Big Flight Read Free Page A

big bird told me. My husband is a swan, and he mentioned you had made urgent arrangements to come here. Who are you looking for again?”
    He blinked. “A young woman ran away from her family, and they wanted me to bring her home before she finds a mate. I haven’t seen her yet.”
    Spike kept tidying things. “What does she look like?”
    “If she looks like the rest of her family, she has dark blonde hair and amber eyes. They didn’t give me a physical description, just a name and a lot of backstory.”
    “And yet you charged in here looking for a woman you couldn’t identify?” Spike raised one brow.
    He grinned. “I was eager to dodge a party at home. Since I have gotten the council position, my family has been putting on the pressure to mate.”
    “So, the woman you saw at the bar?”
    “Was striking and I am eager to find her again.” It went deeper than that. His whole body had rippled with shock and arousal from the moment he saw her. His skin ached, his cock throbbed and then she had disappeared.
    Spike smiled, “Try the café. She looked a little hungry when she left.”
    He grinned. “Thank you for your assistance.”
    “Remember that sentiment. Off you go now.”
    She waved him off and he headed to the café.
    Sure enough, the woman with the platinum hair was just leaving. Her hair swung down over her shoulder and swayed across the centre of her back. It drew his gaze to the curve of her hips and ass.
    He stepped forward and said, “Excuse me.”
    She turned and froze with a prey-meeting-predator expression. “Oh, hell.”
     
    * * * *
     
    Molly looked up at the man she had hoped to avoid. He was prettier than he had seemed from across the room. Strong jaw, elegant nose and eyes with lashes so thick she was jealous. His wide shoulders and thick arms weren’t bad either.
    “I mean, hello.”
    He was extending his hand to her, and she shook it. “My name is Damon. I am pleased to meet you. May I walk you somewhere?”
    She paused. “Molly. My name is Molly.”
    His smile extended to the corners of his eyes. He lifted her hand and kissed it. “Definitely pleased to meet you, Molly.”
    Molly didn’t see any intense recognition or hostility, so she considered her options. “I was going for a walk to the shifters’ field. You can come with me if you like.”
    “I just arrived. A tour would be nice.” He offered her his arm.
    She blushed and slipped her hand under his elbow and rested her palm on his forearm. “It’s this way.”
    As they started to walk, he asked her, “Have you been here long?”
    She shook her head. “No. Not long.”
    “Have you met anyone likely?”
    Molly knew what he meant. “There are a few that I have met, but I am not rushing into things.”
    “I thought everyone at the Crossroads was eager to find a mate.” He seemed genuinely curious.
    “I am eager; I am just not stupid. Having decisions made for me is something I have decided I am tired of. I don’t care if a man wants me; I have to want him back.” She said it with as much determination as she could muster.
    She could feel the change in his posture as he stared down at her. Molly pretended that she was focussed on their path, but she was watching him closely.
    “What if a man makes you want him?”
    “Then, he is a bully or I was fooling myself. It will have to be figured out later.” Molly shrugged. “It is another reason for not rushing into something.”
    They arrived at the field where some wolves were returning from a run, rubbing together and showing obvious intimate affection.
    Molly cleared her throat. “This is where folks come to let their beasts out. For some folk, it is the only place that they have been completely free in years.”
    “Have you already let your beast out?”
    She nodded. “I went out last night.”
    He was hinting around without asking what her inner creature was, but if he hadn’t figured it out, she wasn’t going to tell him.
    Knowing her parents, they had given