Free Bear Hearted: BBW Paranormal Shifter Romance by Ava Hunt Page A

from patients, I tend to think the worst.”
    He hesitated, not wanting to end the conversation just yet. “Is there any reason for me to worry?”
    “Not at all,” she said.
    It might have been his lack of restful sleep or the need to put Alexa behind him, but he was feeling bold. “Hey Doc—Estrella. Do you want to get a drink sometime?”
    A pregnant paused stretched on the other line. Toby pressed his lips together, willing her to say yes.
    “Um, sure?” her answer was a question, but it was in agreement.
    Toby grinned. “I’ll be in touch during a more reasonable hour. You should get some rest.”
    “You too.”
    “Goodnight, Estrella.”
    “Night.”
    A silence fell on their conversation though neither hung up. Toby smiled, his cheek pressing against the phone. A small, click concluded their conversation. He wasn’t sure why, but their conversation had made his entire day. 
    #
    When Toby managed to get to sleep that night, he fell into a vivid dream.
    He wandered through the same woods that he had been as a bear the other night. Colorful wisps of air, looking like the Aurora Borealis but moving in front of him instead of in the sky. He wasn’t surprised to see his large brown paws propelling him forward. He reveled in the feeling of being a bear again. He followed the wisps, each color representing a different scent. He followed the orange one, somehow knowing that was the right thing to do.
    He approached a tree. It was the same one he saw the other night with the claw marks. He came closer to the tree and lifted his paw, tracing the marks with his own claws. He pressed his nose against the bark and inhaled. An explosion of scents tickled his nose. He could pick apart at least ten different scents, though they all had the same underlying commonality. A sweet smell, almost like honey, and something else that he couldn’t put his finger on.
    A twig snapped nearby and Toby stood on his hind legs, sniffing the air.
    A man came out from behind a tree, his head tilted down and his hands in front of him. Toby stiffened but understood the man was showing him he meant no harm. After a moment, the man lifted his head and Toby recognized him as Cal. A lighter shade of orange wisp connected the tree to Cal.
    “What are you doing here?” Toby grunted to him.
    Cal pressed a finger to his lips and then moved it to his chest, pointing at his heart.
    Shuffling movement made Toby’s ears perk up. He dropped to all fours, scanning the influx of bears that surrounded him. He turned in a circle, knowing he couldn’t defend himself against all of them. They moved in unison but stayed at a distance. It appeared they weren’t there to fight him. Then why were they there? How did they know he would be there?
    Something touched his fur and he swatted at it. Cal was already out of the way before Toby finished the swipe.
    Cal’s mouth moved but Toby couldn’t hear him, it was as if Cal was speaking under water. He narrowed his eyes, trying to read his lips but the attempt was futile.
    Every shade of orange filled the space between him and the other bears, the wisps moved as if they were alive. The color pulsed around him faster and faster. Cal reached out to Toby, his alarmed expression setting his nerves on high alert.
    Then the world turned black.
    Toby awoke breathless and sweaty. He laid on the top of his bed completely naked. He sat up quickly. Had it happened again? He looked for torn clothes but slowly remembered that he’d been so tired he stripped before going into bed. He scooted to the edge of the mattress and rubbed his face. He had been asleep for almost eight hours but felt as if he only slept two. Today is going to be rough , he thought.
    The dream replayed in his mind as he made coffee and showered. He could still smell the other bears. He was able to differentiate that underlying scent, it was musty earth mixed with honey.
    His subconscious must have placed Cal there from the surgery. Though he wondered how