Page 7 of Stranded With An Insatiable Shifter

I step into the store and am immediately struck with an intense sensation. The air… I’ve never felt anything like it. It burns down my throat and fills my lungs with fire.

My eyes water and I cough, looking around for the cause of it. Earl doesn’t seem to notice at all while he casually walks behind the counter. “Try that blue sports drink. The kids are all obsessed with it.”

He grabs his newspaper and opens it as my legs nearly buckle. I grab onto the counter to steady myself as I gulp down more air, relishing the sweet burn of it.

It awakens my bear. He’s on full alert now.

“What’s that smell?” I ask in a deep raspy voice that I hardly recognize.

“Huh?” Earl asks as he barely glances up. “I don’t smell nothing.”

I suck down another lung-full and goosebumps rise all over my body. It’s the most heavenly scent I’ve ever experienced.

Earl looks at me and it dawns on him. “Does it feel like a sweet fire burning down your throat and smoldering in your lungs?”

My eyes are watering. “Yes.”

Earl laughs in delight. “I think you found her.”

“Who?”

“Your mate.”

“My… mate?”

Of course. Once he says it, it becomes abundantly clear. I’m smelling my mate’s sweet scent.

I think my grizzly bear already knows it. He’s ready to burst out and claim her.

“Where is she?” I growl in a possessive tone. “Is she in the back?”

“Nobody is here,” Earl says as he keeps his eyes on me. “It must be that nice girl who left.”

“Her?” I say with my heart racing. “The psycho in the bus?”

“She was a very nice young lady. She bought me a beef jerky.”

I rush over to the window and look outside, hoping to catch a glimpse of that big blue bus rolling down the street. The road is empty.

“Where did she go?” I snap.

My bear is already trying to claw his way out. I grit my teeth, flex my body, and push him back down.

“I don’t know where exactly,” Earl says absentmindedly.

I lunge at the counter and grab him by the shirt. “Think harder,” I hiss through gritted teeth as I yank him forward.

His eyes widen in surprise and I instantly release him, feeling like a fucking asshole.

“Sorry,” I grunt as I grip a fistful of my hair while pacing around the shop. “I’m a little on edge. I need to find her.”

Earl straightens back up and smooths out his shirt with a grin on his face. “She made her way all the way here from New York City. You’ll find her.”

But what if that was my one shot and I blew it?

What if we were supposed to have an epic, love-at-first-sight moment and instead, I honked my horn at her like a fucking prick?

No. It can’t be like that.

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