Claused: BBW Holiday Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance (Christmas Bears Book 2) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  Foreword

  Chapter One – Kain

  Chapter Two – Marra

  Chapter Three – Kain

  Chapter Four – Marra

  Chapter Five – Kain

  Chapter Six – Marra

  Chapter Seven – Kain

  Chapter Eight – Marra

  Chapter Nine – Kain

  Chapter Ten – Marra

  Chapter Eleven – Kain

  Chapter Twelve – Marra

  Chapter Thirteen – Kain

  Chapter Fourteen – Marra

  Chapter Fifteen – Kain

  Chapter Sixteen – Marra

  Chapter Seventeen – Kain

  Chapter Eighteen – Marra

  Chapter Nineteen – Kain

  Chapter Twenty – Marra

  Chapter Twenty-One – Kain

  Chapter Twenty-Two – Marra

  Chapter Twenty-Three – Kain

  Epilogue

  Get In Touch

  Claused

  Christmas Bears

  (Book Two)

  ***

  All rights reserved. This book, or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner without the express written consent of the author or publisher.

  This is a work of fiction and is intended for mature audiences only. All characters within are eighteen years of age or older. Names, places, businesses, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, actual events or places is purely coincidental.

  © 2016 Harmony Raines

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  Claused

  Christmas Bears

  Book Two

  Bear shifter Kain, who also happens to be a lawyer, has just met his mate. There’s just one problem, she’s crazy. Like, two sandwiches short of a picnic crazy. Why? Because his mate, a wonderfully curvy woman, named Marraine Le Fey, thinks someone has stolen her magic wand. That’s right. Her. Magic. Wand.

  And why does she have a magic wand? Because she’s a fairy godmother of course!

  None of this alters the fact that she’s his bonded mate, so he’s going to get Marra out of jail, and find her some help. Only she doesn’t want psychiatric help, that would be too easy. Instead, Marra wants Kain to assist her in her role, as a wandless fairy godmother.

  For Marraine Le Fey has a Cinderella, who needs her help.

  If you want to know who gets to go to the ball—Well, it’s not really a ball, more of a business presentation. This is the twenty-first century, after all— Come join the fun, in Claused. Because once you make a fairy godmother a promise, there’s no getting out of it.

  Chapter One – Kain

  Kain grinned at his two friends. They were seated at the bar, two weeks before Christmas, while Kain and his best friend, and partner in the law firm, Bas Manners, had the same discussion as last year, and every other year before that. Undercover detective Asher Hunt was the referee, not a task to be envied.

  It was the opposite argument to most other people at this time of year. They weren’t trying to decide who was going to be the lucky person to have a Christmas vacation, they were trying to decide who was going to be lucky enough to work over the holidays. How sad was that?

  For lonely bear shifters, it was a difficult time. They were single and willing to work over the holidays, just so they didn’t have to think of their mates or cubs, who were still missing from their lives. Tonight was the yearly drawing of straws as to whether Kain, or Bas, his friend since law school, and fellow helper of the poor and misunderstood, would have the privilege of working Christmas.

  What Bas didn’t know was, this year, the vote was rigged.

  “We’re going to draw straws again? We need to come up with something more original.” He sighed, then said, “OK. Me or you, Kain, whoever pulls the shortest straw gets to work over Christmas.” Bas took a sip of his cold beer. Bas was in unusually high spirits, not from too much liquor, but at the thought of a long weekend off. He was heading for the mountains to let his bear run free. For once Kain was jealous of his friend, or at least his bear was.

  Soon, we’ll get away soon, he told his bear, as the russet-colored creature stretched, yawned, and then settled back down to sleep. His bear slept a lot lately; he was almost in permanent hibernation. Kain wasn’t sure if it was boredom, or a melancholy state of mind the beast had fallen into as their search for a mate constantly failed to provide any kind of reward.

  “OK, ladies, let the best man win,” said Asher, who was always much too chipper about life.

  “Such charm and sophistication,” Kain said, drawing a drinking straw from Asher’s hand. “Short?” Of course it was short, they had a deal, but Asher kept his face perfectly composed. There was a reason he spent so much time undercover, he gave nothing away. Kain knew it was from his early years, when showing emotion would have meant showing weakness, and weakness got you killed.

  “I think so.” Asher moved his hands closer to Bas. “Take yours, Bas, and then compare.”

  Bas pulled out a straw and held it up next to Kain’s. “That means you get to work Christmas,” Bas said to Kain.

  “Bummer,” Kain said, slipping his straw into his pocket. A good lawyer never revealed evidence that might lead to a conviction.

  “Hey, wait, you two set this up!” Bas said, dragging Kain’s hand back into view. “It was marked.” Kain laughed. They’d known each other for too long, and could read each other’s body language. But it was too late: the draw had been made, and the result would stand.

  “You have been hustled,” Kain said, grinning at Asher.

  “Are you telling us you want to work over the holidays that much?” Bas asked.

  “That’s what holidays are for, working,” Asher said. Asher had also been rostered on at work, and understood the need to fill those long lonely hours only too well.

  “We really need to figure out how to find out mates,” Kain said sadly. “I used to love Christmas, but it’s lost its magic.”

  “We are a sad bunch of losers,” Bas said.

  “Yes we are. It’s just another day to me,” Asher said, as way of an explanation. He shrugged. “I have no family that I know of, no mate, and nowhere to be if you ladies are working or visiting family.”

  “You could come to my parents’ house,” Bas said. “At least that way the accusations will be split two ways.”

  “Accusations?” Kain asked. “Have you two been up to something I don’t know about?”

  “No. But you know if I go home for Christmas, I get accused of purposely not finding a mate, as well as sabotaging my career by working the wrong kind of cases.”

  “You mean defending poor people, instead of the rich ones?” Kain asked.

  “That’s how my dad sees it. My mom just wants me settled down with a wife and kids. Although I’m sure they both think that once I find my mate, I’ll run back home and demand a place in my father’s law firm so that I can provide my trophy wife with everything she’ll ever need.” He sounded bitter, and had every reason to. Bas had a difficult relationship with his father. “I won’t,
and it’s not as if I am avoiding finding my mate. I’m not sure where Mom expects me to look. Or if she believes my mate will just fall into my lap.”

  “Now, that would be amazing,” Kain said. “But we live in the real world, and that does not happen.” His bear groaned in his head, making it clear to Kain that the root of his depression was in their lack of a mate. He needed to rectify the situation, and fast.

  “What we need is some Christmas Magic,” Asher said.

  Bas and Kain laughed, and Kain said, “Yeah, because fairy godmothers are real, and one day ours will wave her magic wand and we’ll all have mates.” If only it was that simple, his bear agreed.

  “Or maybe Santa will bring my mate on his sleigh and put her in my Christmas stocking this year. Note to self,” Bas said, pretending to write on the palm of his hand, “Bigger Christmas stocking needed.”

  Asher laughed. “A lot bigger, because I want my woman to have curves in all the right places.”

  “All the right places,” Kain agreed. What he wouldn’t give for a curvy woman in his stocking this year!

  “OK,” Bas said. “I would love to stay and chat, but if we’re done here, I’m getting out of town for the weekend. Are you sure neither of you want to join me?”

  “Working,” said Kain. “I’m on call tonight. Why do you think I’m drinking lemonade?” Right now, he would love to drink a whole bottle of something a lot stronger to numb the ache that was manifesting in his heart. If he didn’t act fast, he might not be just mate-less, but bear-less too. And life without his bear would be as bad, if not worse, than life without his mate. They were two, joined as one. Maybe he should have let Bas work the holidays and spent the time off searching for his mate until he found her.

  “Asher?” Bas asked.

  “Wish I could. But I promised to help downtown.”

  “Always the good Samaritan,” Bas said.

  “Paying it back, paying it forward, whichever way you look at it.” Asher had been in a children’s home his whole life, until he was thirteen, and the shift was nearly upon him. Not knowing what it was, and sensing the change in himself, he’d run, afraid of what he was when hairs spontaneously sprouted on the backs of his hands. Too many werewolf movies had made him think he was going to turn into a crazed killer.

  He’d gotten lucky. Found in the local park by a wolf shifter, he’d been taken in, and given a new start. He’d learned who he was, and what he was, a bear shifter. Ever since, he’d paid back his good fortune, becoming a police officer to help those who needed it.

  “I know.” Bas patted Asher on the shoulder. “If you need anything, call.”

  “I thought you were escaping?” Asher said.

  “I am, but you know…”

  “Soft-hearted Barnabas Bear,” Kain said, laughing and draining his lemonade. They teased each other like brothers, which in a way they were, not bound by blood, but bound by a need to help others. Like Robin Hood, or the Three Musketeers.

  “Yeah, don’t tell everyone, though, especially the DA.” Bas downed the rest of his beer. “You know how much she loves us.”

  “Loves us—yeah, right. Although we all know she has a crush on Asher,” Kain said. Kain would even settle for an old battle-axe like the DA being his mate right now. That was how desperate he felt.

  Asher smiled. “Working relationship only,” he said. “She is not my mate.”

  “Behave, both of you. Uncle Bas will be back late Monday evening, I expect to find you living your boring lives, but if you happen to find mates…”

  “No teasing,” Kain said. But, boy, he wished that would happen.

  “Find that fairy godmother and her magic wand, then,” Bas said. “And get her to use it on us all.

  “Get going,” Asher said to Bas. “You know none of us believe in Santa or the tooth fairy. After the things we see every day, there is no way I believe in magic.”

  “True,” Bas sighed. “But you never know. It’s Christmas, or will be in a couple of weeks. So if there is any magic, anywhere, this is the time to find it.”

  “Do you really believe that?” Kain asked seriously.

  Bas burst out laughing. “No. But I had you two going. There is no magic in the world. Or if there is, it is us. Shifters. Sad, but that’s the truth.”

  “Have a good trip,” Kain called as Bas left the bar.

  “Will do. Call me if you need me, I’ll check in tomorrow sometime.” The door shut behind Bas, leaving Kain and Asher alone.

  “Do you think we will ever find mates?” Asher asked, his mood unusually somber.

  “Chances are one of us will,” Kain said. “We’re three of the good guys. We deserve it, right?”

  “Good guys. Yeah. I sometimes wonder what that counts for these days.”

  “A lot, my friend. A lot. Like you said, pay it forward.” He looked down as his phone rang. “I’m up. I wonder what’s in store for me this fine Friday night, drunk and disorderly. DUI?”

  “I have a cold, empty bed to go back to. I don’t know which of us has it worse?” Asher said, getting up from the bar.

  “I’ll let you know. If someone pukes on my shoes tonight, I’d say you got the best deal.”

  “Here’s to no puking!” Asher said, and then they left the bar, to go their separate ways.

  As he drove his car to the police station, Kain looked at all the Christmas lights and decorations, and made a promise to his bear. Next year, he and his bear would not be working Christmas; instead, they would be spending it with his mate.

  Chapter Two – Marra

  “OK. Look, help will be here any minute now, and he will help you.” The police officer looked a mixture of harassed and bemused. Marra tended to have that effect on people.

  “Thank you, Officer…”

  “Partridge. Officer Partridge.” He smiled at her with a fatherly look in his eyes. “Your lawyer will sort this out for you.”

  “I’m still not sure why I need a lawyer,” she said. In Marra’s eyes she’d done nothing wrong. It was she who had been robbed. Yet somehow, things had gotten changed around and the person who had stolen her wand had gotten away with it, by saying she was crazy, and the police had believed him. It seemed money really did talk.

  “Are you going to press charges, Officer Partridge?” Marra asked.

  “If it was up to me, no. But it’s not up to me, so let’s see what your lawyer can do. I called Kain Nolan, he’s the best I know. A good man, and if anyone can get you out of here, he can. Plus, he’ll only charge what you can afford.”

  “I see.” She looked at her watch. It was a little after seven, and she was trying not to get too agitated, knowing it would go against her if Officer Partridge, or anyone else, for that matter, thought she was mentally unstable. “I have money.”

  “You won’t have if this goes to trial,” Officer Partridge said dryly. “I’d see what Kain has to say first. You don’t always get what you pay for.”

  She liked Officer Partridge; he gave her a sense of trust and honesty. “I’ll take your word for it.” A quick glance at her watch told her she needed to get out of here quickly. If Kain Nolan didn’t arrive in the next half hour, she would have to call another lawyer, no matter what the cost. Marra needed to get out and track down her wand.

  “Ahh, here he is.” Officer Partridge stood up as the door opened; a tall, dark, and handsome man, with muscles barely concealed under his well-cut suit, walked into the room. At least he started walking into the room, and then stopped, looking at her as if she were something amazing, or terrifying. She couldn’t tell which, his face was too intense to read.

  Could he see her, could he sense what she really was? Maybe this was going to turn out OK. If he knew all about fairy godmothers, he’d have her out of there quicker than you could say wish upon a star, which was one of her favorite ways to find out what someone truly wanted in their heart.

  Marra watched his expression. He wasn’t giving off the right kind of vibe, he wasn’t in awe of her
, he was simply staring, as if she were a curiosity in a freak show. If Kain Nolan knew what she was, he wasn’t in awe, he was in shock. Perhaps she was going to have to phone an expensive lawyer after all.

  She sighed and placed her hands flat down on the table, closing her eyes to collect her thoughts as the man continued to stare at her. Marra hated any kind of attention, preferring to slip through life unseen, except for when she was called upon to change people’s lives with a wave of her wand. Not that she’d had much experience: this was all new to her. The magic wand had only recently been passed to her by her mom. Which was why she was so mortified at having lost the family wand, right when her first Cinderella needed her.

  “Kain. Mr. Nolan, are you OK?” Officer Partridge asked.

  Marra looked up. Her lawyer was still mildly incapacitated, leaning against the wall, staring at her, while Officer Partridge was placing his hand on Mr. Nolan’s arm and helping him to stand upright.

  “I’m fine,” her lawyer said.

  Officer Partridge dropped his voice. “I didn’t pull you from a Christmas party, did I?”

  “No.” Mr. Nolan stood up and straightened his jacket, although he still looked shaken. “I haven’t been drinking, if that’s what you mean.”

  “It wasn’t.” But Officer Partridge didn’t meet the lawyer’s face, showing it was exactly what he meant.

  If there was one thing Marra was good at, it was reading people’s body language. But Mr. Nolan seemed beyond her. Now he was standing upright, she sensed something predatory in the way he looked at her. Something primal, which made her body quiver with anticipation. He scared her, maybe it was his size, or his demeanor, but this man didn’t look like the good man Officer Partridge had described.

  But Marra should know, looks weren’t everything.

  “Sorry, Officer Partridge. I wonder if you could read the charges to me? So I can get a handle on exactly what you have on my client…” He looked down at the file in his hand. “Marraine Le Fey.” His voice caressed the words, while his eyes caressed her body.