ROMANCE: Highland Bear Love : A BBW Paranormal Historical Billionaire Romance (Fantasy Alpha Male Shape Shifter Short Stories) Read Online Free Page A

relief. But soon, she began reading about him in the newspapers. He was doing well for himself. He seemed to have matured.
    When she got an invite to meet him for dinner at one of the most exclusive restaurants in the city, she’d accepted, curious to see the man he had become. The thing was, he hadn’t changed. He still leered at her, still tried to get his way. If anything, he was worse. He thought his money gave him authority over her. He was wrong. She had ended up leaving the restaurant in a rage, listening as he called out to her with his threats, knowing it was only a matter of time before he tried to take what she would not give him.
    He thought she was his mate. He was delusional. She would not touch him. She’d rather die first. When the wolves had chased her in the woods, she’d thought that was what they meant to do. Freddie would rather her dead than be with another man. Even if she had been wrong about Freddie’s intentions, even if he did not mean for her to die, it was still a dark fate he had in store for her.
    It was best that Dermott knew. She shouldn’t have let him get involved. He deserved better. He deserved the happy family he craved to fill his house.
    “So you finally left the nest, little bird,” a man said, stepping out from the woods. He wore a sharp suit, but he was vile, with eyes that could murder poison.
    “Freddie,” she said, her guard flying high. “Where are your henchmen?”
    “They’re here,” he said, looking beyond her as a black limo came up the road. “Care for a lift back to the city?”
    It wasn’t an offer. It was a demand. She should run, but she was tired. She didn’t know if it was her night of love making with Dermott or the weight of the years running from Freddie’s grasp, but she was exhausted. Her body ached with fatigue. There was nowhere else to go, except where he wanted.
     
    ***
     
                 

The drive back to the city was long. Freddie sat behind her in the limo like a hunter showcasing his prize. He tried to put his hand on her knee, but Kendell pushed him away, making her opinion of him clear.
                  “I should kill the bear,” he deliberated as the forest around them began to thin, replaced by billboards and retail outlets. “But I’ll let him live, only because I need his business.” He brushed a piece of her hair off her cheek. His hand felt like a snake slithering against her skin. “It’s good to know powerful businessmen are your type.”
                  Once again, she pushed his hand away. Not as forgiving this time, he slapped her across the face. “You will respect me, Kendell. I’m your destiny.”
                  “You’re my nightmare,” she spat, denying him her fear. “I don’t know how you and Derek were ever friends.”
                  He wasn’t listening. “I did this for you, you know,” he claimed. “I built my empire for you.”
                  If he were any other man, she may have felt compassion for him. But Freddie was a creep. He was unkind. He didn’t warrant compassion. He warranted a grave in the ground.
                  “You did this for yourself,” she said, her voice weaker than she meant. Her fatigue continued to eat away at her, and her stomach was sore. If only she could close her eyes… But she couldn’t. Not with Freddie looking at her the way he did.
                  To her relief, they continued on in silence. She assumed they were heading for the mansion he had in the city, but upon crossing the city borders, the limo took a sharp left, away from the posher side of town, and to the gritty underbelly of the city, a place that made even her neighborhood look tame. They parked outside what looked like a club for heathens.
                  “I just have to make a detour,” Freddie said, stepping out of the limo. “It’ll be awhile. Don’t go anywhere.” He laughed