“You’re mine, Tessa,” he vowed, taking a step back. Drake’s eyes were bright and his fangs were long in his mouth. “As much as I hate humans, my bear has chosen you.”
“Well,” she scowled, “I didn’t pick you, and why would I when you tell me you hate humans?”
“I need to mate with you,” he replied, and made a face as if he were in pain. Tessa looked down and blushed when she noticed an obvious erection through his denim jeans. Wow! Impressive! What the hell was wrong with her? This man…this beast wanted to claim her for his own? How did that even work? Why was she so turned on by him, and why was she considering it?
“If your idea of mating is what I imagine it to be, there will be none of that today, Mr. Morgan,” she said, standing her ground. She barely knew this man, and every interaction she’d had with him over the last few days had been less than acceptable.
“Ms. Ward,” he smirked, the corner of his full lips pulling up on one side. She could still see one of his extended fangs, and she shivered from the sight. “You can’t leave my land. You must stay here and let me explain things to you.”
“Are you holding me hostage?”
“Only if you’re into that sort of thing,” he shrugged, but betrayed himself when his eyes heated. Does he like the idea of holding me prisoner? The thought of playing with him awakened a need inside her…a need she hadn’t felt in some time.
“Are you demanding I stay?” Tessa asked, baiting him to see if he was as dominant as she was starting to believe he was. That would explain his sharp commands the first time they’d interacted.
“You have your own free will, but I’d prefer you to stay,” he said, offering her a way out.
“I will consider it,” she heard herself say. Holy hell? What is wrong with you, Tessa? Drake fascinated her. She wanted to know more about him, but not in any way that she’d ever tell the humans about him.
No, this sexy shifter man called to her in a way she’d never felt before. When they touched, she felt something strange. It was a feral need to be protected by him. Her body betrayed her, and the ache she felt between her legs was a dead giveaway of how much he affected her.
“Call Tulley and tell him you delivered the part,” he ordered, his eyes heating with his words. “Also, call the diner and tell them you won’t be in tomorrow.”
“I have to work,” she replied. Drake wrapped his hand around the back of her neck again and with his touch, her body relaxed into his hold.
“Maybe I can change your mind,” he offered right before his soft lips crashed down on hers.
Tessa felt wetness pool between her legs as Drake kissed her forcefully. She hadn’t had a response to a man like that since she’d first met her ex. Drake was so much different than Bradley. Where her ex was tall with lean muscle, Drake was nothing but bulk and pure strength. She should be afraid of Drake, but something inside her fired to life when he touched her. He was an animal…a shifter. She didn’t know much about the paranormal, and she didn’t know if he had any powers like what was written about in some of the romance books she’d read.
“Are you making me feel this way?” she whispered when he finally released her lips. Tessa tilted her head to the side and ran her fingers over his soft beard. She never cared much for men with beards, but it worked for Drake.
“I’m not.” He shook his head and cupped her face. “Shifters find their forever mates by the first touch. My bear knows you are to be ours, and I don’t expect you to understand. There is a lot you don’t know about us, but I assure you, I have no power over your thoughts.”
“Can…can I see him?” she asked, her voice shaking as she asked. “Can I see the bear?”
“You are very curious, huh?” he grinned.
“Very,” she breathed.
Drake inhaled deep, releasing his breath at the tail end of a long sigh. His eyes flashed a golden hue, and he leaned in to bite her bottom lip softly. “You smell delicious.”
Tessa couldn’t even answer. The blush that painted her pale cheeks was so bad she could feel the heat from it without even having to look in a mirror to confirm. She couldn’t decide if the blush was from embarrassment or her need for him.
“I will show you, but in return, I would like to have you stay tonight so I can feed you breakfast in the morning.”
“I have to work at the diner tomorrow morning,” she frowned. “I don’t even have my uniform with me.”
“Can you take the day off?” he asked.
“Oh, no,” she shook her head, “I need all the money I make to pay my rent and utilities.”
“I’d want you here,” he complained. “It’s safer that way.”
“Safer?” she asked, fear running through her veins. “Are you in danger?”
“We are not accepted by the humans,” he growled. “They will do anything to harm us and our families.”
“Drake,” she said, dropping back into the chair. “Sit down.”
“What is it?” he asked, his brow furrowed in worry, but sat down in the chair across from her.
“Humans don’t hate your kind,” she offered. His eyes narrowed and flashed that golden color again.
“Humans killed my parents,” he barked, standing up from his seat as quickly as he had sat down. “You know they want us all dead, right?”
“Not all of us,” she said, standing up from her seat. She placed her hand over his heart and smiled. “Not all humans are bad.”
“Yes, they are.” Drake’s mouth parted with a snarl, his fangs were growing in his mouth again, and his hand clamped down on her arm. She was about to jerk away when the pressure became too much, but Drake released her with a curse. “Maybe you should just go home, Tessa.”
“Okay,” she agreed. “I think that would be a great idea, too.”
Jesus Christ, what the fuck was wrong with her? She’d just met him, yet the thought of leaving him sent panic through her veins. Knowing he was pissed off at her made things even worse.
“I’m sorry,” he sighed, running his hand over his long, dark hair. “I just don’t trust humans. My mind and bear are at odds because you are one of them.”
“I assure you,” she said, gritting her teeth. “I have no problem with the shifters. I would never hurt one. I’ve been through enough pain in my life that the thought of hurting another person disgusts me.”
“You are a special human,” he replied, reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. Every time he touched her, she felt it deep in her soul. “Not all of them are like you.”
“Most of us are good people,” she argued. “I’m sure that in your world you have bad shifter people. It’s the same in our world, Drake. Not all shifters are bad, just like not all humans are bad, either.”
“Have you seen what happened when the panthers were outed to the humans?” he barked, his mood turning sour. “They captured us and tried to study us!”
“Those were the bad humans, Drake.”
“They were human,” he continued. “I stick to my own kind, because we are peaceful until we are given a reason not to be.”
“Then, maybe you should keep doing that and hiding,” she snarled. He was the most frustrating man she’d ever met, and she’d met many over her short twenty-seven years. “I’m leaving.”
Drake walked over to his door and held it open wide. “I’m sorry, but you can’t convince me to trust humans.”
“And that’s very sad for you,” she sniffled and walked past him, ignoring the growl that rumbled from his chest.
With that, she ran to her car and waited until she closed the door to let the tears flow from her eyes. She’d possibly just met the man of her life…a man she didn’t even know she was looking for, and he couldn’t look past the fact she was a human.
Chapter 5
Drake shifted as soon as Tessa left his land. His beast trudged through the woods behind his home, looking for peace from the pain in his heart. Tessa was human, and that was a problem. He didn’t trust them,
and even though his bear had claimed her, he just couldn’t get past the fact that her kind had taken his parents from him at the time he had needed his family the most. His bear snarled in agreement.
He couldn’t get her scent out of his nose. As a bear, the scent of your mate would always be ingrained in your mind. How could he ever let her go after touching her? His bear brought up images of Drake’s human hands on her, and they both remembered the softness of her skin and the velvety touch of her lips against his.
Why had he gotten angry with her and let her go?
He’d just sent his mate home, and he didn’t even know where she lived. He didn’t know if she would be safe alone. Fear raced up his beast’s spine at the thought of her out there without him. What if a human male approached her? Could she protect herself? His bear insisted she couldn’t, and he believed his bear over the human side to his brain.
With a roar, he hurried back to his home and shifted as he climbed the stairs of his porch, walking through his home stark naked. When he entered his room, Drake reached for his phone as he pulled on his clothes. Rex answered on the second ring and Drake didn’t even wait for a greeting. “We have to find Tessa.”
“I thought she was with you?” Rex asked, the sound of music in the background confirming that he was probably at The Deuce.
“No, she left ten minutes ago,” he snarled. “I told her to leave when she defended her kind. I was angry and shifted when she left. As soon as I made it to the woods, my bear wanted her here. We’re worried for her safety against a human male…her ex-husband.”
“Why the hell would you send her away?” Rex barked. Drake wondered the same thing.
“I don’t know where she lives,” Drake cursed, ignoring his brother’s question. “I have to find her, Rex. I’ve made a huge mistake.”
“You are a fucking idiot,” Gunner yelled through the phone.
“I know I am,” he groaned, scooping up the keys to his truck as he rushed out the door. “I’m heading your way.”
“Alright, big brother,” Rex sighed. “You need to come to The Deuce. This time, don’t screw it up.”
“Thank you,” Drake said as he slid into the seat and cranked the truck.
The drive to the bar took him less than ten minutes. His brothers met him in the parking lot and both of them were smiling from ear to ear, and that just pissed him off. “What the fuck are you smiling about?”
“Found your mate,” Gunner shrugged, hooking his thumb over his shoulder. “She’s inside having a beer.”
“Are you kidding me?” Drake snarled. “You better not be joking, Gunner.”
“I would never,” he replied, narrowing his eyes. “She’s your mate, even if you think she’s just a measly human.”
“Watch yourself,” Drake warned and pushed past his little brother.
He didn’t wait for them to follow and marched to the door, pulling it open wide. The first thing he saw as he entered was Tessa sitting at the bar. One of the werepanthers, Dane, was standing by the door, watching over the bar owned by his alpha’s mate.
“Drake,” Dane nodded. “Nice to see you again.”
“Same,” Drake said as he passed. It wasn’t that he didn’t like the cats, but he was more focused on Tessa, his mate.
A snarl caused his upper lip to vibrate when a human male slid onto the barstool next to Tessa. Her long hair floated around her head when she shook it after the male asked her a question. He willed her to send the male away and look up. He wanted her to see him standing there. He wanted her to know that no male would ever touch her again, because the little human was his.
Like she’d heard him, Tessa looked over the male’s shoulder and her eyes widened when they connected with his. Drake heard her gasp from across the bar. His eyes narrowed and his beast roared in his mind. The push from his beast was so intense, he felt the skin on his arms bubble with an impending shift. The only thing that kept him from going furry was the fact that he was in public and he valued his secrecy.
The spurs on his boots clanged as he marched toward her. Noises in the bar subsided as Drake approached Tessa and the male suitor with his bear begging to unleash its claws on the male.
“Tessa.” His voice held an air of authority, and he was surprised when her body relaxed just the smallest amount. His cock hardened at the idea of her accepting him and the dominance he kept leashed.
“Drake,” she said, nervously looking at the male. She glanced at him again, and he knew she saw his eyes were golden. His female turned toward the human male. “You’re in his seat.”
“Oh, really?” the male said, cocking his head to the side as he turned around on the barstool. One look at Drake and the man hurried to his feet and scrambled away, his bravado deflating with the fear of a predator breathing down his neck. As soon as he was out the door, Drake pushed the stool out of the way and took Tessa’s beer into his hands.
“He shouldn’t have run,” Drake snarled, turning up the beer and finishing off the liquid from the bottle.
“Why?” she asked.
“Bears like to chase their prey,” he warned, and set the bottle down hard on the bar. He turned to go after the male, ignoring his brothers as they came to his side.
“Oh, no! Drake!” she gasped as he marched toward the exit.
His bear insisted on finding the male and tearing him to shreds for hitting on Tessa, but as soon as he made it to the parking lot, Rex and Gunner stepped in front of him.
“He’s gone,” Rex said.
“Drake!” Tessa gasped as she caught up to him. “You better not hurt that man!”
“He’s not going to be a problem,” Rex chuckled. “Never seen someone run so fast in my life.”
“Damn it, Drake,” she panted.
“You need to come home with me,” he demanded.
“You actually think I’m going to come back to your place after you talked about humans as if they were scum?” Tessa placed her hands on her hips and leaned in to keep yelling at him. “You do realize I’m human, right? Why would I ever go back to your place?”
“Woman,” he growled, releasing a heavy sigh.
“I’ll be going back to my apartment,” she informed him, jerking her arm out of the way when Drake reached for her. He was impressed. She was fast.
“I will be seeing you, my mate,” he promised, and watched as she left the lot, turning north to head toward town.
The next morning, Tessa donned her apron and grabbed an order pad from the stack in the diner’s kitchen. She was beyond tired after her evening with Drake Morgan. Her mind was still confused and at odds over what she had learned the night before. There were bear shifters, and they didn’t want to be outed to the humans.
Fine, she could keep his secret. Not because she was afraid of him, but because he was so adamant about it not being leaked. Drake had a reason for keeping his secret. Tessa understood that more than most. She knew the fear of being found by someone who could harm you.
She’d been running from her ex-husband since the divorce had been finalized three years ago. He’d found her in Tulsa right before Christmas the year before, demanding she return to him. Bradley had beat her nearly to the point of death, and if it hadn’t been for someone calling an ambulance, she’d have been dead behind the place where she worked the night shift. Once she recovered, Tessa packed her bags and found her way to Olive Branch, Mississippi. The town was large enough, not everyone would know who she was, but it was small enough, the people she did know kept an eye out for her. Tulley, and her boss at the diner, Gaia, always helped her when they could. They’d been more than nice to her since her arrival.
She’d rented a studio apartment above a shop in the downtown area not long after arriving in Mississippi. Tessa had found it in an ad and fell in love with it immediately. The apartment was secluded, and no one could find her. The entrance was hidden behind a tall shrub at the side of the building, and she had her own parking spot in a gravel driveway in the back.
She worked the afternoon shift at the parts store. Tulley paid her minimum wage, and she was able to keep all of her tips from the diner, plus a small wage. Gaia also gave her free meals when she worked, but that was only four mornings a week.
She could always take an evening job, but since her attack, she didn’t care much for leaving a job at night. The money she made covered her rent and utilities, leaving a small amount for food. At night, she usually curled up on the couch in her apartment and watched television until she fell asleep, waking up early to go into work when the sun came up each day. Her only day off was Sunday, and she used that day to go to the local laundromat to wash clothes. She hadn’t made any friends in town since she arrived, unless you called Tulley and Gaia her friends.
“How was your evening?” Gaia asked as she entered the dining area.
“It was uneventful,” Tessa replied, remembering not to mention the bear shifters. She wouldn’t even tell people she knew Drake Morgan if that made him feel safe. For some reason, she felt she needed to protect him and his brothers. As much of an asshole as Drake Morgan could be, she felt something when he touched her. The connection was strong, and Tessa couldn’t stop thinking about him.
“What are you doing on your day off, dear?” Gaia continued as they refilled the salt and pepper shakers on each table.
“Probably laundry and sleep, but it all depends on the weather,” Tessa told her, knowing on Sunday there was a chance of spring showers. She didn’t want to get out in the weather if it was going to turn nasty.
“They’re calling for some storms, but later in the day,” Gaia offered.
“Great, so no sleeping in,” Tessa whined lightheartedly, sliding the full shaker to the middle of the table by the napkins and ketchup bottle.
They worked for another ten minutes before Gaia flipped the sign on the door, telling everyone they were open. A few older men entered the diner, taking their usual seats. Tessa gathered her order pad and smiled as she approached.
Mating Season (Morgan Clan Bears, Book 1) Page 4
