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behind her long enough for her to do& something.
That s one damn big grizzly bear, Rog, but I don t see no man. The hunter, small in comparison to
Roger, shook his head and switched his gun from one hand to the other.
Are you calling me a liar, Mac? He changed. I ve seen him do it twice now. Once we fill him with
lead, we can haul him off this mountain. We ll put him in a cage where he belongs and show the world.
He s going to make us rich.
You re planning on caging him? Chloe gaped at her ex-boyfriend. Are you kidding me?
Beverly Rae
That s right, bitch. Roger checked his men, making sure they were ready. Remember. Shoot him in
the legs. He s worth more alive than dead.
Conan inched closer. She could hear his short pants, heard his paws digging into the ground and
smelled the dirt flung in the air. Please, Conan, you promised not to hurt anyone. Let me handle this.
Mac lifted his gun a little higher, his nervousness showing in the way he danced on his feet. He s a
big one. Bigger than I ve ever seen. You didn t tell us he was this big. How the hell are we going to get him
loaded in the truck?
Roger paused, searching for an answer. Never mind. We ll figure something out once we have him
muzzled and chained. Chloe, get the hell out of the way. He cocked his gun and aimed.
Conan roared, the sound a physical entity that covered Chloe in a tangible blanket of air and shook her
into action.
No!
She threw herself at Roger in the instant he fired. A hot burn flamed in her shoulder as the impact
knocked her backward, spinning her around. Conan, his forelegs lifted, claws extended, snarled, saliva
dripping from his fangs. Chloe tried to reach out, still intent on stopping him from charging the men, but
she d lost control of her body. Instead, her knees buckled under her and she fell forward, darkness taking
her the moment she landed in a soft bed of fur.
Chloe, please open your eyes.
Pain scorched along her shoulder to fire tendrils of agony through her chest and head, then through
the rest of her limbs. She whimpered and fought the gray haze that kept her imprisoned. A pressure pushed
against her shoulder, causing more pain, and she wanted to fight it but couldn t. She had no strength, no
way to make it all stop. She moaned, unsure if she d made any sound.
I know it hurts. But I have to stop the bleeding. Hang in there, do you hear me?
She moaned again, unable to form words, and gave in. She couldn t fight the grayness teasing its way
back into the darkness, and when she felt her body rising, she let it happen, her arms dangling like a broken
doll s.
Just make the hurting stop.
Her last thought was lost as the blackness took hold again.
I can t believe this is happening.
Nina.
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Clawed
Her friend s voice called to her but along with her voice came the pain. Chloe groaned, cried out as
someone pulled her body upright, then leaned her back to let the sun shine on her face. Fighting against the
desire to find the darkness again, she opened her eyes.
Nina s frightened gaze met hers. Chloe? Chloe, sweetie, don t worry. Nina glanced away. Take it
easy, Billy.
Billy was here? Chloe turned her head to see where Nina was looking, but could only see the back of
a car seat. Where was Conan?
I ll try, but we need to get to the hospital as fast as we can. Billy s tone was strained.
A tear dropped from Nina s face to splash on Chloe s cheek. Nina wiped her eyes and placed a wet
rag on Chloe s forehead.
Is she awake?
Conan. Chloe wasn t sure if the smile she felt made it to her lips. But it didn t matter. He was safe and
that s all she needed to know.
Yes, but just barely.
Conan s face appeared next to Nina s. Eyes flaked with bits of amber locked onto hers, and for a
moment, the hardness of his features softened.
Chloe, you re going to be okay. Just hang on.
Why was he telling her to hang on? Hang on to what? She almost giggled, but grimaced as a bump
jolted her, adding to the torment in her shoulder. She cried out, and this time, the tear sliding down her
cheek was her own.
Nina held on to her as though trying to steady her rocking body. The bumps, Billy. Watch out for the
bumps.
Billy grumbled something she couldn t understand. Chloe closed her eyes, giving up the struggle to
stay awake. Why fight it when the darkness took the pain away?
No, don t close your eyes. Look at me, Chloe. We re almost there.
As much as she didn t want to, she opened her eyes. She had to see Conan one last time. His eyes,
returned to the deep brown she loved, held her, refusing to let her slip away.
Don t leave me.
His simple appeal rushed through her, spreading a delight that was stronger than the agony. She never
wanted to leave Conan. Not now. Not ever.
Bright lights assaulted her eyes as the car slammed to a stop. Car doors opened and hands gripped her
gently but firmly as they slid her body along the backseat of the car and onto a gurney. Chloe laid her head
to the side, and seeing the entrance of the hospital, sighed and closed her eyes.
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Beverly Rae
You shouldn t be out of bed. Nina took the wheelchair from the attendant and continued pushing
Chloe down the hallway.
It s okay for me to go into the sunroom. My doctor said so. Besides, if I have to lie in bed a minute
longer, you re going to have to call the men in white coats to come and lock me away.
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