Grayslake: More than Mated: Bears Do It Better (Kindle Worlds Novella) Read Free

at her aunt, she pleaded, “Please don’t scare them off. This means a lot to me.”
    Her aunt stopped laughing immediately and reached over to cup Misha’s face. “I know this means something to you, my sweet girl, but I want you to remember one thing.”
    “Yes?” Misha asked her warily.
    A hard glimmer shined in her adoptive aunt’s eye. “You are my cub, little bear, and kill, I will, anyone who hurts you.”
    Misha felt her eyes water up at the fierce sentiment from the other woman. Never had she wondered if she was loved. Her Aunt Arina and the rest of the Vasiliev Pride had always let her know in every way possible that she was their cub.
    All of a sudden, Misha had doubts about trying to find her biological relatives. She didn’t want her tiger family thinking she didn’t love them as fiercely as they had loved her all these years.
    Grabbing Arina’s wrists where she still held Misha’s face, she tried to convey that exact sentiment. “I don’t have to do this if you don’t want me to, Aunt Arina. We can leave right now, get on a plane, and go home to Russia. The Vasiliev Pride has been and will always be my family.”
    The older woman clucked her tongue. “My little bear did not come all this way to turn back now. We shall go meet the Yogis and the Boo-Boos to see if you are kin to one of them. If yes, perhaps we can kidnap them and take them back to our homeland, too!”
    Misha snorted. She couldn’t help it. The tigress wouldn’t know the concept of subtle if it hit her like one of those very large, onion-shaped architectural domes their country’s buildings were so known for.
    Patting her aunt’s wrist lovingly, Misha gave one last plea. “Please do not piss the bears off.”
    A horrified look came over her aunt’s face as she shouted back, “Why would I piss on the bears? What a horrible way to scent mark! Ty che, blyad? ”
    Misha held her finger up in warning. “No cursing in Russian. Now, let’s go.”
    Getting out of the car, she ignored her aunt’s rambling and closed the car door behind her. Turning around, she concentrated on the sound of the gravel beneath her feet to distract her from the racing thoughts going through her head. Misha’s eyes were glued to the people on the porch. They were all male bears and she did not see or smell a sow nearby. Were they protecting their women folk from her?
    The gravel gave way to grass as she stood before the steps leading to the den and the large men in front of her. Misha stared right back at them just as all of her tiger relatives had taught her to do. She wasn’t going to look away and show weakness. Every tiger knew how to stare down a potential threat or another predator. Misha just happened to be a bear who knew how to do it.
    All four of the men watched her unwaveringly, not moving a muscle, nor blinking an eyelid. They just stood there like giant sentries.
    After a few silent moments of staring at each other, Misha got the feeling they were not trying to scare her with their tactics. It felt more like they were curious as to what she would do. Perhaps she should break the ice between them?
    Misha opened her mouth to say something, but two things happened that stopped her. First, one of the bears blinked. What happened next would probably mortify Misha for the rest of her life.
    “Ah-ha!” Auntie Arina yelled from behind her. “Boo-Boo blinked first! My Misha wins. Now take us to your leader.”
    Why couldn’t the ground just open up underneath her and swallow her alive when her family did stuff like that? Because really, who wanted to live through this sort of incessant mortification?
    “ Boo-Boo ?” a deep voice growled from in front of her.
    Yeah, it was time Misha took control of this situation before it got any worse.
    Looking up at the four men, Misha waved in greeting. “Hello. I am Misha Vasiliev. I believe your Itan is expecting me?”
    The man in front of her pointed to Aunt Arina. “What’s the cat doing