Wanted By The Soldier Bear (Heroes of Shifter Creek 1) Read Online Free Page A

to stay close to her brother so that he could find her again, one day.
                  The war changed everything. Surrounded by bullet holes and broken men, he learned real fast that there was no greater good. There was only chaos, a chaos that couldn’t be controlled. After his four-year contract was up, he quit, leaving his commanders in his dust. His first inclination had been to find her, and he had. He tracked her down to a college in the city. Cecelia wasn’t the type to wear a smile openly, but he could tell she was happy. She didn’t need a hardened ex-soldier. She deserved better.
                  So he left.
                  When Barry called him, he almost hadn’t come, even though it was no coincidence he was only a state away. It kept him close to her without interfering in her life. But he had to come when he heard she may be in danger. He had to make sure she was okay.
                  Now, he was glad he did. Not just because of what they’d done, as incredible as it was, but because Cecelia was in a lot more trouble than she realized. The Bear Hunters had left her alone because she wasn’t a shifter, but he wondered if she was really the one they were after all along.
     
    ***
     

Cecelia
     
                  “…and my brother introduced us,” Cecelia recalled. “It was short, just a quick hello on both our parts, but we met.”
                  “Six years is a long time,” he said. “I don’t remember much from my time in the military. I try not to.”
    As Marcus spoke, a shadow crossed his face. He was withholding something, she knew, but she didn’t press. From the sound of it, the war had been harsh. It made her think of her brother, still out there fighting to protect the innocent. She’d always had a great respect for her brother, but she felt it more than ever.
    Falling back against the tree, her temporary amusement gone, she sighed. “What do we do now? We don’t have much to go on. I don’t know much about the Bear Hunters. I doubted they were truly still around until now.”
    “Many do,” he said. “I knew they still slogged around in their small bands, but I didn’t think they were the threat they once were. I have a feeling they’re growing, reinstating themselves. Which means trouble for our kind.”
    “Starting with the Johannssons,” she uttered. “I’m glad they’re still alive, but I don’t understand why they took them to begin with. The Bear Hunters are known to kill bears in their sleep. They don’t take hostages.”
    He studied her. Beneath his gaze, she felt more exposed than she had when she was pressed naked against him.
    Oh my mercy, we had sex! She realized, but it was minor compared to the danger at hand. There was no time for awkward conversation. Emotions had been running high with his near death; they had both needed a release. They got it, and now they had to focus back on saving the Johannssons. In a way, their love making was almost military.
    “I’m not sure why either, but I have a theory,” he told her. “Let’s go back to the cabin.”
    “Why?” she asked, trying to keep up with his pace. He was in a hurry. “What are you thinking?”
    “You’ll see,” he said, revealing nothing.
    “No need to be so covert,” she mumbled.
    “It’s what I do best.”
    She knew what he did best, she had experienced it firsthand, but she didn’t say so. Focus , she ordered herself. This isn’t some holiday romance. This is life or death. Thinking of Michael, she clenched her fists tight, ready to do some damage. It took a distinct kind of evil to kidnap a trio of kids.
    At the cabin, Marcus went directly to the kitchen island. He retrieved a sharp knife from the drawer and held his hand up.
    “What the hell are you doing?” she demanded. They didn’t have time for demonstrations.
    “This,” he said, and he sliced open his hand, allowing blood to run down the tattoos of