He’s stopped. I don’t know how long I can get him to stay that way. Hurry, Galen. Something told her that if they got her away from him this time, she would never see him again and she decided she would very much like to see him again. I’ve gotten accustomed to seeing your ugly face on a daily basis. I don’t think I want to go another minute without seeing you again.
Ugly face, huh? He was laughing, she could feel it.
Yeah. So ugly, I just might kiss every inch of it the next time I see you. She paused. I don’t really think you’re ugly, you know.
I know. He left it at that. There was no gloating, no I-told-you-so. He was just matter of fact.
What do you mean, you know?
Mates love each other. They mate for life. They have to be able to stomach the way each other looks.
Oh. She frowned. You stomach the way I look?
Not in the slightest.
A lump formed in her throat. What was he saying then? Oh.
I love the way you look. I love how your red hair tumbles around your shoulders like fire and silk. I love your eyes the color of the purest emeralds, but mostly I love the way you frown at me and act like you’re mad when you’re really hurt because you think I’ve said something hurtful.
Kendra turned at those words and felt Galen staring through the bushes at her. She smiled, glad he was able to catch up. Not only that, he managed to keep her mind occupied while he did it.
I love you. She had to say it. She wasn’t sure he knew.
I know, baby. I love you, too, he replied before he leapt from the bushes and attacked her abductor.
Kendra screamed when the man shifted and snarled at Galen. How many of these people were there? How in the world could shape shifters exist without people knowing about them?
Where do you think the legends come from, love? Galen asked as he and the other wolf circled each other, teeth bared.
I never thought they came from the likes of you. I can tell you that. She rubbed her stomach, still feeling sick. Her belly ached and she groaned. I’m going to shift. God, Galen. I don’t want to do that here, in front of him. I don’t want to distract you.
Then reach for it. Shift quickly and distract him. He won’t expect it of you.
The familiar burning started low in her stomach and Kendra did as Galen asked. She reached for it. She imagined what it would be like to have thick fur covering her body, long teeth and four legs, built for running down prey.
Before she knew it, her bones shifted, changed shape and her face elongated into a snout filled with long, sharp teeth.
Inwardly, Kendra smiled as she lowered her head and watched the two males battle.
Don’t, Kendra. You can’t fight him. He’s too strong for a female.
He might be too strong for me, but he’s not too strong for you and me together. She shook her head. I’m not going with him. I’m never going back to a lab where they wish to impregnate me for their own gain. If I have children, I will do it on my terms. She looked at Galen. On our terms, but not on theirs. Besides, I’ve got some sort of weird power now. I can see where I can hurt him the most. He’s got an ache just above his shoulders. If I bite him there, he shouldn’t put up much of a fight. Kendra wasn’t sure how she knew that. She only knew it was true. Areas that looked painful pulsed red, while the rest of him pulsed a charcoal gray. Perhaps that was the color of evil. She didn’t know. She only knew Galen was a beautiful gold and a brighter spot in the center of his chest grew larger when he looked at her. That made her feel good.
Wasting no more time, Kendra leapt on the other wolf’s back with a growl. He hadn’t even looked her way, which meant she had done little to distract him, until then.
I don’t think he expected that of me, she said with a giggle. Please take him out.
I can’t kill him. We need information he can provide.
Then incapacitate him. I want to get my mouth off the back of his neck. He smells funny and he definitely doesn’t taste like chicken.
Shifting into his human form, Galen balled up his fist and struck the wolf on the side of the head, knocking him out.
Kendra did her best to keep from staring at her mate’s perfect body as he turned to her and grinned. “You expected him to taste like chicken?”
Baring her teeth in a wolfish grin, Kendra replied, Why not? Everything else seems to.
Epilogue
“Thank you so much for stopping here,” Marietta said as they stood on the front porch of the lodge.
“No, Marietta. Thank you for having us.” She took the other woman’s hand. “I’m sorry I misunderstood you.”
“It’s not a problem.” Marietta smiled. “I’m just glad everything worked out okay.” She gave Kendra a quick hug. “Come back and see us after you get settled. I’d like to see you once you fully come into your powers.”
“I will,” Kendra replied as she turned to watch the bustle of activity in the parking area.
Shifter men milled about as they prepared to leave. They passed guns and ammunition from one to the other, a set of handsome twins almost getting into a fistfight over a handgun. She wasn’t sure, but she thought they might be human. They smelled different than the others.
With a shrug, Kendra watched as Galen’s friends loaded their prisoner into one of the SUVs. She didn’t care who that goon rode with, as long as it wasn’t with her and Galen.
“Are you ready to go, mate?”
She smiled up at the man who would be her husband as soon as they got to Michigan and were safe on his pack lands.
“I was born ready.” She waggled her brows.
“That sounds like an invitation.” Galen winked. “Was it one?”
“That’s for me to know and you to figure out, you gorgeous werewolf, you.”
About the Author
Tianna Xander is an eclectic author of numerous paranormal, sci-fi, time travel romance erotica books. Gaining inspiration for her characters and dialogue through her family and her addiction to the internet, she never fails to amaze readers with each new book she creates. As a reading junkie herself, Tianna has no problem reading whatever is available at the moment from romance novels, murder mysteries and encyclopedias to books on solar energy.
Tianna’s life wouldn’t be complete without a happily ever after of her very own. She resides in Michigan with her husband, two children, three cats, two dogs and an intimidating bunny. Never one to fail to give credit where it’s due, she commends her family for their constant support. After writing many books and receiving rave reviews, her family is just as proud of her. Always full of ideas, Tianna rarely puts the pen down, so readers can look forward to many more exciting stories in the future.
Table of Contents
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Epilogue
About the Author
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