A Dragon for December (Wiccan-Were-Bear Book Eleven)

By R.E. Butler

Polar bear shifter December Merricks, known to her friends as Deci, is visiting her angel best friend, Allisandrea, in Cleveland. When the February new moon rises, Deci heads into what she believes are neutral woods for some hunting when she comes snout to fang with an enormous dragon who is not only trying to swipe her prey but also happens to be her mate.

Dragon prince Tosh Okida loves hunting in the woods of Culiver, the territory owned by his nest. When the new moon rises, Tosh feels an incredible pull to the woods and goes hunting. To his surprise he finds a polar bear roaming his woods trying to steal a buck. Not only is the feisty bear a thief but she’s also his mate.

With his mate by his side, Tosh is able to claim the kingship of his people, but someone is hiding in the shadows and plotting against him. When an innocent trip to the spa ends with Deci kidnapped and drugged, her body is forced into a painful mating heat. Will Tosh be able to get to her before she’s lost to him forever and put down the threat to his throne, or will all be lost in a flurry of fur and fangs?

• Language: English
• Publisher: R.E. Butler
• Release date: Apr 17, 2016
• ISBN: 9781310259555

R.E. Butler

A Midwesterner by birth, R.E. spent much of her childhood rewriting her favorite books to include herself as the main character. Later, she graduated on to writing her own books after "retiring" from her day job as a secretary to become a stay-at-home mom.When not playing with her kids, wrestling her dogs out the door, or cooking dinner for her family, you'll find her typing furiously and growling obscenities to the characters on the screen.Her best-selling series Wiccan-Were-Bear, The Necklace Chronicles, Hyena Heat, Wilde Creek, Were-Zoo, Arctic Shifters, Norlanian Brides, Saber Chronicles, and Ashland Pride are available now.

Book preview

A Dragon for December

Wiccan-Were-Bear Book Eleven

By R. E. Butler

Copyright 2016 R. E. Butler

A Dragon for December (Wiccan-Were-Bear Book Eleven)

By R. E. Butler

License Notes

This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.

Cover by Valerie Tibbs

This ebook is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination and not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locations is coincidental.

Disclaimer: The material in this book is for mature audiences only and contains graphic sexual content and is intended for those older than the age of 18 only.

* * *

Edited by Jennifer Moorman

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Thank you to Joyce & Shelley for beta reading, and much love to my Aunt B.L.

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Next in the Wiccan-Were-Bear Series

Contact the Author

Other Works by R. E.

A Muse for Mishka (Wiccan-Were-Bear Book Twelve)

A Dragon for December (Wiccan-Were-Bear #11)

By R. E. Butler

Polar bear shifter December Merricks is visiting her angel best friend, Allisandrea, in Cleveland. When the February new moon rises, Deci heads into what she believes are neutral woods for some hunting when she comes snout to fang with an enormous dragon who is not only trying to swipe her prey but also happens to be her mate.

Dragon Prince Tosh Okida loves hunting in the woods of Culiver, the territory owned by his nest. When the new moon rises, Tosh feels an incredible pull to the woods and goes hunting. To his surprise he finds a polar bear roaming his woods, trying to steal a buck. Not only is the feisty bear a thief, but she’s also his mate.

With his mate by his side, Tosh can claim the kingship of his people, but someone is hiding in the shadows and plotting against him. When an innocent trip to the spa ends with Deci kidnapped and drugged, her body is forced into a painful mating heat. Will Tosh be able to get to her before she’s lost to him forever and put down the threat to his throne, or will all be lost in a flurry of fur and fangs?

Chapter One

Polar bear shifter December Merricks pulled into the visitor parking space at her friend Allisandrea’s apartment complex. Alli had been begging Deci to visit for months, and she’d finally taken Alli up on her offer to crash at her place. Deci worked as a cook at a private shifter school in the mountains of Pennsylvania, and two days earlier the negative temperatures had frozen the pipes in the school, causing them to burst, which resulted in massive destruction due to the flooding. The school was closed for two weeks, which was plenty of time to veg out at Alli’s and take a vacation.

She and Alli had been friends for almost ten years. They met at a bridal show in New York City, where her sister, Noel, had dragged Deci to help her pick out a gown for her wedding. Deci loved her sister, but she hated shopping, and she especially hated taking a long trip into the city just for that purpose.

Deci and Alli bumped into each other at a display for chocolate fountains. Alli, a fallen angel, had taken a trip to New York City for her favorite author’s book signing and had peeked into the bridal show out of curiosity. While Deci and Alli chatted over chocolate-covered strawberries and marshmallows, a friendship formed, and the two had been close ever since.

Deci returned to her job at the school and kept in touch with Alli, who came to visit once a year in the summer because, according to her, it was too damn cold in the winter to be anywhere near the mountains. As a polar bear shifter, Deci loved the cold. There was nothing better in her mind than being in her shift and lumbering through the snow.

After grabbing her bags from the trunk of her car, she walked to the glass security door and pressed the button for Alli’s apartment. The door buzzed as it unlocked, and she walked inside, stamping the snow from her boots before heading to the stairs. When she reached the second floor, she found Alli standing in the hallway, hands on her hips and a big grin on her face.

It’s about time you got here, woman!

Deci smiled as Alli hugged her and then took one of her bags. Sorry, I got a late start. My sister called because she’d heard about the flood and wanted to know if I would come to her den. I think she’s trying to set me up with someone.

She wants you to be mated and pregnant like her. Sisters are good for that kind of thing. Alli led the way into her apartment and shut the door after Deci set her bag down in the front room.

She and Trag are happy together, but he’s not her truemate. I told her I wouldn’t settle for anyone but the one male who is right for me. It doesn’t matter to me if he’s a bear or some other kind of shifter, or even a human.

Alli rolled her eyes. I bet she loved to hear that. Noel is very pro-bear.

She is, but I’m not. I was always surprised that she didn’t find a polar bear den so she could hook up with a male who was just like her. That she went grizzly was surprising.

Alli snickered. Went grizzly sounds like something a guy does when he stops shaving.

Deci laughed. I missed you.

Me too. Let’s get you set up in the guest bedroom and then we can eat dinner. I made you my famous takeout from the Italian joint down the street.

Can’t wait.

After unpacking her bags, Deci joined Alli in the kitchen where she was removing the clear lids from aluminum takeout containers. Each one held a different pasta dish. I remembered that you liked chicken Parmesan, but help yourself to whatever you want. There’s definitely plenty.

Deci gathered glasses and filled them with ice and sweet tea and then joined Alli at the table. Deci placed a thick, breaded chicken cutlet on her plate, along with a generous helping of spaghetti, and dusted it all with grated Parmesan.

Wait, let’s toast, Alli said.

With iced tea? Deci asked, smiling.

It’s not the content of the glass. It’s the heartfelt words.

What do we toast to?

Your vacation.

Their glasses clinked and Deci said, Thanks for letting me stay. I’m looking forward to hanging out in Cleveland, even though it’s not nearly as cold here as it is in the mountains.

Alli snorted. You and your cold. It’s a fricking freezer here in February. It’s just because you’re a polar bear that you think it’s not as cold as it really is.

It’s all relative, Deci said as she cut into the chicken, her mouth watering at the savory scents filling the air.

I suppose. So, any plans to hook up with some sexy guys while you’re here? Because I have some rules about that.

Deci snorted as she laughed. You have rules about me hooking up with someone?

"Oh sure. Like…if he stays over, he must have a sexy friend for me to play with. And he absolutely can’t leave the seat up. I will flip out."

She chewed on her bite of chicken and tried not to laugh too hard. She took a drink of tea and said, No up-seat business and sexy friends. Anything else?

It would be nice if he’d make breakfast for your friend because I’m so awesome.

Deci smiled. "I’m not looking to hook up with anyone, but if I happen to fall onto someone’s dick at some point, I’ll make sure he’s got a friend plus breakfast-making skills.

"Sexy friend."

You got it.

Deci honestly wasn’t in the market for a mate right now. She was only nineteen plus five, which according to the long-life that most supernatural creatures had, she still looked like she could be in high school even though she was technically sixty-six. Noel thought she should have settled down years ago, but Deci wanted to meet her truemate and didn’t want to settle. She dated from time to time, but she hadn’t had a serious boyfriend in years. Someday she’d find the male meant for her and then she’d be glad she’d waited.

Alli shared the news about one of her friends, Arissa, who was a vampire’s beloved mate and a Wiccan. Deci had never met Arissa, but she felt as though she knew her because of Alli.

We can go to Fang tomorrow night. They’re really hopping on Saturdays.

Deci hadn’t ever been around vampires before, and Fang was the club owned by the Cleveland coven. Shifter blood was addictive to vampires because it was stronger than human blood, and she didn’t want to become some vampire’s snack.

Alli rolled her eyes. Don’t make that face. They only feed on the people who work there. You’d have to make arrangements to be bitten.

No thanks.

"Fine, fine. I wasn’t