Hunter Bear: BBW Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance (Enforcer Bears Book 2) (12 page)

When Cleo heard the sound of tires on gravel once more the next day, panic rose up in her. Had Higgins returned for more threats?

Steven hadn't found anything during his search of the forest around the house. Today, he had left for another of his daily runs through the forest, keeping an eye open for any unwanted intruders, and Cleo didn't expect him back for another hour or two.

Clutching her phone tightly in her hand, she opened her door to see who'd come to disturb their solitude.

She breathed a sigh of relief when instead of the silver SUV, it was a small Honda. The car gleamed in the sunlight, a bright blue decorated with a yellow and pink logo, and when the car came to a stop, Cleo was able to make out words.

Linden Creek Bakery
, she read, her worry falling away when she remembered that her cousin Sidney's friend owned the bakery.

And not only that—Sidney had kept her updated on all the newest gossip of the small town. The new owner of the bakery was also the fiancee of Steven's brother Chris.

His mate. Since he's a shifter too, she has to be his mate...

It was still difficult to wrap her head around the secret world of shifters, but this at least was a welcome interruption from the worries about Higgins' threat.

"Hi, you must be Cleo! I'm Eve," the woman said once she'd left the car.

She wore her long, blonde hair in a bun from which strands kept escaping and falling into her eyes. Her smile was infectious, and Cleo noted the engagement ring on her hand.

"Chris told me that his brother is staying with you? Sorry for the unannounced visit," Eve said as she came to shake Cleo's hand. "I was in the area to talk about the cakes for yet another wedding reception. We're always so busy in the summer!"

"He's out right now—hiking in the forest," Cleo said in apology, worrying for a moment whether she could reveal that Steven's bear had needed to go on a run.

Did Eve know about shifters? If she was Chris' mate, surely she would know...

Eve laughed softly. "Can't keep a bear cooped up inside when the sun is shining; don't I know it!"

Cleo's smile widened.
Well, that answers that question!

"It might take another hour or two until he returns." Cleo gave Eve a curious look.

It felt good to know that there was someone she didn't have to keep it a secret from. And maybe someone who knew more about shifters than she did...

"Do you want to come inside?" Cleo asked.

Eve shook her head with a sigh. "I'd love to, but I need to get back to the bakery. I just thought I'd stop by for a quick chat and leave you a cake. Wait a moment!"

Before Cleo could reply, Eve had hurried back to her car. A moment later, she triumphantly returned with a large pie in her hands.

"My latest creation. I call it the bear pie. There's honey in it, so make sure he doesn't forget to share with you."

Cleo laughed softly, feeling a little overwhelmed when the pie was unceremoniously pushed into her hands. "I—thank you! That's really kind, but—"

"No buts," Eve said resolutely, still grinning widely. "I'm sad I'm missing out on meeting that mysterious brother, but maybe another time? The two of you will have to come to the wedding. Chris didn't think any of his brothers would show up, but it seems like Steven isn't about to leave any time soon. Is he?"

The words were teasing, but there was warmth in Eve's eyes. Cleo felt herself blush.

"Wait, why is he the mysterious brother?" Cleo frowned as she tried to make sense of it. Steven had never appeared particularly mysterious to her.

Apart from the whole werebear thing—but Eve already knows about that!

"Chris said that he has seen Steven only twice in the past ten years or so," Eve began to explain. "My dad's coming for the wedding, and I was curious about his family, you know. But Chris said there's no chance that anyone would show up. Bears are loners. I've tried to contact his other brother, Logan, on Facebook, but so far no luck. I really wanted to surprise Chris with his family at the wedding, but it didn't seem to work out."

"But then Steven came to hunt that jaguar," Cleo said slowly. "Wait—does that mean he's lived out here by the lake with me all this time and never came to visit you or Chris?"

Eve nodded eagerly. "That's why I call him mysterious! I haven't met him yet!" She tilted her head a little, her voice softer when she continued. "Chris said that Steven found his mate. That's the two of you then? It was such a shock for me at first. I didn't know anything about shifters; Chris changed right before my eyes when the jaguars attacked us! Anyway, I came to say hi, and if you've got any questions... I'm not a shifter expert, but probably the best Linden Creek has to offer."

Cleo felt warmth well up in her. She'd missed this part of living out here in the woods: the friendliness of people. The willingness to help out family, always, no questions asked.

And Eve would be family, if Cleo was really Steven's mate. If Steven would stay around...

Cleo took a deep breath. "I appreciate that more than you can imagine," she said softly. "And I'll probably need advice. If Steven decides to stay."

Eve frowned a little, her face thoughtful. "He hasn't told you he's staying? Hmm. Has he told you that you are his mate?"

Cleo nodded. "He has. I'm still not exactly sure what it means, but..."

"Then he'll stay." Eve gave her an encouraging look. "When a bear finds his mate, it's forever. Like soulmates. When you met him—did he feel special to you?"

Cleo swallowed, remembering the sunlight playing on Steven's powerful body as he washed in the pond, the way something about the sight had made her heart sing and filled her soul with images she'd ached to put down on paper.

"He's... yes. Special. As if he brings all the best parts of me to life. Even the ones I thought were hidden or lost."

"It was the same for me," Eve admitted softly. "It's a long story, but there's been a lot of fear and loneliness in my life. And then I met Chris, and for the first time, I knew I wanted to live without that fear. I wanted to trust him. No—I
knew
I could trust him, that he'd see the real me."

Again Cleo thought of the sketches she'd drawn. Of the old drawing of Walter she'd burned. Of how she'd rested in Steven's arms in the darkness, deep underground, lost in a cave, and yet she hadn't been afraid.

"Yes," Cleo murmured slowly. "You're right. I never knew such a thing existed, but I can feel that he's my mate. That he's right for me."

Eve gave her an reassuring smile. "And the same thing is true for him. He doesn't seem like a bad guy. He'll know that you're right for him. That he can trust you with anything."

"He's the best man I've ever known," Cleo admitted.

Steven had saved her—but most importantly, down in that cave, he'd kept her fear at bay. Surely that was the ultimate test? A man who'd live through such a thing with her and only thought of her own safety and comfort was definitely a keeper.

A reluctant smile appeared on Cleo's face. "I don't even care that he's a bear shifter. We have the lake and the forest. He can turn into a bear and go play while I go and draw."

Cleo laughed a little. It still felt weird to say these things—but she'd seen him shift with her own eyes several times by now! "He's a good man. I don't think he could ever hurt me. But I think... I think he's afraid he
will
hurt me if he stays. Which makes no sense."

It really didn't make sense, now that she thought about it a little more clearly.

Walter had hurt her when he left. And the thought of Steven leaving her too was terrifying. No one had ever felt so right.

Cleo wanted him to stay. She wanted to live in this house by the lake with Steven, raise little bear cubs, go swimming in the lake with him and draw portraits of him until the end of her life.

"From what Chris told me, their father wasn't a very good father,” Eve said slowly. “And you know, Chris said that his father was a loner like all bears... but Chris isn't like his father at all. Chris has risked his own life for mine. And he's going to make an amazing dad. So I think the two of them are wrong. It's not the bear that made them loners, and it's not the bear that made their dad such an asshole. He would have been an asshole without the bear too."

"I certainly know enough awful people who aren't shifters," Cleo admitted with a sigh.

For one thing, there was Walter, who most definitely wasn't a shifter, and who'd left her at the first sight of greener pastures.

"But you're right,” Cleo continued, feeling more hopeful now. “Thanks, Eve. Steven has mentioned his dad before. I think you're right. He doesn't trust himself. Which is stupid, because I trust him. More than anyone else."

They smiled at each other.

"Call me any time you want to commiserate about living with a shifter," Eve then said. "Or come visit! You need to try our cupcakes. And of course I expect both you and Steven at the wedding."

She winked, and Cleo laughed softly. She imagined it: a wedding outside, beneath the summer sun, the sky bright blue and the garden filled with flowers and happy, laughing people...

"I'd love to come,” Cleo said softly. "And Steven... I'm sure Steven will realize that he can trust himself, because I already do."

After she'd watched Eve slowly back out of her driveway again, waving at her happily from behind the wheel, she looked down at the pie which she was still holding in her hands. It smelled delicious: there was the aroma of honey and caramel and chocolate.

But most importantly, today had brought a new friendship. And perhaps the first step towards a new life here in Linden Creek.

Her old life in the city had crashed and burned. For so long, she'd thought that it was where she was supposed to be. But now that she'd returned to the lake, she felt happier than she'd been in a long time. It felt like she'd returned home.

She
wanted
it to be home, for now and all the summers to come.

Steven stared at the map spread out on the kitchen table before him. They'd rescued it from the pocket of Cleo's jeans once they'd made it back home. It had survived the water, but only barely.

Still, Steven remembered the way they'd taken to the cave, even though many of the landscape markers Cleo's Grandma had put down were now faded.

With a frown, Steven copied those drawings onto a real map of the area which he'd placed to his right.

There's the pond. There's the ravine we crossed. Somewhere here is that creek we followed until we got to the small waterfall—and here, this hill is where we finally left the cave.

The map had been real. It hadn't led them to treasure, but it had led them to a secret cave—and the jaguar shifter who'd gone feral, and who was now safely locked away.

But why would Cleo's Grandma lead her to a cave? It makes no sense. Unless there is something we missed...

Again Steven stared at the old map. There were a few symbols clustered around the X. The X hadn't marked any treasure they had found. Maybe it simply stood for the caves. But then, what did the other symbols mean?

It was even harder to make them out now, after the damage the water had done. One symbol could mark another pond, Steven supposed. It was a circle with what looked like waves drawn inside it. And there had been the underground river and the waterfalls. Another pond in the area would make sense.

Close by was a drawing that looked like a sun to him—or perhaps a flower.

I have no idea what that could stand for.

And then there was the small picture that had to be a bed.

A bed inside a cave. It has to be inside the cave. It's too close to where we finally found the exit. And there were other tunnels, and a door. Did someone live down there?

Steven sighed deeply, then he took up the phone.

He had to return to the cave. There was no other way he could see to have his questions answered. Cleo had been too shaken by their experiences in the caves, and so they had not gone back. And at first, Steven hadn't seen a reason for it either.

The jaguar had been found, and they had thought they had solved the secret of the map. But had Cleo's Grandma truly only sought to lead her to a beautiful, secret waterfall?

There had to be more to those caves. He was convinced of it now, the more he thought about it. There were too many unanswered questions.

Sidney hadn't been able to find out more about Higgins' plans, or what might have happened in the past. Though she'd confirmed that many years ago, a lot of the old documents had been lost in a fire.

And what a strange coincidence that is,
Steven thought grimly as he remembered Higgins' threat against Cleo.

He dialed the number, then waited until a moment later, he heard his brother's voice.

"It's me, Steven," he said gruffly. He still felt somewhat out of his depth, talking to Chris after so many years of estrangement. "I'm going back to explore the caves. I just wanted you to know, in case something happens."

"On your own?" Chris' voice asked.

"Yeah, I'm not going to drag Cleo back to that place..." Steven broke off as he raised his head.

In the door stood Cleo, watching him with her hands on her hips, expression stern, even though there was a smudge of paint on her cheek.

"Oh no, you're not," she said and raised her chin in challenge.

In his ear, Chris was laughing softly.

Steven took a deep breath. "I think the caves might help us figure out what it is Higgins is hiding."

"That's why I’m coming with you," Cleo stated, her eyes sparkling with determination. "Grandma left that map to me. And if you're going back to that terrible place, I'll be coming along."

"It seems we're both going," Steven sighed into the phone.

Chris laughed again. "I like your mate. Take care," he said. "Take a flashlight and your phones and call me as soon as you make it back out. If I don't hear from you in the next three hours, I'll come out myself to search for you."

"Thanks, Chris," Steven said hesitantly. “We'll be careful. With the jaguar gone, we should be fine. But I really appreciate it.”

Steven still wasn't used to depending on family. To find that he now had people who were worried about him—people who wanted to accompany him into danger!—was both worrisome and strangely good.

Cleo was still giving him an arch look when he ended the call.

"I wouldn't have left without telling you," Steven said in apology. "Really. But I was looking at the map again, and we never figured out what those other symbols meant. And with Higgins in the picture now, we should see if we can at least lift some of these secrets."

"We should.
Together!
" Cleo gave him a pointed look. "I'm grabbing the flashlights. And spare batteries. And water. And some rope! I'm not letting that cave defeat me again."

Steven couldn't hold back a smile as he watched his mate break into action. "We're not going anywhere where it's dangerous," he said. "No more falling down tunnels. If it looks like there's some danger, we'll make our way out and wait for Chris. Agreed?"

Cleo came close enough that he could wrap his arms around her hips and pull her close.

"Agreed," she said and kissed him gently. “Though I feel safe enough with a bear guard of my own.”

***

This time, it was a lot less scary to enter the cave system. They already knew what to expect. And most importantly, the jaguar shifter had been arrested and sent to jail.

Still, Cleo held on tightly to Steven's hand as they made their way back down the narrow ravine again.

They'd chosen to enter the way they had left. They'd seen signs that someone had lived or worked in the cave, after all. Whoever had bothered to build a door inside the cave might have left answers as to the cave's big secret.

And there
had
to be a secret, Steven was certain of it. For one thing, Cleo's Grandma had wanted her grandchild to find something in the cave. Perhaps even something she hadn't dared to leave in the house or in her will, considering how openly threatening Higgins had become.

Moreover, Steven could also feel an irresistible pull towards the cave. It was a yearning he knew well: his bear's eagerness for adventure. This was the same pull he had felt a hundred times before, when he'd spent too long in one place.

His bear had always been eager for new forests and new mountains to explore. But this was the first time he'd felt that instinctive need to return to a place where he'd already been.

It was a little unsettling, because it had never happened before, but it was all the more reason to believe that there was something to the cave which they had overlooked on their escape.

They held on to each other as they slowly, carefully, inched back along the ledge that led them towards the waterfall and then behind it. They couldn't see where the water went to; the rocks were jutting out in such a way that all they could see was the water roaring past them. There had to be a pond somewhere below—perhaps even the pond which Cleo's Grandma had marked on the map. A pond where the waterfall met the ground.

We'll try to find the way to it later on,
Steven decided when he helped Cleo into the cave.

She switched on her flashlight and handed another light to Steven.

"I feel much better about this place now that the jaguar is gone," she said as she began to look around.

Her flashlight illuminated the back of the cave. Despite the curtain of falling water, the large cave was dry. In one corner of the cave, there were the broken remains of what had been a box once.

Steven nudged the broken planks curiously with his boots, but whatever had been stored there was gone.

"I don't think this belonged to the jaguar," he said thoughtfully. "Someone used this cave, many years ago."

"Let's go back to where we saw those other tunnels." Cleo took his hand, her eyes determined. "I'm sick of secrets. I want to know what's going on here."

They turned towards the tunnel at the back of the cave. When they entered the dark opening, the urgency of Steven's bear suddenly grew.

But it wasn't fear, or the alarm he'd felt before the jaguar shifter had attacked.

"What are you trying to tell me?" Steven muttered.

Come,
the bear said,
come!

He was excited, but Steven could make no sense of it. It was an excitement he had never felt before. He knew the excitement of exploring a new forest—even the excitement of exploring a new cave.

But this wasn't it. There was a happiness to it he'd never felt before. A contentment. His bear wasn't searching for an adventure. His bear was saying...

Home,
his bear's excitement whispered through his thoughts, filling all of his senses with thoughts of a warm cave in the winter, a pond full of fishes, soft straw to rest on, cubs curled against him with their fur fluffy and warm.

I don't understand,
Steven thought back in rising alarm.

Home,
his bear said more insistently,
home!

Then the bear fell silent, although his happiness still filled Steven with a strange warmth, the memories of evenings curled up with Cleo running through his veins.

"My bear wants us to explore down there," he said at Cleo's questioning gaze. He shrugged; he had no further explanation.

But whatever it was that had his bear so excited, it felt like a good thing.

"Let's take this tunnel first." Cleo pointed her light at the opening that loomed dark before them.

They'd passed by it on their way to escape from the cave as quickly as possible. Now that they had enough light and time to explore, it did indeed look promising.

The ground was smooth. The tunnel led downward, and whoever had used this in the past had carved steps into the stone where the incline got steeper.

After a while, the tunnel straightened again. They could easily walk next to each other here. Their steps echoed eerily, but still Steven couldn't help but feel at ease.

It was a strange feeling. It made no sense. And yet, he felt at home.

He'd never felt anything like it before. He'd known the relief of finding temporary shelter from the rain, or the happiness of a forest full of berries. He'd stay for a week or two and gorge on blueberries, and then the urge to wander would return, and he'd leave.

But this feeling was different. There was no restlessness in him. Instead, what he felt was a strange sort of expectation.

Are you ever going to make sense again?
he quietly asked his bear.

The echo of their feet seemed to grow in intensity. Were they heading towards another room?

Wait,
the bear whispered.
Wait and see.

It didn't feel frightening, but even so he wrapped his arm around Cleo's shoulder when before them, the tunnel began to widen into another cave.

"Look at that!" Cleo breathed, exploring the space with her flashlight. "It looks like—"

"Like a bear cave," Steven finished for her, awed when finally, the happiness in him began to make sense.

Home,
the bear in him growled happily.

Steven stopped, his mouth opening in shock. He'd never heard his bear utter that word before today, he realized.

Most importantly, his bear had never before felt like this.

Home,
his bear repeated. I found it.
My home. My home, my forest, my mate.

Steven shook himself. His hands trembled a little as he joined Cleo and began to explore.

The cavern was large, but not too large. It was just the right size to feel comfortable to his bear's instincts. In one corner, a heap of old straw made a soft bed. There was no draft to disturb a sleeping bear, but the air didn't smell moldy. There was a gentle, trickling sound of water not too far off.

This used to be another bear's home,
Steven realized.

He didn't feel afraid. Cleo was safe here; the other bear must have left many years ago. Still, it seemed a strange coincidence to find a bear cave here...

"Come on, there's another door!" Cleo pointed her light at the far wall.

The stone was smooth, and where it formed a natural, small alcove, another door awaited them.

This time, the door wasn't locked.

Steven went through first, just in case, opening the door carefully. It led into another cave.

This cave was filled by dim light. When he and Cleo began to explore, they found that it was lit by a small opening in the stony ceiling above them through which a little sunlight fell in.

And this light revealed a sight that left them speechless.

This was no bear cave. This was a
home
—a home that had seen no use in many years, judging by the dust gathered. But still, it had clearly once housed a human, not a bear, and someone who had taken care to turn this secret cave into a comfortable place.