the…?” His gaze moved up to the edge of the pit.
Even from the bottom of the pit, Ella could see Jayden standing near the edge, a strange weapon in her hands. The startled look in Jayden’s eyes told Ella that her friend hadn’t realized that she had triggered the weapon. Ella’s gaze moved back to the Beast. He had wrapped his hand around the red tranquilizer dart fired from his rifle and was pulling it out of his thigh. His eyes were glazed and he blinked several times.
“Will it kill you?” She whispered, unsure why she cared.
“No… Just sleep,” he muttered. “Ella… Don’t leave.”
“I have to, Beast,” Ella whispered. “You must forget you ever saw me.”
His breathing began to slow and he slumped to his side. “I can’t,” he forced out as his eyelids slowly closed. “You… belong to… me.”
Ella shook her head. “I can never belong to you,” she murmured. “Forget me.”
Ella watched as several ropes were lowered into the pit. Jayden had found another of their hunting parties. The two slightly older women nodded to Ella after they slid down into the pit to help her. Ella glanced at the slumbering beast.
“Should we kill him?” One of the women asked, staring at Ty.
“No,” Ella said with a shake of her head. “Perhaps he will think this is a dream. Take the dart with us so he does not remember it.”
With the help of the other three women, Ella was able to climb out of the pit. Once at the top, Jayden quickly wrapped Ella’s foot and ankle. It would be a difficult journey back to the village, but at least she was still alive to make it. Ella glanced one last time over her shoulder at the pit. Somewhere deep inside her, she felt a pang of sorrow. It was as if a part of her was still trapped with the beast.
“Come, Ella,” Jayden murmured. “We need to put as much distance as we can between us and the beast before nightfall.”
Ella nodded and held onto the shoulders of the two women following Jayden. Soon, the forest swallowed them like fairies returning to the hidden corners of a magical world – a world where humans lived, not unusual shape-shifting beasts who kissed instead of killed.
Chapter 3
Ty groaned and dropped his head into his hands. The blurry images in the book lying open on his desk seemed to mock him. Had he just imagined her?
No! My mate out there! Hurt! His grizzly growled.
“I know,” Ty muttered with a weary sigh. “But where? We’ve searched that area and then some for the last five weeks now and found nothing!”
“What are you looking for?”
Ty leaned back in his seat and closed the book in front of him. He had to blink several times before he could bring the figure standing at the door into focus. He grimaced when he saw his twin sister, Tracy, leaning against the door frame.
“What are you doing here?” He growled, pushing his seat back and standing up to stretch.
“I love you, too, little bear,” Tracy chuckled as she straightened and stepped into the elegant room. “I see you are still keeping your nose in the books. You’ll never find a mate that way.”
Ty scowled at his sister, who was older by all of two minutes. “I don’t see a mate sniffing up your ass either, Tracy,” he retorted with a frown.
Tracy shook her head, sending a dark mane of thick brown hair dancing around her head. Ty’s gaze softened when he saw a fleeting look of sadness sweep across his sister’s face. Like her brother, she much preferred to have her nose in a book or to be studying some strange rock somewhere instead of hanging out in a bar or on the social network established for shifters who were searching for their one and only.
“I felt your unease,” she murmured, stepping closer to the desk.
Ty bit back a curse when he saw her gaze swept over the cover of the old textbook. Her eyebrow lifted and she shifted her gaze back to him in confusion. Once again he cursed the connection between twin cubs.
“It’s nothing,” he
Even from the bottom of the pit, Ella could see Jayden standing near the edge, a strange weapon in her hands. The startled look in Jayden’s eyes told Ella that her friend hadn’t realized that she had triggered the weapon. Ella’s gaze moved back to the Beast. He had wrapped his hand around the red tranquilizer dart fired from his rifle and was pulling it out of his thigh. His eyes were glazed and he blinked several times.
“Will it kill you?” She whispered, unsure why she cared.
“No… Just sleep,” he muttered. “Ella… Don’t leave.”
“I have to, Beast,” Ella whispered. “You must forget you ever saw me.”
His breathing began to slow and he slumped to his side. “I can’t,” he forced out as his eyelids slowly closed. “You… belong to… me.”
Ella shook her head. “I can never belong to you,” she murmured. “Forget me.”
Ella watched as several ropes were lowered into the pit. Jayden had found another of their hunting parties. The two slightly older women nodded to Ella after they slid down into the pit to help her. Ella glanced at the slumbering beast.
“Should we kill him?” One of the women asked, staring at Ty.
“No,” Ella said with a shake of her head. “Perhaps he will think this is a dream. Take the dart with us so he does not remember it.”
With the help of the other three women, Ella was able to climb out of the pit. Once at the top, Jayden quickly wrapped Ella’s foot and ankle. It would be a difficult journey back to the village, but at least she was still alive to make it. Ella glanced one last time over her shoulder at the pit. Somewhere deep inside her, she felt a pang of sorrow. It was as if a part of her was still trapped with the beast.
“Come, Ella,” Jayden murmured. “We need to put as much distance as we can between us and the beast before nightfall.”
Ella nodded and held onto the shoulders of the two women following Jayden. Soon, the forest swallowed them like fairies returning to the hidden corners of a magical world – a world where humans lived, not unusual shape-shifting beasts who kissed instead of killed.
Chapter 3
Ty groaned and dropped his head into his hands. The blurry images in the book lying open on his desk seemed to mock him. Had he just imagined her?
No! My mate out there! Hurt! His grizzly growled.
“I know,” Ty muttered with a weary sigh. “But where? We’ve searched that area and then some for the last five weeks now and found nothing!”
“What are you looking for?”
Ty leaned back in his seat and closed the book in front of him. He had to blink several times before he could bring the figure standing at the door into focus. He grimaced when he saw his twin sister, Tracy, leaning against the door frame.
“What are you doing here?” He growled, pushing his seat back and standing up to stretch.
“I love you, too, little bear,” Tracy chuckled as she straightened and stepped into the elegant room. “I see you are still keeping your nose in the books. You’ll never find a mate that way.”
Ty scowled at his sister, who was older by all of two minutes. “I don’t see a mate sniffing up your ass either, Tracy,” he retorted with a frown.
Tracy shook her head, sending a dark mane of thick brown hair dancing around her head. Ty’s gaze softened when he saw a fleeting look of sadness sweep across his sister’s face. Like her brother, she much preferred to have her nose in a book or to be studying some strange rock somewhere instead of hanging out in a bar or on the social network established for shifters who were searching for their one and only.
“I felt your unease,” she murmured, stepping closer to the desk.
Ty bit back a curse when he saw her gaze swept over the cover of the old textbook. Her eyebrow lifted and she shifted her gaze back to him in confusion. Once again he cursed the connection between twin cubs.
“It’s nothing,” he
Similar Books
Blood Kin
Ceridwen Dovey
In Deep Kimchi
Imari Jade
Billy Summers
Stephen King
The Forgotten Trinity
James R. White
Outfoxed
Rita Mae Brown
Crucible
Mercedes Lackey
The Old Boys
Charles McCarry
Once Forbidden
Hope Welsh
An Unlikely Father
Lynn Collum