Bear Naked Truth (Southern Shifters Book 7) by Eliza Gayle Read Free Book Online Page A

too. He couldn't stand to see either of them upset.
    "Calder, I get where you're coming from." Bhric touched his shoulder and he immediately calmed. Bhric and Niki were the only two he actually trusted with his bear. And they knew it.
    Them double-teaming him with their emotions had the desired effect as the shift stopped and the bear eased up on his mind.
    "I'm okay with you taking the watch. However, I mean it when I say off limits. Do you get me?"
    He shook his head. "Yeah, I got it."
    "I wish someone would explain it to me. Being talked about like I'm not even here or worse as someone's property is for the birds."
    She pulled free from his arms and he reluctantly let her go. He still needed to work on reining in his bear.
    "Doesn't anyone care what I want?"
    "Yes."
    "Not particularly."
    Both Niki and Bhric spoke at the same time.
    Calder rolled his eyes at them both and turned to Jessa. "Sorry, hon. However, we do have rules and protocols here and Bhric is simply communicating to me what needs to be done in your best interest. Trust me. There is no love here for the Blackwood pack."
    "I gathered that much. But why? I mean I know why I needed to get away from them, but what did they do to you?"
    "That would take too long to explain and I think the two of you need to leave the premises sooner rather than later. There's no telling if any of the troublemakers we ushered out of here earlier will start talking about the human woman who has this place in an uproar."
    Bhric turned to Niki. "Apparently I missed more than I knew."
    She shrugged and wiped her fingernails on her shirtsleeve. "I took care of them. Bud and a few of his cronies got wind of her though and they got excited."
    Bhric ground his teeth and worked his fists opened and closed. "Can I not leave for a couple of days without things going to shit?"
    "On that note, we're leaving." Calder grabbed Jessa by the hand and led her through the back again. He'd gotten Bhric's message loud and clear. Not only was he to keep his hands off Jessa, but he had to keep her out of sight as well. The fewer people that knew about her, the better. Shifters liked to gossip just as much as humans and they didn't need word they were guarding a human female to reach the wrong ears before Bhric had a chance to check in with Kane.
    This day had been off the charts weird and the evening was shaping up to be worse. The idea of spending the night in the same small cabin as his mate and not being able to touch her was never going to work.
    She liked him. He could tell by the way she touched him and leaned into him for comfort. She naturally turned to him for comfort and protection the way a mate should. He smiled into the darkness, glad no one had to see his goofy grin.
    Maybe sex was off the table for now, but that didn't mean they couldn't get to know each other with some old fashioned romance.

7
    B hric watched Calder and the woman disappear from the back of the house. For a minute he could do nothing but stare at the empty space in front of him as the events of the past few days fought for space in his mind.
    The webs being weaved by some of the clans and the council were getting neck deep and more complicated by the minute.
    Shifters were all fighting over what to do about their dwindling numbers in the clans and the growing number of hybrids now living on the fringes of their former societies.
    As a hybrid himself, he didn't take too kindly to the clan positions. There were days he'd rather claw someone's throat out instead of trying to negotiate peace once again.
    And then there were the rogue packs like the Blackwoods. Those fuckers were getting on his last nerve despite some of their resources coming in handy. They certainly caused more problems than they solved.
    Case in point the human that just left his bar with the only shifter who could challenge him if he was ever so inclined. A full-blooded bear shifter was rare in these parts and one that came from his lineage even more