A Dragon for December (Wiccan-Were-Bear Book 11) Read Free Page B

anymore. She
moved swiftly through the trees, following the bloody trail left
behind. She wasn’t about to let her prize go. Bounding after the
buck, she flashed her fangs and snarled a warning to any other
creatures that might be in the woods: hands off!
     

 
     
     
    Chapter 4
     
    Tosh threw open the French doors of his
bedroom and walked out onto the balcony. The new moon was high in
the sky, the air crisp and scenting of fresh snow. His dragon
roared and rolled under his skin, prickling at his spine to allow
it to shift. Tosh had tried to rest, but once more had found
himself unable to sleep for any length of time. An anxiety he
couldn’t explain filled him. At first he wondered if he were just
subconsciously worried about his uncle, but he didn’t actually
think anything would come from his uncle’s meddling. Tosh had no
plans to give up the throne, which had been in his family for
generations, or to disrespect his father’s legacy.
    He scanned the woods surrounding his home and
his beast snarled. Something was in the woods that didn’t belong
there. An intruder.
    After stripping off his shorts, Tosh shifted
into his dragon form and perched on the stone railing of the
balcony. He breathed a sigh of relief as he took his form,
stretching out his wings and letting out a deep, satisfied bellow.
Lifting into the air, he circled his home and then flew toward the
woods. As he entered the woods, he let his beast lead, following
the feeling that something wasn’t quite right in the woods.
    He knew he could call for his guards and they
would join him and hunt whatever the disturbance was, but he felt
certain he needed to handle this himself. Perhaps it was nothing
sinister, a stray natural predator coming to hunt. But perhaps it
wasn’t as simple as that.
    A herd of deer raced by, the scent of their
fear heavy on the air. He scented blood and heard the crashing
sound of an animal moving hastily through the woods. An injured
buck, bleeding from thick claw marks on its hindquarters rushed
toward him, and Tosh grabbed it, snapping its neck by closing his
jaws around its throat. He landed on the ground, the snow fluffing
up around him, and laid the buck on the ground.
    An angry roar shook the trees behind him, and
he turned slowly, fangs bared. A polar bear snarled at him. Tosh
couldn’t have been more surprised to see a polar bear in his
woods.
    The bear moved to its hind legs and snapped
its jaws at Tosh. It was really angry, gesturing with its big paws
to the buck lying dead at Tosh’s feet. He snorted, a billow of
steam rising from his nostrils.
    The bear slowly transformed – fur receding,
claws and fangs disappearing, until Tosh found himself staring at a
curvy goddess worthy of worship. White-blonde hair fell past her
shoulders, and her eyes were blazing with indignation.
    “Hey, asshole! That’s my buck!” She planted
her hands on her hips and glared at him, not seeming to mind that
she was nude.
    He took the opportunity of her indignation to
get a good look at her. Gorgeous wasn’t a strong enough word
to describe how amazing she looked.
    He scented the air, moving closer to her. His
claws dug into the snow as he walked and folded his wings against
his body. He pressed his nose into her stomach, and she shrieked
and pushed at his head.
    “Your nose is cold. Stop that!”
    He let his shift recede as an awareness
settled over him. He was standing in the presence of his
truemate.
    And she was a poacher.
    She exhaled in surprise as he regained his
human form and stood before her.
    She was shorter than him by several inches,
and her pale skin was luminous in the moonlight. “You’re in my
territory,” Tosh said, clenching his hands to stop himself from
grabbing her and finding out how soft her skin was.
    “Oh? Just who are you, anyway?”
    “I’m Tosh Okida. You can start by telling me
who you are, since you’re the trespasser and the poacher.”
    Her cheeks flushed and her mouth fell open.
She stared at