Page 13 of Sasquatch's Claiming

“Who are you?”

The being smiled cunningly. “That doesn’t matter. What matters is that woman; she’s safe with me. I’m protecting her now. She is mine.”

“Did you tie her up? She said she’s tied up.”

“No.” The being’s eyes flashed from white to red. “She was in danger. She no longer is.”

“Why should I trust you?”

He cocked his head to the side and then smiled, but again, that grin didn’t reach his cold eyes. “Most don’t, but I do have your best interests at heart here. I won’t harm you, just like I won’t harm her.”

There was a firmness in his voice. Yes, he was scary, but she believed him in his forcefulness that he was going to protect that woman.

Bernadette took a step back, but then he moved lightning quick and grabbed her head between his hands, holding her still. She wanted to cry out, but couldn’t.

“Hush, little one. I’m fixing the errors of my well-intentioned sister,” the being responded.

“What?” Bernadette asked.

The being leaned forward, whispering, “You need to remember.”

White light flowed through her. That image of before, with Ben catching her, came rushing back. Monsters, demons, Sasquatch, ghosts in a bar by the waterfront came flooding into her mind. Everything about Ben and who he was, what they were doing, came back. She remembered his brother, the woman who looked like the being who was here now and her touching her head, snatching it all away.

Bernadette’s breath quickened and it all came right back to her. Everything that was buried, including early memories of a man and woman crying as they handed her away, but she was small and just new.

“What the hell,” she whispered.

“Indeed,” the being said. “Very interesting memories.”

“What do I do?” she asked, overcome with it all.

“You need to claim your mate,” the wraith hissed. “You need to breed with him.”

“Ben?” she whispered.

“Yes. Only Ben. Then everything will be righted. Beware of the wendigo.”

“The…what?”

And then the energy dissipated, the leather-clad being fading away. The lights came back on and she opened her eyes. It was like it never happened, except it had and she remembered everything. She spun around and opened the door where she heard the female voice, but there was no one in there.

Her box of files was exactly where she left it.

She let out another sigh of exasperation and picked up the box. She’d take this to the filing room and then she had to leave. She had to go find Ben. He was her mate, she understood that now, and he was the only one who could protect her.

She didn’t understand the cryptic warning about the wendigo, but she knew they were monsters she didn’t want to deal with.

The only monster she wanted was Ben.

As soon asshe filed away the contents of the box, she feigned illness and left work. It was still daylight out. Something was driving her to head to the waterfront, as if that’s where she’d find Ben. She hoped he was at that bar again.

Of course, she was completely trusting what that being had told her by unlocking her memories.

He could completely be full of shit. Ben had warned about netherworld creatures and she had a feeling she was dealing with one of them.

Yet, there was a part of her that told her he was not leading her astray. She shouldn’t trust him, but he wasn’t lying. He gave her back what had been taken from her.

As she walked quickly downhill, she took a shortcut and instantly she regretted it when three dark figures loomed out from the end of the alley.

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