Mating Instinct: A Moon Shifter Novel Read Free Page A

control tonight.
    “Surprised I haven’t seen you in Kelly’s before,” the guy, Scott . . . something, said.
    She’d been there a few times when she’d been human, but she’d usually been so busy working at the ski lodge—where she’d been an employee until a month ago. Shrugging, she smiled and shifted in her seat, crossing her legs in his direction. She didn’t want to make bullshit small talk. That wasn’t what tonight was about.
    The man’s dark gaze drifted down to her covered legs, then back up to her chest. Even though she was clothed, the way he looked at her made her feel practically naked. That should be a good thing, she told herself. She needed to be exposed in front of another person and she hadn’t been since that awful night. Maybe this would help with her nightmares. Anything to help her get rid of the nausea-inducing memories she couldn’t seem to outrun.
    So why did she feel so guilty being out with someone else? She and Jayce had broken up nearly a year ago. He’d made it perfectly clear that she wasn’t good enough for him. Oh, sure, he’d loved her in the bedroom, but that was all he’d been willing to give her. He hadn’t been willing to make her his bondmate when she’d been human and she sure as hell wasn’t going to give him a second chance now that she was like him. Not that he’d actually asked for one. He’d just been calling a lot since her attack.
    Acting all concerned.
    Well, he could take his concern and shove it. She didn’t need him or his help. She would take care of her own problems, the way she always had. By herself. Unfortunately she couldn’t seem to keep her head on straight. For a moment back in the parking lot she’d thought she scented Jayce, but she knew it had to be a figment of her imagination.
    “So how far from your place are we?” Self-loathing bubbled up inside her as she asked the question.
    Scott’s dark eyes glanced her way and he grinned before turning his gaze back to the road in front of him. “Not far, baby. Not far.”
    Baby?
She hated that term. Before she could dwell on it she sniffed the air. Something sensual rolled off him and it took her a moment to realize it was lust. She was still getting used to tapping into her extrasensory abilities and deciphering one smell from another. This was like a sweet wine, clean and refreshing.
    It reminded her that even though she might not care about this guy or plan to see him again, he wasn’t a bad person. It was the reason she’d chosen him tonight. Before she’d been turned into a shifter she’d been a human but also a seer. Just like her mom. Back then she’d only been able to see the true faces of supernatural beings. She’d been able to see the wolves or jaguars or whatever kind of animal lurked beneath the surface of shifters. And with vamps, she’d been able to see their teeth and their hunger for blood. After being turned into a shifter she could also see the truth of humans’ nature. It was a weird addition to her psychic abilities. With the ability to see the truth about people, she could see Scott’s “real” face. He was just a horny guy looking to get laid. No darker intentions or freaky sexual proclivities.
    As they pulled into the driveway of a cottage-style house in a normal-looking middle-class neighborhood, she took another deep breath. She could do this. Couldn’t she?
    When he put the truck in park, she fought the growing dread inside her. It moved like molasses, weighing her down and making it hard to breathe. With a numb hand she opened the door and slid out of the vehicle. The second her boots hit the pavement of the driveway she knew she couldn’t go through with this. Not if she wanted to look at herself in the mirror the next morning. One-night stands weren’t her style, and while she desperately needed control in her life, the thought of this guy’s hands on her body made her nauseous. Not because he was bad-looking or gave her bad vibes, but because