Slade (BBW Bear Shifter Moonshiner Romance) (120 Proof Honey Book 5) Read Online Free PDF Page B

but it was the least of his worries.

    “I think we should go tonight,” Beck said. He’d been wearing a permanent scowl since he found out his brother was injured. He was ready to fight them all. He was agitated and angry. Even his girlfriend, Harmony, hadn’t been able to comfort him.

    “We have to be smart about this,” Slade said. “And if we go tonight, we’ll be fighting on no sleep, no rest, and emotionally and physically in distress. If we’re going to do this, we need to be in peak condition. Unless, of course, you don’t mind if someone else gets hurt.”

    “Of course he minds,” Amir said. “He knows you’re right. Don’t you, Beck?”

    Beck gave him a hard look, but said, “Fine. Tomorrow then?”

    “Tomorrow,” Slade said. “We’ll get a good night’s sleep and rest up. Then when we’re ready, we’ll go. Agreed?”

    “Agreed,” Amir and Daxton said.

    “Agreed,” Beck said.

    “But.” Slade held up his hand. “I’ve told you about Veronica. Unless she fights, do not hurt her.”

    “And if she joins in?” Dax asked.

    “Then she’ll either have lied to me today, or have changed her mind, and she’s no better than the rest of them.”

    The next evening, they gathered again. They’d spent a large part of the day at the hospital. Knox’s wounds were healing, and quickly. One benefit of being a shifter. But the fact that he still couldn’t use his arm, and his cuts hadn’t yet healed meant that he was badly hurt.  

    Slade had been torn about Veronica. She had called to tell him what was going on when her rogue clan went after his guys. So, it was only fair to warn her back, right? But in that warning, he might be setting himself and his guys up. What if they planned something worse for their arrival? Would she tell her clanmates or keep it to herself? He couldn’t be sure. He was far from being able to fully trust her. And she was the leader of a group of his enemies. In the end, he decided to warn her, but give her no time. That way, if any of the other women found out, they wouldn’t have the chance to plan an attack.  

    Before he walked downstairs to meet the guys, he sent her a text that simply said, “Now.”  

    Slade met them downstairs and looked over them. They had gotten enough rest, he supposed. Even if they hadn’t, tonight was the night. They walked together to the back porch, took off their shorts, and stuffed them into a small backpack. Veronica hadn’t responded by the time he put his phone in the bag.

    They all stepped outside, let the hot night air hit their naked bodies, and shifted into bear form. They took off running, Slade at the head of the pack, toward the Harper property. They arrived at the Harper’s property a short time later and paused in the woods a good distance away.

    The four of them stopped to listen and watch before moving closer. They wanted to be prepared and not be caught off guard.

    “They have a watch,” Dax thought to the others.

    Slade saw the bear walking away from them, circling the house.

    “Is it Veronica?” Amir asked.

    He sniffed again to make sure.  “No,” Slade thought. “Charge the watch on my command.”

    His clan nodded and waited for his signal. Slade watched until the bear was making her way back toward the front of the house. Then he lifted a paw and stomped the ground. They ran to her.

    Their thumping paws quickly drew the attention of the watch. She stood on hind legs and howled. As the men reached the house, three more bears came running out to join her. Veronica was not among them. She wasn’t anywhere that Slade could see or smell. Had she decided to leave and not be a part of the fight at all? At least this was an even four-on-four fight then.

    The male bears crashed into the female bears. The sound of growls and snapping teeth filled the air as they bit and swiped each other. Slade managed to whack one of the women with his paw and sent her flying back several feet. She came at