Page 36 of Bear with Me

Jensen nodded, and Jemma noticed the concern etched on his face.

“I’ll stay with you,” Helen offered. “Fletch will know where to find me.”

Jemma thought briefly about staying, too but knew Brock would expect her there, with him. She paused to give both her friends a quick hug. She usually wasn’t so openly affectionate, but that was slowly changing. Brock’s influence probably. He and all his siblings were big on affection. The brothers were always hugging, patting or squeezing shoulders, laughing, and teasing. It was easy to see they were close. She wasn’t exactly sure how she was going to fit in, but they included her anytime she was around. They accepted her as one of them with no reservation. That was a lot for someone who’d been an only child then been kept in isolation during her formative teenage years.

“You okay?” Jensen asked as they walked.

“I’m… Do you think Jasper will recover?”

Jensen’s shoulders tensed before he shook his head. “No. At most, I can buy him some time. It’s a miracle he’s survived as long as he has.”

“Does he know?”

“He’s the one who told me when I went to get him in Oklahoma. They cut…” He stopped, lifting his face toward the sky and exhaling. “The things they did to him would give you nightmares.”

“Is there anything we can do for him?”

Jensen shook his head then started walking again. Jemma followed. She’d noted the devastation in his eyes. It added another layer to the way he’d come unraveled when Lawrence Walker was brought in. She caught up, grabbed his hand, and gave it a squeeze. There wasn’t anything she could offer other than comfort. If Jensen couldn’t figure out how to save Jasper, she doubted anyone could. He squeezed her fingers back, making her realize it wasn’t just Brock she was falling in love with. It was the Holloway family.

“Damn, looks like he was closer than he said,” Jensen said as they heard Ruby yelling.

“Is my daddy! Put me down! Is my daddy! Daddy! Daddy! I’s here! I’s right here!”

Jemma watched as Laramie slowly leaned down, so Ruby could stand in front of him. She patted his face then took off at a run for the big man who’d stepped out of the SUV. Malachai Blackstone was maybe a couple of inches shorter than the Holloway brothers, but then the Holloways were all between six-feet-five inches and six-six. His hair had thick dark waves, and though she couldn’t see his face, she’d bet anything he had the same big, green eyes as his daughter. The same as Sidia and Jemma. The Blackstone eyes. Malachai squatted and caught his daughter against his chest, swinging her high before nuzzling her. Her squeals of delight filled the air.

“I pa’tected Mama Em. I did it. And you pa’tected you!” she exclaimed.

“You did good, Baby Bear.” Malachai’s voice was deep and rich with emotion.

Jemma paused with Jensen, watching as Em ran forward, flinging herself against him. He lifted her in a hard hug, and Ruby giggled louder, throwing her arms around both of them. Laramie stood back and watched, and Jemma couldn’t help but wonder how he managed to keep himself in check while his mate hugged another man.

“Malachai!”

His head lifted, tracking his sisters as the twins, Sidia and Jaeda, both raced toward him. Em stepped back with a grin, wiping tears as she moved back to her mate and let the siblings greet each other. Ruby clung to her father, as if she were afraid he might disappear on her again, if she let him go. It struck something deep inside Jemma, making her remember a time she’d hugged her own father just as fiercely. She drifted away from Jensen’s side, moving so she had a better view of where the rest of the family stood on the other side of the SUV. Her gaze skimmed over them in search of her mate, but Brock wasn’t there.

“About time you got your sorry ass here,” Xandra called from where she stood next to her mate.

“What? No big hug from you, sis?” Malachai called back.

Xandra snorted and rolled her eyes. Declan laughed as he glanced down at his mate. Xandra wasn’t known for her affectionate side.

The passenger door of the vehicle behind Malachai’s opened, and a male stepped out. He wasn’t as big, not as broad, but his bearing showed the shifter arrogance all the males inherently seemed to have. Jemma took him in briefly. Shoulder-length blond hair. Lean frame. Six feet. Maybe slightly under. She was already dismissing him when she saw a glint tracing a path across the hood of the vehicle as he stepped around. It didn’t matter who he was. Instinct took over as she ran for him.

“Gun!” she screamed, causing the blond male to turn. The bullet hit him in the shoulder, though she feared it had been aimed at his heart. She hit him hard, taking him to the gravel and rolling with him until they were on the other side of the truck he’d stepped out of.

“Everyone down!” Laramie thundered.

Screams and roars filled the air. People moved all around her, running for cover or in pursuit of where the shot had come from. She heard the pings as more shots were fired, but the element of surprise was gone. She glanced down at the male beneath her. His jaw was clenched tight, teeth bared as he breathed heavily. One arm was banded around her waist, keeping her to him, though he was obviously injured and bleeding heavily.

“Ease up,” Jemma ordered, patting his arm. “Let me take a look at you.”

She straddled his stomach as she ripped his shirt wide, inspecting the entry point of the bullet. He hissed as she moved him enough to check for an exit point. There wasn’t one.

“Shit.” She pressed her hands against the wound, trying to staunch the bleeding. “Jensen!”

“Usually, I know a woman’s name before she starts ripping off my clothes.”

She laughed at the humor in his gaze. “I’m Jemma, and don’t let my mate hear you say that.”

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