Free The Witness and the Bear: (Werebear Shifter Romance) by T. S. Joyce Page B

turned upside down. She could handle another flip flop.
    Besides, Riker might be scary as hell, but he wouldn’t hurt her. She felt it down to her marrow, he’d never hurt her. Not on purpose. And if Jeremy was a werebear like Riker said he was, he’d been protecting her for an entire year and hadn’t even once eaten her in her sleep. And this clan was trying to make their way in the world outside the confines of cities and h uman societies.
    They were good.
    No.
    Yes, they were definitely good.
    Except for Merit. Merit could jump in a volcano.
    Options limited, she tugged on her least holey pair of jeans and a pink cotton shirt that hugged her curves like a second skin. Sneakers tied, she jogged through the front door and hoped she remembered where Jenny and her husband lived.
    The trail was littered with people headed home for the day. Pairs and trios talked in quiet animation and she waved at anyone who looked in her direction. She found herself wondering what their animals looked like. Were they big and overpowering like Riker’s bear? Or were they smaller and more graceful like Jenny’s? This felt like a dream. People turned into giant bears, and she was freaking out a little.
    Jenny answered the door just as Hannah lifted her hand to knock. She jumped and swallowed a yelp.
    “You okay?” Jenny asked.
    “Yeah, I’m fine. Just having dinner with a werebear, but yeah. I’m great.”
    Hooking an arm around her neck, Jenny laughed as she dragged her inside. “You’ll get used to us. And we usually go by bear shifters.”
    Jenny’s cabin was open, with nods to the cabins of the old frontier days but w ith a modern twist. The front door led to the kitchen with its natural wood counters and white washed cupboards. The living room was dominated by a couch in front of a big screen television and a non-matching, but perfectly coordinating, coffee and end table. Fresh cut wild flowers made an exotic bouquet for the dining table and the air smelled richly of fried chicken and black pepper gravy.
    A man stood over a stovetop with his back to her.
    “Blaine,” Jenny called. “This is Benson’s mate, Hannah. Hannah, my husband, Blaine.”
    He wiped his hands on a dishcloth slung over his shoulder. Young, maybe just a few years older than her, he had reddish brown hair and dimples when he smiled. His clear blue eyes lit up as he offered her a hand. “It’s nice to have another human hanging around the compound.”
    His easy smile settled her and she shook his hand. “Compound, huh? I knew it.”
    Jenny rolled her eyes and draped her hands on her hips. “That’s what he always calls this place.”
    “I’m not actually Riker’s mate,” she admitted, not wanting to meet someone under false pretenses.
    “Do you want to be?” he asked .
    His direct question left her feeling off balance and she stuttered. “Uhh. I-I think so. I like him a lot and maybe in time I’ll be able to get used to this place. He’s nice to me and I like sleeping beside him.” Blaine’s arched eyebrows only made her keep rambling. “We had a fight but worked it out and he makes me feel safe. I should shut up.”
    Jenny’s face was lit up with the biggest grin and mortified, Hannah slumped into a kitchen chair while her cheeks felt like someone had taken a blowtorch to them.
    “I’d say that’s a yes,” Blaine said, chuckling.
    “He said he chooses me,” she breathed, eyes on the toes of Blaine’s work boots.
    “What?” Jenny nearly yelled. “Did he say those words?”
    Sure her throat wouldn’t work other than to make embarrassing frog croaks, Hannah nodded.
    Grabbing her shoulders, Jenny shook her slowly and pulled her to her feet, crushed Hannah to her chest until her injuries burned. “Well, that’s just about the best news I’ve ever heard.”
    She sniffled and Hanna h slowly lifted her hands to Jenny’s back and squeezed. “Don’t cry. I’m more trouble than I’m worth.”
    “No, Hannah. You don’t see what I