Hard (The Bear Chronicles of Willow Creek #2) (3 page)

“Even though there wasn’t much left after the fire, it will be nice to have a few things that belonged to my parents in our home. It means a lot to me that you’re willing to take the time to stop and grab them,” Amelia says, leaning against Ethan. 

My mother’s peach and brown afghan flashes through my mind. It was her favorite. Dad and I both have houses full of Mom’s things, but that ugly ass afghan is my most treasured possession. She would cover up with it while she sat on the back porch reading. Every time I look at it, I can see her smile again. I wouldn’t trade it for a damn thing. 

I grab another roll and take a moment to think. I can help Amelia this once. She deserves to have her parents’ things, even if she is a human. Yeah, I can do this.

Chapter Four

July 16th, 2015

Liza

I SHOVE
the last of my clothes in my suitcase and zip it closed, still not quite believing I’m finally leaving my foster home. It’s even harder to believe that I will have a new home in Willow Creek with my sister and her husband. It’s been so long since Amelia and I have had a real home, it’s just too much to wrap my head around. She’s sent me dozens of pictures of the man she married and their house, and each one I see has me even more excited.

Lifting my suitcase, I place it on the floor and sit down at the foot of my bed. My eyes search the room, looking for anything I missed. Not that I have much, but what is mine I want to keep. When my eyes zero in on the purple comforter on Natalie’s bed, I have to force myself not to jump up and grab it. Amelia gave it to me for my birthday when I turned twelve. It has colorful butterflies covering it and a matching pillow that now adorns my foster sister’s bed. 

Twelve-year-old Nat moved in the week Amelia left, taking my sister’s bed. I’m ashamed to say, it pissed me off seeing another girl in her bed. I ignored the young girl for the first few weeks after she arrived, taking my anger out on her instead of calling my sister and letting her have it like I wanted to. After a while, though, I couldn’t help but take a liking to the kid. She’s a total sweetheart, and for some reason, she looks up to me, just like I look up to Amelia. 

When I realized that our foster parents gave her only a ratty ass blanket to sleep with, I put my comforter on her bed. I planned on just lending it to her until I could earn enough money to get her one, but she cried when she saw it on her bed. She told me it was the nicest thing she had ever been given, so there was no way I was gonna tell her that I had only planned on loaning it to her for a little while. It’s a little girl’s blanket anyway, and I haven’t used it in years. Still, it’s special to me because it’s the first gift Amelia gave me after getting her first job. It doesn’t matter now, though; I would never take the gift back from Natalie. 

As if she knows I’m thinking about her, Nat walks into the room and plops down on the bed beside me. “I’m gonna miss you so much.”

Wrapping my arm around her, I pull her to me, just like Amelia used to do when I was sad. “I’ll miss you too, sweetie, but we’ll text every day, and once I’m settled in, I’ll try to come and visit.”

When I first told Nat I was moving, she threw a fit. She cried, screamed, and finally started begging me to stay. Of course, I couldn’t, so I went out and bought her a phone. It’s just one of those crappy prepaid, and all I could afford for her to have was a text package, but at least she has a phone now. It cost me nearly every penny I had saved since taking Amelia’s job at the bakery, but it was worth it to give her a way to stay in touch with me. 

She pulls out of my arms and stands up. “I know, but it won’t be the same.”

With that, she stomps to the other side of the room and starts straightening her already made bed. “You’ll be halfway across the country. You’ll forget about me when you have your real sister back. You won’t ever think about me again, never mind bother coming back here.”

I’m about to tell her that’s not true, but stop when I notice Mr. Adams standing in the hallway. His eyes are locked on me, and a slimy smile is on his face. Just looking at him sends a chill through my body. His attempts to get me into bed amped up after Amelia left, but I avoided being alone with him. Luckily, he hasn’t attempted more than a brush of my boob. Still, that is too much for me. 

 I glare at him, but he doesn’t notice because his attention is now on Natalie. Seeing him look at her causes bile to rise up in my throat. Jumping up, I rush across the room and slam the door. Going straight to Nat, I grab her arms and force her to look at me. “I want you to stay away from Mr. Adams.”

“What are you talking about?” Natalie asks, her body going solid.

I try to think of a way to say this without making her scared, but I know that isn’t possible. "Mr. Adams isn’t a nice man.”

“Is he like my dad?” she asks, her voice filled with fear. 

I close my eyes, trying to hide my pain. “No, he’s different but just as bad.”

Natalie came here after her dad burned her with a cigarette. He’d been beating on her for years, and her mother did nothing to stop him. Most of her bruises were hidden by clothes, but he got sloppy when he burnt her, leaving the evidence on her cheek. When she went to school, her teacher reported it and she was taken out of the home the next day. Her good for nothing parents didn’t care that she was being taken away, and they still haven’t even come to visit her. 

“He could hurt you in a different way, so I want you to stay away from him,” I explain, trying to keep my voice calm. “Some men, women too, like to hurt kids in another way.”

It kills me to talk to her about this, but I don’t have a choice. She’ll be here on her own, and she needs to know to protect herself. “He may try to touch you, or try to get you to go into his and Mrs. Adams’s bedroom.”

Her pupils dilate to twice the size as she whispers, “Okay.”

“If he tries anything, you call the police then text me right away,” I say, pushing a strand of hair out of her face. “I’ll be here as soon as I can.”

A part of me wants to turn Mr. Adams in, but that could make things even worse on Natalie. Amelia and I were lucky, being placed here early on. Some of the other girls had it much tougher. The stories they told about their other foster homes were enough to give me nightmares. As much as Mr. Adams freaks me out, I know it could be a hell of a lot worse. 

Nat grabs my hand and gives it a squeeze. “I won’t be alone with him.”

“And you’ll call the police if he does anything that makes you feel uncomfortable?” Looking down at her, I try to be as stern as possible.

“Yeah,” she says, giving my hand another squeeze. 

“Promise?” I ask, hoping she understands how important this is. 

She nods, pulling me in for another hug. “I promise.”

Chapter Five

July 19th, 2015

Eli

ETHAN STOPS
the truck in front of a dilapidated white house. The place looks like it should have been bulldozed years ago. Instead, it’s standing there waiting for the next good wind to blow it down. I can’t believe anyone would live in such a shitty place, but the cars in the drive and the toys in the yard prove that they do. If Amelia is telling the truth, the house is full of foster kids, mostly teenage girls. She said this was a good foster home, which makes me wonder what the other places are like. Shit, as much taxes as we have to pay the government, they should offer these kids better than this shit hole. 

“I wish my parents could have met you,” Amelia says to Ethan, drawing my attention from the house.

He moves closer to her and replies, “I wish I could’ve met them, too, baby.”

Realizing that this conversation isn’t for my ears, I pull out my phone and start checking my messages. Seeing four texts from Dad, my guilt at coming with Ethan and his human grows. I know I can’t avoid Dad forever, so I open them up and start reading.

Did you go to pick up the human?

When I told Dad I was riding to Chicago with Ethan, he threw a fucking fit. Telling me that I was becoming a human lover, he nearly knocked me on my ass. I tried to deny his words, but he only got angrier. His fury had me calling Ethan to back out of coming, but when Ethan told me how glad he was that I was trying to get along with Amelia, I just couldn’t tell him that I wasn’t coming along. 

Why would you betray me?

When I was packing to leave, Dad showed up at my house. He nearly destroyed my bedroom when he saw my suitcase. He said I was betraying him and Mom’s memory by accepting the humans into Willow Creek. I explained that I wasn’t accepting anything, but I didn’t think going against Ethan was wise. He showed how much he disagreed by tossing my suitcase out the window.

I am disappointed in you. 

With each one I read, my anger grows and my shame amplifies. I close my eyes for a second, wondering how the hell I can make Dad see that things have changed. We either have to accept the humans, or we will be banished. Knowing the answer isn’t going to come, I open my eyes and read the final text. When I do, it cuts me to the core.  

Have you forgotten your mother?

Sliding my thumb across the screen, I close out my messages and shove my phone back in my pocket. Looking to the front seat, I catch Ethan and Amelia going at it…again. “Can you two stop that shit? I’ve had enough of you two pawing all over each other to last a lifetime.”

With those words, I climb out of the truck and shut the door. Leaning against the heated metal, I watch as a short brunette rushes out of the house. My bear goes alert as soon as my eyes lock onto her jean-covered legs, and it takes every bit of willpower I have to keep from shifting right then. With each step she takes, I can feel him clawing my insides to shreds. 

“Stop that shit,” I mumble, wondering what in the fuck is up with my bear. 

A second later she shouts, “Amelia,” and my entire world rocks. Her voice has every cell in my body going into overdrive, and my cock thickens to its full length. The fucker is growing so fast that my zipper is about to burst. I only catch a glimpse of her face before she and Amelia start hugging, but it’s enough for me to know what’s going on. She is mine, my mate. 

I walk toward her and Amelia, my bear controlling my every step. Stopping a few feet from them, I have to force my beast to calm down so we don’t scare her. I try to remember everything I know about this woman. Searching my mind, I play back Amelia’s chatter and remember her saying her sister’s name, Liza. My mate’s name is Liza.

I take a deep breath, drawing in her scent. She smells like honey, fucking delicious honey. Again, my bear fights me for control, growling the word
mine
over and over again. I shake my head at the idea, still trying to deny a human could be the mate that we have been waiting our whole life for. Even as I try to deny it, my bear forces me to take another step toward her. 

I’m less than a foot away when she finally pulls away from Amelia. Liza is staring at me with her striking green eyes. They are unbelievably bright, reminding me of fresh cut grass. When I first saw her walking out, I thought her hair was just an average brown. On closer inspection, I see the brown is mixed with strands of red and blonde that catch the light every time she moves. Her face is heart-shaped, and she has a button nose that is covered with freckles, giving her the ‘girl next door’ look that always has my cock weeping. Her lips almost appear too big for her face, as if they’re just begging to be kissed, or better yet, begging to suck my cock. I’m more than willing to give them whatever they need. 

Not waiting another second, I pull her into my arms, dragging a gasp from her mouth. Without saying a word, I plaster my lips on hers. I wrap her up in my arms, pulling her body flush with mine. Grinding my hard cock into her stomach, I run a hand down to cup her ass. Not willing to hold back, I run the tip of my tongue over the seam of her lips and pull another gasp from deep within her. Unable to resist getting a taste, I take advantage of her opened lips and slide my tongue inside. Her tongue meets mine, both of us duelling for dominance. 

Her kiss is so intoxicating that I’m willing to allow her to take the lead, this time, only giving her what she wants but taking everything she is willing to give. Her taste enthrals me, pulling a guttural moan from my bear. She tastes like a mixture of honey and something that I’ve never tasted before, yet I can’t get enough of it. It takes me a moment to realize what the flavour is, but the minute I do, my mind clears and I pull away in disgust. 

Shaking away my lust, I shoot her a glare. “You taste like a human.”

Her eyes look startled for a second before they narrow in on me. “That’s good, because I’m human. What the hell are you?”

I start to answer her, but stop myself when I remember Ethan’s instructions about not telling her that she is going to living in the midst of thousands of shifters. Instead, I just shake my head and say, “That shouldn’t have happened.”

“Well, I’m not the one who kissed you, so you need to keep your lips off mine and it won’t happen again,” she snaps, placing her hands on her hips.