Free Brash Bear: BBW Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance (BRIDES fur BEARS Book 3) by Natalie Kristen

ran to the door, but he was
faster. Kicking the door shut, he yanked her back by the hair and
pressed the knife to her throat.
    “Are you going to say
no to me now?” he hissed.
    She closed her eyes briefly
and clenched her fists. Taking a deep, fortifying breath, she
slammed her head back forcefully.
    There was a sharp, satisfying
crack and Harlan released her abruptly.
    Bella fell forward and she
scrambled away in a blind panic. Turning around, she saw Harlan
clutching his broken nose and howling. Blood spurted from his
crooked nose and he was screaming in pain.
    Standing up, Bella faced him
and panted, “That's right, Harlan. My answer to you will
always be no.”

CHAPTER
TWENTY-SEVEN

    The crew was just packing up
at the work site when Josh dropped the box of tools he had been
carrying on Damien's steel-capped work boots and ran straight for his
car. Damien let out a string of colorful, inventive curses as he
hopped up and down on the spot. But Josh didn't have time to explain
anything to his brothers and work mates. He just knew he had to get
to Bella right away.
    He pulled up in front of
Bella's house with a screech of tires. Leaving the engine running,
Josh bolted from his car and ran straight to Celia's house. He knew
exactly where his mate was, and he could feel her burning anger like
a lightning bolt. Her anger called to his bear, and his beast had
reared up in answer.
    The door of Celia's house was
ajar. He knew the layout of her house well. His crew had remodeled
her kitchen and bedroom just a few months back.
    Josh followed his mate's
scent and rushed to the bedroom. A man was waving a knife at Bella,
scowling and swearing as he covered his dripping nose with one hand.
    His bear roared at the sight
of someone threatening his mate. Joshua slammed into the guy and
felled the bastard with surprising ease. The guy didn't seem too
steady on his feet, and he screamed and kicked like a girl.
    Josh twisted the man's wrist
and made him drop the knife. He pulled his fist back to punch the
daylights out of the piece of shit and the man screamed again. The
coward actually screamed and tried to shield his face instead of
fighting back.
    What a wuss.
    Josh snarled and socked the
man in the jaw. His claws sliced out and he was about to stab into
the bastard's chest when Bella held his forearm and stopped him.
    “Don't kill him.”
    Joshua shook his head, trying
to clear the red haze from his eyes. “Why not,” he
growled. His bear wanted to take the enemy out once and for all.
Just kill the scumbag and be done with it.
    “He deserves to be in
jail. Not in the ground,” Bella said softly.
    Joshua whipped his head
round. “Who is he? He hurt you, didn't he?” His eyes
were still feral, glowing with the rage of his beast.
    “He's my ex-husband,
Harlan,” Bella answered. “No, he didn't hurt me. He can
never hurt me again.”
    Josh heard familiar footsteps
running through the front door. His twin came bursting into the
room, his eyes wide and anxious. When Jax saw Josh on the ground
with Harlan, Jax growled and unsheathed his claws.
    “I'll finish him off,”
Jax snarled.
    Josh shook his head at his
brother. “We're taking this one alive.”
    “Why,” Jax
snapped, glaring at Harlan.
    Josh turned to look at his
twin. He and Jax shared a connection that couldn't be explained,
couldn't be broken. They could understand each other without words,
and knew what the other was feeling. And they always had each
other's backs. As boys, they usually shrugged off a blow that was
aimed at themselves. But they would fly into a terrible rage and get
into a violent brawl if someone hurt their twin.
    Jax was outraged on his
behalf, and he had rushed after him without question. His brother
would kill for him, just so that Bella wouldn't have to watch her
mate kill her ex-husband.
    “He might be scum, but
he doesn't deserve to die,” Josh said with deceptive calm.
    Jax scowled. “But he
hurt her. And her.” Her jerked his head at