More Bark Than Bite

by Melissa Hosack

Graham was breathing heavily, but he looked unharmed.

  Morgan eased back into her seat, content for the moment to just watch.

  Samuel charged at Graham once again, but this time Graham was ready.

  Graham dropped to his back and lifted his feet up. His hands had a tight grip on Samuel's shirt and he pulled the other man down with him. His feet hit Samuel's stomach, flipping the murderer over his head. He rolled through with the flip, putting himself in a crouch above Samuel. Before the other man could even react, Graham drove his fist down into Samuel's face.

  Morgan watched Graham's assault of fists with a mingled sense of pride and horror. The knowledge that he'd been right all along came crashing down on her. He didn't need any backup, and by coming here, she'd only put herself in danger.

  Graham was perfectly capable of defending himself. He was a natural predator held in check only by his morals.

  In his punches, Morgan could see a barely restrained strength that no man should possess. The thought of what someone with his power was capable of if they didn't have the same respect Graham had for humanity brought a cold, sick feeling to her stomach.

  Even in Graham's eyes, she'd seen a thirst for power, the raw need to dominate. Even though she loved him, she knew he was dangerous, knew what kind of violence he was capable of. And he was one of the good guys. If someone like Samuel was to roam free ... She suddenly understood why Graham was so desperate to get Samuel locked up.

  Even now, in human form, Samuel was much stronger than an average human and immensely treacherous.

  Graham knew what kind of damage Samuel could do once he got his abilities under control. Without Graham standing in the way, Samuel would tear through the human inhabitants of the city without mercy.

  Samuel was evil now. Given time, he would be a monster.

  At the thought of Samuel, Morgan realized she'd lost track of the fight. She'd been so wrapped up in her own fears that she'd lost sight of what was happening in front of her.

  Her eyes regained focus to see Graham about ten feet in front of her car, his eyes glued to her and filled with horror. His expression of fear had her fumbling with the lock on the door. Unfortunately, locked doors weren't enough to stop a pissed off werewolf.

  Morgan gave a yelp of terror when her entire door was ripped off the car in a horrific sound of grinding and screaming metal. Before she could even comprehend what was happening, she was yanked from the car. She found herself staring into the angry, beady eyes of Samuel Porter.

  Samuel was a mess. Blood ran down his face in a thick line and his left eye was swollen completely shut.

  Morgan felt a rush of satisfaction swell through her. Graham had done quite the number on Samuel's face and she couldn't say that she was sorry. Before she could stupidly make any smug comments, she was spun to face Graham.

  "I will kill her!” Samuel raged. “Take one step closer and I will kill your bitch.” He gave a low, sinister laugh. “I will kill her and the pup that resides in her belly."

  Graham's face lost all of its color as he froze in his spot and held out a pleading hand. “Please,” he begged. “Your fight isn't with her. It's with me."

  Samuel yanked roughly on the back of Morgan's neck, receiving a terrified yelp for his effort. “Killing her will get to you, Officer Audrick. Killing her would definitely get your attention."

  "You have my attention!” Graham cried desperately.

  "Not yet I don't,” Samuel said with a grunt of pain, “but I'm about to.” At the conclusion of his sentence, the hands around Morgan began turning into claws.

  "I will kill you!” Graham screamed. “If you lay a hand on her, you won't ever make it to prison alive."

  Samuel ignored Graham, giving another cry of pain that ended in an animalistic howl.

  Fear overtaking her, Morgan realized that Samuel was now in his wolf form and that he had every intention of killing her. She struggled against him, but he was stronger than she was. Though she fought against him, Samuel overpowered her, ripping a scream from her throat as she was dragged to the ground. With a cry of terror, she watched as a set of razor sharp teeth descended toward her throat. Pain seared her senses, hot and brutal.

  It happened so quickly that before the blood started pouring from the wound, Samuel had turned and ran.

  Graham had rushed Samuel in an attempt to stop him, but he hadn't been close enough to get to them in time. He'd been too late to keep Samuel from tearing into Morgan's throat. He skidded to a halt in front of Morgan, uncertainty in his eyes. He looked down at her, then the direction that Samuel had run.

  Morgan thought for one horrified moment that Graham was going to chase after Samuel and leave her bleeding in the streets, but he quickly returned his gaze to her.

  Stooping down next to Morgan, Graham put a gentle hand on her shoulder. “How bad is it?” He tried to sound calm, but his voice was laced with fear.

  Morgan had her hand clutched over the side of her throat and shoulder. She could feel blood seeping between her fingers and trailing down her arm. “I...” Her voice cut out and she found that she could barely breathe, let alone speak. Forcing her vocal cords to work, she managed to get out, “Bad.” With a little sob, she whispered, “I'm so sorry ... so sorry..."

  "It's okay,” Graham soothed. “It doesn't matter right now.” He tried to peel her fingers back from her wound and Morgan fought him. “I need to see it,” he demanded roughly.

  Knowing that he wasn't going to hurt her, Morgan slowly removed her hand, her breathing coming in fast, struggling gulps.

  "Shit,” Graham hissed under his breath. “Morgan,” he said, trying to sound calm as he pressed his hand against the bleeding wound. “You have to get up, sweetheart. We have to get you to a hospital."

  With a frightened whimper, Morgan began climbing to her feet when a pain like nothing she'd ever felt tore through her body. Graham tried to lift her into his arms, but she put a hand to his chest and pushed him back. With a holler of agony, she fell to her knees. It felt as if every organ in her body was on fire. Hands clawing at the dirt, her body gave a spasm that left her shuddering in anguish.

  "Shit,” Graham cursed. “He infected you.” Dropping to his knees next to her, he took her hand and gripped it tightly. “You're about to shift. Hospital's out."

  Morgan looked up at him with wide, frightened eyes when he said he wouldn't be taking her to the hospital. “What?!” Her free hand traveled to her throat, feeling the blood cascading from the open wound. “I'm bleeding. I need a hospital,” she sobbed.

  A look of guilt filled Graham's eyes and he gripped her hand tighter. “I can't take you."

  "Please! Please!” Morgan begged, tears streaming down her cheeks.

  "I can't,” Graham cried, his eyes full of fear. “I'm so sorry.” Clutching her hand, he seemed to forget in his terror that he had superhuman strength. He had her hand in a grip that made her bones grind painfully together. “I won't let you die,” he vowed emotionally. “I promise. I can't live without you."

  That was the last thing Morgan heard before everything faded to black.

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  Chapter 9

  Morgan awoke to find herself in a room she didn't readily recognize. Blinking back sleep, she eyed the vaguely familiar dark gray walls in the dim light of early morning. She stared at her surroundings in confusion, trying to remember where she was and how she'd gotten there.

  The room was done in dark colors without seeming too gloomy. The heavy drapes were drawn tightly closed, blocking out almost all of the light. Instead of feeling cramped, it felt soothing. The room actually filled her with a sense of security and calm.

  The sound of movement behind her drew Morgan's attention and she rolled to find Graham lying next to her in the bed. “Graham?” she asked, concern rushing to the front of her brain. She couldn't figure out why she was feeling so panicked, but she was full of a fear that she couldn't seem to shake.

  Graham's eyes peeked open.
It took him a moment to orient himself, but as soon as he did, his eyes filled with concern. “How are you feeling?"

  "Okay ... I guess.” Morgan's eyes searched his while her mind urgently tried to remember how she'd gotten here. “I'm a little confused,” she admitted. “The last thing I remember was this horrible pain tearing through my body and then...” She shook her head. “Nothing.” After a moment of silence, her stomach filled with a sense of dread. “Then I wake up here and I'm naked and I don't remember anything.” She peeked under the blanket and confirmed her suspicion. “And you're naked."

  Graham reached a hand out and gently placed it over hers. “Last night, Samuel bit you while he was in wolf form. He infected you and he nearly tore your throat out.” He paused, emotion thick in his voice. “I thought you were dying, Morgan."

  His hand tightened around hers as if he was afraid to let her go. “You don't know how much it killed me not to take you to a hospital. I couldn't though. Your body was trying to heal itself, and the best way to do that is in wolf form.” His face was pinched in stress, his eyes begging her for forgiveness. “I would have switched places with you in a heartbeat. I couldn't bear to see you in that much pain. I thought...” He ran his free hand over his face. “God, I thought you were going to die. Even though you were healing quickly, you were bleeding so much. I was so worried that you weren't going to make it through the night. Even in animal form, there were a couple hours where it was really bad."

  "Animal form?” Morgan asked in confusion. Her mind was so distracted with the thought of her throat being nearly torn out that she couldn't even process what her own body had done to keep her alive. She brought her free hand to her neck to find it smooth, except for the small scar she'd received from Graham's teeth. It seemed impossible for her throat to be injury free after what she knew it had gone through only a few hours before.

  "You shifted,” Graham said softly. “That's why your clothes are gone. You tore through them when you changed form."

  Saying the only thing she could get her brain to grasp, Morgan complained, “I liked that top. It was expensive."

  Graham let out a laugh of amusement. “I'll buy you a new one.” He lifted his hand and trailed it along her hair, his expression becoming serious. “Your other form is so beautiful. You had sleek, silky black fur and your eyes...” He shook his head. “God, they sparkled. You were absolutely magnificent."

  Morgan couldn't digest this information. It seemed so unreal ... and she couldn't remember anything from the previous night. Something like that seemed like an event she would recollect. “I ... I don't remember..."

  "You won't recall much in the beginning. As time goes on it gets easier. The shifting won't hurt as much and your memory of the time spent in wolf form will improve. It's also easier to process everything when you have an instructor. It's less complicated on shifters who have someone that's been doing this for awhile to teach them tricks to make things smoother."

  Morgan had a brief flash of memory from the previous night that included Graham in his pale, cream-colored wolf form. Reaching out, she brushed her fingers along his bare chest. “You shifted. You were with me last night. I remember...” Her brow furrowed and she gave him a funny look as the memory hit her. “You were licking me?” she asked uncertainly. Fear took over her features as she whispered, “No funny business went on, did it? Your wolf didn't..."

  Graham let out a little chuckle of amusement. “No funny business,” he assured with a light, mocking tone in his voice. “I am fully conscious of the way I behave in wolf form and I wouldn't dream of sexually harassing you while you were busy almost bleeding to death."

  He gave her hand a little encouraging squeeze. “Our bodies heal quickly and yours was working to keep you alive. I was trying to help as well.” On her confused look, he said, “Our saliva has the ability to heal open wounds. I was licking you so that you would heal faster. It was the only thing I could think of and I was desperate to keep you alive."

  "You were taking care of me,” Morgan whispered, touched by the fact that even in wolf form, his first concern was her safety.

  Graham slid an arm around her waist and pulled her in against him. “It's my job to take care of you.” He pressed a gentle, loving kiss to her nose.

  "Because by werewolf laws we're married?” Morgan asked.

  Graham gave her a soft smile. “There's that. There's also the fact that I'm madly in love with you."

  Feeling her heart melt, Morgan pressed her lips to his. “I ... I love you too.” It felt so foreign to her, so strange to be saying that to someone she'd been intimate with less than a week, but she knew in her heart that Graham was the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. Deep down, she'd known it the moment Graham kissed her. That's why she hadn't freaked out over the biting or the werewolf situation. No matter what happened, her heart knew she was meant to be with Graham, no matter what he was or did.

  "I think perhaps we should make this relationship recognized by human laws as well,” Graham whispered against her lips.

  Morgan froze, wondering if she'd heard him correctly. “Graham, are you proposing to me?” She held her breath as she waited for his answer, her heart thumping frantically in her chest.

  "I believe I am,” Graham confessed. “I let my kind know that you're taken. I want the human males to know to leave you alone as well. I want everyone to know that you're mine."

  "I want everyone to know that you're mine too,” Morgan said as she nipped at his lower lip.

  Graham gave a little growl of desire and slung a leg over hers, pulling her closer. “I'm assuming that means yes."

  Morgan bobbed her head in affirmation. “It's a definite yes.” She ran her hands over his chest, then his flat stomach, continuing down until she wrapped her hands around his manhood. “How convenient that you're naked,” she practically purred.

  Graham slid a hand along her bare abdomen, circling her bellybutton with his index finger. “Very convenient,” he agreed with a gasp as her hands tightened around him. His hand slid lower, tracing the soft skin underneath her bellybutton.

  The feeling of his hand on her stomach reminded Morgan of something Samuel had said. “Graham,” she asked cautiously, her hands releasing him. “What did Samuel mean when he said he'd kill me and the pup that resides in my belly?” She had a suspicion of what the other man had meant, but she was afraid to even voice it.

  Graham eyed her cautiously, as if afraid of her reaction, before saying, “He was implying that you were pregnant."

  Morgan tried to stay calm at that news, but it was such a life changing implication. “How could he possibly know something like that?” she asked slowly.

  "Many times, we can smell things like pregnancies,” Graham said with a grimace. “Remember me saying we have super sensitive smelling?"

  Trying to take that information as if it was normal, Morgan asked, “Do I smell pregnant to you?"

  Graham's nostrils flared as he searched for the answer, but after a moment, he shrugged. “I can't tell. Your body has gone through some traumatic alterations. It's hard to tell if it's just that or..."

  "You didn't notice it before I was attacked,” she said almost desperately. “You would have noticed before Samuel did."

  Graham gave a guilty shrug. “I didn't pay much attention. I was too distracted over the fact that I'd found you to notice if you smelled like you were carrying a child or not.” His face took on a stubborn look. “Besides, it's not like I keep my nose on constant alert. Samuel was purposefully sniffing us out for weaknesses."

  "So I might be pregnant,” Morgan whispered, the weight of that sinking in.

  "It's so hard for our kind to even reproduce that I never even considered this might happen. If I'd thought for even a second that you would get pregnant so quickly, I would have offered to use protection.” Graham's hand slid over her belly, blue eyes locked onto hers. He searched her face for a reaction, wanting to know how she was going to take the news of po
ssibly being pregnant after only knowing him a week. “How do you feel about this?” he asked gently.

  Morgan was so confused. She wanted to be happy, but it just seemed so soon. “How do you feel about it?"

  "I've possibly gained a wife and a child in the same week. I'm ecstatic.” His hands stopped, just resting on her bare stomach. “I'm tired of being alone."

  Morgan's heart melted at the honesty of his statement and the vulnerable sound of his voice. “I'm tired of being alone too.” Sliding her arms up his body, she wrapped them around his neck and gave him a kiss that she hoped would make his toes curl. She pressed her body flat against his, loving the feel of his hard muscles against her soft curves.

  Graham gave a low moan and one of his hands slid upward to cup her breast. “You feel so good,” he groaned into her mouth. “Every inch of you fits perfectly against me. It's like you were made for me."

  Morgan couldn't have agreed more. Everything about Graham felt so perfect, so right that it made her want to cry tears of pure joy. She wanted nothing more than to stay wrapped in his arms for the rest of her life. “Make love to me,” she practically begged against his mouth.

  In one swift motion, Graham rolled over, placing himself above her. Leaning down, he pressed his lips firmly to hers. “You have no idea how good that sounds to me."

  Morgan felt the tip of him rub against her opening and she arched up to rub herself against him.

  He was hard and ready, his penis quivering with the eagerness to bury itself inside of her.

  Forcing back a moan, she breathed, “I can feel how good it sounds to you."

  With a low chuckle, Graham slid himself inside of her. A groan of delight escaped him as he slowly withdrew then plunged deeper into her. He clutched a handful of sheets between his fists as his body moved fluidly against hers.

  Morgan had never felt anything so right in her life. She lifted her hips off the bed to meet each of his thrusts, greedy for the next.

  Graham showered her with kisses, his mouth moving down to her neck. He nuzzled her skin, nipping gently with each thrust at the scar his teeth had left during their first night together.