ROMANCE: SHIFTER: Shifter to the Max Collection (Dragon, Bear, Wolf and Panther Shifter Romances) (Paranormal Fantasy Romance Collection) by C.J. Ayers Read Free Book Online

suddenly rose up on his hind legs. The bear seemed impossibly tall.  He gave a roar of rage and fell onto Tim. With tears still in her eyes, she thought the image of the bear blurred. Tim screamed as he landed on the rocks and gravel with his arms thrown up over his face. Amber heard a meaty thwack and another.  She blinked her eyes furiously, but couldn’t understand what she was seeing. Instead of a bear, she saw… Ryder straddling Tim’s prone body and pounding his fists one after the other into Tim’s face and body. For some unfathomable reason, Ryder appeared to be naked. The muscles in his back rippled with each blow.
    “You son of a bitch!” Ryder growled, punctuating each word with another blow to Tim’s body.
    “Ryder! Ryder!” Amber pulled her eyes away from the scene enfolding in front of her to see Jody running up with a bundle in her arms. “Stop, Ryder! You’ll kill him.” When she reached the two, she gave Ryder a push that should have had no effect at all on him, but managed to move him off of Tim’s sobbing form. She shoved the bundle into his arms, and then hurried over to Amber. “Are you okay?” Her eyes ran up and down Amber’s figure, and she searched Amber’s eyes with her own. “Did he hurt you? I called Ryder as soon as I suspected. I’m so sorry. I should’ve called sooner.”
    Amber was confused and disoriented. Where had the bear gone? It was beautiful. Why was Jody apologizing for not calling Ryder sooner? She should be apologizing for making those drinks alcoholic instead of non as she’d been asked. Wasn’t Ryder gorgeous? Too bad he was putting on clothes. He was so nice to look at without them.  Tim was such an asshole. She didn’t care if she had to pay the abandoned car ticket; she was never speaking to him again.
    “That’s right, Amber. You should never speak to him again. And I did make you a St. Clements. Officer Asshole put something in it.” Amber blinked at Jody. “You’re talking out loud, Amber. “
    Ryder growled again as he stood over Tim’s body – now curled into a fetal position. Tim moaned. Ryder now had on jeans, a t-shirt stretched across his chest, and Vans slipped on his feet. 
    Jody reached out to rub warmth into Amber’s arms, and tossed over her shoulder, “I called Adam and Rachel. They’re on their way. Yes, Amber, Ryder is very handsome. Shush now. We’ll get you home.”
    Amber wiped her face again and took a deep breath. She had to get a hold of herself. Obviously her every thought was tumbling out of her mouth. Right now her thoughts were focused on getting as close to Ryder and as far from Tim as possible. She was also grateful, oddly, that Tim had parked way off to one side of the lot. The patrons of the bar that were coming and going hadn’t seemed to notice the commotion on this side of the lot.
    A police cruiser pulled into the lot and drove right over to where Ryder stood. A tall, light haired man got out of the driver’s side and a beautiful dark haired woman rushed out of the passenger’s. She stepped over to Ryder, looked him up and down, nodded, and then turned to Amber. 
    “Rachel…” Amber whispered. The tears started flowing again. She took a few steps toward the dark beauty and suddenly they were hugging and both crying. Talking at the same time, asking and answering questions in the same breaths. Jody stood back and smiled.
    “I gotta go back to work. Rach, call me tomorrow?” she muttered as she passed behind them. She continued on toward the bar, pausing only to kiss Ryder’s cheek and shoot Tim a look of daggers. “Thank you, Adam, for coming so quickly. I’m headed inside.”
    “Good job calling me, Jody. I’ll deal with the officer here.” Adam’s soft voice carried the full weight of command.
    “Who is he?” Amber sniffled at Rachel, her closest friend since they’d met in preschool.
    “Adam? He’s my husband.” Rachel smiled at Amber and pushed her hair away from her face. “He’s