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  After Nina disappeared, Alex allowed himself to close his eyes and relax slightly. Full-blooded bear shifters healed more quickly than half-breeds. But if he could stop the bleeding and get some rest, his side would soon mend.

  Letting his mind drift, he smiled inwardly. His mate was not only beautiful, but curvy as all get-out and sexy as hell. After she had helped him up, it took tremendous self-control to tamp down his bear, which wanted to roar with approval.

  When she had been tucked under his arm, her body had fit perfectly against his. He had been secretly pleased when she had instinctively molded herself against him and wrapped her arms around his hard body to give him the strength to stand. He couldn’t wait until he was well enough to have her soft, naked curves pressed against another hard piece of his anatomy…

  When their bodies were close, he had inhaled her scent, which was sweet and alluring like honey, to make sure it matched the scent on the scrap of fabric that the Elder had given him. Up close and personal, there was no doubt in Alex’s mind that Nina was his mate. They would be good together, he was sure of it. Now all he had to do was convince her of it and claim her as his.

  Convincing Nina that that she belonged with a bear shifter would be hard enough. But he also needed to talk her into leaving her current life behind to start a new life with him in Colorado, which he figured would be no small task.

  Alex could already tell that she was a headstrong woman with a mind of her own. How would she react when he told her he was a were-bear and that he planned to make her his mate? It was possible that she would pick up the nearest object and crack him over the head with it.

  If he had to, he would force her to go with him, for her safety as well as his own. But he would only do that as a last resort. A better plan would be to seduce her.

  Alex had never met a woman who could resist his many charms. He had romanced more than his share of female humans over the years. His father had actually encouraged him to sow his wild oats while he was young because once he became the clan’s Alpha, he would be expected to settle down and become a one-woman-bear.

  He could think of worse things than spending the rest of his life bedding the lovely, voluptuous Nina. His cock twitched at the mere thought of having her naked curves beneath him as he spilled his seed inside of her. He imagined that she would be a passionate lover, one who was more than willing to satisfy his voracious animalistic appetites.

  When his hands caressed her ample flesh, would she moan softly, whispering his name while begging him not to stop? Would she allow her own warm, soft hands to explore his steely frame, working her way deftly down his chest and six-pack abs until she reached his throbbing member? And when she finally wrapped her fingers around his length, would she sigh at his impressive size before bending down and closing her plump lips around the rounded tip—

  “Sorry that took me so long, I was looking for alcohol or hydrogen peroxide like you said but came up empty handed.” Nina’s abrupt return brought Alex crashing back to reality, and his cock twitched once more before softening.

  Oblivious to his arousal, Nina dropped to her knees beside the couch and put the items she gathered on the coffee table, including a bottle of whiskey. She removed the lid from the liquor bottle and took a swig. “Want a drink?” she asked. Alex nodded, sitting up just enough to swallow without choking.

  “I’ve never taken a first aid class or anything, but I’ve had my share of cuts and scrapes,” Nina said as she got down to business. She gasped when she pulled the blood-soaked shirt away from Alex’s side.

  He winced when the ragged edges of his wound was exposed to air. “Did I forget to mention that I was shot?”

  Nina looked horrified. “With a gun?”

  “More like a hunting rifle.”

  With a scared look on her face, Nina inched away from the couch. “I’m not sure what you’re mixed up in, and I don’t know how to remove a bullet or stitch you up. Please, let me call a doctor or something.”

  Alex thought she might cry. “The bullet went all the way through, so there’s nothing to remove, Nina. And it’s little more than a flesh wound, really.” He kept his voice calm, even, reassuring. While he was in bear form, the bullet had left a gaping hole in his side. But now that he had shifted back to his human form, the injury appeared to be more of a gouge in his flesh. “I don’t need stitches, either. Just clean me up with that water, pour a little whiskey on the spot where I was shot, cover it up, and let me sleep for a bit.”

  Nina didn’t look convinced. “What if it gets infected or something?”

  Alex knew that wouldn’t happen. “Then we can talk about a trip to the hospital, okay?”

  Nina must have been satisfied by his response because she inched back toward him. With a shaky hand, she soaked one of the towels in water and cleaned the blood away. Then, after tucking another towel underneath him, she picked up the whiskey bottle and poured it over his wound. Despite the searing pain, Alex forced himself not to flinch. He didn’t want to spook her any further.

  “Am I hurting you?” she asked.

  “A little,” Alex responded through clenched teeth. “But it’s not too bad. You’re doing great, Nina. Almost done.” Darkness threatened to envelope him, and Alex took a few deep breaths in an attempt to stay alert.

  Nina blotted his wound with a dry towel. Then she covered his wound with clean gauze and used medical tape to hold it in place. “Do you want some aspirin for the pain?” she asked.

  Alex shook his head. “No. But I’ll take another hit of that whiskey.” She passed him the bottle and he drank deeply. “Do you have a guest room? A little sleep would do me a world of good.”

  “The only bed is mine and it’s upstairs. If you think you can make it, I’m happy to give it to you for the night.”

  “I’m pretty sure I can make it up the stairs if you help me.”

  Together, they limped up the flight of stairs to the second floor of the townhouse. Without thinking, Alex stripped off his jeans, boxers, and socks before sliding between the sheets of Nina’s bed. In seconds, he was fast asleep.

  He didn’t even notice the look of surprise that crossed his mate’s pretty face.

  Chapter 5

  Nina watched with surprise as Alex unabashedly stripped down to his birthday suit before climbing into her bed. Every inch of him was large and chiseled, and he had more body hair than any other man she had seen. He was also more endowed than any guy she had ever been with. Even though her sample size was relatively small, she was pretty sure that Alex’s equipment was well above average in size.

  She probably should have looked away while he undressed, but it happened so fast and he was just so beautiful that she couldn’t stand to look away. Besides, he didn’t seem to care about privacy. Getting naked in front of a stranger seemed like the most natural thing in the world to Alex.

  She scooped up his clothes and laid them over a chair before leaving him to rest with the bedroom door open so she could hear him if he called for her. Downstairs, she grabbed his blood-stained shirt and filled the kitchen sink with cold water to let it soak. Then she poured herself a very large glass of red wine and sat down to reflect on the evening’s crazy events.

  What a night this had turned out to be. A couple hours ago, she had been crying her eyes out over the loss of Bruce to Hannah. Now, the hottest guy she had ever seen was sleeping in her bed! Liz would never believe it. Except that, if Alex was running from the law, she probably couldn’t tell anyone about him, not even her best friend.

  Damn! This was the most exciting thing to happen in Nina’s life ever, and she had to keep it to herself. At least until she knew what kind of trouble he was in.

  Once Alex was awake and more coherent, she was determined to get to the bottom of his mystery appearance in her driveway and find out why he felt the need to hide his motorcycle in her garage. He owed her a full explanation for taking him in and patching him up, didn’t he?

  “No. NO! RAWR!”


  Nina spilled her wine at the unexpected sounds emanating from upstairs. The voice was definitely Alex’s, but his muffled shouts sounded almost animal-like. The eerie half-human sounds made her skin crawl. Grabbing the fireplace poker for protection, she crept up the stairs as quietly as possible, unsure whether an intruder had somehow found a way inside.

  Peering into her bedroom, she was relieved to find that Alex was still alone. He had kicked the covers aside and was thrashing wildly in her bed, moaning, groaning, and…growling? A sheen of sweat covered every inch of his hard body. Nina wasn’t sure if the sheen was from the bad dream he was obviously having or if he had a fever.

  Did his dream having something to do with why he was shot?

  She leaned the fireplace poker against the wall and approached the bed. Reaching out, she gingerly touched his forehead with the back of her hand. Crap. He was burning up. In the master bathroom, she grabbed a washcloth and ran it under cold water. Climbing onto the bed beside him, she pressed the cloth against his forehead.

  “Shhh, it’s okay,” she whispered, hoping that her voice sounded soothing. “It’s okay, Alex. You’re safe now. Nobody can hurt you.”

  Nina was surprised by the unexpected nurturing feelings that welled up inside of her. She had always been a kind and compassionate person but had never felt the desire to be an actual caretaker before. Bruce was a miserable person when he was sick and didn’t seem to appreciate anything she did to help. When he used to get ill, she left him alone and slept on the couch until he was over his affliction.

  Why did she feel an innate desire to comfort this man, who was a virtual stranger?

  Her words seemed to penetrate through Alex’s feverish haze, and his thrashing calmed as she continued to whisper sweet reassurances while using the damp cloth to cool his face and neck. Eventually, the rumbling animal sounds that reverberated from deep inside his chest quieted down and his breathing became deep and even.

  Nina stayed beside him for a long time, periodically moving the cloth to keep him cool. Her eyes drank in the sight of his glorious, muscled body. She lingered a bit too long on the male protrusion at his groin. Even in its flaccid state, his manhood was a sight to behold.

  I bet sex with Alex would rock my world.

  Her body responded at the rather inappropriate thought. But she just couldn’t stop the tingling heat that surged between her thighs and made her hardened nipples long to be touched. A guy like Alex was probably amazing in bed, and her body knew it.

  She let her eyes travel slowly up his torso, following the dark trail of hair that widened across his broad chest and continued upward toward his neck. His face was rugged and unconventionally handsome, with a prominent brow, strong jaw, and full lips that were framed by neatly-trimmed facial hair. She knew that when he smiled, his pearly white teeth and subtle dimples would make her feel like swooning.

  An old, deep scar that was a couple inches long creased the side of his right cheek, running up and over toward the outer corner of his eye. She resisted the urge to reach out and trace it. On another man’s face, it might have looked out of place or even ugly. But on Alex, it looked hot…and dangerous.

  When his fever finally broke, she pulled the covers back over his body. After changing into pajama pants and a t-shirt, she slipped into the bed beside him. She told herself that she wanted to stay close in case his nightmares returned, but the truth was that she longed to feel the heat from his naked body next to hers. For some inexplicable reason, and despite his injury, Alex made Nina feel safe and secure.

  With a contented smile on her face, she slowly drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter 6

  Alex was dreaming.

  --

  He and his mate were sleeping in their newly-built cottage, and the slivers of dawn’s first light were streaming through the window blinds. Nina’s belly was already swollen with child. His child. Their child.

  Her backside was snuggled against his front, and he reached around her body to rest his large palm on her rounded womb so he could sense the baby’s heartbeat. There was a chill in the air, but he wasn’t quite ready to get out of bed. Oh, he was ready start a fire; just not the kind that required putting a match to the kindling he had built in the hearth.

  He pressed his hardness into the small of her back, letting his fingers trail softly down the curve of her belly and into the warm abyss at the top of her thighs. She sighed in her sleep as he stroked her slyly, coaxing her plump lips to part for his entry. Once inside, his fingertips were met by the slick signs of her arousal, which told him that Nina was now partially awake.

  With a soft whimper, she adjusted her hips to better align their bodies. As if by instinct, his cock found its way between her deliciously rounded buttocks, and one swift thrust was all it took to bury himself inside her. In perfect rhythm, their bodies glided together again and again, their mutual pleasure quickly reaching its crescendo.

  As his climax reached its crest, his thrusts became faster and more forceful. By his well-timed design, she reached her orgasm first, screaming his name as her body shuddered in release. “Alex! Oh, Alex!”

  But wait. Something was wrong.

  Her screams of pleasure had turned to pain. There was blood everywhere. So much blood. In that instant, her cries went silent and he held her against him, knowing that his love and their baby were gone, just like the rest of his family.

  His bear rumbled up from the depths of his soul, ripping through bone and tissue as the beast within overtook his human body—

  --

  Alex woke with a start, half shifted, fully aroused, and drenched in sweat. In that confusing place between dreaming and alertness, he momentarily forgot where he was. But the soft snores of the woman in bed beside him triggered his memory. In a flash, the events of the last 24 hours came rushing back to him.

  His clan was definitely gone, but his mate was alive and well. At least for now. She stirred slightly, wiggling her curvy, fully-clothed ass against him. He battled the primal urge to reach out and draw her toward him, just like in his dream. He knew that would be too much too soon. So he calmed his inner bear before getting out of bed and pulling on his boxers and blue jeans.

  He lifted the gauze taped to his side and assessed his wound. Not completely healed yet, although it was well on the way. In another day or so, he’d be good as new, with nothing more than a small scar to indicate that he had been shot by the Hunters who murdered his family.

  Closing Nina’s bedroom door behind him, he went downstairs to contemplate his next move. He wondered how much time he really had to safely get himself and his mate out of town. A day? A week? A month?

  A good scent locator was hard to find, so he probably had a couple of weeks or more to fully claim his mate and hit the road with her. Hell, that should be more than enough time to win Nina over, considering that it wasn’t uncommon for Alex to waltz into a bar and end up going home with the best looking woman in the place just a few hours later. He probably wouldn’t even need the full two weeks to woo her. After all, she had crawled into bed with him the night before…

  Nervous energy hummed through Alex’s body, and he paced like a caged animal in Nina’s living room. It was early – not quite dawn – so he expected her to sleep for at least a few more hours. He had to do something to take his mind off things.

  Grabbing Nina’s car keys from the counter, he went into the garage and flipped on the light even though he didn’t really need it to see. Night vision was a definite benefit of being a shifter. He opened one of the saddlebags on his motorcycle and pulled out a clean white t-shirt, which he pulled on to cover his wounded torso. Then he opened the other saddlebag and pulled out a small set of tools.

  Last night, Alex noticed that Nina’s car was running rough. Even though it was risky to work on it out in the open, he figured that most of her neighbors would still be asleep. He needed to get his hands dirty and her car needed a tune-up. He hit the button on the garage door opener and inhaled the coo
l morning air, which smelled of damp earth and cherry blossoms.

  With a pang of sadness, he popped the hood of Nina’s car and took a look at the dirty old engine. Her sedan had seen better years. Good thing she wouldn’t need it once they were headed to Colorado.

  In his shifter community, Alex was the village mechanic. There wasn’t anything motorized that he couldn’t fix, from toasters, coffee makers, and lawnmowers, to motorcycles, scooters, and automobiles. While some of the bears had held down regular jobs in the nearby human towns, Alex had enough work in the village to keep him busy.

  Would he ever have another village to call his home and workplace?

  ~~~

  Nina stretched in bed without opening her eyes, reaching out to tentatively touch the mystery man she had taken in the night before. When her hand reached nothing but air, she opened her eyes and rolled over. Alex was gone.

  Her first thought was that he must have slipped away after she had gone to sleep. Had he ransacked her house before leaving? That would be just her luck.

  Wiping the sleep from her eyes, she used the bathroom before opening the door to her bedroom and listening for sounds from downstairs. Silence. Yep, Alex was definitely gone.

  With a sad sigh, she descended the stairs. Everything was just as she had left it the night before, including her glass of spilled red wine. She would clean that up later. His shirt was still soaking in the kitchen sink, and she rinsed it out so she could run water to put on a pot of coffee.

  Even though he had been nice to her, she knew deep down that he had only used her as a nursemaid out of desperation. Hunky, badass bikers like Alex didn’t go for nice girls. Especially when they were as curvy as Nina.

  To cheer herself up, she decided to make herself something special for breakfast: cornbread muffins with honey. Nina used Marie Callender’s Cornbread Baking Mix, but her nana used to make the muffin batter from scratch. The mix was on a shelf in the garage. Opening the door off the kitchen, she was met by a cool blast of air from the open garage door. That was when she saw him.