Broken Bear: Unleashed Passion by Stella Bryce Read Free Book Online

week. She felt he’d be able to continue his therapy as an out-patient. He was a changed man. She wasn’t sure what happened when he left the hospital that night, but when he returned she saw he’d hit rock bottom and was ready to accept the help she was offering.
    She rarely felt warmth toward her patients these days. She’d grown cold. But Phoenix was different. He was raw and ready to reveal his fears and vulnerabilities all the way down to his core. He was honest and admitted he was doing it for the girl more than himself. He needed to be healthy and strong so he could spend his life with her. He’d do anything for her, and the change in his attitude made that more than clear.
    Phoenix asked Lily to stay away while he went through the intensive therapy, but promised he’d be there soon. He sent messages through Hunter, who at this point had set her up in a safe location. She worried about her job, but they explained that Phoenix was more than capable of handling her financial needs. His only concern was that she healed, inside and out.
    Jett was her constant bodyguard and companion now. Hunter knew she’d be safe back in their part of town. They had eyes and ears everywhere. Phoenix knew that her husband was broken down in the ICU and wasn’t going to be there in a hurry, but it was more for her mental stability. Knowing she was protected would ease her mind.
    She found the news by accident, flipping through the newspaper. He was listed in the obituary column. He’d been in the ICU. When he was stabilized, he was supposed to be shipped to prison for the crimes he committed against her, only he never made it. His body gave out and he died in his sleep. No foul play was suspected.
    A mix of relief and sadness washed through her. She knew he was gone and she could reclaim some of her life, but a piece of her life was over. It was strange to feel loss and hatred all at the same time.
    When the news got back to Phoenix, a huge weight dropped off his shoulders. The man was dead, and he wasn’t responsible. He dropped to his knees and gave thanks to whoever wanted to listen. He hated the possibility that he might have come back after Lily.
    Phoenix would be released from Swan Epstein in two days. The doctor made arrangements for him to continue his therapy with one of her colleagues closer to his hometown. She commended him on his progress. She warned there would be good days and bad, but he’d come so far.  
    Home. He never thought he could go home, but home was with Lily now. He needed to see her, to hold her in his arms. She’d started physical therapy with a private therapist that came to her. She was getting around better, though it would take some time.
    Phoenix couldn’t wait to lie beside her, to take her as his own and make love to her. The tenderness was something he wasn’t used to, but with Lily a protective and caring nature came out of him. Usually mating was about untamed lust, unleashed desire, and a primal urge. With Lily, he wanted to hold her in his arms and listen to her heart beating. He wanted to feel her silky hair against his skin. He wanted to kiss her and taste her and never let her go. He’d never wanted to make love to any woman the way he wanted to love Lily. The feelings were new. He was in love. He knew exactly what it was, he just never expected it to happen to him.
    There was just one problem. Phoenix wasn’t sure how to explain to her that he was a shifter, part man, part bear. It was a side of him she didn’t know. She wasn’t afraid of him as a man, but as a bear…would she tremble, not realizing that he’d always be her protector and lover? Or would she accept all of him, even his mutated genes that caused his body to shift and mold into a bear, all fur and teeth, primal and free?
    He almost didn’t want to tell her, but that wasn’t a secret he could keep for long. Eventually his bear would come out. It was better for her to know before she saw it.

Chapter 20