
Or can we get on with it? I’m starving.”

“You were incredible back there,
sweetheart. I’m so proud of you.”

      Becca
smiled as Jericho pulled her in for another kiss. The clan was long gone,
having stayed for at least an hour to catch up with their chief and to get the
chance to talk to her – which of course meant more questions. Overall,
most of the bears seemed to like her, and she could forgive their questions
since she suspected their questioning behavior was born out of their
protectiveness for their clan leader.

      Jericho
might not know it, but his people felt just as responsible for him as he felt
for them.

      “It really
wasn’t so bad as I thought it was going to be, aside from having to shift in
front of a crowd.” Her stomach growled loudly, and she frowned. “And now I’m
really hungry.”

      He laughed
and drew her in close for another hug. “Come on then, and let’s go get some food.
After that, I’ll show you around Chicago.

      They took Jericho’s
bike this time, zipping down to a local deli at the Navy Pier. They strolled
along the boardwalk as they munched on turkey sandwiches, and Becca lifted her
face to the sun kissed breeze, enjoying the salty wind on her cheeks, and the
scent of the ocean.

      “It’s so
strange, walking along the boardwalk and holding hands with you here,” Jericho
mused as his eyes drifted along the horizon.

      “Oh?”
Becca raised an eyebrow, and then looked down at their joined hands. They
seemed perfectly normal to her. “What’s so strange about it?”

      Laughing a
little, he brought their joined hands up to his face and kissed her knuckles,
one by one. “There’s nothing strange about you,” he said, nuzzling her skin before
he dropped their hands back down to his side. “It’s just that I’ve really never
done this with anyone before.”

“You can’t tell me that you’ve never
brought a girl on a date here before.”

Jericho shrugged. “I guess I have, maybe
once or twice, but it was never like this.” He sighed a little. “ I’ve spent
plenty of nights walking along the pier by myself, watching other couples hold
hands, smile and kiss, but I never thought I’d do it with anyone that I truly
cared about.”

For some reason that knowledge made Becca
feel both flattered and sentimental, so she pulled him to a stop near one of
the docks. “Well we’ve held hands and smiled,” she said, reaching up to cup his
face. “Now let’s get to the part where we kiss.”

She kissed him long and slow, savoring the
way his mouth seemed to fit perfectly against hers, the way his arms came
around her waist to pull her close as if they were always meant to be there.
She loved the way he held her, the way his strength seemed to flow into her as
his grip molded to the curves of her body, gentle yet powerful all at once.

And when she pulled back, she grinned at
the hungry look in his eyes. “That was some kiss,” he said, then narrowed his
eyes playfully. “You’re lucky that we aren’t alone right now, or I’d have
ravished you already.”

Becca giggled. “We’ll save that part for
later, shall we?”

They shared sticks of cotton candy and
rode the giant Ferris wheel like they were teenagers, groping each other and
making out when the wheel took them high enough that they couldn’t be seen.
Then Jericho took her on one of the tour cruises that traveled along the
Chicago River, where the guide pointed out different architectural landmarks
from the boat and explained their history. She soaked it all up, marveling at
the change of pace of being a tourist for once, rather than a tour guide.

Maybe I should go on vacation more often.

Afterward they caught an action flick at
the theater at the Pier, and then Jericho whisked her downtown to 360 Chicago,
a huge high-rise building that also acted as an observatory, giving them an
unparalleled view of not just Chicago, but the four neighboring states
surrounding Illinois.

“They say we can see up to fifty-five
miles all the way around,” Jericho told her as they stood near the glass, hand
in hand as they gazed out at the setting sun disappearing beneath the Chicago
coastline.

“It makes me remember just how big this
country really is,” Becca mused, still in awe of the view. “It makes France
look like a tiny little place.”

By the time they returned to Jericho’s
home, night had fallen and the stars were twinkling gaily overhead. “I’m
exhausted,” Becca said with a yawn as she dismounted from the bike.

“Oh yeah,” Jericho mused as he helped her
into the house. “I forgot that you’re still on France’s clock. Jet lag really
sucks.” He winced. “Guess we’d better turn in early.”

But though Becca tried to curl up with Jericho
and fall asleep, it wasn’t long before something began poking insistently
against her ass – something very hard, and very familiar.

“Knock it off,” she muttered, swatting at
his cock playfully as he rubbed it against her ass. “I’m trying to sleep here.”

“Sorry…you just turn me on so damn much.”
He stilled, and Becca started to settle down again. But a few moments later she
felt him move again, his cock sliding between her ass cheeks this time to graze
the folds of her pussy. Instantly she grew hot and achy, arching back against
him so that he slid more firmly against her.

“You like that?” he whispered in her ear,
reaching around to cup one of her breasts.

“I should be asleep right now,” she
moaned as he tweaked her nipple.

“Mmm, I know but I just can’t help
myself.” He slid inside her in one sleek, fast motion, and she cried out in
pleasure. “You’re just so damn sexy.”

He rocked against her from behind,
pushing himself in and out of her as he murmured words of love and desire into
her ear, and Becca forgot all about sleep. There was only the sensation of him
filling her deep, spreading the pleasure through her body until it radiated from
her core to the tips of her toes. The orgasm rocked her until she screamed his
name, and then he brought her to another, his hand questing down between her
legs to stroke her clit in time to his thrusts.

“Please, yes, please, more,” she begged,
and then he pushed her over the edge one last time, and he followed her,
groaning her name into the darkness. And when they were warm and sated and
curled into each other’s arms, they dropped off into a dark, dreamless sleep.

* * *

Jericho lay awake in the dark, hours
after Becca had dropped off to sleep, staring at the ceiling as the thoughts
that woke him chased each other around in his head. He was very pleased with
the way things had gone, but his mind kept going back to when Becca had shifted
and revealed herself to be a Kamchatka brown bear.

     
Just
because she’s a Kamchatka doesn’t mean she’s related to Ravena’s clan
, a
voice reminded him. There was more than one Kamchatka clan, and it was entirely
possible her father had come from another clan, or more likely that he’d
belonged to no clan at all, which was why he’d carelessly gotten her mother
pregnant. Clan members didn’t usually go after human women.

      The fact
that she was half-Kamchatka, of course, took his mind right back to the problem
of Ravena’s clan. Sergei would not be happy that he was taking another mate
that wasn’t his daughter, and they might especially be furious if they found
out that she was a half-breed. He wondered if the fact that Becca was Kamchatka
would appease them any, since that meant she was of their kin, even if not of
their clan.

     
Yeah, like
that’s going to happen
, he thought to himself bitterly.
Even if Sergei
lets it go, Ravena will still be furious and will likely cause them a world of
trouble.

      Although
quite honestly, that shouldn’t matter to him. What did he care anyway, since
she wasn’t going to be Sergei’s successor? She could be as angry as she wanted;
that wouldn’t change the fact that he didn’t love her and he never would.

      Closing
his eyes, he took a deep breath and forced himself to empty his mind of
thoughts so he could fall back asleep. Just as he was drifting off, the
doorbell rang, the insistent buzz echoing through the halls. Scowling, he sat
up, wondering who the hell would be bothering him at this hour of the night.

      “Mmph?”
Becca asked, and then rolled over so that she wasn’t talking into the pillow.
“What’s going on?”

      “Shhh.” Jericho
gently stroked her back. “You stay right here while I go see who it is. It’s
probably nothing.” But he knew that couldn’t be true, not at this hour of the
night, and worry began to niggle at his mind as he shrugged on a robe and
headed down the stairs.
Had something happened to one of his people?

      As he
hurried down the stairs and drew closer to the door, he scented the visitor,
and all worry flew straight out of his head to be replaced by extreme
annoyance. “Ravena,” he said as he flung the door wide. “What are you doing
here at this time of night?”

      Sure
enough, there she stood at his doorstep, dressed in a black trench coat and
heels, her flaxen curls floating becomingly around her face. “I came to check
on you, of course,” she purred, stepping closer to him, and he had to back up
before she touched him, unwittingly giving her entry to the house. “After you bailed
on me the other night, and I never heard from you about rescheduling, I assumed
something awful had happened to you.” She closed the door behind her with a
kick of her heel.

      “Yes, well
as you can see I’m doing just fine,” Jericho told her, trying to keep the
annoyance out of his tone and expression – he wasn’t quite ready to deal
with Ravena just yet. “I’ve just been really busy.”

      “Oh, I can
imagine.” Ravena’s nose twitched, her icy eyes flashing as she scented the air.
“Having a she-bear around the house no doubt would keep one occupied.”

      Shit.
He should have known Ravena
would pick up on Becca’s scent instantly. “Ravena – ”

      “Don’t
bother,” she sneered, cutting him off. “I already know you’ve got another
she-bear in here. I just stopped by to see who it was that you cast me aside
for. Where is she?”

      “Get out
– ” Jericho began, but footsteps on the stairs stopped him, and he turned
toward the stairwell, determined to head Becca off. But she was already at the
bottom of the stairwell, dressed in one of his shirts, her sleep-heavy eyes
widening as she caught sight of Ravena.”

      “Who’s
this?”

      Jericho growled,
but knew he had to explain. “Becca, this is Ravena Hastings, daughter of the Chicago
Kamchatka Clan Chieftain.”

      Ravena’s
face turned bright red as she looked at Becca. “You… you’re a filthy
half-breed!” she shrieked, her eyes flashing orange. Fangs and claws extended,
she lunged for Becca, who shrieked and jumped out of the way.

      Jericho
grabbed Ravena by the collar of her coat and yanked her back. “She is under my
protection,” he growled, sticking his face in Ravena’s so she could see the
fury in his own orange-gold eyes. “Attack her again and you’ll face the
consequences of disobeying me.”

      “You
wouldn’t dare harm me,” Ravena sneered, ripping free of Jericho’s grip. Tossing
her curly gold mane, she turned to face Becca. “I challenge you, half-breed.”

      Becca’s
eyes narrowed. “What exactly does that mean?”

      “It means
that tomorrow at midnight, you and I will fight for the right to be Jericho’s
mate,” she hissed. “The winner gets to claim his heart, and the loser forced to
return home and never see Jericho again… if you survive,” she added with a
smirk. “Do you accept my terms.”

      “Absolutely
not,” Jericho said, trying to step between them. “I won’t allow you to –
”

      “What
happens if I refuse to accept?” Becca asked.

      “Then I
win by default, and you can go home with your tail tucked between your legs.” Ravena’s
smirk widened with a grin. “Please, do forfeit. I’d hate to break a nail over
you.”

“Becca, no,” Jericho interrupted, his
eyes burning with rage. “You are not doing this… you don’t have to.  I’ll
abandon the clan if it means keeping you safe.”

      Becca
raised her chin, her lower lip curling in derision. “I will never let you do
that. Your clan needs you…I need you.” She turned to Ravena, her eyes blazing
with anger, her jaw firmly set. “I accept your challenge,” she growled, and the
finality of the words hit Jericho so hard, it was like having an anvil dropped
on his chest.

      “Very
well.” Ravena rattled off an address. “Enjoy your last night with Jericho,
half-breed. Because after tomorrow, it’ll be all over.”