Roar For More (Online Shifter Dating Agency Romance) by Sasha Winter Read Free Book Online

and versatile, belonging to a place where wildness exists in its purest form and savagery is a quality to treasure. Jesse felt lucky to be a shifter, which enabled him to enjoy the best of both worlds, while he also admitted that he did not understand the desire of some shifters to repress their non-human side for fear of offending people. He was comfortable in his own skin and didn’t want to be anyone or anything else.
    Despite offering this vision of personal comfort, their trek would turn out to be the first day on which he had ever felt slightly out of place in those woods. This was a development that occurred when Aubrey suggested it was time they stop for a bite to eat. Jesse was hungry for sure, but he then realized that he was completely unprepared.
    As amateurish as it sounded for someone so accustomed to treks up the mountains, the truth was that Jesse had never really had to prepare for outings—aside from his tourist visits—and so the thought hadn’t even occurred to him. Usually, if he became hungry out on the trail, then he would just transform into his tiger form and hunt down a meal. He should have thought about his condition beforehand, because he’d thought only yesterday that he really wasn’t in the mood for zapping his failing energy by shifting. Then again, there was also Aubrey to consider. Even if he decided to throw caution to the wind and shift, he was growing very fond of her, and he didn’t want to take two steps backward by offending her vegetarian sensibilities again. If barbecued ribs on a plate were off-putting to her, then a fresh kill would probably be unbearable.
    “Are you not having anything?” Aubrey asked, surprised.
    She had taken advantage of a standing stone to use as a seat while she took the first bite of her salad sandwich. He was glad to see she’d already abandoned her plan of avoiding carbs, and he wondered if it was because she’d listened to him yesterday when he’d told her she didn’t need to watch her weight.
    “No, I’ve been a bit of an idiot, to be honest,” he replied. “But it’s all right, I’ll get something later.”
    “You forgot your supplies?”
    “That’s the thing, I usually shift and go find prey. I wouldn’t want to offend you by doing that. Also, the truth is that shifting takes a lot of energy, and if I have a form of this rare bug you’re chasing, then that would be a bit silly.”
    “But you can’t go hungry,” she replied.
    “It’s no big deal. Just means whatever meal I have later on will taste twice as good.”
    Her cheeks turned pink. “No, that won’t do. Surely someone with a body like yours needs plenty of sustenance.”
    “I can go without for a few hours, but thanks for the compliment,” he said, grinning. “Don’t worry about it.”
    But Aubrey wasn’t giving in.
    “Listen,” she went on. “I know this isn’t your kind of food, but this is a double sandwich I ended up buying because the portions in your town are so damn huge.”
    “Good, you can save some for later.”
    “Or…you could just have some and put my mind at rest?”
    “I’m okay, thanks,” he said, although his stomach was rumbling slightly.
    “You do know I’m practically your doctor now, right?” she said, raising her brows.
    “And…?”
    “Well, doctors have a way of getting people to do what they want.”
    “Seriously, I’m fine,” he said, wanting to continue up the trail.
    Aubrey didn’t budge. “What if I was to tell you that I won’t move off this spot until you have some of this sandwich?”
    “Then you’d be more of an idiot than me, what with all the important research you have to complete.”
    “My research, yes, but I’m also stubborn and you wouldn’t want to jeopardize that by failing to humor me would you? Look, Jesse,” she went on, changing her tone from bossy to being more persuasive. “I know you’re not the biggest fan of salad vegetables, but at least take a bite and see if it’s something you