The Bear King's Captive: Curvy Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance (35 page)

Her soft kisses enticed him to stay inside her, to continue taking her. She was his mate, even if she didn’t realize it yet.

“I need to go home.”

This business of her leaving didn’t sound good. He wanted her with him, but he knew she was still uncomfortable with that. Last night had been a good way to start, but in the light of day, she didn’t seem ready to make that kind of move yet. He really couldn’t blame her. She appeared to be a person who liked things under control, so he knew she must feel lost with the changes racking her body. He would not add to her stress by pushing her to stay, even if it made him and his wolf distressed. The thought of her being away from him was like a pierce to the chest.

“I’ll take you.”

“Thanks.”

She lifted off him. They made their way back to the place he dropped his clothes. He couldn’t help grinning at how she hid behind him and kept peeking around to ensure nobody saw her naked. He handed her his T-shirt, and watched her cover her sexy curves with the white material while he put on his jeans.

She picked up the tattered pieces of her clothing. At least her trainers had been discarded before she’d torn through them. She frowned at her useless jeans and T-shirt, put them to the side and slipped her feet into her sneakers.

“I had no idea,” she whispered.

He helped her to her feet. Kissed her swollen lips. “It’s okay. You’ll get used to carrying extra sets of clothes around. Although, you’ll also get better at controlling your wolf when she wants to come out.”

She leaned into his side as they made their way to the others. Theo’s smile was wide when he noticed their barely clothed state.

“I didn’t want to leave you all, in case you needed something.” He chuckled.

Raine stiffened beside him. Ryder glared at his second. “I’m going to take Raine home. And you are going to find out who owns this place.”

Theo pulled his cell phone and keys out of his pocket. “You got it.”

“I’ll see you back at Blood Hounds.” He waved Theo off and helped Raine into his truck.

When they reached her house, he noticed she’d gone silent. He jumped out of the truck and ran around to help her out.

She smiled, and it settled him a fraction. They walked to the door, hands linked, neither ready to lose their connection. Her smile slid from her face and her back straightened.

His stomach knotted, wondering why she seemed so…tense. “Is everything okay?”

“I-I wanted to know if you’d like to come for dinner later?” She continued to glance everywhere but at him. “Look, I’m not familiar with how this works, and I know we’ve been doing things backwards, but I’d still like you to come over.” She finally looked at him. “That’s if you want to.”

Emotions filled his chest to near bursting. She was asking him on a date. He cupped her cheek. Held her until she looked into his eyes. “I’d love to.” Without a question.

Her smile made him want to roar. She threw herself in his arms and hugged him. He embraced her, inhaled her soft warm scent, and groaned. Her scent was like an aphrodisiac, taunting him into tasting and touching her again.

* * *

Franks stared at the test subject. He’d found Raine himself. Had given Roman the details. Now he waited. What the hell was taking the merc so long to bring her in?

Buzzing sounded in his pocket. Caller ID showed the number he’d been waiting for all day.

“Do you have her?”

He held his breath. Too many days had passed. If he didn’t get her back soon and continue her drug rounds, she wouldn’t be ready for the investors. As she was, she was quite invincible, but not the warrior alpha he wanted.

“No.” He clenched his jaw, gripping the phone tight in his hand.

“Why the hell not?”

“She’s with Storm.”

“The alpha?” Interesting.

“Yes.”

Talkative bastard. Not that he enjoyed the conversations with the mercenary. He tended to act superior than him. Him, a doctor for crying out loud.

“How close are they?”

Roman laughed. “He took her home. Looks to me like they’re fucking.” Very interesting.

This could be a great thing. “Leave her for now. Don’t pursue retrieval just yet.”

“We have orders.”

“Goddammit, Roman. This is going to work into my research. If I call your boss he’ll agree with me.” Maybe. Possibly. Why had those idiots let her escape?

“I am supposed to eliminate.”

“Retrieve, Roman. Retrieve.” He spit through gritted teeth.

“I have orders, doc.” Roman sounded bored.

The asshole lived in a box. Couldn’t he see how important she was to his work? “Give me a few days.” That would do it. It would have to. For all he knew she had already conceived.

“I thought it was dangerous for her to be out there. Loose.”

“She’s not dangerous.” Lies. She was very dangerous. Especially when threatened.

“I will go against my orders to see where you are going with this. You have one week. Then I will eliminate. ” Roman’s accent thickened with his laughter.

“Attempt retrieval first. But give her a few days.”

“I will attempt in a few days. In the meantime, I will watch her. She’s a sexy little thing, doc. Bet she’s feisty.”

That asshole had no idea what she could do to him. “She’s not your type. She’s invaluable to my investors. Your bosses.”

“You’re no fun, doc. I’m giving her a week. When the time comes, I make no promises.”

The call ended. He ran his hand through his messy hair. If Raine was sleeping with Storm, that gave him a better chance at getting a pure born alpha cub. All he needed to do was for her to be pregnant when they got her. With mating season so close, he knew there was a high probability of getting what he wanted. He just needed to give them time to mate. To conceive. To give him his new test subject. If she wasn’t when he got her, then he’d go back to plan A and mate her with PE #2.

PE #2 was a born shifter right out of Storm’s pack. Too bad he wasn’t the alpha. Not that he’d let that stop him. After altering #2’s DNA to get the test subject to the same level as a born alpha, Franks had used it to experiment on Raine. He’d utilized the new alpha’s genes and combined them with his own compound to alter Raine. She wasn’t just a shifter, she was more. If he could get an offspring from her, he would have the perfect result to his experiment.

EIGHT

Raine ran around her house in a panic. She’d burned the vegetables and killed the salad. Oh, but that was not all. She’d half destroyed her bathroom trying to get out after she sprayed it with her usual tile and grime detergent. She didn’t know she’d be so sensitive to the scent of the cleanser.

After opening all the windows and wincing at the burning in her eyes, nose, and throat, she rushed to her backyard and sat in the grass feeling a failure. Frustration rose within her. She was just starting to figure out how to haul the aggression back on the wolf and this shit happened. Great. Just great.

Her cell phone buzzed in her pocket. A glance at the screen showed it was her best friend. “Hi, Mandy.”

“What’s wrong?” Mandy’s was always concerned when she spoke to her lately.

“Nothing. I forgot what a mess I am when it comes to preparing a simple meal. I’ve burned everything and killed the salad. How does one kill something that isn’t cooked?” Her voice rose.

Mandy giggled. “Calm down. Now tell me why you’re cooking to begin with. You never put a pot on that stove if you can help it.”

She snorted. “Yeah, and now I remember why.” Flicking a lock of brown hair behind her ear, she gazed at the pink tulips lining her yard. “I invited Ryder for dinner.”

“Damn, Raine. He’s hot and scary. And he said yes or you wouldn’t be so upset.”

“Yes, but I can’t cook worth a damn, and he’s going to be here soon.” She wouldn’t normally admit to being a failure, but there was only so much crap a person could ignore before admitting they were just having a fucked up year.

“Relax! I will be there with salvation.” Mandy laughed. “How long do we have?”

“About two hours.” She grumbled, and kicked a rock. She widened her eyes when it made a hole in her neighbor’s window. Great, now she’d have to send them a check for the damage.

“Raine that’s more than enough time to make you look like a professional chef.”

“I’ll settle for not looking like an idiot.”

Mandy arrived thirty minutes later with two shopping bags. She found her sitting in the backyard.

“What are you doing back here?”

Raine scrunched her nose. “I sprayed detergent in the bathroom and it stunk up the place. I was waiting for it to air out.”

Mandy’s brows rose. She passed her the bags and headed for the kitchen entrance. “I don’t smell anything.”

Raine could still smell some of the cleanser, but the majority had dissipated. “Thanks for coming to my rescue.”

“No problem.” Mandy’s black hair, which she wore in a short straight bob, rushed forward and feathered her face when she leaned to search in a bag.

“So what do you suggest I do?” Raine started taking out vegetables from the bag she had, placing them in the center island along with the ones Mandy had put there.

Mandy stopped and carted out two large steaks. “Honey, men are easy. All men love steak.”

“How do you know?”

“Hm.” She pursed her lips in thought. “I know I heard Joe mention it a time or two. Anyway, steak is what you should feed Mr. dangerous.”

Yeah, she could go for a steak…or ten right about now. Her stomach grumbled in agreement. “It still doesn’t solve the problem of me not knowing how to cook.”

What in the world possessed her to invite Ryder to dinner? Damn. She knew what. She’d wanted to stay near him. This situation was too weird. Her body had gone through a major change. Now she had to deal with the wolf and her own wants. Not that there was any arguing in this case. They both wanted Ryder.

“You’re going to grill. No need to know how to cook like a pro if you can use a grill and you got grilling down. Go light up the fire.” Mandy washed potatoes and covered them in foil paper.

Back in the yard, Raine started the grill. Deep breath. It would be okay. Her gaze was drawn to the sky. The sun was going down, the three quarter moon was visible through the clouds. Her wolf pushed at her skin, wanting out again. She clenched her teeth.

Eyes shut, she mentally addressed the wolf. She clearly visualized the animal in her mind
.

Listen to me. I know you’re aggressive. I know you are dominant. But I am not going to let you control me. This was my body first. You need to understand something: I’m in charge here
.

She ordered the animal to relax. Settle down. It felt like forever before the wolf begrudgingly slinked to the ground and dropped her head over her paws. She smiled at her ability to tamp down the animal. Things were going to be fine if she could continue to stay in control.

Mandy strolled out with two glasses of iced tea.

“Where did you get that? I didn’t have iced tea in the fridge.” She took a glass. Thankful for something cold, she gulped down the sweet liquid.

“No. I brought the makings. So you have a lot of seasoned steak in the fridge. Potatoes ready for the grill and store bought pie.” She pouted. “Sorry but I didn’t have enough time to actually make you one.”

“Are you kidding me? I’m so grateful. Thanks for thinking of the grill. I forgot I have that option.”

Mandy nodded and joined her on one of the lawn chairs by a picnic table “So…” Uh-oh. Mandy sipped the iced tea. A slow smile split her lips.

“So…what is it you want to know? Ask already.”

“Ryder Storm? Wanna tell me what’s going on with him?” Mandy’s curiosity was written all over her face.

“Went to see him about something.” No details. She couldn’t share things she didn’t really know about her experience just yet.

“Alright. I can see you don’t want to tell me why you went to see him, so I won’t dig into it. But how did it go from you going to see him about something, to him coming to dinner tonight?” Mandy rested her elbow on the table and cupped her cheek with her hand, expectant.

Thinking back, she wasn’t sure how it happened. From the moment she’d stepped foot in the Wolf’s Den. “There was this instant chemistry.”

No. It was more than that. A sense of belonging when he’d held her. She needed to be honest. Admit that whatever had been done to her in that lab, made her somehow sensitive to Ryder. His scent, his touch, and his body turned her into hormone central. Combine that with how much he clearly cared for his pack. Finding his missing cousin. No wonder her emotions were all over the place. His sensitivity of her feelings and the understanding she’d seen in his eyes, it pushed her belief he was the man for her. She was the biggest skeptic when it came to love at first sight. However, he was proving to her that no matter what she wanted to believe, reality was another story. And she was falling, falling hard and fast.

Mandy smiled. “Yeah, I understand.”

Raine finished her tea and glanced at Mandy. Her friend’s internal distress bothered her. “What’s wrong?”

Mandy lifted her brows. “What do you mean?”

She couldn’t admit to smelling her distress, so she shrugged. “Your face had a look a moment ago. I don’t know, like something’s wrong.”

Mandy rubbed a hand over her forehead. “It’s Joe. I kicked him out.”

“What?”

“Yes. He’s become obsessed with his current project. I don’t know what to think.” She cleared her throat.

Raine sat there in complete confusion. Joe moved in with Mandy at the same time she’d moved in to town. That was only a few months back. How could things have gone so wrong so fast?

“What is he working on?”

“Some top secret intelligence thing. I’m not really sure.” Mandy sighed. “All I know is that he’s obsessed.”

Joe was so damn strange. Raine patted Mandy’s hand on the table. “I’m sure whatever he’s working on will ease up and he’ll return.”

Mandy shook her head and stood. “I don’t want him to return. We weren’t working out anyway. I should’ve listened to my instincts and you. Should have waited. But I really believed him when he said he wanted to be with me long term.” She snorted. “Shows what a sucker for love I am.”

“Oh honey, don’t say that! You’re not a sucker for anything.” In any case, if she was a sucker, then so was Raine. She was definitely feeling all kinds of tingly for one hot wolf that made her body crazy and her animal side howl.

Mandy brushed a lock of straight dark hair behind her ear. “Yeah, I am a sucker. But it’s okay. I learned my lesson. I should go before your guest arrives. Put those steaks on the grill right when he gets here, so you don’t overcook.”

She followed Mandy to the front of her house.

“Call me and let me know how it goes,” She yelled from the driver’s seat.

Raine watched her leave. She had turned back to her house when a loud snarl caught her attention.

“That’s the bitch that thinks she can just hit me and there won’t be consequences.” Immediate recognition of Marlena’s angry voice made her turn around in a flash. The blonde had two tall muscular men with her. Both eyed her with interest.

“You didn’t say she looked this good, Mar.” One winked.

Marlena slapped the man upside his head. “Shut up, you idiot. She made me look like a weakling in front of Ryder.”

Raine crossed her arms over her chest. “Didn’t you learn something from the last time you tried to put your hands on me.”

Icy anger sparked in Marlena’s eyes. “He’s mine. We’ve been planning this mating for years.”

Raine had never been into scenes over a man, especially one who could choose for himself, but at that moment, something snapped inside her. The wolf, which had turned very possessive of Ryder, didn’t like to hear that he was anyone but Raine’s.

Rage built inside, bubbling over like hot lava out of a volcano. “I don’t think so.”

Marlena rushed her. Her features shifted along with her long claws. Not a full shift, but enough to allow her to use her claws for damage. Raine’s reaction was immediate. The wolf pushed to the surface, ready for battle. She kept the animal from taking over and allowed her arms and hands to shift. Then she met the other woman swipe for swipe and shoved her back. Marlena flew through the air, her body landing over the very car they’d showed up in, denting the hood. That wasn’t enough to stop her. She jumped, crouched over the roof and pounced.

Raine darted forward. Kicked the other woman just as she was about to land on her feet. Ribs cracked.

Marlena screamed and jerked back. One of the men moved then. His smile was gone. Cold rage tightened his face. “Don’t worry sis, I’ll take care of this for you.”

Raine stepped back. Had to keep them all in her line of sight. But when both Marlena and the other man came at her, it was hard. She wasn’t a trained fighter. Instinct had taken over. She focused on the stronger of the two. The man. She let him come close enough that he was under the impression she’d let him grab her. Before he got a chance to, she dug her claws into his chest, tearing long gashes when she yanked. Ribbons of blood leaked from his paunchy torso.

At that same moment, Marlena did her own cutting of Raine’s arms. She dug her claws deep into her flesh. Raine growled in anger.

She jerked away, but Marlena grabbed on to her hair, twisting. The burning pain in her scalp from the other woman’s harsh grip had to be ignored. Marlena cut both of her shoulders repeatedly. The burning intensified. Raine was able to reach out and grab hold of her neck. She dug her claws into Marlena’s throat. Squeezed. Hard. Harder. A red haze clouded her vision.

The other two men came at her at once. They tried to pull her away from Marlena, but she dug in deeper. They stabbed their claws into her shoulders. One clawed at her back. Marlena fought for air, kicking and scratching. Raine continued to squeeze. Power unleashed inside her. Dark power. The sense of invincibility was intoxicating. She continued to hold Marlena with one hand and used the other on one of the men. She jerked her fist into one of their faces, breaking his nose. He went down. Knocked out. Fierce determination to destroy the threat to her life had taken over.

The second man punched her in the side. Repeatedly. She gasped. Angry throbbing took hold of her ribs. She dropped Marlena. The other woman fell unconscious on the ground. Her attention turned to the lone man standing. As she shifted to give him her full attention, he threw a fist to her face. The sound of the punch hitting her jaw was one she’d never forget. She wobbled on her feet.

Loud growls tore from her throat. It was hard to breathe. Her fury was beyond control. She blinked. He stopped midstride toward her. Ryder grabbed the other man from behind and flung him against the same car. Then ran over to where he landed and beat him repeatedly. Cut deep with his claws. Dug into the man’s face and chest. It was bloody. The other fought back, but from what she saw, he was losing. Once beaten until he no longer moved, Ryder grabbed his head and twisted, breaking the guy’s neck.

She tried to keep focus. Everything swayed. She panted and fell to the ground. He rushed to her. Dropped to his knees by her on the grass. He picked her up in his arms and brought her into the house. It hurt to breathe. Her face and side ached. Hell, everything hurt.

A soft whimper left her lips with each step he took. Pain shot up her side and straight to her skull. Burning swarmed her left side, under her heart, and down to her waist. She wasn’t a crier, but it hurt so bad she had a hard time holding back the tears filling her eyes. Fire stabbed her lungs with each breath she took.