Gambling on Her Bear (Shifters in Vegas) by Anna Lowe Read Free Book Online Page A

and that they stayed that way forever.
    Forever,
his bear murmured, savoring every nuanced flavor in that desperate kiss.
    Somewhere in the back of his mind, a gong tolled, informing him that
forever
would end a hell of a lot sooner than he wanted it to if he didn’t get his mate out of the Scarlet Palace soon. So he pulled away — really pulled with every muscle in his body, because the magnetic force squeezing his body against hers was something else. Their lips smacked as they unlocked, and he rested his head against the door, panting against her shoulder.
    Must…regain…control…
His brain sent the order, but most of his nerves were on strike, refusing to deliver the message.
Mate’s…life…depends…on…it…
    It didn’t help that her hands still clutched him or that her lips moved softly over his ear the way they did in his dreams.
    “Tanner,” she murmured, making his soul sing.
    No time to sing. Get her out. Make mate safe.
    Funny that the bear was the reasonable one for a change.
    It took another minute of smoothing a hand over the silky wave of her hair before he really pulled himself together.
    “I have to get you out of here,” he whispered.
    “We have to get both of us out of here,” she replied, and it was so, so tempting. But it couldn’t work that way, because he had to stay on the inside and finish what he came to Vegas to do. And how would he ever explain that?
    I love you. I want you.
    I need you,
his bear added.
    But I have to let you go. Again.
    He didn’t bother trying to get any of that out, though. Not now. It was time for action, not words. Nudging Karen behind him, he opened the door and peeked out. He timed the cameras carefully, then hurried her down the hall. A glance into the guard booth showed Antoine still out for the count.
    The elevator doors pinged, and he yanked Karen around a corner to the stairs. In less than a minute, the second guard would saunter back to his post and raise the alarm. Tanner flew down the stairs four at a time, and Karen kept pace, thank God. Hell, being a dragon, she probably could take ten at a time.
    Half dragon? Half witch?
    No time for twenty questions, though, so he pounded on and reached the ground floor just as his earpiece screeched.
    “Alert! Alert! Guard down! Guard down!”
    He sprinted down a hallway toward the back, praying they wouldn’t be seen. It was about five in the morning, and though the casino never really slept, things did slow down a little around dawn, when most of the vampires would return to their quarters. He took a circuitous route, knowing exactly which hallways had cameras and which didn’t.
    “Tenth floor! Tenth floor!” Another alert came through. “Guard down!”
    No one had reported Karen missing yet, but they’d put two and two together any minute now.
    “Hurry!” he said. “Here.”
    He threw a door open and stood gulping fresh air, staring at the pale pink glow on the horizon. It was amazing how even the streets of Vegas could feel clean and fresh after hours spent cooped up inside. If he ever made it out of this crooked town, he’d head home to his mountains and never, ever leave again.
    He gulped the sight of Karen, too. Wild green eyes, glossy, auburn hair, freckled nose… Could he really let her go?
    Forget about the clan. We’ll figure out some other way of getting the money we need. Let’s just leave with her,
his bear begged.
    And God, he’d never been so tempted to forsake his family as just then.
    “Go,” he said hoarsely before his heart got the better of him.
    “Guest One missing!” A voice boomed through his earpiece. “Repeat, Guest One missing!”
    “Go,” he said, motioning from the shadows toward the sidewalk, where a group of tourists was walking by. Karen could mix with them and flee.
    “Wait. What?” She grabbed his arm.
    “I have to go back…” he started then stalled out. How could he possibly explain?
    “Don’t. They’ll know you helped me. Don’t.”
    The