Free Bear's Baby (Bear Heat Book 4) by Natalie Kristen

droned insistently in his ears. As
passers-by jostled past him, he could scent their underlying beasts
and emotions. He could make out human and shifter scents. There
were wolves and lions, cheetahs and even a crocodile under some of
those human skins. The air shimmered with the rise and ebb of their
emotions. Worry, frustration, excitement, anger and the occasional
spark of joy. Nothing out of the ordinary. These were all the usual
scents, sounds and sights of the city.
    Baxter continued prowling the
streets, determined to find the blasted demon and destroy the fiend
before he caused more mayhem and destruction. The Black Bears had
assisted the dragons in their fight against the demons before, and
Baxter had seen firsthand how devious and brutal the demons were.
    He had seen some of his
comrades die in battle, and he didn't want to think about what the
demons could do to the humans. If they could rip a hardened,
well-trained Black Bear to pieces, they would no doubt be able to gut
an adult human single-handedly in less than thirty seconds.
    Baxter let his bear out a
little more and felt his claws push out from his fingertips. His
bear vibrated with impatience and frustration under his skin. His
bear didn't want to be boxed in and hindered. His bear wanted to go
all out and hunt down that cunning demon.
    “Soon,” Baxter
snarled to his bear. “Just a while more.”
    He would keep his human form
and mind for a while more. He trusted his bear, but a good tracker
needed to think and plan as well. His human brain was more agile
than his single-minded animal brain. He needed to outthink and
outsmart the demon, and predict and anticipate his movements.
    Outside of the demon realms,
the demons could increase their power by spilling innocent blood. It
wasn't the blood per se that empowered them. It was the destruction
of innocent life and goodness.
    Baxter stopped in the middle
of the street and let the scents and sounds pummel him. He had to
think. What did the demon want and what would he be looking for?
The demon wanted power, and he was looking for blood. Blood of the
innocent and the righteous.
    The escaped demon was both
hunter and prey. He was being hunted, but he was also hunting. The
demon was hunting for victims, and these victims had to embody the
goodness and courage of the city. They would be good people who
fought against evil and terror.
    Baxter opened his eyes with a
gasp.
    He knew where he had to go.
    His bear growled but not in
protest. His beast backed him up a hundred per cent this time.
Every instinct kicked in as he took off at a dead run. His killer
and predatory instinct was out in full force. Kill and destroy,
protect and defend.
    Even as he bulldozed through
the crowd, fear clutched at his heart. Why didn't he think of this
sooner?
    He punched at his watch as he
charged ahead. The Black Bears would pick up on his signal and they
would be able to home in on his location.
    At this moment, he didn't
care if he had backup or not. He just had to get there first.
    He couldn't be too late. His
heart and gut tightened as he hurtled through the never-ending wave
of busy, oblivious people.
    Having someone, not just
something, to fight for. Yeah, it did feel different. It felt
fucking terrifying.

CHAPTER
FIFTEEN

    Lindy snapped on her seat
belt as Dr. Ross Manolo started the car engine. Ross turned to smile
at her before revving the engine and peeling out of the car park.
    Lindy felt her skin prickle.
That smile didn't look warm and friendly. It wasn't the smile from a
trusted, respected colleague. The smile was taunting, leering and so
very cold.
    Lindy gulped and fought to
keep her voice steady. “R-Ross, um, maybe we should do this
another time. You can show me your daughter's letters in my office.
I...I really have to get back. T-there's just so much to do...”
    “There's always so much
to do,” Ross said smoothly. “So much to do, so little
time.”
    “Yeah.” She let
out a nervous laugh. “If it's