Page 144 of Just One Bite
I go for his throat, biting into fur and skin, and the satisfaction of his blood on my tongue sends me into a frenzy. A deep guttural growl rumbles from my throat, and I lunge at him again, barely missing as he squirms to get away. I give way to the chase, but there’s nowhere he can hide. Nothing he can do. He won’t get Olivia. He won’t win. He’ll be lucky to make it out of this alive.
Elation. Pure elation at the hunt is a shot of adrenaline to my heart. I catch him by the hind leg and throw him into the dirt.Keep fighting.Let’s do this forever.
He flings a boulder at me that narrowly misses and takes out a few trees. There’s excitement in that too. I never get to play dirty.
Claws bending into the bark of a tree, I climb. Jumping. Stalking. Watching him look for her like a fool because I’m the one who can sense her. Her scent tunes me back into the bond. I need to see how far Olivia has wandered. I’ll have her. Only a few more minutes now.
I jump down onto his back, getting a good cut in before he throws me off. I dig my claws in with full intent to maim him, and he mimics the move with a claw to my chest. With all my might, I clamp my arms around him and take a chunk of his shoulder. Then his arm. He loosens, falling back and yelping, and I advance on him, ready for more.
“Come on,”I taunt.
He growls, so I prepare for him to lunge again, but he bows his head, then disappears in the trees, and the echo of thunder follows him.
I’m bleeding. Huffing, I smell for her and follow her scent through the trees.Mine. Mine. Mine.Ineedher. I’m close. Her blood, her heat, her sweetness are close. I want to taste her.Oh, fuck, I need her.I need her.
I’m going to claim her. She’s mine.
She gasps when I tower over her, and she stumbles till her back hits a tree. Those violet and gold eyes flutter while the rain wets her cheeks.
It’s see-through. The wet camisole clings to her breasts and the tops of her thighs. Her lips are a cool-pale pink. She looks cold.
I’m going to warm her.
I’m going to ruin her.
“Parker?” She steps forward, her legs bare and knees bleeding. I lean over to sniff her and run my claws through her hair.My mate.My beautiful mate.
Nuzzling into her neck, I rub at my mark there, then lick at her wounds. The small cuts on her neck and chest. They heal instantly, and she stares at me in awe. The taste of her blood almost sends me into another frenzy.
“You found me.”
With a wild growl, I hoist her over my shoulder, and she gasps, but her scent is calm as I let out a victory howl. The entire forest erupts with the howling cries of the disappointed in the cool night air.
She doesn’t seem to mind that she doesn’t know where I’m taking her, there’s no fighting. I remove her from my shoulder to hold her bridal style as we near the treehouse, and I climb the stairs. She doesn’t even shiver when the thunder rolls through the night.
The treehouses are off-limits during The Hunt and only for rent for resort guests, but I can’t wait for the resort room. They’re going to have to bill me for damages.
I break the door and move her to the upstairs loft, with all clean furnishings, including a ready-made bed. The loft overlooks a small living room area and has a window that takes up the entire wall. It leads outside to a deck being soaked with rain.
I drop her to the wood floor, and lightning illuminates the bedroom.
Finally, I can let go. The adrenaline subsides, and I shift back into my human form, leaving me naked in front of her.
“Mine.” The first word that falls from my lips comes from the wolf within. I sniff her neck and groan. “I found you.”
She’s entranced as I roam her, melting into my touch. Her tattered, thin camisole has holes, and I brush over the skin there. On her breast. Her stomach.
I finally have her all to myself.
“You’re bleeding,” she says.
“Doesn’t matter.”
“But—”
“Tell me you want this now. Talk to me.”
Her vow to the Secrecy Stone should be settled.
