Bear Hearts: Animal In Me Series, #2

Tamara Hoffa

Erotic Romance

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Erotic Romance

Bear Hearts

Copyright © 2015  Tamara Hoffa

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First E-book Publication:  May 2015 

Cover design by Dawné Dominique

Edited by Ariana Gaynor

Proofread by Renee Waring

All cover art © 2015 Dawné Dominique

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER

Tamara Hoffa

Dedication

Bear Hearts is dedicated to my mother, Nedra Wilkinson, the toughest fighter I have ever known. My mother lost her battle to Cancer on January 11, of 2015. She fought through two rounds of Primary Central Nervous System Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and one battle with Breast Cancer, but in the end, it was the treatments that her body just couldn’t endure.

How I wish my fantasy world were real and the cure existed in the bite of your true mate.

Unfortunately, in the real world I understand Elizabeth’s desperation all too well, and pray for a cure for all those who suffer every day. Keep strong. Keep your faith, and may the cure be just around the corner. Ten percent of all proceeds from sales of this book will go to the American Cancer Society  

BEAR HEARTS

Animal in Me book 2

Tamara Hoffa

Prologue

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1994

Pale and weak, the child lay on the stark white sheets of the big bed that made her look so tiny. The khaki colored U.S. Army ball cap that rested on her head enhanced the sallow tone of her skin, but Lizzy never took that cap off. Daddy gave it to her, and she was Daddy’s girl. He said it would make her strong, like him. She needed to be strong, because she felt so weak.

Her big, brown eyes scanned the room she had been confined to for the last two weeks. Stark white walls, the same boring flower picture, she’d been staring at so long, raindrops slowly sliding down the outside of the always closed window. She was so tired. Tubes in her nose, IV in her arm, pain everywhere.

Where were Mommy and Daddy? One of them was usually in the chair by her bed when she woke up. It didn’t matter, she couldn’t keep her eyes open much longer anyway. She’d go back to sleep and they’d be there when she woke up. Well, if she woke up. She heard the doctor’s talking, and she knew the truth; she might die soon.

It wasn’t so bad. If she died she would live with the angels and all the pain would stop. But,

Daddy kept saying she had to fight, and mommy would cry...

Year after year the cycle continued. Six or eight months of remission, if she was lucky, and then back to the hospital. Radiation. Chemotherapy. Pain.

Lizzy lived in constant pain. Nauseous from the medications. Bruised from the IV’s and blood draws. She’d had so many lumbar punctures she’d stopped counting. They had searched and searched for a bone marrow match, but Elizabeth was AB negative, so the chances of finding her a match were about the same as getting run over by a motorcycle in church.

She had overheard her parents discussing having another child to see if it could be a match and she threw an absolute fit. No way would she allow them to bring a child into the world to be subjected to the hell that was her life.

The only good thing that came out of the whole fiasco was that she was tutored at home and in the hospital. By the time she was fourteen she’d already finished high school and was beginning college courses.

Lizzy was going to be a doctor. She would be the one to find a cure for cancer. Because no one should have to suffer like she had.

By some miracle, she went into a remission that lasted for almost two years in 2004. In those two years she finished her bachelor’s degree in college. Unfortunately, the year she graduated, fate dealt their family another crushing blow and she lost her mother. A heart attack. No warning, no chance to save her, one minute she was fine and then she was gone.

Elizabeth and her father stood at the side of the open grave as they slowly lowered the casket into the ground. She reached for her father’s hand, but he moved to stand at parade rest, clasping his hands behind his back. Tears slid silently down her cheeks, while Paton Montrose wore his warrior’s face, cold, hard, and implacable.

Though Elizabeth had always been close to her father, the loss of her mother, instead of bringing them together, thrust a wedge between them that Lizzy could never seem to breach. Paton Montrose became the General, distant and cold. He treated her like a soldier instead of a daughter. But Elizabeth had a goal, and graduating school was a challenge for a healthy person, for Liz it was double tough.

She focused on her studies and only saw the General on holidays. Liz began to hide her relapses from her father, she didn’t want to seem weak in his eyes. If he didn’t know she slipped out of remission, who did it hurt? Somehow, she thought he always knew anyway...

Chapter One

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February, 2010

Elizabeth Montrose hung up the phone and sat on the side of her bed. Typical of her father, he’d had his secretary call to set up an appointment. She’d been summoned to the lion’s den.

When she was a little girl, she doted on her father, but things had changed when they lost her mother. Elizabeth had been fighting her own battles with leukemia since she was six, and Colonel Paton Montrose shut down after that. He became distant and angry, not at all the man she’d known growing up.

Col. Montrose poured himself into his work and rose in the ranks to become General Montrose, but at a price to his family. Well, what was left of his family, Elizabeth.

She rarely saw him now. What could he possibly want to see her about? At his office no less. Oh well, no way to know, except to go beard the lion in his den and find out.

Wiping the nervous sweat from her hands, she stood and marched into the bathroom, flipping on the light she stared at her pale face in the medicine cabinet mirror. No matter how long she stayed in remission, she never seemed to lose the sickly pallor. Huge brown eyes gazed at her from the pale face surrounded by thick, deep brown hair. Maybe that was why her skin looked so pale? Because her hair was so dark, but she feared coloring it. Her hair had fallen out several times due to chemo and she wouldn’t do anything to damage it while it remained on her head.

Paranoid, maybe? But, she was entitled.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was healthy now. Nine months in remission. Everything was going well. She had finished her doctorate and sent out her resumes. Soon, she would have a job fulfilling her dreams. Researching a cure for cancer. She was sure of it, she graduated at the top of her class, someone would hire her. Right?

Elizabeth pushed away from the counter, quickly stripped and stepped into the shower. She didn’t have time to dawdle if she was going to make it to Fort Campbell by eleven o’clock.

Elizabeth chose a power suit to face her father, charcoal gray, with a pencil skirt that stopped just above the knee. She wore a pale pink blouse to hopefully give her skin more color, and plain black, low heeled pumps. Her hair was pulled into an elegant French braid and minimal make up applied.

Liz picked up her cell phone and dropped it in her purse, grabbed her briefcase, and headed out the door. It would take her about an hour to reach the base, thankfully there was no traffic on the back roads she would travel, because Liz was nervous as hell.

Her little Honda ate up the miles and Liz let the country music on the radio try to soothe her nerves as Fort Campbell drew closer. She hadn’t seen her dad since Christmas and that had been a disaster.

Slowing to a stop at the security gate, Elizabeth pulled her driver’s license from her wallet and handed it to the sergeant on duty.

What is your business on base, ma’am?

I have a meeting with General Montrose, Sergeant.

The sergeant scanned her ID and then his clipboard. You’re cleared, ma’am. Head straight until you come to the second intersection and then turn right, third building on your left.

Thank you, Sergeant.

He handed back her ID and she rolled up her window and pulled slowly forward onto the base. Memories assaulted her. Riding in a jeep with her dad around base, the men playing Frisbee in the streets.

Olive drab was everywhere, dust and dirt, the buildings, the men and women, the vehicles, everything all looked the same. She followed the sergeant’s directions and pulled up in front of the HQ building.

Elizabeth put her car in park and took a deep breath to calm herself. She unbuckled her seatbelt, grabbed her briefcase and exited the vehicle. With her shoulders squared, she marched like any good soldier toward the general’s office.

The general’s aide stood as Liz approached, You can go right in, Miss Montrose. He’s expecting you.

Thank you, Major.

Liz still tapped once, hard, on the door before entering, waiting for his gruff voice to call, Enter, before opening the door.

Hello, General.

Her father stood from behind his mahogany desk and crossed to meet her, he lightly kissed her cheek. Hello, Elizabeth. How are you my dear? Have a seat. He gestured toward the large leather chair facing his desk.

Elizabeth sat and tried not to be intimidated by the large size of everything in the room. Sometimes it sucked to be five foot nothing.

General Montrose regained the seat of power behind his enormous desk, placed his hands in his lap and stared at her.

She cleared her throat. Not that I’m not glad to see you, General, but it is unusual for you to summon me to your office. Why am I here?

Always straight to the point. I have a proposition for you. He nodded and pulled a file folder from the side of the desk. There are some rumors floating around about the shifter community.

Rumors? Since when do you pay attention to rumors?

Let’s say we have reason to believe these rumors are true.

Okay. Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. I don’t even know what we’re talking about. What are these rumors? And what do they have to do with me?

Let me start with a fact we know to be true. Shifters live longer than humans. We’ve been able to determine that most shifters live to be at least one hundred and fifty years old, maybe a lot older.

Elizabeth nodded. I didn’t know that, but it’s really not that surprising. They are a different species, after all.

Her father held up a hand. But this is where it gets interesting. The rumor is that they don’t get sick—

Oh, don’t be ridiculous, Liz interrupted. Everyone gets sick.

No, he said. "That’s the point. They don’t. No colds. No flu. No cancer. No anything.

They don’t get sick."

Liz sat forward in her chair. You’re really serious? The general nodded. And you believe this is more than a rumor?

Yes, we do.

Has anyone tried to get confirmation from the shifter community?

You always were a smart girl.

What are you talking about, Daddy? In her excitement she slipped and became familiar.

That’s what I want you to do.

I beg your pardon?

"The Army is setting up a research division to explore what special attributes the shifters possess."

You mean there are other things besides health and longevity?

There are. Healing ability, strength, even whispers of telepathy.

Elizabeth felt like she was going to faint. Could this all be real? If these rumors were true and if it was an antibody in their systems it could mean the cure she hoped for was on the horizon in years, instead of decades.

You want me to be part of the research team? she asked, her voice shaking with suppressed excitement.

I want you to head the civilian division of the team.

Liz knew her mouth fell open. Are you serious, General? I am fresh out of school. Don’t you want someone more senior to head the project?

Are you questioning my judgment, little girl?

Liz sat up straighter. No, sir.

I didn’t think so. I want someone young and fresh, with an open mind. I need someone good with people. The biggest obstacle in this project is going to be getting the shifter community to cooperate. If some big, hard talking sergeant walks in, they will shut down before he opens his mouth. The same thing will happen if a nerdy old doctor, in coke bottle glasses shows up.

Liz bristled. So, you’re offering me the job because I’m a pretty, young woman? she snapped.

Don’t get your panties in a bunch, Elizabeth. I’ll admit that doesn’t hurt. It gets your foot in the door, but the truth is, your history and your way with people— He held up a hand to halt her interruption. Along with your expertise in the area is why I am offering you the job, with a small bit of nepotism thrown in. I would like to work with you. Have you around again. He stared into her eyes, blue meeting brown. I miss you, Lizzy.

He hadn’t called her that in ten years. That was just not fair. Elizabeth swallowed the lump in her throat. Offer her the job of her dreams, and then play on her heart strings too? The general was up to something, but whatever it