Read Online River Bear (BBW Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance) (Blue Bear Rescue) by Terra Wolf, Holly Eastman - Free Book Online

come to hate. “Anyway, Jonah and I were separated. We spent the next five years in foster care. He moved away when he turned eighteen.”
    “Williams,” she repeated finally. “I do remember that. He was… I tracked him to a dive bar known for high stakes gambling. I… found his body in the alley.”
    Jake nodded. “Cause of death was listed as suspicious. That’s it. No formal investigation. Why bother, right?” He snorted and shook off the ugly fury that came with remembering that bit of paperwork he’d come across in the file he’d stolen. True, the guy had been a shitty father, but he was still a person deserving of justice, right?
    She slid her hand around his arm and squeezed. “I’m really sorry for your loss, Jake,” she said. “I wish I’d known.
    “Doesn’t matter now.”
    “For what it’s worth, I would have changed my name too,” she said. “River—it suits you. The water, the mountains here. It’s who you are. River Bear.”
    He didn’t answer, too touched by how clearly she saw him. A part of this place. Jonah had left, needing space and distance from the memories. Jake couldn’t fault him, but he also couldn’t imagine giving up the family he’d built for himself here. Despite everything that had happened with his parents and the nightmare of foster care after, Blue Hole was a part of Jake. Delilah was right. He was River Bear.
    Jake rounded the last bend and spotted the gravel drive leading to the cabin Xavier had said would be here. No mailbox, but he knew the spot. It was damn close to another cabin he knew all too well. Probably what had stirred up all those feelings from back then to begin with. The cabin of the last foster home he’d lived in had its own set of nightmarish memories.
    It made him wonder if Delilah’s foster care experience had been just as bad. God, he hoped not.
    A pit of unease settled in his stomach as he parked and studied the cabin for signs of life. Whatever happened next, Delilah knew him. The real him. Fucked up parenting and all. It was more than he’d ever shared with anyone outside his crew. He wondered if she understood how much of himself he’d already given to her. And how much more he stood to lose if he lost her now. His bear had chosen her, despite the danger of Nash’s stupid vision and whoever was coming after them now. He couldn’t leave her. He’d bonded to Delilah in a way he’d never connected with anyone before. She was his now. All of her. All of him. Not just today but always.

Seven
    D elilah rode in silence , her heart going out to Jake and everything he’d been through with his parents. She didn’t know what to say to make up for everything he’d lost. And she knew better than most that words just weren’t enough. Maybe later, she’d find a way to show him what it meant to her that he’d opened up.
    Right now, like it or not, she had a job to do. And she was darn sure she was not going to let Jake save the day twice. A girl had to hold her own once in a while to earn her paycheck.
    The truck bounced over the gravel, and she pulled her knee up, checking for her knife where she’d tucked it into her boot earlier. “What are you doing with that?” Jake demanded. She rolled her pant leg back down again and tossed him a glare.
    “Hitting the target from thirty feet, according to my instructors at the academy,” she shot back.
    Jake grunted but didn’t argue.
    “And it’s a lot quieter than a gunshot. Although, up here, I guess we don’t have to worry about making noise.” She peered out the window and was met with nothing but thick woods in all directions.
    Jake rounded the bend, and a small, one-story cabin rose up in front of them in the small clearing. The logs had splintered and faded over the years, and whoever lived here hadn’t bothered to keep it up. The green shutters were peeling or missing entirely, and the windows were coated with a thick layer of grime. She wasn’t sure whether there were curtains on