Hard (The Bear Chronicles of Willow Creek #2) (2 page)

“If you’re done with the dishes, I’d like to talk to you,” he says with a sleazy smile on his face. 

“I promised Amelia I would help her pack,” I tell him, pasting on a fake smile. 

He instantly lets my arm go and steps away. “I thought she was at work.”

My foster father has been trying to get into my pants for the last several years. He hasn’t come right out and asked me to fuck him, but his constant touches and subtle remarks leave no doubt what he wants. He usually isn’t that bad, nothing I can’t handle, but he’s getting more and more aggressive since Amelia announced she was moving out. I’m a little nervous about what he will do when she finally leaves. 

“No,” I say with a shake of my head. “Yesterday was her last day, so she’s in our room packing right now.”

He looks toward the hallway, where the door to our room is open, and says, “We’ll talk after she leaves.”

His words send a chill down my spine, but I ignore it and walk past him. Going straight to our room, I find Amelia sitting on the bed with an open suitcase beside her. Shooting her a glare, I look at the mess she has made of the room. Her laughter fills the air, and I can’t stop myself from huffing like a spoiled brat.

“Seriously, Amelia, I’m not sure what about this is so amusing?” I say, crossing my arms over my chest. 

“I get it Liza. I do, but I need you to take a minute to look at this whole situation from my point of view. Can you at least try to do that?”

I’ve been a complete bitch since she told me she was leaving me here. I know she is only doing this so I will have a home when I turn eighteen, but still, I’m pissed that she is moving away and leaving me alone. I’m scared of what Mr. Banks will do, but she doesn’t know that. If I told her what was going on, she would do something we both would regret. I can’t have my sister going to prison because I’m not able to handle a sleaze ball. Unable to keep my eyes from rolling, I look at the back wall and try to keep tears from falling. 

“You don’t need to agree with me, Liza, but you need to understand that I am doing what I feel is best for us. For you. We can’t keep living here after your birthday, and I will never be able to afford anything even remotely decent for us. This is me trying to give you a better life than the one we will end up having if we stay. The second you turn eighteen, I will be here to take you away from this hellhole. I swear.”

Sitting down beside her, I try to think of the right words. “I get it, okay. I do. I understand that you are doing this for me in your own weird way.”

“Just spit it out. Whatever it is you have to say, just say it. I’m a big girl. I can handle it,” she snaps out, looking directly in my eyes. 

“Fine,” I snap back, realizing there is no way I can tell her about Mr. Banks. Instead, I keep on acting like a selfish bitch. “It’s creepy, okay. The whole thing gives me the creeps and just feels wrong. Who the hell does shit like this, Amelia?”

Her entire body goes stiff before she answers. “Hey, watch your mouth. I don’t care how you feel about it. At the end of the day, this is my decision.”

She’s right. It is her decision, but it affects my life, too. “Yeah, it’s your decision, but do I get a say in any of this? You keep telling me that once you are settled and have decided if it’s safe, you’re bringing me to live with you guys. What if I don’t want to live with some old, perverted creep?”

“Who says he’s an old, perverted creep?” she asks, obviously offended.

“Oh, seriously, you can’t be that stupid. What normal guy buys a wife? If the men on the site were hot, don’t you think they would have posted their pictures, just like you did?” I keep on, even though all I really want is to hug her and tell her all my problems. 

I’m not sure I can handle Mr. Banks on my own, but Amelia has dealt with so much in her life, she shouldn’t have to deal with this, too. She put her own wants and needs on the back burner for me, being both my sister and my mother since the day our parents died. She deserves a chance at a real life, even if she chose a weird way to get her life started.

“They say the men’s pictures are not there, where we will choose a man that we think we will enjoy being with, and not just someone we are attracted to.”

I’m too nervous and scared to watch my words, so I blurt out, “Whatever. You have to be hard up in order to do something like that. Look at you. If you didn’t feel so damn desperate to get out of here, you would have never considered doing something this crazy.” Finally, I’ve said what I have thought a dozen times. 

“I’m sure there are tons of people out there who do this. The website said they are very careful about who they accept to purchase a bride package. I need to have faith in the fact that they are telling the truth and follow all the guidelines they have laid out in the contracts.”

“Ha, yeah, I’m pretty sure anyone who is willing to sell a person isn’t doing everything by the guidelines. Whoever heard of selling people, anyway? Isn’t that against the law?” I ask, still not understanding how this whole internet bride thing works. 

“They’re not really selling women. They’re selling their matchmaking services. I know this is scary, Liza, but this is just something I have to do. I don’t expect you to understand it. Hell, I don’t think I really understand it myself, but I do feel like it’s what’s best for us. If anything, have faith in the fact that I would never willingly steer you wrong.”

I can hear the worry in her voice, so I try to pick my words carefully. “I know you wouldn’t, and I do trust you. This whole thing is just scary. What if you leave and I never get to see you again?”

“That won’t happen. I will find a way to come back and get you. You have my word on that.”

Though I know she would never willingly leave me, at least not leave me forever, there are no guarantees in life. “It could happen, Amelia. You see stuff like that on the news and in the paper all the time. I’ve already lost Mom and Dad; I can’t lose you, too.”

“I promise you, no matter what, I’ll be back for you, even if we have to run off together and go somewhere other than my new husband’s place. We will get through this, Liza. You just have to trust me. This is something I need to do for us,” she says before pulling me in for a hug. 

I lay my head on her shoulder, inhaling her comforting scent. Again, the need to tell her my troubles hits me. Instead, I just squeeze her tighter and blink back my tears. 

She pulls back and smiles at me. “Everything is going to be fine.”

I burst out laughing when I see the look on her face. She’s obviously not as sold on this whole marriage idea as she wants me to believe. “Okay, seriously, Amelia. If that smile is your way of showing me that you aren’t scared shitless, you are doing a pretty piss-poor job. Your face looks like something just crawled up your ass and died.”

“Now you’re laughing,” she shouts, shaking her head. 

I can do nothing but nod as she continues complaining. “One second, you’re giving me the third degree, and the next, you’re laughing at me. I was trying not to get upset in front of you. Shit, maybe it isn’t such a bad thing that I’m leaving your ass behind for a while.”

Grabbing a pillow, I whack her in the back of her head and jump away before she can do the same. She reaches up to rub her head and pouts. “Ow, what the hell was that for?”

My laughter continues, even as my heart breaks with the realization that this will be last time we spend together for a long time. Not wanting her to see the tears in my eyes, I pull her in for another hug. “That, my dear sister, was for saying you were glad to leave me behind. Just for that, I hope your new husband is a giant hairy old bear of a man who has half of his dinner stuck in his beard. Oh, I also hope he is incapable of getting a hard-on!”

Chapter Three

July 13th, 2015

Eli

I FOLLOW
Ethan into his house, hoping his human wife isn’t home. As soon as the smell of dinner cooking hits my nose, I know my hoping was a waste of time. She’s here, and I’m gonna have to be nice to her or listen to Ethan bitch. Our friendship has definitely been strained since he married Amelia, and as much as I hate humans, I don’t want to lose my best friend. 

Ethan looks over his shoulder and smiles when he sees me walking in. “See, cousin? You need a wife to come home to as well. Trust me, nothing else is better.”

He keeps mentioning
Brides Incorporated
to me, saying that as his cousin and the person everyone thinks of as second in command, I should be the next to take a human wife. “Don’t even start that shit with me about getting a human of my own. I’m not interested. Not even the slightest.”

He doesn’t respond to me, just kicks off his boots and heads toward the kitchen. I stand there for a second, not wanting to deal with Amelia, but the scent of freshly baked ham forces me to follow him. What can I say? When it comes to food, I have absolutely no willpower. I walk into the kitchen just as Ethan says, “I love that all it takes is a kiss to make you wet.”

“Shh…We have company, and I can guarantee you that he can hear us,” Amelia says, looking from Ethan to me. 

“It’s not like I haven’t seen it before,” I mumble as I walk over to the counter and look at the feast she has prepared. 

The two of them are always all over each other. If I didn’t know better, I’d think they were the true mates that Ethan claims they are. But that’s just not possible. Shifters only mate with other shifters. Every single one of us has been taught this since birth. There are no exceptions to the rules that I’ve ever heard of. Their attraction has to be based on pure lust, nothing else. Doesn’t it?

“Would you like to stay for dinner, Eli? I’m sure we have more than enough to go around.” It takes me a second to realize Amelia is talking to me. My eyes jerk to her as she adds, “Honestly, there’s plenty if you’re hungry.”

As much as I want to lash out at her, I keep my temper in check and shrug my shoulders as I say, “I could eat.”

I have to figure out a way to get along with her. If not, I’m gonna lose my friendship with Ethan. Unlike humans, shifter friendships are a bond that lasts a lifetime. Losing a friend is like losing a piece of yourself. Not only that, we’re family. Nothing, not a damn thing, comes between a shifter and their family. 

Realizing I have some bridges to rebuild, I grab the ham and carry it to the table. Ethan follows me with another dish, and a second later, we are digging in to our food. I’m so focused on what’s going into my mouth that I’m completely lost when Ethan says, “I talked to Dad today. He’s gonna take over my patrol while we’re gone.”

Grabbing another roll, I start covering it in butter as I ask, “I didn’t know you were gonna go out of town. Where are you going?”

Amelia gives me a weak smile and says, “We’re going to Chicago to pick up my younger sister this weekend. I’ll be so glad to have Liza here with me. I just know she’s gonna love it in Willow Creek.”

Instantly, my plan for trying to get along with Ethan’s human flies out the window. “You’re bringing another one to Willow Creek?”

“That’s enough, Eli. Cut the shit now, and remember that you’re in our home,” Ethan growl out, showing me his fangs.

Before he can go on, Amelia cuts him off. “Yes, Liza will be living here with us, for a while anyway.”

I should shut my mouth, think about my friendship with Ethan, but I don’t. “Exactly like I said, there’s gonna be another one running around town.”

Ethan bangs his fist against the table, sending dishes and food onto the floor. “She’s not another one. She’s Amelia’s sister, so that makes her my sister, too. You better show her respect, or I’ll rip you a new asshole, you ignorant fucker.”

For the first time, I see true fury in his eyes. He’s spent the better part of two months pissed off at me, but this is different. He’s done trying to explain himself and his choices to me. He’s ready to kill.

I’m about to leave, to give him a bit of time to cool down, but Amelia stops me. “She’s really sweet, Eli. You’ll like her.”

I don’t say anything, just push my bear back down and focus on breathing in and out. Just before I stand up, she says, “Why don’t you ride to Chicago with us? We’re gonna be bringing back a truck full of stuff—Liza’s belongings and some of my parents’ things. I’m sure Ethan could use your help loading it.”

Remembering that she lost her parents, just like I lost my mother, I can’t stop myself from asking. “I thought you lost your parents when you were young and then you lived in a foster home?”

She looks at me; the pain in her eyes is easy to see, even though she’s attempting to hide it from me. “I did. My foster parents were not the best of people. For them, it was always about the checks the state sent them. Still, they were nice enough to let Liza and I store some of Mom and Dad’s things in their barn. We’re gonna stop and get them when we’re there picking up Liza.”

Knowing how it hurts to lose a parent, I feel myself softening to this human. “I guess I can help,” I grumble. “I don’t mind at all.”

Ethan lifts his chin to me and says, “Thanks, cousin,”