Captured by the Bear Read online

  Captured by the Bear

  Book #1 in the Bride for a Bear Shifter Series

  ~ By ~

  Vicki Savage

  Captured by the Bear

  Book #1 in the Bride for a Bear Shifter Series

  Written by: Vicki Savage

  This e-book contains excerpts that are works of fiction. While reference might be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2015 by Vicki Savage

  All rights reserved. This copy is intended for the purchaser of this e-book ONLY. No part of this e-book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without prior written permission from Vicki Savage. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author's rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Biography and Other Works

  Chapter One

  Shae Donovan squinted through her snow-speckled goggles as she hit the gas in her snowmobile. Damn, the winter storm was going from bad to worse. Hopefully she’d be able to find that family before it was too late.

  “Come on, girl. You can do it.” The engine sputtered and jerked as she pumped the gas and willed the old machine to go faster.

  The thick snow and poor visibility made it so she couldn’t see more than a few paces in front of her. Shae had to rely on her knowledge of the landscape and her instincts as a guide to prevent her from going in circles. Heaven only knew how much longer those parents and little girl would last in such terrible conditions. They didn’t know the land like she did.

  Wiping the snow from her control panel, she saw that her fuel gauge was almost on empty. Fuck. She wasn’t going to have enough gas to return to the ski lodge. If the snow kept falling like this throughout the night, she’d die of frostbite right along with that family.

  Shae was normally much better at finding lost tourists. In fact, her knack for locating people was legendary at the lodge. It irritated her that this family still hadn’t been found. She had checked all of the paths and all of the marked slopes twice. Where could they be?

  When the alarm had gone out about the upcoming blizzard, her boss, Edward Brach, had shut down the slopes and ordered everyone to stay in the lodge where it was safe. The winds could get fierce up in the mountain range, and if one didn’t know what they were doing, they could get disoriented and freeze to death. All but one family heeded the warning. A couple with their teenage girl had gone cross country skiing in the inclement weather. They must have missed the markers and gotten lost.

  Shae stopped the snow mobile and pulled her scarf off her face. Closing her eyes, she reached outside herself and listened for any movement in the trees around her. Her ears tingled and the inside of her nose burned as she tried to sense which direction they might have gone. After a long moment, she heard a strangled cry. Some unseen force started pulling her west, toward the forbidden fence.

  “Shit.” Shae quickly replaced the scarf over her mouth and nose. Turning the snowmobile around, she headed toward the fenced border that separated the lodge property with reservation land. According to the rumors, wild bears, elk and caribou roamed on the protected land. Ten years ago, they’d cross the border onto the lodge property and scared the tourists. It was bad business and Edward had constantly fought with the local government for the right to shoot the animals who endangered his guests.

  That didn’t go over too well. People in town had taken both sides of the issue and the fighting had gotten fierce. Then one day a handful of Native Americans had settled on the reservation and refused to leave. These “Natives” promised to take care of the animals and make them behave if the locals promised never to step foot on, or take anything from, the protected property. At first there was a fuss, but when the animals stopped wandering off the reservation land, the townsfolk changed their minds. A treaty was created and signed, allowing the Natives the space and freedom to do as they wished.

  Ever since then things had been quiet. The Natives mostly kept to themselves, but every once in a while someone would spot one of them in town. Their savage appearance and funny way of talking sparked rumors. Residents whispered about seeing Natives use magic to control the wildlife on the reservation. Others swore that this magic worked on humans as well. The Natives neither affirmed nor denied this gossip, which only fueled more speculation.

  Edward was one of the people who swore that the Natives possessed magic. He always warned new patrons to stay on the well-lit trails and not wander onto reservation territory. He talked about how “those savages” had glowing eyes when they gathered their magic, and how he had seen one of them change into a bear and charge him when he was fixing the fence six months ago.

  Only the most senile townsfolk believed him, but staff and tourists stayed away from the fence just the same. No one wanted to learn the hard way that Edward’s crazy rantings were actually true.

  The lost family had gotten the same warning as the rest, but Shae could easily see how they could’ve become disoriented and wander over onto the reservation land.

  Shae made it to the edge of the property and pulled up alongside the infamous wooden and wire fence. Red splotches littered the ground, and the metallic smell of blood filled the air. An uneasy feeling rippled down her spine as she got off her snowmobile and walked over to a break in the wire.

  Footprints tracked from the lodge property toward the clearing on the reservation land. The prints started out in a straight line, then scattered in a chaotic pattern beyond the break in the fence. A different type of print joined the humans in that pattern. Shae couldn’t tell what type of creature it was from this distance, but it was large, with sharp claws that dug deep into the snow. About fifty steps beyond the border, the human footprints and blood splatter ended. The larger footprints continued on alone into the trees on the other side of the clearing.

  “Mr. Ferguson?” Shae walked up to the fence and leaned over the battered wood post. “Mrs. Ferguson?” She hoped no one was hurt, but the blood told a different story. Shae pulled her scarf down from her face and yelled louder.

  “Mr. Ferguson? Mrs. Ferguson? I’m here to take you back.” Shae wiped her goggles and looked past the small clearing to the line of trees on the other side of the fence. Apprehension filled her as she considered going onto the reservation land alone. While she suspected a lot of the horror stories about Natives with glowing eyes were exaggerated, she didn’t want to go on unfamiliar land and get lost in this storm. After a moment’s hesitation, she returned to her snowmobile and tried to communicate with the lodge on the radio. Unfortunately, all she heard was static.

  “Must be the snow.” She clamped down on her rising panic and tried to figure out what to do. She didn’t have enough gas to go back, so she was going to have to make some sort of shelter and ride out the storm for the night. Hopefully the weather would settle by tomorrow morning and she could radio for help.

  Shae readjusted her scarf over her mouth and began collecting branches to make her shelter. Her movements were slow and stiff, but she had faith that she’d be able to survive the storm. All she needed was a place that was relatively dry and sheltered from the wind. The longer she stayed out in the elements, the greater the chance for frostbite.

  She moved quickly, knowing that time was of the essence. After a few minutes all she needed was one more piece to complete her shelter, but there weren’t any bran
ches big enough on the lodge property to make her roof. Squinting at the landscape, she found the perfect branch stuck in a drift just on the other side of the fence. At first she was hesitant to go over onto the reservation property. Not only would taking the branch violate the treaty the Natives had with the local government, but Shae didn’t want to encounter bears who, according to Edward, were larger than elephants and more violent than serial killers.

  Shae quickly realized she didn’t have much of a choice. Either she stayed on the lodge property and froze to death, or she took the branch and risked angering the Natives. Despite being considered savages, those Natives were still human. Hopefully they would understand and forgive this one faux pas.

  Shae climbed over the remains of the fence and drew up short when she saw the large, rocky ditch on the other side of the branch. The snow was so thick that she hadn’t noticed it before. Peering over the edge, she tried to assess its depth. It was impossible to determine much of anything in such bad weather. She’d have to be careful.

  Edging her way around the perimeter of the ditch, she grasped the branch on the ground and began dragging it back toward the shelter. As soon as she stepped back onto the lodge property, the branch caught on the wire and refused to budge.

  “Come on, you bastard. Move!” Despair threatened to rise up and swallow her whole. She crossed back onto the reservation land and tried to find the spot where the branch had gotten snagged.

  A movement off to her right drew her attention. Shae jerked her head up and scanned the line of trees on the other side of the clearing, looking for some sign of life.

  “Mr. Ferguson?”

  There was no response. Perhaps it was just the wind.

  After a few moments of silence, she returned to her task until she heard the sound of crunching snow off to her left. This time it came from the lodge property.

  “Who’s out there?” She dropped the branch and stumbled backward. Her legs and arms felt numb and the edges of her vision turned black.

  “Show yourself!” Stepping back, Shae tripped over a rock and fell into the snow. Pain sliced through her head, making her wince.

  Shit, not again. It was the headaches, the same ones that had been bothering her since she had arrived at the lodge. Shae thought they had finally passed, but no such luck. She steeled her jaw and rubbed her temple. After a couple of moments the pain started to fade and she focused on attempting to stand.

  “Who’s there?” she yelled when she heard movement once more. Her head throbbed in response, causing her to stumble back down into the snow. Closing her eyes, she once again pushed out her senses, trying to determine if the presence was friend or foe.

  Seconds passed in silence, and then a low, ominous voice rose up behind her.

  “You don’t belong here.”

  She didn’t so much as hear the voice, as it was in her head. Frightened, she jerked opened her eyes and found a large, grizzly bear staring at her.

  “Holy shit.” Adrenaline rushed through her body, giving her new strength. She scrambled up into a standing position and held out her hands, palms facing the beast, in surrender. “I mean no disrespect. Honest.”

  The bear snorted and stamped his large paw. While it wasn’t the size of an elephant, it was easily the largest grizzly she had ever seen. Its eyes glowed yellow, and its fur was dotted with snow. The large creature tilted its head to the side, as if studying her.

  “I know I’m not supposed to be on your land, but I’m looking for a family. A mother, father and teenage girl.” She held her hands out to show she was unarmed. “Have you seen them?”

  What the hell was she doing? This was an animal, a beast. The creature didn’t understand a word she was saying. Yet, she sensed that the animal could make sense of her words.

  “You are stealing.”

  Did that bear just talk to her? Its mouth didn’t move, but the voice was crystal clear, as if he was standing next to her and speaking.

  “I need to make shelter,” she said.

  “The agreement was that we would be left alone.”

  “Believe me, I don’t want to be here any more than you want me here. I’m looking for a family.” She pointed at the blood in the snow. “I think that they’re in trouble.”

  She was arguing with a bear. A bear. If her coworkers back at the lodge could see her now, they’d all think she had lost her mind.

  The bear turned its head to look at the blood and Shae saw her chance to escape. She took two more steps back, moving slow so as to not draw attention. She watched the bear sniff the tracks and turn toward the trees. A low growl rose up from its throat as it scanned the forest. When the bear finally turned back to face her, she was almost to the fence. Shae held up her hands in mock surrender.

  “Easy now, big guy. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  The bear growled and started to advance. Shae stepped back and tripped over something in the snow. Unable to move her stiff limbs quick enough to regain balance, she fell backward toward the ground. She shrieked and flailed, dislodging her hood and scarf. Then she was falling past the ground, tumbling deeper and deeper into some sort of abyss.

  Fuck, the ditch! She screamed, but only managed a low, animalistic growl as the world around her spun in circles.

  The edge of the ditch was steep, and she hit several sharp rocks on her way down. Air whooshed out from her lungs and yellow light blinded her vision as she absorbed blow after blow. Pain, despair and panic fought for control of her mind.

  The bear above her let out a menacing growl.

  When she finally reached the bottom, it felt as if her body had been torn into a million pieces. She tried to inhale and scream for help, but the pain in her head had engulfed the rest of her body, robbing her of breath.

  At least I’m safe from that bear. No animal in their right mind would come down that ledge.

  Never before had she been in so much agony. The harder she tried to move, the colder she became. When something warm and furry touched her shoulder, her world faded to black.

  Chapter Two

  She was warm. Shae thought that this was odd, given that she had fallen into a snowy ditch, but her overwhelming sense of comfort pushed away her questions. Never before had she felt more content to just lay still and feel the whisper of breath across her neck, or hear the soft snoring of—

  Wait a minute. Shae opened her eyes. As her surroundings came into focus, she noticed that she was in a simple bedroom, snuggled under a cream-colored down comforter. The walls were polished wood, as was the floor. A simple maroon rug sprawled out beneath her, stretching toward a fireplace several steps beyond the bed. Next to the fireplace sat two large, comfortable-looking chairs, each positioned so that the occupant could look out through the enormous windows on either side of the fireplace. Snow had accumulated on the glass, making it difficult to tell if the storm had passed.

  How the fuck did she end up here? Perhaps Edward and the others at the lodge had rescued her. Yes, that must have been it, although it didn’t explain why she didn’t recognize anything around her. Or why was naked underneath the comforter.

  Someone—or something—groaned behind her. A strong, masculine arm snaked around her middle, and hard muscle pressed up against her back.

  Holy shit. She threw the arm off her body and glanced over her shoulder at a gorgeous man with thick, brown hair and coffee-colored skin. His large, almond-colored eyes stared at her with interest, but he made no move to touch her.

  “Who are you?” she asked, sitting up and pulling the blankets around her chin.

  “A better question, little one, is who are you?” He propped his head up on his arm and slid his gaze over her body. The heat in his eyes was unmistakable, and it sparked something dark and needy inside her core.

  “I’m Shae. I was searching for a family—”

  “Ah, family.” A smile touched the edges of his gorgeous lips as he returned his gaze to her face. “I’ve heard that women often long for children of their
own to care for.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Not a family for myself, you idiot. The family. A lost family wandered away from the lodge. I think that they might have wandered onto the reservation.”

  He raised his brows and propped himself up on his elbow. “You work for the lodge that borders the reservation?”

  His accent sounded odd, as if he wasn’t quite comfortable speaking English with her. “Yes. I’m a guide for the lodge and frequently take people through the woods and up the mountains. When visitors get lost in the woods, I’m the one they send to look for them.”

  “By yourself?”

  “Why not?”

  “It’s dangerous.”

  She lifted her chin. “Not for me.”

  He gave her a skeptical look. “You were suffering from frostbite when I found you.”

  She ground her teeth as flashes of what had happened came back to her. “I can survive better than most in those woods.”

  “I’m sure.” He seemed thoughtful, as if he was digesting the information she had given him.

  “You haven’t seen the family, have you? A mother and father with a teenage girl. . .”

  “I’m afraid not, but I know someone who might have. I’ll look into it tomorrow after the worst of the storm has passed.” He reached out and slid a curl of her hair behind her ear. Instead of pulling away, he cupped the side of her face and slid his thumb over her cheek. Her skin tingled, and her body heated at the intimacy. She wasn’t sure what stunned her more: his familiarity, or the fact that she wanted him to touch so much more than her cheek.

  “How did you find me?” she whispered. He had the most beautiful eyes. Perfectly shaped, their golden depths seemed to reach out and pull her toward him.

  “You found me, little one. You were broadcasting so strong that everyone on the reservation heard you. I had no choice but to come.”