Bitten (Black Mountain Bears Book 2) Read Free

the scent of it a regular feature in his dreams the last two nights.
    The worst part was that they’d be leaving before he even got to know them. They’d both just given up their place in the Sanctuary to make sure Emma’s mates could return.
    The two guardians she’d secretly mated had left the sanctuary at New Year’s. Autumn and Gunnar had made a promise to take their place before the Equinox, so that they could come back to be with Emma. They would be leaving soon, and Jasper wouldn’t be able to follow. If he left now, it might kill him to try to return again. And after the Equinox, only Windchasers would be allowed in and out of the Sanctuary. Not a young Stonetree male like himself.
    That was the part Jasper had issues with. He’d finally found the rest of his family. His unknown mother and his missing father. His aunt and uncle. And now that he believed he’d met the love of his life— loves of his life, who was he kidding?—they had just given up everything for his family.
    After waking up, he’d seen them for the first time without the charmed frost obscuring his vision. The exchange had seemed to last an eternity. He was sure his heart had stopped again when he looked into Gunnar’s dark red eyes and then Autumn’s vibrant blue ones. They were mesmerizing, and it took every ounce of power in him to pull his gaze away to the woman who had just introduced herself as his mother.
    “I don’t even know if we have a god or goddess here,” he said, staring up at the stone-bound tree before him. “But if you exist, whoever you are, please . . . give me a sign so I know what to do.”
    The tree only rustled in the same breeze that had been blowing through all day. A small pebble tumbled off the boulder and hit the leaf-strewn ground with a soft crunch.
    Jasper stared at it, his heart pounding. He’d dealt with bullshit all his life. Being an athletic guy who attracted others with romantic, or even merely sexual, inclinations wasn’t a blessing, by his standards. He’d felt lost for years.
    Sitting in the shadow of this tree, begging for answers, he felt more at home than he had in his entire life.
    He may not have found any real answers, but he knew Emma and Jade were still the center of his life. As long as he did right by them, he’d do right by himself.
    But on his way back down the path to the lodge, his center shifted. The lilt of Autumn’s laughter carried like the peal of a bell over the sound of the waterfall spilling into the clan’s favorite swimming spot. Deeper laughter and splashing sounds followed.
    Jasper stopped and listened, stomach churning as he resisted the urge to go find them. As much as he craved their company, it was difficult to see them together knowing they would be leaving. He’d spent time with them over the last two weeks, gotten to know them, but in spite of that first moment seeing them both and tumbling through an entire galaxy of emotions, he refused to let himself get any more attached. If he admitted to his feelings, he’d be betraying his love for his family.
    Yet his feet still carried him closer.
    He remained in the shadows of a rhododendron, peering out over the edge of the bank to the large, flat rock that served as a beach for Autumn and Gunnar to sun themselves on between swims. Autumn lay naked, stretching luxuriously on the bare rock, her damp hair splayed out like a sunburst above her head.
    A naked Gunnar rose out of the water like some kind of bacchanalian god, water sluicing off him and his pale hair slicked smooth against his skull. He strode in Jasper’s direction, his eyes fixed intently on Autumn. With a mischievous smile he bent over her and shook his head vigorously, spraying droplets of water over her skin.
    Autumn shrieked and lurched up, tackling him. He let himself be pulled to the ground and pinned.
    “You brat!” she said, digging her fingertips into his sides until he squirmed, deep laughter erupting from his chest.
    Even though Autumn