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  Sass and Growl

  His Bunny Kicks Sass

  Dawn Sullivan

  Contents

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  A Note From The Author

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Other books by Dawn Sullivan

  For all my readers out there who love a little sass with their growl…this series is for you!

  One

  The wind whipped past her as she ran full speed ahead, the loud voices behind her getting closer and closer. She was only a mile away from where she was supposed to meet the person who was going to help her escape the madness she’d found herself in these past few months, but the way it was looking, she might not make it that far.

  “You can’t run from us, Princess!”

  Wanna bet? Pushing harder, she bit her lip so she wouldn’t cry out when a large tree branch appeared out of nowhere, smacking her in the forehead. Groaning, she stopped and caught her balance, before taking off again. It hurt like a bitch, and she couldn’t stop the tears that slipped out, rolling down her cheeks, as she jumped over the log in front of her and picked up more speed. She could smell blood and knew the branch had done some damage, but she ignored it, along with the pain that was now vibrating through her skull. She had to get away. This was her only chance. If they caught her, she would have to suffer the consequences, and there was a very good possibility she would not survive.

  She was so close to her destination that she could practically taste it, when all of a sudden she heard the sound of running footsteps right behind her. Someone was quickly closing the distance between them. Inhaling deeply, she bit out a curse when she recognized Dryden’s scent, hating the enforcer for turning against her. She should have expected it, though. It was what they all did after her father passed away, but he’d held out the longest. Her heart jumped in her chest when she glanced back and saw how close he was. The bastard was fast.

  “The alpha of the Blackstone herd wants you. You were promised to him by your brother. You know Alpha Ramsey is very powerful, Princess, and always gets what he wants!” Dryden growled, reaching out and snagging hold of the hood of her sweatshirt.

  “Not this time, asshole,” she snarled. She would not go back there. Her brother may have chosen the scary, shady as hell alpha, to become her mate, but he wasn’t her choice. She had vowed many years ago to wait for her fated mate, and that wasn’t going to change just because some douche canoe wanted to claim what wasn’t his.

  Willing her animal to rise to the surface, she extended her claws and sliced through the front of her sweatshirt, yanking her arms from the sleeves when Dryden pulled on it, leaving her in just a thin tee-shirt that had seen better days. After being held prisoner for weeks, punishment for her refusal to accept the alpha, more than just her clothing suffered. She was weak from lack of food and water, and her body was covered in bruises from where her brother, Samson, tried to force her compliance.

  What hurt the most was that no one in her family or herd stepped up to help her. Not her mother, Lela, nor her other two brothers, Frederick and Hamilton. After the death of their father, Samson became the alpha of their herd, and no one crossed him. Not anyone who lived to talk about it, anyway. Except for one person. Someone she never imagined would have reached out to her in her time of need, even if it was in the dark quiet of the night where no one else would know. She would forever be grateful to that person for giving her this chance to escape. And, she was so close to making it happen. She could hear the sound of the rushing water from the waterfalls in the distance. If she could just get to them, she would be free. Either that, or she would be dead.

  “Dammit! Stop this! You are only going to piss them both off!”

  Like she cared if dickhead Ramsey or her jerk of a brother were mad at her. All Ramsey wanted to do was get in her pants, and there was no way in hell she was going to let that happen. He wasn’t getting his wrinkled up old pudwacker near her. And, her brother? He was greedy, plain and simple. He was only in it for the money. It was all he cared about.

  “Princess, wait! You are going to get yourself killed!”

  The falls came into sight in front of her, and soon she skidded to a stop at the edge of the cliff. It was a long drop, one she wasn’t looking forward to making, but the alternative was worse. Jump into the dark, stormy depths below, or go back and spread her legs for Ramsey. In her mind, there was only one choice to make. Looking back at Dryden, she spat, “I would rather die than mate with that pompous ass!”

  “He would be good to you,” Dryden promised, but she could smell the rancid stench of his lies even though he was several feet away from her. There was also the scent of fear, and she knew it was because if she got away, it was his ass on the line.

  “We both know that’s not true,” she ground out, shaking her head slowly. “Tell my family…never mind, don’t tell them anything.” They were the ones who put her in this situation in the first place. They didn’t deserve any last words from her.

  “Princess!”

  Turning from him, she took a deep breath, and then closed her eyes and stepped off the ledge. The sound of Dryden shouting was immediately muffled when she hit the ice-cold water below just a few moments later. It tugged on her, dragging her down deep, not wanting to let her go. She swallowed a mouth full of the murky water, gagging as she kicked hard, struggling to get back to the surface. Her head barely broke the top, and then she was under again, the water pushing her back down, wanting to take her last breath as its own.

  You must fight. The voice slid into her mind, but it sounded distant, far away. Who was it? Was it real, or just a figment of her imagination? Was she dreaming? Had the wild, raging water won already?

  I can’t, she whispered, coughing when water began to stream into her lungs. She was so tired of fighting. She just wanted to close her eyes and go to sleep. She was alone and terrified. She had just jumped off a cliff into freezing water to escape her family; the people who were supposed to love her and be there for her, but instead had tried to sell her to the highest bidder. They were all a bunch of lowdown weasels, but they were all she knew.

  Stop that. You may not know me now, but you will. I’m here to help you, and I promise, I won’t leave you. You have a bigger purpose, Princess. You have a future waiting for you. Fight for it!

  Her limbs felt heavy, and she was so tired, but the voice in her head would not stop. It kept pushing at her until she finally growled low in her throat, and started kicking harder. Using both her arms and legs, she fought her way back to the top, taking in a huge lu
ngful of the crisp night air as soon her head broke the surface to ease the pain in her chest.

  I’m over here! Look! When she didn’t respond, the woman yelled, Look, dammit!

  She was so cold, but she squinted through the shadows of the night, her eyes widening when they landed on the figure in the dark cloak standing on the riverbank not far from her. The moon hid behind the clouds above, but she was able to catch a glimpse of the woman’s pale features surrounded by long, auburn hair when she slipped the hood back.

  That’s it! Come to me, the woman ordered. Just a little bit further, and you will be home free!

  Slowly, she started to swim, closing the distance between herself and the other woman. She was almost there, when she heard a loud crack, and she gasped when the branch from an overhanging tree fell into the water in front of her.

  “Grab onto it!” she ordered, stepping into the water and grasping the other end. “Jesus, help me out some, Princess,” the woman grunted, as she hauled her up onto the embankment.

  Yelling could be heard in the background, and she raised her weary head to glance behind her and up to the top of the cliff, where several people looked over the side. One man stood out in front of the other, and through the light of the moon, she could see the hatred on his face when he raised his fist and hollered, “You will not get away from me that easily, Princess! You are mine! I’m coming for you!”

  “Not a Princess anymore,” she gasped, her eyes going back to the other woman as a deep shudder racked her body.

  “No, you aren’t.”

  “What’s your name?” she rasped, needing to know who her rescuer was. The woman had put a lot on the line for her, and she would never forget it.

  “I’m Aurora, and I have come to take you to your new life, Emery.”

  Emery, she thought, rising slowly to her feet, swaying back and forth until Aurora slipped an arm around her waist. “I like it,” she whispered, as they began to move toward the dirt road where she could see the outline of a car through the trees. “Where are we going?”

  “A town called Blue Creek. You’ll be safe there.”

  Safe. That was one word she hadn’t known for a long time. One she didn’t trust. “Thank you,” she murmured, stumbling over a rock, a low moan slipping out as pain engulfed her head.

  “It’s okay, we’re almost there.”

  She leaned heavily on Aurora the rest of the way, her body shaking with chills. “I’m soooo coldddd.”

  Aurora helped her into the car and left her, returning soon with a blanket. Wrapping it around her shoulders, she smiled gently, “Let’s get going, Emery. It’s time to start over, and lead the life you were meant to live.”

  Her head hurt, her body ached, and it felt as if she were on fire. A soft whimper left her throat as she struggled to open her eyes. She had never felt so miserable in her life.

  “Hush, sweet girl,” a low voice murmured, and she winced when something cool and wet was pressed against her forehead. “It’s going to be all right. You are fighting a fever and sickness from your fall into the water.”

  “Cold,” she whispered, shaking as chills wracked her body. Her teeth began to chatter, and she cried out when she accidentally bit her tongue.

  “You will feel better soon, Emery,” someone else said quietly. “We just need to get you well enough to shift. That will help a lot.”

  She knew that voice, although she couldn’t put a face to it, but who was Emery? Her brow furrowed as she struggled to recall where she’d heard that name before. “Emery?” she managed to gasp, finally managing to pry her eyes open just enough to see through tiny slits.

  “That’s your name now, remember?”

  Clearing her throat, she licked her dry lips before rasping, “Everything’s foggy.”

  “It’s okay, child,” the old woman next to her crooned. Sliding an arm under her, the woman helped raise her up slightly, and then slipped a teaspoon of something into her mouth.

  “What is that?” Emery gagged around the spoon, weakly grasping the hand that held the spoon. It was bitter, with a nasty taste to it, and she immediately pulled back, trying to get away from it.

  “It’s just something to help you rest, Emery,” the woman said, laying her back down and gently running a hand over her hair. “Sleep now. When you awake, you should feel well enough to shift. After that, you and Aurora can talk.”

  Aurora. She knew that name. Slowly turning her head, she caught the silhouette of a woman sitting next to a brick fireplace on the other side of the room. Her head was bowed, and her long hair covered her face. Emery could see that her lips were moving slightly, but no sound could be heard.

  “I remember you,” she whispered, reaching toward the woman, before letting her arm fall weakly beside her. She was exhausted, and hard as she tried, she just couldn’t seem to stay awake. “You helped me.” A soft sigh slipped from her lips, and her eyes slid shut as she slipped into unconsciousness.

  She was unaware of the shadowed glance exchanged by Aurora and the old woman that spoke of what was to come. “Will she make it, Grandmother?”

  “Only time will tell. The road ahead will be a hard one, granddaughter. If she chooses the right path, she will know a happiness like no other.”

  “And if she doesn’t?”

  “Let’s just hope that she chooses wisely.”

  Two

  “Dammit, Brayden, that’s not funny! Give me back my laptop before I smack you with it!”

  Knox Channing raised his head, cocking an eyebrow at his younger brother when he raced into the room, their hellcat sister on his heels. No one messed with Briar’s computer. Not anyone with any brains, anyway. Something Brayden seemed to be sorely lacking this morning.

  “All work and no play makes Briar a cranky cub,” Brayden teased, throwing his head back and laughing when Briar crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him as she began tapping the floor with a foot.

  “Not all of us can sit on our asses and do nothing all day,” she snapped. “Maybe you should get a job, and start contributing to the family income.”

  “Hey, we just moved here a couple of weeks ago,” Brayden said, holding the laptop high above his head. “I’ll get a job when I’m ready. What’s wrong with having a little fun for now?”

  “We’ve been here for a month,” Noah said dryly, entering the kitchen and going straight for the coffee pot. He was dressed in a dark gray suit, with a burgundy tie and gold cuff links. “If you are going to spend all of your time at the titty bar, maybe you should put in an application there.”

  “Hasn’t anyone ever told you that you don’t work where you play?” Nolan asked, walking into the room, his jaw cracking from a wide yawn as he scratched at the thick patch of hair on his chest.

  “Jesus Christ, Nolan, put on some fucking pants!” Briar screeched, right before she jumped up and snatched her laptop from Brayden’s hands. Knox tensed when it slipped from her fingers, falling toward the floor, but Brayden caught it just before it landed and handed it to his sister. Which was good, because the next few days would have been hell for all of them if Briar would have had to wait on a replacement. She backed up everything to a server, and she had a desktop in her office, but the laptop was her baby. She took it with her almost everywhere she went.

  Shaking his head, Knox took a long drink of his coffee, wishing he was already out with the horses. He would rather be scooping shit right now than listening to his family bicker this early in the morning.

  “Get over it, little sister. We are all shifters here. Nudity isn’t anything new to us.”

  “That doesn’t mean we want to see your dick waving around in our faces all of the time,” Noah groused, leaning back against the counter and taking a drink of his coffee.

  “I second that,” Briar snapped, but her deep amber eyes were dancing with laughter.

  Knox glanced over to see his little sister, Miracle, standing in the doorway. She was dressed in a pale pink blouse with a flowing black
skirt that stopped just above her knees. Her light blonde hair was pulled back away from her face, hanging in curls over her shoulders, and she wore a very subtle hint of makeup that accented her light blue eyes. Her gaze traveled around the kitchen, then came to rest on him. She sent him a small smile, but he could tell something was bothering her.

  When the others started in on Nolan again, Knox decided he was done listening. It was their daily routine, one he didn’t want to participate in today. Slamming his fist down on the table, he growled, “Enough!”

  He saw Miracle’s eyes widen in surprise, and then she instantly lowered her gaze to the floor, baring her neck, as did everyone else in the room. Since the death of their parents six months ago, he was in charge of their family. The alpha of what was left of the Channing bears. No one questioned him.

  “Noah, go to work. You’re going to be late, and you hate that. Brayden, it’s time you found a job. I don’t care if we need the money or not. You need something to keep you out of trouble. Briar, I need you to look over the financials. I’m looking into purchasing a new stallion in a couple of months, and it’s going to be expensive. Nolan, go put some fucking pants on!” When they all looked at him in shock, unused to him giving orders the way he was, he snarled, “Go! Now!”

  The room cleared out quickly, all except for Miracle, who had snuck past them to get to some bagels that were sitting on the counter. Watching her slide one into the toaster, Knox took a sip of his coffee while he waited patiently for her to speak.