Isla was supposed to get her happily ever after. A cute baby cub, a cottage by the sea, and four doting bears catering to her every need. Lovely, right?

Things take a turn for the worst when her cub begins to crave blood and Isla realises not everything is as perfect as she’d hoped…

Isla isn’t getting much rest, baby Ruby isn’t sleeping and seems to be always hungry. Then the almost unthinkable happens, a cut opens while Isla is breast feeding and Ruby is getting both blood and milk. The aftermath shows she’s more satisfied and she starts feeling better. In the meantime Ilsa has a strange dream where she is asked about Ruby and if she is ursine, then it sort of recurs at the oddest of moments.

This is a favorite scene.

When I wake, I have four panicked faces looking down at me. I try to remember what happened. The cave. Ruby being called some sort of Key. And before, a circle. Candles. And before that… sex. No wonder they’re worried. I must have disappeared on them in the middle of an orgasm. Oops. Not the best time to have a weird vision.

“What the fuck happened?” Torben asks. He’s wearing the frown he usually reserves for deadly danger. Double oops. “You suddenly passed out. Are you okay?”

I rub my forehead. My skin is hot, too hot.

“I’m okay, I think,” I reply, my voice more a croak than anything else. “I had a dream.”

“A dream?” Torben asks incredulously. “Does that mean you fell asleep while having sex?”

“Was it that bad?” Húnn mutters, only half in jest.

“It was just like in the other dream,” I begin, only then remembering that I never told them about the first dream. Oh no. Torben is going to kill me. I know he’s just concerned, but he’s not good at expressing that. It looks like he’s furious, and I only stay calm because I know him so well. Other people would probably run at the prospect of dealing with an angry bear alpha.

I give them a quick recap of both dreams. With every word I say, the furrow on Torben’s brow deepens. He’s not saying anything though, letting me speak. When I’m done, I’m waiting for the lightning to strike.

It doesn’t come.

His expression softens. “You should tell us about strange dreams like that. I know you were raised in a human world where people don’t believe in the significance of dreams, but you’re with us now. Dreams can be messages, even prophecies. It’s important to make a note of them.”

“Do you have any idea of who they may have been?” Húnn asks the others. “The only three mysterious beings I know are the Fates and we’ve dealt with them. You would have recognised them.”

I nod. “They were different. Less corporeal. I don’t even know if they were male or female. They could be ghosts, for all I know.”

“No matter what they are, I don’t like it,” Torben grumbles. “Especially if what they say is true. That Ruby thinks she’s in danger. She’s on an island protected by four fathers and a mother who would all die to protect her. Nobody knows we’re here. We don’t have any enemies.”

I almost protest, thinking of how my uncle is still somewhere out there, but he doesn’t matter. He’s probably forgotten about me by now. He never cared about me as a person. Just as a commodity that could be traded with for things he craved more than a niece.

“Have any of you checked on her?” I ask, suddenly very aware that Ruby isn’t in the room with us.

“Yes, she was sleeping,” Finn says. “That was about ten minutes ago. Shall I bring her here?”

I nod. “I’ll get her. She might be hungry.”

It takes a moment to get out of bed – there are two large men on either side of me that I need to climb over. All of them seem to enjoy my naked self trying not to hurt them. I doubt I could, but my knees won’t be comfortable if I press them against their important bits.

Just like Finn said, Ruby is sleeping peacefully. Her tiny hands are scrunched up into fists. I think she’s going to be formidable one day. She doesn’t wake up when I take her cot and carry it into our bedroom. I guess she’s had enough of her strange milk and blood mixture to fill her little stomach for a while.

I carefully put her down on a low table in the bedroom, then climb back onto the bed again.

“No more cuddles?” Húnn asks, sounding deflated.

“Cuddles are fine,” I reply with a wink. “But let’s get some sleep before she wakes up and demands our attention.”
Skye MacKinnon. Claiming Her Bears: The complete series (Kindle Locations 4483-4513). Peryton Press. Kindle Edition.

As Torbin researches bear shifter babies drinking blood, Ruby continues to grow at a startling rate. When Isla once more slips into the ‘dream’ her bear Alis is in the forefront which presents a unique problem.

Plenty of weirdness in this book as time changes rapidly and Isla being trapped. Only Ruby will be able to help when she is strong enough to do so.

I couldn’t put this book down, there was laughter, tears and plenty of sizzling heat in more ways than one.

A very unique and satisfying ending to this series.

5 Contented Purrs for Skye!

Skye MacKinnon

Skye MacKinnon is a USA Today & International Bestselling Author whose books are filled with strong heroines who don’t have to choose.

She embraces her Scottishness with fantastical Scottish settings and a dash of mythology, no matter if she’s writing about Celtic gods, cat shifters, or the streets of Edinburgh.

When she’s not typing away at her favourite cafe, Skye loves dried mango, as much exotic tea as she can squeeze into her cupboards, and being covered in pet hair by her two bunnies, Emma and Darwin.