Read Online Christina's Bear by Jane Wakely - Free Book Online Page B

when he allowed himself to shift. If a wolf, bunny or deer was
spotted near the hotel, most likely not much would happen. The wolf would be
mistaken for a dog and the bunny and deer would charm people with their
cuteness. A bear, however, brought a much different reaction—usually involving
screaming and the loading of shotgun barrels.
    Over
time he’d learned to take safeguards against those types of situations.
    Once he
was dressed, he walked to the edge of the cave and sniffed to make sure no full
humans lurked in the nearby trees. Satisfied he was alone, he walked out of the
cave and through the forest to the nearby street. There was a market down the
road from the hotel and he needed coffee and a newspaper.
    Matt had
given him a good recommendation and Bull had an interview at the construction
site on Monday. He had plenty of experience from his many years of moving
around. Someone was always building something somewhere and he’d learned as
much as he could from every employer. He wasn’t worried about getting the job,
but he needed to find an apartment.
    It had
been one night and he was already tired of the hotel. Matt had offered him the
guest room for as long as he needed it, but now that his friend was mated and
engaged, Bull didn’t want to impose on the couple. Also, being an unmated
shifter around a newly mated couple was difficult.
    Life for
an unmated shifter was extremely lonely. Even when surrounded by family and
friends, the loneliness had the ability to creep in and take over if the
shifter wasn’t careful. In some cases, shifters literally died of loneliness.
Being around a newly mated couple increased the chance that a shifter would
fall into a depression so deep they couldn’t recover.
    Bull was
going to Matt’s tomorrow. He was anxious to spend time with his friend and meet
Jenn, but he couldn’t stay there.
    He
needed to start looking tonight for a place of his own.

Chapter Two
     
    Christina
put the plastic lid over her steaming cup and pressed hard around the edges,
making sure it was secure. The smell of the fresh brewed coffee, along with the
flavored cream, was heaven. The special brew was the same brand as the one she
used at home, but it always tasted better.
    She was
about to take a careful sip when someone called her name.
    “Hey
Christina, how’s Derek?” The clerk yelled across the store and laughed.
    Darn!
The only bad thing about coming in here sometimes was that jerk. The store
owner and his son were so nice, she had no idea how that guy had gotten a job
here.
    She
couldn’t remember his name, but he was best friends with Derek, a guy she dated
when she had first moved to town. It had been a mistake. Derek was mean and she
ended their first and only date by walking out before dinner had arrived. She
found out later that he lied about what happened and told his friends she had
sex with him. She hadn’t figured out they were laughing at her until a string
of suitors asked her out and tried to get into her pants.
    The
memory caused her eyes to sting. She focused on the lid of her cup, pressing it
again around the edges and blinking several times trying to keep the tears at
bay before she glanced around to see if anyone else was inside the store.
Grateful she was alone, she turned to walk toward the counter.
    “Who’s
Derek?”  
    Christina
jumped and opened her mouth to scream when a strong hand carefully closed
around her wrist, effectively stopping her from shaking and splattering anymore
scalding liquid out of the lid.
    For some
reason, the mammoth hand brought the image of a giant animal paw to her mind. His
skin was golden brown, as if permanently kissed by the sun. The only people in
the Pacific Northwest with that color skin tone regularly visited tanning
salons. She knew he hadn’t.
    Wanting
to see his face, her eyes moved up and up and up. She was six feet tall, but he
was taller. Much taller. If she had to guess, she’d say he was about seven
inches taller. She