Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 23283 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 116(@200wpm)___ 93(@250wpm)___ 78(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23283 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 116(@200wpm)___ 93(@250wpm)___ 78(@300wpm)
He’s like a relaxed dog on the couch after a long satisfying day.
Shit…
I don’t know. Everything about this on paper feels like a bad idea, but something deep inside is telling me it’s going to be okay.
As psychotic as my bear is, he won’t hurt his mate. That I’m sure of.
“Okay,” I say as I take a deep breath. “I’ll do it.”
She taps the shotgun with her finger. “Sure, you will.”
I close my eyes and do what I haven’t done in years—let my bear out.
He comes sliding to the surface and I let him pull me back in. Our body shakes violently as it swells up, tearing muscles and snapping bones. The bear explodes out of me in the blink of an eye.
No furious roaring. No vicious snarling.
He’s just standing there, watching our mate in awe.
“Wow,” she whispers as she lowers the gun. It slips out of her hands and falls to the ground as she stares at us with big stunned eyes.
Now is the real test.
I slide up to the surface and try to pull him. Normally, he would shake me off with a ferocious roar, but he calmly lets me take over and slides back inside without a fight.
When I’m back out in my human form, she’s standing up straight and watching me curiously.
“Bear shifter,” I say with a shrug. “Not some sex cult weirdo.”
Her eyes dart back down to my leg. “I have to get you to a hospital!”
She runs over, takes my arm, and puts it around her shoulders. I’m about to tell her that I don’t need a hospital, but she’s pressing the side of her body against mine as she wraps her arm around me, and it feels so good that I decide to play along for a bit.
Her heavenly scent fills my lungs and for a second, it feels like I’ve died and gone to heaven.
“I’ll help you walk,” she says as she starts taking me toward the cliff in the distance. “I have my car here.”
“Hold on,” I say as I hobble over to the sweater that one of the Foxhounds left on the ground. I tear it open and wrap it around my waist, making a makeshift kilt. “Okay, come help me. Please.”
She rushes over and presses that soft supple body to mine. I groan deeply.
“It’s okay,” she whispers. “I know it hurts.”
I fight back a smile. That was the good kind of groan, but she doesn’t have to know that.
“What’s your name?” I ask as I let her help me through the forest.
“Layla Harris, and you?”
“Noah Michaels.”
“Noah the bear shifter,” she says with a smile. “I thought shifters were an urban legend. They seemed too fantastical to be real.”
“We’re real,” I say with a sigh. “But not always that fantastic.”
My bear remains calm the rest of the way, which out of all the crazy shit that just happened, is the most shocking to me. I didn’t think he’d ever be like this again.
“Layla!” a blonde girl shouts as we emerge from the trees. “What the hell is wrong with you?! I was scared sick!”
“Who the hell is that?” one of the guys says.
My heart starts pounding in my chest as I look at the three guys. None of them better be her boyfriend, or it’s not just going to be my bear who’s out of control. This girl is mine. I won’t tolerate any other males sniffing around her. She belongs to me.
“This is Noah,” she says. “He was trying to help the bear too. One of the hunters stabbed him.”
“What happened to his clothes?” the other girl asks.
Neither Layla nor I have a good answer for that, so we ignore her.
“I’m getting him to a hospital,” she says as we head toward the parked cars in the distance. “Dawn, you’ll have to get a ride home with Matt.”
“I’ll come with you,” Dawn says.
“No!” Layla says with a sharpness that surprises her. “I mean, we’ll be fine. I’ll call you later.”
“But…”
They just watch as we hurry past and get to her car. She opens the trunk and tosses the shotgun inside.
“So, who were those guys?” she says as she opens the passenger door and helps me inside.
My leg is feeling much better. The muscle is mostly closed up, but the skin is still open. That’s always the last thing to heal.
“Why were they chasing you?” She’s standing in front of my open door, waiting for my answer.
“Better get in,” I say with a sigh. “It’s a long story.”
She slams the door closed and hurries around the hood to get to the driver’s side. I watch her the entire way, completely mesmerized by her beauty.
She’s so strong. So determined. I’ve never met anyone like her. I’m intrigued. I’m in love.
I watch as she gets in and starts the engine.
“Alright,” she says as she throws the car into gear and starts rolling. “Start talking. Tell me everything.”