Ella and the Beast (More Than Human Book 1) Read Free

that of the men in her village and his canines looked a little longer, but she still wouldn’t classify them as being true fangs. Her eyes went to his long fingers. They were normal now, long and thick, but the nails did not look any longer than her own.
    He did not look like any of the pictures of the snarling, blood-coated beasts. He also didn’t snarl and growl at her. He spoke in a warm, husky voice that confused her.
    “Are you real?” He asked, surprising her again.
    Ella frowned and tilted her head. “Of course I’m real!” She snapped. “You are a beast. What kind?”
    “A beast?” He asked, his eyes narrowing in confusion. “You mean, am I a Shifter? Yeah, of course. I’m a grizzly.”
    Ella paled and felt the tenuous grasp of her hand slip on the root and she slid back down to the ground, staring up at him in numb horror. The flashes of mental images overwhelmed her. A grizzly-shifter! One of the most feared Others. They were known for their speed, their ferociousness, and their strength. She was truly dead.
    “Why do you play with me?” She asked in a hoarse voice. “I am no match for you. One swipe of your paw and you could gut me.”
    “Gut you? Why would I want to do that? Gutting is so… barbaric,” Ty muttered with a shake of his head. “Listen, my name is Ty. What is yours?”
    Ella lowered her lance to the ground. It would be ineffective. Her hand slid along her side and down to her hip. No, her knife was the only way. She would drive it through her heart before he could rip it out and eat it. She only hoped that he would choke on it when he tried to eat it.
    “I am called Ella,” she whispered, lifting her head to stare at him as she pulled the blade from its sheath. “I want you to remember my name, Beast. For I shall haunt your dreams while you sleep.”
    “Haunt…. Shit a bloody mosquito,” Ty cursed, landing down in front of her and wrapping his hand around her wrist when she pulled the knife out and turned the sharp tip toward her chest. “What the hell do you think you are doing?”
    Ella stared up into his furious eyes. Surprise and shock surged through her at his incredible speed in which he had moved. One second he had been on the edge, staring down at her and the next he was wrapping his massive hand around her wrist. Swallowing, she began to shake.
    “Taking my own life, so that you can’t,” she whispered, licking her lips.
    He reached out and cupped her cheek with a gentleness that belied his superior strength. A strange warmth flooded her at the feel of his calloused fingertips against her skin. She drew in a breath when he leaned forward.
    “You aren’t going to escape me that easily, sweetheart,” Ty muttered, bending forward until his lips were just a breath away from hers.
    “Why not?” Ella asked in a husky voice.
    “Because, Ella, when a Silverback grizzly finds his mate, he will do everything in his power to make sure she stays safe,” Ty muttered, pressing a warm kiss to Ella’s slightly parted lips.
    Ella felt his hand slide down to her hand. With a flick of his wrist, he removed the blade from her grasp. He held her head still while he softly explored her mouth. Unexpected warmth flooded her, numbing the throbbing pain in her ankle and stunning her with its unexpected intensity.
    Ella didn’t understand what was happening. This wasn’t in any of the story books. He was supposed to be snarling, growling, and disemboweling her, not… not kissing her!
    Ella’s hand curled around her lance and she leaned back a little. The move drew the huge Beast slightly off-balance. Swinging with all her might, she hit him with the lance. He fell sideways, gripping his head and staring at her with shocked surprise.
    “Why did you do that?” He demanded, starting to rise to his feet before he jerked and suddenly staggered backwards, looking down at his thigh in surprise. His back hit the side of the pit. He slid down until he was sitting on the ground. “What