River Bear (BBW Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance) (Blue Bear Rescue) Read online

  “Did you do that chant I taught you?” Nash asked.

  Lucas nodded. “Twice. Very helpful, man,” Lucas said.

  Jake wanted to strangle them both. “You really think my bear’s making a claim?” Jake asked quietly.

  “Dude, for sure,” Nash said.

  Lucas clucked his tongue, cocking his head sympathetically. “Damn, first Xavier, now Jake. Y’all are dropping like flies. Who’s next?”

  Nash snorted. “Please. No ball and chain for me.”

  Jake rolled his eyes. “Not helping.”

  “All right, man, look,” Nash said, sobering. “She’s a tough chick. She’s not going to sit inside and let you beat on your chest and protect her from everything that moves. Accept it.”

  “And the vision?” Jake demanded.

  “The vision is liquid,” Nash began, echoing the very words Jake warned him about. “Ever changing like destiny.”

  Jake growled, not in the mood for Nash’s new age bullshit right now. “What the hell does that even mean? She’s human. Claiming her could kill her!”

  “Nah, that PI is tough as shit,” Lucas said. Jake growled, his frustration running over. He had to bite his tongue to keep from outright snarling at his friends. They weren’t taking this seriously enough.

  Nash sighed. “Stop worrying, Jake. If she’s your mate, it’ll work out.”

  Jake eyed him. “How do you know this?”

  “Because I’ve seen it,” Nash said simply. Jake had no idea if he meant mates in general or another vision of Jake. He wasn’t sure he could even handle the answer right now.

  Before he could ask, Nash thumped Lucas on the shoulder. “Come on. Let’s go see what Xavier needs from us,” he said. “Delilah can’t get all the cool assignments.”

  Jake watched them go, mulling over Nash’s words. Claiming her. Shit, he’d known he was falling for her, but that was something else. Something a whole lot bigger. Before Xavier’s recent claim on Laurel, he’d never seen a claimed couple. His parents sure hadn’t been. His mom was human, and his dad had been… well, the only thing his dad claimed was the winning pot.

  But he did know claiming a human was serious business. The bite alone could kill her. Not to mention how it was affecting him, and he hadn’t even done it yet. He’d had no idea it would be this intense or even how to recognize the signs. And Nash had already known. Just like he’d known about her—the vision. Fuck.

  He still didn’t know what he was going to do about that. But one thing was for sure. He wasn’t letting Delilah Henry get away. Not if his bear had anything to say about it. His bear intended to claim her. Maybe then, she’d be safe.

  First, he intended to deal with Ray Donovan.

  Nine

  Delilah’s feelings for Jake made it hard to concentrate. She’d done all right when he’d stood behind her at the cabin. Out of sight. She was able to talk, to explain to Xavier everything that had happened with the men they’d ran off. Three, including Lyle, who Jake had chased through the front before he’d doubled back for her. And two of them had seen her face.

  She’d done this long enough to know that wouldn’t end well. But at least she could sit back and wait instead of driving all over and checking out sketchy cabins. If they’d seen her, they’d find her now.

  She wondered if Jake had figured that out yet.

  He was brooding. She’d given him some time after he’d stormed out on her. Even on the ride back to town, she’d let him wallow in his black mood. But now she was over it. And then there were her feelings. She hated seeing him so upset. This compulsion to comfort him was a new thing for her. She didn’t want to screw it up or handle it wrong. In the back of her mind, she still half-expected him to tell her he’d already grown tired of her. Changed his mind. Left.

  That’s what everyone else did.

  “You ready to talk about it now?” she asked as they neared town.

  “Talk about what?” Jake asked, and she rolled her eyes.

  “You’ve been brooding since the cabin. Don’t act like nothing is wrong.”

  “I have a lot on my mind,” he said.

  Vague. Not working for her. She’d contemplated how direct to be with him, but she had a feeling Jake wouldn’t take well to beating around the bush. “You told me this morning that you still wanted me just like you did last night, right?”

  That got his attention. He blinked out of whatever daze he’d been in and locked eyes with her. “Yes. I want you. Today, tomorrow, next week,” he said, and a barrel of butterflies came to life inside her.

  Definitely direct.

  “Good, me too,” she admitted. Jake opened his mouth to say something, and she cut him off. “So you have to talk to me. I don’t go in for brooding and quiet. I need to know what’s up so we can fix it together.” She took his hand and scooted closer across the bench seat until their thighs brushed.

  He relaxed visibly the moment she touched him. The walled expression he wore fell away, and in his eyes now was pain and fear. “Fine, if you want to know, I’m worried about you.”

  “Jake, my job is important to me. No matter what happens between us—”

  “I know. You want to do this job.”

  “No, I need to do this job,” she corrected. “It’s part of who I am.”

  “I wouldn’t demand that you quit, although the thought’s crossed my mind,” he admitted. “It’s not just that,” he said, shaking his head. He made the turn into the motel lot and pulled into an empty parking space. Jake cut the engine and seemed to be trying to decide something. Indecision flashed in his eyes, and he chewed his lip before finally speaking. “Nash has these visions,” he began turning to face her.

  She waited, determined to hear him out despite how far-fetched this already sounded. “Go on,” she encouraged.

  “Before we ever met, he saw a girl with wavy hair. Pale. You’re on the ground, bleeding, and I’m—” He broke off and ran a hand through his messy hair.

  “You’re what?” she asked, startled and afraid to breathe. This was it. What he’d been keeping from her. She recognized that description from the day they’d met when he’d tried getting out of being her personal escort.

  “In that vision, I’m standing over you but not me, my bear. And I have your blood on my paws. On my face.”

  “Oh.” Of all the things he could have said, this was not what she’d expected. “I see.”

  “So, the thing is, my bear wants you. Apparently, permanently, as a mate. But if I claim you, that would mean also turning you into a polar bear but—”

  “I’d get to be a polar bear?” she asked, unable to help the excitement that crept in at that idea.

  “But,” he went on, eyeing her meaningfully, “If it didn’t take, you could die.”

  “If it didn’t take?” she repeated.

  “I’d have to bite you. God, I want to bite you, pretty bad,” he admitted, and the guilty look he wore reminded her of a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

  “Bite me where?” she asked, much more curious than afraid. She’d been blown away the first time she’d seen his polar bear. Awed by the power and size and strength of him. Not once had she been afraid. In fact, she’d spent half the day thinking how cool it would be to be able to change whenever she needed to kick some perp’s ass. Especially after that guy’s comment at the cabin. He hadn’t been scared enough of her. Or at least, not at first. But if she could shift into a polar bear… that would make her job so much easier. And more fun. She smiled to herself.

  “On your shoulder, just here,” Jake said, brushing her shirt aside and touching the tender spot on her shoulder. It would break the skin, leave a scar, and it would let everyone know that you’re mine.”

  She shuddered at the way he said the words. She would be his. If she was being honest, independence aside, she wanted nothing more than to belong to sexy, sweet, Jake River.

  “I trust you, Jake,” she said. Jake’s eyes went wide, and she realized what she real
ly agreed to. “Wow, okay, I mean, that’s really fast, huh? We should obviously slow things down and wait to see how this goes, right?” She tried to laugh it off, but Jake’s gaze was intensely serious.

  “I don’t need to wait. I knew the moment I saw you and shook your hand. But you’re human. I know it works different for you, so I can wait if that’s what you need.”

  “I need you,” she said, and her cheeks heated at how vulnerable it felt to say that out loud. “I can honestly say I’ve never told anyone that before. I try very hard not to need anyone, ever. And mostly, it works. I don’t think I realized how alone that made me until I met you. Now, I can’t imagine going back to a life without you in it. That’s probably too fast or too crazy to say, but I can’t help how I feel. There’s nothing back in the city for me. But there’s everything right here.”

  Jake’s smile spread slowly, and he took her face in his hands. He kissed her gently on the forehead and then her nose and finally her mouth. “I am completely a mess for you, woman. I couldn’t have let you leave if you’d tried. Hearing that… You make me so happy,” he said in her ear. She shivered as his warm breath washed over her.

  “Really? I could have sworn after today, I make you grumpy,” she said, and his shoulders shook with laughter.

  “Well, come inside and I’ll prove it to you,” he said.

  “You talked me into it.” She grinned at him and let him lead her out of the truck and across the lot.

  Jake unlocked the door with his free hand stuck inside her back pocket, and Delilah wiggled her ass extra hard for him as she walked inside. She was still floating a little from their conversation in the truck. Someone like Jake River wanting her was unbelievable. She’d come to town happy to have a gig that paid more than expenses—and now she wasn’t sure she’d ever leave here again.

  Nothing waited for her back in the city, anyway. A loft apartment with bad plumbing and an eviction notice hanging on the front door. Some unpaid parking tickets. Bills. But nothing like what she’d already built here in just a few short days. And she was sure there was no one else in the world like Jake. She’d almost stopped believing love like this existed anymore. But he was real and standing right here. Wanting her.

  The moment she walked into the dark motel room, she knew something was off. “The lamp is out,” she said, doing a quick sweep of the space. She’d gotten distracted with Jake. Carried away. And forgotten to keep an eye peeled for the trouble she’d already known would come. Damn.

  She reached for her knife, but she wasn’t fast enough. Movement caught her on her left and Jake shoved her sideways, yelling for her to get out. Two men came at them. One from behind the bed and the other from the bathroom. The first was Lyle, but the second was a man she’d never seen before. His stubble was thick and peppered with gray, but his eyes were sharp as they locked on to Jake behind her.

  “Ray,” Jake breathed, confirming her suspicions. His voice was strangled, and she felt his panic ripple in the air like radio waves.

  “Jake-ass,” Ray said, teeth clenched, eyes gleaming. His hands tightened around something, and she spotted a crowbar gripped in his hand. She shuddered and took a step, but Ray just nodded at Lyle. “Keep her busy,” Ray said. “This one’s mine. Time to teach this boy a lesson once and for all.”

  Delilah thought Lyle winked at her as he charged, but she couldn’t be sure before she was forced to duck underneath his fist barreling toward her face. At least he didn’t have a crowbar of his own. Probably thought he didn’t need one. Asshole. She planned on showing him otherwise.

  “Delilah, run!” Jake screamed, dodging the curved end of the crowbar less than a foot away in the small room.

  Lyle grunted as his swing met only air and the momentum carried him forward. Off balance, he leaned toward her, and she knew she couldn’t waste an opportunity.

  Vaguely, she heard Jake yelling over and over for her to get out, but she couldn’t go now. Lyle would just chase her down. Damn, if she were a polar bear right now, this wouldn’t be an issue. She waited until Lyle had almost doubled over in front of her, his missed punch sending him off balance, and then slammed her fist into his stomach.

  “Ugh,” Lyle grunted. When he bent low, clutching his abdomen, she brought her fist down again, this time on his back. He crumpled, and she kicked hard with her boot.

  Her toe landed in his groin, and she smirked down at him as he rolled to the side, moaning and clutching his man-parts. Maybe she didn’t need polar bear strength after all.

  Nearby, Jake let out a deafening roar. Delilah looked up to find out what had caused Jake to go crazy, but she couldn’t see past the blur of white that was his bear. He’d shifted? In this tiny room?

  A blast went off, ringing in her ears, and suddenly all sound dropped away as the bang echoed in her skull. She was driven backward and stumbled when her legs hit the mattress. She went down next to Lyle, who was still writhing from her well-placed kick. She landed in a folded heap on the floor, her head propped on the bedside. A dull ache radiated from her chest just above her left breast, and she looked down, frowning in confusion.

  No one had been anywhere near her. How had she fallen?

  She stared down at the red stain forming on her shirt, spreading steadily outward from the aching point in her chest. “What the…?” She couldn’t seem to form the right question.

  Across the room, Jake tipped his head back and roared again. His eyes had gone wild, rounded and bulging as his mouth hung open with the intensity of his bellows. This time, when he leveled his gaze, she saw what had him so upset.

  Ray Donovan held a shiny, black gun pointed straight at Delilah. His mouth curved nastily into a satisfied smirk as he stared at where she lay in a heap on the floor. “You’re the reason I lost ten years of my life, boy,” Ray said. “A life for a life seems fitting to me.”

  The air in the room charged with pressure and tension. Delilah could feel it even through the pain, which was pulsing stronger with each breath. Jake’s entire frame shuddered, and the air around him seemed to splinter. He surged forward, mouth open, sharp teeth aimed straight for Ray.

  Ray whirled, eyes wide, and tried to raise the gun at Jake, but the bear’s teeth closed on his wrist, and his fingers went limp. He screamed, and the gun fell. Delilah watched, not even a little sorry, as Jake released Ray’s wrist and went for his throat. Ray screamed, and Jake dragged him backward out the motel door. The two of them disappeared, Ray’s screams drowning out Lyle’s labored breaths beside her.

  Delilah’s chest pulsed, every heartbeat sending a wave of blood out of the wound. She tried taking shallow breaths, but that only made the pain worse. God, it must have hit an artery or something.

  Beside her on the floor, Lyle rolled and managed to get to his knees. He loomed over her, his pain-etched expression contorting to an evil sort of anticipation. He crawled closer, still wincing, but intent on her.

  She debated whether or not to go for her knife.

  “You’re going to pay for that,” he said.

  Delilah wanted to tell him he was wrong. Jake was going to be back any second and make him pay. But she couldn’t make the words come out when she opened her mouth. Her lids drooped, and she wondered if maybe Nash had been right. The vision. Her death. It wasn’t Jake’s fault, though. He hadn’t killed her. He’d saved her in so many ways, no matter what happened next.

  Without another word, her lids fell closed.

  Ten

  His polar bear was on a rampage. Pure molten fury poured through his veins as Jake dragged Ray Donovan outside. He’d never felt like this. The anger, the urge to protect, and the terror that he’d already failed her.

  With Jake’s teeth buried in Ray’s throat, Ray’s struggles didn’t last. His cries for help grew fainter, and a long trail of blood was left in their wake. It felt like fucking justice.

  The gunshot had caused enough of a disturbance that several motel guests had ventured out to see what was going on. Needless to say,
a giant polar bear dragging a bleeding and unarmed man across the parking lot probably wasn’t what they’d expected. A few had screamed and run back inside, but he’d seen one recording it all on his phone. Including the part where Jake dumped Ray in the grass across the way and then tore back inside on four bloody paws.

  Halfway there, he remembered the too-narrow door where his wide bear hips had caught earlier, and mid-stride, he shifted back. His paws became feet and he had to throw his body backward to remain upright and keep from face-planting.

  Someone gasped. He didn’t know if it was because they’d never seen someone shift before or because he was bare-assed for the good people of Blue Hole. Either way, he couldn’t give a single fuck. Delilah was in there. Hurt. The asshole had shot her. Nash’s vision was happening right in front of him.

  He dashed inside and blinked furiously, forcing his eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. But it wasn’t Delilah he saw first. It was Lyle. He was up on his knees in front of her, leaning closer and closer.

  Jake growled and grabbed Lyle by his jacket, hauling him up and away from his woman. “Get away from her!” he yelled.

  With his bear still just under the surface, he used all his strength, swinging Lyle around and letting go, sending him crashing into the small table in the corner. The table splintered and collapsed underneath the weight, and Lyle fell with a grunt, Delilah’s knife clattering from his limp hand. Jake closed the distance and hauled him up, dragging Lyle onto his back and pinning him to the floor with a hand tight around his throat.

  Lyle’s face reddened and he gagged.

  Jake looked over at Delilah and found her eyes closed, blood leaking in a slow but steady stream from her gunshot wound. “Is she dead?” Jake screamed, and the man shook his head, wincing.

  “No,” Lyle said through a whisper. “She just passed out, I think.”

  Jake growled and shoved Lyle away just as the defeated man’s eyes rolled back, and he passed out. “You better fucking hope so,” Jake said, but Lyle didn’t stir.