Beloved by the Bear_A Shifters in Love Fun & Flirty Romance Read online

  Table of Contents

  COPYRIGHT

  BOOKS BY ISADORA MONTROSE

  NOTE TO THE READER

  SNEAK PEEK

  BELOVED BY THE BEAR

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

  CHAPTER FORTY

  CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

  CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

  CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

  ADORED BY A DRAGON PREVIEW

  ADORED BY THE DRAGON: CHAPTER ONE

  ADORED BY THE DRAGON: CHAPTER TWO

  CHERISHED BY THE COUGAR: PREVIEW

  CHERISHED BY THE COUGAR: CHAPTER ONE

  CHERISHED BY THE COUGAR: CHAPTER TWO

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  ALSO BY ISADORA MONTROSE

  Beloved by the Bear ©Copyright Isadora Montrose 2018

  Adored by a Dragon: Preview ©Copyright Isadora Montrose 2018

  Cherished by the Cougar: Preview ©Copyright Isadora Montrose 2018

  Cover Art by Willsin Rowe ©Copyright 2017

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the author, Isadora Montrose.

  Warning: This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers.

  Books by Isadora Montrose

  Bear Necessities

  Bear Possibilities

  Bear Affinities

  Bear Infinities

  Bear Fursuits Books 1-4 Bundle

  Bear Cubs for Christmas (available only in Bear Fursuits Books 1-4 Bundle)

  Bearly Begun

  Bearly Enough

  Bearly Ever

  Bearly Forever

  Bearly Beloved

  Dragon’s Treasure

  Bear Skin: A Billionaire Oil Bearons Romance

  Dragon’s Successor

  Brides for the Bachelor Bears Books 0-4 Bundle

  Bearly a Bride (available only in Brides for the Bachelor Bears)

  Dragon’s Pleasure

  Bear Pause: A Billionaire Oil Bearons Romance

  Dragon’s Christmas Captive: A Viking Dragon Fantasy Romance

  Dragon’s Possession

  Phoenix Aglow

  Phoenix Ablaze

  Phoenix Aflame

  Billionaire Dragon Lords Bundle

  Dragon’s Confession

  Bear Sin: A Billionaire Oil Bearons Romance

  Phoenix Alight

  Bear Fate: A Billionaire Oil Bearons Romance

  Christmas Flame

  Desired by the Dragon: A Shifters in Love Fun & Flirty Romance

  Cherished by the Cougar: A Shifters in Love Fun & Flirty Romance

  Dragon Enchanted: A Viking Dragon Fantasy Romance

  Dragon Ensnared: A Viking Dragon Fantasy Romance

  Dragon Bewitched: A Viking Dragon Fantasy Romance

  Beloved by the Bear: A Shifters in Love Fun & Flirty Romance

  Adored by a Dragon: A Shifters in Love Fun & Flirty Romance

  Amazon Author Page: https://amazon.com/author/isadoramontrose

  Note to the Reader

  Shifters in Love Fun & Flirty Romances

  The Shifters in Love group is bringing you weekly feel-good romances under the Fun & Flirty label. Every week there will be another feel-good romance for you to enjoy. See them all on the Shifters in Love website.

  Mystic Bay Series

  A match made in West Haven, is a match made in Heaven...

  Welcome to the town of Mystic Bay, Oregon on the magical island of West Haven. For 200 years, this island has been home to sensitives of all varieties. On West Haven, where the paranormal is normal, psychics, sorcerers, fairies rub shoulders with shifters of all stripes.

  Matchmakers Robin Fairchild and Gordon Sullivan are working a little white magic to bring fated mates together. In defiance of island traditions, they encourage romances between shifters and other sensitives.

  I have created an entire new series just for the Shifters in Love Fun & Flirty line to bring you the funny, steamy romances you like best. Enjoy a break from the everyday with these lighthearted stories of shifters discovering love in the unlikeliest places.

  Cheers,

  Isadora

  SNEAK PEEK

  Anton~

  He had wanted to kiss Serena since he first laid eyes on her. Okay. What his instincts pressured him to do was jump her bones, but fortunately he possessed some self-control. A fellow didn’t just throw his mate down on the ground and screw her. That was no way to do. But he felt like a raw adolescent just discovering sex.

  At least he hadn’t communicated his rough urgency to his little mate. Serena was gazing up at him with curious green eyes alight with feminine wonder. Even in a bun her hair glinted like a punk rocker’s. He made sure he only used sufficient force to bring her to her feet and hold her steady on the steps against his heart.

  He kissed her softly, gently. Reminding himself every step of the way that only last night she had been assaulted. If ever a woman needed respect, Serena Merryman did. Her lips parted slightly under his and she relaxed and trusted him not to let her fall. He tasted her breath. The sheer delight of her fragrance and presence went straight to his heart.

  They stood like that, softly kissing and sharing their breath until the sound of a leaf blower had them springing apart. Serena would have stumbled on the top step, but he had her safe. Somehow his hands had found her waist. He left off squeezing and savoring the supple muscles and tender flesh there and lifted her onto the porch.

  She was staring appalled at the fellow with the leaf blower.

  “Big gossip is he?” Anton asked wryly. He was from a small town too. In French Town, two people canoodling on a cabin porch would spark some fierce chitchat down at the diner. Especially if one of them was from out of town.

  Serena laughed and primmed her lips. “Certainly not. George Greene is a respectable member of this community. He won’t tell anyon
e but his wife, and his fellow workers, and maybe the boss.”

  Exactly like French Town. “We’re not doing anything wrong,” he pointed out. “At least, I’m not. I’m not married or engaged or in a relationship.” He made it both a pledge and an unspoken question.

  “Me either. But everyone has been sure that Jerome and I were destined for each other.” Her voice trailed away.

  Outrage simmered in his veins. “You and Bock? Were you two dating?” Down, boy.

  She shook her head. Pink and green and streaky yellow light flashed from her unusual hair. “Nope. But my dad was all for the match and folks naturally expected that to influence me.”

  “Bossy is he?”

  “Dad? You might say so.” Her throat moved convulsively. “My father is the mer-king.”

  “King of the mer-people?”

  “Yup. At least of the ones from around here. We pretty much do as he tells us.”

  “Does that make you a princess?”

  She shook her head again. Her laugh rippled out like the lapping of water over rocks. “Not so much. This is America. I’m just plain old Serena Merryman.”

  “Nothing plain about you, Serena.”

  She stepped a little further away from him. “Thank you, I think.” She sighed. “This can’t go anywhere,” she said sadly. “You’re leaving in a couple of hours.”

  The hell he was. “You took my bear,” he pointed out.

  She opened her right fist and held out the tiny carving. “You better take it back.”

  “I can’t do that. Love is for keeps.”

  Anton closed her fingers around the bear. “That’s yours. I wish I had my woodcarving kit with me, I’d pretty him up some, but oiled and shiny, or rough and dull, he’s yours.” He paused. “Just like me.”

  “Don’t say that. I don’t know anything about you.”

  BELOVED BY THE BEAR

  A SHIFTERS IN LOVE

  FUN & FLIRTY ROMANCE

  Mystic Bay Series Book 3

  by

  Isadora Montrose

  CHAPTER ONE

  Tidewater Inn

  Mystic Bay, West Haven, Oregon

  Anton~

  “Would you like a roast beef sandwich, sir?” The hair-netted server’s gleaming, professional smile wavered in alarm as her green eyes met Anton’s brown ones.

  Every hair on his body – and seeing as Anton Benoit was a bear, he possessed a veritable forest of hairs – stood to attention and saluted. He hoped he wasn’t drooling. Drool was so not cool. No woman liked drool on her bosom. He swallowed mightily. “Yes, please.” Hell, if she wanted to feed him ground scorpions he would eat them from her fair hands.

  He tried not to stare too hard at the name on her white jacket. Serena was embroidered over the finest rack in the western hemisphere. He was tingling from head to toe. Just exactly as if he was coming down with some fatal disease. Or had met his one and only fated mate.

  What color was her hair? Under the black food-safety netting, it was some drab non-color. Not that it mattered. This was the one.

  Serena’s lovely face had stiffened into a mask. Her green eyes showed the whites. Maybe he was staring. Hard. Maybe she felt this overwhelming attraction too.

  She carved him three wisps of rare roast beef and deftly placed them on an oval of French bread spread with mustard. “Horseradish, sir?” she croaked.

  “Yes, please.” Anton looked for a ring. Drew a full breath when he realized her fingers were bare. Just the palest pink ovals tipped her fingers. Of course she might have removed her wedding rings in the interests of hygiene.

  She handed him a tiny plate and smiled at the person behind him.

  “Thank you, Serena,” he said just to feel her name on his lips. He wandered into the wedding crowd bemused. Found a wall and propped himself where he could keep an eye on his mate.

  The groom clapped him on the shoulder. “Hey, buddy, glad you found some food. Let’s see if we can find you a beer to go with that.” Ryan Rutherford’s broad shoulders blocked Anton’s view of Serena.

  Considering that the last time Anton had seen the cougar shifter, he had had to shoot him up with antivenin, Rutherford was looking remarkably healthy. Of course, Marine dress blues did a lot for a guy. It was still good to see that Rutherford had made a full recovery.

  Anton hoped Serena had taken the opportunity to admire his own uniform. He had more fruit salad on his chest than Rutherford. Broader chest too. Not that he was bragging, but facts were facts. He peered hopefully around his pal, but Serena was screened by a line of hungry guests.

  “I see you’ve made a complete recovery, Major.” Anton abandoned his surveillance and followed Ryan to the bar.

  Beer in hand, Rutherford grinned back at him. “I got lucky, Benoit. My wife is part of a family of healers. She neutralized the shifter venom.*”

  Naturally, Anton had already identified the former Claudia Peterson as the good-looking gal in the white lace dress. The bride who had spoken her vows to Rutherford. After all, he was a highly trained investigator. And awake.

  “Good. Good. That’s good.” If only Rutherford would leave him alone to feast his eyes on his mate.

  When Ryan Rutherford had first told him that he was living on an island where all the permanent residents were sensitives, or married to sensitives, Anton had hardly believed the cougar’s luck. Of course, back home in French Town, just about every other person was a bear. Folks didn’t flaunt their bears but shifting was common, and running in the woods a normal part of everyday life.

  The reality of West Haven and its psychics, sorcerers, shifters and intuitives was dizzying. The bride’s people were sorcerers, he had met several psychics, and identified shifters of every stripe among the guests. Anton cleared his throat.

  “Rutherford,” he whispered. “What is that girl behind the roast beef table?”

  “Caterer.”

  “Wise guy.”

  His friend chuckled. “She is, I believe, one of the Merrymans. They are all merfolk.”

  “She’s a mermaid?” Just his fricking luck. What the heck did a guy from the mountains know from mermaids? Plenty of fish in the streams of Washington State, but nary a mermaid. But fate was fate and you couldn’t fight your destiny.

  “You got something against the mer-people, Benoit?” Now Rutherford was pretty nearly snickering.

  “No, no. Of course not. Just never met one.”

  Serena didn’t smell like a mortal woman. Not exactly. And nothing whatsoever like a fish. Her fragrance was better than the sweetest perfume and headier than the scent of any female he had ever encountered. Could fate have bonded him to a mermaid? What were the odds? A fricking mermaid. Anton’s heart pounded. His skin prickled. Certainty flooded him.

  Now Rutherford was looking at him strangely. “You okay, buddy? You look like you aspirated that sandwich.”

  “I’m fine. This is quite some blowout you’re having here.” Anton looked around the room with approval. White-draped tables were spread with everything from crab cakes to hummus. A chocolate fountain occupied one corner. A ragtag group of kids was gathered around it, hardly shoving at all as they eagerly dipped fruit. Anton was glad he wasn’t on clean-up detail.

  “Thanks. We wanted to keep the reception casual, since we couldn’t imagine renewing our vows without our son and his cousins. Come on, I’ll introduce you to Jimmy and Claudia.” Anton followed Ryan to the chocolate fountain to meet the cub and the bride.

  *Cherished by the Cougar

  CHAPTER TWO

  Serena~

  Was it her imagination or was that over-muscled guy in the Marine uniform giving her the glad eye? He was obviously one of Ryan’s friends. Another hunter. Jeez. What the heck was she doing lusting after a hunter? If her family knew they would be horrified. Beyond horrified. Merfolk didn’t mix with hunters. They sure as shooting didn’t climb into bed with them. But she couldn’t control her fascination.

  This fellow didn’t seem vicious, but
he sure was built like one of those massive cement bollards down at the dock. Constructed to withstand gales. A big barrel-chested guy with muscles on his muscles, and the dark outline of a beard showing on his square jaw even though it was just mid-afternoon. No harm in looking, as long as she remembered she was only window shopping.

  Serena returned her attention to the roast beef she was slicing and the open-faced sandwiches she was preparing. Robin Fairchild, the owner of the Tidewater Inn, did not expect her catering manager to stand behind a counter and serve. But two of the regular staff were off with a bug. Serena had put on her whites and stepped into the breach.

  She knew most of the guests since they were locals. Ryan and Claudia had invited many year-rounders. Claudia’s family were fifth generation West Haveners, and lots of Petersons had come. But the Rutherfords were mere summer people. Many of their guests had come from Portland or even further. Not all those people were sensitives either. That big hunter notwithstanding.

  Like many resorts, Mystic Bay and West Haven had an unofficial hierarchy. At the top were the permanent residents like the Merrymans who voted for the Mystic Bay town council and the sheriff. Next came the summer people who owned land and paid taxes but were neither voters nor eligible to sit on the council. Day visitors and tourists came dead last. They were welcome, but definitely non-entities. Where did that bear fit?

  Despite having spent several years off-island, the bride was a permanent resident, her husband one of the summer people. A mixed marriage even if she hadn’t been a sorcerer and he a cougar. That hunter friend of Ryan’s wasn’t even a summer resident. Practically a transient. While Serena had been born and raised on West Haven right in Mystic Bay. By all the unwritten rules he was totally off limits, even if he wasn’t a predator.

  On autopilot, Serena set up more slices of bread and assembled and served sandwiches. She felt the hunter return before he spoke. A sort of dark and dangerous presence. A thrilling presence. Her heart raced, her skin tingled.

  “I’ll have a couple more of those, please, Miss Serena.”

  Her eyes met his. Big brown eyes set under a single heavy dark brow twinkled at her. He grinned. She admired his white teeth. All the better to eat you with, my dear. She slid three sandwiches onto a clean plate. His grin broadened. His large white teeth gleamed. You’ll never feel a thing, my dear. A sizzle developed in her core and her whole body grew damp. She felt her face flame.