Billion Dollar Bear: BBW Paranormal Billionaire Romance (Bad Boy Alphas) (14 page)

      “NO!” Jericho
roared, and Becca turned her head to see Jericho racing toward her, his eyes
wild with fury and fear.
No
, she tried to cry out…
Stay away, you
can’t interfere…

      “STOP THE
MATCH!”

      Ravena
froze as a male Russian voice rang out across the warehouse. Jericho, too,
stopped in his tracks, and as he looked up at the bleachers, Becca followed his
gaze to Sergei, who had stood up, his fists clenched at his sides, his face
pale and wide-eyed. His mate clutched at his arm angrily, trying to pull him
back down, but he wouldn’t hear of it.

      “What is
the meaning of this, Sergei?” she snarled, her icy blue eyes crackling with
ire. “Our daughter is about to win the match!”

      “I can’t
allow her to kill that other she-bear,” Sergei said hollowly, pointing toward
Becca with a shaking hand. “I wasn’t sure of it when I saw her at first, but
now that she’s transformed, I’m sure of it.”

      “Sure of
what?” his mate screeched, but as Becca met Sergei’s dark brown eyes, identical
in color and shape to her own, she knew.

      “She’s my
daughter.”

Jericho couldn’t have been more shocked.
Becca
was the Kamchatka Chieftain’s daughter?

      Ravena
instantly released Becca, jumping to her feet as she changed back to human in a
rush. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” she shrieked mid-change, in a
manner very similar to her mother. “That this half-breed and I are related?
That’s impossible! We look absolutely nothing alike!”

      But as Jericho
rushed to Becca’s side, who was already shifting back, he saw that Ravena was
wrong. Becca had Sergei’s eyes as well as the curve of his mouth.
Why had he
never noticed it before? Even when he’d learned she was a Kamchatka bear and
had wondered whether or not she was related to a member of Sergei’s clan, he
hadn’t considered whether or not she was related to Sergei himself.

      “I’m sorry
that you had to find out this way, but it’s true.” Sergei had moved from the
bleachers, and was taking his daughter’s hands in his now. His eyes slanted
toward Becca, whose eyes were closed, her breathing harsh as she forced herself
through the rest of the change for the fourth time today.
She had to be
exhausted
, Jericho thought, stroking her forehead tenderly. “She must be a
product from my younger days, back when I was interested in human women.” He
glanced guiltily toward his mate, who looked frostily at him. “It was before I
met you.”

      “She’s not
a product,” Jericho snarled, his need to remain by Becca’s side the only thing
that kept him from launching himself at Sergei. “She’s your daughter, and my
future mate. Show her some respect.”

      “But this
can’t be!” Ravena wailed like a spoiled child. “I can’t have a half-human
sister. I just can’t!”

      “Silence!”
Sergei thundered, and Ravena snapped her mouth shut instantly, her eyes
widening at being shouted at by her father for probably the first time in her
life.

“It is the truth, and as her father I owe
her my fealty and I am required to take responsibility for her.”

      “If
that’s… the law…” Becca said as she struggled into a sitting position, scowling
up at Sergei. “Then why is it that you haven’t done so before?”

      Sergei
winced. “I never knew of you before,” he said. “Your mother did not tell me.”
His eyes softened as he took Becca’s features in. “But I remember her well
enough. She was a fine woman, and you look to have become a fine lady.”

      Jericho tensed
as Sergei crouched down beside Becca, too confused to snarl at him or snap at
him to get away from her. He’d never seen the ruthless, bloodthirsty chieftain act
this way in his entire life, and it unnerved him. “I apologize for abandoning
you, however unknowingly that I did so. Half-breed or not, you are my family
and I owe you my love and care.”

      Becca
relaxed a little, seeming somewhat mollified by Sergei’s reception of her. “If
that’s true, you’ll allow me to mate with Jericho, and give us your full
support.”

      Sergei
hesitated for only the briefest of moments. “As you wish.”

      “But father!”
Ravena began to shriek, but Sergei cut another glare her way.

      “Would you
rather have Becca come to live with us?” he asked in a steely voice, sounding
much more like the Sergei Jericho knew. “Because that’s exactly what would
happen otherwise.”

      Becca
opened her mouth, likely to protest, but Jericho squeezed her hand and shook
his head. “Absolutely not,” Ravena said, screwing up her face in distaste. She
waved an elegant hand dismissively. “You can have the half-breed,” she said
loftily to Jericho. “At this point I’ve decided there are much more suitable
mates out there for me than the likes of you.”

      “You never
deserved him in the first place,” Becca snarled as Ravena moved closer to her
mother, who was still glaring at Sergei.

      “Stop,” Jericho
said, laughing a little. “There’s no point in playing her game, not when we’ve
got exactly what we wanted.”

      “Oh yeah?”
Becca arched a brow. “And what is that, exactly?”

      Jericho
grinned. “You know damn well what, exactly. Unless you plan to return to Paris
and…”

      Becca cut
him off with a fierce kiss that ignited his blood and made him forget about
everything and everyone around them. Catcalls echoed throughout the warehouse
as he wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her back, soaking up the feel of
his gorgeous future mate in his arms. She smelled like ambrosia and felt like
heaven, and the way she tasted… it was enough to drive him wild.

      “You and I
are going to be mates,” she growled when she’d pulled back from him. “There is
no question about that.”

      “Well,
it’s about damn time.” Laughing, he gently scooped her up in his arms and
headed for the exit, not even bothering to look back. “It took you long enough
to come to terms with the fact that there would never be a better man for you.”

      “Hey, now,”
she replied with a smile. “All good things are worth waiting for.”

“This is true,” Jericho replied with a
chuckle. “But I’m rather anxious to get on with the mating ceremony. I’m sure
you understand.”

“I do,” Becca replied. “So take me home,
husband.”

Becca snuggled up against his chest, and
as the rest of his clan followed behind, surrounding them with their love and
protection, Jericho couldn’t help but admit, this woman was exactly what he had
been looking for his entire life. Now that he had her, he planned to do everything
possible to make sure she was the most loved were-bear on earth.

About The Author

Catherine Vale has been
writing fiction for as long as she can remember, but it wasn't until she wrote
her very first paranormal romance story that she found herself hooked on the
raw, edgy love affair of shifters, vampires and other dominant alpha males, and
the captivating women that love them. 

Catherine Vale writes both
contemporary and paranormal romance for readers who are willing to take a walk
on the wild side of love. Her stories always include powerful alpha males,
smart and sassy heroines and a happily-ever-after (even if she often puts her
characters through hell to get there!)

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Other Books By Catherine Vale

Untamed
Hearts

The
Wolves Next Door

A
Touch Of Vampire

Her
Two Bears

Double
Trouble

Taste
Of Honey

Scent
Of A Mate

Shades
of Dragon

Awakening
The Bear

On The
Prowl (Jaguar Series)

Kiss
Of Fire
To Catch A Cheetah

Between
Two Wolves

Burn,
Baby, Burn
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