Page 30 of Blade's Battle
Her brow creased as she considered his question. “Understanding the... I’m not sure what they consider shifters. Enemy is too strong a word. At least that wasn’t the vibe I got when I was interviewed and later received my grant. I got the sense they’re undecided on whether or not shifters represent a threat.”
“How did you make that jump from working for the government to getting caught up with the WSSO?”
Anna was staring across the cabin, at the empty log wall. “They read about my work on shifter genes. Being partially funded by the government, I had to file quarterly progress reports detailing my findings, you know, so the government was assured they were getting their money’s worth.”
“And the WSSO made you a better offer?”
“They offered to pay for my husband’s cancer treatments.”
Cancer was rare in shifters. Mostly because those who came down with it self-healed before anyone knew they had it. For a shifter to succumb to cancer, his shifter abilities would have to be compromised.
Biting her bottom lip, Anna rolled onto her side, leaving her back to him. She’d gotten mixed up with the wrong people for the right reasons and got in too deep. Those were facts he could work with at least. Liam’s shifters wouldn’t return until tomorrow. Blade had until then to think of how to explain why Drake had taken her, a well-crafted lie spun from the truth, a story that Liam would buy but wouldn’t put Anna at risk.
Blade stretched his right arm over her waist. A slight cry escaped her, and he felt as if he’d dropped ten floors in an elevator. His Anna was hurting, and he didn’t know how to help her. He rested his forehead against the back of her head, nestling in her soft hair
“You’ll be fine,” he whispered in her ear.
Her hair tickled his face as her heavenly scent fill his lungs. He rested his hand on her hip. The position felt so right. Even as her eyes closed and her breathing slowed, his wolf fought the calming effect of having her nestled against him.
Though Blade spent more time in the woods than with his pack, this right here is what he wanted. A small cabin where he could have a family to come home to, a mate to love and who would love him back. Could he have that with her?
His wolf raked its claws against Blade from within, causing Blade to wince. The beast wanted to get out, to run wild. Liam was right. He was near-feral and needed to blood-bond soon.
Anna. He should blood-bond her. She was perfect for him, in so many ways. Blade ran his hand up and down her arm. She’d been blood-bonded before, so she understood what was involved. But would she want him? It’s not like she needed him. But he needed her. God, he needed her in so many ways. Blood-bondinga human would weaken him. And yet he wasn’t sure he could give her up. What the hell was he going to do?
* * *
Blade’s wolf woke him, panicked by the loss of Anna’s scent. Blade’s eyes flung open. The spot beside him on the bed was empty and cold. Light streamed through the window. He scented the air. There was no trace of her. How could he have slept through her leaving? Because sleeping next to her had settled his wolf for the first time in months.
Anna’s voice outside caught his ears. Blade flung the door open, and there stood Anna, sky-blue eyes wide and a mile-long smile on her face, talking with a guard. Blade pulled her in, slammed the door shut, and pinned her to the wall with his body.
“You’re crushing my muffins.”
He leaned in, drew his nose over her neck scenting her sweet mix of sunshine and cinnamon. “I’d like to do more with your muffins if you let me.”
She giggled. That was not the reaction he was hoping for, but it wasn’t exactly a “no” either.
“Seriously, Blade. I’m holding muffins, blueberry muffins.”
Ah, the cinnamon. Now it made sense. He eased back to see a small cloth-wrapped bundle plastered against her stomach.
“Sorry,” he said as he took the bundle from her, opened it, and popped a chunk of crushed muffin into his mouth. “Hmm. S’good.”
“I didn’t know what you like to eat in the morning.”
God, that was the one thing she shouldn’t have said. His cock was twitching, awake and ready, and he’d barely touched her. He tossed the bundle to the table.
“I know what I’d like to eat,” he said, caging her between his arms.
A beautiful shade of pink colored her cheeks. As for her eyes, a shifter could lose himself in those beautiful blues. He leaned in and captured her mouth. Never had anything tasted so sweet.
He was beginning to wonder if he was moving too fast with her when her arms suddenly circled his neck and she opened her mouth to him. Soft and warm, and perfect, his Anna, everywhere, from where their mouths met to how her body molded against his. He’d known her barely over a day now, but never had anything felt so right. He slid a hand to her lower back, gently easing her closer, but not so close that she’d feel his hard cock.
“It’s been a while,” she said when she pulled back.
Keeping himself from leaning in and tasting more of her, from moving lower, took a lot of willpower, especially given how his wolf was pacing. That need to dominate had surfaced.
“There’s no rush,” he said as he smoothed a lock of her curly hair behind her ear.
