Read Online Gray Back Broken Bear (Gray Back Bears Book 4) by T. S. Joyce - Free Book Online

she’d been dumped into a surreal moment that could very well be a dream. She was here, with him . With the one she’d thought so much about and forsaken her people for. With the one who’d kept her trinkets after all these years.
    “I’m sorry,” he murmured as he pushed his door open, though she couldn’t tell what he was apologizing for.
    She stepped up the stairs and into his den as he flipped the light switch on. The smell of pine sap hit her senses first as she took in the small space of the living room. There was only one lamp in the corner, and he’d thrown a square of orange fabric over it to mute the light. The walls were covered from floor to ceiling with tree bark. She gasped as it hit her why this place felt so familiar. She spun and stuck her head back out the front door, but she already knew what she would find. A workshop built at a similar distance from the tree Easton had built a house in when he was a cub. This place was his version of the home he’d lived in all those years ago. He’d recreated the place he felt the safest.
    A wash of mixed emotions filled her. Sadness that those years had etched their way so deeply into his adult life. Disappointment that he was still holding onto the past. Pride that he’d survived at all. Tears blurred her vision as she smiled up at him. He was waiting, dark eyebrows furrowed with worry.
    “I love it,” she whispered thickly.
    The tension melted from his shoulders, and he huffed a relieved sigh. A crooked smile took his lips, almost deep enough to expose one of his dimples, but not quite.
    He showed her the small kitchen and single bedroom, which took up half the length of the trailer and was curiously normal after the tree-like living room. A queen-size bed boasted crisp white sheets under a folded down comforter that looked as soft as a cloud. His bathroom was just as tidy—a habit he must’ve picked up in his adult years because the boy she remembered had been scattered and his living space cluttered.
    She brushed her fingers across the plush comforter, familiarizing herself with his place. There was a bookshelf along the wall three shelves high and made of oak. The top shelf was filled with childbirth books. She pulled one out and looked questioningly at him.
    “Creed got Gia with a baby.” With a frown, he sat on the bed behind her. “My mom didn’t survive a baby. I wanted to make sure Gia would be okay.”
    Aviana’s heart dropped to the floor. Of course he would be worried after what happened.
    Easton’s mouth ticked as he pulled at the edges of the frayed black ribbon she’d gifted him the night his father died. She swallowed the gasp and froze into place so she wouldn’t attract his attention before she could get the shock wiped off her face. Where had he pulled that from?
    “I like Gia. I was mad at Creed for putting her at risk, but she loves her baby. She wants it. Even though Gia is human, she isn’t weak. And her baby girl is strong, too.” He lifted his gaze to hers. “She’ll be dragon-blooded, you know.”
    “Dragon-blooded?” Aviana asked, leaning back against the dresser. That sounded terrifying.
    “Creed is the grandson of the last immortal dragon. He turned out grizzly, and maybe his daughter will, too. Or maybe not. Gia promised to have the baby in a hospital. Registered shifters can do that now. It’s not like when I was growing up, and we had to hide our young.”
    She knew all about that. It had been the same for raven shifters. Until they were old enough to control their Changes, it was safest to live away from society, off the grid somewhere. It was still like that for growing families. Ravens weren’t out to the public like other shifters and likely never would be. Ravens were naturally more cautious than bears.
    “I’m sorry about your mom.” Her voice quivered with emotion. Oh, how she’d wanted to say those words to him, but she’d only been able to bring him gifts and hope he interpreted her