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had pulled away. The beast wanted to whine and rub on their mate, join and claim him
as theirs.
A claiming that would involve sex, fucking. It wouldn t be making love. Not
after&
 No. I can t, she shook her head from side to side.  I can t, I can t, I can t&  The
words repeated in her mind as she fought with the handle, yanking and pulling until it
finally swung wide. She scrambled from the vehicle, ignoring Brute s call as she blindly
ran between the cars and SUVs littering the area.
 Elise!
Worry and fear beat at her, pounding at her mind with every step she took. She
recognized Brute s feelings pouring through her, but she tossed them aside. The fox,
unable to do anything to completely stop her, decided to steal her energy, fighting with
Elise the only way the beast knew how.
Her limbs felt heavy, feet filled with lead as she put one foot before the other. She
dashed toward the bright lights of the concession. Stomach churning, she silently
begged for a restroom, a place she could hide and be sick in peace.
The rapid thump of boots on asphalt followed her and still she ran.
Stupid, stupid, Elise.
She should have recognized the signs, should have realized that the fox liked
Brute a little too much. The gentle man deserved more than a damaged woman for his
mate. He deserved so much more.
Elise burst past the final line of cars and into the wide circle of light surrounding
the concession and straight into someone. Someone male. And large.
 What the fuck? The stranger shouted as his food and drinks went flying,
pouring over her and scattering on the ground.  What the fuck is your problem, lady?
A glance at his expression, the rage that lived within his features and Elise did
what she d done for the past two years. Without thought she dropped to the ground
and wrapped into herself, forming a ball. If she kept her head down, they wouldn t get
her face. Just her back and ribs. They d receive the brunt of the attack and it d take a few
weeks to heal and&
A snarl cut through the man s ranting and still she remained on the ground,
relatively safe.
 Don t touch her. The voice was more animal than man, but she recognized it
without a problem. A scant moment later, his scent overrode the soda and popcorn
surrounding her, blanketing her in a web of comfort and safety.  Mine.
Elise dared to peek then, the stranger s yells quickly replace with gurgling gasps.
Brute stood above her, his body between her and the other man, his hand shifted and
wrapped around the stranger s throat as he held him above the ground. The man s feet
didn t even touch the asphalt, legs flailing as he fought for air.
God, she couldn t let him kill a random guy. The situation was caused by her,
her fear, not the man Brute was about to tear into.
She forced herself from the ground, ordered that damned fox to help her as she
pushed to her feet and walked to her mate. No. She couldn t think of him that way. Not
yet. She wasn t ready, wasn t& She shook her head; she could freak out about the mate
thing later. Calming Brute was her priority for now.
 Brute&  Another step closer and she brought her hand to his shoulder blade,
rubbing his back in soothing circles.  Put him down, Brute.
 Mine. His snarl surrounded her. Possession and protection were infused in the
single syllable.
 I know, Brute. I know. He didn t hurt me though. I got scared. Put him down,
Brute. She increased the pressure, sliding her palm up and down his spine.  You know
Maya will be cranky if you kill him. Let s put the nice stranger down and then we can
leave, yeah?
The fox nudged her mind, as if urging her to do& something, and Elise did the
only thing she knew how to do. Reaching deep inside, she poked at the well that held
her abilities and gasped when they rushed to respond, nearly overwhelming her in the
sudden eagerness. Not questioning the change for now, she delved into Brute s mind,
stroked the massive lion within him and smoothed the beast s fluffed fur. It didn t
object to her presence, not like the average shifter. No, it rubbed against her
metaphysical hands and purred with her every touch. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]