Read Online Bear Apparent (BBW Shifter Romance) (Stone Claw Clan Book 1) by Jade Woods - Free Book Online

his bears needed to blow off a little stress, but it wasn’t the time and place to take jabs at one another.
    Everyone gathered around him, their eyes connecting with his in search of guidance, but Garrett didn’t have any reassuring words to offer. One of the polar twins frowned, and peeked around Garrett.
    “Who’s that?” the bears asked in unison.
     
    ****
     
    Dahlia swallowed hard as the gaze of several predators turned toward her, their eyes glowing with interest. She had a hard time believing all those mountain-sized men had fit into the explorer, their frames as large and broad as Garrett—except for the two smaller guys with their arms around each other’s waists. Swallowing hard, she took a step back as they shifted in her direction. It was strange, but Garrett didn’t frighten her, not like this. Despite being on her property, she felt as if she were invading their territory.
    Garrett set into action, his steps brisk as he came to stand next to her. Relief flooded her system, his closeness wrapping around her like a thick shield. “This is Dahlia, our host. She has opened our home to us.”
    In unison, their attention slid over to Garrett, and their nostrils flared. Dahlia was surprised when Garrett started to fidget uncomfortably. Were they communicating telepathically, or something? After a long, tense moment they looked back to her, their expressions brightening.
    The biggest of the group, besides Garrett, stepped forward and held his hand out, his deep brown eyes pulling up in the corners. “I am called Bruin.”
    Dahlia glanced at Garrett, who nodded, and she accepted the man’s hand, his grip incredibly strong. His smile grew wider as he greeted her, his touch lingering. Garrett was suddenly in the way, his big body pushing Bruin away. The other man chuckled darkly.
    “It’s about time,” he said.
    Glancing at her, Garrett said to Bruin, “It’s not like that.” Then he held a palm against her back, and urged her to the front. “This is my clan, Dahlia. My family. The male in the chair is Vance. The two Kmart models are Marcus and Jake. And the twins are Jet and Leto.”
    “Hello,” she said pensively. Their singular attention on her made her uncomfortable, and she wasn’t sure why. It was as if they’d never seen a woman before… or maybe a woman with Garrett?
    “It’s hot,” one of the white-haired twins complained.
    “You’re always hot,” the man in the wheelchair bit back, his arms bulging as he pushed the chair forward. She wanted to ask what had happened that he couldn’t walk, but figured it was inappropriate.
    “My house has central cooling,” she spoke up, instantly regretting it.
    The men’s attention shot to her, their eyes speculative. A long, tense moment passed, and Garrett put himself in front of her again. Luckily, he was so big, she could easily hide behind him, which was laughable considering she wasn’t tiny to begin with.
    “So, are we going to stand around here all day?” one of the models said as he left the side of the other, his red hair flashing in the sun. “Wait, we aren’t expected to sleep outside, are we? Because you know, my skin doesn’t do well in the sun.”
    “You are worried about baking?” one of the twins sputtered. “My brother and I will literally melt.”
    “Are you a polar bear?” Dahlia spoke up, then covered her mouth, her cheeks heating.
    Clearing his throat, Garrett took the lead. “They are. Bruin is grizzly like me. Vance is Kodiak… Gavin and Marcus are sun bears.”
    “Sun bears?” she frowned. “Shouldn’t you like the sun then?”
    She realized she had offended them as they rolled their eyes at each other. “It’s your fault. Rather, human’s.”
    A low growl rumbled in Garrett’s throat, and they looked away sheepishly. Garrett turned to her and explained, “We don’t really have specifications other than general species such as bears, wolves, cats and so forth. But humans have given names to