Hunter Bear: BBW Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance (Enforcer Bears Book 2) by Zoe Chant

She shivered, then forced herself to concentrate on the task at hand.
    "Not fair. No distracting me!" she complained. "And just for that, I'll hold you to that promise!"
    "I hope you do." Steven’s eyes gleamed at her in the dim light.
    She couldn't help her answering smile. As terrible as their situation seemed, she was glad that Steven was here with her. Their banter had calmed her a little. And it was far more pleasant to think of what they could do once they found an exit, instead of imagining what the jaguar might be up to in the darkness...
    Cleo shook herself to get rid of that intrusive thought. "We should follow the water. It's got to leave this cave somewhere."
    Steven nodded. "That's probably our best chance. As long as we stay close to the water, we won't get lost."
    Again Cleo gave her small light a worried look. How much battery did they have left? They'd have to find an exit quickly. It probably wouldn't last more than a few hours at most.
    "Can you walk?" She shone the light at Steven's leg once more.
    "It'll be fine. I've been through worse," he said and rested a hand on her back.
    Cleo suddenly remembered the scars she'd seen. It had seemed an outrageous story. A man who hunted dangerous beasts in the wilderness? That was something you watched on TV, not something that happened in the peaceful forests and valleys of Linden Creek.
    But now she'd seen the jaguar firsthand. And she'd seen Steven acquire what would surely turn into another impressive set of scars.
    They held on to each other as they slowly moved forward. The light of her tiny gadget was weak; it was meant to find a keyhole, not to serve as a flashlight in an underground cave exploration. Still, it was an improvement on the terrifying darkness that had swallowed them when they fell.
    The light lit the ground in front of them, so that they could see where they stepped and evade rocks and slippery stone. They kept the lake to their right as they moved forward.
    Somewhere in the distance was the sound of moving water. It was a soft, rushing sound, and they couldn't quite make out from where it came. Still, it gave them hope.
    They walked for quite a while. Half an hour might have passed before they found their way barred by a wall. The lake was still to their right.
    Cleo shone her tiny light at the rocks. She tried to keep the panic out of her voice. "We've reached the end of the cave, I think."
    What if we can't find a way out?
    Steven turned his gaze on the water. After a moment, he tore a small piece of fabric from where his shirt had ripped during their fall. He tossed it into the lake.
    "What are you...?" Cleo began to ask, but then fell silent, following the scrap with the small light.
    It moved. It was drifting on the water, first slowly, then faster, as if some current had picked it up.
    Faster and faster, it was now pulled towards where the water met the wall of the cave—and then it was dragged under and vanished.
    Steven made a thoughtful sound.
    "Wait here a minute," he said and quickly pulled off his own clothes.
    "Steven, you can't—" Cleo protested when she realized what he was going to do.
    Steven smiled at her. "I promise I’ll come back. I just want to check if there's an opening."
    "What if you get dragged inside? What if you—I don't want you to drown in the darkness," she said, her heart pounding with sudden fear as she imagined it.
    "You've seen the current—it's not strong. But it means that the water’s leaving this cave somewhere, and I want to know where." Steven was naked now. He gave her an earnest look, then pulled her close.
    "Hey. It'll be fine. Promise," he murmured into her hair.
    She pressed his lips to his shoulder, fighting the sudden terror. His skin was hot against her own, his heartbeat strong.
    He's right. And we have no choice, she told herself.
    "Be careful," was all she said when she finally managed to release him.
    "I promise," he said again and kissed her lightly. Then he turned and slid into the