Laid Bear by Eve Vaughn (e books for reading .TXT) 📕

Gavin could empathize. “Her nearness is driving me crazy. I think I need to get out of the house for a bit. I haven’t shifted since she’s been here and my bear is getting restless. Wanna join me? I’m sure she’ll be fine for an hour or so.”

Gavin shook his head. “No. When I give her more of the medicine, I’ll need to monitor her carefully to make sure she has no adverse reactions.”

“Okay. When we get back, I’ll take over the watch. You need some rest, cuz.”

“I don’t mind staying by her side.”

“But I do mind you wearing yourself out. You’ll be no use to her then.” Heath straightened, and placed his hand on Gavin’s shoulder. “Promise me you’ll at least take a nap when I get back.”

“Fine, although it’s really not necessary.”

Gavin was thankful Heath didn’t reply.

His cousin gave one last longing look at their mate before heading out, leaving Gavin alone with her once again. Gavin took her hand in his and gave it a light squeeze.

“Soon.”

Chapter Two

Zora’s head felt as if it had been slammed against a wall over and over again. There wasn’t supposed to be pain in the afterlife—unless she was in hell. She’d done some not so great things in her life, but did she actually deserve eternal damnation? Her last conscious thought was that she’d die as her car went spiraling off the road, so surely she must be dead. She opened one eye and winced at the light before quickly closing it again. After waiting a moment she tried again, this time opening both eyes.

It took a few seconds for her to focus properly. Where was the fire and brimstone? And the horned red man with pitchfork in his hand? She didn’t fool herself into believing she’d done enough good in her life to get a ticket straight to heaven. Maybe she was in purgatory and waiting for an angel to tell her what good deed to perform to get past the pearly gates.

She rubbed her eyes with the heel of her hand to rid her head of the remaining fog. Zora took in her surroundings again. Purgatory looked like the inside of a log cabin. If she wasn’t mistaken, she was in a bedroom, one that didn’t belong to her. Attempting to sit, she winced as a sharp pain tore through the side of her body. Gasping in agony, she fell against her plush pillow again. It felt as if she’d gone several rounds with a world class boxer and had come out on the losing end.

Zora was sure she was alive now, but where the hell was she? She glanced around the room, taking in as much as she could of the rustic yet spacious area. The wood paneling, stone fireplace in the corner and western-themed décor gave the place a rural yet comfy appeal. She was tempted to lie very still and continue letting the warmth of the fire soothe her aching body. The rust-colored curtains framing the bay window in front of her bed were open, shining enough sunlight on her face to make going back to sleep impossible.

There was no telling where she was or who had rescued her. She needed to contact her cousin. Zora had told Bernice she’d be there by this afternoon. Hopefully, the owners of this cabin would lend her the use of their telephone. With a plan formed in her mind, she slowly eased her body to a sitting position, careful not to make any sudden, jarring moves to aggravate her soreness.

Moving a bit at a time, she pushed the warm down comforter off her body, slid to the side of the bed and threw her legs over the edge. A shiver stole its way up her body when her feet touched the cool hardwood floor. Slowly wrapping her arms around herself, Zora stood. For the first time, she noticed her clothes. From the looks of it, she wore a man’s flannel pajama top.