Bear the Heat (Fire Bears Book 3) by T. S. Joyce Page A

registration.”
    “It feels like people are just waiting for us to mess up. Like last night. That could’ve gone really bad if you hadn’t taken that video and showed it to Monroe when he was taking your statement. Your quick thinking probably kept me from a night in jail while they corroborated everyone’s story.”
    She shivered when she thought about Boone shifting inside of a tiny jail cell at the local police station. At least when he’d had an uncontrolled Change here, he had been able to get out of his house and find woods immediately.
    “You know, humans aren’t all bad. I have tons of footage of people protesting your treatment, who want equal rights for you. It’s not just me and the Blue Haired Ladies advocating for you. There is an entire country-wide movement. It’s like online. People are mostly wonderful and supportive when they talk about me on the station’s webpages, but it’s just that one harsh remark that hurts so much and negates all of the positive ones. I don’t know why it’s like that. What right does one negative comment have to outweigh all of the positive?”
    Boone shot her a sideways glance, then stared ahead quietly as they made their way around a snarl of brambles across the trail.
    “I like the way you see things,” he said at last. “You see the good in people. The honest parts.”
    “There’s lots of good to see, Boone. The meanest people are usually the loudest. Get past them and you’ll see the chain of support that is growing every day.”
    “I know you’re right,” he murmured, offering his hand as she climbed up onto a mossy tree stump.
    Up here, she was as tall as Boone, so she threw her arms around his neck and tossed her hair out of her face. “Say it again.”
    Boone huffed a laugh, and the corners of his eyes crinkled with his smile. “You’re right. I can tell because of the online forums we’ve been answering questions in. There was a lot of hatred there at first. It was hard continuing without telling them all to shut the fuck up. But then the coolest thing started happening. Other people started defending us, and after a while, we had to only respond to those angry questions once, then the others in the forum would take over and cut off inappropriate commenters. Rory said the same thing, that she could see it getting better. She’s the one online the most, trying to dispel rumors.”
    “It’ll get better and better, Boone. You’ll see.”
    His eyes softened and he leaned forward, then bit her neck gently. “I think the government has lost control of the IESA.”
    Cora pulled his baseball hat off and replaced it backward so she could see his face better. “What do you mean?”
    “I mean, last night was sloppy. IESA going after me in town with a shitty-placed wreck, and trying to take you, a well-known public figure down, too? That’s amateur shit. Krueger kidnapping Rory was sloppy before that. I think they are pulling desperate measures to remain a relevant agency.”
    “Good. I hope the government finds out what they’ve been doing and burns the IESA to the ground.”
    “And how are they going to find out? We have to walk such a fine line between defending ourselves against IESA and admitting what we’ve done for them. The public won’t accept us if they knew what we were forced to do for Krueger.”
    “You didn’t have a choice.”
    Boone shook his head sadly. “There is always a choice, Cora.”
    Cora bit her bottom lip and nuzzled his cheek with hers. Pulling her chin back, she pressed her lips onto his. No more talk of the past and things he couldn’t control. She wanted right now with him, the part where they’d both survived IESA and lived for this moment.
    Boone cupped her head as she tasted him, brushed her tongue against his. That soft, approving rumble rattled his throat and revved her up. Heat pooled between her legs when he dragged her waist closer, pressed her against his erection. She imagined him inside of her again