Read Online The Witness and the Bear: (Werebear Shifter Romance) by T. S. Joyce - Free Book Online
Authors: T. S. Joyce
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Do all of you just waltz around with your perfect bodies and…Merit. She’s a bear too, right? That’s why you’re supposed to pick her?”
He nodded and the tears that had been building spilled over. It was too much to take in. Monsters were real, but they were in the form of heartless mobsters like Stone and his enforcers. Real monsters, the furry nightmare kind, didn’t exist. But they did. As was obvious from the long, bleeding claw mark across Riker’s chest.
She reached out and touched the jagged edge. He winced but allowed it.
Bear or not, the injury looked bad and she worried. “We need to find Daria.”
“I’ll be fine,” he said flatly.
“Don’t.” She growled, holding her hands out like she wanted to choke him, then swung her gaze to Jenny. “Is stubbornness part of werebear make-up? Please say yes.”
She pursed her lips and crossed her arms like she was trying to hold in a laugh. One nod and Hannah scrambled upward. “I want to go home.”
“Where do you live?” Riker asked with a frown that said he didn’t like it, but he was game.
“Not…my home. Our home. Dad-blastit, your home.” She cleared her throat and smoothed leaves and bugs from her snarled hair. “I’d like to go to your house.”
“I like her,” Jenny said, her grin wide and wh ite as the fluffy clouds above. Riker threw her a stormy look but she only shrugged. “Dinner’s at six. Don’t be late. Bring your mate!” Her laughter trailed behind her as she disappeared behind a thicket of trees.
Maybe Jenny really was crazy.
“You look mad,” Riker said.
“I’m not mad.”
“Okay, you look pissed.”
“I’m not. Why would I be pissed that I got eaten out by a werebear?” She yelled the last word.
He laughed, blast that man, he laughed at her. “Regrets, cupcake?”
She rubbed her eyes and groaned. Maybe if she blinked really hard, this nightmare wouldn’t exist. Nope. When she opened her eyes, Riker was still standing there like a sexy bodied Adonis with his arms crossed over the gaping wound on his chest. Blood pooled in the bowl his arms created.
“Can we please find Daria before I lose my breakfast, and find you some friggin’ pants, and then can we please, please go back to your house and talk about all of this before any of your crazy bear friends try to kill me again?” She wanted a nap. Honestly, she could probably sleep for three days with all of this overwhelming swamp of new information that had successfully turned everything she thought she knew about the world completely upside down.
“Jeremy,” she muttered, his name like a curse on her lips.
“Is a bear shifter too.”
“Of course he is.” Suddenly the roar she heard the night she was shot made sense. In fact, all of the strange things that had been happening were starting to make sense.
She made to march off through the brush, but Riker grabbed her arm and spun her around. “Is this where you run from me?” he asked low. His eyes were hard as he searched her face, and the slightest hint of worry sat in the hard planes of his frown.
“Li ke you ran from me last night?” He didn’t answer so she spat out, “How’s Merit?”
Eyes wide and baffled, he said, “I don’t know. Why? Was she messing with you?”
“Not like she was messing with you last night. Got mad so you ran off to her place, leaving me to sob myself to sleep over someone who doesn’t deserve my tears. Did you choose already? Hmm, Benton Riker?” Full name. That’s right. He was in trouble and best he knew it.
“I didn’t go to Merit’s place. I slept in the woods and woke early for a meeting. I’ve been working all day. I haven’t seen Merit since she stormed Castle Alpha last night.”
Hannah was scared to hope and she crossed her arms defensively. “Liar.” She tested the word but it tasted bitter in her mouth. “You swear you didn’t take her?”
Stepping forward, he splayed his legs so he was more her height and tugged her wrists
He nodded and the tears that had been building spilled over. It was too much to take in. Monsters were real, but they were in the form of heartless mobsters like Stone and his enforcers. Real monsters, the furry nightmare kind, didn’t exist. But they did. As was obvious from the long, bleeding claw mark across Riker’s chest.
She reached out and touched the jagged edge. He winced but allowed it.
Bear or not, the injury looked bad and she worried. “We need to find Daria.”
“I’ll be fine,” he said flatly.
“Don’t.” She growled, holding her hands out like she wanted to choke him, then swung her gaze to Jenny. “Is stubbornness part of werebear make-up? Please say yes.”
She pursed her lips and crossed her arms like she was trying to hold in a laugh. One nod and Hannah scrambled upward. “I want to go home.”
“Where do you live?” Riker asked with a frown that said he didn’t like it, but he was game.
“Not…my home. Our home. Dad-blastit, your home.” She cleared her throat and smoothed leaves and bugs from her snarled hair. “I’d like to go to your house.”
“I like her,” Jenny said, her grin wide and wh ite as the fluffy clouds above. Riker threw her a stormy look but she only shrugged. “Dinner’s at six. Don’t be late. Bring your mate!” Her laughter trailed behind her as she disappeared behind a thicket of trees.
Maybe Jenny really was crazy.
“You look mad,” Riker said.
“I’m not mad.”
“Okay, you look pissed.”
“I’m not. Why would I be pissed that I got eaten out by a werebear?” She yelled the last word.
He laughed, blast that man, he laughed at her. “Regrets, cupcake?”
She rubbed her eyes and groaned. Maybe if she blinked really hard, this nightmare wouldn’t exist. Nope. When she opened her eyes, Riker was still standing there like a sexy bodied Adonis with his arms crossed over the gaping wound on his chest. Blood pooled in the bowl his arms created.
“Can we please find Daria before I lose my breakfast, and find you some friggin’ pants, and then can we please, please go back to your house and talk about all of this before any of your crazy bear friends try to kill me again?” She wanted a nap. Honestly, she could probably sleep for three days with all of this overwhelming swamp of new information that had successfully turned everything she thought she knew about the world completely upside down.
“Jeremy,” she muttered, his name like a curse on her lips.
“Is a bear shifter too.”
“Of course he is.” Suddenly the roar she heard the night she was shot made sense. In fact, all of the strange things that had been happening were starting to make sense.
She made to march off through the brush, but Riker grabbed her arm and spun her around. “Is this where you run from me?” he asked low. His eyes were hard as he searched her face, and the slightest hint of worry sat in the hard planes of his frown.
“Li ke you ran from me last night?” He didn’t answer so she spat out, “How’s Merit?”
Eyes wide and baffled, he said, “I don’t know. Why? Was she messing with you?”
“Not like she was messing with you last night. Got mad so you ran off to her place, leaving me to sob myself to sleep over someone who doesn’t deserve my tears. Did you choose already? Hmm, Benton Riker?” Full name. That’s right. He was in trouble and best he knew it.
“I didn’t go to Merit’s place. I slept in the woods and woke early for a meeting. I’ve been working all day. I haven’t seen Merit since she stormed Castle Alpha last night.”
Hannah was scared to hope and she crossed her arms defensively. “Liar.” She tested the word but it tasted bitter in her mouth. “You swear you didn’t take her?”
Stepping forward, he splayed his legs so he was more her height and tugged her wrists
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