Page 34 of A Bear's Secret

Chapter Nine

Austin

When the policemenfirst came tumbling down the hill, Austin held his breath until he could see their faces. Without realizing it, he moved himself slightly in front of Trevor and Sloane, trying to shield both of them with his body.

The first officer down the hill wasn’t a shifter. That much was obvious as he lost his footing and tumbled down the slope, getting his uniform all dirty. As he stood and brushed himself off, he tried to look imposing, but failed.

The other two had better luck on the hill, but not by a lot. Also human.

Austin relaxed a little. He didn’t like that a couple of human cops had found him and Trevor together, but it could have been much worse. About half the police force of Ponderosa County was lupine, and if it had been one of them, it would have been a matter of days — hours, even — before Trevor’s parents found out, and kicked him from the pack or worse.

Must be rookies here about the nudity, Austin thought. I guess someone saw us and reported it. That was fast, though.

He turned around to let Trevor and Sloane know that it was okay. Trevor had his hands on Sloane’s shoulders, his jaw set tightly. Sloane looked somewhere between nervous and scared, not that Austin blamed her. Naked, female, and around five men all bigger than her wasn’t a place he’d want to be either.

“It’s fine,” he whispered. Then he winked for good measure, and he could see Sloane’s shoulders droop a little bit.

Then the bottom police officer put a hand to his eyes, shading them against the light.

“Sloane Garcia?” he shouted.

Austin’s bear sat up, immediately on high alert.

What the hell do they want with Sloane? He thought. How do they even know her name?

Behind him, she moved to one side, still mostly underwater, and spoke up.

“Yes?” she called out, her voice high with tension.

“You’re under arrest,” the cop called out.

“Bullshit,” said Austin. “For skinny dipping?”

“For the attempted murder of James Cookson.”

For half a second, time completely froze.

Then Austin’s bear stood up on its hind legs and roared.

Behind him, he could hear Trevor growling. Sloane’s mouth was open in shock.

“What?” she said.

“Come on out of there,” the officer said, looking disdainfully at the freezing cold water.

“How about you come in here and get her,” snarled Trevor.

“You can arrest her if you can get her,” added Austin. His heart thumped wildly and he could barely control himself, between the threat to his maybe-mate and the smell terror rolling off of her.

The police officer just unclipped his gun. Trevor’s growl got deeper, and Austin could practically feel the fur itching just below his skin.

PROTECT MATE. PROTECT MATE, his brain screamed at him, and he stared the officer down, the only sounds the wind through the trees and the furious galloping of Sloane’s heart.

“Don’t make this harder than it has to be,” the policeman said. “We just want the girl, but we’ll take her however we have to.”

Austin felt one hand on his arm, and he looked down, his racing mind temporarily interrupted.

“Calm down,” Sloane said.

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