Bear Apparent (BBW Shifter Romance) (Stone Claw Clan Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

already was.
    Her words sunk in, and he turned to look out the window. A quaint, wood and plaster cottage sat surrounded by several evergreens against a backdrop of suburban homes. It wasn’t so compact that nosy neighbors could see into the windows, but the place seemed to be situated on the edge of a bustling human settlement.
    “Where are we?” he asked, scanning the trees and bushes for anything out of place. He took note of several escape routes and cubby holes that could provide ambush points.
    “My house,” she said, her tone wavering as if she were reconsidering her decision.
    Garrett regarded her, his hackles rising. “You brought me to your territory? Are you crazy? If they track my scent, it will bring them right to you!”
    Her mouth worked for a moment. “You said somewhere far away with a lot of resources. You wouldn’t let me take you to the hospital or a veterinary clinic… what else was I supposed to do? Uproot my life and drive to New York?”
    Frustrated, Garrett scrubbed his face—she had a point, but he wasn’t going to admit that out loud. “Fine. Hopefully the rubbing alcohol did the trick. Where exactly are we?”
    “Barrington, one-hundred and forty miles from where I found you. With that, she pushed the driver side door open and got out.
    The drive hadn’t seemed that long, but Garrett figured the distance would be enough to deter the rival clan from tracking him down. But he couldn’t stay here long. He needed to keep moving, and figure out what the hell he was supposed to do now. Wincing, he got out of the car, his knees nearly giving out. He watched in impatience as Dahlia unloaded her luggage.
    Her hands full, she bit her lip. “Are you sure you can make it to my door? Let me drop this off and I’ll help—”
    The blow to his ego was absolute. Pushing against weariness with all his might, he stepped away from the Cherokee, and pegged her with an intense look. She seemed unaffected and rolled her eyes, muttering something impolite about the male gender. Too tired to correct her assumption of him, Garrett followed, his vision blurring with every step. Thankfully, it wasn’t that far to the front door.
    When they were inside, he demanded, “Bathroom.”
    She pointed in the general direction. “Don’t leave the toilet seat up.”
    He stumbled toward a door and shoved it open, nearly ripping it off its hinges. He locked it behind him then rested his weight against the porcelain sink. Glancing at himself in the mirror, he realized he looked as bad as he felt. A sheen covered his skin, and he had smudges of dirt across his forehead and jaw, but the worse of it was contained to his torso. Several gashes cut across his abdomen, chest and shoulder, but the bleeding had stopped, and the wounds had dried out. Still hurts like a mother fucker, he mused.
    For a moment, he thought he was looking at the face of his father. His nut colored hair was matted from blood and debris, and his strong cut jaw was heavily stubbled from days of neglect. His father would have known what to do in this situation… Garrett realized how much he missed the man. He felt like a weak little cub, clumsy and naïve. His parents had been taken from him far too soon.
    His image blurred in front of him, and his muscles loosened so that he couldn’t hold himself up. He tried to remain conscious, but his body and mind was shutting down…
     
    ****
     
    Dahlia blinked at the bathroom door as she pressed the phone to her ear.
    “Girl!” Jessica said harshly. “What part of call me every few hours did you not understand?”
    “Sorry,” she whispered, watching the ribbon of light underneath the door shift as her guest moved around inside. “Oh my God, Jess. You’re never going to believe what happened.”
    “You’re not in the hospital, are you?”
    “No, I met a man—” the sound of something heavy hitting the floor stole her words. “I’ll have to call you back.”
    Dahlia ignored Jessica’s protests,