Page 38 of Bait Wolf
His small wolf form made my heart ache.
There was something about him. Something beyond his life as the fight league’s prisoner. He came across as such a lost soul. A wanderer. Like you couldn’t keep him if you tried… That was my fear anyway.
We were mated now, but we barely knew each other in the physical sense. I’d spent our first day together running around town trying to fix things. It was unnatural to part from a new mate so quickly after our bonding. My whole body felt out of sorts.
Ember deserved so much better. He deserved security and stability. A place to belong.
Watching him breathe in and out, his form a little slip under the covers, I thought,I should be that place.
My thoughts wanted to race again, to call up the detective for answers, but it hadn’t been long enough, and Ember needed me.
And I needed him.
So, I pushed the thoughts away as best I could and crawled under the covers to wrap around him.
The tightness in my chest eased and I shut my eyes.
* * *
I woke to a tongue lapping my face, gently cleaning me, and a smile lifted my lips before I even opened my eyes.
Ember was watching me with those smouldering eyes, a sad expression on his furry face.
I reached out, stroking my fingers through his thin, dull fur, and massaging behind his ears until his eyes drifted shut in pleasure.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t here,” I whispered, and those eyes opened again, fixing on me as though to say it wasn’t my fault.
His tongue darted out again, licking my cheek this time and I smiled softly.
“I want to talk,” I said gently, my fingers absently continuing their ministrations. “Shift back for me.”
Ember twitched, a shiver running through him and dipped his nose down, avoiding my gaze.
I shifted closer, even though we were pressed tightly together, nuzzling my face into his neck.
“Come on, my love,” I whispered into his warm fur. “You can do it. Shift for me.”
He took a took breath and tried again, and pleasure thrummed through me as his body began to change, lengthening and stretching into his lithe human form.
My arm, now around his waist, pulled him closer as he gasped, his body trembling from the effort.
“You did it,” I said, kissing his cheek. “Good boy.”
He blushed, rubbing his hands over his face to hide it and then turned his rueful gaze to me.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
“Of course I am,” I said, shaking my head in wonder. “My sweet mate, worrying about me, when you should be mad at me.”
“Why would I be mad?” he asked.
“Because we should have spent every moment together today,” I said. “And you were attacked because of me.”
He bit his lip.
“What did he want?” Ember asked uneasily. “Why did he come for me?”
“To teach me a lesson,” I said bitterly, and Ember reached up, touching my face with trembling fingers.
