The Sweetest Mercy (Sexy Shifter Shorts) Read Free

speaking to her was just too delicious to be tied to anything in reality.
    The darkness of the cave prevented even a glimpse of the man who knelt down beside her. But she could sense him nonetheless, his nearness sparking every nerve ending and causing a rush of excitement to coil in her stomach. Cold metal brushed her abraded skin and Kiera sighed at the cool comfort of it. A snick echoed off the walls of the cave as her bound hands were freed and she moaned as she rotated her wrists and massaged the numbness from her deadened nerves. Another snick and her ankles were freed as well. Best. Dream. Ever . The only thing that could make it better…
    Something cracked and popped followed by a slushy liquid shake and a neon glow burst in her vision, causing Kiera to shield her eyes. When her eyes grew accustomed to the light, she looked up and her breath caught in her throat. Oh yeah. She was officially out of her mind. Or maybe even dead. Because the man staring at her with a bemused expression was nothing short of a god.
    He barely fit in the cramped space he was so big. His shoulders were almost twice as wide as hers and tapered to a narrow waist. Eyes, dark as night and just as fathomless studied her with an intensity that almost distracted her from his chiseled jaw, rough with stubble, and his sharp cheekbones. A slight curve to his nose—no doubt from a break—and a scar that ran through one dark eyebrow and into his hairline at his temple, hinted that he might be something of a brawler. Kiera’s fingers itched to dive into the thick locks of his black hair. Would it be silky soft? Or coarse. If she was in fact dead, then she must have done something right in her life, because there was no doubt this male was about to take her straight to heaven.
    Kiera shook her head as if to clear her muddled thoughts. No. This isn’t real . She’d lost count of the hours since she’d been made a captive, but her body told her that she was still in the grip of the full-moon. Her body clenched with lust, her heart pounded against her chest and her breath came in quick little bursts of air. Her senses were awash with pure male perfection and her body ached for him in a way that was almost painful. Reason seemed trite when her body urged—no, commanded —her to seek release with this man so obviously built for pleasure.
    And damn it, she was going to do just that.
    “What’s your name?” she asked, infusing her voice with power.
    The man cocked his head to one side and his brow furrowed as he studied her. Of course, if this was just a by-product of her madness, an illusion sent to torture her. Her wiles wouldn’t work on an illusion, would they? Her voice wasn’t the only weapon in her arsenal, though. She was a woman after all and he was a man. Insanity could mess with her mind all it wanted. But crazy or not, Kiera was taking control of the situation.
    “Carter,” he responded in that oh-so delicious voice. “Carter Hayes. I’m here to help you, Kiera.”
     

Chapter Three
    CARTER’S BEAST GROWLED in his psyche, worked up to a frenzy. The tight space left little room for movement and even less opportunity for a breath of fresh air. And right now, he was damned near suffocating on the heady perfume of Kiera’s lust.
    His beast and his body joined against his mind and it was the worst kind of mutiny. The granite ceiling seemed to close in on him as Carter tried to stand and his erection pressed uncomfortably against his fly. Of all the times for his hormones to take over… Gods, you’d think he was some unseasoned cub with his first female, not an old-as-dirt killer with years of experience under his belt.
    “Let’s go, Kiera.” He backed out the way he came, wary to turn his back on her. Seriously, what did he expect her to do? Jump on his back and tackle him to the ground? From the way her eyes glazed over with lust, it wasn’t exactly a far-fetched notion. And why did he find that sexy as hell? “We need to get