Page 35 of Searching for Thanksgiving

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The sound of the woman’s snort of laughter struck Devon harder than any warrior’s blade… or his late father’s claws. He studied the woman with a growing sense of panic. His symbiot should never have brought her here. The act had doomed them all… especially her if he wasn’t careful.

The thought made his stomach clench with dismay. He muttered a silent curse at his symbiot and dragon. How could this happen? He had avoided all contact with others for years.

She’s… beautiful.

He warily watched as she slowly entered the safe haven he had taken refuge in less than a week ago. He originally believed it had been the solitude and isolation of the area that had drawn him here. Now he suspected it was something stronger, deeper, more… primitive.

“You are hurt,” he said, his voice rough, deep, and raw from disuse.

She paused. Her features were highlighted by the flickering torches he had placed around the cave. The torches were the only light he permitted himself, besides that of the moons and stars. He lived in the shadows, a ghost among the inhabitants of his world. If it had been safe for him, he would have left this planet long ago, but there was no safe place for him.

The moment his dragon caught her scent, he knew. His dragon had already sensed his true mate when he saw how protective his symbiot was, but when he breathed in her scent, and she touched his dragon… there was no turning back. He knew any resistance to accepting her would be futile.

Now, studying her in the firelight, he felt his chest constrict and acknowledged his own instant attraction to her as a man. Her hair was a layer of colors from dark brown to copper, and her features were delicate. Despite his resolve to try to ignore her, he couldn’t help but take in every detail of her slender body enveloped in an oversize woolen coat that had the faint scent of another male. A low grumble of displeasure slipped from him and he took a step in her direction.

She didn’t retreat, but he also didn’t miss the way her hand tightened on the strap to the pack she was carrying or the walking stick she clutched in a white-knuckled grip. His eyes flickered to the dark shape of his symbiot when it stepped in front of her. She unconsciously lowered her hand to stroke it.

Intense emotion swept through him and he realized it was a combination from himself, his symbiot, and the woman. He clenched his fists and forced himself to keep his distance.

“What… why are you here?” he forced out.

She lifted an eyebrow at him and returned his intense stare with a cautious, if curious, one of her own. Her lips curved at the corner, forming a rueful smile that surprised him. She was different. She wasn’t from Valdier, but was one of the others… a woman from the unknown world. His father had been furious when Zoran Reykill returned with a woman who not only accepted, but could bond with their species.

The memories of his father’s cruelty caused his expression to twist with anger. The movement pulled on the four long, jagged scars too deep for his tortured symbiot to heal.

His eyes flickered to his symbiot. The creature attached to his essence had been searching for food for him. Instead, it had brought back his true mate.

Shock and confusion swept through him when he noticed the streaks of gold appearing and fading along the coat of his symbiot. He was so focused on the stunning sight that he missed her response. Ripping his focus away from the faint glow of gold, he stared back at her as if in a fog.

“Your… symbiot. I thought you were hurt. Obviously, I was mistaken so I’ll just… go,” she stated.

“No!” he growled when she started to turn away.

He winced when his voice ricocheted off the walls of the cave. His symbiot shook its head at him, rubbed against the woman, before trotting over to lay by the fire. He fisted his hands again and breathed deeply to calm the raging fire that flared at the idea of her leaving as suddenly as she had appeared.

“Do you mind if I sit down? It was a long trek here and… well—” She motioned to her left leg.

“Yes, sit… please,” he stiffly added.

She gripped the hiking stick in her hand and limped over to the fire. She looked around at the different rocks and the long log. The wary, resigned expression on her face told him that she was less than impressed with the seating accommodations.

Form a chair for her, he ordered.

His symbiot flowed into a comfortable chair. He decided he liked the way her lips curved into a sexy, slight smile. They were a pale pink that made him wonder if they would darken if he?—

“Please sit,” he gruffly requested.

He took a seat across from her. It was probably better to keep the fire between them if his thoughts from a few seconds ago were anything to go by. He rubbed his hands along his trousers.

“My name is Crystal… Crystal Anderson,” she said.

He nodded. “You are not from this planet.”

“Is it that obvious?” she dryly replied.

He followed her movements, documenting everything she did as if she were water, and he was a dying man wishing he could drink from her spring. She propped her hiking stick against the rock next to her, removed her bag, and tucked a strand of hair back behind her ear. He frowned when she reached down with both hands and adjusted her lower left leg.

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