Page 7 of Fated to the Grizzly

Damn, that’s gotta hurt. I go after her.

She’s sprawled out facedown, her bulky backpack still on her shoulders and her blonde hair fanning out around it.

Where on earth did she come from? I couldn’t have picked a more isolated spot for my home—just like the fates told me to. But somehow, this young human female has made it all the way out here. Surely, she can’t have come alone. As I approach her, I inhale hard, my beast’s sensitive nose separating out the rich odors of the forest.

No other humans or shifters close by. She is alone.

All alone in my territory,my beast purrs.

Ignoring it, I crouch beside her and move her hair off her neck to feel for her pulse.

Holy crap.

The feel of her skin and hair sends insane tingles through my body. I’ve never touched a female before—not a human one, anyway. I had no idea they would be so soft, so silky. It’s like touching a piece of heaven itself. My beast lets out a deep purr of delight.

There’s her pulse—strong, and a little fast. Well, of course. She just had a helluva fright.

She doesn’t stir at my touch. She must be unconscious.

My big ol’ hands are used to chopping wood, building and carving, but I force a gentleness out of them that I never knew I had. I slip her backpack off her shoulders and slide the straps down her slender arms. Then I straighten her right arm and carefully roll her onto her back.

My head spins and the heavens come crashing down.

She’s beautiful. The most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.

Her eyes are closed; thick, dark eyelashes resting on her cheeks, while her lips are a little parted. Damn, they’re lush. So pink and glossy. I have to stop myself from dipping my head and pressing them with my own feral ones. Her skin is tanned and covered in freckles, and it glows with youthful radiance. Her hair, a cascade of gold strands, falls back from her forehead like a halo.

Time seems to stand still.

Because something powerful is taking hold of me. My heart is storming, its thunderous beats reverberating through my chest like war drums. Shivers vibrate through my limbs, and each breath I take feels like a tempest pouring in and out of me.

She’sThe One.

The one I’m supposed to be with. The one the fates set out in the stars above.

Mine,my beast roars.Mine. Mine. Mine.A claim as primal and undeniable as the pounding of my own heart.

I’ve been waiting for her for so long. Hoping, wondering. Dreaming.

But I hadn’t expected her to be unconscious when we first met.

Time rushes forward again.

She’s injured and in need of my help.

I hunker down and ease one arm around the back of her neck, and the other beneath her knees. Her clothes—a loose khaki button-down and shorts which leave her long legs bare—look kind of masculine and are way too big for her. But when the tender backs of her knees press against my forearm, my heart soars into the treetops and beyond.

Carefully, I straighten up. I don’t want her to awaken until I’ve gotten her safely indoors. She’s as light as a feather in my arms. As I walk, I scan her anxiously for injuries. There’s nothing on her face to indicate she hit her head. Hopefully she just fainted from the shock of failing to take out a grizzly. Both her knees are scraped though. I’ll need to tend to them. The best thing would be to let my beast lick them clean, but she’ll need time to understand that her mate is half-man, half-bear.

With every step, my heart pounds a crazy tattoo of yearning. Every breath I take is filled with the scent of her, driving me to the brink of madness.

I’m taking my girl back to my lair.

My beast’s fur burns my skin. It can hardly contain itself. All it wants is to claim her, right now.

My front door slides open automatically, then closes silently behind me. I carry my girl through to the ground-floor living room and lay her out gently on my sofa.

The room is dimly lit, and the glow from my tropical fish tank is soft blue. On the floor below, which is visible from the edge of the mezzanine, my saltwater swimming pool glitters invitingly. I can’t wait for her to see it all. I sure hope she likes it.

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