If you don’t want to attract the bears, hide the cakes!
In this box set, there are bears everywhere. They’re in the elevator, in the bakery, even in the apartment next door. And they’re hungry, always hungry … and often grumpy, at least until they find their mates. But then other problems arise. Like how do you tell someone you’re a bear shifter without scaring them?
Contains the stories:
Saved by the Bear by Holly Day: Would knowing how you die change the way you live? Frode inherits a book that shows his past and his future, but can he trust the book? It’s showing a bear in the garden, and there is only Imre, his neighbor. When the book predicts his death, Frode turns to Imre for help. They leave the city in a hurry, but will the book keep them alive or will their journey end in a gruesome prophecy?
Elevator Pitch by Ofelia Gränd: Bjorn Ritter only wants one thing — to live his life away from nosey bears. That’s easier said than done when you’re living in a Bear community. Cecil Baxter might be a bat, but he grew up away from shifters, and he’s d continuing to keep his distance. His day goes from bad to worse when he finds himself trapped in an elevator with a huge bear shifter. But, what could go wrong in three minutes?
Blown Away by Holly Day: Espen Urso doesn’t want to be out in the storm, but a group of alphas is trespassing, and he needs to defend his territory. The alphas he can scare off, but when he sees they’ve hurt a tiny bird shifter, he loses his patience. He has never believed in omegas, and not until he takes Arvid in does he realize the trouble he’s in. Is it even possible to defend his territory with an omega in it?
The Cake Shop by Ofelia Gränd: York is attacked by a rivaling werewolf pack. Injured and exhausted, he takes refuge in a bear-owned bakery. Torbjorn doesn’t do people, he doesn’t do wolves, and he will definitely not mate one no matter what the pull in his heart says. York has finally found his mate, but Torbjorn refuses to let him stay. How will he make Torbjorn understand he means him no harm when he refuses to talk to him?
The Birthday Bear by Holly Day: For more than a year, Gabe has known Riley is his mate, but Riley isn’t ready. He stumbled into Gabe’s bakery after having left his abusive ex, and he needs time. But if Gabe waits too long to tell Riley what he is, Riley will feel betrayed. If he tells him too soon, he will run away, and Gabe isn’t sure he can survive without Riley. How do you tell your skittish human mate you’re a bear shifter?
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Paranormal gay romance: 103,158 words
Excerpt:
(From the Birthday Bear by Holly Day)
His entire being shook as he pushed open the door to Callan’s, and the scent of cinnamon and coffee engulfed him. If he hadn’t been such a moron, this could’ve been his happy place.
“Riley!”
Riley jumped at Raphael’s call. He never got loud, but now he practically shouted. A second later, the swing door to the kitchen pushed open, and both Gabe and Quillian spilled out of it.
“Riley.” For a moment, Riley feared Quillian was about to faint or something, but then he gave him a relieved smile. At least, he believed it was relieved. Gabe was glaring, not at Riley, but at Quillian.
“Goddammit, Riley. I was dying.” Quillian increased the distance between him and Gabe.
Riley stared. “You were ill?” He looked fine, if a bit pale. Maybe he had a fever.
“Gabe would’ve made sure I got ill if you hadn’t shown. One more day, and I think he’d have skinned me alive.”
Riley looked at Gabe, then at Raphael. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but since they appeared to be more focused on Quillian than on him, he counted his blessings. Maybe he could get through this day without embarrassment, and then they’d forget all about his aversion to blowjobs and lack of a poly bone. He groaned and three pairs of eyes homed in on him.
“You want a cup of coffee, Rye?”
Riley was glad Raphael wasn’t shouting anymore. “Ah, no.”
“No?” Raphael looked disappointed, and Riley winced. He didn’t want to let anyone down, but on the other hand, he couldn’t see why Raphael would want him there.
“I have to be at work, but I figured…” He took a step forward. “I need some sugar-infused courage.”
“Manly cookies?” Raphael studied him intently.
“No. I think more… unifying cookies.”
Raphael frowned. “Unifying?”
“Yes, something to build team spirit and boost the morale.”
Quillian chuckled, but Raphael did a good job ignoring him. “Are we talking something big, like cake, instead of cookies? Something that’s an… entity instead of singular pieces?”
Riley beamed at him. “Yes, exactly. You’re getting better at this. Soon, you’ll be able to have a bakery.”
Quillian’s chuckle grew louder, and Raphael scowled. “You watch it, brat, or you’ll walk away from here with eclairs.”
Riley pursed his lips. If he could be sure Douglas Fucking Collins wouldn’t show, he’d take the eclairs. “How about braided cake?” He pointed at one with cinnamon and pearl sugar. “It’s gender-neutral, right? Can’t be interpreted as a come-on?” He looked first at Raphael, who stared at him as if he’d lost his mind, then at Quillian, who was going red from his efforts not to laugh, but this was no laughing matter, so he took a steadying breath and looked at Gabe. Gabe gave him a slow shake of his head.
“No, as in not a come-on?”
Gabe nodded, and Riley smiled.
“I’ll take some braided cake then.” He nodded his decision to Raphael.
Raphael grabbed a small paper bag with the Callan’s logo on it. “And this is for work?”
“Yeah, figured the girls need something to make the day better, too. I bet Hadley has had her meeting now.” He frowned. “He wouldn’t demand a blowjob from a married woman, would he?”
Raphael stilled for a second. “I have no idea.”
“I hope not. I’m sure she can stand up for herself, but…” What if she couldn’t? Douglas Fucking Collins was a creep.
“If he did, you should report him.” Raphael held out the bag for him. “You should report him. It doesn’t matter if he did or didn’t do anything to her.”
“I don’t want to cause any problems. It’s not like I’m irreplaceable there. Anyone can shelf books and give highlander recommendations.” He glanced at Gabe. “Have you had the time to listen to any?”
For a second, he feared Gabe had turned into a statue, but then he gave a slow shake of his head.
“No? You’re getting up in the middle of the night to bake, right? It’s the perfect time to read. I do my best reading at night.”
“Don’t you sleep?”
Riley looked at him for several seconds. Gabe had come a long way. Maybe he was super shy, and it had taken him a year to deem Riley as safe to talk to. His heart warmed at the thought. He was one of the least threatening persons on this planet, but maybe Gabe didn’t see it that way. Maybe he only talked to Raphael, Rook, Quillian, and Laura, and if it was the case, it was a huge step for his silent, tortured hero.
“I should get going.” He swiped his card but declined the receipt when Raphael offered it to him and stepped toward the door. “You have a good day, boys.” He waved with his wallet in his hand, only to scrunch his face. “I meant that in a non-sir-boy way.”
“We know, Rye.” Raphael was laughing at him, but it was okay. They might be laughing, but they didn’t make him uncomfortable, and he felt lighter as he steered his steps toward the library. He hadn’t fucked up his favorite place in the world, no more than they could work through, at least.
Ofelia Grand 