Jade Crew: Forgotten Bear (A BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance) (Ridgeback Bears Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page A

no counter to them. Garrett was just as destructive, though he relied on his size and the fact that he was fresh from not having fought yet. Before the combined onslaught, the Opal Crew stood no chance. In a matter of minutes, half of them were unconscious or unable to move due to broken bones or slashed ligaments. Shifters healed incredibly fast, but they still had several wounds that required help from others to recover from. Help that the five of them that remained were unlikely to get, he thought darkly.
    The others somehow managed to escape.
    Russell shifted back to his human form as soon as he was sure that things were okay, and ran for the back room.
    “Gwen!” he shouted, pulling aside debris that had piled up in front of the sturdy metal door that Ferro had worked into the frame. He wondered if that had been on purpose, in the event that something like this happened. Because despite the damage on either side of the bar, the entire back wall was effectively untouched. The pictures and the decorations on the wall looked worse for wear, but none of the bears had managed to actually go through this wall. Whatever Ferro’s reason for installing it, Russell was extremely glad that he had.
    He heard a muffled reply from behind the door before it clanged and then opened smoothly as Ferro pushed. He barely had it open more than a sliver when Gwen came rushing out. Without thinking, Russell wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly. Gwen didn’t resist either; in fact, unless he missed his guess, she had practically thrown herself at him.
    “Are you okay?” she asked suddenly, his wounds and blood-soaked clothing registering. She pulled back from him, her own clothes already bearing some of the wetness.
    “Shit,” he said. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking.”
    “No, it’s okay,” she said, taking a deep breath. “I think. It is okay, right?” she asked, looking around suddenly.
    “Yeah, it’s okay. Are you all right?”
    “Yeah I’m fine. All we heard were some big thuds and it felt like an earthquake the entire time, but no damage to me. Where’s Emma?” Gwen wanted to know, concern for her friend showing through as she waved off his concern for her well-being.
    “She’s outside. Gabriel got her out safely.”
    He hoped. Russell hadn’t actually seen Emma since she was taken outside, but he figured he would have heard by now if she had been injured.
    “Okay, I want to see her,” Gwen proclaimed, stepping forward into the disaster zone that had once been Ferro’s pride and joy.
    “Careful,” Russell cautioned, pulling her back before she could get too far ahead. “Those bears aren’t dead, and they could still hurt you.”
    Following his lead, the pair of them took a wide route around the fallen bears. Although they were guarded by Silvertips, the defeated shifters were still a threat to a human if Gwen got too close. As they neared the doorway, Gwen stopped to watch as Ajax stalked in through one of the many holes in the wall, grabbed one of the unconscious bears by a leg, and began to pull him outside. With a quick motion, he indicated to the rest of his crew to bring the others with him.
    “What’s going on?” Gwen asked as they went outside.
    “Justice,” Russell said, not liking where things were going, even though he had known all along that it couldn’t end any other way.
    “Emma!” Gwen shouted, though she stopped short of a shriek. Russell noted that despite everything that had just happened, Gwen managed to maintain a mostly calm demeanor. That spoke a lot to her composure, and more importantly, the inner strength that anyone needed to possess to live among the bears of Genesis Valley.
    You have no idea if she’s living here or just visiting.
    Right.
    But, he argued, watching her embrace Emma gently, she likely has the guts to, if she found a reason to stay.
    Oh, and is that reason you?
    Russell snorted. His inner self could be a dick sometimes. Although he had barely