Heart of the Bear Read online

  “Ethan—”

  “Jesse’s hurt, Rae.”

  She froze and snapped her gaze to his. “What?”

  “He’s hurt from the fight, and he’s not getting any better.”

  “But shifters heal faster than humans.”

  “Yeah, but we’ve waited, and it isn’t working for him. I think he doesn’t care if he gets better. You think you aren’t a part of my clan, but you’re wrong.” His voice faltered as he lowered his eyes. “I need you to come home. I need you to save my best friend.”

  Her reasons for staying away from Jesse didn’t matter now. Hang her safety if he was hurt. The clan needed him, and Jonathan needed his father. But it was more than that. She needed him to exist. She needed to know that somewhere in the Hells Canyon Mountains, a red-headed bear shifter lived with his son, protecting his land.

  Even if being there caused her physical risk, she had to help the man she had fallen hopelessly in love with.

  “I’ll follow you there,” she told Ethan.

  The drive took an eternity. Each mile brought more worry for the man she’d left behind. It wasn’t until she saw the first stretch of mountain range that her grip relaxed on the wheel. Memories and a deep well of relief overwhelmed Rae as she drove over the ridge and saw the ranger camp. She’d convinced herself she’d never see this place again, and now here she was. It hadn’t changed in the weeks she’d been gone, but the dark clouds that covered the sun, and the raindrops splattering against her windshield brought a quiet melancholy to the place that hadn’t been here before.

  A woman ran toward the big tent in the center of the clearing where a number of the clan seemed to be gathered. She followed Ethan’s forest green-colored Bronco and parked beside it in front of Jesse’s house. Jonathan sat on the front porch with his chin in his hands, but when she stepped from her beat up old car, he stood.

  “You came back,” he said. The boy’s blond hair was mussed, and his eyes were pooled with more worry than any kid should be saddled with.

  “He’s inside,” Ethan murmured with a gesture of his hand. “Jonathan, you’re going to work a tower shift with me today, buddy.”

  The boy’s eyes lit up, and he swung his gaze back to Rae. “Are you going to fix my dad?”

  Emotion clogged her throat, and she hugged his slim shoulders against her hip. “We’ll get him sorted out. Don’t you worry. Go have fun with Ethan, and when you get back, we’ll all have a big meal.”

  “Okay. Can I keep your pocket knife?” he asked, holding up her multi-tool. “After you left, dad said I could have it.”

  A slow, understanding smile took her face. “Sure. It’s yours now.”

  Jonathan’s answering grin transformed his face as he pocketed it. Then he bustled through the front door and called out, “I’m going with Mr. Ethan, dad. He’s taking me to work at the tower. I’ll be back later.”

  The boy waited until Jesse’s answer traveled from his open bedroom door. “That’ll be fine, boy. Do as he says.”

  Jonathan gave her a half-smile and rested his head against her stomach for just a moment before he bounded for the door. “Rae?” he asked, turning at the frame. “I’m glad you came back.”

  She pursed her lips against the urge to hug him again, and took a steadying breath as he closed the door behind him. The house was dark and rain pattered against the roof. Dull blue light filtered in through the windows, but she still had to pick her way carefully through the living room.

  Jesse sat on his bed with his back to her, his head buried in his hands. “I thought you left me for good.” He turned his brilliant green eyes on her over his shoulder.

  Rae’s breath caught in her throat at how much she’d missed him—at how beautiful he was now, even in the muted light of his bedroom.

  “I thought I did, too.” She stepped around the bed slowly, and he unfolded his legs and stood to his full height.

  One of his knees stayed bent, his leg resting on his toe. He wore briefs and nothing else, and she was taken with how strong he looked. This masculine creature had more power in his left hand than she possessed in her entire body, and he was waiting for her to approach, as if he didn’t want to startle her.

  She raked her gaze down his stomach, flexing with every breath, and past his gray briefs. A bandage covered his entire right thigh. She lifted her gaze back to his and touched the beard he hadn’t bothered to shave in a long time. It was red, with gold highlights, and soft when she touched it with her fingertips. It was the sadness in his eyes that held her, though. “Did I do this?”

  His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, and moisture rimmed his eyes as he looked away. “No, this is on me.” He cupped her cheek, and she leaned against his warm palm. “I’m sorry about what happened, Rae. I should’ve told you about Jonathan as soon as I thought there was a chance we’d work out. I was scared of you leaving and was trying to protect my son, but that’s not an excuse. I handled it wrong and put you in front of Miranda. My decision put you at risk, and I’m so sorry.”

  He hissed in pain as he adjusted his weight, and she eased him back onto the bed. Pulling her forward, he rested his head against her stomach and gripped her waist.

  “Forgive me,” he pleaded.

  “Only if you forgive me for leaving,” she whispered. The first tear made its way down her cheek as she stared at a framed photograph of the Oregon Mountains on his wall.

  “Tell me you’re here to stay.” His fingers dug into her hips like he was afraid she’d disappear at any moment. “Please, Rae. Stay here and build a life with me and Jonathan. I don’t want to raise him with anyone else. I don’t want anyone but you.”

  She ran her fingers through his hair and hugged him tighter to her stomach. “I couldn’t leave here now, even if I wanted to.”

  “Because Ethan won’t let you?”

  “No, silly bear. Because I love you.”

  His eyes lifted to hers, and a slow smile took his face. There he was—her Jesse, her mate. “Say it again.”

  She drew a shaky breath as another tear slid down her cheek. “I love you.”

  He rubbed his thumb over the moisture under her lashes, and looked at her with adoration pooling in his eyes. “Mate,” he whispered. “I love you, too.”

  Epilogue

  It had taken two weeks for Jesse to recover after Rae had come home. He’d been refusing help before, but the first thing she did was call Muriel and ask her to try and fix Jesse’s maimed leg. He would likely always walk with a hitch in his step, but it was just another thing she loved about him. Their scars matched now. The one on her wrist signified the night his bear had chosen her, and the marks on his leg reminded her of how far he was willing to go to keep her safe.

  In the days that followed her return, Rae made a point to meet every bear in Jesse’s clan. If she was going to make a home here, she wanted to trust the people she shared it with, and she wanted them to trust her, too. She’d spent time with the Hells Canyon shifters down in Joseph and took Jonathan with her wherever she went. He was a quiet boy, but with a dry wit like his father. She adored him.

  “Okay, close your eyes,” she said, stretching up on tiptoes to cover Jesse’s face with her hands.

  “Don’t peek,” Jonathan ordered, and Rae grinned and winked at him.

  Jonathan opened the front door of their cabin, and Rae slid her hand from over Jesse’s eyes to the strong planes of his back.

  Every available Hells Canyon and Seven Devils shifter was standing outside waiting to surprise Jesse.

  With an expression of such bewilderment on his face, he looked at them as they surged forward to greet and congratulate him. “What is this for?” he asked over the noise of the cheering and applause.

  “It’s all for you. Apparently, a black bear as second hasn’t happened in a few generations,” Rae said. “That, and Ethan and Bron thought it would be nice if we celebrated our bond tonight. We’re making us official.”

  Jesse’s eyes danced as he lean
ed down and kissed her. His lips were warm and soft against hers. It wasn’t an urgent kiss, but one that let her know he was happy—that he was grateful for what she’d done. His lips left her, and when she opened her eyes, Dillon was pulling him away and into the crowd. Jesse laughed as Dillon gave him a rough hug, then shoved him toward Bron, who clapped him on the back. Logan handed him a beer, and Ethan waved everyone toward a row of tables piled with food.

  As Jesse made his way through the crowd joking with people he knew, relief blanketed Rae. She’d been scared he wouldn’t be okay after everything, but his limp was the only evidence left of that awful day that had torn them apart.

  Breshia yelped as Samuel changed from a squalling infant into a lion cub in her arms.

  “Samuel is getting so big,” Jonathan exclaimed, and took the cub from its adoptive mother’s grasp. Arms hooked under Samuel’s belly, Jonathan carried the cub toward the row of tables, with Breshia and Muriel following.

  Rae grinned as he waddled away with his little playmate. There weren’t many cubs in the Seven Devils clan, but Jonathan would grow up with shifters he could rely on and trust. He would have Samuel and Muriel’s daughter, Abigail. And it didn’t matter if they were lions or bears, they would have an unbreakable bond as they matured together.

  Samantha slung her arm over Rae’s shoulders. “That is one mushy smile you’re wearing. What are you thinking about?”

  “I was thinking that I had this idea of family, and it was completely wrong.”

  Samantha rested her head against Rae’s as they watched their mates laugh at something Ethan said.

  “You’ve got us now, Rae. You’re clan.” Samantha gave her hand a squeeze, then followed the crowd.

  Rae’s heart swelled with love for the people she’d stumbled across, nestled in the mountains of the Oregon wilderness. She’d had to lose herself completely to find herself like this. To learn how to live and find her place among people she loved.

  To her, family wasn’t just this cookie-cutter image of a mommy and a daddy and a baby in a big house anymore. It was lions and bears, and messy relationships with friends she was willing to fight for.

  It was the people she chose to surround herself with, who were important enough that she’d make sacrifices for their comfort.

  Family was Jesse, and it was Jonathan, no matter that they were different from her, or that they were servants to the animals that dwelled inside of them.

  Jesse turned and gifted her with a slow smile. His eyes twinkled, as if he could read her sappy thoughts, and he twitched his head in a silent invitation to join their people.

  She’d found an unbreakable family here among the shifters of Hells Canyon.

  Coming November 2015

  Hells Canyon Christmas

  This novella will be available as part of a giant holiday box set with some of your other favorite paranormal romance writers.

  For more updates, sign up for T. S. Joyce’s newsletter HERE.

  Other Books in this Series

  Hells Canyon Shifters

  Call of the Bear (Book 1)

  Fealty of the Bear (Book 2)

  Avenge the Bear (Book 3)

  Claim the Bear (Book 4)

  Other Books by T. S. Joyce

  Bear Valley Shifters

  Complete Series – Available Now

  The Witness and the Bear (Book 1)

  Devoted to the Bear (Book 2)

  Return to the Bear (Book 3)

  Betray the Bear (Book 4)

  Redeem the Bear (Book 5)

  Wolf Shifter Series

  Wolf Brides

  Wolf Bride (Book 1)

  Red Snow Bride (Book 2)

  Dawson Brides (Book 3)

  Bear Shifter Romance Newsletter Sign-Up

  For exclusive sneak peeks, giveaways and new releases, sign up for T. S. Joyce’s Bear Shifter Romance Newsletter HERE.

  Sneak Peek

  THE WITNESS AND THE BEAR

  (Bear Valley Shifters, Book 1)

  Read on for a sneak peek of the thrilling first book in the Bear Valley Shifters series.

  Chapter One

  Today was as good a day to die as any.

  Jimmy’s fingers dug into her shoulder as he shoved her out the window. “Hannah! Stop fighting me. If you don’t run now, it’ll be too late.”

  Another tremendous crash rattled the room. Stone’s men were coming in sooner than later and the men protecting her were sitting ducks to the hell on the other side of that door. Jeremy watched her with an eerie glow to his dark eyes. Fluorescent lights and dingy walls had that effect on him. Braced against the door, he snarled, “Get out of here!”

  “And what about you?” she snapped, lunging for the window and gripping the edges with straining fingers. “Huh? They’ll kill you! There is no end to their reach. They’ll keep coming until I’m dead and I’m tired of running. Just let them have me.”

  Defeated. After the last time they’d found her, she’d skimmed the insanity train. Paranoia ruled her life. And not the I-smoked-a-joint-and-now-the-government-is-after-me kind. This fear didn’t end with the high. It stretched on and on until she would drown in it. Burn in it. Fall into the darkness wider than the known world and tumble forever, hitting every rock crevice on the way down until her mind was shredded. She was so damned tired of it.

  “I’ll never forgive you,” Jeremy said. His cold eyes threw ice that pierced her heart. Gray hair cropped short, wrinkles that textured his face, and most of them were probably from trying to keep her safe for the past year. Witness protection gone horribly wrong. He’d given too much for her to give up now. He knew it, and begrudgingly, she knew it too.

  “Jimmy,” she breathed, tears burning her eyes.

  His grip on her shirt tightened and he shook his head, slow. Bright blue eyes filled with sadness so deep, she didn’t know how he could draw a breath. Jimmy and Jeremy wouldn’t come with her this time. Their last stand would be here, in this filthy apartment in Ashland, Oregon.

  Crash. Plaster spewed from the walls and ceiling and Jimmy shoved her out onto the fire escape. “Climb down and run. Don’t stop until you know they aren’t following. Take this.” He shoved a Glock into the palm of her hand, the metal cold against the perspiration of fear. “Shoot ‘em if you’re cornered.”

  Jeremy flew backward with the force of the next blow and Jimmy shoved her in the back. She fell forward, catching the grate with her knees and crying out at the sudden pain. Gunfire peppered the tiny space and she tumbled down the stairs, caught herself on the railing at the bottom and shot one last look to the window, then pounded the pavement with the soles of her sneakers.

  Jeremy who’d given up his life as a civilian to protect her. Jeremy, who’d calmed her fears when Stone’s men got too close. Jeremy, who’d become more like father figure than friend. He was trapped in the middle of the rattling explosions.

  A sob wrenched from her throat. The last good parts of her would die with him. His death was on her. She’d made the choice to testify against Stone and his men, and that decision had caused an earthquake that rippled through her life and killed people she cared about. If she lived a minute or a decade, she’d never curse another person with her love.

  A hand reached out from the darkness and wrapped around her throat like a manacle. She tried to scream but her wind wouldn’t come through his crushing grasp and as the man emerged from the shadows, the flickering street light illuminated a long scar across his forehead.

  Spinning, he slammed her against a brick wall hard enough to rattle her skull and blur her vision. Sparks whipped this way and that through the edges of her vision and warmth trickled down her neck. Yanking her long, honey colored hair out of the way, the man grunted a satisfied noise and the crack of metal on metal was deafening as he cocked his gun.

  Definitely one of Stone’s enforcers. No one else would be interested in the scar that marked her.

  Gravel met the flesh of her cheek as he slammed her to the ground,
and when his weight disappeared, she rolled over. No way was she going to die with a bullet in her back. The least this asshole could do was look in her eyes when he pulled that trigger. Gunfire had tapered off from above, and the apartment behind his shoulder had gone dark. Her breath trembled, filling the night air with the traitorous proof of her fear. Heart hammering against her sternum, she glared at the sneering man.

  “Go to hell,” he said, lifting the barrel.

  “You first,” she snarled, pulling the trigger on the Glock Jimmy had gifted her.

  His gun discharged at the exact same moment as hers, and pain ripped through her, shredding her insides until there was nothing left. The man sank to his knees with a shocked look as his unloaded weapon clattered to the cracked pavement. She struggled to breathe as he brought searching fingertips to his chest and pulled them back crimson.

  The last thing she’d do on this earth was rid it of an evil man. Pride surged through her as he fell forward. Her hand lay limp in front of her, smattered with blood. It felt detached from her body. Everything did. Nothing worked except her lungs, dragging air in, and pushing it out, and even that small movement was failing.

  The man’s eyes dimmed until the dark orbs saw nothing at all. Her lungs rattled with every breath, but she smiled despite the pain. Stone won the war, but at least she’d go out on this tiny victory.

  Her vision shattered inward and she winced at the blinding pain.

  Nearby, an animal roared loud enough to rattle her bones.

  If it was her death the creature sought, he was too late.

  She was already gone.

  THE WITNESS AND THE BEAR

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